Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of the hydrated 2:1 adduct of piperazine-1,4-diium 3,5-dinitro-2-oxidobenzoate and piperazine

The crystal structure of the adduct piperazine-1,4-diium 3,5-dinitro-2-oxidobenzoate–piperazine–water (2/1/2) shows the existence of a 3,5-dinitrosalicylate dianion (DNSA2−) and a protonated piperazine-1,4-diium cation (PIP2+) along with a piperazine molecule. The formula of the title adduct in the asymmetric unit is 2C4H12N2 2+·2C7H2N2O7 2−·C4H10N2·2H2O with Z = 1. The piperazine ring in the piperazine-1,4-diium cation and in the neutral piperazine molecule adopt chair conformations. All O atoms in the DNSA2− moiety and the water molecule act as hydrogen-bonding acceptors for various intermolecular O—H...O, N—H...O and C—H...O interactions, which stabilize the crystal structure. Various supramolecular architectures formed by the different intermolecular interactions are discussed. The relative contribution of various intermolecular contacts is analysed with the aid of two-dimensional (full and decomposed) fingerprint plots, indicating that H...O/O...H (50.2%) and H...H (36.2%) contacts are the major contributors to the stabilization of the crystal structure.

Polysaccharide-Based Organic Frameworks with Embedded Nanoparticles: Advanced SPR Study on the Antiviral Activity of Gold Composites Derived from Glucuronoxylomannan

The nanosized composites based on the natural polysaccharides and nanoparticles of noble metals are promising candidates for efficient antiviral drugs. However, the complexity of such objects, their diversity and novelty necessitate the development of new analytical methods for investigation of such supramolecular architectures. In this work, which was recently developed for SPR-based instrumentation, the concept of variative refraction (DViFA, density variations in fixed architectures) was used to elucidate the mechanism of the antiviral action of a polysaccharide with gold nanoparticles grown in it. The SPR data were confirmed by direct biological tests: the effect of the native polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) obtained from the fungus Ganoderma adspersum and gold nanocomposites thereon on the infection of Datura stramonium with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was investigated. Both drugs suppress the development of viral infections. However, if for high concentrations the characteristic activity of the composite is somewhat lower than for GXM, then with an increase in dilution, the effectiveness of the composite increases significantly, up to a twofold excess. It has been reasonably suggested that the mechanism of antiviral action is associated with the formation of clusters of viruses that are no longer capable of infecting cells.

Formation of supramolecular nanostructures via in situ self-assembly and post-assembly modification of a biocatalytically constructed dipeptide hydrazide

The in situ self-assembly of a biocatalytically constructed dipeptide hydrazide gives rise to supramolecular hydrogels, consisting of networks of supramolecular nanoarchitectures, under mild aqueous conditions. Moreover, the post-assembly modification via hydrazone bond formation enables the decoration of the prefabricated supramolecular architectures.

Salt formation, hydrogen-bonding patterns and supramolecular architectures of acridine with salicylic and hippuric acid molecules

The intermolecular interactions and salt formation of acridine with 4-aminosalicylic acid, 5-chlorosalicylic acid and hippuric acid were investigated. The salts obtained were acridin-1-ium 4-aminosalicylate (4-amino-2-hydroxybenzoate), C13H10N+·C7H6NO3 − (I), acridin-1-ium 5-chlorosalicylate (5-chloro-2-hydroxybenzoate), C13H10N+·C7H4ClO3 − (II), and acridin-1-ium hippurate (2-benzamidoacetate) monohydrate, C13H10N+·C9H8NO3 −·H2O (III). Acridine is involved in strong intermolecular interactions with the hydroxy group of the three acids, enabling it to form supramolecular assemblies. Hirshfeld surfaces, fingerprint plots and enrichment ratios were generated and investigated, and the intermolecular interactions were analyzed, revealing their quantitative contributions in the crystal packing of salts I, II and III. A quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analysis shows the charge–density distribution of the intermolecular interactions. The isosurfaces of the noncovalent interactions were studied, which allows visualization of where the hydrogen-bonding and dispersion interactions contribute within the crystal.

Quorum Sensing Pseudomonas Quinolone Signal Forms Chiral Supramolecular Assemblies With the Host Defense Peptide LL-37

Host defense antimicrobial peptides (HDPs) constitute an integral component of the innate immune system having nonspecific activity against a broad spectrum of microorganisms. They also have diverse biological functions in wound healing, angiogenesis, and immunomodulation, where it has also been demonstrated that they have a high affinity to interact with human lipid signaling molecules. Within bacterial biofilms, quorum sensing (QS), the vital bacterial cell-to-cell communication system, is maintained by similar diffusible small molecules which control phenotypic traits, virulence factors, biofilm formation, and dispersion. Efficient eradication of bacterial biofilms is of particular importance as these colonies greatly help individual cells to tolerate antibiotics and develop antimicrobial resistance. Regarding the antibacterial function, for several HDPs, including the human cathelicidin LL-37, affinity to eradicate biofilms can exceed their activity to kill individual bacteria. However, related underlying molecular mechanisms have not been explored yet. Here, we employed circular dichroism (CD) and UV/VIS spectroscopic analysis, which revealed that LL-37 exhibits QS signal affinity. This archetypal representative of HDPs interacts with the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS) molecules, producing co-assemblies with peculiar optical activity. The binding of PQS onto the asymmetric peptide chains results in chiral supramolecular architectures consisting of helically disposed, J-aggregated molecules. Besides the well-known bacterial membrane disruption activity, our data propose a novel action mechanism of LL-37. As a specific case of the so-called quorum quenching, QS signal molecules captured by the peptide are sequestered inside co-assemblies, which may interfere with the microbial QS network helping to prevent and eradicate bacterial infections.

Nano-sandwich composite by kinetic trapping assembly from protein and nucleic acid

Design and preparation of layered composite materials alternating between nucleic acids and proteins has been elusive due to limitations in occurrence and geometry of interaction sites in natural biomolecules. We report the design and kinetically controlled stepwise synthesis of a nano-sandwich composite by programmed noncovalent association of protein, DNA and RNA modules. A homo-tetramer protein core was introduced to control the self-assembly and precise positioning of two RNA–DNA hybrid nanotriangles in a co-parallel sandwich arrangement. Kinetically favored self-assembly of the circularly closed nanostructures at the protein was driven by the intrinsic fast folding ability of RNA corner modules which were added to precursor complex of DNA bound to the protein. The 3D architecture of this first synthetic protein–RNA–DNA complex was confirmed by fluorescence labeling and cryo-electron microscopy studies. The synthesis strategy for the nano-sandwich composite provides a general blueprint for controlled noncovalent assembly of complex supramolecular architectures from protein, DNA and RNA components, which expand the design repertoire for bottom-up preparation of layered biomaterials.