Phenyl-ring-bearing cationic surfactants: effect of ring location on the micellar structure

Novel molecular hybrids of EGCG and quinoxaline: Potent multi-targeting antidiabetic agents that inhibit α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and oxidative stress

Diabetes mellitus is a multifactorial disease and its effective therapy often demands several drugs with different modes of action. Herein, we report a rational design and synthesis of multi-targeting novel molecular hybrids comprised of EGCG and quinoxaline derivatives that can effectively inhibit α-glucosidase, α-amylase as well as control oxidative stress by scavenging ROS. The hybrids showed superior inhibition of α-glucosidase along with similar α-amylase inhibition as compared to standard drug, acarbose. Most potent compound, 15c showed an IC50 of 0.50 μM (IC50 of acarbose 190 μM) against α-glucosidase. Kinetics studies with 15c revealed a competitive inhibition against α-glucosidase. Binding affinity of 15c (-9.5 kcal/mol) towards α-glucosidase was significantly higher than acarbose (-7.7 kcal/mol). 15c exhibited remarkably high antioxidant activity (IC50 = 18.84 μM), much better than vitamin C (IC50 = 33.04 μM). Of note, acarbose shows no antioxidant activity. Furthermore, α-amylase activity was effectively inhibited by 15c with an IC50 value of 16.35 μM. No cytotoxicity was observed for 15c (up to 40 μM) in MCF-7 cells. Taken together, we report a series of multi-targeting molecular hybrids capable of inhibiting carbohydrate hydrolysing enzymes as well as reducing oxidative stress, thus representing an advancement towards effective and novel therapeutic approaches for diabetes.

Surface Activity of Ethoxylate Surfactants with Different Hydrophobic Architectures: The Effect of Layer Substructure on Surface Tension and Adsorption

A series of nonionic ethoxylate surfactants containing different combinations of alkyl, phenyl, and adamantyl units in nine different arrangements, each combined with penta- and hexa-ethylene glycol groups, were synthesized and purified. The surface properties of all of the surfactants were investigated at the air-water (A-W) interface using surface tension (ST) to determine the limiting surface excess (Γ_lim), the limiting surface tension (σ_lim), and the critical micelle concentration (CMC). A smaller selection was investigated at the hydrophilic silica-water interface by neutron reflectometry to obtain the thickness of the adsorbed layer and the total adsorption at the CMC. An unusual and largely unrecognized feature of the ethoxylate group is that it is both hydrophilic and hydrophobic. It was found possible to account for the variation of σ_lim and Γ_lim of all of the adsorbed layers in terms of a balance of the estimated STs of the sublayers forming the overall adsorbed layer, including that of the underlying ethoxylate layer. The values of σ_lim were found to be highest for phenyl- and adamantyl-capped surfactants and lowest mainly when there was more than one methyl group at the surface. However, in terms of the concentration required to reach a given low ST, increasing the number of attached methyl groups was found to be less effective than using a smaller number of better-placed methyl groups. At the solid-liquid interface, adsorption at or above the CMC was in all cases in the form of a fragmented bilayer whose coverage varied approximately linearly with the packing parameter. However, results on the phenyl-capped surfactants showed that the high ST exhibited by these surfactants at the A-W interface becomes a high cohesion energy in the interior of the bilayer and they exhibited significantly higher adsorption than expected from simple packing arguments.

A thiol-functionalized zirconium metal-organic cage for the effective removal of Hg2+ from aqueous solution

The mercury ions in waste water have threatened public health and environmental protection. In this sense, novel materials with outstanding performances for removal of Hg²⁺ are imperative. Herein, we demonstrate a thiol-functionalized zirconium metal-organic cage (MOC-(SH)₂) with excellent dispersion displays ideal properties for Hg²⁺ capture. MOC-(SH)₂ exhibits the ability of removing Hg²⁺ in aqueous solutions with a capacity of 335.9 mg_Hg2+/g_MOC-(SH)2, which surpasses that of classical Zr-based metal-organic framework Uio-66-(SH)₂ by 1.89 folds. The higher loading capacity of MOC-(SH)₂ is probably owing to the excellent dispersion of the discrete cage, which makes the accessibility of binding sites (thiol) easier. Additionally, 99.6% of Hg²⁺ can be effectively captured by MOC-(SH)₂ with the concentration decreased from 5 to 0.02 ppm reaching the permissible limit for Hg²⁺, outperforming the performance of Uio-66-(SH)₂. The excellent absorption property of MOC-(SH)₂ is also achieved in terms of superior selectivity under the presence of competitive metal ions. Meanwhile, the regenerated MOC-(SH)₂ can be reused without apparent loss of Hg²⁺ loading capacity. UV-vis absorption spectra, IR spectra and emission spectra further verified the strong chemical affinity between Hg²⁺ and the thiol of MOC-(SH)₂. The study lays the groundwork for using Zr-MOCs in the removal of toxic metal ions and environmental sustainability.

