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showing 10 items of 1921 documents
Mechanisms of interference of p-diphenols with the Trinder reaction
2020
p-Diphenols, such as homogentisic acid, gentisic acid, etamsylate, and calcium dobesilate, interfere with diagnostic tests utilizing the Trinder reaction but the mechanisms of these effects are not fully understood. We observed substantial differences both in oxidation of p-diphenols by horseradish peroxidase and their influence on oxidation of 4-aminoantipyrine and various phenolic substrates. Homogentisic acid was rapidly oxidized by the enzyme and completely blocked chromophore formation. Enzymatic oxidation of the remaining p-diphenols was slow and they only moderately inhibited chromophore formation. However, in the presence of standard substrates all tested p-diphenols were rapidly co…
Efficient flow injection and sequential injection methods for spectrophotometric determination of oxybenzone in sunscreens based on reaction with Ni(…
2001
Spectrophotometric determination of a widely used UV-filter, such as oxybenzone, is proposed. The method is based on the complexation reaction between oxybenzone and Ni(II) in ammoniacal medium. The stoichiometry of the reaction, established by the Job method, was 1:1. Reaction conditions were studied and the experimental parameters were optimized, for both flow injection (FI) and sequential injection (SI) determinations, with comparative purposes. Sunscreen formulations containing oxybenzone were analyzed by the proposed methods and results compared with those obtained by HPLC. Data show that both FI and SI procedures provide accurate and precise results. The ruggedness, sensitivity and LO…
Indirect oxidation of amino acid phenylhydrazides by mushroom tyrosinase.
2006
We have investigated oxidation of amino acid phenylhydrazides by mushroom tyrosinase in the presence of 4-tert-butylcatechol and N-acetyl-l-tyrosine. Spectrophotometric measurements showed gradual disappearance of 4-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone, generated by oxidation of 4-tert-butylcatechol with sodium periodate, after addition of amino acid phenylhydrazides. However, the presence of the phenylhydrazides did not influence the concentration of 4-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone formed during enzymatic oxidation. Oxygen consumption measurements demonstrated that in a mixture both compounds were oxidized but the reaction rate was proportional to the concentration of the catechol. In the oxidation of N-…
(Table 1) Sea surface temperature reconstruction for eastern equatorial Pacific surface sediment samples
2012
Significant uncertainties persist in the reconstruction of past sea surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific, especially regarding the amplitude of the glacial cooling and the details of the post-glacial warming. Here we present the first regional calibration of alkenone unsaturation in surface sediments versus mean annual sea surface temperatures (maSST). Based on 81 new and 48 previously published data points, it is shown that open ocean samples conform to established global regressions of Uk'37 versus maSST and that there is no systematic bias from seasonality in the production or export of alkenones, or from surface ocean nutrient concentrations or salinity. The flattening…
Understanding the influence of lewis acids in the regioselectivity of the diels-alder reactions of 2-methoxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone: a dft study
2009
The mechanisms of the Diels–Alder (DA) reactions of 2-methoxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone 1 with 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene 2, in the absence and in the presence of LA catalysts, have been studied using the DFT method at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. The uncatalyzed DA reactions between 1 and 2 take place via synchronous concerted TSs. The large activation barrier as well as the low stereo and regioselectivity associated with the uncatalyzed process are in clear agreement with the non-polar character of the cycloaddition. Coordination of the LA catalysts, BF3 or SnCl4, to the oxygen atoms of the benzoquinone 1 produces a large acceleration of the reaction, which can be associated with the l…
The transcriptional inhibitor thiolutin blocks mRNA degradation in yeast.
2007
Thiolutin is commonly used as a general inhibitor of transcription in yeast. It has been used to calculate mRNA decay rates by stopping the transcription and then determining the relative abundance of individual mRNAs at different times after inhibition. We report here that thiolutin is also an inhibitor of mRNA degradation, and thus its use can lead to miscalculations of mRNA half-lives. The inhibition of mRNA decay seems to affect the mRNA degradation pathway without impeding poly(A) shortening, given that the decay rate of total poly(A) amount is not reduced by thiolutin. Moreover, the thiolutin-dependent inhibition of mRNA degradation has variable effects on different functional groups …
Phosphodiesterase inhibition induces retinal degeneration, oxidative stress and inflammation in cone-enriched cultures of porcine retina.
2013
nherited retinal degenerations affecting both rod and cone photoreceptors constitute one of the causes 74 of incurable blindness in the developed world. Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) is crucial in the 75 phototransduction and, mutations in genes related to its metabolism are responsible for different retinal 76 dystrophies. cGMP-degrading phosphodiesterase 6 (PDE6) mutations cause around 4e5% of the retinitis 77 pigmentosa, a rare form of retinal degeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether phar- 78 macological PDE6 inhibition induced retinal degeneration in cone-enriched cultures of porcine retina 79 similar to that found in murine models. PDE6 inhibition was induced…
Anthraquinones from Ophiorrhiza pumila tissue and cell cultures
1998
We have succeeded in initiating and establishing systems of tissue and cell cultures of Ophiorrhiza pumila. Examination of the constituents of the methanol extract of the cultured calli revealed the presence of 11 anthraquinones including two new ones whose structures have been rigorously proved using advanced spectroscopic methods. These findings demonstrated a remarkable difference in the constituents between the wild plants and the callus tissue or cultured cells; the former is devoid of anthraquinones and contains a variety of camptothecin-related alkaloids whereas the latter contains a significant amount of anthraquinones and shows no indication of the presence of alkaloids after sever…
Shikonin promotes intestinal wound healing in vitro via induction of TGF-β release in IEC-18 cells
2013
The intestinal barrier is a complex system with a dynamic structure that is designed for the maintenance of homeostasis in healthy individuals. Ulcerative colitis, one of the main manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by an inadequate and delayed wound healing. Shikonin, the active principle in the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, has demonstrated its ability to attenuate dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis in mice. Moreover, the root of L. erythrorhizon has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of burns, anal ulcers, hemorrhoids and skin wounds. However, the effect of shikonin on intestinal wound healing is unknown. Using an in vi…
Computational determination of the dominant triplet population mechanism in photoexcited benzophenone
2014
In benzophenone, intersystem crossing occurs efficiently between the S-1(n pi(star)) state and the T-1 state of dominant n pi(star) character, leading to excited triplet states after photoexcitation. The transition mechanism between S-1(n pi(star)) and T-1 is still a matter of debate, despite several experimental studies. Quantum mechanical calculations have been performed in order to assess the relative efficiencies of previously proposed mechanisms, in particular, the direct S-1 -> T-1 and indirect S-1 -> T-2(pi pi(star)) -> T-1 ones. Multiconfigurational wave function based methods are used to discuss the nature of the relevant states and also to determine minimum energy paths a…