Curcumin Inhibits the Sortase A Activity of the Streptococcus mutans UA159

Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) forms part of the commensal microflora and is deemed to be the major pathogen responsible for the generation of dental caries. The enzyme, sortase A enzyme, modulates the surface properties and cariogenicity of S. mutans. Curcumin has been reported to be an inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus sortase A. In this study, inhibition of a purified S. mutans UA159 sortase A by curcumin was evaluated. Curcumin exerted strong inhibitory activity with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 10.2?±?0.7 μM which was lower than the minimum inhibitory concentration of 175 μM and the minimum bactericidal concentration of 350 μM. These results indicated that curcumin is a S. mutans UA159 sortase A inhibitor and therefore represents as a promising anticaries agent.     

Concurrent synthesis of vanillin and isovanillin

A method for concurrent synthesis of vanillin and isovanillin has been developed by a nonregioselective Vilsmeier–Haack reaction of O-alkyl guaiacols. O-Alkylation of guaiacol provided the corresponding O-alkyl guaiacol (1), which was then formylated with N-methylformanilide/phosphorus oxychloride to give a mixture of 4-alkoxy-3-methoxy-benzaldehyde (2) and 3-alkoxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (3). Finally, the obtained mixture underwent a selective dealkylation by anhydrous aluminium trichloride, while leaving methyl groups intact to simultaneously achieve the significant fine chemicals vanillin and isovanillin.     

Exploring the Reactivity of Multicomponent Photocatalysts: Insight into the Complex Valence Band of BiOBr

The band structure of multicomponent semiconductor photocatalysts, as well as their reactivity distinction under different wavelengths of light, is still unclear. BiOBr, which is a typical multicomponent semiconductor, may have two possible valence‐band structures, that is, two discrete valence bands constructed respectively from O 2p and Br 4p orbitals, or one valence band derived from the hybridization of these orbitals. In this work, aqueous photocatalytic hydroxylation is applied as the probe reaction to investigate the nature and reactions of photogenerated holes in BiOBr. Three organic compounds (microcystin‐LR, aniline, and benzoic acid) with different oxidation potentials were selected as substrates. Isotope labeling (H₂¹⁸O as the solvent) was used to determine the source of the O atom in the hydroxyl group of the products, which distinguishes the contribution of different hydroxylation pathways. Furthermore, a spin‐trapping ESR method was used to quantify the reactive oxygen species (^.OH and ^.OOH) formed in the reaction system. The different isotope abundances of the hydroxyl O atom of the products formed, as well as the reverse trend of the ^.OH/^.OOH ratio with the oxidative resistance of the substrate under UV and visible irradiation, reveal that BiOBr has two separate valence bands, which have different oxidation ability and respond to UV and visible light, respectively. This study shows that the band structure of semiconductor photocatalysts can be reliably analyzed with an isotope labeling method.     

Impacts of some macromolecules on the characteristics of hydrogels prepared from pineapple peel cellulose using ionic liquid

Composite hydrogels were prepared from pineapple peel cellulose with the combinations of polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), к-carrageenan (CN), or soluble starch (SH) in 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride solvent. Impacts of these macromolecules on the texture profile analysis (TPA) parameters, equilibrium swelling ratio (ESR), and sodium salicylate (NaSA) load of the prepared hydrogels were studied. The NaSA release kinetics of the composite hydrogels were also compared. The composite hydrogels exhibited differences in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), TPA parameters, ESR, NaSA load ratio, and release kinetics. CN addition increased the hardness of the hydrogels, while PEG played an opposite role. SH and PVA could decrease hardness, gumminess, and resilience, and SH could increase the springiness and cohesiveness of the hydrogels. Most of the composite hydrogels exhibited the same basic FTIR features as the simple hydrogel. Freeze-dried composite hydrogels exhibited a markedly higher ESR than the oven-dried ones, and additions of PEG, PVA, CN, and SH showed the same effect. Addition of the PEG and PVA combination could lower the ESR of the hydrogels, whereas additions of the PEG and CN combination or PEG and SH combination could markedly increase the ESR of the hydrogels. Addition of PEG, PVA, CN, and SH respectively could increase the NaSA load ratio of the hydrogels. Oven-drying treatment, additions of the PEG and PVA combination or PEG and CN combination were propitious for extending the NaSA fast-release phase of the hydrogels.     

Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric 1,6-addition of diphenylphosphine to (4-aryl-1,3-butadienylidene)bis(phosphonates) for the synthesis of chiral phosphines

An asymmetric 1,6-addition of diphenylphosphine to (4-aryl-1,3-butadienylidene)bis(phosphonates) catalyzed by a PCP pincer–Pd complex has been developed for the synthesis of chiral allylic phosphines with up to 91% ee under mild conditions.     