Aggregation Behavior and Intermolecular Interaction of Cationic Trisiloxane Surfactants: Effects of Unsaturation

Imidazolium/pyridinium-based trisiloxane surfactants containing a phenyl or vinyl group in the hydrophobic siloxane chain, bis(vinyldimethylsiloxy)methylsilylpropyl-pyridinium chloride (Vi-Si₃pyrCl), bis(vinyldimethylsiloxy)methylsilylpropyl-imidazolium chloride (Vi-Si₃minCl), and bis(phenyldimethylsiloxy)methylsilylpropylimidazolium chloride (Ph-Si₃minCl), were synthesized and confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) (¹H, ¹³C, and ²⁹Si NMR), mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The effect of the phenyl/vinyl group on their micellization behavior was studied by surface tension, electric conductivity, dynamic light scattering, 2D nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) NMR, and transmission electron microscopy. Owing to the hydrophobicity of the siloxane groups and cationic head groups, the critical micelle concentration (cmc) values follow the order Ph-Si₃minCl < Vi-Si₃pyrCl < Vi-Si₃minCl < Si₃pyrCl. Ph-Si₃minCl has a larger γ_cmc value, resulting from the introduction of the phenyldimethylsiloxy unit (π-π stacking interaction). The β values of Vi-Si₃minCl and Ph-Si₃minCl increase with the increase in temperature, which is attributed to the intermolecular interaction which hinders the association of Cl^- with the imidazolium ring and confirmed by 2D NOESY NMR. In aqueous solutions, the investigated cationic trisiloxane surfactants can self-assemble into spherical aggregates.

Surfactants with aromatic headgroups for optimizing properties of graphene/natural rubber latex composites (NRL): Surfactants with aromatic amine polar heads

HYPOTHESIS

The compatibility of surfactants and graphene surfaces can be improved by increasing the number of aromatic groups in the surfactants. Including aniline in the structure may improve the compatibility between surfactant and graphene further still. Surfactants can be modified by incorporating aromatic groups in the hydrophobic chains or hydrophilic headgroups. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the effects of employing anilinium based surfactants to disperse graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in natural rubber latex (NRL) for the fabrication of electrically conductive nanocomposites.

EXPERIMENTS

New graphene-philic surfactants carrying aromatic moieties in the hydrophilic headgroups and hydrophobic tails were synthesized by swapping the traditional sodium counterion with anilinium. ¹H NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize the surfactants. These custom-made surfactants were used to assist the dispersion of GNPs in natural rubber latex matrices for the preparation of conductive nanocomposites. The properties of nanocomposites with the new anilinium surfactants were compared with commercial sodium surfactant sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS), and the previously synthesized aromatic tri-chain sodium surfactant TC3Ph3 (sodium 1,5-dioxo-1,5-bis(3-phenylpropoxy)-3-((3phenylpropoxy)carbonyl) pentane-2-sulfonate). Structural properties of the nanocomposites were studied using Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Electrical conductivity measurements and Zeta potential measurements were used to assess the relationships between total number of aromatic groups in the surfactant molecular structure and nanocomposite properties. The self-assembly structure of surfactants in aqueous systems and GNP dispersions was assessed using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS).

FINDINGS

Among these different surfactants, the anilinium version of TC3Ph3 namely TC3Ph3-AN (anilinium 1,5-dioxo-1,5-bis(3-phenylpropoxy)-3-((3phenylpropoxy)carbonyl) pentane-2-sulfonate) was shown to be highly efficient for dispersing GNPs in the NRL matrices, increasing electrical conductivity eleven orders of magnitude higher than the neat rubber latex. Comparisons between the sodium and anilinium surfactants show significant differences in the final properties of the nanocomposites. In general, the strategy of increasing the number of surfactant-borne aromatic groups by incorporating anilinium ions in surfactant headgroups appears to be effective.

