Preparation and evaluation of a mixed-bed immunoaffinity column for selective purification of sixteen sulfonamides in pork muscle

This paper describes the preparation of a novel mixed-bed immunoaffinity chromatography (IAC) column by coupling four monoclonal antibodies against different sulfonamides (SAs) to Sepharose 4B. The IAC column can be used to simultaneously extract and purify 16 SAs in pork muscle. The dynamic column capacities for all SAs in mixed standard solution were between 312 and 479 ng/mL gel. After simple extraction and IAC cleanup, the sample solution can be directly injected for liquid chromatography-ultraviolet analysis. The recoveries of SAs from spiked samples at levels of 25, 50 and 100 μg/kg ranged from 83.3 to 103.1% with variation coefficient less than 8.6%. The comparison of IAC with liquid-liquid extraction and solid phase extraction indicated that IAC has better purification effect and needs less organic solution than conventional methods, thus it would be an ideal method for selective purification of SAs in pork muscle.     

Exceptionally strong multiphoton-excited blue photoluminescence and lasing from ladder-type oligo(p-phenylene)s

We report the synthesis and investigation of multiphoton absorption properties of a novel series of diphenylamino-end-capped ladder-type oligo(p-phenylene)s which exhibit greatly enhanced and efficient multiphoton (from two- to five-photon) upconverted blue photoluminescence with which the record-high intrinsic three-photon absorption cross-section of 4.56 × 10(-76) cm(6) s(2) in the femtosecond regime has been obtained. Exceptionally efficient two- to five-photon-excited lasing in the blue region has also been demonstrated in which the highest two-photon-excited lasing efficiency of 0.34% has been achieved.     

Streptocarbazoles A and B, two novel indolocarbazoles from the marine-derived actinomycete strain Streptomyces sp. FMA

Streptocarbazoles A (1) and B (2), two novel indolocarbazoles featuring unprecedented cyclic N-glycosidic linkages between 1,3-carbon atoms of the glycosyl moiety and two indole nitrogen atoms of the indolocarbazole core, were isolated from the marine-derived actinomycetes strain Streptomyces sp. FMA. Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods, CD spectra, and ECD quantum mechanical calculations. Compound 1 was cytotoxic on HL-60 and A-549 cell lines and could arrest the cell cycle of Hela cells at the G(2)/M phase.     

Cationic polymers and aptamers mediated aggregation of gold nanoparticles for the colorimetric detection of arsenic(III) in aqueous solution

As(III) specifically interacts with an arsenic-binding aptamer to form an As(III)-aptamer complex, so that the following cationic polymer can aggregate gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and cause a remarkable change in color, which enables the colorimetric detection of As(III) with high selectivity and a detection limit of 5.3 ppb.     

Coordination bonding based pH-responsive albumin nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery

Zn-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (Zn-BSA nanoparticles) were prepared and used as carriers for pH-responsive anticancer drug delivery. Zinc was introduced into this system to increase the stability of the BSA nanoparticles and to load the anticancer drug based on the coordination bonding formation of Zn-BSA and Zn-drug molecules, respectively. The cleavage of either the "Zn-BSA" or the "Zn-drug" coordination bonding, in response to pH, would result in the release of the drug under designated pH conditions. The nanoparticles were spherical with diameters of 50-60 nm and narrow size distribution. Mitoxantrone (MX) was chosen as the model drug to study the release behavior and the inhibitory efficacy against tumor cells. In vitro release behavior of MX loaded Zn-BSA nanoparticles (MX-Zn-BSA nanoparticles) showed a fine pH-responsiveness. The release amount at pH 5.0 was close to 80%, while the cumulative release amount at pH 7.4 was less than 6% within 24 h. The blank Zn-BSA nanoparticles were of low cytotoxicity, while a high cytotoxic activity of MX-Zn-BSA nanoparticles against MCF-7 cells was demonstrated by in vitro cell assays.     

Application of counter-current chromatography as a new pretreatment method for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water

Counter‐current chromatography (CCC) was investigated as a new sample pretreatment method for the determination of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water environmental samples. The experiment was performed with a non‐aqueous binary two‐phase solvent system composed of n‐heptane and acetonitrile. The CCC column was first filled with the upper stationary phase, and then a large volume of water sample was pumped into the column while the CCC column was rotated at 1600 rpm. Finally, the trace amounts of PAHs extracted and enriched in the stationary phase were eluted out by the lower mobile phase and determined by gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (GC‐FID) or gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). The enrichment and cleanup of PAHs can be fulfilled online by this method with high recoveries (84.1–103.2%) and good reproducibility (RSDs: 4.9–12.2%) for 16 EPA PAHs under the optimized CCC pretreatment conditions. This method has been successfully applied to determine PAHs in lake water where 8 PAHs were detected in the concentration of 40.9–89.9 ng/L. The present method is extremely suitable for the preparation of large volume of environmental water sample for the determination of trace amounts of organic pollutants including PAHs as studied in this paper.     

Kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols using amidine-based catalysts

Kinetic resolution of racemic alcohols has been traditionally achieved via enzymatic enantioselective esterification and ester hydrolysis. However, there has long been considerable interest in devising nonenzymatic alternative methods for this transformation. Amidine-based catalysts (ABCs), a new class of enantioselective acyl transfer catalysts developed in our group, have demonstrated, inter alia, high efficacy in the kinetic resolution of benzylic, allylic, and propargylic secondary alcohols and 2-substituted cycloalkanols, and thus provide a viable alternative to enzymes.     

Fast Reductive Amination by Transfer Hydrogenation “on Water”

Reductive amination of various ketones and aldehydes by transfer hydrogenation under aqueous conditions has been developed, by using cyclometallated iridium complexes as catalysts and formate as hydrogen source. The pH value of the solution is shown to be critical for a high catalytic chemoselectivity and activity, with the best pH value being 4.8. In comparison with that in organic solvents, the reductive amination in an aqueous phase is faster, and the molar ratio of the substrate to the catalyst (S/C) can be set as high as 1×10⁵, the highest S/C value ever reported in reductive amination reactions. The catalyst is easy to access and the reaction is operationally simple, allowing a wide range of ketones and aldehydes to react with various amines in high yields. The protocol provides a practical and environmental friendly new method for the synthesis of amine compounds.     

Three‐Dimensional Architectures Incorporating Stereoregular Donor–Acceptor Stacks

We report the synthesis of two [2]catenane‐containing struts that are composed of a tetracationic cyclophane (TC⁴⁺) encircling a 1,5‐dioxynaphthalene (DNP)‐based crown ether, which bears two terphenylene arms. The TC⁴⁺ rings comprise either 1) two bipyridinium (BIPY²⁺) units or 2) a BIPY²⁺ and a diazapyrenium (DAP²⁺) unit. These degenerate and nondegenerate catenanes were reacted in the presence of Cu(NO₃)₂?2.5 H₂O to yield Cu‐paddlewheel‐based MOF‐1050 and MOF‐1051. The solid‐state structures of these MOFs reveal that the metal clusters serve to join the heptaphenylene struts into grid‐like 2D networks. These 2D sheets are then held together by infinite donor–acceptor stacks involving the [2]catenanes to produce interpenetrated 3D architectures. As a consequence of the planar chirality associated with both the DNP and hydroquinone (HQ) units present in the crown ether, each catenane can exist as four stereoisomers. In the case of the nondegenerate (bistable) catenane, the situation is further complicated by the presence of translational isomers. Upon crystallization, however, only two of the four possible stereoisomers—namely, the enantiomeric RR and SS forms—are observed in the crystals. An additional element of co‐conformational selectivity is present in MOF‐1051 as a consequence of the substitution of one of the BIPY²⁺ units by a DAP²⁺ unit: only the translational isomer in which the DAP²⁺ unit is encircled by the crown ether is observed. The overall topologies of MOF‐1050 and MOF‐1051, and the selective formation of stereoisomers and translational isomers during the kinetically driven crystallization, provide evidence that weak noncovalent bonding interactions play a significant role in the assembly of these extended (super)structures.     

Osteopontin: A Uranium Phosphorylated Binding‐Site Characterization

Herein, we describe the structural investigation of one possible uranyl binding site inside a nonstructured protein. This approach couples spectroscopy, thermodynamics, and theoretical calculations (DFT) and studies the interaction of uranyl ions with a phosphopeptide, thus mimicking a possible osteopontin (OPN) hydroxyapatite growth‐inhibition site. Although thermodynamical aspects were investigated by using time‐resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), structural characterization was performed by extended X‐ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) at the U L_III‐edge combined with attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy. From the vibrational and fluorescence spectra, several structural models of a UO₂²⁺/peptide complex were developed and subsequently refined by using theoretical calculations to fit the experimental EXAFS obtained. The structural effect of the pH value was also considered under acidic to moderately acidic conditions (pH 1.5–5.5). Most importantly, the uranyl/peptide coordination environment was similar to that of the native protein.