A disposable planar peristaltic pump for lab-on-a-chip

We demonstrate a simple planar peristaltic pump fabricated in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) via soft lithography and suitable for microfluidic integration.     

Fabrication of a Novel Polymeric Scaffold for Amperometric Laccase Biosensor

Present work displays the preparation of an electrochemical biosensor using a conjugated polymer and laccase enzyme for catechol quantification in samples. The biosensing system is based on an enzyme immobilization on polymer modified graphite transducer surface. For that purpose, a random conjugated polymer, thienothiophene‐benzoxadiazole‐alt‐benzodithiophene (BOTT), was coated onto a graphite electrode surface via drop casting method followed by immobilization of a biomolecule (laccase) for sensing experiments. Herein, for the first time, we proposed a BOTT polymer as an inexpensive and effective way to fabricate highly sensitive and fast response biosensors. The proposed sensing system possessed superior properties with 0.38 μM limit of detection and 110.81 μA mM^?1 sensitivity. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetry and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to examine the surface modifications. The proposed system could be useful for many future studies for catechol quantification in environmental samples.© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 2333–2339     

Functionalization of poly-SNS-anchored carboxylic acid with Lys and PAMAM: surface modifications for biomolecule immobilization/stabilization and bio-sensing applications

Poly(2-(2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl) (SNS) acetic acid) was electrochemically deposited on graphite electrodes and functionalized with lysine (Lys) amino acid and poly(amidoamine) derivatives (PAMAM?G2 and PAMAM?G4) to investigate their matrix properties for biosensor applications. Glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized onto the modified surface as the model enzyme. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to report the surface properties of the matrices in each step of the biosensor construction. The biosensors were characterized in terms of their operational and storage stabilities and the kinetic parameters (K and I(max)). Three new glucose biosensors revealed good stability, featuring low detection limits (19.0 μM, 3.47 μM and 2.93 μM for lysine-, PAMAM?G2- and PAMAM?G4-functionalized electrodes, respectively) and prolonged the shelf lives (4, 5, and 6 weeks for Lys-, PAMAM?G2- and PAMAM?G4-modified electrodes, respectively). The proposed biosensors were tested for glucose detection on real human blood serum samples.     

Determination of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene in orally treated rats by high-performance liquid chromatography and transfer stripping voltammetry

A number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been shown to be toxicants, and induce carcinogenic and immunotoxic effects. As a model PAH agent, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) was the strongest one tested in terms of its biological activities and biotransformation. A new and simple high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with diode-array detection at 290 nm was developed and validated for monitoring of DMBA in different matrices (serum, liver and kidney) of rats orally treated with DMBA. Furthermore, the applicability of adsorptive transfer stripping voltammetry (AdTSV) on the pencil-lead graphite electrode to these samples was illustrated using our previously reported data for bulk aqueous solutions of DMBA. HPLC and AdTSV methods, which were compatible with each other, allowed DMBA to be detected down to the levels of 3.82x10-9 M (0.98 ppb) and 6.73x10-9 M (1.73 ppb), respectively. Olive oil solutions of DMBA in dose 50 mg/kg were orally administered. 60 days after a single dose of DMBA, its concentrations in these biological samples from rats were measured by means of both methods. Because of rapid biotransformation, DMBA could not be detected in serum. Only low levels of the compounds were deposited unchanged in kidney whereas its levels were considerably higher in liver. These methods were also applied to the assay whether there is an influence of the intake of aqueous extracts of Hypericum Perforatum L. plant on the parent DMBA levels accumulated in rat tissues.     

