Fine-tuning water exchange on Gd(III) poly(amino carboxylates) by modulation of steric crowding

In the objective of optimizing water exchange rate on stable, nine-coordinate, monohydrated Gd(III) poly(amino carboxylate) complexes, we have prepared monopropionate derivatives of DOTA4- (DO3A-Nprop4-) and DTPA5- (DTTA-Nprop5-). A novel ligand, EPTPA-BAA(3-), the bisamylamide derivative of ethylenepropylenetriamine-pentaacetate (EPTPA5-) was also synthesized. A variable temperature 17O NMR study has been performed on their Gd(III) complexes, which, for [Gd(DTTA-Nprop)(H2O)]2- and [Gd(EPTPA-BAA)(H2O)] has been combined with multiple field EPR and NMRD measurements. The water exchange rates, k(ex)(298), are 8.0 x 10(7) s(-1), 6.1 x 10(7) s(-1) and 5.7 x 10(7) s(-1) for [Gd(DTTA-Nprop)(H2O)]2-, [Gd(DO3A-Nprop)(H2O)]- and [Gd(EPTPA-BAA)(H2O)], respectively, all in the narrow optimal range to attain maximum proton relaxivities, provided the other parameters (electronic relaxation and rotation) are also optimized. The substitution of an acetate with a propionate arm in DTPA5- or DOTA4- induces increased steric compression around the water binding site and thus leads to an accelerated water exchange on the Gd(III) complex. The k(ex) values on the propionate complexes are, however, lower than those obtained for [Gd(EPTPA)(H2O)]2- and [Gd(TRITA)(H2O)]- which contain one additional CH(2) unit in the amine backbone as compared to the parent [Gd(DTPA)(H2O)]2- and [Gd(DOTA)(H2O)]-. In addition to their optimal water exchange rate, [Gd(DTTA-Nprop)(H2O)]2- has, and [Gd(DO3A-Nprop)(H2O)]- is expected to have sufficient thermodynamic stability. These properties together make them prime candidates for the development of high relaxivity, macromolecular MRI contrast agents.     

Crystal Structure of a New Ammonium Potassium Selenomolybdate Compound K3.31(NH4)0.69[Se2Mo5O21]·2H2O

An inorganic compound formulated as K_3.31(NH₄)_0.69[Se₂Mo₅O₂₁]·2H₂O has been synthesized by conventional solution method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, IR, UV-Vis spectroscopies behaviors. The structure of the title compound has been determined from a single-crystal X-ray diffraction. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/n, with a?=?9.9371(2) ?, b?=?23.3545(2) ?, c?=?10.5179(2) ?, β?=?114.12(3)°, V?=?2227.7(5) ?³ and Z?=?4. It was revealed that the Strandberg-type polyoxoselenomolybdate cluster can be considered as a ring formed by five distorted edge- and corner-sharing MoO₆ octahedra, capped on both poles by a selenate pyramids sharing three vertices with the ring molybdenum centers. The Strandberg clusters are connected with ammonium ions and water molecules through hydrogen-bonding interactions which ensure the cohesion of the structure into a three-dimensional network.     

Distinguishing between Decaffeinated and Regular Coffee by HS-SPME-GC×GC-TOFMS,Chemometrics, and Machine Learning

Coffee, one of the most popular beverages in the world, attracts consumers by its rich aroma and the stimulating effect of caffeine. Increasing consumers prefer decaffeinated coffee to regular coffee due to health concerns. There are some main decaffeination methods commonly used by commercial coffee producers for decades. However, a certain amount of the aroma precursors can be removed together with caffeine, which could cause a thin taste of decaffeinated coffee. To understand the difference between regular and decaffeinated coffee from the volatile composition point of view, headspace solid-phase microextraction two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC×GC-TOFMS) was employed to examine the headspace volatiles of eight pairs of regular and decaffeinated coffees in this study. Using the key aroma-related volatiles, decaffeinated coffee was significantly separated from regular coffee by principal component analysis (PCA). Using feature-selection tools (univariate analysis: t-test and multivariate analysis: partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA)), a group of pyrazines was observed to be significantly different between regular coffee and decaffeinated coffee. Pyrazines were more enriched in the regular coffee, which was due to the reduction of sucrose during the decaffeination process. The reduction of pyrazines led to a lack of nutty, roasted, chocolate, earthy, and musty aroma in the decaffeinated coffee. For the non-targeted analysis, the random forest (RF) classification algorithm was used to select the most important features that could enable a distinct classification between the two coffee types. In total, 20 discriminatory features were identified. The results suggested that pyrazine-derived compounds were a strong marker for the regular coffee group whereas furan-derived compounds were a strong marker for the decaffeinated coffee samples.     