Synthesis, surface activities, and aggregation behavior of phenyl-containing carboxybetaine surfactants

A novel series of carboxybetaine surfactants were synthesized for the first time and their physicochemical properties were systematically investigated.

Spontaneous formation of vesicles by sodium 2-dodecylnicotinate in water

The surface activity and aggregation behavior of a synthesized nicotinic acid based anionic surfactant, sodium 2-dodecylnicotinate, were studied in aqueous solution. The self-assembly formation was investigated by use of a number of techniques, including surface tension and conductivity measurements, fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering measurement, gel permeation chromatography, and microscopy. The amphiphile exhibits two breaks in the surface tension vs concentration plot, indicating stepwise aggregate formation and thus producing two values of the aggregation concentration. Stepwise aggregation of the amphiphile was further confirmed by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy using pyrene as a probe molecule, and also the micropolarity of the aggregates was determined. The rigidity of the microenvironment was estimated by determining steady-state fluorescence anisotropy using 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene as a fluorescence probe molecule. The average hydrodynamic radius and size distribution of the aggregate suggest formation of larger aggregates in aqueous solution. The formation of vesicles in water was established by conductivity measurement and a dye entrapment experiment. The entrapment of a small solute and the release capability have also been examined to demonstrate these bilayers form enclosed vesicles. Transmission electron micrographs revealed the existence of closed vesicles and closed tubules in aqueous solution. Therefore, for the first time, it has been observed that this simple single-chain nicotinic acid based amphiphile spontaneously assembles to vesicles in aqueous solution.

Applications of isothermal titration calorimetry in pure and applied research--survey of the literature from 2010

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is a biophysical technique for measuring the formation and dissociation of molecular complexes and has become an invaluable tool in many branches of science from cell biology to food chemistry. By measuring the heat absorbed or released during bond formation, ITC provides accurate, rapid, and label-free measurement of the thermodynamics of molecular interactions. In this review, we survey the recent literature reporting the use of ITC and have highlighted a number of interesting studies that provide a flavour of the diverse systems to which ITC can be applied. These include measurements of protein-protein and protein-membrane interactions required for macromolecular assembly, analysis of enzyme kinetics, experimental validation of molecular dynamics simulations, and even in manufacturing applications such as food science. Some highlights include studies of the biological complex formed by Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin C3 and the murine T-cell receptor, the mechanism of membrane association of the Parkinson's disease-associated protein α-synuclein, and the role of non-specific tannin-protein interactions in the quality of different beverages. Recent developments in automation are overcoming limitations on throughput imposed by previous manual procedures and promise to greatly extend usefulness of ITC in the future. We also attempt to impart some practical advice for getting the most out of ITC data for those researchers less familiar with the method.

Micellization behavior of aromatic moiety bearing hybrid fluorocarbon sulfonate surfactants

Aggregation behavior and thermodynamic properties of two novel homologous aromatic moiety bearing hybrid fluorocarbon surfactants, sodium 2-(2-(4-ethylphenyl)-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethanesulfonate (1) and sodium 2-(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoro-2-(4-vinylphenyl)ethoxy)-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethanesulfonate (2) were studied using surface tension measurements and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) in dilute aqueous solutions at room temperature. Because of the aromatic group in the hydrophobic tail, both surfactants are soluble at room temperature unlike their starting precursor, 5-iodooctafluoro-3-oxapentanesulfonate as well as several other fluorocarbon sulfonic acid salts. Moreover, the surfactant 2 has the ability that it can be polymerized once microemulsions are formed with it. The ionic conductivity measurements of 1 at five different temperatures from 288 to 313 K were carried out to study the effect of temperature on the micellization and its thermodynamics. The pseudophase separation model was applied to estimate thermodynamic quantities from conductivity data. The Gibbs energy of micellization versus temperature exhibited the characteristic U-shaped behavior with a minimum at 306 K. The micellization process was found to be largely entropy driven. Because of its hybrid structure, the entropy change of micellization for 1 was larger than what is common for hydrocarbon surfactants like SDS but less than for fully fluorinated surfactants like NaPFO. The micellization process was found to be following the entropy-enthalpy compensation phenomena.