Effect of curcumin on liposome: curcumin as a molecular probe for monitoring interaction of ionic liquids with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine liposome

Recent increase and wider use of ionic liquids (ILs) for various applications has drawn attention to their toxicological consequence on human health. The present study explores effects of three different kinds of widely used ILs, such as 1‐methyl‐3‐octylimidazolium chloride, 1‐buytl‐3‐methyl imadazolium tetrafluoroborate and 1‐benzyl‐3‐methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate, on liposome properties of 1,2‐dipalmitoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine (DPPC) by applying curcumin as molecular probe. Fluorescence intensity of curcumin is reported as a novel rotor which is sensitive to viscosity and thus the fluidity of the solvent. It follows a linear relationship of log fluorescence vs viscosity as proposed by Förster–Hoffmann equation. Curcumin binds strongly to liposome. At low concentration, the lipophilic drug curcumin does not appreciably influence the phase transition temperature of DPPC but as concentration reaches high levels significantly depresses the phase transition temperature. ILs diminish membrane fluidity. 1‐methyl‐3‐octylimidazolium chloride disorders membrane properties by lowering the phase transition as is observed for higher concentration of curcumin, but 1‐buytl‐3‐methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate and 1‐benzyl‐3‐methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate do not modify phase transition temperature perceptibly; rather they broaden the phase transition at low molar concentration ratio. The three different kinds of ILs under study behave similarly at a high IL:DPPC ratio (1:2), while they behave differently at lower ratios (1:10–1:5).     

Cancerous cell death from sensitizer free photoactivation of singlet oxygen

Singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) is an electronic state of molecular oxygen which plays a major role in many chemical and biological photo-oxidation processes. It has a high chemical reactivity which is commonly harnessed for therapeutic issues. Indeed, (1)O(2) is believed to be the major cytotoxic agent in photodynamic therapy. In this treatment of cancer, (1)O(2) is created, among other reactive species, by an indirect transfer of energy from light to molecular oxygen via excitation of a photosensitizer (PS). This PS is believed to be necessary to obtain an efficient (1)O(2) production. In this paper, we demonstrate that production of (1)O(2) is achieved in living cells from PS-free 1270 nm laser excitation of molecular oxygen. The quantity of (1)O(2) produced in this way is sufficient to induce an oxidative stress leading to cell death. Other effects such as thermal stress are discriminated and we conclude that cell death is only due to (1)O(2) creation. This new simplified scheme of (1)O(2) activation can be seen as a breakthrough for phototherapies of malignant diseases and/or as a noninvasive possibility to generate reactive oxygen species in a tightly controlled manner.     

Transformations of diphenylphosphinothioic acid tertiary amides mediated by directed ortho metallation

ortho-Lithiation of N,N-diisopropyl-P,P-diphenylphosphinothioic amide using n-BuLi in the presence of TMEDA in diethyl ether followed by electrophilic trapping is described as an efficient method for the synthesis of ortho-functionalised derivatives in high yields. The structural modification of the phosphinothioic amide includes C-X (X = P, S, Si, Sn, I) and C-C bond forming reactions with a large variety of electrophiles. Additional applications based on functional group transformations are also reported. They include imine formation, desulfurization and Suzuki cross-coupling reactions on selected compounds.     

On FF-rings

In this paper, we study the class of rings in which every flat ideal is finitely generated. We investigate the stability of this property under localization and homomorphic image, and its transfer to various contexts of constructions such as direct products, pullback rings, and trivial ring extensions. Our results generate examples which enrich the current literature with new and original families of non-Noetherian rings that satisfy this property.     

About the spectrum of Nagata rings

In this paper, we deal with the Nagata ring R(n) in case R is obtained by a (T, I, D) construction. We characterize when R(n) is a strong S-domain and catenarian. This study allows us to provide several interesting applications and examples.     

