Complexation of chlorpropham with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and its application in potato sprout inhibition

Unraveling the mechanism of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber sprouting using transcriptome and metabolome analyses

Sprouting is an irreversible deterioration of potato quality, which leads to the production of harmful toxins and loss of the commercial value of potatoes. However, there is no report on the changes in different stages of potato sprouting through transcriptome and metabonomics. In this study, 1471 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found between DP and BP. In comparison with SP, a total of 6309 DEGs were detected in BP. Additionally, 6624 DEGs were identified between DP and SP. Moreover, 96 and 117 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were detected between DP and BP and between BP and SP, respectively. Furthermore, 130 DAMs were identified in total between DP and SP. In each group, a correlation analysis of DAMs and DEGs was performed to examine the regulatory network. The results indicated that the sprouting of tubers is mainly regulated by plant hormone signals, and during the sprouting of tubers, significant changes in metabolic products occur in the body. According to the combined analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics, multiple metabolites were both positive and negative regulated by genes.

Inclusions of Pesticides by β-Cyclodextrin in Solution and Solid State: Chlorpropham, Monuron, and Propanil

Persistence and degradation are important factors in determining the safe use of such synthetic products, and numerous studies have been addressed to develop pesticide remediation methods aimed at ameliorating these features. In this frame, the use of different cyclodextrins (CDs) molecules has attracted considerable attention due to their well-known non-toxic nature, limited environmental impact, and capability to reduce the environmental and health risks of pesticides. CDs appear to be a valuable tool for the elimination of pesticides from polluted areas as well as for better pesticide formulations that positively influence their hydrolysis or degradation. The present work investigates the interaction between β-cyclodextrins and three commonly used pesticides (i.e., chlorpropham, monuron, and propanil) both in solution and in the solid state by means of UV-Vis, FT-IR, and X-ray powder diffractometry. We show that such interactions result in all three cases in the formation of inclusion complexes with a 1:1 stoichiometry and binding constants (K_b) of 369.9 M^-1 for chlorpropham, 292.3 M^-1 for monuron, and 298.3 M^-1 for propanil. We also report the energy-minimized structures in silico for each complex. Our data expand and complement the available literature data in indicating CDs as a low-cost and very effective tool capable of modulating the properties that determine the environmental fate of pesticides.

Inclusion complex of 20(S)-protopanaxatriol with modified β-cyclodextrin: Characterization, solubility, and interaction with bovine serum albumin

20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT) is one of the ginsenosides isolated from Panax ginseng which have many pharmaceutical activities. However, the poor water solubility of PPT restrict its applications. Herein, a novel bridged-bis-[6-(3,3'-(ethylenedioxy) bis (propylamine))-6-deoxy-β-cyclodextrin] (EDBA-bis-β-CD) was designed and synthesized, and the inclusion complex (IC) of EDBA-bis-β-CD with PPT was successfully prepared in the solid state, and characterized by UV, ¹H NMR, 2D ROESY, FT-IR, XRD and SEM and molecular modelling methods. The continuous variation method analysis indicated that the stoichiometry of the IC was 1:1. UV-vis spectral analysis demonstrated the binding constant K_s was 995.94 M^-1, and the solubility study showed that the solubility of PPT improved 290 times. The interaction of the IC with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated via fluorescence spectroscopy. The results indicated that fluorescence quenching of BSA by IC was static quenching. Thermodynamic studies showed that van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding play significant roles in interaction. The esterase-like activity of BSA in the presence of IC showed that it reduce the esterase activity of BSA in a competitive manner. Furthermore, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations for EDBA-bis-β-CD/PPT and BSA/IC systems were generated to provide information on the stability and the forces in the binding.

