Singular Lagrangian, Hamiltonization and Jacobi last multiplier for certain biological systems

We study the construction of singular Lagrangians using Jacobi’s last multiplier (JLM). We also demonstrate the significance of the last multiplier in Hamiltonian theory by explicitly constructing the Hamiltonian of the Host-Parasite model and a Lotka-Volterra mutualistic system, both of which are well known first-order systems of differential equations arising in biology.     

Cu (II) and Co (II/III) complexes of N,O‐chelated Schiff base ligands: DNA interaction,protein binding,cytotoxicity, cell death mechanism and reactive oxygen species generation studies

A series of copper (II) ( 1 and 3 ) and cobalt (II/III) ( 2 , 4 and 5 ) complexes comprising different imino‐phenolate ligands DCH , DTH and DBH ₂ (where DCH = 2,4‐dichloro‐6‐((mesitylimino)methyl)phenol, DTH = 2,4‐di‐tert‐butyl‐6‐((mesitylimino)methyl) phenol and DBH ₂ = 2,4‐dibromo‐6‐((mesitylimino)methyl)phenol) have been prepared with excellent yield and high purity. By utilizing different spectroscopic tools such as UV–visible, electrospray ionization (ESI)‐mass, Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry and elemental analysis, the prepared complexes ( 1 – 5 ) were thoroughly characterized. The molecular structure of the synthesized complexes was ascertained by using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction studies (SCXRDs). The experiment reveals that Complexes 1 – 5 bind to calf thymus DNA (CT‐DNA) through non‐intercalative way with good interacting abilities. However, 1 – 5 are excellent quenchers of the fluorescence intensity of bovine serum albumin (BSA) following the static pathway. Additionally, they had shown remarkable cytotoxic potential against MCF‐7 (mammary gland adenocarcinoma) and A549 (lung adenocarcinoma) cell lines. The IC₅₀ values associated with these complexes were much lower than the conventional drug cisplatin. Apoptosis‐induced cell death was confirmed from the DNA fragmentation studies and Hoechst 33342 staining. The 2′,7′‐dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) assay indicates that the complex mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation is accountable for governing the apoptosis mechanism via oxidative cell distress. Apart from these studies, by carrying out density functional theory (DFT) method, highest occupied molecular orbital–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO–LUMO) energy gap calculations and optimized structures of the synthesized complexes were accomplished.     

Impact of FRET between Molecular Aggregates and Quantum Dots

Energy transfer has been employed in third‐generation solar cells for the conversion of light into electrical energy. Long‐range nonradiative energy transfer from semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) to fluorophores has been demonstrated by using CdS QDs and thiophene?BODIPY (boron dipyrromethene, abbreviated as TG2). TG2 shows a broad photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, which varies with concentration. At very low concentrations, monomeric units are present; then, upon increasing the concentration, these monomers form a mixed (J‐/H‐)aggregated state. Energy transfer between the CdS QDs and TG2 was confirmed by separately investigating the interactions between CdS and the monomer of TG2 and between CdS and the aggregated states of TG2. Size‐dependent PL quenching confirmed that nonradiative Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from photoexcited CdS QDs to the J‐aggregate state of TG2 was the major energy‐relaxation channel, which occurred on the timescale of hundreds of fs. These results have broad applications in the field of light harvesting based on the assembly of molecular aggregates.     

Self‐Assembled Discrete Molecules for Sensing Nitroaromatics

Efficient sensing of trace amount nitroaromatic (NAC) explosives has become a major research focus in recent time due to concerns over national security as well as their role as environment pollutants. NO₂‐containing electron‐deficient aromatic compounds, such as picric acid (PA), trinitrotoluene (TNT), and dinitrotoluene (DNT), are the common constituents of many commercially available chemical explosives. In this article, we have summarized our recent developments on the rational design of electron‐rich self‐assembled discrete molecular sensors and their efficacy in sensing nitroaromatics both in solution as well as in vapor phase. Several π‐electron‐rich fluorescent metallacycles (squares, rectangles, and tweezers/pincers) and metallacages (trigonal and tetragonal prisms) have been synthesized by means of metal–ligand coordination‐bonding interactions, with enough internal space to accommodate electron‐deficient nitroaromatics at the molecular level by multiple supramolecular interactions. Such interactions subsequently result in the detectable fluorescence quenching of sensors even in the presence of trace quantities of nitroaromatics. The fascinating sensing characteristics of molecular architectures discussed in this article may enable future development of improved sensors for nitroaromatic explosives.     

Organotin(IV) complexes of NSAID,ibuprofen, X-ray structure of Ph3Sn(IBF), binding and cleavage interaction with DNA and in vitro cytotoxic studies of several organotin complexes of drugs

This study encompasses the synthesis and characterization of organotin(IV) derivatives of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen (IBF), viz. [(Me₃Sn)(IBF)] ( 1 ), [(Bu₃Sn)(IBF)] ( 2 ), [Ph₃Sn(IBF)] ( 3 ), {[Me₂Sn(IBF)]₂O}₂ ( 4 ) and [Bu₂Sn(IBF)₂] ( 5 ). The crystal structure of complex 3 , [Ph₃Sn(IBF)], indicates a highly distorted tetrahedral (td) geometry with anisobidentate mode of coordination of the carboxylate group with tin atom, and a similar structure has been proposed for other two triorganotin(IV) derivatives. Moreover, the DFT (density functional theory) calculation and other studies have verified a dimer distannoxane type of structure for complex 4 , {[Me₂Sn(IBF)]₂O}₂. Complex 5 has been found to exhibit a highly distorted octahedral geometry around the tin atom. To investigate the DNA binding profile of the synthesized complexes, viscosity measurement, UV–vis and fluorescence titrations were performed, which revealed an intercalative type of binding with DNA for IBF and complex 5 and external binding in case of the complexes 1 and 2 ; complexes 3 and 4 could not be studied owing to their insufficient solubility in tris buffer. Plasmid DNA fragmentation studies of IBF and complexes 1 , 2 and 5 indicate that they cleaved the pBR322 plasmid potentially. Further, the drugs IBF {2-[4-(2-methylpropyl)phenyl]propanoic acid}, MESNA (sodium 2-mercaptoethane-sulfonate), warfarin [2H-1-benzopyran-2-one,4-hydroxy-3-(3-oxo-1-phenylbutyl)], sulindac (2-{5-fluoro-1-[(4-methanesulfinylphenyl) methylidene]-2-methyl-1H-inden-3-yl}acetic acid) and their corresponding organotin(IV) complexes 1–19 (complexes 6–19 were synthesized/reported previously) were screened in vitro for cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines viz. DU145 (prostate cancer), HCT-15 (colon adenocarcinoma), Caco-2 (colorectal adenocarcinoma), MCF-7 (mammary cancer), LNCaP (androgen-sensitive prostate adenocarcinoma) and HeLa (cervical cancer), through MTT reduction assay and the cause of cell death was investigated through acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining of cells and DNA fragmentation assay. The probable structure–cytotoxicity relationship is also discussed. The major role of apoptosis along with small necrosis was also validated by flow cytometry assay using annexin V–fluorescein isothiocyanate and propidium iodide analysis.     

Ruthenium(II)‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Spirobenzofuranones by a Decarbonylative Annulation Reaction

The first decarbonylative insertion of an alkyne through C?H/C?C activation of six‐membered compounds is reported. The Ru‐catalyzed reaction of 3‐hydroxy‐2‐phenyl‐chromones with alkynes works most efficiently in the presence of the ligand PPh₃ to provide spiro‐indenebenzofuranones. Unlike previously reported metal‐catalyzed decarbonylative annulation reactions, in the present decarbonylative annulation reaction, the annulation occurs before extrusion of carbon monoxide.     

