Peculiar behavior of the ester carbonyl vibrational modes in anisotropic aliphatic and semi-aromatic polyesters.

The current work reports on a systematic study related to the vibrational modes of the ester carbonyl group in drawn polyesters. We have observed and try to explain how the presence of aromatic units in the molecular structure substantially affects the respective elements of the Raman tensor in contrast to the dipole moment derivative vector which is only marginally influenced. The work is based on the collection of polarized Raman spectra and FTIR dichroism measurements on the one hand and on DFT calculations on the other. The experimental data were obtained from uniaxially stretched aliphatic and semi-aromatic polyesters. The calculations were applied on relevant oriented oligomers and allowed the extraction: (i) of reliable Raman/FTIR vibrational spectra and (ii) the components of the dipole moment derivative and Raman tensor of the vibrational modes and in particular the ones involving the ester carbonyl group. Experimental data indicate that the intensity of the ester carbonyl band is considerably enhanced in the Raman spectra of semi-aromatic polyesters, which results from a considerable enhancement of the related coupling coefficient. Furthermore, the angles of the principle Raman tensor axis are rotated so that the element of the tensor with the greatest value is oriented towards the direction designated by the segment. The latter explains the peculiar experimentally indicated anisotropy, through the ester carbonyl stretching, for the case of semi-aromatic polyesters, which is totally different with that observed in the aliphatic ones.

Stability and physicochemical characterization of novel milk-based oral formulations.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this work was to assess the colloidal stability of novel milk-based formulations. METHODS: Milk-based formulations were prepared in situ by adding into milk alkaline- or ethanolic-drug solutions containing an array of drugs namely; ketoprofen, tolfenamic acid, meloxicam, tenoxicam and nimesulide, mefenamic acid, cyclosporine A, danazol and clopidogrel besylate. The produced formulations were characterized by means of dynamic lightscattering, ζ-potential studies, atomic force microscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy complemented with ab initio calculations and stability studies. RESULTS: The presence of the drugs did not induce significant changes in most cases to the particle size and ζ-potential values of the emulsions pointing to the colloidal stability of these formulations. Raman spectroscopy studies revealed interactions of the drugs and the milk at the intermolecular level. Complementary analysis with ab initio calculations confirmed the experimental observations obtained by Raman spectroscopy. Finally the produced drug containing alkaline/ethanolic solutions exhibited stability over a period of up to 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: The current data demonstrate that milk is a promising drug carrier.

pH-Specific structural speciation of the ternary V(V)-peroxido-betaine system: a chemical reactivity-structure correlation.

Vanadium involvement in cellular processes requires deep understanding of the nature and properties of its soluble and bioavailable forms arising in aqueous speciations of binary and ternary systems. In an effort to understand the ternary vanadium-H(2)O(2)-ligand interactions relevant to that metal ion's biological role, synthetic efforts were launched involving the physiological ligands betaine (Me(3)N(+)CH(2)CO(2)(-)) and H(2)O(2). In a pH-specific fashion, V(2)O(5), betaine, and H(2)O(2) reacted and afforded three new, unusual, and unique compounds, consistent with the molecular formulation K(2)[V(2)O(2)(O(2))(4){(CH(3))(3)NCH(2)CO(2))}]·H(2)O (1), (NH(4))(2)[V(2)O(2)(O(2))(4){(CH(3))(3)NCH(2)CO(2))}]·0.75H(2)O (2), and {Na(2)[V(2)O(2)(O(2))(4){(CH(3))(3)NCH(2)CO(2))}(2)]}(n)·4nH(2)O (3). All complexes 1-3 were characterized by elemental analysis; UV/visible, FT-IR, Raman, and NMR spectroscopy in solution and the solid state; cyclic voltammetry; TGA-DTG; and X-ray crystallography. The structures of 1 and 2 reveal the presence of unusual ternary dinuclear vanadium-tetraperoxido-betaine complexes containing [(V(V)═O)(O(2))(2)] units interacting through long V-O bonds. The two V(V) ions are bridged through the oxygen terminal of one of the peroxide groups bound to the vanadium centers. The betaine ligand binds only one of the two V(V) ions. In the case of the third complex 3, the two vanadium centers are not immediate neighbors, with Na(+) ions (a) acting as efficient oxygen anchors and through Na-O bonds holding the two vanadium ions in place and (b) providing for oxygen-containing ligand binding leading to a polymeric lattice. In 1 and 3, interesting 2D (honeycomb) and 1D (zigzag chains) topologies of potassium nine-coordinate polyhedra (1) and sodium octahedra (3), respectively, form. The collective physicochemical properties of the three ternary species 1-3 project the chemical role of the low molecular mass biosubstrate betaine in binding V(V)-diperoxido units, thereby stabilizing a dinuclear V(V)-tetraperoxido dianion. Structural comparisons of the anions in 1-3 with other known dinuclear V(V)-tetraperoxido binary anionic species provide insight into the chemical reactivity of V(V)-diperoxido systems and their potential link to cellular events such as insulin mimesis and anitumorigenicity modulated by the presence of betaine.

