Kinetics of particle deposition in the oblique impinging jet cell

A new oblique impinging-jet (OBIJ) cell was developed, suitable for colloid deposition studies at various interfaces. In contrast to previously used orthogonal cells, the OBIJ construction makes possible direct microscope observations of particle deposition on nontransparent substrates. The cell performance was tested by studying kinetics of polystyrene latex particle deposition on mica. Two limiting cell configuration were used in the experiments: (i) the lower position (inverted microscope observation of substrate surface through air) and (ii) the upper position (observation of the substrate surface with adsorbed particles through the suspension layer). The dependence of local mass transfer rate (particle flux) on the position over the substrate surface was studied for various flow Reynolds numbers. It was demonstrated that deposition rate attained maximum at the flow stagnation point whose position was dependent on Re number. Moreover, it was shown that the local flux decreased at much slower rate when moving in the downstream direction, than for previously used impinging-jet cells. Consequently, the area of uniform transport conditions was larger, enabling more precise determination of the limiting particle flux at the stagnation-point. The dependence of the flux on Re number was systematically studied for various ionic strength of the suspension. It was demonstrated, in accordance with previous results for the ordinary impinging-jet, that the flux increased significantly for low ionic strength and high Re number. This phenomenon, referred to as the inverse salt effect, was interpreted in terms of the convective diffusion theory. The governing transport equation originating from this theory was solved numerically, for the region near the stagnation point, using the finite-difference method. These numerical solutions were used for nonlinear fitting of the flow intensity parameter dependence on the Re number. In this way the flow field in the vicinity of the stagnation point was fully characterized. It was concluded that the new cell can be exploited as an effective experimental tool for colloid deposition studies on various substrates.     

Contribution to the mechanism of liquid membrane oscillators involving cationic surfactant

It is shown that liquid membrane oscillators with cationic surfactants have more complex oscillation patterns than observed previously. The actual details of the oscillations depend strongly on the nature of the membrane material, disclosing even the presence of parallel molecular events. It appears that sampling topology also has a great influence on the observed oscillatory behavior. Variation of oscillation patterns with diffusion path length in the membrane demonstrated the decisive role played by the actual timing of molecular events. The new evidences produced complete usefully the actual views concerning the mechanism of oscillations.     

The reactions of 2-benzoylpyridine with [RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3] and [(C6H6)RuCl2]2

The reactions of [RuHCl(CO)(PPh₃)₃] and [(C₆H₆)RuCl₂]₂ with 2-benzoylpyridine have been examined, and two novel ruthenium(II) complexes – [RuCl(CO)(PPh₃)₂(C₅H₄NCOO)] and [RuCl₂(C₁₂H₉NO)₂] – have been obtained. The compounds have been studied by IR and UV–Vis spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. The molecular orbital diagrams of the complexes have been calculated with the density functional theory (DFT) method. The spin-allowed singlet–singlet electronic transitions of the compounds have been calculated with the time-dependent DFT method, and the UV–Vis spectra of the compounds have been discussed on this basis.     

Hepatoprotective Effects of Ixeris chinensis on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Induced by High-Fat Diet in Mice: An Integrated Gut Microbiota and Metabolomic Analysis

