Optical modulation of amplified emission in a polyfluorene-diarylethene blend

A novel system for the modulation of amplified emission based on a polyfluorene/diarylethene (namely F8BT/DTP) blend is shown. The high sensitivity of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is exploited to achieve efficient emission modulation with a low-intensity control signal. Modulation is then characterized by photoluminescence (PL) lifetime measurements, photocurrent experiments, and density functional theory calculations. This system can also act as a photocurrent switch based on the same principle. This technique may represent a useful tool for fluorescence quenching and sensing as well as find application in organic photonics.     

Copper(I) and copper(II) inhibit Aβ peptides proteolysis by insulin-degrading enzyme differently: implications for metallostasis alteration in Alzheimer's disease

Accumulation of neurotoxic amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) and alteration of metal homeostasis (metallostasis) in the brain are two main factors that have been very often associated with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aβ is constantly produced from the amyloidprecursor-protein APP precursor and immediately catabolized under normal conditions, whereas dysmetabolism of Aβ and/or metal ions seems to lead to a pathological deposition. Although insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) is the main metalloprotease involved in Aβ degradation in the brain being up-regulated in some areas of AD brains, the role of IDE for the onset and development of AD is far from being understood. Moreover, the biomolecular mechanisms involved in the recognition and interaction between IDE and its substrates are still obscure. In spite of the important role of metals (such as copper, aluminum, and zinc), which has brought us to propose a "metal hypothesis of AD", a targeted study of the effect of metallostasis on IDE activity has never been carried out. In this work, we have investigated the role that various metal ions (i.e., Cu(2+), Cu(+), Zn(2+), Ag(+), and Al(3+)) play in modulating the interaction between IDE and two Aβ peptide fragments, namely Aβ(1-16) and Aβ(16-28). It was therefore possible to identify the direct effect that such metal ions have on IDE structure and enzymatic activity without interferences caused by metal-induced substrate modifications. Mass spectrometry and kinetic studies revealed that, among all the metal ions tested, only Cu(2+), Cu(+), and Ag(+) have an inhibitory effect on IDE activity. Moreover, the inhibition of copper(II) is reversed by adding zinc(II), whereas the monovalent cations affect the enzyme activity irreversibly. The molecular basis of their action on the enzyme is also discussed on the basis of computational investigations.     

Analysis of anthocyanins in commercial fruit juices by using nano-liquid chromatography-electrospray-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography with UV-vis detector

Nano-LC and conventional HPLC techniques were applied for the analysis of anthocyanins present in commercial fruit juices using a capillary column of 100 μm id and a 2.1 mm id narrow-bore C(18) column. Analytes were detected by UV-Vis at 518 nm and ESI-ion trap MS with HPLC and nano-LC, respectively. Commercial blueberry juice (14 anthocyanins detected) was used to optimize chromatographic separation of analytes and other analysis parameters. Qualitative identification of anthocyanins was performed by comparing the recorded mass spectral data with those of published papers. The use of the same mobile phase composition in both techniques revealed that the miniaturized method exhibited shorter analysis time and higher sensitivity than narrow-bore chromatography. Good intra-day and day-to-day precision of retention time was obtained in both methods with values of RSD less than 3.4 and 0.8% for nano-LC and HPLC, respectively. Quantitative analysis was performed by external standard curve calibration of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside standard. Calibration curves were linear in the concentration ranges studied, 0.1-50 and 6-50 μg/mL for HPLC-UV/Vis and nano-LC-MS, respectively. LOD and LOQ values were good for both methods. In addition to commercial blueberry juice, qualitative and quantitative analysis of other juices (e.g. raspberry, sweet cherry and pomegranate) was performed. The optimized nano-LC-MS method allowed an easy and selective identification and quantification of anthocyanins in commercial fruit juices; it offered good results, shorter analysis time and reduced mobile phase volume with respect to narrow-bore HPLC.     

An assessment of the impact of extraction and digestion protocols on multiplexed targeted protein quantification by mass spectrometry for egg and milk allergens

The unintentional presence of even trace amounts of certain foods constitutes a major hazard for those who suffer from food allergies. For many food industries, product and raw ingredient surveillance forms part of their risk assessment procedures. This may require the detection of multiple allergens in a wide variety of matrices. Mass spectrometry offers a possible solution for the quantification of multiple allergens in a single analysis. The capability of MS to quantify many peptides from a complex protein digestion is well known. However, a lack of matrix certified reference materials has made the optimisation of extraction and digestion conditions for multiplexed allergen quantification difficult to assess. Here, we report a systematic study, using preliminary screening followed by a Design of Experiments approach, to find the optimal buffer and digestion conditions for detecting milk and egg protein markers in a model processed food matrix. Five of the most commonly used buffers, two chaotropic reagents and two reducing reagents were assessed for the optimal extraction of multiple protein markers. While the choice of background buffer had little impact, the use of chaotropic and reducing reagents showed significant benefits for the extraction of most proteins. A full factorial design experiment was applied to the parameters shown to have a significant impact on protein recovery. These studies suggest that a single optimal set of extraction conditions enabling the quantitative recovery of all proteins is not easily achieved. Therefore, although MS is capable of the simultaneous quantification of many peptides in a single run, greater consideration of protein extraction is required before these are applied for multiplex allergen quantification in food matrices.

