New Findings Regarding the Effects of Selected Blue Food Colorants (Genipin, Patent Blue V, and Brilliant Blue FCF) on the Hemostatic Properties of Blood Components In Vitro.

Natural and synthetic colorants present in food can modulate hemostasis, which includes the coagulation process and blood platelet activation. Some colorants have cardioprotective activity as well. However, the effect of genipin (a natural blue colorant) and synthetic blue colorants (including patent blue V and brilliant blue FCF) on hemostasis is not clear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of three blue colorants-genipin, patent blue V, and brilliant blue FCF-on selected parameters of hemostasis in vitro. The anti- or pro-coagulant potential was assessed in human plasma by measuring the following coagulation times: thrombin time (TT), prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). Moreover, we used the Total Thrombus formation Analysis System (T-TAS, PL-chip) to evaluate the anti-platelet potential of the colorants in whole blood. We also measured their effect on the adhesion of washed blood platelets to fibrinogen and collagen. Lastly, the cytotoxicity of the colorants against blood platelets was assessed based on the activity of extracellular lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). We observed that genipin (at all concentrations (1-200 µM)) did not have a significant effect on the coagulation times (PT, APTT, and TT). However, genipin at the highest concentration (200 µM) and patent blue V at the concentrations of 1 and 10 µM significantly prolonged the time of occlusion measured using the T-TAS, which demonstrated their anti-platelet activity. We also observed that genipin decreased the adhesion of platelets to fibrinogen and collagen. Only patent blue V and brilliant blue FCF significantly shortened the APTT (at the concentration of 10 µM) and TT (at concentrations of 1 and 10 µM), demonstrating pro-coagulant activity. These synthetic blue colorants also modulated the process of human blood platelet adhesion, stimulating the adhesion to fibrinogen and inhibiting the adhesion to collagen. The results demonstrate that genipin is not toxic. In addition, because of its ability to reduce blood platelet activation, genipin holds promise as a novel and valuable agent that improves the health of the cardiovascular system and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, the mechanism of its anti-platelet activity remains unclear and requires further studies. Its in vivo activity and interaction with various anti-coagulant and anti-thrombotic drugs, including aspirin and its derivatives, should be examined as well.

Increasing the Dye Payload of Cetuximab-IRDye800CW Enables Photodynamic Therapy.

Cetuximab (Cet)-IRDye800CW, among other antibody-IRDye800CW conjugates, is a potentially effective tool for delineating tumor margins during fluorescence image-guided surgery (IGS). However, residual disease often leads to recurrence. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) following IGS is proposed as an approach to eliminate residual disease but suffers from a lack of molecular specificity for cancer cells. Antibody-targeted PDT offers a potential solution for this specificity problem. In this study, we show, for the first time, that Cet-IRDye800CW is capable of antibody-targeted PDT in vitro when the payload of dye molecules is increased from 2 (clinical version) to 11 per antibody. Cet-IRDye800CW (1:11) produces singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radicals, and peroxynitrite upon activation with 810 nm light. In vitro assays on FaDu head and neck cancer cells confirm that Cet-IRDye800CW (1:11) maintains cancer cell binding specificity and is capable of inducing up to ∼90% phototoxicity in FaDu cancer cells. The phototoxicity of Cet-IRDye800CW conjugates using 810 nm light follows a dye payload-dependent trend. Cet-IRDye800CW (1:11) is also found to be more phototoxic to FaDu cancer cells and less toxic in the dark than the approved chromophore indocyanine green, which can also act as a PDT agent. We propose that antibody-targeted PDT using high-payload Cet-IRDye800CW (1:11) could hold potential for eliminating residual disease postoperatively when using sustained illumination devices, such as fiber optic patches and implantable surgical bed balloon applicators. This approach could also potentially be applicable to a wide variety of resectable cancers that are amenable to IGS-PDT, using their respective approved full-length antibodies as a template for high-payload IRDye800CW conjugation.

Eco-friendly engineering of micro composite-based hydroxyapatite bio crystal and polyaniline for high removal of OG dye from wastewater: Adsorption mechanism and RSM@BBD optimization.

