Phenylalanine Methyl Ester Research Articles

Organic molecular intercalation regulated hydrated vanadate cathodes with improved electrochemical properties and fast kinetics for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Due to the large hydrated zinc ion radius resulting from the stable solvation structure with six water molecules in electrolyte, the interlayer spacing of most vanadium-based materials fails to meet the requirements for efficient insertion and extraction of Zn2+. Therefore, it is crucial to optimize and reconstruct the VO layer structure in order to achieve rapid and stable zinc storage. In this paper, composites of phenylalanine methyl ester (PM) inserted hydrated V2O5 (PMVO) are prepared using a one-step hydrothermal method. With the increase of PM insertion, the electrochemical properties initially exhibit enhancement followed by subsequent decline. Notably, PMVO-1.6 presents exceptional electrochemical performance, including a high capacity of 464 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, excellent rate capability with 220 mAh g−1 at 7 A g−1, and superior cycling stability with 97.5 % capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 4 A g−1. The incorporation of PM not only serves as stable structural pillars, but also reduces the solubilization of vanadium, facilitates the diffusion kinetics of hydrated zinc ions, and enhances the surface pseudo-capacitance effect.

Growth and Dispersion Control of SnO2 Nanocrystals Employing an Amino Acid Ester Hydrochloride in Solution Synthesis: Microstructures and Photovoltaic Applications.

Tin oxide (SnO2) is a technologically important semiconductor with versatile applications. In particular, attention is being paid to nanostructured SnO2 materials for use as a part of the constituents in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), an emerging renewable energy technology. This is mainly because SnO2 has high electron mobility, making it favorable for use in the electron transport layer (ETL) in these devices, in which SnO2 thin films play a role in extracting electrons from the adjacent light-absorber, i.e., lead halide perovskite compounds. Investigation of SnO2 solution synthesis under diverse reaction conditions is crucial in order to lay the foundation for the cost-effective production of PSCs. This research focuses on the facile catalyst-free synthesis of single-nanometer-scale SnO2 nanocrystals employing an aromatic organic ligand (as the structure-directing agent) and Sn(IV) salt in an aqueous solution. Most notably, the use of an aromatic amino acid ester hydrochloride salt-i.e., phenylalanine methyl ester hydrochloride (denoted as L hereafter)-allowed us to obtain an aqueous precursor solution containing a higher concentration of ligand L, in addition to facilitating the growth of SnO2 nanoparticles as small as 3 nm with a narrow size distribution, which were analyzed by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Moreover, the nanoparticles were proved to be crystallized and uniformly dispersed in the reaction mixture. The environmentally benign, ethanol-based SnO2 nanofluids stabilized with the capping agent L for the Sn(IV) ions were also successfully obtained and spin-coated to produce a SnO2 nanoparticle film to serve as an ETL for PSCs. Several SnO2 ETLs that were created by varying the temperature of nanoparticle synthesis were examined to gain insight into the performance of PSCs. It is thought that reaction conditions that utilize high concentrations of ligand L to control the growth and dispersion of SnO2 nanoparticles could serve as useful criteria for designing SnO2 ETLs, since hydrochloride salt L can offer significant potential as a functional compound by controlling the microstructures of individual SnO2 nanoparticles and the self-assembly process to form nanostructured SnO2 thin films.

The Role of Functional Groups in Tuning the Self-Assembly Modes and Physical Properties of Multicomponent Gels.

We have analyzed the nature and role of functional groups on the self-assembly modes and the physical properties of multicomponent gels with structurally similar individual components. The gelation properties of individual and mixed enantiomeric compounds of biphenyl bis-(amides) of alanine (BPA) or phenylalanine (BPP) methyl ester were analyzed in various solvent/solvent mixtures. Multicomponent gels were formed by mixing the enantiomeric BPP compounds at a lower concentration, but a higher concentration was required for mixed alanine-based BPA gels. The comparison of the mechanical strength of the individual and mixed BPP compounds indicated that the mixed BPP gels displayed enhanced mechanical strength (~2-fold increase) in p-xylene, but a weaker gel was observed in DMSO/water. However, a reverse trend was observed for BPA gels, indicating the role of functional groups in the gel network formation. X-ray diffraction analysis of the gelator and the xerogels in the solid state confirmed the formation of co-assembled networks in mixed enantiomeric gels. The stability of the gels towards anions was evaluated by analyzing the anion induced stimuli-responsive properties. These results indicate the effective modeling of the functional groups of the individual components could lead to multicomponent gels with tunable properties.

