Conformational Preferences and Antiproliferative Activity of Peptidomimetics Containing Methyl 1′-Aminoferrocene-1-carboxylate and Turn-Forming Homo- and Heterochiral Pro-Ala Motifs

The concept of peptidomimetics is based on structural modifications of natural peptides that aim not only to mimic their 3D shape and biological function, but also to reduce their limitations. The peptidomimetic approach is used in medicinal chemistry to develop drug-like compounds that are more active and selective than natural peptides and have fewer side effects. One of the synthetic strategies for obtaining peptidomimetics involves mimicking peptide α-helices, β-sheets or turns. Turns are usually located on the protein surface where they interact with various receptors and are therefore involved in numerous biological events. Among the various synthetic tools for turn mimetic design reported so far, our group uses an approach based on the insertion of different ferrocene templates into the peptide backbone that both induce turn formation and reduce conformational flexibility. Here, we conjugated methyl 1′-aminoferrocene-carboxylate with homo- and heterochiral Pro-Ala dipeptides to investigate the turn formation potential and antiproliferative properties of the resulting peptidomimetics 2–5. Detailed spectroscopic (IR, NMR, CD), X-ray and DFT studies showed that the heterochiral conjugates 2 and 3 were more suitable for the formation of β-turns. Cell viability study, clonogenic assay and cell death analysis showed the highest biological potential of homochiral peptide 4.

Synthesis of Functional Building Blocks for Type III-B Rotaxane Dendrimer

Second-generation type III-B rotaxane dendrons, equipped with succinimide and acetylene functional groups, were synthesized successfully and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. A cell viability study of a dendron with a normal cell line of L929 fibroblast cells revealed no obvious cytotoxicity at a range of 5 to 100 μM. The nontoxic properties of the sophisticated rotaxane dendron building blocks provided a choice of bio-compatible macromolecular machines that could be potentially developed into polymeric materials.

A viability study of 3D tumor spheroids after their mass-density characterization via an innovative flow-based biophysical method

The simple measurement of mass density, size and weight of sphere-like 3D cell models has been recently enabled by a specifically conceived flow-based method. Here we demonstrate that such technique also allows the post-analysis collection of live 3D tumor spheroids, without compromising their viability.

Vrikshayurved Methods for Disease Control in Plants with Special Reference to Onion (Allium Cepa)

Introduction- In today’s era due to modernization and civilization people follows modern techniques of cultivation which is starting from seed viability study then for nursery adding fertilizers in land and for treating disease and fulfilling their nutrients value adding or spraying chemical fertilizers which leads to hazards effect in environment on every creature. Aacharyas found natural solutions for every plant issue many years back they already mentioned in Vrikshayurved, how to diagnose and treat different kind of plant diseases more naturally and authentically. Objective- This article aims to diagnose and treat plant diseases according to Vrikshayurved. Materials and methods- Study performed on Onion seedlings (Allium cepa) under the observation of Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research Institute, Rajgurunagar, Pune. Onion seedlings were treated by Kunap jal and Madhuyastyadi Kwath. Disease of Onion seedlings were diagnosed and treated by Vrikshayurved methods using Kunap jal and Madhuyashtyadi Kwath. Results- The Vrikshayurved methods showed around 80-85% reduction in curling of leaves, 100% reduction in yellowish discoloration, 100 % reduction in dryness of leaves. Vrikshayurved intervention improved growth rate drastically. Conclusion- Vrikshayurved intervention improved curling, dryness and yellowish discoloration of leaves significantly. It also doubled growth rate of the onion seedlings. It indicates that Vrikshayurved methods are applicable in today’s era.

Qualitative Perfusion Assessment of Myocardial Viability Study in Patients Who Cannot Stop Long-acting Nitrate: Serial Case Reports

The information of myocardial viability status is important to decide the management of CAD. Myocardial viability study (VS) with short-acting nitrate (SAN)-added is recommended to perform inpatient with CAD before revascularization therapy. This study aims to determine whether there are differences in the perfusion results of myocardial viability studies with Long-acting nitrate (LAN) and those with added SAN. Three patients with CAD were referred to our department for myocardial VS to determine the treatment choice. Long-acting nitrate (LAN) was consumed regularly every day and not allowed to be stopped due to the symptomatic chest pain. Patients underwent two myocardial perfusion VS, the first study with continuing the daily routine LAN only and the second one with SAN-added to the daily routine LAN. VS was analyzed qualitatively. The result of this study, no significant perfusion difference between LAN treatment only and SAN-added studies, it is possible the LAN regular dose alone is sufficient to create a vasodilating effect on the arteries without the need for addition of SAN. Conclusion, patients who take LAN routinely, VS might be performed without the need to take additional vasodilator prior to radiopharmaceutical injection.Keywords: coronary artery disease; myocardial perfusion imaging; revascularization therapy; viability study