The presence of harmful substances such as dyes in water systems poses a direct threat to the quality of people's lives and other organisms living in the ecosystem. Orange G (OG) is considered a hazardous dye. The existing paper attempts to evaluate a low-cost adsorbent for the effective removal of OG dye. The developed adsorbent Polyaniline@Hydroxyapatite extracted from Cilus Gilberti fish Scale (PANI@FHAP) was elaborated through the application of the in situ chemical polymerization method to incorporate PANI on the surface of naturally extracted hydroxyapatite FHAP. The good synthesis of PANI@FHAP was evaluated through multiple techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM/EDS), Fourier Transforms Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled with thermal differential analysis (DTA) analysis. The results reveal a highly ordered disposition of PANI chains on FHAP, resulting in a well-coated FHAP in the PANI matrix. Furthermore, the presence of functional groups on the surface of PANI such as amine (-NH2) and imine (=NH) groups would facilitate the removal of OG dye from contaminated water. The adsorption of OG onto PANI@FHAP was conducted in batch mode and optimized through response surface methodology coupled with box-Behnken design (RSM/BBD) to investigate the effect of time, adsorbent dose, and initial concentration. The outcomes proved that OG adsorption follows a quadratic model (R2 = 0.989). The kinetic study revealed that the adsorption of OG fits the pseudo-second-order model. On the other hand, the isotherm study declared that the Freundlich model is best suited to the description of OG adsorption. For thermodynamic study, the adsorption of OG is spontaneous in nature and exothermic. Furthermore, the regeneration-reusability study indicates that PANI@FHAP could be regenerated and reused up to five successive cycles. Based on the FTIR spectrum of PANI@FHAP after OG adsorption, the mechanism governing OG adsorption is predominantly driven by π-π interaction, electrostatic interaction, and hydrogen bonding interactions. The obtained results suppose that PANI@FHAP adsorbent can be a competitive material in large-scale applications.

An artificial liquid-liquid phase separation-driven silk fibroin-based adhesive for rapid hemostasis and wound sealing.

The powerful adhesion systems of marine organisms have inspired the development of artificial protein-based bioadhesives. However, achieving robust wet adhesion using artificial bioadhesives remains technically challenging because the key element of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS)-driven complex coacervation in natural adhesion systems is often ignored. In this study, mimicking the complex coacervation phenomenon of marine organisms, an artificial protein-based adhesive hydrogel (SFG hydrogel) was developed by adopting the LLPS-mediated coacervation of the natural protein silk fibroin (SF) and the anionic surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS). The assembled SF/SDBS complex coacervate enabled precise spatial positioning and easy self-adjustable deposition on irregular substrate surfaces, allowing for tight contact. Spontaneous liquid-to-solid maturation promoted the phase transition of the SF/SDBS complex coacervate to form the SFG hydrogel in situ, enhancing its bulk cohesiveness and interfacial adhesion. The formed SFG hydrogel exhibited intrinsic advantages as a new type of artificial protein-based adhesive, including good biocompatibility, robust wet adhesion, rapid blood-clotting capacity, and easy operation. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the SFG hydrogel not only achieved instant and effective hemostatic sealing of tissue injuries but also promoted wound healing and tissue regeneration, thus advancing its clinical applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Marine mussels utilize the liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) strategy to induce the supramolecular assembly of mussel foot proteins, which plays a critical role in strong underwater adhesion of mussel foot proteins. Herein, an artificial protein-based adhesive hydrogel (named SFG hydrogel) was reported by adopting the LLPS-mediated coacervation of natural protein silk fibroin (SF) and anionic surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS). The assembled SFG hydrogel enabled the precise spatial positioning and easy self-adjustable deposition on substrate surfaces with irregularities, allowing tight interfacial adhesion and cohesiveness. The SFG hydrogel not only achieved instant and effective hemostatic sealing of tissue injuries but also promoted wound healing and tissue regeneration, exhibiting intrinsic advantages as a new type of artificial protein-based bioadhesives.

Inhibition of STAT3 by S3I-201 suppress peritoneal fibroblast phenotype conversion and alleviate peritoneal fibrosis.

