News Item
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stefan Knapp, Susanne Mueller
Summary: The quality and appropriate use of chemical tools play a crucial role in determining the quality and reliability of scientific data based on their utilization. Two papers now extend criteria to new modalities and critically review adherence to established guidelines.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Natalya M. Kogan, Dilorom Begmatova, Liudmila Vinnikova, Sergey Malitsky, Maxim Itkin, Eyal Sharon, Artem Klinov, Jonathan Gorelick, Igor Koman, Zvi Vogel, Raphael Mechoulam, Albert Pinhasov
Summary: This study assessed the endocannabinoid profile in the brains of mice with social dominance and submissiveness traits. The results showed higher levels of endocannabinoids in the brain of submissive mice, along with increased expression of related genes. This suggests that the endocannabinoid system may play a role in the regulation of social behavior and personality traits.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Agnes Angyal, Zsofia Penzes, Shahrzad Alimohammadi, Dorottya Horvath, Lili Takacs, Gyorgy Vereb, Barbara Zsebik, Tamas Biro, Kinga Fanni Toth, Erika Lisztes, Balazs Istvan Toth, Attila Olah, Attila Gabor Szollosi
Summary: The study found that human corneal epithelial cells express members of the endocannabinoid system, playing a role in inflammatory responses. Despite previous reports on the anti-inflammatory potential of endocannabinoids, their effects on the immune phenotype of human corneal epithelium may be more complex and context dependent.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Stephen M. Cornish, Dean M. Cordingley, Keely A. Shaw, Scott C. Forbes, Taylor Leonhardt, Ainsley Bristol, Darren G. Candow, Philip D. Chilibeck
Summary: Supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids may improve lower-body strength and functionality in older adults, but has no impact on lean tissue mass.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sam Benson, Fabio de Moliner, William Tipping, Marc Vendrell
Summary: Recent progress in optical bioimaging has led to the demand for minimal chemical reporters that can preserve the properties and activities of biomolecules. Various approaches have been developed to reduce the size of fluorescent and Raman labels to a few atoms and incorporate them into building blocks to form native-like supramolecular structures. This integration of small optical reporters into biomolecules has enabled the creation of previously inaccessible smart molecular entities, greatly expanding their applications in biological imaging.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chiara Demartini, Miriam Francavilla, Anna Maria Zanaboni, Sara Facchetti, Roberto De Icco, Daniele Martinelli, Marta Allena, Rosaria Greco, Cristina Tassorelli
Summary: In recent years, efforts have been made to identify reliable biomarkers for migraine diagnosis and treatment response. This review summarizes the alleged diagnostic and therapeutic migraine biomarkers found in biofluids and discusses their role in the disease's pathogenesis. The potential issues affecting biomarker analysis, such as bias and confounding data, are also discussed. CGRP and other factors associated with the trigeminovascular system may offer precision medicine opportunities, but factors like sample stability and confounding factors should be considered.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeong-Eun Choi, Kamil Borkowski, John W. Newman, Yongsoon Park
Summary: This study showed that n-3 PUFA improved depressive behaviors in post-menopausal rats with chronic stress by modulating the serotonergic pathway and n-3 PUFA-derived metabolites.
JOURNAL OF NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chuan-Ho Tang, Ching-Yu Lin, Hsing-Hui Li, Fu-Wen Kuo
Summary: Microplastic pollution in the ocean has been shown to affect coral health, with accumulation of microplastics and immune activation being observed. The study found that low concentrations of microplastics resulted in increased levels of fatty acid chains in lipids, while high concentrations did not exhibit these effects. These findings demonstrate the real impact of microplastic pollution on coral health.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Review
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Hongdong Shi, Yi Wang, Simin Lin, Jingxue Lou, Qianling Zhang
Summary: Iridium complexes are widely used as molecular sensors due to their rich photophysical properties, such as large Stokes shifts, long emission lifetimes, environment-sensitive emissions, and high luminescence quantum yields. This paper reviews the recent development and application of iridium complexes as probes for various substances, and discusses the outlook for iridium-based probes.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Wei Zhang, Jie Ren, Jun Lu, Ping Li, Wen Zhang, Hui Wang, Bo Tang
Summary: The relationship between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and levels of protein phosphorylation was investigated using a metal-organic framework-based fluorescent nanoprobe. The probe achieved simultaneous recognition of ROS and phosphorylation sites, improving imaging sensitivity with the two-photon property of the ROS recognition unit. This work provides feasible fluorescence tools for revealing the pathogenesis of diseases.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rosaria Greco, Miriam Francavilla, Chiara Demartini, Anna Maria Zanaboni, Sara Facchetti, Michela Palmisani, Valentina Franco, Cristina Tassorelli
Summary: Increasing anandamide levels through FAAH inhibition can reduce pronociceptive responses and inflammatory mediators in animal models of migraine. This study evaluated the pharmacological activity of the FAAH inhibitor JZP327A in the mediation of spontaneous and nocifensive behavior in a nitroglycerin-induced migraine model. The results suggest that JZP327A has an anti-hyperalgesic effect by inhibiting the inflammatory cascade, independent of changes in endocannabinoid and lipid levels.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Shuai Ji, Yanting You, Baizhao Peng, Tianyu Zhong, Yuxiang Kuang, Shasha Li, Lijing Du, Liqian Chen, Xiaomin Sun, Jiaojiao Dai, Suiping Huang, Yuyao Wu, Yanyan Liu
Summary: This study conducted a multi-omics analysis in a rat model of functional dyspepsia (FD) and found that differential microbiomes in the duodenum were significantly correlated with the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan. Innate immune response-related genes in the duodenum were upregulated and associated with the TLR2/TLR4-NF kappa B signaling pathway. Furthermore, the study revealed a linear relationship between arachidonyl ethanolamide (anandamide, AEA) and FD phenotypes, suggesting its potential role in regulating duodenal low-grade inflammation in FD.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Louis P. Conway, Appaso M. Jadhav, Rick A. Homan, Weichao Li, Juanita Sanchez Rubiano, Richard Hawkins, R. Michael Lawrence, Christopher G. Parker
Summary: The study systematically evaluated several diazirine-containing FF tags and found that these tags have profound effects on the proteomic profiles of chemical probes.