A unique dinuclear mixed V(V) oxo-peroxo complex in the structural speciation of the ternary V(V)-peroxo-citrate system. potential mechanistic and structural insight into the aqueous synthetic chemistry of dinuclear V(V)-citrate species with H2O2.

Diverse vanadium biological activities entail complex interactions with physiological target ligands in aqueous media and constitute the crux of the undertaken investigation at the synthetic level. Facile aqueous redox reactions, as well as nonredox reactions, of V(III) and V(V) with physiological citric acid and hydrogen peroxide, under pH-specific conditions, led to the synthesis and isolation of a well-formed crystalline material upon the addition of ethanol as the precipitating solvent. Elemental analysis pointed to the molecular formulation (NH4)4[(VO2){VO(O2)}(C6H5O7)2]·1.5H2O (1). Complex 1 was further characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Raman spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and X-ray crystallography. The crystallographic structure of 1 reveals the presence of the first dinuclear V(V)-citrate complex with non-peroxo- and peroxo-containing V(V) ions, concurrently present within the basic VV2O2 core. The nonperoxo unit VO2+ and the peroxo unit VO(O2)+ are each coordinated to a triply deprotonated citrate ligand in a distinct coordination mode and coordination geometry around the V(V) ions. These units are similar to those in homodinuclear complexes bearing oxo or peroxo groups. The unique assembly of both units in the anion of 1 renders the latter as a potential intermediate in the peroxidation process, from [V2O4(C6H5O7)2]4­ to [V2O2(O2)2(C6H6O7)2]2­. The transformation reactions of 1 establish its connection with several V(V) and V(IV) dinuclear species present in the aqueous distribution of the V(IV,V)-citrate systems. The shown position of 1 as an intermediate in the mechanism of H2O2 addition to dinuclear V(V)-citrate species portends its role in the complex aqueous distribution of species in the ternary V(V)-peroxo-citrate system and its potential reactivity in (bio)chemically relevant media.

Probing for missing links in the binary and ternary V(V)-citrate-(H2O2) systems: synthetic efforts and in vitro insulin mimetic activity studies.

In a pH-specific fashion, V(2)O(5) and citric acid in the absence and presence of H(2)O(2) reacted and afforded, in the presence of NaOH and (CH(6)N(3))(2)CO(3), two new dinuclear V(V) binary non-peroxo (CH(6)N(3))(6)[V(2)O(4)(C(6)H(4)O(7))(2)].2H(2)O (1) and ternary peroxo (CH(6)N(3))(4)[V(2)O(2)(Omicron(2))(2)(C(6)H(5)O(7))(2)].6Eta(2)Omicron (2) species, respectively. Complexes 1 and 2 were further characterized by elemental analysis, UV/Vis, FT-IR, NMR (solution and solid state Cross Polarization-Magic Angle Spinning (CP-MAS)) and Raman spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry, and X-ray crystallography. Both 1 and 2 are members of the family of dinuclear V(V)-citrate species bearing citrate with a distinct coordination mode and degree of deprotonation, with 2 being the missing link in the family of pH-structural variants of the ternary V(V)-peroxo-citrate system. Given that 1 and 2 possess distinct structural features, relevant binary V(III), V(IV) and V(V), and ternary V(V) species bearing O- and N-containing ligands were tested in in vitro cell cultures to assess their cellular toxicity and insulin mimetic capacity. The results project a clear profile for all species tested, earmarking the importance of vanadium oxidation state and its ligand environment in influencing further binary and ternary interactions of vanadium arising with variable mass cellular targets, ultimately leading to a specific (non)toxic phenotype and glucose uptake ability.

