Modulation of metal-azolate frameworks for the tunable release of encapsulated glycosaminoglycans

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are biomacromolecules necessary for the regulation of different biological functions. In medicine, GAGs are important commercial therapeutics widely used for the treatment of thrombosis, inflammation, osteoarthritis and wound healing. However, protocols for the encapsulation of GAGs in MOFs carriers are not yet available. Here, we successfully encapsulated GAG-based clinical drugs (heparin, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate) and two new biotherapeutics in preclinical stage (GM-1111 and HepSYL proteoglycan) in three different pH-responsive metal-azolate frameworks (ZIF-8, ZIF-90, and MAF-7). The resultant GAG@MOF biocomposites present significant differences in terms of crystallinity, particle size, and spatial distribution of the cargo, which influences the drug-release kinetics upon applying an acidic stimulus. For a selected system, heparin@MOF, the released therapeutic retained its antithrombotic activity while the MOF shell effectively protects the drug from heparin lyase. By using different MOF shells, the present approach enables the preparation of GAG-based biocomposites with tunable properties such as encapsulation efficiency, protection and release.

Clinical and pre-clinical GAG-based biotherapeutics were encapsulated within three metal-azolate frameworks (ZIF-8, ZIF-90, and MAF-7). The resulting MOF biocomposites show different loading capacity, biopreservation properties and release profiles.     

Thermodynamic properties of tetrachlorocyclopropene

A facility is described which incorporates the use of electronic microbalances to follow gravimetric changes due to the formation or spallation of surface oxides on metals or alloys during high temperature oxidation. The outputs from the balances are fed into a data acquisition system which allows easy collection and analysis of the data from more than one microbalance.The sensitivity of the technique is illustrated by reference to the measurements of oxidation and spallation on a 20Cr/25Ni/Nb stabilised stainless steel oxidised in flowing CO₂ based gas at 1 atmosphere pressure and 850°C.     

Flow and evaporation cells for the detection of proteins on membranes with the peroxyoxalate chemiluminescent reaction in organic media

The high-energy intermediates generated in the reaction of bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate (TCPO) with H2O2 can excite electronically different fluorophores with a high quantum yield in organic solvents. We have previously applied this peroxyoxalate chemiluminescent reaction to the detection of proteins labeled with the fluorescent dye 2-methoxy-2,4-diphenyl-3(2H)-furanone (MDPF) on polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes. In this work, we have investigated the possibility to enhance the sensitivity of this detection method using specially designed cells in which the reagents TCPO and H2O2 in acetone are continuously renewed. In the flow cell, two syringes are used to renew the reagents in the reaction chamber containing the PVDF membrane with blotted proteins labeled with MDPF. In the evaporation cell, a fresh solution of reagents continuously replaces the volume of acetone evaporated in the reaction chamber. Both cells show a low emission background but the observed elution of proteins from the membrane produced by the flow of reagents in acetone limits the maximum sensitivity attainable with these cells. The best result (detection of 1 ng of MDPF-labeled protein) has been obtained with the evaporation cell.     

Verteilung von Uran(VI) und Thorium zwischen Alkalinitratl?sungen und 5 Vol-% Tri-n-butylphosphat/Kerosen

Zusammenfassung Es wird ein allgemein anwendbares Verfahren zur quantitativen Bestimmung dünnschichtchromatographisch trennbarer Substanzen empfohlen, bei dem die Ablösung der getrennten Substanzen von dem Dünnschichtmaterial durch Elution in einem Mikrochromatographierrohr erfolgt. Die Herstellung einer geeigneten Mikropipette und die Anfertigung der Mikrochromatographierrohre wird beschrieben. Aus den erhaltenen Me\werten ergibt sich, da\ das Verfahren nur mit einem kleinen Fehler behaftet ist und sich die Ergebnisse sehr gut reproduzieren lassen.

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Summary A generally applicable method is presented for the quantitative determination of compounds separable by thin-layer chromatography, where the separated substance is removed from the thin-layer material by elution in a microchromatography column. The preparation of a suitable micro-pipette and of the column for micro-chromatography is described. The data obtained show that the procedure works only with a slight error and the results are well reproducible.

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1. Mitteilung über BeitrÄge zur quantitativen Dünnschichtchromatographie.

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Central-UniversitÄt von Ecuador in Quito, seiner Zeit Humboldt-Stipendiat am Institut für Organische Chemie der UniversitÄt des Saarlandes.

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Den Herren Prof. B. Eistert und O. Neunhoeffer danken wir für ihr Interesse an dieser Arbeit und für wertvolle Diskussionen.     