Graphical abstract

     

Flow field-flow fractionation and characterization of ionic and neutral polysaccharides of vegetable and microbial origin

The flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF) analysis of a variety of neutral as well as ionic polysaccharides from plants and micro-organisms shows the generally broad distribution in molecular size of these polymers. This result is also obtained on a commercial sample of pullulan whose size distribution appears much wider than that of any of five standard fractions of the same polymer. Clear evidence of some physico-chemical properties of the polysaccharides is given by the study of the effect of the carrier ionic strength on salep, oxidized salep and konjac, carboxymethylcellulose and hyaluronic acid. While neutral polysaccharides, regardless of their origin, only slightly change size distribution in the presence of a simple electrolyte in solution, charged polymers, either naturally charged or chemically ionized, consistently exhibit very low retention levels in water which dramatically increase even at low salt concentrations. Exclusion mechanisms, including steric effects, are shown to be responsible for the anticipated retention times in water of these species that assume the expected statistical coil behavior only when electric charges are screened by the added electrolyte. Under these conditions, higher retention levels are obtained because the volume adjacent to the accumulation wall becomes more accessible to the sample during relaxation. On the basis of these findings, the elution behavior of a number of polysaccharide samples in-laboratory obtained from the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans under different incubation conditions is attributed to the presence of species varying in physico-chemical properties and molecular size.     

Carboxyalkyl peptoid PNAs: synthesis and hybridization properties

N^γ-Carboxyalkyl modified peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), containing the four canonical nucleobases, were prepared via solid-phase oligomerization. The inserted peptoid monomers 1 and 2 were constructed through simple synthetic procedures, utilizing appropriate glycidol and iodoalkyl electrophiles. Thermal denaturation studies, performed with complementary antiparallel DNA strands, demonstrated that the length of the N^γ-side chain strongly influences the modified PNAs hybridization properties. Moreover, multiple negative charges on the oligoamide backbone, when present on γ-nitrogen C₆ side chains proved to be beneficial for the oligomers’ water solubility and DNA hybridization specificity.     

Reactivity of the heterometallic clusters [HMCo3(CO)12] and [Et4N][MCo3(CO)12] (M = Fe, Ru) toward phosphine selenides, including selenium transfer. Crystal structures of [HRuCo3(CO)7(mu-CO)3(mu-dppy)], [MCo2(mu3-Se)(CO)7(mu-dppy)], and [RuCo2(mu3-Se)(CO)7(mu-dppm)] [dppy = Ph2(2-C5H4N)P, dppm = Ph2PCH2PPh2

The reactivity of [HMCo3(CO)12] and [Et4N][MCo3(CO)12] (M = Fe, Ru) toward phosphine selenides such as Ph3PSe, Ph2P(Se)CH2PPh2, Ph2(2-C5H4N)PSe, Ph2(2-C4H3S)PSe, and Ph2[(2-C5H4N)(2-C4H2S)]PSe has been studied with the aim to obtain new selenido-carbonyl bimetallic clusters. The reactions of the hydrido clusters give two main classes of products: (i) triangular clusters with a mu3-Se capping ligand of the type [MCo2(mu3-Se)(CO)(9-x)L(y)] resulting from the selenium transfer (x = y = 1, 2, with L = monodentate ligand; x = 2, 4, and y = 1, 2, with L = bidentate ligand) (M = Fe, Ru) and (ii) tetranuclear clusters of the type [HMCo3(CO)12xL(y)] obtained by simple substitution of axial, Co-bound carbonyl groups by the deselenized phosphine ligand. The crystal structures of [HRuCo3(CO)7(mu-CO)3(mu-dppy)] (1), [MCo2(mu3-Se)(CO)7(mu-dppy)] (M = Fe (16) or Ru (2)), and [RuCo2(mu3-Se)(CO)7(mu-dppm)] (12) are reported [dppy = Ph2(2-C5H4N)P, dppm = Ph2PCH2PPh2]. Clusters 2, 12, and 16 are the first examples of trinuclear bimetallic selenido clusters substituted by phosphines. Their core consists of metal triangles capped by a mu3-selenium atom with the bidentate ligand bridging two metals in equatorial positions. The core of cluster 1 consists of a RuCo3 tetrahedron, each Co-Co bond being bridged by a carbonyl group and one further bridged by a dppy ligand. The coordination of dppy in a pseudoaxial position causes the migration of the hydride ligand to the Ru(mu-H)Co edge. In contrast to the reactions of the hydrido clusters, those with the anionic clusters [MCo3(CO)12]- do not lead to Se transfer from phosphorus to the cluster but only to CO substitution by the deselenized phosphine.     