Integrated Analysis of Transcriptome and Metabolome Reveals the Mechanism of Chlorine Dioxide Repressed Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Tuber Sprouting

Sprouting is an irreversible deterioration of potato quality, which not only causes loss in their commercial value but also produces harmful toxins. As a popular disinfectant, ClO2 can inhibit the sprouting of potato tubers. Using transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches to understand the repressive mechanism of ClO2 in potato sprouting is yet to be reported. Sequencing the transcriptome and metabolome of potatoes treated with ClO2 in this study revealed a total of 3,119 differentially expressed genes, with 1,247 and 1,872 genes showing down- and upregulated expression, respectively. The majority of the downregulated genes were associated with plant hormone signal transduction, whereas upregulated differential genes were associated primarily with biological processes, such as phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Metabonomic assays identified a total of 932 metabolites, with 33 and 52 metabolites being down- and upregulated, respectively. Downregulated metabolites were mostly alkaloids, amino acids, and their derivatives, whereas upregulated metabolites were composed mainly of flavonoids and coumarins. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses showed that many different metabolites were regulated by several different genes, forming a complex regulatory network. These results provide new insights for understanding the mechanism of ClO2-mediated repression of potato sprouting.

Maleic and L-tartaric acids as new anti-sprouting agents for potatoes during storage in comparison to other efficient sprout suppressants

Inhibiting sprouting of potatoes is an interesting subject needed for potato storage and industry. Sprouting degrades the quality of tuber along with releasing α-solanine and α-chaconine, which are harmful for health. Sprout suppressants, available in the market, are either costly or toxic to both health and environment. So, there is a need for developing countries to explore new sprouting suppressant compound which is cheap, non-toxic and reasonably efficient in comparison to commercial ones. We have established that simple maleic acid and L-tartaric acid are effective sprout suppressing agents. Both can hinder sprouting up to 6 weeks and 4 weeks post treatment respectively at room temperature in dark. These do not affect the quality parameters, retain the moisture content and maintain the stout appearance of the tubers along the total storage period. Thus maleic acid and L-tartaric acid would qualify as alternative, cheap, efficient sprout suppressant for potato storage and processing.

Supramolecular and suprabiomolecular photochemistry: a perspective overview

In this perspective review article, we have attempted to bring out the important current trends of research in the areas of supramolecular and suprabiomolecular photochemistry. Since the spans of the subject areas are very vast, it is impossible to cover all the aspects within the limited space of this review article. Nevertheless, efforts have been made to assimilate the basic understanding of how supramolecular interactions can significantly change the photophysical and other related physiochemical properties of chromophoric dyes and drugs, which have enormous academic and practical implications. We have discussed with reference to relevant chemical systems where supramolecularly assisted modulations in the properties of chromophoric dyes and drugs can be used or have already been used in different areas like sensing, dye/drug stabilization, drug delivery, functional materials, and aqueous dye laser systems. In supramolecular assemblies, along with their conventional photophysical properties, the acid-base properties of prototropic dyes, as well as the excited state prototautomerization and related proton transfer behavior of proton donor/acceptor dye molecules, are also largely modulated due to supramolecular interactions, which are often reflected very explicitly through changes in their absorption and fluorescence characteristics, providing us many useful insights into these chemical systems and bringing out intriguing applications of such changes in different applied areas. Another interesting research area in supramolecular photochemistry is the excitation energy transfer from the donor to acceptor moieties in self-assembled systems which have immense importance in light harvesting applications, mimicking natural photosynthetic systems. In this review article, we have discussed varieties of these aspects, highlighting their academic and applied implications. We have tried to emphasize the progress made so far and thus to bring out future research perspectives in the subject areas concerned, which are anticipated to find many useful applications in areas like sensors, catalysis, electronic devices, pharmaceuticals, drug formulations, nanomedicine, light harvesting, and smart materials.

A Simple Approach for Determining the Maximum Sorption Capacity of Chlorpropham from Aqueous Solution onto Granular Activated Charcoal

UV-Vis spectrophotometer was used to determine chlorpropham (CIPC) concentration in aqueous solution. The method was validated in term of linearity, precision and limit of detection and limit of quantitation. The correlation coefficient of standards calibration curve of (1.0–10.0 µg/mL CIPC) was R2 = 1 with a precision (RSD%, n=10) ranged from (0.87–0.53%). The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) based on the regression statistics of the calibration curve data of (1.0–10.0 µg/mL CIPC) were 0.04 µg/mL and 0.11 µg/mL respectively. The activated carbon adsorbent was found to be effective for the removal approximately 80% of CIPC from aqueous solution. Several isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich) were evaluated. The maximum monolayer sorption capacity (Qm) from the Langmuir isotherm model was determined to be (44316.92 µg/g). The separation factor (RL) is 0.11 which indicates a favorable equilibrium sorption with the R2 value of 0.99, indicating that the Langmuir isotherm model fit the experimental sorption data well.