Phenothiazine-based chalcones as potential dual-target inhibitors toward cholinesterases (AChE,BuChE) and monoamine oxidases (MAO-A,MAO-B)

Chalcones targeting neurodegenerative diseases have been known as attractive structures in drug design and discovery. In this study, phenothiazine-based chalcones as ChEs and MAOs inhibitors were designed and synthesized via base-catalyzed Claisen-Schmidt condensation, and chemical structures of the compounds were elucidated by NMRs and HRMS. Compounds 3 and 9 showed promising inhibition potency against AChE enzyme with IC₅₀ values of 0.221 μM and 0.053 μM while compound 9 displayed remarkable inhibition potency toward MAO-B enzyme with IC₅₀ value of 0.048 μM. Compound 9 , as a dual-target inhibitor, selectively inhibited AChE and MAO-B enzymes. This promising behavior is an advantage for the compound since MAO-B and AChE inhibition have a role in Alzheimer's disease. Fused tricyclic ring systems such as phenothiazine incorporated with chalcone moiety being multitargeting ligands may help scientists for the rational design of novel lead compounds targeting neurodegenerative illnesses.     

Blend or copolymer? Spectroelectrochemical evidence of copolymerization and blending of two electrochromic monomers

A dipyrromethane functionalized monomer, 5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)dipyrromethane (DP), was synthesized to examine the spectral differences of its copolymer and blend with 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene. Electrochemical polymerization, copolymerization, and blending of DP were achieved in LiClO₄/Acetonitrile. Spectral and electrochromic properties of products were investigated. Spectral properties of copolymer and blend revealed great differences from each other and also from their corresponding homopolymers. Effect of monomer feed ratio on the spectral properties of copolymer was also investigated.     

Spray‐processable thiazolothiazole‐based copolymers with altered donor groups and their electrochromic properties

Two novel thiazolo[5,4‐d]thiazole containing donor–acceptor type alternating copolymers, poly[2‐(5‐(2‐decyl‐2H‐benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol‐4‐yl)thiophen‐2‐yl)‐5‐(thiophen‐2‐yl)thiazolo[5,4‐d]thiazole] (BTzTh) and poly[2‐(5‐(2‐decyl‐2H‐benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol‐4‐yl)furan‐2‐yl)‐5‐(furan‐2‐yl)thiazolo[5,4‐d]thiazole] (BTzFr) were synthesized by Stille coupling polymerization and their electrochemical and electrochromic properties were explored. Electrochemical activities of the spray‐casted polymer films were determined by cyclic voltammetry. To evaluate the effect of thiophene and furan moieties on the optical properties of the copolymers, spectroelectrochemistry studies were performed. To examine the switching abilities, copolymer films were subjected to a double potential step chronoamperometry in their local maximum absorptions. Both thiazolothiazole‐containing copolymers showed multichromic properties with low band‐gap values 1.7 and 1.9 eV for BTzTh and BTzFr, respectively. The decent electrochromical properties together with solution processability make them important candidates for electrochromic applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 3901–3906     

Separation,optimization, and quantification of cytokinins by a recently developed amide-embedded stationary phase

In this study, some plant growth regulators known as cytokinins [kinetin (K), zeatin (Z), thidiazuron (TDZ), benzylaminopurine (BAP), and dimethylallylaminopurine (AAP)] were separated by HPLC using an amide-embedded mixed-mode stationary phase which was synthesized by Aral et al. in recent years. The effect of mobile phase content, mobile phase pH, buffer concentration, and temperature on separation process was studied. In addition, a quantitative determination of cytokinins from Salvia limbata extract was studied, and some validation parameters such as limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), and relative standard deviation (RSD) were calculated as a range of 0.03–0.1, 0.1–0.26?mg/L, and 0.03–0.08, respectively.     

Palladium-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation of (Z)-2-en-4-yn carbonates leading to 2,3,5-trienoates

Pd(0)-catalyzed carbonylation of (Z)-2-en-4-yn carbonates in the presence of a balloon pressure of CO in an alcohol donates vinylallenyl esters with an exclusively E-configuration and in high yields. The fact that no such reactivity could be observed with E-configured enyne carbonates may indicate that the reaction is promoted via the cooperative coordination of palladium with both alkynyl and carbonate moieties.