The crystal and molecular structure of 5-N-methyl-β-d-arabinofurano[1′,2′:4,5]oxazolo-S-triazine-4,6-dione: Molecular modeling studies on the pattern of alkylation of β-D-arabinofurano[1′,2′:4,5]oxazolo-s-triazin-4-one-6-thione

The involvement of the 5′-hydroxyl group on β-D-arabinofurano[1′,2′:4,5]oxazolo-s-triazin-4-one-6-thione ( 1b ), to form an intramolecular covalent adduct at C6, is postulated to explain the formation of almost equal amounts of 5-N-alkyl-β-D-arabinofurano[1′,2′:4,5]oxazolo-s-triazin-4-one-6-thione and 5-N-alkyl-β-D-arabinofurano[1′,2′:4,5]oxazolo-s-triazine-4,6-dione during alkylation of 1b . An X-ray crystallographic study was conducted on 5-N-methyl-β-D-arabinofurano[1′,2′:4,5]oxazolo-s-triazine-4,6-dione ( 2a ) and its solid state structure was established. This was compared to the energy minimized structure of the same compound that was generated by the molecular modeling program, MACROMODEL. Force field calculations (Allinger's MM2) on this structure and other intermediates lend support to the concept of formation of the intramolecular covalent adduct.     

Multifunctional antigens of A. fumigatus and specific antibodies

The majority of Aspergillus-induced infections in man are caused by the pathogenic fungus A. fumigatus, which secretes biologically and immunologically active glycosylated and nonglycosylated proteins. The complexity in the antigenic structure of A. fumigatus and the varying host immune responses lead to a wide spectrum of clinical conditions such as allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), aspergilloma, and invasive aspergillosis. It is reported that 15-20% of allergic asthmatics suffer from Aspergillus-induced allergies. The incidence of opportunistic infections, including Aspergillus infections, has risen because of the increase in the incidence of HIV and tuberculosis. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis is an immunologically significant clinical form where type I and type III hypersensitivity reactions are involved in pathogenesis. High levels of specific IgE and IgG antibodies in these patients are of diagnostic value. Molecular characterization of certain immunodominant allergens and antigens of A. fumigatus revealed the presence of complex carbohydrate moieties, heat-shock proteins, enzyme activities such as elastase, protease, catalase, dismutase, and cytotoxic ribonuclease. A Con A binding allergen/antigen (45 kDa) and Con A nonbinding allergen/antigen (18 kDa, Asp fI) have a multifunctional nature. The multifunctional nature of these antigens may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Significant amounts of a major allergen/antigen of molecular weight 18 kDa is excreted in large amounts through the urine of patients with invasive aspergillosis. Studies on the structure-function relationship of the 18-kDa allergen/antigen revealed the involvement of tryptophan residues in binding with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Also, the histidine residues and cysteine disulfide bonds of the 18-kDa allergen are involved in its catalytic activity. The high load of multifunctional antigens in the serum of patients for prolonged periods, the presence of high levels of specific antibodies, and the absence of protective antibodies in ABPA patients have necessitated studies on the functional properties of the antibodies. The present study shows significant immunoreactivity of antibodies in patients of ABPA to fibronectin and collagen. Analysis of IgG antibodies from the patients of ABPA showed the presence of DNA-cleaving activity. These observations offer a new line of thinking in understanding the mechanism of pathogenesis of Aspergillus-induced clinical manifestations, and may lead to novel approaches to intervention in the inflammation and infection caused by fungal pathogens.     

Presentation of the creep curves of solid biological materials by a simplified mathematical version of the generalized Kelvin-Voigt model

Published creep equations, derived from the Kelvin-Voigt model with a discrete retardation time spectrum were used to generate data for linear presentation of the creep function. It is shown that 2–3 term creep functions, containing 4–6 constants, could be reduced to an algebraic expression having two constants only. Consequently, entire creep curves of a variety of biological and food materials could be described by a single type of equation in the form of:P (t) = k ₀ + k₁ t + t/(k₂ + k₃t) whereP (t) is the creep parameter (compliance, strain or deformation),k ₀ a constant representing the instantaneous compliance,k ₁ a constant representing the steady-state flow, andk ₂ andk ₃ the characteristic constants of the creep function (t) obtained by regression from the linear relationship oft/ (t) vst.     

