Analysis of Plant–Plant Interactions Reveals the Presence of Potent Antileukemic Compounds

A method to identify anticancer compounds in plants was proposed based on the hypothesis that these compounds are primarily present in plants to provide them with an ecological advantage over neighboring plants and other competitors. According to this view, identifying plants that contain compounds that inhibit or interfere with the development of other plant species may facilitate the discovery of novel anticancer agents. The method was developed and tested using Magnolia grandiflora, Gynoxys verrucosa, Picradeniopsis oppositifolia, and Hedyosmum racemosum, which are plant species known to possess compounds with cytotoxic activities. Plant extracts were screened for growth inhibitory activity, and then a thin-layer chromatography bioautography assay was conducted. This located the major antileukemic compounds 1, 2, 4, and 5 in the extracts. Once the active compounds were located, they were extracted and purified, and their structures were determined. The growth inhibitory activity of the purified compounds showed a significant correlation with their antileukemic activity. The proposed approach is rapid, inexpensive, and can easily be implemented in areas of the world with high biodiversity but with less access to advanced facilities and biological assays.     

Multi-scale homogenization-based modeling of semi-crystalline polymers

This paper presents a finite-strain, multi-scale constitutive model for semi-crystalline polymers, accounting explicitly for the current state and evolution of the underlying crystallographic, lamellar and morphological texture. Specifically, a semi-crystalline polymer is modeled as a two-scale composite, assumed to be, at the larger length scale, an aggregate of randomly distributed grains that, at the smaller length scale, are made up of alternating layers of an amorphous and a crystalline phase. The model incorporates finite elasticity for the amorphous phase and crystallographic hardening for the crystalline phase. The instantaneous effective response of this composite is determined by means of multi-scale homogenization methods, consisting in the use of a “linear comparison composite” (LCC) with the same internal structure as the actual nonlinear composite, with local properties that are optimally chosen via suitably designed variational principles. The effective properties of the resulting two-scale LCC are obtained through a “sequential” homogenization procedure, involving the exact solution for the effective behavior of the lamellar grains and a self-consistent estimate for the aggregate. The latter results are also used to establish evolution laws for the appropriate internal variables in the material. The predictions of the model for the macroscopic response and texture evolution in high-density polyethylene are confronted with available experimental results and compared with those of earlier models.     

Ultrasound-assisted microencapsulation of jackfruit extract in eco-friendly powder particles: characterization and antiproliferative activity

The aim of the article was to develop stable and safe eco-friendly microcapsules and evaluate their physicochemical properties and their efficiency to protect a jackfruit extract. Eco-friendly microcapsules were produced by ultrasound and spray drying using only three safe ingredients: sucrose ester (SE), miglyol and maltodextrin (DE = 10). Some physicochemical properties, particle morphology, FT-IR, differential scanning calorimetry and antiproliferative activity were determined for microcapsules loaded or not with the jackfuit extract. The results revealed that the encapsulation process by spray drying produced stable microcapsules, with adequate physicochemical and fluid properties for a powder product. The cell viability on the proliferation of M12.C3.F6 cell line was not affected by powder microcapsules without jackfruit extract, indicating that capsules are not toxic for these cells. However, microcapsules with jackfruit extract (100 μg/ml) were able to inhibit significantly the proliferation of M12.C3.F6 cells. These microcapsules can be used for the protection of different compounds sensitive to light, oxygen and/or heat and displaying a very low aqueous solubility.     

Drug release system of ibuprofen in PCL-microspheres

Today, the technology of microencapsulation of active principles is on top of biomedical advances, because through it we can solve many of the problems caused by current methods of taking medication. Active principle microencapsulation not only solves the problems of drug intake but also controls its dosage. In this study was carried out the development of a protocol for the microencapsulation of ibuprofen by solvent evaporation method. A subsequent application of those microencapsulates to biofunctional textile substrates (cotton, polyamide, acrylic, and polyester) using a finishing process, and finally a study of the release of active principle in two different media (deionized water and physiological serum) has been carried out using samples of the treated fabrics that were submerged into a thermostatized vessel at semi-infinite bath conditions. The determination of active principles released to the bath was determined by a UV spectrophotometer. These experimental results have been analyzed and evaluated, and have therefore allowed to define a controlled drug release system by Fickian diffusion in different media.     

