Survey of Phenolic Acids,Flavonoids and In Vitro Antioxidant Potency Between Fig Peels and Pulps: Chemical and Chemometric Approach

In the present study, chromatic coordinates, phenolic acids, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate (ABTS) and lipid peroxidation inhibition capacity (LPIC) essays and their relative IC50 were investigated in 25 fig cultivars growing in Morocco. The aims of this study were to determine (i) the variation in these compounds among light and dark-colored cultivars, (ii) their partitioning between fruit peel and pulp and (iii) to display network connections among these variables. Twelve phenolic compounds (PCs) were isolated in peel extract versus eight in pulp samples. Anthocyanins, mainly cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, were the predominant compounds in peels, where the mean concentrations were 75.90 ± 18.76 and 77.97 ± 18.95 µg/g dw, respectively. On the other hand, (−)-epicatechin and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside were the major compounds in the pulp extracts, where the mean values were 5.23 ± 4.03 and 9.01 ± 5.67 µg/g dw, respectively. A two-dimensional hierarchically clustered heatmap was applied to the dataset to explore correlations in the dataset and similarities between cultivars, without dimensionality reduction. Results showed that anthocyanins, particularly pelargonidin-3-O-rutinoside, cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, were the main contributors to the peels’ free radical scavenging capacity. This capacity was particularly higher in the peel of dark-colored figs compared to the fruit pulp. The local cultivar “INRA 1301” showed the most promising phenolic profile due to its very high levels of almost all detected PCs, especially (−)-epicatechin, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidine-3,5-diglucoside, cyanidine-3-O-rutinoside and pelargonidin-3-O-rutinoside (54.66, 141.08, 35.48, 494.08, 478.66, 12.56 µg/g dw, respectively). Having the darkest figs in the collection (L* = 25.72, c* = 22.09 and h° = 20.99), this cultivar has also combined promising IC50 values, which were of 19.85, 40.58 and 124.78 µg/mL for DPPH, ABTS and LPIC essays, respectively.     

Photochemical reactivity of trifluoromethyl aromatic amines: the example of 3,5-diamino-trifluoromethyl-benzene (3,5-DABTF)

This work presents the application of an on-line photoreactor to the detection of 3,5-diamino-trifluoromethyl-benzene (3,5-DABTF) in aqueous solutions. When irradiated at 310 nm, this compound is defluorinated to 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid by a nucleophilic substitution of the fluoride by water. Concomitantly, defluorination intermediates polymerize through amide bonds to give dark-colored compounds. We take advantage of the photocatalyzed defluorination and the subsequent decrease in pH to develop an original and specific photoreactor. Continuous recording of pH and temperature in the outlet of the reactor by a dual electrode gives us an opportunity to optimize the system. In the photoreactor, 3,5-DABTF is immediately and totally transformed as attested by the rapid drop of the flowing solution pH from 6.2 to 3.2 and the chromatographic analysis of the outgoing solutions. The detection remains effective from 1 to 1000 parts per million.     

Search for improved host architectures: application of de novo structure-based design and high-throughput screening methods to identify optimal building blocks for multidentate ethers

This paper presents a computational approach to the deliberate design of improved host architectures. The approach, which involves the use of computer-aided design software, is illustrated by application to cation hosts containing multiple aliphatic ether oxygen binding sites. De novo molecule building software, HostDesigner, is interfaced with molecular mechanics software, GMMX, providing a tool for generating and screening millions of potential bidentate building block structures. Enhanced cation binding affinity can be achieved when highly organized building blocks are used to construct macrocyclic hosts.     

Induced supercontinuum and steepening of an ultrafast laser pulse

The problem of the propagation of an intense ultrashort pulse in a cubic (χ³) nonlinear medium is generalized to include coupling between the primary and second harmonics signals. It is shown that the presence of a strong primary signal induces the superbroadening of the spectrum of a weak second harmonic signal and the deformation of its pulse shape.     

High Pressure High Temperature Dynamic Rheometry of Sulfonated Polyacrylamide Solutions in Electrolyte Media as Used for Oil Recovery Applications

Sulfonated polyacrylamide (SPAA) solutions were prepared and the effects of pressure, polymer concentration, and water temperature, pH and salinity on their rheological behavior were investigated using a concentric cylinder dynamic rheometer equipped with a high pressure cell. According to the rheological flow curves the shear stress of SPAA solutions increased less than in proportion to their shear rates; that is, a shear thinning effect occurred. For polymer solutions containing 15,000 ppm of SPAA, shear viscosity, and stress were nearly insensitive to pressure. However, the shear viscosity and stress of SPAA solutions were affected by temperature and this effect was more evident at lower pressure. The flow curves indicated the shear viscosity and stress of the samples increased with increasing SPAA concentration and pH of the water, but were decreased with increasing water salinity and temperature.     

Gelation and Swelling Behavior of Semi-Interpenetrating Polymer Network Hydrogels Based on Polyacrylamide and Poly(vinyl alcohol)

Novel semi-Interpenetrating Polymer Network (semi-IPN) hydrogels based on partially Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide (HPAM) and Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) (PVA) were prepared by solution crosslinking using chromium triacetate. Effects of PVA content on the gelation process and swelling behavior in tap water and different electrolyte solutions were investigated. Study of the gelation behavior using dynamic rheometery showed that the limiting storage modulus of the semi-IPN gels decreased with increasing PVA content. It was also found that increasing the PVA content increases the loss factor, indicating that the viscous properties of this gelling system increase more strongly than the elastic properties. The swelling ratio of the semi-IPN gels in tap water decreased as the concentration of the PVA increased. However, the semi-IPN gels showed lower salt sensitivity factor in synthetic oil reservoir water as compared with HPAM gels. Therefore, they are potentially good candidates for enhanced oil recovery applications.     

Multicomponent access to novel proline/cyclized cysteine tethered monastrol conjugates as potential anticancer agents

The versatility of multicomponent Biginelli’s reaction is exploited in the development of proline and cyclized cysteine tethered conjugates of monastrol, a kinesin Eg5 inhibitor. Ten new conjugates are synthesized focusing on structural replacement of the ester moiety (C-5 position) of the monastrol backbone with amino acid based amide moieties. On cytotoxic evaluation, conjugate 24 has shown promising in vitro cytotoxic activity against leukemia. Molecular docking studies revealed that the conjugates 19 and 24 exhibit better interaction at kinesin Eg5 receptor compared to monastrol. Moreover, computational calculations and predictions of important molecular properties suggest that these new amino acid based conjugates could be further improved to provide potential anticancer agents.     

Sub-ppt level voltammetric sensor for Hg2+ detection based on nafion stabilized l-cysteine-capped Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Bimetallic nanoparticles (BMNPs) have received considerable attention due to their distinctive properties when compared to the corresponding monometallic...