Neat Buffer Solution Research Articles

Cordyceps fungus-mediated enantioselective synthesis of chiral alcohol and enhanced biocatalytic efficiency in cyclodextrin/surfactant-buffer system

Asymmetric synthesis of chiral alcohols by biocatalysts holds promising prospect. In this study, a medicinal Cordyceps fungus, namely Tolypocladium inflatum, was adopted as a novel biocatalyst for the synthesis of chiral alcohols. Among the assessed prochiral ketone substrates, T. inflatum exhibited the best catalytic activity towards 1-(4-bromophenyl)−2,2,2-trifluoroethanone (BPFO), yielding a valuable pharmaceutical intermediate (S)−1-(4-bromophenyl)−2,2,2-trifluoroethanol ((S)-BPFL) with >99.9 % enantiomeric excesses (ee). For more efficient biosynthesis of (S)-BPFL, cyclodextrins or surfactants were introduced to the reaction system as additives to strengthen this bioprocess. Among which methyl β-cyclodextrin (MCD) improved cell membrane permeability and alleviated product inhibition, while Triton X-100 enhanced BPFO solubility. Furthermore, synergistic promotion for BPFO bioreduction by MCD and Triton X-100 was observed. Under the optimal reaction conditions, 50 mM BPFO was converted into (S)-BPFL with 89.1 % yield and >99.9 % ee in 12 h, showing 16-fold increase of space-time yield in the developed MCD/Triton X-100-buffer system compared to neat buffer solution. This study illustrated the potential of the enantioselective preparation of chiral alcohols mediated by Cordyceps fungus. Additionally, the biocatalytic efficiency was significantly improved in the constructed synergistic reaction system, and the underlying mechanism was also explored.

Synergistic promotion for microbial asymmetric preparation of (R)-2-chloro-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)ethanol by NADES and cyclodextrin

Microbial whole-cell catalysis has been a popular method for chiral alcohols preparation. In this study, Cyberlindnera saturnus ZJPH1807 was successfully employed as a biocatalyst to reduce 2-chloro-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)ethanone (CPE) to (R)-2-chloro-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)ethanol ((R)-CPEO), a key chiral intermediate of antifungal drug miconazole. In order to further improve the bioprocess yield, natural deep eutectic solvent and cyclodextrin were introduced into the reaction system as additives. It was found that carnitine/trehalose (C/Tre, 1:1 mol/mol) could increase the permeability of cell membrane appropriately and improve the mass transfer rate. And the addition of methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MCD) could improve the solubility of CPE in buffer solution, simultaneously promoting cofactor recycling. Furthermore, MCD and C/Tre exerted a synergistic effect on the acceleration of CPE bioreduction, producing 91.0% yield in 1.5 h at 35.8 mM CPE in a C/Tre-MCD-containing system, with a 12.4-fold increase in productivity compared to neat buffer solution only. When the substrate loading was increased to 67.1 mM, the yield could also achieve 84.2%. The established bioreduction process was also feasible at 100 mL preparation scale with a 88.5% (R)-CPEO yield. The integration of C/Tre and MCD can significantly improve catalytic efficiency for hydrophobic substrates and be applied in biocatalysis.

Boosting the kinetic efficiency of formate dehydrogenase by combining the effects of temperature, high pressure and co-solvent mixtures