Aqueous V(V)-peroxo-amino acid chemistry. Synthesis, structural and spectroscopic characterization of unusual ternary dinuclear tetraperoxo vanadium(V)-glycine complexes.

Vanadium participation in cellular events entails in-depth comprehension of its soluble and bioavailable forms bearing physiological ligands in aqueous distributions of binary and ternary systems. Poised to understand the ternary V(V)-H(2)O(2)-amino acid interactions relevant to that metal ion's biological role, we have launched synthetic efforts involving the physiological ligands glycine and H(2)O(2). In a pH-specific fashion, V(2)O(5), glycine, and H(2)O(2) reacted and afforded the unusual complexes (H(3)O)(2)[V(2)(O)(2)(mu(2):eta(2):eta(1)-O(2))(2)(eta(2)-O(2))(2)(C(2)H(5)NO(2))] x 5/4 H(2)O (1) and K(2)[V(2)(O)(2)(mu(2):eta(2):eta(1)-O(2))(2)(eta(2)-O(2))(2)(C(2)H(5)NO(2))] x H(2)O (2). 1 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1, with a = 7.805(4) A, b = 8.134(5) A, c = 12.010(7) A, alpha = 72.298(9) degrees, beta = 72.991(9) degrees, gamma = 64.111(9) degrees, V = 641.9(6) A(3), and Z = 2. 2 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1, with a = 7.6766(9) A, b = 7.9534(9) A, c = 11.7494(13) A, alpha = 71.768(2) degrees, beta = 73.233(2) degrees, gamma = 65.660(2) degrees, V = 610.15(12) A(3), and Z = 2. Both complexes 1 and 2 were characterized by UV/visible, LC-MS, FT-IR, Raman, NMR spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and X-ray crystallography. The structures of 1 and 2 reveal the presence of unusual ternary dinuclear vanadium-tetraperoxo-glycine complexes containing [(V(V)=O)(O(2))(2)](-) units interacting through long V-O bonds and an effective glycinate bridge. The latter ligand is present in the dianionic assembly as a bidentate moiety spanning both V(V) centers in a zwitterionic form. The collective physicochemical properties of the two ternary species 1 and 2 project the chemical role of the low molecular mass biosubstrate glycine in binding V(V)-diperoxo units, thereby stabilizing a dinuclear V(V)-tetraperoxo dianion. Structural comparisons of the anions in 1 and 2 with other known dinuclear V(V)-tetraperoxo binary anionic species provide insight into the chemical reactivity of V(V)-diperoxo species in key cellular events such as insulin mimesis and antitumorigenicity, potentially modulated by the presence of glycinate and hydrogen peroxide.

The effect of the molecular orientation on the release of antimicrobial substances from uniaxially drawn polymer matrixes.

A new method of controlled release of low molecular weight biocides incorporated in polymer matrixes is described. The molecular orientation of uniaxially drawn biocide doped polymer films is suggested as a significant parameter for controlled release monitoring. Triclosan, a well-established widespread antibacterial agent, has been incorporated into high density polyethylene (HDPE) films that have been subsequently uniaxially drawn at different draw ratios. The molecular orientation developed was estimated utilizing polarized mu-Raman spectra. Biocide incorporated polymer films, drawn at different draw ratios, have been immersed in ethanol-water solutions (EtOH) and in physiological saline. The release of Triclosan out of the polymer matrix was probed with UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy for a period of time up to 15 months. In all cases, although the film surface of the drawn samples exposed to the liquid solution was higher than the undrawn one, the relevant release rate from the drawn specimens was lower than the non-stretched samples depending on the molecular orientation developed during the drawing process. A note is made of the fact that no significant molecular orientation relaxation of the polyethylene films has been observed even after such a long time of immersion of the drawn films in the liquid solutions.

Incorporation of low molecular weight biocides into polystyrene-divinyl benzene beads with controlled release characteristics.