The Effect of Carboxymethyl Glucomannan Concentration on the Properties of Glucomannan-Chitosan Hydrogel for Lactobacillus acidophilus FNCC 0051 Encapsulation

The effect of porang (Amorphophallus oncophyllus) glucomannan concentration on the properties of glucomannan-chitosan hydrogel was investigated for Lactobacillus acidophilus FNCC 0051 encapsulation. The spherical shape with a continuous surface of the particle was self-assembly formed. The increase of glucomannan concentration from 0.3 to 0.9 % smoothly increased their small particle size from 1.08 ± 0.02 µm to 2.12 ± 0.00 µm and no significant change on the positive zeta potential values. The polydispersity indexes with the value between 0.4 to 0.5 were categorized as uniform particles. However, these values were higher compared to other studies which used konjac glucomannan-chitosan as the hydrogel materials. The encapsulation study with Lactobacillus acidophilus FNCC 0051 showed that the highest value was achieved when the same ratio of glucomannan and chitosan was applied (0.5 %). The viability study proved the perfect protection of hydrogel during 56 days of cold storage and pasteurization treatment with the cell viabilities of 100 % and 58.13 ± 18.5 %, respectively. HIGHLIGHTS Glucomannan concentration influenced particle size and encapsulation efficiency of hydrogel Hydrogel was potential as acidophilus carrier in the gut due to its pH sensitivity Hydrogel had continuous surface to provide a stronger physical barrier for the acidophilus against harsh environment Hydrogel proved well protection of acidophilus during pasteurization and cold storage GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Evaluation of Antifungal Activity by Mixed Oxide Metallic Nanocomposite against Candida spp.

High doses of antimicrobial agents are a huge threat due to the increasing number of pathogenic organisms that are becoming resistant to antimicrobial agents. This resistance has led to a search for alternatives. Therefore, this study presents the synthesis and characterization of ZrO2-Ag2O nanoparticles (NPs) by sol-gel. The NPs were analyzed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV-visible (UV-vis), Raman and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The NPs were later evaluated for their antifungal effects against Candidaalbicans, Candida dubliniensis, Candida glabrata, and Candida tropicalis, using disc diffusion and microdilution methods, followed by the viability study. The DLS showed sizes for ZrO2 76 nm, Ag2O 50 nm, and ZrO2-Ag2O samples between 14 and 42 nm. UV-vis shows an absorption peak at 300 nm for ZrO2 and a broadband for Ag2O NPs. Raman spectra were consistent with factor group analysis predictions. SEM showed spherically shaped NPs. The antifungal activity result suggested that ZrO2-Ag2O NPs were effective against Candida spp. From the viability study, there was no significance difference in viability as a function of time and concentration on human mononuclear cells. This promising result can contribute toward the development of alternative therapies to treat fungal diseases in humans.

Viability study of ice nucleating active bacteria (Pseudomonas Syringae) in freezing cloud droplets

<p>The plant pathogenic bacteria<em> Pseudomonas syringae</em> are capable of inducing ice nucleation at low supercooling due to the presence of INA proteins on the outer cell membrane. Moreover, <em>P. Syringae</em> was shown to survive long-range transport in cold airmasses and redeposition to the earth’s surface with rain and snow. Thus, the life cycle of <em>P. syringae</em> is tightly coupled to the water cycle in the Earth's ecosystem. Understanding the survival mechanism of <em>P. Syringae</em> exposed to atmospheric cloud conditions is a prerequisite for characterization of bacteria as atmospheric ice nucleating particles, describing its dissemination paths and potential role in the spread of plant-pathogenic disease.</p><p>In this contribution we report on the viability study of ice nucleating active bacteria in freezing cloud droplets. To investigate the bacterial viability, water droplets containing several bacterial cells with low and high concentration of INA proteins are levitated in an electrodynamic balance (EDB) and cooled down to a temperature of -25°C. After freezing, the droplets are extracted from the EDB and the survival probability of the bacteria is determined by colony counting. A fluorescence stain and a high-speed video camera were used to visualize individual bacteria in the levitated droplets and to study their behavior during freezing.</p><p>The results have shown that the survival of bacteria depends on the freezing dynamics of bacteria-containing droplets (growth rate of ice in supercooled water). The <em>P. syringae</em> bacteria with high concentration of INA proteins are capable of inducing freezing at low supercooling and thus inhibit the growth rate of ice crystals, resulting in higher chance to survive the freezing. If high supercooling is achieved, the ice growth rate immediately after nucleation is very high and the survival probability is dramatically reduced.</p>