The application of co-solvents and high pressure has been shown to be an efficient means to modify the kinetics of enzyme-catalyzed reactions without compromising enzyme stability, which is often limited by temperature modulation. In this work, the high-pressure stopped-flow methodology was applied in conjunction with fast UV/Vis detection to investigate kinetic parameters of formate dehydrogenase reaction (FDH), which is used in biotechnology for cofactor recycling systems. Complementary FTIR spectroscopic and differential scanning fluorimetric studies were performed to reveal pressure and temperature effects on the structure and stability of the FDH. In neat buffer solution, the kinetic efficiency increases by one order of magnitude by increasing the temperature from 25° to 45 °C and the pressure from ambient up to the kbar range. The addition of particular co-solvents further doubled the kinetic efficiency of the reaction, in particular the compatible osmolyte trimethylamine-N-oxide and its mixtures with the macromolecular crowding agent dextran. The thermodynamic model PC-SAFT was successfully applied within a simplified activity-based Michaelis-Menten framework to predict the effects of co-solvents on the kinetic efficiency by accounting for interactions involving substrate, co-solvent, water, and FDH. Especially mixtures of the co-solvents at high concentrations were beneficial for the kinetic efficiency and for the unfolding temperature.

Effective asymmetric preparation of (R)-1-[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethanol with recombinant E. coli whole cells in an aqueous Tween-20/natural deep eutectic solvent solution

(R)-1-[3-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethanol ((R)-MTF-PEL) is an important chiral building block for the synthesis of a neuroprotective compound, (R)-3-(1-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ethoxy)azetidine-1-carboxamide. In this work, an effective whole-cell-catalyzed biotransformation was developed to produce (R)-MTF-PEL, and its productivity was increased by medium engineering strategy. The recombinant E. coli BL21(DE3)-pET28a(+)-LXCAR-S154Y variant affording carbonyl reductase was adopted for the reduction of 3'-(trifluoromethyl)acetophenone to (R)-MTF-PEL with enantiomeric excess (ee) > 99.9%. The addition of 0.6% Tween-20 (w/v) boosted the bioreduction, because the substrate concentration was increased by 4.0-fold than that in the neat buffer solution. The biocatalytic efficiency was further enhanced by introducing choline chloride: lysine (ChCl:Lys, molar ratio of 1:1) in the reaction medium, because the product yield reached 91.5% under 200 mM substrate concentration in the established Tween-20/ChCl:Lys-containing system, which is the highest ever reported for (R)-MTF-PEL production. The optimal reduction conditions were as follows: 4% (w/v) ChCl:Lys, 12.6 g (DCW)/L recombinant E. coli cells, pH 7.0, 30 ℃ and 200 rpm, reaction for 18 h. The combined strategy of surfactant and NADES has great potential in the biocatalytic process and the synthesis of chiral alcohols.

Reactions of radicals with PERK kinase inhibitor and its analogue under oxidative and reductive stress conditions. Pulse radiolysis study

The scavenging of primary free radicals generated during radiolysis of water (eaq−,•OH, •H) and CO2•‒ (reducing radical) or N3• (oxidizing radical) by PERK inhibitor, AMD (3-acetyl-6-methylheptane-2,4-dione) and APD (3-acetyl-2,4-pentanedione) has been studied with details. AMD is a low molecular weight inhibitor of the PERK-dependent antiproliferative signaling pathway and constitutes the foundation of an innovative therapeutic strategy in the treatment of cancer diseases. The applied compounds exist in the three different forms depending on pH of aqueous solution: ketone, enol and enolate form. The effect of pH on the absorption spectra of AMD and APD has been studied and the value of pKa for the keto – enol equilibrium (conversion of the ketone to enol) and pKa for the enol – enolate form were calculated. Redox processes studied by pulse radiolysis method were more effective at neutral or alkaline pH than in an acidic solution. The influence of human serum albumin (HSA) on the oxidation and reduction process of examined compounds was studied. The kinetics of radicals reaction with tested compounds has been compared for neat buffer solution and systems containing HSA. The results indicate competitive electron scavenging by studied scavengers and protein.

