Stereochemical Control of Nonamphiphilic Lyotropic Liquid Crystals: Chiral Nematic Phase of Assemblies Separated by Six Nanometers of Aqueous Solvents

Unlike conventional thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals, nonamphiphilic lyotropic liquid crystals consist of hydrated assemblies of nonamphiphilic molecules that are aligned with a separation of about 6 nm between assemblies in an aqueous environment. This separation raises the question of how chirality, either from chiral mesogens or chiral dopants, would impact the phase as the assemblies that need to interact with each other are about 6 nm apart. Here, we report the synthesis of three stereoisomers of disodium chromonyl carboxylate, 5′DSCG-diviol, and the correlation between the molecular structure, bulk assembly, and liquid crystal formation. We observed that the chiral isomers (enantiomers 5′DSCG-(<i>R,R</i>)-diviol and 5′DSCG-(<i>S,S</i>)-diviol) formed liquid crystals while the achiral isomer 5′DSCG-<i>meso</i>-diviol did not. Circular dichroism indicated a chiral conformation with bisignate cotton effect. The nuclear Overhauser effect in proton NMR spectroscopy revealed conformations that are responsible for liquid crystal formation. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy showed that chiral 5′DSCG-diviols form assemblies with crossings. Interestingly, only planar alignment of the chiral nematic phase was observed in liquid crystal cells with thin spacers. The homeotropic alignment that permitted a fingerprint texture was obtained only when the thickness of the liquid crystal cell was increase to above ∼500 μm. These studies suggest that hydrated assemblies of chiral 5′DSCG-diviol can interact with each other across a 6 nm separation in an aqueous environment by having a twist angle of about 0.22° throughout the sample between the neighboring assemblies

Phylogenetic analysis of the partial capsids of the NoV strains.

<p>The phylogenetic trees were constructed by the maximum likelihood model method. The results are shown for the GI (A) and GII (B) genotypes. ●, represents the GI genotypes in this study; ▲, represents the GII genotypes in this study.</p

Antimicrobial susceptibility of <i>Plesiomonas shigelloides</i>.

a<p>R, resistant; I, intermediate; S, susceptible.</p

Detection of norovirus with GI and GII genotypes in outpatient children with acute diarrhea.

<p>^a GI cases vs. GII cases.</p><p>^b Male cases vs. female cases.</p><p>Detection of norovirus with GI and GII genotypes in outpatient children with acute diarrhea.</p

Comparison of clinical manifestations of outpatients between NoV infections and no-NoV infection.

<p>The values are presented as the mean ± standard deviation (SD). Additionally, the referenced denominator of children evaluated for WBC, leukocyte and neutrophil counts were 4.0–12.0, 2.0–7.2 and 1.5–6.0 (×10⁹/L), respectively.</p><p>Comparison of clinical manifestations of outpatients between NoV infections and no-NoV infection.</p

Drugs administered to 147 patients with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection.

<p>Drugs administered to 147 patients with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection.</p

Age distribution (months) of outpatient children with acute diarrhea caused by norovirus infections.

<p>Age distribution (months) of outpatient children with acute diarrhea caused by norovirus infections.</p

Symptoms of <i>Plesiomonas shigelloides</i> infection with acute diarrhea.

<p>Symptoms of <i>Plesiomonas shigelloides</i> infection with acute diarrhea.</p

Locations of the 12 sentinel hospitals in eastern China at which respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) patients were treated.

<p>The red numbers indicate the locations of the surveillance sites. A total of 12 sentinel hospitals located in six provinces were enrolled in the final RSV infection analysis. 1). Children's Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; 2). Children’s Hospital of Fudan University; 3). Huzhou Central Hospital, Zhejiang Province; 4). The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University; 5). The Children’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University; 6). Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention; 7). Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University; 8). Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology; 9). Wuhan Women and Children Medical Care Center, Hubei Province; 10). Jiangxi Provincial Children’s Hospital; 11). Maternal and Children's Health Hospital of Fujian Province; 12). Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital.</p

Seasonal distribution (months) of outpatient children with acute diarrhea caused by norovirus infections.

<p>Seasonal distribution (months) of outpatient children with acute diarrhea caused by norovirus infections.</p