Triclosan and phosphonium salt biocides have been separately incorporated into polystyrene-divinylbenzene (PS-DVB) beads by suspension polymerization. Ultraviolet (UV) absorption measurements have been used to monitor the release of these low molecular weight biocides out of the PS-DVB beads immersed in water-ethanol mixtures and in physiological saline. The release of the biocide agents is strongly dependent on either the DVB or/and the antimicrobial composition ratio in the beads. An increase of biocide incorporation in the PS/DVB beads was accompanied by a corresponding enhancement of its concentration in liquid mixtures. On the contrary, higher cross-linking densities hindered the biocide migration out of the beads by diminishing its release rate into either the aqueous ethanol solutions or the natural serum. Moreover, Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) spectra and Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared (ATR-FTIR) measurements of the PS-DVB-Triclosan and PS-DVB-phosphonium salt beads, before and after their immersion in water-ethanol solutions, gave a similar qualitative evidence of the biocide release.

Molecular orientation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(butylene terephthalate) probed by polarized Raman spectra: a parallel study.

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) samples uniaxially drawn above Tg and beyond the yield point exhibit significant differences in their molecular orientation behavior as probed by polarized Raman spectra. The quasi-amorphous PET samples, drawn close to the Tg, manifest considerable molecular orientation development; however, when drawn above Tg + 30 degrees C, they exhibit significant molecular orientation relaxation. The semi-crystalline PBT samples maintain prominent molecular orientation even when drawn 110 degrees C above Tg. The drawing process, in PET samples, when resulting in molecular orientation, is accompanied by a gauche-trans transformation of the glycol linkage and a concurrent initiation of crystallinity development. In PBT specimens, it gives rise to a coexistence of alpha- and beta-type crystalline phases. Phase alpha is predominant at high draw temperatures, i.e., Tg + 110 degrees C, while phase beta dominates at low draw temperatures, i.e., Tg + 10 degrees C. PBT samples, with beta-phase predominance, left at relevant draw temperatures without stress, exhibit a beta-alpha phase change though no molecular orientation relaxation occurs. A note is made of the fact that complete molecular orientation analysis of PBT segments utilizing the depol method gives more reliable results than the simplified analysis assuming a cylindrical tensor for the 1614 cm(-1) symmetric stretch of the para-disubstituted benzene ring of PBT. In this context, segments of PBT specimens rich in alpha-phase exhibit higher molecular orientation than those with beta-phase predominance.

Preparation, characterization, and catalytic activity of CoMo/gamma-Al2O3 catalysts prepared by equilibrium deposition filtration and conventional impregnation techniques.

A CoMo/gamma-Al(2)O(3) catalyst, prepared by depositing on the Al(2)O(3) carrier first the Mo species via equilibrium deposition filtration (EDF) and then the Co species by dry impregnation, was compared to three CoMo/gamma-Al(2)O(3) samples prepared using various conventional impregnation methods. All samples had the same composition, corresponding to an atomic ratio Co/(Co+Mo) equal to 0.3. The above samples were characterized using various physicochemical techniques (AAS, BET, DRS, LRS, XPS, TPR, and NO chemisorption), and their catalytic activity was determined using the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of thiophene as a probe reaction. The EDF-prepared catalyst was about 30-43% more active in HDS than those prepared with the conventional impregnation techniques at all reaction temperatures studied. In contrast, the EDF catalyst exhibited the lowest hydrogenation activity. The higher HDS activity of the EDF sample is attributed to the higher number of active HDS sites formed on its surface. It is concluded that the increased number of active sites is due to the fact that the deposition of the Mo species by EDF results to a higher coverage of the support surface by supported molybdenum phase, which in turn, inhibits the formation of the catalytically inactive CoAl(2)O(4) and favors the dispersion of octahedral cobalt on its surface.

A new dinuclear Ti(IV)-peroxo-citrate complex from aqueous solutions. Synthetic, structural, and spectroscopic studies in relevance to aqueous titanium(IV)-peroxo-citrate speciation.

