Some Pharmaceutical Properties of a New Branched Cyclodextrin, 6-O-α-(4-O- α-D-Glucuronyl)-D-glucosylβ-cyclodextrin

Some physicochemical and biological properties of a new branched cyclodextrin, 6-O--(4-O--d-glucuronyl)-d-glucosyl--cyclodextrin GUG--CyD) were investigated. Further, theinteraction of GUG--CyD with several drugs was studied by the solubility and spectroscopic methods, and compared with those of parent -CyD and 6-O--maltosyl--CyD(₂--CyD).The hemolytic activity of GUG--CyD on rabbit erythrocytes was lower than those of -CyD and ₂--CyD. GUG--CyD and ₂--CyD showed negligible cytotoxicity on Caco-2 cells up to at least 0.1 M. The inclusion ability of GUG--CyD to neutral and acidic drugs was comparable to or slightly smaller than those of -CyD and ₂--CyD, probably because of a steric hindrance of the branched sugar. On the other hand, GUG--CyD showed greater affinity for the basic drugs, compared with -CyD and ₂--CyD, owing to the electrostatic interaction of its carboxylate anion with positive charge of basic drugs. Thus GUG--CyD may be useful as a safe solubilizing agent particularly for basic drugs.     

Thermoanalytical Study of O,O'-Dibenzoyl-(2R,3R)-Tartaric Acid Supramolecular Compounds Part II. Investigation of the resolution of racemic alcohols

The resolution of three chiral alcohols with O,O'-dibenzoyl-(2R,3R)-tartaric acid (DBTA) via diastereoisomeric supramolecular compound formation was investigated with thermoanalytical methods. On the basis of TG measurements the DBTA:chiral alcohol molar ratio in the compounds is 1:1 which agrees with the results of single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The DBTA – chiral alcohol supramolecular compounds have different supramolecular structure than the DBTA – achiral alcohol supramolecular compounds. The supramolecular compounds containing cyclohexanols have higher thermal stability than the compounds containing acyclic aliphatic alcohols. The amount of unreacted DBTA monohydrate in the solid phase can be determined both with DSC and with TG measurements. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Molecular chaperones, folding catalysts, and the recovery of active recombinant proteins fromE. coli

The high-level expression of recombinant gene products in the gramnegative bacteriumEscherichia coli often results in the misfolding of the protein of interest and its subsequent degradation by cellular proteases or its deposition into biologically inactive aggregates known as inclusion bodies. It has recently become clear that in vivo protein folding is an energy-dependent process mediated by two classes of folding modulators. Molecular chaperones, such as the DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE and GroEL-GroES systems, suppress off-pathway aggregation reactions and facilitate proper folding through ATP-coordinated cycles of binding and release of folding intermediates. On the other hand, folding catalysts (foldases) accelerate rate-limiting steps along the protein folding pathway such as thecis/trans isomerization of peptidyl-prolyl bonds and the formation and reshuffling of disulfide bridges. Manipulating the cytoplasmic folding environment by increasing the intracellular concentration of all or specific folding modulators, or by inactivating genes encoding these proteins, holds great promise in facilitating the production and purification of heterologous proteins. Purified folding modulators and artificial systems that mimic their mode of action have also proven useful in improving the in vitro refolding yields of chemically denatured polypeptides. This review examines the usefulness and limitations of molecular chaperones and folding catalysts in both in vivo and in vitro folding processes.     

Selective Transport of Lead(II) and Strontium(II) Through a Crown Ether-Based Polymer Inclusion Membrane Containing Dialkylnaphthalenesulfonic Acid

New polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) containing 18-membered crownethers and dialkylnaphthalenesulfonic acid are proposed for Sr2+ and Pb2+removal from nitric acid solutions. The influence of source phasecomposition and stripping agents was characterized and permeabilitycoefficients were calculated. The PIMs are easy to prepare and may be usefulin separation and concentration procedures for these cations from complexmixtures such as nuclear waste. Long-term stability was obtained for atleast several weeks of constant use during which no significant change ofpermeability was observed.     

