Nickel determination in osteoblast-like cell culture medium by adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry with a mercury microelectrode

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of nickel, which is an alloying element in commonly used metallic biomaterials, on the biomaterials mineralization process. An electrochemical method was developed to quantify this metal ion in osteoblast-like cell culture medium (OST) by performing adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) with dimethylglyoxime (DMG) at a mercury film microelectrode (MFM). The optimized analytical conditions and the square-wave CSV parameters for the analysis are: DMG concentration: 5.00 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹; ammonium chloride buffer: 0.10 mol L⁻¹ (pH 9.2); frequency: 50 Hz, amplitude 20 mV; step: 2 mV; adsorption time: 10 s, deposition potential: −0.70 V and reduction potential: −1.20 V. The limit of detection was 7.70 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ for an adsorption time of 10 s. The results achieved by CSV using the MFM were compared to those obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) to ensure the reliability of the electrochemical method. The mineralization process was evaluated by biochemical and histochemical assays.     

Lignanoids and Diterpenoids from Callicarpa furfuraceae

The three new lignanoids 1 – 3 and the five new phyllocladane diterpenoids 7 – 11 were isolated from the leaves of Callicarpa furfuraceae, together with two known lignanoids, lariciresinol ( 4 ) and (+)‐sesamin ( 5 ), and five known diterpenoids, 17‐norphyllocladane‐3,16‐dion ( 6 ), calliterpenone ( 12 ), calliterpenone 17‐acetate ( 13 ), (3β,16α)‐phyllocladane‐3,16,17‐triol ( 14 ), and (3β,16α)‐phyllocladane‐3,16,17‐triol 17‐acetate ( 15 ). Their structures were established by spectral‐data interpretation.     

Cancer cells undergoing epigenetic transition show short-term resistance and are transformed into cells with medium-term resistance by drug treatment

To elucidate the epigenetic mechanisms of drug resistance, epigenetically reprogrammed H460 cancer cells (R-H460) were established by the transient introduction of reprogramming factors. Then, the R-H460 cells were induced to differentiate by the withdrawal of stem cell media for various durations, which resulted in differentiated R-H460 cells (dR-H460). Notably, dR-H460 cells differentiated for 13 days (13dR-H460 cells) formed a significantly greater number of colonies showing drug resistance to both cisplatin and paclitaxel, whereas the dR-H460 cells differentiated for 40 days (40dR-H460 cells) lost drug resistance; this suggests that 13dR-cancer cells present short-term resistance (less than a month). Similarly, increased drug resistance to both cisplatin and paclitaxel was observed in another R-cancer cell model prepared from N87 cells. The resistant phenotype of the cisplatin-resistant (CR) colonies obtained through cisplatin treatment was maintained for 2–3 months after drug treatment, suggesting that drug treatment transforms cells with short-term resistance into cells with medium-term resistance. In single-cell analyses, heterogeneity was not found to increase in 13dR-H460 cells, suggesting that cancer cells with short-term resistance, rather than heterogeneous cells, may confer epigenetically driven drug resistance in our reprogrammed cancer model. The epigenetically driven short-term and medium-term drug resistance mechanisms could provide new cancer-fighting strategies involving the control of cancer cells during epigenetic transition.Subject terms: Tumour heterogeneity, Epigenetics     

Catalytic carbonylation of potassiumN,2-dichlorobenzenesulfonamidate to sulfonyl isocyanate

Application of acetonitrile as a solvent in the catalytic carbonylation of potassiumN,2-dichlorobenzenesulfonamidate allowed to reduce the catalyst/substrate ratio and the CO pressure as compared to those used with chlorinated hydrocarbons.     

Effects of mixed H2O‐CH3CN solvents on the rate of hydrazinolysis of N‐phenylphthalimide: Spectral and kinetic evidence for the occurrence of N‐aminophthalimide on the reaction path

Kinetic study on the cleavage of N‐phenylphthalimide (NPhPT) in the presence of 0.05 M NH₂NH₂ and mixed H₂O‐CH₃CN solvents reveals the occurrence of reaction scheme where A, B, C, C₁, An, E, and F represent NPhPT, o‐CO^?₂C₆H₄CONHC₆H₅, o‐CONHNH₂C₆H₄‐ CONHC₆H₅, N‐aminophthalimide, aniline, o‐CO^?₂C₆H₄CONHNH₂, and o‐CONHNH₂C₆H₄‐CONHNH₂, respectively. But, in the presence of either nonbuffered ?0.20 M NH₂NH₂ hydrazine buffer of pH ～7.30–8.26 with total buffer concentration ([Buf]_T) of >0.02 M, further conversion of F to 2,3‐dihydrophthalazine‐1,4‐dione (DHPD) has been detected depending upon the length of the reaction time (t), the values of [Buf]_T, and pH. It has been shown that the rate of conversion of C₁ to F is much faster than that of C to C₁ which is much faster than that of F to DHPD. The reaction step A → C involves general base (GB) catalysis, while step C → C₁ seems to involve specific base–general acid (GA) and GB‐GB catalysis. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 37: 147–161, 2005     

Sesquiterpenoids—27: X-ray crystallographic analysis of istanbulin-B,A 1-oxo-eremophilenolide

The stereochemistry of istanbulin-B has been defined by X-ray crystal-structure analysis. Rings A and B are transfused, with the Me groups at C(4) and C(5) cis. The α,β-unsaturated,γ -lactone ring is essentially planar. Crystals of istanbulin-B are orthorhombic, space group P2₁2₁,2₁, with a = 6.729(2), b = 13.447(3), c = 14.721(3)Â,and Z = 4. The crystal structure was determined by direct phasing and the atomic parameters were subsequently adjusted by least-squares calculations that converged at R 38% over 1179 diffractometer |F_a| values     

