Comparison of micro- and mesoporous inorganic materials in the uptake and release of the drug model fluorescein and its analogues

The uptake of the three species of the drug model fluorescein (fluorescein sodium salt (FNa), fluorescein free acid (F), and fluorescein diacetate (FDA)) by zeolite NaX and the mesoporous zeotype MCM-41 was investigated as well as their release rates into solutions at pH 7 and pH 4.5. UV/Vis analysis was carried out at a wavelength of 490 nm. Uptakes of the sodium salt of 9 % for zeolite X and 14 % for MCM suggest little penetration of the pores. The use of ethanol as the loading solvent for F resulted in little uptake for both zeolitic materials due to the successful competition of the ethanol for binding sites. Use of acetone (weaker proton acceptor) as loading solvent significantly improved the uptake of F to 17 % and 12 % for zeolite X and MCM, respectively, whilst the uptake of FDA in acetone increased still further to 22 % and 17 % for zeolite X and MCM, respectively. Generally there was a large initial release of the fluorescein analogues from the surface of the zeolites with very little further increase over time. The prescence of an esterase enzyme in the release medium of FDA tripled the release from MCM to 15 % but left the release from zeolite X unaffected at 6 %. The results obtained show that uptake of fluorescein and its analogues is dependent on the loading solvent used, the amount released is influenced by not only the solvent but the pH and the presence of enzymes in the release medium.     

Lattice models of peptide aggregation: evaluation of conformational search algorithms

We present a series of conformational search calculations on the aggregation of short peptide fragments that form fibrils similar to those seen in many protein mis-folding diseases. The proteins were represented by a face-centered cubic lattice model with the conformational energies calculated using the Miyazawa-Jernigan potential. The searches were performed using algorithms based on the Metropolis Monte Carlo method, including simulated annealing and replica exchange. We also present the results of searches using the tabu search method, an algorithm that has been used for many optimization problems, but has rarely been used in protein conformational searches. The replica exchange algorithm consistently found more stable structures then the other algorithms, and was particularly effective for the octamers and larger systems.     

Binding site optimisation for artificial enzymes by diffusion NMR of small molecules

A binding site optimisation protocol for the design of artificial enzymes based on "small molecule-small molecule" binding studies by diffusion NMR is presented. Since the reaction chosen was the hydrolysis of ester 1 ([4-(4-carboxy-1-oxobutyl)-aminobenzyl]-phenethyl ester), an analogous phosphonate ester 2 ([4-(4-carboxy-1-oxobutyl)-aminobenzyl]-phosphonic phenethyl ester) was selected as a suitable transition state analogue (TSA). The key objective of the NMR studies was to find a unit with functional groups capable of binding to the acidic sites of the TSA. Nine dipeptides, mainly with basic and hydroxyl groups, were used and their affinity to the TSA was studied by measuring the change in the diffusion coefficient, D(pep), upon binding by pulse field gradient NMR. The value of D(pep) at 298 K in D(2)O at pD 5, 7 and 10 was measured both in free solution, and mixtures containing one dipeptide and the TSA. As both components are low molecular weight species with M < 500, a TSA-to-dipeptide ratio of 10:1 was used to detect significant changes in D(pep). The results revealed that dipeptides with basic residues show higher affinity to the TSA than those with hydroxyl or aliphatic side chains in aqueous solutions. The dipeptide showing the most significant relative change in D(pep) was H-Arg-Arg-OH, and the binding constant was estimated to be 86 L M(-1) by measuring D(pep) at varying concentrations of the TSA. In addition, binding of the TSA to a new water-soluble polymer with a polyallylamine backbone and randomly distributed Arg-Arg binding sites was examined, and the binding constant was estimated to be > or =1500 L M(-1). As confirmed by further catalytic activity tests, polymers containing Arg-Arg as a binding site are capable of significant rate accelerations in the hydrolysis of ester 1.     

An Analytical Study of Molecular Transport in a Zeolite Crystallite Bed

Analytical solutions of the diffusion equations to obtain the diffusant concentrations in the macro- and micropores which constitute the pore system of a zeolite bed are presented. The parameter which determines the influence of each pore type on the evolution of the adsorbate/adsorbant system towards the equilibrium state is described. Examples are given to illustrate a qualitative and quantitative study based on the curves obtained from these equations.     

The approximation of electron densities

This paper discusses the approximate representation of the electron density produced by an ab initio calculation. A linear combination of Gaussians is fitted to the density by minimizing a functional which is the consequent error in field-energy. The practical implementation of the procedure, following a Gaussian 80 calculation, is described and some of the complications are analysed.     

