Azobioisosteres of Curcumin with Pronounced Activity against Amyloid Aggregation,Intracellular Oxidative Stress,and Neuroinflammation

Many (poly-)phenolic natural products, for example, curcumin and taxifolin, have been studied for their activity against specific hallmarks of neurodegeneration, such as amyloid-β 42 (Aβ42) aggregation and neuroinflammation. Due to their drawbacks, arising from poor pharmacokinetics, rapid metabolism, and even instability in aqueous medium, the biological activity of azobenzene compounds carrying a pharmacophoric catechol group, which have been designed as bioisoteres of curcumin has been examined. Molecular simulations reveal the ability of these compounds to form a hydrophobic cluster with Aβ42, which adopts different folds, affecting the propensity to populate fibril-like conformations. Furthermore, the curcumin bioisosteres exceeded the parent compound in activity against Aβ42 aggregation inhibition, glutamate-induced intracellular oxidative stress in HT22 cells, and neuroinflammation in microglial BV-2 cells. The most active compound prevented apoptosis of HT22 cells at a concentration of 2.5 μm (83 % cell survival), whereas curcumin only showed very low protection at 10 μm (21 % cell survival).     

Inherent Ethyl Acetate Selectivity in a Trianglimine Molecular Solid

Ethyl acetate is an important chemical raw material and solvent. It is also a key volatile organic compound in the brewing industry and a marker for lung cancer. Materials that are highly selective toward ethyl acetate are needed for its separation and detection. Here, we report a trianglimine macrocycle ( TAMC ) that selectively adsorbs ethyl acetate by forming a solvate. Crystal structure prediction showed this to be the lowest energy solvate structure available. This solvate leaves a metastable, “templated” cavity after solvent removal. Adsorption and breakthrough experiments confirmed that TAMC has adequate adsorption kinetics to separate ethyl acetate from azeotropic mixtures with ethanol, which is a challenging and energy-intensive industrial separation.     

新型嘧啶单环类非经典叶酸拮抗剂的合成及抗肿瘤活性研究

以课题组前期设计合成的非经典叶酸拮抗剂6-(4'-甲基苯乙基)-N5-氯乙酰基-2,4-二氨基哌啶并[3,2-d]嘧啶(wm-8.2)为先导化合物,将wm-8.2中的哌啶并嘧啶双环结构简化为嘧啶单环结构,以提高分子柔韧性并简化分子结构,根据6-位空间占位设计6-H和6-甲基两个系列,考察了不同桥链长度和不同芳香杂环侧链对抗肿瘤活性的影响.同时对具有叶酸抑制剂分子结构特征的关键中间体进行活性对比测定,研究了N(5)位氯乙酰基对活性的影响.两个系列目标化合物和关键中间体共36个化合物的结构均经1H NMR,13C NMR和MS确证.生物活性测定表明,6位为甲基的化合物中,具有三碳桥链及对甲基苯环侧链的6-甲基-2,4-二氨基-5-(N-(4-甲基苯基)丙基-N-(2-氯乙酰基))氨基嘧啶(6b-3)具有最好的HL-60、A549和HCT116细胞增殖抑制活性,IC50分别为0.25,0.83和0.63μmol?L^-1.化合物6b-3在N(5)位氯乙酰基取代之前的关键中间体6-甲基-2,4-二氨基-5-(N-(4-甲基苯基)丙基)氨基嘧啶(5b-3)具有最优的二氢叶酸还原酶抑制活性.总结了化合物的构效关系,并用计算机模拟进行了阐释.     

