Molecular Structures of Quiescently Grown and Brain-Derived Polymorphic Fibrils of the Alzheimer Amyloid Aβ9-40 Peptide: A Comparison to Agitated Fibrils

The presence of amyloid deposits consisting primarily of Amyloid-β (Aβ) fibril in the brain is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The morphologies of these fibrils are exquisitely sensitive to environmental conditions. Using molecular dynamics simulations combined with data from previously published solid-state NMR experiments, we propose the first atomically detailed structures of two asymmetric polymorphs of the Aβ9-40 peptide fibril. The first corresponds to synthetic fibrils grown under quiescent conditions and the second to fibrils derived from AD patients' brain-extracts. Our core structure in both fibril structures consists of a layered structure in which three cross-β subunits are arranged in six tightly stacked β-sheet layers with an antiparallel hydrophobic-hydrophobic and an antiparallel polar-polar interface. The synthetic and brain-derived structures differ primarily in the side-chain orientation of one β-strand. The presence of a large and continually exposed hydrophobic surface (buried in the symmetric agitated Aβ fibrils) may account for the higher toxicity of the asymmetric fibrils. Our model explains the effects of external perturbations on the fibril lateral architecture as well as the fibrillogenesis inhibiting action of amphiphilic molecules

Novel Alkylborate-Dithiocarbamate lubricant additives: synthesis and tribophysical characterization

Boron-based lubricant additives have recently received significant attention, because of their wear-reducing and frictional properties and low pollution. At the same time, dithiocarbamate complexes with different metals have a long history of being used as multifunctional additives to lubricants. In this study, novel, environmentally friendly additives containing alkylborate and dithiocarbamate groups with alkyl or methylbenzyl substitutes in one molecule were studied. Tribological tests were performed with the additives admixed in a mineral oil using steel-on-steel contacts in a four-ball tribometer. Borate derivatives of different dithiocarbamate ligands were synthesized by several step reactions to investigate tribochemical properties of boron, sulfur, and nitrogen combined in one selected compound. Viscous liquid products were characterized by multinuclear (1)H, (13)C, and (11)B NMR spectroscopy. The surface morphology and the elemental composition of the tribofilms were investigated using an optical profiler and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). It was found that some of these novel compounds provide better antiwear performance and similar frictional properties compared with a commercially available ZnDTP package. Traces of sulfur in the tribofilms formed with both 0.2 and 1.0 wt% of alkylborate-dithiocarbamate compounds in a mineral oil were detected with EDS

Boron in tribology: from Borates to ionic liquids

Boron compounds are widely used in a range of tribological applications such as friction modifiers, antioxidants, antiwear additives, and in many cases as environmentally friendly lubricants. The chemical nature and structure of boron compounds provide multifunctionality. They are used as (1) solid lubricants such as boric acid and hexagonal boron nitride, (2) liquid lubricants such as ionic liquids, (3) lubricant additives such as borate derivatives of various organic and inorganic compounds, and (4) coatings such as cubic boron nitride and different metal borides. Boron is also one of the most favorable elements for coatings and thin films in biotribological and biomedical applications. This review outlines the growing role of boron in lubrication over the past several decades, summarizes the main findings, and identifies future challenges related to boron chemistry