Effect of ion-ligand binding on ion pairing dynamics studied by two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy.

Cation-specific ion pairing dynamics between M+ (M = Ag or Cu) and SCN- in N,N-dimethylthioformamide (DMTF) are studied by probing the nitrile (CN) stretching vibration. The SCN- ion, which is an ambidentate ligand, readily associates with cations to form two different types of contact ion pairs (CIPs) (i.e., M-SCN or M-NCS) and its CN stretching frequency is significantly blue-shifted so that free SCN- and CIPs can be well-distinguished in the FTIR spectra. Interestingly, Ag+ ions prefer the formation of Ag-SCN in DMTF (Ag+ + SCN- ⇋ Ag-SCN) but Cu+ ions form Cu-NCS (Cu+ + SCN- ⇋ Cu-NCS). We have studied the effect of ion-ligand binding on the ion pairing equilibria and dynamics in great detail by using FTIR, IR pump-probe (IR PP), and two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy combined with quantum chemical calculations. First, our quantum chemical calculations corroborate that Ag-SCN and Cu-NCS of the two possible CIP configurations (M-SCN or M-NCS) are energetically stable and favored in DMTF. Second, the thermodynamic properties (ΔH and ΔS) of ion pairing equilibria are determined by temperature-dependent FTIR experiments. Finally, IR PP and 2DIR experiments are used to measure the association and dissociation rate constants. The ion pairing dynamics between Cu+ and SCN- are found to occur on much faster timescales than those between Ag+ and SCN-. Our current results provide important insights into understanding the effect of ion-ligand binding on the ion pairing equilibria and dynamics in polar solvents.

In situ multi-modal monitoring of solvent vapor swelling in polymer thin films.

Polymer processing techniques involving solvent vapor swelling are typically challenging to control and thus reproduce. Moreover, traditional descriptions of solvent swollen films lack microscopic detail. We describe the design and use of an apparatus that facilitates macroscopic and microscopic characterization of samples undergoing solvent vapor swelling in a controlled environment. The experimental design incorporates three critical characteristics: (1) a mass-flow controlled solvent vapor delivery system allows for precise control of the amount of solvent vapor delivered to the sample, (2) a sample prepared on a quartz crystal microbalance allows for real-time assessment of the extent of sample swelling, (3) a second sample prepared and assessed in parallel on a coverslip allows real-time fluorescence microscopy during swelling. We demonstrate that this apparatus allows for single-particle tracking, which in turn facilitates in situ monitoring of local environments within the solvent-swollen film.

Overexpression of Cell Cycle Proteins of Peripheral Lymphocytes in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

OBJECTIVE: Biological markers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) will help clinicians make objective diagnoses early during the course of dementia. Previous studies have suggested that cell cycle dysregulation begins earlier than the onset of clinical manifestations in AD. METHODS: We examined the lymphocyte expression of cell cycle proteins in AD patients, dementia controls (DC), and normal controls (NC). One-hundred seventeen subjects (36 AD, 31 DC, and 50 NC) were recruited. The cell cycle proteins CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, cyclin B, and cyclin D were measured in peripheral lymphocytes. Cell cycle protein expression in the three groups was compared after adjusting for age and sex. RESULTS: The levels of cell cycle proteins CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, cyclin B, and cyclin D were significantly higher in AD patients than in the NC subjects. The DC group manifested intermediate levels of cell cycle proteins compared with the AD patients and the NC subjects. The present study indicates that cell cycle proteins are upregulated in the peripheral lymphocytes of AD patients. CONCLUSION: Cell cycle dysregulation in peripheral lymphocytes may present a promising starting point for identifying peripheral biomarkers of AD.

Complexation dynamics of CH3SCN and Li(+) in acetonitrile studied by two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy.