Peritoneal fibrosis is a common pathological response to long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) and a major cause for PD discontinuation. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the induction and progression of peritoneal fibrosis is of great interest. In our study, in vitro study revealed that signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a key factor in fibroblast activation and extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis. Furthermore, STAT3 induced by IL-6 trans-signalling pathway mediate the fibroblasts of the peritoneal stroma contributed to peritoneal fibrosis. Inhibition of STAT3 exerts an antifibrotic effect by attenuating fibroblast activation and ECM production with an in vitro co-culture model. Moreover, STAT3 plays an important role in the peritoneal fibrosis in an animal model of peritoneal fibrosis developed in mice. Blocking STAT3 can reduce the peritoneal morphological changes induced by chlorhexidine gluconate. In conclusion, our findings suggested STAT3 signalling played an important role in peritoneal fibrosis. Therefore, blocking STAT3 might become a potential treatment strategy in peritoneal fibrosis.

A sensitive determination of Brilliant Blue FCF in some food samples using hydrophillic deep eutectic solvent-assisted magnetic nano gel-based dispersive solid phase microextraction prior to spectrophotometric analysis.

A new magnetic nano gel (MNG) was prepared from choline chloride/phenol deep eutectic solvent and magnetic amberlite XAD-7 nanocomposite. The dispersive solid phase micro extraction (dSPME) method was developed for seperation and preconcentration of Brilliant Blue FCF (BB) by the prepared MNG. In this study, firstly, the optimum DES type and mole ratio of DES were investigated before response surface methodology optimization. Then, the effect of the MNG-dSPME experimental parameters were optimized by response surface methodology using central composite design. Under the optimum microextraction conditions, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), preconcentration factor (PF), enhencament factor (EF) were found to be 1.15 µg L-1,3.80 µg L-1, 70, and 88, respectively. It was seen that the recovery of real samples were obtained from 95.5 to 103.6%. The pesent method was succesfully for extraction of BB in some food, personal care samples, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that is presented method on determination of BB by preconcentration with magnetic nano gel. The obtained results showed that the present procedure is effective, sensitive, and has high accuracy for the quantitative detection of BB.

Pseudo-water-soluble Fe2O3 as Nanozyme catalyzed chemiluminescent reaction for detection of brilliant blue in gelatin and beverages.

Converting solid iron oxide nanoparticles into a "pseudo-water-soluble" form before applying them to chemiluminescent reactions leads to enhance the chemiluminescence intensity. Using 8-hydroxyquinoline as a colloidal agent, a new, fast, and simple method of synthesizing pseudo-water-soluble Fe2O3 nanoparticles was developed. SEM, VSM, SAED, HRTEM, XRD, FTIR, and EDS techniques were used to characterize the synthesized Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Fe2O3 nanoparticles synthesized in this study have superior peroxidase-like activity (POD-like) and are stable under a wide range of pH and temperature. The chemiluminescence reaction of luminol-H2O2 is intensified and accelerated by a colloidal solution of Fe-nanoparticles/8-hydroxyquinoline. Reverse-flow injection analysis was employed to determine brilliant blue. A chemiluminescent sensing method based on iron oxide nanozymes was utilized for sensitive detection of the brilliant blue synthetic dye, achieving a limit of detection of 0.06 mg/L and a dynamic linear range of 0.1 to 50 mg/L. The recovery and relative standard deviations of real samples were found to be 97.83-99.93% and 0.09-3.07%, respectively. An analysis of a sample, from injection to obtaining the maximum peak, could be performed in less than one minute.

A novel sponge composite of chitosan-sodium tripolyphosphate-melamine for anionic dye Orange II removal.

Since the potential carcinogenic, toxic and non-degradable dyes trigger serious environmental contamination by improper treatment, developing novel adsorbents remains a major challenge. A novel high efficiency and biopolymer-based environmental-friendly adsorbent, chitosan­sodium tripolyphosphate-melamine sponge (CTS-STPP-MS) composite, was prepared for Orange II removing with chitosan as raw material, sodium tripolyphosphate as cross-linking agent. The composite was carefully characterized by SEM, EDS, FT-IR and XPS. The influence of crosslinking conditions, dosage, pH, initial concentration, contacting time and temperature on adsorption were tested through batch adsorption experiments. CTS-STPP-MS adsorption process was exothermic, spontaneous and agreed with Sips isotherm model accompanying the maximum adsorption capacity as 948 mg∙g-1 (pH = 3). Notably, the adsorption performance was outstanding for high concentration solutions, with a removal rate of 97 % in up to 2000 mg∙L-1 OII solution (100 mg sorbent dosage, 50 mL OII solution, pH = 3, 289.15 K). In addition, the adsorption efficiency yet remained 97.85 % after 5 repeated adsorption-desorption cycles. The driving force of adsorption was attributed to electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonds which was proved by adsorption results coupled with XPS. Owing to the excellent properties of high-effective, environmental-friendly, easy to separate and regenerable, CTS-STPP-MS composite turned out to be a promising adsorbent in contamination treatment.

Preparation and optimization of dummy molecularly imprinted polymer-based solid-phase extraction system for selective enrichment of p-toluene sulfonate esters genotoxic impurities.

Sulfonate esters, one class of genotoxic impurities (GTIs), have gained significant attention in recent years due to their potential to cause genetic mutations and cancer. In the current study, we employed the dummy template molecular imprinting technology with a dummy template molecule replacing the target molecule to establish a pretreatment method for samples containing p-toluene sulfonate esters. Through computer simulation and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy analysis, the optimal functional monomer acrylamide and polymerization solvent chloroform were selected. Subsequently, a dummy template molecularly imprinted polymer (DMIP) was prepared by the precipitation polymerization method, and the polymer was characterized in morphology, particle size, and composition. The results of the adsorption and enrichment study demonstrated that the DMIP has high adsorption capability (Q = 7.88 mg/g) and favorable imprinting effects (IF = 1.37); Further, it could simultaneously adsorb three p-toluene sulfonate esters. The optimal adsorption conditions were obtained by conditional optimization of solid-phase extraction (SPE). A pH 7 solution was selected as the loading condition, the methanol/1 % phosphoric acid solution (20:80, v/v) was selected as the washing solution, and acetonitrile containing 10 % acetic acid in 6 mL was selected as the elution solvent. Finally, we determined methyl p-toluene sulfonate alkyl esters, ethyl p-toluene sulfonate alkyl esters, and isopropyl p-toluene sulfonate alkyl esters in tosufloxacin toluene sulfonate and capecitabine at the 10 ppm level (relative to 1 mg/mL active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) samples) by using DMIP-based SPE coupled with HPLC. This approach facilitated the selective enrichment of p-toluene sulfonate esters GTIs from complex API samples.

Boron-doped reduced graphene oxide as an efficient cathode in microbial fuel cells for biological toxicity detection.

Electrodes with superior stability and sensitivity are highly desirable in advancing the toxicity detection efficiency of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Herein, boron-doped reduced graphene oxide (B-rGO) was synthesized and utilized as an efficient cathode candidate in an MFCs system for sensitive sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) detection. Boron doping introduces additional defects and improves the dispersibility and oxygen permeability, thereby enhancing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) efficiency. The B-rGO-based cathode has demonstrated significantly improved output voltage and power density, marking improvements of 75 % and 58 % over their undoped counterparts, respectively. Furthermore, it also exhibited remarkable linear sensitivity to SDBS concentrations across a broad range (0.2-15 mg/L). Notably, the cathode maintained excellent stability within the test range and showed significant reversibility for SDBS concentrations between 0.2 and 3 mg/L. The highly sensitive and stable B-rGO-based cathode is inspiring for developing more practical and cost-effective toxicant sensing devices.

Multiplexed colorimetry collaborated with smartphone-based image analysis for simultaneous and fast visualization of dyes in both environmental and food samples.

In this work, a multiplexed colorimetric strategy was initiated for simultaneous and fast visualization of dyes using low-cost and easy-to-prepare indicator papers as sorbents. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to model statistically and optimize the process variables for dyes extraction and colorimetric assays. Multiplexed colorimetry was realized by virtue of synchronous color alignments from different dimensions of multiple dyes co-stained colorimetric cards under RSM-optimized conditions, and smartphone-based image analysis was subsequently performed from different modes to double-check the credibility of colorimetric assays. As concept-to-proof trials, simultaneous visualization of dyes in both beverages and simulated dye effluents was experimentally proved with results highly matched to HPLC or spiked amounts at RSM-predicted staining time as short as 50 s ∼3 min, giving LODs as low as 0.97 ± 0.22/0.18 ± 0.08 µg/mL (tartrazine/brilliant blue) for multiplexed colorimetry, which much lower than those obtained by single colorimetry. Since this is the first case to propose such a RSM-guided multiplexed colorimetric concept, it will provide a reference for engineering of other all-in-one devices which can realize synchronous visualization applications within limited experimental steps.

