Accelerated decomposition of the fungicide, iprodione, on TiO2 surface under solar irradiation: experimental study and DFT mechanisms.

In the present work we have studied photo-induced decomposition of iprodione on silica support with different additions of titanium dioxide. Both the experimental and theoretical (DFT) approaches have been applied. It was found that 16 hours visible light exposure of the samples with 0.1% and 1.0% of TiO2 leads respectively to 48.28% and 21.05% of residual amounts of iprodione in these samples. A number of intermediates and end products were identified by means of GS-MS and LC-MS chromatography. The iprodione isomer (RP 30228) and its decay product 1-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-5-isopropyl biuret (RP 36221) were identified among them. Our DFT calculations have revealed the detailed mechanisms of formation of the above products and the mechanism of accelerated proton-induced decomposition of iprodione molecules adsorbed on the TiO2 surface. Also, the intra-molecular reasons for iprodione stability in acidic media were clarified together with the mechanism of hydantoin cycle opening under the action of hydroxyl anions.

Proton-induced accelerated decay of the fungicide, vinclozolin, on TiO2 surface under solar irradiation: Experimental and DFT study.

The photochemical degradation of vinclozolin by addition of titanium dioxide on silica support has been examined both experimental and quantum-chemically. Solar irradiation of vinclozolin on silica with and without addition of titanium dioxide for 6 h resulted in 21% and 97.8% vinclozolin residues, respectively. In both these cases, phototransformation leads to the formation of (3,5-dichlorophenyl isocyanate) and (3,5-dichloroaniline). The presence of the intermediary product resulted from opening of the 2,4-oxazolidine-dione ring is also confirmed by GS-MS and LC-MS chromatography. The proton-induced mechanism of vinclozolin decay at the above experimental conditions is clarified on the base of DFT calculations.

Cell-Free miRNA-141 and miRNA-205 as Prostate Cancer Biomarkers.

Expression levels of five miRNAs (miR-19b, miR-21, miR-126, miR-141, miR-205) were measured in the plasma of healthy donors and prostate cancer patients. It was shown that miR-141 expression level efficiently discriminates early stage prostate cancer patients and correlates with the Gleason score.

Development of Oncolytic Vectors Based on Human Adenovirus Type 6 for Cancer Treatment.

Human Adenovirus type 6 (HAdV-C6) is a promising candidate for the development of oncolytic vectors as it has low seroprevalence and the intrinsic ability to evade tissue macrophages. However, its further development as a therapeutic agent is hampered by the lack of convenient cloning methods. We have developed a novel technology when a shuttle plasmid carrying the distal genome parts with modified E1A and E3 regions is recombined in vitro with the truncated HAdV-C6 genome. Using this approach, we have constructed a novel Ad6-hT-GM vector controlled by the hTERT promoter and expressing granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) instead of 6.7K and gp19K E3 proteins. We have demonstrated that control by the hTERT promoter may result in delayed viral replication, which nevertheless does not significantly change the cytotoxic ability of recombinant viruses. The insertion of the transgene by displacing the E3-6.7K/gp19K region does not drastically change the expression patterns of E3 genes; however, mild changes in expression from major late promoter were observed. Finally, we have demonstrated that the treatment of human breast cancer xenografts in murine models with Ad6-hT-GM significantly decreased the tumor volume and improved survival time compared to mock-treated mice.

Adenovirus Type 6: Subtle Structural Distinctions from Adenovirus Type 5 Result in Essential Differences in Properties and Perspectives for Gene Therapy.

Adenovirus vectors are the most frequently used agents for gene therapy, including oncolytic therapy and vaccine development. It's hard to overestimate the value of adenoviruses during the COVID-19 pandemic as to date four out of four approved viral vector-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are developed on adenovirus platform. The vast majority of adenoviral vectors are based on the most studied human adenovirus type 5 (HAdV-C5), however, its immunogenicity often hampers the clinical translation of HAdV-C5 vectors. The search of less seroprevalent adenovirus types led to another species C adenovirus, Adenovirus type 6 (HAdV-C6). HAdV-C6 possesses high oncolytic efficacy against multiple cancer types and remarkable ability to induce the immune response towards carrying antigens. Being genetically very close to HAdV-C5, HAdV-C6 differs from HAdV-C5 in structure of the most abundant capsid protein, hexon. This leads to the ability of HAdV-C6 to evade the uptake by Kupffer cells as well as to distinct opsonization by immunoglobulins and other blood proteins, influencing the overall biodistribution of HAdV-C6 after systemic administration. This review describes the structural features of HAdV-C6, its interaction with liver cells and blood factors, summarizes the previous experiences using HAdV-C6, and provides the rationale behind the use of HAdV-C6 for vaccine and anticancer drugs developments.

Oncolytic Effect of Adenoviruses Serotypes 5 and 6 Against U87 Glioblastoma Cancer Stem Cells.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Oncolytic adenoviruses are promising therapeutic agents against both the bulk of tumor cells and cancer stem cells. The present study intended to test the oncolytic capability of adenovirus serotype 6 (Ad6), which has a lower seroprevalence and hepatotoxicity relatively to adenovirus 5 (Ad5), against the glioblastoma and its cancer stem cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Oncolytic efficacy of Ad6 was compared to widespread Ad5 both in vitro and in vivo, using the U87 and U251 human glioblastoma cell lines and subcutaneously transplanted U87 cells in SCID mice, respectively. RESULTS: Ad6 had a dose-dependent cytotoxicity toward glioblastoma cells in vitro and its intratumoral injections lead to a significant (p<0.05) decrease in volume of U87 xenografts, similarly to Ad5. Based on the innate capability of glioblastoma cancer stem cells to internalize a fluorescent-labeled double-stranded DNA probe, the spatial localization of these cells was estimated and it was shown that the number of cancer stem cells tended to decrease under adenovirus therapy as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Ad6 was shown to be a promising agent for treating glioblastomas.

Surface photochemistry of pesticides containing 4-chlorophenoxyl chromophore.

The surface photochemistry of pesticides containing 4-chlorophenoxyl chromophore was accessed on the model surfaces cellulose and silica, using diffuse reflectance and chromatographic techniques. 4-Chloroanisole was chosen as the model compound and its phototransformation was followed under lamp (254 nm) and sunlight irradiation. The photodegradation rates are faster on cellulose than on silica. The main photodegradation products on cellulose are anisole and dimerization compounds while on silica the formation of 4-hydroxyanisole and dimerization are the main reaction pathways. Transient absorption studies showed the formation of the 4-methoxyphenylperoxyl radical only on cellulose and in the presence of oxygen. The homolytic cleavage of the C-Cl bond, and consequent formation of a triplet radical pair, is the main primary reaction step on both surfaces. The radical pair then diffuses apart or undergoes electron transfer to form phenyl radicals and phenyl cations, respectively. These two reaction intermediates account for reduction, addition, and formation of bonded residues, the main reactions observed on the studied surfaces and also expected to prevail under natural conditions.