Third-order nonlinear optical response of colloidal gold nanoparticles prepared by sputtering deposition

The nonlinear optical responses of gold nanoparticles dispersed in castor oil produced by sputtering deposition were investigated, using the thermally managed Z-scan technique. Particles with spherical shape and 2.6 nm of average diameter were obtained and characterized by transmission electron microscopy and small angle X-ray scattering. This colloid was highly stable, without the presence of chemical impurities, neither stabilizers. It was observed that this system presents a large refractive third-order nonlinear response and a negligible nonlinear absorption. Moreover, the evaluation of the all-optical switching figures of merit demonstrated that the colloidal nanoparticles prepared by sputtering deposition have a good potential for the development of ultrafast photonic devices

Diuron tolerance and potential degradation by pelagic microbiomes in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon

Diuron is a herbicide commonly used in agricultural areas where excess application causes it to leach into rivers, reach sensitive marine environments like the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon and pose risks to marine life. To investigate the impact of diuron on whole prokaryotic communities that underpin the marine food web and are integral to coral reef health, GBR lagoon water was incubated with diuron at environmentally-relevant concentration (8 μg/L), and sequenced at specific time points over the following year. 16S rRNA gene amplicon profiling revealed no significant short- or long-term effect of diuron on microbiome structure. The relative abundance of prokaryotic phototrophs was not significantly altered by diuron, which suggests that they were largely tolerant at this concentration. Assembly of a metagenome derived from waters sampled at a similar location in the GBR lagoon did not reveal the presence of mutations in the cyanobacterial photosystem that could explain diuron tolerance. However, resident phages displayed several variants of this gene and could potentially play a role in tolerance acquisition. Slow biodegradation of diuron was reported in the incubation flasks, but no correlation with the relative abundance of heterotrophs was evident. Analysis of metagenomic reads supports the hypothesis that previously uncharacterized hydrolases carried by low-abundance species may mediate herbicide degradation in the GBR lagoon. Overall, this study offers evidence that pelagic phototrophs of the GBR lagoon may be more tolerant of diuron than other tropical organisms, and that heterotrophs in the microbial seed bank may have the potential to degrade diuron and alleviate local anthropogenic stresses to inshore GBR ecosystems

Constituintes químicos de Parmotrema lichexanthonicum Eliasaro & Adler: isolamento, modificações estruturais e avaliação das atividades antibiótica e citotóxica

From the lichen Parmotrema lichexantonicum were isolated the depsidone salazinic acid, the xanthone lichexanthone, and the depside atranorin. The two major compounds, salazinic acid and lichexanthone, were selected for structure modifications. Salazinic acid afforded O-alkyl salazinic acids, some of them potentially cytotoxic against tumor cell lines (HCT-8, SF-295 and MDA/ MB - 435). From lichexanthone were obtained norlichexanthone, 3-O-methylnorlichexanthone, 3-O-methyl-6-O-prenylnorlichexanthone, 3,6-di-O-prenyl-norlichexanthone, 3,6-bis[(3,3-dimethyloxyran-2-il)methoxy]-1-hydroxy-8-methyl-9H-xanten-9-one and 3,6-bis[3-(dimethylamine)propoxy]-1-hydroxy-8-methyl-9H-xanten-9-one. The last compound was the most active against S. aureus

In vitro cytotoxic activity of Brazilian Middle West plant extracts

Cytotoxic activity of eight plant extracts, native from the Mid-West of Brazil comprising Cerrado, Pantanal and semideciduous forest, was evaluated for MDA-MB-435, SF-295, and HCT-8 cancer cell strains. A single 100 µg.mL-1 dose of each extract was employed with 72 h of incubation for all tests. Doxorubicin (1 µg.mL-1) was used as the positive control and the MTT method was used to detect the activity. Cytotoxicity of distinct polarities was observed in thirty extracts (46%), from different parts of the following species: Tabebuia heptaphylla (Vell.) Toledo, Bignoniaceae, Tapirira guianensis Aubl., Anacardiaceae, Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão, Anacardiaceae, Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, Anacardiaceae, Gomphrena elegans Mart., Amaranthaceae, Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng., Arecaceae, Eugenia uniflora L., Myrtaceae, and Annona dioica A. St.-Hil., Annonaceae. Extracts of at least two tested cell strains were considered to be highly active since their inhibition rate was over 75%

Bioactivity and Molecular Docking Studies of Derivatives from Cinnamic and Benzoic Acids

Over the last decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the prevalence and gravity of systemic fungal diseases. This study aimed therefore at evaluating the antifungal potential of ester derivatives of benzoic and cinnamic acids from three Candida species. The compounds were prepared via Fischer esterification, and the antifungal assay was performed by the microdilution method in 96-well microplates for determining the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs). The findings of the antifungal tests revealed that the analogue compound methyl ferulate, methyl o-coumarate, and methyl biphenyl-3-carboxylate displayed an interesting antifungal activity against all Candida strains tested, with MIC values of 31.25-62.5, 62.5-125, and 62.5 μg/ml, respectively. A preliminary Structure-Activity Relationship study of benzoic and cinnamic acid derivatives has led to the recognition of some important structural requirements for antifungal activity. The results of molecular docking indicate that the presence of the enoate moiety along with hydroxyl and one methoxy substitution in the phenyl ring has a positive effect on the bioactivity of compound 7 against Candida albicans. These observations further support the hypothesis that the antifungal activity of compound 7 could be due to its binding to multiple targets, specifically to QR, TS, and ST-PK. Additional experiments are required in the future to test this hypothesis and to propose novel compounds with improved antifungal activity