Two Ru(II)-Co(III) heterodinuclear complexes have been synthesised as model complexes for photoactivated cytotoxins. Photoinduced ligand release has been demonstrated and the rate shown to depend on dioxygen concentration. Emission lifetimes and quantum yields are reported. These results validate the concept and justify further work to synthesise systems containing cytotoxic ligands.

Reference strains of serotypes 1 to 12 of Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae were cultured in Eagle minimal essential medium with 10% Serum Plus. Culture supernatants were examined for cytotoxicity to alveolar macrophages and for the ability to hemolyze sheep erythrocytes. All strains except the reference strain of serotype 6 produced cytotoxin, whereas only serotypes 1, 5, 9, 10, an...

The highly selective cytotoxicity of site-directed ricin A chain conjugates can be potentiated by membrane-active carboxylic ionophores. The combined use of the two agents results in much faster inactivation of ribosomes and subsequent cell death and lysis. The potency of A chain cytotoxins is correspondingly increased by several orders of magnitude and cells that sparsely express the target an...

The etiology of the human disease, glomerulonephritis, remains unknown. Certain observations in this condition suggest that it may depend, in part at least, on a hyperergic state of the tissues. While various authors have attempted by different methods to produce experimental nephritis simulating the human affliction, only those investigations dealing with cytotoxins will be discussed. This com...

Morphologically, physiologically and metabolically, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are one of the most diverse groups of prokaryotes. Cyanobacteria bloom abundantly in surface waters as a result of eutrophication, and they produce different types of toxins, so they not only hinder recreational use of bodies of water but also cause health problems in humans and animals. Cyanobacterial toxins (...

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) combine the specificity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with the potency of cytotoxic molecules, thereby taking advantage of the best characteristics of both components. Along with the development of the mAbs and cytotoxins, the design of chemical linkers to covalently bind these building blocks is making rapid progress but remains challenging. Recent advances ha...

A chemoselective reaction between oxyamines and unprotected, unactivated reducing sugars was used to construct for the first time a panel of linkage-diversified neoglycosides. This panel of digitoxin analogs included potent and selective tumor cytotoxins; cytotoxicity was dependent on the structure of the glycosidic linkage. These results validate linkage diversification through neoglycosylatio...

Four synthetic oligonucleotide probes representing different regions of the Shiga-like toxin I (SLT-I) structural genes and one oligonucleotide derived from the SLT-II gene of Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 strain 933 were examined for the identification of E. coli strains that produce cytotoxins for Vero or HeLa cells. E. coli strains that synthesize SLT-I alone or O157:H7 isolates that coe...