Alkali metals in silica gel (M-SG): a new reagent for desulfonation of amines

A novel method for the desulfonation of secondary amines is described. Alkali metals absorbed into nanostructured silica (M-SG) were found to be useful solid-state reagents for the desulfonation of a range of N,N-disubstituted sulfonamides. M-SG reagents are room-temperature-stable free-flowing powders that retain the chemical reactivity of the parent metal, decreasing the danger and associated cost of using reactive metals.     

Binding of hairpin polyamides to DNA studied by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy for DNA nanoarchitectures

We have recently constructed a “DNA strut” consisting of two DNA-binding hairpin polyamides of Dervan-type connected via a long flexible linker and were able to show that this strut can be used to sequence-selectively connect DNA helices. This approach provides a second structural element (besides the Watson–Crick base pairing) for the assembly of higher-order DNA nanoarchitectures from smaller DNA building blocks. Since none of the existing analytical techniques for studying this kind of system were found suitable for detection and quantification of the formation of the resulting complexes, we chose fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). In the present study we show that FCS allowed us in a versatile and fast way to investigate the binding of Dervan polyamides to DNA. In particular it also shows its power in the quantitative detection of the formation of multimeric complexes and the in investigation of binding under nonphysiological conditions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Assembling metals (Co II and Mn II) with pyridylcarboxylates in the presence of azide: synthesis, structural aspects and magnetic behavior of three coordination polymers

The reaction between Co(NO3)2.6H2O and substituted pyridylcarboxylic acid [nicotinic acid (Hnic) or trans-3-pyridylacrylic acid (Htpa)] in the presence of NaN3 under hydrothermal conditions yielded [Co(1.5)(nic)2 (Hnic)(N3)]n (1) and [Co(1.5)(tpa)2 (N3)(H2O)]n (2), respectively. Single crystal structure analyses reveal that both complexes are 3D complicated coordination polymers. The basic repeating units in both of the complexes are Co(3) trinuclear clusters containing syn-syn bridging carboxylate and end-on azido linker. A similar reaction using MnCl2.4H2O in presence of equimolar amounts of Htpa and NaN3 yielded a 2D corrugated sheet [Mn(tpa)2]n (3) containing no azide. Complex 3 can also be synthesized under hydrothermal conditions using Natpa in the absence of NaN3. Surprisingly, the same reaction at room temperature yielded a known mononuclear complex [Mn(tpa)2(H2O)4]. Variable temperature magnetic studies down to 2 K revealed the dominant antiferromagnetic nature of the first two complexes with a ferrimagnetic type of behavior despite the facts that they are homometallic and homospin systems. The susceptibility data in both cases were analyzed by a Co3 trinuclear model as well as considering inter-trimer interactions. Complex 3 is weakly antiferromagnetic in nature with an exchange parameter of J = -2 cm(-1) through the syn-anti bridging carboxylate pathway.     

Energetics and role of the hydrophobic interaction during photoreaction of the BLUF domain of AppA

A recently developed method for time-resolved thermodynamic measurements was used to study the photochemical reaction(s) of the BLUF domain of AppA (AppA-BLUF), which has a dimeric form in the ground state, in terms of the energetics and heat capacity changes (DeltaC(p)) in different time domains. The enthalpy change (DeltaH) of the first intermediate that forms within 1 ns after photoexcitation was 38 (+/-8) kJ mol(-1) at 298 K. The heat capacity change (DeltaC(p)) upon formation of this intermediate was positive [1.4 (+/-0.3) kJ mol(-1) K(-1)]. This positive DeltaC(p) suggests that the hydrophobic surface area of AppA-BLUF exposed to the bulk solvent increased. After this initial transition, a dimerization reaction with another ground-state dimer (i.e., tetramer formation) takes place. Upon this reaction, the energy was stabilized to 26 (+/-6) kJ mol(-1) at 298 K. Interestingly, the dimer formation was accompanied by a larger but negative DeltaC(p) [-6.0 (+/-1) kJ mol(-1) K(-1)]. This negative DeltaC(p) might indicate buried hydrophobic residues at the interface of the dimer and/or the existence of trapped water at the interface. We suggest that hydrophobic interactions are the main driving force for the formation of the dimer upon photoactivation of AppA-BLUF.