Copper‐Based Ternary and Quaternary Semiconductor Nanoplates: Templated Synthesis,Characterization, and Photoelectrochemical Properties

Two‐dimensional (2D) copper‐based ternary and quaternary semiconductors are promising building blocks for the construction of efficient solution‐processed photovoltaic devices at low cost. However, the facile synthesis of such 2D nanoplates with well‐defined shape and uniform size remains a challenge. Reported herein is a universal template‐mediated method for preparing copper‐based ternary and quaternary chalcogenide nanoplates, that is, CuInS₂, CuIn_xGa_1−xS₂, and Cu₂ZnSnS₄, by using a pre‐synthesized CuS nanoplate as the starting template. The various synthesized nanoplates are monophasic with uniform thickness and lateral size. As a proof of concept, the Cu₂ZnSnS₄ nanoplates were immobilized on a Mo/glass substrate and used as semiconductor photoelectrode, thus showing stable photoelectrochemical response. The method is general and provides future opportunities for fabrication of cost‐effective photovoltaic devices based on 2D semiconductors.     

Synthesis of structurally diverse diarylketones through the diarylmethyl sp CH oxidation

Under open-flask conditions, an efficient method to assemble a series of diversely functionalized diarylketones in the presence of commercially available NBS has been developed. Yields of up to 99% have been achieved employing diarylmethanes as starting material. Based on ¹⁸O-labeled experiment, the addition of stoichiometric water eventually leads to excellent yields in all carbonylation cases.     

Using electrospray laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry to rapidly examine the integrity of proteins stored in various solutions

Electrospray laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (ELDI/MS) allows the rapid desorption and ionization of proteins from solutions under ambient conditions. In this study, we have demonstrated the use of ELDI/MS to efficiently examine the integrity of the proteins stored in various solutions before they were further used for other biochemical tests. The protein standards were prepared in the solutions containing buffers, organic salts, inorganic salts, strong acid, strong base, and organic solvents, respectively, to simulate those collected from solvent extraction, filtration, dialysis, or chromatographic separation. Other than the deposit of a drop of the sample solution on the metallic sample plate in an ELDI source, no additional sample pretreatment is needed. The sample drop was then irradiated with a pulsed laser; this led to desorption of the analyte molecules, which subsequently entered the ESI plume to undergo post-ionization. Because adjustment of the composition of the sample solution is unnecessary, this technique appears to be useful for rapidly evaluating the integrity of proteins after storage or prior to further biochemical treatment. In addition, when using acid-free and low-organic-solvent ESI solutions for ELDI/MS analysis, the native conformations of the proteins in solution could be detected.

A turn-on fluorescence-sensing technique for glucose determination based on graphene oxide–DNA interaction

Graphene is a two-dimensional carbon nanomaterial one atom thick. Interactions between graphene oxide (GO) and ssDNA containing different numbers of bases have been proved to be remarkably different. In this paper we propose a novel approach for turn-on fluorescence sensing determination of glucose. Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is produced by glucose oxidase-catalysed oxidation of glucose. In the presence of ferrous iron (Fe²⁺) the hydroxyl radical (?OH) is generated from H₂O₂ by the Fenton reaction. This attacks FAM-labelled long ssDNA causing irreversible cleavage, as a result of the oxidative effect of ?OH, producing an FAM-linked DNA fragment. Because of the weak interaction between GO and short FAM-linked DNA fragments, restoration of DNA fluorescence can be achieved by addition of glucose. Due to the excellent fluorescence quenching efficiency of GO and the specific catalysis of glucose oxidase, the sensitivity and selectivity of this method for GO-DNA sensing are extremely high. The linear range is from 0.5 to 10 μmol L^?1 and the detection limit for glucose is 0.1 μmol L^?1. The method has been successfully used for analysis of glucose in human serum. Figure

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A Furan-based Phosphaphenanthrene-containing Derivative as a Highly Efficient Flame-retardant Agent for Epoxy Thermosets without Deteriorating Thermomechanical Performances

In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, developing flame retardants from bio-based resources has aroused extensive interest in recent years. In this work, we utilized furfural(biomass) and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide(DOPO) to synthesize a biobased co-curing agent(FGD) to combine with 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl methane(DDM) for obtaining a low-phosphorus loading flame-retardant epoxy thermosets. The introduction of FGD decreased the activation energy of the curing progress, enhanced the mechanical properties of the epoxy thermosets, and did not affect the glass transition temperature of the epoxy thermosets. EP-5.0 had a lower thermal degradation rate and a doubled char yield compared with EP-0. The phosphorus content of EP-5.0 was only 0.45 wt%, while EP-5.0 reached the UL-94 V-0 rating with a high LOI value of 32%. Compared with EP-0, the PHRR of EP-2.5 and EP-5.0 decreased by 22.3% and 31.3%, respectively. The SEM results showed that the addition of FGD made the char residues more uniform and denser, which could effectively prevent combustible volatiles from escaping from the degradation area to the flame area and isolate the heat transfer so that the epoxy thermosets had an excellent flame-retardant performance.