Synthesis of Polyanionic C5-Modified 2′-Deoxyuridine and 2′-Deoxycytidine-5′-Triphosphates and Their Properties as Substrates for DNA Polymerases

Modified 2′-deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) have widespread applications in both existing and emerging biomolecular technologies. For such applications it is an essential requirement that the modified dNTPs be substrates for DNA polymerases. To date very few examples of C5-modified dNTPs bearing negatively charged functionality have been described, despite the fact that such nucleotides might potentially be valuable in diagnostic applications using Si-nanowire-based detection systems. Herein we have synthesised C5-modified dUTP and dCTP nucleotides each of which are labelled with an dianionic reporter group. The reporter group is tethered to the nucleobase via a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based linkers of varying length. The substrate properties of these modified dNTPs with a variety of DNA polymerases have been investigated to study the effects of varying the length and mode of attachment of the PEG linker to the nucleobase. In general, nucleotides containing the PEG linker tethered to the nucleobase via an amide rather than an ether linkage proved to be the best substrates, whilst nucleotides containing PEG linkers from PEG₆ to PEG₂₄ could all be incorporated by one or more DNA polymerase. The polymerases most able to incorporate these modified nucleotides included Klentaq, Vent(exo-) and therminator, with incorporation by Klenow(exo-) generally being very poor.     

Copper Mediated Affinity of Amyloid β to Chondroitin Sulfates

Aβ is a major component of the senile plaques characteristic of Alzheimer disease (AD) and sulfated GAGs such as chondroitin sulfates (CS) have been found in all types of amyloidosis. In this paper, a biochromatographic approach was developed to measure for the first time changes in enthalpy, heat capacity change and copper effect for the binding of Aβ to CS in a wide temperature range. For this, CS was immobilized on a chromatographic support. It was established that this novel CS column was stable during an extended period of time. The thermodynamic data showed that Aβ–CS binding, for low temperature (<10 °C), is enthalpically unfavourable and being dominated by a positive entropy change. This result suggested that dehydration at the binding interface and charge–charge interactions contribute to the Aβ–CS complex formation and a large heat capacity change, ΔC _p = ?2.32 kJ mol^?1 K^?1, was determined. Above 10 °C, the thermodynamic data ΔH and ΔS became negative due to van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding which are engaged at the complex interface confirming strong Aβ–CS hydrogen bond networks. Also, for a copper concentration in the range 20–160 μM, it was shown that an increase of the Cu²⁺ concentration in the medium led an increase of this association classically attributed to salt effect (i.e. hydrophobic bonds) and to ion pair formations between the Cu²⁺ cation and Aβ to bind to chondroitin sulfate and could thus improve the Aβ aggregation by copper.     

Incorporation of furan into low band-gap polymers for efficient solar cells

The design, synthesis, and characterization of the first examples of furan-containing low band-gap polymers, PDPP2FT and PDPP3F, with substantial power conversion efficiencies in organic solar cells are reported. Inserting furan moieties in the backbone of the conjugated polymers enables the use of relatively small solubilizing side chains because of the significant contribution of the furan rings to overall polymer solubility in common organic solvents. Bulk heterojunction solar cells fabricated from furan-containing polymers and PC(71)BM as the acceptor showed power conversion efficiencies reaching 5.0%.     

Gold Nanorods with Phase‐Changing Polymer Corona for Remotely Near‐Infrared‐Triggered Drug Release

Herein, we report a new drug‐delivery system (DDS) that is comprised of a near‐infrared (NIR)‐light‐sensitive gold‐nanorod (GNR) core and a phase‐changing poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐b‐poly(ethylene glycol) polymer corona (GNR@PCL‐b‐PEG). The underlying mechanism of the drug‐loading and triggered‐release behaviors involves the entrapment of drug payloads among the PCL crystallites and a heat‐induced phase change, respectively. A low premature release of the pre‐loaded doxorubicin was observed in PBS buffer (pH 7.4) at 37 °C (<10 % of the entire payload after 48 h). However, release could be activated within 30 min by conventional heating at 50 °C, above the T_m of the crystalline PCL domain (43.5 °C), with about 60 % release over the subsequent 42 h at 37 °C. The NIR‐induced heating of an aqueous suspension of GNR@PCL‐b‐PEG under NIR irradiation (802 nm) was investigated in terms of the irradiation period, power, and concentration‐dependent heating behavior, as well as the NIR‐induced shape‐transformation of the GNR cores. Remotely NIR‐triggered release was also explored upon NIR irradiation for 30 min and about 70 % release was achieved in the following 42 h at 37 °C, with a mild warming (<4 °C) of the surroundings. The cytotoxicity of GNR@PCL‐b‐PEG against the mouse fibroblastic‐like L929 cell‐line was assessed by MTS assay and good compatibility was confirmed with a cell viability of over 90 % after incubation for 72 h. The cellular uptake of GNR@PCL‐b‐PEG by melanoma MEL‐5 cells was also confirmed, with an averaged uptake of 1250(±110) particles cell^?1 after incubation for 12 h (50 μg mL^?1). This GNR@PCL‐b‐PEG DDS is aimed at addressing the different requirements for therapeutic treatments and is envisaged to provide new insights into DDS targeting for remotely triggered release by NIR activation.     

