Quantification of collagen organization and extracellular matrix factors within the healing ligament

Ligament healing of a grade III injury (i.e., a complete tear) involves a multifaceted chain of events that forms a neoligament, which is more scar-like in character than the native tissue. The remodeling process may last months or even years with the injured ligament never fully recovering pre-injury mechanical properties. With tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, understanding the normal healing process in ligament and quantifying it provide a basis to create and assess innovative treatments. Ligament fibroblasts produce a number of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, including collagen types I and III, decorin and fibromodulin. Using a combination of advanced histology, molecular biology, and nonlinear optical imaging approaches, the early ECM events during ligament healing have been better characterized and defined. First, the dynamic changes in ECM factors after injury are shown. Second, the factors associated with creeping substitution are identified. Finally, a method to quantify collagen organization is developed and used. Each ECM factor described herein as well as the temporal quantification of fiber organization helps elucidate the complexity of ligament healing.     

Removal of the potent greenhouse gas NF3 by reactions with the atmospheric oxidants O(1D), OH and O3

Nitrogen trifluoride, NF(3), a trace gas of purely anthropogenic origin with a large global warming potential is accumulating in the Earth's atmosphere. Large uncertainties are however associated with its atmospheric removal rate. In this work, experimental and theoretical kinetic tools were used to study the reactions of NF(3) with three of the principal gas-phase atmospheric oxidants: O((1)D), OH and O(3). For reaction (R2) with O((1)D), rate coefficients of k(2)(212-356 K) = (2.0 ± 0.3) × 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) were obtained in direct competitive kinetics experiments, and experimental and theoretical evidence was obtained for F-atom product formation. These results indicate that whilst photolysis in the stratosphere remains the principal fate of NF(3), reaction with O((1)D) is significant and was previously underestimated in atmospheric lifetime calculations. Experimental evidence of F-atom production from 248 nm photolysis of NF(3) was also obtained, indicating that quantum yields for NF(3) destruction remain significant throughout the UV. No evidence was found for reaction (R3) of NF(3) with OH indicating that this process makes little or no contribution to NF(3) removal from the atmosphere. An upper-limit of k(3)(298 K) < 4 × 10(-16) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) was obtained experimentally; theoretical analysis suggests that the true rate coefficient is more than ten orders of magnitude smaller. An upper-limit of k(4)(296 K) < 3 × 10(-25) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) was obtained in experiments to investigate O(3) + NF(3) (R4). Altogether these results underpin calculations of a long (several hundred year) lifetime for NF(3). In the course of this work rate coefficients (in units of 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1)) for removal of O((1)D) by n-C(5)H(12), k(6) = (50 ± 5) and by N(2), k(7) = (3.1 ± 0.2) were obtained. Uncertainties quoted throughout are 2σ precision only.     

Sulfate migration in oligosaccharides induced by negative ion mode ion trap collision‐induced dissociation

Migration of sulfate groups between hydroxyl groups was identified after collision‐induced dissociation (CID) of sulfated oligosaccharides in an ion trap mass spectrometer in negative ion mode. Analysis of various sulfated oligosaccharides showed that this was a common phenomenon and was particularly prominent in sulfated oligosaccharides also containing sialic acid. It was also shown that the level of migration was increased when the sulfate was positioned on the flexible areas of the oligosaccharides not involved in the pyranose ring, such as the extra‐cyclic C‐6 carbon of hexoses or N‐acetylhexosamines, or on reduced oligosaccharide. This suggested that migration is dependent on the spatial availability of the sulfate in the ion trap during collision. It is proposed that the migration is initiated when the negatively charged ‐SO₃^– residue attached to the oligosaccharide precursor becomes protonated by a CID‐induced proton transfer. This is supported by the CID fragmentation of precursor ions depleted of acidic protons such as doubly charged [M – 2H]^2– ions or the sodiated [M + Na – 2H]^– ions of oligosaccharides containing one sulfate and one sialic acid in the same molecule. Compared to the CID fragmentation of their monocharged [M – H]^– ions, no migration was observed in CID of proton depleted precursors. Alternative fragmentation parameters to suppress migration of sulfated oligosaccharides also showed that it was not present when sulfated oligosaccharides were fragmented by HCD (High‐Energy C‐trap Dissociation) in an Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self‐assembly and Cycling of a Three‐state PdxLy Metallosupramolecular System

The use of stimuli to induce reversible structural transformations in metallosupramolecular systems is of keen interest to chemists seeking to mimic the way that Nature effects conformational changes in biological machinery. While a wide array of stimuli have been deployed towards this end, stoichiometric changes have only been explored in a handful of examples. Furthermore, switching has generally been between only two distinct states. Here we use a simple 2‐(1‐(pyridine‐4‐methyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)pyridine “click” ligand in combination with Pd^II in various stoichiometries and concentrations to quantitatively access and cycle between three distinct species: a [PdL₂]²⁺ monomer, a [Pd₂L₂]⁴⁺ dimer, and a [Pd₉L₁₂]¹⁸⁺ cage.     

