Pyridoxal-5-phosphate induced cardioprotection in aging associated with up-expression of cystathionine-γ-lyase, 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase, and ATP-sensitive potassium channels.

BACKGROUND: In the present work, we investigated the cardioprotective potential of pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PLP) in old rats as a cofactor of enzymes that synthesize hydrogen sulphide (H2 S). MATERIALS AND METHODS: PLP was administered per os in a dose of 0.7 mg per kg daily for 2 weeks. Rats were divided into three groups (adult, old and old +PLP) of 20 animals. The cardiac mRNA levels of genes encoding H2 S-synthesizing enzymes cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3-MST), uncoupling proteins (UCP3), subunits of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP ) channels were determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. We also studied the effect of PLP-administration on the content of H2 S, oxidative stress, the activities of inducible and constitutive NO-synthase (iNOS, cNOS), arginase and nitrate reductase in the heart homogenates as well as cardiac resistance to ischemia-reperfusion in Langendorff-isolated heart model. RESULTS: It was shown that PLP restored mRNA levels of CSE, 3-MST and UCP3 genes, and H2 S content and also significantly increased the expression of SUR2 and Kir6.1 (2.2 and 3.3 times, respectively) in the heart of old rats. PLP significantly reduced the formation of superoxide, malondialdehyde, diene conjugates as well as the activity of iNOS and arginase. PLP significantly increased constitutive synthesis of NO and prevented reperfusion disturbances of the heart function after ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, PLP-administration in old rats was associated with up-expression of CSE, 3-MST, UCP3 and SUR2 and Kir6.1 subunits of KATP channels, and also increased cNOS activity and reduced oxidative stress and prevented reperfusion dysfunction of the heart in ischemia-reperfusion.

Mixed-metal phosphates K1.64Na0.36TiFe(PO4)3 and K0.97Na1.03Ti1.26Fe0.74(PO4)3 with a langbeinite framework.

Single crystals of the langbeinite-type phosphates K1.65Na0.35TiFe(PO4)3 and K0.97Na1.03Ti1.26Fe0.74(PO4)3 were grown by crystallization from high-temperature self-fluxes in the system Na2O-K2O-P2O5-TiO2-Fe2O3 using fixed molar ratios of (Na+K):P = 1.0, Ti:P = 0.20 and Na:K = 1.0 or 2.0 over the temperature range 1273-953 K. The three-dimensional framework of the two isotypic phosphates are built up from [(Ti/Fe)2(PO4)3] structure units containing two mixed [(Ti/Fe)O6] octa-hedra (site symmetry 3) connected via three bridging PO4 tetra-hedra. The potassium and sodium cations share two different sites in the structure that are located in the cavities of the framework. One of these sites has nine and the other twelve surrounding O atoms.

CoOx(OH)y/C nanocomposites in situ derived from Na4Co3(PO4)2P2O7 as sustainable electrocatalysts for water splitting.

The great interest in developing efficient and stable bifunctional electrodes for electrocatalytic water splitting is due to the rapid growth in demand for sustainable and renewable energy sources. Here, we present an original electrode design strategy which can be used for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This strategy is based on the direct formation of active catalytic material on the electrode surface during electrolysis. In our case, cobalt hydroxides (ß-Co(OH)2 and CoO(OH) for HER and OER, respectively) in a carbon matrix are produced by the chemical and electrochemical transformation of various forms (glass, glass-ceramic and polycrystalline) of Na4Co3(PO4)2P2O7 during electrolysis in 1 M NaOH solution. The CoOx(OH)y/C composites demonstrate remarkable stability over time (more than 50 h), and bifunctional catalytic activity with an overall water splitting potential close to 1.8 V at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. The range of overpotentials for OER and HER is 346-365 and 326-369 mV, respectively. These electrodes can invert the OER and HER processes with a total overpotential of 0.6 V in the cell. This remarkable CoO(OH) ↔ Co(OH)2 inversion in the carbon matrix its further utility for creating bifunctional electrodes for long-life water splitting cells.

Partial Substitution of Potassium with Sodium in the K2Ti2(PO4)3 Langbeinite-Type Framework: Synthesis and Crystalline Structure of K1.75Na0.25Ti2(PO4)3.

