Sample records for radical quenchers dna

  1. Model of diffusion-assisted direct laser writing by means of nanopolymerization in the presence of radical quencher

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pikulin, Alexander; Bityurin, Nikita; Sokolov, Viktor I.

    2015-12-01

    Diffusion-assisted direct laser writing (DA-DLW) by multiphoton polymerization has been recently shown to be one of the most promising methods for the high-resolution 3D nanofabrication [I. Sakellari, et al., ACS Nano 6, 2302 (2012)]. The improvement of the writing spatial resolution has been observed under certain conditions when the mobile radical quencher (polymerization inhibitor) is added to the photosensitive composition. In this work, we present a theoretical study of this method, focusing on the resolution capabilities and optimal writing parameters. The laser beam absorption in the polymerizable composition causes the localized depletion of the quencher molecules. If the quencher depletion is balanced by its diffusion from the outside of the focal volume, the quasi-stationary non-equillibrium concentration spatial profile with zero minimum can be obtained. The polymer is then effectively formed only in the domain where the quencher is depleted. The spatially-distributed quencher, in this case, has the effect similar to that of the vortex beam in STimulated Emission Microscopy (STED).

  2. Model of diffusion-assisted direct laser writing by means of nanopolymerization in the presence of radical quencher

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pikulin, Alexander, E-mail: pikulin@ufp.appl.sci-nnov.ru; Bityurin, Nikita; Institute of Applied Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences, 46, Ul’yanov Str., Nizhniy Novgorod, 603950

    Diffusion-assisted direct laser writing (DA-DLW) by multiphoton polymerization has been recently shown to be one of the most promising methods for the high-resolution 3D nanofabrication [I. Sakellari, et al., ACS Nano 6, 2302 (2012)]. The improvement of the writing spatial resolution has been observed under certain conditions when the mobile radical quencher (polymerization inhibitor) is added to the photosensitive composition. In this work, we present a theoretical study of this method, focusing on the resolution capabilities and optimal writing parameters. The laser beam absorption in the polymerizable composition causes the localized depletion of the quencher molecules. If the quencher depletionmore » is balanced by its diffusion from the outside of the focal volume, the quasi-stationary non-equillibrium concentration spatial profile with zero minimum can be obtained. The polymer is then effectively formed only in the domain where the quencher is depleted. The spatially-distributed quencher, in this case, has the effect similar to that of the vortex beam in STimulated Emission Microscopy (STED)« less

  3. Label-Free Fluorescence Assay of S1 Nuclease and Hydroxyl Radicals Based on Water-Soluble Conjugated Polymers and WS₂ Nanosheets.

    PubMed

    Li, Junting; Zhao, Qi; Tang, Yanli

    2016-06-13

    We developed a new method for detecting S1 nuclease and hydroxyl radicals based on the use of water-soluble conjugated poly[9,9-bis(6,6-(N,N,N-trimethylammonium)-fluorene)-2,7-ylenevinylene-co-alt-2,5-dicyano-1,4-phenylene)] (PFVCN) and tungsten disulfide (WS₂) nanosheets. Cationic PFVCN is used as a signal reporter, and single-layer WS₂ is used as a quencher with a negatively charged surface. The ssDNA forms complexes with PFVCN due to much stronger electrostatic interactions between cationic PFVCN and anionic ssDNA, whereas PFVCN emits yellow fluorescence. When ssDNA is hydrolyzed by S1 nuclease or hydroxyl radicals into small fragments, the interactions between the fragmented DNA and PFVCN become weaker, resulting in PFVCN being adsorbed on the surface of WS₂ and the fluorescence being quenched through fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The new method based on PFVCN and WS₂ can sense S1 nuclease with a low detection limit of 5 × 10(-6) U/mL. Additionally, this method is cost-effective by using affordable WS₂ as an energy acceptor without the need for dye-labeled ssDNA. Furthermore, the method provides a new platform for the nuclease assay and reactive oxygen species, and provides promising applications for drug screening.

  4. An ion quencher operated lamp for multiplexed fluorescent bioassays.

    PubMed

    Qing, Taiping; Sun, Huanhuan; He, Xiaoxiao; Huang, Xiaoqin; He, Dinggeng; Bu, Hongchang; Qiao, Zhenzhen; Wang, Kemin

    2018-02-01

    A novel and adjustable lamp based on competitive interaction among dsDNA-SYBR Green I (SGI), ion quencher, and analyte was designed for bioanalysis. The "filament" and switch of the lamp could be customized by employing different dsDNA and ion quencher. The poly(AT/TA) dsDNA was successfully screened as the most effective filament of the lamp. Two common ions, Hg 2+ and Fe 3+ , were selected as the model switch, and the corresponding ligand molecules cysteine (Cys) and pyrophosphate ions (PPi) were selected as the targets. When the fluorescence-quenched dsDNA/SGI-ion complex was introduced into a target-containing system, ions could be bound by competitive molecules and separate from the complex, thereby lighting the lamp. However, no light was observed if the biomolecule could not snatch the metal ions from the complex. Under the optimal conditions, sensitive and selective detection of Cys and PPi was achieved by the lamp, with practical applications in fetal bovine serum and human urine. This ion quencher regulated lamp for fluorescent bioassays is simple in design, fast in operation, and is more convenient than other methods. Significantly, as many molecules could form stable complexes with metal ions selectively, this ion quencher operated lamp has potential for the detection of a wide spectrum of analytes. Graphical abstract A novel and adjustable lamp on the basis of competitive interaction among dsDNA-SYBR Green I, ions quencher and analyte was designed for bioanalysis. The filament and switch of lamp could be customized by employing different dsDNA and ions quencher.

  5. The flash-quench technique in protein-DNA electron transfer: reduction of the guanine radical by ferrocytochrome c.

    PubMed

    Stemp, E D; Barton, J K

    2000-08-21

    Electron transfer from a protein to oxidatively damaged DNA, specifically from ferrocytochrome c to the guanine radical, was examined using the flash-quench technique. Ru(phen)2dppz2+ (dppz = dipyridophenazine) was employed as the photosensitive intercalator, and ferricytochrome c (Fe3+ cyt c), as the oxidative quencher. Using transient absorption and time-resolved luminescence spectroscopies, we examined the electron-transfer reactions following photoexcitation of the ruthenium complex in the presence of poly(dA-dT) or poly(dG-dC). The luminescence-quenching titrations of excited Ru(phen)2dppz2+ by Fe3+ cyt c are nearly identical for the two DNA polymers. However, the spectral characteristics of the long-lived transient produced by the quenching depend strongly upon the DNA. For poly(dA-dT), the transient has a spectrum consistent with formation of a [Ru(phen)2dppz3+, Fe2+ cyt c] intermediate, indicating that the system regenerates itself via electron transfer from the protein to the Ru(III) metallointercalator for this polymer. For poly(dG-dC), however, the transient has the characteristics expected for an intermediate of Fe2+ cyt c and the neutral guanine radical. The characteristics of the transient formed with the GC polymer are consistent with rapid oxidation of guanine by the Ru(III) complex, followed by slow electron transfer from Fe2+ cyt c to the guanine radical. These experiments show that electron holes on DNA can be repaired by protein and demonstrate how the flash-quench technique can be used generally in studying electron transfer from proteins to guanine radicals in duplex DNA.

  6. Novel DNA probes with low background and high hybridization-triggered fluorescence.

    PubMed

    Lukhtanov, Eugeny A; Lokhov, Sergey G; Gorn, Vladimir V; Podyminogin, Mikhail A; Mahoney, Walt

    2007-01-01

    Novel fluorogenic DNA probes are described. The probes (called Pleiades) have a minor groove binder (MGB) and a fluorophore at the 5'-end and a non-fluorescent quencher at the 3'-end of the DNA sequence. This configuration provides surprisingly low background and high hybridization-triggered fluorescence. Here, we comparatively study the performance of such probes, MGB-Eclipse probes, and molecular beacons. Unlike the other two probe formats, the Pleiades probes have low, temperature-independent background fluorescence and excellent signal-to-background ratios. The probes possess good mismatch discrimination ability and high rates of hybridization. Based on the analysis of fluorescence and absorption spectra we propose a mechanism of action for the Pleiades probes. First, hydrophobic interactions between the quencher and the MGB bring the ends of the probe and, therefore, the fluorophore and the quencher in close proximity. Second, the MGB interacts with the fluorophore and independent of the quencher is able to provide a modest (2-4-fold) quenching effect. Joint action of the MGB and the quencher is the basis for the unique quenching mechanism. The fluorescence is efficiently restored upon binding of the probe to target sequence due to a disruption in the MGB-quencher interaction and concealment of the MGB moiety inside the minor groove.

  7. Novel DNA probes with low background and high hybridization-triggered fluorescence

    PubMed Central

    Lukhtanov, Eugeny A.; Lokhov, Sergey G.; Gorn, Vladimir V.; Podyminogin, Mikhail A.; Mahoney, Walt

    2007-01-01

    Novel fluorogenic DNA probes are described. The probes (called Pleiades) have a minor groove binder (MGB) and a fluorophore at the 5′-end and a non-fluorescent quencher at the 3′-end of the DNA sequence. This configuration provides surprisingly low background and high hybridization-triggered fluorescence. Here, we comparatively study the performance of such probes, MGB-Eclipse probes, and molecular beacons. Unlike the other two probe formats, the Pleiades probes have low, temperature-independent background fluorescence and excellent signal-to-background ratios. The probes possess good mismatch discrimination ability and high rates of hybridization. Based on the analysis of fluorescence and absorption spectra we propose a mechanism of action for the Pleiades probes. First, hydrophobic interactions between the quencher and the MGB bring the ends of the probe and, therefore, the fluorophore and the quencher in close proximity. Second, the MGB interacts with the fluorophore and independent of the quencher is able to provide a modest (2–4-fold) quenching effect. Joint action of the MGB and the quencher is the basis for the unique quenching mechanism. The fluorescence is efficiently restored upon binding of the probe to target sequence due to a disruption in the MGB–quencher interaction and concealment of the MGB moiety inside the minor groove. PMID:17259212

  8. Fluorescence quenching by TEMPO: a sub-30 A single-molecule ruler.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Peizhi; Clamme, Jean-Pierre; Deniz, Ashok A

    2005-11-01

    A series of DNA molecules labeled with 5-carboxytetramethylrhodamine (5-TAMRA) and the small nitroxide radical TEMPO were synthesized and tested to investigate whether the intramolecular quenching efficiency can be used to measure short intramolecular distances in small ensemble and single-molecule experiments. In combination with distance calculations using molecular mechanics modeling, the experimental results from steady-state ensemble fluorescence and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements both show an exponential decrease in the quenching rate constant with the dye-quencher distance in the 10-30 A range. The results demonstrate that TEMPO-5-TAMRA fluorescence quenching is a promising method to measure short distance changes within single biomolecules.

  9. Photo-oxidation of ergosterol: indirect detection of antioxidants photosensitizers or quenchers of singlet oxygen.

    PubMed

    Lagunes, Irene; Trigos, Ángel

    2015-04-01

    Consumption of antioxidant supplements is associated to prevention of several diseases. However, recent studies suggest that antioxidants, besides scavenge free radicals could lead development of tumors. Due to conflicting reports on the antioxidant benefits, the capacity to photosensitize the generation of singlet oxygen of seven natural antioxidants was evaluated through photo-oxidation of ergosterol which proved to be an efficient method of indirect detection of singlet oxygen. Our results showed that curcumin, resveratrol and quercetin have pro-oxidant activity due they act as photosensitizers in generation of singlet oxygen. In addition, we observed that genistein, naringenin, β-carotene and gallic acid besides their antioxidant activity against ROS radicals, are capable of quenching ROS non-radicals as singlet oxygen. Finally, our results allow us to propose a new approach in classification of natural antioxidants scavengers of free radicals, based on their activity as quenchers of singlet oxygen or as photosensitizers in singlet oxygen generation. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  10. Effects of fluorescent dyes, quenchers, and dangling ends on DNA duplex stability.

    PubMed

    Moreira, Bernardo G; You, Yong; Behlke, Mark A; Owczarzy, Richard

    2005-02-11

    Single and dual-labeled fluorescent oligodeoxynucleotides are used in many molecular biology applications. We investigated the effects of commonly used fluorescent dyes and quenchers on the thermodynamic stability of a model probe-target DNA duplex. We demonstrate that those effects can be significant. Fluorescent dyes and quenchers were attached to the probe ends. In certain combinations, these groups stabilized the duplex up to 1.8kcal/mol and increased T(m) up to 4.3 degrees C. None of the groups tested significantly destabilized the duplex. Rank order of potency was, starting with the most stabilizing group: Iowa Black RQ approximately Black Hole 2>Cy5 approximately Cy3>Black Hole 1>QSY7 approximately Iowa Black FQ>Texas Red approximately TAMRA>FAM approximately HEX approximately Dabcyl>TET. Longer linkers decreased stabilizing effects. Hybridizations to targets with various dangling ends were also studied and were found to have only minor effects on thermodynamic stability. Depending on the dye/quencher combination employed, it can be important to include thermodynamic contributions from fluorophore and quencher when designing oligonucleotide probe assays.

  11. Mechanism of photodynamic inactivation of hepatocarcinoma cells with sulfonated aluminum phthalocyanine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Hong-Yu; Dong, Rong-Chun; Chen, Ji-Yao; Cai, Huai-Xin

    1993-03-01

    The mechanism of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with sulfonated aluminum phthalocyanine (AlSPC) studied with the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line in culture is reported herein. Photofrin II (PII) was chosen as the control photosensitizer of AlSPC. Deuterium oxide (D2O), an enhancer of singlet oxygen (1O2); 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPBF), a quencher of 1O2: glycerol, a quencher of OH radical (OH(DOT)); superoxide dismutase (SOD), a quencher of O2- radical (O2-(DOT)); diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC), an inhibitor of SOD and glutathione peroxidase; were introduced into both the processes of photodynamic inactivation of human liver cancer cells in culture with AlSPC (AlSPC-PDT) and with PII (PII-PDT). The results suggest that: 1O2 is dominantly involved in both PII-PDT and AlSPC-PDT; O2-(DOT) is involved in AlSPC-PDT in a lower degree than 1O2, while almost not involved in PII-PDT; OH(DOT) is involved in PII-PDT in a lower degree than 1O2, while almost not involved in AlSPC-PDT.

  12. Fluorescence Quenching by TEMPO: A Sub-30 Å Single-Molecule Ruler

    PubMed Central

    Zhu, Peizhi; Clamme, Jean-Pierre; Deniz, Ashok A.

    2005-01-01

    A series of DNA molecules labeled with 5-carboxytetramethylrhodamine (5-TAMRA) and the small nitroxide radical TEMPO were synthesized and tested to investigate whether the intramolecular quenching efficiency can be used to measure short intramolecular distances in small ensemble and single-molecule experiments. In combination with distance calculations using molecular mechanics modeling, the experimental results from steady-state ensemble fluorescence and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements both show an exponential decrease in the quenching rate constant with the dye-quencher distance in the 10–30 Å range. The results demonstrate that TEMPO-5-TAMRA fluorescence quenching is a promising method to measure short distance changes within single biomolecules. PMID:16199509

  13. Measuring thermodynamic details of DNA hybridization using fluorescence.

    PubMed

    You, Yong; Tataurov, Andrey V; Owczarzy, Richard

    2011-07-01

    Modern real-time PCR systems make it easy to monitor fluorescence while temperature is varied for hundreds of samples in parallel, permitting high-throughput studies. We employed such system to investigate melting transitions of ordered nucleic acid structures into disordered random coils. Fluorescent dye and quencher were attached to oligonucleotides in such a way that changes of fluorescence intensity with temperature indicated progression of denaturation. When fluorescence melting data were compared with traditional ultraviolet optical experiments, commonly used dye/quencher combinations, like fluorescein and tetramethylrhodamine, showed substantial discrepancies. We have therefore screened 22 commercially available fluorophores and quenchers for their ability to reliably report annealing and melting transitions. Dependence of fluorescence on temperature and pH was also investigated. The optimal performance was observed using Texas Red or ROX dyes with Iowa Black RQ or Black Hole quenchers. These labels did not alter two-state nature of duplex melting process and provided accurate melting temperatures, free energies, enthalpies, and entropies. We also suggest a new strategy for determination of DNA duplex thermodynamics where concentration of a dye-labeled strand is kept constant and its complementary strand modified with a quencher is added at increasing excess. These methodological improvements will help build predictive models of nucleic acid hybridization. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., a Wiley company.

  14. The laser versus the lamp: Reactivity of the diphenyl ketyl radical in the ground and excited states

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baumann, H.; Merckel, C.; Timpe, H.-J.; Graness, A.; Kleinschmidt, J.; Gould, I. R.; Turro, N. J.

    1984-01-01

    The diphenyl ketyl radical which is formed upon photolysis of α-phenyl benzoin is produced in its excited state upon intense pulsed laser irradiation. Using the techniques of time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopy, reaction rate constants for the ground and excited states of this radical were obtained. For the radical quenchers employed, the excited state reactivity is found to be typically several orders of magnitude greater than that of the ground state. It is concluded that the excited state of diphenyl ketyl radical reacts predominantly by electron transfer processes.

  15. Quencher-free fluorescence strategy for detection of DNA methyltransferase activity based on exonuclease III-assisted signal amplification.

    PubMed

    Liu, Haisheng; Ma, Changbei; Zhou, Meijuan; Chen, Hanchun; He, Hailun; Wang, Kemin

    2016-11-01

    This work demonstrates a novel method for DNA methyltransferase (MTase) activity detection with a quencher-free molecular beacon (MB) probe based on exonuclease (Exo) III-assisted signal amplification. In the presence of Dam MTase and DpnI endonuclease, the elaborately designed hairpin substrate (MB1) was cleaved into two parts (part A and part B). Exo III can then digest part A and release a single-stranded target of the 2-aminopurine-labeled MB (MB2). Subsequently, the MB2 can hybridize with its target to form a double-stranded structure with a protruding 3'-terminus and then trigger the digestion of MB2 by Exo III. During the digestion of MB2, the 2-aminopurine is separated from the DNA strands and released free in solution, inducing an increase of the fluorescent signal. Owing to the presence of a recessed 3'-terminus in the formed double-stranded DNA, Exo III-assisted recyclable cleavage of MB2 was achieved. Therefore, an amplified fluorescence signal was observed. Under the optimized conditions, Dam MTase can be detected in the range of 0.2-40 units/mL with a limit of detection of 0.2 units/mL and good selectivity. Furthermore, the present assay can be used for screening potential DNA MTase inhibitors. Graphical Abstract A quencher-free fluorescence assay for sensitive detection of DNA methyltransferase activity based on exonuclease III-assisted signal amplification is reported.

  16. Time-Resolved Magnetic Field Effects Distinguish Loose Ion Pairs from Exciplexes

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    We describe the experimental investigation of time-resolved magnetic field effects in exciplex-forming organic donor–acceptor systems. In these systems, the photoexcited acceptor state is predominantly deactivated by bimolecular electron transfer reactions (yielding radical ion pairs) or by direct exciplex formation. The delayed fluorescence emitted by the exciplex is magnetosensitive if the reaction pathway involves loose radical ion pair states. This magnetic field effect results from the coherent interconversion between the electronic singlet and triplet radical ion pair states as described by the radical pair mechanism. By monitoring the changes in the exciplex luminescence intensity when applying external magnetic fields, details of the reaction mechanism can be elucidated. In this work we present results obtained with the fluorophore-quencher pair 9,10-dimethylanthracene/N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) in solvents of systematically varied permittivity. A simple theoretical model is introduced that allows discriminating the initial state of quenching, viz., the loose ion pair and the exciplex, based on the time-resolved magnetic field effect. The approach is validated by applying it to the isotopologous fluorophore-quencher pairs pyrene/DMA and pyrene-d10/DMA. We detect that both the exciplex and the radical ion pair are formed during the initial quenching stage. Upon increasing the solvent polarity, the relative importance of the distant electron transfer quenching increases. However, even in comparably polar media, the exciplex pathway remains remarkably significant. We discuss our results in relation to recent findings on the involvement of exciplexes in photoinduced electron transfer reactions. PMID:24041160

  17. Synthesis and evaluation of a photoresponsive quencher for fluorescent hybridization probes.

    PubMed

    Kovaliov, Marina; Wachtel, Chaim; Yavin, Eylon; Fischer, Bilha

    2014-10-21

    Nowadays, most nucleic acid detections using fluorescent probes rely on quenching of fluorescence by energy transfer from one fluorophore to another or to a non-fluorescent molecule (quencher). The most widely used quencher in fluorescent probes is 4-((4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)azo)benzoic acid (DABCYL). We targeted a nucleoside-DABCYL analogue which could be incorporated anywhere in an oligonucleotide sequence and in any number, and used as a quencher in different hybridization sensitive probes. Specifically, we introduced a 5-(4-((dimethylamino)phenyl)azo)benzene)-2'-deoxy-uridine (dU(DAB)) quencher. The photoisomerization and dU(DAB)'s ability to quench fluorescein emission have been investigated. We incorporated dU(DAB) into a series of oligonucleotide (ON) probes including strand displacement probes, labeled with both fluorescein (FAM) and dU(DAB), and TaqMan probes bearing one or two dU(DAB) and a FAM fluorophore. We used these probes for the detection of a DNA target in real-time PCR (RT-PCR). All probes showed amplification of targeted DNA. A dU(DAB) modified TaqMan RT-PCR probe was more efficient as compared to a DABCYL bearing probe (93% vs. 87%, respectively). Furthermore, dU(DAB) had a stabilizing effect on the duplex, causing an increase in Tm up to 11 °C. In addition we showed the photoisomerisation of the azobenzene moiety of dU(DAB) and the dU(DAB) triply-labeled oligonucleotide upon irradiation. These findings suggest that dU(DAB) modified probes are promising probes for gene quantification in real-time PCR detection and as photoswitchable devices.

  18. A universal aptameric biosensor: Multiplexed detection of small analytes via aggregated perylene-based broad-spectrum quencher.

    PubMed

    Hu, Rong; Zhang, Xi; Xu, Qiang; Lu, Dan-Qing; Yang, Yun-Hui; Xu, Quan-Qing; Ruan, Qiong; Mo, Liu-Ting; Zhang, Xiao-Bing

    2017-06-15

    A universal aptameric system based on the taking advantage of double-stranded DNA/perylene diimide (dsDNA/PDI) as the signal probe was developed for multiplexed detection of small molecules. Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides which are selected in vitro by a process known as systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment. In this work, we synthesized a new kind of PDI and reported this aggregated PDI could quench the double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)-labeled fluorophores with a high quenching efficiency. The quenching efficiencies on the fluorescence of FAM, TAMRA and Cy5 could reach to 98.3%±0.9%, 97.2%±0.6% and 98.1%±1.1%, respectively. This broad-spectrum quencher was then adopted to construct a multicolor biosensor via a label-free approach. A structure-switching-triggered enzymatic recycling amplification was employed for signal amplification. High quenching efficiency combined with autocatalytic target recycling amplification afforded the biosensor with high sensitivity towards small analytes. For other targets, changing the corresponding aptamer can achieve the goal. The quencher did not interfere with the catalytic activity of nuclease. The biosensor could be manipulated with similar sensitivity no matter in pre-addition or post-addition manner. Moreover, simultaneous and multiplexed analysis of several small molecules in homogeneous solution was achieved, demonstrating its potential application in the rapid screening of multiple biotargets. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Morphology-Controlled 9,10-Diphenylanthracene Nanoblocks as Electrochemiluminescence Emitters for MicroRNA Detection with One-Step DNA Walker Amplification.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jia-Li; Tang, Zhi-Ling; Zhang, Jia-Qi; Chai, Ya-Qin; Zhuo, Ying; Yuan, Ruo

    2018-04-17

    The electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are excellent on account of the high photoluminescence quantum yield. However, the poor solubility and radical instability of PAHs in the aqueous solution severely restricted further biological application. Here 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) nanoblocks (NBs) with good dispersibility and stability in aqueous solution were prepared according to morphology-controlled technology employing water-soluble polymers as a protectant. Furthermore, an ECL "off-on" switch biosensor was developed based on a novel ECL ternary system with DPA NBs as luminophore, dissolved O 2 as coreactant, and Pt-Ag alloy nanoflowers as the coreaction accelerator, which achieved a high-intense initial ECL signal. Subsequently, the Fc-DNA as ECL signal quencher was assembled on the electrode surface to quench the initial ECL signal for a "signal-off" state. Meanwhile, DNA swing arm was modified on the electrode surface for one-step DNA walker amplification. Interestingly, in the presence of miRNA-141 and T7 Exo, the one-step DNA walker amplification was executed to recover a strong ECL signal as a "signal-on" state by the digestion of Fc-DNA. Thus the developed ECL "off-on" switch biosensor possesses a detection limit down to 29.5 aM for ultrasensitive detection of miRNA-141, which is expected to be applicable to the detection of miRNA in clinic tumor cells.

  20. Research on the effect of formononetin on photodynamic therapy in K562 cells.

    PubMed

    Sun, Dan; Lu, Yao; Zhang, Su-Juan; Wang, Kai-Ge; Sun, Zhe

    2017-10-01

    At the present time, many cancer patients combine some forms of complementary and alternative medicine therapies with their conventional therapies. The most common choice of these therapies is the use of antioxidants. Formononetin is presented in different foods. It has a variety of biological activities including antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. On account of its antioxidant activity, formononetin might protect cancer cells from free radical damage in photodynamic therapy (PDT) during which reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was stimulated leading to irreversible tumor cell injury. In this study, the influence of formononetin on K562 cells in PDT was demonstrated. The results showed that formononetin supplementation alone did not affect the lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and apoptosis in K562 cells. It increases the lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and apoptosis in K562 cells induced by PDT. The singlet oxygen quencher sodium azide suppresses the apoptosis induced by PDT with formononetin. In conclusion, formononetin consumption during PDT increases the effectiveness of cancer therapy on malignant cells. The effect of antioxidants on PDT maybe was determined by its sensitization ability to singlet oxygen.

  1. Homogeneous assay of target molecules based on chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) using DNAzyme-linked aptamers.

    PubMed

    Mun, Hyoyoung; Jo, Eun-Jung; Li, Taihua; Joung, Hyou-Arm; Hong, Dong-Gu; Shim, Won-Bo; Jung, Cheulhee; Kim, Min-Gon

    2014-08-15

    We have designed a single-stranded DNAzyme-aptamer sensor for homogeneous target molecular detection based on chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET). The structure of the engineered single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) includes the horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-like DNAzyme, optimum-length linker (10-mer-length DNA), and target-specific aptamer sequences. A quencher dye was modified at the 3' end of the aptamer sequence. The incorporation of hemin into the G-quadruplex structure of DNAzyme yields an active HRP-like activity that catalyzes luminol to generate a chemiluminescence (CL) signal. In the presence of target molecules, such as ochratoxin A (OTA), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), or thrombin, the aptamer sequence was folded due to the formation of the aptamer/analyte complex, which induced the quencher dye close to the DNAzyme structure. Consequently, the CRET occurred between a DNAzyme-catalyzed chemiluminescence reaction and the quencher dye. Our results showed that CRET-based DNAzyme-aptamer biosensing enabled specific OTA analysis with a limit of detection of 0.27ng/mL. The CRET platform needs no external light source and avoids autofluorescence and photobleaching, and target molecules can be detected specifically and sensitively in a homogeneous manner. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. An aggregated perylene-based broad-spectrum, efficient and label-free quencher for multiplexed fluorescent bioassays.

    PubMed

    Liu, Tao; Hu, Rong; Lv, Yi-Fan; Wu, Yuan; Liang, Hao; Huan, Shuang-Yan; Zhang, Xiao-Bing; Tan, Weihong; Yu, Ru-Qin

    2014-08-15

    Fluorescent sensing systems based on the quenching of fluorophores have found wide applications in bioassays. An efficient quencher will endow the sensing system a high sensitivity. The frequently used quenchers are based on organic molecules or nanomaterials, which usually need tedious synthesizing and modifying steps, and exhibit different quenching efficiencies to different fluorophores. In this work, we for the first time report that aggregated perylene derivative can serve as a broad-spectrum and label-free quencher that is able to efficiently quench a variety of fluorophores, such as green, red and far red dyes labeled on DNA. By choosing nucleases as model biomolecules, such a broad-spectrum quencher was then employed to construct a multiplexed bioassay platform through a label-free manner. Due to the high quenching efficiency of the aggregated perylene, the proposed platform could detect nuclease with high sensitivity, with a detection limit of 0.03U/mL for EcoRV, and 0.05U/mL for EcoRI. The perylene quencher does not affect the activity of nuclease, which makes it possible to design post-addition type bioassay platform. Moreover, the proposed platform allows simultaneous and multicolor analysis of nucleases in homogeneous solution, demonstrating its value of potential application in rapid screening of multiple bio-targets. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. The G-BHQ synergistic effect: Improved double quenching molecular beacons based on guanine and Black Hole Quencher for sensitive simultaneous detection of two DNAs.

    PubMed

    Xiang, Dongshan; Li, Fengquan; Wu, Chenyi; Shi, Boan; Zhai, Kun

    2017-11-01

    We designed two double quenching molecular beacons (MBs) with simple structure based on guanine (G base) and Black Hole Quencher (BHQ), and developed a new analytical method for sensitive simultaneous detection of two DNAs by synchronous fluorescence analysis. In this analytical method, carboxyl fluorescein (FAM) and tetramethyl-6-carboxyrhodamine (TAMRA) were respectively selected as fluorophore of two MBs, Black Hole Quencher 1 (BHQ-1) and Black Hole Quencher 2 (BHQ-2) were respectively selected as organic quencher, and three continuous nucleotides with G base were connected to organic quencher (BHQ-1 and BHQ-2). In the presence of target DNAs, the two MBs hybridize with the corresponding target DNAs, the fluorophores are separated from organic quenchers and G bases, leading to recovery of fluorescence of FAM and TAMRA. Under a certain conditions, the fluorescence intensities of FAM and TAMRA all exhibited good linear dependence on their concentration of target DNAs (T1 and T2) in the range from 4 × 10 -10 to 4 × 10 -8 molL -1 (M). The detection limit (3σ, n = 13) of T1 was 3 × 10 -10 M and that of T2 was 2×10 -10 M, respectively. Compared with the existing analysis methods for multiplex DNA with MBs, this proposed method based on double quenching MBs is not only low fluorescence background, short analytical time and low detection cost, but also easy synthesis and good stability of MB probes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Two Successive Reactions on a DNA Template: A Strategy for Improving Background and Specificity in Nucleic Acid Detection

    PubMed Central

    Franzini, Raphael M.

    2015-01-01

    We report a new strategy for template-mediated fluorogenic chemistry that results in enhanced performance for the fluorescence detection of nucleic acids. In this approach, two successive templated reactions are required to induce a fluorescence signal, rather than only one. These novel fluorescein-labeled oligonucleotide probes, termed 2-STAR probes, contain two quencher groups tethered by separate reductively cleavable linkers. When a 2-STAR quenched probe binds adjacent to either two successive mono triphenyl-phosphine (TPP)-DNAs or a dual TPP-DNA, the two quenchers are released, resulting in a fluorescence signal. Because of the requirement for two consecutive reactions, 2-STAR probes display an unprecedented level of sequence-specificity for template-mediated probe designs. At the same time, background emission generated by off-template reactions or incomplete quenching is among the lowest of any fluorogenic reactive probes for the detection of DNA or RNA. PMID:21294182

  5. Organization and dynamics of pyrene and pyrene lipids in intact lipid bilayers. Photo-induced charge transfer processes.

    PubMed Central

    Barenholz, Y; Cohen, T; Korenstein, R; Ottolenghi, M

    1991-01-01

    The dynamics of fluorescence quenching and the organization of a series of pyrene derivatives anchored in various depths in bilayers of phosphatidylcholine small unilamellar vesicles was studied and compared with their behavior in homogeneous solvent systems. The studies include characterization of the environmental polarity of the pyrene fluorophore based on its vibronic peaks, as well as the interaction with three collisional quenchers: the two membrane-soluble quenchers, diethylaniline and bromobenzene, and the water soluble quencher potassium iodide. The system of diethylaniline-pyrene derivatives in the membrane of phosphatidylcholine vesicles was characterized in detail. The diethylaniline partition coefficient between the lipid bilayers and the buffer is approximately 5,800. Up to a diethylaniline/phospholipid mole ratio of 1:3 the perturbation to membrane structure is minimal so that all photophysical studies were performed below this mole ratio. The quenching reaction, in all cases, was shown to take place in the lipid bilayer interior and the relative quenching efficiencies of the various probe molecules was used to provide information on the distribution of both fluorescent probes and quencher molecules in the lipid bilayer. The quenching efficiency by diethylaniline in the lipid bilayer was found to be essentially independent on the length of the methylene chain of the pyrene moiety. These findings suggest that the quenching process, being a diffusion controlled reaction, is determined by the mobility of the diethylaniline quencher (with an effective diffusion coefficient D approximately 10(-7) cm2 s-1) which appears to be homogeneously distributed throughout the lipid bilayer. The pulsed laser photolysis products of the charge-transfer quenching reaction were examined. No exciplex (excited-complex) formation was observed and the yield of the separated radical ions was shown to be tenfold smaller than in homogenous polar solutions. The decay of the radical ions is considerably faster than the corresponding process in homogenous solutions. Relatively high intersystem crossing yields are observed. The results are explained on the basis of the intrinsic properties of a lipid bilayer, primarily, its rigid spatial organization. It is suggested that such properties favor ion-pair formation over exciplex generation. They also enhance primary geminate recombination of initially formed (solvent-shared) ion pairs. Triplet states are generated via secondary geminate recombination of ion pairs in the membrane interior. The results bear on the general mechanism of electron transfer processes in biomembranes. PMID:1883931

  6. Magnetic carbon-supported cobalt derived from a Prussian blue analogue as a heterogeneous catalyst to activate peroxymonosulfate for efficient degradation of caffeine in water.

    PubMed

    Lin, Kun-Yi Andrew; Chen, Bo-Jau

    2017-01-15

    Extensive usage of caffeine (CAF) as a medicine and additives in beverages has led to increasing presence of CAF in wastewater and even drinking water. To remove CAF, peroxymonosulfate (PMS), is adopted to generate sulfate radical to degrade CAF in water. To facilitate PMS activation, a magnetic carbon-supported cobalt (MC/Co) hybrid material is prepared via carbonization of a cobalt-containing Prussian blue analogue framework (Co 3 [Co(CN) 6 ] 2 ). The resultant MC/Co contains Co and Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles supported on a carbon matrix, making it an attractive magnetic catalyst to activate PMS for degrading CAF. MC/Co-activated PMS was shown to degrade CAF much more effectively than PMS and Co 3 O 4 -activated PMS. Parameters affecting CAF degradation by MC/Co-activated PMS were also examined, including MC/Co and PMS concentrations, temperature, pH, and salt. Effects of radical quenchers were also examined to provide insights into the CAF degradation mechanism. MC/Co-activated PMS was much more favorable at higher temperatures than ambient temperature, and under neutral conditions. Nevertheless, the presence of concentrated NaCl noticeably hindered CAF degradation. Through examining effects of radical quenchers, the mechanism of CAF degradation by MC/Co-activated PMS was attributed primarily to sulfate radicals and hydroxyl radicals to a lesser extent. The degradation products of CAF by MC/Co-activated PMS were also identified and a possible degradation pathway is proposed. MC/Co can activate PMS over multiple cycles without loss of catalytic activity. These findings demonstrate that MC/Co, simply prepared from simple carbonization of Co 3 [Co(CN) 6 ] 2 can be a promising heterogeneous catalyst for activating PMS to degrade CAF. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. A fluorescence glucose sensor based on pH induced conformational switch of i-motif DNA.

    PubMed

    Ke, Qingqing; Zheng, Yu; Yang, Fan; Zhang, Hanchang; Yang, Xiurong

    2014-11-01

    A facile fluorescence biosensor for the detection of glucose is proposed based on the pH-induced conformational switch of i-motif DNA in this paper. Glucose can be oxidized by oxygen (O2) in the presence of glucose oxidase (GOD), and the generated gluconic acid can decrease the pH value of the solution and then induce the fluorophore- and quencher-labeled cytosine-rich single-stranded DNA to fold into a close-packed i-motif structure. As a result, the fluorescence quenching occurs because of the resonance energy transfer between fluorophore and quencher. Based on this working principle, the concentration of glucose can be detected by the decrease of fluorescence density. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the assay shows a linear response range of 5-100 µM for the glucose concentration with a detection limit of 4 µM. This glucose biosensor was applied to determine glucose in real samples successfully, suggesting its potential in the practical applicability. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Quencher-free molecular beacon tethering 7-hydroxycoumarin detects targets through protonation/deprotonation.

    PubMed

    Kashida, Hiromu; Yamaguchi, Kyohei; Hara, Yuichi; Asanuma, Hiroyuki

    2012-07-15

    In this study, we synthesized a simple but efficient quencher-free molecular beacon tethering 7-hydroxycoumarin on D-threoninol based on its pK(a) change. The pK(a) of 7-hydroxycoumarin in a single strand was determined as 8.8, whereas that intercalated in the duplex was over 10. This large pK(a) shift (more than 1.2) upon hybridization could be attributed to the anionic and hydrophobic microenvironment inside the DNA duplex. Because 7-hydroxycoumarin quenches its fluorescence upon protonation, the emission intensity of the duplex at pH 8.5 was 1/15 that of the single strand. We applied this quenching mechanism to the preparation of a quencher-free molecular beacon by introducing the dye into the middle of the stem part. In the absence of the target, the stem region formed a duplex and fluorescence was quenched. However, when the target was added, the molecular beacon opened and the dye was deprotonated. As a result, the emission intensity of the molecular beacon with the target was 10 times higher than that without the target. Accordingly, a quencher-free molecular beacon utilizing the pK(a) change was successfully developed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. [Antimutagenic action of superoxide dismutase on sodium azide- and nitrosoguanidine-induced mutagenesis in Salmonella typhimurium TA 1535].

    PubMed

    Vorob'eva, L I; Cherdyntseva, T A; Aver'ianov, A A; Abilev, S K

    1993-05-01

    It was shown that superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased the mutagenic action of sodium azide (NaN3) and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine in Salmonella typhimurium TA1535. Catalase and quenchers of hydroxyl radicals showed, unlike SOD no effect on the mutagenicity of NaN3. Cell extract from propionic acid bacteria also possessed the antimutagenic activity, only partially depending on the SOD activity.

  10. Time-resolved FT EPR and optical spectroscopy study on photooxidation of aliphatic alpha-amino acids in aqueous solutions; electron transfer from amino vs carboxylate functional group.

    PubMed

    Tarabek, Peter; Bonifacić, Marija; Beckert, Dieter

    2006-06-08

    Using time-resolved Fourier transform electron paramagnetic resonance, FT EPR, and optical spectroscopy, the photooxidation of glycine, alpha-alanine, alpha-aminoisobutyric acid, and model compounds beta-alanine, methylamine and sodium acetate, by excited triplets of anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate dianion was studied in aqueous solutions in the pH range 5-13. Anthraquinone radical trianions showing strong emissive spin-polarization (CIDEP) were formed, indicating fast electron transfer from the quenchers to the spin-polarized quinone triplet as the primary reaction. None of the primary radicals formed upon one-electron oxidation of quenchers could be detected at the nanosecond time scale of FT EPR measurements because of their very fast transformation into secondary products. The latter were identified to be decarboxylated alpha-aminoalkyl radicals for alpha-amino acids anions and zwitterions, beta-aminoalkyl radicals for beta-alanine zwitterions, and methyl radicals for acetate anions; corresponding aminyl radicals were the first EPR detectable products from beta-alanine anions and methylamine. Thus, anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate triplet can take an electron from both NH(2)- and -CO(2)(-) functional groups forming aminium ((+*)NH(2)-) and acyloxyl (-CO(2)(*)) radicals, respectively. Aminium radicals derived from beta-alanine anions and CH(3)-NH(2) stabilize by deprotonation into aminyl radicals, whereas these derived from alpha-amino acids anions are known to suffer ultrafast decarboxylation (tau approximately 10 ps). Analysis of the polarization patterns revealed that decarboxylation from acyloxyl radicals are considerably slower (ns < tau < 0.1 micros). Therefore, in the case of alpha-amino acids, the isoelectronic structures NH(2)-CR(2)-CO(2)(*) and (+*)NH(2)-CR(2)-CO(2)(-) probably do not constitute resonance mesomeric forms of one and the same species and the decarboxylation of aminium radicals is not preceded by the intramolecular carboxylate to amino group electron transfer. Absolute triplet quenching rate constants at zero ionic strength were in the range of 2 x 10(8) to 2 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) for R-NH(2) and 2 x 10(7) to 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) for R-CO(2)(-) type of electron donors, reflecting in principle their standard reduction potentials. The strengths of acids: (+)NH(3)-(*)CH(2), (+)NH(3)-(*)C(CH(3))H, and (+)NH(3)-(*)C(CH(3))(2), pK(a) <4, >6, and >7, respectively, were found to be remarkably strongly dependent on alpha-C substitution. The conjugate bases of these alpha-aminoalkyl radicals reduce anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate dianion ground state with k(sec) = 3 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1).

  11. A Metal-Polydopamine Framework (MPDA) as an Effective Fluorescent Quencher for Highly Sensitive Detection of Hg (II) And Ag (I) ions Through Exonuclease III Activity.

    PubMed

    Ravikumar, Ayyanu; Panneerselvam, Perumal; Morad, Norhashimah

    2018-05-24

    In this paper, we propose a metal-polydopamine framework (MPDA) with specific molecular probe which appears to be the most promising approach to a strong fluorescence quencher. The MPDA framework quenching ability towards various organic fluorophore such as aminoethylcomarin acetate (AMCA), 6-carboxyfluorescein (FAM), carboxyteramethylrhodamine (TAMRA) and Cy5 are used to establish a fluorescent biosensor that can selectively recognize Hg2+ and Ag+ ion. The fluorescent quenching efficiency was sufficient to achieve more than 96%. The MPDA framework also exhibits different affinities with ssDNA and dsDNA. In addition, the FAM labelled ssDNA was adsorbed onto MPDA framework, based on their interaction with the complex formed between MPDA frameworks/ssDNA taken as a sensing platform. By taking advantage of this sensor highly sensitive and selective determination of Hg2+and Ag+ ions is achieved through Exonuclease III signal amplification activity. The detection limits of Hg2+and Ag+ achieved to be 1.2 pM and 34 pM respectively, were compared to co-existing metal ions and GO based sensors. Furthermore, the potential applications of this study establish the highly sensitive fluorescence detection targets in environmental and biological fields.

  12. Dual color fluorescence quantitative detection of specific single-stranded DNA with molecular beacons and nucleic acid dye SYBR Green I.

    PubMed

    Xiang, Dong-Shan; Zhou, Guo-Hua; Luo, Ming; Ji, Xing-Hu; He, Zhi-Ke

    2012-08-21

    We have developed a dual color fluorescence quantitative detection method for specific single-stranded DNA with molecular beacons (MBs) and nucleic acid dye SYBR Green I by synchronous scanning fluorescence spectrometry. It is demonstrated by a reverse-transcription oligonucleotide sequence (target DNA, 33 bases) of RNA fragment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as a model system. In the absence of target DNA, the MBs are in the stem-closed state, the fluorescence of 5-carboxy-X-rhodamine (ROX) is quenched by black hole quencher-2 (BHQ-2), and the interaction between SYBR Green I and the MBs is very weak. At this time the fluorescence signals of ROX and SYBR Green I are all very weak. In the presence of target DNA, MBs hybridize with target DNA and form a double-strand structure, the fluorophore ROX is separated from the quencher BHQ-2, and the fluorescence of ROX recovers. At the same time, SYBR Green I binds to hybridized dsDNA, whose fluorescence intensity is significantly enhanced. Thus, dual color fluorescence quantitative detection for the target DNA can be realized by synchronous scanning fluorescence spectrometry. In this strategy, the fluorescence signal of SYBR Green I is far larger than that of ROX, so the quantitative analysis of target DNA with the fluorescence intensity of SYBR Green I can significantly improve the detection sensitivity. In addition, the false-positive signals of MBs do not affect the fluorescence signals of nucleic acid dye SYBR Green I. Thereby, in the analysis of complex samples, quantitative analysis of target DNA with SYBR Green I can avoid the false-positive signals of MBs and improve the detection accuracy.

  13. Design of two and three input molecular logic gates using non-Watson-Crick base pairing-based molecular beacons.

    PubMed

    Lin, Jia-Hui; Tseng, Wei-Lung

    2014-03-21

    This study presents a single, resettable, and sensitive molecular beacon (MB) used to operate molecular-scale logic gates. The MB consists of a random DNA sequence, a fluorophore at the 5'-end, and a quencher at the 3'-end. The presence of Hg(2+), Ag(+), and coralyne promoted the formation of stable T-Hg(2+)-T, C-Ag(+)-C, and A2-coralyne-A2 coordination in the MB probe, respectively, thereby driving its conformational change. The metal ion or small molecule-mediated coordination of mismatched DNA brought the fluorophore and the quencher into close proximity, resulting in collisional quenching of fluorescence between the two organic dyes. Because thiol can bind Hg(2+) and remove it from the T-Hg(2+)-T-based MB, adding thiol to a solution of the T-Hg(2+)-T-based MB allowed the fluorophore and the quencher to be widely separated. A similar phenomenon was observed when replacing Hg(2+) with Ag(+). Because Ag(+) strongly binds to iodide, cyanide, and cysteine, they were capable of removing Ag(+) from the C-Ag(+)-C-based MB, restoring the fluorescence of the MB. Moreover, the fluorescence of the A2-coralyne-A2-based MB could be switched on by adding polyadenosine. Using these analytes as inputs and the MB as a signal transducer, we successfully developed a series of two-input, three-input, and set-reset logic gates at the molecular level.

  14. Photo Protection of Haematococcus pluvialis Algae by Astaxanthin: Unique Properties of Astaxanthin Deduced by EPR, Optical and Electrochemical Studies

    PubMed Central

    Focsan, A. Ligia; Polyakov, Nikolay E.; Kispert, Lowell D.

    2017-01-01

    The antioxidant astaxanthin is known to accumulate in Haematococcus pluvialis algae under unfavorable environmental conditions for normal cell growth. The accumulated astaxanthin functions as a protective agent against oxidative stress damage, and tolerance to excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) is greater in astaxanthin-rich cells. The detailed mechanisms of protection have remained elusive, however, our Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), optical and electrochemical studies on carotenoids suggest that astaxanthin’s efficiency as a protective agent could be related to its ability to form chelate complexes with metals and to be esterified, its inability to aggregate in the ester form, its high oxidation potential and the ability to form proton loss neutral radicals under high illumination in the presence of metal ions. The neutral radical species formed by deprotonation of the radical cations can be very effective quenchers of the excited states of chlorophyll under high irradiation. PMID:29065482

  15. Species-specific differentiation of variola, monkeypox, and varicella-zoster viruses by multiplex real-time PCR assay.

    PubMed

    Maksyutov, Rinat A; Gavrilova, Elena V; Shchelkunov, Sergei N

    2016-10-01

    A method of one-stage rapid detection and differentiation of epidemiologically important variola virus (VARV), monkeypox virus (MPXV), and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) utilizing multiplex real-time TaqMan PCR assay was developed. Four hybridization probes with various fluorescent dyes and the corresponding fluorescence quenchers were simultaneously used for the assay. The hybridization probes specific for the VARV sequence contained FAM/BHQ1 as a dye/quencher pair; MPXV-specific, JOE/BHQ1; VZV-specific, TAMRA/BHQ2; and internal control-specific, Cy5/BHQ3. The specificity and sensitivity of the developed method were assessed by analyzing DNA of 32 strains belonging to orthopoxvirus and herpesvirus species. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Flow cytometric detection method for DNA samples

    DOEpatents

    Nasarabadi, Shanavaz [Livermore, CA; Langlois, Richard G [Livermore, CA; Venkateswaran, Kodumudi S [Round Rock, TX

    2011-07-05

    Disclosed herein are two methods for rapid multiplex analysis to determine the presence and identity of target DNA sequences within a DNA sample. Both methods use reporting DNA sequences, e.g., modified conventional Taqman.RTM. probes, to combine multiplex PCR amplification with microsphere-based hybridization using flow cytometry means of detection. Real-time PCR detection can also be incorporated. The first method uses a cyanine dye, such as, Cy3.TM., as the reporter linked to the 5' end of a reporting DNA sequence. The second method positions a reporter dye, e.g., FAM.TM. on the 3' end of the reporting DNA sequence and a quencher dye, e.g., TAMRA.TM., on the 5' end.

  17. Flow cytometric detection method for DNA samples

    DOEpatents

    Nasarabadi, Shanavaz [Livermore, CA; Langlois, Richard G [Livermore, CA; Venkateswaran, Kodumudi S [Livermore, CA

    2006-08-01

    Disclosed herein are two methods for rapid multiplex analysis to determine the presence and identity of target DNA sequences within a DNA sample. Both methods use reporting DNA sequences, e.g., modified conventional Taqman.RTM. probes, to combine multiplex PCR amplification with microsphere-based hybridization using flow cytometry means of detection. Real-time PCR detection can also be incorporated. The first method uses a cyanine dye, such as, Cy3.TM., as the reporter linked to the 5' end of a reporting DNA sequence. The second method positions a reporter dye, e.g., FAM, on the 3' end of the reporting DNA sequence and a quencher dye, e.g., TAMRA, on the 5' end.

  18. Manganese porphyrin decorated on DNA networks as quencher and mimicking enzyme for construction of ultrasensitive photoelectrochemistry aptasensor.

    PubMed

    Huang, Liaojing; Zhang, Li; Yang, Liu; Yuan, Ruo; Yuan, Yali

    2018-05-01

    In this work, the manganese porphyrin (MnPP) decorated on DNA networks could serve as quencher and mimicking enzyme to efficiently reduce the photocurrent of photoactive material 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic acid (PTCA), which was elaborately used to construct a novel label-free aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of thrombin (TB) in a signal-off manner. The Au-doped PTCA (PTCA-PEI-Au) with outstanding membrane-forming and photoelectric property was modified on electrode to acquire a strong initial photoelectrochemistry (PEC) signal. Afterward, target binding aptamer Ι (TBAΙ) was modified on electrode to specially recognize target TB, which could further combine with TBAII and single-stranded DNA P1-modified platinum nanoparticles (TBAII-PtNPs-P1) for immobilizing DNA networks with abundant MnPP. Ingeniously, the MnPP could not only directly quench the photocurrent of PTCA, but also acted as hydrogen peroxide (HRP) mimicking enzyme to remarkably stimulate the deposition of benzo-4-chlorhexidine (4-CD) on electrode for further decreasing the photocurrent of PTCA, thereby obtaining a definitely low photocurrent for detection of TB. As a result, the proposed PEC aptasensor illustrated excellent sensitivity with a low detection limit down to 3 fM, exploiting a new avenue about intergrating two functions in one substance for ultrasensitive biological monitoring. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Multicolor fluorescent biosensor for multiplexed detection of DNA.

    PubMed

    Hu, Rong; Liu, Tao; Zhang, Xiao-Bing; Huan, Shuang-Yan; Wu, Cuichen; Fu, Ting; Tan, Weihong

    2014-05-20

    Development of efficient methods for highly sensitive and rapid screening of specific oligonucleotide sequences is essential to the early diagnosis of serious diseases. In this work, an aggregated cationic perylene diimide (PDI) derivative was found to efficiently quench the fluorescence emission of a variety of anionic oligonucleotide-labeled fluorophores that emit at wavelengths from the visible to NIR region. This broad-spectrum quencher was then adopted to develop a multicolor biosensor via a label-free approach for multiplexed fluorescent detection of DNA. The aggregated perylene derivative exhibits a very high quenching efficiency on all ssDNA-labeled dyes associated with biosensor detection, having efficiency values of 98.3 ± 0.9%, 97 ± 1.1%, and 98.2 ± 0.6% for FAM, TAMRA, and Cy5, respectively. An exonuclease-assisted autocatalytic target recycling amplification was also integrated into the sensing system. High quenching efficiency combined with autocatalytic target recycling amplification afforded the biosensor with high sensitivity toward target DNA, resulting in a detection limit of 20 pM, which is about 50-fold lower than that of traditional unamplified homogeneous fluorescent assay methods. The quencher did not interfere with the catalytic activity of nuclease, and the biosensor could be manipulated in either preaddition or postaddition manner with similar sensitivity. Moreover, the proposed sensing system allows for simultaneous and multicolor analysis of several oligonucleotides in homogeneous solution, demonstrating its potential application in the rapid screening of multiple biotargets.

  20. Photoinduced electron transfer from nucleotides to DNA intercalating viologens. A study by laser-flash photolysis and spectroelectrochemistry.

    PubMed

    Knapp, C; Lecomte, J P; Mesmaeker, A K; Orellana, G

    1996-10-01

    Fluorescent DNA-binding N,N'-dialkyl 6-(2-pyridinium)phenanthridinium dications (where dialkyl stands for -(CH2)2-or-(CH2)3-, abbreviated dq2pyp and dq3pyp, respectively) associate with GMP (guanosine-5'-monophosphate) in 0.1-mol l-1, pH 3.5-5.5, phosphate buffer solution to yield 1:1 and 1:2 non-emissive complexes, the formation constants of which range from 197-63 and 19-11 l mol-1, respectively. In addition to the strong static quenching, dynamic deactivation of their excited state occurs at diffusion-controlled rate ki = 5.2 x 10(9) l mol-1 s-1). Illumination of the GMP-containing solutions of the dyes with a 355 nm laser pulse produces a transient, with strong absorbance at 510 and 720 nm for dq2pyp, and 420 and 560 nm for dq3pyp. An identical transient is produced in the presence of ascorbic acid instead of the mononucleotide. By comparison to the electrochemically generated absorption spectra of the monoreduced dyes, the photogenerated transients have been assigned unequivocally to their corresponding radical-cations, formed by electron transfer to the anglet excited state. The back redox reaction between the oxidized quencher and dq2pyp+ proceeds at a rate of 1-2 x 10(9) l mol-1 s-1. The same transient has been observed also for the DNA intercalated viologens; this result, together with the little ability of these dyes to sensitize the formation of singlet dioxygen or to produce superoxide anion, demonstrate that their DNA photocleavaging activity is initiated by an efficient light-induced electron transfer from the nucleobases.

  1. A novel "dual-potential" electrochemiluminescence aptasensor array using CdS quantum dots and luminol-gold nanoparticles as labels for simultaneous detection of malachite green and chloramphenicol.

    PubMed

    Feng, Xiaobin; Gan, Ning; Zhang, Huairong; Yan, Qing; Li, Tianhua; Cao, Yuting; Hu, Futao; Yu, Hongwei; Jiang, Qianli

    2015-12-15

    A novel type of "dual-potential" electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor array was fabricated on a homemade screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) for simultaneous detection of malachite green (MG) and chloramphenicol (CAP) in one single assay. The SPCE substrate consisted of a common Ag/AgCl reference electrode, carbon counter electrode and two carbon working electrodes (WE1 and WE2). In the system, CdS quantum dots (QDs) were modified on WE1 as cathode ECL emitters and luminol-gold nanoparticles (L-Au NPs) were modified on WE2 as anode ECL emitters. Then the MG aptamer complementary strand (MG cDNA) and CAP aptamer complementary strand (CAP cDNA) were attached on CdS QDs and L-Au NPs, respectively. The cDNA would hybridize with corresponding aptamer that was respectively tagged with cyanine dye (Cy5) (as quenchers of CdS QDs) and chlorogenic acid (CA) (as quenchers of l-Au NPs) using poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) as a bridging agent. PEI could lead to a large number of quenchers on the aptamer, which increased the quenching efficiency. Upon MG and CAP adding, the targets could induce strand release due to the highly affinity of analytes toward aptamers. Meanwhile, it could release the Cy5 and CA, which recovered cathode ECL of CdS QDs and anode ECL of L-Au NPs simultaneously. This "dual-potential" ECL strategy could be used to detect MG and CAP with the linear ranges of 0.1-100 nM and 0.2-150 nM, with detection limits of 0.03 nM and 0.07 nM (at 3sB), respectively. More importantly, this designed method was successfully applied to determine MG and CAP in real fish samples and held great potential in the food analysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Real-time fluorescence ligase chain reaction for sensitive detection of single nucleotide polymorphism based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

    PubMed

    Sun, Yueying; Lu, Xiaohui; Su, Fengxia; Wang, Limei; Liu, Chenghui; Duan, Xinrui; Li, Zhengping

    2015-12-15

    Most of practical methods for detection of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) need at least two steps: amplification (usually by PCR) and detection of SNP by using the amplification products. Ligase chain reaction (LCR) can integrate the amplification and allele discrimination in one step. However, the detection of LCR products still remains a great challenge for highly sensitive and quantitative SNP detection. Herein, a simple but robust strategy for real-time fluorescence LCR has been developed for highly sensitive and quantitative SNP detection. A pair of LCR probes are firstly labeled with a fluorophore and a quencher, respectively. When the pair of LCR probes are ligated in LCR, the fluorophore will be brought close to the quencher, and thus, the fluorescence will be specifically quenched by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). The decrease of fluorescence intensity resulted from FRET can be real-time monitored in the LCR process. With the proposed real-time fluorescence LCR assay, 10 aM DNA targets or 100 pg genomic DNA can be accurately determined and as low as 0.1% mutant DNA can be detected in the presence of a large excess of wild-type DNA, indicating the high sensitivity and specificity. The real-time measuring does not require the detection step after LCR and gives a wide dynamic range for detection of DNA targets (from 10 aM to 1 pM). As LCR has been widely used for detection of SNP, DNA methylation, mRNA and microRNA, the real-time fluorescence LCR assay shows great potential for various genetic analysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Polyfluorophore Labels on DNA: Dramatic Sequence Dependence of Quenching

    PubMed Central

    Teo, Yin Nah; Wilson, James N.

    2010-01-01

    We describe studies carried out in the DNA context to test how a common fluorescence quencher, dabcyl, interacts with oligodeoxynu-cleoside fluorophores (ODFs)—a system of stacked, electronically interacting fluorophores built on a DNA scaffold. We tested twenty different tetrameric ODF sequences containing varied combinations and orderings of pyrene (Y), benzopyrene (B), perylene (E), dimethylaminostilbene (D), and spacer (S) monomers conjugated to the 3′ end of a DNA oligomer. Hybridization of this probe sequence to a dabcyl-labeled complementary strand resulted in strong quenching of fluorescence in 85% of the twenty ODF sequences. The high efficiency of quenching was also established by their large Stern–Volmer constants (KSV) of between 2.1 × 104 and 4.3 × 105M−1, measured with a free dabcyl quencher. Interestingly, quenching of ODFs displayed strong sequence dependence. This was particularly evident in anagrams of ODF sequences; for example, the sequence BYDS had a KSV that was approximately two orders of magnitude greater than that of BSDY, which has the same dye composition. Other anagrams, for example EDSY and ESYD, also displayed different responses upon quenching by dabcyl. Analysis of spectra showed that apparent excimer and exciplex emission bands were quenched with much greater efficiency compared to monomer emission bands by at least an order of magnitude. This suggests an important role played by delocalized excited states of the π stack of fluorophores in the amplified quenching of fluorescence. PMID:19780115

  4. Theoretical study on effects of photodecomposable quenchers in line-and-space pattern fabrication with 7 nm quarter-pitch using chemically amplified electron beam resist process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kozawa, Takahiro

    2017-04-01

    The line width roughness (LWR) is a significant issue in the development of chemically amplified resists. The increase in sensitizer concentration is inevitable for the suppression of LWR in the sub-10 nm fabrication. In this study, we investigated the effects of photodecomposable quenchers from the viewpoint of the excluded volume effect, assuming line-and-space patterns with 7 nm quarter-pitch (7 nm space width and 28 nm pitch). The pattern formation of chemically amplified electron beam resists with photodecomposable quenchers was calculated and compared with those with conventional quenchers. It was found that the sum of the concentrations of acid generators and quenchers (photodecomposable or conventional quenchers) can be reduced without decreasing the chemical gradient (an indicator of LWR) by using the photodecomposable quenchers. The photodecomposable quenchers are considered essential in the high-resolution fabrication.

  5. A catalytic beacon sensor for uranium with parts-per-trillion sensitivity and millionfold selectivity.

    PubMed

    Liu, Juewen; Brown, Andrea K; Meng, Xiangli; Cropek, Donald M; Istok, Jonathan D; Watson, David B; Lu, Yi

    2007-02-13

    Here, we report a catalytic beacon sensor for uranyl (UO2(2+)) based on an in vitro-selected UO2(2+)-specific DNAzyme. The sensor consists of a DNA enzyme strand with a 3' quencher and a DNA substrate with a ribonucleotide adenosine (rA) in the middle and a fluorophore and a quencher at the 5' and 3' ends, respectively. The presence of UO2(2+) causes catalytic cleavage of the DNA substrate strand at the rA position and release of the fluorophore and thus dramatic increase of fluorescence intensity. The sensor has a detection limit of 11 parts per trillion (45 pM), a dynamic range up to 400 nM, and selectivity of >1-million-fold over other metal ions. The most interfering metal ion, Th(IV), interacts with the fluorescein fluorophore, causing slightly enhanced fluorescence intensity, with an apparent dissociation constant of approximately 230 microM. This sensor rivals the most sensitive analytical instruments for uranium detection, and its application in detecting uranium in contaminated soil samples is also demonstrated. This work shows that simple, cost-effective, and portable metal sensors can be obtained with similar sensitivity and selectivity as much more expensive and sophisticated analytical instruments. Such a sensor will play an important role in environmental remediation of radionuclides such as uranium.

  6. A catalytic beacon sensor for uranium with parts-per-trillion sensitivity and millionfold selectivity

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Juewen; Brown, Andrea K.; Meng, Xiangli; Cropek, Donald M.; Istok, Jonathan D.; Watson, David B.; Lu, Yi

    2007-01-01

    Here, we report a catalytic beacon sensor for uranyl (UO22+) based on an in vitro-selected UO22+-specific DNAzyme. The sensor consists of a DNA enzyme strand with a 3′ quencher and a DNA substrate with a ribonucleotide adenosine (rA) in the middle and a fluorophore and a quencher at the 5′ and 3′ ends, respectively. The presence of UO22+ causes catalytic cleavage of the DNA substrate strand at the rA position and release of the fluorophore and thus dramatic increase of fluorescence intensity. The sensor has a detection limit of 11 parts per trillion (45 pM), a dynamic range up to 400 nM, and selectivity of >1-million-fold over other metal ions. The most interfering metal ion, Th(IV), interacts with the fluorescein fluorophore, causing slightly enhanced fluorescence intensity, with an apparent dissociation constant of ≈230 μM. This sensor rivals the most sensitive analytical instruments for uranium detection, and its application in detecting uranium in contaminated soil samples is also demonstrated. This work shows that simple, cost-effective, and portable metal sensors can be obtained with similar sensitivity and selectivity as much more expensive and sophisticated analytical instruments. Such a sensor will play an important role in environmental remediation of radionuclides such as uranium. PMID:17284609

  7. Lycopene and male infertility

    PubMed Central

    Durairajanayagam, Damayanthi; Agarwal, Ashok; Ong, Chloe; Prashast, Pallavi

    2014-01-01

    Excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause a state of oxidative stress, which result in sperm membrane lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and apoptosis, leading to decreased sperm viability and motility. Elevated levels of ROS are a major cause of idiopathic male factor infertility, which is an increasingly common problem today. Lycopene, the most potent singlet oxygen quencher of all carotenoids, is a possible treatment option for male infertility because of its antioxidant properties. By reacting with and neutralizing free radicals, lycopene could reduce the incidence of oxidative stress and thus, lessen the damage that would otherwise be inflicted on spermatozoa. It is postulated that lycopene may have other beneficial effects via nonoxidative mechanisms in the testis, such as gap junction communication, modulation of gene expression, regulation of the cell cycle and immunoenhancement. Various lycopene supplementation studies conducted on both humans and animals have shown promising results in alleviating male infertility—lipid peroxidation and DNA damage were decreased, while sperm count and viability, and general immunity were increased. Improvement of these parameters indicates a reduction in oxidative stress, and thus the spermatozoa is less vulnerable to oxidative damage, which increases the chances of a normal sperm fertilizing the egg. Human trials have reported improvement in sperm parameters and pregnancy rates with supplementation of 4–8 mg of lycopene daily for 3–12 months. However, further detailed and extensive research is still required to determine the dosage and the usefulness of lycopene as a treatment for male infertility. PMID:24675655

  8. Quencher-Free Fluorescence Method for the Detection of Mercury(II) Based on Polymerase-Aided Photoinduced Electron Transfer Strategy.

    PubMed

    Liu, Haisheng; Ma, Linbin; Ma, Changbei; Du, Junyan; Wang, Meilan; Wang, Kemin

    2016-11-18

    A new quencher-free Hg 2+ ion assay method was developed based on polymerase-assisted photoinduced electron transfer (PIET). In this approach, a probe is designed with a mercury ion recognition sequence (MRS) that is composed of two T-rich functional areas separated by a spacer of random bases at the 3'-end, and a sequence of stacked cytosines at the 5'-end, to which a fluorescein (FAM) is attached. Upon addition of Hg 2+ ions into this sensing system, the MRS folds into a hairpin structure at the 3'-end with Hg 2+ -mediated base pairs. In the presence of DNA polymerase, it will catalyze the extension reaction, resulting in the formation of stacked guanines, which will instantly quench the fluorescence of FAM through PIET. Under optimal conditions, the limit of detection for Hg 2+ ions was estimated to be 5 nM which is higher than the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard limit. In addition, no labeling with a quencher was requiring, and the present method is fairly simple, fast and low cost. It is expected that this cost-effective fluorescence method might hold considerable potential in the detection of Hg 2+ ions in real biological and environmental samples.

  9. Myeloperoxidase-induced Genomic DNA-centered Radicals*

    PubMed Central

    Gomez-Mejiba, Sandra E.; Zhai, Zili; Gimenez, Maria S.; Ashby, Michael T.; Chilakapati, Jaya; Kitchin, Kirk; Mason, Ronald P.; Ramirez, Dario C.

    2010-01-01

    Myeloperoxidase (MPO) released by activated neutrophils can initiate and promote carcinogenesis. MPO produces hypochlorous acid (HOCl) that oxidizes the genomic DNA in inflammatory cells as well as in surrounding epithelial cells. DNA-centered radicals are early intermediates formed during DNA oxidation. Once formed, DNA-centered radicals decay by mechanisms that are not completely understood, producing a number of oxidation products that are studied as markers of DNA oxidation. In this study we employed the 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide-based immuno-spin trapping technique to investigate the MPO-triggered formation of DNA-centered radicals in inflammatory and epithelial cells and to test whether resveratrol blocks HOCl-induced DNA-centered radical formation in these cells. We found that HOCl added exogenously or generated intracellularly by MPO that has been taken up by the cell or by MPO newly synthesized produces DNA-centered radicals inside cells. We also found that resveratrol passed across cell membranes and scavenged HOCl before it reacted with the genomic DNA, thus blocking DNA-centered radical formation. Taken together our results indicate that the formation of DNA-centered radicals by intracellular MPO may be a useful point of therapeutic intervention in inflammation-induced carcinogenesis. PMID:20406811

  10. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bhattacharyya, K.; Das, P.K.

    In the course of benzophenone triplet quenching by triethylamine (TEA) at high concentrations in alkaline aqueous acetonitrile, two temporally distinct processes are observed for ketyl radical anion formation. The fast component occurs on a nanosecond time scale, has kinetics sensitive to basicity and water content of the medium, and is ascribed to the deprotonation of the diphenylhydroxymethyl radical initially produced as a result of subnanosecond intra-ion-pair proton transfer. The slow process occurs on a microsecond time scale and is characterized by pseudo-first-order rate constants linearly dependent on ketone ground-state concentration; this is assigned to the one-electron reduction of the ketonemore » by the methyl(diethylamino)methyl radical (derived from TEA). Substituent effects on the kinetics of the two processes follow trends expected from those of the acidity of diarylhydroxymethyl radicals and of the behavior of diaryl ketones as oxidants. Neither of the two processes is observed with N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) and 1,4-diazabicyclo(2.2.2)octane (DABCO) as quenchers. The electron or hydrogen transfer yields in the course of diaryl ketone triplet quenching by the three amines are all close to unity, suggesting that the back electron transfer in the triplet ion pairs is relatively unimportant.« less

  11. Photoreaction of thioxanthone with indolic and phenolic derivatives of biological relevance: magnetic field effect study.

    PubMed

    Das, Doyel; Nath, Deb Narayan

    2008-11-20

    The photoinduced reaction of thioxanthone (TX) with various indolic and phenolic derivatives and amino acids like tryptophan and tyrosine has been monitored in sodium dodecyl sulfate micellar medium. Laser flash photolysis and magnetic field effect (MFE) experiments have been used to study the dynamics of the radical pairs. The quenching rate constant with different quenchers in SDS micellar solution has been measured. For indoles the electron-transfer reaction has been found to be followed by proton transfer from the donor molecule, which gives rise to the TX ketyl radical. On the other hand, the electron-transfer reaction in the case of phenols is preceded with formation of a hydrogen-bonded exciplex. The extent of the MFE and magnitude of the magnetic field corresponding to one-half of the saturation value of MFE ( B 1/2) support the fact that hyperfine mechanism plays the primary role. Quenching of MFE in the presence of gadolinium ions confirms that the radical pair is located near the micellar interface. MFE study has been further extended to protein-like bovine serum albumin in micellar solution. The results indicate loss in mobililty of radical pairs in the protein surfactant complex.

  12. Chemical determination of free radical-induced damage to DNA.

    PubMed

    Dizdaroglu, M

    1991-01-01

    Free radical-induced damage to DNA in vivo can result in deleterious biological consequences such as the initiation and promotion of cancer. Chemical characterization and quantitation of such DNA damage is essential for an understanding of its biological consequences and cellular repair. Methodologies incorporating the technique of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) have been developed in recent years for measurement of free radical-induced DNA damage. The use of GC/MS with selected-ion monitoring (SIM) facilitates unequivocal identification and quantitation of a large number of products of all four DNA bases produced in DNA by reactions with hydroxyl radical, hydrated electron, and H atom. Hydroxyl radical-induced DNA-protein cross-links in mammalian chromatin, and products of the sugar moiety in DNA are also unequivocally identified and quantitated. The sensitivity and selectivity of the GC/MS-SIM technique enables the measurement of DNA base products even in isolated mammalian chromatin without the necessity of first isolating DNA, and despite the presence of histones. Recent results reviewed in this article demonstrate the usefulness of the GC/MS technique for chemical determination of free radical-induced DNA damage in DNA as well as in mammalian chromatin under a vast variety of conditions of free radical production.

  13. Astaxanthin diferulate as a bifunctional antioxidant.

    PubMed

    Papa, T B R; Pinho, V D; do Nascimento, E S P; Santos, W G; Burtoloso, A C B; Skibsted, L H; Cardoso, D R

    2015-01-01

    Astaxanthin when esterified with ferulic acid is better singlet oxygen quencher with k2 = (1.58 ± 0.1) 10(10) L mol(-1)s(-1) in ethanol at 25°C compared with astaxanthin with k2 = (1.12 ± 0.01) 10(9) L mol(-1)s(-1). The ferulate moiety in the astaxanthin diester is a better radical scavenger than free ferulic acid as seen from the rate constant of scavenging of 1-hydroxyethyl radicals in ethanol at 25°C with a second-order rate constant of (1.68 ± 0.1) 10(8) L mol(-1)s(-1) compared with (1.60 ± 0.03) 10(7) L mol(-1)s(-1) for the astaxanthin:ferulic acid mixture, 1:2 equivalents. The mutual enhancement of antioxidant activity for the newly synthetized astaxanthin diferulate becoming a bifunctional antioxidant is rationalized according to a two-dimensional classification plot for electron donation and electron acceptance capability.

  14. Asymmetric Catalysis with Organic Azides and Diazo Compounds Initiated by Photoinduced Electron Transfer.

    PubMed

    Huang, Xiaoqiang; Webster, Richard D; Harms, Klaus; Meggers, Eric

    2016-09-28

    Electron-acceptor-substituted aryl azides and α-diazo carboxylic esters are used as substrates for visible-light-activated asymmetric α-amination and α-alkylation, respectively, of 2-acyl imidazoles catalyzed by a chiral-at-metal rhodium-based Lewis acid in combination with a photoredox sensitizer. This novel proton- and redox-neutral method provides yields of up to 99% and excellent enantioselectivities of up to >99% ee with broad functional group compatibility. Mechanistic investigations suggest that an intermediate rhodium enolate complex acts as a reductive quencher to initiate a radical process with the aryl azides and α-diazo carboxylic esters serving as precursors for nitrogen and carbon-centered radicals, respectively. This is the first report on using aryl azides and α-diazo carboxylic esters as substrates for asymmetric catalysis under photoredox conditions. These reagents have the advantage that molecular nitrogen is the leaving group and sole byproduct in this reaction.

  15. Kr-86 Ion-Beam Irradiation of Hydrated DNA: Free Radical and Unaltered Base Yields

    PubMed Central

    Becker, David; Adhikary, Amitava; Tetteh, Smedley T.; Bull, Arthur W.; Sevilla, Michael D.

    2012-01-01

    This work reports an ESR and product analysis investigation of Kr-86 ion-beam irradiation of hydrated DNA at 77 K. The irradiation results in the formation and trapping of both base radicals and sugar phosphate radicals (DNA backbone radicals). The absolute yields (G, μmol/J) of the base radicals are smaller than the yields found in similarly prepared γ-irradiated DNA samples, and the relative yields of backbone radicals relative to base radicals are much higher than that found in γ-irradiated samples. From these results, we have elaborated our radiation chemical model of the track structure for ion-beam irradiated DNA as it applies to krypton ion-beams. The base radicals, which are trapped as ion radicals or reversibly protonated or deprotonated ion radicals, are formed almost entirely in the track penumbra, a region in which radiation chemical effects are similar to those found in γ-irradiated samples. By comparing the yields of base radicals in ion-beam samples to the yields of the same radicals in γ-irradiated samples, the partition of energy between the low-LET region (penumbra) and the core is experimentally determined. The neutral sugar and other backbone radicals, which are not as susceptible to recombination as are ion radicals, are formed largely in the track core. The backbone radicals show a linear dose response up to very high doses. Unaltered base release yields in Kr-86 irradiated hydrated DNA are equal to sugar radical yields within experimental error limits, consistent with radiation-chemical processes in which all base release originates with sugar radicals. Two phosphorus-centered radicals from fragmentation of the DNA backbone are found in low yields. PMID:23106211

  16. Kr-86 ion-beam irradiation of hydrated DNA: free radical and unaltered base yields.

    PubMed

    Becker, David; Adhikary, Amitava; Tetteh, Smedley T; Bull, Arthur W; Sevilla, Michael D

    2012-12-01

    This work reports an ESR and product analysis investigation of Kr-86 ion-beam irradiation of hydrated DNA at 77 K. The irradiation results in the formation and trapping of both base radicals and sugar phosphate radicals (DNA backbone radicals). The absolute yields (G, μmol/J) of the base radicals are smaller than the yields found in similarly prepared γ-irradiated DNA samples, and the relative yields of backbone radicals relative to base radicals are much higher than that found in γ-irradiated samples. From these results, we have elaborated our radiation chemical model of the track structure for ion-beam irradiated DNA as it applies to krypton ion-beams. The base radicals, which are trapped as ion radicals or reversibly protonated or deprotonated ion radicals, are formed almost entirely in the track penumbra, a region in which radiation chemical effects are similar to those found in γ-irradiated samples. By comparing the yields of base radicals in ion-beam samples to the yields of the same radicals in γ-irradiated samples, the partition of energy between the low-LET region (penumbra) and the core is experimentally determined. The neutral sugar and other backbone radicals, which are not as susceptible to recombination as are ion radicals, are formed largely in the track core. The backbone radicals show a linear dose response up to very high doses. Unaltered base release yields in Kr-86 irradiated hydrated DNA are equal to sugar radical yields within experimental error limits, consistent with radiation-chemical processes in which all base release originates with sugar radicals. Two phosphorus-centered radicals from fragmentation of the DNA backbone are found in low yields.

  17. All-DNA finite-state automata with finite memory

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Zhen-Gang; Elbaz, Johann; Remacle, F.; Levine, R. D.; Willner, Itamar

    2010-01-01

    Biomolecular logic devices can be applied for sensing and nano-medicine. We built three DNA tweezers that are activated by the inputs H+/OH-; ; nucleic acid linker/complementary antilinker to yield a 16-states finite-state automaton. The outputs of the automata are the configuration of the respective tweezers (opened or closed) determined by observing fluorescence from a fluorophore/quencher pair at the end of the arms of the tweezers. The system exhibits a memory because each current state and output depend not only on the source configuration but also on past states and inputs. PMID:21135212

  18. Mechanisms of free radical-induced damage to DNA.

    PubMed

    Dizdaroglu, Miral; Jaruga, Pawel

    2012-04-01

    Endogenous and exogenous sources cause free radical-induced DNA damage in living organisms by a variety of mechanisms. The highly reactive hydroxyl radical reacts with the heterocyclic DNA bases and the sugar moiety near or at diffusion-controlled rates. Hydrated electron and H atom also add to the heterocyclic bases. These reactions lead to adduct radicals, further reactions of which yield numerous products. These include DNA base and sugar products, single- and double-strand breaks, 8,5'-cyclopurine-2'-deoxynucleosides, tandem lesions, clustered sites and DNA-protein cross-links. Reaction conditions and the presence or absence of oxygen profoundly affect the types and yields of the products. There is mounting evidence for an important role of free radical-induced DNA damage in the etiology of numerous diseases including cancer. Further understanding of mechanisms of free radical-induced DNA damage, and cellular repair and biological consequences of DNA damage products will be of outmost importance for disease prevention and treatment.

  19. In vitro phototoxic potential and photochemical properties of imidazopyridine derivative: a novel 5-HT4 partial agonist.

    PubMed

    Onoue, Satomi; Igarashi, Naoko; Yamauchi, Yukinori; Kojima, Takashi; Murase, Noriaki; Zhou, Yu; Yamada, Shizuo; Tsuda, Yoshiko

    2008-10-01

    Drug-induced phototoxic skin responses have been recognized as undesirable side effects, and as we previously proposed the determination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from photo-irradiated compounds can be effective for the prediction of phototoxic potential. In this investigation, we evaluated the photosensitizing properties of imidazopyridine derivative, a novel 5-HT(4) partial agonist, using ROS assay and several analytical/biochemical techniques. Exposure of the compound to simulated sunlight resulted in the significant production of singlet oxygen, which is indicative of its phototoxic potential. In practice, an imidazopyridine derivative under UVA/B light exposure also showed significant photodegradation and even photobiochemical events; peroxidation of fatty acid and genetic damage after DNA-binding, which are considered as causative agents for phototoxic dermatitis. Interestingly, both photodegradation and lipoperoxidation were dramatically attenuated by the addition of radical scavengers, especially singlet oxygen quenchers, suggesting the possible involvement of ROS generation in the phototoxic pathways. In the 3T3 neutral red uptake phototoxicity test, imidazopyridine derivative also showed the phototoxic effect on 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells. These results suggest the phototoxic risk of newly synthesized imidazopyridine derivative and also verify the usefulness of ROS assay for phototoxicity prediction. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

  20. Detection of DNA damage by using hairpin molecular beacon probes and graphene oxide.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Jie; Lu, Qian; Tong, Ying; Wei, Wei; Liu, Songqin

    2012-09-15

    A hairpin molecular beacon tagged with carboxyfluorescein in combination with graphene oxide as a quencher reagent was used to detect the DNA damage by chemical reagents. The fluorescence of molecular beacon was quenched sharply by graphene oxide; while in the presence of its complementary DNA the quenching efficiency decreased because their hybridization prevented the strong adsorbability of molecular beacon on graphene oxide. If the complementary DNA was damaged by a chemical reagent and could not form intact duplex structure with molecular beacon, more molecular beacon would adsorb on graphene oxide increasing the quenching efficiency. Thus, damaged DNA could be detected based on different quenching efficiencies afforded by damaged and intact complementary DNA. The damage effects of chlorpyrifos-methyl and three metabolites of styrene such as mandelieaeids, phenylglyoxylieaeids and epoxystyrene on DNA were studied as models. The method for detection of DNA damage was reliable, rapid and simple compared to the biological methods. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Recent patents on self-quenching DNA probes.

    PubMed

    Knemeyer, Jens-Peter; Marmé, Nicole

    2007-01-01

    In this review, we report on patents concerning self-quenching DNA probes for assaying DNA during or after amplification as well as for direct assaying DNA or RNA, for example in living cells. Usually the probes consist of fluorescently labeled oligonucleotides whose fluorescence is quenched in the absence of the matching target DNA. Thereby the fluorescence quenching is based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), photoinduced electron transfer (PET), or electronically interactions between dye and quencher. However, upon hybridization to the target or after the degradation during a PCR, the fluorescence of the dye is restored. Although the presented probes were originally developed for use in homogeneous assay formats, most of them are also appropriate to improve surface-based assay methods. In particular we describe patents for self-quenching primers, self-quenching probes for TaqMan assays, probes based on G-quartets, Molecular Beacons, Smart Probes, and Pleiades Probes.

  2. Direct measurement of total antioxidant capacity of cereals: QUENCHER-CUPRAC method.

    PubMed

    Tufan, Ayşe Nur; Celik, S Esin; Ozyürek, Mustafa; Güçlü, Kubilay; Apak, Reşat

    2013-04-15

    Polyphenols in cereal samples are distributed as free, soluble-esterified, and insoluble-bound forms either esterified or etherified to cell wall constituents. In the evaluation of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of cereals, rather difficult and time-consuming acid, alkaline and enzymatic treatments of residue have been applied to complete the extraction of bound phenolic compounds. Thus, this work is aimed to measure the TAC of cereals (i.e. barley, wheat, rye, oat) by the 'QUENCHER procedure' (involving forced solubilization of bound phenolics by oxidizing TAC reagents) with the direct use of copper(II)-neocuproine (Cu(II)-Nc) reagent of the CUPric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (CUPRAC) assay. In this novel 'QUENCHER-CUPRAC' method, reaction time and solvent composition parameters were optimized, and the method was applied to cereal samples with CUPRAC reagent dissolved in 1:1 (v/v) ethanol-water mixture. The antioxidant capacities of soluble and insoluble fractions were simultaneously measured to give a hierarchic TAC order of cereals as: barley>rye>oat>wheat. The TAC values of cereals measured by QUENCHER-CUPRAC were higher than those of original QUENCHER method using ABTS(•+) and DPPH reagents. Polyphenolic mixtures in a cellulose matrix gave additive TAC values with QUENCHER-CUPRAC. The proposed method correlated linearly with QUENCHER-ABTS(•+) (r=0.956) and QUENCHER-DPPH (r=0.976). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Influence of anoxia on the induction of mutations by phenylalanine radicals during gamma-irradiation of plasmid DNA in aqueous solution.

    PubMed

    Kuipers, Gitta K; Slotman, Ben J; Reitsma-Wijker, Carola A; van Andel, Rob J; Poldervaart, Hester A; Lafleur, M Vincent M

    2004-12-21

    When DNA is irradiated in aqueous solution, most of the damage is inflicted by water-derived radicals. This is called the indirect effect of ionizing radiation. However in whole cells not only the primary formed water radicals play a role, because some cellular compounds form secondary radicals which can also damage DNA. It is known that the amino acid phenylalanine is able to react with water radicals, resulting in the production of secondary phenylalanine radicals which can damage and inactivate DNA. In a previous study the influence of the presence of phenylalanine during gamma-irradiation of DNA in aqueous solution under oxic conditions was studied. Under anoxic irradiation conditions different amounts and types of reactive water-derived radicals are formed compared to oxic conditions and also different phenylalanine radicals are formed. Therefore, this study examines the influence of the presence of phenylalanine under anoxic conditions on the gamma-radiation-induced mutation spectrum. The results indicate that phenylalanine radicals are damaging to DNA, but less effective compared to primary water radicals. On the mutational level, in the presence of phenylalanine radicals under anoxic conditions, the amount of mutations on G:C base pairs was significantly decreased as compared to oxic conditions. Furthermore, the results of this study indicate that nucleotide excision repair is involved in repair of both inactivating and mutagenic damage induced by phenylalanine radicals under anoxic conditions.

  4. Quantitative and discriminative analysis of nucleic acid samples using luminometric nonspecific nanoparticle methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pihlasalo, S.; Mariani, L.; Härmä, H.

    2016-03-01

    Homogeneous simple assays utilizing luminescence quenching and time-resolved luminescence resonance energy transfer (TR-LRET) were developed for the quantification of nucleic acids without sequence information. Nucleic acids prevent the adsorption of a protein to europium nanoparticles which is detected as a luminescence quenching of europium nanoparticles with a soluble quencher or as a decrease of TR-LRET from europium nanoparticles to the acceptor dye. Contrary to the existing methods based on fluorescent dye binding to nucleic acids, equal sensitivities for both single- (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) were measured and a detection limit of 60 pg was calculated for the quenching assay. The average coefficient of variation was 5% for the quenching assay and 8% for the TR-LRET assay. The TR-LRET assay was also combined with a nucleic acid dye selective to dsDNA in a single tube assay to measure the total concentration of DNA and the ratio of ssDNA and dsDNA in the mixture. To our knowledge, such a multiplexed assay is not accomplished with commercially available assays.Homogeneous simple assays utilizing luminescence quenching and time-resolved luminescence resonance energy transfer (TR-LRET) were developed for the quantification of nucleic acids without sequence information. Nucleic acids prevent the adsorption of a protein to europium nanoparticles which is detected as a luminescence quenching of europium nanoparticles with a soluble quencher or as a decrease of TR-LRET from europium nanoparticles to the acceptor dye. Contrary to the existing methods based on fluorescent dye binding to nucleic acids, equal sensitivities for both single- (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) were measured and a detection limit of 60 pg was calculated for the quenching assay. The average coefficient of variation was 5% for the quenching assay and 8% for the TR-LRET assay. The TR-LRET assay was also combined with a nucleic acid dye selective to dsDNA in a single tube assay to measure the total concentration of DNA and the ratio of ssDNA and dsDNA in the mixture. To our knowledge, such a multiplexed assay is not accomplished with commercially available assays. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: The labeling of amino modified polystyrene nanoparticles with Eu3+ chelate and the experimental details and results for the optimization of nucleic acid binding protein and for the ratiometric measurement of DNA and RNA with quenching assay. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr09252c

  5. Inactivation of biologically active dna by gamma ray induced superoxide radicals and their dismutation products singlet molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Vanhemmen, J.J.; Meuling, W.J.A.

