Biochemical Properties of Tyrosinase from Aspergillus terreus and Penicillium copticola; Undecanoic Acid from Aspergillus flavus,an Endophyte of Moringa oleifera,Is a Novel Potent Tyrosinase Inhibitor

Tyrosinase is a copper-containing monooxygenase catalyzing the O-hydroxylation of tyrosine to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine then to dopaquinone that is profoundly involved in melanin synthesis in eukaryotes. Overactivation of tyrosinase is correlated with hyperpigmentation that is metabolically correlated with severe pathological disorders, so, inhibition of this enzyme is the most effective approach in controlling the overproduction of melanin and its hazardous effects. Thus, searching for a powerful, selective inhibitor of human tyrosinase to limit the hyper-synthesis of melanin is a challenge. Unlike the difficulty of overexpression of human tyrosinase, using fungal tyrosinase as a model enzyme to the human one to evaluate the mechanistics of enzyme inhibition in response to various compounds is the most feasible strategy. Thus, the purification of highly catalytic-efficient fungal tyrosinase, exploring a novel inhibitor, and evaluating the mechanistics of enzyme inhibition are the main objectives of this work. Aspergillus terreus and Penicillium copticola were reported as the most potential tyrosinase producers. The biochemical properties suggest that this enzyme displays a higher structural and catalytic proximity to human tyrosinase. Upon nutritional bioprocessing by Plackett–Burman design, the yield of tyrosinase was increased by about 7.5-folds, compared to the control. The purified tyrosinase was strongly inhibited by kojic acid and A. flavus DCM extracts with IC₅₀ values of 15.1 and 12.6 µg/mL, respectively. From the spectroscopic analysis, the main anti-tyrosinase compounds of A. flavus extract was resolved, and verified as undecanoic acid. Further studies are ongoing to unravel the in vivo effect and cytotoxicity of this compound in fungi and human, that could be a novel drug to various diseases associated with hyperpigmentation by melanin.     

Characterization of polyoxometalate/polymer photo-composites: A toolbox for the photodegradation of organic pollutants

Different inorganic/organic photocomposites based on polyoxometalate (POM) nanoparticles have been developed for photocatalytic applications. Currently, polyoxometalate nanoparticles have been successfully in-situ embedded into an acrylate polymer network by photopolymerization upon mild visible light irradiation at 405 nm. The proposed POM/polymer photocomposites have been characterized using complementary techniques for a better understanding of their photocatalytic activity. Interestingly, the obtained photocomposites exhibit high rigidity, excellent thermal stability, a non-negligible porosity and new functionalities such as light reactivity and redox properties. Moreover, developed composites showed efficient catalytic activity for the color removal of aqueous solutions of erythrosine and rose Bengal under Light Emitting Diodes LED@375 nm irradiation reaching 80 and 90% as a final color removal, respectively.     

Determination of primordial radionuclide concentrations in UAE groundwater using high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Groundwater is the most valuable resource in arid regions, such as UAE. Estimations of natural radionuclide concentrations are important to...     

Motion analysis of two-link nonholonomic swimmers

Nonlinear Dynamics - This paper presents a tool for analyzing the motion of two-link nonholonomic swimmers. We refer to these systems as Land-sharks, which are a generalization of the well known...     

Magnetic Polymer Composite Particles Via In situ Inverse Miniemulsion Polymerization Process

We aimed at preparing magnetic iron oxide particles by the oxidation-precipitation method in order to encapsulate these particles in polymer matrices composed of poly(acrylamide-styrene sulfonic acid sodium salt). Nanocomposites were synthesized by the incorporation of surface treated magnetic nanoparticles in the synthesized polymers via in situ inverse mini-emulsion polymerization process. The study parameter was the ionic monomer content in the synthesized polymers. The structure and the morphology of the magnetic nanogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). FTIR and XRD showed that pure magnetite was formed and successfully encapsulated in the composite nanoparticles. The polymer encapsulation could reduce the susceptibility to leaching and could protect the magnetite particle surfaces from oxidation. The ionic monomer content had a great effect on the magnetization behavior. Magnetite prepared by the oxidation precipitation method, of 50 nm mean particle size, was embedded successfully into the polymer nanogels with a reasonable magnetic response, as proved by vibrating sample magnetometer measurement. Magnetic nanocomposites were proven to be super-ferromagnetic materials.     