The Influence of Ripeness on the Phenolic Content,Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Pumpkins (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne)

Cucurbita moschata Duchesne (Cucurbitaceae) is a plant food highly appreciated for the content of nutrients and bioactive compounds, including polyphenols and carotenoids, which contribute to its antioxidant and antimicrobial capacities. The purpose of this study was to identify phenolic acids and flavonoids of Cucurbita moschata Duchesne using high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–DAD–ESI-MS) at different ripening stages (young, mature, ripened) and determine its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. According to the results, phenolic acids and flavonoids were dependent on the maturity stage. The mature fruits contain the highest total phenolic and flavonoids contents (97.4 mg GAE. 100 g⁻¹ and 28.6 mg QE. 100 g⁻¹).A total of 33 compounds were identified. Syringic acid was the most abundant compound (37%), followed by cinnamic acid (12%) and protocatechuic acid (11%). Polyphenol extract of the mature fruits showed the highest antioxidant activity when measured by DPPH (0.065 μmol TE/g) and ABTS (0.074 μmol TE/g) assays. In the antimicrobial assay, the second stage of ripening had the highest antibacterial activity. Staphylococcus aureus was the most sensitive strain with an inhibition zone of 12 mm and a MIC of 0.75 mg L⁻¹. The lowest inhibition zone was obtained with Salmonella typhimurium (5 mm), and the MIC value was 10 mg L⁻¹.     

Crystal structure and electrical properties study of 4-aminopyridinium chloridobismuthate (III) (C5N2H7)4.HBi2Cl11

The crystal structure of (C₅N₂H₇)₄.HBi₂Cl₁₁ has been determined at room temperature by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic system with Pī space group. The crystal structure consists of two asymmetric inequivalent molecules of 4-aminopyridinium and anionic HBi₂Cl₁₁ chains. The HBi₂Cl₁₁ anionic chains stacked along the a-axis are formed with Bi₂Cl₁₁ dimers connected to each other via hydrogen atoms. The crystal packing is stabilized with N–H...Cl hydrogen bonds connecting aminopyridinium units to the HBi₂Cl₁₁ anionic chains. The title compound exhibits an order–disorder phase transition at 338 K. The AC electrical conductivity properties of (C₅N₂H₇)₄.HBi₂Cl₁₁ compound have been investigated by means of impedance spectroscopy measurements over wide ranges of frequencies and temperatures, 200 Hz to 5 MHz and 303 to 418 K, respectively. Detailed analysis of the impedance spectrum suggests that the electrical properties of the material are strongly temperature dependent. The frequency-dependent conductivity data were fitted in the Jonscher's law: $ \sigma \left( \omega \right) = \sigma (0) + A{\omega^n} $ . The nature of variation of DC conductivity suggests Arrhenius type of electrical conductivity.     

Synthesis,crystal structure,Hirshfeld surface analysis,and vibrational and DFT investigation of [C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>10</Subscript>(NH<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>]<Subscript>3</Subscript>CuBr<Subscript>4</Subscript>.3Br

Single crystal of a new organic–inorganic hybrid material [C₆H₁₀(NH₃)₂]₃CuBr₄.3Br was synthesized by the slow evaporation method at room temperature and characterized by X-ray diffraction, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, UV–Vis, dielectric measurements, and Hirschfield surface analysis. The title compound crystallizes in trigonal system \( P\overline{3} \).The crystal packing is governed by the N-H…Br and non-classical C-H…Br hydrogen-bonding interactions between the 1, 2-diamoniumcyclohexane cations, the tetrahedral [CuBr₄]^3? anions, and the isolated ion Br^?. Theoretical calculations were performed using density functional theory (DFT) for studying the molecular structure, vibrational spectra, and optical properties of the investigated molecule in the ground state. The optimized geometrical parameters obtained by DFT calculations are in good agreement with single crystal XRD data. The optical properties were investigated by optical absorption and show two bands at 260 and 305 nm.     

