Cytotoxic,Apoptosis-Inducing Activities,and Molecular Docking of a New Sterol from Bamboo Shoot Skin Phyllostachys heterocycla var. pubescens

Phytochemical screening of nonpolar fractions from the methanol extract of the Bamboo shoot skin Phyllostachys heterocycla var. pubescens resulted in the isolation of a new sterol-glucoside-fatty acid derivative (6’-O-octadeca-8″,11″-dienoyl)-sitosterol-3-O-β-d-glucoside (1), together with six known compounds. The chemical structures of the pure isolated compounds were deduced based on different spectral data. The isolated compounds were assessed to determine their cytotoxic activity, and the results were confirmed by determining their apoptotic activity. Compound 1 was more cytotoxic against the MCF-7 cells (IC₅₀ = 25.8 µM) compared to Fluorouracil (5-FU) (26.98 µM), and it significantly stimulated apoptotic breast cancer cell death with 32.6-fold (16.63% compared to 0.51 for the control) at pre-G1 and G2/M-phase cell cycle arrest and blocked the progression of MCF-7 cells. Additionally, RT-PCR results further confirmed the apoptotic activity of compound 1 by the upregulation of proapoptotic genes (P53; Bax; and caspases 3, 8, and 9) and downregulation of the antiapoptotic genes (BCL2). Finally, the identified compounds, especially 1, were found to have high binding affinity towards both tyrosine-specific protein kinase (TPK) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR-2) through the molecular docking studies that highlight its mode of action.     

PVC Membrane electrodes for manual and flow-injection determination of tetraphenylborate: Applications to separate and sequential titrations of some metal ions

Three novel poly (vinyl chloride) matrix membrane electrodes, highly sensitive and selective for tetraphenylborate anion (TPB), are developed and electrochemically evaluated. They are based on the use of iron(II) bathophenanthroline, nickel(II) bathophenanthroline-and nitron-TPB ion-pair complexes as electroactive materials with dioctylphthalate (DOP) and 2-nitrophenyl phenyl ether (NPPE) as plasticizing solvent mediators. The electrodes exhibit stable and rapid near-Nernstian response for 10(-2)-10(-6)M TPB over the pH range 4-10. Use of these electrodes for direct potentiometric determination and potentiometric titration of as low as 1 mug of TPB/ml and 0.6 mg of TPB/ml give results with average recoveries of 99.3% (mean standard deviation 0.5%) and 99.4% (mean standard deviation 0.2%), respectively. Incorporation of nitron-TPB PVC sensor in a flow-through sandwich cell provides an efficient flow-injection detector for determining TPB with an input rate of at least 60 samples/hr. The limit of detection is 1.6 mug TPB/ml in a 20-mul sample. The electrodes are also used to monitor separate and sequential titrations of some metal ions with TPB. Alkaline earth and transition-metal ions upon reaction with polyethylene glycol and ethylenediamine, respectively, form cationic complexes readily titrated with TPB. Optimum conditions are outlined for sequential titrations of various combinations of metallic species.     

Bioactive Molecules of Mandarin Seed Oils Diminish Mycotoxin and the Existence of Fungi

Mandarin is a favorite fruit of the citrus family. Mandarin seeds are considered a source of nontraditional oil obtained from byproduct materials. This investigation aimed to assess the biomolecules of mandarin seeds and evaluated their antimycotic and antimycotoxigenic impact on fungi. Moreover, it evaluated the protective role of mandarin oil against aflatoxin toxicity in cell lines. The two types of extracted oil (fixed and volatile) were ecofriendly. The fatty acid composition, tocopherol, sterols, and carotenoids were determined in the fixed oil, whereas volatiles and phenolics were estimated in the essential oil. A mixture of the two oils was prepared and evaluated for its antimicrobial impact. The reduction effect of this mixture was also investigated to reduce mycotoxin secretion using a simulated experiment. The protective effect of the oil was evaluated using healthy strains of cell lines. Fixed oil was distinguished by the omega fatty acid content (76.24%), lutein was the major carotenoid (504.3 mg/100 g) and it had a high β-sitosterol content (294.6 mg/100 g). Essential oil contained limonene (66.05%), α-pinene (6.82%), β-pinene (4.32%), and γ-terpinene (12.31%) in significant amounts, while gallic acid and catechol were recorded as the dominant phenolics. Evaluation of the oil mix for antimicrobial potency reflected a considerable impact against pathogenic bacteria and toxigenic fungi. By its application to the fungal media, this oil mix possessed a capacity for reducing mycotoxin secretion. The oil mix was also shown to have a low cytotoxic effect against healthy strains of cell lines and had potency in reducing the mortality impact of aflatoxin B₁ applied to cell lines. These results recommend further study to involve this oil in food safety applications.     

