Interaction with plasmid DNA of Hoechst-TACN conjugates

ABSTRACT

A new family of conjugates between the Hoechst minor groove binder and the TACN metal ion ligand connected through hydrophobic alkyl or more hydrophilic oxyethyl linkers of different length has been prepared. The linkers are connected to the convex side of the Hoechst skeleton thus forcing the TACN ligand to exit the minor groove and interact with the phosphate backbone of DNA. The conjugates preserve the binding mode of Hoechst with an affinity influenced by the nature of the linker, the more hydrophobic being the more efficient. Coordination of Cu(II) or Zn(II) poorly affect these parameters. Nevertheless, the Zn(II) complex bearing a C6 linear alkyl linker induced a modest but reproducible acceleration of the hydrolytic cleavage of DNA which can be ascribed to the ability of the conjugate to deliver the hydrolytic subunit close to the DNA phosphodiester bonds.     

From a Medicinal Mushroom Blend a Direct Anticancer Effect on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Preclinical Study on Lung Metastases

Bioactive metabolites isolated from medicinal mushrooms (MM) used as supportive treatment in conventional oncology have recently gained interest. Acting as anticancer agents, they interfere with tumor cells and microenvironment (TME), disturbing cancer development/progression. Nonetheless, their action mechanisms still need to be elucidated. Recently, using a 4T1 triple-negative mouse BC model, we demonstrated that supplementation with Micotherapy U-Care, a MM blend, produced a striking reduction of lung metastases density/number, paralleled by decreased inflammation and oxidative stress both in TME and metastases, together with QoL amelioration. We hypothesized that these effects could be due to either a direct anticancer effect and/or to a secondary/indirect impact of Micotherapy U-Care on systemic inflammation/immunomodulation. To address this question, we presently focused on apoptosis/proliferation, investigating specific molecules, i.e., PARP1, p53, BAX, Bcl2, and PCNA, whose critical role in BC is well recognized. We revealed that Micotherapy U-Care is effective to influence balance between cell death and proliferation, which appeared strictly interconnected and inversely related (p53/Bax vs. Bcl2/PARP1/PCNA expression trends). MM blend displayed a direct effect, with different efficacy extent on cancer cells and TME, forcing tumor cells to apoptosis. Yet again, this study supports the potential of MM extracts, as adjuvant supplement in the TNBC management.     

Approximate Entropy of Brain Network in the Study of Hemispheric Differences

Human brain, a dynamic complex system, can be studied with different approaches, including linear and nonlinear ones. One of the nonlinear approaches widely used in electroencephalographic (EEG) analyses is the entropy, the measurement of disorder in a system. The present study investigates brain networks applying approximate entropy (ApEn) measure for assessing the hemispheric EEG differences; reproducibility and stability of ApEn data across separate recording sessions were evaluated. Twenty healthy adult volunteers were submitted to eyes-closed resting EEG recordings, for 80 recordings. Significant differences in the occipital region, with higher values of entropy in the left hemisphere than in the right one, show that the hemispheres become active with different intensities according to the performed function. Besides, the present methodology proved to be reproducible and stable, when carried out on relatively brief EEG epochs but also at a 1-week distance in a group of 36 subjects. Nonlinear approaches represent an interesting probe to study the dynamics of brain networks. ApEn technique might provide more insight into the pathophysiological processes underlying age-related brain disconnection as well as for monitoring the impact of pharmacological and rehabilitation treatments.     

Deep‐ultraviolet laser ablation electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A 193‐nm wavelength deep ultraviolet laser was used for ambient laser ablation electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of biological samples. A pulsed ArF excimer laser was used to ablate solid samples, and the resulting plume of the desorbed material merged with charged electrospray droplets to form ions that were detected with a quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer. Solutions containing peptide and protein standards up to 66‐kDa molecular weight were deposited on a metal target, dried, and analyzed. No fragmentation was observed from peptides and proteins as well as from the more easily fragmented vitamin B₁₂ molecule. The mass spectra contained peaks from multiply charged ions that were identical to conventional electrospray. Deep UV laser ablation of tissue allowed detection of lipids from untreated tissue. The mechanism of ionization is postulated to involve absorption of laser energy by a fraction of the analyte molecules that act as a sacrificial matrix or by residual water in the sample.     

Straight-Line Rectangular Drawings of Clustered Graphs

We show that every c-planar clustered graph has a straight-line c-planar drawing in which each cluster is represented by an axis-parallel rectangle, thus solving a problem posed by Eades, Feng, Lin, and Nagamochi (Algorithmica 44(1):1–32, 2006).     

Poly(ethylene glycol)-supported tetrahydroxyphenyl porphyrin: a convenient,recyclable catalyst for photooxidation reactions

[reaction: see text] A new poly(ethylene glycol)-supported porphyrin has been prepared and its ability as a promoter in photooxidation reactions has been studied. The PEG-supported catalyst exhibits high activity, comparable to that of a nonanchored sensitizer, and it is easily removable by filtration from the reaction mixture. The polymer-bound porphyrin has been recycled up to six times with no loss of chemical and stereochemical efficiency.     

Atomistic Simulations of Integranular Fracture in Symmetric-Tilt Grain Boundaries

Fracture experiments on symmetric-tilt grain boundaries in Cu are interpreted using the Peierls-Nabarro continuum model of dislocation nucleation as a starting point. Good agreement is found only when the continuum model is modified according to the results of atomistic simulations. The same experiments are also reproduced by direct Molecular Dynamics simulations of fracture propagation and dislocation emission from a microcrack placed in the interface plane of the symmetric-tilt (221)(221) grain boundary in fcc Cu. Direction-dependent fracture response is observed, namely the microcrack advancing by brittle fracture along the [11 ] direction and being blunted by dislocation emission along the opposite [ 4] direction. Moreover, the simulations allow us to establish important differences with respect to the continuum-model predictions due to the shielding of the stress field at the crack-tip and to the presence of the residual stress at the interface.     

3-methylthiophene self-assembled monolayers on planar and nanoparticle Au surfaces

In this article the adsorption of 3-methylthiophene on planar and nanoparticle Au surfaces is investigated. The resulting systems are compared with a benchmark system based on 1-decanethiol. The characterization data collected evidence the formation of a packed 3-methylthiophene SAM on the planar surface. In particular, spectroscopic investigations suggest that 3-methylthiophene aromatic system is not adsorbed on the surface through the pi-electron system but rather through the S atom alone. On the other hand, the behavior of 3-methylthiophene on nanoparticle surfaces is notably different from that of the alkanethiol. Only a limited fraction of the surface of Au nanoparticles results to be actually coated after purification; this notwithstanding, the nanoparticle growth seems to be strongly influenced by the presence of such a labile encapsulating agent.