    1975-01-01

    The reactivity of gamma ray induced superoxide radicals and dismutation products (singlet molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide) with DNA were studied. Superoxide dismutase, which removes superoxide radicals and inhibits the formation of singlet oxygen, protects biologically active DNA (OX174 RF) against inactivation by ionizing radiation. Catalase, which removes hydrogen peroxide, also protects the DNA. Attempts with various chemical sources of singlet oxygen to determine whether this species inactivates DNA did not yield an unequivocal answer. It was concluded that a combination of the protonated form of the superoxide radical and hydrogen peroxide inactivates DNA. (Author) (GRA)

  6. Characterization of an LED based photoreactor to degrade 4-chlorophenol in an aqueous medium using coumarin (C-343) sensitized TiO2.

    PubMed

    Ghosh, Jyoti P; Langford, Cooper H; Achari, Gopal

    2008-10-16

    A detailed performance evaluation of a simple high intensity LED based photoreactor exploiting a narrow wavelength range of the LED to match the spectrum of a dye in a photocatalysis system is reported. A dye sensitized (coumarin-343, lambda max = 446 nm) TiO 2 photocatalyst was used for the degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) in an aqueous medium using the 436 nm LED based photoreactor. The LED reactor performed competitively with a conventional multilamp reactor and sunlight in the degradation of 4-CP. Light intensities entering the reaction vessel were measured by conventional ferrioxalate actinometry. The results can be fitted by approximate first order kinetic behavior in this system. Hydroxyl radicals were detected by spin trapping EPR, and effects of OH radical quenchers on kinetics suggest that the reaction is initiated by these radicals or their equivalents. LEDs operating at competitive intensities offer a number of advantages to the photochemist or the environmental engineer via long life, efficient current to light conversion, narrow bandwidth, forward directed output, and direct current power for remote operation. Matching light source spectrum to chromophore is a key.

  7. Regenerable antioxidants-introduction of chalcogen substituents into tocopherols.

    PubMed

    Poon, Jia-Fei; Singh, Vijay P; Yan, Jiajie; Engman, Lars

    2015-02-02

    To improve the radical-trapping capacity of the natural antioxidants, alkylthio-, alkylseleno-, and alkyltelluro groups were introduced into all vacant aromatic positions in β-, γ- and δ-tocopherol. Reaction of the tocopherols with electrophilic chalcogen reagents generated by persulfate oxidation of dialkyl dichalcogenides provided convenient but low-yielding access to many sulfur and selenium derivatives, but failed in the case of tellurium. An approach based on lithiation of the appropriate bromo-tocopherol, insertion of chalcogen into the carbon-lithium bond, air-oxidation to a dichalcogenide, and final borohydride reduction/alkylation turned out to be generally applicable to the synthesis of all chalcogen derivatives. Whereas alkylthio- and alkylseleno analogues were generally poorer quenchers of lipid peroxyl radicals than the corresponding parents, all tellurium compounds showed a substantially improved radical-trapping activity. Introduction of alkyltelluro groups into the tocopherol scaffold also caused a dramatic increase in the regenerability of the antioxidant. In a two-phase lipid peroxidation system containing N-acetylcysteine as a water-soluble co-antioxidant the inhibition time was up to six-fold higher than that recorded for the natural antioxidants. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Inhibition of radical-induced DNA strand breaks by water-soluble constituents of coffee: phenolics and caffeine metabolites.

    PubMed

    Rathod, M A; Patel, D; Das, A; Tipparaju, S R; Shinde, S S; Anderson, R F

    2013-07-01

    Epidemiological studies have associated coffee consumption with an inverse risk of developing Parkinson's disease, hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis. The molecular mechanisms by which low concentrations of the constituents of coffee measured in human plasma can reduce the incidence of such diseases are not clear. Using an in vitro plasmid DNA system and radiolytically generated reactive oxygen species under constant radical scavenging conditions, we have shown that coffee chlorogenic acid, its derivatives and certain metabolites of caffeine reduce some of the free radical damage sustained to the DNA. A reduction in the amount of prompt DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) was observed for all compounds whose radical one-electron reduction potential is < 1.0 V. However, except for chlorogenic acid, the compounds were found to be inactive in reducing the amount of radical damage to the DNA bases. These results support a limited antioxidant role for such compounds in their interaction with DNA radicals.

  9. Phytochemical screening and analysis of antioxidant properties of aqueous extract of wheatgrass.

    PubMed

    Durairaj, Varalakshmi; Hoda, Muddasarul; Shakya, Garima; Babu, Sankar Pajaniradje Preedia; Rajagopalan, Rukkumani

    2014-09-01

    To screen the phytochemical constituents and study antioxidant properties of the aqueous extract of the wheatgrass. The current study was focused on broad parameters namely, phytochemical analysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and antioxidant properties in order to characterize the aqueous extract of wheatgrass as a potential free radical quencher. The phytochemical screening of the aqueous extract of wheatgrass showed the presence of various secondary metabolites but the absence of sterols and quinone in general. Wheatgrass was proved to be an effective radical scavenger in all antioxidant assays. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the presence of diverse category of bioactive compounds such as squalene, caryophyllene and amyrins in varying percentage. From the results obtained, we conclude that wheatgrass aqueous extract contains various effective compounds. It is a potential source of natural antioxidants. Further analysis of this herb will help in finding new effective compounds which can be of potent use in pharmacological field. Copyright © 2014 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Advanced Diesel Oil Fuel Processor Development

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-06-01

    water exit 29 sample quencher: gas sample line inlet 30 sample quencher: gas sample line exit 31 sample quencher: cooling water inlet 32 desulfuriser ...exit line 33, 34 desulfurimer 35 heat exchanger: process gas exit (to desulfuriser ) 38 shift reactor inlet (top) 37 shift reactor: cooling air exit

  11. Efficacy of puffer fish (Takifugu rubripes) sauce in reducing hydroxyl radical damage to DNA assessed using the apurinic/apyrimidinic site method.

    PubMed

    Harada, Kazuki; Makino, Yoshio; Yamauchi, Tomio; Fukuda, Nami; Tamaru, Miki; Okubo, Yasue; Maeda, Toshimichi; Fukuda, Yutaka; Shiba, Tsuneo

    2007-09-01

    Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites are frequently observed DNA lesions when cells are exposed to hydroxyl radicals. We developed a new method for measurement of the antioxidative activity of foods using the occurrence frequency of AP sites on DNA. Combined with the electron spin resonance (ESR) method as a standard method, we examined whether fish and soy sauces including puffer fish [Takifugu rubripes (Temminck et Schlegel)] sauce could protect DNA from damage caused by hydroxyl radicals. The results showed that the ratios of DNA protection by puffer fish sauce, salmon fish sauce, sandfish fish sauce (Shottsuru), colorless soy sauce, squid fish sauce (Ishiru), dark color soy sauce and light color soy sauce were 68.9, 67.0, 60.1, 49.7, 34.1, 28.2 and -4.4%, respectively. Puffer, salmon, and sandfish fish sauces showed high ratios of DNA protection against hydroxyl radicals. On the other hand, IC(50) values of hydroxyl radical scavenging of the puffer, salmon, sandfish, squid fish sauces and colorless, dark and light color soy sauces were 0.20, 0.09, 4.16, 0.26% and 0.28, 0.14 and 0.18%, respectively. Though the puffer fish sauce exhibited the highest level of DNA protection among the examined samples and a high hydroxyl radical scavenging capability, a correlation between the radical scavenging capability and DNA protection against hydroxyl radicals among the examined fish and soy sauces was not found.

  12. THE USE OF QUENCHING IN A LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTER FOR QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Foster, G.V.

    1963-01-01

    Quenching was used to quantitatively determine the amonnt of quenching agent present. A sealed promethium147 source was prepared to be used for the count rate determinations. Two methods to determine the amount of quenching agent present in a sample were developed. One method related the count rate of a sample containing a quenching agent to the amount of quenching agent present. Calibration curves were plotted using both color and chemical quenchers. The quenching agents used were: F.D.C. Orange No. 2, F.D.C. Yellow No. 3, F.D.C. Yellow No. 4, Scarlet Red, acetone, benzaldehyde, and carbon tetrachloride. the color quenchers gave amore » linear-relationship, while the chemical quenchers gave a non-linear relationship. Quantities of the color quenchers between about 0.008 mg and 0.100 mg can be determined with an error less than 5%. The calibration curves were found to be usable over a long period of time. The other method related the change in the ratio of the count rates in two voltage windows to the amount of quenching agent present. The quenchers mentioned above were used. Calibration curves were plotted for both the color and chemical quenchers. The relationships of ratio versus amount of quencher were non-linear in each case. It was shown that the reproducibility of the count rate and the ratio was independent of the amount of quencher present but was dependent on the count rate. At count rates above 10,000 counts per minute the reproducibility was better than 1%. (TCO)« less

  13. Effects of Preferential Solvation Revealed by Time-Resolved Magnetic Field Effects

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    External magnetic fields can impact recombination yields of photoinduced electron transfer reactions by affecting the spin dynamics in transient, spin-correlated radical pair intermediates. For exciplex-forming donor–acceptor systems, this magnetic field effect (MFE) can be investigated sensitively by studying the delayed recombination fluorescence. Here, we investigate the effect of preferential solvation in microheterogeneous solvent mixtures on the radical pair dynamics of the system 9,10-dimethylanthracene (fluorophore)/N,N-dimethylaniline (quencher) by means of time-resolved magnetic field effect (TR-MFE) measurements, wherein the exciplex emission is recorded in the absence and the presence of an external magnetic field using time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC). In microheterogeneous environments, the MFE of the exciplex emission occurs on a faster time scale than in iso-dielectric homogeneous solvents. In addition, the local polarity reported by the exciplex is enhanced compared to homogeneous solvent mixtures of the same macroscopic permittivity. Detailed analyses of the TR-MFE reveal that the quenching reaction directly yielding the radical ion pair is favored in microheterogeneous environments. This is in stark contrast to homogeneous media, for which the MFE predominantly involves direct formation of the exciplex, its subsequent dissociation to the magneto-sensitive radical pair, and re-encounters. These observations provide evidence for polar microdomains and enhanced caging, which are shown to have a significant impact on the reaction dynamics in microheterogeneous binary solvents. PMID:28263599

  14. Effects of Preferential Solvation Revealed by Time-Resolved Magnetic Field Effects.

    PubMed

    Pham, Van Thi Bich; Hoang, Hao Minh; Grampp, Günter; Kattnig, Daniel R

    2017-03-30

    External magnetic fields can impact recombination yields of photoinduced electron transfer reactions by affecting the spin dynamics in transient, spin-correlated radical pair intermediates. For exciplex-forming donor-acceptor systems, this magnetic field effect (MFE) can be investigated sensitively by studying the delayed recombination fluorescence. Here, we investigate the effect of preferential solvation in microheterogeneous solvent mixtures on the radical pair dynamics of the system 9,10-dimethylanthracene (fluorophore)/N,N-dimethylaniline (quencher) by means of time-resolved magnetic field effect (TR-MFE) measurements, wherein the exciplex emission is recorded in the absence and the presence of an external magnetic field using time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC). In microheterogeneous environments, the MFE of the exciplex emission occurs on a faster time scale than in iso-dielectric homogeneous solvents. In addition, the local polarity reported by the exciplex is enhanced compared to homogeneous solvent mixtures of the same macroscopic permittivity. Detailed analyses of the TR-MFE reveal that the quenching reaction directly yielding the radical ion pair is favored in microheterogeneous environments. This is in stark contrast to homogeneous media, for which the MFE predominantly involves direct formation of the exciplex, its subsequent dissociation to the magneto-sensitive radical pair, and re-encounters. These observations provide evidence for polar microdomains and enhanced caging, which are shown to have a significant impact on the reaction dynamics in microheterogeneous binary solvents.

  15. π vs σ-Radical States of One-Electron Oxidized DNA/RNA Bases: A Density Functional Theory Study

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, Anil; Sevilla, Michael D.

    2013-01-01

    As a result of their inherent planarity, DNA base radicals generated by one electron oxidation/reduction or bond cleavage form π- or σ-radicals. While most DNA base systems form π-radicals there are a number of nucleobase analogs such as one-electron oxidized 6-azauraci1, 6-azacytosine, and 2-thiothymine or one-electron reduced 5-bromouracil that form more reactive σ-radicals. Elucidating the availability of these states within DNA, base radical electronic structure is important to the understanding of the reactivity of DNA base radicals in different environments. In this work, we address this question by the calculation of the relative energies of π- and σ-radical states in DNA/RNA bases and their analogs. We used density functional theory B3LYP/6-31++G** method to optimize the geometries of π- and σ-radicals in Cs symmetry (i.e., planar) in the gas phase and in solution using the polarized continuum model (PCM). The calculations predict that σ- and π-radical states in one electron oxidized bases of thymine, T(N3-H)•, and uracil, U(N3-H)• are very close in energy, i.e., the π-radical is only ca. 4 kcal/mol more stable than the σ-radical. For the one electron oxidized radicals of cytosine, C•+, C(N4-H)•, adenine, A•+, A(N6-H)•, and guanine, G•+, G(N2-H)•, G(N1-H)• the π-radicals are ca. 16 to 41 kcal/mol more stable than their corresponding σ-radicals. Inclusion of solvent (PCM) is found to stabilize the π- over σ-radical of each of the systems. U(N3-H)• with three discrete water molecules in the gas phase, is found to form a three-electron σ bond between N3 atom of uracil and O atom of a water molecule but on inclusion of full solvation and discrete hydration the π-radical remains most stable.. PMID:24000793

  16. π- vs σ-radical states of one-electron-oxidized DNA/RNA bases: a density functional theory study.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Anil; Sevilla, Michael D

    2013-10-03

    As a result of their inherent planarity, DNA base radicals generated by one-electron oxidation/reduction or bond cleavage form π- or σ-radicals. While most DNA base systems form π-radicals, there are a number of nucleobase analogues such as one-electron-oxidized 6-azauraci1, 6-azacytosine, and 2-thiothymine or one-electron reduced 5-bromouracil that form more reactive σ-radicals. Elucidating the availability of these states within DNA, base radical electronic structure is important to the understanding of the reactivity of DNA base radicals in different environments. In this work, we address this question by the calculation of the relative energies of π- and σ-radical states in DNA/RNA bases and their analogues. We used density functional theory B3LYP/6-31++G** method to optimize the geometries of π- and σ-radicals in Cs symmetry (i.e., planar) in the gas phase and in solution using the polarized continuum model (PCM). The calculations predict that σ- and π-radical states in one-electron-oxidized bases of thymine, T(N3-H)(•), and uracil, U(N3-H)(•), are very close in energy; i.e., the π-radical is only ca. 4 kcal/mol more stable than the σ-radical. For the one-electron-oxidized radicals of cytosine, C(•+), C(N4-H)(•), adenine, A(•+), A(N6-H)(•), and guanine, G(•+), G(N2-H)(•), G(N1-H)(•), the π-radicals are ca. 16-41 kcal/mol more stable than their corresponding σ-radicals. Inclusion of solvent (PCM) is found to stabilize the π- over σ-radical of each of the systems. U(N3-H)(•) with three discrete water molecules in the gas phase is found to form a three-electron σ bond between the N3 atom of uracil and the O atom of a water molecule, but on inclusion of full solvation and discrete hydration, the π-radical remains most stable.

  17. Gamma and Ion-Beam Irradiation of DNA: Free Radical Mechanisms, Electron Effects, and Radiation Chemical Track Structure

    PubMed Central

    Sevilla, Michael D.; Becker, David; Kumar, Anil; Adhikary, Amitava

    2016-01-01

    The focus of our laboratory’s investigation is to study the direct-type DNA damage mechanisms resulting from γ-ray and ion-beam radiation-induced free radical processes in DNA which lead to molecular damage important to cellular survival. This work compares the results of low LET (γ−) and high LET (ion-beam) radiation to develop a chemical track structure model for ion-beam radiation damage to DNA. Recent studies on protonation states of cytosine cation radicals in the N1-substituted cytosine derivatives in their ground state and 5-methylcytosine cation radicals in ground as well as in excited state are described. Our results exhibit a radical signature of excitations in 5-methylcytosine cation radical. Moreover, our recent theoretical studies elucidate the role of electron-induced reactions (low energy electrons (LEE), presolvated electrons (epre−), and aqueous (or, solvated) electrons (eaq−)). Finally DFT calculations of the ionization potentials of various sugar radicals show the relative reactivity of these species. PMID:27695205

  18. Gamma and ion-beam irradiation of DNA: Free radical mechanisms, electron effects, and radiation chemical track structure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sevilla, Michael D.; Becker, David; Kumar, Anil; Adhikary, Amitava

    2016-11-01

    The focus of our laboratory's investigation is to study the direct-type DNA damage mechanisms resulting from γ-ray and ion-beam radiation-induced free radical processes in DNA which lead to molecular damage important to cellular survival. This work compares the results of low LET (γ-) and high LET (ion-beam) radiation to develop a chemical track structure model for ion-beam radiation damage to DNA. Recent studies on protonation states of cytosine cation radicals in the N1-substituted cytosine derivatives in their ground state and 5-methylcytosine cation radicals in ground as well as in excited state are described. Our results exhibit a radical signature of excitations in 5-methylcytosine cation radical. Moreover, our recent theoretical studies elucidate the role of electron-induced reactions (low energy electrons (LEE), presolvated electrons (epre-), and aqueous (or, solvated) electrons (eaq-)). Finally DFT calculations of the ionization potentials of various sugar radicals show the relative reactivity of these species.

  19. Fabrication of a LRET-based upconverting hybrid nanocomposite for turn-on sensing of H2O2 and glucose

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Shuang; Kong, Xiang-Juan; Cen, Yao; Yuan, Jing; Yu, Ru-Qin; Chu, Xia

    2016-04-01

    Blood glucose detecting has aroused considerable attention because diabetes mellitus has become a worldwide publish health problem. Herein, we construct an exceptionally simple upconverting hybrid nanocomposite, composed of DNA-templated Ag nanoparticles (DNA-AgNPs) and NaYF4:Yb/Tm@NaYF4 core-shell upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), for the sensing of H2O2 and glucose. In this design, UCNPs with bared surface act as the donor, and DNA-AgNPs serve as efficient quenchers. DNA-AgNPs can be directly assembled on the bared surface of UCNPs, which further decreases the distance of donor-to-acceptor. The formation of DNA-AgNPs/UCNP nanocomposite results in luminescence quenching of UCNP by DNA-AgNPs through luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET). Upon H2O2 addition, AgNPs can be etched and transformed into Ag+, leading to inhibition of the LRET process and causing the recovery of upconversion luminescence. Based on the conversion of glucose into H2O2 by glucose oxidase, the DNA-AgNPs/UCNP nanocomposite can also be exploited for glucose sensing. Moreover, due to the non-autofluorescence offered by UCNPs, the approach developed can be applied to monitor glucose levels in human serum samples with satisfactory results.Blood glucose detecting has aroused considerable attention because diabetes mellitus has become a worldwide publish health problem. Herein, we construct an exceptionally simple upconverting hybrid nanocomposite, composed of DNA-templated Ag nanoparticles (DNA-AgNPs) and NaYF4:Yb/Tm@NaYF4 core-shell upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), for the sensing of H2O2 and glucose. In this design, UCNPs with bared surface act as the donor, and DNA-AgNPs serve as efficient quenchers. DNA-AgNPs can be directly assembled on the bared surface of UCNPs, which further decreases the distance of donor-to-acceptor. The formation of DNA-AgNPs/UCNP nanocomposite results in luminescence quenching of UCNP by DNA-AgNPs through luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET). Upon H2O2 addition, AgNPs can be etched and transformed into Ag+, leading to inhibition of the LRET process and causing the recovery of upconversion luminescence. Based on the conversion of glucose into H2O2 by glucose oxidase, the DNA-AgNPs/UCNP nanocomposite can also be exploited for glucose sensing. Moreover, due to the non-autofluorescence offered by UCNPs, the approach developed can be applied to monitor glucose levels in human serum samples with satisfactory results. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details and supplementary figures. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr00470a

  20. Oxidation of DNA bases, deoxyribonucleosides and homopolymers by peroxyl radicals.

    PubMed Central

    Simandan, T; Sun, J; Dix, T A

    1998-01-01

    DNA base oxidation is considered to be a key event associated with disease initiation and progression in humans. Peroxyl radicals (ROO. ) are important oxidants found in cells whose ability to react with the DNA bases has not been characterized extensively. In this paper, the products resulting from ROO. oxidation of the DNA bases are determined by gas chromatography/MS in comparison with authentic standards. ROO. radicals oxidize adenine and guanine to their 8-hydroxy derivatives, which are considered biomarkers of hydroxyl radical (HO.) oxidations in cells. ROO. radicals also oxidize adenine to its hydroxylamine, a previously unidentified product. ROO. radicals oxidize cytosine and thymine to the monohydroxy and dihydroxy derivatives that are formed by oxidative damage in cells. Identical ROO. oxidation profiles are observed for each base when exposed as deoxyribonucleosides, monohomopolymers and base-paired dihomopolymers. These results have significance for the development, utilization and interpretation of DNA base-derived biomarkers of oxidative damage associated with disease initiation and propagation, and support the idea that the mutagenic potential of N-oxidized bases, when generated in cellular DNA, will require careful evaluation. Adenine hydroxylamine is proposed as a specific molecular probe for the activity of ROO. in cellular systems. PMID:9761719

  1. Evidence for a cysteine-mediated mechanism of excitation energy regulation in a photosynthetic antenna complex

    PubMed Central

    Orf, Gregory S.; Saer, Rafael G.; Niedzwiedzki, Dariusz M.; Zhang, Hao; McIntosh, Chelsea L.; Schultz, Jason W.; Mirica, Liviu M.; Blankenship, Robert E.

    2016-01-01

    Light-harvesting antenna complexes not only aid in the capture of solar energy for photosynthesis, but regulate the quantity of transferred energy as well. Light-harvesting regulation is important for protecting reaction center complexes from overexcitation, generation of reactive oxygen species, and metabolic overload. Usually, this regulation is controlled by the association of light-harvesting antennas with accessory quenchers such as carotenoids. One antenna complex, the Fenna–Matthews–Olson (FMO) antenna protein from green sulfur bacteria, completely lacks carotenoids and other known accessory quenchers. Nonetheless, the FMO protein is able to quench energy transfer in aerobic conditions effectively, indicating a previously unidentified type of regulatory mechanism. Through de novo sequencing MS, chemical modification, and mutagenesis, we have pinpointed the source of the quenching action to cysteine residues (Cys49 and Cys353) situated near two low-energy bacteriochlorophylls in the FMO protein from Chlorobaculum tepidum. Removal of these cysteines (particularly removal of the completely conserved Cys353) through N-ethylmaleimide modification or mutagenesis to alanine abolishes the aerobic quenching effect. Electrochemical analysis and electron paramagnetic resonance spectra suggest that in aerobic conditions the cysteine thiols are converted to thiyl radicals which then are capable of quenching bacteriochlorophyll excited states through electron transfer photochemistry. This simple mechanism has implications for the design of bio-inspired light-harvesting antennas and the redesign of natural photosynthetic systems. PMID:27335466

  2. Binding of radiation-induced phenylalanine radicals to DNA: influence on the biological activity of the DNA and on its sensitivity to the induction of breaks by gamma rays

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Vanderschans, G.P.; Vanrijn, C.J.S.; Bleichrodt, J.F.

    1975-11-01

    When an aqueous solution of double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of bacteriophage PM2 containing phenylalanine and saturated with N2O is irradiated with gamma rays, radiation induced phenylalanine radicals are bound covalently. Under the conditions used about 25 phenylalanine molecules may be bound per lethal hit. Also for single-stranded PM2 DNA most of the phenylalanine radicals bound are nonlethal. Evidence is presented that in double-stranded DNA an appreciable fraction of the single-strand breaks is induced by phenylalanine radicals. Radiation products of phenylalanine and the phenylalanine bound to the DNA decrease the sensitivity of the DNA to the induction of single-strand breaks. Theremore » are indications that the high efficiency of protection by radiation products of phenylalanine is due to their positive charge, which will result in a relatively high concentration of these compounds in the vicinity of the negatively charged DNA molecules. (Author) (GRA)« less

  3. DNA-Catalyzed DNA Cleavage by a Radical Pathway with Well-Defined Products.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yujeong; Klauser, Paul C; Brandsen, Benjamin M; Zhou, Cong; Li, Xinyi; Silverman, Scott K

    2017-01-11

    We describe an unprecedented DNA-catalyzed DNA cleavage process in which a radical-based reaction pathway cleanly results in excision of most atoms of a specific guanosine nucleoside. Two new deoxyribozymes (DNA enzymes) were identified by in vitro selection from N 40 or N 100 random pools initially seeking amide bond hydrolysis, although they both cleave simple single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides. Each deoxyribozyme generates both superoxide (O 2 -• or HOO • ) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and leads to the same set of products (3'-phosphoglycolate, 5'-phosphate, and base propenal) as formed by the natural product bleomycin, with product assignments by mass spectrometry and colorimetric assay. We infer the same mechanistic pathway, involving formation of the C4' radical of the guanosine nucleoside that is subsequently excised. Consistent with a radical pathway, glutathione fully suppresses catalysis. Conversely, adding either superoxide or H 2 O 2 from the outset strongly enhances catalysis. The mechanism of generation and involvement of superoxide and H 2 O 2 by the deoxyribozymes is not yet defined. The deoxyribozymes do not require redox-active metal ions and function with a combination of Zn 2+ and Mg 2+ , although including Mn 2+ increases the activity, and Mn 2+ alone also supports catalysis. In contrast to all of these observations, unrelated DNA-catalyzed radical DNA cleavage reactions require redox-active metals and lead to mixtures of products. This study reports an intriguing example of a well-defined, DNA-catalyzed, radical reaction process that cleaves single-stranded DNA and requires only redox-inactive metal ions.

  4. A selective and label-free strategy for rapid screening of telomere-binding Ligands via fluorescence regulation of DNA/silver nanocluster

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Rui; Xu, Jing; Zhang, Xiafei; Shi, Zhilu; Zhang, Qi; Jin, Yan

    2017-03-01

    Herein, the conformational switch of G-rich oligonucleotide (GDNA) demonstrated the obvious functional switch of GDNA which was found to significantly affect the fluorescence of the in-situ synthesized DNA/silver nanocluster (DNA-AgNC) in homogeneous solution. We envisioned that the allosteric interaction between GDNA and DNA-AgNC would be possible to be used for screening telomere-binding ligands. A unimolecular probe (12C5TG) is ingeniously designed consisting of three contiguous DNA elements: G-rich telomeric DNA (GDNA) as molecular recognition sequence, T-rich DNA as linker and C-rich DNA as template of DNA-AgNC. The quantum yield and stability of 12C5TG-AgNC is greatly improved because the nearby deoxyguanosines tended to protect DNA/AgNC against oxidation. However, in the presence of ligands, the formation of G-quadruplex obviously quenched the fluorescence of DNA-AgNC. By taking full advantage of intramolecular allosteric effect, telomere-binding ligands were selectively and label-free screened by using deoxyguanines and G-quadruplex as natural fluorescence enhancer and quencher of DNA-AgNC respectively. Therefore, the functional switching of G-rich structure offers a cost-effective, facile and reliable way to screen drugs, which holds a great potential in bioanalysis as well.

  5. The effects of metal ions on the DNA damage induced by hydrogen peroxide.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, S; Ueda, K; Komano, T

    1990-01-01

    The effects of metal ions on DNA damage induced by hydrogen peroxide were investigated using two methods, agarose-gel electrophoretic analysis of supercoiled DNA and sequencing-gel analysis of single end-labeled DNA fragments of defined sequences. Hydrogen peroxide induced DNA damage when iron or copper ion was present. At least two classes of DNA damage were induced, one being direct DNA-strand cleavage, and the other being base modification labile to hot piperidine. The investigation of the damaged sites and the inhibitory effects of radical scavengers revealed that hydroxyl radical was the species which attacked DNA in the reaction of H2O2/Fe(II). On the other hand, two types of DNA damage were induced by H2O2/Cu(II). Type I damage was predominant and inhibited by potassium iodide, but type II was not. The sites of the base-modification induced by type I damage were similar to those by lipid peroxidation products and by ascorbate in the presence of Cu(II), suggesting the involvement of radical species other than free hydroxyl radical in the damaging reactions.

  6. Shot noise limit of chemically amplified resists with photodecomposable quenchers used for extreme ultraviolet lithography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kozawa, Takahiro; Santillan, Julius Joseph; Itani, Toshiro

    2017-06-01

    In lithography using high-energy photons such as an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation, the shot noise of photons is a critical issue. The shot noise is a cause of line edge/width roughness (LER/LWR) and stochastic defect generation and limits the resist performance. In this study, the effects of photodecomposable quenchers were investigated from the viewpoint of the shot noise limit. The latent images of line-and-space patterns with 11 nm half-pitch were calculated using a Monte Carlo method. In the simulation, the effect of secondary electron blur was eliminated to clarify the shot noise limits regarding stochastic phenomena such as LER. The shot noise limit for chemically amplified resists with acid generators and photodecomposable quenchers was approximately the same as that for chemically amplified resists with acid generators and conventional quenchers when the total sensitizer concentration was the same. The effect of photodecomposable quenchers on the shot noise limit was essentially the same as that of acid generators.

  7. Effectiveness of quenchers to reduce radiolysis of (111)In- or (177)Lu-labelled methionine-containing regulatory peptides. Maintaining radiochemical purity as measured by HPLC.

    PubMed

    de Blois, Erik; Chan, Ho Sze; Konijnenberg, Mark; de Zanger, Rory; Breeman, Wouter A P

    2012-01-01

    An overview how to measure and to quantify radiolysis by the addition of quenchers and to maintain Radio-Chemical Purity (RCP) of vulnerable methionine-containing regulatory peptides is presented. High RCP was only achieved with a combination of quenchers. However, quantification of RCP is not standardized, and therefore comparison of radiolabelling and RCP of regulatory peptides between different HPLC-systems and between laboratories is cumbersome. Therefore we suggest a set of standardized requirements to quantify RCP by HPLC for radiolabelled DTPA- or DOTA-peptides. Moreover, a dosimetry model was developed to calculate the doses in the reaction vials during radiolabelling and storage of the radiopeptides, and to predict RCP in the presence and absence of quenchers. RCP was measured by HPLC, and a relation between radiation dose and radiolysis of RCP was established. The here described quenchers are tested individually as ƒ(concentration) to investigate efficacy to reduce radiolysis of radiolabelled methionine-containing regulatory peptides.

  8. The formation of DNA sugar radicals from photoexcitation of guanine cation radicals.

    PubMed

    Shukla, Lata I; Pazdro, Robert; Huang, James; DeVreugd, Christopher; Becker, David; Sevilla, Michael D

    2004-05-01

    In this investigation of radical formation and reaction in gamma- irradiated DNA and model compounds, we report the conversion of the guanine cation radical (one-electron oxidized guanine, G(.+)) to the C1' sugar radical and another sugar radical at the C3' or C4' position (designated C3'(.)/C4'(.)) by visible and UV photolysis. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopic investigations were performed on salmon testes DNA as well as 5'-dGMP, 3'-dGMP, 2'-deoxyguanosine and other nucleosides/nucleotides as model systems. DNA samples (25- 150 mg/ml D(2)O) were prepared with Tl(3+) or Fe(CN)(3-)(6) as electron scavengers. Upon gamma irradiation of such samples at 77 K, the electron-gain path in the DNA is strongly suppressed and predominantly G(.+) is found; after UV or visible photolysis, the fraction of the C1' sugar radical increases with a concomitant reduction in the fraction of G(.+). In model systems, 3'- dGMP(+.) and 5'-dGMP(+.) were produced by attack of Cl(.-)(2) on the parent nucleotide in 7 M LiCl glass. Subsequent visible photolysis of the 3'-dGMP(+.) (77 K) results predominantly in formation of C1'(.) whereas photolysis of 5'-dGMP(+.) results predominantly in formation of C3'(.)/C4'(.). We propose that sugar radical formation is a result of delocalization of the hole in the electronically excited base cation radical into the sugar ring, followed by deprotonation at specific sites on the sugar.

  9. Determination of total antioxidant capacity of humic acids using CUPRAC, Folin-Ciocalteu, noble metal nanoparticle- and solid-liquid extraction-based methods.

    PubMed

    Karadirek, Şeyda; Kanmaz, Nergis; Balta, Zeynep; Demirçivi, Pelin; Üzer, Ayşem; Hızal, Jülide; Apak, Reşat

    2016-06-01

    Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of humic acid (HA) samples was determined using CUPRAC (CUPric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity), FC (Folin-Ciocalteu), QUENCHER-CUPRAC, QUENCHER-FC, Ag-NP (Silver nanoparticle)‒ and Au-NP (Gold nanoparticle)‒based methods. Conventional FC and modified FC (MFC) methods were applied to solid samples. Because of decreased solubility of Folin-Ciocalteu's phenol reagent in organic solvents, solvent effect on TAC measurement was investigated using QUENCHER-CUPRAC assay by using ethanol:distilled water and dimethyl sulfoxide:distilled water with varying ratios. To see the combined effect of solubilization (leaching) and TAC measurement of humic acids simultaneously, QUENCHER experiments were performed at 25°C and 50°C; QUENCHER-CUPRAC and QUENCHER-FC methods agreed well and had similar precision in F-statistics. Although the Gibbs free energy change (ΔG°) of the oxidation of HA dihydroxy phenols with the test reagents were negative, the ΔG° was positive only for the reaction of CUPRAC reagent with isolated monohydric phenols, showing CUPRAC selectivity toward polyphenolic antioxidants. This is the first work on the antioxidant capacity measurement of HA having a sparingly soluble matrix where enhanced solubilization of bound phenolics is achieved with coupled oxidation by TAC reagents. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Quenching of cascade reaction between triplet and photochrome probes with nitroxide radicals. A novel labeling method in study of membranes and surface systems.

    PubMed

    Papper, V; Medvedeva, N; Fishov, I; Likhtenshtein, G I

    2000-01-01

    We proposed a new method for the study of molecular dynamics and fluidity of the living and model biomembranes and surface systems. The method is based on the measurements of the sensitized photoisomerization kinetics of a photochrome probe. The cascade triplet cis-trans photoisomerization of the excited stilbene derivative sensitized with the excited triplet Erythrosin B has been studied in a model liposome membrane. The photoisomerization reaction is depressed with nitroxide radicals quenching the excited triplet state of the sensitizer. The enhanced fluorescence polarization of the stilbene probe incorporated into liposome membranes indicates that the stilbene molecules are squeezed in a relatively viscous media of the phospholipids. Calibration of the "triple" cascade system is based on a previously proposed method that allows the measurement of the product of the quenching rate constant and the sensitizer's triplet lifetime, as well as the quantitative detection of the nitroxide radicals in the vicinity of the membrane surface. The experiment was conducted using the constant-illumination fluorescence technique. Sensitivity of the method using a standard commercial spectrofluorimeter is about 10(-12) mol of fluorescence molecules per sample and can be improved using an advanced fluorescence technique. The minimal local concentration of nitroxide radicals or any other quenchers being detected is about 10(-5) M. This method enables the investigation of any chemical and biological surface processes of microscopic scale when the minimal volume is about 10(-3) microL or less.

  11. Two-wavelength Raman detector for noninvasive measurements of carotenes and lycopene in human skin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ermakov, Igor V.; Ermakova, Maia R.; Gellermann, Werner

    2005-04-01

    Carotenoids are an important part of the antioxidant system in human skin. Carotenoid molecules, provided by fruits and vegetables, are potent free radical quenchers that accumulate in the body. If not balanced by carotenoids and other antioxidants, free radicals may cause premature skin aging, oxidative cell damage, and even skin cancers. As carotenoids depletion may predispose a person to cancer or other disease, rapid and noninvasive measurement of carotenoid level in skin may be of preventive or diagnostic help. At the very least, such measurement can be used to obtain a biomarker for healthy levels of fruit and vegetable consumption. Recently we have developed noninvasive optical technique based on Raman spectroscopy. In this paper we describe compact optical detector for clinical applications that utilizes two-wavelength excitation. It selectively measures the two most prominent skin carotenoids found in the human skin, lycopene and carotenes. According to the medical literature, these two compounds may play different roles in the human body and be part of different tissue defense mechanisms. Dual-wavelength Raman measurements reveal significant differences in the carotenoid composition of different subjects.

  12. Morin Flavonoid Adsorbed on Mesoporous Silica, a Novel Antioxidant Nanomaterial

    PubMed Central

    Arriagada, Francisco; Correa, Olosmira; Günther, Germán; Nonell, Santi; Mura, Francisco; Olea-Azar, Claudio

    2016-01-01

    Morin (2´,3, 4´,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) is a flavonoid with several beneficial health effects. However, its poor water solubility and it sensitivity to several environmental factors avoid its use in applications like pharmaceutical and cosmetic. In this work, we synthetized morin-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (AMSNPs-MOR) as useful material to be used as potential nanoantioxidant. To achieve this, we characterized its adsorption kinetics, isotherm and the antioxidant capacity as hydroxyl radical (HO•) scavenger and singlet oxygen (1O2) quencher. The experimental data could be well fitted with Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models, besides the pseudo-second order kinetics model. The total quenching rate constant obtained for singlet oxygen deactivation by AMSNPs-MOR was one order of magnitude lower than the morin rate constant reported previously in neat solvents and lipid membranes. The AMSNPs-MOR have good antioxidant properties by itself and exhibit a synergic effect with morin on the antioxidant property against hydroxyl radical. This effect, in the range of concentrations studied, was increased when the amount of morin adsorbed increased. PMID:27812111

  13. Repair of oxidative DNA damage by amino acids.

    PubMed

    Milligan, J R; Aguilera, J A; Ly, A; Tran, N Q; Hoang, O; Ward, J F

    2003-11-01

    Guanyl radicals, the product of the removal of a single electron from guanine, are produced in DNA by the direct effect of ionizing radiation. We have produced guanyl radicals in DNA by using the single electron oxidizing agent (SCN)2-, itself derived from the indirect effect of ionizing radiation via thiocyanate scavenging of OH. We have examined the reactivity of guanyl radicals in plasmid DNA with the six most easily oxidized amino acids cysteine, cystine, histidine, methionine, tryptophan and tyrosine and also simple ester and amide derivatives of them. Cystine and histidine derivatives are unreactive. Cysteine, methionine, tyrosine and particularly tryptophan derivatives react to repair guanyl radicals in plasmid DNA with rate constants in the region of approximately 10(5), 10(5), 10(6) and 10(7) dm3 mol(-1) s(-1), respectively. The implication is that amino acid residues in DNA binding proteins such as histones might be able to repair by an electron transfer reaction the DNA damage produced by the direct effect of ionizing radiation or by other oxidative insults.

  14. DNA damage during glycation of lysine by methylglyoxal: assessment of vitamins in preventing damage.

    PubMed

    Suji, G; Sivakami, S

    2007-11-01

    Amino acids react with methylglyoxal to form advanced glycation end products. This reaction is known to produce free radicals. In this study, cleavage to plasmid DNA was induced by the glycation of lysine with methylglyoxal in the presence of iron(III). This system was found to produce superoxide as well as hydroxyl radicals. The abilities of various vitamins to prevent damage to plasmid DNA were evaluated. Pyridoxal-5-phosphate showed maximum protection, while pyridoxamine showed no protection. The protective abilities could be directly correlated to inhibition of production of hydroxyl and superoxide radicals. Pyridoxal-5-phosphate exhibited low radical scavenging ability as evaluated by its TEAC, but showed maximum protection probably by interfering in free radical production. Pyridoxamine did not inhibit free radical production. Thiamine and thiamine pyrophosphate, both showed protective effects albeit to different extents. Tetrahydrofolic acid showed better antioxidant activity than folic acid but was found to damage DNA by itself probably by superoxide generation.

  15. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Srinivas, L.; Shalini, V.K.

    Twigs-dry leaves smoke condensate (TDS), as a source of clastogenic ROS and carcinogenic PAH, was investigated for its in vitro DNA-damaging effect in calf thymus DNA and human peripheral lymphocytes. An aqueous turmeric component--Aq.T--with an established antioxidant activity, was tested as a DNA protectant. TDS induced 13-fold damage to calf thymus DNA as judged by the emergence of a DNA damage specific, fluorescent product (em: 405 nm). Aq.T at 800 ng/microL extended 69% protection to calf thymus DNA and was comparable to the other protectants such as curcumin, BHA, vitamin E, SOD, and CAT. In human peripheral lymphocytes, TDS inducedmore » extensive DNA damage in comparison with the tumor promoter TPA, as judged by FADU. Aq.T at 300 ng/microL extended 90% protection to human lymphocyte DNA against TDS-induced damage, and was more effective than the other protectants--DABCO, D-mannitol, sodium benzoate, vitamin E (ROS quenchers), SOD, CAT (antioxidant enzymes), tannic acid, flufenamic acid, BHA, BHT, n-PG, curcumin and quercetin (antioxidants). Aq.T offered 65% protection to human lymphocyte DNA against TPA-induced damage and was comparable to SOD. The above results indicate that TDS induces substantial DNA damage in calf thymus DNA and human lymphocytes and Aq.T is an efficient protectant.« less

  16. Effects of different levels of vitamin C on UV radiation-induced DNA damage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Dianfeng; Heng, Hang; Ji, Kang; Ke, Weizhong

    2005-05-01

    The Raman spectra of DNA in different levels of vitamin C with 10- and 30-min ultraviolet (UV) radiations were reported. The intensity of UV radiation was 18.68 W/m2. The experimental results proved that vitamin C could alone prevent UV radiation from damaging DNA, but the effects depended on the concentration of vitamin C. When the concentration of vitamin C was about 0.08-0.4 mmol/L, vitamin C decreased UV radiation-induced DNA's damage. When the concentration of vitamin C exceeded 0.4 mmol/L, vitamin C accelerated DNA's damage instead. Maybe the reason is that when DNA in aqueous solution is radiated by UV, free radicals come into being, and vitamin C can scavenge free radicals, so vitamin C in lower concentration can protect DNA. The quantity of free radicals is finite, when vitamin C is superfluous, free radicals have been scavenged absolutely and vitamin C is residual. Vitamin C is a strong reductant. When the mixture of DNA and residual vitamin C is radiated by UV, vitamin C reacts with DNA. The more residual vitamin C and the longer time of UV radiation, the more DNA is damaged.

  17. Direct observation of the oxidation of DNA bases by phosphate radicals formed under radiation: a model of the backbone-to-base hole transfer.

    PubMed

    Ma, Jun; Marignier, Jean-Louis; Pernot, Pascal; Houée-Levin, Chantal; Kumar, Anil; Sevilla, Michael D; Adhikary, Amitava; Mostafavi, Mehran

    2018-05-30

    In irradiated DNA, by the base-to-base and backbone-to-base hole transfer processes, the hole (i.e., the unpaired spin) localizes on the most electropositive base, guanine. Phosphate radicals formed via ionization events in the DNA-backbone must play an important role in the backbone-to-base hole transfer process. However, earlier studies on irradiated hydrated DNA, on irradiated DNA-models in frozen aqueous solution and in neat dimethyl phosphate showed the formation of carbon-centered radicals and not phosphate radicals. Therefore, to model the backbone-to-base hole transfer process, we report picosecond pulse radiolysis studies of the reactions between H2PO4˙ with the DNA bases - G, A, T, and C in 6 M H3PO4 at 22 °C. The time-resolved observations show that in 6 M H3PO4, H2PO4˙ causes the one-electron oxidation of adenine, guanine and thymine, by forming the cation radicals via a single electron transfer (SET) process; however, the rate constant of the reaction of H2PO4˙ with cytosine is too low (<107 L mol-1 s-1) to be measured. The rates of these reactions are influenced by the protonation states and the reorganization energies of the base radicals and of the phosphate radical in 6 M H3PO4.

  18. Polydopamine nanotube mediated fluorescent biosensor for Hg(ii) determination through exonuclease III-assisted signal amplification.

    PubMed

    A, Ravikumar; P, Panneerselvam

    2018-05-29

    We describe a highly sensitive fluorescence biosensor incorporating polydopamine nanotubes (PDNTs) based on the mechanism of exonuclease III (Exo III) assisted signal amplification for the determination of Hg2+ in aqueous solution. Fluorescent probes of FAM labeled ssDNA (FAM-ssDNA) adsorbed on the PDNTs act as an efficient quencher. In the presence of Hg2+, the FAM-ssDNA can bind to Hg2+ to form double stranded DNA (dsDNA) via the formation of T-Hg2+-T base pairs. Then, the dsDNA was removed from the surface of the PDNTs to restore the fluorescence. The release of the dsDNA was triggered by Exo III digestion. At the same time, the liberated Hg2+ mediates a new cycle of digestion. This assay is ultrasensitive for the selective recognition of Hg2+, and a detection limit as low as 10 pM was achieved. In addition, the fluorescent biosensing system also displays remarkable specificity to Hg2+ in the presence of other possible competing ions. This approach was applied to the determination of Hg2+ in real water samples with good recovery and high efficiency for practical analysis.

  19. Abnormal brain aging as a radical-related disease: A new target for nuclear medicine

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fujibayashi, Y.; Yamamoto, S.; Waki, A.

    DNA damages caused by endogenously produced radicals are closely correlated with aging. Among them, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions have been reported as a memory of DNA damage by oxygen radicals. In fact, clinical as well as experimental studies indicated the accumulation of deleted mtDNA in the brain, myocardium and son on, in aged subjects. In our previous work, radioiodinated radical trapping agent, p-iodophenyl-N-t-butylnitrone, and hypoxia imaging agent, Cu-62 diacetyl-bis-N-4-methyl-thiosemicarbazone have been developed for the diagnosis of radical-related diseases, such as ischemic, inflammation, cancer or aging. The aim of the present work was to evaluate these agents for brain aging studies.more » In our university, an unique animal model, a senescence accelerated model mouse (SAM), has been established. Among the various substrains, SAMP8 showing memory deterioration in its young age ({approximately}3 month) was basically evaluated as an abnormal brain aging model with mtDNA deletion. As controls, SAMR1 showing normal aging and ddY mice were used. MtDNA deletion n the brain was analyzed with polymerase-chain reaction (PCR) method, and relationship between mtDNA deletion and brain uptake of IPBN or Cu-62-ATSM was studied. In 1-3 month old SAMP8 brain, multiple mtDNa deletions were already found and their content was significantly higher than that of SAMR1 or age-matched ddY control. Thus, it was cleared that SAMP8 brain has high tendency to be attacked by endogenously produced oxygen radicals, possibly from its birth. Both IPBN and Cu-ATSM showed significantly higher accumulation in the SAMP8 brain than in the SAMR1 brain, indicating that these agents have high possibility for the early detection of abnormal brain aging as a radical-related disease.« less

  20. Electrochemical study of quinone redox cycling: A novel application of DNA-based biosensors for monitoring biochemical reactions.

    PubMed

    Ensafi, Ali A; Jamei, Hamid Reza; Heydari-Bafrooei, Esmaeil; Rezaei, B

    2016-10-01

    This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of voltammetric and impedimetric DNA-based biosensors for monitoring biological and chemical redox cycling reactions involving free radical intermediates. The concept is based on associating the amounts of radicals generated with the electrochemical signals produced, using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). For this purpose, a pencil graphite electrode (PGE) modified with multiwall carbon nanotubes and poly-diallydimethlammonium chloride decorated with double stranded fish sperm DNA was prepared to detect DNA damage induced by the radicals generated from a redox cycling quinone (i.e., menadione (MD; 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone)). Menadione was employed as a model compound to study the redox cycling of quinones. A direct relationship was found between free radical production and DNA damage. The relationship between MD-induced DNA damage and free radical generation was investigated in an attempt to identify the possible mechanism(s) involved in the action of MD. Results showed that DPV and EIS were appropriate, simple and inexpensive techniques for the quantitative and qualitative comparisons of different reducing reagents. These techniques may be recommended for monitoring DNA damages and investigating the mechanisms involved in the production of redox cycling compounds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. One-electron oxidation reactions of purine and pyrimidine bases in cellular DNA

    PubMed Central

    Cadet, Jean; Wagner, J. Richard; Shafirovich, Vladimir; Geacintov, Nicholas E.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose The aim of this survey is to critically review the available information on one-electron oxidation reactions of nucleobases in cellular DNA with emphasis on damage induced through the transient generation of purine and pyrimidine radical cations. Since the indirect effect of ionizing radiation mediated by hydroxyl radical is predominant in cells, efforts have been made to selectively ionize bases using suitable one-electron oxidants that consist among others of high intensity UVC laser pulses. Thus, the main oxidation product in cellular DNA was found to be 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine as a result of direct bi-photonic ionization of guanine bases and indirect formation of guanine radical cations through hole transfer reactions from other base radical cations. The formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine and other purine and pyrimidine degradation products was rationalized in terms of the initial generation of related radical cations followed by either hydration or deprotonation reactions in agreement with mechanistic pathways inferred from detailed mechanistic studies. The guanine radical cation has been shown to be implicated in three other nucleophilic additions that give rise to DNA-protein and DNA-DNA cross-links in model systems. Evidence was recently provided for the occurrence of these three reactions in cellular DNA. Conclusion There is growing evidence that one-electron oxidation reactions of nucleobases whose mechanisms have been characterized in model studies involving aqueous solutions take place in a similar way in cells. It may also be pointed out that the above cross-linked lesions are only produced from the guanine radical cation and may be considered as diagnostic products of the direct effect of ionizing radiation. PMID:24369822

  2. One-electron oxidation reactions of purine and pyrimidine bases in cellular DNA.

    PubMed

    Cadet, Jean; Wagner, J Richard; Shafirovich, Vladimir; Geacintov, Nicholas E

    2014-06-01

    The aim of this survey is to critically review the available information on one-electron oxidation reactions of nucleobases in cellular DNA with emphasis on damage induced through the transient generation of purine and pyrimidine radical cations. Since the indirect effect of ionizing radiation mediated by hydroxyl radical is predominant in cells, efforts have been made to selectively ionize bases using suitable one-electron oxidants that consist among others of high intensity UVC laser pulses. Thus, the main oxidation product in cellular DNA was found to be 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine as a result of direct bi-photonic ionization of guanine bases and indirect formation of guanine radical cations through hole transfer reactions from other base radical cations. The formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine and other purine and pyrimidine degradation products was rationalized in terms of the initial generation of related radical cations followed by either hydration or deprotonation reactions in agreement with mechanistic pathways inferred from detailed mechanistic studies. The guanine radical cation has been shown to be implicated in three other nucleophilic additions that give rise to DNA-protein and DNA-DNA cross-links in model systems. Evidence was recently provided for the occurrence of these three reactions in cellular DNA. There is growing evidence that one-electron oxidation reactions of nucleobases whose mechanisms have been characterized in model studies involving aqueous solutions take place in a similar way in cells. It may also be pointed out that the above cross-linked lesions are only produced from the guanine radical cation and may be considered as diagnostic products of the direct effect of ionizing radiation.

  3. Impact of gamma rays on the Phaffia rhodozyma genome revealed by RAPD-PCR.

    PubMed

    Najafi, N; Hosseini, Ramin; Ahmadi, Ar

    2011-12-01

    Phaffia rhodozyma is a red yeast which produces astaxanthin as the major carotenoid pigment. Astaxanthin is thought to reduce the incidence of cancer and degenerative diseases in man. It also enhances the immune response and acts as a free-radical quencher, a precursor of vitamin A, or a pigment involved in the visual attraction of animals as mating partners. The impact of gamma irradiation was studied on the Phaffia rhodozyma genome. Ten mutant strains, designated Gam1-Gam10, were obtained using gamma irradiation. Ten decamer random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers were employed to assess genetic changes. Nine primers revealed scorable polymorphisms and a total of 95 band positions were scored; amongst which 38 bands (37.5%) were polymorphic. Primer F with 3 bands and primer J20 with 13 bands produced the lowest and the highest number of bands, respectively. Primer A16 produced the highest number of polymorphic bands (70% polymorphism) and primer F showed the lowest number of polymorphic bands (0% polymorphism). Genetic distances were calculated using Jaccard's coefficient and the UPGMA method. A dendrogram was created using SPSS (version 11.5) and the strains were clustered into four groups. RAPD markers could distinguish between the parental and the mutant strains of P. rhodozyma. RAPD technique showed that some changes had occurred in the genome of the mutated strains. This technique demonstrated the capability to differentiate between the parental and the mutant strains.

  4. Luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) aptasensor for ochratoxin A detection using upconversion nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jo, Eun-Jung; Byun, Ju-Young; Mun, Hyoyoung; Kim, Min-Gon

    2017-07-01

    We report an aptasensor for homogeneous ochratoxin A (OTA) detection based on luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET). This system uses upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), such as NaYF4:Yb3+, Er 3+, as the donor. The aptamer includes the optimum-length linker (5-mer-length DNA) and OTA-specific aptamer sequences. Black hole quencher 1 (BHQ1), as the acceptor, was modified at the 3' end of the aptamer sequence. BHQ1 plays as a quencher in LRET aptasensor and shows absorption at 543 nm, which overlaps with well the emission of the UCNPs. When OTA is added, the BHQ1-labeled OTA aptamer was folded due to the formation of the G-quadruplex-OTA complex, which induced the BHQ1 close to the UCNPs. Consequently, resonance energy transfer between UCNPs (donor) and BHQ1 (acceptor) enables quenching of upconversion luminescence signals under laser irradiation of 980 nm. Our results showed that the LRET-based aptasensor allows specific OTA analysis with a limit of detection of 0.03 ng/mL. These results demonstrated that the OTA in diverse foods can be detected specifically and sensitively in a homogeneous manner.

  5. Photonically driven DNA nanomachine with hybrid functions towards cell measurement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ogura, Yusuke; Nishimura, Takahiro; Yamada, Kenji; Tanida, Jun

    2018-02-01

    Physical properties of a cell are often valuable information about the status of the cell, and developing technologies to measure such properties is important to enhance the progress in, for example, diagnosis of diseases. In this paper, we present a photonically driven DNA nanomachine with hybrid functions: providing a physical operation to a cell and reporting the cell's response. The DNA nanomachine can be controlled according to optical signals, and therefore the measurement is achieved locally at designated positions and at desired times. Black hole quenchers (BHQs) are introduced to drive the DNA nanomachine using light. When the DNA nanomachine is irradiated with the light at the excitation wavelength of the BHQs, the thermal energy is produced from the BHQs to drive the DNA nanomachine. To demonstrate a basic functionality, we constructed a DNA nanomachine that transformed between a linear conformation and a hairpin-like conformation depending on the presence or absence of a controlling DNA. This conformation change will be able to provide a force to deform cells as a physical operation. The response of the cell is reported as fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) signals. An experimental result demonstrated that the FRET signal changed according to the presence or absence of the controlling DNA. The method is expected to be useful in measuring the stiffness of a cell.

  6. Neocarzinostatin as a probe for DNA protection activity--molecular interaction with caffeine.

    PubMed

    Chin, Der-Hang; Li, Huang-Hsien; Kuo, Hsiu-Maan; Chao, Pei-Dawn Lee; Liu, Chia-Wen

    2012-04-01

    Neocarzinostatin (NCS), a potent mutagen and carcinogen, consists of an enediyne prodrug and a protein carrier. It has a unique double role in that it intercalates into DNA and imposes radical-mediated damage after thiol activation. Here we employed NCS as a probe to examine the DNA-protection capability of caffeine, one of common dietary phytochemicals with potential cancer-chemopreventive activity. NCS at the nanomolar concentration range could induce significant single- and double-strand lesions in DNA, but up to 75 ± 5% of such lesions were found to be efficiently inhibited by caffeine. The percentage of inhibition was caffeine-concentration dependent, but was not sensitive to the DNA-lesion types. The well-characterized activation reactions of NCS allowed us to explore the effect of caffeine on the enediyne-generated radicals. Postactivation analyses by chromatographic and mass spectroscopic methods identified a caffeine-quenched enediyne-radical adduct, but the yield was too small to fully account for the large inhibition effect on DNA lesions. The affinity between NCS chromophore and DNA was characterized by a fluorescence-based kinetic method. The drug-DNA intercalation was hampered by caffeine, and the caffeine-induced increases in DNA-drug dissociation constant was caffeine-concentration dependent, suggesting importance of binding affinity in the protection mechanism. Caffeine has been shown to be both an effective free radical scavenger and an intercalation inhibitor. Our results demonstrated that caffeine ingeniously protected DNA against the enediyne-induced damages mainly by inhibiting DNA intercalation beforehand. The direct scavenging of the DNA-bound NCS free radicals by caffeine played only a minor role. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Watson-Crick Base Pair Radical Cation as a Model for Oxidative Damage in DNA.

    PubMed

    Feketeová, Linda; Chan, Bun; Khairallah, George N; Steinmetz, Vincent; Maitre, Philippe; Radom, Leo; O'Hair, Richard A J

    2017-07-06

    The deleterious cellular effects of ionizing radiation are well-known, but the mechanisms causing DNA damage are poorly understood. The accepted molecular events involve initial oxidation and deprotonation at guanine sites, triggering hydrogen atom abstraction reactions from the sugar moieties, causing DNA strand breaks. Probing the chemistry of the initially formed radical cation has been challenging. Here, we generate, spectroscopically characterize, and examine the reactivity of the Watson-Crick nucleobase pair radical cation in the gas phase. We observe rich chemistry, including proton transfer between the bases and propagation of the radical site in deoxyguanosine from the base to the sugar, thus rupturing the sugar. This first example of a gas-phase model system providing molecular-level details on the chemistry of an ionized DNA base pair paves the way toward a more complete understanding of molecular processes induced by radiation. It also highlights the role of radical propagation in chemistry, biology, and nanotechnology.

  8. Oxidative stress induces protein and DNA radical formation in follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) of the germinal center and modulates its cell death patterns in late sepsis

    PubMed Central

    Chatterjee, Saurabh; Lardinois, Olivier; Bhattacharjee, Suchandra; Tucker, Jeff; Corbett, Jean; Deterding, Leesa; Ehrenshaft, Marilyn; Bonini, Marcelo; Mason, Ronald P.

    2011-01-01

    Profound depletion of follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) is a hallmark of sepsis-like syndrome, but the exact causes for the ensuing cell death are unknown. The cell death-driven depletion contributes to immunoparalysis and is responsible for most of the morbidity and mortality in sepsis. Here we have utilized immuno-spin trapping, a method for detection of free radical formation, to detect oxidative stress-induced protein and DNA radical adducts in FDCs isolated from the spleen of septic mice and human tonsil-derived HK cells, a subtype of germinal center FDCs, to study their role in FDC depletion. At 24 h post-LPS administration, protein radical formation and oxidation was significantly elevated in vivo and in HK cells as shown by ELISA and confocal microscopy. The xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol and the iron chelator desferrioxamine significantly decreased the formation of protein radicals, suggesting the role of xanthine oxidase and Fenton-like chemistry in radical formation. Protein and DNA radical formation correlated mostly with apoptotic features at 24 h and necrotic morphology of all the cell types studied at 48 h with concomitant inhibition of caspase-3. The cytotoxity of FDCs resulted in decreased CD45R/CD138+ve plasma cell numbers, indicating a possible defect in B cell differentiation. In one such mechanism, radical formation initiated by xanthine oxidase formed protein and DNA radicals which may lead to cell death of germinal center FDCs. PMID:21215311

  9. DNA bases ring-expanded with a cyclopentadiene free radical: a theoretical investigation of building blocks with diradical character.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Peiwen; Bu, Yuxiang

    2016-01-14

    In this work, we computationally design radical nucleobases which possess improved electronic properties, especially diradical properties through introducing a cyclopentadiene radical. We predict that the detailed electromagnetic features of base assemblies are based on the orientation of the extra five-membered cyclopentadiene ring. Broken symmetry DFT calculations take into account the relevant structures and properties. Our results reveal that both the radicalized DNA bases and the base pairs formed when they combine with their counterparts remain stable and display larger spin delocalization. The mode of embedding the cyclopentadiene free radical in the structures has some influence on the degree of π-conjugation, which results in various diradical characteristics. Single-layered radical base pairs all have an open-shell singlet ground state, but the energy difference between singlet and triplet is not significant. For two-layered radical base pairs, the situation is more complex. All of them have an open-shell state as their ground state, including an open-shell singlet state and an open-shell triplet state. That is, the majority of radical base pairs possess anti-ferromagnetic or ferromagnetic characteristics. We present here a more in-depth discussion and analyses to study the magnetic characteristics of radical bases and base pairs. As an important factor, two-layered radical base pairs also have been carefully analyzed. We hope that all the measurements and results presented here will stimulate further detailed insights into the related mechanisms in modified DNA bases and the design of better ring-expanded DNA magnetic materials.

  10. Hypochlorite-induced damage to DNA, RNA, and polynucleotides: formation of chloramines and nitrogen-centered radicals.

    PubMed

    Hawkins, Clare L; Davies, Michael J

    2002-01-01

    Stimulated monocytes and neutrophils generate hypochlorite (HOCl) via the release of the enzyme myeloperoxidase and hydrogen peroxide. HOCl is a key bactericidal agent, but can also damage host tissue. As there is a strong link between chronic inflammation and some cancers, we have investigated HOCl damage to DNA, RNA, and polynucleotides. Reaction of HOCl with these materials is shown to yield multiple semistable chloramines (RNHCl/RR'NCl), which are the major initial products, and account for 50-95% of the added HOCl. These chloramines decay by thermal and metal-ion catalyzed processes, to give nucleoside-derived, nitrogen-centered, radicals. The latter have been characterized by EPR spin trapping. The propensity for radical formation with polynucleotides is cytidine > adenosine = guanosine > uridine = thymidine. The rates of decay, and yield of radicals formed, are dependent on the nature of the nucleobase on which they are formed, with chloramines formed from ring heterocyclic amine groups being less stable than those formed on exocyclic amines (RNH2 groups). Evidence is presented for chlorine transfer from the former, kinetically favored, sites to the more thermodynamically favored exocyclic amines. EPR experiments have also provided evidence for the rapid addition of pyrimidine-derived nitrogen-centered radicals to other nucleobases to give dimers and the oxidation of DNA by radicals derived from preformed nucleoside chloramines. Direct reaction of HOCl with plasmid DNA gives rise to single- and double-strand breaks via chloramine-mediated reactions. Preformed nucleoside chloramines also induce plasmid cleavage, though this only occurs to a significant extent with unstable thymidine- and uridine-derived chloramines, where radical formation is rapid. Overall the data rationalize the preferential formation of chlorinated 2'-deoxycytidine and 2'-deoxyadenosine in DNA and suggest that DNA damage induced by HOCl, and preformed chloramines, occurs at sequence-specific sites.

  11. Electron interaction with phosphate cytidine oligomer dCpdC: base-centered radical anions and their electronic spectra.

    PubMed

    Gu, Jiande; Wang, Jing; Leszczynski, Jerzy

    2014-01-30

    Computational chemistry approach was applied to explore the nature of electron attachment to cytosine-rich DNA single strands. An oligomer dinucleoside phosphate deoxycytidylyl-3',5'-deoxycytidine (dCpdC) was selected as a model system for investigations by density functional theory. Electron distribution patterns for the radical anions of dCpdC in aqueous solution were explored. The excess electron may reside on the nucleobase at the 5' position (dC(•-)pdC) or at the 3' position (dCpdC(•-)). From comparison with electron attachment to the cytosine related DNA fragments, the electron affinity for the formation of the cytosine-centered radical anion in DNA is estimated to be around 2.2 eV. Electron attachment to cytosine sites in DNA single strands might cause perturbations of local structural characteristics. Visible absorption spectroscopy may be applied to validate computational results and determine experimentally the existence of the base-centered radical anion. The time-dependent DFT study shows the absorption around 550-600 nm for the cytosine-centered radical anions of DNA oligomers. This indicates that if such species are detected experimentally they would be characterized by a distinctive color.

  12. Hippophae leaf extract concentration regulates antioxidant and prooxidant effects on DNA.

    PubMed

    Saini, Manu; Tiwari, Sandhya; Prasad, Jagdish; Singh, Surender; Kumar, M S Yogendra; Bala, Madhu

    2010-03-01

    Extracts from Hippophae leaves constitute some commonly consumed beverages such as tea and wine. We had developed an extract of Hippophae leaves (SBL-1), which was rich in quercetin, had antimutagenic effects, radioprotective effects, and countered radiation-induced gene conversion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This study was designed to investigate the action of SBL-1 on guanine cytosine (GC)-rich nascent and mouse genomic DNA in vitro. The human and mouse liver DNA have about 43% GC content. Our results showed that at small concentration SBL-1 protected nascent as well as genomic DNA, while at large concentration SBL-1 damaged both types of DNA. The concentration of SBL-1 that protected DNA also demonstrated higher free radical scavenging activity. The reducing power of SBL-1 was greater than its free radical scavenging activity. The greater reducing power may have reduced the trace metals present in the SBL-1, leading to generation of hydroxyl radicals via Fenton reaction. The increased proportion of unscavenged hydroxyl radicals with increase in SBL-1 concentration may have been responsible for DNA damage or prooxidant effect of SBL-1 in vitro. This study suggests that the dietary supplements prepared from Hippophae should have low metal content.

  13. Radiation damage to DNA in DNA-protein complexes.

    PubMed

    Spotheim-Maurizot, M; Davídková, M

    2011-06-03

    The most aggressive product of water radiolysis, the hydroxyl (OH) radical, is responsible for the indirect effect of ionizing radiations on DNA in solution and aerobic conditions. According to radiolytic footprinting experiments, the resulting strand breaks and base modifications are inhomogeneously distributed along the DNA molecule irradiated free or bound to ligands (polyamines, thiols, proteins). A Monte-Carlo based model of simulation of the reaction of OH radicals with the macromolecules, called RADACK, allows calculating the relative probability of damage of each nucleotide of DNA irradiated alone or in complexes with proteins. RADACK calculations require the knowledge of the three dimensional structure of DNA and its complexes (determined by X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy or molecular modeling). The confrontation of the calculated values with the results of the radiolytic footprinting experiments together with molecular modeling calculations show that: (1) the extent and location of the lesions are strongly dependent on the structure of DNA, which in turns is modulated by the base sequence and by the binding of proteins and (2) the regions in contact with the protein can be protected against the attack by the hydroxyl radicals via masking of the binding site and by scavenging of the radicals. 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Influence of the DNA structure on the free radical induction due to proflavine and light treatment.

    PubMed

    Piette, J; Calberg-Bacq, C M; Van de Vorst, A

    1979-04-30

    Induction of peroxide free radicals (detected by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance at 77 K) due to the photodynamic activity of proflavine was measured on bacteriophage phi X174 DNA either single-stranded (ss) as isolated from the virion, or double-stranded supercoiled (RFI) as isolated from the infected bacteria. Comparison was made with calf thymus DNA photosensitization. In order to use equivalent DNA-proflavine complexes, binding of the dye to the three DNA's was first determined under those conditions of high ionic strength favourable to the photodynamic reaction. Free radical induction was maximal for definite amounts of bound proflavine (which varied depending upon the DNA substrate) and at an ionic strength value of 0.5. The level of the maximal reaction increased in the following order: from phi Xss DNA to calf thymus DNA and finally to phi XRFI DNA. The conformation of the proflavine-DNA complex was thus a determinant for the efficiency of the photodynamic process. The ionic strength effect could not be explained by the evolution of the proflavine triplet state in irradiated proflavine-calf thymus DNA complexes.

  15. Photosensitized Chemically Amplified Resist (PSCAR) 2.0 for high-throughput and high-resolution EUV lithography: dual photosensitization of acid generation and quencher decomposition by flood exposure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nagahara, Seiji; Carcasi, Michael; Shiraishi, Gosuke; Nakagawa, Hisashi; Dei, Satoshi; Shiozawa, Takahiro; Nafus, Kathleen; De Simone, Danilo; Vandenberghe, Geert; Stock, Hans-Jürgen; Küchler, Bernd; Hori, Masafumi; Naruoka, Takehiko; Nagai, Tomoki; Minekawa, Yukie; Iseki, Tomohiro; Kondo, Yoshihiro; Yoshihara, Kosuke; Kamei, Yuya; Tomono, Masaru; Shimada, Ryo; Biesemans, Serge; Nakashima, Hideo; Foubert, Philippe; Buitrago, Elizabeth; Vockenhuber, Michaela; Ekinci, Yasin; Oshima, Akihiro; Tagawa, Seiichi

    2017-03-01

    A new type of Photosensitized Chemically Amplified Resist (PSCAR) **: "PSCAR 2.0," is introduced in this paper. PSCAR 2.0 is composed of a protected polymer, a "photo acid generator which can be photosensitized" (PS-PAG), a "photo decomposable base (quencher) which can be photosensitized" (PS-PDB) and a photosensitizer precursor (PP). With this PSCAR 2.0, a photosensitizer (PS) is generated by an extreme ultra-violet (EUV) pattern exposure. Then, during a subsequent flood exposure, PS selectively photosensitizes the EUV exposed areas by the decomposition of a PS-PDB in addition to the decomposition of PS-PAG. As these pattern-exposed areas have the additional acid and reduced quencher concentration, the initial quencher loading in PSCAR 2.0 can be increased in order to get the same target critical dimensions (CD). The quencher loading is to be optimized simultaneously with a UV flood exposure dose to achieve the best lithographic performance and resolution. In this work, the PSCAR performance when different quenchers are used is examined by simulation and exposure experiments with the 16 nm half-pitch (HP) line/space (L/S, 1:1) patterns. According to our simulation results among resists with the different quencher types, the best performance was achieved by PSCAR 2.0 using PS-PDB with the highest possible chemical gradient resulting in the lowest line width roughness (LWR). PSCAR 2.0 performance has furthermore been confirmed on ASML's NXE:3300 with TEL's standalone pre-alpha flood exposure tool at imec. The initial PSCAR 2.0 patterning results on NXE:3300 showed the accelerated photosensitization performance with PS-PDB. From these results, we concluded that the dual sensitization of PS-PAG and PS-PDB in PSCAR 2.0 have a potential to realize a significantly improved resist performance in EUV lithography.

  16. 23. Brick coke quencher, brick stack, metal stack to right, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    23. Brick coke quencher, brick stack, metal stack to right, coke gas pipe to left; in background, BOF building, limestone piles, Levy's Slag Dump. Looking north/northwest - Rouge Steel Company, 3001 Miller Road, Dearborn, MI

  17. Super-quenched Molecular Probe Based on Aggregation-Induced Emission and Photoinduced Electron Transfer Mechanisms for Formaldehyde Detection in Human Serum.

    PubMed

    Yang, Haitao; Wang, Fujia; Zheng, Jilin; Lin, Hao; Liu, Bin; Tang, Yi-Da; Zhang, Chong-Jing

    2018-06-04

    Energy transfer between fluorescent dyes and quenchers is widely used in the design of light-up probes. Although dual quenchers are more effective in offering lower background signals and higher turn-on ratios than one quencher, such probes are less explored in practice as they require both quenchers to be within the proximity of the fluorescent core. In this contribution, we utilized intramolecular motion and photoinduced electron transfer (PET) as quenching mechanisms to build super-quenched light-up probes based on fluorogens with aggregation-induced emission. The optimized light-up probe possesses negligible background and is able to detect not only free formaldehyde (FA) but also polymeric FA, with an unprecedented turn-on ratio of >4900. We envision that this novel dual quenching strategy will help to develop various light-up probes for analyte sensing. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Radiation-induced transmethylation and transsulfuration in the system DNA-methionine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Köhnlein, W.; Merwitz, O.; Ohneseit, P.

    Evidence is presented for the radiation-induced transmethylation and transsulfuration in a DNA-methionine model system. The extent of such alkylation of DNA is found to be comparable with that of alkylating agents. Therefore, both processes could be initial steps in radiation carcinogenesis. The protective effect of methionine on DNA strand breaks, due to scavenging of OH radicals, causes the formation of methyl and thiyl radicals.

  19. A "turn-on" fluorescent copper biosensor based on DNA cleavage-dependent graphene-quenched DNAzyme.

    PubMed

    Liu, Meng; Zhao, Huimin; Chen, Shuo; Yu, Hongtao; Zhang, Yaobin; Quan, Xie

    2011-06-15

    A novel and promising "turn-on" fluorescent Cu(2+) biosensor is designed based on graphene-DNAzyme catalytic beacon. Due to the essential surface and quenching properties of two-dimensional graphene, it can function as both "scaffold" and "quencher" of the Cu(2+)-dependent DNAzyme, facilitating the formation of self-assembled graphene-quenched DNAzyme complex. However, Cu(2+)-induced catalytic reaction disturbs the graphene-DNAzyme conformation, which will produce internal DNA cleavage-dependent effect. In this case, the quenched fluorescence in graphene-DNAzyme is quickly recovered to a large extent in 15 min. Compared with common DNAzyme-based sensors, the presented graphene-based catalytic beacon greatly improves the signal-to-background ratio, hence increasing the sensitivity (LOD=0.365 nM). Furthermore, the controllable DNA cleavage reaction provides an original and alternative internal method to regulate the interaction between graphene and DNA relative to the previous external sequence-specific hybridization-dependent regulation, which will open new opportunities for nucleic studies and sensing applications in the future. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. What Hinders Electron Transfer Dissociation (ETD) of DNA Cations?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hari, Yvonne; Leumann, Christian J.; Schürch, Stefan

    2017-12-01

    Radical activation methods, such as electron transfer dissociation (ETD), produce structural information complementary to collision-induced dissociation. Herein, electron transfer dissociation of 3-fold protonated DNA hexamers was studied to gain insight into the fragmentation mechanism. The fragmentation patterns of a large set of DNA hexamers confirm cytosine as the primary target of electron transfer. The reported data reveal backbone cleavage by internal electron transfer from the nucleobase to the phosphate linker leading either to a•/ w or d/ z• ion pairs. This reaction pathway contrasts with previous findings on the dissociation processes after electron capture by DNA cations, suggesting multiple, parallel dissociation channels. However, all these channels merely result in partial fragmentation of the precursor ion because the charge-reduced DNA radical cations are quite stable. Two hypotheses are put forward to explain the low dissociation yield of DNA radical cations: it is either attributed to non-covalent interactions between complementary fragments or to the stabilization of the unpaired electron in stacked nucleobases. MS3 experiments suggest that the charge-reduced species is the intact oligonucleotide. Moreover, introducing abasic sites significantly increases the dissociation yield of DNA cations. Consequently, the stabilization of the unpaired electron by π-π-stacking provides an appropriate rationale for the high intensity of DNA radical cations after electron transfer. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  1. Autonomous assembly of ordered metastable DNA nanoarchitecture and in situ visualizing of intracellular microRNAs.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jianguo; Wu, Zai-Sheng; Wang, Zhenmeng; Le, Jingqing; Zheng, Tingting; Jia, Lee

    2017-03-01

    Facile assembly of intelligent DNA nanoobjects with the ability to exert in situ visualization of intracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) has long been concerned in the fields of DNA nanotechnology and basic medical study. Here, we present a driving primer (DP)-triggered polymerization-mediated metastable assembly (PMA) strategy to prepare a well-ordered metastable DNA nanoarchitecture composed of only two hairpin probes (HAPs), which has never been explored by assembly methods. Its structural features and functions are characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM) and gel electrophoresis. Even if with a metastable molecular structure, this nanoarchitecture is relatively stable at physiological temperature. The assembly strategy can be expanded to execute microRNA-21 (miRNA-21) in situ imaging inside cancer cells by labelling one of the HAPs with fluorophore and quencher. Compared with the conventional fluorescence probe-based in situ hybridization (FISH) technique, confocal images revealed that the proposed DNA nanoassembly can not only achieve greatly enhanced imaging effect within cancer cells, but also reflect the miRNA-21 expression level sensitively. We believe that the easily constructed DNA nanoarchitecture and in situ profiling strategy are significant progresses in DNA assembly and molecule imaging in cells. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Protective effects of buckwheat honey on DNA damage induced by hydroxyl radicals.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Juan; Li, Peng; Cheng, Ni; Gao, Hui; Wang, Bini; Wei, Yahui; Cao, Wei

    2012-08-01

    To understand the antioxidant properties of buckwheat honeys, we investigated their antioxidant effects on hydroxyl radical-induced DNA breaks in the non-site-specific and site-specific systems, the physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, chelating, and reducing power assays), total phenolic content and individual phenolic acids were also determined. Total phenolic content of buckwheat honeys ranged from 774 to 1694 mg PA/kg, and p-hydroxybenzoic and p-coumaric acids proved to be the main components in buckwheat honeys. All the buckwheat honey samples possess stronger capability to protect DNA in the non-site-specific systems than in the site-specific systems from being damaged by hydroxyl radicals. In the non-site-specific and site-specific system, buckwheat honeys samples prevented ()OH-induced DNA breaks by 21-78% and 5-31% over control value, respectively. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Rapid, sensitive, and selective fluorescent DNA detection using iron-based metal-organic framework nanorods: Synergies of the metal center and organic linker.

    PubMed

    Tian, Jingqi; Liu, Qian; Shi, Jinle; Hu, Jianming; Asiri, Abdullah M; Sun, Xuping; He, Yuquan

    2015-09-15

    Considerable recent attention has been paid to homogeneous fluorescent DNA detection with the use of nanostructures as a universal "quencher", but it still remains a great challenge to develop such nanosensor with the benefits of low cost, high speed, sensitivity, and selectivity. In this work, we report the use of iron-based metal-organic framework nanorods as a high-efficient sensing platform for fluorescent DNA detection. It only takes about 4 min to complete the whole "mix-and-detect" process with a low detection limit of 10 pM and a strong discrimination of single point mutation. Control experiments reveal the remarkable sensing behavior is a consequence of the synergies of the metal center and organic linker. This work elucidates how composition control of nanostructures can significantly impact their sensing properties, enabling new opportunities for the rational design of functional materials for analytical applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. RNA-templated single-base mutation detection based on T4 DNA ligase and reverse molecular beacon.

    PubMed

    Tang, Hongxing; Yang, Xiaohai; Wang, Kemin; Tan, Weihong; Li, Huimin; He, Lifang; Liu, Bin

    2008-06-15

    A novel RNA-templated single-base mutation detection method based on T4 DNA ligase and reverse molecular beacon (rMB) has been developed and successfully applied to identification of single-base mutation in codon 273 of the p53 gene. The discrimination was carried out using allele-specific primers, which flanked the variable position in the target RNA and was ligated using T4 DNA ligase only when the primers perfectly matched the RNA template. The allele-specific primers also carried complementary stem structures with end-labels (fluorophore TAMRA, quencher DABCYL), which formed a molecular beacon after RNase H digestion. One-base mismatch can be discriminated by analyzing the change of fluorescence intensity before and after RNase H digestion. This method has several advantages for practical applications, such as direct discrimination of single-base mismatch of the RNA extracted from cell; no requirement of PCR amplification; performance of homogeneous detection; and easily design of detection probes.

  5. Photounbinding of Calmodulin from a Family of CaM Binding Peptides

    PubMed Central

    Neumüller, Klaus G.; Elsayad, Kareem; Reisecker, Johannes M.; Waxham, M. Neal; Heinze, Katrin G.

    2010-01-01

    Background Recent studies have shown that fluorescently labeled antibodies can be dissociated from their antigen by illumination with laser light. The mechanism responsible for the photounbinding effect, however, remains elusive. Here, we give important insights into the mechanism of photounbinding and show that the effect is not restricted to antibody/antigen binding. Methodology/Principal Findings We present studies of the photounbinding of labeled calmodulin (CaM) from a set of CaM-binding peptides with different affinities to CaM after one- and two-photon excitation. We found that the photounbinding effect becomes stronger with increasing binding affinity. Our observation that photounbinding can be influenced by using free radical scavengers, that it does not occur with either unlabeled protein or non-fluorescent quencher dyes, and that it becomes evident shortly after or with photobleaching suggest that photounbinding and photobleaching are closely linked. Conclusions/Significance The experimental results exclude surface effects, or heating by laser irradiation as potential causes of photounbinding. Our data suggest that free radicals formed through photobleaching may cause a conformational change of the CaM which lowers their binding affinity with the peptide or its respective binding partner. PMID:21124984

  6. Antioxidant Potential and DNA Damage Protection by the Slate Grey Saddle Mushroom, Helvella lacunosa (Ascomycetes), from Kashmir Himalaya (India).

    PubMed

    Shameem, Nowsheen; Kamili, Azra N; Ahmad, Mushtaq; Masoodi, F A; Parray, Javid A

    2016-01-01

    This study pertains to the radical scavenging potential of and DNA protection by Helvella lacunosa, an edible mushroom from Kashmir Himalaya (India). Different solvents, on the basis of their polarities, were used to extract all solvent-soluble bioactive compounds. Seven different antioxidant methods were also used to determine extensive radical scavenging activity. The mushroom ethanol extract and butanol extract showed effective scavenging activity of radicals at 95% and 89%, respectively. At 800 µg/mg, the ethanol extract was potent enough to protect DNA from degradation by hydroxyl radicals. It is evident from these findings that the presence of antioxidant substances signifies the use of H. lacunosa as food in the mountainous valleys of the Himalayan region.

  7. Effect of curcumin against oxidation of biomolecules by hydroxyl radicals.

    PubMed

    Borra, Sai Krishna; Mahendra, Jaideep; Gurumurthy, Prema; Jayamathi; Iqbal, Shabeer S; Mahendra, Little

    2014-10-01

    Among various reactive oxygen species, hydroxyl radicals have the strongest chemical activity, which can damage a wide range of essential biomolecules such as lipids, proteins, and DNA. The objective of this study was to investigate the beneficial effects of curcumin on prevention of oxidative damage of biomolecules by hydroxyl radicals generated in in vitro by a Fenton like reaction. We have incubated the serum, plasma and whole blood with H2O2/Cu2+/ Ascorbic acid system for 4 hours at 37 0C and observed the oxidation of biomolecules like albumin, lipids, proteins and DNA. Curcumin at the concentrations of 50,100 and 200 μmoles, prevented the formation of ischemia modified albumin, MDA, protein carbonyls, oxidized DNA and increased the total antioxidant levels and GSH significantly. These observations suggest the hydroxyl radical scavenging potentials of curcumin and protective actions to prevent the oxidation of biomolecules by hydroxyl radicals.

  8. Antioxidant and prooxidant effects of polyphenol compounds on copper-mediated DNA damage.

    PubMed

    Perron, Nathan R; García, Carla R; Pinzón, Julio R; Chaur, Manuel N; Brumaghim, Julia L

    2011-05-01

    Inhibition of copper-mediated DNA damage has been determined for several polyphenol compounds. The 50% inhibition concentration values (IC(50)) for most of the tested polyphenols are between 8 and 480 μM for copper-mediated DNA damage prevention. Although most tested polyphenols were antioxidants under these conditions, they generally inhibited Cu(I)-mediated DNA damage less effectively than Fe(II)-mediated damage, and some polyphenols also displayed prooxidant activity. Because semiquinone radicals and hydroxyl radical adducts were detected by EPR spectroscopy in solutions of polyphenols, Cu(I), and H(2)O(2), it is likely that weak polyphenol-Cu(I) interactions permit a redox-cycling mechanism, whereby the necessary reactants to cause DNA damage (Cu(I), H(2)O(2), and reducing agents) are regenerated. The polyphenol compounds that prevent copper-mediated DNA damage likely follow a radical scavenging pathway as determined by EPR spectroscopy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Interactive image analysis system to determine the motility and velocity of cyanobacterial filaments.

    PubMed

    Häder, D P; Vogel, K

    1991-01-01

    An interactive image analysis system has been developed to analyse and quantify the percentage of motile filaments and the individual linear velocities of organisms. The technique is based on the "difference" image between two digitized images taken from a time-lapse video recording 80 s apart which is overlaid on the first image. The bright lines in the difference image represent the paths along which the filaments have moved and are measured using a crosshair cursor controlled by the mouse. Even short exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation strongly impairs the motility of the gliding cyanobacterium Phormidium uncinatum, while its velocity is not likewise affected. These effects are not due to either type I (free radical formation) or type II (singlet oxygen production) photodynamic reactions, since specific quenchers and scavengers, indicative of these reactions, failed to be effective.

  10. Fluorescent sensor for mercury

    DOEpatents

    Wang, Zidong [Urbana, IL; Lee, Jung Heon [Evanston, IL; Lu, Yi [Champaign, IL

    2011-11-22

    The present invention provides a sensor for detecting mercury, comprising: a first polynucleotide, comprising a first region, and a second region, a second polynucleotide, a third polynucleotide, a fluorophore, and a quencher, wherein the third polynucleotide is optionally linked to the second region; the fluorophore is linked to the first polynucleotide and the quencher is linked to the second polynucleotide, or the fluorophore is linked to the second polynucleotide and the quencher is linked to the first polynucleotide; the first region and the second region hybridize to the second polynucleotide; and the second region binds to the third polynucleotide in the presence of Hg.sup.2+ ions.

  11. A Green's Function Approach to Simulate DNA Damage by the Indirect Effect

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Plante, Ianik; Cicinotta, Francis A.

    2013-01-01

    The DNA damage is of fundamental importance in the understanding of the effects of ionizing radiation. DNA is damaged by the direct effect of radiation (e.g. direct ionization) and by indirect effect (e.g. damage by.OH radicals created by the radiolysis of water). Despite years of research, many questions on the DNA damage by ionizing radiation remains. In the recent years, the Green's functions of the diffusion equation (GFDE) have been used extensively in biochemistry [1], notably to simulate biochemical networks in time and space [2]. In our future work on DNA damage, we wish to use an approach based on the GFDE to refine existing models on the indirect effect of ionizing radiation on DNA. To do so, we will use the code RITRACKS [3] developed at the NASA Johnson Space Center to simulate the radiation track structure and calculate the position of radiolytic species after irradiation. We have also recently developed an efficient Monte-Carlo sampling algorithm for the GFDE of reversible reactions with an intermediate state [4], which can be modified and adapted to simulate DNA damage by free radicals. To do so, we will use the known reaction rate constants between radicals (OH, eaq, H,...) and the DNA bases, sugars and phosphates and use the sampling algorithms to simulate the diffusion of free radicals and chemical reactions with DNA. These techniques should help the understanding of the contribution of the indirect effect in the formation of DNA damage and double-strand breaks.

  12. The crypto-OH radical in the damage of DNA by bleomycin-Fe2+?

    PubMed

    Bartkowiak, A; Grzelinska, E; Bartosz, G; Zabłocka, J; Leyko, W

    1982-01-01

    1. Effects of various OH scavengers, superoxide dismutase and catalase on the formation of malondialdehyde-like products from DNA by bleomycin-Fe2+ were studied. In no case was a protective effect observed. 2. These results can be interpreted on the basis that a crypto-OH radical mediates the damage to DNA by bleomycin-Fe2+.

  13. Multiscale QM/MM molecular dynamics study on the first steps of guanine damage by free hydroxyl radicals in solution.