Ionic transport in a sulfonated polystyrene–polyethylene copolymer

The conductivity of a grafted copolymer composed of 21% sulfonated polystyrene and 79% polyethylene has been investigated as a function of temperature and absorbed moisture for membranes containing the monovalent counterions H⁺, Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs, and Ag⁺. The mobility of Ag⁺ was measured directly in an experiment analogous to that used for the mobility of F-centers in alkali halides. The mobility and density of free counterions depend on the amount of absorbed water, but only the mobility and not the density of free counterions is a thermally activated process. Current is carried by both intrinsic counterions and, in samples containing absorbed water with greater than 1.5 V applied, by protonic carriers created when the absorbed water is electrolyzed. Thermal depolarization studies indicate that persistent polarization observed is the result of homogeneous volume polarization, due to the orientation of sulfonic acid side groups.     

A solvolytic C-C cleavage reaction of 6-acetoxycyclohexa-2,4-dienones: mechanistic implications for the intradiol catechol dioxygenases

6-Acetoxycyclohexa-2,4-dienones are found to undergo a rapid reaction in methanol/water under mildly basic conditions to give an acyclic ketoester as the major product for 6-phenyl and 6-methyl substrates. Reaction monitoring by UV spectroscopy indicates the formation of an unsaturated ketone reaction intermediate (lambda(max) 275 nm, R = Ph) and the transient appearance of a highly conjugated species. Reaction of the 6-phenyl substrate (4.95 x 10(-6) s(-1)) is 2-fold faster than the 6-methyl substrate (2.47 x 10(-6) s(-1)). The reaction rate is first order with respect to substrate concentration, and the final step in the reaction is pH-dependent. No cleavage was observed for a substrate lacking an acetyl substituent. A reaction mechanism for C-C cleavage is proposed involving a benzene oxide-oxepin interconversion. The possible relevance to the catalytic mechanism of the intradiol catechol dioxygenases is discussed.     

Supramolecular Recognition: Protonmotive‐Driven Switches or Motors?

A dicationic molecular receptor bearing two cofacially disposed terpyridyl-Pd-Cl units forms stable 1:1 host-guest complexes with planar, neutral platinum(II) complexes. When the guest is modified to incorporate a pyridine group, the now basic guest is protonated by trifluoroacetic acid in acetonitrile solutions. The basic yellow guest forms a stable, deep red 1:1 host-guest complex with the yellow palladium receptor. Addition of trifluoroacetic acid to this host-guest complex leads to the displacement of the guest from the receptor. It is proposed that the dissociation of the guest is caused by electrostatic repulsion between the dicationic receptor and the positively charged protonated guest. Addition of base restores the host-guest complex. This protonmotive translocation of the guest from the host to the solution is discussed in terms of the mechanisms that drive molecular motors, the power stroke and the Brownian ratchet. It is concluded that the system is best described as a molecular switch that operates by the same mechanism as one stroke of a molecular motor     

Catalytic "active-metal" template synthesis of [2]rotaxanes, [3]rotaxanes, and molecular shuttles, and some observations on the mechanism of the cu(i)-catalyzed azide-alkyne 1,3-cycloaddition

A synthetic approach to rotaxane architectures is described in which metal atoms catalyze covalent bond formation while simultaneously acting as the template for the assembly of the mechanically interlocked structure. This "active-metal" template strategy is exemplified using the Huisgen-Meldal-Fokin Cu(I)-catalyzed 1,3-cycloaddition of azides with terminal alkynes (the CuAAC "click" reaction). Coordination of Cu(I) to an endotopic pyridine-containing macrocycle allows the alkyne and azide to bind to metal atoms in such a way that the metal-mediated bond-forming reaction takes place through the cavity of the macrocycle--or macrocycles--forming a rotaxane. A variety of mono- and bidentate macrocyclic ligands are demonstrated to form [2]rotaxanes in this way, and by adding pyridine, the metal can turn over during the reaction, giving a catalytic active-metal template assembly process. Both the stoichiometric and catalytic versions of the reaction were also used to synthesize more complex two-station molecular shuttles. The dynamics of the translocation of the macrocycle by ligand exchange in these two-station shuttles could be controlled by coordination to different metal ions (rapid shuttling is observed with Cu(I), slow shuttling with Pd(II)). Under active-metal template reaction conditions that feature a high macrocycle:copper ratio, [3]rotaxanes (two macrocycles on a thread containing a single triazole ring) are also produced during the reaction. The latter observation shows that under these conditions the mechanism of the Cu(I)-catalyzed terminal alkyne-azide cycloaddition involves a reactive intermediate that features at least two metal ions.