Article
Plant Sciences
Antonio Romero-Estrada, Alicia Boto, Judith Gonzalez-Christen, Ivan Romero-Estudillo, Maria Luisa Garduno-Ramirez, Rodrigo Said Razo-Hernandez, Silvia Marquina, Amalia Maldonado-Magana, Maria C. Columba-Palomares, Jessica Nayelli Sanchez-Carranza, Laura Alvarez
Summary: In this study, a series of novel derivatives based on natural triterpenes were synthesized and evaluated for their ability to inhibit inflammation. The trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline methyl ester derivatives showed the most promising results in inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory factors and NF-kappa B activation. The a-amyrin derivatives were found to be the most potent inhibitors of COX-2.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Melissa Y. Lucero, Sarah H. Gardner, Anuj K. Yadav, Austin Borri, Zhenxiang Zhao, Jefferson Chan
Summary: Obesity is a chronic condition characterized by excessive body fat accumulation and is associated with various diseases. This study developed selective activity-based sensing probes to detect the activity of MGL and FAAH, key enzymes involved in obesity-related inflammation. The results showed a marked increase in MGL and FAAH activity in the gastrointestinal tract, providing insights into the role of the endocannabinoid pathway in obesity-mediated inflammation.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Boudewijn Hollebrands, Jos A. Hageman, Jasper W. van de Sande, Bauke Albada, Hans-Gerd Janssen
Summary: Peptides play a significant role in determining the taste of food products, with their taste impressions depending on the amino acids present and their sequence. Identifying short peptides in foods is challenging, but a method was developed to accurately predict retention times of short peptides using reversed phase separation. By training a model using a combination of peptide descriptors and a newly derived set of amino acid index derived sequence-specific peptide descriptors, the model achieved a high accuracy in predicting retention times and elution order for 93% of the short peptides.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bauke Albada
Summary: Bioconjugation of chemical entities to biologically active proteins has provided valuable insights into cellular processes and yielded innovative therapeutic agents. However, a current challenge lies in efficiently generating uniform conjugates of native proteins in their natural environment. By combining various features of protein-modifying enzymes, artificial constructs have been developed. This review evaluates the current status of this approach, with a focus on the protein-binding anchor, modification chemistry, linker, and suggests the incorporation of trigger-responsive switches for regulating protein modification.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Johannes A. M. Damen, Jorge Escorihuela, Han Zuilhof, Floris L. van Delft, Bauke Albada
Summary: The rates of reaction between strained cycloalkynes and cycloalkenes with 1,2-quinone were studied using stopped flow UV-Vis spectroscopy and computational analysis. The results showed that strained alkyne BCN OH 3 reacted over 150 times faster than strained alkene TCO-OH 5, and the introduction of a carbamate derivative reduced the rate constant by almost half. Additionally, the 8-membered strained alkyne BCN OH 3 reacted 16 times faster than the more strained 7-membered THS 2. Thermodynamic activation parameters were determined using the linearized Eyring equation, providing valuable insights into these rapid click reactions.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Correction
Chemistry, Physical
Alyssa F. J. van den Boom, Silvia Ferro, Maria C. Gelvez-Rueda, Han Zuilhof, Bruno Ehrler
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Alyssa F. J. van den Boom, Silvia Ferro, Maria Gelvez-Rueda, Han Zuilhof, Bruno Ehrler
Summary: In order to improve the efficiency of silicon solar cells, a sensitizing layer of singlet-fission material can be used to increase the current generated by high-energy photons and reduce energy losses. A model using Si(111) surfaces and tetracene was constructed, and the effect on energy transfer was limited despite a change in crystal structure and ordering of the tetracene close to the seed layer, indicating a need for further investigation.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lucas W. Teunissen, Maarten M. J. Smulders, Han Zuilhof
Summary: The ability to tailor polymer brushes to specific substrates has made them a powerful surface modification technique. This study presents a modular and straightforward approach for introducing polymer brushes with desired functionality onto different substrates. The method was successfully applied to modifying gold, silicon oxide, and polyester-coated glass substrates with five different block copolymer brushes. Additionally, this method allows for the synthesis of binary brush coatings by simultaneously grafting two different polymer materials.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Annemieke van Dam, Robin van Schendel, Satesh Gangarapu, Han Zuilhof, Maarten M. J. Smulders