Chiral polymer coatings on substrates via surface-initiated RAFT polymerization under ambient conditions

Surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization using oxygen (O2-SI-RAFT) was performed to endow the substrates with chiral properties. Chiral monomers were synthesized using methacrylic anhydride and l/d-amino acids (phenylalanine methyl ester, alanine methyl ester, valine methyl ester, and leucine methyl ester), and chiral polymers were grown on titanium and glass substrates. The polymer brushes grafted from the substrates were confirmed by ellipsometry analysis, water contact angles, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Block copolymer brushes were also polymerized through chain extension. Using a glass substrate, chirality of the polymer brushes grown on the surface could be confirmed via circular dichroism spectroscopy.

Rhodium(I) carbonyl complexes containing amino acid ester ligands: synthesis, reactivity and DFT studies

Bridge-splitting reaction of the dimer [Rh(CO)2Cl]2 with two molar equivalents of amino acid ester ligands yield the rhodium(I) dicarbonyl complex [Rh(CO)2ClL] (1a-g) {L = glycine methylester (a), alanine methylester (b), alanine ethylester (c), alanine t-butylester (d), phenylalanine methylester (e), phenylalanine ethylester (f), valine methylester (g)}. Complexes 1 undergo oxidative addition (OA) with CH3I to give the five-coordinate Rh(III) complexes of the type [Rh(CO)(COCH3)IClL] (2a–g). The complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Theoretical calculations reveal that the synthesized complexes 1 are very prone to undergo oxidative addition with CH3I with a low activation barrier.

Laccase bound to cryogel functionalized with phenylalanine for the decolorization of textile dyes.

In this study, amino acid functionalized poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacrylolyl-l-phenylalanine) [PHEMAPA] cryogel discs were prepared. In this respect, phenylalanine containing N-methacryloyl-(L)-phenylalanine methyl ester (MAPA) was polymerized with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) without requirement of any activation step. Laccase bound poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacryloyl-l-phenylalanine) [Lac-PHEMAPA] cryogel discs were applied for decolorization of Reactive Blue-247 (RB-247). The ability of Lac-PHEMAPA cryogel discs on dye decolorization was found to be as 90% in 2 h and even more within 4h. The decolorization activities of 86% and 73% were observed at relatively low (4°C) and high (60°C) temperatures, respectively. The effect of dye concentration on dye decolorization and 100% decolorization activity was achieved in dye concentration between 50–300 ppm. Lac-PHEMAPA cryogel discs maintained 80% of its decolorization activity after six cycles. Consequently, the PHEMAPA cryogel discs are promising materials for immobilizing laccase. The Lac-PHEMAPA has a rapid dye decolorization in a broad range of temperature. The preparation is furthermore very stable and activity is preserved during storage.

Antitumor Activity In Vivo and Vitro of New Chiral Derivatives of Baicalin and Induced Apoptosis via the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway

In this study, a pair of chiral baicalin (BA) derivatives were synthesized by combining BA with phenylalanine methyl ester based on molecular docking technology, namely BAD and BAL. Cell cytotoxicity trails showed that the cell growth inhibitory effects of both BAD and BAL were increased by 8- to 12-fold compared with BA on A549 cells. Flow cytometry showed that the apoptotic rates of 50 μg/mL BA, BAD, and BAL to A549 cells for 48 h were 17.94%, 24.32%, and 39.69%, respectively. Western blotting analysis showed that BAD and BAL could promote Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9 expression and inhibit Bcl-2 expression by inhibiting the expression of p-Akt. The tumor inhibition rates of BA, BAD, and BAL in nude mice of tumor-bearing experiment lasting for 24 days were 35.01%, 53.30%, and 59.35%, respectively. These results in vitro and in vivo showed that BAL had higher antitumor activity than did BAD and BA, which were related to promotion of the apoptosis of tumor cells by inhibiting the expression of p-Akt on PI3K/Akt pathway. This study provides an experimental basis for the development of a new configuration of BA for the treatment of cancer.

