Advances towards using finger/toenail dosimetry to triage a large population after potential exposure to ionizing radiation

Rapid and accurate retrospective dosimetry is of critical importance and strategic value for the emergency medical response to a large-scale radiological/nuclear event. One technique that has the potential for rapid and accurate dosimetry measurements is electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of relatively stable radiation-induced signals (RIS) in fingernails and toenails. Two approaches are being developed for EPR nail dosimetry. In the approach using ex vivo measurements on nail clippings, accurate estimation of the dose-dependent amplitude of the RIS is complicated by the presence of mechanically-induced signals (MIS) that are generated during the nail clipping. Recent developments in ex vivo nail dosimetry, including a thorough characterization of the MIS and an appreciation of the role of hydration and the development of effective analytic techniques, have led to improvements in the accuracy and precision of this approach. An in vivo nail dosimetry approach is also very promising, as it eliminates the problems of MIS from the clipping and it has the potential to be an effective and efficient approach for field deployment. Two types of EPR resonators are being developed for in vivo measurements of fingernails and toenails.     

Relationship between electrochemical potentials and substitution reaction rates of ferrocene-containing β-diketonato rhodium(I) complexes; cytotoxicity of [Rh(FcCOCHCOPh)(cod)

A series of ferrocene-containing rhodium complexes of the type [Rh(FcCOCHCOR)(cod)] (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) with R = CF(3), 1, (E(pa)(Rh) = 269; E(o)'(Fc) = 329 mV vs. Fc/Fc(+)), CCl(3), 2, (E(pa) = 256; E(o)' = 312 mV), CH(3), 3, (E(pa) = 177; E(o)' = 232 mV), Ph = C(6)H(5), 4, (E(pa) = 184; E(o)' = 237 mV), and Fc = ferrocenyl = (C(5)H(5))Fe(C(5)H(4)), 5, (E(pa) = 135; E(o)'(Fc1) = 203; E(o)'(Fc2) = 312 mV), have been studied electrochemically in CH(3)CN. Results indicated that the rhodium(I) centre is irreversibly oxidised to Rh(III) in a two-electron transfer process before the ferrocenyl fragment is reversibly oxidized in a one-electron transfer process. The peak anodic (oxidation) potential, E(pa), (in V vs. Fc/Fc(+)) of the rhodium core in 1-5 relates to k(2), the second-order rate constant for the substitution of (FcCOCHCOR)(-) with 1,10-phenanthroline in [Rh(FcCOCHCOR)(cod)] to form [Rh(phen)(cod)](+) in methanol at 25 °C with the equation lnk(2) = 39.5 E(pa)(Rh) - 3.69, while the formal oxidation potential of the ferrocenyl groups in 1-5 relates to k(2) by lnk(2) = 40.8 E(o)'(Fc)-6.34. Complex 4 (IC(50) = 28.2 μmol dm(-3)) was twice as cytotoxic as the free FcCOCH(2)COPh ligand having IC(50) = 54.2 μmol dm(-3), but approximately one order of magnitude less toxic to human HeLa neoplastic cells than cisplatin (IC(50) = 2.3 μmol dm(-3)).     

First example of a di-cadmium tris-phthalocyanine triple-decker sandwich complex

An unprecedented M(II)2Pc3 (M = Cd) triple-decker sandwich complex has been synthesized and characterised by single crystal X-ray crystallography; cyclic voltammetry shows an unusually large range of redox states and EPR spectroscopy indicates that the material exists in at least two redox states, one having spin (1/2).     

Bioorthogonal Chemical Reporters for Selective In Situ Probing of Mycomembrane Components in Mycobacteria

The global pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other species in the suborder Corynebacterineae possess a distinctive outer membrane called the mycomembrane (MM). The MM is composed of mycolic acids, which are either covalently linked to an underlying arabinogalactan layer or incorporated into trehalose glycolipids that associate with the MM non‐covalently. These structures are generated through a process called mycolylation, which is central to mycobacterial physiology and pathogenesis and is an important target for tuberculosis drug development. Current approaches to investigating mycolylation rely on arduous analytical methods that occur outside the context of a whole cell. Herein, we describe mycobacteria‐specific chemical reporters that can selectively probe either covalent arabinogalactan mycolates or non‐covalent trehalose mycolates in live mycobacteria. These probes, in conjunction with bioorthogonal chemistry, enable selective in situ detection of the major MM components.     

Syntheses,electrochemistry and cytotoxicity of ferrocene-containing polyaspartamides as water-soluble polymeric drug carrier/drug conjugates

A general strategy towards the syntheses of water-soluble polymeric drug carriers and their drug conjugates is described. Methods of drug uptake by cells, drug release from the polymeric carrier and the relevance of electrochemistry to drug activity of the ferrocenyl group are highlighted. The advantages of these polymeric systems are demonstrated utilising cytotoxicity results of a polyaspartamide-ferrocenyl conjugate.     

Total synthesis of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor of the human lymphocyte CD52 antigen

The first total synthesis of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor bearing a polyunsaturated arachidonoyl fatty acid is reported. This lipid is found in mammalian GPIs that do not undergo lipid remodeling, a process that has important implications in the localization and function of GPI-anchored proteins. Incorporation of the oxidation- and reduction-sensitive arachidonoyl lipid in the target GPI was accomplished by using the para-methoxybenzyl (PMB) group for permanent hydroxyl group protection, which featured a selective, rapid, and efficient global deprotection protocol. The flexibility of this synthetic strategy was further highlighted by the inclusion of two additional GPI core structural modifications present in the GPI anchor of the human lymphocyte CD52 antigen.     

Eine Reagensflasche

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Kinetics of ferrocenoylacetonato substitution from (1,5-cyclooctadiene)(ferrocenoylacetonato)rhodium(I) with 2,2′-dipyridyl and derivatives of 1,10-phenanthroline

Treatment of MeOH solutions of [Rh(cod)(fca)] (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene, fca = ferrocenoylacetonato) with seven derivatives of 1,10-phenanthroline (N,N), as well as with the (N,N) ligand 2,2-dipyridyl, gave [Rh(cod)(N,N)]⁺. The kinetics of these reactions follow the rate law: Rate = k[Rh(cod)(fca)[N,N] The temperature dependence of all the studied substitutions resulted in activation entropies, S , more negative than –100 J K^–1 mol^–1 which is indicative of associative mechanisms. The pK _a's of the incoming phenanthroline derivatives were between 3.03 and 6.31 but did not influence the reaction rate to any significant extent. This implies that the rate determining step during the substitution involves Rh—O bond breaking and not Rh—N bond formation. Substitution of fca with 2,2-dipyridyl was slightly faster (k = 118 dm³ mol^–1 s^–1) than with the 1,10-phenanthroline derivatives (k _average = 14.2 dm³ mol^–1 s^–1) and may be attributed to the free rotation capability of the two pyridyl rings about the 1-1 carbon–carbon axis in 2,2-dipyridyl. 1,10-Phenanthroline cannot rotate about the corresponding carbon axis.