Characterization of Alkane Diol-CD Complexes. Acid Denitrosation of N-Methyl-N-Nitroso-p-Toluenesulphonamide as a Chemical Probe

A study was carried out on the acid denitrosation of N-methyl-N-nitroso-p-toluenesulfonamide (MNTS) in mixed systems made up of linear (geminal and terminal) alkyl diols and β-cyclodextrin (CD). The alkyl diols used allowed us to vary the length of the hydrocarbon chain from 2 to 6 carbon atoms. The observed rate constant, k _obs, decreases in the presence of CD. The inhibition profile decreases as the as the number of carbons in the chain is increased. This behaviour can be interpreted as a consequence of a balance between the complexation processes of MNTS and the alkyl diols by the CD. At a constant CD concentration and increase in the diols concentration decreases the concentration of free cyclodextrin available to complex with MNTS molecules and therefore produces an increases in the observed rate constant. The results were interpreted in terms of two different models; trough the presupposition and non-presupposition of a stoichiometry for the CD-diols complex. Both models agreed quite well and allow us to determine the uncomplexed cyclodextrin concentration in each case as well as the stoichiometry of the complexes. The binding constant for both types of alkane diols increase with increasing the number of carbon in the chain. Besides, the binding constant of the α,ω-alkane diols is higher than for the analog α,β-alkane diols. One of the main consequences of this study is that the acid denitrosation of MNTS can be use to obtain the stochiometry of the CD-diol complexes and to monitor the free cyclodextrin concentration.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

Influence of the structure of the hydrophobe on the ideality of mixing in micelles in binary mixtures of amphiphilic tricyclic drugs

The composition of the micelles in binary mixtures of the cationic amphiphilic antidepressant drugs nortriptyline, amitriptyline, and doxepin has been determined from an analysis of the variation of the critical micelle concentration from conductivity measurements, as a function of solution composition. Assessment of the nonideality of mixing in terms of the interaction parameter from the regular solution approximation showed small deviations from ideal mixing, with negative interaction parameters for nortriptyline/amitriptyline systems and positive interaction parameters for mixtures of nortriptyline and doxepin. These differences in nonideality have been attributed to differences in the packing of the drugs in the mixed micelles arising from differences in the structure of the hydrophobe.     

Structure and binding energy of anion-pi and cation-pi complexes: a comparison of MP2, RI-MP2, DFT, and DF-DFT methods

Several complexes of benzene with cations, hexafluorobenzene with anions, 1,3,5-trifluorobenzene with cations and anions, and s-triazine with cations and anions have been evaluated and compared at the MP2 and resolution of the identity MP2 (RI-MP2) levels. The RI-MP2 method is considerably faster than the MP2 and the interaction energies and equilibrium distances are almost identical for both methods. A similar result is found when comparing DFT and density fitting DFT (DF-DFT) levels. Therefore RI-MP2 and DF-DFT methods are well suited for the study of ion-pi interactions.     

Fluorocarbon soluble copper(II) carboxylate complexes with nonfluoroponytailed nitrogen ligands as precatalysts for the oxidation of alkenols and alcohols under fluorous biphasic or thermomorphic modes: structural and mechanistic aspects

This fluorous biphasic catalysis (FBC) contribution was focused on the synthesis and characterization of new fluorous soluble R(f)-Cu(II) carboxylate complexes containing nonfluoroponytailed ligands and defines their role as precatalysts for the FBC oxidation of alkenols and alcohols in the presence of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO)/O(2). In this FBC approach, we have utilized the phase-switching technique of Vincent et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 12942) to solubilize the nonfluoroponytailed ligands, N-1,4,7-Me(3)TACN, 2, and N-1,4,7-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA), 3, by reaction with a fluorous solvent-soluble copper (II) dimeric complex, [Cu({C(8)F(17)(CH(2))(2)}(2)CHCO(2))(2)](2), 1. Moreover, the reaction of nonfluoroponytailed ligands 2 and 3 with 1 afforded new perfluoroheptane-soluble Cu(II) complexes, [Cu({C(8)F(17)(CH(2))(2)}(2)CHCO(2))(2)(2)], 4, and [Cu({C(8)F(17)(CH(2))(2)}(2)CHCO(2))(2) (3)], 5, respectively. The known Cu(II) complex, 1, was further characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy confirming its dimeric structure, while 4 and 5 were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, diffuse reflectance UV-vis, and EPR spectroscopy. Furthermore, 1, 4, and 5 were evaluated as precatalysts for alkenol and alcohol oxidation. The oxidation reactions of alkenols and alcohols in the presence of TEMPO/O(2) proceeded under FBC conditions for 1, 4, and 5, but 1-octanol was unreactive under single-phase FBC conditions at 90 degrees C with TEMPO/O(2). The thermomorphic property of 5, soluble in chlorobenzene/toluene at 90 degrees C but insoluble at room temperature, was also evaluated in the selective oxidation of p-nitrobenzyl alcohol to p-nitrobenzaldehyde. Plausible mechanisms concerning these FBC/thermomorphic oxidation reactions will be discussed.     

Simulation of the effects of chain architecture on the sorption of ethylene in polyethylene

An osmotic ensemble hyperparallel tempering technique has been developed to study the solubility of ethylene in amorphous linear low-density polyethylene of different chain architectures. The NERD united-atom force field (Nath, Escobedo, and de Pablo revised united-atom force field) is used in all simulations. We have investigated the effect of polyethylene chain length and branching on ethylene solubility. In this study, we have considered short-chain branching of amorphous linear low-density ethylene-1-hexene copolymers under typical polymerization reactor conditions. It is observed that, in the polymer, ethylene prefers to reside in the vicinity of polymer chain ends. This clustering causes a decrease in ethylene solubility with polymer chain length. When short-chain branches are introduced to a linear polymer chain, however, the chain-end clustering effect is counteracted by a higher density, thereby leading to an ethylene solubility almost identical to that in the linear polymer.