A portable ultrahigh‐vacuum system for advanced synchrotron radiation studies of thin films and nanostructures: EuSi2 nano‐islands

A portable ultrahigh‐vacuum system optimized for in situ variable‐temperature X‐ray scattering and spectroscopy experiments at synchrotron radiation beamlines was constructed and brought into operation at the synchrotron radiation facility ANKA of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany. Here the main features of the new instrument are described and its capabilities demonstrated. The surface morphology, structure and stoichiometry of EuSi₂ nano‐islands are determined by in situ grazing‐incidence small‐angle X‐ray scattering and X‐ray absorption spectroscopy. A size reduction of about a factor of two of the nano‐islands due to silicide decomposition and Eu desorption is observed after sample annealing at 1270 K for 30 min.     

Regioselective Hydroxylation of C12–C15 Fatty Acids with Fluorinated Substituents by Cytochrome P450 BM3

We demonstrate herein that wild‐type cytochrome P450 BM3 can recognize non‐natural substrates, such as fluorinated C₁₂–C₁₅ chain‐length fatty acids, and show better catalysis for their efficient conversion. Although the binding affinities for fluorinated substrates in the P450 BM3 pocket are marginally lower than those for non‐fluorinated substrates, spin‐shift measurements suggest that fluoro substituents at the ω‐position can facilitate rearrangement of the dynamic structure of the bulk‐water network within the hydrophobic pocket through a micro desolvation process to expel the water ligand of the heme iron that is present in the resting state. A lowering of the Michaelis–Menten constant (K_m), however, indicates that fluorinated fatty acids are indeed better substrates compared with their non‐fluorinated counterparts. An enhancement of the turnover frequencies (k_cat) for electron transfer from NADPH to the heme iron and for C? H bond oxidation by compound I (Cpd I) to yield the product suggests that the activation energies associated with going from the enzyme–substrate (ES state) to the corresponding transition state (ES^≠ state) are significantly lowered for both steps in the case of the fluorinated substrates. Delicate control of the regioselectivity by the fluorinated terminal methyl groups of the C₁₂–C₁₅ fatty acids has been noted. Despite the fact that residues Arg47/Tyr51/Ser72 exert significant control over the hydroxylation of the subterminal carbon atoms toward the hydrocarbon tail, the fluorine substituent(s) at the ω‐position affects the regioselective hydroxylation. For substrate hydroxylation, we have found that fluorinated lauric acids probably give a better structural fit for the heme pocket than fluorinated pentadecanoic acid, even though pentadecanoic acid is by far the best substrate among the reported fatty acids. Interestingly, 12‐fluorododecanoic acid, with only one fluorine atom at the terminal methyl group, exhibits a comparable turnover frequency to that of pentadecanoic acid. Thus, fluorination of the terminal methyl group introduces additional interactions of the substrate within the hydrophobic pocket, which influence the electron transfers for both dioxygen activation and the controlled oxidation of aliphatics mediated by high‐valent oxoferryl species.     

An efficient synthesis of d-ribo-C18-phytosphingosine and l-arabino-C18-phytosphingosine from d-fructose

d-ribo-C₁₈-phytosphingosine and l-arabino-C₁₈-phytosphingosine were synthesised starting from commercially inexpensive d-fructose. Metal-mediated fragmentation and stereoselective reduction were used as key steps to provide the hydrophilic portion of d-ribo and l-arabino phytosphingosines. Grubbs’ cross-metathesis and hydrogenation allowed the incorporation of hydrophobic tail.     

A convenient synthesis of l-ribose from d-fructose

An efficient method for the stereoselective synthesis of l-ribose was accomplished starting from commercially inexpensive d-fructose. The intermediates in the process can serve as versatile precursors for the preparation of l-nucleoside analogues.     

An unexpected migration of O-silyl group under Mitsunobu reaction conditions

A 1,4 O→O silyl migration followed by nucleophilic substitution with phthalimide was observed under Mitsunobu reaction conditions. This one step secondary alcohol protection and primary alcohol substitution with N-nucleophiles was extended to a variety of 2-hydroxyethyl trialkylsilylether derivatives. A possible mechanism has been postulated based on the pK_a values of the alcohol and nucleophile. The present one-pot silyl migration and substitution reaction might find application in the stereoselective synthesis of novel iminosugar derived anti diabetic agents.     