Synthesis and Preliminary Biological Activity Evaluation of New N- Substituted Phthalimide Derivatives

A
 A new series of bases of Schiff (H2-H4) derived from phthalic anhydrideweresynthesized. These Schiff bases were prepared by the reaction of different amines (tyrosine methyl ester, phenylalanine methyl ester, and isoniazid) with the phthalimide derived aldehyde with the aid of glacial acetic acid or triethylamine ascatalysts. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by (FT-IR and 1HNMR) analyses and were in vitro evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against six various kinds of microorganisms. All the synthesized compounds had been screened for their antimicrobial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria “Staph. Aureus, and Bacillus subtilis”, two Gram-negative bacteria “Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae”, and two fungi species “Candida tropicalis and Candida albicans” using concentrations of 62.5, 125 and 250 µg\mLof derivative in dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO). All the synthesized compounds showed no activity at all against Gram-positive bacteria, for Gram-negative bacteria and fungi they showed moderate or no activity except compound H1revealedhigh antifungal activityagainstCandida tropicalisat concentrations 125 and 250 µg\ mL.
 Keywords: Schiff base, phthalic anhydride, antimicrobial.

Separation of histidine enantiomers by capillary electrochromatography with molecularly imprinted monolithic columns

AbstractIn this study, we aimed to separate the enantiomeric forms of d,l‐histidine, one of the essential amino acids, through molecular imprinted monolithic capillary electrochromatography columns prepared using hydrophobic N‐methacryloyl‐(l)‐phenylalanine methyl ester as the functional monomer, and l‐histidine as the template molecule. We investigated the effect of monomer ratio, temperature, template molecule mole ratio, crosslinker ratio, and porogen ratio to improve the permeability properties of the monolithic column. Characterization studies of the column were evaluated by attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. The chromatographic performance of the column was investigated using alkylbenzene‐derived compounds. We evaluated some parameters to determine the optimum conditions for electrochromatographic studies such as electric field, organic solvent ratio, and pressure effect. The calculated imprinting factor (2.18) proved that the l‐histidine imprinted amino acid‐based monolithic column separated d,l‐histidine molecules efficiently (percent relative standard deviation < 1.5) from each other using molecular imprinting technique with high‐resolution values (resolution value > 1.5). As a result, selective d,l‐histidine separation was achieved in less than 10 min at pH 7.0 without using a ligand or extra modification step for the first time.

Design, Synthesis, and In Silico Evaluation of Methyl 2-(2-(5-Bromo/chloro-2-oxobenzoxazol-3(2H)-yl)-acetamido)-3-phenylpropanoate for TSPO Targeting

The high expression of the translocator protein (TSPO) makes it an ideal target for imaging and therapy. The present study is aimed at optimizing acetamidobenzoxazolone-based TSPO ligands by structural modification to overcome the limitations of TSPO ligands of the first two generations such as nonspecificity and polymorphism. Three different TSPO proteins, 2MGY, 4RYQ, and 4UC1, in the native and mutated form were chosen. Acetamidobenzoxazolones modified with phenylalanine methyl ester (methyl 2-(2-(5-bromo/chloro-2-oxobenzooxazol-3(2H)-yl)acetamido)-3-phenylpropanoate, ABPO-Br, ABPO-Cl) through better or comparable docking scores than the known TSPO ligands such as MBMP, FEBMP, FPBMP, and PK11195 are identified as potential TSPO ligands. ABPO-Cl and ABPO-Br were synthesized using phenylalanine methyl ester as a moiety for incorporation of the desired pharmacophoric feature. All the intermediates and final compounds were purified using column chromatography and analytical HPLC (purity > 97%). The purified compounds were characterized by 1H, 13C NMR and mass spectroscopy. Drug likeliness and comparative bioactivity analysis were performed using QikProp through prediction of various properties. Both analogs follow all the five Lipinski rules and three Jogersen’s rules predicting their drug likeliness. The other important aspects related to TSPO ligands such as blood-brain barrier penetration and better contrast have been predicted through lipophilicity (QP log P = 2.76 and 2.74 for ABPO-Br and ABPO-Cl, respectively) and serum binding (QP log Khsa = −0.18 and −0.25 for ABPO-Br and ABPO-Cl, respectively). The selectivity and distribution of these TSPO ligands were confirmed by 99mTc-ABPO-Br dynamic image in New Zealand rabbit. These results have shown that the ABPO analogs have the potential to act as better ligands as compared to known acetamidobenzoxazolone derivatives and would be of interest as a promising starting point for designing compounds for TSPO targeting.

