Vibrio campbellii chitoporin: Thermostability study and implications for the development of therapeutic agents against Vibrio infections.

Vibrio campbellii (formerly Vibrio harveyi) is a bacterial pathogen that causes vibriosis, which devastates fisheries and aquaculture worldwide. V. campbellii expresses chitinolytic enzymes and chitin binding/transport proteins, which serve as excellent targets for antimicrobial agent development. We previously characterized VhChiP, a chitooligosaccharide-specific porin from the outer membrane of V. campbellii BAA-1116. This study employed far-UV circular dichroism and tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy, together with single channel electrophysiology to demonstrate that the strong binding of chitoligosaccharides enhanced thermal stability of VhChiP. The alanine substitution of Trp136 at the center of the affinity sites caused a marked decrease in the binding affinity and decreased the thermal stability of VhChiP. Tryptophan fluorescence titrations over a range of temperatures showed greater free-energy changes on ligand binding (ΔG°binding) with increasing chain length of the chitooligosaccharides. Our findings suggest the possibility of designing stable channel-blockers, using sugar-based analogs that serve as antimicrobial agents, active against Vibrio infection.

Simple and Economical Analytical Voltammetry in 15 µL Volumes: Paracetamol Voltammetry in Blood Serum as a Working Example.

Reported is a three-electrode mini-cell for voltammetry in 15 µL solutions. The key device component is a rolled platinum foil of an inverted omega-shaped cross section, which functions as both the electrolyte container and the counter-electrode. The analytical assembly was completed with properly sized working and reference electrodes in the two terminals of the quasi-tubular Pt trough. Its applicability in electrochemical assays of 15 µL solutions was verified by redox mediator voltammetry at graphite and noble metal sensors and by trace lead stripping voltammetry. Real sample analysis was adequate for drug detection in a volunteer's blood, drawn before and 1 or 4 h after ingestion of paracetamol. In line with its known pharmacokinetics, lack of drug as well as drug presence and clearance were proven correctly in the three samples. The mini-cell here is easy to assemble and operate, indefinitely reusable, and offers valuable economy in chemical usage and minimal waste. This is primarily a versatile device for electrochemical laboratory analysis of samples that are available only in small quantities, and cost-effective quantitative screens for expensive high-molecular-weight compounds, products of microsynthesis, physiological microdialysis collections, and finger-prick blood sampling are seen as feasible targets.

1,3,6-Trihy-droxy-7-meth-oxy-2,8-bis-(3-methyl-but-2-en-yl)-9H-xanthen-9-one.

The title compound (trivial name α-mangostin), C(24)H(26)O(6), isolated from Cratoxylum glaucum, is characterized by a xanthone skeleton of three fused six-membered rings and two 3-methyl-but-2-enyl side chains. The three rings in the structure are nearly coplanar, with an r.m.s. deviation for the tricyclic ring system of 0.0014 Å. The two 3-methyl-but-2-enyl side chains are in (+)-synclinal and (-)-anti-clinal conformations. Intra-molecular O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O inter-actions occur. The crystal structure is stabilized by inter-molecular O-H⋯O, C-H⋯O and C-H⋯π inter-actions.