Photo-physical and structural interactions between viologen phosphorus-based dendrimers and human serum albumin

This work deals with photo-physical and structural interactions between viologen phosphorus dendrimers and human serum albumin (HSA). Viologens are derivatives of 4,4′-bipyridinium salts. Aiming to rationalize the parameters governing such interactions eight types of these polycationic dendrimers in which the generation, the number of charges, the nature of the core and of the terminal groups vary from one to another, were designed and used. The influence of viologen-based dendrimers' on human serum albumin has been investigated. The photo-physical interactions of the two systems have been monitored by fluorescence quenching of free l-tryptophan and of HSA tryptophan residue. Additionally, using circular dichroism (CD) the effect of dendrimers on the secondary structure of albumin was measured. The obtained results show that viologen dendrimers interact with human serum albumin quenching its fluorescence either by collisional (dynamic) way or by forming complexes in a ground state (static quenching). In some cases the quenching is accompanied by changes of the secondary structure of HSA.     

dc and ac characterizations of electrical conducting nanoporous carbon structures based on resorcinol-formaldehyde

Structural, electrical and morphological properties of electrical conducting nanoporous carbon structures, prepared at different pyrolysis temperatures by sol–gel method, were investigated. The effect of the measurement temperature on the electrical properties of the obtained sample pyrolysed at 675 °C was studied. The imaginary and real parts of the sample impedance versus frequency, in the range of 40 Hz–100 MHz, are investigated. The Nyquist diagrams were used to identify an equivalent circuit and the fundamental parameters of the circuit are determined at different temperatures with the aim to study the contributions of the grains and boundary grains to the conductivity.     

Laser interferometric study of the physical properties of transformer oil

This paper describes the optical, thermal, and electrical properties of an important nonpolar dielectric liquid, transformer oil. Applying dual laser (He–Ne and Argon laser of wavelengths 632.8 and 514.5 nm, respectively), and the Mach–Zehnder interferometric technique, the refractive indices and its temperature gradients are determined. Using Maxwell's and Cauchy's equations, the following optical, thermal, and electrical properties are calculated: optical and dielectric dispersion, optical permittivity and its thermal coefficient, thermal coefficient of volume expansion, specific refraction, specific dispersivity, characteristic impedance, electric susceptibility, and the variation of Cauchy's emperical constants with temperature. Additionally, different physical phenomena are studied as functions of wavelength and temperature.     

Hematite nanoparticle monolayers on mica preparation by controlled self-assembly

In this research, a simple, green and effective strategy was developed to produce long-term stable oil in water emulsion from soy protein and soy polysaccharide. Soy protein and soy polysaccharide formed dispersible complexes at pH around 3.25 aqueous solution through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. A high pressure homogenization produced the protein/polysaccharide complex emulsion having a droplet size about 250 nm. A heat treatment of the emulsion resulted in the protein denaturation, forming irreversible oil-water interfacial films composed of soy protein/soy polysaccharide complexes. The droplets of the emulsion were characterized by dynamic light scattering, ζ-potential, transmission electron microscopy, polysaccharide digestion via pectinase, and confocal laser scanning microscopy observation via dual fluorescence probes. As a result of the polysaccharide being fixed on the droplet surface, the emulsions exhibited long-term stability in the media containing pH values of 2-8 and 0.2 mol/L NaCl. The stable soy protein/soy polysaccharide complex emulsion is a suitable food-grade delivery system in which lipophilic bioactive compounds can be encapsulated.     

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of New 1,2,3‐Triazolopyrimidine Derivatives and Their Glycoside and Acyclic Nucleoside Analogs

New [1,2,4‐oxadiazolyl]methyl‐3H‐[1,2,3]triazolo[4,5‐d]pyrimidin derivatives were synthesized starting from N′‐Hydroxy‐1‐naphthimidamide. The N‐substituted acyclic nucleoside analogs as well as the substituted glycosides were also prepared by reaction with the corresponding reagents. The antimicrobial results indicated that most of the tested compounds exhibited moderate to high antimicrobial activity whereas few compounds were found to exhibit little or no activity against the tested microorganisms.