NMR structure of two novel polyethylene glycol conjugates of the human growth hormone-releasing factor,hGRF(1-29)-NH2

Two novel mono-PEGylated derivatives of hGRF(1-29)-NH(2) [human growth hormone-releasing factor, fragment 1-29] have been synthesized by regio-specific conjugation of Lys(12) or Lys(21) to a monomethoxy-PEG(5000) chain (compounds Lys(12)PEG-GRF and Lys(21)PEG-GRF). The PEG moiety has been covalently linked at the amino group of a norleucine residue via a carbamate bond. The Lys(12)PEG-GRF regioisomer was found to be slightly less active in vitro than both the unmodified peptide and Lys(21)PEG-GRF. To assess whether the differences in the biological activity of the PEGylated analogues could be related to conformational rearrangements induced by the PEG moiety, the structure of these PEGylated derivatives has been worked out (TFE solution) by means of NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics. Secondary structure shifts, hydrogen/deuterium exchange kinetics, temperature coefficients of amide protons, and NOE-based molecular models point out that hGRF(1-29)-NH(2), Lys(21)PEG-GRF and Lys(12)PEG-GRF share a remarkably similar pattern of secondary structure. All three compounds adopt an alpha-helix conformation which spans the whole length of the molecule, and which becomes increasingly rigid on going from the N-terminus to the C-terminus. Residues Lys(12) and Lys(21) are enclosed in all the compounds considered into well-defined alpha-helical domains, indicating that PEGylation either at Lys(12) or Lys(21) does not alter the tendency of the peptide to adopt a stable alpha-helix conformation, nor does it induce appreciable conformational mobility in the proximity of the PEGylation sites. No significant variation of the amphiphilic organization of the alpha-helix is observed among the three peptides. Therefore, the different biological activities observed for the PEGylated analogues are not due to conformational effects, but are rather due to sterical hindrance effects. The relationship between the biological activitiy of the mono-PEGylated derivatives and sterical hindrance is discussed in terms of the topology of interaction between hGRF(1-29)-NH(2) and its receptor.     

Synthesis of Diazadi(and tri)thiacrown Ethers Containing Two 5-Substituent(or 2-methyl)-8-hydroxyquinoline Side Arms

Abstract

Sixteen new diazadi(or tri)thiacrown ethers containing two 5-substituent(or 2-methyl)-8-hydroxyquino-lin-2-ylmethyl side arms have been prepared by a three-step process. First, the appropriate bis(α-chloroamide)s were treated with five dimercaptans in base to form macrocyclic di(or tri)thiadiamides. The macrocyclic diamides were reduced by BH₃-THF to form 1,7-diaza-4-oxa-10,13-dithia-cyclopentadecane (11); 1,7-diaza-4,13-dioxa-10,16-dithiacyclooctadecane (12); 1,7-diaza-4-oxa-10,13,16-trithiacyclooctadecane (13); 1,7-diaza-4,13,16-trioxa-10,19-dithiacycloheneicosane (14); and 1,10-diaza-4,7-dioxa-13,16-dithiacyclooctadecane (15). The diazadi(or tri)thiacrown ethers were then treated with 8-hydroxyquinoline, 8-hydroxy-5-methylquinoline, 5-chloro-8-hydroxyquinoline, and 8-hydroxyquinaldine in the presence of paraformal-delyde in refluxing benzene to form the bis(8-hydroxy-5-substituent(or 2-methyl)quinolin-7-ymethy)-substituted diazadi(or tri)thiacrown ethers 16-31. The crown ethers containing two 8-hydroxyquinoline or 8-hydroxyquinaldine side arms proved to be mixtures of about 90% bis(8-hydroxyquinolin-7-ylmethyl)-substituted crown ethers; 9% mixed (8-hydroxyquinolin-7-ymethyl)-substituted and (8-hydroxyquinolin-5-ylmethyl)-substituted crown ethers; and 1% bis(8-hydroxyquinolin-5-ylmethyl)-substituted crown ethers.     

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Heavy-Atom Effects on the Multifaceted Emissive Behavior of Cyclic Triimidazole

Considering that heavy halogen atoms can be used to tune the emissive properties of organic luminogens, the understanding of their role in photophysics is fundamental for materials engineering. Here, the extrinsic and intrinsic heavy-atom effects on the photophysics of organic crystals were separately evaluated by comparing cyclic triimidazole ( TT ) with its monoiodo derivative ( TTI ) and its co-crystal with diiodotetrafluorobenzene ( TTCo ). Crystals of TT showed room-temperature ultralong phosphorescence (RTUP) originated from H-aggregation. TTI and TTCo displayed two additional long-lived components, the origin of which is elucidated through single-crystal X-ray and DFT/TDDFT studies. The results highlight the different effects of the I atom on the three phosphorescent emissions. Intrinsic heavy-atom effects play a major role on molecular phosphorescence, which is displayed at room temperature only for TTI . The H-aggregate RTUP and the I⋅⋅⋅N XB-induced (XB=halogen bond) phosphorescence on the other side depend only on packing features.