Electrically conductive and biologically active scaffolds are desirable for enhancing adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of a number of cell types such as neurons. Hence, the incorporation of neuroactive molecules into electroconductive polymers via a specific and stable method is essential for neuronal tissue engineering applications. Traditional conjugation approaches dramatically im...

Thromboatherosclerotic and fibrous lesions were produced by endothelial damage with polyethylene catheters inserted into the aortas in rabbits on a normal diet. Two weeks after insertion of the catheters, the concentration of both free cholesterol and cholesteryl ester in the thromboatherosclerotic lesions was significantly greater than that in the adjacent normal intima. A further increase in ...

1. Two enzymes (A and B) which catalyse the sulphation of p-nitrophenol and l-tyrosine methyl ester have been isolated from female rat livers. One of these enzymes (A) also catalyses the sulphation of dehydroepiandrosterone. 2. The K(m) values for the sulphation of p-nitrophenol and l-tyrosine methyl ester by enzyme B at pH7.5 are 1.5mum and 2.9mm respectively. 3. Enzyme B is oxidized on keepin...

Etoposide phophate is a phosphate ester prodrug of etoposide designed to improve the pharmaceutical characteristics of the parent compound. A Phase I dose-escalating study of etoposide phosphate was conducted concurrently at two institutions to determine its toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and maximum tolerated dose. Etoposide phosphate was administered i.v. for 30 min on days 1, 3, and 5 every 21 ...

Two N-donor ligands (L(1) and L(2)) derived from a β-cyclodextrin (βCD) monomer and dimer were employed to mediate the hydrolytic activity and stability of the Ce(IV) ion in aqueous solution. Complexes Ce(IV)-L(1) and Ce(IV)-L(2) were prepared in situ and characterized by means of UV-vis and NMR measurements. Ce(IV)-L(1) catalyzed the hydrolysis of a DNA model, bis(4-nitrophenyl)phosphate (BNPP...

Several amide and ester derivatives of a glutamine analogue, N3-(4-methoxyfumaroyl)-(S)-2,3-diaminopropanoic acid (FMDP) (1-8), were synthesized and evaluated for the inhibitory activity in regard to glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase from Candida albicans. The syntheses were accomplished by the reaction of N2-tert-butoxycarbonyl-N3-(4-methoxyfumaroyl)-(S)-2,3-diaminopropanoic acid (BocFMDP) with...

Capsaicin (CAP), the pungent principle from chilli peppers, has shown various activities such as analgesic, anticancer and antioxidant. To further explore a therapeutic application of this compound, several derivatives of CAP were designed and synthesized. Starting materials, CAP and dihydrocapsaicin (DHC), were obtained as a mixture from dried fruits of Capsicum annuum sp. in 0.069 % yield. St...

In this study, we performed oxidative modification of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in vitro. The amount of lipid peroxide increased when either HDL2 or HDL3 was incubated with phosphate-buffered saline containing 5 microM CuSO4 for 24 h at 37 degrees C, indicating that both fractions of HDL were oxidatively modified. This modification resulted in denaturation of apolipoprotein AI on SDS/PAGE ...

We have developed a rapid, inexpensive, and reliable assay for the determination of ascorbate using a plate reader. In this assay, ascorbic acid is oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid using Tempol (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyloxy) and then reacted with o-phenylenediamine to form the condensation product, 3-(dihydroxyethyl)furo[3,4-b]quinoxaline-1-one. The rate of appearance of this pro...