Ixeris chinensis (Thunb.) Nakai (IC) is a folk medicinal herb used in Mongolian medical clinics for the treatment of hepatitis and fatty liver diseases even though its pharmacological mechanism has not been well characterized. This study investigated the hepatoprotective mechanism of IC on mice with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by integrating gut microbiota and metabolomic analysis. A high-fat diet (HFD) was used to develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, after which the mice were treated with oral IC (0.5, 1.5 and 3.0 g/kg) for 10 weeks. HFD induced NAFLD and the therapeutic effects were characterized by pathological and histological evaluations, and the serum indicators were analyzed by ELISA. The gut microbial and metabolite profiles were studied by 16S rRNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomic analysis, respectively. The results showed that the administration of IC resulted in significant decreases in body weight; liver index; serum biomarkers such as ALT, TG, and LDL-C; and the liver inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. The 16S rRNA sequencing results showed that administration of IC extract altered both the composition and abundance of the gut microbiota. Untargeted metabolomic analysis of liver samples detected a total of 212 metabolites, of which 128 were differentially expressed between the HFD and IC group. IC was found to significantly alter the levels of metabolites such as L-glutamic acid, pyridoxal, ornithine, L-aspartic acid, D-proline, and N4-acetylaminobutanal, which are involved in the regulation of glutamine and glutamate, Vitamin B6 metabolism, and arginine and proline metabolic pathways. Correlation analysis indicated that the effects of the IC extract on metabolites were associated with alterations in the abundance of Akkermansiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Muribaculaceae. Our study revealed that IC has a potential hepatoprotective effect in NAFLD and that its function might be linked to improvements in the composition of gut microbiota and their metabolites.     

Novel C60 Fullerenol-Gentamicin Conjugate–Physicochemical Characterization and Evaluation of Antibacterial and Cytotoxic Properties

This study aimed to develop, characterize, and evaluate antibacterial and cytotoxic properties of novel fullerene derivative composed of C₆₀ fullerenol and standard aminoglycoside antibiotic–gentamicin (C₆₀ fullerenol-gentamicin conjugate). The successful introduction of gentamicin to fullerenol was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy which together with thermogravimetric and spectroscopic analysis revealing the formula of the composition as C₆₀(OH)₁₂(GLYMO)₁₁(Gentamicin)_0.8. The dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed that conjugate possessed ability to form agglomerates in water (size around 115 nm), while Zeta potential measurements demonstrated that such agglomerates possessed neutral character. In vitro biological assays indicated that obtained C₆₀ fullerenol-gentamicin conjugate possessed the same antibacterial activity as standard gentamicin against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli, which proves that combination of fullerenol with gentamicin does not cause the loss of antibacterial activity of antibiotic. Moreover, cytotoxicity assessment demonstrated that obtained fullerenol-gentamicin derivative did not decrease viability of normal human fibroblasts (model eukaryotic cells) compared to control fibroblasts. Thus, taking into account all of the results, it can be stated that this research presents effective method to fabricate C₆₀ fullerenol-gentamicin conjugate and proves that such derivative possesses desired antibacterial properties without unfavorable cytotoxic effects towards eukaryotic cells in vitro. These promising preliminary results indicate that obtained C₆₀ fullerenol-gentamicin conjugate could have biomedical potential. It may be presumed that obtained fullerenol may be used as an effective carrier for antibiotic, and developed fullerenol-gentamicin conjugate may be apply locally (i.e., at the wound site). Moreover, in future we will evaluate possibility of its applications in inter alia tissue engineering, namely as a component of wound dressings and implantable biomaterials.     

Biochemical and Molecular Investigation of the Effect of Saponins and Terpenoids Derived from Leaves of Ilex aquifolium on Lipid Metabolism of Obese Zucker Rats

Ilex paraguariensis, the holly tree, is a plant with recognized biological properties, whose aqueous infusions are known as “Yerba mate”, that regulate lipid metabolism, reduce obesity, and improve brain stimulation. In the present study, the effect of standardized saponin and terpenoid fractions of a European taxon, Ilex aquifolium, on blood biochemical parameters in a rat model of metabolic disorder, (fa/fa) Zucker, are presented. The profiles of the volatile fractions of two species and six European varieties of Ilex were investigated. After selecting the best variety, the saponin and terpenoid fractions were isolated and standardized, and animals were fed 10 mg kg⁻¹ b.w. for 8 weeks. A statistically significant decrease in liver adiposity was observed, confirmed by histology and quantitative identification (gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses of hepatic lipids. RT-qPCR analysis of gene expression in the aorta revealed that the administration of the terpenoid fraction downregulated LOX-1, suggesting a reduction in atherosclerotic stimuli. In addition, a statistically significant reduction (p < 0.05) in PPARγ for the saponin fraction was observed in the liver. The expression of the ACAT-1 gene in the liver, responsible for the formation of cholesterol esters, increased significantly in the group receiving the terpenoid fraction compared to the control, which was also confirmed by the analysis of individual blood biochemical parameters. The opposite effect was observed for saponins. Taking the above into account, it is shown for the first time that Ilex aquifolium can be a source of compounds that positively influence lipid metabolism.     