Studies on Molecular Recongnition of (a)-Cyclodextrin with Diphenyl compounds

The cyclodextrins(CDs) are a class of cyclic oligosaccharides made up of six(a), seven(a)or more [a-(1,4)-linked] D-glucopyranose units, and shaped like truncated cones with primary and secondary hydroxyl groups crowning the narrower rim and wider rim respectively. As they have a hydrophobic cavity of appropriate dimension, they can bind with various guest moleculars, such as hydrocarbon, cyclohexane, aromatic compounds, to form inclusion complexes. The cyclodextins inclusion complexation has been considered an ideal model mimicking the enzyme-substrate interaction and a lot of effect has been devoted to it. In this paper, we report our investigation on the inclusion complexation behavior of a-cyclodextrin(a-CD) with diphenyl compounds in order to further explore the molecular recongnition mechanism of 2:1 inclusion complexation of a-CD with aromatic compounds.Figure 1: Possible structures of the inclusion compounds.The inclusion complexation behavior of a-CD with sym-diphenyl-urea, sym-diphenyl-thiourea and diphenyl kotone as respective guest moleclars was studied by ultraviolet spectrometric titrations.The absorption spectral changes observed for the compounds in the absence and presence of a-CD are used to draw the corresponding Benesi-Hildebrand plots and caculate the complex stability constant value (Ks) for the inclusion compounds.The 2:1 inclusion complexations show higher binding constants by cooperative binding of one guest molecular in the closely two hydrophobic cyclodextrin cavites as compared with 1:1 inclusion complexations.The highest value observed for sym-diphenyl-urea could be due to the formation of a hydrogen bond between the carbonyl group and the hydrogen in the hydroxyl group of CD and this is not possible with sym-tiphenyl-thiourea. The lowest value observed for diphenyl kotone indicate the hydrophobic interaction is one of the binding force of cyclodextrin inclusion complex.     

1H-NMR Investigation of the Binding of 2-Methylnaphthalene to α-Cyclodextrin in D2O Solutions

As -cyclodextrin (-CD) was added to D₂Osolutions of 2-methylnaphthalene, its proton signals shifted to lower fieldsat low concentrations of -CD. At 2.0 × 10^-2 moldm^-3 of -CD, however, a reverse, higher-field shift wasobserved for the H-8 signal, indicating the formation of 1 : 1 and 2 : 1-CD–2-methylnaphthalene inclusion complexes. Intrinsic chemicalshift differences of all the protons in 2-methylnaphthalene have beenevaluated for both the 1 : 1 and the 2 : 1-CD–2-methylnaphthalene inclusion complexes. These intrinsicchemical shift differences suggest that the first -CD molecule has noselectivity in accommodating one end of uncomplexed 2-methylnaphthalene;-CD binds to a methyl group, as well as a naphthalene ring-end havingno methyl group, to form the 1 : 1 inclusion complex, resulting in theformation of two kinds of 1 : 1 complexes.     

Atom-surface elastic scattering in the presence of laser radiation

A qualitative discussion on atom-surface elastic scattering taking place in the presence of laser radiation is given. It is suggested that appreciable effects of laser radiation on diffraction patterns may be expected if the laser radiation is capable of inducing electronic transitions in atoms with a large probability.Research sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFSC), United States Air Force, under Contract No. F49620-78-C-0005, and the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CHE77-27826. The United States Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation hereon.Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, 1976–1980; Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, 1975–1980.     

Elastic moduli and structure of low density polyethylene

Summary Low density polyethylene film is drawn at room temperature four times the original length and subjected to thermal annealing at 60, 80, and 100 °C keeping the film length constant. Long spacing measured by SAXS increased with increasing temperature of annealing; the increase of the long spacing is presumed to be due to the decrease of the number of micelles through relaxation during the annealing. Simultaneous measurement of the changes of the long spacing and the film length by stretching is carried out and stress-extension curves are obtained. The values of the initial moduli of the long spacingE ₁ and the film lengthY are very near to each other. Elastic modulus of the crystal latticeE _c is known to be 235 GN/m² and that of the amorphous regionE _a is found to be 0.15 GN/m². When higher stress is applied than in the case of the initial modulus, the percentage of extension of film is much greater than that of the long spacing. The discrepancy is explained by the increase of the number of micelles through stress crystallization.Dedicated to Professor Dr. K. Ueberreiter on the occasion of his 70th birthday.     

Synthesis of polyrotaxanes based on α-cyclodextrin and poly(ethylene oxide)

Inclusion complexes of poly(ethylene oxide) with α-cyclodextrin are the key compounds in the synthesis of polyrotaxanes. These complexes prepared in aqueous solutions contain free cyclodextrin, which cocrystallizes with the major reaction product. These complexes dissociate upon dissolution in DMF and DMSO to form cyclodextrin and pseudopolyrotaxanes with a low cyclodextrin content. Polyrotaxane was synthesized with the use of poly(ethylene oxide)-α,ω-bis-amine as a linear component. The end-groups of the polymer in the inclusion complex were modified by the reaction with 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene. A procedure was developed for purification of a polyrotaxane with high cyclodextrin content. __________ Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1914–1918, August, 2005.     

Phase separation of Lal3 inside single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Simple binary solids can be found to adopt unprecedented structures when confined into nanometre-sized cavities, such as the inner cylindrical bore of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT). In the case of the discussed Lal(x)@SWNT encapsulation composite, the Lal2 "crystal" fragment adopts the structure of bulk Lal3, with one third of the iodine positions unoccupied. A complete characterisation of the encapsulation composite was achieved using an enhanced digital restoration approach of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images. The resulting complex exit surface wave provides information about the precise structural data of both filling material and host SWNT, establishing the SWNT's chirality and thus enabling a prediction of the composite's overall electron-transport properties.