Adsorption of adenine on mercury electrode in acetate buffer at pH 5 and pH 6 and its effect on electroreduction of zinc ions

The measurements of double-layer differential capacitance, zero charge potential, and surface tension at that potential allowed us to examine the adsorption properties of adenine on the mercury surface from the neat buffer solution, i.e., the acetate buffer at pH 5 and pH 6. The systems obtained at such pH values were close to physiological fluids in their characteristics. The adsorption energy and interaction constants were determined using Frumkin isotherm and virial isotherm. It was shown that the adenine molecule is adsorbed on the mercury electrode with its negative pole against the electrode surface. Using the cyclic voltammetry technique and measuring Faraday impedance, an increasing effect of adenine on the kinetics of zinc ion electroreduction was found. In both buffer solutions, the neutral adenine molecules can form on the surface of the working electrode, an unstable active complex with depolarizer ions, facilitating electron exchange.Graphical abstract

Surface dependent contact activation of factor XII and blood plasma coagulation induced by mixed thiol surfaces.

Studies of the activation of FXII in both platelet poor plasma and in neat buffer solutions were undertaken for a series of mixed thiol self-assembled monolayers spanning a broad range of water wettability. A wide spectrum of carboxyl/methyl-, hydroxyl/methyl-, and amine/methyl-thiol modified surfaces were prepared, characterized, and then utilized as the procoagulant materials in a series of FXII activation studies. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was utilized to verify the sample surface's thiol composition and contact angles measured to determine the sample surface's wettability. These samples were then used in in vitro coagulation assays using a 50% mixture of recalcified plasma in phosphate buffered saline. Alternatively, the samples were placed into purified FXII solutions for 30 min to assess FXII activation in neat buffer solution. Plasma coagulation studies supported a strong role for anionic surfaces in contact activation, in line with the traditional models of coagulation, while the activation results in neat buffer solution demonstrated that FXIIa production is related to surface wettability with minimum levels of enzyme activation observed at midrange wettabilities, and no statistically distinguishable differences in FXII activation seen between highly wettable and highly nonwettable surfaces. Results demonstrated that the composition of the solution and the surface properties of the material all contribute to the observation of contact activation, and the activation of FXII is not specific to anionic surfaces as has been long believed.

Contact activation of blood plasma and factor XII by ion-exchange resins

Sepharose ion-exchange particles bearing strong Lewis acid/base functional groups (sulfopropyl, carboxymethyl, quaternary ammonium, dimethyl aminoethyl, and iminodiacetic acid) exhibiting high plasma protein adsorbent capacities are shown to be more efficient activators of blood factor XII in neat-buffer solution than either hydrophilic clean-glass particles or hydrophobic octyl sepharose particles ( FXII → surface activator FXIIa ; a.k.a autoactivation, where FXII is the zymogen and FXIIa is a procoagulant protease). In sharp contrast to the clean-glass standard of comparison, ion-exchange activators are shown to be inefficient activators of blood plasma coagulation. These contrasting activation properties are proposed to be due to the moderating effect of plasma-protein adsorption on plasma coagulation. Efficient adsorption of blood-plasma proteins unrelated to the coagulation cascade impedes FXII contacts with ion-exchange particles immersed in plasma, reducing autoactivation, and causing sluggish plasma coagulation. By contrast, plasma proteins do not adsorb to hydrophilic clean glass and efficient autoactivation leads directly to efficient activation of plasma coagulation. It is also shown that competitive-protein adsorption can displace FXIIa adsorbed to the surface of ion-exchange resins. As a consequence of highly-efficient autoactivation and FXIIa displacement by plasma proteins, ion-exchange particles are slightly more efficient activators of plasma coagulation than hydrophobic octyl sepharose particles that do not bear strong Lewis acid/base surface functionalities but to which plasma proteins adsorb efficiently. Plasma proteins thus play a dual role in moderating contact activation of the plasma coagulation cascade. The principal role is impeding FXII contact with activating surfaces, but this same effect can displace FXIIa from an activating surface into solution where the protease can potentiate subsequent steps of the plasma coagulation cascade.

Anti-DNA:RNA antibodies and silicon photonic microring resonators: increased sensitivity for multiplexed microRNA detection.