How Aromatic Fluorination Exchanges the Interaction Role of Pyridine with Carbonyl Compounds: The Formaldehyde Adduct

The rotational spectrum of the weakly bound complex pentafluoropyridine⋅⋅⋅formaldehyde has been investigated using Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. From the analysis of the rotational parameters of the parent species and of the ¹³C and ¹⁵N isotopologues, the structural arrangement of the adduct has been unambiguously established. The full ring fluorination of pyridine has a dramatic effect on its binding properties: It alters the electron density distribution at the π-cloud of pyridine creating a π-hole and changing its electron donor-acceptor capabilities. In the complex, formaldehyde lies above the aromatic ring with one of the oxygen lone pairs, as conventionally envisaged, pointing toward its centre. This lone pair⋅⋅⋅π-hole interaction, reinforced by a weak C−H⋅⋅⋅N interaction, indicates an exchange of the electron-acceptor roles of both molecules when compared to the pyridine⋅⋅⋅formaldehyde adduct. Tunnelling doublets due to the internal rotation of formaldehyde have also been observed and analysed leading to a discussion on the competition between lone pair⋅⋅⋅π-hole and π⋅⋅⋅π stacking interactions.     

液晶分子印迹整体柱的制备及其分子识别热力学

液晶分子印迹聚合物(MIPs)因刚性液晶单体的加入而在超低交联度水平下也能印迹和识别模板分子,有效解决了传统MIPs因高交联度造成的位点包埋、结合容量低、传质慢等问题。尽管液晶MIPs具有如此独特的优势,但却面临着由于交联度的大幅度降低而导致印迹效果下降的问题。为了研究液晶MIPs的结合特性,制备具有良好印迹效果的低交联液晶MIPs,该文通过二次接枝聚合,制备了一系列不同交联度的液晶分子印迹整体柱,用高效液相色谱法研究了聚合参数与印迹整体柱亲和性的关系。实验中选用三羟甲基丙烷三甲基丙烯酸酯(TRIM)为交联剂,以甲苯和十二醇为致孔剂合成整体柱骨架,并在此基础上以(S)-萘普生为模板,加入液晶单体4-氰基苯基单环己基乙烯(CPCE)进行二次聚合接枝。实验中系统考察了流动相中乙腈比例及缓冲液pH值对色谱保留的影响,结果发现液晶单体的加入使得MIPs对萘普生保留控制机制由原来的氢键作用变为了疏水作用;通过动态吸附实验得到的突破曲线经前沿分析及对吸附等温线Langmuir、Freundlich和Scatchard分析拟合,发现交联度为15%时液晶MIPs印迹因子最大(3.78)、非均一性最强,且特异性吸附量高于非特异性吸附量。液晶MIPs的计量置换模型(SDM-R)分析表明,液晶印迹整体柱对模板分子的总亲和力(ln A=0.645)明显高于其类似物;而从空间匹配程度看,与液晶印迹整体柱空间匹配程度最高的是酮洛芬而非模板分子,但液晶印迹整体柱对酮洛芬的总亲和力(ln A=0.242)不及模板分子的一半,表明在本低交联液晶印迹系统中,空间效应不是决定印迹系统识别能力的主要因素。进一步的分离热力学研究发现,低交联液晶印迹柱的|ΔΔH|<T|ΔΔS|,而交联度为70%的非液晶MIPs柱的|ΔΔH|>T|ΔΔS|,表明液晶MIPs的分离过程是一个熵控制过程,而常规无液晶MIPs的分离过程是一个焓控制过程。上述结果表明,液晶单体的加入改变了MIPs的识别机制,适当的低交联度可显著提高液晶MIPs的识别性能,因此液晶MIPs这些特质有望使其成为新一代的MIPs。     

Imaging the Magnetic Reversal of Isolated and Organized Molecular‐Based Nanoparticles using Magnetic Force Microscopy

In the race towards miniaturization in nanoelectronics, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have emerged as potential candidates for their integration in ultrahigh‐density recording media. Molecular‐based materials open the possibility to design new tailor‐made MNPs with variable composition and sizes, which benefit from the intrinsic properties of these materials. Before their implementation in real devices is reached, a precise organization on surfaces and a reliable characterization and manipulation of their individual magnetic behavior are required. In this paper, it is demonstrated how molecular‐based MNPs are accurately organized on surfaces and how the magnetic properties of the individual MNPs are detected and tuned by means of low‐temperature magnetic force microscopy (LT‐MFM) with variable magnetic field. The magnetization reversal on isolated and organized MNPs is investigated; in addition, the temperature dependence of their magnetic response is evaluated.     