Modification of the phenyl ring B of phenyl 4-(2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonates by pyridinyl moiety leads to novel antimitotics targeting the colchicine-binding site.

A series of 8 novel pyridinyl 4-(2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonates (PYRIB-SOs) were designed, prepared and evaluated for their mechanism of action. PYRIB-SOs were found to have antiproliferative activity in the nanomolar to submicromolar range on several breast cancer cell lines. Moreover, subsequent biofunctional assays indicated that the most potent PYRIB-SOs 1-3 act as antimitotics binding to the colchicine-binding site (C-BS) of α, ß-tubulin and that they arrest the cell cycle progression in the G2/M phase. Microtubule immunofluorescence and tubulin polymerisation assay confirm that they disrupt the cytoskeleton through inhibition of tubulin polymerisation as observed with microtubule-destabilising agents. They also show good overall theoretical physicochemical, pharmacokinetic and druglike properties. Overall, these results show that PYRIB-SOs is a new family of promising antimitotics to be further studied in vivo for biopharmaceutical and pharmacodynamic evaluations.

Sustainable efficient utilization of magnetic porous biochar for adsorption of orange G and tetracycline: Inherent roles of adsorption and mechanisms.

Iron-doped biochar has been widely used as an adsorbent to remove contaminants due to the high adsorption performance, but it still suffers from complicated preparation methods, unstable iron loading, unsatisfactory specific surface area, and uneven distribution of active sites. Here, a novel magnetic porous biochar (FeCS800) with nanostructure on surface was synthesized by one-pot pyrolysis method of corn straw with K2FeO4, and used in orange G (OG) and tetracycline (TC) adsorption. FeCS800 exhibited outstanding adsorption capacities for OG and TC after K2FeO4 activation and the adsorption data were fitted satisfactorily to Langmuir isotherm and Pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum adsorption capacities of FeCS800 for OG and TC were around 303.03 mg/g and 322.58 mg/g, respectively, at 25 °C and pH 7.0, which were 16.27 and 24.61 times higher than that before modification. Thermodynamic studies showed that the adsorption of OG/TC by FeCS800 were thermodynamically favorable and highly spontaneous. And the adsorption capacity of OG and TC by FeCS800 remained 77% and 81% after 5 cycles, respectively, indicating that FeCS800 had good stability. The outstanding adsorption properties and remarkable reusability of FeCS800 show its great potential to be an economic and environmental adsorbent in contaminants removal.

Preparation of novel Fe-containing zeolite-A for KN-R decolorization by Fenton-like reaction.

Herein, novel catalysts of Fe-containing zeolite-A (Fe/zeolite-A) were synthesized by exchanging iron ions into zeolite-A framework, and short-chain organic acids (SCOAs) were employed as chelating agents. Reactive Brilliant Blue KN-R (KN-R) was used as a model pollutant to evaluate the performance of these catalysts based on the heterogeneous Fenton reaction. The results showed that Fe-OA/3A, which applied zeolite-3A as the supporter and oxalic as the chelating agent, presented the most prominent KN-R decolorization efficiency. Under the initial pH of 2.5, 0.4 mM KN-R could be totally decolorized within 20 min. However, the mineralization efficiency of KN-R was only 58.2%. Therefore, anthraquinone dyes were introduced to modify zeolite-3A. As a result, the mineralization efficiency of KN-R was elevated to 92.7% when using Alizarin Violet (AV) as the modifier. Moreover, the modified catalysts exhibited excellent stability, the KN-R decolorization efficiency could be maintained above 95.0% within 20 min after operating for nine cycles. The mechanism revealed that the Fe(II)/Fe(III) cycle was accelerated by AV-modified catalyst thus prompting the KN-R decolorization in Fenton-like system. These findings provide new insights for preparing catalysts with excellent activity and stability for dye wastewater treatment.

Diversity, Complexity, and Specificity of Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Structures Impacting Their Detection and Quantification.