Effect of Ion and Binding Site on the Conformation of Chosen Glycosaminoglycans at the Albumin Surface

Albumin is one of the major components of synovial fluid. Due to its negative surface charge, it plays an essential role in many physiological processes, including the ability to form molecular complexes. In addition, glycosaminoglycans such as hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate are crucial components of synovial fluid involved in the boundary lubrication regime. This study presents the influence of Na+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ ions on human serum albumin–hyaluronan/chondroitin-6-sulfate interactions examined using molecular docking followed by molecular dynamics simulations. We analyze chosen glycosaminoglycans binding by employing a conformational entropy approach. In addition, several protein–polymer complexes have been studied to check how the binding site and presence of ions influence affinity. The presence of divalent cations contributes to the decrease of conformational entropy near carboxyl and sulfate groups. This observation can indicate the higher affinity between glycosaminoglycans and albumin. Moreover, domains IIIA and IIIB of albumin have the highest affinity as those are two domains that show a positive net charge that allows for binding with negatively charged glycosaminoglycans. Finally, in discussion, we suggest some research path to find particular features that would carry information about the dynamics of the particular type of polymers or ions.     

Comparison of Volatile Profiles of Meads and Related Unifloral Honeys: Traceability Markers

Volatile profiles of unifloral honeys and meads prepared in different ways (boiled-saturated, not boiled-unsaturated) were investigated by headspace solid-phase micro extraction (HS-SPME) and dehydration homogeneous liquid–liquid extraction (DHLLE) followed by GC-FID/MS analyses. The obtained data were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the differences between the investigated products. The volatile profiles of honey as well as the boiled and the not boiled meads prepared from it showed significant discrepancies. The meads contained more aliphatic acids and esters but fewer monoterpenes and aliphatic hydrocarbons than the honey. Significant/substantial differences were found between the boiled (more aliphatic alcohols and acids) and the not boiled meads (more aliphatic hydrocarbons and esters). Some compounds related to yeast metabolism, such as tryptophol, may be considered markers of honey fermentation. This research allowed us to identify chemical markers of botanical origin, retained and detectable in the meads: 4-isopropenylcyclohexa-1,3-diene-1-carboxylic acid and 4-(1-hydroxy-2-propanyl)cyclohexa-1,3-diene-1-carboxylic acid for linden; valeric acid, γ-valerolactone, p-hydroxybenzoic acid for buckwheat; 4-hydroxybenzeneacetic acid, homovanillic acid and trans-coniferyl alcohol for honeydew; and methyl syringate for canola.     

Radiation effect studies in single crystal of Trifluoroacetyl-α-Aminoisobutyric acid

In this study, electron paramagnetic resonance of γ-irradiated single crystals of N-Trifluoroacetyl-α-amino isobutyric acid (F₃Ac-Aib-OH) was investigated at room temperature and analyzed for different orientations of the crystal in the magnetic field. The paramagnetic species in N-Trifluoroacetyl-α-aminoisobutyric acid was attributed to the ?F₂-R radical (R= CONHC(CH₃)COOH). Hyperfine coupling constants and g value were also determined. In addition, the single crystal of F₃Ac-Aib-OH was UV-irradiated and paramagnetic species formed was studied at room temperature. The effects of gamma irradiation on fluoroamino acid and stability were discussed.     

Sulfur Ligands. from β-Lactam Antibiotics to Contrast Agents for MRI

Abstract

NMR, IR and semi empirical Molecular Orbital PM3 studies on selected β-lactam antibiotics are reported. The role of sulfur in β-lactam antibiotics is discussed.