    PubMed

    Abolfath, Ramin M; Biswas, P K; Rajnarayanam, R; Brabec, Thomas; Kodym, Reinhard; Papiez, Lech

    2012-04-19

    Understanding the damage of DNA bases from hydrogen abstraction by free OH radicals is of particular importance to understanding the indirect effect of ionizing radiation. Previous studies address the problem with truncated DNA bases as ab initio quantum simulations required to study such electronic-spin-dependent processes are computationally expensive. Here, for the first time, we employ a multiscale and hybrid quantum mechanical-molecular mechanical simulation to study the interaction of OH radicals with a guanine-deoxyribose-phosphate DNA molecular unit in the presence of water, where all of the water molecules and the deoxyribose-phosphate fragment are treated with the simplistic classical molecular mechanical scheme. Our result illustrates that the presence of water strongly alters the hydrogen-abstraction reaction as the hydrogen bonding of OH radicals with water restricts the relative orientation of the OH radicals with respect to the DNA base (here, guanine). This results in an angular anisotropy in the chemical pathway and a lower efficiency in the hydrogen-abstraction mechanisms than previously anticipated for identical systems in vacuum. The method can easily be extended to single- and double-stranded DNA without any appreciable computational cost as these molecular units can be treated in the classical subsystem, as has been demonstrated here. © 2012 American Chemical Society

  14. Fluorescence quenching of protonated β-carbolines in water and microemulsions: evidence for heavy-atom and electron-transfer mechanisms.

    PubMed

    Mousa, Souad A; Douglas, Peter; Burrows, Hugh D; Fonseca, Sofia M

    2013-09-01

    The fluorescence quenching of protonated β-carbolines has been investigated in acidic aqueous solutions and in w/o microemulsions using I(-), Br(-), Cu(2+), SCN(-), and Pb(2+) as quenchers. It was found that fluorescence quenching by these compounds is much more efficient in water than in microemulsions since quenching in microemulsions depends on the simultaneous occupancy of the water droplets by both fluorophore and quencher. Linear Stern-Volmer plots were obtained in all cases, leading to quenching rate constants of ca. 10(8)-10(10) M(-1) s(-1) in water and ca. 10(7)-10(8) M(-1) s(-1) in microemulsions. In the case of quenching by SCN(-), ns flash photolysis studies indicate formation of (SCN)2(˙-) showing that at least part of the quenching process involves an electron transfer mechanism. This indicates that the singlet excited states of the protonated β-carbolines can act as relatively strong oxidants (E° > 1.6 V), capable of oxidizing many species, including the biologically relevant DNA base guanine. The observation of the (SCN)2(˙-) transient in microemulsions demonstrates that it is possible to have the protonated β-carboline and at least two thiocyanate ions in the same water pool.

  15. Reaction of protein chloramines with DNA and nucleosides: evidence for the formation of radicals, protein-DNA cross-links and DNA fragmentation.

    PubMed Central

    Hawkins, Clare L; Pattison, David I; Davies, Michael J

    2002-01-01

    Stimulated phagocyte cells produce the oxidant HOCl, via the release of the enzyme myeloperoxidase and hydrogen peroxide. HOCl is important in bacterial cell killing, but excessive or misplaced generation can damage the host tissue and may lead to the development of certain diseases such as cancer. The role of HOCl in the oxidation of isolated proteins, DNA and their components has been investigated extensively, but little work has been performed on the protein-DNA (nucleosome) complexes present in eukaryotic cell nuclei. Neither the selectivity of damage in such complexes nor the possibility of transfer of damage from the protein to DNA or vice versa, has been studied. In the present study, kinetic modelling has been employed to predict that reaction occurs predominantly with the protein and not with the DNA in the nucleosome, using molar HOCl excesses of up to 200-fold. With 50-200-fold excesses, 50-80% of the HOCl is predicted to react with histone lysine and histidine residues to yield chloramines. The yield and stability of such chloramines predicted by these modelling studies agrees well with experimental data. Decomposition of these species gives protein-derived, nitrogen-centred radicals, probably on the lysine side chains, as characterized by the EPR and spin-trapping experiments. It is shown that isolated lysine, histidine, peptide and protein chloramines can react with plasmid DNA to cause strand breaks. The protection against such damage afforded by the radical scavengers Trolox (a water-soluble alpha-tocopherol derivative) and 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide suggests a radical-mediated process. The EPR experiments and product analyses have also provided evidence for the rapid addition of protein radicals, formed on chloramine decomposition, to pyrimidine nucleosides to give nucleobase radicals. Further evidence for the formation of such covalent cross-links has been obtained from experiments performed using (3)H-lysine and (14)C-histidine chloramines. These results are consistent with the predictions of the kinetic model and suggest that histones are major targets for HOCl in the nucleosome. Furthermore, the resulting protein chloramines and the radicals derived from them may act as contributing agents in HOCl-mediated DNA oxidation. PMID:12010123

  16. Antioxidant Properties of Astaxanthin in Oil-in-Water Emulsions with Differently-Charged Emulsifiers Under Chlorophyll Photosensitization.

    PubMed

    Yi, BoRa; Kim, Mi-Ja; Lee, JaeHwan

    2018-03-01

    The antioxidative or prooxidative properties of astaxanthin at the concentrations of 0, 10, and 100 μM were determined in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing neutral, anionic, and cationic emulsifiers, which was Tween 20, sodium dodecyl sulfate, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), respectively, under chlorophyll photosensitization. The oxidative parameters and headspace volatiles were analyzed in O/W emulsions. In the 24 h period of visible light irradiation, 100 μM of astaxanthin acted as an antioxidant in O/W emulsions containing neutral and anionic emulsifiers. However, astaxanthin in O/W emulsions with a cationic emulsifier was neither an antioxidant nor a prooxidant. The profiles of volatile compounds showed that astaxanthin served as a singlet oxygen quencher in O/W emulsions containing neutral and anionic emulsifiers. However, in O/W emulsion with a cationic emulsifier, astaxanthin was neither a singlet oxygen quencher nor a free radical scavenger because prooxidant properties of CTAB overwhelmed the antioxidant effects of astaxanthin. Therefore, the antioxidant properties of astaxanthin were influenced by the emulsifier charges in O/W emulsions. Astaxanthin is a lipid-soluble pigment and has antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties and beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseases. Many lipid-based foods are displayed on the shelves in the markets under fluorescent light. The addition of astaxanthin can extend the shelf life of O/W emulsion type foods such as beverage and dressing products under visible light irradiation. Also, oxidative stability in emulsion type foods containing astaxanthin rich natural ingredients can be predicted. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

  17. Phosphorescent quantum dots/doxorubicin nanohybrids based on photoinduced electron transfer for detection of DNA.

    PubMed

    Miao, Yanming; Zhang, Zhifeng; Gong, Yan; Yan, Guiqin

    2014-09-15

    MPA-capped Mn-doped ZnS QDs/DXR nanohybrids (MPA: 3-mercaptopropionic acid; QDs: quantum dots; DXR: cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide) were constructed via photoinduced electron transfer (PIET) and then used as a room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) probe for detection of DNA. DXR as a quencher will quench the RTP of Mn-doped ZnS QDs via PIET, thereby forming Mn-doped ZnS QDs/DXR nanohybrids and storing RTP. With the addition of DNA, it will be inserted into DXR and thus DXR will be competitively desorbed from the surface of Mn-doped ZnS QDs, thereby releasing the RTP of Mn-doped ZnS QDs. Based on this, a new method for DNA detection was built. The sensor for DNA has a detection limit of 0.039 mg L(-1) and a linear range from 0.1 to 14 mg L(-1). The present QDs-based RTP method does not need deoxidants or other inducers as required by conventional RTP detection methods, and avoids interference from autofluorescence and the scattering light of the matrix that are encountered in spectrofluorometry. Therefore, this method can be used to detect the DNA content in body fluid. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Role of metals in free radical generation and genotoxicity induced by airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) from Pune (India).

    PubMed

    Yadav, Suman; Jan, Rohi; Roy, Ritwika; Satsangi, P Gursumeeran

    2016-12-01

    In the present study, metal-facilitated free radical generation in particulate matter (PM) and its association with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage were studied. The examined data showed that the concentration of fine PM in Pune exhibited seasonal variations. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was used to examine the metal composition, which showed the presence of metals such as Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Co, Cr, Pb, Cd, and Ni. Fe metal was present in the highest concentrations in both the seasons, followed by Zn. The scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS) results also demonstrated that the fine PM particles deposited in summer samples were less than those of winter samples, suggesting that the PM load in winter was higher as compared to that in summer. Elemental mapping of these particles substantiates deposition of metals as Fe, Zn, etc. on particles. The electron paramagnetic species (EPR) technique was utilized for free radical detection, and plasmid DNA assay was utilized to study the genotoxicity of ambient fine PM. Obtained g values show the presence of radicals in PM samples of Pune. PM contains the C-centered radical with a vicinal oxygen atom (g = 2.003). In addition to this, the g value for Fe was also observed. Therefore, we intend that the radicals related with fine PM comprise metal-mediated radicals and produce DNA damage. The plasmid DNA assay results indicated that the TM 50 values (toxic mass of PM causing 50 % of plasmid DNA damage) of PM exhibited seasonal variations with higher TM 50 values for summer and lower TM 50 values during winter.

  19. Fluorometric graphene oxide-based detection of Salmonella enteritis using a truncated DNA aptamer.

    PubMed

    Chinnappan, Raja; AlAmer, Saleh; Eissa, Shimaa; Rahamn, Anas Abdel; Abu Salah, Khalid M; Zourob, Mohammed

    2017-12-18

    The work describes a fluorescence-based study for mapping the highest affinity truncated aptamer from the full length sequence and its integration in a graphene oxide platform for the detection of Salmonella enteriditis. To identify the best truncated sequence, molecular beacons and a displacement assay design are applied. In the fluorescence displacement assay, the truncated aptamer was hybridized with fluorescein and quencher-labeled complementary sequences to form a fluorescence/quencher pair. In the presence of S. enteritidis, the aptamer dissociates from the complementary labeled oligonucleotides and thus, the fluorescein/quencher pair becomes physically separated. This leads to an increase in fluorescence intensity. One of the truncated aptamers identified has a 2-fold lower dissociation constant (3.2 nM) compared to its full length aptamer (6.3 nM). The truncated aptamer selected in this process was used to develop a fluorometric graphene oxide (GO) based assay. If fluorescein-labeled aptamer is adsorbed on GO via π stacking interaction, fluorescence is quenched. However, in the presence of target (S. enteriditis), the labeled aptamers is released from surface to form a stable complex with the bacteria and fluorescence is restored, depending on the quantity of bacteria being present. The resulting assay has an unsurpassed detection limit of 25 cfu·mL -1 in the best case. The cross reactivity to Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli is negligible. The assay was applied to analyze doped milk samples for and gave good recovery. Thus, we believe that the truncated aptamer/graphene oxide platform is a potential tool for the detection of S. Enteritidis. Graphical abstract Fluorescently labelled aptamer against Salmonella enteritidis was adsorbed on the surface of graphene oxide by π-stacking interaction. This results in quenching of the fluorescence of the label. Addition of Salmonella enteritidis restores fluorescence, and this effect is used for quantification of this food-borne pathogen.

  20. Cisplatin enhances the formation of DNA single- and double-strand breaks by hydrated electrons and hydroxyl radicals.

    PubMed

    Rezaee, Mohammad; Sanche, Léon; Hunting, Darel J

    2013-03-01

    The synergistic interaction of cisplatin with ionizing radiation is the clinical rationale for the treatment of several cancers including head and neck, cervical and lung cancer. The underlying molecular mechanism of the synergy has not yet been identified, although both DNA damage and repair processes are likely involved. Here, we investigate the indirect effect of γ rays on strand break formation in a supercoiled plasmid DNA (pGEM-3Zf-) covalently modified by cisplatin. The yields of single- and double-strand breaks were determined by irradiation of DNA and cisplatin/DNA samples with (60)Co γ rays under four different scavenging conditions to examine the involvement of hydrated electrons and hydroxyl radicals in inducing the DNA damage. At 5 mM tris in an N2 atmosphere, the presence of an average of two cisplatins per plasmid increased the yields of single- and double-strand breaks by factors of 1.9 and 2.2, respectively, relative to the irradiated unmodified DNA samples. Given that each plasmid of 3,200 base pairs contained an average of two cisplatins, this represents an increase in radiosensitivity of 3,200-fold on a per base pair basis. When hydrated electrons were scavenged by saturating the samples with N2O, these enhancement factors decreased to 1.5 and 1.2, respectively, for single- and double-strand breaks. When hydroxyl radicals were scavenged using 200 mM tris, the respective enhancement factors were 1.2 and 1.6 for single- and double-strand breaks, respectively. Furthermore, no enhancement in DNA damage by cisplatin was observed after scavenging both hydroxyl radicals and hydrated electrons. These findings show that hydrated electrons can induce both single- and double-strand breaks in the platinated DNA, but not in unmodified DNA. In addition, cisplatin modification is clearly an extremely efficient means of increasing the formation of both single- and double-strand breaks by the hydrated electrons and hydroxyl radicals created by ionizing radiation.

  1. Degradation of ketoprofen by sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes: Kinetics, mechanisms, and effects of natural water matrices.

    PubMed

    Feng, Yiping; Song, Qingyun; Lv, Wenying; Liu, Guoguang

    2017-12-01

    Ketoprofen (KET) is a mostly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that has been frequently detected in wastewater effluents and surface waters. In this study, we investigated the degradation of KET by sulfate radical (SO 4 - ) based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) in aqueous solution. The degradation kinetics, mechanisms, and effects of natural water matrices on thermally activated persulfate (TAP) oxidation of KET were systematically investigated. Increasing the temperature and persulfate (PS) concentrations greatly enhanced the degradation of KET. KET degradation is pH-dependent with an optimum pH of 5.0. Reactions in the presence of radical quenchers revealed the dominant role of SO 4 - in oxidizing KET. Water matrix significantly influenced the degradation of KET. The common inorganic anions present in natural waters exhibited inhibitory effect on KET degradation, and the inhibition followed the order of Cl -  > CO 3 2-  > HCO 3 -  > NO 3 - ; however, no significant inhibition of KET degradation was observed in the presence of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ cations. The presence of natural organic matter (NOM) suppressed KET degradation, and the suppression increased as NOM concentration increase. Products identification and mineralization experiments revealed that KET and its degradation intermediates were finally transformed into CO 2 and H 2 O. The results of this study indicated that applying SR-AOPs for the remediation of KET contaminated water matrix is technically possible. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Two mechanisms for dissipation of excess light in monomeric and trimeric light-harvesting complexes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dall'Osto, Luca; Cazzaniga, Stefano; Bressan, Mauro

    Oxygenic photoautotrophs require mechanisms for rapidly matching the level of chlorophyll excited states from light harvesting with the rate of electron transport from water to carbon dioxide. These photoprotective reactions prevent formation of reactive excited states and photoinhibition. The fastest response to excess illumination is the so-called non-photochemical quenching which, in higher plants, requires the luminal pH sensor PsbS and other yet unidentified components of the photosystem II antenna. Both trimeric light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) and monomeric LHC proteins have been indicated as site(s) of the heat-dissipative reactions. Different mechanisms have been proposed: Energy transfer to a lutein quencher inmore » trimers, formation of a zeaxanthin radical cation in monomers. Here, we report on the construction of a mutant lacking all monomeric LHC proteins but retaining LHCII trimers. Its non-photochemical quenching induction rate was substantially slower with respect to the wild type. A carotenoid radical cation signal was detected in the wild type, although it was lost in the mutant. Here, we conclude that non-photochemical quenching is catalysed by two independent mechanisms, with the fastest activated response catalysed within monomeric LHC proteins depending on both zeaxanthin and lutein and on the formation of a radical cation. Trimeric LHCII was responsible for the slowly activated quenching component whereas inclusion in supercomplexes was not required. Finally, this latter activity does not depend on lutein nor on charge transfer events, whereas zeaxanthin was essential.« less

  3. Formation and Fluorimetric Characterization of Micelles in a Micro-flow Through System with Static Micro Mixer

    PubMed Central

    Schuch, Michael; Gross, G. Alexander; Köhler, J. Michael

    2007-01-01

    The formation and behaviour of micelles of sodium dodecylsulfate in water by use of a static micro mixer were studied. Trisbipyridylruthenium(II) was applied as indicator dye, 9-methylanthracene was used for fluorescence quenching. All experiments were carried out by a micro fluid arrangement with three syringe pumps, a 2+1 two-step static micro mixer (IPHT Jena) and a on-line micro fluorimetry including a luminescence diode for excitation, a blue glass filter (BG 7, Linos), two edge filters (RG 630, Linos) and a photo counting module (MP 900, Perkin Elmer). It was possible to measure the fluorescence inside the PTFE tube (inner diameter 0.5 mm) directly. A linear dependence of fluorescence intensity from dye concentration was observed in absence of quencher and surfactant as expected. An aggregation number of about 62 was found in the flow rate range between 300 and 800 μL/min. The fluorescence intensity increases slightly, but significant with increasing flow rate, if no quencher is present. In the presence of quencher, the fluorescence intensity decreases with decreasing surfactant concentration and with enhanced flow rate. The strength of the flow rate effect on the fluorescence increases with decreasing surfactant concentration. The size of micelles was determined in micro channels by the micro fluorimetric method in analogy to the conventional system. The micelles extract the quencher from the solution and lower, this way, the quenching effect. The size of micelles was estimated and it could be shown, that the flow rate has only low effect on the aggregation number at the investigated flow rates. The effect of flow rate and surfactant concentration on the fluorescence in the presence of quencher was interpreted as a shift in the micelle concentration due to the shear forces. It is expected, that the fluorescence intensity is lowered, if more quencher molecules are molecular disperse distributed inside the solution. Obviously, the lowered fluorescence intensity at higher flow rates suggests a reduction of the micelle density causing an increase of quencher concentration outside the micelles. PMID:28903241

  4. Thiaflavan scavenges radicals and inhibits DNA oxidation: a story from the ferrocene modification.

    PubMed

    Lai, Hai-Wang; Liu, Zai-Qun

    2014-06-23

    4-Thiaflavan is a sulfur-substituted flavonoid with a benzoxathiin scaffold. The aim of this work is to compare abilities of sulfur and oxygen atom, hydroxyl groups, and ferrocene moiety at different positions of 4-thiaflavan to trap radicals and to inhibit DNA oxidation. It is found that abilities of thiaflavans to trap radicals and to inhibit DNA oxidation are increased in the presence of ferrocene moiety and are further improved by the electron-donating group attaching to thiaflavan skeleton. It can be concluded that the ferrocene moiety plays the major role for thiaflavans to be antioxidants even in the absence of phenolic hydroxyl groups. On the other hand, the antioxidant effectiveness of phenolic hydroxyl groups in thiaflavans can be improved by the electron-donating group. The influences of sulfur and oxygen atoms in thiaflavans on the antioxidant property of para-hydroxyl group exhibit different manners when the thiaflavans are used to trap radicals and to inhibit DNA oxidation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  5. Seeded growth of gold nanorods: the effect of sulfur-containing quenching agents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gobbo, Alberto; Marin, Riccardo; Canton, Patrizia

    2018-03-01

    Herein we present a study on the efficacy of selected sulfur-containing species as growth quenchers and metal ion scavengers in the framework of gold nanorod (GNR) synthesis. The here utilized seeded growth method is the reference GNR synthesis approach. However, GNRs synthesized according to it are prone to morphological changes upon aging, promoted by the presence of unreacted metal ions in the stock suspension. This, in turn, leads to optical property changes. Sodium sulfide is an efficient GNR growth quencher and metal ion scavenger, because sulfide ion has a strong affinity towards noble metals used for the GNRs' synthesis. Moving from these considerations, different sulfur-containing molecules were selected and their interaction with GNR surface was investigated: sulfate, sulfite, thiourea, and dodecyl sulfate were chosen for their difference in terms of net charge, size, and hydrophobicity. We initially assessed the best synthesis conditions in terms of reaction time, seed amount, silver concentration, and quencher amount. Consequently, the quencher/scavenger was varied. Thiourea, sulfite, and sulfate ions all showed a feeble, yet non-negligible, interaction with metals. Although sodium sulfide turned out to be the most efficient quencher/scavenger, also dodecyl sulfate showed evidences of adsorption on the GNR surface, probably prompted by hydrophobic interactions. These findings are expected to contribute as a background for further advancements in the perfection of GNR synthetic approaches specifically in terms of post-synthesis treatments.

  6. Mechanisms for radiation damage in DNA. Progress report, January 1, 1980-December 31, 1980

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sevilla, M D

    1980-09-01

    In this project several mechanisms are proposed for radiation damage to DNA constituents and DNA, and a series of experiments detailed utilizing electron spin resonance spectrometry to test the proposed mechanisms. Under current investigation are irradiated systems of DNA constituents which may shed light on indirect effects. In addition, studies of radiation effects on lipids have been undertaken which will shed light on the only other proposed site for cell kill, the membrane. Studies completed during the past year are: (1) ..pi.. cations produced in DNA bases by attack of oxidizing radicals; (2) INDO studies of radicals produced in peptidesmore » and carboxylic acid model compounds; (3) electron reactions with carboxylic acids, ketones and aldehydes; and (4) ..gamma..-irradiation of esters and triglycerides. Progress has been made this year in a study of radicals generated in model compounds for the sugar-phosphate backbone.« less

  7. Effect of Curcumin Against Oxidation of Biomolecules by Hydroxyl Radicals

    PubMed Central

    Mahendra, Jaideep; Gurumurthy, Prema; Jayamathi; Iqbal, Shabeer S; Mahendra, Little

    2014-01-01

    Background: Among various reactive oxygen species, hydroxyl radicals have the strongest chemical activity, which can damage a wide range of essential biomolecules such as lipids, proteins, and DNA. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the beneficial effects of curcumin on prevention of oxidative damage of biomolecules by hydroxyl radicals generated in in vitro by a Fenton like reaction. Materials and Methods: We have incubated the serum, plasma and whole blood with H2O2/Cu2+/ Ascorbic acid system for 4 hours at 37 0C and observed the oxidation of biomolecules like albumin, lipids, proteins and DNA. Results: Curcumin at the concentrations of 50,100 and 200 μmoles, prevented the formation of ischemia modified albumin, MDA, protein carbonyls, oxidized DNA and increased the total antioxidant levels and GSH significantly. Conclusion: These observations suggest the hydroxyl radical scavenging potentials of curcumin and protective actions to prevent the oxidation of biomolecules by hydroxyl radicals. PMID:25478334

  8. Antioxidant and antigenotoxic activities in Acacia salicina extracts and its protective role against DNA strand scission induced by hydroxyl radical.

    PubMed

    Chatti, Ines Bouhlel; Boubaker, Jihed; Skandrani, Ines; Bhouri, Wissem; Ghedira, Kamel; Chekir Ghedira, Leila

    2011-08-01

    The antioxidant potency of Acacia salicina extracts was investigated. Total antioxidant capacity was determined using an ABTS(+) assay. Superoxide radical scavenging was measured using riboflavin-light-nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) assay. In addition, the content of phenols, total flavonoids and sterols were measured in the tested extracts. The petroleum ether exhibited a potent scavenging activity toward ABTS radical cations. Whereas, chloroform extract showed the highest activity against superoxides radicals and was also able to protect pKS plasmid DNA against hydroxyl radicals induced DNA damages. The antimutagenicity of these extracts was assayed using the Ames assay against Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and S. typhimurium TA 1535 tester strains at different concentrations. These extracts decreased significantly the mutagenecity induced by sodium azide (SA) and 4-nitro-o-phenylenediamine (NOP). The antioxidant and antimutagenecity activities exhibited by A. salicina depended on the chemical composition of the tested extracts. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. DNA damage protection against free radicals of two antioxidant neolignan glucosides from sugarcane molasses.

    PubMed

    Asikin, Yonathan; Takahashi, Makoto; Mizu, Masami; Takara, Kensaku; Oku, Hirosuke; Wada, Koji

    2016-03-15

    Sugarcane molasses is a potential by-product of the sugarcane manufacturing industry that is rich in antioxidant materials. The present study aimed to obtain antioxidative compounds from sugarcane molasses and to evaluate their ability to protect DNA from oxidative damage. Two neolignan glucosides were isolated from sugarcane molasses using bioassay and UV spectra monitoring-guided fractionation. The compounds were elucidated as (7R,8S)-dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol-4-O-β-d-glucoside (1) and (7S,8R)-simulanol-9'-O-β-d-glucoside (2). Neolignan glucoside 2 protected against DNA damage caused by free radicals more effectively than did neolignan glucoside 1 (13.62 and 9.08 µmol L(-1) for peroxyl and hydroxyl radicals, respectively, compared to 48.07 and 14.42 µmol L(-1) ). Additionally, neolignan glucoside 2 exhibited superior DNA protection against free radicals compared with various known antioxidative compounds, including p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, vanillic acid and epigallocatechin gallate. The isolated neolignan glucosides from sugarcane molasses are able to protect DNA from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. This is the first identification of these two compounds in sugarcane molasses. The sugarcane molasses can therefore be used as potential nutraceutical preventative agents, and the findings may foster the utilization of this by-product as a bioresource-based product. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. Copyright © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  10. Platinum anti-cancer drugs: Free radical mechanism of Pt-DNA adduct formation and anti-neoplastic effect.

    PubMed

    Fong, Clifford W

    2016-06-01

    The literature on the anti-neoplastic effects of Pt drugs provides substantial evidence that free radical may be involved in the formation of Pt-DNA adducts and other cytotoxic effects. The conditions specific to cancerous tumours are more conducive to free radical mechanisms than the commonly accepted hydrolysis nucleophilic-electrophilic mechanism of Pt-DNA adduct formation. Molecular orbital studies of the adiabatic attachment of hydrated electrons to Pt drugs reveal that there is a significant lengthening of the Pt-X bond (where X is Cl, O in cisplatin, carboplatin and some pyrophosphate-Pt drugs but not oxaliplatin) in the anion radical species. This observation is consistent with a dissociative electron transfer (DET) mechanism for the formation of Pt-DNA adducts. A DET reaction mechanism is proposed for the reaction of Pt drugs with guanine which involves a quasi-inner sphere 2 electron transfer process involving a transient intermediate 5 co-ordinated activated anion radical species {R2Pt---Cl(G)(Cl)•}*(-) (where R is an ammine group, and G is guanine) and the complex has an elongated Pt---Cl (or Pt---O) bond. A DET mechanism is also proposed when Pt drugs are activated by reaction with free radicals such as HO•, CO3•(-), O2•(-) but do not react with DNA bases to form adducts, but form Pt-protein adducts with proteins such ezrin, FAS, DR5, TNFR1 etc. The DET mechanism may not occur with oxaliplatin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. SOMO–HOMO Level Inversion in Biologically Important Radicals

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Conventionally, the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) of a radical species is considered to be the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), but this is not the case always. In this study, we considered a number of radicals from smallest diatomic anion radicals such as superoxide anion radical to one-electron oxidized DNA related base radicals that show the SOMO is energetically lower than one or more doubly occupied molecular orbitals (MOs) (SOMO–HOMO level inversion). The electronic configurations are calculated employing the B3LYP/6-31++G** method, with the inclusion of aqueous phase via the integral equation formalism of the polarized continuum model solvation model. From the extensive study of the electronic configurations of radicals produced by one-electron oxidation or reduction of natural-DNA bases, bromine-, sulfur-, selenium-, and aza-substituted DNA bases, as well as 20 diatomic molecules, we highlight the following important findings: (i) SOMO–HOMO level inversion is a common phenomenon in radical species. (ii) The more localized spin density in σ-orbital on a single atom (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, or selenium), the greater the gap between HOMO and SOMO. (iii) In species with SOMO–HOMO level inversion, one-electron oxidation takes place from HOMO not from the SOMO, which produces a molecule in its triplet ground state. Oxidation of aqueous superoxide anion producing triplet molecular oxygen is one example of many. (iv) These results are for conventional radicals and in contrast with those reported for distonic radical anions in which SOMO–HOMO gaps are smaller for more localized radicals and the orbital inversions vanish in water. Our findings yield new insights into the properties of free radical systems. PMID:29240424

  12. INCREASED 8-HYDROXY GUANINE CONTENT OF CHLOROPLAST DNA FROM OZONE TREATED PLANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The mechanism of ozone-mediated plant injury is not know but has been postulated to involve oxygen free radicals. Hydroxyl free radicals react with DNA causing formation of many products, one of which is 8-hydroxyguanine. By using high performance liquid chromatography with elect...

  13. Gamma-irradiation produces active chlorine species (ACS) in physiological solutions: Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) scavenges ACS - A novel mechanism of DNA radioprotection

    PubMed Central

    Mishra, Om P.; Popov, Anatoliy V.; Pietrofesa, Ralph A.; Christofidou-Solomidou, Melpo

    2017-01-01

    Background Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), the main lignan in whole grain flaxseed, is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger with known radioprotective properties. However, the exact mechanism of SDG radioprotection is not well understood. The current study identified a novel mechanism of DNA radioprotection by SDG in physiological solutions by scavenging active chlorine species (ACS) and reducing chlorinated nucleobases. Methods The ACS scavenging activity of SDG was determined using two highly specific fluoroprobes: hypochlorite-specific 3′-(p-aminophenyl) fluorescein (APF) and hydroxyl radical-sensitive 3′-(p-hydroxyphenyl) fluorescein (HPF). Dopamine, an SDG structural analog, was used for proton 1H NMR studies to trap primary ACS radicals. Taurine N-chlorination was determined to demonstrate radiation-induced generation of hypochlorite, a secondary ACS. DNA protection was assessed by determining the extent of DNA fragmentation and plasmid DNA relaxation following exposure to ClO− and radiation. Purine base chlorination by ClO− and γ-radiation was determined by using 2-aminopurine (2-AP), a fluorescent analog of 6-aminopurine. Results: Chloride anions (Cl−) consumed >90% of hydroxyl radicals in physiological solutions produced by γ-radiation resulting in ACS formation, which was detected by 1H NMR. Importantly, SDG scavenged hypochlorite- and γ-radiation-induced ACS. In addition, SDG blunted ACS-induced fragmentation of calf thymus DNA and plasmid DNA relaxation. SDG treatment before or after ACS exposure decreased the ClO− or γ-radiation-induced chlorination of 2-AP. Exposure to γ-radiation resulted in increased taurine chlorination, indicative of ClO− generation. NMR studies revealed formation of primary ACS radicals (chlorine atoms (Cl•) and dichloro radical anions (Cl2−•)), which were trapped by SDG and its structural analog dopamine. Conclusion We demonstrate that γ-radiation induces the generation of ACS in physiological solutions. SDG treatment scavenged ACS and prevented ACS-induced DNA damage and chlorination of 2-aminopurine. This study identified a novel and unique mechanism of SDG radioprotection, through ACS scavenging, and supports the potential usefulness of SDG as a radioprotector and mitigator for radiation exposure as part of cancer therapy or accidental exposure. PMID:27261092

  14. Gamma-irradiation produces active chlorine species (ACS) in physiological solutions: Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) scavenges ACS - A novel mechanism of DNA radioprotection.

    PubMed

    Mishra, Om P; Popov, Anatoliy V; Pietrofesa, Ralph A; Christofidou-Solomidou, Melpo

    2016-09-01

    Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), the main lignan in whole grain flaxseed, is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger with known radioprotective properties. However, the exact mechanism of SDG radioprotection is not well understood. The current study identified a novel mechanism of DNA radioprotection by SDG in physiological solutions by scavenging active chlorine species (ACS) and reducing chlorinated nucleobases. The ACS scavenging activity of SDG was determined using two highly specific fluoroprobes: hypochlorite-specific 3'-(p-aminophenyl) fluorescein (APF) and hydroxyl radical-sensitive 3'-(p-hydroxyphenyl) fluorescein (HPF). Dopamine, an SDG structural analog, was used for proton (1)H NMR studies to trap primary ACS radicals. Taurine N-chlorination was determined to demonstrate radiation-induced generation of hypochlorite, a secondary ACS. DNA protection was assessed by determining the extent of DNA fragmentation and plasmid DNA relaxation following exposure to ClO(-) and radiation. Purine base chlorination by ClO(-) and γ-radiation was determined by using 2-aminopurine (2-AP), a fluorescent analog of 6-aminopurine. Chloride anions (Cl(-)) consumed >90% of hydroxyl radicals in physiological solutions produced by γ-radiation resulting in ACS formation, which was detected by (1)H NMR. Importantly, SDG scavenged hypochlorite- and γ-radiation-induced ACS. In addition, SDG blunted ACS-induced fragmentation of calf thymus DNA and plasmid DNA relaxation. SDG treatment before or after ACS exposure decreased the ClO(-) or γ-radiation-induced chlorination of 2-AP. Exposure to γ-radiation resulted in increased taurine chlorination, indicative of ClO(-) generation. NMR studies revealed formation of primary ACS radicals (chlorine atoms (Cl) and dichloro radical anions (Cl2¯)), which were trapped by SDG and its structural analog dopamine. We demonstrate that γ-radiation induces the generation of ACS in physiological solutions. SDG treatment scavenged ACS and prevented ACS-induced DNA damage and chlorination of 2-aminopurine. This study identified a novel and unique mechanism of SDG radioprotection, through ACS scavenging, and supports the potential usefulness of SDG as a radioprotector and mitigator for radiation exposure as part of cancer therapy or accidental exposure. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Self-Assembled DNA Tetrahedral Scaffolds for the Construction of Electrochemiluminescence Biosensor with Programmable DNA Cyclic Amplification.

    PubMed

    Feng, Qiu-Mei; Guo, Yue-Hua; Xu, Jing-Juan; Chen, Hong-Yuan

    2017-05-24

    A novel DNA tetrahedron-structured electrochemiluminescence (ECL) platform for bioanalysis with programmable DNA cyclic amplification was developed. In this work, glucose oxidase (GOD) was labeled to a DNA sequence (S) as functional conjugation (GOD-S), which could hybridize with other DNA sequences (L and P) to form GOD-S:L:P probe. In the presence of target DNA and a help DNA (A), the programmable DNA cyclic amplification was activated and released GOD-S via toehold-mediated strand displacement. Then, the obtained GOD-S was further immobilized on the DNA tetrahedral scaffolds with a pendant capture DNA and Ru(bpy) 3 2+ -conjugated silica nanoparticles (RuSi NPs) decorated on the electrode surface. Thus, the amount of GOD-S assembled on the electrode surface depended on the concentration of target DNA and GOD could catalyze glucose to generate H 2 O 2 in situ. The ECL signal of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ -TPrA system was quenched by the presence of H 2 O 2 . By integrating the programmable DNA cyclic amplification and in situ generating H 2 O 2 as Ru(bpy) 3 2+ ECL quencher, a sensitive DNA tetrahedron-structured ECL sensing platform was proposed for DNA detection. Under optimized conditions, this biosensor showed a wide linear range from 100 aM to 10 pM with a detection limit of 40 aM, indicating a promising application in DNA analysis. Furthermore, by labeling GOD to different recognition elements, the proposed strategy could be used for the detection of various targets. Thus, this programmable cascade amplification strategy not only retains the high selectivity and good capturing efficiency of tetrahedral-decorated electrode surface but also provides potential applications in the construction of ECL biosensor.

  16. Polydopamine Nanotubes as an Effective Fluorescent Quencher for Highly Sensitive and Selective Detection of Biomolecules Assisted with Exonuclease III Amplification.

    PubMed

    Fan, Daoqing; Zhu, Xiaoqing; Zhai, Qingfeng; Wang, Erkang; Dong, Shaojun

    2016-09-20

    In this work, the effective fluorescence quenching ability of polydopamine nanotubes (PDANTs) toward various fluorescent dyes was studied and further applied to fluorescent biosensing for the first time. The PDANTs could quench the fluorophores with different emission frequencies, aminomethylcoumarin acetate (AMCA), 6-carboxyfluorescein (FAM), 6-carboxytetramethylrhodamine (TAMRA), and Cy5. All the quenching efficiencies reached to more than 97%. Taking advantage of PDANTs' different affinities toward ssDNA and dsDNA and utilizing the complex of FAM-labeled ssDNA and PDANTs as a sensing platform, we achieved highly sensitive and selective detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) DNA and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assisted with Exonuclease III amplification. The limits of detection (LODs) of HIV DNA and ATP reached to 3.5 pM and 150 nM, respectively, which were all lower than that of previous nanoquenchers with Exo III amplification, and the platform also presented good applicability in biological samples. Fluorescent sensing applications of this nanotube enlightened other targets detection based upon it and enriched the building blocks of fluorescent sensing platforms. This polydopamine nanotube also possesses excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, which is suitable for future drug delivery, cell imaging, and other biological applications.

  17. High sensitive and direct fluorescence detection of single viral DNA sequences by integration of double strand probes onto microgels particles.

    PubMed

    Aliberti, A; Cusano, A M; Battista, E; Causa, F; Netti, P A

    2016-02-21

    A novel class of probes for fluorescence detection was developed and combined to microgel particles for a high sensitive fluorescence detection of nucleic acids. A double strand probe with an optimized fluorescent-quencher couple was designed for the detection of different lengths of nucleic acids (39 nt and 100 nt). Such probe proved efficient in target detection in different contests and specific even in presence of serum proteins. The conjugation of double strand probes onto polymeric microgels allows for a sensitive detection of DNA sequences from HIV, HCV and SARS corona viruses with a LOD of 1.4 fM, 3.7 fM and 1.4 fM, respectively, and with a dynamic range of 10(-9)-10(-15) M. Such combination enhances the sensitivity of the detection of almost five orders of magnitude when compared to the only probe. The proposed platform based on the integration of innovative double strand probe into microgels particles represents an attractive alternative to conventional sensitive DNA detection technologies that rely on amplifications methods.

  18. Direct and indirect photodegradation of estriol in the presence of humic acid, nitrate and iron complexes in water solutions.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yong; Zhang, Kai; Zuo, Yuegang

    2013-10-01

    The photochemical behavior of a natural estrogen estriol (E3) was investigated in the presence of the natural photoreactive constituents including nitrate, iron(III), and humic acid (HA). The direct photodegradation of E3 increased with increasing incident light intensity, decreasing initial concentration of E3 and increasing pH in the range of 6.0 to 10.0. The direct photodegradation of the deprotonated speciation of E3 was much faster than that of its protonated form. The presence of NO3(-) and iron(III) promoted the photochemical loss of E3 in the aqueous solutions. The quenching experiments verified that hydroxyl radicals were predominantly responsible for the indirect photodegradation of E3. HA could act as photosensitizer, light screening agent and free radical quencher. For the first time, the enhancement or inhibition effect of HA on photodegradation was found to depend on the irradiation light intensity. HA enhanced the photodegradation of E3 under sunlight or weak irradiation of simulated sunlight. In contrast, under high irradiation light intensity, HA inhibited the photodegradation. The hydroxylation photoproducts were identified using GC-MS and the photodegradation pathway of E3 was proposed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Reduced Graphene Oxide-Ag3PO4 Heterostructure: A Direct Z-Scheme Photocatalyst for Augmented Photoreactivity and Stability.

    PubMed

    Samal, Alaka; Das, D P; Nanda, K K; Mishra, B K; Das, J; Dash, A

    2016-02-18

    A visible light driven, direct Z-scheme reduced graphene oxide-Ag3PO4 (RGO-Ag3 PO4 ) heterostructure was synthesized by means of a simple one-pot photoreduction route by varying the amount of RGO under visible light illumination. The reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and growth of Ag3PO4 took place simultaneously. The effect of the amount of RGO on the textural properties and photocatalytic activity of the heterostructure was investigated under visible light illumination. Furthermore, total organic carbon (TOC) analysis confirmed 97.1 % mineralization of organic dyes over RGO-Ag3PO4 in just five minutes under visible-light illumination. The use of different quenchers in the photomineralization suggested the presence of hydroxyl radicals ((.)OH), superoxide radicals ((.)O2 (-)), and holes (h(+)), which play a significant role in the mineralization of organic dyes. In addition to that, clean hydrogen fuel generation was also observed with excellent reusability. The 4 RGO-Ag3PO4 heterostructure has a high H2 evolution rate of 3690 μmol h(-1)  g(-1), which is 6.15 times higher than that of RGO. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Reduced 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy)-Initiated Oxidative DNA Damage and Neurodegeneration in Prostaglandin H Synthase-1 Knockout Mice

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    The neurodegenerative potential of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) and underlying mechanisms are under debate. Here, we show that MDMA is a substrate for CNS prostaglandin H synthase (PHS)-catalyzed bioactivation to a free radical intermediate that causes reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and neurodegenerative oxidative DNA damage. In vitro PHS-1-catalyzed bioactivation of MDMA stereoselectively produced free radical intermediate formation and oxidative DNA damage that was blocked by the PHS inhibitor eicosatetraynoic acid. In vivo, MDMA stereoselectively caused gender-independent DNA oxidation and dopaminergic nerve terminal degeneration in several brain regions, dependent on regional PHS-1 levels. Conversely, MDMA-initiated striatal DNA oxidation, nerve terminal degeneration, and motor coordination deficits were reduced in PHS-1 +/− and −/− knockout mice in a gene dose-dependent fashion. These results confirm the neurodegenerative potential of MDMA and provide the first direct evidence for a novel molecular mechanism involving PHS-catalyzed formation of a neurotoxic MDMA free radical intermediate. PMID:22778832

  1. Analysis of LhcSR3, a Protein Essential for Feedback De-Excitation in the Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

    PubMed Central

    Bonente, Giulia; Ballottari, Matteo; Truong, Thuy B.; Morosinotto, Tomas; Ahn, Tae K.; Fleming, Graham R.; Niyogi, Krishna K.; Bassi, Roberto

    2011-01-01

    In photosynthetic organisms, feedback dissipation of excess absorbed light energy balances harvesting of light with metabolic energy consumption. This mechanism prevents photodamage caused by reactive oxygen species produced by the reaction of chlorophyll (Chl) triplet states with O2. Plants have been found to perform the heat dissipation in specific proteins, binding Chls and carotenoids (Cars), that belong to the Lhc family, while triggering of the process is performed by the PsbS subunit, needed for lumenal pH detection. PsbS is not found in algae, suggesting important differences in energy-dependent quenching (qE) machinery. Consistent with this suggestion, a different Lhc-like gene product, called LhcSR3 (formerly known as LI818) has been found to be essential for qE in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In this work, we report the production of two recombinant LhcSR isoforms from C. reinhardtii and their biochemical and spectroscopic characterization. We found the following: (i) LhcSR isoforms are Chl a/b– and xanthophyll-binding proteins, contrary to higher plant PsbS; (ii) the LhcSR3 isoform, accumulating in high light, is a strong quencher of Chl excited states, exhibiting a very fast fluorescence decay, with lifetimes below 100 ps, capable of dissipating excitation energy from neighbor antenna proteins; (iii) the LhcSR3 isoform is highly active in the transient formation of Car radical cation, a species proposed to act as a quencher in the heat dissipation process. Remarkably, the radical cation signal is detected at wavelengths corresponding to the Car lutein, rather than to zeaxanthin, implying that the latter, predominant in plants, is not essential; (iv) LhcSR3 is responsive to low pH, the trigger of non-photochemical quenching, since it binds the non-photochemical quenching inhibitor dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and increases its energy dissipation properties upon acidification. This is the first report of an isolated Lhc protein constitutively active in energy dissipation in its purified form, opening the way to detailed molecular analysis. Owing to its protonatable residues and constitutive excitation energy dissipation, this protein appears to merge both pH-sensing and energy-quenching functions, accomplished respectively by PsbS and monomeric Lhcb proteins in plants. PMID:21267060

  2. Efficient Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer between Quantum Dots and Gold Nanoparticles Based on Porous Silicon Photonic Crystal for DNA Detection.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hongyan; Lv, Jie; Jia, Zhenhong

    2017-05-10

    A novel assembled biosensor was prepared for detecting 16S rRNA, a small-size persistent specific for Actinobacteria. The mechanism of the porous silicon (PS) photonic crystal biosensor is based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between quantum dots (QDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) through DNA hybridization, where QDs act as an emission donor and AuNPs serve as a fluorescence quencher. Results showed that the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of PS photonic crystal was drastically increased when the QDs-conjugated probe DNA was adhered to the PS layer by surface modification using a standard cross-link chemistry method. The PL intensity of QDs was decreased when the addition of AuNPs-conjugated complementary 16S rRNA was dropped onto QDs-conjugated PS. Based on the analysis of different target DNA concentration, it was found that the decrease of the PL intensity showed a good linear relationship with complementary DNA concentration in a range from 0.25 to 10 μM, and the detection limit was 328.7 nM. Such an optical FRET biosensor functions on PS-based photonic crystal for DNA detection that differs from the traditional FRET, which is used only in liquid. This method will benefit the development of a new optical FRET label-free biosensor on Si substrate and has great potential in biochips based on integrated optical devices.

  3. Quantum dot-engineered M13 virus layer-by-layer composite films for highly selective and sensitive turn-on TNT sensors.

    PubMed

    Jin, Ho; Won, Nayoun; Ahn, Boeun; Kwag, Jungheon; Heo, Kwang; Oh, Jin-Woo; Sun, Yintao; Cho, Soo Gyeong; Lee, Seung-Wuk; Kim, Sungjee

    2013-07-11

    We developed quantum dot-engineered M13 virus layer-by-layer hybrid composite films with incorporated fluorescence quenchers. TNT is designed to displace the quenchers and turn on the quantum dot fluorescence. TNT was detected at the sub ppb level with a high selectivity.

  4. Fluorescence quencher improves SCANSYSTEM for rapid bacterial detection.

    PubMed

    Schmidt, M; Hourfar, M K; Wahl, A; Nicol, S-B; Montag, T; Roth, W K; Seifried, E

    2006-05-01

    The optimized scansystem could detect contaminated platelet products within 24 h. However, the system's sensitivity was reduced by a high fluorescence background even in sterile samples, which led to the necessity of a well-trained staff for confirmation of microscope results. A new protocol of the optimized scansystem with the addition of a fluorescence quencher was evaluated. Pool platelet concentrates contaminated with five transfusion-relevant bacterial strains were tested in a blind study. In conjunction with new analysis software, the new quenching dye was able to reduce significantly unspecific background fluorescence. Sensitivity was best for Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli (3 CFU/ml). The application of a fluorescence quencher enables automated discrimination of positive and negative test results in 60% of all analysed samples.

  5. Graphene-Based Optical Biosensors and Imaging

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tang, Zhiwen; He, Shijiang; Pei, Hao

    2014-01-13

    This chapter focuses on the design, fabrication and application of graphene based optical nanobiosensors. The emerging graphene based optical nanobiosensors demonstrated the promising bioassay and biomedical applications thanking to the unique optical features of graphene. According to the different applications, the graphene can be tailored to form either fluorescent emitter or efficient fluorescence quencher. The exceptional electronic feature of graphene makes it a powerful platform for fabricating the SPR and SERS biosensors. Today the graphene based optical biosensors have been constructed to detect various targets including ions, small biomolecules, DNA/RNA and proteins. This chapter reviews the recent progress in graphene-basedmore » optical biosensors and discusses the opportunities and challenges in this field.« less

  6. A label-free fluorescent probe for Hg2+ and biothiols based on graphene oxide and Ru-complex

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Linlin; Yao, Tianming; Shi, Shuo; Cao, Yanlin; Sun, Wenliang

    2014-01-01

    A novel, selective and sensitive switch-on fluorescent sensor for Hg2+ and switch-off fluorescent probe for biothiols was developed by using [Ru(bpy)2(pip)]2+ as the signal reporter and graphene oxide (GO) as the quencher. Due to the affinity of GO towards single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) and [Ru(bpy)2(pip)]2+, the three components assembled, resulting in fluorescence quenching. Upon addition of Hg2+, a double-stranded DNA (ds-DNA) via T–Hg2+–T base pairs was formed, and [Ru(bpy)2(pip)]2+ intercalated into the newly formed ds-DNA. Then, [Ru(bpy)2(pip)]2+ and ds-DNA were removed from the surface of GO, resulting in the restoration of fluorescence. Subsequently, upon addition of biothiols, Hg2+ was released from ds-DNA, due to the higher affinity of Hg2+ to the sulfur atoms of biothiols, which could induce ds-DNA unwinding to form ss-DNA. Then ss-DNA and [Ru(bpy)2(pip)]2+ were adsorbed on the surface of GO, the fluorescence of [Ru(bpy)2(pip)]2+ was quenched again. Therefore, the changes in emission intensity of [Ru(bpy)2(pip)]2+ directly correlated to the amount of detection target (Hg2+ or biothiols) in solution. The assay exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity, with the limits of detection for Hg2+, cysteine (Cys) and glutathione (GSH) to be 2.34 nM, 6.20 nM and 4.60 nM, respectively. PMID:24936798

  7. Roles of free radicals in type 1 phototherapeutic agents: aromatic amines, sulfenamides, and sulfenates.

    PubMed

    Lin, Tien-Sung; Rajagopalan, Raghavan; Shen, Yuefei; Park, Sungho; Poreddy, Amruta R; Asmelash, Bethel; Karwa, Amolkumar S; Taylor, John-Stephen A

    2013-07-03

    Detailed analyses of the electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra, cell viability, and DNA degradation studies are presented for the photolyzed Type I phototherapeutic agents: aromatic amines, sulfenamides, and sulfenates. The ESR studies provided evidence that copious free radicals can be generated from these N-H, N-S, and S-O containing compounds upon photoirradiation with UV/visible light. The analyses of spectral data allowed us to identify the free radical species. The cell viability studies showed that these agents after exposure to light exert cytotoxicity to kill cancer cells (U937 leukemia cell lines HTC11, KB, and HT29 cell lines) in a dosage- and time-dependent manner. We examined a possible pathway of cell death via DNA degradation by a plasmid cleavage assay for several compounds. The effects of photosensitization with benzophenone in the presence of oxygen were examined. The studies indicate that planar tricyclic amines and sulfenamides tend to form π-electron delocalized aminyl radicals, whereas nonplanar ones tend to yield nitroxide radicals resulting from the recombination of aminyl radicals with oxygen. The ESR studies coupled with the results of cell viability measurements and DNA degradation reveal that planar N-centered radicals can provide higher potency in cell death and allow us to provide some insights on the reaction mechanisms. We also found the formation of azatropylium cations possessing high aromaticity derived from azepines can facilitate secondary electron transfer to form toxic O2(•-) radicals, which can further exert oxidative stress and cause cell death.

  8. The enhancement of oxidative DNA damage by anti-diabetic metformin, buformin, and phenformin, via nitrogen-centered radicals.

    PubMed

    Ohnishi, Shiho; Mizutani, Hideki; Kawanishi, Shosuke

    2016-08-01

    Metformin (N,N-dimethylbiguanide), buformin (1-butylbiguanide), and phenformin (1-phenethylbiguanide) are anti-diabetic biguanide drugs, expected to having anti-cancer effect. The mechanism of anti-cancer effect by these drugs is not completely understood. In this study, we demonstrated that these drugs dramatically enhanced oxidative DNA damage under oxidative condition. Metformin, buformin, and phenformin enhanced generation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) in isolated DNA reacted with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and Cu(II), although these drugs did not form 8-oxodG in the absence of H2O2 or Cu(II). An electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study, utilizing alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone and 3,3,5,5-tetramethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide as spin trapping agents, showed that nitrogen-centered radicals were generated from biguanides in the presence of Cu(II) and H2O2, and that these radicals were decreased by the addition of DNA. These results suggest that biguanides enhance Cu(II)/H2O2-mediated 8-oxodG generation via nitrogen-centered radical formation. The enhancing effect on oxidative DNA damage may play a role on anti-cancer activity.

  9. Protective effect of Pterostilbene against free radical mediated oxidative damage

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Pterostilbene, a methoxylated analog of Resveratrol, is gradually gaining more importance as a therapeutic drug owing to its higher lipophilicity, bioavailability and biological activity than Resveratrol. This study was undertaken to characterize its ability to scavenge free radicals such as superoxide, hydroxyl and hydrogen peroxide and to protect bio-molecules within a cell against oxidative insult. Methods Anti-oxidant activity of Pterostilbene was evaluated extensively by employing several in vitro radical scavenging/inhibiting assays and pulse radiolysis study. In addition, its ability to protect rat liver mitochondria against tertiary-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) and hydroxyl radical generated oxidative damage was determined by measuring the damage markers such as protein carbonyls, protein sulphydryls, lipid hydroperoxides, lipid peroxides and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine. Pterostilbene was also evaluated for its ability to inhibit •OH radical induced single strand breaks in pBR322 DNA. Result Pterostilbene exhibited strong anti-oxidant activity against various free radicals such as DPPH, ABTS, hydroxyl, superoxide and hydrogen peroxide in a concentration dependent manner. Pterostilbene conferred protection to proteins, lipids and DNA in isolated mitochondrial fractions against TBHP and hydroxyl radical induced oxidative damage. It also protected pBR322 DNA against oxidative assault. Conclusions Thus, present study provides an evidence for the strong anti-oxidant property of Pterostilbene, methoxylated analog of Resveratrol, thereby potentiating its role as an anti-oxidant. PMID:24070177

  10. Highly sensitive fluorescence quantitative detection of specific DNA sequences with molecular beacons and nucleic acid dye SYBR Green I.

    PubMed

    Xiang, Dongshan; Zhai, Kun; Xiang, Wenjun; Wang, Lianzhi

    2014-11-01

    A highly sensitive fluorescence method of quantitative detection for specific DNA sequence is developed based on molecular beacon (MB) and nucleic acid dye SYBR Green I by synchronous fluorescence analysis. It is demonstrated by an oligonucleotide sequence of wild-type HBV (target DNA) as a model system. In this strategy, the fluorophore of MB is designed to be 6-carboxyfluorescein group (FAM), and the maximum excitation wavelength and maximum emission wavelength are both very close to that of SYBR Green I. In the presence of targets DNA, the MBs hybridize with the targets DNA and form double-strand DNA (dsDNA), the fluorophore FAM is separated from the quencher BHQ-1, thus the fluorophore emit fluorescence. At the same time, SYBR Green I binds to dsDNA, the fluorescence intensity of SYBR Green I is significantly enhanced. When targets DNA are detected by synchronous fluorescence analysis, the fluorescence peaks of FAM and SYBR Green I overlap completely, so the fluorescence signal of system will be significantly enhanced. Thus, highly sensitive fluorescence quantitative detection for DNA can be realized. Under the optimum conditions, the total fluorescence intensity of FAM and SYBR Green I exhibits good linear dependence on concentration of targets DNA in the range from 2×10(-11) to 2.5×10(-9)M. The detection limit of target DNA is estimated to be 9×10(-12)M (3σ). Compared with previously reported methods of detection DNA with MB, the proposed method can significantly enhance the detection sensitivity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Application of an in vitro DNA protection assay to visualize stress mediation properties of the Dps protein.

    PubMed

    Karas, Vlad O; Westerlaken, Ilja; Meyer, Anne S

    2013-05-31

    Oxidative stress is an unavoidable byproduct of aerobic life. Molecular oxygen is essential for terrestrial metabolism, but it also takes part in many damaging reactions within living organisms. The combination of aerobic metabolism and iron, which is another vital compound for life, is enough to produce radicals through Fenton chemistry and degrade cellular components. DNA degradation is arguably the most damaging process involving intracellular radicals, as DNA repair is far from trivial. The assay presented in this article offers a quantitative technique to measure and visualize the effect of molecules and enzymes on radical-mediated DNA damage. The DNA protection assay is a simple, quick, and robust tool for the in vitro characterization of the protective properties of proteins or chemicals. It involves exposing DNA to a damaging oxidative reaction and adding varying concentrations of the compound of interest. The reduction or increase of DNA damage as a function of compound concentration is then visualized using gel electrophoresis. In this article we demonstrate the technique of the DNA protection assay by measuring the protective properties of the DNA-binding protein from starved cells (Dps). Dps is a mini-ferritin that is utilized by more than 300 bacterial species to powerfully combat environmental stressors. Here we present the Dps purification protocol and the optimized assay conditions for evaluating DNA protection by Dps.

  12. In Vitro Fluorogenic Real-time Assay of the Repair of Oxidative DNA Damage

    PubMed Central

    Edwards, Sarah K.; Ono, Toshikazu; Wang, Shenliang; Jiang, Wei; Franzini, Raphael M.; Jung, Jong Wha; Chan, Ke Min; Kool, Eric T.

    2015-01-01

    The repair of oxidative damage to DNA is essential to avoidance of mutations that lead to cancer. Oxidized DNA bases, such as 8-oxoguanine, are a chief source of these mutations, and the enzyme 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (OGG1) is the chief human enzyme that excises 8-oxoguanine from DNA. The activity of OGG1 has been linked to human inflammation responses and to cancer, and researchers are beginning to search for inhibitors of the enzyme. However, measuring the activity of the enzyme typically requires laborious gel-based measurements of radiolabeled DNAs. Here we report on the design and properties of fluorogenic probes that directly report on OGG1 (and bacterial homologue Fpg) activity in real time as the oxidized base is excised. The probes are short modified DNA oligomers containing fluorescent DNA bases and are designed to utilize the damaged DNA base itself as a fluorescence quencher. Screening of combinations of fluorophores and 8-oxoguanine revealed two fluorophores, pyrene and tCo, that are strongly quenched by the damaged base. We tested 42 potential probe designs containing these fluorophores, and we found an optimized probe OGR1 that yields a 60-fold light-up signal in vitro with OGG1 and Fpg, and can report on oxidative repair activity in mammalian cell lysate and with bacterial cells overexpressing a repair enzyme. Such probes may be useful in quantifying enzyme activity and performing competitive inhibition assays. PMID:26073452

  13. Superoxide dismutase 1-mediated production of ethanol- and DNA-derived radicals in yeasts challenged with hydrogen peroxide: molecular insights into the genome instability of peroxiredoxin-null strains.

    PubMed

    Ogusucu, Renata; Rettori, Daniel; Netto, Luis E S; Augusto, Ohara

    2009-02-27

    Peroxiredoxins are receiving increasing attention as defenders against oxidative damage and sensors of hydrogen peroxide-mediated signaling events. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, deletion of one or more isoforms of the peroxiredoxins is not lethal but compromises genome stability by mechanisms that remain under scrutiny. Here, we show that cytosolic peroxiredoxin-null cells (tsa1Deltatsa2Delta) are more resistant to hydrogen peroxide than wild-type (WT) cells and consume it faster under fermentative conditions. Also, tsa1Deltatsa2Delta cells produced higher yields of the 1-hydroxyethyl radical from oxidation of the glucose metabolite ethanol, as proved by spin-trapping experiments. A major role for Fenton chemistry in radical formation was excluded by comparing WT and tsa1Deltatsa2Delta cells with respect to their levels of total and chelatable metal ions and of radical produced in the presence of chelators. The main route for 1-hydroxyethyl radical formation was ascribed to the peroxidase activity of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (Sod1), whose expression and activity increased approximately 5- and 2-fold, respectively, in tsa1Deltatsa2Delta compared with WT cells. Accordingly, overexpression of human Sod1 in WT yeasts led to increased 1-hydroxyethyl radical production. Relevantly, tsa1Deltatsa2Delta cells challenged with hydrogen peroxide contained higher levels of DNA-derived radicals and adducts as monitored by immuno-spin trapping and incorporation of (14)C from glucose into DNA, respectively. The results indicate that part of hydrogen peroxide consumption by tsa1Deltatsa2Delta cells is mediated by induced Sod1, which oxidizes ethanol to the 1-hydroxyethyl radical, which, in turn, leads to increased DNA damage. Overall, our studies provide a pathway to account for the hypermutability of peroxiredoxin-null strains.

  14. Radical-induced purine lesion formation is dependent on DNA helical topology.

    PubMed

    Terzidis, Michael A; Prisecaru, Andreea; Molphy, Zara; Barron, Niall; Randazzo, Antonio; Dumont, Elise; Krokidis, Marios G; Kellett, Andrew; Chatgilialoglu, Chryssostomos

    2016-11-01

    Herein we report the quantification of purine lesions arising from gamma-radiation sourced hydroxyl radicals (HO • ) on tertiary dsDNA helical forms of supercoiled (SC), open circular (OC), and linear (L) conformation, along with single-stranded folded and non-folded sequences of guanine-rich DNA in selected G-quadruplex structures. We identify that DNA helical topology and folding plays major, and unexpected, roles in the formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyadenosine (8-oxo-dA), along with tandem-type purine lesions 5',8-cyclo-2'-deoxyguanosine (5',8-cdG) and 5',8-cyclo-2'-deoxyadenosine (5',8-cdA). SC, OC, and L dsDNA conformers together with folded and non-folded G-quadruplexes d[TGGGGT] 4 (TG4T), d[AGGG(TTAGGG) 3 ] (Tel22), and the mutated tel24 d[TTGGG(TTAGGG) 3 A] (mutTel24) were exposed to HO • radicals and purine lesions were then quantified via stable isotope dilution LC-MS/MS analysis. Purine oxidation in dsDNA follows L > OC ≫ SC indicating greater damage towards the extended B-DNA topology. Conversely, G-quadruplex sequences were significantly more resistant toward purine oxidation in their unfolded states as compared with G-tetrad folded topologies; this effect is confirmed upon comparative analysis of Tel22 (∼50% solution folded) and mutTel24 (∼90% solution folded). In an effort to identify the accessibly of hydroxyl radicals to quadruplex purine nucleobases, G-quadruplex solvent cavities were then modeled at 1.33 Å with evidence suggesting that folded G-tetrads may act as potential oxidant traps to protect against chromosomal DNA damage.

  15. Free Radical Chemistry Enabled by Visible Light-Induced Electron Transfer.

    PubMed

    Staveness, Daryl; Bosque, Irene; Stephenson, Corey R J

    2016-10-18

    Harnessing visible light as the driving force for chemical transformations generally offers a more environmentally friendly alternative compared with classical synthetic methodology. The transition metal-based photocatalysts commonly employed in photoredox catalysis absorb efficiently in the visible spectrum, unlike most organic substrates, allowing for orthogonal excitation. The subsequent excited states are both more reducing and more oxidizing than the ground state catalyst and are competitive with some of the more powerful single-electron oxidants or reductants available to organic chemists yet are simply accessed via irradiation. The benefits of this strategy have proven particularly useful in radical chemistry, a field that traditionally employs rather toxic and hazardous reagents to generate the desired intermediates. In this Account, we discuss our efforts to leverage visible light photoredox catalysis in radical-based bond-forming and bond-cleaving events for which few, if any, environmentally benign alternatives exist. Mechanistic investigations have driven our contributions in this field, for both facilitating desired transformations and offering new, unexpected opportunities. In fact, our total synthesis of (+)-gliocladin C was only possible upon elucidating the propensity for various trialkylamine additives to elicit a dual behavior as both a reductive quencher and a H-atom donor. Importantly, while natural product synthesis was central to our initial motivations to explore these photochemical processes, we have since demonstrated applicability within other subfields of chemistry, and our evaluation of flow technologies demonstrates the potential to translate these results from the bench to pilot scale. Our forays into photoredox catalysis began with fundamental methodology, providing a tin-free reductive dehalogenation that exchanged the gamut of hazardous reagents previously employed for such a transformation for visible light-mediated, ambient temperature conditions. Evolving from this work, a new avenue toward atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) chemistry was developed, enabling dual functionalization of both double and triple bonds. Importantly, we have also expanded our portfolio to target clinically relevant scaffolds. Photoredox catalysis proved effective in generating high value fluorinated alkyl radicals through the use of abundantly available starting materials, providing access to libraries of trifluoromethylated (hetero)arenes as well as intriguing gem-difluoro benzyl motifs via a novel photochemical radical Smiles rearrangement. Finally, we discuss a photochemical strategy toward sustainable lignin processing through selective C-O bond cleavage methodology. The collection of these efforts is meant to highlight the potential for visible light-mediated radical chemistry to impact a variety of industrial sectors.

  16. Estimation of life times and diffusion distances of radicals involved in x- ray-induced DNA strand breaks of killing of mammalian cells

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Roots, R; Okada, S

    1975-11-01

    We have used a mammalian tissue culture system to calculate the life times and diffusion distances in DNA scissions as well as cell killing for the three main products of water radiolysis: OH, H, and e$sup -$/sub aq/. Using various alcohols as radical scavengers, the average life time for OH in DNA single-strand breaks was calculated to be about 4 x 10$sup -9$ sec. Using the same data and published rate constants, the apparent life time of H atoms was calculated to vary from about 2 x 10$sup -7$ to 4 x 10$sup -6$ sec and, similarly, the calculated lifemore » time of the hydrated electron was found to vary more than was the case for OH. From these life times, the radical diffusion distances were estimated to be approximately 60 A for OH, which is reasonable, but the values for both H and e$sup -$/sub aq/ were unrealistically large, i.e., 880 to 4040 A for H and 9590 to 19,810 A for e$sup -$/sub aq/. In cell killing, the OH radical life time was estimated to be about 8.7 x 10$sup -9$ sec which gives an average diffusion distance for this radical of about 93 A. Our data support the idea that OH is the radical species primarily responsible for the indirect effect in radiation injury measured as DNA single-strand breaks or cell killing, and that H and e$sup -$/sub aq/ are not significantly involved. (auth)« less

  17. Hydroxyl radical mediated DNA base modification by manmade mineral fibres.

    PubMed Central

    Leanderson, P; Söderkvist, P; Tagesson, C

    1989-01-01

    Manmade mineral fibres (MMMFs) were examined for their ability to hydroxylate 2-deoxyguanosine (dG) to 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), a reaction that is mediated by hydroxyl radicals. It appeared that (1) catalase and the hydroxyl radical scavengers, dimethylsulphoxide and sodium benzoate, inhibited the hydroxylation, whereas Fe2+ and H2O2 potentiated it; (2) pretreatment of MMMFs with the iron chelator, deferoxamine, or with extensive heat (200-400 degrees C), attenuated the hydroxylation; (3) the hydroxylation obtained by various MMMFs varied considerably; (4) there was no apparent correlation between the hydroxylation and the surface area of different MMMFs, although increasing the surface area of a fibre by crushing it increased its hydroxylating capacity; and (5) there was good correlation between the hydroxylation of dG residues in DNA and the hydroxylation of pure dG in solution for the 16 different MMMFs investigated. These findings indicate that MMMFs cause a hydroxyl radical mediated DNA base modification in vitro and that there is considerable variation in the reactivity of different fibre species. The DNA modifying ability seems to depend on physical or chemical characteristics, or both, of the fibre. PMID:2765416

  18. Inhibition of peroxynitrite-mediated DNA strand cleavage and hydroxyl radical formation by aspirin at pharmacologically relevant concentrations: implications for cancer intervention

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Wei; Zhu, Hong; Jia, Zhenquan; Li, Jianrong; Misra, Hara P.; Zhou, Kequan; Li, Yunbo

    2009-01-01

    Epidemiological studies have suggested that the long-term use of aspirin is associated with a decreased incidence of human malignancies, especially colorectal cancer. Since accumulating evidence indicates that peroxynitrite is critically involved in multistage carcinogenesis, this study was undertaken to investigate the ability of aspirin to inhibit peroxynitrite-mediated DNA damage. Peroxynitrite and its generator 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) were used to cause DNA strand breaks in φX-174 plasmid DNA. We demonstrated that the presence of aspirin at concentrations (0.25 -2 mM) compatible with amounts in plasma during chronic anti-inflammatory therapy resulted in a significant inhibition of DNA cleavage induced by both peroxynitrite and SIN-1. Moreover, the consumption of oxygen caused by 250 µM SIN-1 was found to be decreased in the presence of aspirin, indicating that aspirin might affect the auto-oxidation of SIN-1. Furthermore, EPR spectroscopy using 5,5-dimethylpyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) as a spin trap demonstrated the formation of DMPO-hydroxyl radical adduct (DMPO-OH) from authentic peroxynitrite, and that aspirin at 0.25 - 2 mM potently diminished the radical adduct formation in a concentration-dependent manner. Taken together, these results demonstrate for the first time that aspirin at pharmacologically relevant concentrations can inhibit peroxynitrite-mediated DNA strand breakage and hydroxyl radical formation. These results may have implications for cancer intervention by aspirin. PMID:19785994

  19. Inhibition of peroxynitrite-mediated DNA strand cleavage and hydroxyl radical formation by aspirin at pharmacologically relevant concentrations: Implications for cancer intervention

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chen, Wei; College of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310035; Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061

    Epidemiological studies have suggested that the long-term use of aspirin is associated with a decreased incidence of human malignancies, especially colorectal cancer. Since accumulating evidence indicates that peroxynitrite is critically involved in multistage carcinogenesis, this study was undertaken to investigate the ability of aspirin to inhibit peroxynitrite-mediated DNA damage. Peroxynitrite and its generator 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) were used to cause DNA strand breaks in {phi}X-174 plasmid DNA. We demonstrated that the presence of aspirin at concentrations (0.25-2 mM) compatible with amounts in plasma during chronic anti-inflammatory therapy resulted in a significant inhibition of DNA cleavage induced by both peroxynitrite and SIN-1.more » Moreover, the consumption of oxygen caused by 250 {mu}M SIN-1 was found to be decreased in the presence of aspirin, indicating that aspirin might affect the auto-oxidation of SIN-1. Furthermore, EPR spectroscopy using 5,5-dimethylpyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) as a spin trap demonstrated the formation of DMPO-hydroxyl radical adduct (DMPO-OH) from authentic peroxynitrite, and that aspirin at 0.25-2 mM potently diminished the radical adduct formation in a concentration-dependent manner. Taken together, these results demonstrate for the first time that aspirin at pharmacologically relevant concentrations can inhibit peroxynitrite-mediated DNA strand breakage and hydroxyl radical formation. These results may have implications for cancer intervention by aspirin.« less

  20. Mechanism of UVA-dependent DNA damage induced by an antitumor drug dacarbazine in relation to its photogenotoxicity.

    PubMed

    Iwamoto, Takuya; Hiraku, Yusuke; Okuda, Masahiro; Kawanishi, Shosuke

    2008-03-01

    It has been reported that dacarbazine (DTIC) is photogenotoxic. The purpose of this study is to clarify the mechanism of photogenotoxicity induced by DTIC. We examined DNA damage induced by UVA-irradiated DTIC using 32P-5'-end-labeled DNA fragments obtained from human genes. Formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) in calf thymus DNA was measured by high performance liquid chromatograph with an electrochemical detector. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spin-trapping experiments were performed to detect radical species generated from UVA-irradiated DTIC. UVA-irradiated DTIC caused DNA damage at guanine residues, especially at the 5'-GGT-3' sequence in the presence of Cu(II) and also induced 8-oxodG generation in calf thymus DNA. DTIC-induced photodamage to DNA fragments was partially inhibited by catalase, whereas 8-oxodG formation was significantly increased by catalase. NaN3, a carbene scavenger, inhibited DNA damage and 8-oxodG formation in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that carbene intermediates are involved. The ESR spin-trapping experiments demonstrated the generation of aryl radicals in the process of photodegradation of DTIC. Photoactivated DTIC generates the carbene and aryl radicals, which may induce both DNA adduct and 8-oxodG formation, resulting in photogenotoxicity. This study could provide an insight into the safe usage of DTIC.

  1. Direct observation of ultrafast-electron-transfer reactions unravels high effectiveness of reductive DNA damage

    PubMed Central

    Nguyen, Jenny; Ma, Yuhan; Luo, Ting; Bristow, Robert G.; Jaffray, David A.; Lu, Qing-Bin

    2011-01-01

    Both water and electron-transfer reactions play important roles in chemistry, physics, biology, and the environment. Oxidative DNA damage is a well-known mechanism, whereas the relative role of reductive DNA damage is unknown. The prehydrated electron (), a novel species of electrons in water, is a fascinating species due to its fundamental importance in chemistry, biology, and the environment. is an ideal agent to observe reductive DNA damage. Here, we report both the first in situ femtosecond time-resolved laser spectroscopy measurements of ultrafast-electron-transfer (UET) reactions of with various scavengers (KNO3, isopropanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide) and the first gel electrophoresis measurements of DNA strand breaks induced by and OH• radicals co-produced by two-UV-photon photolysis of water. We strikingly found that the yield of reductive DNA strand breaks induced by each is twice the yield of oxidative DNA strand breaks induced by each OH• radical. Our results not only unravel the long-standing mystery about the relative role of radicals in inducing DNA damage under ionizing radiation, but also challenge the conventional notion that oxidative damage is the main pathway for DNA damage. The results also show the potential of femtomedicine as a new transdisciplinary frontier and the broad significance of UET reactions of in many processes in chemistry, physics, biology, and the environment. PMID:21730183

  2. DNA Binding Hydroxyl Radical Probes.

    PubMed

    Tang, Vicky J; Konigsfeld, Katie M; Aguilera, Joe A; Milligan, Jamie R

    2012-01-01

    The hydroxyl radical is the primary mediator of DNA damage by the indirect effect of ionizing radiation. It is a powerful oxidizing agent produced by the radiolysis of water and is responsible for a significant fraction of the DNA damage associated with ionizing radiation. There is therefore an interest in the development of sensitive assays for its detection. The hydroxylation of aromatic groups to produce fluorescent products has been used for this purpose. We have examined four different chromophores which produce fluorescent products when hydroxylated. Of these, the coumarin system suffers from the fewest disadvantages. We have therefore examined its behavior when linked to a cationic peptide ligand designed to bind strongly to DNA.

  3. Protection of cadmium chloride induced DNA damage by Lamiaceae plants

    PubMed Central

    Thirugnanasampandan, Ramaraj; Jayakumar, Rajarajeswaran

    2011-01-01

    Objective To analyze the total phenolic content, DNA protecting and radical scavenging activity of ethanolic leaf extracts of three Lamiaceae plants, i.e. Anisomelos malabarica (A. malabarica), Leucas aspera (L. aspera) and Ocimum basilicum (O. basilicum). Methods The total polyphenols and flavonoids were analyzed in the ethanolic leaf extracts of the lamiaceae plants. To determine the DNA protecting activity, various concentrations of the plant extracts were prepared and treated on cultured HepG2 human lung cancer cells. The pretreated cells were exposed to H2O2 to induce DNA damage through oxidative stress. Comet assay was done and the tail length of individual comets was measured. Nitric oxide and superoxide anion scavenging activities of lamiaceae plants were analyzed. Results Among the three plant extracts, the highest amount of total phenolic content was found in O. basilicum (189.33 mg/g), whereas A. malabarica showed high levels of flavonoids (10.66 mg/g). O. basilicum also showed high levels of DNA protecting (85%) and radical scavenging activity. Conclusions The results of this study shows that bioactive phenols present in lamiaceae plants may prevent carcinogenesis through scavenging free radicals and inhibiting DNA damage. PMID:23569799

  4. Contribution of indirect effects to clustered damage in DNA irradiated with protons.

    PubMed

    Pachnerová Brabcová, K; Štěpán, V; Karamitros, M; Karabín, M; Dostálek, P; Incerti, S; Davídková, M; Sihver, L

    2015-09-01

    Protons are the dominant particles both in galactic cosmic rays and in solar particle events and, furthermore, proton irradiation becomes increasingly used in tumour treatment. It is believed that complex DNA damage is the determining factor for the consequent cellular response to radiation. DNA plasmid pBR322 was irradiated at U120-M cyclotron with 30 MeV protons and treated with two Escherichia coli base excision repair enzymes. The yields of SSBs and DSBs were analysed using agarose gel electrophoresis. DNA has been irradiated in the presence of hydroxyl radical scavenger (coumarin-3-carboxylic acid) in order to distinguish between direct and indirect damage of the biological target. Pure scavenger solution was used as a probe for measurement of induced OH· radical yields. Experimental OH· radical yield kinetics was compared with predictions computed by two theoretical models-RADAMOL and Geant4-DNA. Both approaches use Geant4-DNA for description of physical stages of radiation action, and then each of them applies a distinct model for description of the pre-chemical and chemical stage. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. Black soybean seed coat polyphenols prevent AAPH-induced oxidative DNA-damage in HepG2 cells

    PubMed Central

    Yoshioka, Yasukiyo; Li, Xiu; Zhang, Tianshun; Mitani, Takakazu; Yasuda, Michiko; Nanba, Fumio; Toda, Toshiya; Yamashita, Yoko; Ashida, Hitoshi

    2017-01-01

    Black soybean seed coat extract (BE), which contains abundant polyphenols such as procyanidins, cyanidin 3-glucoside, (+)-catechin, and (−)­epicatechin, has been reported on health beneficial functions such as antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic activities. In this study, we investigated that prevention of BE and its polyphenols on 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionamide) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced oxidative DNA damage, and found that these polyphenols inhibited AAPH-induced formation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as a biomarker for oxidative DNA damage in HepG2 cells. Under the same conditions, these polyphenols also inhibited AAPH-induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cells. Inhibition of ROS accumulation was observed in both cytosol and nucleus. It was confirmed that these polyphenols inhibited formation of AAPH radical using oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay under the cell-free conditions. These results indicate that polyphenols in BE inhibit free radical-induced oxidative DNA damages by their potent antioxidant activity. Thus, BE is an effective food material for prevention of oxidative stress and oxidative DNA damages. PMID:28366989

  6. Protective effect of extract of Crataegus pinnatifida pollen on DNA damage response to oxidative stress.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Ni; Wang, Yuan; Gao, Hui; Yuan, Jialing; Feng, Fan; Cao, Wei; Zheng, Jianbin

    2013-09-01

    The protective effect of extract of Crataegus pinnatifida (Rosaceae) pollen (ECPP) on the DNA damage response to oxidative stress was investigated and assessed with an alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay and pBR322 plasmid DNA breaks in site-specific and non-site-specific systems. Total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, individual phenolic compounds, antioxidant activities (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), radical scavenging activity, FRAP, and chelating activity) were also determined. The results showed that ECPP possessed a strong ability to protect DNA from being damaged by hydroxyl radicals in both the site-specific system and the non-site-specific system. It also exhibited a cytoprotection effect in mouse lymphocytes against H₂O₂-induced DNA damage. These protective effects may be related to its high total phenolic content (17.65±0.97 mg GAE/g), total flavonoid content (8.04±0.97 mg rutin/g), strong free radical scavenging activity and considerable ferrous ion chelating ability (14.48±0.21 mg Na₂EDTA/g). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. TiO2 photocatalysis causes DNA damage via fenton reaction-generated hydroxyl radicals during the recovery period.

    PubMed

    Gogniat, Gaëtan; Dukan, Sam

    2007-12-01

    Here, we show that resistance of Escherichia coli to TiO2 photocatalysis involves defenses against reactive oxygen species. Results support the idea that TiO2 photocatalysis generates damage which later becomes deleterious during recovery. We found this to be partly due to DNA attack via hydroxyl radicals generated by the Fenton reaction during recovery.

  8. FRET-based quantum dot immunoassay for rapid and sensitive detection of Aspergillus amstelodami.

    PubMed

    Kattke, Michele D; Gao, Elizabeth J; Sapsford, Kim E; Stephenson, Larry D; Kumar, Ashok

    2011-01-01

    In this study, a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based quantum dot (QD) immunoassay for detection and identification of Aspergillus amstelodami was developed. Biosensors were formed by conjugating QDs to IgG antibodies and incubating with quencher-labeled analytes; QD energy was transferred to the quencher species through FRET, resulting in diminished fluorescence from the QD donor. During a detection event, quencher-labeled analytes are displaced by higher affinity target analytes, creating a detectable fluorescence signal increase from the QD donor. Conjugation and the resulting antibody:QD ratios were characterized with UV-Vis spectroscopy and QuantiT protein assay. The sensitivity of initial fluorescence experiments was compromised by inherent autofluorescence of mold spores, which produced low signal-to-noise and inconsistent readings. Therefore, excitation wavelength, QD, and quencher were adjusted to provide optimal signal-to-noise over spore background. Affinities of anti-Aspergillus antibody for different mold species were estimated with sandwich immunoassays, which identified A. fumigatus and A. amstelodami for use as quencher-labeled- and target-analytes, respectively. The optimized displacement immunoassay detected A. amstelodami concentrations as low as 10(3) spores/mL in five minutes or less. Additionally, baseline fluorescence was produced in the presence of 10(5) CFU/mL heat-killed E. coli O157:H7, demonstrating high specificity. This sensing modality may be useful for identification and detection of other biological threat agents, pending identification of suitable antibodies. Overall, these FRET-based QD-antibody biosensors represent a significant advancement in detection capabilities, offering sensitive and reliable detection of targets with applications in areas from biological terrorism defense to clinical analysis.

  9. Resist image quality control via acid diffusion constant and/or photodecomposable quencher concentration in the fabrication of 11 nm half-pitch line-and-space patterns using extreme-ultraviolet lithography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kozawa, Takahiro; Santillan, Julius Joseph; Itani, Toshiro

    2018-05-01

    Extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography will be applied to the high-volume production of semiconductor devices with 16 nm half-pitch resolution and is expected to be extended to that of devices with 11 nm half-pitch resolution. With the reduction in the feature sizes, the control of acid diffusion becomes a significant concern. In this study, the dependence of resist image quality on T PEB D acid and photodecomposable quencher concentration was investigated by the Monte Carlo method on the basis of the sensitization and reaction mechanisms of chemically amplified EUV resists. Here, T PEB and D acid are the postexposure baking (PEB) time and the acid diffusion constant, respectively. The resist image quality of 11 nm line-and-space patterns is discussed in terms of line edge roughness (LER) and stochastic defect generation. For the minimization of LER, it is necessary to design and control not only the photodecomposable quencher concentration but also T PEB D acid. In this case, D acid should be adjusted to be 0.3–1.5 nm2 s‑1 for a PEB time of 60 s with optimization of the balance among LER and stochastic pinching and bridging. Even if it is difficult to decrease D acid to the range of 0.3–1.5 nm2 s‑1, the image quality can still be controlled via only the photodecomposable quencher concentration, although LER and stochastic pinching and bridging are slightly increased. In this case, accurate control of the photodecomposable quencher concentration and the reduction in the initial standard deviation of the number of protected units are required.

  10. FRET-Based Quantum Dot Immunoassay for Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Aspergillus amstelodami

    PubMed Central

    Kattke, Michele D.; Gao, Elizabeth J.; Sapsford, Kim E.; Stephenson, Larry D.; Kumar, Ashok

    2011-01-01

    In this study, a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based quantum dot (QD) immunoassay for detection and identification of Aspergillus amstelodami was developed. Biosensors were formed by conjugating QDs to IgG antibodies and incubating with quencher-labeled analytes; QD energy was transferred to the quencher species through FRET, resulting in diminished fluorescence from the QD donor. During a detection event, quencher-labeled analytes are displaced by higher affinity target analytes, creating a detectable fluorescence signal increase from the QD donor. Conjugation and the resulting antibody:QD ratios were characterized with UV-Vis spectroscopy and QuantiT protein assay. The sensitivity of initial fluorescence experiments was compromised by inherent autofluorescence of mold spores, which produced low signal-to-noise and inconsistent readings. Therefore, excitation wavelength, QD, and quencher were adjusted to provide optimal signal-to-noise over spore background. Affinities of anti-Aspergillus antibody for different mold species were estimated with sandwich immunoassays, which identified A. fumigatus and A. amstelodami for use as quencher-labeled- and target-analytes, respectively. The optimized displacement immunoassay detected A. amstelodami concentrations as low as 103 spores/mL in five minutes or less. Additionally, baseline fluorescence was produced in the presence of 105 CFU/mL heat-killed E. coli O157:H7, demonstrating high specificity. This sensing modality may be useful for identification and detection of other biological threat agents, pending identification of suitable antibodies. Overall, these FRET-based QD-antibody biosensors represent a significant advancement in detection capabilities, offering sensitive and reliable detection of targets with applications in areas from biological terrorism defense to clinical analysis. PMID:22163961

  11. Bioactive components, antioxidant and DNA damage inhibitory activities of honeys from arid regions.

    PubMed

    Habib, Hosam M; Al Meqbali, Fatima T; Kamal, Hina; Souka, Usama D; Ibrahim, Wissam H

    2014-06-15

    Honey serves as a good source of natural antioxidants, which are effective in reducing the risk of occurrence of several diseases. This study was undertaken to address the limited knowledge regarding the polyphenolic content, antioxidant and DNA damage inhibitory activities of honeys produced in arid regions and compare them with well-recognized honeys from non-arid regions. Different types of honey were assessed for their contents of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and certain types of phenolic compounds. The antioxidant capacity of honey was evaluated by ferric-reducing/antioxidant power assay (FRAP), free radical-scavenging activity (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO) radical-scavenging assay, total antioxidant activity, and DNA damage. Results clearly showed significant differences among honeys with all the evaluated parameters. Results also showed that one or more types of honey from arid regions contained higher levels of phenolic compounds, free radical-scavenging activities, or DNA damage inhibitory activities compared with the evaluated honeys from non-arid regions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Ambient Particulate Matter Induces Oxidative Dna Damage in Lung Epithelial Cells.

    PubMed

    Knaapen, A M; Schins, R P; Steinfartz, Y; Doris, H; Dunemann, L; Borm, P J

    2000-01-01

    Although epidemiological studies have established a correlation between PMIO levels and acute cardiovascular and respiratory complications, hardly any data is available on possible chronic effects such as cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the production of free radicals by ambient particulate matter (TSP) and to link these data to oxidative DNA damage in lung epithelial cells. In line with previous findings on PMIO, supercoiled plasmid DNA was depleted by JSP as well as JSP supernatant (p < .001), and this effect was reduced in the presence of mannitol (5 mM). Using electron spin resonance (ESR) and the spin trap dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) we were able to show that hydroxy/radicals ('OH) are formed from both JSP and JSP supernatant. The DMPO-OH signal was completely abrogated when TSP was preincubated with deferoxamine (5 mM), showing the importance of iron and other soluble metals in this process. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) analysis of the TSP supernatant showed the presence of soluble Fe, V, and Ni (respectively 253.0, 14.7, and 76.0 µ/g insoluble TSP). To investigate the biological significance of OH formation by TSP, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-oxodC) was measured in a rat type II cell line by immunocytochemistry. The formation of this hydroxyl-radical-specific DNA adduct was increased twofold (p < .01) after incubation with TSP supernatants, and this effect was inhibited by deferoxamine (p < .01). In summary, our results provide direct evidence that ambient particulate matter generates hydroxyI radicals in acellular systems. Furthermore, we showed that these particulates induce the hydroxyl-radical-specific DNA lesion 8-oxodC in lung target cells via an iron-mediated mechanism.

