Quantification of Intracellular Thiols by HPLC-Fluorescence Detection

Biothiols, such as cysteine and glutathione, play important roles in various intracellular reactions represented by the redox equilibrium against oxidative stress. In this study, a method for intracellular thiol quantification using HPLC-fluorescence detection was developed. Thiols were derivatized with a thiol-specific fluorescence derivatization reagent, viz. ammonium 7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-sulfonate (SBD-F), followed by reversed-phase separation on an InertSustain AQ-C18 column. Six different SBD-thiols (homocysteine, cysteine, cysteinylglycine, γ-glutamylcysteine, glutathione, and N-acetylcysteine as an internal standard) were separated within 30 min using a citric buffer (pH 3.0)/MeOH mobile phase. The calibration curves of all the SBD-thiols had strong linearity (R² > 0.999). Using this developed method, the thiol concentrations of human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cell samples were found to be 5.5–153 pmol/1 × 10⁶ cells. The time-dependent effect of a thiol scavenger, viz. N-ethyl maleimide, on intracellular thiol concentrations was also quantified. This method is useful for elucidating the role of intracellular sulfur metabolism.     

An indication of magnetic-field-induced superconductivity in a bifunctional layered organic conductor,kappa-(BETS)(2)FeBr(4)

Hybrid systems consisting of the conducting layers of organic donor molecules and the magnetic layers of inorganic anions have been focused on as possible bifunctional materials, whose conducting properties can be tuned by controlling the magnetic state of the anion layers on an application of magnetic field. Here we report the magnetoresistance of the antiferromagnetic organic superconductor, kappa-(BETS)2FeBr4 [BETS = bis(ethylenedithio)tetraselenafulvalene], consisting of the two-dimensional superconducting layers of the BETS semications and the insulating layers of the FeBr4- anions. Due to the metamagnetic nature of the Fe3+ spin system, characteristic resistivity decrease was observed just below the antiferromagnetic superconductor-to-ferromagnetic metal transition at 1.6 T. Furthermore, an indication of the onsets of the magnetic-field-induced superconductivity was discovered around 12.5 T.     

1,4‐Addition polymerization of 1,4‐bis(4‐benzylpyridinium)butadiyne triflate in a dipolar aprotic solvent

1,4‐Bis(4‐benzylpyridinium)butadiyne triflate was aggregated in dimethylformamide and spontaneously converted into the 1,4‐addition type of polydiacetylene. The polymerization took place in a dipolar aprotic solvent with a large dielectric constant that could enhance the aggregation of the ionic diacetylene salt through the electrostatic interaction. The molecular weight of the diacetylene was leveled off after 30 h at 80 °C to reach 1.5 × 10⁴ (number‐average molecular weight) that consisted of the 1,4‐addition type of polydiacetylene similar to polydiacetylenes obtained in the conventional solid‐state polymerization. Electron spin resonance spectra revealed that diradicals were generated at the earlier state aggregation to give rise to a solution polymerization. The UV spectra also suggested the presence of the activated aggregation associated with the polymerization as well as the eximer emission spectra. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3534–3541, 2002     

Arylpyrrolyldiketone Boron Complexes Exhibiting Various Anion‐Binding Modes Based on Dynamic Conformation Changes

Arylpyrrolyldiketone boron complexes as anion‐responsive π‐electronic molecules were synthesized by Claisen condensations of acetylpyrrole and corresponding aryl esters. The synthesized π‐electronic molecules exhibited anion‐binding behavior with various binding modes including pyrrole‐inverted and non‐inverted [1+1]‐type anion complexes as well as [2+1]‐type complexes owing to the presence of only a single pyrrole ring. Furthermore, solid‐state ion‐pairing assemblies, comprising receptor–anion complexes and countercations, were constructed based on fairly planar [2+1]‐type complexes.     

Chemo- and stereoselective six-membered oxonium ylide formation–[2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of 2-diazo-3-ketoesters with dirhodium(II) catalyst and its application to the synthesis of (+)-tanikolide

Dirhodium(II)-catalyzed oxonium ylide formation–[2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of 6-allyloxy-2-diazo-3-ketoesters possessing a C-6 substituent is described. The reaction of 6-alkyl- or 6-aryl-substituted 6-allyloxy-2-diazo-3-ketoesters with a catalytic amount of Rh₂(S-PTTL)₄ proceeded in a chemoselective and stereoselective manner to provide 6-substituted 2-allyl-3-oxotetrahydropyran-2-carboxylates in good yields and with high diastereoselectivities. To demonstrate the utility of this sequential reaction, we conducted the total synthesis of (+)-tanikolide, in which the construction of the δ-lactone skeleton was achieved by employing a 2-iodobenzamide-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of tetrahydropyran-2-methanol.     

Room-Temperature Phosphorescence from a Series of 3-Pyridylcarbazole Derivatives

Exploration of pure metal-free organic molecules that exhibit strong room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) is an emerging research topic. In this regard, unveiling the design principles for an efficient RTP molecule is an essential, but challenging, task. A small molecule is an ideal platform to precisely understand the fundamental role of each functional component because the parent molecule can be easily derivatized. Here, the RTP behaviors of a series of 3-pyridylcarbazole derivatives are presented. Experimental studies in combination with theoretical calculations reveal the crucial role of the n orbital on the central pyridine ring in the dramatic enhancement of the intersystem crossing between the charge-transfer-excited singlet state and the locally excited triplet states. Single-crystal X-ray crystallographic studies apparently indicate that both the pyridine ring and fluorine atom contribute to the enhancement of the RTP because of the restricted motion owing to weak C−H⋅⋅⋅N and H⋅⋅⋅F hydrogen-bonding interactions. The single crystal of the fluorine-substituted derivative shows an ultra-long phosphorescent lifetime (τ_P) of 1.1 s and a phosphorescence quantum yield (Φ_P) of 1.2 %, whereas the bromine-substituted derivative exhibits τ_P of 0.15 s with a Φ_P of 7.9 %. We believe that this work provides a fundamental and universal guideline for the generation of pure organic molecules exhibiting strong RTP.     

Adsorption of metal halides from ethanol solutions by a 3-n-propylpyridiniumsilsesquioxane chloride-coated silica gel surface

3-n-propylpyridiniumsilsesquioxane chloride polymer, abbreviated as SiPy+Cl-, was used to coat a porous silica gel, SiO2, surface to form the chemically modified solid SiO2/SiPy+Cl-. The resulting polymer film was well adhered to the surface and presented an ion exchange capacity of 0.74 mmol g(-1). Metal halides, MClz [M=Fe(III), Cu(II), and Zn(II)], were adsorbed by the modified solid from ethanol solutions as neutral species by forming the surface anionic complexes described by the equation: mSiO2/SiPy+Cl-+ MClz <=> (SiO2/SiPy+)m[MCl(z+m)]m-, where the [MCl(z+m)]m- species adsorbed on the surface are FeCl4-, ZnCl4(2-), and CuCl4(2-). Accurate estimates of the specific sorption capacities and the heterogeneous stability constants of the immobilized metal complexes were determined with the aid of computational procedures.     

Chemical trend of Ln-M exchange couplings in heterometallic complexes with Ln = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and M = Cu, V

The 4f-3d exchange couplings were definitively and precisely determined in the dinuclear complexes (Ln-M) involving double μ-oxo-bridges, by means of combined high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance and pulsed-field magnetization techniques, revealing a monotonic decrease of ferromagnetic J(Ln-Cu) in the order of the atomic number, (64)Gd to (68)Er.