Molecular Recognition of Phenylalanine Enantiomers onto a Solid Surface Modified with Electropolymerized Pyrrole‐β‐Cyclodextrin Conjugate

AbstractWe report the electrochemical deposition of a β‐cyclodextrin pyrrole conjugate (Py‐β‐CD) on an electrode surface including i) characterization based on surface‐enhanced Raman scattering and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy; ii) studies of the molecular recognition of enantiomers of phenylalanine methyl ester hydrochlorides (Phe) based on linear sweep voltammetry and a quartz crystal microbalance. The PPy‐β‐CD polymeric layer on a metallic substrate is distinguished by its inhomogeneity, in which both highly ordered β‐CD units and highly disordered polymer chains are observed. The voltammetric recognition results showed that PPy‐β‐CD exhibited a higher sensitivity for d‐Phe (138±15)×103 than for l‐Phe (6±1)×103 within the concentration range 0.1–0.75 mM (n=3) despite the differences in the polymer arrangement on the surface. A possible mechanism of molecular recognition of phenylalanine enantiomers is discussed.

Synthesis and Complexation Studies of Optically Active Aza- and Diazacrown Ethers Containing a Pyrene Fluorophore Unit

Novel enantiopure azacrown [(R,R)-1 and (S,S)-1] and diazacrown [(R,R)-2–(R,R)-4 and (S,S)-2–(S,S)-4] ethers containing a pyrene fluorophore unit and two phenyl groups at their chiral centers were obtained in multistep syntheses. The action of these chemosensors is based on the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process, thus they show fluorescence enhancement in the presence of protonated primary amines and amino acid esters. Their recognition abilities toward the enantiomers of 1-phenylethylamine hydrogen perchlorate (PEA), 1-(1-naphthyl) ethylamine hydrogen perchlorate (NEA), phenylglycine methyl ester hydrogen perchlorate (PGME), and phenylalanine methyl ester hydrogen perchlorate (PAME) were examined in acetonitrile using fluorescence spectroscopy.

Phenol removal from wastewater by surface imprinted bacterial cellulose nanofibres

ABSTRACT In this study, we have reported a novel wastewater treatment technique by phenol imprinted bacterial cellulose (BC-MIP) nanofibres with high specificity and adsorption capacity. N-methacryloyl-(L) phenylalanine methyl ester (MAPA) functional monomer was used to create specific binding sites for the template molecule phenol via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. BC-MIP nanofibres were synthesized by surface imprinting approach in the presence of different amounts of total monomer (% weight), monomer/template ratio and polymerization time. Then, the nanofibres were characterized by FTIR-ATR, surface area analysis (BET), elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle measurements. Adsorption studies were performed with respect to pH, temperature and ionic strength, and the adsorption capacity was calculated by using the spectrophotometer. In order to desorb the adsorbed phenol from BC-MIP nanofibres, 0.1 M NaCl solution was used. Besides, BC-MIP nanofibres were applied to real wastewater samples from Ergene basin in Turkey. The suitable equilibrium isotherm was determined as Langmuir isotherm. To evaluate the selectivity of the BC-MIP nanofibres, similar molecules were utilized as competitor molecules, which were 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol. Electrostatic interactions were found to contribute to the generation of specific recognition binding sites. The results have shown that imprinting of phenol was achieved successfully with high adsorption capacity. The phenol removal efficiency was reported up to 97%. BC-MIP nanofibres were used 10 times with a negligible decrease in adsorption capacity.

Pyridino-18-crown-6 ether type chemosensors containing a benzothiazole fluorophore unit: Synthesis and enantiomeric recognition studies

Three new fluorescent enantiopure pyridino-18-crown-6 ethers containing a benzothiazole unit were prepared, and the enantiomeric discrimination of these sensor molecules toward the hydrogen perchlorate salts of 1-phenylethylamine, 1-(1-naphthyl)ethylamine, phenylglycine methyl ester and phenylalanine methyl ester was studied in acetonitrile by fluorescence spectroscopy. The ligands revealed appreciable or moderate selectivity toward the enantiomers of hydrogen perchlorate salts of 1-phenylethylamine, 1-(1-naphthyl)ethylamine and phenylglycine methyl ester.