Preparation and Characterization of Poly Vinyl Alcohol/Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone/Clay Based Nanocomposite by Gamma Irradiation

A series of PVA/PVP/clay nanocomposite were prepared by gamma irradiation with different clay contents of (0.15, 0.3, 1, 1.5, 3 and 5 wt%). The gelation content and swelling behavior were investigated. The morphology and structure of PVA/PVP/clay nanocomposite and dispersion of the clay nanoparticles in the polymeric matrix were examined by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The introduction of clay into polymeric matrix was investigated by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM). It is observed that, the increase of the clay content causes a decrease in the swelling percent. The thermal stability studies confirmed that the introduction of clay lead to an increase in the thermal stability. The TEM results showed that the clay nanoparticles are interchelated or exfoliated in the polymeric matrix. Some desirable characteristics such as relatively good swelling and excellent barrier capability against microbe penetration suggested that PVA/PVP/clay nanocomposite can be a good candidate as a wound dressing.     

Temperature Effect on the Phase Behavior of the Systems Water/Sucrose Laurate/Ethoxylated‐mono‐di‐glyceride/Oil

The phase behavior of the systems water/sucrose laurate/ethoxylated mono‐di‐glyceride/oil was investigated as function of temperature and the weight ratio of EMDG in the mixed surfactants. The oils were R (+)‐limonene, isopropylmyristate, and caprylic‐capric triglyceride. This study demonstrates that the phase inversion temperature (PIT) decreases and the efficiency of the mixed surfactants (γ¯) increase as the weight ratio of the EMDG in the mixed surfactants increases. R (+)‐limonene gave lower phase inversion temperatures and higher efficiencies compared to isopropylmyristate, and caprylic‐capric triglyceride. The solubilization capacity of the system water/sucrose laurate/oil increased upon the addition of ethoxylated mono‐di‐ glyceride which stabilize the surfactant layer and increase the interfacial area.     

Corrosion inhibition of zinc in aqueous acidic media using a novel synthesized Schiff base – an experimental and theoretical study

Abstract

The kinetics of H₂ production during Zn corrosion in 0.5?M HCl without and with various additives of N,N'-bis-(1-hydroxyphenylimine)-2,5-thiophenedicarboxaldehyde (HPTD) was studied using gasometry and electrochemical techniques. The surface of the corroded Zn samples was investigated using SEM and Optical Profilometry. The rate of H₂ production (RHP) increased with the immersion time and temperature. Presence of HPTD mitigated RHP due to an adsorption process. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed that HPTD had a good inhibitive effect. Polarization data proved that HPTD acted as a surface-active mixed-type inhibitor. Some thermodynamic parameters were deduced and discussed. Theoretical calculations were also conducted to corroborate the capability of HPTD to protect Zn surface from corrosion process.     

Dielectric relaxation of chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) stabilized with cyanoguanidine

Dielectric spectra of CPVC stabilized with cyanoguanidine were studied in the temperature range 300–450 K and frequency range 10 kHz to 1 MHz. In these conditions, only one clear dielectric relaxation band (α-type) associated with dipolar polarization was observed. Dielectric losses was found to directly proportional to the number of dipoles (N) which reflects the orientational distribution of polymer chains in the amorphous region, at which dielectric losses concerned. Calculations of the dielectric modulus M′(T) at low temperature indicate that there is a role of the electrode polarization in the relaxation process. Dielectric loss data were used to calculate the activation enthalpy by two different methods, the obtained value was 450 kJ/mol.     

Studies with polyfunctionally substituted heteroaromatics: 2-Phenyl-4-p-tolylhydrazono-2-oxazoline-5-one as a precursor for the synthesis of substituted 1,2,4-triazoles and pyridines

2-Phenyl-4-p-tolylhydrazono-2-oxazoline-5-one ( 3 ) was rearranged by the action of phenols and naphthols into 1,2,4-triazole-5-carboxylic esters ( 5 ) that were rearranged further on reflux in AcOH-ZnCl₂ into triazolyl ketones ( 7 ). Rearrangement of 3 into 1,2,4-triazole derivatives could also be effected by the action of heterocyclic amines and 1-naphthylamine. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.