  13. Chemical composition and inhibitory effects of water extract of Henna leaves on reactive oxygen species, DNA scission and proliferation of cancer cells

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, Manish; Chandel, Madhu; Kaur, Paramjeet; Pandit, Kritika; Kaur, Varinder; Kaur, Sandeep; Kaur, Satwinderjeet

    2016-01-01

    From the centuries, Lawsonia inermis L. (Henna) is utilized in traditional health care system as a medicinal and cosmetic agent. The present study was intended to assess antiradical, DNA protective and antiproliferative activity of water extract of Lawsonia inermis L. leaves (W-LI). Antioxidant activity was estimated using various in vitro assays such as DPPH, ABTS, superoxide anion radical scavenging, FRAP, deoxyribose degradation and DNA protection assay. Growth inhibitory effects of W-LI were assessed using MTT assay against different cancer cell lines viz. HeLa, MCF-7, A549, C6 and COLO-205. From the results of antioxidant assays, it was found that W-LI quenched DPPH and ABTS cation radicals with IC50 value of 352.77 µg/ml and 380.87 µg/ml respectively. It demonstrated hydroxyl radical scavenging potential of 59.75 % at highest test dose of 1000 µg/ml in deoxyribose degradation assay. The results of FRAP assay showed that W-LI also possesses significant reducing activity. Extract inhibited hydroxyl radical induced pBR322 plasmid DNA strand scission, thus conferring DNA protection. Growth inhibition of various cancer cell lines was achieved to the varying extent on treatment with W-LI. Further, it was observed that activity was quite promising against colon cancer COLO-205 cells (GI50 121.03 µg/ml). HPLC profiling of W-LI revealed the presence of different polyphenolic compounds such as ellagic acid, catechin, quercetin, kaempferol etc. which might be contributing towards antioxidant and cytotoxic activity. The present study demonstrated that polyphenols rich W-LI extract from leaves of L. inermis possesses ability to inhibit oxidative radicals and cancer cells proliferation. PMID:28337113

  14. Magnetic-field-induced DNA strand breaks in brain cells of the rat.

    PubMed Central

    Lai, Henry; Singh, Narendra P

    2004-01-01

    In previous research, we found that rats acutely (2 hr) exposed to a 60-Hz sinusoidal magnetic field at intensities of 0.1-0.5 millitesla (mT) showed increases in DNA single- and double-strand breaks in their brain cells. Further research showed that these effects could be blocked by pretreating the rats with the free radical scavengers melatonin and N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone, suggesting the involvement of free radicals. In the present study, effects of magnetic field exposure on brain cell DNA in the rat were further investigated. Exposure to a 60-Hz magnetic field at 0.01 mT for 24 hr caused a significant increase in DNA single- and double-strand breaks. Prolonging the exposure to 48 hr caused a larger increase. This indicates that the effect is cumulative. In addition, treatment with Trolox (a vitamin E analog) or 7-nitroindazole (a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) blocked magnetic-field-induced DNA strand breaks. These data further support a role of free radicals on the effects of magnetic fields. Treatment with the iron chelator deferiprone also blocked the effects of magnetic fields on brain cell DNA, suggesting the involvement of iron. Acute magnetic field exposure increased apoptosis and necrosis of brain cells in the rat. We hypothesize that exposure to a 60-Hz magnetic field initiates an iron-mediated process (e.g., the Fenton reaction) that increases free radical formation in brain cells, leading to DNA strand breaks and cell death. This hypothesis could have an important implication for the possible health effects associated with exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields in the public and occupational environments. PMID:15121512

  15. Quenching methods for background reduction in luminescence-based probe-target binding assays

    DOEpatents

    Cai, Hong [Los Alamos, NM; Goodwin, Peter M [Los Alamos, NM; Keller, Richard A [Los Alamos, NM; Nolan, Rhiannon L [Santa Fe, NM

    2007-04-10

    Background luminescence is reduced from a solution containing unbound luminescent probes, each having a first molecule that attaches to a target molecule and having an attached luminescent moiety, and luminescent probe/target adducts. Quenching capture reagent molecules are formed that are capable of forming an adduct with the unbound luminescent probes and having an attached quencher material effective to quench luminescence of the luminescent moiety. The quencher material of the capture reagent molecules is added to a solution of the luminescent probe/target adducts and binds in a proximity to the luminescent moiety of the unbound luminescent probes to quench luminescence from the luminescent moiety when the luminescent moiety is exposed to exciting illumination. The quencher capture reagent does not bind to probe molecules that are bound to target molecules and the probe/target adduct emission is not quenched.

  16. Picosecond-resolved FRET on non-amplified DNA for identifying individuals genetically susceptible to type-1 diabetes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nardo, Luca; Tosi, Giovanna; Bondani, Maria; Accolla, Roberto; Andreoni, Alessandra

    2012-06-01

    By tens-of-picosecond resolved fluorescence detection we study Förster resonance energy transfer between a donor and a black-hole-quencher bound at the 5'- and 3'-positions of an oligonucleotide probe matching the highly polymorphic region between codons 51 and 58 of the human leukocyte antigen DQB1 0201 allele, conferring susceptibility to type-1 diabetes. The probe is annealed with non-amplified genomic DNAs carrying either the 0201 sequence or other DQB1 allelic variants. We detect the longest-lived donor fluorescence in the case of hybridization with the 0201 allele and definitely faster and distinct decays for the other allelic variants, some of which are single-nucleotide polymorphic.

  17. Efficient Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer between Quantum Dots and Gold Nanoparticles Based on Porous Silicon Photonic Crystal for DNA Detection

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Hongyan; Lv, Jie; Jia, Zhenhong

    2017-01-01

    A novel assembled biosensor was prepared for detecting 16S rRNA, a small-size persistent specific for Actinobacteria. The mechanism of the porous silicon (PS) photonic crystal biosensor is based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between quantum dots (QDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) through DNA hybridization, where QDs act as an emission donor and AuNPs serve as a fluorescence quencher. Results showed that the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of PS photonic crystal was drastically increased when the QDs-conjugated probe DNA was adhered to the PS layer by surface modification using a standard cross-link chemistry method. The PL intensity of QDs was decreased when the addition of AuNPs-conjugated complementary 16S rRNA was dropped onto QDs-conjugated PS. Based on the analysis of different target DNA concentration, it was found that the decrease of the PL intensity showed a good linear relationship with complementary DNA concentration in a range from 0.25 to 10 μM, and the detection limit was 328.7 nM. Such an optical FRET biosensor functions on PS-based photonic crystal for DNA detection that differs from the traditional FRET, which is used only in liquid. This method will benefit the development of a new optical FRET label-free biosensor on Si substrate and has great potential in biochips based on integrated optical devices. PMID:28489033

  18. Sexithiophenes as efficient luminescence quenchers of quantum dots

    PubMed Central

    Mason, Christopher R; Li, Yang; O’Brien, Paul; Findlay, Neil J

    2011-01-01

    Summary Sexithiophenes 1a and 1b, in which a 4-(dimethylamino)phenyl unit is incorporated as an end-capping group, were synthesised and characterised by cyclic voltammetry, absorption spectroscopy and UV–vis spectroelectrochemistry. Additionally, their ability to function as effective luminescence quenchers for quantum dot emission was studied by photoluminescence spectroscopy and compared with the performance of alkyl end-capped sexithiophenes 2a and 2b. PMID:22238551

  19. "Competitive quenching": a mechanism by which perihydroxylated perylenequinone photosensitizers can prevent adverse phototoxic damage caused by verteporfin during photodynamic therapy.

    PubMed

    Lavie, Gad; Barliya, Tilda; Mandel, Mathilda; Blank, Michael; Ron, Yonina; Orenstein, Arie; Livnat, Tami; Friedman, Noga; Weiner, Lev; Sheves, Mordechai; Weinberger, Dov

    2007-01-01

    Incorporation of photodynamic therapy into clinical practice for induction of vascular photo-occlusion highlights the need to prevent adverse phototoxicity to sensitive juxtaposed tissues, particularly in the retina. We developed a system termed "competitive quenching" to prevent adverse phototoxic damage. It involves differential compartmentalization of a photoactivator to the intravascular compartment for photoexcitation and delivery of phototoxicity to targeted vessels. A different photodynamic agent is partitioned to the extravascular retinal space to quench reactive oxygen species generated by photosensitization, thereby protecting the adjacent retinal tissues from adverse phototoxicity. The absorption spectra of quenchers must span wavelengths that are shorter and excluded from the spectral range of photoexcitation light to prevent photoactivation of the quencher. Perihydroxylated perylenequinones were found to be suitable to function as "competitive quenchers" with the prototype hypericin identified as a potent quencher. Here we examined the mechanisms operative in competitive quenching and suggest that hypericin forms a complex with verteporfin, thereby quenching singlet oxygen formation. Furthermore, we show that hypericin, with six phenolic hydroxyls, protects retinal and endothelial hybridoma cells from phototoxicity more effectively than the dimethyl tetrahydroxy helianthrone structural analog with only four such phenolic hydroxyls. The findings suggest that hydroxyl numbers contribute to the efficacy of competitive quenching.

  20. Antimutagenic and free radical scavenger effects of leaf extracts from Accacia salicina

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Three extracts were prepared from the leaves of Accacia salicina; ethyl acetate (EA), chloroform (Chl) and petroleum ether (PE) extracts and was designed to examine antimutagenic, antioxidant potenty and oxidative DNA damage protecting activity. Methods Antioxidant activity of A. salicina extracts was determined by the ability of each extract to protect against plasmid DNA strand scission induced by hydroxyl radicals. An assay for the ability of these extracts to prevent mutations induced by various oxidants in Salmonella typhimurium TA102 and TA 104 strains was conducted. In addition, nonenzymatic methods were employed to evaluate anti-oxidative effects of tested extracts. Results These extracts from leaf parts of A. salicina showed no mutagenicity either with or without the metabolic enzyme preparation (S9). The highest protections against methylmethanesulfonate induced mutagenicity were observed with all extracts and especially chloroform extract. This extract exhibited the highest inhibitiory level of the Ames response induced by the indirect mutagen 2- aminoanthracene. All extracts exhibited the highest ability to protect plasmid DNA against hydroxyl radicals induced DNA damages. The ethyl acetate (EA) and chloroform (Chl) extracts showed with high TEAC values radical of 0.95 and 0.81 mM respectively, against the ABTS.+. Conclusion The present study revealed the antimutagenic and antioxidant potenty of plant extract from Accacia salicina leaves. PMID:22132863

  1. Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer in a Strongly Coupled Photosystem II-Inspired Chromophore–Imidazole–Phenol Complex: Stepwise Oxidation and Concerted Reduction

    DOE PAGES

    Manbeck, Gerald F.; Fujita, Etsuko; Concepcion, Javier J.

    2016-08-18

    Proton-coupled electron-transfer (PCET) reactions were studied in acetonitrile for a Photosystem II (PSII) inspired [Ru(bpy) 2(phen-imidazole-Ph(OH)( tBu) 2)] 2+, in which Ru(III) generated by a flash-quench sequence oxidizes the appended phenol and the proton is transferred to the hydrogen bonded imidazole base. In contrast to related systems, the donor and acceptor are strongly coupled, as indicated by the shift in the Ru III/IIcouple upon phenol oxidation, and intramolecular oxidation of the phenol by Ru(III) is energetically favorable by both stepwise or concerted pathways. The phenol oxidation occurs via a stepwise ET-PT mechanism with k ET = 2.7 × 10 7more » s ₋1 and a kinetic isotope effect (KIE) of 0.99 ± 0.03. The electron transfer reaction was characterized as adiabatic with λ DA = 1.16 eV and 280 < H DA < 540 cm ₋1 consistent with strong electronic coupling and slow solvent dynamics. Reduction of the phenoxyl radical by the quencher radical was examined as the analogue of the redox reaction between the PSII tyrosyl radical and the oxygen evolving complex (OEC). In our PSII-inspired complex, the recombination reaction activation energy is < 2 kcal mol ₋1. In conclusion, the reaction is nonadiabatic (V PCET ~ 22 cm ₋1 (H) and 49 cm ₋1 (D)), concerted, and exhibits an unexpected inverse KIE of 0.55 that is attributed to greater overlap of the reactant vibronic ground state with the OD vibronic states of the proton acceptor due to the smaller quantum spacing of the deuterium vibrational levels.« less

  2. Mechanism of the OH Radical Addition to Adenine from Quantum-Chemistry Determinations of Reaction Paths and Spectroscopic Tracking of the Intermediates.

    PubMed

    Francés-Monerris, Antonio; Merchán, Manuela; Roca-Sanjuán, Daniel

    2017-01-06

    The OH radical is a well-known mediator in the oxidation of biological structures like DNA. Over the past decades, the precise events taking place after reaction of DNA nucleobases with OH radical have been widely investigated by the scientific community. Thirty years after the proposal of the main routes for the reaction of • OH with adenine ( Vieira , A. ; Steenken , S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990 , 112 , 6986 - 6994 ), the present work demonstrates that the OH radical addition to C4 position is a minor pathway. Instead, the dehydration process is mediated by the A5OH adduct. Conclusions are based on density functional theory calculations for the ground-state reactivity and highly accurate multiconfigurational computations for the excited states of the radical intermediates. The methodology has been also used to study the mechanism giving rise to the mutagens 8-oxoA and FAPyA. Taking into account the agreement between the experimental data and the theoretical results, it is concluded that addition to the C5 and C8 positions accounts for at least ∼44.5% of the total • OH reaction in water solution. Finally, the current findings suggest that hydrophobicity in the DNA/RNA surroundings facilitates the formation of 8-oxoA and FAPyA.

  3. Sulfur and selenium antioxidants: challenging radical scavenging mechanisms and developing structure-activity relationships based on metal binding.

    PubMed

    Zimmerman, Matthew T; Bayse, Craig A; Ramoutar, Ria R; Brumaghim, Julia L

    2015-04-01

    Because sulfur and selenium antioxidants can prevent oxidative damage, numerous animal and clinical trials have investigated the ability of these compounds to prevent the oxidative stress that is an underlying cause of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer, among others. One of the most common sources of oxidative damage is metal-generated hydroxyl radical; however, very little research has focused on determining the metal-binding abilities and structural attributes that affect oxidative damage prevention by sulfur and selenium compounds. In this review, we describe our ongoing investigations into sulfur and selenium antioxidant prevention of iron- and copper-mediated oxidative DNA damage. We determined that many sulfur and selenium compounds inhibit Cu(I)-mediated DNA damage and that DNA damage prevention varies dramatically when Fe(II) is used in place of Cu(I) to generate hydroxyl radical. Oxidation potentials of the sulfur or selenium compounds do not correlate with their ability to prevent DNA damage, highlighting the importance of metal coordination rather than reactive oxygen species scavenging as an antioxidant mechanism. Additional gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and UV-visible studies confirmed sulfur and selenium antioxidant binding to Cu(I) and Fe(II). Ultimately, our studies established that both the hydroxyl-radical-generating metal ion and the chemical environment of the sulfur or selenium significantly affect DNA damage prevention and that metal coordination is an essential mechanism for these antioxidants. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Efficient quantum-classical method for computing thermal rate constant of recombination: application to ozone formation.

    PubMed

    Ivanov, Mikhail V; Babikov, Dmitri

    2012-05-14

    Efficient method is proposed for computing thermal rate constant of recombination reaction that proceeds according to the energy transfer mechanism, when an energized molecule is formed from reactants first, and is stabilized later by collision with quencher. The mixed quantum-classical theory for the collisional energy transfer and the ro-vibrational energy flow [M. Ivanov and D. Babikov, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 144107 (2011)] is employed to treat the dynamics of molecule + quencher collision. Efficiency is achieved by sampling simultaneously (i) the thermal collision energy, (ii) the impact parameter, and (iii) the incident direction of quencher, as well as (iv) the rotational state of energized molecule. This approach is applied to calculate third-order rate constant of the recombination reaction that forms the (16)O(18)O(16)O isotopomer of ozone. Comparison of the predicted rate vs. experimental result is presented.

  5. Sulfur-containing compounds quench 3,7-dihydro-2-methyl-6-(4-methoxyphenyl)imidazol[1,2-a]pyrazine-3-one chemiluminescence: Discrimination between true antioxidants and quenchers using xanthine oxidase.

    PubMed

    Kruglov, Alexey G; Nikiforova, Anna B; Shatalin, Yuri V; Shubina, Viktoria V; Fisyuk, Alexander S; Akatov, Vladimir S

    2010-11-15

    The probe 3,7-dihydro-2-methyl-6-(4-methoxyphenyl)imidazol[1,2-a]pyrazine-3-one (MCLA) is widely used for studying the superoxide anion production and the efficiency of antioxidants in biological systems. Here we report that a number of sulfur-containing compounds applied in biochemical and cytological studies are able to suppress MCLA-derived chemiluminescence (MDCL) independent of their capability to scavenge superoxide anion. The most effective MDCL quenchers appeared to be the substances with thiocarbamoyl and thiocarbonyl groups coupled to cyclic molecules and several thiol- and disulfide-containing compounds. The analysis of MDCL kinetics in a xanthine oxidase system allows one to rapidly discriminate between true antioxidants and the quenchers of chemiluminescence. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Binding characteristics and protective capacity of cyanidin-3-glucoside and its aglycon to calf thymus DNA.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Chao; Guo, Xiaofei; Cai, Wenqian; Ma, Yue; Zhao, Xiaoyan

    2015-04-01

    The binding characteristics and protective capacity of cyanidin (Cy) and cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) to calf thymus DNA were explored for the first time. The Cy and C3G gave a bathochromic shift to the ultraviolet-visible spectra of the DNA, indicating the formation of the DNA-Cy and DNA-C3G complexes. The complexes were formed by an intercalative binding mode based on the results of the fluorescence spectra and competitive binding analysis. Meanwhile, the Cy and C3G protected the DNA from the damage induced by the hydroxyl radical. The binding capacity and protective capacity of the C3G were stronger than that of the Cy. Furthermore, the formation of the DNA-anthocyanin complexes was spontaneous when the hydrogen bond and hydrophobic force played a key role. Hence, the Cy and C3G could protect the DNA automatically from the damage induced by the hydroxyl radical. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

  7. [The effect of structure of benzimidazoles on the character of forming intramolecular cross-links in DNA and chromatin].

    PubMed

    Mil', E M; Zhil'tsova, V M; Biniukov, V I; Zhizhina, G P; Stoliarova, L G; Kuznetsov, Iu P

    1994-01-01

    An investigation of a number of benzimidazole class preparations, being distinguished by a position of aminomethyl substitutes, has been carried out. It has been shown, that the non-substituted preparation BIO-10 does not form UV-cross-links in DNA and chromatine; BIO-40, having one substitute in the position 2, causes the formation of inter-molecular cross-links DNA-DNA. The preparation BIO-50, having 2 aminomethyl groups in the imidazole nucleus positions 2 and 6, forms cross-links DNA-DNA and DNA-protein in chromatine. The generation of radicals by the preparations BIO-10 and BIO-50 has been studied by the EPR-method by use of spin trap. It has been demonstrated, that BIO-10, unlike BIO-50, actively generates superoxide. A supposition has been made, that an UV-formation of superoxide-radical in the presence of BIO-10 might be a reason of DNA-macromolecule destruction.

  8. Free terminal amines in DNA-binding peptides alter the product distribution from guanine radicals produced by single electron oxidation.

    PubMed

    Konigsfeld, Katie M; Lee, Melissa; Urata, Sarah M; Aguilera, Joe A; Milligan, Jamie R

    2012-03-01

    Electron deficient guanine radical species are major intermediates produced in DNA by the direct effect of ionizing irradiation. There is evidence that they react with amine groups in closely bound ligands to form covalent crosslinks. Crosslink formation is very poorly characterized in terms of quantitative rate and yield data. We sought to address this issue by using oligo-arginine ligands to model the close association of DNA and its binding proteins in chromatin. Guanine radicals were prepared in plasmid DNA by single electron oxidation. The product distribution derived from them was assayed by strand break formation after four different post-irradiation incubations. We compared the yields of DNA damage produced in the presence of four ligands in which neither, one, or both of the amino and carboxylate termini were blocked with amides. Free carboxylate groups were unreactive. Significantly higher yields of heat labile sites were observed when the amino terminus was unblocked. The rate of the reaction was characterized by diluting the unblocked amino group with its amide blocked derivative. These observations provide a means to develop quantitative estimates for the yields in which these labile sites are formed in chromatin by exposure to ionizing irradiation.

  9. Photoreduction of Azoalkanes by Direct Hydrogen Abstraction from 1,4-Cyclohexadiene, Alcohols, Stannanes, and Silanes.

    PubMed

    Adam, Waldemar; Moorthy, Jarugu N.; Nau, Werner M.; Scaiano, J. C.

    1997-11-14

    A mechanistic investigation of the photoreduction of the n,pi triplet-excited azo chromophore has been carried out on azoalkanes 1, which exhibit efficient intersystem-crossing quantum yields (ca. 0.5). The azoalkanes 1a and 1b undergo facile photoreduction to the corresponding hydrazines in the presence of a variety of hydrogen donors, which include 2-propanol, benzhydrol, 1,4-cyclohexadiene, tributylstannane, and tris(trimethylsilyl)silane. In contrast, the hydrazine yields derived for the azoalkanes 1c and 1d are significantly lower even at high hydrogen donor concentrations due to their lower triplet yields and shorter triplet lifetimes. A clear dependence of the hydrazine yields on the bond dissociation energies of the hydrogen donors has been observed, which is reflected in the quenching rate constants obtained from time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. The absolute rate constants for interaction of the triplet azoalkane 1a with hydrogen donors are generally lower (ca. 10-100-fold) than for benzophenone, in line with the less favorable reaction thermodynamics. The comparison of the rate constants for quenching of the triplet-excited azoalkane 1a and of the singlet-excited state of 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene (DBO) reveals a similar reactivity of excited azoalkanes toward hydrogen donors; differences can be accounted for in terms of variations in the energies of the excited states. The interactions of the excited azoalkanes with tributylstannane and benzhydrol produce the radicals characteristic for hydrogen abstraction from these substrates, namely tributylstannyl and hydroxydiphenylmethyl radicals, which were detected through their transient absorptions at 390 and 550 nm, respectively. Interestingly, compared to the photoreduction of benzophenone with benzhydrol, for which the quantum yield for conversion to radicals is unity, between the azoalkane 1a and benzhydrol this efficiency is only ca. 12%. An associative effect through N.H-O bonding is held responsible, which promotes hydrogen transfer versus diffusion out of the caged radical pair. The quenching of the singlet-excited DBO by toluene was also employed to monitor the formation of benzyl radicals (at 317 nm). The photolysis of DBO in tetrahydrofuran as solvent and quencher produced an absorption at ca. 290 nm, which was tentatively assigned to the corresponding hydrazinyl radical.

  10. Cytoprotective Effect of Peptide Sedatin, an Agonist of μ/δ-Opioid Receptors, on Primary Culture of Pulmonary Fibroblasts of Albino Rats under Conditions of Oxidative Stress.

    PubMed

    Sazonova, E N; Samarina, E Yu; Lebed'ko, O A; Maltseva, I M; Timoshin, S S

    2016-05-01

    We studied the effects of a synthetic analogue of dermorphin peptide sedatin on DNA synthesis, nucleolar apparatus, and parameters of free radical oxidation in the primary culture of pulmonary fibroblasts under conditions of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress significantly enhanced production of superoxide anion radical in the culture, sufficiently inhibited DNA synthesis in fibroblasts, and reduced the size of cell nuclei and parameters of the nucleolar apparatus. Sedatin prevented accumulation of free radical oxidation products and changes in karyometry parameters induced by oxidative stress. The peptide completely eliminated changes in the parameters of fibroblast nucleolar apparatus and abolished the inhibitory effect of oxidative stress on the number of DNA-synthesizing cells. Pretreatment with non-selective opioid receptor antagonist naloxone hydrochloride partially abolished the effects of sedatin in the primary culture of pulmonary fibroblasts.

  11. Photoinduced DNA Interstrand Cross-Link Formation by Naphthalene Boronates via a Carbocation.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yibin; Lin, Zechao; Fan, Heli; Peng, Xiaohua

    2016-07-18

    Most photoinduced DNA cross-link formation by a bifunctional aryl derivative is through a bisquinone methide. DNA cross-linking via a bisarylcarbocation remains a less explored area. We designed and synthesized a series of naphthalene boronates that produce DNA interstrand cross-links via a carbocation upon UV irradiation. A free radical was generated from the naphthalene boronates with 350 nm irradiation and further converted to a carbocation by electron transfer. The activation mechanism was determined using the orthogonal traps, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl (TEMPO) and methoxyamine that react with either the free radical or the carbocation but not both. This represents a novel example of photoinduced DNA cross-link formation via carbocations generated from a bisaryl derivative. This work provides information useful for the design of novel photoactivated DNA cross-linking agents. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Captopril and 6-mercaptopurine: whose SH possesses higher antioxidant ability?

    PubMed

    Li, Guo-Xiang; Liu, Zai-Qun

    2009-12-01

    Antioxidant capacities of captopril (CAP), 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) and 9-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-6-mercaptopurine (6-MPR) were investigated by interacting them with 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), galvinoxyl radical, and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) cation radical (ABTS(+)(*)), and by protecting DNA and erythrocyte against 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane hydrochloride) (AAPH) induced oxidation. It was found that CAP possessed the highest ability to donate the hydrogen atom in -SH to DPPH and galvinoxyl, while 6-MPR had the strongest ability to reduce ABTS(+)(*). In the process of protecting DNA and erythrocytes against AAPH-induced oxidation, CAP can trap 0.5 and 1.3 radicals, 6-MP can trap 0.6 and 2.2, and 6-MPR can trap 1.0 and 3.0 radicals, respectively. CAP can also protect erythrocytes against hemin-induced hemolysis.

  13. Pharmacologic Effects on Mitochondrial Function

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Bruce H.

    2010-01-01

    The vast majority of energy necessary for cellular function is produced in mitochondria. Free-radical production and apoptosis are other critical mitochondrial functions. The complex structure, electrochemical properties of the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM), and genetic control from both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA (nDNA) are…

  14. A novel probe density controllable electrochemiluminescence biosensor for ultra-sensitive detection of Hg2+ based on DNA hybridization optimization with gold nanoparticles array patterned self-assembly platform.

    PubMed

    Gao, Wenhua; Zhang, An; Chen, Yunsheng; Chen, Zixuan; Chen, Yaowen; Lu, Fushen; Chen, Zhanguang

    2013-11-15

    Biosensor based on DNA hybridization holds great potential to get higher sensitivity as the optimal DNA hybridization efficiency can be achieved by controlling the distribution and orientation of probe strands on the transducer surface. In this work, an innovative strategy is reported to tap the sensitivity potential of current electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensing system by dispersedly anchoring the DNA beacons on the gold nanoparticles (GNPs) array which was electrodeposited on the glassy carbon electrode surface, rather than simply sprawling the coil-like strands onto planar gold surface. The strategy was developed by designing a "signal-on" ECL biosensing switch fabricated on the GNPs nanopatterned electrode surface for enhanced ultra-sensitivity detection of Hg(2+). A 57-mer hairpin-DNA labeled with ferrocene as ECL quencher and a 13-mer DNA labeled with Ru(bpy)3(2+) as reporter were hybridized to construct the signal generator in off-state. A 31-mer thymine (T)-rich capture-DNA was introduced to form T-T mismatches with the loop sequence of the hairpin-DNA in the presence of Hg(2+) and induce the stem-loop open, meanwhile the ECL "signal-on" was triggered. The peak sensitivity with the lowest detection limit of 0.1 nM was achieved with the optimal GNPs number density while exorbitant GNPs deposition resulted in sensitivity deterioration for the biosensor. We expect the present strategy could lead the renovation of the existing probe-immobilized ECL genosensor design to get an even higher sensitivity in ultralow level of target detection such as the identification of genetic diseases and disorders in basic research and clinical application. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Municipal Waste Incinerator Public Works Center, Yokosuka Japan Evaluation and Recommendations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-04-01

    Incinerator and Pollution Control Equipment 24 XIV. Gas Cooling Chamber Water Injection Sites and Control Valve 25 XV. Quencher Reactor 27 XVI...discussed below.I 11I.B.1. Exhaust Gas Cooling Chamber Within the exhaust gas cooling chamber, water is atomized into the gas stream cools the gases...as it evaporates. The feed rate of water is controlled to provide gases entering the quencher at 3000C (Figure XIV). The gases exit the exhaust gas

  16. Luteolin as reactive oxygen generator by X-ray and UV irradiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Toyama, Michiru; Mori, Takashi; Takahashi, Junko; Iwahashi, Hitoshi

    2018-05-01

    Non-toxic X-ray-responsive substances can be used in the radiosensitization of cancer, like porphyrin mediated radiotherapy. However, most X-ray-responsive substances are toxic. To find novel non-toxic X-ray-responsive substances, we studied the X-ray and UV reactivity of 40 non-toxic compounds extracted from plants. Dihydroethidium was used as an indicator to detect reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the compounds under X-ray or UV irradiation. We found that 13 of the investigated compounds generated ROS under X-ray irradiation and 17 generated ROS under UV irradiation. Only 4 substances generated ROS under both X-ray and UV. In particular, luteolin exhibited the highest activity among the investigated compounds; therefore, the ROS generated by luteolin were thoroughly characterized. To identify the ROS, we employed a combination of ROS detection reagents and their quenchers. O2·- generation by luteolin was monitored using dihydroethidium and superoxide dismutase (as an O2·- quencher). OH· and 1O2 generation was determined using aminophenyl fluorescein with ethanol (OH· quencher) and Singlet Oxygen Sensor Green® with NaN3 (1O2 quencher), respectively. Generation of O2·- under X-ray and UV irradiation was observed; however, no OH· or 1O2 was detected. The production of ROS from luteolin is surprising, because luteolin is a well-known antioxidant.

  17. Antimutagenic and free radical scavenger effects of leaf extracts from Accacia salicina.

    PubMed

    Boubaker, Jihed; Mansour, Hedi Ben; Ghedira, Kamel; Chekir-Ghedira, Leila

    2011-12-01

    Three extracts were prepared from the leaves of Accacia salicina; ethyl acetate (EA), chloroform (Chl) and petroleum ether (PE) extracts and was designed to examine antimutagenic, antioxidant potenty and oxidative DNA damage protecting activity. Antioxidant activity of A. salicina extracts was determined by the ability of each extract to protect against plasmid DNA strand scission induced by hydroxyl radicals. An assay for the ability of these extracts to prevent mutations induced by various oxidants in Salmonella typhimurium TA102 and TA 104 strains was conducted. In addition, nonenzymatic methods were employed to evaluate anti-oxidative effects of tested extracts. These extracts from leaf parts of A. salicina showed no mutagenicity either with or without the metabolic enzyme preparation (S9). The highest protections against methylmethanesulfonate induced mutagenicity were observed with all extracts and especially chloroform extract. This extract exhibited the highest inhibitiory level of the Ames response induced by the indirect mutagen 2- aminoanthracene. All extracts exhibited the highest ability to protect plasmid DNA against hydroxyl radicals induced DNA damages. The ethyl acetate (EA) and chloroform (Chl) extracts showed with high TEAC values radical of 0.95 and 0.81 mM respectively, against the ABTS(.+). The present study revealed the antimutagenic and antioxidant potenty of plant extract from Accacia salicina leaves. © 2011 Boubaker et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

  18. Free Radical Chemistry Enabled by Visible Light-Induced Electron Transfer

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Conspectus Harnessing visible light as the driving force for chemical transformations generally offers a more environmentally friendly alternative compared with classical synthetic methodology. The transition metal-based photocatalysts commonly employed in photoredox catalysis absorb efficiently in the visible spectrum, unlike most organic substrates, allowing for orthogonal excitation. The subsequent excited states are both more reducing and more oxidizing than the ground state catalyst and are competitive with some of the more powerful single-electron oxidants or reductants available to organic chemists yet are simply accessed via irradiation. The benefits of this strategy have proven particularly useful in radical chemistry, a field that traditionally employs rather toxic and hazardous reagents to generate the desired intermediates. In this Account, we discuss our efforts to leverage visible light photoredox catalysis in radical-based bond-forming and bond-cleaving events for which few, if any, environmentally benign alternatives exist. Mechanistic investigations have driven our contributions in this field, for both facilitating desired transformations and offering new, unexpected opportunities. In fact, our total synthesis of (+)-gliocladin C was only possible upon elucidating the propensity for various trialkylamine additives to elicit a dual behavior as both a reductive quencher and a H-atom donor. Importantly, while natural product synthesis was central to our initial motivations to explore these photochemical processes, we have since demonstrated applicability within other subfields of chemistry, and our evaluation of flow technologies demonstrates the potential to translate these results from the bench to pilot scale. Our forays into photoredox catalysis began with fundamental methodology, providing a tin-free reductive dehalogenation that exchanged the gamut of hazardous reagents previously employed for such a transformation for visible light-mediated, ambient temperature conditions. Evolving from this work, a new avenue toward atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) chemistry was developed, enabling dual functionalization of both double and triple bonds. Importantly, we have also expanded our portfolio to target clinically relevant scaffolds. Photoredox catalysis proved effective in generating high value fluorinated alkyl radicals through the use of abundantly available starting materials, providing access to libraries of trifluoromethylated (hetero)arenes as well as intriguing gem-difluoro benzyl motifs via a novel photochemical radical Smiles rearrangement. Finally, we discuss a photochemical strategy toward sustainable lignin processing through selective C–O bond cleavage methodology. The collection of these efforts is meant to highlight the potential for visible light-mediated radical chemistry to impact a variety of industrial sectors. PMID:27529484

  19. Cyanidin and cyanidin 3-O-beta-D -glucoside as DNA cleavage protectors and antioxidants.

    PubMed

    Acquaviva, R; Russo, A; Galvano, F; Galvano, G; Barcellona, M L; Li Volti, G; Vanella, A

    2003-08-01

    Anthocyanins, colored flavonoids, are water-soluble pigments present in the plant kingdom; in fact they are secondary plant metabolites responsible for the blue, purple, and red color of many plant tissues. Present in beans, fruits, vegetables and red wines, considerable amounts of anthocyanins are ingested as constituents of the human diet (180-215 mg daily). There is now increasing interest in the in vivo protective function of natural antioxidants contained in dietary plants against oxidative damage caused by free radical species. Recently, the antioxidant activity of phenolic phytochemicals, has been investigated. Since the antioxidant mechanism of anthocyanin pigments is still controversial, in the present study we evaluated the effects of cyanidin and cyanidin 3-O-beta-D-glucoside on DNA cleavage, on their free radical scavenging capacity and on xanthine oxidase activity. Cyanidin and cyanidin 3-O-beta-D-glucoside showed a protective effect on DNA cleavage, a dose-dependent free radical scavenging activity and significant inhibition of XO activity. These effects suggest that anthocyanins exhibit interesting antioxidant properties, and could therefore represent a promising class of compounds useful in the treatment of pathologies where free radical production plays a key role.

  20. Formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine-radicals in γ-irradiated DNA by multiple one-electron oxidations

    PubMed Central

    Shukla, Lata I.; Adhikary, Amitava; Pazdro, Robert; Becker, David; Sevilla, Michael D.

    2004-01-01

    Electron spin resonance (ESR) studies of radicals formed by radiation-induced multiple one-electron oxidations of guanine moieties in DNA are reported in this work. Annealing of gamma-irradiated DNA from 77 to 235 K results in the hydration of one electron oxidized guanine (G•+) to form the 8-hydroxy-7,8-dihydroguanin-7-yl-radical (•GOH) having one β-proton coupling of 17–28 G and an anisotropic nitrogen coupling, A‖, of ∼20 G, A⊥ = 0 with g‖ = 2.0026 and g⊥ = 2.0037. Further annealing to 258 K results in the formation of a sharp singlet at g = 2.0048 with line-width of 5.3 G that is identified as the 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine one-electron-oxidized radical (8-oxo-G•+). This species is formed via two one-electron oxidations of •GOH. These two one-electron oxidation steps leading to the formation of 8-oxo-G•+ from •GOH in DNA, are in accordance with the expected ease of oxidation of •GOH and 8-oxo-G. The incorporation of oxygen from water in G•+ leading to •GOH and to 8-oxo-G•+ is verified by ESR studies employing 17O isotopically enriched water, which provide unambiguous evidence for the formation of both radicals. ESR analysis of irradiated-DNA in the presence of the electron scavenger, Tl3+, demonstrates that the cationic pathway leads to the formation of the 8-oxo-G•+. In irradiated DNA–Tl3+ samples, Tl3+ captures electrons. Tl2+ thus produced is a strong oxidant (2.2 V), which is metastable at 77 K and is observed to increase the formation of G•+ and subsequently of 8-oxo-G•+ upon annealing. We find that in the absence of the electron scavenger the yield of 8-oxo-G•+ is substantially reduced as a result of electron recombinations with G•+ and possible reaction with •GOH. PMID:15601999

  1. A survey of the sequence-specific interaction of damaging agents with DNA: emphasis on antitumor agents.

    PubMed

    Murray, V

    1999-01-01

    This article reviews the literature concerning the sequence specificity of DNA-damaging agents. DNA-damaging agents are widely used in cancer chemotherapy. It is important to understand fully the determinants of DNA sequence specificity so that more effective DNA-damaging agents can be developed as antitumor drugs. There are five main methods of DNA sequence specificity analysis: cleavage of end-labeled fragments, linear amplification with Taq DNA polymerase, ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (PCR), single-strand ligation PCR, and footprinting. The DNA sequence specificity in purified DNA and in intact mammalian cells is reviewed for several classes of DNA-damaging agent. These include agents that form covalent adducts with DNA, free radical generators, topoisomerase inhibitors, intercalators and minor groove binders, enzymes, and electromagnetic radiation. The main sites of adduct formation are at the N-7 of guanine in the major groove of DNA and the N-3 of adenine in the minor groove, whereas free radical generators abstract hydrogen from the deoxyribose sugar and topoisomerase inhibitors cause enzyme-DNA cross-links to form. Several issues involved in the determination of the DNA sequence specificity are discussed. The future directions of the field, with respect to cancer chemotherapy, are also examined.

  2. Hydrogen peroxide and dioxygen activation by dinuclear copper complexes in aqueous solution: hydroxyl radical production initiated by internal electron transfer.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Qing; Lian, Yuxiang; Thyagarajan, Sunita; Rokita, Steven E; Karlin, Kenneth D; Blough, Neil V

    2008-05-21

    Dinuclear Cu(II) complexes, CuII2Nn (n = 4 or 5), were recently found to specifically cleave DNA in the presence of a reducing thiol and O2 or in the presence of H2O2 alone. However, CuII2N3 and a closely related mononuclear Cu(II) complex exhibited no selective reaction under either condition. Spectroscopic studies indicate an intermediate is generated from CuII2Nn (n = 4 or 5) and mononuclear Cu(II) solutions in the presence of H2O2 or from CuI2Nn (n = 4 or 5) in the presence of O2. This intermediate decays to generate OH radicals and ligand degradation products at room temperature. The lack of reactivity of the intermediate with a series of added electron donors suggests the intermediate discharges through a rate-limiting intramolecular electron transfer from the ligand to the metal peroxo center to produce an OH radical and a ligand-based radical. These results imply that DNA cleavage does not result from direct reaction with a metal-peroxo intermediate but instead arises from reaction with either OH radicals or ligand-based radicals.

  3. An Elegant Biosensor Molecular Beacon Probe: Challenges and Recent Solutions

    PubMed Central

    Kolpashchikov, Dmitry M.

    2012-01-01

    Molecular beacon (MB) probes are fluorophore- and quencher-labeled short synthetic DNAs folded in a stem-loop shape. Since the first report by Tyagi and Kramer, it has become a widely accepted tool for nucleic acid analysis and triggered a cascade of related developments in the field of molecular sensing. The unprecedented success of MB probes stems from their ability to detect specific DNA or RNA sequences immediately after hybridization with no need to wash out the unbound probe (instantaneous format). Importantly, the hairpin structure of the probe is responsible for both the low fluorescent background and improved selectivity. Furthermore, the signal is generated in a reversible manner; thus, if the analyte is removed, the signal is reduced to the background. This paper highlights the advantages of MB probes and discusses the approaches that address the challenges in MB probe design. Variations of MB-based assays tackle the problem of stem invasion, improve SNP genotyping and signal-to-noise ratio, as well as address the challenges of detecting folded RNA and DNA. PMID:24278758

  4. quenched-smFISH: Counting small RNA in Pathogenic Bacteria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shepherd, Douglas; Li, Nan; Micheva-Viteva, Sofiya; Munsky, Brian; Hong-Geller, Elizabeth; Werner, James

    2014-03-01

    Here, we present a modification to single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization, quenched smFISH (q-smFISH), that enables quantitative detection and analysis of small RNA (sRNA) expressed in bacteria. We show that short nucleic acid targets can be detected when the background of unbound singly dye-labeled DNA oligomers is reduced through hybridization with a set of complementary DNA oligomers labeled with a fluorescence quencher. Exploiting an automated, multi-color wide-field microscope and GPU-accelerated data analysis package, we analyzed the statistics of sRNA expression in thousands of individual Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia pestis bacteria before and during a simulated infection. Before infection, we find only a small fraction of either bacteria express the small RNAs YSR35 or YSP8. The copy numbers of these RNA are increased during simulated infection, suggesting a role in pathogenesis. The ability to directly quantify expression level changes of sRNA in single cells as a function of external stimuli provides key information on the role of sRNA in bacterial regulatory networks.

  5. Real-time investigation of human topoisomerase I reaction kinetics using an optical sensor: a fast method for drug screening and determination of active enzyme concentrations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kristoffersen, Emil L.; Jørgensen, Line A.; Franch, Oskar; Etzerodt, Michael; Frøhlich, Rikke; Bjergbæk, Lotte; Stougaard, Magnus; Ho, Yi-Ping; Knudsen, Birgitta R.

    2015-05-01

    Human DNA topoisomerase I (hTopI) is a nuclear enzyme that catalyzes relaxation of super helical tension that arises in the genome during essential DNA metabolic processes. This is accomplished through a common reaction mechanism shared among the type IB topoisomerase enzymes, including eukaryotic and poxvirus topoisomerase I. The mechanism of hTopI is specifically targeted in cancer treatment using camptothecin derivatives. These drugs convert the hTopI activity into a cellular poison, and hence the cytotoxic effects of camptothecin derivatives correlate with the hTopI activity. Therefore, fast and reliable techniques for high throughput measurements of hTopI activity are of high clinical interest. Here we demonstrate potential applications of a fluorophore-quencher based DNA sensor designed for measurement of hTopI cleavage-ligation activities, which are the catalytic steps affected by camptothecin. The kinetic analysis of the hTopI reaction with the DNA sensor exhibits a characteristic burst profile. This is the result of a two-step ping-pong reaction mechanism, where a fast first reaction, the one creating the signal, is followed by a slower second reaction necessary for completion of the catalytic cycle. Hence, the burst profile holds information about two reactions in the enzymatic mechanism. Moreover, it allows the amount of active enzyme in the reaction to be determined. The presented results pave the way for future high throughput drug screening and the potential of measuring active hTopI concentrations in clinical samples for individualized treatment.Human DNA topoisomerase I (hTopI) is a nuclear enzyme that catalyzes relaxation of super helical tension that arises in the genome during essential DNA metabolic processes. This is accomplished through a common reaction mechanism shared among the type IB topoisomerase enzymes, including eukaryotic and poxvirus topoisomerase I. The mechanism of hTopI is specifically targeted in cancer treatment using camptothecin derivatives. These drugs convert the hTopI activity into a cellular poison, and hence the cytotoxic effects of camptothecin derivatives correlate with the hTopI activity. Therefore, fast and reliable techniques for high throughput measurements of hTopI activity are of high clinical interest. Here we demonstrate potential applications of a fluorophore-quencher based DNA sensor designed for measurement of hTopI cleavage-ligation activities, which are the catalytic steps affected by camptothecin. The kinetic analysis of the hTopI reaction with the DNA sensor exhibits a characteristic burst profile. This is the result of a two-step ping-pong reaction mechanism, where a fast first reaction, the one creating the signal, is followed by a slower second reaction necessary for completion of the catalytic cycle. Hence, the burst profile holds information about two reactions in the enzymatic mechanism. Moreover, it allows the amount of active enzyme in the reaction to be determined. The presented results pave the way for future high throughput drug screening and the potential of measuring active hTopI concentrations in clinical samples for individualized treatment. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr01474c

  6. Pyrimidine Nucleobase Radical Reactivity in DNA and RNA.

    PubMed

    Greenberg, Marc M

    2016-11-01

    Nucleobase radicals are major products of the reactions between nucleic acids and hydroxyl radical, which is produced via the indirect effect of ionizing radiation. The nucleobase radicals also result from hydration of cation radicals that are produced via the direct effect of ionizing radiation. The role that nucleobase radicals play in strand scission has been investigated indirectly using ionizing radiation to generate them. More recently, the reactivity of nucleobase radicals resulting from formal hydrogen atom or hydroxyl radical addition to pyrimidines has been studied by independently generating the reactive intermediates via UV-photolysis of synthetic precursors. This approach has provided control over where the reactive intermediates are produced within biopolymers and facilitated studying their reactivity. The contributions to our understanding of pyrimidine nucleobase radical reactivity by this approach are summarized.

  7. Pyrimidine nucleobase radical reactivity in DNA and RNA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Greenberg, Marc M.

    2016-11-01

    Nucleobase radicals are major products of the reactions between nucleic acids and hydroxyl radical, which is produced via the indirect effect of ionizing radiation. The nucleobase radicals also result from hydration of cation radicals that are produced via the direct effect of ionizing radiation. The role that nucleobase radicals play in strand scission has been investigated indirectly using ionizing radiation to generate them. More recently, the reactivity of nucleobase radicals resulting from formal hydrogen atom or hydroxyl radical addition to pyrimidines has been studied by independently generating the reactive intermediates via UV-photolysis of synthetic precursors. This approach has provided control over where the reactive intermediates are produced within biopolymers and facilitated studying their reactivity. The contributions to our understanding of pyrimidine nucleobase radical reactivity by this approach are summarized.

  8. Synthesis and structural characterization of dioxomolybdenum and dioxotungsten hydroxamato complexes and their function in the protection of radiation induced DNA damage.

    PubMed

    Paul, Shiv Shankar; Selim, Md; Saha, Abhijit; Mukherjea, Kalyan K

    2014-02-21

    The synthesis and structural characterization of two novel dioxomolybdenum(VI) (1) and dioxotungsten(VI) (2) complexes with 2-phenylacetylhydroxamic acid (PAHH) [M(O)2(PAH)2] [M = Mo, W] have been accomplished. The dioxomolybdenum(VI) and dioxotungsten(VI) moiety is coordinated by the hydroxamate group (-CONHO(-)) of the 2-phenylacetylhydroxamate (PAH) ligand in a bi-dentate fashion. In both the complexes the PAHH ligand is coordinated through oxygen atoms forming a five membered chelate. The hydrogen atom of N-H of the hydroxamate group is engaged in intermolecular H-bonding with the carbonyl oxygen of another coordinated hydroxamate ligand, thereby forming an extended 1D chain. The ligand as well as both the complexes exhibit the ability to protect from radiation induced damage both in CTDNA as well as in pUC19 plasmid DNA. As the damage to DNA is caused by the radicals generated during radiolysis, its scavenging imparts protection from the damage to DNA. To understand the mechanism of protection, binding affinities of the ligand and the complex with DNA were determined using absorption and emission spectral studies and viscosity measurements, whereby the results indicate that both the complexes and the hydroxamate ligand interact with calf thymus DNA in the minor groove. The intrinsic binding constants, obtained from UV-vis studies, are 7.2 × 10(3) M(-1), 5.2 × 10(4) M(-1) and 1.2 × 10(4) M(-1) for the ligand and complexes 1 and 2 respectively. The Stern-Volmer quenching constants obtained from a luminescence study for both the complexes are 5.6 × 10(4) M(-1) and 1.6 × 10(4) M(-1) respectively. The dioxomolybdenum(VI) complex is found to be a more potent radioprotector compared to the dioxotungsten(VI) complex and the ligand. Radical scavenging chemical studies suggest that the complexes have a greater ability to scavenge both the hydroxyl as well as the superoxide radicals compared to the ligand. The free radical scavenging ability of the ligand and the complexes was further established by EPR spectroscopy using a stable free radical, the DPPH, as a probe. The experimental results of DNA binding are further supported by molecular docking studies.

  9. Photoinduced Bimolecular Electron Transfer in Ionic Liquids: Cationic Electron Donors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wu, Boning; Liang, Min; Zmich, Nicole

    Recently, we have reported a systematic study of photoinduced electron-transfer reactions in ionic liquid solvents using neutral and anionic electron donors and a series of cyano-substituted anthracene acceptors [Wu, B.; Maroncelli, M.; Castner, E. W., Jr.Photoinduced Bimolecular Electron Transfer in Ionic Liquids. J. Am. Chem. Soc.139, 2017, 14568]. In this paper, we report complementary results for a cationic class of 1-alkyl-4-dimethylaminopyridinium electron donors. Reductive quenching of cyano-substituted anthracene fluorophores by these cationic quenchers is studied in solutions of acetonitrile and the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide. Varying the length of the alkyl chain permits tuning of the quencher diffusivities in solution.more » The observed quenching kinetics are interpreted using a diffusion-reaction analysis. Finally, together with results from the prior study, these results show that the intrinsic electron-transfer rate constant does not depend on the quencher charge in this family of reactions.« less

  10. Photoinduced Bimolecular Electron Transfer in Ionic Liquids: Cationic Electron Donors

    DOE PAGES

    Wu, Boning; Liang, Min; Zmich, Nicole; ...

    2018-01-29

    Recently, we have reported a systematic study of photoinduced electron-transfer reactions in ionic liquid solvents using neutral and anionic electron donors and a series of cyano-substituted anthracene acceptors [Wu, B.; Maroncelli, M.; Castner, E. W., Jr.Photoinduced Bimolecular Electron Transfer in Ionic Liquids. J. Am. Chem. Soc.139, 2017, 14568]. In this paper, we report complementary results for a cationic class of 1-alkyl-4-dimethylaminopyridinium electron donors. Reductive quenching of cyano-substituted anthracene fluorophores by these cationic quenchers is studied in solutions of acetonitrile and the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide. Varying the length of the alkyl chain permits tuning of the quencher diffusivities in solution.more » The observed quenching kinetics are interpreted using a diffusion-reaction analysis. Finally, together with results from the prior study, these results show that the intrinsic electron-transfer rate constant does not depend on the quencher charge in this family of reactions.« less

  11. Combination probes with intercalating anchors and proximal fluorophores for DNA and RNA detection

    PubMed Central

    Qiu, Jieqiong; Wilson, Adam; El-Sagheer, Afaf H.; Brown, Tom

    2016-01-01

    A new class of modified oligonucleotides (combination probes) has been designed and synthesised for use in genetic analysis and RNA detection. Their chemical structure combines an intercalating anchor with a reporter fluorophore on the same thymine nucleobase. The intercalator (thiazole orange or benzothiazole orange) provides an anchor, which upon hybridisation of the probe to its target becomes fluorescent and simultaneously stabilizes the duplex. The anchor is able to communicate via FRET to a proximal reporter dye (e.g. ROX, HEX, ATTO647N, FAM) whose fluorescence signal can be monitored on a range of analytical devices. Direct excitation of the reporter dye provides an alternative signalling mechanism. In both signalling modes, fluorescence in the unhybridised probe is switched off by collisional quenching between adjacent intercalator and reporter dyes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in DNA and RNA targets are identified by differences in the duplex melting temperature, and the use of short hybridization probes, made possible by the stabilisation provided by the intercalator, enhances mismatch discrimination. Unlike other fluorogenic probe systems, placing the fluorophore and quencher on the same nucleobase facilitates the design of short probes containing multiple modifications. The ability to detect both DNA and RNA sequences suggests applications in cellular imaging and diagnostics. PMID:27369379

  12. Graphene oxide and DNA aptamer based sub-nanomolar potassium detecting optical nanosensor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Datta, Debopam; Sarkar, Ketaki; Mukherjee, Souvik; Meshik, Xenia; Stroscio, Michael A.; Dutta, Mitra

    2017-08-01

    Quantum-dot (QD) based nanosensors are frequently used by researchers to detect small molecules, ions and different biomolecules. In this article, we present a sensor complex/system comprised of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) aptamer, gold nanoparticle and semiconductor QD, attached to a graphene oxide (GO) flake for detection of potassium. As reported herein, it is demonstrated that QD-aptamer-quencher nanosensor functions even when tethered to GO, opening the way to future applications where sensing can be accomplished simultaneously with other previously demonstrated applications of GO such as serving as a nanocarrier for drug delivery. Herein, it is demonstrated that the DNA based thrombin binding aptamer used in this study undergoes the conformational change needed for sensing even when the nanosensor complex is anchored to the GO. Analysis with the Hill equation indicates the interaction between aptamer and potassium follows sigmoidal Hill kinetics. It is found that the quenching efficiency of the optical sensor is linear with the logarithm of concentration from 1 pM to 100 nM and decreases for higher concentration due to unavailability of aptamer binding sites. Such a simple and sensitive optical aptasensor with minimum detection capability of 1.96 pM for potassium ion can also be employed in-vitro detection of different physiological ions, pathogens and disease detection methods.

  13. Studies on photoinduced H-atom and electron transfer reactions of o-naphthoquinones by laser flash photolysis.

    PubMed

    Pan, Yang; Fu, Yao; Liu, Shaoxiong; Yu, Haizhu; Gao, Yuhe; Guo, Qingxiang; Yu, Shuqin

    2006-06-15

    The quenching of the triplets of 1,2-naphthoquinone (NQ) and 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonic acid sodium salt (NQS) by various electron and H-atom donors was investigated by laser flash photolysis measurement in acetonitrile and benzene. The results showed that the reactivities and configurations of 3NQ* (3NQS*) are governed by solvent polarity. All the quenching rate constants (kq) measured in benzene are larger than those in acetonitrile. The SO3Na substituent at the C-4 position of NQS makes 3NQS* more reactive than 3NQ* in electron/H-atom transfer reactions. Large differences of kq values were discovered in H-atom transfer reactions for alcohols and phenols, which can be explained by different H-abstraction mechanisms. Detection of radical cations of amines/anilines in time-resolved transient absorption spectra confirms an electron transfer mechanism. Triplets are identified as precursors of formed radical anions of NQ and NQS in photoinduced reactions. The dependence of electron transfer rate constants on the free energy changes (DeltaG) was treated by using the Rehm-Weller equation. For the four anilines with different substituents on the para or meta position of amidocyanogen, good correlation between log kq values with Hammett sigma constants testifies the correctness of empirical Hammett equation. Charge density distributions, adiabatic ionization/affinity potentials and redox potentials of NQ (NQS) and some quenchers were studied by quantum chemistry calculation.

  14. Effect of halogenated impurities on lifetime of organic light emitting diode

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamawaki, Hayato; Suzuki, Kunihiko; Kubota, Tomohiro; Watabe, Takeyoshi; Ishigaki, Ayumi; Nakamura, Rina; Inoue, Hideko; Nakashima, Harue; Horikoshi, Nozomi; Nowatari, Hiromi; Kataishi, Riho; Hamada, Toshiki; Sasaki, Toshiki; Suzuki, Tsunenori; Seo, Satoshi

    2016-09-01

    We investigated a correlation between lifetime and the halogen element concentration in an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and conducted experiments and simulations to discuss degradation mechanisms due to the halogen. OELD is generally formed of high-purity materials. Since the synthesis of high-purity materials takes time and cost, quantitative understanding of the kind, amount, and influence of impurities in OLED devices is expected. The results of combustion ion chromatography show that, if the chlorine concentration in the host material is more than several parts per million, the lifetime of the device is drastically reduced. The chlorine element, which is derived from the chlorinated by-product of the host material, is found to be transferred from the chloride to other materials (e.g., an emissive dopant) according to the results of LC-MS analysis. In addition, the electron transport layer including such impurities is also found to adversely affect the lifetime. The results of TOF-SIMS analysis suggest that the dissociated chlorine element diffuse to the light-emitting layer side when the device is driven. The results of simulations (Gaussian 09) and electrochemical analyses (cyclic voltammetry and electrolysis) reveal that the halogen element is easy to dissociate from halide by excitation or reduction. The halogen element can repeat reactions with the peripheral materials by excitation or reduction and cause damages, e.g., generate radicals or further reaction products due to the radicals. The results of simulation suggest that, such compounds have low energy level and become quenchers.

  15. DNA strand scission induced by adriamycin and aclacinomycin A.

    PubMed

    Someya, A; Tanaka, N

    1979-08-01

    The binding of adriamycin and aclacinomycin A with PM2 DNA, and the consequent cleavage of DNA have been demonstrated by agarose gel electrophoresis, using an ethidium bromide assay. Adriamycin was observed to induce a single strand scission of DNA in the presence of a reducing agent, but aclacinomycin A caused much less degree of DNA breaks. The DNA cleavage was enhanced by Cu2+ and Fe2+, but not significantly by Ni2+, Zn2+, Mg2+ and Ca2+, suggesting that reduction and auto-oxidation of the quinone moiety and H2O2 production participate in the DNA-cutting effect. The DNA degradation was dependent upon concentrations of the anthracyclines and CuCl2. The degree of DNA cleavage at 0.04 mM adriamycin was similar to that at 0.4 mM aclacinomycin A in the presence of 1 mM NADPH and 0.4 mM CuCl2. DNA was degraded to small fragments at 0.4 mM adriamycin and 0.2 mM CuCl2. The anthracycline-induced DNA cleavage was stimulated by H2O2, but partially inhibited by potassium iodide, superoxide dismutase, catalase and nitrogen gas atmosphere. The results suggested that both free radical of anthracycline quinones and hydroxyl radical directly react with DNA strands.

  16. [The role of free radicals in the UV-induced skin damage. Photo-aging].

    PubMed

    Emri, Gabriella; Horkay, Irén; Remenyik, Eva

    2006-04-23

    The natural (intrinsic) ageing of the skin is enhanced by environmental factors (extrinsic ageing). One of the most important exogenous factors is the solar UV exposure, which results in photo-aging. Besides this, epidemiological and experimental data show a rapid increase in the incidence of human skin cancers, which is also in relation to the increased sunlight exposure of the skin. In the background of these processes there are cell biological effects, photochemical reactions, membrane receptor changes, lipid- and protein modifications, DNA-damage induced by UV. The qualities and quantities of them are wavelength dependent. The UVB photons are absorbed mostly by the DNA of the epidermal keratinocytes, therefore this spectrum is more relevant for photocarcinogenesis. The effect of UVA-irradiation is mainly manifested in the induction of free radicals, which have not only DNA-damaging, but also immunomodulating effect, which also can influence on tumour development. Furthermore, the free radicals cause dermal connective tissue damage as well via activating transcription factors, inducing matrix metalloproteinases, diminishing the procollagen I and fibrillin-1 synthesis. These processes are augmented by mitochondrial DNA mutations, protein oxidation, apoptosis induction. Therefore the enzymes neutralising free radicals and antioxidant molecules, respectively, have an important role in the defence mechanisms. In the therapy of photo-aging the local retinoids lived up to expectations, but the clinical effectiveness of antioxidant vitamins is lower than expected. The most important factor in the prevention of the photo-aging and photocarcinogenesis is the sun protection at present.

  17. Free radicals in chemical carcinogenesis.

    PubMed

    Clemens, M R

    1991-12-15

    During the past decade, remarkable progress has been made in our understanding of cancer-causing agents, mechanisms of cancer formation and the behavior of cancer cells. Cancer is characterized primarily by an increase in the number of abnormal cells derived from a given normal tissue, invasion of adjacent tissues by these abnormal cells, and lymphatic or blood-borne spread of malignant cells to regional lymph nodes and to distant sites (metastasis). It has been estimated that about 75-80% of all human cancers are environmentally induced, 30-40% of them by diet. Only a small minority, possibly no more than 2% of all cases, result purely from inherent genetic changes. Several lines of evidence confirm that the fundamental molecular event or events that cause a cell to become malignant occur at the level of the DNA and a variety of studies indicate that the critical molecular event in chemical carcinogenesis is the interaction of the chemical agent with DNA. The demonstration that DNA isolated from tumor cells can transfect normal cells and render them neoplastic provides direct proof that an alteration of the DNA is responsible for cancer. The transforming genes, or oncogenes, have been identified by restriction endonuclease mapping. One of the characteristics of tumor cells generated by transformation with viruses, chemicals, or radiation is their reduced requirement for serum growth factors. A critical significance of electrophilic metabolites of carcinogenes in chemical carcinogenesis has been demonstrated. A number of "proximate" and "ultimate" metabolites, especially those of aromatic amines, were described. The "ultimate" forms of carcinogens actually interact with cellular constituents to cause neoplastic transformation and are the final metabolic products in most pathways. Recent evidence indicates that free radical derivatives of chemical carcinogens may be produced both metabolically and nonenzymatically during their metabolism. Free radicals carry no charge but do possess a single unpaired electron, making the radical extremely reactive. That such forms may be important in the introduction of neoplastic transformation by chemicals from two lines of evidence. (1) Various molecules that inhibit the formation of free radicals, many of which are termed antioxidants, can inhibit the carcinogenic action of a variety of chemical carcinogens. (2) There are relatively specific metabolic reactions of certain chemical carcinogens, particularly of polycyclic hydrocarbons, for which it has been shown to proceed through free radical intermediates. In conclusion, free radical processes with direct effects on DNA can be proposed for a variety of human and animal carcinogens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

  18. A Photosensitizer-Loaded DNA Origami Nanosystem for Photodynamic Therapy.

    PubMed

    Zhuang, Xiaoxi; Ma, Xiaowei; Xue, Xiangdong; Jiang, Qiao; Song, Linlin; Dai, Luru; Zhang, Chunqiu; Jin, Shubin; Yang, Keni; Ding, Baoquan; Wang, Paul C; Liang, Xing-Jie

    2016-03-22

    Photodynamic therapy (PDT) offers an alternative for cancer treatment by using ultraviolet or visible light in the presence of a photosensitizer and molecular oxygen, which can produce highly reactive oxygen species that ultimately leading to the ablation of tumor cells by multifactorial mechanisms. However, this technique is limited by the penetration depth of incident light, the hypoxic environment of solid tumors, and the vulnerability of photobleaching reduces the efficiency of many imaging agents. In this work, we reported a cellular level dual-functional imaging and PDT nanosystem BMEPC-loaded DNA origami for photodynamic therapy with high efficiency and stable photoreactive property. The carbazole derivative BMEPC is a one- and two-photon imaging agent and photosensitizer with large two-photon absorption cross section, which can be fully excited by near-infrared light, and is also capable of destroying targets under anaerobic condition by generating reactive intermediates of Type I photodynamic reactions. However, the application of BMEPC was restricted by its poor solubility in aqueous environment and its aggregation caused quenching. We observed BMEPC-loaded DNA origami effectively reduced the photobleaching of BMEPC within cells. Upon binding to DNA origami, the intramolecular rotation of BMEPC became proper restricted, which intensify fluorescence emission and radicals production when being excited. After the BMEPC-loaded DNA origami are taken up by tumor cells, upon irradiation, BMEPC could generate free radicals and be released due to DNA photocleavage as well as the following partially degradation. Apoptosis was then induced by the generation of free radicals. This functional nanosystem provides an insight into the design of photosensitizer-loaded DNA origami for effective intracellular imaging and photodynamic therapy.

  19. Ionizing radiation and tritium transmutation both cause formation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine in cellular DNA.

    PubMed Central

    Teebor, G W; Frenkel, K; Goldstein, M S

    1984-01-01

    HeLa cells grown in the presence of [methyl-3H]thymidine contained large amounts of 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (HMdU) in their DNA. When the cells were grown in [6-3H]thymidine and their DNA was labeled to the same specific activity, no HMdU was present. When such [6-3H]thymidine-labeled cells were exposed to increasing amounts of gamma-radiation, small but increasing amounts of HMdU were formed in their DNA. This indicates that HMdU can be formed in DNA by two distinct mechanisms. The first is the result of the transmutation of 3H to 3He (beta decay) in the methyl group of thymidine, leading to formation of a carbocation. This short-lived ion reacts with hydroxide ions of water, yielding the hydroxymethyl group. HMdU that is formed by this mechanism is formed at the rate of beta decay of 3H. It appears only in [methyl-3H]thymidine residues and is present in the DNA of both nonirradiated and gamma-irradiated cells. The second mechanism is the result of the radiolysis of water caused by ionizing radiation. The resultant radical species, particularly hydroxyl radicals, may react with many sites on DNA. When the methyl group of thymine is attacked by hydroxyl radicals, the hydroxymethyl group is formed. The formation of HMdU by this mechanism was detected only when [6-3H]thymidine-labeled cells were used, since transmutation of 3H in position 6 of thymine cannot yield HMdU. PMID:6582490

  20. Ionizing radiation and tritium transmutation both cause formation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine in cellular DNA.

    PubMed

    Teebor, G W; Frenkel, K; Goldstein, M S

    1984-01-01

    HeLa cells grown in the presence of [methyl-3H]thymidine contained large amounts of 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (HMdU) in their DNA. When the cells were grown in [6-3H]thymidine and their DNA was labeled to the same specific activity, no HMdU was present. When such [6-3H]thymidine-labeled cells were exposed to increasing amounts of gamma-radiation, small but increasing amounts of HMdU were formed in their DNA. This indicates that HMdU can be formed in DNA by two distinct mechanisms. The first is the result of the transmutation of 3H to 3He (beta decay) in the methyl group of thymidine, leading to formation of a carbocation. This short-lived ion reacts with hydroxide ions of water, yielding the hydroxymethyl group. HMdU that is formed by this mechanism is formed at the rate of beta decay of 3H. It appears only in [methyl-3H]thymidine residues and is present in the DNA of both nonirradiated and gamma-irradiated cells. The second mechanism is the result of the radiolysis of water caused by ionizing radiation. The resultant radical species, particularly hydroxyl radicals, may react with many sites on DNA. When the methyl group of thymine is attacked by hydroxyl radicals, the hydroxymethyl group is formed. The formation of HMdU by this mechanism was detected only when [6-3H]thymidine-labeled cells were used, since transmutation of 3H in position 6 of thymine cannot yield HMdU.

  1. Cytotoxic and radioprotective effects of Podophyllum hexandrum.

    PubMed

    Shukla, Sandeep Kumar; Chaudhary, Pankaj; Prem Kumar, Indracanti; Afrin, Farhat; Puri, Satish Chandra; Qazi, Ghulam Nabi; Sharma, Rakesh Kumar

    2006-07-01

    Podophyllum hexandrum, a herb thriving in Himalayas has already been reported to exhibit antitumor and radioprotective properties. Present study was undertaken to unravel the possible mechanism responsible for the cytotoxic and radioprotective properties of REC-2001, a fraction isolated from the rhizome of P. hexandrum using murine peritoneal macrophages and plasmid DNA as model systems. Cell death, levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis were studied employing trypan blue exclusion assay, dichlorofluorescein diacetate and DNA fragmentation assay, respectively. Superoxide anions, hydroxyl radicals and DNA damage were estimated following nitroblue tetrazolium, 2-deoxyribose degradation and plasmid DNA relaxation assays, respectively. Pre-irradiation administration of REC-2001 to peritoneal macrophages in the concentration range of 25-200μg/ml significantly reduced radiation induced ROS generation, DNA damage, apoptosis and cell killing in comparison to radiation control group indicating radioprotective potential. Studies with plasmid DNA indicated the ability of REC-2001 to inhibit 20Gy induced single and double strand breaks further supporting the antioxidative potential. However, REC-2001 in a dose-dependent fashion induced cell death, ROS and DNA fragmentation indicating the cytotoxic nature. REC-2001, in presence of 100μM copper sulfate, generated significant amount of hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anions indicating ability to act as a pro-oxidant in presence of metal ions. The superoxide anion generation was found to be sensitive to metal chelators like EDTA and deferoxamine mesylate (DFR). These results suggest that the ability of REC-2001 to act as a pro-oxidant in presence of metal ions and antioxidant in presence of free radicals might be responsible for cytotoxic and radioprotective properties.

  2. Antioxidant effect of naturally occurring xanthines on the oxidative damage of DNA bases

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vieira, A. J. S. C.; Telo, J. P.; Pereira, H. F.; Patrocínio, P. F.; Dias, R. M. B.

    1999-01-01

    The repair of the oxidised radicals of adenine and guanosine by several naturally occurring xanthines was studied. Each pair of DNA purine/xanthine was made to react with the sulphate radical and the decrease of the concentration of both compounds was measured by HPLC as a function of irradiation time. The results show that xanthine efficiently prevents the oxidation of the two DNA purines. Theophyline and paraxanthine repair the oxidised radical of adenine but not the one from guanosine. Theobromine and caffeine do not show any protecting effect. An order of the oxidation potentials of all the purines studied is proposed. La réparation des radicaux oxydés de l'adénine et de la guanosine par des xanthines naturelles a été étudiée en soumettant chaque paire base de l'ADN/xanthine à l'oxydation par le radical sulfate et en mesurant par HPLC la disparition des deux composés en fonction du temps d'irradiation. Les résultats montrent que la xanthine joue un rôle protecteur efficace contre l'oxydation des deux purines de l'ADN. La théophyline et la paraxanthine réparent le radical oxydé de l'adénine mais pas celui de la guanosine. La théobromine et la cafeíne n'ont pas d'effet protecteur. Un ordre de potentiels d'oxydation des purines étudiées est proposé.

  3. Ionization Cross Sections and Dissociation Channels of DNA Bases by Electron Collisions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huo, Winifred M.; Dateo, Christopher E.; Fletcher, Graham D.

    2004-01-01

    Free secondary electrons are the most abundant secondary species in ionizing radiation. Their role in DNA damage, both direct and indirect, is an active area of research. While indirect damage by free radicals, particularly by the hydroxyl radical generated by electron collision with water. is relatively well studied, damage by direct electron collision with DNA is less well understood. Only recently Boudaiffa et al. demonstrated that electrons at energies well below ionization thresholds can induce substantial yields of single- and double-strand breaks in DNA by a resonant, dissociative attachment process. This study attracted renewed interest in electron collisions with DNA, especially in the low energy region. At higher energies ionization becomes important. While Monte Carlo track simulations of radiation damage always include ionization, the probability of dissociative ionization, i.e., simultaneous ionization and dissociation, is ignored. Just like dissociative attachment, dissociative ionization may be an important contributor to double-strand breaks since the radicals and ions produced by dissociative ionization, located in the vicinity of the DNA coil, can readily interact with other parts of the DNA. Using the improved binary-encounter dipole (iBED) formulation, we calculated the ionization cross sections of the four DNA bases, adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine, by electrons at energies from threshold to 1 KeV. The present calculation gives cross sections approximately 20% lower than the results by Bemhardt and Paretzke using the Deutsch-Mark and Binary-Encounter-Bethe (BEB) formalisms. The difference is most likely due to the lack of a shielding term in the dipole potential used in the Deutsch-Mark and BEB formalisms. The dissociation channels of ionization for the bases are currently being studied.

  4. Identification of yeast DNA topoisomerase II mutants resistant to the antitumor drug doxorubicin: implications for the mechanisms of doxorubicin action and cytotoxicity.

    PubMed

    Patel, S; Sprung, A U; Keller, B A; Heaton, V J; Fisher, L M

    1997-10-01

    Doxorubicin is a therapeutically useful anticancer drug that exerts multiple biological effects. Its antitumor and cardiotoxic properties have been ascribed to anthracycline-mediated free radical damage to DNA and membranes. Evidence for this idea comes in part from the selection by doxorubicin from stationary phase yeast cells of mutants (petites) deficient in mitochondrial respiration and therefore defective in free radical generation. However, doxorubicin also binds to DNA topoisomerase II, converting the enzyme into a DNA damaging agent through the trapping of a covalent enzyme-DNA complex termed the 'cleavable complex.' We have used yeast to determine whether stabilization of cleavable complexes plays a role in doxorubicin action and cytotoxicity. A plasmid-borne yeast TOP2 gene was mutagenized with hydroxylamine and used to transform drug-permeable yeast strain JN394t2-4, which carries a temperature-sensitive top2-4 mutation in its chromosomal TOP2 gene. Selection in growth medium at the nonpermissive temperature of 35 degrees in the presence of doxorubicin resulted in the isolation of plasmid-borne top2 mutants specifying functional doxorubicin-resistant DNA topoisomerase II. Single-point changes of Gly748 to Glu or Ala642 to Ser in yeast topoisomerase II, which lie in and adjacent to the CAP-like DNA binding domain, respectively, were identified as responsible for resistance to doxorubicin, implicating these regions in drug action. None of the mutants selected in JN394t2-4, which has a rad52 defect in double-strand DNA break repair, was respiration-deficient. We conclude that topoisomerase II is an intracellular target for doxorubicin and that the genetic background and/or cell proliferation status can determine the relative importance of topoisomerase II- versus free radical-killing.

  5. Single- and double-strand break formation in DNA irradiated in aqueous solution: dependence on dose and OH radical scavenger concentration

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Siddiqi, M.A.; Bothe, E.

    The yields of single- and double-strand breaks (SSB and DSB) in calf thymus DNA, after /sup 60/Co gamma irradiation in dilute aqueous solution, have been determined via molecular weight measurements using a low-angle laser light scattering technique. The irradiations were administered to N/sub 2/O-containing solutions of DNA in the absence and presence of oxygen and with different concentrations of the OH radical scavengers phenol, tertiary butanol, and methanol. OH radicals were found to produce SSB linearly with dose with a G value of 55 nmol J-1 and 54 nmol J-1 in deoxygenated and oxygenated solutions, respectively. DSB were formed accordingmore » to a linear-quadratic dose relationship and the G value of linearly formed DSB were GDSB alpha(r.t.) = 3.5 nmol J-1 in deoxygenated and 3.2 nmol J-1 in oxygenated solution. The ratio of GSSB/GDSB alpha(r.t.) = gamma of 19 +/- 6 was independent of the scavenger concentration in the case of tertiary butanol and methanol-containing solutions. GDSB alpha(r.t.) is interpreted to result from a radical site transferred from a sugar moiety of the cleaved strand to the complementary intact strand. This process of radical transfer and subsequent cleavage of the second strand occurs with a probability of about 6 +/- 2% in the presence of oxygen at all scavenger concentrations studied. These data on scavenging capacity on GDSB alpha(r.t.) suggest that the double-strand breakage produced via radical transfer remains higher than that resulting from direct effect, up to scavenging capacities of about 10(9) s-1.« less

  6. DNA and BSA damage inhibitory activities, and anti-acetylcholinesterase, anti-porcine α-amylase and antioxidant properties of Dolichos lablab beans.

    PubMed

    Habib, Hosam M; Theuri, Serah W; Kheadr, Ehab; Mohamed, Fedah E

    2017-02-22

    The underutilized Kenyan variety of Dolichos lablab bean seeds serve as a good source of natural antioxidants, which can probably be effective in reducing the risk of occurrence of several diseases. This study was undertaken for the first time to address the limited knowledge regarding the antioxidant activities of lablab beans. Moreover, their DNA damage inhibitory activity, bovine serum albumin (BSA) damage inhibitory activity, and the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and porcine α-amylase were also investigated. The antioxidant capacity of Dolichos lablab bean seeds extracted with methanol, water or methanol/water combination was evaluated by the ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, free radical-scavenging activity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO) radical-scavenging assay, and 2,20-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS). Results reported in the present study indicate that water, methanol and water/methanol extracts of lablab bean flour exhibited good antioxidant activity by effectively scavenging various free radicals, such as DPPH, NO, and ABTS radicals. The extracts also exhibited protective effects against DNA and BSA damage and inhibitory effects on porcine α-amylase. Findings of this study suggest that extracts from the lablab bean flour would have potential application in food supplements, and pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

  7. DNA-REACTIVE CARCINOGENS: MODE OF ACTION AND HUMAN CANCER HAZARD

    EPA Science Inventory

    It has been known for decades that mutagenicity plays an important role in the activity of most carcinogens. This mutagenicity can result from direct damage to DNA through a chemical being DNA-reactive or from indirect effects, such as through the production of oxygen radicals th...

  8. Protective role of quercetin against copper(II)-induced oxidative stress: A spectroscopic, theoretical and DNA damage study.

    PubMed

    Jomova, Klaudia; Lawson, Michael; Drostinova, Lenka; Lauro, Peter; Poprac, Patrik; Brezova, Vlasta; Michalik, Martin; Lukes, Vladimir; Valko, Marian

    2017-12-01

    The radical scavenging and metal chelating properties of flavonoids indicate that they may play a protective role in diseases with perturbed metal homeostasis such as Alzheimer's disease. In this work we investigated the effect of the coordination of quercetin to copper(II) in view of the formation of ROS in Cu-catalyzed Fenton reaction. ABTS and DPPH assays confirmed that the copper(II)-quercetin complex exhibits a stronger radical scavenging activity than does quercetin alone. EPR spin trapping experiments have shown that chelation of quercetin to copper significantly suppressed the formation of hydroxyl radicals in the Cu(II)-Fenton reaction. DNA damage experiments revealed a protective effect for quercetin, but only at higher stoichiometric ratios of quercetin relative to copper. DNA protective effect of quercetin against ROS attack was described by two mechanisms. The first mechanism lies in suppressed formation of ROS due to the decreased catalytic action of copper in the Fenton reaction, as a consequence of its chelation and direct scavenging of ROS by free quercetin. Since the Cu-quercetin complex intercalates into DNA, the second mechanism was attributed to a suppressed intercalating ability of the Cu-quercetin complex due to the mildly intercalating free quercetin into DNA, thus creating a protective wall against stronger intercalators. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Double-hairpin molecular-beacon-based amplification detection for gene diagnosis linked to cancer.

    PubMed

    Xu, Huo; Zhang, Rongbo; Li, Feng; Zhou, Yingying; Peng, Ting; Wang, Xuedong; Shen, Zhifa

    2016-09-01

    A powerful double-hairpin molecular beacon (DHMB) was developed for cancer-related KRAS gene detection based on the one-to-two stoichiometry. During target DNA detection, DHMB can execute signal transduction even if no any exogenous element is involved. Unlike the conventional molecular beacon based on the one-to-one interaction, one target DNA not only hybridizes with one DHMB and opens its hairpin but also promotes the interaction between two DHMBs, causing the separation of two fluorophores from quenchers. This leads to an enhanced fluorescence signal. As a result, the target KRAS gene is able to be detected within a wide dynamic range from 0.05 to 200 nM with the detection limit of 50 pM, indicating a dramatic improvement compared with traditional molecular beacons. Moreover, the point mutations existing in target DNAs can be easily screened. The potential application for target species in real samples was indicated by the analysis of PCR amplicons of DNAs from the DNA extracted from SW620 cell. Besides becoming a promising candidate probe for molecular biology research and clinical diagnosis of genetic diseases, the DHMB is expected to provide a significant insight into the design of DNA probe-based homogenous sensing systems. Graphical Abstract A powerful double-hairpin molecular beacon (DHMB) was developed for cancer-related gene KRAS detection based on the one-to-two stoichiometry. Without the help of any exogenous probe, the point mutation is easily screened, and the target DNA can be quantified down to 50 pM, indicating a dramatic improvement compared with traditional molecular beacons.

  10. Study of interaction of antimutagenic 1,4-dihydropyridine AV-153-Na with DNA-damaging molecules and its impact on DNA repair activity.

    PubMed

    Leonova, Elina; Rostoka, Evita; Sauvaigo, Sylvie; Baumane, Larisa; Selga, Turs; Sjakste, Nikolajs

    2018-01-01

    1,4-dihydropyridines (1,4-DHP) possesses important biochemical and pharmacological properties, including antioxidant and antimutagenic activities. It was shown that the antimutagenic 1,4-dihydropyridine AV-153-Na interacts with DNA. The aim of the current study was to test the capability of the compound to scavenge peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radical, to test intracellular distribution of the compound, and to assess the ability of the compound to modify the activity of DNA repair enzymes and to protect the DNA in living cells against peroxynitrite-induced damage. Peroxynitrite decomposition was assayed by UV spectroscopy, hydroxyl radical scavenging-by EPR spectroscopy. DNA breakage was determined by the "comet method", activity of DNA repair enzymes-using Glyco-SPOT and ExSy-SPOT assays. Intracellular distribution of the compound was studied by laser confocal scanning fluorescence microscopy. Fluorescence spectroscopy titration and circular dichroism spectroscopy were used to study interactions of the compound with human serum albumin. Some ability to scavenge hydroxyl radical by AV-153-Na was detected by the EPR method, but it turned out to be incapable of reacting chemically with peroxynitrite. However, AV-153-Na effectively decreased DNA damage produced by peroxynitrite in cultured HeLa cells. The Glyco-SPOT test essentially revealed an inhibition by AV-153-Na of the enzymes involved thymine glycol repair. Results with ExSy-SPOT chip indicate that AV-153-Na significantly stimulates excision/synthesis repair of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG), abasic sites (AP sites) and alkylated bases. Laser confocal scanning fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that within the cells AV-153-Na was found mostly in the cytoplasm; however, a stain in nucleolus was also detected. Binding to cytoplasmic structures might occur due to high affinity of the compound to proteins revealed by spectroscopical methods. Activation of DNA repair enzymes after binding to DNA appears to be the basis for the antimutagenic effects of AV-153-Na.

  11. Oxidant-induced DNA damage of target cells.

    PubMed Central

    Schraufstätter, I; Hyslop, P A; Jackson, J H; Cochrane, C G

    1988-01-01

    In this study we examined the leukocytic oxidant species that induce oxidant damage of DNA in whole cells. H2O2 added extracellularly in micromolar concentrations (10-100 microM) induced DNA strand breaks in various target cells. The sensitivity of a specific target cell was inversely correlated to its catalase content and the rate of removal of H2O2 by the target cell. Oxidant species produced by xanthine oxidase/purine or phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated monocytes induced DNA breakage of target cells in proportion to the amount of H2O2 generated. These DNA strand breaks were prevented by extracellular catalase, but not by superoxide dismutase. Cytotoxic doses of HOCl, added to target cells, did not induce DNA strand breakage, and myeloperoxidase added extracellularly in the presence of an H2O2-generating system, prevented the formation of DNA strand breaks in proportion to its H2O2 degrading capacity. The studies also indicated that H2O2 formed hydroxyl radical (.OH) intracellularly, which appeared to be the most likely free radical responsible for DNA damage: .OH was detected in cells exposed to H2O2; the DNA base, deoxyguanosine, was hydroxylated in cells exposed to H2O2; and intracellular iron was essential for induction of DNA strand breaks. PMID:2843565

  12. Metal-enhanced fluorescence/visual bimodal platform for multiplexed ultrasensitive detection of microRNA with reusable paper analytical devices.

    PubMed

    Liang, Linlin; Lan, Feifei; Yin, Xuemei; Ge, Shenguang; Yu, Jinghua; Yan, Mei

    2017-09-15

    Convenient biosensor for simultaneous multi-analyte detection was increasingly required in biological analysis. A novel flower-like silver (FLS)-enhanced fluorescence/visual bimodal platform for the ultrasensitive detection of multiple miRNAs was successfully constructed for the first time based on the principle of multi-channel microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPADs). Fluorophore-functionalized DNA 1 (DNA 1 -N-CDs) was combined with FLS, which was hybridized with quencher-carrying strand (DNA 2 -CeO 2 ) to form FLS-enhanced fluorescence biosensor. Upon the addition of the target miRNA, the fluorescent intensity of DNA 1 -N-CDs within the proximity of the FLS was strengthened. The disengaged DNA/CeO 2 complex could result in color change after joining H 2 O 2 , leading to real-time visual detection of miRNA firstly. If necessary, then the fluorescence method was applied for a accurate determination. In this strategy, the growth of FLS in µPADs not only reduced the background fluorescence but also provided an enrichment of "hot spots" for surface enhanced fluorescence detection of miRNAs. Results also showed versatility of the FLS in the enhancement of sensitivity and selectivity of the miRNA biosensor. Remarkably, this biosensor could detect as low as 0.03fM miRNA210 and 0.06fM miRNA21. Interestingly, the proposed biosensor also possessed good capability of recycling in three cycles upon change of the supplementation of DNA 2 -CeO 2 and visual substitutive device. This method opened new opportunities for further studies of miRNA related bioprocesses and will provide a new instrument for simultaneous detection of multiple low-level biomarkers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Development of a novel method to determine the concentration of heavy metal cations: application of the specific interaction between heavy metal cation and mismatch DNA base pair.

    PubMed

    Kozasa, Tetsuo; Miyakawa, Yukako; Fukushi, Miyako; Ono, Akira; Torigoe, Hidetaka

    2009-01-01

    We have already found that Hg(II) cation specifically binds to T:T mismatch base pair in heteroduplex DNA, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex DNA involving T:T mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. We have also found that Ag(I) cation specifically binds to C:C mismatch base pair in heteroduplex DNA, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex DNA involving C:C mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. Using the specific interaction, we developed a novel sensor to determine the concentration of each of Hg(II) and Ag(I) cation. The sensor is composed of a dye-labelled T-rich or C-rich DNA oligonucleotide, F2T6W2D: 5'-Fam-T(2)CT(2)CT(2)C(4)T(2)GT(2)GT(2)-Dabcyl-3' or F2C6W2D: 5'-Fam-C(2)TC(2)TC(2)T(4)C(2)AC(2)AC(2)-Dabcyl-3', where 6-carboxyfluorescein (Fam) is a fluorophore and Dabcyl is a quencher. The addition of Hg(II) cation decreased the intensity of Fam emission of F2T6W2D at 520 nm in a concentration-dependent manner. Also, the addition of Ag(I) cation decreased the intensity of Fam emission of F2C6W2D at 520 nm in a concentration-dependent manner. We conclude that, using the novel sensor developed in this study, the concentration of each of Hg(II) and Ag(I) cation can be determined from the intensity of Fam emission at 520 nm.

  14. Imaging free radicals in organelles, cells, tissue, and in vivo with immuno-spin trapping.

    PubMed

    Mason, Ronald Paul

    2016-08-01

    The accurate and sensitive detection of biological free radicals in a reliable manner is required to define the mechanistic roles of such species in biochemistry, medicine and toxicology. Most of the techniques currently available are either not appropriate to detect free radicals in cells and tissues due to sensitivity limitations (electron spin resonance, ESR) or subject to artifacts that make the validity of the results questionable (fluorescent probe-based analysis). The development of the immuno-spin trapping technique overcomes all these difficulties. This technique is based on the reaction of amino acid- and DNA base-derived radicals with the spin trap 5, 5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) to form protein- and DNA-DMPO nitroxide radical adducts, respectively. These adducts have limited stability and decay to produce the very stable macromolecule-DMPO-nitrone product. This stable product can be detected by mass spectrometry, NMR or immunochemistry by the use of anti-DMPO nitrone antibodies. The formation of macromolecule-DMPO-nitrone adducts is based on the selective reaction of free radical addition to the spin trap and is thus not subject to artifacts frequently encountered with other methods for free radical detection. The selectivity of spin trapping for free radicals in biological systems has been proven by ESR. Immuno-spin trapping is proving to be a potent, sensitive (a million times higher sensitivity than ESR), and easy (not quantum mechanical) method to detect low levels of macromolecule-derived radicals produced in vitro and in vivo. Anti-DMPO antibodies have been used to determine the distribution of free radicals in cells and tissues and even in living animals. In summary, the invention of the immuno-spin trapping technique has had a major impact on the ability to accurately and sensitively detect biological free radicals and, subsequently, on our understanding of the role of free radicals in biochemistry, medicine and toxicology. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  15. In Vivo Lighted Fluorescence via Fenton Reaction: Approach for Imaging of Hydrogen Peroxide in Living Systems.