Effect of oxygen annealing on the photoresponse of PbSe thin films fabricated by the pulsed laser deposition method

In this work, we have fabricated lead selenide (PbSe) thin films by the pulsed laser deposition method on Si/SiO₂ substrates and investigated the effect of oxygen annealing (sensitization) in these films. The oxygen-sensitized films show high responsivity in the visible (VIS) and the near-infrared (NIR) region at room temperature without cooling. We also demonstrate the effective surface oxidation of PbSe thin films during the oxygen annealing process without treated with commonly used halogens that leads to a better photoresponse in these PbSe films.     

Photosubstitution in a trisheteroleptic ruthenium complex inhibits conjunctival melanoma growth in a zebrafish orthotopic xenograft model

In vivo data are rare but essential for establishing the clinical potential of ruthenium-based photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) compounds, a new family of phototherapeutic drugs that are activated via ligand photosubstitution. Here a novel trisheteroleptic ruthenium complex [Ru(dpp)(bpy)(mtmp)](PF₆)₂ ([2](PF₆)₂, dpp = 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline, bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, mtmp = 2-methylthiomethylpyridine) was synthesized and its light-activated anticancer properties were validated in cancer cell monolayers, 3D tumor spheroids, and in embryonic zebrafish cancer models. Upon green light irradiation, the non-toxic mtmp ligand is selectively cleaved off, thereby releasing a phototoxic ruthenium-based photoproduct capable notably of binding to nuclear DNA and triggering DNA damage and apoptosis within 24–48 h. In vitro, fifteen minutes of green light irradiation (21 mW cm⁻², 19 J cm⁻², 520 nm) were sufficient to generate high phototherapeutic indexes (PI) for this compound in a range of cancer cell lines including lung (A549), prostate (PC3Pro4), conjunctival melanoma (CRMM1, CRMM2, CM2005.1) and uveal melanoma (OMM1, OMM2.5, Mel270) cancer cell lines. The therapeutic potential of [2](PF₆)₂ was further evaluated in zebrafish embryo ectopic (PC3Pro4) or orthotopic (CRMM1, CRMM2) tumour models. The ectopic model consisted of red fluorescent PC3Pro4-mCherry cells injected intravenously (IV) into zebrafish, that formed perivascular metastatic lesions at the posterior ventral end of caudal hematopoietic tissue (CHT). By contrast, in the orthotopic model, CRMM1- and CRMM2-mCherry cells were injected behind the eye where they developed primary lesions. The maximally-tolerated dose (MTD) of [2](PF₆)₂ was first determined for three different modes of compound administration: (i) incubating the fish in prodrug-containing water (WA); (ii) injecting the prodrug intravenously (IV) into the fish; or (iii) injecting the prodrug retro-orbitally (RO) into the fish. To test the anticancer efficiency of [2](PF₆)₂, the embryos were treated 24 h after engraftment at the MTD. Optimally, four consecutive PACT treatments were performed on engrafted embryos using 60 min drug-to-light intervals and 90 min green light irradiation (21 mW cm⁻², 114 J cm⁻², 520 nm). Most importantly, this PACT protocol was not toxic to the zebrafish. In the ectopic prostate tumour models, where [2](PF₆)₂ showed the highest photoindex in vitro (PI > 31), the PACT treatment did not significantly diminish the growth of primary lesions, while in both conjunctival melanoma orthotopic tumour models, where [2](PF₆)₂ showed more modest photoindexes (PI ∼ 9), retro-orbitally administered PACT treatment significantly inhibited growth of the engrafted tumors. Overall, this study represents the first demonstration in zebrafish cancer models of the clinical potential of ruthenium-based PACT, here against conjunctival melanoma.

A new tris-heteroleptic photoactivated chemotherapy ruthenium complex induces apoptosis upon green light activation in a zebrafish orthothopic conjunctival melanoma xenograft model.     

On holomorphic sectional curvature of Kähler quotients

Archiv der Mathematik - In this article, we compute the holomorphic sectional curvature of non-singular Kähler quotients. As a corollary, we show that the holomorphic sectional curvature of...