Heat convection from a cylinder performing steady rotation or rotary oscillation – Part II: Rotary oscillation

This paper deals with the problem of combined (forced and natural) convection from a horizontal cylinder performing oscillating rotary motion in a quiescent fluid of infinite extent. While forced convection is caused by cylinder oscillation, the natural convection is caused by the buoyancy driven flow. The heat transfer process is governed by Rayleigh number, Ra, Reynolds number, Re, and the dimensionless frequency of oscillation, S. The study covers Ra up to 10³, Re up to 400 and S up to 0.8. The results showed that, for the same Ra, the time-averaged rate of heat transfer lies in between two limiting values. The first, is the steady state heat rate due to natural convection from a fixed cylinder and the second is the steady state heat rate from a cylinder rotating steadily at a speed equal to the maximum speed of rotational oscillation. The smaller the value of Re the nearer the time-averaged Nusselt number to that of fixed cylinder at the same Ra and the higher Re the lower the average Nusselt number. The effect of frequency is only limited to changing the amplitude of the fluctuating Nusselt number. Received on 15 December 1997     

Heat convection from a cylinder performing steady rotation or rotary oscillation – Part I: Steady rotation

In this paper, the problem of laminar, two dimensional heat convection from a circular cylinder performing steady rotation is investigated. The cylinder is␣placed with its axis horizontal in a quiescent fluid of infinite extent. Because of viscous dissipation, the flow process is confined to the region adjacent to the cylinder and is mainly driven by shear and buoyancy forces. The study is based on the solution of the full conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy for Rayleigh numbers up to 10⁴ and Reynolds numbers (based on surface velocity) up to 400 while Prandtl number ranges between 0.7 and 7.0. For the range of parameters considered, the study revealed that the rate of heat transfer increases with the increase of Rayleigh number and decreases with the increase of speed of rotation. The increase of Prandtl number resulted in an appreciable increase in the average Nusselt number only at low Reynolds numbers. The effect of Prandtl number at high Reynolds number is negligibly small. The resulting flow field in all cases is steady with no vortex shedding. The streamlines and isotherms are plotted for a number of cases to show the details of the velocity and thermal fields. Received on 15 December 1997     

Synthesis and optical properties for crystals of a novel organic semiconductor [ Ni(Cl) 2{(Ph 2P) 2CHC(R 1R 2)NHNH 2}]

In this investigation, the synthesis process of the apyrazole derivative for diphenylphosphino-methane hydrazine complexes [ Ni(Cl)₂{(Ph₂P)₂CHC(R₁R₂)NHNH₂}] was reported, and the obtained crystals were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. As a result of the growth process, a set of complexes were formed. The structures of these complexes are discussed on the basis of Elemental analysis (EA), IR, ¹H-NMR, ³¹P-NMR spectroscopic data and FAB mass spectra. The compound under investigation shows typical semiconductor behavior as a result of delocalization of the π-electrons in the structure. The reflectance and transmittance spectra for the crystals were measured and analyzed in the incident photon energy range 1.29 to 3.93 eV and in the temperature range 77 to 300 K. The optical study revealed that the optical transition is direct allowed. Below the absorption edge, the refractive index as a function of wavelength was determined in the low energy region of the used incident photon energy range. From the refractive index-wavelength variations, the oscillator and dispersion energies of the refractive index for the obtained crystals were determined. The static refractive index and static dielectric constant were evaluated.     

Highly selective optical fluoride ion sensor with submicromolar detection limit based on aluminum(III) octaethylporphyrin in thin polymeric film

A highly selective, sensitive, and reversible fluoride optical sensing film based on aluminum(III)octaethylporphyrin as a fluoride ionophore and a lipophilic pH indicator as the optical transducer is described. The fluoride optical sensing films exhibit a submicromolar detection limit and high discrimination for fluoride over several lipophilic anions such as nitrate, perchlorate, and thiocyanate.     

Size-dependent electrical conduction of thin nickel films

The electrical resistivity of thin nickel films, thermally evaporated on freshly cleaved mica and smooth glass at 160 °C is studied. The measurements were taken in situ before and after annealing at 420 °C.The values of resistivity of thinner films are reduced by few orders of magnitude after annealing. A sharp reduction in the resistivity is noticed for films prepared on mica compared with those prepared on glass under the same conditions. The resistivity of films with thickness less than 200 Å on glass is irreversible with reduction, while on mica it is reversible. A tunnelling mechanism in the absence of Fuchs theory is adapted to explain the abrupt increase in resistivity of the island-films. The data recorded for thicker films was fitted to Fuchs theory withp=0.The authors would like to acknowledge Prof. Dr. K. R.Wassif for his kind cooperation and interest.     

Radial diffusion and entrance effects in porous flow-through electrodes

Radial diffusion has two effects on the performance of a flow-through electrode: (a) it may limit the maximum experimentally attainable degree of conversion, and/or (b) the polarization at a certain current output may be lower for smaller than for larger pores. A dimensionless groupwas developed as a criterion of reactant conversion under certain conditions of flow rate, pore diameter and diffusion coefficient. The lengths of both diffusional and hydrodynamic entrance regions are calculated. The ratio between the length of the diffusional entrance region and the electrode thickness is related to the criterion of reactant conversion . It was shown that in all conditions of fully developed laminar flow inside the pores, radial diffusion must be fast with respect to axial convection: hence complete reactant conversion is possible. The effect of radial hydrodynamic dispersion is briefly outlined. It increases the rate of radial mass transfer, hence the degree of conversion and decreases the length of the diffusional entrance region. The length of the hydrodynamic entrance region would normally be much shorter than the diffusional entrance length. They become comparable only when the radial dispersion coefficient is of the same order as the kinematic viscosity of the electrolyte.     

Thiazolidine-2,4-dione-linked ciprofloxacin derivatives with broad-spectrum antibacterial,MRSA and topoisomerase inhibitory activities

Molecular Diversity - A series of ciprofloxacin/thiazolidine-2,4-dione hybrids 3a-m were prepared and identified by IR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR and elemental analysis. The antibacterial activity results of...