    PubMed

    Liu, Changhui; Chen, Weiju; Qing, Zhihe; Zheng, Jing; Xiao, Yue; Yang, Sheng; Wang, Lili; Li, Yinhui; Yang, Ronghua

    2016-04-05

    By virtue of its high sensitivity and rapidity, Fenton reaction has been demonstrated as a powerful tool for in vitro biochemical analysis; however, in vivo applications of Fenton reaction still remain to be exploited. Herein, we report, for the first time, the design, formation and testing of Fenton reaction for in vivo fluorescence imaging of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). To realize in vivo fluorescence imaging of H2O2 via Fenton reaction, a functional nanosphere, Fc@MSN-FDNA/PTAD, is fabricated from mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN), a Fenton reagent of ferrocene (Fc), ROX-labeled DNA (FDNA), and a cationic perylene derivative (PTAD). The ferrocene molecules are locked in the pore entrances of MSN, and exterior of MSN is covalently immobilized with FDNA. As a key part, PTAD acts as not only the gatekeeper of MSN but also the efficient quencher of ROX. H2O2 can permeate into the nanosphere and react with ferrocene to product hydroxyl radical (·OH) via Fenton reaction, which cleaves FDNA to detach ROX from PTAD, thus in turn, lights the ROX fluorescence. Under physiological condition, H2O2 can be determined from 5.0 nM to 1.0 μM with a detection limit of 2.4 nM. Because of the rapid kinetics of Fenton reaction and high specificity for H2O2, the proposed method meets the requirement for real applications. The feasibility of Fc@MSN-FDNA/PTAD for in vivo applications is demonstrated for fluorescence imaging of exogenous and endogenous H2O2 in cells and mice. We expect that this work will not only contribute to the H2O2-releated studies but also open up a new way to exploit in vivo Fenton reaction for biochemical research.

  16. Simultaneous energy generation and UV quencher removal from landfill leachate using a microbial fuel cell.

    PubMed

    Iskander, Syeed Md; Novak, John T; Brazil, Brian; He, Zhen

    2017-11-01

    The presence of UV quenching compounds in landfill leachate can negatively affect UV disinfection in a wastewater treatment plant when leachate is co-treated. Herein, a microbial fuel cell (MFC) was investigated to remove UV quenchers from a landfill leachate with simultaneous bioelectricity generation. The key operating parameters including hydraulic retention time (HRT), anolyte recirculation rate, and external resistance were systematically studied to maximize energy recovery and UV absorbance reduction. It was found that nearly 50% UV absorbance was reduced under a condition of HRT 40 days, continuous anolyte recirculation, and 10 Ω external resistance. Further analysis showed a total reduction of organics by 75.3%, including the reduction of humic acids, fulvic acids, and hydrophilic fraction concentration as TOC. The MFC consumed 0.056 kWh m -3 by its pump system for recirculation and oxygen supply. A reduced HRT of 20 days with periodical anode recirculation (1 hour in every 24 hours) and 39 Ω external resistance (equal to the internal resistance of the MFC) resulted in the highest net energy of 0.123 kWh m -3 . Granular activated carbon (GAC) was used as an effective post-treatment step and could achieve 89.1% UV absorbance reduction with 40 g L -1 . The combined MFC and GAC treatment could reduce 92.9% of the UV absorbance and remove 89.7% of the UV quenchers. The results of this study would encourage further exploration of using MFCs as an energy-efficient method for removing UV quenchers from landfill leachate.

  17. Zwitterion mediator/quenchers. Coulombic minimization of the back-reaction in photocatalysis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brugger, P.A.; Graetzel, M.; Guarr, T.

    1982-03-18

    Zwitterionic analogues of methyl viologen, N,N'-bis(carboxyethyl)-4,4'-bipyridyl (CEB), and N,N'-bis(sulfonatopropyl)-4,4'-bipyridyl (SPB) have been studied as electron-transfer quenchers of excited-state photocatalysts. The molecules are formally neutral when oxidized but become negatively charged when reduced. This charge buildup minimizes undesirable back-recombination of the photogenerated redox products. This Coulombic effect is demonstrated both by direct flash photolysis measurements of back-recombination and by catalytic studies of water reduction. Results are compared for the zwitterion quenchers and methyl viologen, reacting with soluble anionic porphyrins and with micelle-associated reactants. For the anionic porphyrin system zinc tetrakis (sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin(4-) the rates of back-recombination are as follows: ZnTSPP/sup 3 -/more » + MV/sup +/...-->.. ZnTSPP/sup 4 -/ + MV/sup 2 +/ (k), k = 2 x 10/sup 9/M/sup -1/s/sup -1/; ZnTSPP/sup 3 -/ + CEB/sup -/. ..-->.. ZnTSPP/sup 4 -/ + CEB +- (k), k = 6 x 10/sup 8/ M/sup -1/ s/sup -1/. In a corresponding catalytic system incorporating ZnTPPS as the photoacceptor, CEB or methyl viologen as the quencher, and N-phenylglycine as the electron donor, a >2-fold enhancement of catalysis is observed by replacing MV/sup 2 +/ with CEB. These events can be greatly accentuated by increasing the charge on the components, via micellar localization. Thus, by using an amphiphilic derivative of Ru(bpy)/sub 3//sup 2 +/ as photoactive donor solubilized in anionic micelles and SPB as electron acceptor, one can achieve 200-fold reduction in the rate of the back-reaction.« less

  18. Photoinduced Bimolecular Electron Transfer from Cyano Anions in Ionic Liquids

    DOE PAGES

    Wu, Boning; Liang, Min; Maroncelli, Mark; ...

    2015-10-26

    Ionic liquids with electron-donating anions are used to investigate rates and mechanisms of photoinduced bimolecular electron transfer to the photoexcited acceptor 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (9,10-DCNA). The set of five cyano anion ILs studied comprises the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium cation paired with each of these five anions: selenocyanate, thiocyanate, dicyanamide, tricyanomethanide, and tetracyano-borate. Measurements with these anions dilute in acetonitrile and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)-amide show that the selenocyanate and tricyanomethanide anions are strong quenchers of the 9,10-DCNA fluorescence, thiocyanate is a moderately strong quencher, dicyanamide is a weak quencher, and no quenching is observed for tetracyanoborate. Quenching rates are obtained from both time-resolved fluorescence transients andmore » time-integrated spectra. Finally, application of a Smoluchowski diffusion-and-reaction model showed that the complex kinetics observed can be fit using only two adjustable parameters, D and V 0, where D is the relative diffusion coefficient between donor and acceptor and V 0 is the value of the electronic coupling at donor-acceptor contact.« less

  19. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Okutsu, N.; Shimamura, K.; Shimizu, E.

    To elucidate the effect of radicals on DNA base pairs, we investigated the attacking mechanism of OH and H radicals to the G-C and A-T base pairs, using the density functional theory (DFT) calculations in water approximated by the continuum solvation model. The DFT calculations revealed that the OH radical abstracts the hydrogen atom of a NH{sub 2} group of G or A base and induces a tautomeric reaction for an A-T base pair more significantly than for a G-C base pair. On the other hand, the H radical prefers to bind to the Cytosine NH{sub 2} group of G-Cmore » base pair and induce a tautomeric reaction from G-C to G*-C*, whose activation free energy is considerably small (−0.1 kcal/mol) in comparison with that (42.9 kcal/mol) for the reaction of an A-T base pair. Accordingly, our DFT calculations elucidated that OH and H radicals have a significant effect on A-T and G-C base pairs, respectively. This finding will be useful for predicting the effect of radiation on the genetic information recorded in the base sequences of DNA duplexes.« less

  20. Semiquinone formation and DNA base damage by toxic quinones and inhibition by N-acetylcysteine (NAC)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lewis, D.C.; Shibamoto, T.

    1986-03-05

    Toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects have been reported for some quinones as well as compounds metabolized to quinones. Semiquinone radical formation, thymidine degradation, and protection by NAC were studied in a hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase (HX/XO) system. Quinone, benzo(a)pyrene-3,6-quinone, danthron, doxorubicin, emodin, juglone, menadione, and moniliformin were tested. Diethylstilbestrolquinone, N-acetylquinoneimine, and benzoquinonediimine, hypothesized toxic metabolites of diethylstilbestrol, acetaminophen and p-phenylenediamine, respectively, were synthesized and studied. Semiquinone radical formation was assessed in a HX/XO system monitoring cytochrome C reduction. Large differences in rates of semiquinone radical formation were noted for different quinones, with V/Vo values ranging from 1.2 to 10.6. DNA basemore » degradation, thymine or thymidine glycol formation, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) production were measured in a similar system containing thymine, thymidine, calf thymus DNA, or deoxyribose. TBARS formation was observed with deoxyribose, but thymidine degradation without TBARS formation was noted with thymidine. NAC (0.5 to 10 mM) caused dose-dependent inhibition of quinone-induced cytochrome C reduction.« less

  1. Site-specific radical formation in DNA induced by Cu(II)-H2O2 oxidizing system, using ESR, Immuno-spin trapping, LC/MS and MS/MS

    PubMed Central

    Bhattacharjee, Suchandra; Deterding, Leesa J.; Chatterjee, Saurabh; Jiang, JinJie; Ehrenshaft, Marilyn; Lardinois, Olivier; Ramirez, Dario C.; Tomer, Kenneth B.; Mason, Ronald P.

    2011-01-01

    Oxidative stress-related damage to the DNA macromolecule produces a multitude of lesions that are implicated in mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, reproductive cell death and aging. Many of these lesions have been studied and characterized by various techniques. Of the techniques that are available, the comet assay, HPLC-EC, GC-MS, HPLC-MS and especially HPLC-MS/MS remain the most widely used and have provided invaluable information on these lesions. However, accurate measurement of DNA damage has been a matter of debate. In particular, there have been reports of artifactual oxidation leading to erroneously high damage estimates. Further, most of these techniques measure the end product of a sequence of events and thus provide only limited information on the initial radical mechanism. We report here a qualitative measurement of DNA damage induced by a Cu(II)-H2O2 oxidizing system using immuno spin-trapping (IST) with EPR, MS and MS/MS. The radical generated is trapped by DMPO immediately upon formation. The DMPO adduct formed is initially EPR active but subsequently is oxidized to the stable nitrone, which can then be detected by IST and further characterized by MS and MS/MS. PMID:21382477

  2. Development of an aptamer beacon for detection of interferon-gamma.

    PubMed

    Tuleuova, Nazgul; Jones, Caroline N; Yan, Jun; Ramanculov, Erlan; Yokobayashi, Yohei; Revzin, Alexander

    2010-03-01

    Traditional antibody-based affinity sensing strategies employ multiple reagents and washing steps and are unsuitable for real-time detection of analyte binding. Aptamers, on the other hand, may be designed to monitor binding events directly, in real-time, without the need for secondary labels. The goal of the present study was to design an aptamer beacon for fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based detection of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)--an important inflammatory cytokine. Variants of DNA aptamer modified with biotin moieties and spacers were immobilized on avidin-coated surfaces and characterized by surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The SPR studies showed that immobilization of aptamer via the 3' end resulted in the best binding IFN-gamma (K(d) = 3.44 nM). This optimal aptamer variant was then used to construct a beacon by hybridizing fluorophore-labeled aptamer with an antisense oligonucleotide strand carrying a quencher. SPR studies revealed that IFN-gamma binding with an aptamer beacon occurred within 15 min of analyte introduction--suggesting dynamic replacement of the quencher-complementary strand by IFN-gamma molecules. To further highlight biosensing applications, aptamer beacon molecules were immobilized inside microfluidic channels and challenged with varying concentration of analyte. Fluorescence microscopy revealed low fluorescence in the absence of analyte and high fluorescence after introduction of IFN-gamma. Importantly, unlike traditional antibody-based immunoassays, the signal was observed directly upon binding of analyte without the need for multiple washing steps. The surface immobilized aptamer beacon had a linear range from 5 to 100 nM and a lower limit of detection of 5 nM IFN-gamma. In conclusion, we designed a FRET-based aptamer beacon for monitoring of an inflammatory cytokine-IFN-gamma. In the future, this biosensing strategy will be employed to monitor dynamics of cytokine production by the immune cells.

  3. Chemical repair activity of free radical scavenger edaravone: reduction reactions with dGMP hydroxyl radical adducts and suppression of base lesions and AP sites on irradiated plasmid DNA

    PubMed Central

    Hata, Kuniki; Urushibara, Ayumi; Yamashita, Shinichi; Lin, Mingzhang; Muroya, Yusa; Shikazono, Naoya; Yokoya, Akinari; Fu, Haiying; Katsumura, Yosuke

    2015-01-01

    Reactions of edaravone (3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one) with deoxyguanosine monophosphate (dGMP) hydroxyl radical adducts were investigated by pulse radiolysis technique. Edaravone was found to reduce the dGMP hydroxyl radical adducts through electron transfer reactions. The rate constants of the reactions were greater than 4 × 108 dm3 mol−1 s−1 and similar to those of the reactions of ascorbic acid, which is a representative antioxidant. Yields of single-strand breaks, base lesions, and abasic sites produced in pUC18 plasmid DNA by gamma ray irradiation in the presence of low concentrations (10–1000 μmol dm−3) of edaravone were also quantified, and the chemical repair activity of edaravone was estimated by a method recently developed by the authors. By comparing suppression efficiencies to the induction of each DNA lesion, it was found that base lesions and abasic sites were suppressed by the chemical repair activity of edaravone, although the suppression of single-strand breaks was not very effective. This phenomenon was attributed to the chemical repair activity of edaravone toward base lesions and abasic sites. However, the chemical repair activity of edaravone for base lesions was lower than that of ascorbic acid. PMID:25212600

  4. Capturing the radical ion-pair intermediate in DNA guanine oxidation

    PubMed Central

    Jie, Jialong; Liu, Kunhui; Wu, Lidan; Zhao, Hongmei; Song, Di; Su, Hongmei

    2017-01-01

    Although the radical ion pair has been frequently invoked as a key intermediate in DNA oxidative damage reactions and photoinduced electron transfer processes, the unambiguous detection and characterization of this species remain formidable and unresolved due to its extremely unstable nature and low concentration. We use the strategy that, at cryogenic temperatures, the transient species could be sufficiently stabilized to be detectable spectroscopically. By coupling the two techniques (the cryogenic stabilization and the time-resolved laser flash photolysis spectroscopy) together, we are able to capture the ion-pair transient G+•⋯Cl− in the chlorine radical–initiated DNA guanine (G) oxidation reaction, and provide direct evidence to ascertain the intricate type of addition/charge separation mechanism underlying guanine oxidation. The unique spectral signature of the radical ion-pair G+•⋯Cl− is identified, revealing a markedly intense absorption feature peaking at 570 nm that is distinctive from G+• alone. Moreover, the ion-pair spectrum is found to be highly sensitive to the protonation equilibria within guanine-cytosine base pair (G:C), which splits into two resolved bands at 480 and 610 nm as the acidic proton transfers along the central hydrogen bond from G+• to C. We thus use this exquisite sensitivity to track the intrabase-pair proton transfer dynamics in the double-stranded DNA oligonucleotides, which is of critical importance for the description of the proton-coupled charge transfer mechanisms in DNA. PMID:28630924

  5. Quantum Dot-Fullerene Based Molecular Beacon Nanosensors for Rapid, Highly Sensitive Nucleic Acid Detection.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ye; Kannegulla, Akash; Wu, Bo; Cheng, Li-Jing

    2018-05-15

    Spherical fullerene (C 60 ) can quench the fluorescence of a quantum dot (QD) through energy transfer and charge transfer processes, with the quenching efficiency regulated by the number of proximate C 60 on each QD. With the quenching property and its small size compared with other nanoparticle-based quenchers, it is advantageous to group a QD reporter and multiple C 60 -labeled oligonucleotide probes to construct a molecular beacon (MB) probe for sensitive, robust nucleic acid detection. We demonstrated a rapid, high-sensitivity DNA detection method using the nanosensors composed of QD-C 60 based MBs carried by magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The assay was accelerated by first dispersing the nanosensors in analytes for highly efficient DNA capture resulting from short-distance 3-dimensional diffusion of targets to the sensor surface and then concentrating the nanosensors to a substrate by magnetic force to amplify the fluorescence signal for target quantification. The enhanced mass transport enabled a rapid detection (< 10 min) with a small sample volume (1-10 µl). The high signal-to-noise ratio produced by the QD-C 60 pairs and magnetic concentration yielded a detection limit of 100 fM (~106 target DNA copies for a 10 µl analyte). The rapid, sensitive, label-free detection method will benefit the applications in point-of-care molecular diagnostic technologies.

  6. IDENTIFICATION AND QUANTITATION OF BENZO[A]PYRENE DERIVED DNA ADDUCTS FORMED AT LOW ADDUCTION LEVEL IN MICE LUNG TISSUE

    EPA Science Inventory

    The two major metabolic pathways of benzo[a]pyrene (BP), as well as other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, that allow for the induction of DNA lesions are monooxygenation that results in diol epoxides (BPDE), and one-electron oxidation that yields a BP radical cation. The DNA ad...

  7. Single nucleotide polymorphism discrimination with and without an ethidium bromide intercalator.

    PubMed

    Fenati, Renzo A; Connolly, Ashley R; Ellis, Amanda V

    2017-02-15

    Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping is an important aspect in understanding genetic variations. Here, we discriminate SNPs using toe-hold mediated displacement reactions. The biological target is an 80 nucleotide long double-stranded-DNA from the mtDNA HV1 region, associated with maternal ancestry. This target has been specially designed with a pendant toehold and a cationic fluorophore, ATTO 647N, as a reporter, produced in a polymerase chain reaction. Rates of reaction for the toehold-polymerase chain reaction products (TPPs) with their corresponding complementary displacing sequences, labelled with a Black Hole Quencher 1, followed the order TPP-Cytosine > TPP-Thymine > TPP-Adenine ≥ TPP-Guanine. Non-complementary rates were the slowest with mismatches involving cytosine. These reactions, operating in a static/or contact mode, gave averaged readouts between SNPs within 15 min (with 80-90% quenching), compared to 25-30 min in previous studies involving fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Addition of an intercalating agent, ethidium bromide, retarded the rate of reaction in which cytosine was involved, presumably through stabilization of the base pairing, which resulted in markedly improved discrimination of cytosine containing SNPs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. DNA Duplex-Based Photodynamic Molecular Beacon for Targeted Killing of Retinoblastoma Cell.

    PubMed

    Wei, Yanchun; Lu, Cuixia; Chen, Qun; Xing, Da

    2016-11-01

    Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy of infancy. An alternative RB treatment protocol is proposed and tested. It is based on a photodynamic therapy (PDT) with a designed molecular beacon that specifically targets the murine double minute x (MDMX) high-expressed RB cells. A MDMX mRNA triggered photodynamic molecular beacon is designed by binding a photosensitizer molecule (pyropheophorbide-a, or PPa) and a black hole quencher-3 (BHQ3) through a complementary oligonucleotide sequence. Cells with and without MDMX high-expression are incubated with the beacon and then irradiated with a laser. The fluorescence and reactive oxygen species are detected in solution to verify the specific activation of PPa by the perfectly matched DNA targets. The cell viabilities are evaluated with CCK-8 and flow cytometry assay. The fluorescence and photo-cytoxicity of PPa is recovered and significantly higher in the MDMX high-expressed Y79 and WERI-Rb1 cells, compared to that with the MDMX low-expressed cells. The synthesized beacon exhibits high PDT efficiency toward MDMX high-expressed RB cells. The data suggest that the designed beacon may provide a potential alternative for RB therapy and secures the ground for future investigation.

  9. Photoinduced electron transfer interaction of anthraquinones with aniline quenchers: Influence of methyl substitution in aniline donors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sivakumar, V.; Ponnamma, Deepalekshmi; Hussein, Yasser H. A.

    2017-02-01

    Photoinduced electron transfer between triplet state of 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) and its two derivatives: 2-chloro-9,10-anthraquinone (CAQ) and sodium anthraquinone-2-sulfonate (AQS) and ground state aniline (AN) and its dimethyl substitutions: 2,3-dimethylaniline (2,3-DMA), 2,6-dimethylaniline (2,6-DMA), 3,5-dimethylaniline (3,5-DMA) and N,N-dimethylaniline (N,N-DMA) is studied using nanosecond laser flash photolysis at room temperature. Detection of radical bands of quinone anions and aniline cations along with their formation and/or decay kinetics are used to confirm the electron transfer (ET) process. In MeCN medium, AN quenches the triplet state of CAQ (CAQT) but not the triplets AQT or AQST. However in aqueous medium, AN quenches AQST and forms radical ion pair. All the DMAs can react through ET with all the triplet quinones at different degrees of efficiency in MeCN medium. Noticeably, the ring substituted DMAs are less efficient in electron donation to AQT or AQST while the N,N-DMA shows high efficiency in donating electron to all triplet quinones in MeCN medium. Charge distribution of donor molecules, in MeCN medium is calculated using density functional theory (DFT), and shows an enhancement of electron density of the ring of N,N-DMA, making it an ideal electron donor for ET studies compared to other DMAs. This systematic selection and usage of anilines with electrochemically tunable quinones can be viewed as a working model of donor-acceptor system that can be utilized in photoinduced ET applications.

  10. Activatable iRGD-based peptide monolith: Targeting, internalization, and fluorescence activation for precise tumor imaging.

    PubMed

    Cho, Hong-Jun; Lee, Sung-Jin; Park, Sung-Jun; Paik, Chang H; Lee, Sang-Myung; Kim, Sehoon; Lee, Yoon-Sik

    2016-09-10

    A disulfide-bridged cyclic RGD peptide, named iRGD (internalizing RGD, c(CRGDK/RGPD/EC)), is known to facilitate tumor targeting as well as tissue penetration. After the RGD motif-induced targeting on αv integrins expressed near tumor tissue, iRGD encounters proteolytic cleavage to expose the CendR motif that promotes penetration into cancer cells via the interaction with neuropilin-1. Based on these proteolytic cleavage and internalization mechanism, we designed an iRGD-based monolithic imaging probe that integrates multiple functions (cancer-specific targeting, internalization and fluorescence activation) within a small peptide framework. To provide the capability of activatable fluorescence signaling, we conjugated a fluorescent dye to the N-terminal of iRGD, which was linked to the internalizing sequence (CendR motif), and a quencher to the opposite C-terminal. It turned out that fluorescence activation of the dye/quencher-conjugated monolithic peptide probe requires dual (reductive and proteolytic) cleavages on both disulfide and amide bond of iRGD peptide. Furthermore, the cleavage of the iRGD peptide leading to fluorescence recovery was indeed operative depending on the tumor-related angiogenic receptors (αvβ3 integrin and neuropilin-1) in vitro as well as in vivo. Compared to an 'always fluorescent' iRGD control probe without quencher conjugation, the dye/quencher-conjugated activatable monolithic peptide probe visualized tumor regions more precisely with lower background noise after intravenous injection, owing to the multifunctional responses specific to tumor microenvironment. All these results, along with minimal in vitro and in vivo toxicity profiles, suggest potential of the iRGD-based activatable monolithic peptide probe as a promising imaging agent for precise tumor diagnosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Activities of Enzymatic Extracts from Rhizoid of Laminaria japonica

    PubMed Central

    Je, Jae-Young; Park, Soo Yeon; Ahn, Chang-Bum

    2017-01-01

    Rhizoid of Laminaria japonica was hydrolyzed with proteases and carbohydrases to obtain antioxidant materials. Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of the enzymatic extracts was evaluated and the Protamex extract (PE) exhibited the highest ORAC value. PE also potently scavenged 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic) acid cation radical, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and had good reducing power. PE inhibited hydroxyl radical-induced DNA scission by measuring the conversion of supercoiled pBR322 plasmid DNA to the open circular form. The cytoprotective effect of PE against H2O2-induced hepatic cell damage was also investigated. PE showed a dose-dependent cytoprotective effect in cultured hepatocytes by inhibiting intracellular reactive oxygen species scavenging activity. In addition, PE up-regulated the expression of heme oxygenase-1, which is a cytoprotective enzyme, by activating translocation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2. Taken together, the enzymatic extract of rhizoid of L. japonica, particularly PE, may be useful for antioxidant additives. PMID:29333384

  12. Evidence of ROS generation by mitochondria in cells with impaired electron transport chain and mitochondrial DNA damage.

    PubMed

    Indo, Hiroko P; Davidson, Mercy; Yen, Hsiu-Chuan; Suenaga, Shigeaki; Tomita, Kazuo; Nishii, Takeshi; Higuchi, Masahiro; Koga, Yasutoshi; Ozawa, Toshihiko; Majima, Hideyuki J

    2007-01-01

    Mitochondrial damage is a well known cause of mitochondria-related diseases. A major mechanism underlying the development of mitochondria-related diseases is thought to be an increase in intracellular oxidative stress produced by impairment of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC). However, clear evidence of intracellular free radical generation has not been clearly provided for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-damaged cells. In this study, using the novel fluorescence dye, 2-[6-(4'-hydroxy)phenoxy-3H-xanthen-3-on-9-yl]benzoic acid (HPF), which was designed to detect hydroxyl radicals (*OH), intracellular free radical formation was examined in 143B cells (parental cells), 143B-rho(0) cells (mtDNA-lacking cells), 87 wt (cybrid), and cybrids of 4977-bp mtDNA deletion (common deletion) cells containing the deletion with 0%, 5%, 50% and >99% frequency (HeLacot, BH5, BH50 and BH3.12, respectively), using a laser confocal microscope detection method. ETC inhibitors (rotenone, 3-nitropropionic acid, thenoyltrifluoroacetone, antimycin A and sodium cyanide) were also tested to determine whether inhibitor treatment increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. A significant increase in ROS for 143B-rho(0) cells was observed compared with 143B cells. However, for the 87 wt cybrid, no increase was observed. An increase was also observed in the mtDNA-deleted cells BH50 and BH3.12. The ETC inhibitors increased intracellular ROS in both 143B and 143B-rho(0) cells. Furthermore, in every fluorescence image, the fluorescence dye appeared localized around the nuclei. To clarify the localization, we double-stained cells with the dye and MitoTracker Red. The resulting fluorescence was consistently located in mitochondria. Furthermore, manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) cDNA-transfected cells had decreased ROS. These results suggest that more ROS are generated from mitochondria in ETC-inhibited and mtDNA-damaged cells, which have impaired ETC.

  13. Radiation-induced DNA-protein cross-links: Mechanisms and biological significance.

    PubMed

    Nakano, Toshiaki; Xu, Xu; Salem, Amir M H; Shoulkamy, Mahmoud I; Ide, Hiroshi

    2017-06-01

    Ionizing radiation produces various DNA lesions such as base damage, DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs), DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), and DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs). Of these, the biological significance of DPCs remains elusive. In this article, we focus on radiation-induced DPCs and review the current understanding of their induction, properties, repair, and biological consequences. When cells are irradiated, the formation of base damage, SSBs, and DSBs are promoted in the presence of oxygen. Conversely, that of DPCs is promoted in the absence of oxygen, suggesting their importance in hypoxic cells, such as those present in tumors. DNA and protein radicals generated by hydroxyl radicals (i.e., indirect effect) are responsible for DPC formation. In addition, DPCs can also be formed from guanine radical cations generated by the direct effect. Actin, histones, and other proteins have been identified as cross-linked proteins. Also, covalent linkages between DNA and protein constituents such as thymine-lysine and guanine-lysine have been identified and their structures are proposed. In irradiated cells and tissues, DPCs are repaired in a biphasic manner, consisting of fast and slow components. The half-time for the fast component is 20min-2h and that for the slow component is 2-70h. Notably, radiation-induced DPCs are repaired more slowly than DSBs. Homologous recombination plays a pivotal role in the repair of radiation-induced DPCs as well as DSBs. Recently, a novel mechanism of DPC repair mediated by a DPC protease was reported, wherein the resulting DNA-peptide cross-links were bypassed by translesion synthesis. The replication and transcription of DPC-bearing reporter plasmids are inhibited in cells, suggesting that DPCs are potentially lethal lesions. However, whether DPCs are mutagenic and induce gross chromosomal alterations remains to be determined. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Formation and processing of DNA damage substrates for the hNEIL enzymes.

    PubMed

    Fleming, Aaron M; Burrows, Cynthia J

    2017-06-01

    Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are harnessed by the cell for signaling at the same time as being detrimental to cellular components such as DNA. The genome and transcriptome contain instructions that can alter cellular processes when oxidized. The guanine (G) heterocycle in the nucleotide pool, DNA, or RNA is the base most prone to oxidation. The oxidatively-derived products of G consistently observed in high yields from hydroxyl radical, carbonate radical, or singlet oxygen oxidations under conditions modeling the cellular reducing environment are discussed. The major G base oxidation products are 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (OG), 5-carboxamido-5-formamido-2-iminohydantoin (2Ih), spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp), and 5-guanidinohydantoin (Gh). The yields of these products show dependency on the oxidant and the reaction context that includes nucleoside, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), and G-quadruplex DNA (G4-DNA) structures. Upon formation of these products in cells, they are recognized by the DNA glycosylases in the base excision repair (BER) pathway. This review focuses on initiation of BER by the mammalian Nei-like1-3 (NEIL1-3) glycosylases for removal of 2Ih, Sp, and Gh. The unique ability of the human NEILs to initiate removal of the hydantoins in ssDNA, bulge-DNA, bubble-DNA, dsDNA, and G4-DNA is outlined. Additionally, when Gh exists in a G4 DNA found in a gene promoter, NEIL-mediated repair is modulated by the plasticity of the G4-DNA structure provided by additional G-runs flanking the sequence. On the basis of these observations and cellular studies from the literature, the interplay between DNA oxidation and BER to alter gene expression is discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Impact of induced levels of specific free radicals and malondialdehyde on chicken semen quality and fertility.

    PubMed

    Rui, Bruno R; Shibuya, Fábio Y; Kawaoku, Allison J T; Losano, João D A; Angrimani, Daniel S R; Dalmazzo, Andressa; Nichi, Marcilio; Pereira, Ricardo J G

    2017-03-01

    Over the past decades, scientists endeavored to comprehend oxidative stress in poultry spermatozoa and its relationship with fertilizing ability, lipid peroxidation (LPO), free-radical scavenging systems, and antioxidant therapy. Although considerable progress has been made, further improvement is needed in understanding how specific reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA, a toxic byproduct of LPO) disrupt organelles in avian spermatozoon. Hence, this study examined functional changes in chicken spermatozoa after incubation with different ROS, and their implications for the fertility. First, semen samples from 14 roosters were individually diluted and aliquoted into five equal parts: control, superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), hydroxyl radicals, and MDA. After incubation with these molecules, aliquots were analyzed for motility, plasma membrane and acrosome integrity, mitochondrial activity, and LPO and DNA damage. Hydrogen peroxide was more detrimental for sperm motility than hydroxyl radicals, whereas the superoxide anion and MDA exhibited no differences compared with controls. In turn, plasma membrane and acrosome integrity, mitochondrial activity, LPO and DNA integrity rates were only affected by hydroxyl radicals. Thereafter, semen aliquots were incubated under the same conditions and used for artificial insemination. In accordance to our in vitro observations, H 2 O 2 and hydroxyl radicals sharply reduced egg fertility, whereas superoxide anion and MDA only induced slight declines. Thus, chicken sperm function was severely impaired by H 2 O 2 and hydroxyl radicals, but their mechanisms of action seemingly comprise different pathways. Further analysis regarding susceptibility of spermatozoon organelles to specific radicals in other poultry will help us to understand the development of interspecific differences in scavenging systems and to outline more oriented antioxidant approaches. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. In vitro effects of coal fly ashes: hydroxyl radical generation, iron release, and DNA damage and toxicity in rat lung epithelial cells

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    van Maanen, J.M.; Borm, P.J.; Knaapen, A

    1999-12-15

    The authors measured iron release, acellular generation of hydroxyl radicals, and oxidative DNA damage and cytotoxicity in rat lung epithelial (RLE) cells by different coal fly ashes (CFA) that contain both quartz and iron. Seven samples of CFA with different particle size and quartz content (up to 14.1%) were tested along with silica (alpha-quartz), ground coal, and coal mine dust (respirable) as positive control particles, and fine TiO{sub 2} (anatase) as a negative control. Five test samples were pulverized fuel ashes (PFA), two samples were coal gasification (SCG) ashes (quartz content {lt} 0.1%), and one sample was a ground coal.more » No marked differences between SCG and PFA fly ashes were observed, and toxicity did not correlate with physicochemical characteristics or effect parameters. Stable surface radicals were only detected in the reference particles silica and coal mine dust, but not in CFA. On the other hand, hydroxyl radical generation by all fly ashes was observed in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Also a relationship between acellular hydroxyl radical generation and oxidative DNA damage in RLE cells by CFA was observed. The respirable ashes (MAT023, 38, and 41) showed an extensive level of hydroxyl radical generation in comparison to nonrespirable fly ashes and respirable references. This was related to the iron mobilization from these particles. Themechanisms by which CFA and the positive references (silica, coal mine dust) affect rat lung epithelial cells seem to be different, and the data suggest that quartz in CFA does not act the same as quartz in silica or coal mine dust. However, the results indicate an important role for size and iron release in generation and subsequent effects of reactive oxygen species caused by CFA.« less

  17. [The significance of free radicals and antioxidants due to the load induced by sport activity].

    PubMed

    Holecek, V; Liska, J; Racek, J; Rokyta, R

    2004-01-01

    Sport performance is followed by a high production of free radicals. The main reasons are reperfusion after the previous imbalance between the increased need of the organism and the ability of blood supply by oxygen, increased production of ATP, decomposition of the cells particularly white blood cells, oxidation of the purin basis from DNA, stress, output of epinephrine release of free iron, increased temperature in the muscle and its inflammation, and the reception of free radicals from external environment. Peroxidation of lipids, proteins, DNA and other compounds follows the previous biochemical steps. Antioxidants are consumed by free radicals, antioxidative enzymes are released into blood plasma, intracellular calcium is increased, the production of nitric oxide rises, the levels of hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorous acid increase. These penetrate through the membranes and oxidatively damage the tissues. Training improves the ability of the organism to balance the increased load of free radicals. The damage can be lowered by the application of a mixture of antioxidants, the most important are vitamin C, A, E, glutathione, selenium, carnosine, eventually bioflavonoids and ginkgo biloba. The lack of antioxidants can significantly diminish the sport performance and therefore the supplementation with antioxidants is for top sportsmen but also for aged people advisable.

  18. Free Radicals Generated by Ionizing Radiation Signal Nuclear Translocation of p53

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Martinez, J. D.; Pennington, M. E.; Craven, M. T.; Warters, R. L.

    1997-01-01

    The p53 tumor suppressor is a transcription factor that regulates several pathways, which function collectively to maintain the integrity of the genome. Nuclear localization is critical for wild-type function. However, the signals that regulate subcellular localization of p53 have not been identified. Here, we examine the effect of ionizing radiation on the subcellular localization of p53 in two cell lines in which p63 is normally sequestered in the cytoplasm and found that ionizing radiation caused a biphasic translocation response. p53 entered the nucleus 1-2 hours postirradiation (early response), subsequently emerged from the nucleus, and then again entered the nucleus 12-24 hours after the cells had been irradiated (delayed response). These changes in subcellular localization could be completely blocked by the free radical scavenger, WR1065. By comparison, two DNA-damaging agents that do not generate free radicals, mitomycin C and doxorubicin, caused translocation only after 12-24 h of exposure to the drugs, and this effect could not be inhibited by WR1065. Hence, although all three DNA-damaging agents induced relocalization of p53 to the nucleus, only the translocation caused by radiation was sensitive to free radical scavenging. We suggest that the free radicals generated by ionizing radiation can signal p53 translocation to the nucleus.

  19. Serendipitous findings while researching oxygen free radicals.

    PubMed

    Floyd, Robert A

    2009-04-15

    This review is based on the honor of receiving the Discovery Award from the Society of Free Radical Biology and Medicine. The review is reflective and presents our thinking that led to experiments that yielded novel observations. Critical questioning of our understanding of oxygen free radicals in biomedical problems led us to use and develop more direct and extremely sensitive methods. This included nitrone free radical spin trapping and HPLC-electrochemical detection. This technology led to the pioneering use of salicylate to trap hydroxyl free radicals and show increased flux in ischemia/reperfused brain regions and also to first sensitively detect 8-hydroxyl-2-deoxyguanosine in oxidatively damaged DNA and help assess its role in cancer development. We demonstrated that methylene blue (MB) photoinduces formation of 8-hydroxyguanine in DNA and RNA and discovered that MB sensitively photoinactivates RNA viruses, including HIV and the West Nile virus. Studies in experimental stroke led us serendipitously to discover that alpha-phenyl-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) was neuroprotective if given after the stroke. This led to extensive commercial development of NXY-059, a PBN derivative, for the treatment of stroke. More recently we discovered that PBN nitrones have potent anti-cancer activity and are active in preventing hearing loss caused by acute acoustical trauma.

  20. Alcohols as alkylating agents in heteroarene C-H functionalization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jin, Jian; MacMillan, David W. C.

    2015-09-01

    Redox processes and radical intermediates are found in many biochemical processes, including deoxyribonucleotide synthesis and oxidative DNA damage. One of the core principles underlying DNA biosynthesis is the radical-mediated elimination of H2O to deoxygenate ribonucleotides, an example of `spin-centre shift', during which an alcohol C-O bond is cleaved, resulting in a carbon-centred radical intermediate. Although spin-centre shift is a well-understood biochemical process, it is underused by the synthetic organic chemistry community. We wondered whether it would be possible to take advantage of this naturally occurring process to accomplish mild, non-traditional alkylation reactions using alcohols as radical precursors. Because conventional radical-based alkylation methods require the use of stoichiometric oxidants, increased temperatures or peroxides, a mild protocol using simple and abundant alkylating agents would have considerable use in the synthesis of diversely functionalized pharmacophores. Here we describe the development of a dual catalytic alkylation of heteroarenes, using alcohols as mild alkylating reagents. This method represents the first, to our knowledge, broadly applicable use of unactivated alcohols as latent alkylating reagents, achieved via the successful merger of photoredox and hydrogen atom transfer catalysis. The value of this multi-catalytic protocol has been demonstrated through the late-stage functionalization of the medicinal agents, fasudil and milrinone.

  1. Alcohols as alkylating agents in heteroarene C-H functionalization.

    PubMed

    Jin, Jian; MacMillan, David W C

    2015-09-03

    Redox processes and radical intermediates are found in many biochemical processes, including deoxyribonucleotide synthesis and oxidative DNA damage. One of the core principles underlying DNA biosynthesis is the radical-mediated elimination of H2O to deoxygenate ribonucleotides, an example of 'spin-centre shift', during which an alcohol C-O bond is cleaved, resulting in a carbon-centred radical intermediate. Although spin-centre shift is a well-understood biochemical process, it is underused by the synthetic organic chemistry community. We wondered whether it would be possible to take advantage of this naturally occurring process to accomplish mild, non-traditional alkylation reactions using alcohols as radical precursors. Because conventional radical-based alkylation methods require the use of stoichiometric oxidants, increased temperatures or peroxides, a mild protocol using simple and abundant alkylating agents would have considerable use in the synthesis of diversely functionalized pharmacophores. Here we describe the development of a dual catalytic alkylation of heteroarenes, using alcohols as mild alkylating reagents. This method represents the first, to our knowledge, broadly applicable use of unactivated alcohols as latent alkylating reagents, achieved via the successful merger of photoredox and hydrogen atom transfer catalysis. The value of this multi-catalytic protocol has been demonstrated through the late-stage functionalization of the medicinal agents, fasudil and milrinone.

  2. Serendipitous Findings While Researching Oxygen Free Radicals

    PubMed Central

    Floyd, Robert A.

    2009-01-01

    This review is based on the honor of receiving the Discovery Award from the Society of Free Radical Biology and Medicine. The review is reflective and presents our thinking which led to experiments that yielded novel observations. Critical questioning of our understanding of oxygen free radicals in biomedical problems led us to use and develop more direct and extremely sensitive methods. This included nitrone free radical spin-trapping and HPLC-electrochemical detection. This technology led to the pioneering use of salicylate to trap hydroxyl free radicals and show increased flux in ischemia/reperfused brain regions and to also first sensitively detect 8-hydroxy-droxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in oxidative-damaged DNA and help assess its role in cancer development. We demonstrated that Methylene Blue (MB) photo-induced formation of 8-hydroxy-guanine in DNA and RNA and discovered that MB sensitively photo-inactivated RNA viruses including HIV and the West Nile Virus. Studies in experimental stroke led us to serendipitously discover that α-phenyl-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) was neuroprotective if given after the stroke. This led to extensive commercial development of NXY-059, a PBN derivative, for the treatment of stroke. More recently we discovered that PBN-nitrones have potent anti-cancer activity and are active in preventing hearing loss caused by acute acoustical trauma. PMID:19439210

  3. Repeated Nrf2 stimulation using sulforaphane protects fibroblasts from ionizing radiation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mathew, Sherin T.; Bergström, Petra; Hammarsten, Ola, E-mail: ola.hammarsten@clinchem.gu.se

    2014-05-01

    Most of the cytotoxicity induced by ionizing radiation is mediated by radical-induced DNA double-strand breaks. Cellular protection from free radicals can be stimulated several fold by sulforaphane-mediated activation of the transcription factor Nrf2 that regulates more than 50 genes involved in the detoxification of reactive substances and radicals. Here, we report that repeated sulforaphane treatment increases radioresistance in primary human skin fibroblasts. Cells were either treated with sulforaphane for four hours once or with four-hour treatments repeatedly for three consecutive days prior to radiation exposure. Fibroblasts exposed to repeated-sulforaphane treatment showed a more pronounced dose-dependent induction of Nrf2-regulated mRNA andmore » reduced amount of radiation-induced free radicals compared with cells treated once with sulforaphane. In addition, radiation- induced DNA double-strand breaks measured by gamma-H2AX foci were attenuated following repeated sulforaphane treatment. As a result, cellular protection from ionizing radiation measured by the 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay was increased, specifically in cells exposed to repeated sulforaphane treatment. Sulforaphane treatment was unable to protect Nrf2 knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts, indicating that the sulforaphane-induced radioprotection was Nrf2-dependent. Moreover, radioprotection by repeated sulforaphane treatment was dose-dependent with an optimal effect at 10 uM, whereas both lower and higher concentrations resulted in lower levels of radioprotection. Our data indicate that the Nrf2 system can be trained to provide further protection from radical damage. - Highlights: • Repeated treatment with sulforaphane protects fibroblasts from ionizing radiation • Repeated sulforaphane treatment attenuates radiation induced ROS and DNA damage • Sulforaphane mediated protection is Nrf2 dependent.« less

  4. π to σ Radical Tautomerization in One-Electron Oxidized 1-Methylcytosine and its Analogs

    PubMed Central

    Adhikary, Amitava; Kumar, Anil; Bishop, Casandra T.; Wiegand, Tyler J.; Hindi, Ragda M.; Adhikary, Ananya; Sevilla, Michael D.

    2015-01-01

    In this work iminyl σ-radical formation in several one-electron oxidized cytosine analogs including 1-MeC, cidofovir, 2′-deoxycytidine (dCyd), and 2′-deoxycytidine 5′-monophosphate (5′-dCMP) were investigated in homogeneous aqueous (D2O or H2O) glassy solutions at low temperatures employing electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. Employing density functional theory (DFT) (DFT/B3LYP/6-31G* method), the calculated hyperfine coupling constant (HFCC) values of iminyl σ-radical agree quite well with the experimentally observed ones thus confirming its assignment. ESR and DFT studies show that the cytosine-iminyl σ-radical is a tautomer of the deprotonated cytosine π-cation radical (cytosine π-aminyl radical, C(N4-H)•). Employing 1-MeC samples at various pHs ranging ca. 8 to ca. 11, ESR studies show that the tautomeric equilibrium between C(N4-H)• and the iminyl σ-radical at low temperature is too slow to be established without added base. ESR and DFT studies agree that in the iminyl-σ radical, the unpaired spin is localized to the exocyclic nitrogen (N4) in an in-plane pure p-orbital. This gives rise to an anisotropic nitrogen hyperfine coupling (Azz = 40 G) from N4 and a near isotropic β-nitrogen coupling of 9.7 G from the cytosine ring nitrogen at N3. Iminyl σ-radical should exist in its N3-protonated form as the N3-protonated iminyl σ-radical is stabilized in solution by over 30 kcal/mol (ΔG= −32 kcal/mol) over its conjugate base, the N3-deprotonated form. This is the first observation of an isotropic β-hyperfine ring nitrogen coupling in an N-centered DNA-radical. Our theoretical calculations predict that the cytosine iminyl σ-radical can be formed in dsDNA by a radiation-induced ionization–deprotonation process that is only 10 kcal/mol above the lowest energy path. PMID:26237072

  5. Ameliorating reactive oxygen species-induced in vitro lipid peroxidation in brain, liver, mitochondria and DNA damage by Zingiber officinale Roscoe.

    PubMed

    Ajith, T A

    2010-01-01

    Iron is an essential nutrient for a number of cellular activities. However, excess cellular iron can be toxic by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide anion (O(2) (-)) and hydroxyl radical (HO(·)) that damage proteins, lipids and DNA. Mutagenic and genotoxic end products of lipid peroxidation can induce the decline of mitochondrial respiration and are associated with various human ailments including aging, neurodegenerative disorders, cancer etc. Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) is a widely used spice around the world. The protective effect of aqueous ethanol extract of Z. officinale against ROS-induced in vitro lipid peroxidation and DNA damage was evaluated in this study. The lipid peroxidation was induced by hydroxyl radical generated from Fenton's reaction in rat liver and brain homogenates and mitochondrial fraction (isolated from rat liver). The DNA protection was evaluated using H(2)O(2)-induced changes in pBR-322 plasmid and Fenton reaction-induced DNA fragmentation in rat liver. The results indicated that Z. officinale significantly (P<0.001) protected the lipid peroxidation in all the tissue homogenate/mitochondria. The extract at 2 and 0.5 mg/ml could protect 92 % of the lipid peroxidation in brain homogenate and liver mitochondria respectively. The percent inhibition of lipid peroxidation at 1mg/ml of Z. officinale in the liver homogenate was 94 %. However, the extract could partially alleviate the DNA damage. The protective mechanism can be correlated to the radical scavenging property of Z. officinale. The results of the study suggest the possible nutraceutical role of Z. officinale against the oxidative stress induced human ailments.

  6. Light-Induced Toxic Effects of Tamoxifen: A Chemotherapeutic and Chemopreventive Agent.

    PubMed

    Wang, Lei; Wang, Shuguang; Yin, Jun-Jie; Fu, Peter P; Yu, Hongtao

    2009-01-01

    Tamoxifen is a powerful drug used to treat breast cancer patients, and more than 500,000 women in the U. S. are being treated with this drug. In our study, tamoxifen is found to be photomutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium TA102 at concentrations as low as 0.08 muM and reaches maximum photomutagenicity at 0.4 muM under a light dose equivalent to 20 min sunlight. These concentrations are comparable to the plasma tamoxifen concentration of 0.4 to 3 muM for patients undergoing tamoxifen therapy. The toxicity seems to be the result of DNA damage and/or lipid peroxidation caused by light irradiation of tamoxifen. The DNA damage caused by irradiation of PhiX174 DNA in the presence of tamoxifen appears to be formation of DNA-tamoxifen covalent adducts, not single strand/double strand cleavages, and there is no oxygen involvement. This is confirmed by EPR experiments that carbon-centerd radicals are formed by light irradiation of tamoxifen and there is no singlet oxygen formation. Although superoxide radical is formed, it is not involved in DNA damage.

  7. ERG Oncoprotein Expression in Prostate Cancer: Clonal Progression of ERG-Positive Tumor Cells and Potential for ERG-Based Stratification

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-01-01

    staining results as ERG positive or negative. Analysis of ERG mRNA by branched-chain DNA ( bDNA ) signal amplification One 4-mm thick section was selected...patients treated with radical prostatectomy by using bDNA assay as described in Materials and Methods. Consecutive tissue slides from whole-mounted FFPE

  8. Photosensitized oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide by diethoxyphosphorus(V)tetraphenylporphyrin and its fluorinated derivative: Possibility of chain reaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hirakawa, Kazutaka; Murata, Atsushi

    2018-01-01

    Water-soluble porphyrins, diethoxyphosphorus(V)tetraphenylporphyrin (EtP(V)TPP) and its fluorinated analogue (FEtP(V)TPP), decreased the typical absorption around 340 nm of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) under visible light irradiation, indicating oxidative decomposition. A singlet oxygen quencher, sodium azide, and a triplet quencher, potassium iodide, slightly inhibited photosensitized NADH oxidation. However, these inhibitory effects were very small. Furthermore, the fluorescence lifetime of these P(V)porphyrins was decreased by NADH, suggesting the contribution of electron transfer to the singlet excited (S1) state of P(V)porphyrin. The redox potential measurement supports the electron transfer-mediated oxidation of NADH. The quantum yields of NADH photodecomposition by P(V)porphyrins could be estimated from the kinetic data and the effect of these quenchers on NADH oxidation. The obtained values suggest that the electron accepting by the S1 states of P(V)porphyrins triggers a chain reaction of NADH oxidation. This photosensitized reaction may play an important role in the photocytotoxicity of P(V)porphyrins. The axial ligand fluorination of P(V)porphyrins improved electron accepting ability. However, fluorination slightly suppressed static interaction with NADH, resulting in decreased oxidation quantum yield.

  9. Radioprotective property of the ethanolic extract of Piper betel Leaf.

    PubMed

    Bhattacharya, Sayanti; Subramanian, Mahesh; Roychowdhury, Susri; Bauri, Ajay K; Kamat, Jaya P; Chattopadhyay, Subrata; Bandyopadhyay, Sandip Kumar

    2005-06-01

    The radioprotective activity of Piper betel ethanolic extract (PE) has been studied using rat liver mitochondria and pBR 322 plasmid DNA as two model in vitro systems. The extract effectively prevented gamma-ray induced lipid peroxidation as assessed by measuring thiobarbituric acid reactive substrates, lipid hydroperoxide and conjugated diene. Likewise, it prevented radiation-induced DNA strand breaks in a concentration dependent manner. The radioprotective activity of PE could be attributed to its hydroxyl and superoxide radicals scavenging property along with its lymphoproliferative activity. The radical scavenging capacity of PE was primarily due to its constituent phenolics, which were isolated and identified as chevibetol and allyl pyrocatechol.

  10. Carbohydrase inhibition and anti-cancerous and free radical scavenging properties along with DNA and protein protection ability of methanolic root extracts of Rumex crispus

    PubMed Central

    Shiwani, Supriya; Singh, Naresh Kumar

    2012-01-01

    The study elucidated carbohydrase inhibition, anti-cancerous, free radical scavenging properties and also investigated the DNA and protein protection abilities of methanolic root extract of Rumex crispus (RERC). For this purpose, pulverized roots of Rumex crispus was extracted in methanol (80% and absolute conc.) for 3 hrs for 60℃ and filtered and evaporated with vacuum rotary evaporator. RERC showed high phenolic content (211 µg/GAE equivalent) and strong 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging (IC50 = 42.86 (absolute methanol) and 36.91 µg/mL (80% methanolic extract)) and reduced power ability. Furthermore, RERC exhibited significant protective ability in H2O2/Fe3+/ascorbic acid-induced protein or DNA damage and percentage inhibition of the HT-29 cell growth rate following 80% methanolic RERC exposure at 400 µg/mL was observed to be highest (10.2% ± 1.03). Moreover, methanolic RERC inhibited α-glucosidase and amylase effectively and significantly (P < 0.05). Conclusively, RERC could be considered as potent carbohydrase inhibitor, anti-cancerous and anti-oxidant. PMID:23198017

  11. Mechanism of oxidative DNA damage induction in a strict anaerobe, Prevotella melaninogenica.

    PubMed

    Takeuchi, T; Kato, N; Watanabe, K; Morimoto, K

    2000-11-01

    We investigated the mechanism of the oxidative DNA damage induction by exposure to O(2) in Prevotella melaninogenica, a strict anaerobe. Flow cytometry with hydroethidine and dichlorofluorescein diacetate showed that O(2) exposure generated O(2)*-) and H(2)O(2). Results of electron spin resonance with alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone and ethanol showed that O(2) exposure also induced *OH radical generation in P. melaninogenica loaded with FeCl(2) but not in samples without FeCl(2) loading. In P. melaninogenica, O(2) exposure increased 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8OHdG), typical of oxidative DNA damage. Catalase inhibited the increase, but the *OH radical scavengers did not. Phenanthroline, a membrane-permeable Fe and Cu chelator, increased the 8OHdG induction. In FeCl(2)-loaded samples, induction of 8OHdG decreased. Addition of H(2)O(2) markedly increased 8OHdG levels. These results indicate that in P. melaninogenica, exposure to O(2) generated and accumulated O(2)* and H(2)O(2), and that a crypto-OH radical generated through H(2)O(2) was the active species in the 8OHdG induction.

  12. Vanadium distribution in rats and DNA cleavage by vanadyl complex: implication for vanadium toxicity and biological effects.

    PubMed Central

    Sakurai, H

    1994-01-01

    Vanadium ion is toxic to animals. However, vanadium is also an agent used for chemoprotection against cancers in animals. To understand both the toxic and beneficial effects we studied vanadium distribution in rats. Accumulation of vanadium in the liver nuclei of rats given low doses of compounds in the +4 or +5 oxidation state was greater than in the liver nuclei of rats given high doses of vanadium compounds or the vanadate (+5 oxidation state) compound. Vanadium was incorporated exclusively in the vanadyl (+4 oxidation state) form. We also investigated the reactions of vanadyl ion and found that incubation of DNA with vanadyl ion and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) led to intense DNA cleavage. ESR spin trapping demonstrated that hydroxyl radicals are generated during the reactions of vanadyl ion and H2O2. Thus, we propose that the mechanism for vanadium-dependent toxicity and antineoplastic action is due to DNA cleavage by hydroxyl radicals generated in living systems. PMID:7843133

  13. In vitro antioxidant properties, DNA damage protective activity, and xanthine oxidase inhibitory effect of cajaninstilbene acid, a stilbene compound derived from pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] leaves.

    PubMed

    Wu, Nan; Kong, Yu; Fu, Yujie; Zu, Yuangang; Yang, Zhiwei; Yang, Mei; Peng, Xiao; Efferth, Thomas

    2011-01-12

    The antioxidant properties, DNA damage protective activities, and xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibitory effect of cajaninstilbene acid (CSA) derived from pigeon pea leaves were studied in the present work. Compared with resveratrol, CSA showed stronger antioxidant properties, DNA damage protective activity, and XOD inhibition activity. The IC(50) values of CSA for superoxide radical scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, nitric oxide scavenging, reducing power, lipid peroxidation, and XOD inhibition were 19.03, 6.36, 39.65, 20.41, 20.58, and 3.62 μM, respectively. CSA possessed good protective activity from oxidative DNA damage. Furthermore, molecular docking indicated that CSA was more potent than resveratrol or allopurinol to interact with the active site of XOD (calculated free binding energy: -229.71 kcal mol(-1)). On the basis of the results, we conclude that CSA represents a valuable natural antioxidant source and may potentially be applicable in health food industry.

  14. Buckwheat Honey Attenuates Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver and DNA Damage in Mice

    PubMed Central

    Cheng, Ni; Wu, Liming; Zheng, Jianbin; Cao, Wei

    2015-01-01

    Buckwheat honey, which is widely consumed in China, has a characteristic dark color. The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effects of buckwheat honey on liver and DNA damage induced by carbon tetrachloride in mice. The results revealed that buckwheat honey had high total phenolic content, and rutin, hesperetin, and p-coumaric acid were the main phenolic compounds present. Buckwheat honey possesses super DPPH radical scavenging activity and strong ferric reducing antioxidant power. Administration of buckwheat honey for 10 weeks significantly inhibited serum lipoprotein oxidation and increased serum oxygen radical absorbance capacity. Moreover, buckwheat honey significantly inhibited aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities, which are enhanced by carbon tetrachloride. Hepatic malondialdehyde decreased and hepatic antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) increased in the presence of buckwheat honey. In a comet assay, lymphocyte DNA damage induced by carbon tetrachloride was significantly inhibited by buckwheat honey. Therefore, buckwheat honey has a hepatoprotective effect and inhibits DNA damage, activities that are primarily attributable to its high antioxidant capacity. PMID:26508989

  15. Buckwheat Honey Attenuates Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver and DNA Damage in Mice.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Ni; Wu, Liming; Zheng, Jianbin; Cao, Wei

    2015-01-01

    Buckwheat honey, which is widely consumed in China, has a characteristic dark color. The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effects of buckwheat honey on liver and DNA damage induced by carbon tetrachloride in mice. The results revealed that buckwheat honey had high total phenolic content, and rutin, hesperetin, and p-coumaric acid were the main phenolic compounds present. Buckwheat honey possesses super DPPH radical scavenging activity and strong ferric reducing antioxidant power. Administration of buckwheat honey for 10 weeks significantly inhibited serum lipoprotein oxidation and increased serum oxygen radical absorbance capacity. Moreover, buckwheat honey significantly inhibited aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities, which are enhanced by carbon tetrachloride. Hepatic malondialdehyde decreased and hepatic antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) increased in the presence of buckwheat honey. In a comet assay, lymphocyte DNA damage induced by carbon tetrachloride was significantly inhibited by buckwheat honey. Therefore, buckwheat honey has a hepatoprotective effect and inhibits DNA damage, activities that are primarily attributable to its high antioxidant capacity.

  16. Proximity hybridization-regulated electrogenerated chemiluminescence bioassay of α-fetoprotein via target-induced quenching mechanism.

    PubMed

    Gao, Hongfang; Wang, Xiaofei; Li, Man; Qi, Honglan; Gao, Qiang; Zhang, Chengxiao

    2017-12-15

    A proximity hybridization-regulated electrogenerated chemiluminescence (PLA-ECL) bioassay was developed for the detection of α-fetoprotein (AFP) on basis of the sensitization of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and target-induced quenching mechanism. Ru(bpy) 3 2+ was used as ECL signal while ferrocene (Fc) was used as ECL quencher. Ru(bpy) 3 2+ was electrostatically adsorbed into the AuNPs/Nafion film prepared by casting the mixture of Nafion and AuNPs onto the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to form an ECL platform (Ru(bpy) 3 2+ /AuNPs/Nafion/GCE), which displayed strong ECL emissions. A recognition platform was fabricated by self-assembling a capture DNA via thiol-gold bond on the surface of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ /AuNPs/Nafion/GCE. After sandwich immunoassay and proximity hybridization assay among capture DNA, AFP, a pair of antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates and a signal probe (DNA-Fc), Fc in DNA-Fc was brought close to the surface of electrode in conjunction with target induced ECL quenching. The ECL intensity decreased with the increasing concentration of the AFP and AFP was monitored with a linear range of 0.05-50ng/mL along with a detection limit of 0.04ng/mL. The ECL bioassay is successfully applied to the detection of AFP in serum samples with one-step recognition, short operating time and good accuracy. This method displays great potential for point-of-care testing and commercial application. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Resistance of Bacillus subtilis Spore DNA to Lethal Ionizing Radiation Damage Relies Primarily on Spore Core Components and DNA Repair, with Minor Effects of Oxygen Radical Detoxification

    PubMed Central

    Raguse, Marina; Reitz, Günther; Okayasu, Ryuichi; Li, Zuofeng; Klein, Stuart; Setlow, Peter; Nicholson, Wayne L.

    2014-01-01

    The roles of various core components, including α/β/γ-type small acid-soluble spore proteins (SASP), dipicolinic acid (DPA), core water content, and DNA repair by apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases or nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), in Bacillus subtilis spore resistance to different types of ionizing radiation including X rays, protons, and high-energy charged iron ions have been studied. Spores deficient in DNA repair by NHEJ or AP endonucleases, the oxidative stress response, or protection by major α/β-type SASP, DPA, and decreased core water content were significantly more sensitive to ionizing radiation than wild-type spores, with highest sensitivity to high-energy-charged iron ions. DNA repair via NHEJ and AP endonucleases appears to be the most important mechanism for spore resistance to ionizing radiation, whereas oxygen radical detoxification via the MrgA-mediated oxidative stress response or KatX catalase activity plays only a very minor role. Synergistic radioprotective effects of α/β-type but not γ-type SASP were also identified, indicating that α/β-type SASP's binding to spore DNA is important in preventing DNA damage due to reactive oxygen species generated by ionizing radiation. PMID:24123749

  18. Guanosine radical reactivity explored by pulse radiolysis coupled with transient electrochemistry.

    PubMed

    Latus, A; Alam, M S; Mostafavi, M; Marignier, J-L; Maisonhaute, E

    2015-06-04

    We follow the reactivity of a guanosine radical created by a radiolytic electron pulse both by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. This original approach allows us to demonstrate that there is a competition between oxidation and reduction of these intermediates, an important result to further analyse the degradation or repair pathways of DNA bases.

  19. Chemical repair activity of free radical scavenger edaravone: reduction reactions with dGMP hydroxyl radical adducts and suppression of base lesions and AP sites on irradiated plasmid DNA.

    PubMed

    Hata, Kuniki; Urushibara, Ayumi; Yamashita, Shinichi; Lin, Mingzhang; Muroya, Yusa; Shikazono, Naoya; Yokoya, Akinari; Fu, Haiying; Katsumura, Yosuke

    2015-01-01

    Reactions of edaravone (3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one) with deoxyguanosine monophosphate (dGMP) hydroxyl radical adducts were investigated by pulse radiolysis technique. Edaravone was found to reduce the dGMP hydroxyl radical adducts through electron transfer reactions. The rate constants of the reactions were greater than 4 × 10(8) dm(3) mol(-1) s(-1) and similar to those of the reactions of ascorbic acid, which is a representative antioxidant. Yields of single-strand breaks, base lesions, and abasic sites produced in pUC18 plasmid DNA by gamma ray irradiation in the presence of low concentrations (10-1000 μmol dm(-3)) of edaravone were also quantified, and the chemical repair activity of edaravone was estimated by a method recently developed by the authors. By comparing suppression efficiencies to the induction of each DNA lesion, it was found that base lesions and abasic sites were suppressed by the chemical repair activity of edaravone, although the suppression of single-strand breaks was not very effective. This phenomenon was attributed to the chemical repair activity of edaravone toward base lesions and abasic sites. However, the chemical repair activity of edaravone for base lesions was lower than that of ascorbic acid. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japan Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.

  20. Optical and structural properties of plasma-treated Cordyceps bassiana spores as studied by circular dichroism, absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, Geon Joon, E-mail: gjlee@kw.ac.kr; Sim, Geon Bo; Choi, Eun Ha

    To understand the killing mechanism of fungal spores by plasma treatment, the optical, structural, and biological properties of the insect pathogenic fungus Cordyceps bassiana spores were studied. A nonthermal atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) was used to treat the spores in aqueous solution. Optical emission spectra of the APPJ acquired in air indicated emission peaks corresponding to hydroxyl radicals and atomic oxygen. When the APPJ entered the aqueous solution, additional reactive species were derived from the interaction of plasma radicals with the aqueous solution. Fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy confirmed the generation of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide in the plasma-activated watermore » (PAW). Spore counting showed that plasma treatment significantly reduced spore viability. Absorption spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and agarose gel electrophoresis of the DNA extracted from plasma-treated spores showed a reduction in spore DNA content. The magnitude of the dip in the CD spectrum was lower in the plasma-treated spores than in the control, indicating that plasma treatment causes structural modifications and/or damage to cellular components. Tryptophan fluorescence intensity was lower in the plasma-treated spores than in the control, suggesting that plasma treatment modified cell wall proteins. Changes in spore viability and DNA content were attributed to structural modification of the cell wall by reactive species coming from the APPJ and the PAW. Our results provided evidence that the plasma radicals and the derived reactive species play critical roles in fungal spore inactivation.« less

  1. Optical and structural properties of plasma-treated Cordyceps bassiana spores as studied by circular dichroism, absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Geon Joon; Sim, Geon Bo; Choi, Eun Ha; Kwon, Young-Wan; Kim, Jun Young; Jang, Siun; Kim, Seong Hwan

    2015-01-01

    To understand the killing mechanism of fungal spores by plasma treatment, the optical, structural, and biological properties of the insect pathogenic fungus Cordyceps bassiana spores were studied. A nonthermal atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) was used to treat the spores in aqueous solution. Optical emission spectra of the APPJ acquired in air indicated emission peaks corresponding to hydroxyl radicals and atomic oxygen. When the APPJ entered the aqueous solution, additional reactive species were derived from the interaction of plasma radicals with the aqueous solution. Fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy confirmed the generation of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide in the plasma-activated water (PAW). Spore counting showed that plasma treatment significantly reduced spore viability. Absorption spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and agarose gel electrophoresis of the DNA extracted from plasma-treated spores showed a reduction in spore DNA content. The magnitude of the dip in the CD spectrum was lower in the plasma-treated spores than in the control, indicating that plasma treatment causes structural modifications and/or damage to cellular components. Tryptophan fluorescence intensity was lower in the plasma-treated spores than in the control, suggesting that plasma treatment modified cell wall proteins. Changes in spore viability and DNA content were attributed to structural modification of the cell wall by reactive species coming from the APPJ and the PAW. Our results provided evidence that the plasma radicals and the derived reactive species play critical roles in fungal spore inactivation.

  2. Analysis of Heat-Labile Sites Generated by Reactions of Depleted Uranium and Ascorbate in Plasmid DNA

    PubMed Central

    Wilson, Janice; Young, Ashley; Civitello, Edgar R.

    2013-01-01

    The goal of this study was to characterize how depleted uranium (DU) causes DNA damage. Procedures were developed to assess the ability of organic and inorganic DNA adducts to convert to single strand breaks (SSB) in pBR322 plasmid DNA in the presence of heat or piperidine. DNA adducts formed by methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), cis-platin (cis-Pt), and chromic chloride were compared to those formed by reaction of uranyl acetate (UA) and ascorbate (Asc). Uranyl ion in the presence of Asc produced U-DNA adducts that converted to SSB upon heating. Piperidine, which acted on DNA methylated by MMS to convert methyl-DNA adducts to SSB, served in the opposite fashion with U-DNA adducts by decreasing SSB. The observation that piperidine also decreased the gel shift for metal-DNA adducts formed by monofunctional cis-Pt and chromic chloride was interpreted to suggest that piperidine served to remove U-DNA adducts. Radical scavengers did not affect formation of U-induced SSB, suggesting that SSB arose from the presence of U-DNA adducts and not from free radicals. A model is proposed to predict how U-DNA adducts may serve as initial lesions that convert to SSB or AP sites. Results suggest that DU can act as a chemical genotoxin that does not require radiation for its mode of action. Characterizing the DNA lesions formed by DU is necessary to assess the relative importance of different DNA lesions in the formation of DU-induced mutations. Understanding mechanisms of formation of DU-induced mutations may contribute to identification of biomarkers of DU exposures in humans. PMID:24218036

  3. Myeloperoxidase-produced Genomic DNA-centered Radicals and Protection by Resveratrol

    EPA Science Inventory

    Myeloperoxidase (MPO) released by activated neutrophils, production of hypochlorous acid (HOCI) and oxidation of the genomic DNA in epithelial cells is thought to initiate and promote carcinogenesis. In this study we applied the 5,5-dimethyl-l-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO)-based i;nmu...

  4. Mechanistic studies of the radical SAM enzyme spore photoproduct lyase (SPL).

    PubMed

    Li, Lei

    2012-11-01

    Spore photoproduct lyase (SPL) repairs a special thymine dimer 5-thyminyl-5,6-dihydrothymine, which is commonly called spore photoproduct or SP at the bacterial early germination phase. SP is the exclusive DNA photo-damage product in bacterial endospores; its generation and swift repair by SPL are responsible for the spores' extremely high UV resistance. The early in vivo studies suggested that SPL utilizes a direct reversal strategy to repair the SP in the absence of light. The research in the past decade further established SPL as a radical SAM enzyme, which utilizes a tri-cysteine CXXXCXXC motif to harbor a [4Fe-4S] cluster. At the 1+ oxidation state, the cluster provides an electron to the S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), which binds to the cluster in a bidentate manner as the fourth and fifth ligands, to reductively cleave the CS bond associated with the sulfonium ion in SAM, generating a reactive 5'-deoxyadenosyl (5'-dA) radical. This 5'-dA radical abstracts the proR hydrogen atom from the C6 carbon of SP to initiate the repair process; the resulting SP radical subsequently fragments to generate a putative thymine methyl radical, which accepts a back-donated H atom to yield the repaired TpT. SAM is suggested to be regenerated at the end of each catalytic cycle; and only a catalytic amount of SAM is needed in the SPL reaction. The H atom source for the back donation step is suggested to be a cysteine residue (C141 in Bacillus subtilis SPL), and the H-atom transfer reaction leaves a thiyl radical behind on the protein. This thiyl radical thus must participate in the SAM regeneration process; however how the thiyl radical abstracts an H atom from the 5'-dA to regenerate SAM is unknown. This paper reviews and discusses the history and the latest progress in the mechanistic elucidation of SPL. Despite some recent breakthroughs, more questions are raised in the mechanistic understanding of this intriguing DNA repair enzyme. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Radical SAM enzymes and Radical Enzymology. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Sugar Radical Formation by a Proton Coupled Hole Transfer in 2′-Deoxyguanosine Radical Cation (2′-dG•+): A Theoretical Treatment

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, Anil; Sevilla, Michael D.

    2009-01-01

    Previous experimental and theoretical work has established that electronic excitation of a guanine cation radical in nucleosides or in DNA itself leads to sugar radical formation by deprotonation from the dexoxyribose sugar. In this work we investigate a ground electronic state pathway for such sugar radical formation in a hydrated one electron oxidized 2′-deoxyguanosine (dG•+ + 7H2O), using density functional theory (DFT) with the B3LYP functional and the 6-31G* basis set. We follow the stretching of the C5′-H bond in dG•+ to gain an understanding of the energy requirements to transfer the hole from the base to sugar ring and then to deprotonate to proton acceptor sites in solution and on the guanine ring. The geometries of reactant (dG•+ + 7H2O), transition state (TS) for deprotonation of C5′ site and product (dG(•C5′, N7-H+) + 7 H2O) were fully optimized. The zero point energy (ZPE) corrected activation energy (TS) for the proton transfer (PT) from C5′ is calculated to be 9.0 kcal/mol and is achieved by stretching the C5′-H bond by 0.13 Å from its equilibrium bond distance (1.099 Å). Remarkably, this small bond stretch is sufficient to transfer the “hole” (positive charge and spin) from guanine to the C5′ site on the deoxyribose group. Beyond the TS, the proton (H+) spontaneously adds to water to form a hydronium ion (H3O+) as an intermediate. The proton subsequently transfers to the N7 site of the guanine (product). The 9 kcal/mol barrier suggests slow thermal conversion of the cation radical to the sugar radical but also suggests that localized vibrational excitations would be sufficient to induce rapid sugar radical formation in DNA base cation radicals. PMID:19754084

  6. In vitro study of DNA Adduct 8-OHdG Formation by using Bisphenol A in Calf Thymus DNA and 2’-Deoxyguanosine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Budiawan; Cahaya Dani, Intan; Bakri, Ridla; Handayani, Sri; Ratna Dewi, Evi

    2018-01-01

    The in vitro study of DNA Adduct 8-OHdG Formation due to BisphenolA (BPA) as xenobiotics has been conducted by using calf thymus DNA and 2’deoxyguanosine. The method of study was conducted by incubating calf thymus DNA and 2’dG with compounds trigger to radicals in the variation of pH (7.4 and 8.4), temperature (37°C and 60°C), and BPA concentrations (2 ppm and 10 ppm). To represent the work of CYP 450 enzyme in metabolic process of xenobiotics in the body and the effect of metal presence to the formation of radicals that can lead to 8-OHdG formation, we used iron(II) solution and also fenton reagent (Fe(II) and H2O2). The DNA used has 1.8 purity ratio (checked at λ260/λ280 by using Spectrophotometry UV-Vis). The results by using HPLC method showed that BPA could interact with DNA and DNA base (represent as calf thymus and 2’dG) and potentially induced 8-OHdG formation. The presence of iron(II) metal and Fenton reagent also induced the higher 8-OHdG formation. The higher of pH, temperature and concentrations also lead to 8-OHdG formation (ranger between 4 - 70 ppb).

  7. REC-2006-A Fractionated Extract of Podophyllum hexandrum Protects Cellular DNA from Radiation-Induced Damage by Reducing the Initial Damage and Enhancing Its Repair In Vivo.

    PubMed

    Chaudhary, Pankaj; Shukla, Sandeep Kumar; Sharma, Rakesh Kumar

    2011-01-01

    Podophyllum hexandrum, a perennial herb commonly known as the Himalayan May Apple, is well known in Indian and Chinese traditional systems of medicine. P. hexandrum has been widely used for the treatment of venereal warts, skin infections, bacterial and viral infections, and different cancers of the brain, lung and bladder. This study aimed at elucidating the effect of REC-2006, a bioactive fractionated extract from the rhizome of P. hexandrum, on the kinetics of induction and repair of radiation-induced DNA damage in murine thymocytes in vivo. We evaluated its effect on non-specific radiation-induced DNA damage by the alkaline halo assay in terms of relative nuclear spreading factor (RNSF) and gene-specific radiation-induced DNA damage via semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Whole body exposure of animals with gamma rays (10 Gy) caused a significant amount of DNA damage in thymocytes (RNSF values 17.7 ± 0.47, 12.96 ± 1.64 and 3.3 ± 0.014) and a reduction in the amplification of β-globin gene to 0, 28 and 43% at 0, 15 and 60 min, respectively. Administrating REC-2006 at a radioprotective concentration (15 mg kg(-1) body weight) 1 h before irradiation resulted in time-dependent reduction of DNA damage evident as a decrease in RNSF values 6.156 ± 0.576, 1.647 ± 0.534 and 0.496 ± 0.012, and an increase in β-globin gene amplification 36, 95 and 99%, at 0, 15 and 60 min, respectively. REC-2006 scavenged radiation-induced hydroxyl radicals in a dose-dependent manner stabilized DPPH free radicals and also inhibited superoxide anions. Various polyphenols and flavonoides present in REC-2006 might contribute to scavenging of radiation-induced free radicals, thereby preventing DNA damage and stimulating its repair.

  8. REC-2006—A Fractionated Extract of Podophyllum hexandrum Protects Cellular DNA from Radiation-Induced Damage by Reducing the Initial Damage and Enhancing Its Repair In Vivo

    PubMed Central

    Chaudhary, Pankaj; Shukla, Sandeep Kumar; Sharma, Rakesh Kumar

    2011-01-01

    Podophyllum hexandrum, a perennial herb commonly known as the Himalayan May Apple, is well known in Indian and Chinese traditional systems of medicine. P. hexandrum has been widely used for the treatment of venereal warts, skin infections, bacterial and viral infections, and different cancers of the brain, lung and bladder. This study aimed at elucidating the effect of REC-2006, a bioactive fractionated extract from the rhizome of P. hexandrum, on the kinetics of induction and repair of radiation-induced DNA damage in murine thymocytes in vivo. We evaluated its effect on non-specific radiation-induced DNA damage by the alkaline halo assay in terms of relative nuclear spreading factor (RNSF) and gene-specific radiation-induced DNA damage via semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Whole body exposure of animals with gamma rays (10 Gy) caused a significant amount of DNA damage in thymocytes (RNSF values 17.7 ± 0.47, 12.96 ± 1.64 and 3.3 ± 0.014) and a reduction in the amplification of β-globin gene to 0, 28 and 43% at 0, 15 and 60 min, respectively. Administrating REC-2006 at a radioprotective concentration (15 mg kg−1 body weight) 1 h before irradiation resulted in time-dependent reduction of DNA damage evident as a decrease in RNSF values 6.156 ± 0.576, 1.647 ± 0.534 and 0.496 ± 0.012, and an increase in β-globin gene amplification 36, 95 and 99%, at 0, 15 and 60 min, respectively. REC-2006 scavenged radiation-induced hydroxyl radicals in a dose-dependent manner stabilized DPPH free radicals and also inhibited superoxide anions. Various polyphenols and flavonoides present in REC-2006 might contribute to scavenging of radiation-induced free radicals, thereby preventing DNA damage and stimulating its repair. PMID:20008078

  9. UV-Vis Action Spectroscopy Reveals a Conformational Collapse in Hydrogen-Rich Dinucleotide Cation Radicals.

    PubMed

    Korn, Joseph A; Urban, Jan; Dang, Andy; Nguyen, Huong T H; Tureček, František

    2017-09-07

    We report the generation of deoxyriboadenosine dinucleotide cation radicals by gas-phase electron transfer to dinucleotide dications and their noncovalent complexes with crown ether ligands. Stable dinucleotide cation radicals of a novel hydrogen-rich type were generated and characterized by tandem mass spectrometry and UV-vis photodissociation (UVPD) action spectroscopy. Electron structure theory analysis indicated that upon electron attachment the dinucleotide dications underwent a conformational collapse followed by intramolecular proton migrations between the nucleobases to give species whose calculated UV-vis absorption spectra matched the UVPD action spectra. Hydrogen-rich cation radicals generated from chimeric riboadenosine 5'-diesters gave UVPD action spectra that pointed to novel zwitterionic structures consisting of aromatic π-electron anion radicals intercalated between stacked positively charged adenine rings. Analogies with DNA ionization are discussed.

  10. Reduced dimer production in solar-simulator-pumped continuous wave iodine lasers based on model simulations and scaling and pumping studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Costen, Robert C.; Heinbockel, John H.; Miner, Gilda A.; Meador, Willard E., Jr.; Tabibi, Bagher M.; Lee, Ja H.; Williams, Michael D.

    1995-01-01

    A numerical rate equation model for a continuous wave iodine laser with longitudinally flowing gaseous lasant is validated by approximating two experiments that compare the perfluoroalkyl iodine lasants n-C3F7I and t-C4F9I. The salient feature of the simulations is that the production rate of the dimer (C4F9)2 is reduced by one order of magnitude relative to the dimer (C3F7)2. The model is then used to investigate the kinetic effects of this reduced dimer production, especially how it improves output power. Related parametric and scaling studies are also presented. When dimer production is reduced, more monomer radicals (t-C4F9) are available to combine with iodine ions, thus enhancing depletion of the laser lower level and reducing buildup of the principal quencher, molecular iodine. Fewer iodine molecules result in fewer downward transitions from quenching and more transitions from stimulated emission of lasing photons. Enhanced depletion of the lower level reduces the absorption of lasing photons. The combined result is more lasing photons and proportionally increased output power.

  11. On the mechanism of Candida tropicalis biofilm reduction by the combined action of naturally-occurring anthraquinones and blue light

    PubMed Central

    Agut, Montserrat; Comini, Laura R.; Cabrera, José L.; Paraje, María G.; Nonell, Santi

    2017-01-01

    The photoprocesses involved in the photo-induced Candida tropicalis biofilm reduction by two natural anthraquinones (AQs), rubiadin (1) and rubiadin-1-methyl ether (2), were examined. Production of singlet oxygen (1O2) and of superoxide radical anion (O2•−) was studied. Although it was not possible to detect the triplet state absorption of any AQs in biofilms, observation of 1O2 phosphorescence incubated with deuterated Phosphate Buffer Solution, indicated that this species is actually formed in biofilms. 2 was accumulated in the biofilm to a greater extent than 1 and produced measurable amounts of O2•− after 3h incubation in biofilms. The effect of reactive oxygen species scavengers on the photo-induced biofilm reduction showed that Tiron (a specific O2•− scavenger) is most effective than sodium azide (a specific 1O2 quencher). This suggests that O2•− formed by electron transfer quenching of the AQs excited states, is the main photosensitizing mechanism involved in the photo-induced antibiofilm activity, whereas 1O2 participation seems of lesser importance. PMID:28723923

  12. Facile conversion of ATP-binding RNA aptamer to quencher-free molecular aptamer beacon.

    PubMed

    Park, Yoojin; Nim-Anussornkul, Duangrat; Vilaivan, Tirayut; Morii, Takashi; Kim, Byeang Hyean

    2018-01-15

    We have developed RNA-based quencher-free molecular aptamer beacons (RNA-based QF-MABs) for the detection of ATP, taking advantage of the conformational changes associated with ATP binding to the ATP-binding RNA aptamer. The RNA aptamer, with its well-defined structure, was readily converted to the fluorescence sensors by incorporating a fluorophore into the loop region of the hairpin structure. These RNA-based QF-MABs exhibited fluorescence signals in the presence of ATP relative to their low background signals in the absence of ATP. The fluorescence emission intensity increased upon formation of a RNA-based QF-MAB·ATP complex. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Alcohols as alkylating agents in heteroarene C–H functionalization

    PubMed Central

    Jin, Jian; MacMillan, David W. C.

    2015-01-01

    Redox processes and radical intermediates are found in many biochemical processes, including deoxyribonucleotide synthesis and oxidative DNA damage1. One of the core principles that underlies DNA biosynthesis is the radical-mediated elimnation of H2O to deoxygenate ribonucleotides, an example of ‘spin-center shift’ (SCS)2, during which an alcohol C–O bond is cleaved, resulting in a carbon-centered radical intermediate. While SCS is a well-understood biochemical process, it is underutilized by the synthetic organic chemistry community. We wondered whether it would be possible to take advantage of this naturally occurring process to accomplish mild, non-traditional alkylations using alcohols as radical precursors. Considering traditional radical-based alkylation methods require the use of stoichiometric oxidants, elevated temperatures, or peroxides3–7, the development of a mild protocol using simple and abundant alkylating agents would have significant utility in the synthesis of diversely functionalized pharmacophores. In this manuscript, we describe the successful execution of this idea via the development of a dual catalytic alkylation of heteroarenes using alcohols as mild alkylating reagents. This method represents the first broadly applicable use of unactivated alcohols as latent alkylating reagents, achieved via the successful merger of photoredox and hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) catalysis. The utility of this multi-catalytic protocol has been demonstrated through the late-stage functionalization of the medicinal agents, fasudil and milrinone. PMID:26308895

  14. A molecular-beacon-based asymmetric PCR assay for easy visualization of amplicons in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis.

    PubMed

    Sonkar, Subash C; Sachdev, Divya; Mishra, Prashant K; Kumar, Anita; Mittal, Pratima; Saluja, Daman

    2016-12-15

    The currently available nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for trichomoniasis are accurate, quick and confirmative with superior sensitivity than traditional culture-based microbiology assays. However, these assays are associated with problems of carry over contamination, false positive results, requirement of technical expertise for performance and detection of end product. Hence, a diagnostic assay with easy visualization of the amplified product will be profitable. An in-house, rapid, sensitive, specific molecular-beacon-based PCR assay, using primers against pfoB gene of Trichomonas vaginalis, was developed and evaluated using dry ectocervical swabs (n=392) from symptomatic females with vaginal discharge. Total DNA was isolated and used as template for the PCR assays. The performance and reproducibility of PCR assay was evaluated by composite reference standard (CRS). For easy visualization of the amplified product, molecular-beacon was designed and amplicons were visualized directly using fluorescent handheld dark reader or by Micro-Plate Reader. Molecular-beacons are single-stranded hairpin shaped nucleic acid probes composed of a stem, with fluorophore/quencher pair and a loop region complementary to the desired DNA. The beacon-based PCR assay designed in the present study is highly specific as confirmed by competition experiments and extremely sensitive with detection limit of 20fg of genomic DNA (3-4 pathogens). The minimum infrastructure requirement and ease to perform the assay makes this method highly useful for resource poor countries for better disease management. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Triplex DNA formation-mediated strand displacement reaction for highly sensitive fluorescent detection of melamine.

    PubMed

    Liu, Xiaojuan; Xu, Ningning; Gai, Panpan; Li, Feng

    2018-08-01

    Since melamine is a strong hazard to human health, the development of new methods for highly sensitive detection of melamine is highly desirable. Herein, a novel fluorescent biosensing strategy was designed for sensitive and selective melamine assay based on the recognition ability of abasic (AP) site in triplex towards melamine and signal amplification by Mg 2+ -dependent DNAzyme. In this strategy, the melamine-induced formation of triplex DNA was employed to trigger the strand displacement reaction (SDR). The SDR process converted the specific target recognition into the release and activation of Mg 2+ -dependent DNAzyme, which could catalyze the cleavage of fluorophore/quencher labeled DNA substrate (FQ), resulting in a significantly increased fluorescent signal. Under the optimal conditions, the fluorescent signal has a linear relationship with the logarithm of the melamine concentration in a wide range of 0.005-50 μM. The detection limit was estimated to be 0.9 nM (0.1ppb), which is sufficiently sensitive for practical application. Furthermore, this strategy exhibits high selectivity against other potential interfering substances, and the practical application of this strategy for milk samples reveals that the proposed strategy works well for melamine assay in real samples. Therefore, this strategy presents a new method for the sensitive melamine assay and holds great promise for sensing applications in the environment and the food safety field. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Hydrogen abstraction from deoxyribose by a neighboring 3'-uracil peroxyl radical.

    PubMed

    Schyman, Patric; Eriksson, Leif A; Laaksonen, Aatto

    2009-05-07

    Theoretical examination of the reactivity of the uracil-5-peroxyl radical when abstracting a hydrogen atom from a neighboring 5'-deoxyribose in 5'-ApU-5-peroxyl-3' has been performed using density functional theory with the MPWB1K functional. Halogenated uracils are often used as radiosensitizers in DNA since the reactive uracil-5-yl radical is formed upon radiation and is known to create strand break and alkali-labile sites. Under aerobic conditions, such as in the cell, it has been proposed that the uracil-5-peroxyl radical is formed and would be the damaging agent. Our results show low reactivity for the uracil-5-peroxyl radical, determined by calculating the activation and reaction energies for the plausible hydrogen abstraction sites C1', C2', and C3' of the neighboring 5'-deoxyribose. These findings support the hypothesis that hydrogen abstraction primarily occurs by the uracil-5-yl radical, also under aerobic conditions, prior to formation of the peroxyl radical.

  17. Complexes of mismatched and complementary DNA with minor groove binders. Structures at nucleotide resolution via an improved hydroxyl radical cleavage methodology

    PubMed Central

    Bialonska, Dobroslawa; Song, Kenneth; Bolton, Philip H.

