Densitometric HPTLC Method for Simultaneous Quantification of Sennosides A and B and Gallic Acid in a Pharmaceutical Dosage Form

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - A densitometric HPTLC method has been established for simultaneous quantification of sennosides A and B and gallic acid in a...     

A naked-eye selective detection of cyanide ion: studies on the effect of chromophores and spacers on ditopic receptors

A series of novel thiourea based receptors (1-12) with different signaling units and spacers have been synthesized for the detection of cyanide ion. Among these receptors, 4,4'-bis-[3-(4-cyanophenyl)thiourea]diphenyl sulfide 6 and 4,4'-bis-[3-(3-cyanophenyl)thiourea]diphenyl sulfide 9 exhibited selective detection of cyanide by the naked-eye as well as by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Furthermore, the chemosensor is insensitive to the presence of other environmentally relevant anions. The chromogenic transformation permits the detection of cyanide (TBA(+) and K(+) salts) in the natural environment.     

Addressing association entropy by reconstructing guanidinium anchor groups for anion binding: design, synthesis, and host-guest binding studies in polar and protic solutions

The bicyclic hexahydropyrimidino[1,2a]pyrimidine cationic scaffold has a well-known capacity to bind a variety of oxoanions (phosphates, carboxylates, squarates, phosphinates). Based on this feature, the parent host was supplemented with sec-carboxamido substituents to generate compounds 1-3 in an effort to improve the anion-binding affinity and selectivity and to learn about the role and magnitude of entropic factors. Bicyclic guanidinium compounds were prepared by a convergent strategy via the corresponding tetraester 22 followed by catalytic amidation. Host-guest binding studies with isothermal titration calorimetry in acetonitrile probed the behavior of artificial hosts 1-3 in comparison with the tetraallylguanidinium compound 4 on binding p-nitrobenzoate, dihydrogenphosphate, and 2,2'-bisphenolcyclophosphate guests that showed enhanced affinities in the 10(5)-10(6) M(-1) range. Contrary to expectation, better binding emerges from more positive association entropies rather than from stronger enthalpic interactions (hydrogen bonding). In an NMR spectroscopy titration in DMSO, o-phthalate was sufficiently basic to abstract a proton from the guanidinium function, as confirmed by an X-ray crystal structure of the product. The novel carboxamide-appended anchor groups also bind carboxylates and phosphates, but not hydrogen sulfate in methanol with affinities in excess of 10(4) M(-1). The energetic signature of the complexation in methanol is inverted with respect to acetonitrile solvent and shows a pattern of general ion pairing with strong positive entropies overcompensating endothermic binding enthalpies. This study provides an example of the fact that bona fide decoration of a parent guanidinium anchor function with an additional binding functionality may provide the desired enhancement of the host-guest affinity, yet for a different reason than that implemented by design as guided by standard molecular modeling.     

Enantioselective enolate protonation in sulfa-Michael addition to α-substituted N-acryloyloxazolidin-2-ones with bifunctional organocatalyst

Organocatalytic conjugate addition of thiols to α-substituted N-acryloyloxazolidin-2-ones followed by asymmetric protonation has been studied in the presence of cinchona alkaloid derived thioureas. Both of the enantiomers are accessible with the same level of enantioselectivity using pseudoenantiomeric quinine/quinidine derived catalysts. The addition/protonation products have been converted to useful biologically active molecules.     

Synthesis and spectral studies on nickel(II) complexes of amide group-containing ligands

Summary Complexes of nickel(II) with N-(2-carboxyphenyl)benzamide (CPBH), 2-amino-N-(2-carboxyphenyl)benzamide (ACPBH), N-isoxazolyl benzamide (IB), N-anilinobenzamide (AB), N-(2-pyridyl)-3-carboxypropanamide (PCPA) and N-(2-pyridyl)-2-carboxybenzamide (PCBA) have been isolated and characterized by elemental analyses, magnetic susceptibility measurements, thermal studies, i.r. and electronic spectral studies. The electrochemical behaviour of some complexes has also been investigated.     

Molecular and Biochemical Characteristics of Recombinant β-Propeller Phytase from Bacillus licheniformis Strain PB-13 with Potential Application in Aquafeed

Phytic acid is the major storage form of organic phosphorus in nature- and plant-based animal feed. It forms insoluble complexes with nutritionally important metals and proteins that are unavailable for monogastric or agastric animals. Phytases initiate the stepwise hydrolysis of phytic acid and release inorganic orthophosphate. In the present investigation, the phytase gene from a phytase producing Bacillus licheniformis strain PB-13 was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. Recombinant phytase ‘rPhyPB13’ was found to be catalytically active, with an activity of 0.97 U/mL and specific activity of 0.77 U/mg. The rPhyPB13 was purified to 14.10-fold using affinity chromatography. Similar to other β-propeller phytases, purified rPhyPB13 exhibited maximal activity at pH 6.0–6.5 and 60 °C in the presence of 1 mM Ca²⁺ and was highly active over a wider pH range (pH 4.0–8.0) and high temperature (80 °C). It has shown maximum activity towards Na-phytate as substrate. The observed K _m , V _max and k _cat of purified rPhyPB13 were 1.064 mM, 1.32 μmol/min/mg and 27.46 s^?1, respectively. PhyPB13 was resistant to trypsin inactivation, activated in presence of Ca²⁺ and inhibited in presence of EDTA. Crude rPhyPB13 has good digestion efficiency for commercial feed and soybean meal. These results indicate that PhyPB13 is a β-propeller phytase that has application potential in aquaculture feed.     

