Red-emitting DPSB-based conjugated polymer nanoparticles with high two-photon brightness for cell membrane imaging.

New red-emitting conjugated polymers have been successfully synthesized by incorporating classical two-photon absorption (TPA) units, electron-rich units, and a small amount of electron-deficient units along the polymer backbones. Water-dispersible nanoparticles (NPs) based on these polymers were also fabricated for applications in two-photon excitation fluorescence imaging of cell membrane. Through optimization of the polymer/matrix mass ratio and the initial feed concentration of the polymer solution, a high quantum yield (QY) of 24% was achieved for the red-emitting NPs in water. TPA cross section and two-photon action cross section values of these polymers at 750 nm reached up to 1000 GM and 190 GM per repeat unit in aqueous media, 2.5 × 10(5) GM and 4.7 × 10(4) GM per NP, respectively. Furthermore, these NPs displayed excellent photostability and biocompatibility. Their applications as two-photon excitation fluorescence probes for cell membrane imaging have been demonstrated in three different cell lines with excellent imaging contrast. These results demonstrated that these polymer NPs hold great potentials as excellent two-photon excitation fluorescence probes in various biological applications.

Four close bupranolol analogues are antagonists at the low-affinity state of beta1-adrenoceptors.

Bupranolol is an antagonist at the cardiostimulatory low-affinity state of b(1)-adrenoceptors and we were interested whether this effect is shared by its fluorine (GD-6), methyl (DZ-51) and isopropyl analogue (DZ-13) and by the analogue hydroxylated at the tertiary butyl moiety (DZ-52). (-)-Bupranolol and compounds (-)-GD-6, (+)-GD-6, (-)-DZ-13, (+)-DZ-13, DZ-51 and DZ-52 antagonized the CGP 12177-induced tachycardia in pithed rats with "apparent pA(2) values" of 6.1, 6.1, 4.6, 5.5, 4.6, 5.1 and 5.3, respectively. For comparison, their potencies and affinities at the high-affinity state of b(1)-adrenoceptors were determined, using the xamoterol-induced tachycardia in pithed rats and [(3)H]CGP 12177 binding to rat cerebrocortical membranes. The respective "apparent pA(2) values" in the functional experiments were 7.9, 8.1, 5.4, 8.4, 5.7, 7.3 and 6.8 and the pK(i) values in the binding experiments were 8.8, 8.4, 6.9, 8.5, 6.7, 8.4 and 8.2. In conclusion, (-)-bupranolol and its fluorine analogue (-)-GD-6 are equipotent at the low-affinity state of beta(1)-adrenoceptors. The stereoselectivity of GD-6 and DZ-13 suggests that the low-affinity state is indeed a receptor.

Atypical cardiostimulant beta-adrenoceptor in the rat heart: stereoselective antagonism by bupranolol but lack of effect by some bupranolol analogues.

1. Atypical beta-adrenoceptors resistant to propranolol, but blocked by bupranolol, increase contractile force and/or frequency of the heart in humans and rats. We compared the potencies of the enantiomers of bupranolol and examined the possible effects of seven bupranolol analogues including bevantolol (BEV) at this receptor in pithed and vagotomized rats. 2. CGP 12177, an agonist of the atypical beta-adrenoceptor, increased heart rate dose-dependently. Its dose-response curve was shifted to the right by S-(-)-bupranolol 10 micro mol kg(-1) by a factor of 8.4, but not affected by the same dose of R-(+)-bupranolol. 3. Desmethylbupranolol and compounds BK-21, BK-22, BK-23 and BK-25 also increased heart rate dose-dependently. The beta(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist CGP 20712 given in combination with the beta(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist ICI 118,551 (0.1 micro mol kg(-1) each) reduced the positive chronotropic action of the five bupranolol analogues without affecting that of CGP 12177. The potencies of the bupranolol analogues to increase heart rate were correlated (r=0.91, P<0.05) with their affinities for beta(1)-adrenoceptor binding sites in rat brain cortex membranes labelled with [(3)H]CGP 12177 (in the presence of ICI 118,551). 4. BK-26 and BEV, 10 micro mol kg(-1) each, had only minor effects on heart rate by themselves and did not antagonize the effect of CGP 12177. However, at 1 micro mol kg(-1), they antagonized the increase in heart rate elicited by the beta(1)-adrenoceptor agonist prenalterol. 5. In conclusion, bupranolol is a stereoselective antagonist at the atypical cardiostimulant beta-adrenoceptor. The effects of the bupranolol analogues are related to the activation or blockade of beta(1)-adrenoceptors, but not of atypical beta-adrenoceptors.

Phase behaviour of a diglyceride prodrug: spontaneous formation of unilamellar vesicles.