不同硼掺杂几何形态下石墨烯纳米带热导率与热整流的分子动力学研究

通过非平衡态分子动力学方法,研究了锯齿形石墨烯纳米带中掺杂原子硼的两种不同位置排列（三角形硼掺杂和平行硼掺杂）对热导率和热整流的影响并从理论上分析了其变化的原因。研究表明这两种硼掺杂模型在不同温度下导致石墨烯纳米带热导率大约54%-63%的下降;同时发现平行硼掺杂结构对热传递的抑制作用强于三角形硼掺杂结构;硼掺杂结构降低热导率的作用随着温度的升高逐渐减小;三角形硼掺杂结构两个方向上的热导率值具有较大差异,这种结构下的热整流随着温度的上升呈现减弱的趋势;而平行硼掺杂结构两个方向上的热导率值近乎相等,热整流现象表现不明显.     

层厚度和应变率对铜-金复合纳米线力学性能影响的模拟研究

采用分子动力学模拟方法, 研究了层厚度和应变率对铜-金多层复合纳米线在均匀拉伸载荷下力学性能的影响, 并分析了铜-金位错成核机理. 研究结果表明, 随着铜-金层厚度的增加, 复合材料的屈服强度也随之增大; 高应变率时复合材料的力学性能比低应变率时要强, 低应变率的塑性形变主要是位错运动和孪晶形变, 而高应变率主要以单原子运动为主, 表现出了非晶化. 该研究对制备高性能的多层复合材料提供了一定的理论依据.     

硅晶体表面石墨烯褶皱形貌的分子动力学模拟研究

本文利用分子动力学的方法和模拟退火技术从原子尺度分析研究了Si (100), Si (111)和Si (211)表面单原子层石墨烯的褶皱形貌及其演化特点. 研究表明, 分别置于Si晶体的三种不同原子表面的石墨烯都展现出原子尺度的褶皱形貌. 石墨烯与Si晶体表面原子的晶格失配是引起石墨烯褶皱的主要原因. 研究发现, Si晶体表面石墨烯的褶皱形貌强烈的依赖于退火温度. 石墨烯的褶皱形貌还将直接影响其在Si晶体表面的吸附稳定性. 这些研究结果有助于人们认识基于Si晶体衬底的石墨烯的结构形貌及其稳定性, 为石墨烯的进一步应用提供理论参考.     

微液滴在不同能量表面上润湿状态的分子动力学模拟

微小液滴在不同能量表面上的润湿状态对于准确预测非均相核化速率和揭示界面效应影响液滴增长微观机理具有重要意义. 通过分子动力学模拟, 研究了纳米级液滴在不同能量表面上的铺展过程和润湿形态. 结果表明, 固液界面自由能随固液作用强度增加而增加, 并呈现不同液滴铺展速率和润湿特性. 固液作用强度小于1.6的低能表面呈现疏水特征, 继续增强固液作用强度时表面变为亲水, 而固液作用强度大于3.5的高能表面上液体呈完全润湿特征. 受微尺度条件下非连续、非对称作用力影响, 微液滴气液界面存在明显波动, 呈现与宏观液滴不同的界面特征. 统计意义下, 微小液滴在不同能量表面上铺展后仍可以形成特定接触角, 该接触角随固液作用强度增加而线性减小, 模拟结果与经典润湿理论计算获得的结果呈现相似变化趋势. 模拟结果从分子尺度为核化理论中的毛细假设提供了理论支持, 揭示了液滴气液界面和接触角的波动现象, 为核化速率理论预测结果和实验测定结果之间的差异提供了定性解释.