The interaction of TiN with Na2O-K2O-P2O5 melts was investigated at (Na+K)/P molar ratios of 0.9, 1.0, and 1.2 and at Na/K molar ratios of 1.0 and 2.0. Interactions in the system led to the loss of nitrogen and the partial loss of phosphorus and resulted in the formation of KTiP2O7 and langbeinite-type K2-x Na x Ti2(PO4)3 (x=0.22-0.26) solid solutions over the temperature range of 1173 to 1053 K. The phase compositions of the obtained samples were determined by using X-ray diffraction (including Rietveld refinement), scanning electron microscopy (using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and element mapping), FTIR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis. K1.75Na0.25Ti2(PO4)3 was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction [P213 space group, a=9.851(5) Å]. The 3D framework is built up by TiO6 octahedra and PO4 tetrahedra sharing all the oxygen vertices with the formation of cavities occupied by K(Na) cations. Only one of the two crystallographically inequivalent potassium sites is partially substituted by sodium, and this was confirmed by calculating the bond-valence sum. The thermodynamic stability of K1.75Na0.25Ti2(PO4)3 crystals and the preferable occupation sites of NaK cationic substitutions were investigated by DFT-based electronic structure calculations performed by the plane-wave pseudopotential method.

Immobilization of cesium from aqueous solution using nanoparticles of synthetic calcium phosphates.

The particularities of cesium incorporation into synthetic calcium phosphates with either apatite or whitlockite-type structures were investigated using the sorption process from aqueous solution and further heating to 700 °C. The nanoparticles for sorption were prepared by wet precipitation from aqueous solutions at a fixed molar ratio of Ca/P = 1.67 and two different ratios of CO32-/PO43- (0 or 1). The obtained substituted calcium phosphates and corresponding samples after the sorption of cesium from solutions with different molar concentrations (c(Cs+) = 0.05, 0.1 and 0.25 mol L-1) were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis. Based on the combination of X-ray diffraction and elemental analyses data for the powders after sorption, the cesium incorporated in the apatite- or whitlockite-type structures and its amount increased with its concentration in the initial solution. For sodium-containing calcium phosphate even minor content of Cs+ in its composition significantly changed the general principle of its transformation under annealing at 700 °C with the formation of a mixture of α-Ca3(PO4)2 and cesium-containing apatite-related phase. The obtained results indicate the perspective of using of complex substituted calcium phosphates nanoparticles for immobilization of cesium in the stable whitlockite- or apatite-type crystal materials.

Formaldehyde-aminoguanidine condensation and aminoguanidine self-condensation products: syntheses, crystal structures and characterization.

Guanidine is the functional group on the side chain of arginine, one of the fundamental building blocks of life. In recent years, a number of compounds based on the aminoguanidine (AG) moiety have been described as presenting high anticancer activities. The product of condensation between two molecules of AG and one molecule of formaldehyde was isolated in the protonated form as the dinitrate salt (systematic name: 2,8-diamino-1,3,4,6,7,9-hexaazanona-1,8-diene-1,9-diium dinitrate), C3H14N82+·2NO3-, (I). The cation lacks crystallographically imposed symmetry and comprises two terminal planar guanidinium groups, which share an N-C-N unit. Each cation in (I) builds 14 N-H...O hydrogen bonds and is separated from adjacent cations by seven nitrate anions. The AG self-condensation reaction in the presence of copper(II) chloride and chloride anions led to the formation of the organic-inorganic hybrid 1,2-bis(diaminomethylidene)hydrazine-1,2-diium tetrachloridocuprate(II), (C2H10N6)[CuCl4], (II). Its asymmetric unit is composed of half a diprotonated 1,2-bis(diaminomethylidene)hydrazine-1,2-diium dication and half a tetrachloridocuprate(II) dianion, with the CuII atom situated on a twofold rotation axis. The planar guanidinium fragments in (II) have their planes twisted by approximately 77.64 (5)° with respect to each other. The tetrahedral [CuCl4]2- anion is severely distorted and its pronounced `planarity' must originate from its involvement in multiple N-H...Cl hydrogen bonds. It was reported that [CuCl4]2- anions, with a trans-Cl-Cu-Cl angle (Θ) of ∼140°, are yellow-green at room temperature, with the colour shifting to a deeper green as Θ increases and toward orange as Θ decreases. Brown salt (II), with a Θ value of 142.059 (8)°, does not fit the trend, which emphasizes the need to take other structural factors into consideration. In the crystal of salt (II), layers of cations and anions alternate along the b axis, with the minimum Cu...Cu distance being 7.5408 (3) Šinside a layer. The structures of salts (I) and (II) were substantiated via spectroscopic data. The endothermic reaction involved in the thermal decomposition of (I) requires additional oxygen. The title salts may be useful for the screening of new substances with biological activity.

