Theoretical study on energy transfer from the excited C<Subscript>60</Subscript> to molecular oxygen

Singlet oxygen is used as an important oxidizer for various organic reactions, on the other hand, it has toxicity for the human body, since it destroys biological molecules such as DNA. Fullerene C₆₀ is known to act as a photosensitizer of singlet oxygen molecule, and it has been understood that energy transfer from the excited triplet C₆₀ to the ground triplet O₂ forming the singlet O₂ is a biologically important reaction. In the present study, we have analyzed these reaction pathways by means of the DFT (density functional theory) calculation.     

Rise in the pH of an unfrozen solution in ice due to the presence of NaCl and promotion of decomposition of gallic acids owing to a change in the pH

Oxidative decomposition of gallic acid occurs in alkaline solutions but hardly arises in acidic solutions. We have found that the addition of sodium chloride promotes the decomposition of gallic acid caused by freezing even under neutral and acidic conditions. Even at pH 4.5, gallic acid was decomposed by freezing in the presence of NaCl; however, in the absence of NaCl, it was hardly decomposed by freezing at pH lower than 7. Chloride ions are more easily incorporated in ice than sodium ions when the NaCl solution is frozen. The unfrozen solution in ice becomes positively charged, and as a result, protons transfer from the unfrozen solution to the ice. We measured the pH in the unfrozen solution which coexists with single-crystal ice formed from a 5 mmol dm(-3) NaCl solution and determined the pH to be 8.6 at equilibrium with CO(2) of 380 ppm or 11.3 in the absence of CO(2) compared to pH 5.6 in the original solution. From the model calculation performed for gallic acid solution in the presence of 5 mmol dm(-3) NaCl, it can be estimated that the amount of OH(-) transferred from the ice to the solution corresponds to 1.26 x 10(-5) mol dm(-3). The amount of OH(-) transferred is concentrated into the unfrozen solution and affects the pH of the unfrozen solution. Therefore, the pH in an unfrozen gallic acid solution in ice becomes alkaline, and the decomposition of gallic acid proceeds. It is expected that other base-catalyzed reactions in weakly acidic solutions also proceed by freezing in the presence of NaCl without the need for any alkaline reagents.     

Shear-induced phase separation in "nonentangled" oligomer mixture

Shear-induced phase separation was found in "nonentangled" oligomer mixture. The sheared mixture in one phase becomes turbid and its scattering pattern exhibits so-called "butterfly pattern" which is commonly observed in shear-induced phase separation of semidilute polymer solutions. The origin of the shear-induced phase separation is found to be dynamical asymmetry due to the difference in the glass transition temperature.     

Immobilization of sunflower trypsin inhibitor (SFTI-1) peptide onto a gold surface and analysis of its interaction with trypsin

Sunflower trypsin inhibitor (SFTI-1) derived peptide having one disulfide bond could be immobilized via a thiol-disulfide exchange reaction onto a gold surface on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) chip. This permitted quantitative analysis of the specific interaction with trypsin.     

Piperidine carboxylic acid derivatives of 10H-pyrazino[2,3-b][1,4]benzothiazine as orally-active adhesion molecule inhibitors

Novel piperidine carboxylic acid derivatives of 10H-pyrazino[2,3-b][1,4]benzothiazine were prepared and evaluated for their inhibitory activity on the upregulation of adhesion molecules such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Replacement of the methanesulfonyl group on the piperidine ring of previously prepared derivatives with a carboxylic acid-containing moiety resulted in a number of potent adhesion molecule inhibitors. Of these, (anti) [3-(10H-pyrazino[2,3-b][1,4]benzothiazin-8-yl)methyl-3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]non-9-yl]acetic acid 2q (ER-49890), showed the most potent oral inhibitory activities against neutrophil migration in an interleukin-1 (IL-1) induced paw inflammation model using mice, and leukocyte accumulation in a carrageenan pleurisy model in the rat, and therapeutic effect on collagen-induced arthritis in rats.     

Multilayer characterization by energy dispersive X-ray reflectivity technique

An experimental setup was developed to verify the feasibility of silicon drift detector to be used for the multilayer characterization by means of multilayer energy dispersive X-ray reflectivity. Such a detector allows high count rates up to 3 × 10⁵ cps and can be used in principle for the direct beam intensity measurement, which is to be done for the X-ray multilayer reflectivity patterns obtaining. A series of measurements were performed for Mo/B₄C multilayer sample. A quality of the experimentally obtained data turns out to be enough to perform a sample structure exploration using a numerical procedure of experimental data fitting. Due to low cost and short time, required for the measurements, an experimental technique proposed has a good perspective to be used for some practical applications in industry.     

Immobilization of RNase S-Peptide on a single-stranded DNA-fixed gold surface and effective masking of its surface by an acridinyl poly(ethylene glycol)

Oligonucleotide-peptide conjugate was synthesized by coupling of RNase S-peptide to a 24-mer single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oligonucleotide to be immobilized on its complementary ssDNA oligonucleotide-fixed gold surface of sensor chip or electrode. Immobilization of on the ssDNA-fixed gold surface through DNA duplex formation was confirmed by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and electrochemical measurements. After treating with a synthetic acridinyl poly(ethylene glycol) (APEG), specific interaction of S-protein with the S-peptide immobilized on the gold surface was demonstrated by QCM without nonspecific adsorption of unrelated proteins such as BSA and RNase A at the surfaces. This result suggested that the acridine parts of APEG could bind to the DNA duplex on the gold surface and the poly(ethylene glycol) parts were fastened on the surface to resist the adsorption of proteins. Thus, the combination of oligonucleotide-peptide conjugate, ssDNA-fixed chip and APEG with effective masking property provides a new tool for the analysis of specific peptide-protein interactions without disturbance by other unrelated proteins.