Complexation of capsaicin with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and its analytical application

Fluorescence spectra, ¹H NMR, thermoanalysis and molecular modeling were used to investigate the host-guest inclusion system of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) with capsaicin. Job's plot was employed to confirm a 1:2 host-guest stoichiometry. Phase solubility study indicated that the apparent stability constant was 3.76 × 10⁶ M^-2. With the enhancing fluorescence of capsaicin complexation with HPβCD, a spectrofluorimetric method approach to determine the capsaicin in bulk aqueous solution was developed. Linearity was achieved wide ranges (0.05-60 μg/mL), with low detection limit of 0.04 μg/mL, and the relative standard deviation was 1.30%. Application to the analysis of chili powder samples obtained a satisfactory recovery of 99.5-105.6%.

Propyl gallate/cyclodextrin supramolecular complexes with enhanced solubility and radical scavenging capacity

This study prepared and investigated the inclusion complexes of propyl gallate (PG) with beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and its water-soluble derivatives dimethyl-beta-cyclodextrin (DM-β-CD), hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD), and sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD). Phase solubility studies indicated that the formed complexes were in 1:1 stoichiometry. FT-IR, PXRD, DSC, ¹H-NMR, ROESY-NMR, and SEM analysis results confirmed the formation of the complexes. The NMR results indicated that the aromatic ring of PG was embedded into the CD cavity. The aqueous solubility of PG was markedly improved, and that of the PG/DM-β-CD complex increased by 365.3 times. In addition, the results of the antioxidant activity assay showed that the hydroxyl radical and superoxide radical scavenging capacities of the complexes increased by 3-11 times and 1-6.5 times, respectively, compared with those of PG under the same concentration. Therefore, CD/PG inclusion complexes with improved solubility and radical scavenging capacity can be used as water-soluble antioxidants in the food industry.

Characterization and In Vitro Evaluation of the Complexes of Posaconazole with β- and 2,6-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin

Posaconazole is a triazole antifungal drug that with extremely poor aqueous solubility. Up to now, this drug can be administered via intravenous injection and oral suspension. However, its oral bioavailability is greatly limited by the dissolution rate of the drug. This study aimed to improve water solubility and dissolution of posaconazole through characterizing the inclusion complexes of posaconazole with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and 2,6-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin (DM-β-CD). Phase solubility studies were performed to calculate the stability constants in solution. The results of FT-IR, PXRD, ¹H and ROESY 2D NMR, and DSC all verified the formation of the complexes in solid state. The complexes showed remarkably improved water solubility and dissolution rate than pure posaconazole. Especially, the aqueous solubility of the DM-β-CD complex is nine times higher than that of the β-CD complex. Preliminary in vitro antifungal susceptibility tests showed that the two inclusion complexes maintained high antifungal activities. These results indicated that the DM-β-CD complexes have great potential for application in the delivery of poorly water-soluble antifungal agents, such as posaconazole.

Characterization and evaluation of synthetic riluzole with β-cyclodextrin and 2,6-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes

β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) and 2,6-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin (DM-β-CD) inclusion complexes with riluzole (RLZ) were prepared to improve water solubility and broaden potential pharmaceutical applications. CDs/RLZ inclusion complexes were confirmed via phase solubility studies, FT-IR spectroscopy, PXRD, DSC, (1)H NMR, and SEM. Phase solubility studies indicated that β-CD and DM-β-CD can form 1:1 inclusion complexes with RLZ, and the stability constants were 663.17 and 1609.07M(-1), respectively. Water solubility and dissolution rate of RLZ were significantly improved in complex forms, implying that the inclusion complexes may develop pharmaceutical applications. Preliminary in vitro cytotoxicity assay also showed that RLZ hepatotoxicity was not increased in the inclusion complexes.

pH-Assisted control over the binding and relocation of an acridine guest between a macrocyclic nanocarrier and natural DNA

Controlled binding and relocation of a dye–drug between a macrocyclic nanocarrier and natural DNA is demonstrated using pH as a stimulus.