Summary: The coordination of Fe2+ ion greatly lowers the activation energy and catalyzes the condensation and transimination reactions of imine. The nature of incoming and exiting amines and the substituents on the para-position of the pincer have no significant effect on the reaction. However, the addition of ethylamine molecules reduces the energy barriers to be compatible with experimental values.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chuanbao Zheng, Nicolo Alvisi, Robbert Jan de Haas, Zhisen Zhang, Han Zuilhof, Renko de Vries
Summary: We analyzed the modularity of a B-M-E triblock protein designed to self-assemble into antifouling coatings. By choosing different solid-binding peptides as binding domain B and different hydrophilic blocks E, we can modulate the nature of the substrate on which the coatings form and the antifouling properties. The B-M-E proteins can easily adapt to form antifouling coatings on any substrate for which solid-binding peptide sequences are available.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yumei Zhu, Jorge Escorihuela, Haiying Wang, Andrew C. -H. Sue, Han Zuilhof
Summary: We developed an improved method to synthesize a series of pillar[6]arenes with varying numbers of quinone groups. The strength of host-guest interactions with silver ions depends on the number of quinone groups, with a decrease in electron affinity as the number of quinone groups increases. Furthermore, we found that the macrocycle-Ag(2) complexes exhibit a clear distinction between terminal alkynes and internal alkynes, internal alkenes, and terminal alkenes in terms of binding strength.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Dong-Dong Liang, Natassa Lional, Bas Scheepmaker, Muthusamy Subramaniam, Guanna Li, Fedor M. Miloserdov, Han Zuilhof
Summary: Reaction of sulfonimidoyl fluorides with anilines and Ca(NTf2)(2) leads to the formation of chiral sulfonimidamides by inversion of the stereocenter at a sulfur atom. Enantiospecificity is observed for all non-heterocyclic anilines studied. Combined experimental and computational mechanistic studies demonstrate the chelate-type coordination of the sulfonimidoyl group to Ca(NTf2)(2) and the formation of an S(N)2-like transition state, with the leaving F- ion coordinated to the Ca2+ ion.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Raghavendra Meena, Johannes Hendrik Bitter, Han Zuilhof, Guanna Li
Summary: This study comprehensively investigates the reaction mechanism of butyric acid hydrodeoxygenation on molybdenum carbide through density functional theory and microkinetic modeling. Heteroatom-doped Mo2C catalysts, particularly Zr and Nb, exhibit enhanced catalytic activity. Linear-scaling relationships between electronic and geometrical descriptors and catalytic performance are established, indicating the crucial roles of dopants' d-band filling and atomic radius. This fundamental understanding provides practical strategies for the design of improved Mo2C-based catalysts for hydrodeoxygenation reactions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joshua A. Homer, Long Xu, Namitharan Kayambu, Qinheng Zheng, Eun Joung Choi, Byeong Moon Kim, K. Barry Sharpless, Han Zuilhof, Jiajia Dong, John E. Moses
Summary: SuFEx is a click reaction for rapid synthesis and discovery of functional molecules. This Primer discusses the essential elements of SuFEx operation, catalysis, and SuFExable connective hubs, as well as explores its applications in drug development, polymer science, and biochemistry. It also examines the potential limitations and promising prospects of this versatile click reaction.
NATURE REVIEWS METHODS PRIMERS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Andriy R. Kuzmyn, Martijn van Galen, Barend van Lagen, Han Zuilhof
Summary: Surface-initiated photoinduced electron transfer-reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (SI-PET-RAFT) provides a light-dependent tool for synthesizing polymer brushes on different surfaces. Improved control over SI-PET-RAFT polymerizations under continuous flow conditions allows for prolonged linear growth of the polymer brush and the construction of diblock polymer brushes. The correlation between the molecular weight and dry thickness of the polymer brush is demonstrated using ellipsometry and single-molecule force spectroscopy.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jaccoline Zegers, Maartje Peters, Bauke Albada
Summary: This article summarizes the importance of stabilizing guanine quadruplexes (G4s) for cancer treatment and explores the methods and techniques for stabilizing G4s using metal complexes. By analyzing the G4-stabilizing capacity and bioactivity data of 74 metal-based ligands, guidelines for future studies in this field are proposed.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Doha M. Beltagy, Nagat F. Nawar, Tarek M. Mohamed, Ehab Tousson, Mai M. El-Keey
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the protective role of nanocurcumin as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, and its synergistic effects with Donepezil in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in rats. The results showed that treatment with nanocurcumin improved memory, locomotion, and neuronal differentiation by activating the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3 beta pathway.
PROSTAGLANDINS & OTHER LIPID MEDIATORS
(2024)