A Crystallization-Induced Asymmetric Transformation using Racemic Phenyl Alanine Methyl Ester Derivatives as Versatile Precursors to Prepare Amino Acids

L-Tyrosine and L-Dopa are the precursors in the biological synthesis of amine neurotransmitters. On the other hand, phenylalanine as an aromatic amino acid (AAA) is a precursor in the synthesis of L-Tyrosine and L-Dopa. For some substrates such as amino acids, resolution by the formation of diastereomers offers an attractive alternative. Among different methods in this case, crystallization-induced asymmetric transformation (CIAT) that is in situ racemization and selective crystallization of a reaction product can be a good choice. Using this method, preparation of L-Tyrosine and L-Dopa has been reported. In the synthetic route, racemic phenyl alanine methyl ester derivatives as versatile precursors were prepared by reducing azlactone derivatives with Mg in methanol as a reducing reagent and then in the resolution step (S)- enantiomer of L-Dopa (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) and L-Tyrosine (4-hydroxyphenylalanine) were achieved via salt formation with (2R,3R)-tartaric acid in the presence of 5-nitro salicylaldehyde in good yield and high optical purity.

Evaluating the impacts of amino acids in the second and outer coordination spheres of Rh-bis(diphosphine) complexes for CO2 hydrogenation.

To explore the influence of a biologically inspired second and outer coordination sphere on Rh-bis(diphosphine) CO2 hydrogenation catalysts, a series of five complexes were prepared by varying the substituents on the pendant amine in the P(Et)2CH2NRCH2P(Et)2 ligands (PEtNRPEt), where R consists of methyl ester modified amino acids, including three neutral (glycine methyl ester (GlyOMe), leucine methyl ester (LeuOMe), and phenylalanine methyl ester (PheOMe)), one acidic (aspartic acid dimethyl ester (AspOMe)) and one basic (histidine methyl ester (MeHisOMe)) amino acid esters. The turnover frequencies (TOFs) for CO2 hydrogenation for each of these complexes were compared to those of the non-amino acid containing [Rh(depp)2]+ (depp) and [Rh(PEtNMePEt)2]+ (NMe) complexes. Each complex is catalytically active for CO2 hydrogenation to formate under mild conditions in THF. Catalytic activity spanned a factor of four, with the most active species being the NMe catalyst, while the slowest were the GlyOMe and the AspOMe complexes. When compared to a similar set of catalysts with phenyl-substituted phosphorous groups, a clear contribution of the outer coordination sphere is seen for this family of CO2 hydrogenation catalysts.

Synthesis and characterization of albumin imprinted polymeric hydrogel membranes for proteomic studies

In this presented study, a novel molecularly imprinted polymeric hydrogel membranes (PHMs) were developed to use for the albumin depletion studies. For this, albumin imprinted poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacryloyl-(L)-phenylalanine methyl ester) polymeric hydrogel membranes [p(HEMA-MAP) PHMs] were synthesized by the photopolymerization technique, and then characterized by SEM, EDX, FT-IR and swelling studies. Synthesized PHMs had spherical structure and the MAP monomer incorporation onto the PHMs was determined by EDX analysis by using nitrogen stoichiometry. Also, the swelling ratio of the albumin imprinted p(HEMA-MAP) PHMs was determined as 215%. The optimum albumin adsorption condition (adsorption capacity, medium pH, adsorption rate, temperature, ionic strength) were studied and the maximum albumin adsorption capacity was found to be as 34.28 mg/g PHMs. Selectivity experiments were also carried out with the presence of the competitive proteins such as lysozyme and amylase, and the results demonstrated that the albumin imprinted p(HEMA-MAP) PHMs showed high affinity towards the BSA molecules than the competitive proteins of lysozyme and amylase. Adsorbed albumin was desorbed from the PHMs by 1.0 M of NaCl, and the reusability of the imprinted PHMs was also demonstrated for five successive adsorption-desorption cycles without any significant loss in the albumin adsorption capacity. As an application, sodium-dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to indicate the albumin depletion efficiency of albumin imprinted p(HEMA-MAP) PHMs. This presented study showed that, these imprinted membranes are promising for proteomic studies and applications, and can be used for the investigations for human diagnostics.

