Effect of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma on Maize Seeds: Enhancement of Seedlings Growth and Surface Microorganisms Inactivation

Cold atmospheric pressure ambient air plasma generated by Diffuse Coplanar Surface Barrier Discharge (DCSBD) was investigated for inhibition of native microbiota and potentially dangerous pathogens (Aspergillus flavus, Alternaria alternata and Fusarium culmorum) on the maize surface. Moreover, the improvement of germination and growth parameters of maize seeds was evaluated. Maize (Zea mays L.; cv. Ronaldinio), one of the most important cultivated crops worldwide, was selected as the research material. Electrical measurements confirmed the high volume power density (80 W cm^?3) of DCSBD plasma. Non-equilibrium plasma state evaluated using optical emission spectroscopy showed values of vibrational and rotational temperature (2700?±?300) K and (370?±?75) K, respectively. Changes on the plasma treated seeds surface were studied by water contact angle measurement, scanning electron microscope analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A complete devitalisation of native microbiota on the surface of seeds was observed after a short treatment time of 60 s (bacteria) and 180 s (filamentous fungi). The plasma treatment efficiency of artificially contaminated maize seeds was estimated as a reduction of 3.79 log (CFU/g) in F. culmorum after a 60-s plasma treatment, 4.21 log (CFU/g) in A. flavus and 3.22 log (CFU/g) in A. alternata after a 300-s plasma treatment. Moreover, the obtained results show an increase in wettability, resulting in a better water uptake and in an enhancement of growth parameters. The investigated DCSBD plasma source provides significant technical advantages and application potential for seed surface finishing without the use of hazardous chemicals.     

Epoxides related to dioncoquinone B: Synthesis,activity against multiple myeloma cells,and search for the target protein

Epoxide 2b is an analog of the synthetic intermediate 2a en route to the polyketide-derived antitumoral naphthoquinone dioncoquinone B (1), isolated from cell cultures of the tropical liana Triphyophyllum peltatum (Dioncophyllaceae). Compound 2b was found to induce strong apoptosis in multiple myeloma cells at a concentration (EC₅₀?=?3.5?μM), distinctly lower than that of 1 and any related analog, without exerting significant toxicity against normal blood cells. Preliminary studies showed that 2b follows different SAR rules as compared to the naphthoquinones. Among the series of synthesized epoxides, 2b was the most active one and was thus, after biotinylation, subjected to mass spectrometry-based affinity capture experiments aiming at the identification of target proteins. The MS data revealed 2b to address proteins that are associated with stress regulation processes which are critical for multiple myeloma cell survival.     

Rhenium ethoxy- and hydroxycarbene complexes with thiophene substituents

Reaction of mono- and dilithiated thiophene (a), bithiophene (b) and 2,5-dibromothiophene (c) with [Re(2)(CO)(10)] afforded, after subsequent alkylation with triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate, tetra- and binuclear Fischer carbene complexes, [Re(2)(CO)(9){C(OEt){C(4)H(2)S}(n)X}], n = 1, X = H (1a); n = 2, X = H (1b); n = 1, X = Br (1c); n = 1, X = C(OEt)Re(2)(CO)(9), (2a); n = 2, X = C(OEt)Re(2)(CO)(9) (2b), as major products. The dirhenium acylate intermediates from this reaction not only gave the expected novel ethoxycarbene complexes with alkylation but after rhenium-rhenium bond breaking afforded a number of minor products. The (1)H NMR spectrum of the crude reaction mixture revealed the formation of four metal hydride complexes and aldehydes. Protonation with HBF(4) instead of alkylation with Et(3)OBF(4) significantly increased the yields of the hydride complexes, which enabled the positive identification of three of these complexes. In addition to the known compounds [Re(CO)(5)H] and [Re(3)(CO)(14)H] (3), a unique complex displaying a hydroxycarbene fragment connected to an acyl fragment via an O-H···O hydrogen bond and a Re···H···Re bond linking the two Re centers, [(μ-H){Re(CO)(4)C(OH){C(4)H(2)S}(n)H}{Re(CO)(4)C(O){C(4)H(2)S}(n)H}], n = 1 (4a) or n = 2 (4b), were isolated. The formation of thiophene aldehydes, H{C(O)}(m){C(4)H(2)S}(n)C(O)H (m = 0 or 1 and n = 1 or 2), were observed and the novel monocarbene complexes with terminal aldehyde groups, [Re(2)(CO)(9){C(OEt){C(4)H(2)S}(n)C(O)H}], n = 1 (5a) and n = 2 (5b) could be isolated. A higher yield of 5b was obtained after stirring crystals of 2b in wet THF. The crystal structures of 1a, 2a, 4a and 5b are reported.     

