Breaking the photoswitch speed limit

The forthcoming generation of materials, including artificial muscles, recyclable and healable systems, photochromic heterogeneous catalysts, or tailorable supercapacitors, relies on the fundamental concept of rapid switching between two or more discrete forms in the solid state. Herein, we report a breakthrough in the “speed limit” of photochromic molecules on the example of sterically-demanding spiropyran derivatives through their integration within solvent-free confined space, allowing for engineering of the photoresponsive moiety environment and tailoring their photoisomerization rates. The presented conceptual approach realized through construction of the spiropyran environment results in ~1000 times switching enhancement even in the solid state compared to its behavior in solution, setting a record in the field of photochromic compounds. Moreover, integration of two distinct photochromic moieties in the same framework provided access to a dynamic range of rates as well as complementary switching in the material’s optical profile, uncovering a previously inaccessible pathway for interstate rapid photoisomerization.</p

The eNAMPT/TLR4 inflammatory cascade drives the severity of intra-amniotic inflammation in pregnancy and predicts infant outcomes

Introduction: Intra-amniotic inflammation (IAI) or chorioamnionitis is a common complication of pregnancy producing significant maternal morbidity/mortality, premature birth and neonatal risk of chronic lung diseases such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). We examined eNAMPT (extracellular nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase), a critical inflammatory DAMP and TLR4 ligand, as a potential therapeutic target to reduce IAI severity and improve adverse fetal/neonatal outcomes.Methods: Blood/tissue samples were examined in: 1) women with histologically-proven chorioamnionitis, 2) very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates, and 3) a preclinical murine pregnancy model of IAI. Groups of pregnant IAI-exposed mice and pups were treated with an eNAMPT-neutralizing mAb.Results: Human placentas from women with histologically-proven chorioamnionitis exhibited dramatic NAMPT expression compared to placentas without chorioamnionitis. Increased NAMPT expression in whole blood from VLBW neonates (day 5) significantly predicted BPD development. Compared to untreated LPS-challenged murine dams (gestational day 15), pups born to eNAMPT mAb-treated dams (gestational days 15/16) exhibited a &gt; 3-fold improved survival, reduced neonate lung eNAMPT/cytokine levels, and reduced development and severity of BPD and pulmonary hypertension (PH) following postnatal exposure to 100% hyperoxia days 1–14. Genome-wide gene expression studies of maternal uterine and neonatal cardiac tissues corroborated eNAMPT mAb-induced reductions in inflammatory pathway genes.Discussion: The eNAMPT/TLR4 inflammatory pathway is a highly druggable contributor to IAI pathobiology during pregnancy with the eNAMPT-neutralizing mAb a novel therapeutic strategy to decrease premature delivery and improve short- and long-term neonatal outcomes. eNAMPT blood expression is a potential biomarker for early prediction of chronic lung disease among premature neonates

CCDC 754666: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: C.M.Beavers, M.N.Chaur, M.M.Olmstead, L.Echegoyen, A.L.Balch|2009|J.Am.Chem.Soc.|131|11519|doi:10.1021/ja903741r,An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures

CCDC 891126: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: Brandon Q. Mercado, Manuel N. Chaur, Luis Echegoyen, Jafar Attar Gharamaleki, Marilyn M. Olmstead, Alan L. Balch|2013|Polyhedron|58|129|doi:10.1016/j.poly.2012.08.035,An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures

CCDC 701603: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: B.Q.Mercado, C.M.Beavers, M.M.Olmstead, M.N.Chaur, K.Walker, B.C.Holloway, L.Echegoyen, A.L.Balch|2008|J.Am.Chem.Soc.|130|7854|doi:10.1021/ja8032263,An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures

CCDC 1404438: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: Manuel N. Chaur, Xavier Aparicio-Anglès, Brandon Q. Mercado, Bevan Elliott, Antonio Rodríguez-Fortea, Anna Clotet, Marilyn M. Olmstead, Alan L. Balch, Josep M. Poblet, Luis Echegoyen|2010|J.Phys.Chem.C|114|13003|doi:10.1021/jp104352d,An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures