29 research outputs found
Conformation and Cytotoxicity of a Tetrapeptide Constellated with Alternative D- and L-proline
Proline containing peptides are highly important due to their
natural abundance in various secondary structural elements like
turns (b turn and c turn etc.) in proteins. Here the conformation,
cytotoxicity and structure of a unique tetrapeptide composed of
alternative D- and L-proline residues are discussed. The peptide
showed a polyproline II like conformation in dilute aqueous
solution. The aqueous solution of the peptide self-assembled to
form spheroidal oligomers with a diameter of y90 nm. The
morphological features were confirmed by bright field confocal
images, TEM analysis and AFM. The alternative D- and Lproline
residues in the peptide showed toxicity towards cancer cell
lines and y50% cell death was recorded against three different
types of cancer cells (Neura 2a, HEK 293 and Hep G2)
Synthesis, Characterization and Cytotoxicity study of Magnetic (Fe3O4)Nanoparticles and their Drug Conjugate
An easy synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4) is described. Transmission electron microscopy
(TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and X-ray diffraction
(XRD) have been used to study the well dispersed and uniformly spherical nanoparticles.
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) has been successfully loaded onto the nanoparticles and cytotoxicity studies
were performed using a standard MTT assay. The results indicate that 5-fluorouracil-loaded iron
nanoparticles are a more potent anticancer drug versus 5-fluorouracil alon
Energy Conversion Strategies for Wind Energy System: Electrical, Mechanical and Material Aspects
Currently, about 22% of global electricity is being supplemented by different renewable sources. Wind energy is one of the most abundant forms of renewable energy available in the atmospheric environment due to different air-currents spread over the troposphere and stratosphere. The demand of modern wind energy conversion system (WECS) has increased to achieve a suitable alternate renewable energy source. In this paper, after a brief introduction, the classification of WECS is reviewed with attractive illustrations. The various mechanical materials and electrical components of WECS are discussed. The flow of power in WECS and its control strategies are also been described. The wind energy conversion is carried out with a suitable controlling mechanism for power grid integration. A maximum power-point tracking controller is an effective controlling method to extract the maximum possible power from the turbines. The present trends in WECS and the scope for improvement and future prospects are discussed. The materials used for both the blade and generator have been found to be key elements of wind turbines. Recycling of the polymer matrix composite materials are found to be a great threat to wind power plants, as well as to their supply chain industries
Efficacy of cyclin dependent kinase 4 inhibitors as potent neuroprotective agents against insults relevant to Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with no cure till today. Aberrant activation of cell cycle regulatory proteins is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases including AD. We and others have shown that Cyclin dependent kinase 4 (Cdk4) is activated in AD brain and is required for neuron death. In this study, we tested the efficiency of commercially available Cdk4 specific inhibitors as well as a small library of synthetic molecule inhibitors targeting Cdk4 as neuroprotective agents in cellular models of neuron death. We found that several of these inhibitors significantly protected neuronal cells against death induced by nerve growth factor (NGF) deprivation and oligomeric beta amyloid (Aβ) that are implicated in AD. These neuroprotective agents inhibit specifically Cdk4 kinase activity, loss of mitochondrial integrity, induction of pro-apoptotic protein Bim and caspase3 activation in response to NGF deprivation. The efficacies of commercial and synthesized inhibitors are comparable. The synthesized molecules are either phenanthrene based or naphthalene based and they are synthesized by using Pschorr reaction and Buchwald coupling respectively as one of the key steps. A number of molecules of both kinds block neurodegeneration effectively. Therefore, we propose that Cdk4 inhibition would be a therapeutic choice for ameliorating neurodegeneration in AD and these synthetic Cdk4 inhibitors could lead to development of effective drugs for AD
Small-Molecule Cdc25A Inhibitors Protect Neuronal Cells from Death Evoked by NGF Deprivation and 6‑Hydroxydopamine
Alzheimer’s
disease (AD) and Parkinson’s
disease
(PD) are the two most common neurodegenerative diseases that are presently
incurable. There have been reports of aberrant activation of cell
cycle pathways in neurodegenerative diseases. Previously, we have
found that Cdc25A is activated in models of neurodegenerative diseases,
including AD and PD. In the present study, we have synthesized a small
library of molecules targeting Cdc25A and tested their neuroprotective
potential in cellular models of neurodegeneration. The Buchwald reaction
and amide coupling were crucial steps in synthesizing the Cdc25A-targeting
molecules. Several of these small-molecule inhibitors significantly
prevented neuronal cell death induced by nerve growth factor (NGF)
deprivation as well as 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) treatment. Lack
of NGF signaling leads to neuron death during development and has
been associated with AD pathogenesis. The NGF receptor TrkA has been
reported to be downregulated at the early stages of AD, and its reduction
is linked to cognitive failure. 6-OHDA, a PD mimic, is a highly oxidizable
dopamine analogue that can be taken up by the dopamine transporters
in catecholaminergic neurons and can induce cell death by reactive
oxygen species (ROS) generation. Some of our newly synthesized molecules
inhibit Cdc25A phosphatase activity, block loss of mitochondrial activity,
and inhibit caspase-3 activation caused by NGF deprivation and 6-OHDA.
Hence, it may be proposed that Cdc25A inhibition could be a therapeutic
possibility for neurodegenerative diseases and these Cdc25A inhibitors
could be effective treatments for AD and PD
Aggregation-Induced Emission of Contorted Polycondensed Aromatic Hydrocarbons Made by Edge Extension Using a Palladium-Catalyzed Cyclopentannulation Reaction
Contorted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), CPA1–2 and CPB1–2, bearing peripheral
five-membered
rings were synthesized employing a palladium-catalyzed cyclopentannulation
reaction using specially designed diaryl acetylene synthons TPE and TPEN with commercially available dibromo-
anthracene DBA and bianthracene DBBA derivatives.
