Determination of Cadmium and Selenium in Food Samples by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry using Ni + Pt Modifier Mixture

Journal of Analytical Chemistry - Determination of cadmium and selenium in food samples mostly consumed in Turkey has been performed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using Ni + Pt...     

Reactive sensing capability towards the working electrical and chemical conditions of poly (aniline –co–o-toluidine) copolymers

Conducting polymers are considered as reactive gels which can sense the working ambient through their unique electrochemical reaction. Copolymers of aniline with o-toluidine for three different monomer compositions were synthesized chemically and were characterized using FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy, SEM, TGA, and cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical reactive sensing characteristics with respect to the electrical and chemical working conditions of the copolymers were verified and compared through Chronopotentiometric responses in aqueous solutions of HCl by changing the reaction variables: applied current and chemical environment (electrolyte concentration) at a fixed constant charge. The consumed electrical energy during the electrochemical reaction of the copolymers varies linearly with the driving current and follows a logarithmic dependence on the electrolyte concentration. The consumed electrical energy during the reaction was found to act as the sensing parameter. At the same experimental condition, the sensitivity was associated with the conductivity of the copolymers. The highly conducting composition gives the highest sensitivity. These experimental results were fitted with the theoretical equation.

     

In vitro dielectrophoresis of HEK cell migration for stimulating chronic wound epithelialization

This article describes a dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based simulation and experimental study of human epidermal keratinocyte (HEK) cells for wounded skin cell migration toward rapid epithelialization. MyDEP is a standalone software designed specifically to study dielectric particles and cell response to an alternating current (AC) electric field. This method demonstrated that negative dielectrophoresis (N_DEP) occurs in HEK cells at a wide frequency range in highly conductive medium. The finite element method was used to characterize particle trajectory based on DEP and drag force. The performance of the system was assessed using HEK cells in a highly conductive EpiLife suspending medium. The DEP experiment was performed by applying sinusoidal wave AC potential at the peak-to-peak voltage of 10 V in a tapered aluminum microelectrode array from 100 kHz to 1 MHz. We experimentally observed the occurrence of NDEP, which attracted HEK cells toward the local electric field minima in the region of interest. The DIPP-MotionV software was used to track cell migration in the prerecorded video via an automatic marker and estimate the average speed and acceleration of the cells. The results showed that HEK cell migration was accomplished approximately at 6.43 μm/s at 100 kHz with 10 V, and F_DEP caused the cells to migrate and align at the target position, which resulted in faster wound closures because of the application of an electric field frequency to HEK cells in random locations.     

Polyphenolics with Strong Antioxidant Activity from Acacia nilotica Ameliorate Some Biochemical Signs of Arsenic-Induced Neurotoxicity and Oxidative Stress in Mice

Neurotoxicity is a serious health problem of patients chronically exposed to arsenic. There is no specific treatment of this problem. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathological process of neurotoxicity. Polyphenolics have proven antioxidant activity, thereby offering protection against oxidative stress. In this study, we have isolated the polyphenolics from Acacia nilotica and investigated its effect against arsenic-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in mice. Acacia nilotica polyphenolics prepared from column chromatography of the crude methanol extract using diaion resin contained a phenolic content of 452.185 ± 7.879 mg gallic acid equivalent/gm of sample and flavonoid content of 200.075 ± 0.755 mg catechin equivalent/gm of sample. The polyphenolics exhibited potent antioxidant activity with respect to free radical scavenging ability, total antioxidant activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Administration of arsenic in mice showed a reduction of acetylcholinesterase activity in the brain which was counteracted by Acacia nilotica polyphenolics. Similarly, elevation of lipid peroxidation and depletion of glutathione in the brain of mice was effectively restored to normal level by Acacia nilotica polyphenolics. Gallic acid methyl ester, catechin and catechin-7-gallate were identified in the polyphenolics as the major active compounds. These results suggest that Acacia nilotica polyphenolics due to its strong antioxidant potential might be effective in the management of arsenic induced neurotoxicity.     

In Vitro Anti-Diabetic Activities and UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS Profile of Muntingia calabura Leaves Extract

Anti-diabetic compounds from natural sources are now being preferred to prevent or treat diabetes due to adverse effects of synthetic drugs. The decoction of Muntingia calabura leaves was traditionally consumed for diabetes treatment. However, there has not been any published data currently available on the processing effects on this plant’s biological activity and phytochemical profile. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of three drying methods (freeze-drying (FD), air-drying (AD), and oven-drying (OD)) and ethanol:water ratios (0, 50, and 100%) on in vitro anti-diabetic activities of M. calabura leaves. In addition, an ultrahigh-performance-liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was used to characterize the metabolites in the active extract. The FD M. calabura leaves, extracted with 50% ethanol, is the most active extract that exhibits a high α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities with IC₅₀ values of 0.46 ± 0.05 and 26.39 ± 3.93 µg/mL, respectively. Sixty-one compounds were tentatively identified by using UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS from the most active extract. Quantitative analysis, by using UHPLC, revealed that geniposide, daidzein, quercitrin, 6-hydroxyflavanone, kaempferol, and formononetin were predominant compounds identified from the active extract. The results have laid down preliminary steps toward developing M. calabura leaves extract as a potential source of bioactive compounds for diabetic treatment.     

Anti-Inflammatory Activities of the Ethanol Extract of Prasiola japonica,an Edible Freshwater Green Algae,and Its Various Solvent Fractions in LPS-Induced Macrophages and Carrageenan-Induced Paw Edema via the AP-1 Pathway

Prasiola japonica possesses several biological activities. However, reports on the anti-inflammatory activities and molecular mechanisms of its different solvent fractions remain limited. In this study, we investigated the potential anti-inflammatory activities of P. japonica ethanol extract (Pj-EE) and four solvent fractions of Pj-EE made with hexane (Pj-EE-HF), chloroform (Pj-EE-CF), butanol (Pj-EE-BF), or water (Pj-EE-WF) in both in vitro (LPS-induced macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells) and in vivo (carrageenan-induced acute paw edema mouse models) experiments. The most active solvent fraction was selected for further analysis. Various in vitro and in vivo assessments, including nitric oxide (NO), cytokines, luciferase assays, real-time polymerase chain reactions, and immunoblotting analyses were performed to evaluate the underlying mechanisms. In addition, the phytochemical constituents were characterized by Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In in vitro studies, the highest inhibition of NO production was observed in Pj-EE-CF. Further examination revealed that Pj-EE-CF decreased the expression of inflammation-related cytokines in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells and suppressed subsequent AP-1-luciferase activity by inhibition of phosphorylation events in the AP-1 signaling pathway. Pj-EE-CF treatment also demonstrated the strongest reduction in thickness and volume of carrageenan-induced paw edema, while Pj-EE-BF showed the lowest activity. Furthermore, Pj-EE-CF also reduced gene expression and cytokines production in tissue lysates of carrageenan-induced paw edema. These findings support and validate the evidence that Pj-EE, and especially Pj-EE-CF, could be a good natural source for an anti-inflammatory agent that targets the AP1 pathway.     

Applications involving oxidation with KBrO3: III. Rapid potentiometric methods for vanadium alone or in mixtures

A rapid and reliable method is given for the determination of vanadium based on oxidation of the V(IV) with a known excess of bromate to V(V). The unreacted oxidant as well as V(V) are subsequently reduced with sulfurous acid to V(IV). The resulting Br^?1 was potentiometrically titrated with Hg(I) using silver amalgam as the indicator electrode. The method finds application to the analysis of some binary and ternary mixtures.     

N-halogeno-compounds. Part 9 [1]. Azoxy- and azo-arenes derived from 4-(dichloroamino)tetrafluoropyridine; crystal structure of trans-2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl-onn-azoxy)pyridine

The nitrosoarenes ArNO (Ar = C₆H₅, 2-MeC₆H₄, 2,4,6- Me₃C₆H₂ and C₆F₅) have been condensed with 4-(dichloroamino)- tetrafluoropyridine to provide the azoxy-compounds py_FN$\text{N}\text{+}$($\text{N}\text{-}$)Ar (py_F = 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-pyridyl); de-oxygenation of the first three with triphenylphosphine or triethyl phosphite gave the corresponding azo-compounds, and the reverse reaction was achieved in the case of py_FNNC₆H₂Me₃-2,4,6 using peroxytrifluoroacetic acid. Thermolysis of 4-azidotetrafluoropyridine in the presence of pentafluoronitrosobenzene provided the perfluorinated azoxy-compound py_FN$\text{N}\text{+}$($\text{O}\text{-}$)C₆F₅. X-Ray methods have been used to determine the molecular geometry of py_FN$\text{N}\text{+}$($\text{O}\text{-}$)C₆H₂Me₃-2,4,6.     

Studies in azide chemistry. Part 12. One-pot conversion of 4-azidotetrafluoropyridine to 1,3,4-trifluoro-7,9-dimethyl-11H-pyrido[4,3-c]benzo[1,2]diazepine

Thermolysis of 4-azidotetrafluoropyridine in the presence of an excess of mesidine at 170 °C yields tetrafluoro-4-(2,4,6-trimethylphenylazo)- pyridine, which undergoes intramolecular dehydrofluorination $\text{in situ}$ to provide 1,3,4-trifluoro-7,9-dimethyl-11$\text{H}$-pyrido[4,3-$\text{c}$]benzo[1,2]diazepine.     

Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes and Gold Nanorod Decorated Biosensor for Detection of microRNA-126

In this article, we introduced a novel electrochemical biosensor for the detection of microRNA-126. The biosensor utilizes a hybridization assay combined with multi-walled carbon nanotubes and gold nanorod-decorated screen-printed carbon electrodes. For electrode preparation, gold nanorods were first immobilized onto the surface of bare and multi-walled carbon nanotube-modified screen-printed carbon electrodes, and the thiol tagged-capture probe was immobilized on the electrode surface through gold and thiol group interaction. After the immobilization, thiol tagged-capture probe hybridized with the target sequence. Under optimum conditions, we determined limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) as high as 11 nM and 36 nM, respectively.