In this paper, we present a method for the sensitive detection of microRNAs (miRNAs) utilizing an antibody that specifically recognizes DNA:RNA heteroduplexes and a silicon photonic microring resonator array transduction platform. Microring resonator arrays are covalently functionalized with DNA capture probes that are complementary to solution phase miRNA targets. Following hybridization on the sensor, the anti-DNA:RNA antibody is introduced and binds selectively to the heteroduplexes, giving a larger signal than the original miRNA hybridization due to the increased mass of the antibody, as compared to the 22-mer oligoribonucleotide. Furthermore, the secondary recognition step is performed in neat buffer solution and at relatively higher antibody concentrations, facilitating the detection of miRNAs of interest. The intrinsic sensitivity of the microring resonator platform coupled with the amplification provided by the anti-DNA:RNA antibodies allows for the detection of microRNAs at concentrations as low as 10 pM (350 amol). The simplicity and sequence generality of this amplification method position it as a promising tool for high-throughput, multiplexed miRNA analysis as well as a range of other RNA based detection applications.

Effect of Acidification on the Absorption and Fluorescence Properties of Sn(IV) Chlorin e6 Dichloride Trisodium Salt

Chlorins are potential photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy because of their intense absorption in the red spectral region. In this study, the effect of pH on the absorption and fluorescence of Sn(IV) chlorin e6 dichloride trisodium salt was investigated. Absorption, fluorescence emission and fluorescence excitation spectra of the photosensitizer were recorded at different pH values in an analytical buffer solution with and without fetal bovine serum (FBS). In the neat buffer solution, changing the pH resulted in small shifts in both absorption and emission spectra. The shape of the excitation spectra also changed slightly, with shoulders almost vanishing below pH 5. Also, a pronounced reduction of the fluorescence intensity was observed upon acidification. The fluorescence intensity gradually decreased as the concentration of FBS was increased without shifting fluorescence maxima. The absorbance of the photosensitizer in different solvents was recorded and revealed that Sn(IV) chlorin e6 is highly soluble in polar solvents.

Autoactivation of blood factor XII at hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces

Contact activation of blood factor XII (FXII, Hageman factor) in neat-buffer solution is shown not to be specific for anionic hydrophilic procoagulants as proposed by the accepted biochemistry of surface activation. Rather, FXII activation in the presence of plasma proteins leads to an apparent specificity for hydrophilic surfaces that is actually due to a relative diminution of the FXII-->FXIIa reaction at hydrophobic surfaces. FXII activation in neat-buffer solution was effectively instantaneous upon contact with either hydrophilic (fully water-wettable clean glass) or hydrophobic (poorly water-wettable silanized glass) procoagulant particles, with greater FXIIa yield obtained by activation with hydrophobic procoagulants. In sharp contrast, both activation rate and yield was found to be significantly attenuated at hydrophobic surfaces in the presence of plasma proteins. Putative FXIIa produced by surface activation with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic procoagulants was shown to hydrolyze blood factor XI (FXI) to the activated form FXIa (FXIFXIIa-->FXIa) that causes FXI-deficient plasma to rapidly coagulate.

Enantiomeric separations of remoxipride, propranolol, and trimipramine on CHIRAL‐AGP using micellar chromatography and anionic additives

AbstractThe retentions and enantiomeric resolutions of remoxipride, propranolol, and trimipramine were studied using a CHIRAL‐AGP column with micellar mobile phases and aliphatic, anionic additives. The retentions of the compounds, which in neat buffer solution were very high (k′ > 50), could be decreased to k′ < 10 by adding a mixture of Tween® 20 and heptanoic acid to the mobile phase. The presence of the aliphatic acid was essential in order to increase the enantiomeric selectivity. An efficiency enhancement was obtained by increasing the temperature. With a mobile phase composition optimized for the separation of remoxipride, the possibility of detecting levels of the enantiomeric impurity (R‐remoxipride) down to 0.025% in the drug was demonstrated. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.