A rapid polyol combustion strategy towards scalable synthesis of nanostructured LiFePO4/C cathodes for Li-ion batteries

In the present study, carbon-coated lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄/C) is prepared directly by a polyol-assisted pyro-synthesis performed under reaction times of a few seconds in open-air conditions. The polyol solvent, tetraethylene glycol (TTEG), acts as a low-cost fuel to facilitate combustion and the released exothermic energy promotes the nucleation and growth processes of the olivine nanoparticles. In addition, phosphoric acid (used as the phosphorous source) acts as a catalyst to accelerate polyol carbonization. The structure analysis of the as-prepared LiFePO₄/C using X-ray, neutron diffraction and ⁷Li NMR studies suggested the efficacy of the rapid technique to produce highly crystalline phase-pure olivine nanocrystals. The electron microscopy and particle-size distribution studies revealed that the average particle diameters lie below 100 nm and confirmed the presence of a surface carbon layer of 2–3 nm thickness. The thermal and elemental studies indicated that the carbon content in the sample was approximately 5 %. The prepared LiFePO₄/C cathode delivered capacities of 162 mA h g^-1 at 0.1 °C rates with impressive capacity retention for extended cycling. The polyol-assisted pyro-synthesis, which evades the use of external energy sources, is not only a straightforward, simple and timely approach but also offers opportunities for large-scale LiFePO₄/C production.     

Adsorption of Safranin-T from wastewater using waste materials- activated carbon and activated rice husks

Textile effluents are major industrial polluters because of high color content, about 15% unfixed dyes and salts. The present paper is aimed to investigate and develop cheap adsorption methods for color removal from wastewater using waste materials activated carbon and activated rice husk-as adsorbents. The method was employed for the removal of Safranin-T and the influence of various factors such as adsorbent dose, adsorbate concentration, particle size, temperature, contact time, and pH was studied. The adsorption of the dye over both the adsorbents was found to follow Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. Based on these models, different useful thermodynamic parameters have been evaluated for both the adsorption processes. The adsorption of Safranin-T over activated carbon and activated rice husks follows first-order kinetics and the rate constants for the adsorption processes decrease with increase in temperature.     

Intact cell matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry as a tool to screen drugs in vivo for regulation of protein expression

Here we demonstrate for the first time the application of intact cell matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (ICM-MS) to study the regulation of protein expression. This technique can be extended to screen the drugs that inhibit protein synthesis in various diseases. We have used Escherichia coli cells expressing a recombinant glutathione-S-transferase (GST) gene under an arabinose-inducible promoter as a model system. Using ICM-MS analysis, we have detected a 28 kDa peak corresponding to the production of recombinant GST under the arabinose-induced condition. Furthermore, recombinant GST protein was purified by a single-step affinity purification using a glutathione Sepharose 4B affinity column from arabinose-induced E. coli cells. The purified GST protein was found to be a 28 kDa protein by MALDI analysis suggesting the arabinose-induced protein is indeed GST. The regulation of protein expression was studied using glucose as an alternative metabolite. The glucose-mediated regulation of the ara-operon was followed using the ICM-MS technique. All the results obtained from ICM-MS data were validated using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis. The present technique can be extended for in vivo screening of drugs and it holds tremendous potential to discover novel drugs against specific protein expressions in different diseases.     

Synthesis,Spectral Studies and Bio‐activity of Some Ligand Bridged Polymeric Transition Metal Complexes of Acetone p‐Amino Acetophenone Isonicotinoyl Hydrazone

Ligand bridged polymeric complexes of the type [M(apainh)(H₂O)X] where, M=Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II); X=Cl₂ or SO₄; apainh=acetone p‐amino acetophenone isonicotinoyl hydrazone have been synthesized and characterized. The complexes are stable solids, insoluble in common organic solvents and are non‐electrolytes. Magnetic moments and electronic spectral studies suggest a spin‐free octahedral geometry for all Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) complexes. IR spectra show tridentate nature of the ligand bonding through two >C?N and a >C?O groups. X‐ray powder diffraction parameters for some of the complexes correspond to orthorhombic and tetragonal crystal lattices. Thermal studies (TGA and DTA) of [Mn(apainh)(H₂O)SO₄] complex show multi‐step decomposition pattern of both an endothermic and exothermic nature. ESR data of Cu(II) chloride complex in solid state show an axial spectra, whereas, Cu(II) sulfate complex is isotropic in nature. The complexes show a significant antifungal activity against a number of pathogenic fungal species and antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas sp. and Clostridium sp. The metal complexes are more active than the ligand.