Direct microbial conversion

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - Process development is reviewed for ethanol production from cellulosic biomass via direct microbial conversion (DMC). Experimental data addressing cellulase...     

An azo dye for photodynamic therapy that is activated selectively by two-photon excitation

Two-photon photodynamic therapy (TP-PDT) is a promising approach for the treatment of cancer because of its better penetration depth and superior spatial selectivity. Here, we describe an azo group containing cyclized-cyanine derivatives (ACC1 and ACC2) as a two-photon activated, type I based photosensitizer (PS). These small-molecule and heavy atom-free organic dyes showed marked reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating ability under physiological conditions, as well as fast loading ability into the cells and negligible dark toxicity. Live cell analyses with one- and two-photon microscopy revealed that these dyes showed higher ROS generation ability upon two-photon excitation than upon one-photon excitation via the type I process. The PSs have superior PDT properties compared to conventional Visudyne and 5-ALA under mild conditions. These characteristics allowed for precise PDT at the target region in mimic tumor spheroids, demonstrating that the developed TP PS could be useful in efficient PDT applications and in designing various PSs.

Azo containing dyes as a two-photon selective and type I based photosensitizers (PSs) were developed that exhibit excellent photodynamic therapy properties under mild condition.     

Classification of cultivation area of ginseng by near infrared spectroscopy and ICP-AES

A rapid and nondestructive near infrared (NIR) method using soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) for the classification of cultivation area (Korea and China) was evaluated and confirmed. Raw, first, and second derivative NIR spectra were compared to develop a robust classification rule. The chemical properties of ginseng samples were also investigated to find out the differences between Korean samples and Chinese samples. These differences make NIR spectroscopic method viable. The average value of each Korean and Chinese ginseng sample for crude fiber, crude protein, starch, and 10 inorganic constituents were measured and compared with F-test and t-test. The inorganic constituents were also measured by induced coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). It could be found that the amount of starch and ten inorganic elements for example Na, Mg, P, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn in ginseng samples are considerably different based on cultivation area. SIMCA has been applied to the inorganic data to investigate the possibility of ICP-AES as classification tool. However, it was observed that the result was not equal to than NIR spectra data. The overall results showed the availability of NIR method using SIMCA would be adequate for classification of cultivation of ginseng, since NIR spectra includes useful and various information on chemical properties in spite of broad and overlapped bands.     

Photoactivation of pheophorbide a induces a mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in Jurkat leukaemia cells

The mechanism of cell death by pheophorbide a (Pba) which has been established to be a potential photosensitizer was examined in experimental photodynamic therapy (PDT) on Jurkat cells, a human lymphoid tumor cell line. In 30-60 min after irradiation, Pba treated cells exhibited apoptotic features including membrane blebbing and DNA fragmentation. Pba/PDT caused a rapid release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosol. Sequentially, activation of caspase-3 and the cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) were followed. Meanwhile, no evidence of activation of caspase-8 was indicated in the cells. In experiments with caspase inhibitors, it was found that caspase-3 alone was sufficient initiator for the Pba-induced apoptosis of the cells. Pba specific emission spectra were confirmed in the mitochondrial fraction and the light irradiation caused a rapid change in its membrane potential. Thus, mitochondria were entailed as the crucial targets for Pba as well as a responsible component for the cytochrome c release to initiate apoptotic pathways. Taken together, it was concluded that the mode of Jurkat cell death by Pba/PDT is an apoptosis, which is initiated by mitochondrial cytochrome c release and caspase-3-pathways.     

Transformation of arctiin to estrogenic and antiestrogenic substances by human intestinal bacteria

After anaerobic incubation of arctiin (1) from the seeds of Arctium lappa with a human fecal suspension, six metabolites were formed, and their structures were identified as (-)-arctigenin (2), (2R,3R)-2-(3',4'-dihydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dimethoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (3), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dimethoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (4), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3"-hydroxy-4"-methoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (5), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dihydroxybenzyl)butyrolactone (6), and (-)-enterolactone (7) by various spectroscopic means including two dimensional (2D)-NMR, mass spectrometry, and circular dichroism. A possible metabolic pathway was proposed on the basis of their structures and the time course of the transformation. Enterolactones obtained from the biotransformation of arctiin and secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG, from the seeds of Linum usitatissium) by human intestinal bacteria were proved to be enantiomers, with the (-)-(2R,3R) and (+)-(2S,3S) configurations, respectively. Compound 6 showed the most potent proliferative effect on the growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in culture among 1 and six metabolites, while it showed inhibitory activity on estradiol-mediated proliferation of MCF-7 cells at a concentration of 10 microM. These results indicate that the transformation of 1 by intestinal flora might be essential for the manifestation of the estrogenic and antiestrogenic activity of 1.     

An efficient synthesis of novel carbocyclic nucleosides with use of ring-closing metathesis from D-lactose

This paper describes an efficient synthetic route for various types of novel carbocyclic nucleosides. The required stereochemistry of the targeted nucleosides was successfully obtained with use of Grubbs cyclization and Trost allylic alkylation from the carbohydrate chiral template "D-lactose".     

Electronic structure and magnetic properties of small manganese oxide clusters

To investigate the electronic structure and magnetic properties of manganese oxide clusters, we carried out first-principles electronic structure calculations for small MnO clusters. Among various structural and magnetic configurations of the clusters, the bulklike [111]-antiferromagnetic ordering is found to be favored energetically, while the surface atoms of the clusters exhibit interesting electronic and magnetic characteristics which are different from their bulk ones. The distinct features of the surface atoms are mainly attributed to the reduction of Mn coordination numbers and the bond-length contractions in the clusters, which may serve as a key factor for the understanding of physical and chemical properties of magnetic oxide nanoparticles.     

Electrochemical Detection of MS2 Phage Using a Bead‐based Immunoassay and a NanoIDA

A microbead based sandwich immunoassay for MS2 bacteriophage was developed using an interdigitated array (IDA) electrode with nanoscale dimensions (220 nm electrode width, 620 nm gap). The IDA was fabricated using an electron beam lithographic lift‐off technique. After an antibody‐assisted capture of MS2 using paramagnetic microbeads, a β‐galactosidase labeled secondary antibody was used to convert p‐aminophenyl‐β‐D ‐galactopyranoside (PAPG) into the redox active p‐aminophenol (PAP). Amperometric detection of PAP with IDA electrodes at +300 and ?200 mV vs. a Ag/AgCl reference electrode was used to measure the result, detecting MS2 concentrations as low as 10 ng/mL.     

Bisbakuchiols A and B, novel dimeric meroterpenoids from Psoralea corylifolia

Two novel dimeric meroterpenoids, bisbakuchiols A and B, along with (S)-bakuchiol were isolated from the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia L. (Fabaceae). Bisbakuchiols A and B contain an unprecedented dimeric meroterpenoid skeleton in which two meroterpenes are linked through a dioxane bridge. All compounds were evaluated for their potential to inhibit hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) activation induced by hypoxia in a HIF-1-mediated reporter gene assay in AGS human gastric cancer cells. (S)-Bakuchiol inhibited hypoxic activation of HIF-1 with an IC₅₀ value of 6.1 μM.