    2011-01-01

    Tumor cell lines can replicate faster than normal cells and many also have defective DNA repair pathways. This has lead to the investigation of the inhibition of DNA repair proteins as a means of therapeutic intervention. An alternative approach is to hide or mask damaged DNA from the repair systems. We have developed a protocol to investigate the structures of the complexes of damaged DNA with drug like molecules. Nucleotide resolution structural information can be obtained using an improved hydroxyl radical cleavage protocol. The use of a dTn tail increases the length of the smallest fragments of interest and allows efficient co-precipitation of the fragments with poly(A). The use of a fluorescent label, on the 5′ end of the dTn tail, in conjunction with modified cleavage reaction conditions, avoids the lifetime and other problems with 32P labeling. The structures of duplex DNAs containing AC and CC mismatches in the presence and absence of minor groove binders have been investigated as have those of the fully complementary DNA. The results indicate that the structural perturbations of the mismatches are localized, are sequence dependent and that the presence of a mismatch can alter the binding of drug like molecules. PMID:21893212

  18. Low intensity infrared laser affects expression of oxidative DNA repair genes in mitochondria and nucleus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fonseca, A. S.; Magalhães, L. A. G.; Mencalha, A. L.; Geller, M.; Paoli, F.

    2014-11-01

    Practical properties and physical characteristics of low intensity lasers have made possible their application to treat soft tissue diseases. Excitation of intracellular chromophores by red and infrared radiation at low energy fluences with increase of mitochondrial metabolism is the basis of the biostimulation effect but free radicals can be produced. DNA lesions induced by free radicals are repaired by the base excision repair pathway. In this work, we evaluate the expression of POLγ and APEX2 genes related to repair of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, respectively. Skin and muscle tissue of Wistar rats were exposed to low intensity infrared laser at different fluences. One hour and 24 hours after laser exposure, tissue samples were withdrawn for total RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, and evaluation of POLγ and APEX2 mRNA expression by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Skin and muscle tissue of Wistar rats exposed to laser radiation show different expression of POLγ and APEX2 mRNA depending of the fluence and time after exposure. Our study suggests that a low intensity infrared laser affects expression of genes involved in repair of oxidative lesions in mitochondrial and nuclear DNA.

  19. Singlet oxygen-induced photodegradation of the polymers and dyes in optical sensing materials and the effect of stabilizers on these processes.

    PubMed

    Enko, Barbara; Borisov, Sergey M; Regensburger, Johannes; Bäumler, Wolfgang; Gescheidt, Georg; Klimant, Ingo

    2013-09-12

    A comprehensive study of photodegradation processes in optical sensing materials caused by photosensitized singlet oxygen in different polymers is presented. The stabilities of the polymers are accessed in the oxygen consumption measurements performed with help of optical oxygen sensors. Polystyrene and poly(phenylsilesquioxane) are found to be the most stable among the polymers investigated, whereas poly(2,6-dimethyl-p-phenylene oxide) and particularly poly(methyl methacrylate) and their derivatives show the fastest oxygen consumption. The effect of the stabilizers (singlet oxygen quenchers) on the oxygen consumption rates, the photostability of the sensitizer, and the total photon emission (TPE) by singlet oxygen is studied. 1,4-Diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) was found to significantly reduce both the TPE and the oxygen consumption rates, indicating its role as a physical quencher of singlet oxygen. The addition of DABCO also significantly improved the photostability of the sensitizer. The N-alkylated derivative of DABCO and DABCO covalently grafted to the polystyrene backbone are prepared in an attempt to overcome the volatility and water solubility of the quencher. These derivatives as well as other tertiary amines investigated were found to be inefficient as stabilizing agents, and some of them even negatively affected the oxygen consumption rates.

  20. Interactive fluorophore and quencher pairs for labeling fluorescent nucleic acid hybridization probes.

    PubMed

    Marras, Salvatore A E

    2008-03-01

    The use of fluorescent nucleic acid hybridization probes that generate a fluorescence signal only when they bind to their target enables real-time monitoring of nucleic acid amplification assays. Real-time nucleic acid amplification assays markedly improves the ability to obtain qualitative and quantitative results. Furthermore, these assays can be carried out in sealed tubes, eliminating carryover contamination. Fluorescent nucleic acid hybridization probes are available in a wide range of different fluorophore and quencher pairs. Multiple hybridization probes, each designed for the detection of a different nucleic acid sequence and each labeled with a differently colored fluorophore, can be added to the same nucleic acid amplification reaction, enabling the development of high-throughput multiplex assays. In order to develop robust, highly sensitive and specific real-time nucleic acid amplification assays it is important to carefully select the fluorophore and quencher labels of hybridization probes. Selection criteria are based on the type of hybridization probe used in the assay, the number of targets to be detected, and the type of apparatus available to perform the assay. This article provides an overview of different aspects of choosing appropriate labels for the different types of fluorescent hybridization probes used with different types of spectrofluorometric thermal cyclers currently available.

  1. Photosensitized oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide by diethoxyphosphorus(V)tetraphenylporphyrin and its fluorinated derivative: Possibility of chain reaction.

    PubMed

    Hirakawa, Kazutaka; Murata, Atsushi

    2018-01-05

    Water-soluble porphyrins, diethoxyphosphorus(V)tetraphenylporphyrin (EtP(V)TPP) and its fluorinated analogue (FEtP(V)TPP), decreased the typical absorption around 340nm of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) under visible light irradiation, indicating oxidative decomposition. A singlet oxygen quencher, sodium azide, and a triplet quencher, potassium iodide, slightly inhibited photosensitized NADH oxidation. However, these inhibitory effects were very small. Furthermore, the fluorescence lifetime of these P(V)porphyrins was decreased by NADH, suggesting the contribution of electron transfer to the singlet excited (S 1 ) state of P(V)porphyrin. The redox potential measurement supports the electron transfer-mediated oxidation of NADH. The quantum yields of NADH photodecomposition by P(V)porphyrins could be estimated from the kinetic data and the effect of these quenchers on NADH oxidation. The obtained values suggest that the electron accepting by the S 1 states of P(V)porphyrins triggers a chain reaction of NADH oxidation. This photosensitized reaction may play an important role in the photocytotoxicity of P(V)porphyrins. The axial ligand fluorination of P(V)porphyrins improved electron accepting ability. However, fluorination slightly suppressed static interaction with NADH, resulting in decreased oxidation quantum yield. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Photoinduced electron transfer interaction of anthraquinones with aniline quenchers: Influence of methyl substitution in aniline donors.

    PubMed

    Sivakumar, V; Ponnamma, Deepalekshmi; Hussein, Yasser H A

    2017-02-15

    Photoinduced electron transfer between triplet state of 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) and its two derivatives: 2-chloro-9,10-anthraquinone (CAQ) and sodium anthraquinone-2-sulfonate (AQS) and ground state aniline (AN) and its dimethyl substitutions: 2,3-dimethylaniline (2,3-DMA), 2,6-dimethylaniline (2,6-DMA), 3,5-dimethylaniline (3,5-DMA) and N,N-dimethylaniline (N,N-DMA) is studied using nanosecond laser flash photolysis at room temperature. Detection of radical bands of quinone anions and aniline cations along with their formation and/or decay kinetics are used to confirm the electron transfer (ET) process. In MeCN medium, AN quenches the triplet state of CAQ (CAQ T ) but not the triplets AQ T or AQS T . However in aqueous medium, AN quenches AQS T and forms radical ion pair. All the DMAs can react through ET with all the triplet quinones at different degrees of efficiency in MeCN medium. Noticeably, the ring substituted DMAs are less efficient in electron donation to AQ T or AQS T while the N,N-DMA shows high efficiency in donating electron to all triplet quinones in MeCN medium. Charge distribution of donor molecules, in MeCN medium is calculated using density functional theory (DFT), and shows an enhancement of electron density of the ring of N,N-DMA, making it an ideal electron donor for ET studies compared to other DMAs. This systematic selection and usage of anilines with electrochemically tunable quinones can be viewed as a working model of donor-acceptor system that can be utilized in photoinduced ET applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Metallothionein as a Scavenger of Free Radicals - New Cardioprotective Therapeutic Agent or Initiator of Tumor Chemoresistance?

    PubMed

    Heger, Zbynek; Rodrigo, Miguel Angel Merlos; Krizkova, Sona; Ruttkay-Nedecky, Branislav; Zalewska, Marta; Del Pozo, Elena Maria Planells; Pelfrene, Aurelie; Pourrut, Bertrand; Stiborova, Marie; Eckschlager, Tomas; Emri, Gabriella; Kizek, Rene; Adam, Vojtech

    2016-01-01

    Cardiotoxicity is a serious complication of anticancer therapy by anthracycline antibiotics. Except for intercalation into DNA/RNA structure, inhibition of DNA-topoisomerase and histone eviction from chromatin, the main mechanism of their action is iron-mediated formation of various forms of free radicals, which leads to irreversible damage to cancer cells. The most serious adverse effect of anthracyclines is, thus, cardiomyopathy leading to congestive heart failure, which is caused by the same mechanisms. Here, we briefly summarize the basic types of free radicals formed by anthracyclines and the main processes how to scavenge them. From these, the main attention is paid to metallothioneins. These low-molecular cysteine-rich proteins are introduced and their functions and properties are reviewed. Further, their role in detoxification of metals and drugs is discussed. Based on these beneficial roles, their use as a new therapeutic agent against oxidative stress and for cardioprotection is critically evaluated with respect to their ability to increase chemoresistance against some types of commonly used cytostatics.

  4. Quercetin-Iron Complex: Synthesis, Characterization, Antioxidant, DNA Binding, DNA Cleavage, and Antibacterial Activity Studies.

    PubMed

    Raza, Aun; Xu, Xiuquan; Xia, Li; Xia, Changkun; Tang, Jian; Ouyang, Zhen

    2016-11-01

    Quercetin-iron (II) complex was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron micrography and molar conductivity. The low molar conductivity value investigates the non-electrolyte nature of the complex. The elemental analysis and other physical and spectroscopic methods reveal the 1:2 stoichiometric ratio (metal:ligand) of the complex. Antioxidant study of the quercetin and its metal complex against 2, 2-di-phenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl radical showed that the complex has much more radical scavenging activity than free quercetin. The interaction of quercetin-iron (II) complex with DNA was determined using ultraviolet visible spectra, fluorescence spectra and agarose gel electrophoresis. The results showed that quercetin-iron (II) complex can intercalate moderately with DNA, quench a strong intercalator ethidium bromide and compete for the intercalative binding sites. The complex showed significant cleavage of pBR 322 DNA from supercoiled form to nicked circular form and these cleavage effects were dose-dependent. Moreover, the mechanism of DNA cleavage indicated that it was an oxidative cleavage pathway. These results revealed the potential nuclease activity of complex to cleave DNA. In addition, antibacterial activity of complex on E.coli and S. aureus was also investigated. The results showed that complex has higher antibacterial activity than ligand.

  5. Novel adsorbent for DNA adsorption: Fe(3+)-attached sporopollenin particles embedded composite cryogels.

    PubMed

    Ceylan, Şeyda; Odabaşı, Mehmet

    2013-12-01

    The aim of this study is to prepare supermacroporous cryogels embedded with Fe(3+)-attached sporopollenin particles (Fe(3++)-ASPs) having large surface area for high DNA adsorption capacity. Supermacroporous poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA)-based monolithic cryogel column embedded with Fe3+(+)-ASPs was prepared by radical cryo-copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) with N,N´-methylene- bis-acrylamide (MBAAm) as cross-linker directly in a plastic syringe for DNA adsorption studies. Firstly, Fe3+(+) ions were attached to the sporopollenin particles (SPs), then the supermacroporous PHEMA cryogel with embedded Fe(3++)-ASPs was produced by free radical polymerization using N,N,N´, N´-Tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) and ammonium persulfate (APS) as initiator/activator pair in an ice bath. Optimum conditions of adsorption experiments were performed at pH 6.0 (0.02 M Tris buffer containing 0.2 M NaCl), with flow rate of 0.5 mL/min, and at 5°C. The maximum amount of DNA adsorption from aqueous solution was very high (109 mg/g SPs) with initial concentration of 3 mg/mL. It was observed that DNA could be repeatedly adsorbed and desorbed with this composite cryogel without significant loss of adsorption capacity. As a result, higher amounts of DNA adsorbed these composite cryogels are expected to be good candidate for achieving higher removal of anti-DNA antibodies from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients plasma.

  6. Intracellular Copper Does Not Catalyze the Formation of Oxidative DNA Damage in Escherichia coli▿

    PubMed Central

    Macomber, Lee; Rensing, Christopher; Imlay, James A.

    2007-01-01

    Because copper catalyzes the conversion of H2O2 to hydroxyl radicals in vitro, it has been proposed that oxidative DNA damage may be an important component of copper toxicity. Elimination of the copper export genes, copA, cueO, and cusCFBA, rendered Escherichia coli sensitive to growth inhibition by copper and provided forcing circumstances in which this hypothesis could be tested. When the cells were grown in medium supplemented with copper, the intracellular copper content increased 20-fold. However, the copper-loaded mutants were actually less sensitive to killing by H2O2 than cells grown without copper supplementation. The kinetics of cell death showed that excessive intracellular copper eliminated iron-mediated oxidative killing without contributing a copper-mediated component. Measurements of mutagenesis and quantitative PCR analysis confirmed that copper decreased the rate at which H2O2 damaged DNA. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin trapping showed that the copper-dependent H2O2 resistance was not caused by inhibition of the Fenton reaction, for copper-supplemented cells exhibited substantial hydroxyl radical formation. However, copper EPR spectroscopy suggested that the majority of H2O2-oxidizable copper is located in the periplasm; therefore, most of the copper-mediated hydroxyl radical formation occurs in this compartment and away from the DNA. Indeed, while E. coli responds to H2O2 stress by inducing iron sequestration proteins, H2O2-stressed cells do not induce proteins that control copper levels. These observations do not explain how copper suppresses iron-mediated damage. However, it is clear that copper does not catalyze significant oxidative DNA damage in vivo; therefore, copper toxicity must occur by a different mechanism. PMID:17189367

  7. Stimulation of NADH-dependent microsomal DNA strand cleavage by rifamycin SV.

    PubMed

    Kukiełka, E; Cederbaum, A I

    1995-04-15

    Rifamycin SV is an antibiotic anti-bacterial agent used in the treatment of tuberculosis. This drug can autoxidize, especially in the presence of metals, and generate reactive oxygen species. A previous study indicated that rifamycin SV can increase NADH-dependent microsomal production of reactive oxygen species. The current study evaluated the ability of rifamycin SV to interact with iron and increase microsomal production of hydroxyl radical, as detected by conversion of supercoiled plasmid DNA into the relaxed open circular state. The plasmid used was pBluescript II KS(-), and the forms of DNA were separated by agarose-gel electrophoresis. Incubation of rat liver microsomes with plasmid plus NADH plus ferric-ATP caused DNA strand cleavage. The addition of rifamycin SV produced a time- and concentration-dependent increase in DNA-strand cleavage. No stimulation by rifamycin SV occurred in the absence of microsomes, NADH or ferric-ATP. Stimulation occurred with other ferric complexes besides ferric-ATP, e.g. ferric-histidine, ferric-citrate, ferric-EDTA, and ferric-(NH4)2SO4. Rifamycin SV did not significantly increase the high rates of DNA strand cleavage found with NADPH as the microsomal reductant. The stimulation of NADH-dependent microsomal DNA strand cleavage was completely blocked by catalase, superoxide dismutase, GSH and a variety of hydroxyl-radical-scavenging agents, but not by anti-oxidants that prevent microsomal lipid peroxidation. Redox cycling agents, such as menadione and paraquat, in contrast with rifamycin SV, stimulated the NADPH-dependent reaction; menadione and rifamycin SV were superior to paraquat in stimulating the NADH-dependent reaction. These results indicate that rifamycin SV can, in the presence of an iron catalyst, increase microsomal production of reactive oxygen species which can cause DNA-strand cleavage. In contrast with other redox cycling agents, the stimulation by rifamycin SV is more pronounced with NADH than with NADPH as the microsomal reductant. Interactions between rifamycin SV, iron and NADH generating hydroxyl-radical-like species may play a role in some of the hepatotoxic effects associated with the use of this antibacterial antibiotic.

  8. Influence of post exposure bake time on EUV photoresist RLS trade-off

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vesters, Yannick; De Simone, Danilo; De Gendt, Stefan

    2017-03-01

    To achieve high volume manufacturing, EUV photoresists need to push back the "RLS trade-off" by simultaneously improving Resolution, Line-Width Roughness and Sensitivity (exposure dose). Acid diffusion in chemically amplified resist is known to impact these performances. This work studies the diffusion of acid in chemically amplified resist by varying the post exposure bake duration while monitoring the evolution of CD and LWR for 6 chemically amplified EUV photoresists (CAR). We observed a first regime where both CD and LWR quickly decrease during the first 30s of post exposure bake (PEB). This can be related to the deprotection reaction taking place in the exposed part of the resist. After 60s the decrease in CD and LWR slows down significantly, likely related to a regime of acid diffusion from exposed to unexposed region, and acid-quencher neutralization at the interface of these two regions. We tested two resists with different protecting group and the one having lower activation energy shows a faster CD change in the second regime, resulting in a worsening of LWR for longer PEB time. On the contrary, a resist with a high quencher loading shows reduced net diffusion of acid towards the unexposed region and controls the resist edge profile. In other words longer PEB does not degrade LWR, but as it reduces the line CD, sensitivity is impacted. With an appropriate ratio selection of quencher to PAG, an EUV dose reduction of up to 12% can be achieved with a change from a standard 60 second to a 240 second PEB time, while keeping LWR and resolution constant and therefore pushing the RLS performances. Finally, we confirmed that the observations on positive tone development (PTD) resist could be applied to negative tone development (NTD) resist: with a high quencher NTD resist we observed a dose reduction of 8% for longer PEB time, keeping LWR and resolution constant.

  9. A fluorescence-based method for direct measurement of submicrosecond intramolecular contact formation in biopolymers: an exploratory study with polypeptides.

    PubMed

    Hudgins, Robert R; Huang, Fang; Gramlich, Gabriela; Nau, Werner M

    2002-01-30

    A fluorescent amino acid derivative (Fmoc-DBO) has been synthesized, which contains 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene (DBO) as a small, hydrophilic fluorophore with an extremely long fluorescence lifetime (325 ns in H2O and 505 ns in D2O under air). Polypeptides containing both the DBO residue and an efficient fluorescence quencher allow the measurement of rate constants for intramolecular end-to-end contact formation. Bimolecular quenching experiments indicated that Trp, Cys, Met, and Tyr are efficient quenchers of DBO (k(q) = 20, 5.1, 4.5, and 3.6 x 10(8) M(-1) x s(-1) in D2O), while the other amino acids are inefficient. The quenching by Trp, which was selected as an intrinsic quencher, is presumed to involve exciplex-induced deactivation. Flexible, structureless polypeptides, Trp-(Gly-Ser)n-DBO-NH2, were prepared by standard solid-phase synthesis, and the rates of contact formation were measured through the intramolecular fluorescence quenching of DBO by Trp with time-correlated single-photon counting, laser flash photolysis, and steady-state fluorometry. Rate constants of 4.1, 6.8, 4.9, 3.1, 2.0, and 1.1 x 10(7) s(-1) for n = 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 10 were obtained. Noteworthy was the relatively slow quenching for the shortest peptide (n = 0). The kinetic data are in agreement with recent transient absorption studies of triplet probes for related peptides, but the rate constants are significantly larger. In contrast to the flexible structureless Gly-Ser polypeptides, the polyproline Trp-Pro4-DBO-NH2 showed insignificant fluorescence quenching, suggesting that a high polypeptide flexibility and the possibility of probe-quencher contact is essential to induce quenching. Advantages of the new fluorescence-based method for measuring contact formation rates in biopolymers include high accuracy, fast time range (100 ps-1 micros), and the possibility to perform measurements in water under air.

  10. Partially reduced graphene oxide based FRET on fiber-optic interferometer for biochemical detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yao, B. C.; Wu, Y.; Yu, C. B.; He, J. R.; Rao, Y. J.; Gong, Y.; Fu, F.; Chen, Y. F.; Li, Y. R.

    2016-03-01

    Fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) with naturally exceptional selectivity is a powerful technique and widely used in chemical and biomedical analysis. However, it is still challenging for conventional FRET to perform as a high sensitivity compact sensor. Here we propose a novel ‘FRET on Fiber’ concept, in which a partially reduced graphene oxide (prGO) film is deposited on a fiber-optic modal interferometer, acting as both the fluorescent quencher for the FRET and the sensitive cladding for optical phase measurement due to refractive index changes in biochemical detection. The target analytes induced fluorescence recovery with good selectivity and optical phase shift with high sensitivity are measured simultaneously. The functionalized prGO film coated on the fiber-optic interferometer shows high sensitivities for the detections of metal ion, dopamine and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), with detection limits of 1.2 nM, 1.3 μM and 1 pM, respectively. Such a prGO based ‘FRET on fiber’ configuration, bridging the FRET and the fiber-optic sensing technology, may serve as a platform for the realization of series of integrated ‘FRET on Fiber’ sensors for on-line environmental, chemical, and biomedical detection, with excellent compactness, high sensitivity, good selectivity and fast response

  11. Partially reduced graphene oxide based FRET on fiber-optic interferometer for biochemical detection

    PubMed Central

    Yao, B. C.; Wu, Y.; Yu, C. B.; He, J. R.; Rao, Y. J.; Gong, Y.; Fu, F.; Chen, Y. F.; Li, Y. R.

    2016-01-01

    Fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) with naturally exceptional selectivity is a powerful technique and widely used in chemical and biomedical analysis. However, it is still challenging for conventional FRET to perform as a high sensitivity compact sensor. Here we propose a novel ‘FRET on Fiber’ concept, in which a partially reduced graphene oxide (prGO) film is deposited on a fiber-optic modal interferometer, acting as both the fluorescent quencher for the FRET and the sensitive cladding for optical phase measurement due to refractive index changes in biochemical detection. The target analytes induced fluorescence recovery with good selectivity and optical phase shift with high sensitivity are measured simultaneously. The functionalized prGO film coated on the fiber-optic interferometer shows high sensitivities for the detections of metal ion, dopamine and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), with detection limits of 1.2 nM, 1.3 μM and 1 pM, respectively. Such a prGO based ‘FRET on fiber’ configuration, bridging the FRET and the fiber-optic sensing technology, may serve as a platform for the realization of series of integrated ‘FRET on Fiber’ sensors for on-line environmental, chemical, and biomedical detection, with excellent compactness, high sensitivity, good selectivity and fast response PMID:27010752

  12. Bioresponsive antisense DNA gold nanobeacons as a hybrid in vivo theranostics platform for the inhibition of cancer cells and metastasis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bao, Chenchen; Conde, João; Curtin, James; Artzi, Natalie; Tian, Furong; Cui, Daxiang

    2015-07-01

    Gold nanobeacons can be used as a powerful tool for cancer theranostics. Here, we proposed a nanomaterial platform based on gold nanobeacons to detect, target and inhibit the expression of a mutant Kras gene in an in vivo murine gastric cancer model. The conjugation of fluorescently-labeled antisense DNA hairpin oligonucleotides to the surface of gold nanoparticles enables using their localized surface plasmon resonance properties to directly track the delivery to the primary gastric tumor and to lung metastatic sites. The fluorescently labeled nanobeacons reports on the interaction with the target as the fluorescent Cy3 signal is quenched by the gold nanoparticle and only emit light following conjugation to the Kras target owing to reorganization and opening of the nanobeacons, thus increasing the distance between the dye and the quencher. The systemic administration of the anti-Kras nanobeacons resulted in approximately 60% tumor size reduction and a 90% reduction in tumor vascularization. More important, the inhibition of the Kras gene expression in gastric tumors prevents the occurrence of metastasis to lung (80% reduction), increasing mice survival in more than 85%. Our developed platform can be easily adjusted to hybridize with any specific target and provide facile diagnosis and treatment for neoplastic diseases.

  13. Reactive oxygen species: role in the development of cancer and various chronic conditions

    PubMed Central

    Waris, Gulam; Ahsan, Haseeb

    2006-01-01

    Oxygen derived species such as superoxide radical, hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radical are well known to be cytotoxic and have been implicated in the etiology of a wide array of human diseases, including cancer. Various carcinogens may also partly exert their effect by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) during their metabolism. Oxidative damage to cellular DNA can lead to mutations and may, therefore, play an important role in the initiation and progression of multistage carcinogenesis. The changes in DNA such as base modification, rearrangement of DNA sequence, miscoding of DNA lesion, gene duplication and the activation of oncogenes may be involved in the initiation of various cancers. Elevated levels of ROS and down regulation of ROS scavengers and antioxidant enzymes are associated with various human diseases including various cancers. ROS are also implicated in diabtes and neurodegenerative diseases. ROS influences central cellular processes such as proliferation a, apoptosis, senescence which are implicated in the development of cancer. Understanding the role of ROS as key mediators in signaling cascades may provide various opportunities for pharmacological intervention. PMID:16689993

  14. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities of collagen peptides from milkfish (Chanos chanos) scales.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yu-Pei; Liang, Chia-Hua; Wu, Hong-Tan; Pang, Hai-Yue; Chen, Chuan; Wang, Guey-Horng; Chan, Leong-Perng

    2018-06-01

    Milkfish ( Chanos chanos ), which is resistant to water quality changes is the fourth largest aquaculture commodity. Abandoned wastes of fish scale and bones aggravate environmental pollution. In this study, the effect of collagen peptides isolated from milkfish scales (MSCP) by pepsin-soluble collagen method on cell viability was investigated. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and DNA-protective activities of MSCP were also evaluated. Results revealed that more than 95% of viable cells were retained in human keratinocytes after addition of 100 mg/mL MSCP. Measurement of DPPH· and ABTS· + radical scavenging activities and cellular reactive oxygen species revealed the high antioxidant activities of MSCP. MSCP demonstrated anti-inflammatory activities by reducing lipoxygenase activity and nitric oxide (NO·) radicals. Moreover, DNA electrophoresis assay indicated that MSCP treatment can directly protect against cyclobutane di-pyrimidine production and DNA single-strand breaks, which are harmful effects of UV radiation and H 2 O 2 . Given its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and DNA-protective activities, MSCP has potential applications in cosmeceuticals and supplementary health food.

  15. Mapping three guanine oxidation products along DNA following exposure to three types of reactive oxygen species.

    PubMed

    Matter, Brock; Seiler, Christopher L; Murphy, Kristopher; Ming, Xun; Zhao, Jianwei; Lindgren, Bruce; Jones, Roger; Tretyakova, Natalia

    2018-06-01

    Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species generated during respiration, inflammation, and immune response can damage cellular DNA, contributing to aging, cancer, and neurodegeneration. The ability of oxidized DNA bases to interfere with DNA replication and transcription is strongly influenced by their chemical structures and locations within the genome. In the present work, we examined the influence of local DNA sequence context, DNA secondary structure, and oxidant identity on the efficiency and the chemistry of guanine oxidation in the context of the Kras protooncogene. A novel isotope labeling strategy developed in our laboratory was used to accurately map the formation of 2,2-diamino-4-[(2-deoxy-β-D-erythropentofuranosyl)amino]- 5(2 H)-oxazolone (Z), 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (OG), and 8-nitroguanine (8-NO 2 -G) lesions along DNA duplexes following photooxidation in the presence of riboflavin, treatment with nitrosoperoxycarbonate, and oxidation in the presence of hydroxyl radicals. Riboflavin-mediated photooxidation preferentially induced OG lesions at 5' guanines within GG repeats, while treatment with nitrosoperoxycarbonate targeted 3'-guanines within GG and AG dinucleotides. Little sequence selectivity was observed following hydroxyl radical-mediated oxidation. However, Z and 8-NO 2 -G adducts were overproduced at duplex ends, irrespective of oxidant identity. Overall, our results indicate that the patterns of Z, OG, and 8-NO 2 -G adduct formation in the genome are distinct and are influenced by oxidant identity and the secondary structure of DNA. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Prognostic significance of DNA ploidy in adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. A flow cytometric study of paraffin-embedded specimens.

    PubMed

    Porschen, R; Remy, U; Bevers, G; Schauseil, S; Hengels, K J; Borchard, F

    1993-06-15

    The prognostic significance of tumor DNA ploidy in patients with cancer of the pancreas has not been defined because conflicting results have been reported. DNA content was measured in 56 ductal adenocarcinomas of the pancreas. DNA ploidy status was evaluated by flow cytometry in nuclei isolated from paraffin-embedded tumor tissues. An abnormal DNA stemline was observed in 27 (48%) patients. The percentage of aneuploid tumors was significantly increased in tumors classified as Stage III/IV (53%) compared with those classified as Stage I (22%). A borderline significant association existed between DNA ploidy and radicality of surgery (P = 0.08). The median survival of patients with diploid carcinomas was 6.9 months (standard error, +/- 0.9) in comparison to 4.5 +/- 1.2 months for patients with aneuploid tumors (P = 0.013 by generalized Wilcoxon test; P = 0.023 by generalized Savage test). Although a selection bias cannot be excluded, survival of patients with a radical resection was longer than that of patients with a nonradical resection (P = 0.0008 and P = 0.0085, respectively). In addition, presence of distant metastasis (P = 0.0006 [Wilcoxon test] and P = 0.033 [Savage test]) could be identified as a prognostic factor. In a Cox regression model, results of surgery and DNA ploidy were independent prognostic variables. Because DNA ploidy has a significant impact on prognosis in pancreatic cancer, it should be used as a variable for stratified randomization of patients in therapeutic trials.

  17. Photophysical Characterization of Enhanced 6-Methylisoxanthopterin Fluorescence in Duplex DNA.

    PubMed

    Moreno, Andrew; Knee, J L; Mukerji, Ishita

    2016-12-08

    The structure and dynamic motions of bases in DNA duplexes and other constructs are important for understanding mechanisms of selectivity and recognition of DNA-binding proteins. The fluorescent guanine analogue, 6-methylisoxanthopterin 6-MI, is well suited to this purpose as it exhibits an unexpected 3- to 4-fold increase in relative quantum yield upon duplex formation when incorporated into the following sequences: ATFAA, AAFTA, or ATFTA (where F represents 6-MI). To better understand some of the factors leading to the 6-MI fluorescence increase upon duplex formation, we characterized the effect of local sequence and structural perturbations on 6-MI photophysics through temperature melts, quantum yield measurements, fluorescence quenching assays, and fluorescence lifetime measurements. By examining 21 sequences we have determined that the duplex-enhanced fluorescence (DEF) depends on the composition of bases adjacent to 6-MI and the presence of adenines at locations n ± 2 from the probe. Investigation of duplex stability and local solvent accessibility measurements support a model in which the DEF arises from a constrained geometry of 6-MI in the duplex, which remains H-bonded to cytosine, stacked with adjacent bases and inaccessible to quenchers. Perturbation of DNA structure through the introduction of an unpaired base 3' to 6-MI or a mismatched basepair increases 6-MI dynamic motion leading to fluorescence quenching and a reduction in quantum yield. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest the enhanced fluorescence results from a greater degree of twist at the X-F step relative to the quenched duplexes examined. These results point to a model where adenine residues located at n ± 2 from 6-MI induce a structural geometry with greater twist in the duplex that hinders local motion reducing dynamic quenching and producing an increase in 6-MI fluorescence.

  18. Protective roles of single-wall carbon nanotubes in ultrasonication-induced DNA base damage.

    PubMed

    Petersen, Elijah J; Tu, Xiaomin; Dizdaroglu, Miral; Zheng, Ming; Nelson, Bryant C

    2013-01-28

    The overall level of ultrasonication-induced DNA damage is reduced in the presence of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), particularly for DNA lesions formed by one-electron reduction of intermediate radicals. The protective role of SWCNTs observed in this work suggests a contrary view to the general idea that carbon nanotubes have damaging effects on biomolecules. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Cucurbiturils: molecular nanocapsules for time-resolved fluorescence-based assays.

    PubMed

    Marquez, Cesar; Huang, Fang; Nau, Werner M

    2004-03-01

    A new fluorescent host-guest system based on the inclusion of the fluorophore 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene (DBO) into the cavity of the molecular container compound cucurbit[7]uril (CB7) has been designed which possesses an exceedingly long-lived emission (690 ns in aerated water). The large binding constant of (4 +/- 1) x 10(5) M(-1) along with the resistance of the CB7.DBO complex toward external fluorescence quenchers allow the use of CB7 as an enhancer in time-resolved fluorescence-based assays, e.g., to screen enzyme activity or inhibition by using DBO-labeled peptides as substrates. The response of CB7.DBO to different environmental conditions and possible quenchers are described.

  20. Effect of Cu(2+)-complexation on the scavenging ability of chrysin towards photogenerated singlet molecular oxygen (O2((1)Δg)). Possible biological implications.

    PubMed

    Muñoz, Vanesa A; Ferrari, Gabriela V; Montaña, M Paulina; Miskoski, Sandra; García, Norman A

    2016-09-01

    Visible-light irradiation of aqueous-ethanolic solutions of Riboflavin (Rf) in the individual presence of the flavone chrysin (Chr) and its complex with Cu(2+) ([Chr2Cu]; 2:1 L:M) generates singlet molecular oxygen O2((1)Δg), that concomitantly interact with both flavone derivatives. Overall (kt) and reactive (kr) rate constants in the order of 10(7)M(-1)s(-1) were determined for the process. Metal chelation greatly enhances the scavenging ability of [Chr2Cu] towards O2((1)Δg) through a mechanism dominated, in >80%, by the physical component. In this way, practically all O2((1)Δg) is deactivated by the complex without significant loss of the quencher. The isolated flavone quenches O2((1)Δg) in a prevailing reactive fashion. The very low value exhibited by [Chr2Cu] for the kr/kt ratio constitutes a positive quality for antioxidative protectors in biological media, where elevated local concentration and high reactivity of significant molecules make them initial targets for O2((1)Δg) aggression. Finally, two interesting properties in the field of free radicals scavenging by [Chr2Cu] must be mentioned. In first place metal chelation itself, in the obvious sense of free metal ion withdrawal from the oxidizable medium, prevents the initiation of a free radical-mediated oxidation processes through mechanisms of Fenton or lipid peroxidation. In addition, the incorporation of Cu adds to [Chr2Cu] the ability of a free radical scavenger, already described for similar Cu-chelate compounds. This collection of beneficial properties positions the complex as a remarkably promising bioprotector towards ROS-mediated oxidation. A quantification of the efficiency on the initial anti-oxidative effect exerted by Chr and [Chr2Cu] towards tryptophan was carried out. The amino acid is an archetypal molecular model, commonly employed to monitor oxidative degradation of proteinaceous media. It was efficiently photoprotected against O2((1)Δg)-mediated photooxidation by [Chr2Cu]. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Mechanisms for regulating oxygen toxicity in phytophagous insects.

    PubMed

    Ahmad, S; Pardini, R S

    1990-01-01

    The antioxidant enzymatic defense of insects for the regulation of oxygen toxicity was investigated. Insect species examined were lepidopterous larvae of the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni), southern armyworm (Spodoptera eridania), and black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes). These phytophagous species are subject to both endogenous and exogenous sources of oxidative stress from toxic oxygen radicals, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and lipid peroxides (LOOH). In general, the constitutive levels of the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione transferase (GT), and its peroxidase activity (GTpx), and glutathione reductase (GR), correlate well with natural feeding habits of these insects and their relative susceptibility to prooxidant plant allelochemicals, quercetin (a flavonoid), and xanthotoxin (a photoactive furanocoumarin). Induction of SOD activity which rapidly destroys superoxide radicals, appears to be the main response to dietary prooxidant exposure. A unique observation includes high constitutive activity of CAT and a broader subcellular distribution in all three insects than observed in most mammalian species. These attributes of CAT appear to be important in the prevention of excessive accumulation of cytotoxic H2O2. Unlike mammalian species, insects possess very low levels of a GPOX-like activity toward H2O2. Irrefutable proof that this activity is due to a selenium-dependent GPOX found in mammals, is lacking at this time. However, the activity of selenium-independent GTpx is unusually high in insects, suggesting that GTpx and not GPOX plays a prominent role in scavenging deleterious LOOHs. The GSSG generated from the GPOX and GTpx reactions may be reduced to GSH by GR activity. A key role of SOD in protecting insects from prooxidant toxicity was evident when its inhibition resulted in enhanced toxicity towards prooxidants. The role of antioxidant compounds in protecting these insects from toxic forms of oxygen has not been explored in depth. A major finding, however, is that these insects are lutein accumulators. Lutein is a dihydroxy (diol) derivative of beta-carotene, and it is a good quencher of activated forms of oxygen and free radicals. Levels of lutein are highest in P. polyxenes which specializes in feeding on prooxidant-containing plants.

  2. A cooperative-binding split aptamer assay for rapid, specific and ultra-sensitive fluorescence detection of cocaine in saliva† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Optimization of Mg2+ and ATMND concentrations for our CBSA-based ATMND-binding assay; ATMND-reported calibration curve for CBSA-5325 at various cocaine concentrations; ATMND binding affinity for the cocaine-assembled CBSA-5325; K D of 38-GC and different 38-GC mutants for cocaine as characterized by ITC; stem length effects on cocaine-induced CBSA assembly; spectra of CBSA-5335-based fluorescence detection of cocaine in 1× binding buffer; characterization of cocaine binding affinity of CBSA-5335 and PSA using ITC; fluorescence detection of cocaine in saliva with our fluorophore/quencher modified CBSA-5335; calibration curve of our CBSA-5335-based fluorophore/quencher assay in 1× binding buffer and 10% saliva at cocaine concentrations ranging from 0 to 10 μM; bias and precision of the CBSA-5335-based fluorophore/quencher assay; comparison of amplification-free split-aptamer assays for cocaine detection; sequence ID and DNA sequences used in this work. See DOI: 10.1039/c6sc01833e Click here for additional data file.

    PubMed Central

    Yu, Haixiang; Canoura, Juan; Guntupalli, Bhargav; Lou, Xinhui

    2017-01-01

    Sensors employing split aptamers that reassemble in the presence of a target can achieve excellent specificity, but the accompanying reduction of target affinity mitigates any overall gains in sensitivity. We for the first time have developed a split aptamer that achieves enhanced target-binding affinity through cooperative binding. We have generated a split cocaine-binding aptamer that incorporates two binding domains, such that target binding at one domain greatly increases the affinity of the second domain. We experimentally demonstrate that the resulting cooperative-binding split aptamer (CBSA) exhibits higher target binding affinity and is far more responsive in terms of target-induced aptamer assembly compared to the single-domain parent split aptamer (PSA) from which it was derived. We further confirm that the target-binding affinity of our CBSA can be affected by the cooperativity of its binding domains and the intrinsic affinity of its PSA. To the best of our knowledge, CBSA-5335 has the highest cocaine affinity of any split aptamer described to date. The CBSA-based assay also demonstrates excellent performance in target detection in complex samples. Using this CBSA, we achieved specific, ultra-sensitive, one-step fluorescence detection of cocaine within fifteen minutes at concentrations as low as 50 nM in 10% saliva without signal amplification. This limit of detection meets the standards recommended by the European Union's Driving under the Influence of Drugs, Alcohol and Medicines program. Our assay also demonstrates excellent reproducibility of results, confirming that this CBSA-platform represents a robust and sensitive means for cocaine detection in actual clinical samples. PMID:28451157

  3. Repeated Nrf2 stimulation using sulforaphane protects fibroblasts from ionizing radiation.

    PubMed

    Mathew, Sherin T; Bergström, Petra; Hammarsten, Ola

    2014-05-01

    Most of the cytotoxicity induced by ionizing radiation is mediated by radical-induced DNA double-strand breaks. Cellular protection from free radicals can be stimulated several fold by sulforaphane-mediated activation of the transcription factor Nrf2 that regulates more than 50 genes involved in the detoxification of reactive substances and radicals. Here, we report that repeated sulforaphane treatment increases radioresistance in primary human skin fibroblasts. Cells were either treated with sulforaphane for four hours once or with four-hour treatments repeatedly for three consecutive days prior to radiation exposure. Fibroblasts exposed to repeated-sulforaphane treatment showed a more pronounced dose-dependent induction of Nrf2-regulated mRNA and reduced amount of radiation-induced free radicals compared with cells treated once with sulforaphane. In addition, radiation- induced DNA double-strand breaks measured by gamma-H2AX foci were attenuated following repeated sulforaphane treatment. As a result, cellular protection from ionizing radiation measured by the 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay was increased, specifically in cells exposed to repeated sulforaphane treatment. Sulforaphane treatment was unable to protect Nrf2 knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts, indicating that the sulforaphane-induced radioprotection was Nrf2-dependent. Moreover, radioprotection by repeated sulforaphane treatment was dose-dependent with an optimal effect at 10 uM, whereas both lower and higher concentrations resulted in lower levels of radioprotection. Our data indicate that the Nrf2 system can be trained to provide further protection from radical damage. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Phenolic extract of Dialium guineense pulp enhances reactive oxygen species detoxification in aflatoxin B₁ hepatocarcinogenesis.

    PubMed

    Adeleye, Abdulwasiu O; Ajiboye, Taofeek O; Iliasu, Ganiyat A; Abdussalam, Folakemi A; Balogun, Abdulazeez; Ojewuyi, Oluwayemisi B; Yakubu, Musa T

    2014-08-01

    This study investigated the effect of Dialium guineense pulp phenolic extract on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-induced oxidative imbalance in rat liver. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging potentials of free and bound phenolic extract of D. guineense (0.2-1.0 mg/mL) were investigated in vitro using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, superoxide ion (O2(-)), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl radical, and ferric ion reducing system. In the in vivo study, 35 animals were randomized into seven groups of five rats each. Free and bound phenolic extract (1 mg/mL) produced 66.42% and 93.08%, 57.1% and 86.0%, 62.0% and 90.05%, and 60.11% and 72.37% scavenging effect on DPPH radical, O2(-) radical, H2O2, and hydroxyl radical, while ferric ion was significantly reduced. An AFB1-mediated decrease in the activities of ROS detoxifying enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase) was significantly attenuated (P<.05). AFB1-mediated elevation in the concentrations of oxidative stress biomarkers; malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes, lipid hydroperoxides, protein carbonyl, and percentage DNA fragmentation were significantly lowered by D. guineense phenolic extract (P<.05). Overall, the in vitro and in vivo effects suggest that D. guineense phenolic extract elicited ROS scavenging and detoxification potentials, as well as the capability of preventing lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and DNA fragmentation.

  5. Tamoxifen metabolism in rat liver microsomes: identification of a dimeric metabolite derived from free radical intermediates by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Jones, R M; Yuan, Z X; Lim, C K

    1999-01-01

    Tamoxifen has been shown to be a potent liver carcinogen in rats, and generates covalent DNA adducts. On-line high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS) has been used to further study the metabolites of tamoxifen formed by rat liver microsomes in the presence of NADPH with a view to identifying potential reactive metabolites which may be responsible for the formation of DNA adducts, and liver carcinogenesis. A metabolite has been detected with a protonated molecule at m/z 773. The mass of this compound is consistent with a dimer of hydroxylated tamoxifen (m/z 388). Analysis of 4-hydroxytamoxifen incubated with a rat liver microsomal preparation showed the formation of a similar metabolite with an apparent MH+ ion at m/z 773, believed to be a dimer of 4-hydroxytamoxifen formed by a free radical reaction. The retention time for this metabolite from 4-hydroxytamoxifen is identical to that of the tamoxifen metabolite, suggesting that these two compounds are the same. The levels of the dimer were higher when 4-hydroxytamoxifen was used as substrate and, in addition, two isomers were detected. It is proposed that tamoxifen was first converted to arene oxides which react with DNA or to 4-hydroxytamoxifen, either directly or via 3,4-epoxytamoxifen, which then undergoes activation via a free radical reaction to give reactive intermediates which can then react with DNA and protein, or with themselves, to give the dimers (m/z 773).

  6. ON BENZO[A]PYRENE DERIVED DNA ADDUCTS FORMED IN LUNG TISSUE OF MICE

    EPA Science Inventory

    On Benzo [a] pyrene Derived DNA Adducts Formed in Lung Tissue of Mice
    The previously identified major DNA adducts of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) in vitro and in vivo are the stable and unstable adducts formed by reaction of the bay-region diol epoxide of BP (BPDE) and BP radical catio...

  7. Using a Specific RNA-Protein Interaction To Quench the Fluorescent RNA Spinach.

    PubMed

    Roszyk, Laura; Kollenda, Sebastian; Hennig, Sven

    2017-12-15

    RNAs are involved in interaction networks with other biomolecules and are crucial for proper cell function. Yet their biochemical analysis remains challenging. For Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET), a common tool to study such interaction networks, two interacting molecules have to be fluorescently labeled. "Spinach" is a genetically encodable RNA aptamer that starts to fluoresce upon binding of an organic molecule. Therefore, it is a biological fluorophore tag for RNAs. However, spinach has never been used in a FRET assembly before. Here, we describe how spinach is quenched when close to acceptors. We used RNA-DNA hybridization to bring quenchers or red organic dyes in close proximity to spinach. Furthermore, we investigate RNA-protein interactions quantitatively on the example of Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage coat protein 7 (PP7) and its interacting pp7-RNA. We utilize spinach quenching as a fully genetically encodable system even under lysate conditions. Therefore, this work represents a direct method to analyze RNA-protein interactions by quenching the spinach aptamer.

  8. A Systematic Investigation of Parameters Influencing Droplet Rain in the Listeria monocytogenes prfA Assay - Reduction of Ambiguous Results in ddPCR

    PubMed Central

    Witte, Anna Kristina; Mester, Patrick; Fister, Susanne; Witte, Matthias; Schoder, Dagmar; Rossmanith, Peter

    2016-01-01

    The droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) determines DNA amounts based upon the pattern of positive and negative droplets, according to Poisson distribution, without the use of external standards. However, division into positive and negative droplets is often not clear because a part of the droplets has intermediate fluorescence values, appearing as “rain” in the plot. Despite the droplet rain, absolute quantification with ddPCR is possible, as shown previously for the prfA assay in quantifying Listeria monocytogenes. Nevertheless, reducing the rain, and thus ambiguous results, promotes the accuracy and credibility of ddPCR. In this study, we extensively investigated chemical and physical parameters for optimizing the prfA assay for ddPCR. While differences in the concentration of all chemicals and the dye, quencher and supplier of the probe did not alter the droplet pattern, changes in the PCR cycling program, such as prolonged times and increased cycle numbers, improved the assay. PMID:27992475

  9. A Systematic Investigation of Parameters Influencing Droplet Rain in the Listeria monocytogenes prfA Assay - Reduction of Ambiguous Results in ddPCR.

    PubMed

    Witte, Anna Kristina; Mester, Patrick; Fister, Susanne; Witte, Matthias; Schoder, Dagmar; Rossmanith, Peter

    2016-01-01

    The droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) determines DNA amounts based upon the pattern of positive and negative droplets, according to Poisson distribution, without the use of external standards. However, division into positive and negative droplets is often not clear because a part of the droplets has intermediate fluorescence values, appearing as "rain" in the plot. Despite the droplet rain, absolute quantification with ddPCR is possible, as shown previously for the prfA assay in quantifying Listeria monocytogenes. Nevertheless, reducing the rain, and thus ambiguous results, promotes the accuracy and credibility of ddPCR. In this study, we extensively investigated chemical and physical parameters for optimizing the prfA assay for ddPCR. While differences in the concentration of all chemicals and the dye, quencher and supplier of the probe did not alter the droplet pattern, changes in the PCR cycling program, such as prolonged times and increased cycle numbers, improved the assay.

  10. Possible Correlation Between Bile Salt Hydrolysis and AHL Deamidation: Staphylococcus epidermidis RM1, a Potent Quorum Quencher and Bile Salt Hydrolase Producer.

    PubMed

    Mukherji, Ruchira; Prabhune, Asmita

    2015-05-01

    The aim of the present work was to isolate a bile salt hydrolase (BSH) producer from fermented soy curd and explore the ability of the BSH produced to cleave bacterial quorum sensing signals. Bacterial isolates with possible ability to deconjugate bile salts were enriched and isolated on De Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) medium containing 0.2% bile salts. BSH-producing positive isolate with orange-pink-pigmented colonies was isolated and was identified as a strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis using biochemical and phylogenetic tools. S. epidermidis RM1 was shown to possess both potent BSH and N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) cleavage activity. Genetic basis of this dual-enzyme activity was explored by means of specific primers designed using S. epidermidis ATCC 12228 genome as template. It was observed that a single enzyme was not responsible for both the activity. Two different genetic elements corresponding to each of the enzymatic activity were successfully amplified from the genomic DNA of the isolate.

  11. Influence of oxygen on the chemical stage of radiobiological mechanism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barilla, Jiří; Lokajíček, Miloš V.; Pisaková, Hana; Simr, Pavel

    2016-07-01

    The simulation of the chemical stage of radiobiological mechanism may be very helpful in studying the radiobiological effect of ionizing radiation when the water radical clusters formed by the densely ionizing ends of primary or secondary charged particle may form DSBs damaging DNA molecules in living cells. It is possible to study not only the efficiency of individual radicals but also the influence of other species or radiomodifiers (mainly oxygen) being present in water medium during irradiation. The mathematical model based on Continuous Petri nets (proposed by us recently) will be described. It makes it possible to analyze two main processes running at the same time: chemical radical reactions and the diffusion of radical clusters formed during energy transfer. One may study the time change of radical concentrations due to the chemical reactions running during diffusion process. Some orientation results concerning the efficiency of individual radicals in DSB formation (in the case of Co60 radiation) will be presented; the influence of oxygen present in water medium during irradiation will be shown, too.

  12. Binding to the minor groove of the double-strand, tau protein prevents DNA from damage by peroxidation.

    PubMed

    Wei, Yan; Qu, Mei-Hua; Wang, Xing-Sheng; Chen, Lan; Wang, Dong-Liang; Liu, Ying; Hua, Qian; He, Rong-Qiao

    2008-07-02

    Tau, an important microtubule associated protein, has been found to bind to DNA, and to be localized in the nuclei of both neurons and some non-neuronal cells. Here, using electrophoretic mobility shifting assay (EMSA) in the presence of DNA with different chain-lengths, we observed that tau protein favored binding to a 13 bp or a longer polynucleotide. The results from atomic force microscopy also showed that tau protein preferred a 13 bp polynucleotide to a 12 bp or shorter polynucleotide. In a competitive assay, a minor groove binder distamycin A was able to replace the bound tau from the DNA double helix, indicating that tau protein binds to the minor groove. Tau protein was able to protect the double-strand from digestion in the presence of DNase I that was bound to the minor groove. On the other hand, a major groove binder methyl green as a negative competitor exhibited little effect on the retardation of tau-DNA complex in EMSA. This further indicates the DNA minor groove as the binding site for tau protein. EMSA with truncated tau proteins showed that both the proline-rich domain (PRD) and the microtubule-binding domain (MTBD) contributed to the interaction with DNA; that is to say, both PRD and MTBD bound to the minor groove of DNA and bent the double-strand, as observed by electron microscopy. To investigate whether tau protein is able to prevent DNA from the impairment by hydroxyl free radical, the chemiluminescence emitted by the phen-Cu/H(2)O(2)/ascorbate was measured. The emission intensity of the luminescence was markedly decreased when tau protein was present, suggesting a significant protection of DNA from the damage in the presence of hydroxyl free radical.

  13. Deoxyribonucleoprotein structure and radiation injury - Cellular radiosensitivity is determined by LET-infinity-dependent DNA damage in hydrated deoxyribonucleoproteins and the extent of its repair

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lett, J. T.; Peters, E. L.

    1992-01-01

    Until recently, OH radicals formed in bulk nuclear water were believed to be the major causes of DNA damage that results in cell death, especially for sparsely ionizing radiations. That hypothesis has now been challenged, if not refuted. Lethal genomic DNA damage is determined mainly by energy deposition in deoxyribonucleoproteins, and their hydration shells, and charge (energy) transfer processes within those structures.

  14. Complexes of mismatched and complementary DNA with minor groove binders. Structures at nucleotide resolution via an improved hydroxyl radical cleavage methodology.

    PubMed

    Bialonska, Dobroslawa; Song, Kenneth; Bolton, Philip H

    2011-11-27

    Tumor cell lines can replicate faster than normal cells and many also have defective DNA repair pathways. This has lead to the investigation of the inhibition of DNA repair proteins as a means of therapeutic intervention. An alternative approach is to hide or mask damaged DNA from the repair systems. We have developed a protocol to investigate the structures of the complexes of damaged DNA with drug like molecules. Nucleotide resolution structural information can be obtained using an improved hydroxyl radical cleavage protocol. The use of a dT(n) tail increases the length of the smallest fragments of interest and allows efficient co-precipitation of the fragments with poly(A). The use of a fluorescent label, on the 5' end of the dT(n) tail, in conjunction with modified cleavage reaction conditions, avoids the lifetime and other problems with (32)P labeling. The structures of duplex DNAs containing AC and CC mismatches in the presence and absence of minor groove binders have been investigated as have those of the fully complementary DNA. The results indicate that the structural perturbations of the mismatches are localized, are sequence dependent and that the presence of a mismatch can alter the binding of drug like molecules. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Ribonucleotide reductase in melanoma tissue. EPR detection in human amelanotic melanoma and quenching of the tyrosine radical by 4-hydroxyanisole.

    PubMed

    Lassmanm, G; Liermann, B; Arnold, W; Schwabe, K

    1991-01-01

    The characteristic EPR doublet of tyrosine radicals of the growth-regulating enzyme ribonucleotide reductase was detected in human melanoma tissue grown in nude mice. This was possible through the use of an amelanotic melanoma that does not exhibit disturbing EPR signals from melanin. The content of tyrosine radicals is higher in young tumor tissues than in older ones. The clinically applied antimelanotic drug, 4-hydroxyanisole, inhibits ribonucleotide reductase in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells as demonstrated by a pronounced quenching of tyrosine radicals (IC50 = 5 microM). In amelanotic melanoma tissue tyrosine radicals of the enzyme are also quenched by 4-hydroxyanisole in concentrations down to 50 microM. Thus, the inactivation of ribonucleotide reductase, which provides deoxyribonucleotides for DNA synthesis, may be a hitherto unexpected mechanism for the antitumor action of 4-hydroxyanisole.

  16. The radiation hypersensitivity of cells at mitosis.

    PubMed

    Stobbe, C C; Park, S J; Chapman, J D

    2002-12-01

    Mitotic cells are hypersensitive to ionizing radiation, exhibiting single-hit inactivation coefficients near to those of repair deficient cell lines and lymphocytes. To elucidate possible mechanisms for this hypersensitivity, the kinetics of oxygen radiosensitization, the proportion of indirect effect by OH radicals and the kinetics of radiation-induced DNA strand breakage in the chromatin of mitotic cells were investigated. Synchronized populations of >90% mitotic HT-29 cells were obtained by the mitotic shake-off method. Cells were irradiated at < or =4 degrees C with (137)Cs gamma-rays. Cellular oxygen concentration was varied by gassing cell suspensions prior to and during irradiation with mixtures of pure N(2) that contained 5% CO(2) and measured quantities of O(2). The indirect effect of OH radicals was investigated with the radical scavenger, DMSO. DNA strand breakage was measured by the comet assay. Mitotic HT-29 cell inactivation is well described by a single-hit inactivation coefficient (alpha) of 1.14 +/- 0.06 Gy(-1). The oxygen enhancement ratio of mitotic cells (at 10% survival) was found to be approximately 2.0, significantly lower than the value of 2.8 measured for interphase (asynchronous) cells. More than 60% of mitotic cell killing was eliminated when the media contained 2 M DMSO, indicating that indirect effect is as important in the killing of mitotic cells as it is for interphase cells. The chromatin in mitotic cells was found to be ~2.8 times more sensitive to radiation-induced DNA single-strand breakage than the chromatin of interphase cells. The alpha-inactivation coefficient of mitotic HT-29 cells was ~30 times larger than that of interphase cells. Mitotic cell chromatin appears to contain intrinsic DNA breaks that are not lethal. In addition, chromatin in mitotic cells was found to be more susceptible to radiation-induced DNA strand-breakage than the dispersed chromatin of interphase cells. How the enhanced production of these simple DNA lesions (that are usually reparable) translates into the lethal (non-reparable) events associated with alpha-inactivation is not known. The compaction/dispersion status of DNA throughout the cell cycle appears to be an important factor for determining intrinsic cell radiosensitivity and might be manipulated for radiotherapeutic advantage.

  17. Free Radical Damage in Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: An Obstacle in Acute Ischemic Stroke after Revascularization Therapy

    PubMed Central

    Jin, Hang; Sun, Xin; Huang, Shuo; Zhang, Fu-Liang; Guo, Zhen-Ni

    2018-01-01

    Acute ischemic stroke is a common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator and endovascular thrombectomy are the main revascularization therapies for acute ischemic stroke. However, ischemia-reperfusion injury after revascularization therapy can result in worsening outcomes. Among all possible pathological mechanisms of ischemia-reperfusion injury, free radical damage (mainly oxidative/nitrosative stress injury) has been found to play a key role in the process. Free radicals lead to protein dysfunction, DNA damage, and lipid peroxidation, resulting in cell death. Additionally, free radical damage has a strong connection with inducing hemorrhagic transformation and cerebral edema, which are the major complications of revascularization therapy, and mainly influencing neurological outcomes due to the disruption of the blood-brain barrier. In order to get a better clinical prognosis, more and more studies focus on the pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical neuroprotective therapies against free radical damage. This review discusses the pathological mechanisms of free radicals in ischemia-reperfusion injury and adjunctive neuroprotective therapies combined with revascularization therapy against free radical damage. PMID:29770166

  18. Effect of seven Indian plant extracts on Fenton reaction-mediated damage to DNA constituents.

    PubMed

    Kar, Indrani; Chattopadhyaya, Rajagopal

    2017-11-01

    The influences of substoichiometric amounts of seven plant extracts in the Fenton reaction-mediated damage to deoxynucleosides, deoxynucleoside monophosphates, deoxynucleoside triphosphates, and supercoiled plasmid DNA were studied to rationalize anticancer properties reported in some of these extracts. Extracts from Acacia catechu, Emblica officinalis, Spondias dulcis, Terminalia belerica, Terminalia chebula, as well as gallic acid, epicatechin, chebulagic acid and chebulinic acid enhance the extent of damage in Fenton reactions with all monomeric substrates but protect supercoiled plasmid DNA, compared to standard Fenton reactions. The damage to pyrimidine nucleosides/nucleotides is enhanced by these extracts and compounds to a greater extent than for purine ones in a concentration dependent manner. Dolichos biflorus and Hemidesmus indicus extracts generally do not show this enhancement for the monomeric substrates though they protect plasmid DNA. Compared to standard Fenton reactions for deoxynucleosides with ethanol, the presence of these five plant extracts render ethanol scavenging less effective as the radical is generated in the vicinity of the target. Since substoichiometric amounts of these extracts and the four compounds produce this effect, a catalytic mechanism involving the presence of a ternary complex of the nucleoside/nucleotide substrate, a plant compound and the hydroxyl radical is proposed. Such a mechanism cannot operate for plasmid DNA as the planar rings in the extract compounds cannot stack with the duplex DNA bases. These plant extracts, by enhancing Fenton reaction-mediated damage to deoxynucleoside triphosphates, slow down DNA replication in rapidly dividing cancer cells, thus contributing to their anticancer properties.

  19. Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by four-way parallel factor analysis in presence of humic acid.

    PubMed

    Yang, Ruifang; Zhao, Nanjing; Xiao, Xue; Yu, Shaohui; Liu, Jianguo; Liu, Wenqing

    2016-01-05

    There is not effective method to solve the quenching effect of quencher in fluorescence spectra measurement and recognition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aquatic environment. In this work, a four-way dataset combined with four-way parallel factor analysis is used to identify and quantify polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of humic acid, a fluorescent quencher and an ubiquitous substance in aquatic system, through modeling the quenching effect of humic acid by decomposing the four-way dataset into four loading matrices corresponding to relative concentration, excitation spectra, emission spectra and fluorescence quantum yield, respectively. It is found that Phenanthrene, pyrene, anthracene and fluorene can be recognized simultaneously with the similarities all above 0.980 between resolved spectra and reference spectra. Moreover, the concentrations of them ranging from 0 to 8μgL(-1) in the test samples prepared with river water could also be predicted successfully with recovery rate of each polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon between 100% and 120%, which were higher than those of three-way PARAFAC. These results demonstrate that the combination of four-way dataset with four-way parallel factor analysis could be a promising method to recognize the fluorescence spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of fluorescent quencher from both qualitative and quantitative perspective. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Dual-channel detection of metallothioneins and mercury based on a mercury-mediated aptamer beacon using thymidine-mercury-thymidine complex as a quencher.

    PubMed

    Chen, Si-Han; Wang, Yong-Sheng; Chen, Yun-Sheng; Tang, Xian; Cao, Jin-Xiu; Li, Ming-Hui; Wang, Xiao-Feng; Zhu, Yu-Feng; Huang, Yan-Qin

    2015-01-01

    A novel dual-channel strategy for the detection of metallothioneins (MTs) and Hg(2+) has been developed based on a mercury-mediated aptamer beacon (MAB) using thymidine-mercury-thymidine complex as a quencher for the first time. In the presence of Hg(2+), the T-rich oligonucleotide with a 6-carboxyfluorescein (TRO-FAM) can form an aptamer beacon via the formation of T-Hg(2+)-T base pairs, which results in a fluorescence quenching of the sensing system owing to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the fluorophore of FAM to the terminated T-Hg(2+)-T base pair. The addition of MTs into this solution leads to the disruption of the T-Hg(2+)-T complex, resulting in an increase of the fluorescent signal of the system. In the optimizing condition, ΔF was directly proportional to the concentrations ranging from 5.63 nM to 0.275 μM for MTs, and 14.2 nM to 0.30 μM for Hg(2+) with the detection limits of 1.69 nM and 4.28 nM, respectively. The proposed dual-channel method avoids the label steps of a quencher in common molecular beacon strategies, without tedious procedure or the requirement of sophisticated equipment, and is rapid, inexpensive and sensitive. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Imidazole and beta-carotene photoprotection against photodynamic therapy evaluated by synchrotron infrared microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bosio, Gabriela N.; Parisi, Julieta; García Einschlag, Fernando S.; Mártire, Daniel O.

    2018-04-01

    In order to better understand the role of β-carotene and imidazole on the Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) mechanism, synchrotron infrared microscopy was used to detect the associated intracellular biochemical modifications following the visible light irradiation of HeLa cells incubated with these compounds as typical hydrophobic and hydrophilic singlet oxygen quenchers, respectively. For this purpose, PDT was performed employing the hydrophilic sensitizer 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis (1-methyl-4-pyridinio) porphyrin tetra (p-toluenesulfonate), TMPyP, and the hydrophobic sensitizer 5-(4-Methoxycarboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenyl-21H,23H-porphyrin. The single cell IR spectra of PDT-treated, PDT plus quencher-treated and control HeLa cells were recorded at the SOLEIL Synchrotron Infrared SMIS beamline targeting specifically the cell nucleus. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to assess the IR spectral changes. PCA revealed that there is a frequency shift of the protein Amide I vibrational band for the assays with the TMPyP sensitizer, indicating changes in the protein secondary structures of the PDT-treated cancer cells compared to the controls. In addition, the scores in those cells treated with both quenchers appear to be similar to the controls indicating a photoprotective effect. Comparative experiments carried out with SKMEL-28 and HaCat cells showed non- significant photoprotective effects of β-carotene and imidazole.

  2. Oxidative generation of guanine radicals by carbonate radicals and their reactions with nitrogen dioxide to form site specific 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole lesions in oligodeoxynucleotides.

    PubMed

    Joffe, Avrum; Mock, Steven; Yun, Byeong Hwa; Kolbanovskiy, Alexander; Geacintov, Nicholas E; Shafirovich, Vladimir

    2003-08-01

    A simple photochemical approach is described for synthesizing site specific, stable 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole (NIm) adducts in single- and double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides containing single and multiple guanine residues. The DNA sequences employed, 5'-d(ACC CG(1)C G(2)TC CG(3)C G(4)CC) and 5'-d(ACC CG(1)C G(2)TC C), were a portion of exon 5 of the p53 tumor suppressor gene, including the codons 157 (G(2)) and 158 (G(3)) mutation hot spots in the former sequence with four Gs and the codon 157 (G(2)) mutation hot spot in the latter sequence with two Gs. The nitration of oligodeoxynucleotides was initiated by the selective photodissociation of persulfate anions to sulfate radicals induced by UV laser pulses (308 nm). In aqueous solutions, of bicarbonate and nitrite anions, the sulfate radicals generate carbonate anion radicals and nitrogen dioxide radicals by one electron oxidation of the respective anions. The guanine residue in the oligodeoxynucleotide is oxidized by the carbonate anion radical to form the neutral guanine radical. While the nitrogen dioxide radicals do not react with any of the intact DNA bases, they readily combine with the guanine radicals at either the C8 or the C5 positions. The C8 addition generates the well-known 8-nitroguanine (8-nitro-G) lesions, whereas the C5 attack produces unstable adducts, which rapidly decompose to NIm lesions. The maximum yields of the nitro products (NIm + 8-nitro-G) were typically in the range of 20-40%, depending on the number of guanine residues in the sequence. The ratio of the NIm to 8-nitro-G lesions gradually decreases from 3.4 in the model compound, 2',3',5'-tri-O-acetylguanosine, to 2.1-2.6 in the single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides and to 0.8-1.1 in the duplexes. The adduct of the 5'-d(ACC CG(1)C G(2)TC C) oligodeoxynucleotide containing the NIm lesion in codon 157 (G(2)) was isolated in HPLC-pure form. The integrity of this adduct was established by a detailed analysis of exonuclease digestion ladders by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization with time-of-flight detection MS techniques.

  3. Bioactivation of carboxylic acid compounds by UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases to DNA-damaging intermediates: role of glycoxidation and oxidative stress in genotoxicity.

    PubMed

    Sallustio, Benedetta C; Degraaf, Yvette C; Weekley, Josephine S; Burcham, Philip C

    2006-05-01

    Nonenzymatic modification of proteins by acyl glucuronides is well documented; however, little is known about their potential to damage DNA. We have previously reported that clofibric acid undergoes glucuronidation-dependent bioactivation to DNA-damaging species in cultured mouse hepatocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying such DNA damage, and to screen chemically diverse carboxylic acid drugs for their DNA-damaging potential in glucuronidation proficient murine hepatocytes. Cells were incubated with each aglycone for 18 h, followed by assessment of compound cytotoxicity using the MTT assay and evaluation of DNA damage using the Comet assay. Relative cytotoxic potencies were ketoprofen > diclofenac, benoxaprofen, nafenopin > gemfibrozil, probenecid > bezafibrate > clofibric acid. At a noncytotoxic (0.1 mM) concentration, only benoxaprofen, nafenopin, clofibric acid, and probenecid significantly increased Comet moments (P < 0.05 Kruskal-Wallis). Clofibric acid and probenecid exhibited the greatest DNA-damaging potency, producing significant DNA damage at 0.01 mM concentrations. The two drugs produced maximal increases in Comet moment of 4.51 x and 2.57 x control, respectively. The glucuronidation inhibitor borneol (1 mM) abolished the induction of DNA damage by 0.5 mM concentrations of clofibric acid and probenecid. In an in vitro cell-free system, clofibric acid glucuronide was 10 x more potent than glucuronic acid in causing DNA strand-nicking, although both compounds showed similar rates of autoxidation to generate hydroxyl radicals. In cultured hepatocytes, the glycation inhibitor, aminoguanidine, and the iron chelator, desferrioxamine mesylate, inhibited DNA damage by clofibric acid, whereas the free radical scavengers Trolox and butylated hydroxytoluene, and the superoxide dismutase mimetic bis-3,5-diisopropylsalicylate had no effect. In conclusion, clinically relevant concentrations of two structurally unrelated carboxylic acids, probenecid and clofibric acid, induced DNA damage in isolated hepatocytes via glucuronidation- dependent pathways. These findings suggest acyl glucuronides are able to access and damage nuclear DNA via iron-catalyzed glycation/glycoxidative processes.

  4. Assessment of the Antioxidant Activity of Silybum marianum Seed Extract and Its Protective Effect against DNA Oxidation, Protein Damage and Lipid Peroxidation

    PubMed Central

    Serçe, Aynur; Toptancı, Bircan Çeken; Tanrıkut, Sevil Emen; Altaş, Sevcan; Kızıl, Göksel; Kızıl, Süleyman

    2016-01-01

    Summary Antioxidant properties of ethanol extract of Silybum marianum (milk thistle) seeds was investigated. We have also investigated the protein damage activated by oxidative Fenton reaction and its prevention by Silybum marianum seed extract. Antioxidant potential of Silybum marianum seed ethanol extract was measured using different in vitro methods, such as lipid peroxidation, 1,1–diphenyl–2–picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing power assays. The extract significantly decreased DNA damage caused by hydroxyl radicals. Protein damage induced by hydroxyl radicals was also efficiently inhibited, which was confirmed by the presence of protein damage markers, such as protein carbonyl formation and by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE). The present study shows that milk thistle seeds have good DPPH free radical scavenging activity and can prevent lipid peroxidation. Therefore, Silybum marianum can be used as potentially rich source of antioxidants and food preservatives. The results suggest that the seeds may have potential beneficial health effects providing opportunities to develop value-added products. PMID:28115903

  5. Assessment of the Antioxidant Activity of Silybum marianum Seed Extract and Its Protective Effect against DNA Oxidation, Protein Damage and Lipid Peroxidation.

    PubMed

    Serçe, Aynur; Toptancı, Bircan Çeken; Tanrıkut, Sevil Emen; Altaş, Sevcan; Kızıl, Göksel; Kızıl, Süleyman; Kızıl, Murat

    2016-12-01

    Antioxidant properties of ethanol extract of Silybum marianum (milk thistle) seeds was investigated. We have also investigated the protein damage activated by oxidative Fenton reaction and its prevention by Silybum marianum seed extract. Antioxidant potential of Silybum marianum seed ethanol extract was measured using different in vitro methods, such as lipid peroxidation, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing power assays. The extract significantly decreased DNA damage caused by hydroxyl radicals. Protein damage induced by hydroxyl radicals was also efficiently inhibited, which was confirmed by the presence of protein damage markers, such as protein carbonyl formation and by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The present study shows that milk thistle seeds have good DPPH free radical scavenging activity and can prevent lipid peroxidation. Therefore, Silybum marianum can be used as potentially rich source of antioxidants and food preservatives. The results suggest that the seeds may have potential beneficial health effects providing opportunities to develop value-added products.

  6. Cost-effective elimination of lipofuscin fluorescence from formalin-fixed brain tissue by white phosphor light emitting diode array.

    PubMed

    Sun, Yulong; Chakrabartty, Avi

    2016-12-01

    Autofluorescence of aldehyde-fixed tissues greatly hinders fluorescence microscopy. In particular, lipofuscin, an autofluorescent component of aged brain tissue, complicates fluorescence imaging of tissue in neurodegenerative diseases. Background and lipofuscin fluorescence can be reduced by greater than 90% through photobleaching using white phosphor light emitting diode arrays prior to treatment with fluorescent probes. We compared the effect of photobleaching versus established chemical quenchers on the quality of fluorescent staining in formalin-fixed brain tissue of frontotemporal dementia with tau-positive inclusions. Unlike chemical quenchers, which reduced fluorescent probe signals as well as background, photobleaching treatment had no effect on probe fluorescence intensity while it effectively reduced background and lipofuscin fluorescence. The advantages and versatility of photobleaching over established methods are discussed.

  7. Radiolysis of berberine or palmatine in aqueous solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marszalek, Milena; Wolszczak, Marian

    2011-01-01

    The reactions of hydrated electron (eaq-), hydrogen atom (H rad ) (reducing species) and Cl2•-, Br2•-, N,O•H radicals (oxidizing species) with berberine or palmatine in aqueous solution have been studied by steady-state and pulse radiolysis. The spectra of transient intermediates, leading to the final products, are presented. The rate constants of the reaction of eaq- and rad OH radical with both alkaloids in the homogenous solution and in the presence of DNA are reported. It is demonstrated that the primary products of the reaction of berberine and palmatine with eaq- and radicals generated during radiolysis are unstable and undergo further reactions.

  8. Potentiometric sensing of nuclease activities and oxidative damage of single-stranded DNA using a polycation-sensitive membrane electrode.

    PubMed

    Ding, Jiawang; Qin, Wei

    2013-09-15

    A simple, general and label-free potentiometric method to measure nuclease activities and oxidative DNA damage in a homogeneous solution using a polycation-sensitive membrane electrode is reported. Protamine, a linear polyionic species, is used as an indicator to report the cleavage of DNA by nucleases such as restriction and nonspecific nucleases, and the damage of DNA induced by hydroxyl radicals. Measurements can be done with a titration mode or a direct detection mode. For the potentiometric titration mode, the enzymatic cleavage dramatically affects the electrostatical interaction between DNA and protamine and thus shifts the response curve for the potentiometric titration of the DNA with protamine. Under the optimized conditions, the enzyme activities can be sensed potentiometrically with detection limits of 2.7×10(-4)U/µL for S1 nuclease, and of 3.9×10(-4)U/µL for DNase I. For the direct detection mode, a biocomplex between protamine and DNA is used as a substrate. The nuclease of interest cleaves the DNA from the protamine/DNA complex into smaller fragments, so that free protamine is generated and can be detected potentiometrically via the polycation-sensitive membrane electrode. Using a direct measurement, the nuclease activities could be rapidly detected with detection limits of 3.2×10(-4)U/µL for S1 nuclease, and of 4.5×10(-4)U/µL for DNase I. Moreover, the proposed potentiometric assays demonstrate the potential applications in the detection of hydroxyl radicals. It is anticipated that the present potentiometric strategy will provide a promising platform for high-throughput screening of nucleases, reactive oxygen species and the drugs with potential inhibition abilities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. FRET-Aptamer Assays for Bone Marker Assessment, C-Telopeptide, Creatinine, and Vitamin D

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bruno, John G.

    2013-01-01

    Astronauts lose 1.0 to 1.5% of their bone mass per month on long-duration spaceflights. NASA wishes to monitor the bone loss onboard spacecraft to develop nutritional and exercise countermeasures, and make adjustments during long space missions. On Earth, the same technology could be used to monitor osteoporosis and its therapy. Aptamers bind to targets against which they are developed, much like antibodies. However, aptamers do not require animal hosts or cell culture and are therefore easier, faster, and less expensive to produce. In addition, aptamers sometimes exhibit greater affinity and specificity vs. comparable antibodies. In this work, fluorescent dyes and quenchers were added to the aptamers to enable pushbutton, one-step, bind-and-detect fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assays or tests that can be freeze-dried, rehydrated with body fluids, and used to quantitate bone loss of vitamin D levels with a handheld fluorometer in the spacecraft environment. This work generated specific, rapid, one-step FRET assays for the bone loss marker C-telopeptide (CTx) when extracted from urine, creatinine from urine, and vitamin D congeners in diluted serum. The assays were quantified in nanograms/mL using a handheld fluorometer connected to a laptop computer to convert the raw fluorescence values into concentrations of each analyte according to linear standard curves. DNA aptamers were selected and amplified for several rounds against a 26- amino acid form of CTx, creatinine, and vitamin D. The commonalities between loop structures were studied, and several common loop structures were converted into aptamer beacons with a fluorophore and quencher on each end. In theory, when the aptamer beacon binds its cognate target (CTx bone peptide, creatinine, or vitamin D), it is forced open and no longer quenched, so it gives off fluorescent light (when excited) in proportion to the amount of target present in a sample. This proportional increase in fluorescence is called a "lights on" FRET response. The vitamin D aptamer beacon gives a "lights off" or inversely proportional fluorescence response to the amount of vitamin D present in diluted serum. These FRET-aptamer assays are rapid (<30 minutes), sensitive (low ng/mL detection limits), and quite easy to carry out (add sample, mix, and detect in the handheld reader). Benefits include the speed of the assays as well as the small amount of space taken up by the handheld reader and cuvette assays. The aptamer DNA sequences represent novel additional features of the existing (patent-pending) FRET-aptamer assay platform.

  10. Oxidative stress studies of six Ti02 and two Ce02 nanomaterials: Immune-spin trapping results with DNA

    EPA Science Inventory

    Six Ti02 and two Ce02 nanomaterials with dry sizes ranging from 6 to 410 nm were tested for their ability to cause DNA centered free radicals in vitro in the concentration range of 10 to 3,000 ug/ml. All eight of the nanomaterials significantly increased the adduction of the spin...

  11. In silico nanodosimetry: new insights into nontargeted biological responses to radiation.

    PubMed

    Kuncic, Zdenka; Byrne, Hilary L; McNamara, Aimee L; Guatelli, Susanna; Domanova, Westa; Incerti, Sébastien

    2012-01-01

    The long-held view that radiation-induced biological damage must be initiated in the cell nucleus, either on or near DNA itself, is being confronted by mounting evidence to suggest otherwise. While the efficacy of cell death may be determined by radiation damage to nuclear DNA, a plethora of less deterministic biological responses has been observed when DNA is not targeted. These so-called nontargeted responses cannot be understood in the framework of DNA-centric radiobiological models; what is needed are new physically motivated models that address the damage-sensing signalling pathways triggered by the production of reactive free radicals. To this end, we have conducted a series of in silico experiments aimed at elucidating the underlying physical processes responsible for nontargeted biological responses to radiation. Our simulation studies implement new results on very low-energy electromagnetic interactions in liquid water (applicable down to nanoscales) and we also consider a realistic simulation of extranuclear microbeam irradiation of a cell. Our results support the idea that organelles with important functional roles, such as mitochondria and lysosomes, as well as membranes, are viable targets for ionizations and excitations, and their chemical composition and density are critical to determining the free radical yield and ensuing biological responses.

  12. Redox- and non-redox-metal-induced formation of free radicals and their role in human disease.

    PubMed

    Valko, Marian; Jomova, Klaudia; Rhodes, Christopher J; Kuča, Kamil; Musílek, Kamil

    2016-01-01

    Transition metal ions are key elements of various biological processes ranging from oxygen formation to hypoxia sensing, and therefore, their homeostasis is maintained within strict limits through tightly regulated mechanisms of uptake, storage and secretion. The breakdown of metal ion homeostasis can lead to an uncontrolled formation of reactive oxygen species, ROS (via the Fenton reaction, which produces hydroxyl radicals), and reactive nitrogen species, RNS, which may cause oxidative damage to biological macromolecules such as DNA, proteins and lipids. An imbalance between the formation of free radicals and their elimination by antioxidant defense systems is termed oxidative stress. Most vulnerable to free radical attack is the cell membrane which may undergo enhanced lipid peroxidation, finally producing mutagenic and carcinogenic malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxynonenal and other exocyclic DNA adducts. While redox-active iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) undergo redox-cycling reactions, for a second group of redox-inactive metals such as arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd), the primary route for their toxicity is depletion of glutathione and bonding to sulfhydryl groups of proteins. While arsenic is known to bind directly to critical thiols, other mechanisms, involving formation of hydrogen peroxide under physiological conditions, have been proposed. Redox-inert zinc (Zn) is the most abundant metal in the brain and an essential component of numerous proteins involved in biological defense mechanisms against oxidative stress. The depletion of zinc may enhance DNA damage by impairing DNA repair mechanisms. Intoxication of an organism by arsenic and cadmium may lead to metabolic disturbances of redox-active copper and iron, with the occurrence of oxidative stress induced by the enhanced formation of ROS/RNS. Oxidative stress occurs when excessive formation of ROS overwhelms the antioxidant defense system, as is maintained by antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, alpha-tocopherol, glutathione (GSH), carotenoids, flavonoids and antioxidant enzymes which include SOD, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. This review summarizes current views regarding the role of redox-active/inactive metal-induced formation of ROS, and modifications to biomolecules in human disease such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, renal disease, blood disorders and other disease. The involvement of metals in DNA repair mechanisms, tumor suppressor functions and interference with signal transduction pathways are also discussed.

  13. Magnesium-DNA interactions and the possible relation of magnesium to carcinogenesis. Irradiation and free radicals.

    PubMed

    Anastassopoulou, J; Theophanides, T

    2002-04-01

    Magnesium deficiency causes renal complications. The appearance of several diseases is related to its depletion in the human body. In radiotherapy, as well as in chemotherapy, especially in treatment of cancers with cis-platinum, hypomagnesaemia is observed. The site effects of chemotherapy that are due to hypomagnesaemia are decreased using Mg supplements. The role of magnesium in DNA stabilization is concentration dependent. At high concentrations there is an accumulation of Mg binding, which induces conformational changes leading to Z-DNA, while at low concentration there is deficiency and destabilization of DNA. The biological and clinical consequences of abnormal concentrations are DNA cleavage leading to diseases and cancer. Carcinogenesis and cell growth are also magnesium-ion concentration dependent. Several reports point out that the interaction of magnesium in the presence of other metal ions showed that there is synergism with Li and Mn, but there is magnesium antagonism in DNA binding with the essential metal ions in the order: Zn>Mg>Ca. In the case of toxic metals such as Cd, Ga and Ni there is also antagonism for DNA binding. It was found from radiolysis of deaerated aqueous solutions of the nucleoside 5'-guanosine monophosphate (5'-GMP) in the presence as well as in the absence of magnesium ions that, although the addition of hydroxyl radicals (*OH) has been increased by 2-fold, the opening of the imidazole ring of the guanine base was prevented. This effect was due to the binding of Mg2+ ions to N7 site of the molecule by stabilizing the five-member ring imitating cis-platinum. It was also observed using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Fast Atom Bombardment mass spectrometry that *OH radicals subtract H atoms from the C1', C4' and C5' sites of the nucleotide. Irradiation of 5'-GMP in the presence of oxygen (2.5 x 10(-4) M) shows that magnesium is released from the complex. There is spectroscopic evidence that superoxide anions (O2-*) react with magnesium ions leading to magnesium release from the complex. From radiolysis data it was suggested that magnesium ions can act as radiosensitizers in the absence of oxygen, while in the presence of oxygen they act as protectors and stabilizers of DNA.

  14. Particle size-dependent radical generation from wildland fire smoke.

    PubMed

    Leonard, Stephen S; Castranova, Vince; Chen, Bean T; Schwegler-Berry, Diane; Hoover, Mark; Piacitelli, Chris; Gaughan, Denise M

    2007-07-01

    Firefighting, along with construction, mining and agriculture, ranks among the most dangerous occupations. In addition, the work environment of firefighters is unlike that of any other occupation, not only because of the obvious physical hazards but also due to the respiratory and systemic health hazards of smoke inhalation resulting from combustion. A significant amount of research has been devoted to studying municipal firefighters; however, these studies may not be useful in wildland firefighter exposures, because the two work environments are so different. Not only are wildland firefighters exposed to different combustion products, but their exposure profiles are different. The combustion products wildland firefighters are exposed to can vary greatly in characteristics due to the type and amount of material being burned, soil conditions, temperature and exposure time. Smoke inhalation is one of the greatest concerns for firefighter health and it has been shown that the smoke consists of a large number of particles. These smoke particles contain intermediates of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen free radicals, which may pose a potential health risk. Our investigation looked into the involvement of free radicals in smoke toxicity and the relationship between particle size and radical generation. Samples were collected in discrete aerodynamic particle sizes from a wildfire in Alaska, preserved and then shipped to our laboratory for analysis. Electron spin resonance was used to measure carbon-centered as well as hydroxyl radicals produced by a Fenton-like reaction with wildfire smoke. Further study of reactive oxygen species was conducted using analysis of cellular H(2)O(2) generation, lipid peroxidation of cellular membranes and DNA damage. Results demonstrate that coarse size-range particles contained more carbon radicals per unit mass than the ultrafine particles; however, the ultrafine particles generated more *OH radicals in the acellular Fenton-like reaction. The ultrafine particles also caused significant increases in H(2)O(2) production by monocytes and lipid peroxidation. All particle sizes showed the ability to cause DNA damage. These results indicate that the radical generation and the damage caused by them is not only a function of surface area but is also influenced by changing chemical and other characteristics due to particle size.

  15. Real Time Quantification of Ultrafast Photoinduced Bimolecular Electron Transfer Rate: Direct Probing of the Transient Intermediate.

    PubMed

    Mukherjee, Puspal; Biswas, Somnath; Sen, Pratik

    2015-08-27

    Fluorescence quenching studies through steady-state and time-resolved measurements are inadequate to quantify the bimolecular electron transfer rate in bulk homogeneous solution due to constraints from diffusion. To nullify the effect of diffusion, direct evaluation of the rate of formation of a transient intermediate produced upon the electron transfer is essential. Methyl viologen, a well-known electron acceptor, produces a radical cation after accepting an electron, which has a characteristic strong and broad absorption band centered at 600 nm. Hence it is a good choice to evaluate the rate of photoinduced electron transfer reaction employing femtosecond broadband transient absorption spectroscopy. The time constant of the aforementioned process between pyrene and methyl viologen in methanol has been estimated to be 2.5 ± 0.4 ps using the same technique. The time constant for the backward reaction was found to be 14 ± 1 ps. These values did not change with variation of concentration of quencher, i.e., methyl viologen. Hence, we can infer that diffusion has no contribution in the estimation of rate constants. However, on changing the solvent from methanol to ethanol, the time constant of the electron transfer reaction has been found to increase and has accounted for the change in solvent reorganization energy.

  16. A turn-on coordination nanoparticle-based fluorescent probe for phosphate in human serum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Na; Li, Jian; Lu, Zhixiang; Bian, Longchun; Zheng, Liyan; Cao, Qiue; Ding, Zhongtao

    2015-03-01

    Coordination nanoparticles (CNPs) are becoming attractive platforms for chemical sensing applications because their unique adjustable properties offer the opportunity to design various luminescent nanoprobes. Here, we present a CNP-based fluorescent nanoprobe, in which fluorophores (rhodamine B, RB) and quenchers (methylene blue, MB) were spontaneously enfolded by coordination networks self-assembled of adenine, biphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid (BDA) and zinc ions. The aggregation of fluorophores and quenchers in CNPs resulted in a quenched state fluorescence of RB. RB and MB could be released from CNPs in the presence of phosphate, which triggered the fluorescence of RB. On the basis of recognition-driven disassembly principle, a novel turn-on fluorescent probe for the determination of PO43- with a wide response range (0.5-50 μM) has been successfully applied in the detection of phosphate in human serum samples. This work not only develops a probe for phosphate but also provides a general strategy for designing nanoprobes or nanocarriers towards various targets by altering organic linkers or metal ions.Coordination nanoparticles (CNPs) are becoming attractive platforms for chemical sensing applications because their unique adjustable properties offer the opportunity to design various luminescent nanoprobes. Here, we present a CNP-based fluorescent nanoprobe, in which fluorophores (rhodamine B, RB) and quenchers (methylene blue, MB) were spontaneously enfolded by coordination networks self-assembled of adenine, biphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid (BDA) and zinc ions. The aggregation of fluorophores and quenchers in CNPs resulted in a quenched state fluorescence of RB. RB and MB could be released from CNPs in the presence of phosphate, which triggered the fluorescence of RB. On the basis of recognition-driven disassembly principle, a novel turn-on fluorescent probe for the determination of PO43- with a wide response range (0.5-50 μM) has been successfully applied in the detection of phosphate in human serum samples. This work not only develops a probe for phosphate but also provides a general strategy for designing nanoprobes or nanocarriers towards various targets by altering organic linkers or metal ions. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Supplementary figures. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr00515a

  17. Estimates of electronic coupling for excess electron transfer in DNA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Voityuk, Alexander A.