Ion-molecule complexation dynamics were studied with CH3SCN and Li(+) in acetonitrile by vibrationally probing the nitrile stretching vibration of CH3SCN. The nitrile stretching vibration of CH3SCN has a long lifetime (T1 = ∼90 ps) and its frequency is significantly blue-shifted when CH3SCN is bound with Li(+) ions to form a CH3SCNLi(+) complex in acetonitrile. Such spectral properties enable us to distinguish free CH3SCN and the CH3SCNLi(+) complex in solutions and measure their dynamics occurring on hundred picosecond timescales. For the complexation between CH3SCN and Li(+) in acetonitrile, the change in enthalpy (ΔH = -7.17 kJ mol(-1)) and the change in entropy (ΔS = -34.4 J K(-1) mol(-1)) were determined by temperature-dependent FTIR experiments. Polarization-controlled infrared pump-probe (IR PP) spectroscopy was used to measure the population decay and orientational dynamics of free CH3SCN and the CH3SCNLi(+) complex. Especially, the orientational relaxation of the CH3SCNLi(+) complex was found to be almost 3 times slower than those of free CH3SCN because Li(+) ions strongly interact with the neighboring solvents. Most importantly, the complexation dynamics of CH3SCN and Li(+) in acetonitrile were successfully measured in real time by 2DIR spectroscopy for the first time and the dissociation and association time constants were directly determined by using the two-species exchange kinetic model. Our experimental results provide a comprehensive overview of the ion-molecule complexation dynamics in solutions occurring under thermal equilibrium conditions.

Rotational dynamics of metal azide ion pairs in dimethylsulfoxide solutions.

Azide ion is an excellent vibrational probe for studying ion-ion and ion-dipole interactions in solutions because its frequency is sensitively dependent on its local environments. When azide ion forms contact ion pairs with cations in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), free azide ion and contact ion pairs are spectrally well distinguished in FTIR spectra. Here, we investigated vibrational population relaxation, P(t), and orientational relaxation dynamics, r(t), of free azide ion and contact ion pairs (LiN3, NaN3, NH4N3, MgN3(+), and CaN3(+)) in DMSO by IR pump-probe spectroscopy. For metal azide ion pairs, the metal ion slowed down the vibrational relaxation of azide ion by acting like a thermal insulator. Biexponential behavior of r(t) was analyzed in the wobbling-in-a-cone model. The long time component of r(t) of free azide ion was found to be viscosity-dependent. The wobbling motion of azide ion within the frame of metal azide ion pairs was weakly dependent on the countercation. When the overall orientational relaxation of metal azide ion pairs was analyzed by the extended Debye-Stokes-Einstein equation, it was well described under stick or superstick boundary conditions due to a strong interaction between the metal ion and DMSO molecules. Our experimental results provide important insight in understanding the rotational dynamics of small ionic species in polar solvents when the size of the ionic species is smaller than or comparable to that of the solvent molecule.

G1/S cell cycle checkpoint defect in lymphocytes from patients with Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: We compared the cell responsiveness of activated lymphocytes to rapamycin, which blocks the G1/S transition, between patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal controls to assess the early phase control defect in cell cycle. METHODS: Blood samples of 26 patients with AD and 28 normal controls were collected to separate peripheral lymphocytes. We measured the proportion of each cell cycle phase in activated lymphocytes using flow cytometry and evaluated the responsiveness of these lymphocytes to rapamycin. RESULTS: The patients with AD were older than the normal controls (AD 74.03±7.90 yr vs. control 68.28±6.21 yr, p=0.004). The proportion of G1 phase cells in the AD group was significantly lower than that in the control group (70.29±6.32% vs. 76.03±9.05%, p=0.01), and the proportion of S phase cells in the AD group was higher than that in control group (12.45±6.09% vs. 6.03±5.11%, p=0.001). Activated lymphocytes in patients with AD were not arrested in the G1 phase and they progressed to the late phase of the cell cycle despite rapamycin treatment, in contrast to those of normal subjects. CONCLUSION: The patients with AD probably have a control defect of early phase cell cycle in peripheral lymphocytes that may be associated with the underlying pathology of neuronal death.

Altered cell viability and proliferation activity of peripheral lymphocytes in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated cell viability and proliferation activity of peripheral lymphocytes as potential models of neuronal death in Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: We analyzed the cell viability and proliferation activity of phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-activated lymphocytes from 68 AD patients and 33 normal controls. The cellular measures were made at baseline (0 hr), 24 hrs, 48 hrs, 72 hrs, and 96 hrs after PHA stimulation. RESULTS: Cell viability in the AD patients was significantly decreased at 72 hrs and 96 hrs, compared with the normal controls. The declining ramp of the proliferation activity from 48 hrs to 72 hrs after PHA stimulation was significantly related to cell viability at 72 hrs and at 96 hrs in the AD patients. CONCLUSION: Lymphocytes from patients with AD have altered viability and proliferation characteristics in culture following PHA stimulation. These findings suggest that lymphocytes may be used as a peripheral tissue model of cell cycle dysregulation in AD.