Endotoxins are toxic lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), extending from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and notorious for their toxicity and deleterious effects. The comparison of different LPSs, isolated from various Gram-negative bacteria, shows a global similar architecture corresponding to a glycolipid lipid A moiety, a core oligosaccharide, and outermost long O-chain polysaccharides with molecular weights from 2 to 20 kDa. LPSs display high diversity and specificity among genera and species, and each bacterium contains a unique set of LPS structures, constituting its protective external barrier. Some LPSs are not toxic due to their particular structures. Different, well-characterized, and highly purified LPSs were used in this work to determine endotoxin detection rules and identify their impact on the host. Endotoxin detection is a major task to ensure the safety of human health, especially in the pharma and food sectors. Here, we describe the impact of different LPS structures obtained under different bacterial growth conditions on selective LPS detection methods such as LAL, HEK-blue TLR-4, LC-MS2, and MALDI-MS. In these various assays, LPSs were shown to respond differently, mainly attributable to their lipid A structures, their fatty acid numbers and chain lengths, the presence of phosphate groups, and their possible substitutions.

Preparation of high-efficiency HILIC capillary columns utilizing slurry packing at 2100 bar.

Complex mixture analysis requires high-efficiency chromatography columns. Although reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) is the dominant approach for such mixtures, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) is an important complement to RPLC by enabling the separation of polar compounds. Chromatography theory predicts that small particles and long columns will yield high efficiency; however, little work has been done to prepare HILIC columns longer than 25 cm packed with sub-2 µm particles. In this work, we tested the slurry packing of 75 cm long HILIC columns with 1.7 µm bridged-ethyl-hybrid amide HILIC particles at 2,100 bar (30,000 PSI). Acetonitrile, methanol, acetone, and water were tested as slurry solvents, with acetonitrile providing the best columns. Slurry concentrations of 50-200 mg/mL were assessed, and while 50-150 mg/mL provided comparable results, the 150 mg/mL columns provided the shortest packing times (9 min). Columns prepared using 150 mg/mL slurries in acetonitrile yielded a reduced minimum plate height (hmin) of 3.3 and an efficiency of 120,000 theoretical plates for acenaphthene, an unretained solute. Para-toluenesulfonic acid produced the lowest hmin of 1.9 and the highest efficiency of 210,000 theoretical plates. These results identify conditions for producing high-efficiency HILIC columns with potential applications to complex mixture analysis.

Spot Overtaking of Dyes of Their Chromatographic Development Associated with Solvent Evaporation.

Infiltration of binary solution of hexane and ethanol into chromatography paper associated with their evaporation was found to generate unexpected initial rapid advancement of wicking front followed by its receding and readvancing in our previous research. In the present study, paper chromatography development of hydrophobic dye, Sudan III, and hydrophilic dye, Acid Blue 9, was carried out using binary solutions of hexane and ethanol in open environment, allowing the developing solvent been evaporated. Sudan III was developed with initial rapid advancing wicking front, while Acid Blue 9 was scarcely developed. On the other hand, Acid Blue 9 was developed with the readvancing second wicking front, while the spot of Sudan III scarcely migrated. Thus, the unexpected illusional phenomenon, overtaking the spot of Sudan III by the spot of Acid Blue 9, was observed. The readvancement of the second wicking front was found to be enhanced as increasing the relative humidity in the environment. Surface temperature of the chromatography paper was measured during the chromatographic development in open environment to show that it became lower than the dew point when the experiments were carried out in relatively high humidity. Solubility of Sudan III in a binary solution of ethanol and water remarkably decreased as increasing the content of water. It was thus suggested that the water vapor condensation to induce water mixing into the mobile phase to decrease the solubility of Sudan III to inhibit its chromatographic development to realize the illusional spot overtaking of dyes of their chromatographic development associated with solvent evaporation.

Probing the interaction mechanism of SDBS with AtPrxQ from Arabidopsis thaliana: Insight into the molecular toxicity to plants.