Thermal photon production in a strongly coupled anisotropic plasma

Journal of High Energy Physics - For the homogeneous configuration given by the long string limit of the folded string with a spin in AdS 3 and a spin and a winding number in S 1, we solve the...     

Reaction of 2,3-O-Isopropylidene-D-Glyceraldehyde and Some Dialkyl and Diarylthiomethyl Sulfoxides: Stereochemical Aspects

Abstract

The reaction of 2,3-O-isopropylidene-D-glyceraldehyde with different dialkyl and diarylthiomethyl sulfoxides occurs with a high selectivity and produces the corresponding 1-alkyl(or l-aryl)-sulfynil-l-alkyl(or 1-aryl) thio-3,4-O-isopropylidene-D-tetroses as pure diastereoisomers. We have determined the absolute configuration of the three chiral centers formed in these reactions.     

Cytotoxic and NF-κB inhibitory sesquiterpene lactones from Piptocoma rufescens

Six new (1-6) and eight known germacranolide-type sesquiterpene lactones, along with several known phenylpropanol coumarates and methylated flavonoids, were isolated from the leaves of Piptocoma rufescens, collected in the Dominican Republic. The new compounds were identified by analysis of their spectroscopic data, with the molecular structure of 3 being established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The absolute configurations of the sesquiterpene lactones isolated were determined from their CD and NOESY NMR spectra, together with the analysis of Mosher ester reactions. Bioassay screening results showed the majority of the sesquiterpene lactones isolated (1-13) to be highly cytotoxic toward the HT-29 human colon cancer cell line, with the most potent compound being 15-deoxygoyazensolide (10, IC(50), 0.26 μM). In addition, several of the sesquiterpene lactones exhibited NF-κB (p65) inhibitory activity.     

Directed ortho-lithiation of unprotected diphenylphosphinic acids

Directed ortho lithiation of diphenylphosphinic acid and subsequent electrophilic trapping provides mono ortho-functionalized derivatives including enantiopure γ-aminophosphinic acids in moderate yields. Copper catalyzed coupling of the ortho anion leads to biphenyl-2,2′-diylbis(phenylphosphinic acid), a phosphorus analogue of biphenyl-2,2′-dicarboxylic acid. Preliminary studies of the metal-binding abilities of this O,O-chelating ligand towards a series of metal cations are included.     

Biodegradable aromatic copolyesters made from bicyclic acetalized galactaric acid

Random poly(hexamethylene terephthalate‐co‐galactarate)s and poly(dodecamethylene terephthalate‐co‐galactarate)s copolyesters covering the whole range of compositions were obtained with weight‐average molecular weights of ～30,000–50,000 g mol^?1 by melt polycondensation. They were thermally stable above 300 °C, and displayed T_g in the +20 to ?20 °C range with values steadily decreasing with the content in galactarate units. All the copolyesters were semicrystalline with T_m between 50 and 150 °C and those made from dodecanediol were able to crystallize from the melt at a crystallization rate depending on composition. Copolyesters containing up to 50% of galactaric units retained the crystal structure of their respective polyterephthalate homopolyesters, whereas they adopted the structure of the respective polygalactarates when the content in Galx units reached 70%. Stress‐strain essays revealed decay in the mechanical parameters as the aromatic units were replaced by Galx. Incubation in aqueous buffer revealed that hydrolysis of the polyesters were largely enhanced by copolymerization and evidenced the capacity of the Galx unit for making aromatic polyesters susceptible to biodegradation. A detailed NMR analysis complemented by SEM observations indicated that hydrolysis took place by preferred splitting of galactarate ester bonds with releasing of alkanediol and Galx‐diacid. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Fluorescence of metal complexes of 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives in aqueous micellar media

The fluorescence characteristics of 8-hydroxyquinoline derivative complexes of A1(III), Ga(III), In(III), Zn(II), and Be(II) in differently charged micellar media are reported. For most of the chelates studied, large increases are observed in micellar media compared with those obtained in hydroorganic solvents. However, some exceptions are observed, of which the low fluorescence of Zn(II) chelates in anionic sodium lauryl sulfate media is the most noticeable.