Site of the hydroxyl group determines the surface behavior of bipolar chain-oxidized cholesterol derivatives - langmuir monolayer studies supplemented with theoretical calculations

Cholesterol oxidation products (called oxysterols) are involved in many biological processes, showing both negative (e.g., neurodegenerative) and positive (e.g., antiviral and antimicrobial) effects. The physiological activity of oxysterols is undoubtedly closely related to their structure (i.e., the type and location of the additional polar group in the cholesterol skeleton). In this paper, we focus on determining how a seemingly minor structural change (introduction of a hydroxyl moiety at C(24), C(25), or C(27) in the isooctyl chain of cholesterol) affects the organization of the resulting molecules at the phase boundary. In our research, we supplemented the classic Langmuir monolayer technique, based on the surface pressure and electric surface potential isotherms, with microscopic (BAM) and spectroscopic (PM-IRRAS) techniques, as well as theoretical calculations (DFT and MD). This allowed us to show that 24-OH behaves more like cholesterol and forms stable, rigid monolayers. On the other hand, 27-OH, similar to 25-OH, undergoes the phase transition from monolayer to bilayer structures. Theoretical calculations enabled us to conclude that the formation of bilayers from 27-OH or 25-OH is possible due to the hydrogen bonding between adjacent oxysterol molecules. This observation may help to understand the factors responsible for the unique biological activity (including antiviral and antimicrobial) of 27-OH and 25-OH compared to other oxysterols

Comprehensive approach to the interpretation of the electrical properties of film-forming molecules

[Image: see text] This paper presents a general protocol for the interpretation of the electric surface potential of Langmuir monolayers based on a three-layer capacitor model. The measured values were correlated with the results from DFT molecular dynamics simulations, and, as a result, the local dielectric permittivities and dipole-moment components of molecules organized in the monolayer were obtained. The main advantage of the developed approach is applicability to amphiphiles of any type; irrespective of the structure of the polar head as well as the molecular organization and inclination in the surface film. The developed methodology was successively applied to an atypical surface-active compound, perfluorodecyldecane, and its derivatives containing the hydroxyl, thiol, and carboxyl moiety. The following contributions to the apparent dipole moments connected with the reorientation of water molecules and local dielectric permittivities in the vicinity of polar and apolar molecule parts, respectively, were determined: μ(w)/ε(w) = −0.85 D, ε(p) = 5.00, and ε(a) = 1.80. Moreover, the investigated perfluorodecyldecane derivatives were comprehensively characterized in terms of their surface activity, film rheology, and effective surface dissociation equilibria. The proposed methodology may be crucial for the process of the design and the preliminary characterization of molecules for sensor and material science applications

Photochemical study of a new bimolecular photoinitiating system for vat photopolymerization 3D printing techniques under visible light

In this work, we presented a new bimolecular photoinitiating system based on 2-amino-4,6-diphenylpyridine-3-carbonitrile derivatives as visible photosensitizers of diphenyliodonium salt. Real-time FTIR and photo-DSC photopolymerization experiments with a cycloaliphatic epoxide and vinyl monomers showed surprisingly good reactivity of the bimolecular photoinitiating systems under UV-A, as well as under visible light sources. Steady-state photolysis, fluorescence experiments, theoretical calculations of molecular orbitals, and electrochemical analysis demonstrated photo-redox behavior as well as the ability to form initiating species via photo-reduction or photo-oxidation pathways, respectively. Therefore, the 2-amino-4,6-diphenylpyridine-3-carbonitrile derivatives were also investigated as a type II free-radical photoinitiator with amine. It was confirmed that the 2-amino-4,6-diphenylpyridine-3-carbonitrile derivatives, in combination with different types of additives, e.g., amine as a co-initiator or the presence of onium salt, can act as bimolecular photoinitiating systems for cationic, free-radical, and thiol-ene photopolymerization processes by hydrogen abstraction and/or electron transfer reactions stimulated by either near-UV or visible light irradiation. Finally, the 2-amino-4,6-diphenylpyridine-3-carbonitrile derivatives were selected for 3D printing rapid prototyping experiments. Test objects were successfully printed using purely cationic photosensitive resin, created on a 3D printer with a visible LED light source

Mutagenicity induced in Salmonella strains TA98 and TA100 by diphenylthiophenes

Mutagenic properties of four different diphenylthiophenes: 3,4-diphenylthiophene, 3,4-di(4'-methylphenyl)thiophene, 3,4-di(4'-methoxyphenyl)thiophene and 3,4-di(4'-pentoxyphenyl)thiophene were investigated applying the Salmonella test. The research was done on two strains of Salmonella Typhimurium: TA98 and TA100, tested in two variants: with (+S9) and without (-S9) enzymatic activation. Only one compound 3,4-di(4'-methylphenyl)thiophene showed mutagenic activity when studied with metabolic activation (+S9) and its mutagenic rate (MR) score was 3.41 for the dose of 10.00µg*plate-1. Other studied compounds did not show any mutagenic activity (+/-S9) and their MR score did not exceed the threshold value of 2.0

2,4-diphenylthiophene induces mainly base pair mutation in Salmonella Typhimurium

Heterocyclic aromatic compounds containing sulfur (S-HET), have been detected in air, soil, marine environment and freshwater sediment. Toxicity and mutagenicity data of this class of substances are scarce. The present study focuses on implications of two aryl thiophenes and their mutagenic properties in Salmonella/microsome test. In our experiment only 2,4-diphenylthiophene showed little mutagenic effect in both variants of activaction (+/-S9) in strain TA100. Thiophene ring joined to K-region of phenanthrene did not change the biological activity of 3,6-dimetoxyphenanthro [9,10-c]thiophene and this compound did not show mutagenic potency