As the most universally used anionic surfactant, ubiquitous existence and accumulation of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) in the environment has inevitably imposed the associated harmful impacts to plants due to producing excessive reactive oxygen species. However, the underlying hazardous mechanism of the SDBS-induced oxidative stress to plants at molecular level has never been reported. Here, the molecular interaction of AtPrxQ with SDBS was explored for the first time. The intrinsic fluorescence of AtPrxQ was quenched based on static quenching, and a single binding site of AtPrxQ towards SDBS and the potential interaction forces driven by hydrophobic interactions were predicted from thermodynamic parameters and molecular docking results. Besides, the interaction pattern of AtPrxQ and SDBS was also confirmed by the bio-layer interferometry with moderate binding affinity. Moreover, the structural changes of AtPrxQ along with the destructions of the protein framework and the hydrophobic enhancement around aromatic amino acids were observed upon binding with SDBS. At last, the toxic effects produced by SDBS on peroxidase activities and Arabidopsis seedlings growth were also characterized. Thus this work may provide insights on the molecular interactions of AtPrxQ with SDBS and assessments on the biological hazards of SDBS to plants even for the agriculture.

Polyphenol-Rich Extract from 'Limoncella' Apple Variety Ameliorates Dinitrobenzene Sulfonic Acid-Induced Colitis and Linked Liver Damage.

Inflammatory bowel conditions can involve nearly all organ systems and induce pathological processes through increased oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and disruption of the immune response. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at high risk of having extra-intestinal manifestations, for example, in the hepatobiliary system. In 30% of patients with IBD, the blood values of liver enzymes, such as AST and ALT, are increased. Moreover, treatments for inflammatory bowel diseases may cause liver toxicity. Apple polyphenol extracts are widely acknowledged for their potential antioxidant effects, which help prevent damage from oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, provide protection to the liver, and enhance lipid metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the polyphenol apple extract from Malus domestica cv. 'Limoncella' (LAPE) may be an effective intervention for the treatment of IBD-induced hepatotoxicity. The LAPE was administrated in vivo by oral gavage (3-300 mg/kg) once a day for 3 consecutive days, starting 24 h after the induction of dinitro-benzenesulfonic acid (DNBS) colitis in mice. The results showed that LAPE significantly attenuated histological bowel injury, myeloperoxidase activity, tumor necrosis factor and interleukin (IL-1ß) expressions. Furthermore, LAPE significantly improved the serum lipid peroxidation and liver injury in DNBS-induced colitis, as well as reduced the nuclear transcription factor-kappaB activation. In conclusion, these results suggest that LAPE, through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, could prevent liver damage induced by inflammatory bowel disease.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of new 2,6-difluorinated phenyl 4-(2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonates as new antimicrotubule agents.

We previously discovered a novel family of antimicrotubule agents designated as phenyl 4-(2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonates (PIB-SOs). In this study, we evaluated the effect of the difluorination of the aromatic ring bearing the imidazolidin-2-one moiety (ring A) at positions 3, 5 and 2, 6 on their antiproliferative activity on four cancer cell lines, their ability to disrupt the microtubules and their toxicity toward chick embryos. We thus synthesized, characterized and biologically evaluated 24 new difluorinated PIB-SO derivatives designated as phenyl 3,5-difluoro-4-(2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonates (3,5-PFB-SOs, 4-15) and phenyl 2,6-difluoro-4-(2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonates (2,6-PFB-SOs, 16-27). The concentration of the drug required to inhibit cell growth by 50% (IC50) of 3,5-PFB-SOs is over 1000 nM while most of 2,6-PFB-SOs exhibit IC50 in the nanomolar range (23-900 nM). Furthermore, the most potent 2,6-PFB-SOs 19, 26 and 27 arrest the cell cycle progression in G2/M phase, induce cytoskeleton disruption and impair microtubule polymerization. Docking studies also show that the most potent 2,6-PFB-SOs 19, 21, 24, 26 and 27 have binding affinity toward the colchicine-binding site (C-BS). Moreover, their antiproliferative activity is not affected by antimicrotubule- and multidrug-resistant cell lines. Besides, they exhibit improved in vitro hepatic stability in the mouse, rat and human microsomes compared to their non-fluorinated counterparts. They also showed theoretical pharmacokinetic, physicochemical and drug-like properties suited for further in vivo assays. In addition, they exhibit low to no systemic toxicity toward chick embryos. Finally, our study evidences that PIB-SOs must be fluorinated in specific positions on ring A to maintain both their antiproliferative activity and their biological activity toward microtubules.