Novel Petasis boronic acid reactions with indoles: synthesis of indol-3-yl-aryl-acetic acids

Indoles can serve as substrates for the Petasis boronic acid-Mannich reaction, providing a practical synthetic route for C-C bond formation in α-(N-substituted indole)carboxylic acids. The scope and limitations of this method have been examined.     

Co-separation of hafnium with zirconium oxychloride using175,181Hf as radioactive tracer

Co-separation of hafnium with zirconium oxychloride has been studied from 0 to 60°C with the help of^175,181Hf. It was found that zirconium oxychloride undergoes two transitions, one at about 33°C and another at about 59.5°C. From the value of the partition factor it was clear that a separation method based on fractional crystallisation of the oxychloride will not be a successful line of approach. The transition points were verified by DTA study. It was found from the DTA curve that hafnium oxychloride undergoes transition near 90°C. The solubility of zirconium oxychloride and the break in the partition factor also corroborate the above findings.     

Interaction of a new surface sensitive probe compound with anionic surfactants of varying hydrophobic chain length

The amide derivative of a bis-phenylethynyl compound meta linked to 2,6-pyridine (BPEAP) poses inherent equilibrium between its neutral and zwitterionic forms in the excited state. BPEAP has been found to bind to the surface of anionic micelles instead of penetrating inside. This phenomenon has been exploited to attempt controlling the process of equilibrium using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at its pre-micellar and near-micellar aggregation concentrations. The anionic surfactant has been found to alter the equilibrium between the said forms of BPEAP depending on its concentration in solution. The process has been further verified by using sodium decyl sulfate (SDeS), which has smaller hydrophobic chain length than SDS as also varies in the critical micellar concentration (CMC) and aggregation number. The binding constant of the probe to the surfactant aggregates varies depending on the extent of surface available to the fluorophore for attachment.     

Self-assembling dipeptide-based nontoxic vesicles as carriers for drugs and other biologically important molecules

Self-assembling short peptides can offer an opportunity to make useful nano-/microstructures that find potential application in drug delivery. We report here the formation of multivesicular structures from self-assembling water-soluble synthetic amphiphilic dipeptides containing a glutamic acid residue at the C-terminus. These vesicular structures are stable over a wide range of pH (pH 2-12). However, they are sensitive towards calcium ions. This causes the rupturing of these vesicles. Interestingly, these vesicles can not only encapsulate an anticancer drug and a fluorescent dye, but also can release them in the presence of calcium ions. Moreover, these multivesicular structures have the potential to carry biologically important molecules like cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) within the cells keeping their biological functions intact. A MTT cell-survival assay suggests the almost nontoxic nature of these vesicles. Thus, these peptide vesicles can be used as biocompatible delivery vehicles for carrying drugs and other bioactive molecules.     

Fluorescent Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles with controlled shell thickness and Hg(II) sensing

Au-Ag core-shell nanoparticles have been synthesized using synthetic fluorescent dipeptide β-Ala-Trp (β-Ala is β-alanine; Trp is l-tryptophan) in water at pH 6.94 and at room temperature. The synthesis of the Au-Ag core-shell nanomaterial does not involve any external reducing and stabilizing agents, and the constituents of dipeptide β-alanine and l-tryptophan are naturally occurring. Therefore, the synthesis procedure is ecofriendly. Moreover, the shell thickness has also been controlled, and the optical property of the core-shell nanomaterial varies with the shell thickness. The core-shell nanomaterial exhibits a fascinating fluorescence property. This fluorescent Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticle can detect toxic Hg(II) ions ultrasensitively (with a lower limit of detection of 9 nM) even in presence of Zn(II), Cd(II), and other bivalent metal ions (Ca(II), Mg(II), Ni(II), Mn(II), Ba(II), Sr(II), Pb(II), and Fe(II)). Au-Ag core-shell nanomaterials can also be reused for sensing Hg(II) ions.