STUDY OF THE ADSORPTION OF HUMAN SERUM ALBUMIN ON REVERSED-PHASE SUPPORTS.

This work examines the adsorption of Human Serum Albumin (HSA) on a Reversed-Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (RPLC) support. The adsorption experiments were performed by frontal analysis. Adsorption isotherms were determined in pure buffer and in the presence of acetonitrile. Saturation is always reached, even at the lower protein concentrations. In view of the pore size of the particles (80 Å), it is assumed that HSA is adsorbed on the external surface of silica

In presence of acetonitrile, a variability in the amount of HSA adsorbed is found showing a maximum at 25% of acetonitrile. Slower adsorption kinetics are observed when the concentration of the organic modifier in the eluent is increased. The reversibility of HSA binding to the surface was investigated by desorbing the protein with 40% acetonitrile. The amount of HSA irreversibly adsorbed depends upon the experimental conditions used during the adsorption step. It is at a maximum when HSA is adsorbed with 25% acetonitrile. As the temperature is raised and only in the presence of acetonitrile, an important increase of the amount of HSA irreversibly adsorbed is observed.     

A Facile Synthesis of an Advanced Glycosylation Endproduct 2-(2′-furoyl)-4(5)-(2′-furanyl)-1H-imidazole

Abstract: A three step synthesis of the advanced glycosylation endproduct 2-(2′-furoyl)-4(5)-(2′-furanyl)-1H-imidazole (4, FFI) has been achieved from 2-acetylfuran. The key step in the synthesis was the rearrangement of the hydrazinium bromide 3 in refluxing methanol.     

Structural and photophysical properties of adducts of [Ru(bipy)(CN)4]2- with different metal cations: metallochromism and its use in switching photoinduced energy transfer

We show in this paper how the 3MLCT luminescence of [Ru(bipy)(CN)4]2-, which is known to be highly solvent-dependent, may be varied over a much wider range than can be achieved by solvent effects, by interaction of the externally directed cyanide ligands with additional metal cations both in the solid state and in solution. A series of crystallographic studies of [Ru(bipy)(CN)4]2- salts with different metal cations Mn+ (Li+, Na+, K+, mixed Li+/K+, Cs+, and Ba2+) shows how the cyanide/Mn+ interaction varies from the conventional "end-on" with the more Lewis-acidic cations (Li+, Ba2+) to the more unusual "side-on" interaction with the softer metal cations (K+, Cs+). The solid-state luminescence intensity and lifetime of these salts is highly dependent on the nature of the cation, with Cs+ affording the weakest luminescence and Ba2+ the strongest. A series of titrations of the more soluble derivative [Ru(tBu2bipy)(CN)4]2- in MeCN with a range of metal salts showed how the cyanide/Mn+ association results in a substantial blue-shift of the 1MLCT absorptions, and 3MLCT energies, intensities, and lifetimes, with the complex varying from essentially non-luminescent in the absence of metal cation to showing strong (phi = 0.07), long-lived (1.4 micros), and high-energy (583 nm) luminescence in the presence of Ba2+. This modulation of the 3MLCT energy, over a range of about 6000 cm-1 depending on the added cation, could be used to reverse the direction of photoinduced energy transfer in a dyad containing covalently linked [Ru(bipy)3]2+ and [Ru(bipy)(CN)4]2- termini. In the absence of a metal cation, the [Ru(bipy)(CN)4]2- terminus has the lower 3MLCT energy and thereby quenches the [Ru(bipy)3]2+-based luminescence; in the presence of Ba2+ ions, the 3MLCT energy of the [Ru(bipy)(CN)4]2- terminus is raised above that of the [Ru(bipy)3]2+ terminus, resulting in energy transfer to and sensitized emission from the latter.     

Synthesis and characterization of the Keggin-type ruthenium-nitrido derivative [PW11O39{RuN}]4- and evidence of its electrophilic reactivity

The ruthenium-nitrido POM derivative [PW11O39{RuVIN}]4- has been synthesized by reaction between [PW11O39]7- and [RuVINCl5]2- or [RuVINCl4]-. Its molecular structure has been confirmed from multinuclear 31P and 183W NMR spectroscopy together with an EXAFS study, while the oxidation state of the ruthenium bearing the nitrido ligand has been inferred both from 183W NMR and XANES analysis at the Ru-K edge. The potential of [PW11O39{RuVIN}]4- in N-atom transfer reactions has been demonstrated through reaction with triphenylphosphine, which ultimately leads to the release of the bis(triphenylphosphane)iminium cation [PPh3=N=PPh3]+ through several intermediates, among which the phosphoraniminato derivative [PW11O39{RuVNPh3}]3- has been structurally characterized. Its unusual oxidation state is in accordance with its EPR spectrum.     

The formation, reactivity and interconversion of novel small eta(1)- and eta(3)-triazacyclononane complexes of rhodium(I) and rhodium(III)

We have successfully synthesised and characterised a number of eta(1)- and eta(3)-triazacyclononane Rh(I) and Rh(III) derivatives. By using different reaction conditions, we have been able to convert one of the eta(1)-triazacyclononane complexes to an eta(3)-derivative. Also, we have observed a rare example of an addition of an organic fragment to a metal bound ligand to form a quaternary carbon centre.