Nutritional requirements of a strain of bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and use of gruel hydrolysate for the formulation of a new medium for δ-endotoxin production

Nutritional requirements of a strain ofBacillus thuringiensis (Bt) subsp.kurstaki were elucidated for δ-endotoxin production. The effect of some principal nutrients was deeply investigated, showing several nutritional and metabolite limitations in Bt growth and δ-endotoxin synthesis. This led us to formulate a new medium based on the hydrolysate of gruel, a cheap and abundant byproduct of semolina factories, supporting growth and δ-endotoxin synthesis. After hydrolysis of gruel by α-amylase, followed by proteolysis using alcalase, the resultant soluble material substituted glucose very well for Bt δ-endotoxin production. Indeed, 15 g/L total sugars coming from that hydrolysate, supplemented by 5.4 g/L ammonium sulfate as nitrogen source and either 5 g/L yeast extract or 3 g/L peptone from casein or 3 g/L casaminoacids or 0.25 g/L cysteine or aspartic acid, were the principal components of this new medium in which almost 1 g/L of δ-endotoxin in 4.5 g/L total dry biomass was produced.     

Mechanistic insights into dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission – concerted interactions with helices 5 and 6 drive the functional outcome

Brain functions rely on neurotransmitters that mediate communication between billions of neurons. Disruption of this communication can result in a plethora of psychiatric and neurological disorders. In this work, we combine molecular dynamics simulations, live-cell biosensor and electrophysiological assays to investigate the action of the neurotransmitter dopamine at the dopaminergic D₂ receptor (D₂R). The study of dopamine and closely related chemical probes reveals how neurotransmitter binding translates into the activation of distinct subsets of D₂R effectors (i.e.: G_i2, G_oB, G_z and β-arrestin 2). Ligand interactions with key residues in TM5 (S5.42) and TM6 (H6.55) in the D₂R binding pocket yield a dopamine-like coupling signature, whereas exclusive TM5 interaction is typically linked to preferential G protein coupling (in particular G_oB) over β-arrestin. Further experiments for serotonin receptors indicate that the reported molecular mechanism is shared by other monoaminergic neurotransmitter receptors. Ultimately, our study highlights how sequence variation in position 6.55 is used by nature to fine-tune β-arrestin recruitment and in turn receptor signaling and internalization of neurotransmitter receptors.

Neurotransmitter contacts within the receptor binding site differentially contribute to the overall functional response: transmembrane helix (TM) 5 contacts promote G protein coupling whereas concerted TM5–TM6 contacts enhance β-arrestin recruitment.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tris</Emphasis>-(<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>–<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis> dimethyl benzylammonium)-hexachlorobismuthate(III)

Abstract  The salt tris-(N–N dimethyl benzylammonium)-hexachlorobismuthate(III) crystallizes in the triclinic system P1 with unit cell parameters: a = 9.0300(12), b = 9.9220(3), c = 19.575(2) ?, α = 79.955(5), β = 89.952(2), γ = 88.108(6)°, V = 1726.0(3) ?³, Z = 2. The examination of the structure shows an alternate stacking of inorganic layers of hexachlorobismuthate(III) anions and organic layers of [C₆H₅CH₂NH(CH₃)₂]⁺ cations parallel to the a-axis. The cohesion forces of the packing of N–N dimethyl benzylammonium units in the layer and between two adjacent layers are provided by hydrogen bonds (N–H⋯Cl) and van der Waals contacts. Index Abstract  The examination of the structure shows a layer arrangement parallel to the a-axis: planes of octahedral anions [BiCl₆]³⁻ alternate with planes of [C₆H₅CH₂NH(CH₃)₂]⁺ cations (Fig. 3). The cohesion forces of the packing of the N–N dimethyl benzylammonium units in the layer and between two adjacent layers are provided by hydrogen bonds (N–H⋯Cl) and van der Waals contacts. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.