Enhanced Mechanical and Thermal Strength in Mixed-Enantiomers-Based Supramolecular Gel.

Mixing supramolecular gels based on enantiomers leads to re-arrangement of gel fibers at the molecular level, which results in more favorable packing and tunable properties. Bis(urea) compounds tagged with a phenylalanine methyl ester in racemic and enantiopure forms were synthesized. Both enantiopure and racemate compounds formed gels in a wide range of solvents and the racemate (1-rac) formed a stronger gel network compared with the enantiomers. The gel (1R+1S) obtained by mixing equimolar amount of enantiomers (1R and 1S) showed enhanced mechanical and thermal stability compared to enantiomers and racemate gels. The preservation of chirality in these compounds was analyzed by circular dichroism and optical rotation measurements. Analysis of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images revealed that the network in the mixed gel is a combination of enantiomers and racemate fibers, which was further supported by solid-state NMR. The analysis of the packing in xerogels by solid-state NMR spectra and the existence of twisted-tape morphology in SEM and AFM images confirmed the presence of both self-sorted and co-assembled fibers in mixed gel. The enhanced thermal and mechanical strength may be attributed to the enhanced intermolecular forces between the racemate and the enantiomer and the combination of both self-sorted and co-assembled enantiomers in the mixed gel.

Effect of developmental NMDAR antagonism with CGP 39551 on aspartame-induced hypothalamic and adrenal gene expression.

RationaleAspartame (L-aspartyl phenylalanine methyl ester) is a non-nutritive sweetener (NNS) approved for use in more than 6000 dietary products and pharmaceuticals consumed by the general public including adults and children, pregnant and nursing mothers. However a recent prospective study reported a doubling of the risk of being overweight amongst 1-year old children whose mothers consumed NNS-sweetened beverages daily during pregnancy. We have previously shown that chronic aspartame (ASP) exposure commencing in utero may detrimentally affect adulthood adiposity status, glucose metabolism and aspects of behavior and spatial cognition, and that this can be modulated by developmental N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) blockade with the competitive antagonist CGP 39551 (CGP). Since glucose homeostasis and certain aspects of behavior and locomotion are regulated in part by the NMDAR-rich hypothalamus, which is part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal- (HPA) axis, we have elected to examine changes in hypothalamic and adrenal gene expression in response to ASP exposure in the presence or absence of developmental NMDAR antagonism with CGP, using Affymetrix microarray analysis.ResultsUsing 2-factor ANOVA we identified 189 ASP-responsive differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the adult male hypothalamus and 2188 in the adrenals, and a further 23 hypothalamic and 232 adrenal genes significantly regulated by developmental treatment with CGP alone. ASP exposure robustly elevated the expression of a network of genes involved in hypothalamic neurosteroidogenesis, together with cell stress and inflammatory genes, consistent with previous reports of aspartame-induced CNS stress and oxidative damage. These genes were not differentially expressed in ASP mice with CGP antagonism. In the adrenal glands of ASP-exposed mice, GABA and Glutamate receptor subunit genes were amongst those most highly upregulated. Developmental NMDAR antagonism alone had less effect on adulthood gene expression and affected mainly hypothalamic neurogenesis and adrenal steroid metabolism. Combined ASP + CGP treatment mainly upregulated genes involved in adrenal drug and cholesterol metabolism.ConclusionASP exposure increased the expression of functional networks of genes involved in hypothalamic neurosteroidogenesis and adrenal catecholamine synthesis, patterns of expression which were not present in ASP-exposed mice with developmental NMDAR antagonism.

Synthesis and Fluorescence Spectroscopic Studies of Novel 9-phenylacridino-18-crown-6 Ether Type Sensor Molecules

The synthesis of two new 9-phenylacridino-18-crown-6 ether type sensor molecules [1 and (R,R)-2] was accomplished. The cation recognition ability of the achiral sensor molecule 1 towards various ions was studied in acetonitrile by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopies. Our studies revealed the binding of Ag+, Cd2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Zn2+ and NH4+ ions by the latter molecule. Selectivity of the chiral dimethyl-substituted analogue (R,R)-2 was studied toward the enantiomers of the hydrogen perchlorate salts of 1-phenylethylamine, 1-(1-naphthyl)ethylamine, phenylglycine methyl ester and phenylalanine methyl ester using fluorescence spectroscopy.