    2005-07-01

    Electronic coupling Vda is one of the key parameters that determine the rate of charge transfer through DNA. While there have been several computational studies of Vda for hole transfer, estimates of electronic couplings for excess electron transfer (ET) in DNA remain unavailable. In the paper, an efficient strategy is established for calculating the ET matrix elements between base pairs in a π stack. Two approaches are considered. First, we employ the diabatic-state (DS) method in which donor and acceptor are represented with radical anions of the canonical base pairs adenine-thymine (AT) and guanine-cytosine (GC). In this approach, similar values of Vda are obtained with the standard 6-31G* and extended 6-31++G** basis sets. Second, the electronic couplings are derived from lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs) of neutral systems by using the generalized Mulliken-Hush or fragment charge methods. Because the radical-anion states of AT and GC are well reproduced by LUMOs of the neutral base pairs calculated without diffuse functions, the estimated values of Vda are in good agreement with the couplings obtained for radical-anion states using the DS method. However, when the calculation of a neutral stack is carried out with diffuse functions, LUMOs of the system exhibit the dipole-bound character and cannot be used for estimating electronic couplings. Our calculations suggest that the ET matrix elements Vda for models containing intrastrand thymine and cytosine bases are essentially larger than the couplings in complexes with interstrand pyrimidine bases. The matrix elements for excess electron transfer are found to be considerably smaller than the corresponding values for hole transfer and to be very responsive to structural changes in a DNA stack.

  18. Effect of stainless steel manual metal arc welding fume on free radical production, DNA damage, and apoptosis induction.

    PubMed

    Antonini, James M; Leonard, Stephen S; Roberts, Jenny R; Solano-Lopez, Claudia; Young, Shih-Houng; Shi, Xianglin; Taylor, Michael D

    2005-11-01

    Questions exist concerning the potential carcinogenic effects after welding fume exposure. Welding processes that use stainless steel (SS) materials can produce fumes that may contain metals (e.g., Cr, Ni) known to be carcinogenic to humans. The objective was to determine the effect of in vitro and in vivo welding fume treatment on free radical generation, DNA damage, cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction, all factors possibly involved with the pathogenesis of lung cancer. SS welding fume was collected during manual metal arc welding (MMA). Elemental analysis indicated that the MMA-SS sample was highly soluble in water, and a majority (87%) of the soluble metal was Cr. Using electron spin resonance (ESR), the SS welding fume had the ability to produce the biologically reactive hydroxyl radical (*OH), likely as a result of the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(V). In vitro treatment with the MMA-SS sample caused a concentration-dependent increase in DNA damage and lung macrophage death. In addition, a time-dependent increase in the number of apoptotic cells in lung tissue was observed after in vivo treatment with the welding fume. In summary, a soluble MMA-SS welding fume was found to generate reactive oxygen species and cause DNA damage, lung macrophage cytotoxicity and in vivo lung cell apoptosis. These responses have been shown to be involved in various toxicological and carcinogenic processes. The effects observed appear to be related to the soluble component of the MMA-SS sample that is predominately Cr. A more comprehensive in vivo animal study is ongoing in the laboratory that is continuing these experiments to try to elucidate the potential mechanisms that may be involved with welding fume-induced lung disease.

  19. Studies on free radical scavenging, cancer cell antiproliferation, and calf thymus DNA interaction of Schiff bases.

    PubMed

    da Silva, Cleiton M; Silva, Marina M; Reis, Fabiano S; Ruiz, Ana Lúcia T G; de Carvalho, João E; Santos, Josué C C; Figueiredo, Isis M; Alves, Rosemeire B; Modolo, Luzia V; de Fátima, Ângelo

    2017-07-01

    Thirty-nine Schiff bases were synthesized by performing microwave-assisted condensation of the corresponding aldehydes and aromatic amines. Their reactive nitrogen species (RNS) scavenging activity and inhibitory effects against cancer cell growth were then subsequently investigated. Additionally, the interaction between the calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) and selected Schiff bases was evaluated using fluorescence spectroscopy, and their binding parameters were determined. The yields of the various compounds ranged from moderate to excellent (43-99%) after only a 2-min reaction. The hydroxylated Schiff bases 2, 8, 15, 16, 18, 20, 29, 32, 34, and 37 were found to be potent scavengers of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals with half-maximal scavenging concentration (SC 50 ) values lower than that of the positive control, resveratrol. The presence of hydroxyl substituents on the aromatic rings also proved essential to the cytotoxicity of the compounds. The binding constants (K b ) obtained using fluorescence spectroscopy ranged from 0.37 to 3.07×10 5 Lmol -1 , and were strongly influenced by the structure and hydroxylation degree. Schiff bases 3 and 8 showed promising cytotoxic activity, with half-maximal growth inhibitory (GI 50 ) values in the same order of magnitude as those exhibited by the reference drug, doxorubicin against various cell lines. Interestingly, these compounds also showed the highest K b , suggesting that the cytotoxic activity could be related to their interaction with the DNA of the tumor cells. The results of this study highlighted some Schiff bases as potential lead compounds for the design of new free radical scavengers and anticancer agents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Gas-Phase Oxidation via Ion/Ion Reactions: Pathways and Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pilo, Alice L.; Zhao, Feifei; McLuckey, Scott A.

    2017-06-01

    Here, we provide an overview of pathways available upon the gas-phase oxidation of peptides and DNA via ion/ion reactions and explore potential applications of these chemistries. The oxidation of thioethers (i.e., methionine residues and S-alkyl cysteine residues), disulfide bonds, S-nitrosylated cysteine residues, and DNA to the [M+H+O]+ derivative via ion/ion reactions with periodate and peroxymono-sulfate anions is demonstrated. The oxidation of neutral basic sites to various oxidized structures, including the [M+H+O]+, [M-H]+, and [M-H-NH3]+ species, via ion/ion reactions is illustrated and the oxidation characteristics of two different oxidizing reagents, periodate and persulfate anions, are compared. Lastly, the highly efficient generation of molecular radical cations via ion/ion reactions with sulfate radical anion is summarized. Activation of the newly generated molecular radical peptide cations results in losses of various neutral side chains, several of which generate dehydroalanine residues that can be used to localize the amino acid from which the dehydroalanine was generated. The chemistries presented herein result in a diverse range of structures that can be used for a variety of applications, including the identification and localization of S-alkyl cysteine residues, the oxidative cleavage of disulfide bonds, and the generation of molecular radical cations from even-electron doubly protonated peptides. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  1. Why magnetic and electromagnetic effects in biology are irreproducible and contradictory?

    PubMed

    Buchachenko, Anatoly

    2016-01-01

    The main source of magnetic and electromagnetic effects in biological systems is now generally accepted and demonstrated in this paper to be radical pair mechanism which implies pairwise generation of radicals in biochemical reactions. This mechanism was convincingly established for enzymatic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and desoxynucleic acid (DNA) synthesis by using catalyzing metal ions with magnetic nuclei ((25)Mg, (43)Ca, (67)Zn) and supported by magnetic field effects on these reactions. The mechanism, is shown to function in medicine as a medical remedy or technology (trans-cranial magnetic stimulation, nuclear magnetic control of the ATP synthesis in heart muscle, the killing of cancer cells by suppression of DNA synthesis). However, the majority of magnetic effects in biology remain to be irreproducible, contradictory, and enigmatic. Three sources of such a state are shown in this paper to be: the presence of paramagnetic metal ions as a component of enzymatic site or as an impurity in an uncontrollable amount; the property of the radical pair mechanism to function at a rather high concentration of catalyzing metal ions, when at least two ions enter into the catalytic site; and the kinetic restrictions, which imply compatibility of chemical and spin dynamics in radical pair. It is important to keep in mind these factors to properly understand and predict magnetic effects in magneto-biology and biology itself and deliberately use them in medicine. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Hydrogen bonded charge transfer molecular salt (4-chloro anilinium-3-nitrophthalate) for photophysical and pharmacological applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singaravelan, K.; Chandramohan, A.; Saravanabhavan, M.; Muthu Vijayan Enoch, I. V.; Suganthi, V. S.

    2017-09-01

    Radical scavenging activity against DPPH radical and binding properties of a hydrogen bonded charge transfer molecular salt 4-chloro anilinium-3-nitrophthalate(CANP) with calf thymus DNA has been studied by electronic absorption and emission spectroscopy. The molecular structure and crystallinity of the CANP salt have been established by carried out powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis which indicated that cation and anion are linked through strong N+sbnd H…O- type of hydrogen bond. FTIR spectroscopic study was carried out to know the various functional groups present in the crystal. 1H and 13C NMR spectra were recorded to further confirm the molecular structure of the salt crystal. The thermal stability of the title salt was established by TG/DTA analyses simultaneously on the powdered sample of the title crystal. Further, the CANP salt was examined against various bacteria and fungi strains which showed a remarkable antimicrobial activity compared to that of the standards Ciproflaxin and Clotrimazole. The results showed that the CANP salt could interact with CT-DNA through intercalation. Antioxidant studies of the substrates alone and synthesized CANP salt showed that the latter has been better radical scavenging activity than that of the former against DPPH radical. The third order nonlinear susceptibility of the CANP salt was established by the Z-scan study.

  3. Hydroxyl Radical (OH•) Reaction with Guanine in an Aqueous Environment: A DFT Study

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, Anil; Pottiboyina, Venkata; Sevilla, Michael D.

    2011-01-01

    The reaction of hydroxyl radical (OH•) with DNA accounts for about half of radiation-induced DNA damage in living systems. Previous literature reports point out that the reaction of OH• with DNA proceeds mainly through the addition of OH• to the C=C bond of the DNA bases. However, recently it has been reported that the principal reaction of OH• with dGuo (deoxyguanosine) is the direct hydrogen atom abstraction from its exocyclic amine group rather than addition of OH• to the C=C bond. In the present work, these two reaction pathways of OH• attack on guanine (G) in the presence of water molecules (aqueous environment) are investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP method with 6-31G* and 6-31++G** basis sets. The calculations show that the initial addition of the OH• at C4=C5 double bond of guanine is barrier free and the adduct radical (G-OH•) has only a small activation barrier of ca. 1 – 6 kcal/mol leading to the formation of a metastable ion-pair intermediate (G•+---OH−). The formation of ion-pair is a result of the highly oxidizing nature of the OH• in aqueous media. The resulting ion-pair (G•+---OH−) deprotonates to form H2O and neutral G radicals favoring G(N1-H)• with an activation barrier of ca. 5 kcal/mol. The overall process from the G(C4)-OH• (adduct) to G(N1-H)• and water is found to be exothermic in nature by more than 13 kcal/mol. (G-OH•), (G•+---OH−), and G(N1-H)• were further characterized by the CAM-B3LYP calculations of their UV-visible spectra and good agreement between theory and experiment is achieved. Our calculations for the direct hydrogen abstraction pathway from N1 and N2 sites of guanine by the OH• show that this is also a competitive route to produce G(N2-H)•, G(N1-H)• and H2O. PMID:22050033

  4. Proximity hybridization-regulated chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer for homogeneous immunoassay.

    PubMed

    Liu, Mengmeng; Wu, Jie; Yang, Kaili; Zong, Chen; Lei, Jianping; Ju, Huangxian

    2016-07-01

    Chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) and the proximity ligation assay have been widely used in design of sensors for the bioanalysis. Here, a wash-free and homogeneous strategy was proposed to detect carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) based on proximity hybridization-regulated CRET. The Cy5 demonstrated strong chemiluminescence (CL) via the oxidation of TCPO in the presence of H2O2 and energy transfer between excited TCPO and Cy5. Graphene oxide (GO) as an excellent quencher was used to produce the "Signal off" mode that little CL emission was observed through CRET between GO and the Cy5-labelled DNA3. Once CEA was introduced, the target-induced proximity hybridization occurred to form a proximate complex, which inhibited the CRET by preventing GO from absorbing Cy5-labelled DNA3. Furthermore, taking advantage of nicking endonuclease Nt.BbvCI for in situ recycling, the signal could be further amplified for highly sensitive CL detection. Our results showed that this strategy enabled a specific response to CEA with a detection range of 5 orders of magnitude, along with a detection limit of 3.2pg mL(-1). Apart from its easy operation, high sensitivity and acceptable accuracy, the proposed method needed only 0.3μL of sample, indicating its great opportunity for commercial application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. DNA aptamer beacon assay for C-telopeptide and handheld fluorometer to monitor bone resorption.

    PubMed

    Bruno, John Gordon; Carrillo, Maria P; Phillips, Taylor; Hanson, Douglas; Bohmann, Jonathan A

    2011-09-01

    A novel DNA aptamer beacon is described for quantification of a 26-amino acid C-telopeptide (CTx) of human type I bone collagen. One aptamer sequence and its reverse complement dominated the aptamer pool (31.6% of sequenced clones). Secondary structures of these aptamers were examined for potential binding pockets. Three-dimensional computer models which analyzed docking topologies and binding energies were in agreement with empirical fluorescence experiments used to select one candidate loop for beacon assay development. All loop structures from the aptamer finalists were end-labeled with TYE 665 and Iowa Black quencher for comparison of beacon fluorescence levels as a function of CTx concentration. The optimal beacon, designated CTx 2R-2h yielded a low ng/ml limit of detection using a commercially available handheld fluorometer. The CTx aptamer beacon bound full-length 26-amino acid CTx peptide, but not a shorter 8-amino acid segment of CTx peptide which is a common target for commercial CTx ELISA kits. The prototype assay was shown to detect CTx peptide from human urine after creatinine and urea were removed by size-exclusion chromatography to prevent nonspecific denaturing of the aptamer beacon. This work demonstrates the potential of aptamer beacons to be utilized for rapid and sensitive bone health monitoring in a handheld or point-of-care format.

  6. Implantable hydrogel embedded dark-gold nanoswitch as a theranostic probe to sense and overcome cancer multidrug resistance

    PubMed Central

    Conde, João; Oliva, Nuria; Artzi, Natalie

    2015-01-01

    Multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer cells is a substantial limitation to the success of chemotherapy. Here, we describe facile means to overcome resistance by silencing the multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1), before chemotherapeutic drug delivery in vivo with a single local application. Our platform contains hydrogel embedded with dark-gold nanoparticles modified with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-intercalated nanobeacons that serve as an ON/OFF molecular nanoswitch triggered by the increased MRP1 expression within the tumor tissue microenvironment. This nanoswitch can sense and overcome MDR prior to local drug release. The nanobeacons comprise a 5-FU intercalated DNA hairpin, which is labeled with a near-infrared (NIR) dye and a dark-quencher. The nanobeacons are designed to open and release the intercalated drug only upon hybridization of the DNA hairpin to a complementary target, an event that restores fluorescence emission due to nanobeacons conformational reorganization. Despite the cross-resistance to 5-FU, more than 90% tumor reduction is achieved in vivo in a triple-negative breast cancer model following 80% MRP1 silencing compared with the continuous tumor growth following only drug or nanobeacon administration. Our approach can be applied to reverse cross-resistance to other chemotherapeutic drugs and restore treatment efficacy. As a universal nanotheranostic probe, this platform can pave the way to early cancer detection and treatment. PMID:25733851

  7. Competitive FRET-aptamer-based detection of methylphosphonic acid, a common nerve agent metabolite.

    PubMed

    Bruno, John G; Carrillo, Maria P; Phillips, Taylor; Vail, Neal K; Hanson, Douglas

    2008-09-01

    Competitive fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-aptamer-based assay formats are described for one-step detection of methylphosphonic acid (MPA; a metabolite of several organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents). AminoMPA was attached to tosyl-magnetic beads and used for DNA aptamer selection from which one dominant aptamer sequence emerged. Two different FRET approaches were attempted. In one approach, the complementary DNA sequence was used as a template for labeling the aptamer with Alexa Fluor 546 (AF 546)-14-dUTP by asymmetric PCR. Following 3-dimensional (3-D), molecular modeling of the aptamer-MPA complex, a series of three fluoresceinated aptamers labeled at positions 50, 51, and 52 in the putative optimal binding pocket were synthesized. In both FRET formats, aminoMPA was linked to Black Hole Quencher (BHQ-1 or BHQ-2)-succinimides and allowed to bind the fluorescein or AF 546-labeled MPA aptamer. Following gel filtration to purify the labeled MPA aptamer-BHQ-aminoMPA FRET complexes, the complexes were competed against various concentrations of unlabeled MPA, MPA derivatives, and unrelated compounds in titration and cross-reactivity studies. Both approaches yielded low microgram per milliliter detection limits for MPA with generally low levels of cross-reactivity for unrelated compounds. However, the data suggest a pattern of traits that may effect the direction (lights on or off) and intensity of the FRET.

  8. Novel synthetic (S,S) and (R,R)-secoisolariciresinol diglucosides (SDGs) protect naked plasmid and genomic DNA From gamma radiation damage.

    PubMed

    Mishra, Om P; Pietrofesa, Ralph; Christofidou-Solomidou, Melpo

    2014-07-01

    Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) is the major lignan in wholegrain flaxseed. However, extraction methods are complex and are associated with low yield and high costs. Using a novel synthetic pathway, our group succeeded in chemically synthesizing SDG (S,S and R,R enantiomers), which faithfully recapitulates the properties of their natural counterparts, possessing strong antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. This study further extends initial findings by now investigating the DNA-radioprotective properties of the synthetic SDG enantiomers compared to the commercial SDG. DNA radioprotection was assessed by cell-free systems such as: (a) plasmid relaxation assay to determine the extent of the supercoiled (SC) converted to open-circular (OC) plasmid DNA (pBR322) after exposure of the plasmid to gamma radiation; and (b) determining the extent of genomic DNA fragmentation. Exposure of plasmid DNA to 25 Gy of γ radiation resulted in decreased supercoiled form and increased open-circular form, indicating radiation-induced DNA damage. Synthetic SDG (S,S) and SDG (R,R), and commercial SDG at concentrations of 25-250 μM significantly and equipotently reduced the radiation-induced supercoiled to open-circular plasmid DNA in a dose-dependent conversion. In addition, exposure of calf thymus DNA to 50 Gy of gamma radiation resulted in DNA fragments of low-molecular weight (<6,000 bps), which was prevented in a dose-dependence manner by all synthetic and natural SDG enantomers, at concentrations as low as 0.5 μM. These novel results demonstrated that synthetic SDG (S,S) and SDG (R,R) isomers and commercial SDG possess DNA-radioprotective properties. Such properties along with their antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity, reported earlier, suggest that SDGs are promising candidates for radioprotection for normal tissue damage as a result of accidental exposure during radiation therapy for cancer treatment.

  9. Novel Synthetic (S,S) and (R,R)-Secoisolariciresinol Diglucosides (SDGs) Protect Naked Plasmid and Genomic DNA From Gamma Radiation Damage

    PubMed Central

    Mishra, Om P.; Pietrofesa, Ralph; Christofidou-Solomidou, Melpo

    2014-01-01

    Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) is the major lignan in wholegrain flaxseed. However, extraction methods are complex and are associated with low yield and high costs. Using a novel synthetic pathway, our group succeeded in chemically synthesizing SDG (S,S and R,R enantiomers), which faithfully recapitulates the properties of their natural counterparts, possessing strong antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. This study further extends initial findings by now investigating the DNA-radioprotective properties of the synthetic SDG enantiomers compared to the commercial SDG. DNA radioprotection was assessed by cell-free systems such as: (a) plasmid relaxation assay to determine the extent of the supercoiled (SC) converted to open-circular (OC) plasmid DNA (pBR322) after exposure of the plasmid to gamma radiation; and (b) determining the extent of genomic DNA fragmentation. Exposure of plasmid DNA to 25 Gy of γ radiation resulted in decreased supercoiled form and increased open-circular form, indicating radiation-induced DNA damage. Synthetic SDG (S,S) and SDG (R,R), and commercial SDG at concentrations of 25–250 μM significantly and equipotently reduced the radiation-induced supercoiled to open-circular plasmid DNA in a dose-dependent conversion. In addition, exposure of calf thymus DNA to 50 Gy of gamma radiation resulted in DNA fragments of low-molecular weight (<6,000 bps), which was prevented in a dose-dependence manner by all synthetic and natural SDG enantomers, at concentrations as low as 0.5 μM. These novel results demonstrated that synthetic SDG (S,S) and SDG (R,R) isomers and commercial SDG possess DNA-radioprotective properties. Such properties along with their antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity, reported earlier, suggest that SDGs are promising candidates for radioprotection for normal tissue damage as a result of accidental exposure during radiation therapy for cancer treatment. PMID:24945894

  10. Effect of cold atmospheric pressure He-plasma jet on DNA change and mutation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yaopromsiri, C.; Yu, L. D.; Sarapirom, S.; Thopan, P.; Boonyawan, D.

    2015-12-01

    Cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet (CAPPJ) effect on DNA change was studied for assessment of its safety. The experiment utilized a home-developed CAPPJ using 100% helium to directly treat naked DNA plasmid pGFP (plasmid green fluorescent protein). A traversal electric field was applied to separate the plasma components and both dry and wet sample conditions were adopted to investigate various factor roles in changing DNA. Plasma species were measured by using optical emission spectroscopy. DNA topological form change was analyzed by gel electrophoresis. The plasma jet treated DNA was transferred into bacterial Escherichia coli cells for observing mutation. The results show that the He-CAPPJ could break DNA strands due to actions from charge, radicals and neutrals and potentially cause genetic modification of living cells.

  11. Free radicals hasten head and neck cancer risk: A study of total oxidant, total antioxidant, DNA damage, and histological grade

    PubMed Central

    Singh, AK; Pandey, P; Tewari, M; Pandey, HP; Gambhir, IS; Shukla, HS

    2016-01-01

    Background: Free radicals such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induce oxidative stress, are the main contributors to head and neck carcinogenesis (HNC). The present study was conducted with the aim to assess the oxidant/antioxidant status and DNA damage analysis in head and neck cancer/control patients. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 60 patients with biopsy-proven HNC and 17 patients of head and neck disease (HND). The total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) were determined by novel automatic colorimetric methods from tissue homogenate. DNA damage analysis was determined by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE). Results: The mean age of the study cohort was 46.65 ± 14.84 years for HNC patients, while it was 49.41 ± 13.00 years for HND patients. There were no significant differences found between the two groups with respect to demographic presentation except tobacco addiction. The association between oxidative stress parameters and DNA damage analysis with study group revealed the following. (A) DNA damage - tissue homogenate TOS and OSI were significantly higher in HNC subjects than in HND (16.06 ± 1.78 AU vs 7.86 ± 5.97 AU, P < 0.001; 53.00 ± 40.61 vs 19.67 ± 21.90, P < 0.01; 7.221 ± 5.80 vs 2.40 ± 2.54, P < 0.01, respectively), while TAS was significantly decreased. (B) Aggressive histological features were identified, more commonly with higher TOS and lower TAS [probability (P) = 0.002, relative risk (RR) = 11.838, 95% confidence interval CI = 2.514-55.730 and P = 0.043, RR = 0.271, 95% CI = 0.077-0.960, respectively]. Conclusion: The increase in free radicals may be the event that led to the reduction of antioxidant status in HNC, thus explaining the oxidative damage of DNA and the severity of disease. Increased OSI represents a general mechanism in its pathogenesis. PMID:27089108

  12. Jatropha curcas leaf and bark fractions protect against ultraviolet radiation-B induced DNA damage in human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

    PubMed

    Sundari, J; Selvaraj, R; Rajendra Prasad, N; Elumalai, R

    2013-11-01

    The present study is conducted to investigate the antioxidant potential of Jatropha curcas root bark extract (RB4 fraction) and leaf extract (L1 fraction), and to study their effects on UVB-radiation-induced DNA damage in cultured human blood lymphocytes. In this study, J. curcas showed strong antioxidant property in different free radical scavenging systems. Both the fractions effectively scavenged hydroxyl (OH), superoxide anion (O₂(·-)), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·) and 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid radical cation (ABTS(·+)) in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC₅₀ (Inhibitory Concentration 50) values of J. curcas fractions were compared to standard ascorbic acid used in this study. The antioxidant potential of a compound was directly proportional to the photoprotective effect. In this study, human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBL) were exposed to UVB-radiation and there was an increase in comet attributes (% tail DNA, tail length, tail movement and Olive tail moment). Jatropha curcas RB4 fraction and L1 fraction treatment before UVB-irradiation significantly decreased the % tail DNA, tail length, tail moment and Olive tail moment in irradiated HPBL. These results suggested that J. curcas exhibited strong antioxidant property and RB4 and L1 fractions protected UVB-radiation-induced DNA damage in HPBL. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy induced by Endonuclease G deficiency requires reactive oxygen radicals accumulation and is inhibitable by the micropeptide humanin.

    PubMed

    Blasco, Natividad; Cámara, Yolanda; Núñez, Estefanía; Beà, Aida; Barés, Gisel; Forné, Carles; Ruíz-Meana, Marisol; Girón, Cristina; Barba, Ignasi; García-Arumí, Elena; García-Dorado, David; Vázquez, Jesús; Martí, Ramon; Llovera, Marta; Sanchis, Daniel

    2018-06-01

    The endonuclease G gene (Endog), which codes for a mitochondrial nuclease, was identified as a determinant of cardiac hypertrophy. How ENDOG controls cardiomyocyte growth is still unknown. Thus, we aimed at finding the link between ENDOG activity and cardiomyocyte growth. Endog deficiency induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and abnormal growth in neonatal rodent cardiomyocytes, altering the AKT-GSK3β and Class-II histone deacethylases (HDAC) signal transduction pathways. These effects were blocked by ROS scavengers. Lack of ENDOG reduced mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication independently of ROS accumulation. Because mtDNA encodes several subunits of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, whose activity is an important source of cellular ROS, we investigated whether Endog deficiency compromised the expression and activity of the respiratory chain complexes but found no changes in these parameters nor in ATP content. MtDNA also codes for humanin, a micropeptide with possible metabolic functions. Nanomolar concentrations of synthetic humanin restored normal ROS levels and cell size in Endog-deficient cardiomyocytes. These results support the involvement of redox signaling in the control of cardiomyocyte growth by ENDOG and suggest a pathway relating mtDNA content to the regulation of cell growth probably involving humanin, which prevents reactive oxygen radicals accumulation and hypertrophy induced by Endog deficiency. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Study of Auger effect in DNA when bound to molecules containing platinum. A possible application to hadrontherapy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kobayashi, K.; Usami, N.; Sasaki, I.; Frohlich, H.; Le Sech, C.

    2003-01-01

    Complexes made of DNA and Cyclo-Pt bound to plasmid DNA, were placed in aqueous solution and irradiated with monochromatic X-rays in the range E=8.5-13 keV, including the resonant photoabsorption energy of the L III shell of the platinum atom. The number of single- and double-strand breaks (ssb and dsb) induced by irradiation on a supercoiled DNA plasmid was measured by the production of circular-nicked and linear forms. In order to disentangle the contribution of the direct effects imparted to ionization, and the indirect effects due to a free radical attack, experiments have been performed in the presence of a small concentration (64 mmol l -1) of hydroxyl free radical scavenger dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). An enhancement of the number of ssb and dsb is observed when the plasmids contain the Pt intercalating molecules. Even when off-resonant X-rays are used, the strand break efficiency remains higher than expected based upon the absorption cross-section, as if the Pt bound to DNA is increasing the yield of strand breaks. A mechanism is suggested, involving photoelectrons generated from the ionization of water which efficiently ionize Pt atoms. This observation may provide an insight to understanding the effects of new radiotherapy protocols, associated chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin and ordinary radiotherapy for tumoral treatments.

  15. Quorum Sensing and the Use of Quorum Quenchers as Natural Biocides to Inhibit Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.

    PubMed

    Scarascia, Giantommaso; Wang, Tiannyu; Hong, Pei-Ying

    2016-12-15

    Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are one of the main protagonist groups of biocorrosion in the seawater environment. Given their principal role in biocorrosion, it remains a crucial task to develop strategies to reduce the abundance of SRBs. Conventional approaches include the use of biocides and antibiotics, which can impose health, safety, and environmental concerns. This review examines an alternative approach to this problem. This is achieved by reviewing the role of quorum sensing (QS) in SRB populations and its impact on the biofilm formation process. Genome databases of SRBs are mined to look for putative QS systems and homologous protein sequences representative of autoinducer receptors or synthases. Subsequently, this review puts forward the potential use of quorum quenchers as natural biocides against SRBs and outlines the potential strategies for the implementation of this approach.

  16. Sensing miRNA: Signal Amplification by Cognate RISC for Intracellular Detection of miRNA in Live Cells.

    PubMed

    Kavishwar, Amol; Medarova, Zdravka

    2016-01-01

    The ability to detect miRNA expression in live cells would leave these cells available for further manipulation or culture. Here, we describe the design of a miRNA sensor oligonucleotide whose sequence mimics the target mRNA. The sensor has a fluorescent label on one end of the oligo and a quencher on the other. When inside the cell, the sensor is recognized by its cognate miRNA-RISC and gets cleaved, setting the fluorophore free from its quencher. This results in fluorescence "turn on." Since cleavage by the RISC complex is an enzymatic process, the described approach has a very high level of sensitivity (nM). The rate of nonspecific cleavage of the sensor is very slow permitting the collection of meaningful signal over a long period of time.

  17. Optical Aptamer Probes of Fluorescent Imaging to Rapid Monitoring of Circulating Tumor Cell

    PubMed Central

    Hwang, Ji Yeon; Kim, Sang Tae; Han, Ho-Seong; Kim, Kyunggon; Han, Jin Soo

    2016-01-01

    Fluorescence detecting of exogenous EpCAM (epithelial cell adhesion molecule) or muc1 (mucin1) expression correlated to cancer metastasis using nanoparticles provides pivotal information on CTC (circulating tumor cell) occurrence in a noninvasive tool. In this study, we study a new skill to detect extracellular EpCAM/muc1 using quantum dot-based aptamer beacon (QD-EpCAM/muc1 ALB (aptamer linker beacon). The QD-EpCAM/muc1 ALB was designed using QDs (quantum dots) and probe. The EpCAM/muc1-targeting aptamer contains a Ep-CAM/muc1 binding sequence and BHQ1 (black hole quencher 1) or BHQ2 (black hole quencher2). In the absence of target EpCAM/muc1, the QD-EpCAM/muc1 ALB forms a partial duplex loop-like aptamer beacon and remained in quenched state because the BHQ1/2 quenches the fluorescence signal-on of the QD-EpCAM/muc1 ALB. The binding of EpCAM/muc1 of CTC to the EpCAM/muc1 binding aptamer sequence of the EpCAM/muc1-targeting oligonucleotide triggered the dissociation of the BHQ1/2 quencher and subsequent signal-on of a green/red fluorescence signal. Furthermore, acute inflammation was stimulated by trigger such as caerulein in vivo, which resulted in increased fluorescent signal of the cy5.5-EpCAM/muc1 ALB during cancer metastasis due to exogenous expression of EpCAM/muc1 in Panc02-implanted mouse model. PMID:27886058

  18. Phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of koose, a deep-fat fried cowpea cake.

    PubMed

    Apea-Bah, Franklin B; Serem, June C; Bester, Megan J; Duodu, Kwaku G

    2017-12-15

    Koose, a West African delicacy, is a side dish prepared by deep frying thick cowpea paste. The current research determined the effect of deep-fat frying of cowpea paste on its total phenolic content (TPC), phenolic composition and antioxidant properties. Four cowpea cultivars comprising two reddish-brown, a brownish-cream and cream phenotypes were used. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine phenolic composition of the samples. TPC was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu method while radical scavenging capacities were by Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, oxygen radical absorbance capacity and nitric oxide scavenging assays. The phenolic acids identified included benzoic and cinnamic acid derivatives. The predominant flavonoid classes were flavan-3-ols and flavonols. Deep-fat frying of the cowpea pastes decreased their TPC, radical scavenging capacities and total quantified flavonoids. The koose inhibited radical-induced oxidative cellular and DNA damage. It is concluded that koose is a potential functional food that can contribute to alleviating radical-induced oxidative stress. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Action of 6-amino-3-pyridinols as novel antioxidants against free radicals and oxidative stress in solution, plasma, and cultured cells.

    PubMed

    Omata, Yo; Saito, Yoshiro; Yoshida, Yasukazu; Jeong, Byeong-Seon; Serwa, Remigiusz; Nam, Tae-gyu; Porter, Ned A; Niki, Etsuo

    2010-05-15

    Free radical-mediated lipid peroxidation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Lipid peroxidation products are cytotoxic and they modify proteins and DNA bases, leading eventually to degenerative disorders. Various synthetic antioxidants have been developed and assessed for their capacity to inhibit lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress induced by free radicals. In this study, the capacity of novel 6-amino-2,4,5-trimethyl-3-pyridinols for scavenging peroxyl radicals, inhibiting plasma lipid peroxidation in vitro, and preventing cytotoxicity induced by glutamate, 6-hydroxydopamine, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridium (MPP(+) ), and hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid was assessed. It was found that they exerted higher reactivity toward peroxyl radicals and more potent activity for inhibiting the above oxidative stress than alpha-tocopherol, the most potent natural antioxidant, except against the cytotoxicity induced by MPP(+). These results suggest that the novel 6-amino-3-pyridinols may be potent antioxidants against oxidative stress. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. [Do antioxidant vitamins influence carcinogenesis?].

    PubMed

    Guz, Jolanta; Dziaman, Tomasz; Szpila, Anna

    2007-01-01

    Free radicals can affect the genetic material of cells, causing its gradual impairment and mutation. An accumulation of mutations in certain genes might lead to neoplasmic transformations of the cells and to cancer development. The deteriorative effects of free radicals are counteracted by the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E that quench free radical reactions. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of antioxidant vitamins. The following article attempts a short review of the current knowledge about the influence of vitamins A, C, and E on oxidative damage to DNA, the activity of some transcription factors, and the expressions of certain genes. The aim of this review is to answer the question whether a diet rich in vitamins can protect against cancer.

  1. A new general model for predicting melting thermodynamics of complementary and mismatched B-form duplexes containing locked nucleic acids: application to probe design for digital PCR detection of somatic mutations.

    PubMed

    Hughesman, Curtis; Fakhfakh, Kareem; Bidshahri, Roza; Lund, H Louise; Haynes, Charles

    2015-02-17

    Advances in real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), as well as the emergence of digital PCR (dPCR) and useful modified nucleotide chemistries, including locked nucleic acids (LNAs), have created the potential to improve and expand clinical applications of PCR through their ability to better quantify and differentiate amplification products, but fully realizing this potential will require robust methods for designing dual-labeled hydrolysis probes and predicting their hybridization thermodynamics as a function of their sequence, chemistry, and template complementarity. We present here a nearest-neighbor thermodynamic model that accurately predicts the melting thermodynamics of a short oligonucleotide duplexed either to its perfect complement or to a template containing mismatched base pairs. The model may be applied to pure-DNA duplexes or to duplexes for which one strand contains any number and pattern of LNA substitutions. Perturbations to duplex stability arising from mismatched DNA:DNA or LNA:DNA base pairs are treated at the Gibbs energy level to maintain statistical significance in the regressed model parameters. This approach, when combined with the model's accounting of the temperature dependencies of the melting enthalpy and entropy, permits accurate prediction of T(m) values for pure-DNA homoduplexes or LNA-substituted heteroduplexes containing one or two independent mismatched base pairs. Terms accounting for changes in solution conditions and terminal addition of fluorescent dyes and quenchers are then introduced so that the model may be used to accurately predict and thereby tailor the T(m) of a pure-DNA or LNA-substituted hydrolysis probe when duplexed either to its perfect-match template or to a template harboring a noncomplementary base. The model, which builds on classic nearest-neighbor thermodynamics, should therefore be of use to clinicians and biologists who require probes that distinguish and quantify two closely related alleles in either a quantitative PCR or dPCR assay. This potential is demonstrated by using the model to design allele-specific probes that completely discriminate and quantify clinically relevant mutant alleles (BRAF V600E and KIT D816V) in a dPCR assay.

  2. Interactions of short-acting, intermediate-acting and pre-mixed human insulins with free radicals--Comparative EPR examination.

    PubMed

    Olczyk, Paweł; Komosinska-Vassev, Katarzyna; Ramos, Paweł; Mencner, Łukasz; Olczyk, Krystyna; Pilawa, Barbara

    2015-07-25

    Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was used to examine insulins interactions with free radicals. Human recombinant DNA insulins of three groups were studied: short-acting insulin (Insuman Rapid); intermediate-acting insulins (Humulin N, Insuman Basal), and pre-mixed insulins (Humulin M3, Gensulin M50, Gensulin M40, Gensulin M30). The aim of an X-band (9.3GHz) study was comparative analysis of antioxidative properties of the three groups of human insulins. DPPH was used as a stable free radical model. Amplitudes of EPR lines of DPPH as the paramagnetic free radical reference, and DPPH interacting with the individual tested insulins were compared. For all the examined insulins kinetics of their interactions with free radicals up to 60 min were obtained. The strongest interactions with free radicals were observed for the short-acting insulin - Insuman Rapid. The lowest interactions with free radicals were characteristic for intermediate-acting insulin - Insuman Basal. The pre-mixed insulins i.e. Humulin M3 and Gensulin M50 revealed the fastest interactions with free radicals. The short acting, intermediate acting and premixed insulins have been found to be effective agents in reducing free radical formation in vitro and should be further considered as potential useful tools in attenuation of oxidative stress in diabetic patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Hydroxyl radical formation and oxidative DNA damage induced by areca quid in vivo.

    PubMed

    Chen, Chiu-Lan; Chi, Chin-Wen; Liu, Tsung-Yun

    2002-02-01

    Chewing areca quid (AQ) has been implicated as a major risk factor for the development of oral squamous-cell carcinoma (OSCC). Recent studies have suggested that AQ-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the contributing factors for oral carcinogenesis. However, the AQ used in Taiwan is different from that used in other countries. This study is designed to test whether ROS are generated and the consequent effects in locally prepared AQ in vivo. We measured the hydroxyl radical formation, as represented by the presence of o- and m-tyrosine in saliva from volunteers who chewed AQ containing 20 mg phenylalanine. Their saliva contained significantly higher amounts (p < .05) of o- and m-tyrosine as compared to the controls. In addition, chewing AQ containing Piper betle inflorescence generated higher amounts of m-tyrosine, but not o-tyrosine, in saliva than did chewing AQ containing betel leaf. We further tested the oxidative DNA damaging effect of the reconstituted AQ, as evidenced by the elevation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) levels, in hamster buccal pouch. Following daily painting for 14 d, the 8-OH-dG level in hamster buccal pouch is significantly elevated (p < .05) in the AQ-treated group versus the controls. These findings demonstrate that ROS, such as hydroxyl radical, are formed in the human oral cavity during AQ chewing, and chewing such prepared AQ might cause oxidative DNA damage to the surrounding tissues.

  4. Radiation-induced oxidative damage to the DNA-binding domain of the lactose repressor

    PubMed Central

    Gillard, Nathalie; Goffinont, Stephane; Buré, Corinne; Davidkova, Marie; Maurizot, Jean-Claude; Cadene, Martine; Spotheim-Maurizot, Melanie

    2007-01-01

    Understanding the cellular effects of radiation-induced oxidation requires the unravelling of key molecular events, particularly damage to proteins with important cellular functions. The Escherichia coli lactose operon is a classical model of gene regulation systems. Its functional mechanism involves the specific binding of a protein, the repressor, to a specific DNA sequence, the operator. We have shown previously that upon irradiation with γ-rays in solution, the repressor loses its ability to bind the operator. Water radiolysis generates hydroxyl radicals (OH· radicals) which attack the protein. Damage of the repressor DNA-binding domain, called the headpiece, is most likely to be responsible of this loss of function. Using CD, fluorescence spectroscopy and a combination of proteolytic cleavage with MS, we have examined the state of the irradiated headpiece. CD measurements revealed a dose-dependent conformational change involving metastable intermediate states. Fluorescence measurements showed a gradual degradation of tyrosine residues. MS was used to count the number of oxidations in different regions of the headpiece and to narrow down the parts of the sequence bearing oxidized residues. By calculating the relative probabilities of reaction of each amino acid with OH· radicals, we can predict the most probable oxidation targets. By comparing the experimental results with the predictions we conclude that Tyr7, Tyr12, Tyr17, Met42 and Tyr47 are the most likely hotspots of oxidation. The loss of repressor function is thus correlated with chemical modifications and conformational changes of the headpiece. PMID:17263689

  5. Transferrin facilitates the formation of DNA double-strand breaks via transferrin receptor 1: the possible involvement of transferrin in carcinogenesis of high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

    PubMed

    Shigeta, S; Toyoshima, M; Kitatani, K; Ishibashi, M; Usui, T; Yaegashi, N

    2016-07-07

    Fallopian tubal epithelium is a candidate for the origin of high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Transferrin-containing follicular fluid and/or retrograde menstrual blood are possible risk factors for carcinogenesis. Accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks (DNA-DSBs) in the fallopian tubal epithelium is considered to play an important role in the development of cancer. However, the mechanisms by which DNA-DSBs accumulate have not yet been fully elucidated. The hydroxyl radical, which is produced in a Fenton reaction catalyzed by an iron ion, serves as a potent DNA-DSB-inducing molecule, raising the potential of an iron ion transporter of transferrin in the formation of DNA-DSBs. We studied the potential involvement of transferrin in DNA damage and the development of ovarian cancer. Treatment with transferrin facilitated the formation of histone 2AX phosphorylated at Serine 139 (γH2AX), which is known as a DNA-DSB marker, in human fallopian tube secretory epithelial cells and A2780 ovarian cancer cells. Knockdown of transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), but not transferrin receptor 2, suppressed the transferrin uptake and consequent formation of γH2AX. As hydroxyl radicals in reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in DNA-DSBs, the formation of ROS was determined. Treatment with TfR1-specific small interference RNAs significantly diminished transferrin-induced formation of ROS. Moreover, TfR1-dependent uptake of transferrin was revealed to augment the formation of DNA-DSBs in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, which served as a substrate for the Fenton reaction. An ex vivo study with murine fallopian tubes further demonstrated that transferrin treatment introduced DNA-DSBs in the fallopian tubal epithelium. Collectively, these data suggested that the transferrin-TfR1 axis accounts for the induction of DNA-DSBs that potentially lead to DNA damage/genome instability. These findings also suggested that exposure to transferrin initiates and promotes the development of ovarian cancer by aiding the accumulation of DNA-DSBs in the fallopian tubal epithelium.

  6. Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Vaccinium corymbosum L. leaf extract

    PubMed Central

    Pervin, Mehnaz; Hasnat, Md Abul; Lim, Beong Ou

    2013-01-01

    Objective To investigate antibacterial and antioxidant activity of the leaf extract of tropical medicinal herb and food plant Vaccinium corymbosum L. (V. corymbosum). Methods Free radical scavenging activity on DPPH, ABTS, and nitrites were used to analyse phenoic and flavonoid contents of leaf extract. Other focuses included the determination of antioxidant enzymatic activity (SOD, CAT and GPx), metal chelating activity, reduction power, lipid peroxidation inhibition and the prevention of oxidative DNA damage. Antibacterial activity was determined by using disc diffusion for seven strains of bacteria. Results Results found that V. corymbosum leaf extract had significant antibacterial activity. The tested extract displayed the highest activity (about 23.18 mm inhibition zone) against Salmonella typhymurium and the lowest antibacterial activity was observed against Enterococcus faecalis (about 14.08 mm inhibition zone) at 10 mg/ disc. The IC50 values for DPPH, ABTS and radical scavenging activity were 0.120, 0.049 and 1.160 mg/mL, respectively. V. corymbosum leaf extract also showed dose dependent reduction power, lipid peroxidation, DNA damage prevention and significant antioxidant enzymatic activity. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that leaf extract of V. corymbosum could be used as an alternative therapy for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and help prevent various free radical related diseases.

  7. DNA Damage Protecting Activity and Antioxidant Potential of Launaea taraxacifolia Leaves Extract.

    PubMed

    Adinortey, Michael Buenor; Ansah, Charles; Weremfo, Alexander; Adinortey, Cynthia Ayefoumi; Adukpo, Genevieve Etornam; Ameyaw, Elvis Ofori; Nyarko, Alexander Kwadwo

    2018-01-01

    The leaf extract of Launaea taraxacifolia commonly known as African Lettuce is used locally to treat dyslipidemia and liver diseases, which are associated with oxidative stress. Methanol extract from L. taraxacifolia leaves was tested for its antioxidant activity and its ability to protect DNA from oxidative damage. In vitro antioxidant potential of the leaf extract was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO), and hydroxyl (OH) radical scavenging assays. Ferric reducing power, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), metal chelating, and anti-lipid peroxidation ability of the extract were also examined using gallic acid, ascorbic acid, citric acid, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid as standards. L. taraxacifolia leaves extract showed antioxidant activity with IC 50 values of 16.18 μg/ml (DPPH), 123.3 μg/ml (NO), 128.2 μg/ml (OH radical), 97.94 μg/ml (metal chelating), 80.28 μg/ml (TAC), and 23 μg/ml (anti-lipid peroxidation activity). L. taraxacifolia leaves extract exhibited a strong capability for DNA damage protection at 20 mg/ml concentration. These findings suggest that the methanolic leaf extract of L. taraxacifolia could be used as a natural antioxidant and also as a preventive therapy against diseases such as arteriosclerosis associated with DNA damage.

  8. Irreversible electron attachment--a key to DNA damage by solvated electrons in aqueous solution.

    PubMed

    Westphal, K; Wiczk, J; Miloch, J; Kciuk, G; Bobrowski, K; Rak, J

    2015-11-07

    The TYT and TXT trimeric oligonucleotides, where X stands for a native nucleobase, T (thymine), C (cytosine), A (adenine), or G (guanine), and Y indicates a brominated analogue of the former, were irradiated with ionizing radiation generated by a (60)Co source in aqueous solutions containing Tris as a hydroxyl radical scavenger. In the past, these oligomers were bombarded with low energy electrons under an ultra-high vacuum and significant damage to TXT trimers was observed. However, in aqueous solution, hydrated electrons do not produce serious damage to TXT trimers although the employed radiation dose exceeded many times the doses used in radiotherapy. Thus, our studies demonstrate unequivocally that hydrated electrons, which are the major form of electrons generated during radiotherapy, are a negligible factor in damage to native DNA. It was also demonstrated that all the studied brominated nucleobases have a potential to sensitize DNA under hypoxic conditions. Strand breaks, abasic sites and the products of hydroxyl radical attachment to nucleobases have been identified by HPLC and LC-MS methods. Although all the bromonucleobases lead to DNA damage under the experimental conditions of the present work, bromopyrimidines seem to be the radiosensitizers of choice since they lead to more strand breaks than bromopurines.

  9. Targeting different pathophysiological events after traumatic brain injury in mice: Role of melatonin and memantine.

    PubMed

    Kelestemur, Taha; Yulug, Burak; Caglayan, Ahmet Burak; Beker, Mustafa Caglar; Kilic, Ulkan; Caglayan, Berrak; Yalcin, Esra; Gundogdu, Reyhan Zeynep; Kilic, Ertugrul

    2016-01-26

    The tissue damage that emerges during traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a consequence of a variety of pathophysiological events, including free radical generation and over-activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate-type glutamate receptors (NMDAR). Considering the complex pathophysiology of TBI, we hypothesized that combination of neuroprotective compounds, targeting different events which appear during injury, may be a more promising approach for patients. In this context, both NMDAR antagonist memantine and free radical scavenger melatonin are safe in humans and promising agents for the treatment of TBI. Herein, we examined the effects of melatonin administered alone or in combination with memantine on the activation of signaling pathways, injury development and DNA fragmentation. Both compounds reduced brain injury moderately and the density of DNA fragmentation significantly. Notably, melatonin/memantine combination decreased brain injury and DNA fragmentation significantly, which was associated with reduced p38 and ERK-1/2 phosphorylation. As compared with melatonin and memantine groups, SAPK/JNK-1/2 phosphorylation was also reduced in melatonin/memantine combined animals. In addition, melatonin, memantine and their combination decreased iNOS activity significantly. Here, we provide evidence that melatonin/memantine combination protects brain from traumatic injury, which was associated with decreased DNA fragmentation, p38 phosphorylation and iNOS activity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Graphdiyne Nanoparticles with High Free Radical Scavenging Activity for Radiation Protection.

    PubMed

    Xie, Jiani; Wang, Ning; Dong, Xinghua; Wang, Chengyan; Du, Zhen; Mei, Linqiang; Yong, Yuan; Huang, Changshui; Li, Yuliang; Gu, Zhanjun; Zhao, Yuliang

    2018-03-06

    Numerous carbon networks materials comprised of benzene moieties, such as graphene and fullerene, have held great fascination for radioprotection because of their acknowledged good biocompatibility and strong free radical scavenging activity derived from their delocalized π-conjugated structure. Recently, graphdiyne, a new emerging carbon network material consisting of a unique chemical structure of benzene and acetylenic moieties, has gradually attracted attention in many research fields. Encouraged by its unique structure with strong conjugated π-system and highly reactive diacetylenic linkages, graphdiyne might have free radical activity and can thus be used as a radioprotector, which has not been investigated so far. Herein, for the first time, we synthesized bovine serum albumin (BSA)-modified graphdiyne nanoparticles (graphdiyne-BSA NPs) to evaluate their free radical scavenging ability and investigate their application for radioprotection both in cell and animal models. In vitro studies indicated that the graphdiyne-BSA NPs could effectively eliminate the free-radicals, decrease radiation-induced DNA damage in cells, and improve the viability of cells under ionizing radiation. In vivo experiments showed that the graphdiyne-BSA NPs could protect the bone marrow DNA of mice from radiation-induced damage and make the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) (two kinds of vital indicators of radiation-induced injury) recover back to normal levels. Furthermore, the good biocompatibility and negligible systemically toxicity responses of the graphdiyne-BSA NPs to mice were verified. All these results manifest the good biosafety and radioprotection activity of graphdiyne-BSA NPs to normal tissues. Therefore, our studies not only provide a new radiation protection platform based on graphdiyne for protecting normal tissues from radiation-caused injury but also provide a promising direction for the application of graphdiyne in the biomedicine field.

  11. Approaching magnetic field effects in biology using the radical pair mechanism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Canfield, Jeffrey Michael

    1997-11-01

    The overall goal of this thesis has been to explain any of the reported magnetic field effects in biology (magnetic orientation of many species and/or health effects, such as cancer, due to man-made electromagnetic fields) using the radical pair mechanism, a quantum mechanical mechanism known for over 20 years that lets singlet-to-triplet yields (which can be related to reaction rates) of radical pair reactions depend on applied magnetic fields. This goal seems reasonable considering the known roles of many biological free radicals in cancer, disease, aging, development, and cellular signaling, the constant reminders in the media to take anti-oxidant vitamins to protect against certain deleterious free radicals, and the success of the radical pair mechanism in explaining magnetic field effects in photosynthetic reaction centers. To approach the above goal, this thesis develops several methods (using perturbation theory and other techniques in the Schrodinger and Liouville formalisms) for calculating singlet-to-triplet yields in combinations of steady and oscillating fields (some of these algorithms are more versatile or efficient while others give more insight, and all serve as cross-checks on each other) and uses these tools to explore and explain a number of interesting phenomena such as yields sensitive to the magnitude and orientation of earth-strength (0.5 G) steady fields as well as the magnitude, orientation, and frequency of very weak (7 mG or less) oscillating fields. In particular, this thesis examines such effects in several coenzyme B12 systems, systems long studied by EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, the chief method for determining the spin Hamiltonians, spin relaxation rates, and other parameters needed for calculations) in which organometallic cobalt-carbon bonds are often cleaved homolytically to form radical pairs. Among the B12-dependent enzymes are ribonucleotide reductase (which converts RNA to DNA nucleotides), methyl malonyl CoA mutase (which controls the metabolism of certain fatty acids in mammals), and methionine synthase (which in mammals is used to regenerate active methyl groups on S-adenosyl methionine, which is involved in DNA methylation, melatonin and epinephrine synthesis, myelination, and methylation of chemotaxis proteins).* ftn*Originally published in DAI Vol. 58, No. 10. Reprinted here with revised abstract.

  12. Effect of electron donating groups on polyphenol-based antioxidant dendrimers.

    PubMed

    Lee, Choon Young; Nanah, Cyprien N; Held, Rich A; Clark, Amanda R; Huynh, Uyen G T; Maraskine, Marina C; Uzarski, Rebecca L; McCracken, John; Sharma, Ajit

    2015-04-01

    Numerous studies have reported the beneficial effects of antioxidants in human diseases. Among their biological effects, a majority of antioxidants scavenge reactive radicals in the body, thereby reducing oxidative stress that is associated with the pathogenesis of many diseases. Antioxidant dendrimers are a new class of potent antioxidant compounds reported recently. In this study, six polyphenol-based antioxidant dendrimers with or without electron donating groups (methoxy group) were synthesized in order to elucidate the influence of electron donating groups (EDG) on their antioxidant activities. Syringaldehyde (2 ortho methoxy groups), vanillin (1 ortho methoxy group), and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (0 methoxy group) were derivatized with propargylamine to form building blocks for the dendrimers. All the six dendrimers contain polyether cores, which were synthesized by attaching pentaerythritol and methyl α-d-glucopyranoside to in-house prepared spacer units. To prepare generation 1 antioxidant dendrimers, microwave energy and granulated metallic copper catalyst were used to link the cores and building blocks together via alkyne-azide 1,3-cycloaddition click chemistry. These reaction conditions resulted in high yields of the target dendrimers that were free from copper contamination. Based on DPPH antioxidant assay, antioxidant dendrimers decorated with syringaldehyde and vanillin exhibited over 70- and 170-fold increase in antioxidant activity compared to syringaldehyde and vanillin, respectively. The antioxidant activity of dendrimers increased with increasing number of EDG groups. Similar results were obtained when the dendrimers were used to protect DNA and human LDL against organic carbon and nitrogen-based free radicals. In addition, the antioxidant dendrimers did not show any pro-oxidant activity on DNA in the presence of physiological amounts of copper. Although the dendrimers showed potent antioxidant activities against carbon and nitrogen free radicals, EPR and DNA protection studies revealed lack of effectiveness of these dendrimers against hydroxyl radicals. The dendrimers were not cytotoxic to CHO-K1 cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

  13. DNA fragmentation and nuclear phenotype in tendons exposed to low-intensity infrared laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Paoli, Flavia; Ramos Cerqueira, Larissa; Martins Ramos, Mayara; Campos, Vera M.; Ferreira-Machado, Samara C.; Geller, Mauro; de Souza da Fonseca, Adenilson

    2015-03-01

    Clinical protocols are recommended in device guidelines outlined for treating many diseases on empirical basis. However, effects of low-intensity infrared lasers at fluences used in clinical protocols on DNA are controversial. Excitation of endogenous chromophores in tissues and free radicals generation could be described as a consequence of laser used. DNA lesions induced by free radicals cause changes in DNA structure, chromatin organization, ploidy degrees and cell death. In this work, we investigated whether low-intensity infrared laser therapy could alter the fibroblasts nuclei characteristics and induce DNA fragmentation. Tendons of Wistar rats were exposed to low-intensity infrared laser (830 nm), at different fluences (1, 5 and 10 J/cm2), in continuous wave (power output of 10mW, power density of 79.6 mW/cm2). Different frequencies were analyzed for the higher fluence (10 J/cm2), at pulsed emission mode (2.5, 250 and 2500 Hz), with the laser source at surface of skin. Geometric, densitometric and textural parameters obtained for Feulgen-stained nuclei by image analysis were used to define nuclear phenotypes. Significant differences were observed on the nuclear phenotype of tendons after exposure to laser, as well as, high cell death percentages was observed for all fluences and frequencies analyzed here, exception 1 J/cm2 fluence. Our results indicate that low-intensity infrared laser can alter geometric, densitometric and textural parameters in tendon fibroblasts nuclei. Laser can also induce DNA fragmentation, chromatin lost and consequently cell death, using fluences, frequencies and emission modes took out from clinical protocols.

  14. Switchable electrochemiluminescence aptasensor coupled with resonance energy transfer for selective attomolar detection of Hg2+ via CdTe@CdS/dendrimer probe and Au nanoparticle quencher.

    PubMed

    Babamiri, Bahareh; Salimi, Abdollah; Hallaj, Rahman

    2018-04-15

    In the present study, an ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensing assay for selective detection of Hg 2+ was designed. In this electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) approach, Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 /dendrimers/QDs exhibited amplified ECL emissions (switch "on" state) and with the hybridization between T-rich ssDNA(S 1 ) immobilized on the Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 /dendrimers/QDs and AuNPs modified with complementary aptamer (AuNPs-S 2 ), the ECL of QDs nanocomposites was efficiently quenched (switch "off" state). In the presence of Hg 2+ ions, formation of strong and stable T-Hg 2+ -T complex led to the release of the AuNPs-S 2 from double-stranded DNA(dsDNA) and the recovery of the ECL signal of QDs (second signal switch "on" state). Under optimal conditions, Hg 2+ can be detected in a wide linear range from 20aM to 2µM with a very low detection limit of 2aM. The proposed ECL aptasensor showed high selectivity for Hg 2+ determination compared to other environmentally relevant metal ions at concentration ratio more than 1000 times. The aptasensor was used for detection Hg 2+ ions from samples of tap waters, carp and saltwater fishes with satisfactory results. The aptasensor exhibited high sensitivity, wide linear response (11 orders of magnitude), excellent reproducibility and stability. The proposed aptasensor will be a promising candidate for facile and rapid determination of Hg 2+ in environmental and fishery samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Insight into the Mechanism of the Initial Reaction of an OH Radical with DNA/RNA Nucleobases: A Computational Investigation of Radiation Damage.

    PubMed

    Milhøj, Birgitte O; Sauer, Stephan P A

    2015-12-01

    Earlier theoretical investigations of the mechanism of radiation damage to DNA/RNA nucleobases have claimed OH radical addition as the dominating pathway based solely on energetics. In this study we supplement calculations of energies with the kinetics of all possible reactions with the OH radical through hydrogen abstraction and OH radical addition onto carbon sites, using DFT at the ωB97X-D/6-311++G(2df,2pd) level with the Eckart tunneling correction. The overall rate constants for the reaction with adenine, guanine, thymine, and uracil are found to be 2.17×10(-12) , 5.64×10(-11) , 2.01×10(-11) , and 5.03×10(-12)  cm(3)  molecules(-1)  s(-1) , respectively, which agree exceptionally well with experimental values. We conclude that abstraction of the amine group hydrogen atoms competes with addition onto C8 as the most important reaction pathway for the purine nucleobases, while for the pyrimidine nucleobases addition onto C5 and C6 competes with the abstraction of H1 . Thymine shows favourability against abstraction of methyl hydrogens as the dominating pathway based on rate constants. These mechanistic conclusions are partly explained by an analysis of the electrostatic potential together with HOMO and LUMO orbitals of the nucleobases. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Two-photon sensitized recording materials for multilayer optical disk

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akiba, M.; Goto-Takahashi, E.; Takizawa, H.; Sasaki, T.; Mochizuki, H.; Mikami, T.; Kitahara, T.

    2010-06-01

    Two types of novel two-photon sensitized recording material writable at 405 nm and 522nm were developed. The fluorescent dye generation type (F-type) material consists of at least two-photon absorption dye (TPAD) and fluorescent dye precursor (FDP), which is non-fluorescent before two-photon recording and fluorescent after two-photon recording due to fluorescent dye generation. The fluorescence quench type (Q-type) material, on the other hand, consists of at least TPAD, fluorescent dye (FD) and fluorescent quencher precursor (QP), which is fluorescent before two-photon recording and the fluorescence intensity is reduced after two-photon recording at the recorded spot due to fluorescent quencher generation. Both types of material showed quadratic dependency of recording light intensity at 522 and 405 nm. A twenty-layer two-photon recording media was fabricated with the Q-type material, and two-photon recording and onephoton fluorescent signal readout was successfully conducted.

  17. Quorum Sensing and the Use of Quorum Quenchers as Natural Biocides to Inhibit Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Scarascia, Giantommaso; Wang, Tiannyu; Hong, Pei-Ying

    2016-01-01

    Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are one of the main protagonist groups of biocorrosion in the seawater environment. Given their principal role in biocorrosion, it remains a crucial task to develop strategies to reduce the abundance of SRBs. Conventional approaches include the use of biocides and antibiotics, which can impose health, safety, and environmental concerns. This review examines an alternative approach to this problem. This is achieved by reviewing the role of quorum sensing (QS) in SRB populations and its impact on the biofilm formation process. Genome databases of SRBs are mined to look for putative QS systems and homologous protein sequences representative of autoinducer receptors or synthases. Subsequently, this review puts forward the potential use of quorum quenchers as natural biocides against SRBs and outlines the potential strategies for the implementation of this approach. PMID:27983678

  18. Beyond superquenching: Hyper-efficient energy transfer from conjugated polymers to gold nanoparticles

    PubMed Central

    Fan, Chunhai; Wang, Shu; Hong, Janice W.; Bazan, Guillermo C.; Plaxco, Kevin W.; Heeger, Alan J.

    2003-01-01

    Gold nanoparticles quench the fluorescence of cationic polyfluorene with Stern–Volmer constants (KSV) approaching 1011 M—1, several orders of magnitude larger than any previously reported conjugated polymer–quencher pair and 9–10 orders of magnitude larger than small molecule dye–quencher pairs. The dependence of KSV on ionic strength, charge and conjugation length of the polymer, and the dimensions (and thus optical properties) of the nanoparticles suggests that three factors account for this extraordinary efficiency: (i) amplification of the quenching via rapid internal energy or electron transfer, (ii) electrostatic interactions between the cationic polymer and anionic nanoparticles, and (iii) the ability of gold nanoparticles to quench via efficient energy transfer. As a result of this extraordinarily high KSV, quenching can be observed even at subpicomolar concentrations of nanoparticles, suggesting that the combination of conjugated polymers with these nanomaterials can potentially lead to improved sensitivity in optical biosensors. PMID:12750470

  19. 5-(Halomethyl)uridine derivatives as potential antitumor radiosensitizers: A DFT study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Shoushan; Zhang, Min; Liu, Peng; Xie, Shilei; Cheng, Faliang; Wang, Lishi

    2018-01-01

    Considering the fact that the efficiency of the uridine-5-methyl radical in producing cytotoxic DNA intrastrand cross-link lesions is greatly higher than that of the uridine-5-yl radical, the radiosensitizing action of 5-(halomethyl)uridines (5-XCH2U, X = F, Cl, or Br) is studied in the present work. It is found that 5-XCH2U has sufficient electron affinity to capture a pre-hydrated or a hydrated electron, and electron attachment leads to significantly facile X- elimination forming the uridine-5-methyl radical. All these three halogenated uridine derivatives are shown to be potential radiosensitizers, with their radiosensitizing abilities increased in an order 5-FCH2U < 5-ClCH2U ≈ 5-BrCH2U.

  20. Diazinon, an organophosphate pesticide, induces oxidative stress and genotoxicity in cells deriving from large intestine.

    PubMed

    Boussabbeh, Manel; Ben Salem, Intidhar; Hamdi, Mohamed; Ben Fradj, Salsabil; Abid-Essefi, Salwa; Bacha, Hassen

    2016-02-01

    Diazinon (DZ) (O,O-diethyl-O-[2-isopropyl-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinyl]phosphorothioate) is an organophosphate pesticide which is extensively used to control household insects and fruit and vegetable crops. The exposure to this pesticide has been linked to the development of the serious problem in several experimental animals. The contamination of food by DZ may increase its danger to humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the toxic effect of DZ on intestine using an in vitro model (HCT116). Therefore, we evaluated the cell viability, elucidated the generation of free radicals, measured the mitochondrial membrane potential, and valued DNA fragmentation. Our results showed that DZ is cytotoxic to HCT116. It causes oxidative damage through the generation of free radicals and induces lipid peroxidation and DNA fragmentation. We also demonstrated that such effects can be responsible for DZ-induced apoptosis.

  1. Formamidopyrimidines in DNA: mechanisms of formation, repair, and biological effects.

    PubMed

    Dizdaroglu, Miral; Kirkali, Güldal; Jaruga, Pawel

    2008-12-15

    Oxidatively induced damage to DNA results in a plethora of lesions comprising modified bases and sugars, DNA-protein cross-links, tandem lesions, strand breaks, and clustered lesions. Formamidopyrimidines, 4,6-diamino-5-formamidopyrimidine (FapyAde) and 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamidopyrimidine (FapyGua), are among the major lesions generated in DNA by hydroxyl radical attack, UV radiation, or photosensitization under numerous in vitro and in vivo conditions. They are formed by one-electron reduction of C8-OH-adduct radicals of purines and thus have a common precursor with 8-hydroxypurines generated upon one-electron oxidation. Methodologies using mass spectrometry exist to accurately measure FapyAde and FapyGua in vitro and in vivo. Formamidopyrimidines are repaired by base excision repair. Numerous prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA glycosylases are highly specific for removal of these lesions from DNA in the first step of this repair pathway, indicating their biological importance. FapyAde and FapyGua are bypassed by DNA polymerases with the insertion of the wrong intact base opposite them, leading to mutagenesis. In mammalian cells, the mutagenicity of FapyGua exceeds that of 8-hydroxyguanine, which is thought to be the most mutagenic of the oxidatively induced lesions in DNA. The background and formation levels of the former in vitro and in vivo equal or exceed those of the latter under various conditions. FapyAde and FapyGua exist in living cells at significant background levels and are abundantly generated upon exposure to oxidative stress. Mice lacking the genes that encode specific DNA glycosylases accumulate these lesions in different organs and, in some cases, exhibit a series of pathological conditions including metabolic syndrome and cancer. Animals exposed to environmental toxins accumulate formamidopyrimidines in their organs. Here, we extensively review the mechanisms of formation, measurement, repair, and biological effects of formamidopyrimidines that have been investigated in the past 50 years. Our goal is to emphasize the importance of these neglected lesions in many biological and disease processes.

  2. Graphene and graphene-like 2D materials for optical biosensing and bioimaging: a review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Chengzhou; Du, Dan; Lin, Yuehe

    2015-09-01

    The increasing demands of bioassay and biomedical applications have significantly promoted the rational design and fabrication of a wide range of functional nanomaterials. Coupling these advanced nanomaterials with biomolecule recognition events leads to novel sensing and diagnostic platforms. Because of their unique structures and multifunctionalities, two-dimensional nanomaterials, such as graphene and graphene-like materials (e.g., graphitic carbon nitride, transition metal dichalcogenides, boron nitride, and transition metal oxides), have stimulated great interest in the field of optical biosensors and imaging because of their innovative mechanical, physicochemical and optical properties. Depending on the different applications, the graphene and graphene-like nanomaterials can be tailored to form either fluorescent emitters or efficient fluorescence quenchers, making them powerful platforms for fabricating a series of optical biosensors to sensitively detect various targets including ions, small biomolecules, DNA/RNA and proteins. This review highlights the recent progress in optical biosensors based on graphene and graphene-like 2D materials and their imaging applications. Finally, the opportunities and some critical challenges in this field are also addressed.

  3. Mechanism of synergistic DNA damage induced by the hydroquinone metabolite of brominated phenolic environmental pollutants and Cu(II): Formation of DNA-Cu complex and site-specific production of hydroxyl radicals.

    PubMed

    Shao, Bo; Mao, Li; Qu, Na; Wang, Ya-Fen; Gao, Hui-Ying; Li, Feng; Qin, Li; Shao, Jie; Huang, Chun-Hua; Xu, Dan; Xie, Lin-Na; Shen, Chen; Zhou, Xiang; Zhu, Ben-Zhan

    2017-03-01

    2,6-Dibromohydroquinone (2,6-DBrHQ) has been identified as an reactive metabolite of many brominated phenolic environmental pollutants such as tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA), bromoxynil and 2,4,6-tribromophenol, and was also found as one of disinfection byproducts in drinking water. In this study, we found that the combination of 2,6-DBrHQ and Cu(II) together could induce synergistic DNA damage as measured by double strand breakage in plasmid DNA and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) formation, while either of them alone has no effect. 2,6-DBrHQ/Cu(II)-induced DNA damage could be inhibited by the Cu(I)-specific chelating agent bathocuproine disulfonate and catalase, but not by superoxide dismutase, nor by the typical hydroxyl radical (•OH) scavengers such as DMSO and mannitol. Interestingly, we found that Cu(II)/Cu(I) could be combined with DNA to form DNA-Cu(II)/Cu(I) complex by complementary application of low temperature direct ESR, circular dichroism, cyclic voltammetry and oxygen consumption methods; and the highly reactive •OH were produced synergistically by DNA-bound-Cu(I) with H 2 O 2 produced by the redox reactions between 2,6-DBrHQ and Cu(II), which then immediately attack DNA in a site-specific manner as demonstrated by both fluorescent method and by ESR spin-trapping studies. Further DNA sequencing investigations provided more direct evidence that 2,6-DBrHQ/Cu(II) caused preferential cleavage at guanine, thymine and cytosine residues. Based on these data, we proposed that the synergistic DNA damage induced by 2,6-DBrHQ/Cu(II) might be due to the synergistic and site-specific production of •OH near the binding site of copper and DNA. Our findings may have broad biological and environmental implications for future research on the carcinogenic polyhalogenated phenolic compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Enantioselective light switch effect of Δ- and Λ-[Ru(phenanthroline)2 dipyrido[3,2-a:2', 3'-c]phenazine]2+ bound to G-quadruplex DNA.

    PubMed

    Park, Jin Ha; Lee, Hyun Suk; Jang, Myung Duk; Han, Sung Wook; Kim, Seog K; Lee, Young-Ae

    2018-06-01

    The interaction of Δ- and Λ-[Ru(phen) 2 DPPZ] 2+ (DPPZ = dipyrido[3,2-a:2', 3'-c]phenazine, phen = phenanthroline) with a G-quadruplex formed from 5'-G 2 T 2 G 2 TGTG 2 T 2 G 2-3 '(15-mer) was investigated. The well-known enhancement of luminescence intensity (the 'light-switch' effect) was observed for the [Ru(phen) 2 DPPZ] 2+ complexes upon formation of an adduct with the G-quadruplex. The emission intensity of the G-quadruplex-bound Λ-isomer was 3-fold larger than that of the Δ-isomer when bound to the G-quadruplex, which is opposite of the result observed in the case of double stranded DNA (dsDNA); the light switch effect is larger for the dsDNA-bound Δ-isomer. In the job plot of the G-quadruplex with Δ- and Λ-[Ru(phen) 2 DPPZ] 2+ , a major inflection point for the two isomers was observed at x ≈ .65, which suggests a binding stoichiometry of 2:1 for both enantiomers. When the G base at the 8th position was replaced with 6-methyl isoxanthopterin (6MI), a fluorescent guanine analog, the excited energy of 6-MI transferred to bound Δ- or Λ-[Ru(phen) 2 DPPZ] 2+ , which suggests that at least a part of both Ru(II) enantiomers is close to or in contact with the diagonal loop of the G-quadruplex. A luminescence quenching experiment using [Fe(CN) 6 ] 4- for the G-quadruplex-bound Ru(II) complex revealed downward bending curves for both enantiomers in the Stern-Volmer plot, which suggests the presence of Ru(II) complexes that are both accessible and inaccessible to the quencher and may be related to the 2:1 binding stoichiometry.

  5. BPIC: A novel anti-tumor lead capable of inhibiting inflammation and scavenging free radicals.

    PubMed

    Li, Shan; Wang, Yuji; Zhao, Ming; Wu, Jianhui; Peng, Shiqi

    2015-03-01

    Inflammation has a critical role in the tumor progression, free radical damage can worse the status of patients in cancer condition. The anti-cancer agents capable of inhibiting inflammation and scavenging free radicals attract a lot of our interest. Aimed at the discovery of such anti-tumor agent, a novel intercalator, benzyl 1-[4-hydroxy-3-(methoxycarbonyl)-phenyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole-3-carboxylate (BPIC) was presented. The docking investigation of BPIC and doxorubicin towards the DNA (PDB ID: 1NAB) gave equal score and similar feature. The anti-proliferation assay of 8 cancer cells identified S180 cells had equal sensitivity to BPIC and doxorubicin. The anti-tumor assay defined the efficacy of BPIC been 2 folds higher than that of doxorubicin. At 1μmol/kg of dose BPIC effectively inhibited xylene-induced ear edema and decreased the plasma TNF-α and IL-8 of the mice. BPIC scavenged ∙OH, ∙O2(-) and NO free radicals in a concentration dependent manner and NO free radicals had the highest sensitivity. BPIC could be a novel anti-tumor lead capable of simultaneously inhibiting inflammation and scavenging free radicals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Protective effects of a freeze-dried extract of vegetables and fruits on the hydroxyl radical-mediated oxidative damage of DNA and decrease of erythrocytes deformability.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hsiao-Ning; Liu, Tsan-Zon; Chen, Ya-Lei; Shiuan, David

    2007-01-01

    The protective effects of a freeze-dried extracts of vegetables and fruits (BauYuan; BY) on the hydroxyl radical-mediated DNA strand breakages and the structural integrity of human red blood cells (RBCs) were investigated. First, the supercoiled plasmid (pEGFP-C1) DNA was subjected to oxidation damage by an ascorbate-fortified Fenton reaction and the protective effects were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. In the absence of BY extracts, exposure of the high-throughput .OH-generating system (Fe2+ concentration >1.0 microM) caused a complete fragmentation of DNA. Supplementation of BY extract (1 mg/mL) to the plasmid DNA prior to the exposure could prevent it significantly. In contrast, as the plasmid exposed to a low-grade .OH-generating system (Fe2+<0.1 microM), the BY extract (1 mg/mL) provided an almost complete protection. Next, the cell deformabilities were measured to assess the protection effects of various BY extracts on human erythrocytes exposed to the oxidative insults. We found that both the aqueous extract and the organic solvent-derived extracts could strongly protect human RBCs from the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated decrease in the deformability indices. The results implicated that the BY extracts could effectively protect the cell membrane integrity via scavenging ROS which enabling RBCs to maintain a balance of water content and surface area to prevent the drop of cell deformability.

  7. A Study on Spectro-Analytical Aspects, DNA - Interaction, Photo-Cleavage, Radical Scavenging, Cytotoxic Activities, Antibacterial and Docking Properties of 3 - (1 - (6 - methoxybenzo [d] thiazol - 2 - ylimino) ethyl) - 6 - methyl - 3H - pyran - 2, 4 - dione and its Metal Complexes.

    PubMed

    Ravi, Mudavath; Chennam, Kishan Prasad; Ushaiah, B; Eslavath, Ravi Kumar; Perugu, Shyam; Ajumeera, Rajanna; Devi, Ch Sarala

    2015-09-01

    The focus of the present work is on the design, synthesis, characterization, DNA-interaction, photo-cleavage, radical scavenging, in-vitro cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, docking and kinetic studies of Cu (II), Cd (II), Ce (IV) and Zr (IV) metal complexes of an imine derivative, 3 - (1 - (6 - methoxybenzo [d] thiazol - 2 - ylimino) ethyl) - 6 - methyl - 3H - pyran - 2, 4 - dione. The investigation of metal ligand interactions for the determination of composition of metal complexes, corresponding kinetic studies and antioxidant activity in solution was carried out by spectrophotometric methods. The synthesized metal complexes were characterized by EDX analysis, Mass, IR, (1)H-NMR, (13)C-NMR and UV-Visible spectra. DNA binding studies of metal complexes with Calf thymus (CT) DNA were carried out at room temperature by employing UV-Vis electron absorption, fluorescence emission and viscosity measurement techniques. The results revealed that these complexes interact with DNA through intercalation. The results of in vitro antibacterial studies showed the enhanced activity of chelating agent in metal chelated form and thus inferring scope for further development of new therapeutic drugs. Cell viability experiments indicated that all complexes showed significant dose dependent cytotoxicity in selected cell lines. The molecular modeling and docking studies were carried out with energy minimized structures of metal complexes to identify the receptor to metal interactions.

  8. Induction of oxidative DNA damage by mesalamine in the presence of copper: a potential mechanism for mesalamine anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Zimmerman, Ryan P; Jia, Zhenquan; Zhu, Hong; Vandjelovic, Nathan; Misra, Hara P; Wang, Jianmin; Li, Yunbo

    2011-02-27

    Mesalamine is the first line pharmacologic intervention for patients with ulcerative colitis, and recent epidemiologic studies have demonstrated a protective association between therapeutic use of the drug and colorectal carcinoma. However, the mechanism by which this protection is afforded has yet to be elucidated. Because copper is found at higher than normal concentrations in neoplastic cell nuclei and is known to interact with phenolic compounds to generate reactive oxygen species, we investigated whether the reaction of mesalamine/copper was able to induce oxidative DNA strand breaks in φX-174 RF I plasmid DNA, and the various components of the mechanism by which the reaction occurred. Plasmid DNA strand breaks were induced by pharmacologically relevant concentrations of mesalamine in the presence of a micromolar concentration of Cu(II), and damage was inhibited by bathocuproinedisulfonic acid (BCS) and catalase. Further, we showed that the reaction of copper with mesalamine consumed molecular oxygen, which was inhibited by BCS. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectral analysis of the reaction of copper/mesalamine indicated the presence of the hydroxyl radical, which was inhibited by both BCS and catalase. This study demonstrates for the first time that through a copper-redox cycling mechanism, the copper-mediated oxidation of mesalamine is a pro-oxidant interaction that generates hydroxyl radicals which may participate in oxidative DNA damage. These results demonstrate a potential mechanism of the anticancer effects of mesalamine in patients with ulcerative colitis. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. BENZO[A]PYRENE-7,8-QUINONE FORMS COVALENT-DNA ADDUCTS IN VITRO BUT NONE WERE DETECTED IN THE LUNGS OR LIVERS OF STRAIN A/J MICE IN VIVO

    EPA Science Inventory

    Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is a potent human and rodent lung carcinogen. This activity has been ascribed in part to the formation of B[a]P-7,8-dio1-9,10-epoxide (BPDE)-DNA adducts. Other carcinogenic mechanisms have been proposed: 1.] The induction of apurinic sites from radical cati...

  10. Chemical Carcinogen (Hydrazine et al.) Induced Carcinogenesis of Human Diploid Fibroblasts in vitro.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-06-12

    compound then is converted to a carbonium ion and the radical interacts /, with the purine bases in DNA. Methylazoxymethanol acetate, ( MAMA ) in the...interacts with the purine bases in DNA. Methylazoxymethanol acetate, ( MAMA ) in the presence of colon, secum and liver homogenates reduced NAD+ to NADH...3. Human foreskin fibroblast populations blocked in G1 , released and treated with methylazoxy methanol acetate ( MAMA ) from the time of

  11. Silver nanoparticles-enhanced time-resolved fluorescence sensor for VEGF(165) based on Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Dong; Li, Wei; Wen, Hong-Mei; Yu, Sheng; Miao, Zhao-Yi; Kang, An; Zhang, Aihua

    2015-12-15

    A silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-enhanced time-resolved fluorescence (TR-FL) sensor based on long-lived fluorescent Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots (QDs) is developed for the sensitive detection of vascular endothelial growth factor-165 (VEGF165), a predominant cancer biomarker in cancer angiogenesis. The aptamers bond with the Mn-doped ZnS QDs and the BHQ-2 quencher-labelling strands hybridized in duplex are coupled with streptavidin (SA)-functionalized AgNPs to form the AgNPs-enhanced TR-FL sensor, showing lower fluorescence intensity in the duplex state due to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the Mn-doped ZnS QDs and quenchers. Upon the addition of VEGF165, the BHQ-2 quencher-labelling strands of the duplex are displaced, leading to the disruption of the FRET. As a result, the fluorescence of the Mn-doped QDs within the proximity of the AgNPs is recovered. The FL signal can be measured free of the interference of short-lived background by setting appropriate delay time and gate time, which offers a signal with high signal-to-noise ratio in photoluminescent biodetection. Compared with the bare TR-FL sensor, the AgNPs-based TR-FL sensor showed a huge improvement in fluorescence based on metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) effect, and the sensitivity increased 11-fold with the detection limit of 0.08 nM. In addition, the sensor provided a wide range of linear detection from 0.1 nM to 16 nM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Modulation of p-Cyanophenylalanine Fluorescence by Amino Acid Side-chains and Rational Design of Fluorescence Probes of α-Helix Formation

    PubMed Central

    Taskent-Sezgin, Humeyra; Marek, Peter; Thomas, Rosanne; Goldberg, Daniel; Chung, Juah; Carrico, Isaac; Raleigh, Daniel P.

    2011-01-01

    p-Cyanophenylalanine is an extremely useful fluorescence probe of protein structure which can be recombinantly and chemically incorporated into proteins. The probe has been used to study protein folding, protein-membrane interactions, protein-peptide interactions and amyloid formation, however the factors that control its fluorescence are not fully understood. Hydrogen bonding to the cyano group is known to play a major role in modulating the fluorescence quantum yield, but the role of potential side-chain quenchers has not yet been elucidated. A systematic study on the effects of different side-chains on p-cyanophenylalanine fluorescence is reported. Tyr is found to have the largest effect followed by deprotonated His, Met, Cys, protonated His, Asn, Arg, and protonated Lys. Deprotonated amino groups are much more effective fluorescence quenchers than protonated amino groups. Free neutral imidazole and hydroxide ion are also effective quenchers of p-cyanophenylalanine fluorescence with Stern-Volmer constants of 39.8 M−1 and 22.1 M−1, respectively. The quenching of p-cyanophenylalanine fluorescence by specific side-chains is exploited to develop specific, high sensitivity, fluorescence probes of helix formation. The approach is demonstrated with Ala based peptides that contain a p-cyanophenylalanine-His or a p-cyanophenylalanine-Tyr pair located at positions i and i+4. The p-cyanophenylalanine-His pair is most useful when the His side-chain is deprotonated and is, thus, complimentary to Trp-His pair which is most sensitive when the His side-chain is protonated. PMID:20565125

  13. Penetration of analogues of H2O and CO2 in proteins studied by room temperature phosphorescence of tryptophan.

    PubMed

    Wright, W W; Owen, C S; Vanderkooi, J M

    1992-07-21

    The influence of the protein matrix on the reactivity of external molecules with a species buried within the protein interior is considered in two general ways: (1) there may be structural fluctuations that allow for the diffusive penetration of the small molecules and/or (2) the external molecule may react over a distance. As a means to study the protein matrix, a reactive species within the protein can be formed by exciting tryptophan to the triplet state, and then the reaction of the triplet-state molecule with an external molecule can be monitored by a decrease in phosphorescence. In this work, the quenching ability (i.e., reactivity) was examined for H2S, CS2, and NO2- acting on tryptophan phosphorescence in parvalbumin, azurin, horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase. A comparison of charged versus uncharged quenchers (H2S vs SH- and CS2 vs NO2-) reveals that the uncharged molecules are much more effective than charged species in quenching the phosphorescence of fully buried tryptophan, whereas the quenching for exposed tryptophan is relatively independent of the charge of the quencher. This is consistent with the view that uncharged triatomic molecules can penetrate the protein matrix to some extent. The energies of activation of the quenching reaction are low for the charged quenchers and higher for the uncharged CS2. A model is presented in which the quenchability of a buried tryptophan is inversely related to the distance from the surface when diffusion through the protein is the rate-limiting step.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  14. Transient radical pairs studied by time-resolved EPR.

    PubMed

    Bittl, Robert; Weber, Stefan

    2005-02-25

    Photogenerated short-lived radical pairs (RP) are common in biological photoprocesses such as photosynthesis and enzymatic DNA repair. They can be favorably probed by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) methods with adequate time resolution. Two EPR techniques have proven to be particularly useful to extract information on the working states of photoinduced biological processes that is only difficult or sometimes even impossible to obtain by other types of spectroscopy. Firstly, transient EPR yields crucial information on the chemical nature and the geometry of the individual RP halves in a doublet-spin pair generated by a short laser pulse. This time-resolved method is applicable in all magnetic field/microwave frequency regimes that are used for continuous-wave EPR, and is nowadays routinely utilized with a time resolution reaching about 10 ns. Secondly, a pulsed EPR method named out-of-phase electron spin echo envelope modulation (OOP-ESEEM) is increasingly becoming popular. By this pulsed technique, the mutual spin-spin interaction between the RP halves in a doublet-spin pair manifests itself as an echo modulation detected as a function of the microwave-pulse spacing of a two-pulse echo sequence subsequent to a laser pulse. From the dipolar coupling, the distance between the radicals is readily derived. Since the spin-spin interaction parameters are typically not observable by transient EPR, the two techniques complement each other favorably. Both EPR methods have recently been applied to a variety of light-induced RPs in photobiology. This review summarizes the results obtained from such studies in the fields of plant and bacterial photosynthesis and DNA repair mediated by the enzyme DNA photolyase.

  15. Challenge toward breakage of RLS trade-off for EUV lithography by Photosensitized Chemically Amplified Resist (PSCAR) with flood exposure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nagahara, Seiji; Carcasi, Michael; Nakagawa, Hisashi; Buitrago, Elizabeth; Yildirim, Oktay; Shiraishi, Gosuke; Terashita, Yuichi; Minekawa, Yukie; Yoshihara, Kosuke; Tomono, Masaru; Mizoguchi, Hironori; Estrella, Joel; Nagai, Tomoki; Naruoka, Takehiko; Dei, Satoshi; Hori, Masafumi; Oshima, Akihiro; Vockenhuber, Michaela; Ekinci, Yasin; Meeuwissen, Marieke; Verspaget, Coen; Hoefnagels, Rik; Rispens, Gijsbert; Maas, Raymond; Nakashima, Hideo; Tagawa, Seiichi

    2016-03-01

    This paper proposes a promising approach to break the resolution (R), line-edge-roughness (LER), and sensitivity (S) trade-off (RLS trade-off) relationships that limit the ultimate lithographic performance of standard chemically amplified resists (CAR). This is accomplished in a process that uses a Photosensitized Chemically Amplified Resist (PSCAR) in combination with a flood-exposure in an in-line track connected to a pattern exposure tool. PSCAR is a modified CAR which contains a photosensitizer precursor (PP) in addition to other standard CAR components such as a protected polymer, a photo acid generator (PAG) and a quencher. In this paper, the PSCAR concept and the required conditions in resist formulation are carefully explained. In the PSCAR process, the sensitivity improvement is accomplished by PAG decomposition to selectively generate more acid at the pattern exposed areas during the flood exposure. The selective photosensitization happens through the excitation of the photosensitizer (PS) generated by the deprotection of the PP at the pattern exposed areas. A higher resist chemical gradient which leads to an improved resolution and lower LER values is also predicted using the PSCAR simulator. In the PSCAR process, the improved chemical gradient can be realized by dual acid quenching steps with the help of increased quencher concentration. Acid quenching first happens simultaneously with acid catalytic PP to PS reactions. As a result, a sharpened PS latent image is created in the PSCAR. This image is subsequently excited by the flood exposure creating additional acid products at the pattern exposed areas only. Much the same as in the standard CAR system, unnecessary acid present in the non-pattern exposed areas can be neutralized by the remaining quencher to therefore produce sharper acid latent images. EUV exposure results down to 15 nm half pitch (HP) line/space (L/S) patterns using a PSCAR resist indicate that the use of PSCAR has the potential to improve the sensitivity of the system while simultaneously improving the line-width-roughness (LWR) with added quencher and flood exposure doses. In addition, improved across-wafer critical dimension uniformity (CDU) is realized by the use of a PSCAR in combination with a flood exposure using pre α UV exposure module.