The wide use of titanium in applied materials has prompted pertinent studies targeting the requisite chemistry of that metal's biological interactions. In order to understand such interactions as well as the requisite titanium aqueous speciation, we launched investigations on the synthesis and spectroscopic and structural characterization of Ti(IV) species with the physiological citric acid. Aqueous reactions of TiCl(4) with citric acid in the presence of H(2)O(2) and neutralizing ammonia afforded expediently the red crystalline material (NH(4))(4)[Ti(2)(O(2))(2)(C(6)H(4)O(7))(2)].2H(2)O (1). Complex 1 was further characterized by UV-vis, FT-IR, FT- and laser-Raman, NMR, and finally by X-ray crystallography. Compound 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n, with a = 10.360(4) A, b = 10.226(4) A, c = 11.478(6) A, beta = 107.99(2) degrees, V = 1156.6(9) A(3), and Z = 2. The X-ray structure of 1 reveals a dinuclear anionic complex containing a Ti(IV)(2)O(2) core. In that central unit, two fully deprotonated citrate ligands are coordinated to the metal ions through their carboxylate moieties in a monodentate fashion. The central alkoxides serve as bridges to the two titanium ions. Also attached to the Ti(IV)(2)O(2) core are two peroxo ligands each bound in a side-on fashion to the respective metal ions. NH(4)(+) ions neutralize the 4- charge of the anion in 1, further contributing to the stability of the derived lattice through H-bond formation. The structural similarities and differences with congener vanadium(V)-peroxo-citrate complexes may point out potential implications in the chemistry of titanium with physiological ligands, when the former is present in a biologically relevant medium.

Histamine and serotonin in uremic pruritus: effect of ondansetron in CAPD-pruritic patients.

Pruritus is a common, unpleasant symptom of uremic patients. Serotonin and histamine have been reported as possible mediators ofuremic pruritus, and ondansetron is a potent and selective inhibitor of 5-HT3 receptors. The aims of our study were (1) to evaluate the effect of ondansetron on uremic pruritus in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients and its safety and (2) to investigate the role of histamine and serotonin in uremic pruritus. To study the prevalence and pathogenesis of uremic pruritus, CAPD and hemodialysis (HD) patients were asked to complete a pruritus questionnaire. The replies were scored based on numerical scales, and the results were evaluated by the same investigator who did not know the patients. Pruritus was graded, according to the total points for each patient, as mild, moderate, or severe. Of 54 patients on HD, 29 (53.7%) had pruritus, and of 43 patients on CAPD, pruritus was present in 21 (48.8%). In HD patients, pruritus was mild in 14 (48.3%), moderate in 12 (41.4%), and severe in 3 (10.3%) patients; the distribution in CAPD patients was 9 (42.9%), 10 (47.6%), and 2 (9.5%), respectively. There was no correlation between the presence and severity of pruritus and age, sex, primary renal disease, duration of dialysis, dialysis solutions used, and hematological and biochemical parameters except for serum histamine and serotonin levels and their product. Plasma histamine levels in CAPD patients were 13.1 +/- 1.1 ng/ml in pruritic and 11.0 +/- 3.9 ng/ml in nonpruritic patients (p = 0.06), serum serotonin levels were 115.6 +/- 43.3 ng/ml and 64 +/- 42.3 ng/ml (p < 0.05), respectively, and the histamine x serotonin product was 1,461 +/- 576 and 646 +/- 545 (p < 0.01), respectively. Eleven CAPD patients (6 males, 5 females) with a mean age of 66 (range 33-83) years and an average time on CAPD of 18 (range 3-31) months with moderate to severe pruritus were treated with ondansetron (4 mg twice daily p.o.) for a mean period of 3 (range 1-5) months. All patients responded to the treatment. There was a significant reduction of the severity of pruritus from the start of treatment, and on the 3rd day the pruritic score (mean value) was 10 (range 5-19) points, while at time 0 (before treatment) it was 26 (range 19-37) points (p < 0.0001). Pruritus disappeared in 7 patients at the end of the 1st week and in all patients at the end of the 2nd week of treatment. This effect was maintained during the study. Plasma histamine levels decreased significantly during the treatment from 12.9 +/- 1.2 to 6.7 +/- 5.9 ng/ml (p < 0.05). Also, serum serotonin levels were reduced from 125.1 +/- 47.8 to 59.3 +/- 27.5 ng/ml (p < 0.05) at the end of the 1st month of treatment, and the histamine x serotonin product showed a more significant reduction: from 1,544 +/- 656 to 454 +/- 436 (p < 0.01). Three patients reported an improvement in their nausea and vomiting during the treatment. Weekly clinical and laboratory examinations showed no side effects, adverse reactions, or other complications. Our data indicate that ondansetron is an effective, safe, and well-tolerated drug for the treatment of uremic pruritus in CAPD patients and that histamine and serotonin may have a crucial role in the appearance or perception of the uremic pruritus.