Matrix-isolation FT-IR spectra and theoretical study of dimethyl sulfate

The preferred conformations of dimethyl sulfate and their vibrational spectra were studied by matrix-isolation FT-IR spectroscopy and theoretical methods (DFT and MP2, with basis sets of different sizes, including the quadruple-zeta, aug-cc-pVQZ basis). Conformer GG (of C2 symmetry and exhibiting OSOC dihedral angles of 74.3 degrees ) was found to be the most stable conformer in both the gaseous phase and isolated in argon. Upon annealing of the matrix, the less stable observed conformer (GT; with C1 symmetry) quickly converts to the GG conformer, with the resulting species being embedded in a matrix-cage which corresponds to the most stable matrix-site for GG form. The highest energy TT conformer, which was assumed to be the most stable conformer in previous studies, is predicted by the calculations to have a relative energy of ca. 10 kJ mol-1 and was not observed in the spectra of the matrix-isolated compound.     

Micellar liquid chromatography: suitable technique for screening analysis

The screening capability of micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) is discussed using the reported chromatographic data of several sets of compounds (amino acids, beta-blockers, diuretics, phenethylamines, phenols, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, steroids and sulfonamides) and new results (sulfonamides and steroids). The chromatographic data are treated with an interpretive optimisation resolution procedure to obtain the best separation conditions. Usually, the pH and the concentration of surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, or cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) for the optimal mobile phase were 2.5-3 and < 0.12 M, respectively. The nature and concentration of organic solvent depended on the polarity of the eluted compounds: a low volume fraction of propanol (approximately 1%, v/v) was useful to separate the amino acids, with log P(o/w) < -1 (where P(o/w) is the octanol-water partition coefficient). A greater concentration of this solvent (approximately 5-7%) was needed for compounds in the range -1 < log P(o/w) < 2, as with the studied diuretics and sulfonamides, and a high concentration of propanol (approximately 15%) or a low concentration of butanol (< 10%) had to be used for less polar compounds with 1 < log P(o/w) < 3, such as the beta-blockers. Pentanol (< 6%) was more suitable for the even less polar compounds with log P(o/w) > 3, such as the steroids. For basic drugs such as the phenethylamines (0 < log P(o/w) < 1.7), eluted with a micellar eluent of anionic SDS, propanol was too weak. A study is also shown for mixtures of sulfonamides (log P(o/w) = -1.2 to 1.7) and steroids (log P(o/w) = 3.0-8.1) eluted from conventional C18 columns with SDS mobile phases containing acetonitrile and 1-pentanol, respectively, which are compared with classical acetonitrile-water and methanol-water mixtures. The results complement a previous study on beta-blockers (log P(o/w) = -0.03 to 2.8) and reveal that MLC is a very competitive technique for the screening of compounds against conventional RPLC, due to its peculiar behaviour with regard to the selectivity and elution strength. The concentration of organic solvent needed to obtain sufficiently low retention times (even for highly hydrophobic steroids with log P(o/w) = 7-8) is also appreciably smaller for MLC, which reduces the environmental impact of the mobile phases.     

Technological quality determination of pharmaceutical disintegrant by DSC cooling and DSC photovisual

A number of disintegrants are available on the market. They improve tablets’ disintegration. The objective of this work is the comparison of the technological quality parameters of disintegrants using different analytical techniques. Three batches of disintegrants and their binary mixtures (water:disintegrants) were investigated. Cooling experiments were used from –30 up to 200°C. The data obtained showed calorimetric differences between the samples. In the binary mixtures water showed different crystallization behaviour from the one found in the literature. According to the results DSC technique helped the quality control of different disintegrants.     

Characterization and quantitation of mixtures of alkyl ether sulfates and carboxylic acids by capillary electrophoresis with indirect photometric detection

The separation, characterization, and determination of mixtures of alkyl ether sulfates (AES) and fatty acids (C10-C16) in background electrolytes (BGEs) containing acetonitrile (ACN)-water mixtures is addressed. Due to inhibition of the ionization of the carboxylate groups, the migration time and the resolution between the fatty acids decreased when the water content of the BGE was reduced, but efficiency and resolution between the AES oligomers improved. The migration times increased and resolution improved by substituting 5% ACN by an equivalent amount of dioxane. A complete separation of the two surfactant classes, up to the AES oligomers with 8 ethylene oxide units (EOs) with respect to C10, with excellent resolution between the AES oligomers, while preserving a satisfactory resolution between the fatty acids, was achieved with a BGE containing 5 mM trimethoxybenzoic acid, 7 mM dipentylamine, 85% ACN, 5% dioxane, and 10% water. The two surfactant classes were increasingly resolved by further reducing the water content of the BGE. Thus, C2 (acetate) was resolved from the AES oligomers up to 7 EOs using 90% ACN and 5% dioxane, but the resolution between the heavier fatty acids was poor with this BGE. Identification of the AES oligomers was eased by the excellent regularity of the successive migration times; thus, within each AES subclass or series of oligomers with the same number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, the migration times decreased following a mild curve as the number of EOs increased. The way how the data obtained by indirect photometry (corrected peak areas that are proportional to the molar concentrations) should be managed to avoid systematic error when the calibration curve is constructed using an AES standard with an oligomer distribution different from that of the samples is discussed and equations are given. Decyl sulfate was successfully used as internal standard. The detection limits (S/N = 3) were of ca. 2 microM for individual AES oligomers.