Euphorbiane: A Novel Triterpenoid with an Unprecedented Skeleton from Euphorbia tirucalli

Euphorbiane ( 1 ), a novel triterpenoid exhibiting a unique skeleton, together with seven known compounds were isolated from the 95% EtOH extract of the fresh stems of Euphorbia tirucalli. The structure of 1 and relative stereochemistry were elucidated by extensive NMR and a single‐crystal X‐ray crystallographic analysis.     

Impact of Dye‐Protein Interaction and Silver Nanoparticles on Rose Bengal Photophysical Behavior and Protein Photocrosslinking

The role of recombinant Type‐I human collagen in the free form or forming AgNP@collagen on the photophysical and photochemical behavior of rose Bengal was analyzed. The formation of dye aggregates on the protein surface was experimentally observed and corroborated by docking calculations. The formation of such aggregates is believed to change the main oxidative mechanism from Type‐II (singlet oxygen) to Type‐I (free radical) photosensitization. Remarkably, the presence of AgNP in the form of AgNP@collagen altered the dynamics of dye triplet deactivation, effectively preventing the dye degradation and reducing the extent of protein crosslinked. Both crosslinked rHC and AgNP@collagen were able to support fibroblasts proliferation, but only the material containing silver was resistant to S. epidermidis infection.     

Expanding the scope of the asymmetric anti-aldol addition of chiral N-amino cyclic carbamate hydrazones

An asymmetric anti-aldol addition process of ketone-derived donors that is not limited by the structure of the ketone is described. This is achieved by merging the enantioselective α,α-bisalkylation of N-amino cyclic carbamate (ACC) hydrazones with the asymmetric anti-aldol addition of ACC hydrazones. The products of this process are obtained with essentially perfect stereoselectivity. Using this procedure it is possible to gain access to ketone-based anti-aldol addition products that are inaccessible in a controlled sense via direct aldol methods.     

Morphological investigation of polylactide/microfibrillated cellulose composites

Optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy have been used to investigate the morphology of polylactide (PLA)/microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) composites prepared by: compression molding of wet-comingled MFC and PLA latex or powder, twin-screw extrusion of the wet-comingled compounds, and solvent mixing of PLA with MFC or acetylated MFC. Compression molding of wet-comingled MFC and PLA latex or powder compounds resulted in a cellular MFC network, whereas solvent-cast films showed a more uniform dispersion of MFC fibers. Somewhat lower aggregate diameters observed in the acetylated MFC were assumed to be due to decreased MFC hydrophilicity and improved chemical affinity with the PLA matrix. The MFC networks in the commingled compounds were severely disrupted after twin-screw extrusion. This confirmed the limited deformability of the networks inferred from the extensive syneresis during the initial compression molding step, and accounted for substantial losses in stiffness reinforcement by the MFC after extrusion.     

Universal C*-algebras defined by completely bounded unital homomorphisms

Suppose A is a unital C*-algebra and r 1.In this paper,we define a unital C*-algebra C_(cb)*(A,r) and a completely bounded unital homomorphism α_r:A → C_(cb)*(A,r)with the property that C_(cb)*(A,r)=C*(α_r(A))and,for every unital C*-algebra B and every unital completely bounded homomorphism φ:A→ B,there is a(unique)unital *-homomorphism π:C_(cb)*(A,r)→B such thatφ=πoα_r.We prove that,if A is generated by a normal set {t_λ:λ∈Λ},then C_(cb)*(A,r)is generated by the set {α_r(t_λ):λ∈Λ}.By proving an equation of the norms of elements in a dense subset of C_(cb)*(A,r)we obtain that,if Β is a unital C*-algebra that can be embedded into A,then C_(cb)*(B,r)can be naturally embedded into C(cb)*(A,r).We give characterizations of C_(cb)*(A,r)for some special situations and we conclude that C_(cb)*(A,r)will be "nice" when dim(A)≤ 2 and "quite complicated" when dim(A)≥ 3.We give a characterization of the relation between K-groups of A and K-groups of C_(cb)*(A,r).We also define and study some analogous of C_(cb)*(A,r).     

Affinity capillary electrophoresis to evaluate the complex formation between poliovirus and nanobodies

It was demonstrated that nanobodies with an in vitro neutralizing activity against poliovirus type 1 interact with native virions. Here, the use of capillary electrophoresis was investigated as an alternative technique for the evaluation of the formation of nanobody–poliovirus complexes, and therefore predicting the in vitro neutralizing activity of the nanobodies. The macromolecules are preincubated offline in a specific nanobody‐to‐virus ratio and analyzed by capillary electrophoresis with UV detection. At low nanobody‐to‐virus ratios, a clear shift in migration time of the viral peak was observed. A broad peak was obtained, indicating the presence of a heterogeneous population of nanobody–virion complexes, caused by the binding of different numbers of nanobodies to the virus particle. At elevated nanobody‐to‐virus ratios, a cluster of peaks appeared, showing an additional increase in migration times. It was shown that, at these high molar excesses, aggregates were formed. The developed capillary electrophoresis method can be used as a rapid, qualitative screening for the affinity between poliovirus and nanobodies, based on a clearly visible and measurable shift in migration time. The advantages of this technique include that there is no need for antigen immobilization as in enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays or surface plasmon resonance for the use of radiolabeled virus or for the performance of labor‐ and time‐intensive plaque‐forming neutralization assays.     

Development of an automated dual‐mode supercritical fluid chromatography and reversed‐phase liquid chromatography mass‐directed purification system for small‐molecule drug discovery

We report the development of a dual‐mode mass‐directed supercritical fluid chromatography and reversed‐phase liquid chromatography purification system. The addition of a third pump allows for flexible mobile phase control between the two techniques, and enables operation of either chromatography mode within minutes by activation of a set of switching valves on a single system. Software control, fluidic pathways, interface to the mass spectrometer, and fraction collection have been modified for compatibility between both separation methods. The conditioning solvent and tuning parameters for the mass spectrometer were adjusted to achieve an ideal signal trace in either mode with good linearity (r² > 0.970) over a range of concentrations and minimal noise for accurate peak detection and isolation. The registration success rate is 90% and overall sample recovery for either technique is 80?90%. Combining two orthogonal separation and purification modes in one single system has improved the purification throughput of complex mixtures and has been a valuable, cost‐saving tool in our laboratory.     

Silk‐Pectin Hydrogel with Superior Mechanical Properties,Biodegradability, and Biocompatibility

A new method is developed to prepare silk hydrogels and silk‐pectin hydrogels via dialysis against methanol to obtain hydrogels with high concentrations of silk fibroin. The relationship between the mechanical and biological properties and the structure of the silk‐pectin hydrogels is subsequently evaluated. The present results suggest that pectin associates with silk molecules when the silk concentration exceeds 15 wt%, suggesting that a silk concentration of over 15 wt% is critical to construct interacting silk‐pectin networks. The silk‐pectin hydrogel reported here is composed of a heterogeneous network, which is different from fiber‐reinforced, interpenetrated networks and double‐network hydrogels, as well as high‐stiffness hydrogels (elastic modulus of 4.7 ± 0.9 MPa, elastic stress limit of 3.9 ± 0.1 MPa, and elastic strain limit of 48.4 ± 0.5%) with regard to biocompatibility and biodegradability.