Squig sheets and some other squig fractal constructions

Squig intervals are a class of hierarchically constructed fractals introduced by the author. They can be visualized as the final outcome upon a straight interval of a suitable cascade of local perturbative eddies ruled by two processes called decimation and separation. Their theory is summarized and their scope is extended in several new directions, especially by introducing new forms of separation. Squig intervals are generalized in two dimensions, with fractal dimensions ranging from 1.2886 to 1.589. Squig sheets are constructed in three dimensional space with fractal dimensions ranging from 8/3 up. They should prove useful in modeling the fractal surfaces associated with turbulence and related phenomena. Squig intervals are constructed in three dimensions. Nonsymmetric eddies and the resulting squigs are tackled. Squig trees and intervals are drawn on unconventional lattices, either in the plane or in a prescribed fractal surface. Peyriére'sM systems are mentioned: their study includes the proof that the informal renormalization argument (involving a transfer matrix) is exact for squigs.Presented at theThird Conference on Fractals: Fractals in the Physical Sciences, held at the National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland, on November 20–23, 1983.The reader's attention should be drawn to the fact that the second and later printings of this book include an update chapter and additional references. Though it should not have been necessary, it may be useful also to mention here that most of the material in this book that concerns physics, e.g., polymers and percolation clusters, wasnot found in either of my two earlier Essays on fractals,Les objects fractals: forme, hasard et dimension (Flammarion,     

Fractals in physics: Squig clusters,diffusions, fractal measures,and the unicity of fractal dimensionality

The three topics discussed in this paper are largely independent. Part 1: Fractal squig clusters are introduced, and it is shown that their properties can match to a remarkable extent those of percolation clusters at criticality. Physics on these new geometric shapes should prove tractable. As background, the author's theories of squig intervals and squig trees are reviewed, and restated in more versatile form. Part 2: The notion of latent fractal dimensionality is introduced and motivated by the desire to simplify the algebra of dimensionality. Scaling noises are touched upon. A common formalism is presented for three forms of anomalous diffusion: the ant in the fractal labyrinth, fractional Brownian motion, and Lévy stable motion. The fractal dimensionalities common to diverse shapes generated by diffusion are given, in Table I, as functions of the latent dimensionalities of the support of the motion and of the diffusion itself. Part 3: It is argued that every fractal point set has a unique fractal dimensionality, but it is pointed out that many fractals involve diverse combinations of many fractal point sets. Such is, in particular, the case for fractal measures and for fractal graphs, often called hierarchical lattices. The fractal measures that the author had introduced in the early 1970s are described, including new developments.     

Predictive models to describe VLE in ternary mixtures water + ethanol + congener for wine distillation

The modeling of liquid–vapor equilibrium in ternary mixtures that include substances found in alcoholic distillation processes of wine and musts is analyzed. In particular, vapor–liquid equilibrium in ternary mixtures containing water + ethanol + cogener has been modeled using parameters obtained from binary mixture data only. The congeners are substances that although present in very low concentrations, of the order of part per million, 10⁻⁶ to 10⁻⁴ mg/L, are important enological parameters [1] and [2]. In this work two predictive models, the PSRK equation of state and the UNIFAC liquid phase model and two semipredictive activity coefficient models: NRTL and UNIQUAC have been used. The results given by these different models have been compared with literature data and conclusions about the accuracy of the models studied are drawn, recommending the best models for correlating and predicting the phase equilibrium in this type of mixtures.     

A new enzyme model for enantioselective esterases based on molecularly imprinted polymers

An efficient enzyme model exhibiting enantioselective esterase activity was prepared by using molecular imprinting techniques. The enantiomerically pure phosphonic monoesters 4 L and 5 L were synthesized as stable transition-state analogues. They were used as templates connected by stoichiometric noncovalent interactions to two equivalents of the amidinium binding site monomer 1. After polymerization and removal of the template, the polymers were efficient catalysts for the hydrolysis of certain nonactivated amino acid phenylesters (2 L, 2 D, 3 L, 3 D) depending on the template used. Imprinted catalyst IP4 (imprinted with 4 L) enhanced the hydrolysis of the corresponding substrate 2 L by a factor of 325 relative to that of a buffered solution. Relative to a control polymer containing the same functionalities, prepared without template 4 L, the enhancement was still about 80-fold, showing the highest imprinting effect up to now. In cross-selectivity experiments a strong substrate selectivity of higher than three was found despite small differences in the structure of the substrate and template. Plots of initial velocities of the hydrolysis versus substrate concentration showed typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics with saturation behavior. From these curves, the Michaelis constant K(M) and the catalytic constant k(cat) can be calculated. The enantioselectivity shown in these values is most interesting. The ratio of the catalytic efficiency k(cat)/K(M), between the hydrolysis of 2 L- and 2 D-substrate with IP4, is 1.65. This enantioselectivity derives from both selective binding of the substrate (K(M)L/K(M)D=0.82), and from selective formation of the transition state (k(cat)L/k(cat)D=1.36). Thus, these catalysts give good catalysis as well as high imprinting and substrate selectivity. Strong competitive inhibition is caused by the template used in imprinting. This behavior is also quite similar to the behavior of natural enzymes, for which these catalysts are good models.     

Biomimetic Asymmetric Reduction of Quinazolinones with Chiral and Regenerable NAD(P)H Models

A facile approach to chiral dihydroquinazolinone derivatives has been described via biomimetic asymmetric reduction of quinazolinones with chiral and regenerable NAD(P)H models. The utility of this method was demonstrated by a concise synthesis of the bromodomain protein divalent inhibitor.