  16. Tumor-specific detection of an optically targeted antibody combined with a quencher-conjugated neutravidin "quencher-chaser": a dual "quench and chase" strategy to improve target to nontarget ratios for molecular imaging of cancer.

    PubMed

    Ogawa, Mikako; Kosaka, Nobuyuki; Choyke, Peter L; Kobayashi, Hisataka

    2009-01-01

    In vivo molecular cancer imaging with monoclonal antibodies has great potential not only for cancer detection, but also for cancer characterization. However, the prolonged retention of intravenously injected antibody in the blood causes low target tumor-to-background ratio (TBR). Avidin has been used as a "chase" to clear the unbound, circulating biotinylated antibody and decrease the background signal. Here, we utilize a combined approach of a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) quenched antibody with an "avidin chase" to increase TBR. Trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2), was biotinylated and conjugated with the near-infrared (NIR) fluorophore Alexa680 to synthesize Tra-Alexa680-biotin. Next, the FRET quencher, QSY-21, was conjugated to avidin, neutravidin (nAv), or streptavidin (sAv), thus creating Av-QSY21, nAv-QSY21, or sAv-QSY21 as "chasers". The fluorescence was quenched in vitro by binding Tra-Alexa680-biotin to Av-QSY21, nAv-QSY21, or sAv-QSY21. To evaluate if the injection of quencher-conjugated avidin derivatives can improve target TBR by using a dual "quench and chase" strategy, both target (3T3/HER2+) and nontarget (Balb3T3/ZsGreen) tumor-bearing mice were employed. The "FRET quench" effect induced by all the QSY21 avidin-based conjugates reduced but did not totally eliminate background signal from the blood pool. The addition of nAv-QSY21 administration increased target TBR mainly because of the "chase" effect where unbound conjugated antibody was preferentially cleared to the liver. The relatively slow clearance of unbound nAv-QSY21 leads to further reductions in background signal by leaking out of the vascular space and binding to unbound antibodies in the extravascular space of tumors, resulting in decreased nontarget tumor-to-background ratios but increased target TBR due to the "FRET quench" effect, because target-bound antibodies were internalized and could not bind to nAv-QSY21. In conclusion, the proposed "quench-and-chase" system combines two strategies, fluorescent quenching and avidin chasing, to improve target TBR and reduce nontarget TBR, which should result in both improved tumor sensitivity and improved specificity.

  17. Characterization of radiation damage to DNA by reaction with borohydride.

    PubMed Central

    Schellenberg, K A; Shaeffer, J; Nichols, R K; Gates, D

    1981-01-01

    Irradiation of aqueous solutions of native calf thymus DNA with x-rays produced functional groups that reacted with sodium borohydride. The DNA was labeled with tritium from NaB3H4 to the extent of 2.0 x 10(-10) atom/dalton/rad. The presence of cysteamine or other radical scavengers, or saturation of the solution with nitrogen during irradiation decreased the labeling. After mild acid hydrolysis, the major tritium-containing moiety was identical with 2,3-dihydroxy-2-methylpropanoic acid in all chromatographic systems tested. The suggested mechanism of labeling involved reduction by borohydride of the potential aldehyde at carbon 6 of thymine glycol residues present in the irradiated DNA. PMID:7279674

  18. Transient spectra study on photo-dynamics of curcumin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qian, Tingting; Wang, Mei; Wang, Jiao; Zhu, Rongrong; He, Xiaolie; Sun, Xiaoyu; Sun, Dongmei; Wang, Qingxiu; Wang, ShiLong

    2016-09-01

    A novel mechanism of DNA damage induced by photosensitized curcumin (Cur) was explored using laser flash photolysis, pulse radiolysis and gel electrophoresis. Cur neutral radical (Currad) was confirmed as an identical product in photo-sensitization of Cur by laser flash photolysis and pulse radiolysis. A series of reaction rate constants between Currad and nucleic acid bases/nucleotides were determined by pulse radiolysis. Gel electrophoresis was carried out to investigate damage induced by photosensitized Cur to biologically active DNA. The results indicate that the damage to DNA may be caused by Currad produced from the photosensitization of Cur.

  19. The protective function of noncoding DNA in genome defense of eukaryotic male germ cells.

    PubMed

    Qiu, Guo-Hua; Huang, Cuiqin; Zheng, Xintian; Yang, Xiaoyan

    2018-04-01

    Peripheral and abundant noncoding DNA has been hypothesized to protect the genome and the central protein-coding sequences against DNA damage in somatic genome. In the cytosol, invading exogenous nucleic acids may first be deactivated by small RNAs encoded by noncoding DNA via mechanisms similar to the prokaryotic CRISPR-Cas system. In the nucleus, the radicals generated by radiation in the cytosol, radiation energy and invading exogenous nucleic acids are absorbed, blocked and/or reduced by peripheral heterochromatin, and damaged DNA in heterochromatin is removed and excluded from the nucleus to the cytoplasm through nuclear pore complexes. To further strengthen the hypothesis, this review summarizes the experimental evidence supporting the protective function of noncoding DNA in the genome of male germ cells. Based on these data, this review provides evidence supporting the protective role of noncoding DNA in the genome defense of sperm genome through similar mechanisms to those of the somatic genome.

  20. DNA: Polymer and molecular code

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shivashankar, G. V.

    1999-10-01

    The thesis work focusses upon two aspects of DNA, the polymer and the molecular code. Our approach was to bring single molecule micromanipulation methods to the study of DNA. It included a home built optical microscope combined with an atomic force microscope and an optical tweezer. This combined approach led to a novel method to graft a single DNA molecule onto a force cantilever using the optical tweezer and local heating. With this method, a force versus extension assay of double stranded DNA was realized. The resolution was about 10 picoN. To improve on this force measurement resolution, a simple light backscattering technique was developed and used to probe the DNA polymer flexibility and its fluctuations. It combined the optical tweezer to trap a DNA tethered bead and the laser backscattering to detect the beads Brownian fluctuations. With this technique the resolution was about 0.1 picoN with a millisecond access time, and the whole entropic part of the DNA force-extension was measured. With this experimental strategy, we measured the polymerization of the protein RecA on an isolated double stranded DNA. We observed the progressive decoration of RecA on the l DNA molecule, which results in the extension of l , due to unwinding of the double helix. The dynamics of polymerization, the resulting change in the DNA entropic elasticity and the role of ATP hydrolysis were the main parts of the study. A simple model for RecA assembly on DNA was proposed. This work presents a first step in the study of genetic recombination. Recently we have started a study of equilibrium binding which utilizes fluorescence polarization methods to probe the polymerization of RecA on single stranded DNA. In addition to the study of material properties of DNA and DNA-RecA, we have developed experiments for which the code of the DNA is central. We studied one aspect of DNA as a molecular code, using different techniques. In particular the programmatic use of template specificity makes gene expression a prime example of a biological code. We developed a novel method of making DNA micro- arrays, the so-called DNA chip. Using the optical tweezer concept, we were able to pattern biomolecules on a solid substrate, developing a new type of sub-micron laser lithography. A laser beam is focused onto a thin gold film on a glass substrate. Laser ablation of gold results in local aggregation of nanometer scale beads conjugated with small DNA oligonucleotides, with sub-micron resolution. This leads to specific detection of cDNA and RNA molecules. We built a simple micro-array fabrication and detection in the laboratory, based on this method, to probe addressable pools (genes, proteins or antibodies). We have lately used molecular beacons (single stranded DNA with a stem-loop structure containing a fluorophore and quencher), for the direct detection of unlabelled mRNA. As a first step towards a study of the dynamics of the biological code, we have begun to examine the patterns of gene expression during virus (T7 phage) infection of E-coli bacteria.

  1. How Do Nutritional Antioxidants Really Work: Nucleophilic Tone and Para-Hormesis Versus Free Radical Scavenging in vivo

    PubMed Central

    Forman, Henry Jay; Davies, Kelvin J. A.; Ursini, Fulvio

    2013-01-01

    We present arguments for an evolution in our understanding of how antioxidants in fruits and vegetables exert their health-protective effects. There is much epidemiological evidence for disease prevention by dietary antioxidants and chemical evidence that such compounds react in one-electron reactions with free radicals in vitro. Nonetheless, kinetic constraints indicate that in vivo scavenging of radicals is ineffective in antioxidant defense. Instead, enzymatic removal of non-radical electrophiles, such as hydroperoxides, in two-electron redox reactions is the major antioxidant mechanism. Furthermore, we propose that a major mechanism of action for nutritional antioxidants is the paradoxical oxidative activation of the Nrf2 (NF-E2-related factor 2) signaling pathway, which maintains protective oxidoreductases and their nucleophilic substrates. This maintenance of ‘Nucleophilic Tone,’ by a mechanism that can be called ‘Para-Hormesis,’ provides a means for regulating physiological non-toxic concentrations of the non-radical oxidant electrophiles that boost antioxidant enzymes, and damage removal and repair systems (for proteins, lipids, and DNA), at the optimal levels consistent with good health. PMID:23747930

  2. Evaluation of Both Free Radical Scavenging Capacity and Antioxidative Damage Effect of Polydatin.

    PubMed

    Jin, Ju; Li, Yan; Zhang, Xiuli; Chen, Tongsheng; Wang, Yifei; Wang, Zhiping

    Cellular damage such as oxidation and lipid peroxidation, and DNA damage induced by free-radicals like reactive oxygen species, has been implicated in several diseases. Radicals generated by 2,2-azobis (2-amidino-propane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) are similar to physiologically active ones. In this study we found that polydatin, a resveratrol natural precursor derived from many sources, has the capacity of free radical scavenging and antioxidative damage. Using free radical scavenging assays, the IC50 values of polydatin were 19.25 and 5.29 μg/ml with the DPPH and the ABTS assay, respectively, and 0.125 mg ferrous sulfate/1 mg polydatin with the FRAP assay. With the AAPH-induced oxidative injury cell model assay, polydatin showed a strong protective effect against the human liver tumor HepG2 cell oxidative stress damage. These results indicate that the antioxidant properties of polydatin have great potential for use as an alternative to more toxic synthetic antioxidants as an additive in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical preparations for the treatment of oxidative diseases.

  3. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Simic, M.G.; Jovanovic, S.V.

    One-electron oxidation of uric acid generates the urate radical, which was studied in aqueous solution by pulse radiolysis and oxygen-uptake measurements. Acid-base properties of the uric acid radical were determined, i.e., pK{sub a1} = 3.1 {plus minus} 0.1 and pK{sub a2} = 9.5 {plus minus} 0.1. The reaction of the radical with oxygen was too slow to be measured, k < 10{sup {minus}2} dm{sup 3} mol{sup {minus}1} s{sup {minus}1}. The one-electron-redox potential vs NHE, E{sub 7} = 0.59 V, was derived from the pH dependence of the redox potential, which was fitted through the values measured at pH 7 andmore » 8.9 and those previously determined at pH 13. Rapid reactions of uric acid with oxidizing species and peroxy radicals were indicative of uric acid as a possible water-soluble physiological antioxidant. Rapid reaction of uric acid with the guanyl radical indicates that uric acid may also act as a repair agent of oxidative damage to DNA bases.« less

  4. Clinical Significance of Plasma Epstein-Barr Virus DNA in Pulmonary Lymphoepithelioma-like Carcinoma (LELC) Patients.

    PubMed

    Xie, Mian; Wu, Xiaojun; Wang, Fang; Zhang, Jinjun; Ben, Xiaosong; Zhang, Jiexia; Li, Xiaoxiang

    2018-02-01

    Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) is a histologically distinctive subtype of NSCLC and an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated epithelial neoplasm. We investigated the clinical significance of plasma concentrations of EBV DNA in patients with pulmonary LELC. Two independent sets of plasma samples from a total of 429 patients with patients with pulmonary LELC (287 initial and 142 confirmatory) were available for EBV DNA determination. Plasma samples from the patients were subjected to a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction before treatment and 3 months after radical resection. Cutoff points were determined for pretreatment plasma EBV DNA concentration (low <4000 copies/mL versus high ≥4000 copies/mL) on the basis of a measure of heterogeneity with the log-rank test statistic with respect to overall survival (OS). The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression were used to evaluate the relationship between plasma EBV DNA concentrations and clinical outcome. Among patients with advanced-stage pulmonary LELC who underwent sequential blood draws, we evaluated the relationship between change in disease status and change in EBV DNA concentrations by using nonparametric tests. High EBV DNA concentration was associated with shorter OS in the initial, confirmatory, and combined data sets (combined data set hazard ratio = 3.67, 95% confidence interval: 2.72-4.38, p < 0.001). These findings persisted after multivariable adjustment. Compared with low EBV DNA concentration, high EBV DNA concentration was associated with shorter OS in patients with any stage of disease. High EBV DNA concentration was also associated with shorter disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with stage I/II disease. Patients with persistently detectable plasma EBV DNA had significantly poorer OS (p < 0.001) and DFS (p < 0.001) than did patients with undetectable EBV DNA 3 months after radical resection. In patients who underwent sequential evaluation of EBV DNA, an association was identified between an increase in EBV DNA concentration and a poor response to treatment and disease progression of pulmonary LELC. High baseline EBV DNA concentration is an independent poor prognostic marker in patients with pulmonary LELC. These results should be confirmed in larger prospective trials. Copyright © 2017 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Review: DNA oxidation, its consequences and efficacy of GC-MS and SPME-GC-MS for In Vitro quantification of DNA oxidative products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, Himansha; Udawat, Abhishek; Franklin, Tony; Sarathi, Sai Partha

    2012-10-01

    DNA oxidation could be one of the main factors contributing to DNA damage, eventually leading to carcinogenesis, mutations or non-carcinogenic diseases such as Parkinsonís and Alzheimerís. Only recently has the focus turned towards identifying oxidative products of DNA and their consequences. Metabolism activities in vitro produce reactive radicals, which can break DNA strands to cause lesions. These lesions could also act as biomarkers for diagnostic purposes. This review provides an insight of the DNA oxidation mechanism, its harmful consequences and the advantages/disadvantages of available techniques to quantify such DNA oxidative products, focussing mainly on the use GC-MS along with derivatization reaction. In addition, the review also discusses the use of Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) before conducting GC-MS as a potential assay to overcome the discrepancies involved in using GC-MS alone for the identification of DNA oxidative products.

  6. Water-soluble Manganese and Iron Mesotetrakis(carboxyl)porphyrin: DNA Binding, Oxidative Cleavage, and Cytotoxic Activities.

    PubMed

    Shi, Lei; Jiang, Yi-Yu; Jiang, Tao; Yin, Wei; Yang, Jian-Ping; Cao, Man-Li; Fang, Yu-Qi; Liu, Hai-Yang

    2017-06-29

    Two new water-soluble metal carboxyl porphyrins, manganese (III) meso -tetrakis (carboxyl) porphyrin and iron (III) meso -tetrakis (carboxyl) porphyrin, were synthesized and characterized. Their interactions with ct-DNA were investigated by UV-Vis titration, fluorescence spectra, viscosity measurement and CD spectra. The results showed they can strongly bind to ct-DNA via outside binding mode. Electrophoresis experiments revealed that both complexes can cleave pBR322 DNA efficiently in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, albeit 2-Mn exhibited a little higher efficiency. The inhibitor tests suggest the oxidative DNA cleavage by these two complexes may involve hydroxyl radical active intermediates. Notably, 2-Mn exhibited considerable photocytotoxicity against Hep G2 cell via triggering a significant generation of ROS and causing disruption of MMP after irradiation.

  7. DNA repair in mammalian mitochondria: Much more than we thought?

    PubMed

    Liu, Pingfang; Demple, Bruce

    2010-06-01

    For many years, the repair of most damage in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was thought limited to short-patch base excision repair (SP-BER), which replaces a single nucleotide by the sequential action of DNA glycosylases, an apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease, the mitochondrial DNA polymerase gamma, an abasic lyase activity, and mitochondrial DNA ligase. However, the likely array of lesions inflicted on mtDNA by oxygen radicals and the possibility of replication errors and disruptions indicated that such a restricted repair repertoire would be inadequate. Recent studies have considerably expanded our knowledge of mtDNA repair to include long-patch base excision repair (LP-BER), mismatch repair, and homologous recombination and nonhomologous end-joining. In addition, elimination of mutagenic 8-oxodeoxyguanosine triphosphate (8-oxodGTP) helps prevent cell death due to the accumulation of this oxidation product in mtDNA. Although it was suspected for many years that irreparably damaged mtDNA might be targeted for degradation, only recently was clear evidence provided for this hypothesis. Therefore, multiple DNA repair pathways and controlled degradation of mtDNA function together to maintain the integrity of mitochondrial genome.

  8. Quantitative detection method for Roundup Ready soybean in food using duplex real-time PCR MGB chemistry.

    PubMed

    Samson, Maria Cristina; Gullì, Mariolina; Marmiroli, Nelson

    2010-07-01

    Methodologies that enable the detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) (authorized and non-authorized) in food and feed strongly influence the potential for adequate updating and implementation of legislation together with labeling requirements. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) systems were designed to boost the sensitivity and specificity on the identification of GMOs in highly degraded DNA samples; however, such testing will become economically difficult to cope with due to increasing numbers of approved genetically modified (GM) lines. Multiplexing approaches are therefore in development to provide cost-efficient solution. Construct-specific primers and probe were developed for quantitative analysis of Roundup Ready soybean (RRS) event glyphosate-tolerant soybean (GTS) 40-3-2. The lectin gene (Le1) was used as a reference gene, and its specificity was verified. RRS- and Le1-specific quantitative real-time PCR (qRTPCR) were optimized in a duplex platform that has been validated with respect to limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), as well as accuracy. The analysis of model processed food samples showed that the degradation of DNA has no adverse or little effects on the performance of quantification assay. In this study, a duplex qRTPCR using TaqMan minor groove binder-non-fluorescent quencher (MGB-NFQ) chemistry was developed for specific detection and quantification of RRS event GTS 40-3-2 that can be used for practical monitoring in processed food products.

  9. Gold nanoparticle-based beacon to detect STAT5b mRNA expression in living cells: a case optimized by bioinformatics screen.

    PubMed

    Deng, Dawei; Li, Yang; Xue, Jianpeng; Wang, Jie; Ai, Guanhua; Li, Xin; Gu, Yueqing

    2015-01-01

    Messenger RNA (mRNA), a single-strand ribonucleic acid with functional gene information is usually abnormally expressed in cancer cells and has become a promising biomarker for the study of tumor progress. Hairpin DNA-coated gold nanoparticle (hDAuNP) beacon containing a bare gold nanoparticle (AuNP) as fluorescence quencher and thiol-terminated fluorescently labeled stem-loop-stem oligonucleotide sequences attached by Au-S bond is currently a new nanoscale biodiagnostic platform capable of mRNA detection, in which the design of the loop region sequence is crucial for hybridizing with the target mRNA. Hence, in this study, to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of hDAuNP beacon simultaneously, the loop region of hairpin DNA was screened by bioinformatics strategy. Here, signal transducer and activator of transcription 5b (STAT5b) mRNA was selected and used as a practical example. The results from the combined characterizations using optical techniques, flow cytometry assay, and cell microscopic imaging showed that after optimization, the as-prepared hDAuNP beacon had higher selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of STAT5b mRNA in living cells, as compared with our previous beacon. Thus, the bioinformatics method may be a promising new strategy for assisting in the designing of the hDAuNP beacon, extending its application in the detection of mRNA expression and the resultant mRNA-based biological processes and disease pathogenesis.

  10. Gold nanoparticle-based beacon to detect STAT5b mRNA expression in living cells: a case optimized by bioinformatics screen

    PubMed Central

    Deng, Dawei; Li, Yang; Xue, Jianpeng; Wang, Jie; Ai, Guanhua; Li, Xin; Gu, Yueqing

    2015-01-01

    Messenger RNA (mRNA), a single-strand ribonucleic acid with functional gene information is usually abnormally expressed in cancer cells and has become a promising biomarker for the study of tumor progress. Hairpin DNA-coated gold nanoparticle (hDAuNP) beacon containing a bare gold nanoparticle (AuNP) as fluorescence quencher and thiol-terminated fluorescently labeled stem–loop–stem oligonucleotide sequences attached by Au–S bond is currently a new nanoscale biodiagnostic platform capable of mRNA detection, in which the design of the loop region sequence is crucial for hybridizing with the target mRNA. Hence, in this study, to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of hDAuNP beacon simultaneously, the loop region of hairpin DNA was screened by bioinformatics strategy. Here, signal transducer and activator of transcription 5b (STAT5b) mRNA was selected and used as a practical example. The results from the combined characterizations using optical techniques, flow cytometry assay, and cell microscopic imaging showed that after optimization, the as-prepared hDAuNP beacon had higher selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of STAT5b mRNA in living cells, as compared with our previous beacon. Thus, the bioinformatics method may be a promising new strategy for assisting in the designing of the hDAuNP beacon, extending its application in the detection of mRNA expression and the resultant mRNA-based biological processes and disease pathogenesis. PMID:25987838

  11. A sensitive detection assay based on signal amplification technology for Alzheimer's disease's early biomarker in exosome.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Jie; Meng, Lingchang; Ye, Weiran; Wang, Qiaolei; Geng, Shizhen; Sun, Chong

    2018-08-31

    Alzheimer's disease (AD) considered as the third health "killer" has seriously threatened the health of the elderly. However, the modern diagnostic strategies of AD present several disadvantages: the low accuracy and specificity resulting in some false-negative diagnoses, and the poor sensitivity leading to a delayed treatment. In view of this situation, a enzyme-free and target-triggered signal amplification strategy, based on graphene oxide (GO) and entropy-driven strand displacement reaction (ESDR) principle, was proposed. In this strategy, when the hairpin structure probes (H)specially binds with beta-amyloid-(1-42) oligomers (Aβ42 oligomers), it's structure will be opened, causing the bases complementary to FAM-labeled replacement probes R (R1 and R2) exposed. At this time, R1 and R2 will hybridize with H, resulting in the bound Aβ42 oligomers released. The released Aβ42 oligomers would participate in the next cycle reaction, making the signal amplified. As a quencher, GO could absorb the free single-stranded DNA R1 and R2 and quench their fluorescence; however, the DNA duplex still exists free and keeps its signal-on. Through the detection of Aβ42 oligomers in exosomes, this ultrasensitive detection method with the advantages of low limit of detection (LOD, 20 pM), great accuracy, excellent precision and convenience provides an excellent prospect for AD's early diagnosis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Diazobenzene-containing conjugated polymers as dark quenchers.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jiatao; Tan, Ying; Xie, Yonghua; Wu, Yi; Zhao, Rui; Jiang, Yuyang; Tan, Chunyan

    2013-12-18

    The synthesis and photophysical characterization of new conjugated polymers (CPs) with alternating phenylethynylene and diazobenzene (azo-PPE) units were reported, which showed broadened absorption and no measurable fluorescence. Quenching studies showed that azo-PPEs displayed high efficiency over a wide wavelength range.

  13. Antioxidant and cyto/DNA protective properties of apple pomace enriched bakery products.

    PubMed

    Sudha, M L; Dharmesh, Shylaja M; Pynam, Hasitha; Bhimangouder, Shivaleela V; Eipson, Sushma W; Somasundaram, Rajarathnam; Nanjarajurs, Shashirekha M

    2016-04-01

    Apple pomace (AP), the residue that remains after the extraction of juice from apple accounts for ~25 % of total apple weight. Current study is aimed at identification of phytochemicals and utilization of Dehydrated apple pomace (DAP) in the preparation of bakery products with potential health benefits. DAP was prepared by drying the pomace obtained by crushing peeled apple fruits. DAP was incorporated into bakery products such as bun, muffin and cookies for value addition. Bioactivity such as free radical scavenging, cyto/DNA protectivity was evaluated in these products. DAP contained 17 g/100 g starch, 49.86 g/100 g fructose and 37 g/100 g dietary fibre. The phenolics and flavonoids content was 1.5 mg/g and 3.92 mg/g, respectively. Increase in DAP resulted in decreased volume and enhanced firmness of buns and muffins. DAP at 15 % in buns, 30 % in muffins and 20 % in cookies were found to be acceptable. DAP blended products exhibited better free radical scavenging as well as cyto/DNA protective properties suggesting the retention of bioactivity after baking. Addition of DAP potentially enhanced the bioactivity of the products evaluated.

  14. Radiation-induced damage to cellular DNA: Chemical nature and mechanisms of lesion formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cadet, Jean; Wagner, J. Richard

    2016-11-01

    This mini-review focuses on the recent identification of several novel radiation-induced single and tandem modifications in cellular DNA. For this purpose accurate high-performance electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) was applied allowing their quantitative measurement and unambiguous characterization. Exposure of human cells to gamma rays led to the formation of several modified bases arising from the rearrangement of the pyrimidine ring of thymine, cytosine and 5-methylcytosine subsequent to initial addition of an hydroxyl radical (•OH) to the 5,6-ethylenic bond. In addition, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, an novel epigenetic mark, and 5-formylcytosine, were found to be generated consecutively to •OH-mediated hydrogen abstraction from the methyl group of 5-methylcytosine. Relevant mechanistic information on one-oxidation reactions of cellular DNA was also gained from the detection of 5-hydroxycytosine and guanine-thymine intra-strand adducts whose formation is rationalized by the generation of related base radical cation. Attempts to search for the radiation-induced formation of purine 5‧,8-cyclo-2‧-deoxyribonucleosides were unsuccessful with the exception of trace amounts of (5‧S)-5‧,8-cyclo-2‧-deoxyadenosine.

  15. Alteration of Gene Expression, DNA Methylation, and Histone Methylation in Free Radical Scavenging Networks in Adult Mouse Hippocampus following Fetal Alcohol Exposure.

    PubMed

    Chater-Diehl, Eric J; Laufer, Benjamin I; Castellani, Christina A; Alberry, Bonnie L; Singh, Shiva M

    2016-01-01

    The molecular basis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is poorly understood; however, epigenetic and gene expression changes have been implicated. We have developed a mouse model of FASD characterized by learning and memory impairment and persistent gene expression changes. Epigenetic marks may maintain expression changes over a mouse's lifetime, an area few have explored. Here, mice were injected with saline or ethanol on postnatal days four and seven. At 70 days of age gene expression microarray, methylated DNA immunoprecipitation microarray, H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 chromatin immunoprecipitation microarray were performed. Following extensive pathway analysis of the affected genes, we identified the top affected gene expression pathway as "Free radical scavenging". We confirmed six of these changes by droplet digital PCR including the caspase Casp3 and Wnt transcription factor Tcf7l2. The top pathway for all methylation-affected genes was "Peroxisome biogenesis"; we confirmed differential DNA methylation in the Acca1 thiolase promoter. Altered methylation and gene expression in oxidative stress pathways in the adult hippocampus suggests a novel interface between epigenetic and oxidative stress mechanisms in FASD.

  16. Influence of Proton Acceptors on the Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reaction Kinetics of a Ruthenium-Tyrosine Complex.

    PubMed

    Lennox, J Christian; Dempsey, Jillian L

    2017-11-22

    A polypyridyl ruthenium complex with fluorinated bipyridine ligands and a covalently bound tyrosine moiety was synthesized, and its photo-induced proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactivity in acetonitrile was investigated with transient absorption spectroscopy. Using flash-quench methodology with methyl viologen as an oxidative quencher, a Ru 3+ species is generated that is capable of initiating the intramolecular PCET oxidation of the tyrosine moiety. Using a series of substituted pyridine bases, the reaction kinetics were found to vary as a function of proton acceptor concentration and identity, with no significant H/D kinetic isotope effect. Through analysis of the kinetics traces and comparison to a control complex without the tyrosine moiety, PCET reactivity was found to proceed through an equilibrium electron transfer followed by proton transfer (ET-PT) pathway in which irreversible deprotonation of the tyrosine radical cation shifts the ET equilibrium, conferring a base dependence on the reaction. Comprehensive kinetics modeling allowed for deconvolution of complex kinetics and determination of rate constants for each elementary step. Across the five pyridine bases explored, spanning a range of 4.2 pK a units, a linear free-energy relationship was found for the proton transfer rate constant with a slope of 0.32. These findings highlight the influence that proton transfer driving force exerts on PCET reaction kinetics.

  17. Pigments, photosynthesis and photoinhibition in two amphibious plants: consequences of varying carbon availability.

    PubMed

    Nielsen, Søren Laurentius; Nielsen, Hanne Dalsgaard

    2006-01-01

    In the present study, we investigated the effects of CO(2) availability on photosynthesis, photoinhibition and pigmentation in two species of amphibious plants, Lobelia cardinalis and Nesaea crassicaulis. The plants were grown emergent under atmospheric conditions and submerged under low and high CO(2) availability. Compared with Lobelia, Nesaea had thin leaves and few stomata in all CO(2) treatments. While Lobelia expressed no variation in anthocyanin content among treatments, Nesaea produced high concentrations of anthocyanin when submerged. Lobelia photosynthesis increased in response to increasing CO(2) availability, and photoinhibition was negatively related to xanthophyll content. By contrast, Nesaea photosynthesis was highest under submerged conditions, and there was no relationship between photoinhibition and the xanthophyll content. We conclude that the response of Lobelia to varying CO(2) availability is similar to that of terrestrial plants and that this species relies on the xanthophyll cycle for nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) and protection against photoinhibition. By contrast, the thin leaves, few stomata and low levels of chlorophylls and accessory pigments in Nesaea, relative to Lobelia, suggest adaptation to a submerged habitat. While Nesaea does not seem to rely on the xanthophyll cycle or other xanthophylls for NPQ, some role of anthocyanins in the protection against photoinhibition cannot be ruled out, owing to its effect as a sunscreen and as an efficient quencher of free radicals.

  18. Identifying the Nonradical Mechanism in the Peroxymonosulfate Activation Process: Singlet Oxygenation Versus Mediated Electron Transfer.

    PubMed

    Yun, Eun-Tae; Lee, Jeong Hoon; Kim, Jaesung; Park, Hee-Deung; Lee, Jaesang

    2018-06-01

    Select persulfate activation processes were demonstrated to initiate oxidation not reliant on sulfate radicals, although the underlying mechanism has yet to be identified. This study explored singlet oxygenation and mediated electron transfer as plausible nonradical mechanisms for organic degradation by carbon nanotube (CNT)-activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The degradation of furfuryl alcohol (FFA) as a singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) indicator and the kinetic retardation of FFA oxidation in the presence of l-histidine and azide as 1 O 2 quenchers apparently supported a role of 1 O 2 in the CNT/PMS system. However, the 1 O 2 scavenging effect was ascribed to a rapid PMS depletion by l-histidine and azide. A comparison of CNT/PMS and photoexcited Rose Bengal (RB) excluded the possibility of singlet oxygenation during heterogeneous persulfate activation. In contrast to the case of excited RB, solvent exchange (H 2 O to D 2 O) did not enhance FFA degradation by CNT/PMS and the pH- and substrate-dependent reactivity of CNT/PMS did not reflect the selective nature of 1 O 2 . Alternatively, concomitant PMS reduction and trichlorophenol oxidation were achieved when PMS and trichlorophenol were physically separated in two chambers using a conductive vertically aligned CNT membrane. This result suggested that CNT-mediated electron transfer from organics to persulfate was primarily responsible for the nonradical degradative route.

  19. Degradation of antibiotic norfloxacin in aqueous solution by visible-light-mediated C-TiO2 photocatalysis.

    PubMed

    Chen, Meijuan; Chu, W

    2012-06-15

    A visible-light-mediated C-TiO(2) photocatalytic process (Vis/C-TiO(2)) was employed to degrade antibiotic norfloxacin. The influences of catalyst dosage, initial probe compound concentration and solution pH levels on the decay performance and reaction kinetics were investigated and optimized. Based on the experimental results, an equation was established to predict the observed rate constant under neutral pH. In addition, the decay rate was accelerated under weak alkali in the presence of moderate OH(-) anions. Hydroxyl radical was confirmed to play a major role in the Vis/TiO(2) process, where in the presence of OH quencher and electron acceptor, retardation and improvement were found respectively. Furthermore, an original schematic diagram describing the surface property of C-TiO(2) was built and further verified, in which, NH(4)(+) cations normally served as hole scavengers showed a negligible effect because the adsorbed OH(-) formed a barrier for NH(4)(+) ions to approach the holes, and the F(-) anions presented a significant suppression on norfloxacin decay due to the formation of hydrogen bond (OH⋯F) around the C-TiO(2) surface. Besides, the recycling and sedimentation tests justified that the Vis/C-TiO(2) process is a cost-effective and feasible way for wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. DNA Assembly with De Bruijn Graphs Using an FPGA Platform.

    PubMed

    Poirier, Carl; Gosselin, Benoit; Fortier, Paul

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents an FPGA implementation of a DNA assembly algorithm, called Ray, initially developed to run on parallel CPUs. The OpenCL language is used and the focus is placed on modifying and optimizing the original algorithm to better suit the new parallelization tool and the radically different hardware architecture. The results show that the execution time is roughly one fourth that of the CPU and factoring energy consumption yields a tenfold savings.

  1. Potent Chemopreventive/Antioxidant Activity Detected in Common Spices of the Apiaceae Family.

    PubMed

    Jeyabalan, Jeyaprakash; Aqil, Farrukh; Soper, Lisa; Schultz, David J; Gupta, Ramesh C

    2015-01-01

    Spices are used worldwide, particularly in the Asian and Middle Eastern countries, and considered protective against degenerative diseases, including cancer. Here, we report the efficacy of aqueous and non-aqueous extracts of 11 Apiaceae spices for free radical-scavenging activity and to inhibit cytochrome P450s in two separate reactions involving: 1) 4-hydroxy-17ß-estradiol (4E2), DNA, and CuCl2 and 2) 17ß-estradiol, rat liver microsomes, cofactors, DNA and CuCl2. Oxidative DNA adducts resulting from redox cycling of 4E2 were analyzed by (32)P-postlabeling. Aqueous (5 mg/ml) and non-aqueous extracts (6 mg/ml) substantially inhibited (83-98%) formation of DNA adducts in the microsomal reaction. However, in nonmicrosomal reaction, only aqueous extracts showed the inhibitory activity (83-96%). Adduct inhibition was also observed at five-fold lower concentrations of aqueous extracts of cumin (60%) and caraway (90%), and 10-fold lower concentrations of carrot seeds (76%) and ajowan (90%). These results suggests the presence of 2 groups of phytochemicals: polar compounds that have free radical-scavenging activity and lipophilic compounds that selectively inhibit P450 activity associated with estrogen metabolism. Because most of these Apiaceae spices are used widely with no known toxicity, the phytochemicals from the Apiaceae spices used in foods may be potentially protective against estrogen-mediated breast cancer.

  2. Potent chemopreventive/antioxidant activity detected in common spices of the Apiaceae family

    PubMed Central

    Jeyabalan, Jeyaprakash; Aqil, Farrukh; Soper, Lisa; Schultz, David J.; Gupta, Ramesh C.

    2015-01-01

    Spices are used worldwide, particularly, in the Asian and Middle-Eastern countries and considered protective against degenerative diseases, including cancer. Here, we report the efficacy of aqueous and non-aqueous extracts of eleven Apiaceae spices for free radical-scavenging activity and to inhibit cytochrome P450s in two separate reactions involving: i) 4-hydroxy-17β-estradiol (4E2), DNA and CuCl2 and ii) 17β-estradiol, rat liver microsomes, co-factors, DNA and CuCl2. Oxidative DNA adducts resulting from redox cycling of 4E2 were analyzed by 32P-postlabeling. Aqueous (5 mg/ml) and non-aqueous extracts (6 mg/ml) substantially inhibited (83% – 98%) formation of DNA adducts in the microsomal reaction. However, in non-microsomal reaction, only aqueous extracts showed the inhibitory activity (83% – 96%). Adduct inhibition was also observed at 5-fold lower concentrations of aqueous extracts of cumin (60%) and caraway (90%), and 10-fold lower concentrations of carrot seeds (76%) and ajowan (90%). These results suggests the presence of two groups of phytochemicals - polar compounds that have free radical-scavenging activity, and lipophilic compounds that selectively inhibit P450 activity associated with estrogen metabolism. Because most of these Apiaceae spices are used widely with no known toxicity, the phytochemicals from the Apiaceae spices used in foods may be potentially protective against estrogen-mediated breast cancer. PMID:26381237

  3. Evaluation of Cassia tora Linn. against Oxidative Stress-induced DNA and Cell Membrane Damage

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, R Sunil; Narasingappa, Ramesh Balenahalli; Joshi, Chandrashekar G; Girish, Talakatta K; Prasada Rao, Ummiti JS; Danagoudar, Ananda

    2017-01-01

    Objective: The present study aims to evaluate antioxidants and protective role of Cassia tora Linn. against oxidative stress-induced DNA and cell membrane damage. Materials and Methods: The total and profiles of flavonoids were identified and quantified through reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. In vitro antioxidant activity was determined using standard antioxidant assays. The protective role of C. tora extracts against oxidative stress-induced DNA and cell membrane damage was examined by electrophoretic and scanning electron microscopic studies, respectively. Results: The total flavonoid content of CtEA was 106.8 ± 2.8 mg/g d.w.QE, CtME was 72.4 ± 1.12 mg/g d.w.QE, and CtWE was 30.4 ± 0.8 mg/g d.w.QE. The concentration of flavonoids present in CtEA in decreasing order: quercetin >kaempferol >epicatechin; in CtME: quercetin >rutin >kaempferol; whereas, in CtWE: quercetin >rutin >kaempferol. The CtEA inhibited free radical-induced red blood cell hemolysis and cell membrane morphology better than CtME as confirmed by a scanning electron micrograph. CtEA also showed better protection than CtME and CtWE against free radical-induced DNA damage as confirmed by electrophoresis. Conclusion: C. tora contains flavonoids and inhibits oxidative stress and can be used for many health benefits and pharmacotherapy. PMID:28584491

  4. DNA Damage by Ionizing Radiation: Tandem Double Lesions by Charged Particles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huo, Winifred M.; Chaban, Galina M.; Wang, Dunyou; Dateo, Christopher E.

    2005-01-01

    Oxidative damages by ionizing radiation are the source of radiation-induced carcinogenesis, damage to the central nervous system, lowering of the immune response, as well as other radiation-induced damages to human health. Monte Carlo track simulations and kinetic modeling of radiation damages to the DNA employ available molecular and cellular data to simulate the biological effect of high and low LET radiation io the DNA. While the simulations predict single and double strand breaks and base damages, so far all complex lesions are the result of stochastic coincidence from independent processes. Tandem double lesions have not yet been taken into account. Unlike the standard double lesions that are produced by two separate attacks by charged particles or radicals, tandem double lesions are produced by one single attack. The standard double lesions dominate at the high dosage regime. On the other hand, tandem double lesions do not depend on stochastic coincidences and become important at the low dosage regime of particular interest to NASA. Tandem double lesions by hydroxyl radical attack of guanine in isolated DNA have been reported at a dosage of radiation as low as 10 Gy. The formation of two tandem base lesions was found to be linear with the applied doses, a characteristic of tandem lesions. However, tandem double lesions from attack by a charged particle have not been reported.

  5. Chondracanthus tenellus (Harvey) hommersand extract protects the human keratinocyte cell line by blocking free radicals and UVB radiation-induced cell damage.

    PubMed

    Piao, Mei Jing; Hyun, Yu Jae; Oh, Tae-Heon; Kang, Hee Kyoung; Yoo, Eun Sook; Koh, Young Sang; Lee, Nam Ho; Suh, In Soo; Hyun, Jin Won

    2012-12-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of the ethanol extract of the red algae Chondracanthus tenellus (Harvey) Hommersand (CTE) on cultured human keratinocyte cell line. The cellular protection conferred by CTE was evidenced by the ability of the extract to absorb ultraviolet B (UVB; 280-320 nm) and to scavenge the radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, as well as intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), induced by either hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) or UVB radiation. In addition, both superoxide anion generated by the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system and hydroxyl radical generated by the Fenton reaction (FeSO(4) + H(2)O(2)) were scavenged by CTE, as confirmed using electron spin resonance spectrometry. In the human keratinocyte cell line, CTE decreased the degree of injury resulting from UVB-induced oxidative stress to lipids, proteins, and DNA. CTE-treated cells also showed a reduction in UVB-induced apoptosis, as exemplified by fewer apoptotic bodies and less DNA fragmentation. Taken together, these results suggest that CTE confers protection on the human keratinocyte cell line against UVB-induced oxidative stress by absorbing UVB ray and scavenging ROS, thereby reducing injury to cellular constituents.

  6. Interphase cytogenetics of prostatic carcinoma in fine needle aspirate smears of radical prostatectomy specimens: A practical screening tool?

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, R.Y.; Troncoso, P.; El-Naggar, A.K.

    1994-09-01

    Identification of chromosomal aberrations that may be used for diagnostic or prognostic evaluation of prostatic adenocarcinoma has been the subject of great interest. In a previous study, we applied the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method on paraffin-embedded material to show that trisomy 7 was associated with the progression of human prostate cancer. In this study, we attempted to assess the utility of the FISH technique in detecting aneuploidy in fine needle aspirate (FNA) smears of prostatic tissues and to compare FISH results with that of DNA flow cytometry (FCM). Paired samples of normal and tumor FNA smears were obtainedmore » from 10 radical prostatectomy specimens. Dual-color chromosomes 7 and 9-specific centromeric DNA probes were used for FISH. FISH analysis demonstrated increased frequencies of trisomy 7 cells in all 10 tumors studied when compared with the paired normals. In contrast, 6 of 10 tumors were determined to be diploid by FCM. Our results show that FNA of radical prostatectomy specimens is a practical method for obtaining suitable material for both FISH and FCM analyses of prostate carcinoma. Thus, interphase FISH may be a practical screening tool to determine aneuploidy in FNA smears of prostatic carcinoma.« less

  7. Updating the mitochondrial free radical theory of aging: an integrated view, key aspects, and confounding concepts.

    PubMed

    Barja, Gustavo

    2013-10-20

    An updated version of the mitochondrial free radical theory of aging (MFRTA) and longevity is reviewed. Key aspects of the theory are emphasized. Another main focus concerns common misconceptions that can mislead investigators from other specialties, even to wrongly discard the theory. Those different issues include (i) the main reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating site in the respiratory chain in relation to aging and longevity: complex I; (ii) the close vicinity or even contact between that site and the mitochondrial DNA, in relation to the lack of local efficacy of antioxidants and to sub-cellular compartmentation; (iii) the relationship between mitochondrial ROS production and oxygen consumption; (iv) recent criticisms on the MFRTA; (v) the widespread assumption that ROS are simple "by-products" of the mitochondrial respiratory chain; (vi) the unnecessary postulation of "vicious cycle" hypotheses of mitochondrial ROS generation which are not central to the free radical theory of aging; and (vii) the role of DNA repair concerning endogenous versus exogenous damage. After considering the large body of data already available, two general characteristics responsible for the high maintenance degree of long-lived animals emerge: (i) a low generation rate of endogenous damage: and (ii) the possession of tissue macromolecules that are highly resistant to oxidative modification.

  8. Radioprotective properties of apple polyphenols: an in vitro study.

    PubMed

    Chaudhary, Pankaj; Shukla, Sandeep Kumar; Kumar, I Prem; Namita, I; Afrin, Farhat; Sharma, Rakesh Kumar

    2006-08-01

    Present study was undertaken to evaluate the radioprotective ability of total polyphenols extracted from edible portion (epicarp and mesocarp) of apple. Prior administration of apple polyphenols to murine thymocytes significantly countered radiation induced DNA damage (evaluated by alkaline halo assay) and cell death (trypan blue exclusion method) in a dose dependent manner maximally at a concentration of 2 and 0.2 mg/ml respectively. Apple polyphenols in a dose dependent fashion inhibited both radiation or Fenton reaction mediated 2-deoxyribose (2-DR) degradation indicating its ability to scavenge hydroxyl radicals and this activity was found to be unaltered in presence of simulated gastric juice. Similarly apple polyphenols in a dose dependent fashion scavenged DPPH radicals (maximum 69% at 1 mg/ml), superoxide anions (maximum 88% at 2 mg/ml), reduced Fe(3 +) to Fe(2 +) (maximum at 1 mg/ml) and inhibited Fenton reaction mediated lipid peroxidation (maximum 66% at 1.5 mg/ml) further establishing its antioxidative properties. Studies carried out with plasmid DNA revealed the ability of apple polyphenols to inhibit radiation induced single as well as double strand breaks. The results clearly indicate that apple polyphenols have significant potential to protect cellular system from radiation induced damage and ability to scavenge free radicals might be playing an important role in its radioprotective manifestation.

  9. Energy, ageing, fidelity and sex: oocyte mitochondrial DNA as a protected genetic template

    PubMed Central

    de Paula, Wilson B. M.; Lucas, Cathy H.; Agip, Ahmed-Noor A.; Vizcay-Barrena, Gema; Allen, John F.

    2013-01-01

    Oxidative phosphorylation couples ATP synthesis to respiratory electron transport. In eukaryotes, this coupling occurs in mitochondria, which carry DNA. Respiratory electron transport in the presence of molecular oxygen generates free radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are mutagenic. In animals, mutational damage to mitochondrial DNA therefore accumulates within the lifespan of the individual. Fertilization generally requires motility of one gamete, and motility requires ATP. It has been proposed that oxidative phosphorylation is nevertheless absent in the special case of quiescent, template mitochondria, that these remain sequestered in oocytes and female germ lines and that oocyte mitochondrial DNA is thus protected from damage, but evidence to support that view has hitherto been lacking. Here we show that female gametes of Aurelia aurita, the common jellyfish, do not transcribe mitochondrial DNA, lack electron transport, and produce no free radicals. In contrast, male gametes actively transcribe mitochondrial genes for respiratory chain components and produce ROS. Electron microscopy shows that this functional division of labour between sperm and egg is accompanied by contrasting mitochondrial morphology. We suggest that mitochondrial anisogamy underlies division of any animal species into two sexes with complementary roles in sexual reproduction. We predict that quiescent oocyte mitochondria contain DNA as an unexpressed template that avoids mutational accumulation by being transmitted through the female germ line. The active descendants of oocyte mitochondria perform oxidative phosphorylation in somatic cells and in male gametes of each new generation, and the mutations that they accumulated are not inherited. We propose that the avoidance of ROS-dependent mutation is the evolutionary pressure underlying maternal mitochondrial inheritance and the developmental origin of the female germ line. PMID:23754815

  10. Evaluation of free radical scavenging and anti-oxidative capacity of polydatin-nanostructured lipid carriers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meng, Xiang-Ping; Shi, Fan; Li, Hai-Jie; Yin, Li-De; Wang, Yi-Fei; Wang, Zhi-ping; Chen, Tong-sheng

    2016-10-01

    Cellular damage induced by free-radicals like reactive oxygen species has been implicated in several diseases. 2, 2-azobis(2-amidino-propane) dihydrochloride(AAPH) generates two potent ROS capable of inducing lipid peroxidation: alkoxy radical(RO-) and peroxy radical (ROO-). These radicals are similar to those that are physiologically active and thus might initiate a cascade of intracellular toxic events leading to oxidation, lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and subsequent cell death. Hence naturally anti-oxidant play a vital role in combating these conditions. In this study, polydatin loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (Pol-NLC) was prepared by hot melting and then high pressure homogenization technique. The effects of Pol-NLC on free radical scavenging and anti-oxidative capacity is investigated. The particle size and zeta potential of Pol-NLC were 113.9 +/- 1.1 nm and -16.3 1 +/- 0.27 mV, respectively. By free radical scavenging assays, the IC50 value of Pol-NLC were 28.71, 9.83 μg/mL with DPPH, ABTS assay respectively, and 0.143 mg ferrous sulfate/1 mg Pol-NLC with FRAP assay. These results indicated that the antioxidant properties of Pol-NLC hold great potential used as an alternative to more toxic synthetic anti-oxidants as an additive in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations for the oxidative diseases treatment.

  11. Cigarette smoke-induced DNA damage and repair detected by the comet assay in HPV-transformed cervical cells.

    PubMed

    Moktar, Afsoon; Ravoori, Srivani; Vadhanam, Manicka V; Gairola, C Gary; Gupta, Ramesh C

    2009-12-01

    Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the causative factor in the development and progression of cervical cancers in >97% of the cases, although insufficient. Epidemiological studies suggest an elevated risk of cervical cancer for cigarette smokers; therefore, we examined cigarette smoke-induced DNA damage and repair in HPV16-transformed human ectocervical cells (ECT1/E6 E7). Cells were treated with cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) for 72 h to assess the formation of single- and double-strand DNA breaks, measured by alkaline and neutral single cell gel electrophoresis assays, respectively. The mean tail length of cells with single-strand breaks was increased by 1.8-, 2.7- and 3.7-fold (p<0.001) after treatment with 4, 8 and 12 microg/ml CSC, respectively. The tail length with double-strand breaks was also increased dose-dependently. These results were further supported by measurement of the mean tail moment: the increase in both single- and double-strand breaks were much more pronounced with increasing concentration of CSC, by up to 23.5-fold (p<0.0001 for both assays). To examine the DNA repair, cells were treated with CSC for 72 h, followed by CSC withdrawal and re-incubation of the cells with fresh medium for 24, 48, or 72 h. Both single- and double-strand DNA breaks were removed during the initial 24 h but no further removal of the damage was observed. Up to 80% of residual single- and double-strand DNA breaks (p<0.05) were found to persist at all CSC concentrations examined. Ellagic acid, a known antioxidant and free-radical scavenger, was found to significantly inhibit DNA breaks induced by CSC. Thus, free radicals may be a plausible source of CSC-induced DNA damage. These data show that CSC-mediated DNA strand breaks are highly persistent, and suggest that persistence of cigarette smoke-associated DNA damage in the presence of HPV infection may lead to increased mutations in cervical cells and ultimately higher cancer risk.

  12. DNA-protective activities of hyperforin and aristoforin.

    PubMed

    Ševčovičová, A; Šemeláková, M; Plšíková, J; Loderer, D; Imreová, P; Gálová, E; Kožurková, M; Miadoková, E; Fedoročko, P

    2015-04-01

    The aim of this study was to explain the molecular mechanisms of action of hyperforin, a phluoroglucinol derivative found in Hypericum perforatum L. and its more stable derivative aristoforin. DNA-topology assay revealed partial DNA-protective activities of hyperforin and aristoforin against Fe(2+)-induced DNA breaks. In order to assess molecular mechanisms underlying DNA-protective activity, the potential antioxidant activity of hyperforin and aristoforin was investigated using DPPH and OH scavenging assays, reducing power assay and Fe(2+)-chelating assay. We also studied interaction of hyperforin and aristoforin with DNA using established protocols for fluorescence titration. The ability of the studied compounds to relax topoisomerase I with electrophoretic techniques was investigated. The reduction in the fluorescence of hyperforin indicated an interaction between hyperforin and DNA with a binding constant of 0.2×10(8)M(-1). We suggest that a mechanism of hyperforin/aristoforin DNA-protective abilities is based on free radicals (mainly OH) scavenging activity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Potent hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity of drought-induced type-2 metallothionein in wild watermelon.

    PubMed

    Akashi, Kinya; Nishimura, Noriyuki; Ishida, Yoshinori; Yokota, Akiho

    2004-10-08

    Wild watermelon (Citrullus lanatus sp.) has the ability to tolerate severe drought/high light stress conditions despite carrying out normal C3-type photosynthesis. Here, mRNA differential display was employed to isolate drought-responsive genes in the leaves of wild watermelon. One of the isolated genes, CLMT2, shared significant homology with type-2 metallothionein (MT) sequences from other plants. The second-order rate constant for the reaction between a recombinant CLMT2 protein and hydroxyl radicals was estimated to be 1.2 x 10(11) M(-1) s(-1), demonstrating that CLMT2 had an extraordinary high activity for detoxifying hydroxyl radicals. Moreover, hydroxyl radical-catalyzed degradation of watermelon genomic DNA was effectively suppressed by CLMT2 in vitro. This is the first demonstration of a plant MT with antioxidant properties. The results suggest that CLMT2 induction contributes to the survival of wild watermelon under severe drought/high light stress conditions. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Inc.

  14. Purification Efficacy of Synthetic Cannabinoid Conjugates Using High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography

    DTIC Science & Technology

    In the current study, we successfully purified several synthetic cannabinoid (SC):dark quencher conjugates essential for the success of the synthetic... cannabinoid detection platform developed at the US Army Research Laboratorys Weapons and Materials Research Directorate. The purification was

  15. Copper thiobis(alkylphenols) and antioxidant compositions thereof

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Braid, M.

    1980-09-30

    Novel copper thiobis(alkylphenol-phenolate) complexes are effective antioxidant additives for various organic media such as oils of lubricating viscosity and plastics. Additionally these novel copper organo-sulfur compounds are highly useful as energy quenchers and antisludging agents in a variety of organic substrates.

  16. Herbal antioxidant in clinical practice: A review

    PubMed Central

    Alok, Shashi; Jain, Sanjay Kumar; Verma, Amita; Kumar, Mayank; Mahor, Alok; Sabharwal, Monika

    2014-01-01

    Antioxidant-the word itself is magic. Using the antioxidant concept as a spearhead in proposed mechanisms for staving off so-called "free-radical" reactions, the rush is on to mine claims for the latest and most effective combination of free-radical scavenging compounds. We must acknowledge that such "radicals" have definitively been shown to damage all biochemical components such as DNA/RNA, carbohydrates, unsaturated lipids, proteins, and micronutrients such as carotenoids (alpha and beta carotene, lycopene), vitamins A, B6, B12, and folate. Defense strategies against such aggressive radical species include enzymes, antioxidants that occur naturally in the body (glutathione, uric acid, ubiquinol-10, and others) and radical scavenging nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, and E, and carotenoids. This paper will present a brief discussion of some well- and little-known herbs that may add to the optimization of antioxidant status and therefore offer added preventive values for overall health. It is important to state at the outset that antioxidants vary widely in their free-radical quenching effects and each may be individually attracted to specific cell sites. Further evidence of the specialized nature of the carotenoids is demonstrated by the appearance of two carotenoids in the macula region of the retina where beta-carotene is totally absent. PMID:24144136

  17. DNA and chromosome damage induced by bleomycin in mammalian cells: An update.

    PubMed

    Bolzán, Alejandro D; Bianchi, Martha S

    Bleomycin (BLM) is an antibiotic isolated from Streptomyces verticillus. It has radiomimetic actions on DNA thus it has been widely used in clinical chemotherapy for the treatment of different types of cancer, including head and neck tumors, lymphomas, squamous-cell carcinomas and germ-cell tumors. Because of this, the study of BLM genotoxicity is of practical interest. This antibiotic is an S-independent clastogen and an agent that generates free radicals and induces single- and double-strand breaks in DNA. In the present review, we will summarize our current knowledge concerning the DNA and chromosome damage induced by BLM in mammalian cells, with emphasis on new developments published since 1991. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. A Fluorogenic TMP-tag for High Signal-to-Background Intracellular Live Cell Imaging

    PubMed Central

    Jing, Chaoran

    2013-01-01

    Developed to compliment the use of fluorescent proteins in live cell imaging, chemical tags enjoy the benefit of modular incorporation of organic fluorophores, opening the possibility of high photon output and special photophysical properties. However, the theoretical challenge in using chemical tags as opposed to fluorescent proteins for high-resolution imaging is background noise from unbound and/or non-specifically bound ligand-fluorophore. We envisioned we could overcome this limit by engineering fluorogenic trimethoprim-based chemical tags (TMP-tags) in which the fluorophore is quenched until binding with E. coli dihydrofolate reductase (eDHFR) tagged protein displaces the quencher. Thus, we began by building a non-fluorogenic, covalent TMP-tag based on a proximity-induced reaction known to achieve rapid and specific labeling both in vitro and inside of living cells. Here we take the final step and render the covalent TMP-tag fluorogenic. In brief, we designed a trimeric TMP-fluorophore-quencher molecule (TMP-Q-Atto520) with the quencher attached to a leaving group that, upon TMP binding to eDHFR, would be cleaved by a cysteine residue (Cys) installed just outside the binding pocket of eDHFR. We present the in vitro experiments showing that the eDHFR:L28C nucleophile cleaves the TMP-Q-Atto520 rapidly and efficiently, resulting in covalent labeling and remarkable fluorescence enhancement. Most significantly, while only our initial design, TMP-Q-Atto520 achieved the demanding goal of not only labeling highly abundant, localized intracellular proteins, but also less abundant, more dynamic cytoplasmic proteins. These results suggest that fluorogenic TMP-tag can significantly impact highresolution live cell imaging and further establish the potential of proximity-induced reactivity and organic chemistry more broadly as part of the growing toolbox for synthetic biology and cell engineering. PMID:23745575

  19. The accessibility of etheno-nucleotides to collisional quenchers and the nucleotide cleft in G- and F-actin.

    PubMed Central

    Root, D. D.; Reisler, E.

    1992-01-01

    Recent publication of the atomic structure of G-actin (Kabsch, W., Mannherz, H. G., Suck, D., Pai, E. F., & Holmes, K. C., 1990, Nature 347, 37-44) raises questions about how the conformation of actin changes upon its polymerization. In this work, the effects of various quenchers of etheno-nucleotides bound to G- and F-actin were examined in order to assess polymerization-related changes in the nucleotide phosphate site. The Mg(2+)-induced polymerization of actin quenched the fluorescence of the etheno-nucleotides by approximately 20% simultaneously with the increase in light scattering by actin. A conformational change at the nucleotide binding site was also indicated by greater accessibility of F-actin than G-actin to positively, negatively, and neutrally charged collisional quenchers. The difference in accessibility between G- and F-actin was greatest for I-, indicating that the environment of the etheno group is more positively charged in the polymerized form of actin. Based on calculations of the change in electric potential of the environment of the etheno group, specific polymerization-related movements of charged residues in the atomic structure of G-actin are suggested. The binding of S-1 to epsilon-ATP-G-actin increased the accessibility of the etheno group to I- even over that in Mg(2+)-polymerized actin. The quenching of the etheno group by nitromethane was, however, unaffected by the binding of S-1 to actin. Thus, the binding of S-1 induces conformational changes in the cleft region of actin that are different from those caused by Mg2+ polymerization of actin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PMID:1304380

  20. UVA irradiation of BrU-substituted DNA in the presence of Hoechst 33258.

    PubMed

    Saha, Abhijit; Kizaki, Seiichiro; Han, Ji Hoon; Yu, Zutao; Sugiyama, Hiroshi

    2018-01-01

    Given that our knowledge of DNA repair is limited because of the complexity of the DNA system, a technique called UVA micro-irradiation has been developed that can be used to visualize the recruitment of DNA repair proteins at double-strand break (DSB) sites. Interestingly, Hoechst 33258 was used under micro-irradiation to sensitize 5-bromouracil ( Br U)-labelled DNA, causing efficient DSBs. However, the molecular basis of DSB formation under UVA micro-irradiation remains unknown. Herein, we investigated the mechanism of DSB formation under UVA micro-irradiation conditions. Our results suggest that the generation of a uracil-5-yl radical through electron transfer from Hoechst 33258 to Br U caused DNA cleavage preferentially at self-complementary 5'-AA Br U Br U-3' sequences to induce DSB. We also investigated the DNA cleavage in the context of the nucleosome to gain a better understanding of UVA micro-irradiation in a cell-like model. We found that DNA cleavage occurred in both core and linker DNA regions although its efficiency reduced in core DNA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Protection of ionizing radiation-induced cytogenetic damage by hydroalcoholic extract of Cynodon dactylon in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cells and human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

    PubMed

    Rao, Bola Sadashiva Satish; Upadhya, Dinesh; Adiga, Satish Kumar

    2008-01-01

    The radiomodulatory potential of hydroalcoholic extract of a medicinal plant Cynodon dactylon (family: Poaceae) against radiation-induced cytogenetic damage was analyzed using Chinese hamster lung fibroblast (V79) cells and human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBLs) growing in vitro. Induction of micronuclei was used as an index of cytogenetic damage, evaluated in cytokinesis blocked binucleate cells. The hydroalcoholic Cynodon dactylon extract (CDE) rendered protection against the radiation-induced DNA damage, as evidenced by the significant (p<0.001) reduction in micronucleated binucleate cells (MNBNC%) after various doses of CDE treatment in V79 cells and HPBLs. The optimum dose of CDE (40 and 50 microg/ml in HPBLs and V79 cells, respectively) with the greatest reduction in micronuclei was further used in combination with various doses of gamma radiation (0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 Gy) exposed 1 h after CDE treatment. A linear dose-dependent MNBNC% increase in radiation alone group was observed, while 40/50 microg/ml CDE significantly resulted in the reduction of MNBNC%, compared to the respective radiation alone groups. CDE resulted in a dose-dependent increase in free radical scavenging ability against various free radicals, viz., 2, 2-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH); 2, 2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS); superoxide anion (O2*-); hydroxyl radical (OH*) and nitric oxide radical (NO*) generated in vitro. Also, an excellent (70%) inhibition of lipid peroxidation in vitro was observed at a dose of 300 microg/ml CDE, attaining the saturation point at higher doses. The present findings demonstrated the radioprotective effect of CDE, also rendering protection against radiation-induced genomic instability and DNA damage. The observed radioprotective effect may be partly attributed to the free radical scavenging and antilipid peroxidative potential of CDE.

  2. Studies of Ribonucleotide Reductase in Crucian Carp—An Oxygen Dependent Enzyme in an Anoxia Tolerant Vertebrate

    PubMed Central

    Sandvik, Guro K.; Tomter, Ane B.; Bergan, Jonas; Zoppellaro, Giorgio; Barra, Anne-Laure; Røhr, Åsmund K.; Kolberg, Matthias; Ellefsen, Stian

    2012-01-01

    The enzyme ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) catalyzes the conversion of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides, the precursors for DNA. RNR requires a thiyl radical to activate the substrate. In RNR of eukaryotes (class Ia RNR), this radical originates from a tyrosyl radical formed in reaction with oxygen (O2) and a ferrous di-iron center in RNR. The crucian carp (Carassius carassius) is one of very few vertebrates that can tolerate several months completely without oxygen (anoxia), a trait that enables this fish to survive under the ice in small ponds that become anoxic during the winter. Previous studies have found indications of cell division in this fish after 7 days of anoxia. This appears nearly impossible, as DNA synthesis requires the production of new deoxyribonucleotides and therefore active RNR. We have here characterized RNR in crucian carp, to search for adaptations to anoxia. We report the full-length sequences of two paralogs of each of the RNR subunits (R1i, R1ii, R2i, R2ii, p53R2i and p53R2ii), obtained by cloning and sequencing. The mRNA levels of these subunits were measured with quantitative PCR and were generally well maintained in hypoxia and anoxia in heart and brain. We also report maintained or increased mRNA levels of the cell division markers proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Ki67 in anoxic hearts and brains. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements on in vitro expressed crucian carp R2 and p53R2 proteins gave spectra similar to mammalian RNRs, including previously unpublished human and mouse p53R2 EPR spectra. However, the radicals in crucian carp RNR small subunits, especially in the p53R2ii subunit, were very stable at 0°C. A long half-life of the tyrosyl radical during wintertime anoxia could allow for continued cell division in crucian carp. PMID:22916159

  3. Quantum Mechanical Calculations of Cytosine, Thiocytosine and Their Radical Ions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, Rashmi

    2010-08-01

    The RNA and DNA are polymer that share some interesting similarities, for instance it is well known that cytosine is the one of the common nucleic acid base. The sulfur is characterized as a very reactive element and it has been used, in chemical warfare agents. Since the genetic information is based on the sequence of the nucleic acid bases. The quantum mechanical calculations of the energies, geometries, charges and vibrational characteristics of the cytosine and thiocytosine. and their corresponding radicals were carried out by using DFT method with b3lyp/6-311++g** basis set.

  4. Synthesis of nanostructured materials in inverse miniemulsions and their applications.

    PubMed

    Cao, Zhihai; Ziener, Ulrich

    2013-11-07

    Polymeric nanogels, inorganic nanoparticles, and organic-inorganic hybrid nanoparticles can be prepared via the inverse miniemulsion technique. Hydrophilic functional cargos, such as proteins, DNA, and macromolecular fluoresceins, may be conveniently encapsulated in these nanostructured materials. In this review, the progress of inverse miniemulsions since 2000 is summarized on the basis of the types of reactions carried out in inverse miniemulsions, including conventional free radical polymerization, controlled/living radical polymerization, polycondensation, polyaddition, anionic polymerization, catalytic oxidation reaction, sol-gel process, and precipitation reaction of inorganic precursors. In addition, the applications of the nanostructured materials synthesized in inverse miniemulsions are also reviewed.

  5. Identification of antisense nucleic acid hybridization sites in mRNA molecules with self-quenching fluorescent reporter molecules

    PubMed Central

    Gifford, Lida K.; Opalinska, Joanna B.; Jordan, David; Pattanayak, Vikram; Greenham, Paul; Kalota, Anna; Robbins, Michelle; Vernovsky, Kathy; Rodriguez, Lesbeth C.; Do, Bao T.; Lu, Ponzy; Gewirtz, Alan M.

    2005-01-01

    We describe a physical mRNA mapping strategy employing fluorescent self-quenching reporter molecules (SQRMs) that facilitates the identification of mRNA sequence accessible for hybridization with antisense nucleic acids in vitro and in vivo, real time. SQRMs are 20–30 base oligodeoxynucleotides with 5–6 bp complementary ends to which a 5′ fluorophore and 3′ quenching group are attached. Alone, the SQRM complementary ends form a stem that holds the fluorophore and quencher in contact. When the SQRM forms base pairs with its target, the structure separates the fluorophore from the quencher. This event can be reported by fluorescence emission when the fluorophore is excited. The stem–loop of the SQRM suggests that SQRM be made to target natural stem–loop structures formed during mRNA synthesis. The general utility of this method is demonstrated by SQRM identification of targetable sequence within c-myb and bcl-6 mRNA. Corresponding antisense oligonucleotides reduce these gene products in cells. PMID:15718294

  6. Photocatalysis and self-catalyzed photobleaching with covalently-linked chromophore-quencher conjugates built around BOPHY.

    PubMed

    Sirbu, Dumitru; Woodford, Owen J; Benniston, Andrew C; Harriman, Anthony

    2018-06-13

    Two Chromophore-Quencher Conjugates (CQCs) have been synthesized by covalent attachment of the anti-oxidant dibutylated-hydroxytoluene (BHT) to a pyrrole-BF2 chromophore (BOPHY) in an effort to protect the latter against photofading. In fluid solution, light-induced intramolecular charge transfer is favoured in polar solvents and helps to inhibit photo-bleaching of the chromophore. The rate of photo-fading, which scales with the number of BHT residues, is zero-order in polar solvents but shows a linear dependence on the number of absorbed photons. The zero-order rate constant shows an inverse correlation with the fluorescence quantum yield measured in the same solvent. Photo-bleaching in benzonitrile involves autocatalysis while reaction in cyclohexane shows an unexpected stoichiometry. NMR spectroscopy indicates initial damage takes place at the BHT unit and allows identification of a reactive hydroperoxide as being the primary product. In the presence of an adventitious substrate, this hydroperoxide is a photocatalyst for amide formation under mild conditions.

  7. Peptide Beacons: A New Design for Polypeptide-Based Optical Biosensors

    PubMed Central

    Oh, Kenneth J.; Cash, Kevin J.; Hugenberg, Verena; Plaxco, Kevin W.

    2008-01-01

    Phage display and other in vitro selection techniques produce short polypeptides that tightly and specifically bind to any of a wide range of macromolecular targets. Here we demonstrate a potentially general means of converting such polypeptides into optical biosensors. The sensing architecture we have developed, termed peptide beacons, is based on the observation that, whereas short peptides are almost invariably unfolded and highly dynamic, they become rigid when complexed to their target. Using this effect to segregate a long-lived fluorophore from an electron transfer-based contact quencher, both covalently attached to the peptide, we have produced a robust optical sensor for anti-HIV antibodies. The binding-induced segregation of the fluorophore-quencher pair produces a six-fold increase in sensor emission, thus allowing us to readily detect as low as ∼250 pM of the target antibody. Because the sensor is based on binding-induced folding and a visible-light fluorophore, it is sufficiently selective to work directly in complex, contaminant-ridden samples such as saliva and blood. PMID:17461545

  8. Relationship between sensitizer concentration and resist performance of chemically amplified extreme ultraviolet resists in sub-10 nm half-pitch resolution region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kozawa, Takahiro; Santillan, Julius Joseph; Itani, Toshiro

    2017-01-01

    The development of lithography processes with sub-10 nm resolution is challenging. Stochastic phenomena such as line width roughness (LWR) are significant problems. In this study, the feasibility of sub-10 nm fabrication using chemically amplified extreme ultraviolet resists with photodecomposable quenchers was investigated from the viewpoint of the suppression of LWR. The relationship between sensitizer concentration (the sum of acid generator and photodecomposable quencher concentrations) and resist performance was clarified, using the simulation based on the sensitization and reaction mechanisms of chemically amplified resists. For the total sensitizer concentration of 0.5 nm-3 and the effective reaction radius for the deprotection of 0.1 nm, the reachable half-pitch while maintaining 10% critical dimension (CD) LWR was 11 nm. The reachable half-pitch was 7 nm for 20% CD LWR. The increase in the effective reaction radius is required to realize the sub-10 nm fabrication with 10% CD LWR.

  9. Economic photoprotection in photosystem II that retains a complete light-harvesting system with slow energy traps

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belgio, Erica; Kapitonova, Ekaterina; Chmeliov, Jevgenij; Duffy, Christopher D. P.; Ungerer, Petra; Valkunas, Leonas; Ruban, Alexander V.

    2014-07-01

    The light-harvesting antenna of higher plant photosystem II has an intrinsic capability for self-defence against intense sunlight. The thermal dissipation of excess energy can be measured as the non-photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence. It has recently been proposed that the transition between the light-harvesting and self-defensive modes is associated with a reorganization of light-harvesting complexes. Here we show that despite structural changes, the photosystem II cross-section does not decrease. Our study reveals that the efficiency of energy trapping by the non-photochemical quencher(s) is lower than the efficiency of energy capture by the reaction centres. Consequently, the photoprotective mechanism works effectively for closed rather than open centres. This type of defence preserves the exceptional efficiency of electron transport in a broad range of light intensities, simultaneously ensuring high photosynthetic productivity and, under hazardous light conditions, sufficient photoprotection for both the reaction centre and the light-harvesting pigments of the antenna.

  10. Cytotoxic activity of vitamins K1, K2 and K3 against human oral tumor cell lines.

    PubMed

    Okayasu, H; Ishihara, M; Satoh, K; Sakagami, H

    2001-01-01

    Vitamin K1, K2 and K3 were compared for their cytotoxic activity, radical generation and O2- scavenging activity. Among these compounds, vitamin K3 showed the highest cytotoxic activity against human oral tumor cell lines (HSC-2, HSG), human promyelocytic leukemic cell line (HL-60) and human gingival fibroblast (HGF). Vitamin K3 induced internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in HL-60 cells, but not in HSC-2 or HSG cells. The cytotoxic activity of vitamins K2 and K1 was one and two orders lower, respectively, than K3. Vitamin K2, but not vitamin K3, showed tumor-specific cytotoxic action. ESR spectroscopy showed that only vitamin K3 produced radical(s) under alkaline condition and most potently enhanced the radical intensity of sodium ascorbate and scavenged O2- (generated by hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase reaction system); vitamin K2 was much less active whereas vitamin K1 was inactive. These data suggest that the cytotoxic activity of vitamin K3 is generated by radical-mediated oxidation mechanism and that this vitamin has two opposing actions (that is, antioxidant and prooxidant), depending on the experimental conditions.

  11. Does 8-Nitroguanine Form 8-Oxoguanine? An Insight from Its Reaction with •OH Radical.

    PubMed

    Bhattacharjee, Kanika; Shukla, P K

    2018-02-15

    8-Nitroguanine (8-nitroG) formed due to nitration of guanine base of DNA plays an important role in mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. In the present contribution, state-of-the-art quantum chemical calculations using M06-2X density functional and domain-based local pair natural orbital-coupled cluster theory with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations (DLPNO-CCSD(T)) methods have been carried out to investigate the mechanism of reaction of • OH radical with 8-nitroG leading to the formation of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) (one of the most mutagenic and carcinogenic derivatives of guanine) in gas phase and aqueous media. Calculations of barrier energies and rate constants involved in the addition reactions of • OH radical at different sites of 8-nitroguanine show that C8 and C2 sites are the most and least reactive sites, respectively. Relative stability and Boltzmann populations of adducts show that the adduct formed at the C8 site occurs predominantly in equilibrium. Our calculations reveal that 8-nitroG is very reactive toward • OH radical and is converted readily into 8-oxoG when attacked by • OH radicals, in agreement with available experimental observations.

  12. The Polyphenol Chlorogenic Acid Attenuates UVB-mediated Oxidative Stress in Human HaCaT Keratinocytes

    PubMed Central

    Cha, Ji Won; Piao, Mei Jing; Kim, Ki Cheon; Yao, Cheng Wen; Zheng, Jian; Kim, Seong Min; Hyun, Chang Lim; Ahn, Yong Seok; Hyun, Jin Won

    2014-01-01

    We investigated the protective effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA), a polyphenol compound, on oxidative damage induced by UVB exposure on human HaCaT cells. In a cell-free system, CGA scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals, superoxide anions, hydroxyl radicals, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet B (UVB). Furthermore, CGA absorbed electromagnetic radiation in the UVB range (280–320 nm). UVB exposure resulted in damage to cellular DNA, as demonstrated in a comet assay; pre-treatment of cells with CGA prior to UVB irradiation prevented DNA damage and increased cell viability. Furthermore, CGA pre-treatment prevented or ameliorated apoptosis-related changes in UVB-exposed cells, including the formation of apoptotic bodies, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, and alterations in the levels of the apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3. Our findings suggest that CGA protects cells from oxidative stress induced by UVB radiation. PMID:24753819

  13. Molecular Characterization and Antioxidant Potential of Three Wild Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms from Tripura, Northeast India.

    PubMed

    Das, Aparajita Roy; Borthakur, Madhusmita; Saha, Ajay Krishna; Joshi, Santa Ram; Das, Panna

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to characterize 3 wild culinary-medicinal mushrooms using molecular tools and to analyze their antioxidant activity. Antioxidant properties were studied by evaluating free radical scavenging, reducing power, and chelating effect. The mushrooms were identified as Lentinus squarrosulus, L. tuber-regium, and Macrocybe gigantean by amplifying internal transcribed spacer regions of ribosomal DNA. The results demonstrated that the methanolic extract of M. gigantean has the highest free radical scavenging effect and chelating effect, whereas the methanolic extract of L. squarrosulus has the highest reducing power. The highest total phenol content and the most ascorbic acid were found in the M. gigantean extracts. Among the 3 mushroom extracts, M. gigantean displayed the most potent antioxidant activity. Molecular characterization using the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region as a universal DNA marker was an effective tool in the identification and phylogenetic analysis of the studied mushrooms. The study also indicated that these wild macrofungi are rich sources of natural antioxidants.

  14. Protection of cisplatin-induced spermatotoxicity, DNA damage and chromatin abnormality by selenium nano-particles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rezvanfar, Mohammad Amin; Rezvanfar, Mohammad Ali; Shahverdi, Ahmad Reza

    Cisplatin (CIS), an anticancer alkylating agent, induces DNA adducts and effectively cross links the DNA strands and so affects spermatozoa as a male reproductive toxicant. The present study investigated the cellular/biochemical mechanisms underlying possible protective effect of selenium nano-particles (Nano-Se) as an established strong antioxidant with more bioavailability and less toxicity, on reproductive toxicity of CIS by assessment of sperm characteristics, sperm DNA integrity, chromatin quality and spermatogenic disorders. To determine the role of oxidative stress (OS) in the pathogenesis of CIS gonadotoxicity, the level of lipid peroxidation (LPO), antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidasemore » (GSH-Px) and peroxynitrite (ONOO) as a marker of nitrosative stress (NS) and testosterone (T) concentration as a biomarker of testicular function were measured in the blood and testes. Thirty-two male Wistar rats were equally divided into four groups. A single IP dose of CIS (7 mg/kg) and protective dose of Nano-Se (2 mg/kg/day) were administered alone or in combination. The CIS-exposed rats showed a significant increase in testicular and serum LPO and ONOO level, along with a significant decrease in enzymatic antioxidants levels, diminished serum T concentration and abnormal histologic findings with impaired sperm quality associated with increased DNA damage and decreased chromatin quality. Coadministration of Nano-Se significantly improved the serum T, sperm quality, and spermatogenesis and reduced CIS-induced free radical toxic stress and spermatic DNA damage. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that Nano-Se may be useful to prevent CIS-induced gonadotoxicity through its antioxidant potential. Highlights: ► Cisplatin (CIS) affects spermatozoa as a male reproductive toxicant. ► Effect of Nano-Se on CIS-induced spermatotoxicity was investigated. ► CIS-exposure induces oxidative sperm DNA damage and impairs steroidogenesis. ► Nano-Se retained sperm quality against CIS-induced free radicals toxic stress.« less

  15. Autoxidation and toxicant-induced oxidation of lipid and DNA in monkey liver: reduction of molecular damage by melatonin.

    PubMed

    Cabrer, J; Burkhardt, S; Tan, D X; Manchester, L C; Karbownik, M; Reiter, R J

    2001-11-01

    Melatonin, the main secretory product of the pineal gland, is a free radical scavenger and antioxidant which protects against oxidative damage due to a variety of toxicants. However, there is little information regarding melatonin's antioxidative capacity in tissues of primates. In this study we examined the protective effects of melatonin in monkey liver homogenates against lipid damage that occurred as a result of autoxidation or that induced by exogenous addition of H202 and ferrous iron (Fe2+). Additionally, we tested melatonin's protective effect against oxidative damage to DNA induced by chromium(III) (CrIII) plus H202. The levels of malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxyalkenals were assayed as an index of lipid peroxidation, and the concentrations of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as an endpoint of oxidative DNA damage. The increases in malondialdehyde+4-hydroxyalkenals concentrations as a consequence of autoxidation or after the addition of H202 plus Fe2+ to the homogenates were time-dependent. The accumulation of these damaged products due to either auto-oxidative processes or induced by H202 and Fe2+ were significantly reduced by melatonin in a concentration-dependent-manner. The levels of 8-OHdG were elevated in purified monkey liver DNA incubated with a combination of CrCl3 plus H2O2. This rise in oxidatively damaged DNA was prevented by 10 microM concentration of melatonin. Also, melatonin reduced the damage to DNA that was caused by auto-oxidative processes. These findings in monkey liver tissue document the ability of melatonin to protect against oxidative damage to both lipid and DNA in primate tissue, as observed previously in rodent tissue. The findings provide support for the use of melatonin as suitable agent to reduce damage inflicted by free radical species in primates.

  16. Determinants of affinity and mode of DNA binding at the carboxy terminus of the bacteriophage SPO1-encoded type II DNA-binding protein, TF1.

    PubMed

    Andera, L; Geiduschek, E P

    1994-03-01

    The role of the carboxy-terminal amino acids of the bacteriophage SPO1-encoded type II DNA-binding protein, TF1, in DNA binding was analyzed. Chain-terminating mutations truncating the normally 99-amino-acid TF1 at amino acids 96, 97, and 98 were constructed, as were missense mutations substituting cysteine, arginine, and serine for phenylalanine at amino acid 97 and tryptophan for lysine at amino acid 99. The binding of the resulting proteins to a synthetic 44-bp binding site in 5-(hydroxymethyl)uracil DNA, to binding sites in larger SPO1 [5-(hydroxymethyl)uracil-containing] DNA fragments, and to thymine-containing homologous DNA was analyzed by gel retardation and also by DNase I and hydroxy radical footprinting. We conclude that the C tail up to and including phenylalanine at amino acid 97 is essential for DNA binding and that the two C-terminal amino acids, 98 and 99, are involved in protein-protein interactions between TF1 dimers bound to DNA.

  17. Topography of the ISW2–nucleosome complex: insights into nucleosome spacing and chromatin remodeling

    PubMed Central

    Kagalwala, Mohamedi N; Glaus, Benjamin J; Dang, Weiwei; Zofall, Martin; Bartholomew, Blaine

    2004-01-01

    Linker DNA was found to be critical for the specific docking of ISW2 with nucleosomes as shown by mapping the physical contacts of ISW2 with nucleosomes at base-pair resolution. Hydroxyl radical footprinting revealed that ISW2 not only extensively interacts with the linker DNA, but also approaches the nucleosome from the side perpendicular to the axis of the DNA superhelix and contacts two disparate sites on the nucleosomal DNA from opposite sides of the superhelix. The topography of the ISW2–nucleosome was further delineated by finding which of the ISW2 subunits are proximal to specific sites within the linker and nucleosomal DNA regions by site-directed DNA photoaffinity labeling. Although ISW2 was shown to contact ∼63 bp of linker DNA, a minimum of 20 bp of linker DNA was required for stable binding of ISW2 to nucleosomes. The remaining ∼43 bp of flanking linker DNA promoted more efficient binding under competitive binding conditions and was functionally important for enhanced sliding of nucleosomes when ISW2 was significantly limiting. PMID:15131696

  18. Astragalin from Cassia alata Induces DNA Adducts in Vitro and Repairable DNA Damage in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Saito, Samuel; Silva, Givaldo; Santos, Regineide Xavier; Gosmann, Grace; Pungartnik, Cristina; Brendel, Martin

    2012-01-01

    Reverse phase-solid phase extraction from Cassia alata leaves (CaRP) was used to obtain a refined extract. Higher than wild-type sensitivity to CaRP was exhibited by 16 haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants with defects in DNA repair and membrane transport. CaRP had a strong DPPH free radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 2.27 μg mL−1 and showed no pro-oxidant activity in yeast. CaRP compounds were separated by HPLC and the three major components were shown to bind to DNA in vitro. The major HPLC peak was identified as kampferol-3-O-β-d-glucoside (astragalin), which showed high affinity to DNA as seen by HPLC-UV measurement after using centrifugal ultrafiltration of astragalin-DNA mixtures. Astragalin-DNA interaction was further studied by spectroscopic methods and its interaction with DNA was evaluated using solid-state FTIR. These and computational (in silico) docking studies revealed that astragalin-DNA binding occurs through interaction with G-C base pairs, possibly by intercalation stabilized by H-bond formation. PMID:22489129

  19. Astragalin from Cassia alata induces DNA adducts in vitro and repairable DNA damage in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Saito, Samuel; Silva, Givaldo; Santos, Regineide Xavier; Gosmann, Grace; Pungartnik, Cristina; Brendel, Martin

    2012-01-01

    Reverse phase-solid phase extraction from Cassia alata leaves (CaRP) was used to obtain a refined extract. Higher than wild-type sensitivity to CaRP was exhibited by 16 haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants with defects in DNA repair and membrane transport. CaRP had a strong DPPH free radical scavenging activity with an IC(50) value of 2.27 μg mL(-1) and showed no pro-oxidant activity in yeast. CaRP compounds were separated by HPLC and the three major components were shown to bind to DNA in vitro. The major HPLC peak was identified as kampferol-3-O-β-d-glucoside (astragalin), which showed high affinity to DNA as seen by HPLC-UV measurement after using centrifugal ultrafiltration of astragalin-DNA mixtures. Astragalin-DNA interaction was further studied by spectroscopic methods and its interaction with DNA was evaluated using solid-state FTIR. These and computational (in silico) docking studies revealed that astragalin-DNA binding occurs through interaction with G-C base pairs, possibly by intercalation stabilized by H-bond formation.

  20. Tumor Specific Detection of an Optically Targeted Antibody Combined with a Quencher-conjugated Neutravidin “Quencher-Chaser”: A Dual “Quench and Chase” Strategy to Improve Target to Non-target Ratios for Molecular Imaging of Cancer

    PubMed Central

    Ogawa, Mikako; Kosaka, Nobuyuki; Choyke, Peter L; Kobayashi, Hisataka

    2009-01-01

    In vivo molecular cancer imaging with monoclonal antibodies has great potential not only for cancer detection but also for cancer characterization. However, the prolonged retention of intravenously injected antibody in the blood causes low target tumor-to-background ratio (TBR). Avidin has been used as a “chase” to clear the unbound, circulating biotinylated antibody and decrease the background signal. Here, we utilize a combined approach of a Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) quenched antibody with an “avidin chase” to increase TBR. Trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2), was biotinylated and conjugated with the near-infrared (NIR) fluorophore Alexa680 to synthesize Tra-Alexa680-biotin. Next, the FRET quencher, QSY-21, was conjugated to avidin, neutravidin (nAv) or streptavidin (sAv), thus creating Av-QSY21, nAv-QSY21 or sAv-QSY21 as “chasers”. The fluorescence was quenched in vitro by binding Tra-Alexa680-biotin to Av-QSY21, nAv-QSY21 or sAv-QSY21. To evaluate if the injection of quencher-conjugated avidin-derivatives can improve target TBR by using a dual “quench and chase” strategy, both target (3T3/HER2+) and non-target (Balb3T3/ZsGreen) tumor bearing mice were employed. The “FRET quench” effect induced by all the QSY21 avidin-based conjugates reduced but did not totally eliminate background signal from the blood pool. The addition of nAv-QSY21 administration increased target TBR mainly due to the “chase” effect where unbound conjugated antibody was preferentially cleared to the liver. The relatively slow clearance of unbound nAv-QSY21 leads to further reductions in background signal by leaking out of the vascular space and binding to unbound antibodies in the extravascular space of tumors resulting in decreased non-target tumor-to-background ratios but increased target TBR due to the “FRET quench” effect because target-bound antibodies were internalized and could not bind to nAv-QSY21. In conclusion, the proposed “quench-and-chase” system combines two strategies, fluorescent quenching and avidin chasing to improve target TBR and reduce non target TBR which should result in both improved tumor sensitivity and specificity. PMID:19072537

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