New complex phosphates Cs3MIIBi(P2O7)2 (MII - Ca, Sr and Pb): synthesis, characterization, crystal and electronic structure.

Herein, the peculiarities of complex phosphate formation in self-fluxes of Cs-MII-Bi-P-O (MII = Ca, Sr, Ba and Pb) systems with Cs/P = 0.7-1.3 at fixed ratios of Bi/P = 0.2 and Bi/MII = 1.0 were studied and discussed. Three novel isostructural diphosphates with the general composition Cs3MIIBi(P2O7)2 (MII = Ca, Sr and Pb) and the original framework topology were synthesized and characterized via single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, SEM, DTA, and FTIR- and UV-VIS-spectroscopy. In addition, electronic structure (DFT) and Voronoi-Dirichlet polyhedra (VDP) characteristics calculations and crystallochemical analysis were performed. In the structure of the new compounds, the MIIO7 and BiO6 polyhedra are connected via common oxygen vertices forming infinite helical-like chains, which are linked by P2O7 groups into a 3D-framework with pentagonal tunnels, where the Cs+ cations are located. The structural peculiarities are discussed considering perspectives for the creation of new luminescent materials. The dielectric bandgaps, Eg, of the Cs3MIIBi(P2O7)2 crystals reveal an ∼0.2 eV low-energy shift in the Ca-Sr-Pb sequence of MII cations, which reveals the possibility to tune the optical absorbance spectra of the crystals via the synthesis of solid solutions with various contents of MII cations. The glass-ceramic synthetic approach is also proposed as a convenient method for the creation of new diphosphates, and the applicability of this method is verified for Cs3CaBi(P2O7)2.

Structure of Biocompatible Coatings Produced from Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles by Detonation Spraying.

Detonation-produced hydroxyapatite coatings were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The source material for detonation spraying was a B-type carbonated hydroxyapatite powder. The coatings consisted of tetracalcium phosphate and apatite. The ratio depended slightly on the degree of crystallinity of the initial powder and processing parameters of the coating preparation. The tetracalcium phosphate phase was homogeneous; the apatite phase contained defects localized on the sixfold axis and consisted of hydroxyapatite and oxyapatite. Technological factors contributing to the transformation of hydroxyapatite powder structure during coating formation by detonation spraying are discussed.

Crystal structure of langbeinite-related Rb0.743K0.845Co0.293Ti1.707(PO4)3.

Potassium rubidium cobalt(II)/titanium(IV) tris-(orthophosphate), Rb0.743K0.845Co0.293Ti1.707(PO4)3, has been obtained using a high-temperature crystallization method. The obtained compound has a langbeinite-type structure. The three-dimensional framework is built up from mixed-occupied (Co/Ti(IV))O6 octa-hedra (point group symmetry .3.) and PO4 tetra-hedra. The K(+) and Rb(+) cations are statistically distributed over two distinct sites (both with site symmetry .3.) in the large cavities of the framework. They are surrounded by 12 O atoms.

The solid solution K3.84Ni0.78Fe3.19(PO4)5.

The title compound, tetra-potassium tetra-[nickel(II)/iron(III)] penta-kis-(orthophosphate), K3.84Ni0.78Fe3.19(PO4)5, has been obtained from a flux. The structure is isotypic with that of K4MgFe3(PO4)5. The three-dimensional framework is built up from (Ni/Fe)O5 trigonal bipyramids with a mixed Fe:Ni occupancy of 0.799 (8):0.196 (10) and isolated PO4 tetra-hedra, one of which is on a general position and one of which has -4.. site symmetry. Two K(+) cations are statistically occupied and are distributed over two positions in hexa-gonally shaped channels that run parallel to [001]. One K(+) cation [occupancy 0.73 (3)] is surrounded by nine O atoms, while the other K(+) cation [occupancy 0.23 (3)] is surrounded by eight O atoms.