The resulting target compounds CPA1–2 and CPB1–2 were isolated in excellent yield and found to
be highly soluble in common organic solvents, which allowed for their
structural characterization and investigation of the photophysical
properties, disclosing their aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties
in THF at selective concentration ranges of water fractions in the
solvent mixture. Examination of the contorted PAH structures by means
of density functional theory (DFT) revealed higher electronic conjugation
in the more rigid and planar anthracene-containing CPA1–2 derivatives when compared to the twisted bianthracene-bearing moieties CBPA1–2 with HOMO–LUMO bandgaps (ΔE) of ∼2.32 eV for the former PAHs and ∼2.78
eV for the latter ones
Photoactivatable prodrug for simultaneous release of mertansine and CO along with a BODIPY derivative as a luminescent marker in mitochondria: a proof of concept for NIR image-guided cancer therapy
Controlled and efficient activation is the crucial aspect of designing an effective prodrug. Herein we demonstrate a proof of concept for a light activatable prodrug with desired organelle specificity. Mertansine, a benzoansamacrolide, is an efficient microtubule-targeting compound that binds at or near the vinblastine-binding site in the mitochondrial region to induce mitotic arrest and cell death through apoptosis. Despite its efficacy even in the nanomolar level, this has failed in stage 2 of human clinical trials owing to the lack of drug specificity and the deleterious systemic toxicity. To get around this problem, a recent trend is to develop an antibody-conjugatable maytansinoid with improved tumor/organelle-specificity and lesser systematic toxicity. Endogenous CO is recognized as a regulator of cellular function and for its obligatory role in cell apoptosis. CO blocks the proliferation of cancer cells and effector T cells, and the primary target is reported to be the mitochondria. We report herein a new mitochondria-specific prodrug conjugate (Pro-DC) that undergoes a photocleavage reaction on irradiation with a 400 nm source (1.0 mW cm−2) to induce a simultaneous release of the therapeutic components mertansine and CO along with a BODIPY derivative (BODIPY(PPH3)2) as a luminescent marker in the mitochondrial matrix. The efficacy of the process is demonstrated using MCF-7 cells and could effectively be visualized by probing the intracellular luminescence of BODIPY(PPH3)2. This provides a proof-of-concept for designing a prodrug for image-guided combination therapy for mainstream treatment of cancer
Ultrasensitive Reagent for Ratiometric Detection and Detoxification of iAsIII in Water and Mitochondria
Toxicity induced by inorganic arsenic as AsO33– (iAsIII) is of global concern. Reliable detection of the maximum allowed contaminant level for arsenic in drinking water and in the cellular system remains a challenge for the water quality management and assessment of toxicity in the cellular milieu, respectively. A new Ir(III)-based phosphorescent molecule (AS-1; λExt = 415 nm and λEms = 600 nm, Φ = 0.3) is synthesized for the selective detection of iAsIII in an aqueous solution with a ratiometric luminescence response even in the presence of iAsV and all other common inorganic cations and anions. The relatively higher affinity of the thioimidazole ligand (HPBT) toward iAsIII led to the formation of a fluorescent molecule iAsV–HPBT (λExt = 415 nm and λEms = 466 nm, Φ = 0.28) for the reaction of iAsIII and AS-1. An improved limit of quantitation (LOQ) down to 0.2 ppb is achieved when AS-1 is used in the CTAB micellar system. Presumably, the cationic surfactants favor the localization of AS-1@CTABMicelle in mitochondria of MCF7 cells, and this is confirmed from the images of the confocal laser fluorescence scanning microscopic studies. Importantly, cell viability assay studies confirm that AS-1@CTABMicelle induces dose-dependent detoxification of iAsIII in live cells. Further, luminescence responses at 466 nm could be utilized for developing a hand-held device for the in-field application. Such a reagent that allows for ratiometric detection of iAsIII with LOQ of 2.6 nM (0.5 ppb) in water, as well as helps in visualizing its distribution in mitochondria with a detoxifying effect, is rather unique in contemporary literature
Process for Preparing Value-Added Products from Microalgae Using Textile Effluent through a Biorefinery Approach
A model
was designed for effective utilization of textile effluent
as the nutrient medium for the production of high-value products from Chlorella variabilis through a greener approach.
Biomass productivity of 74.96 ± 2.62 g/(m<sup>2</sup>/d) with
lipid yield of 20.1 ± 2.2% (wrt dry biomass) was obtained using
textile effluent as the nutrient source. A novel integrated process
is developed based on detergent (sodium dodecyl sulfate) hydrolysis
to convert the carbohydrates present in microalgal biomass to reducing
sugars for microbial fermentation, while making available lipids for
downstream processing of γ-linolenic acid, leaving the protein
rich fragment behind. Our experimental data showed that from 495 g
of microalgal biomass, 109.4 g total lipids was extracted containing
34.65 g γ-linolenic acid, and 1.3 g pure ε-polylysine
from 36.68 g of reducing sugars. A two-step efficient green process
was developed for recovering ε-polylysine using ethylÂammonium
nitrate having 74% recovery. In addition to value-added products,
CSIR-CSMCRI’s Chlorella variabilis (ATCC PTA 12198) can remediate 100% of aluminum, 82.72% boron, 45.66%
calcium, 100% cobalt, 14.5% potassium, 0.1% magnesium, 42.18% sodium,
100% nickel, and 100% iron. A total decrease of 78.17% total phosphate
and 25.22% total inorganic phosphate with respect to total phosphate
present in the effluent was observed