Biosynthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrateco-3-hydroxy-4-methylvalerate) by Strain Azotobacter chroococcum 7B.

Production of novel polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications, and biomaterials based on them is a promising trend in modern bioengineering. We studied the ability of an effective strain-producer Azotobacter chroococcum 7B to synthesize not only poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) homopolymer (PHB) and its main copolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), but also a novel copolymer, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxy-4-methylvalerate) (PHB4MV). For the biosynthesis of PHB copolymers, we used carboxylic acids as additional carbon sources and monomer precursors in the chain of synthesized copolymers. The main parameters of these polymers' biosynthesis were determined: strain-producer biomass yield, polymer yield, molecular weight and monomer composition of the synthesized polymers, as well as the morphology of A. chroococcum 7B bacterial cells. The physico-chemical properties of the polymers were studied using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), contact angle test, and other methods. In vitro biocompatibility of the obtained polymers was investigated using stromal cells isolated from the bone marrow of rats with the XTT cell viability test. The synthesis of the novel copolymer PHB4MV and its chemical composition were demonstrated by NMR spectroscopy: the addition of 4-methylvaleric acid to the culture medium resulted in incorporation of 3-hydroxy-4-methylvalerate (3H4MV) monomers into the PHB polymer chain (0.6 mol%). Despite the low molar content of 3H4MV in the obtained copolymer, its physico-chemical properties were significantly different from those of the PHB homopolymer: it has lower crystallinity and a higher contact angle, i.e. the physico-chemical properties of the PHB4MV copolymer containing only 0.6 mol% of 3H4MV corresponded to a PHBV copolymer with a molar content ranging from 2.5% to 7.8%. In vitro biocompatibility of the obtained PHB4MV copolymer, measured in the XTT test, was not statistically different from the cell growth of PHB and PHBV polymers, which make its use possible in biomedical research and development.

[Acyclic nucleoside analogues. III. Synthesis of new 2',3'-dideoxy-2',3'-didehydronucleoside analogues]. / Atsiklicheskie analogi nukleozidov III. Sintez novykh atsiklicheskikh analogov 2'3'-didezoksi-2',3'-didegidronukleozidov.

The coupling of 5-acetoxy-1,1-dimethoxypent-2-ene with cytosine and thymine trimethylsilyl derivatives, as well as the reaction of 5-acetoxy-1-bromopent-2-ene with adenine sodium salt, yielded acyclic analogues of the corresponding nucleosides containing 5'-acetoxy groups. They were deprotected with a saturated methanolic solution of ammonia to the target analogues of nucleosides, which were characterized with 1H NMR, IR, and UV spectra. The English version of the paper: Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry, 2004, vol. 30, no. 6; see also http://www.maik.ru.

[Effect of water soluble non-membrane proteins on the phospholipid structure]. / Vliianie vodorastvorimykh nemembrannykh belkov na strukturnuiu organizatsiiu fosfolipidov.

The interaction of water-soluble nonmembraneous proteins (trypsin and the basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI)) with soybean phospholipids was studied using multilamellar vesicles. Multilamellar vesicles were obtained from soybean lipid extracts and mixtures of individual phospholipids based on phosphatidylcholine. These mixtures contain different phospholipids: "bilayer", "nonbilayer", and negatively charged. It was shown that the content of both proteins in the complex depends on pH and the presence of negatively charged components. On the basis of this finding, the conclusion about the electrostatic nature of lipid-protein interaction was made. The structural organization of soybean phospholipids in multilamellar vesicles was studied in the presence and absence of the proteins using broad-line 31P-NMR spectroscopy. It was found that, in mixtures of phospholipids of complex composition, different types of phases coexist, and phospholipids of different classes can compensate the effects of each other. Trypsin and BPTI affect the structure of phospholipids in a similar way, inducing considerable structural changes in multilamellar vesicles of preparations containing negatively charged components in whose structure there coexisted primordially the bilayer and isotropic phases.

[Proteins and saponins in the lipid preparation obtained by extraction of soybean flour]. / Belki i saponiny v lipidnom preparate, poluchennom pri ékstraktsii soevoi muki.

A complex lipid preparation was obtained by extraction of soybean flour with organic solvents. This preparation was shown to include not only phospholipids (major components), but also up to 30% saponins. These compounds were identified by TLC, HPLC, and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Minor components of the lipid extract were represented by polypeptides associated with phospholipids via electrostatic or hydrophobic forces.

[A convenient synthesis of retinal derivatives with a modified trimethylcyclohexene ring]. / Udobnyi sposob polucheniia proizvodnykh retinalia, modifitsirovannykh po trimetiltsiklogeksenovomy kol'tsu.

A method of simultaneous one-stage synthesis of three retinal derivatives (5,6-dioxo-5,6-seco-, 5,6-dihydro-5,6-epoxy-, and 4-oxoretinal) was proposed, with the yield of the first derivative being approximately 50%. These compounds are useful tools for studying the antitumor activity of retinoids, the reconstituted bacteriorhodopsin analogues with changed parameters of photocycle, and the reactivity of retinal derivatives in the processes of oxidation by molecular oxygen. The English version of the paper: Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry, 2002, vol. 28, no. 6; see also http://www.maik.ru.

[Synthesis of betulinic acid from betulin and study of its solubilization usingliposomes]. / Sintez betulinovoi kisloty iz betulina i issledovanie ee soliubilizatsii s pomoshch'iu liposom.

A method for betulinic acid synthesis from betulin was developed. Betulin was oxidized with chromium oxide (VI) into betulonic acid, which was reduced with sodium borohydride to yield a mixture of 3-hydroxy epimers containing 85% of the natural beta-epimer. Studying changes in light scattering by dispersions of liposomes with different contents of betulinic acid revealed that up to 10 mol % of this compound may be entrapped in liposomes. The dependence of the efficiency of the betulinic acid entrapment on liposome composition was studied. The presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone or Proxanol increased the resistance of betulinic acid-containing liposomes to aggregation. These polymers solubilized betulinic acid with the same efficiency as liposomes.

[Synthesis of phosphoceramide azidothymidine and phosphoceramide didehydrodeoxythymidine]. / Sintez tseramidfosfoazidotimidina i tseramidfosfodidegidrodezoksitimidina.

The synthesis of two novel lipophosphonucleoside potential antiviral agents, 2-stearoyl-rac-sphinganine-1-phosphoryl-5'-(3'-deoxy-3'-azido)thymidine and 2-stearoyl-rac-sphinganine-1-phosphoryl-5'-(2',3'-didehydro-2', 3'-dideoxy)thymidine, is reported. The phosphoester linkages between the primary hydroxyl group of rac-ceramide and the 5'-hydroxyl group of the corresponding 3'-deoxythymidine derivative were formed using either the H-phosphonate or the phosphite triester method. The H-phosphonate approach was shown to be the method of choice for the synthesis of ceramide phospho-3'-azidothymidine.