A prodrug (Fig. 1(IV)) is synthesized consisting of the beta-blocker bupranolol which is covalently linked to 1, 3-dipalmitoyl-2-succinyl-glycerol. The resulting lipid-like prodrug is amphipathic and surface active. It disperses readily in H2O above 30 degrees C forming a smectic lamellar phase. This prodrug bears one positive charge at neutral pH and hence the swelling behaviour of dispersions in H2O is similar to that of charged phospholipids: the dispersions show continuous swelling with increasing water content and consequently in the excess H2O region of the phase diagram the thermodynamically most stable structure is the unilamellar vesicle. This includes oligomeric vesicles which may be defined as unilamellar vesicles containing smaller, also unilamellar vesicles entrapped in their internal aqueous compartment. The prodrug dispersions in H2O are polydisperse with vesicle sizes ranging from 0.1 micron to several micron. Sonication of these dispersions produce small unilamellar vesicles of an average size and size distribution similar to sonicated egg phosphatidylcholine dispersions. Unsonicated dispersions of the prodrug in H2O undergo reversibly sharp order-disorder transitions at 32 degrees C with an enthalpy change of delta H = 10 kcal/mol. In sonicated aqueous dispersions this phase transition is asymmetric and significantly broadened indicating that the cooperativity is markedly reduced. The peak temperature and enthalpy change of this broad transition are reduced compared to the transition observed with unsonicated dispersions. The temperature dependence of the electron spin resonance (ESR) hyperfine splitting and order parameter also reflects the order-disorder transition. From ESR spin labeling it is concluded that in sonicated dispersions the prodrug molecule is more mobile and its anisotropy of motion is reduced compared to unsonicated dispersions. This result indicates that the molecular packing in the highly curved bilayers of small unilamellar prodrug vesicles is significantly perturbed compared to bilayers of unsonicated dispersions.

A novel analysis of concentration-dependence of partial agonism Ring-demethylation of bupranolol results in a high affinity partial agonist (K 105) for myocardial and tracheal beta-adrenoceptors.

1. Ring-demethylation of the pure antagonist bupranolol results in a ligand (K 105) which induces conformational beta-adrenoceptor changes leading to partial agonistic effects in heart and trachea. However, these conformational receptor changes are not accompanied by changes in receptor affinity, because the affinity estimates for K 105 and bupranolol did not differ for a variety of myocardial tissues (including ventricular beta-adrenoceptors labelled with 3H-(-)-propranolol] and trachea, not even for tracheal receptor subtypes. 2. For the analysis of the concentration-dependence of the blocking actions of a partial agonist a double log-plot was derived, which includes the classical Schild-plot as a special case. The plot is based on the statistical analysis of the action of partial agonists by Marano and Kaumann (1976). They defined a slope m for the weighted regression of equieffective concentrations of agonist in the absence and presence of a concentration [P] of partial agonist P. We derived the dependence of m on [P], which is suitably expressed as: log (1/m-1) = log [P]-log Kp. For the case of a single class of non-interacting receptors the slope of the double log-regression should be unity. Our plot has incorporated information from complete concentration-effect curves, instead of a single concentration-ratio as in the Schild-plot. Analysis of data of K 105 with the new plot (intrinsic activity greater than 0) and the Schild-plot (intrinsic activity = 0) yielded slopes near unity, consistent with simple competition.

[On the inhibition of thrombocyte aggregation by bupranolol / Aggregometric and electron microscopic study in vitro (author's transl)]. / Zur Hemmung der Thrombozytenaggregation durch Bupranolol. Eine aggregometrische und elektronenmikroskopische In-vitro-Studie.

The ADP-induced primary aggregation of human thrombocytes in vitro was inhibited by 1.5X10(-4) mol/l (+/-)bupranolol. At this concentration a strong desaggregation was obtained. The stereoisomers of bupranolol did not differ in effectiveness. Fractional addition was just as effective as a single dose. Not beta-receptor blocking but a membrane stabilizing effect is, therefore, the probable mechanism -- as in the case of propranolol. The less lipophilic metabolites hydroxybupranolol and carboxybupranolol were one-fourth and one-fifth as effective, respectively, as bupranolol. 5X10(-4) mol/l ASA (final concentration) showed the same inhibition of primary aggregation as did 1.5X10(-4) mol/l bupranolol but elicited less desaggregation. Doubling this dose of ASA resulted in a weaker inhibition than the subsequent addition of the aforementioned doses of bupranolol and ASA or vice versa, while this combination, in turn, inhibited less than a double dose of bupranolol. 1.5X10(-4) mol/l bupranolol inhibited the formation of pseudopodia by thrombocytes not stimulated with ADP. At 3X10(-4) mol/l this inhibition was drastic but no morphological damage was seen.