Combining size-exclusion chromatography and fully automated chip-based nanoelectrospray quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry for structural analysis of chondroitin/dermatan sulfate in human decorin

Chondroitin/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS) chain of decorin (DCN) from human skin fibroblasts (HSk) was released by reductive β-elimination reaction and digested with chondroitin AC I lyase. Enzymatic hydrolysis mixture of CS/DS chains was separated by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). Collected octasaccharide fraction was subjected to fully automated chip-based nanoelectrospray (nanoESI) quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) MS and tandem MS (MS/MS). MS of human skin fibroblasts DCN CS/DS displayed a high complexity due to the large variety of glycoforms, which under chip-nanoESI MS readily ionized to form multiply charged ions. Except for the regularly tetrasulfated octasaccharide, the investigated fraction contained four additional octasaccharides of atypical sulfation status. Two new oversulfated glycoforms and two undersulfated species were identified. Remarkably, the series of decasaccharides discovered in the same SEC pool was found to encompass a trisulfated and a novel hexasulfated [4,5-Δ-GlcAGalNAc(IdoAGalNAc)?] species. MS/MS by collision-induced dissociation (CID) on the [M-4H]? ion corresponding to the previously not reported [4,5-Δ-GlcAGalNAc(IdoAGalNAc)?](5S) corroborated for a novel motif in which three N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) moieties are monosulfated, 4,5-Δ-GlcA and the first IdoA from the non-reducing end bear one sulfate group each, while the second N-acetylgalactosamine from the reducing end is unsulfated.     

Microwave promoted Suzuki reactions between aroyl chlorides and boronic acids catalyzed by heterogeneous and homogeneous phosphine-free palladium catalysts

Suzuki cross-coupling reactions between arylboronic acids and aroyl chlorides with phosphine-free palladium catalysis under microwave irradiation were performed to obtainment of aromatic ketones in good yields within short times. Heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts were studied as well as their influence in the reaction selectivity relative to homocoupling of the boronic acids.     

Complex formation between imidazole and carboxylate ligands in aqueous solution

We report the results of a potentiometric study on the formation of weak complexes between imidazole (im) and acetate, malonate, and citrate (L), at T=25°C. Formation of protonated species H_j (im)(L), in which j=1 for acetate, j=1, 2 for malonate and j=1, 2, 3 for citrate, was found. The formation of weak complexes between N-ligands and O-ligands may be used to interpret the behavior of these classes of compounds in natural fluid and/or in biological systems, as regards inter-or intra-molecular interactions.     

Quantitative analysis of two-dimensional gel-separated proteins using isotopically marked alkylating agents and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

We describe a simple approach for the relative quantification of individual proteins within a mixture. The method is based on the differential labelling of the mixtures by use of a commercially available acrylamide and deuterium-labelled [2,3,3'-d(3)]-acrylamide to alkylate proteins prior to two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis. The tryptic digests of the separated proteins were subjected to reflector matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) analysis and the relative peak heights of cysteine-containing peptides were used to quantify their precursor proteins. This approach was tested for the relative quantification of proteins within an artificial mixture of standard proteins and for proteins observed in a 2-D map of rat serum. A good correlation was found between the measured ratios derived from MALDI-TOF data and those theoretically calculated prior to 2-D analysis via known mixing ratios of the two alkylating reagents. The described procedure has proved to be effective for comparative measurements of protein abundances within the investigated mixtures.     

Concise synthesis of orthogonally diprotected l-glyceraldehyde

Orthogonally diprotected l-glyceraldehyde was efficiently prepared from readily available starting materials, allowing to obtain a highly stable and synthetically versatile chiral building block compared to known symmetrically protected derivatives.