Solvation properties of ubiquinone-10 in solvents of different polarity

The solvation properties of ubiquinone-10 and ubiquinol-10 in a wide variety of solvents of polarity varying from alkanes to water are reported. Greatest solubility is observed in solvents of intermediate polarity and particularly where low polarity is combined with a pronounced tendency to interact with the benzoquinone substituent of the ubiquinone molecule. This includes solvents like chloroform and benzene. Ubiquinone-10 is somewhat less polar than ubiquinol-10 as judged by comparative solubilities of the two molecules. Proton-NMR chemical shift measurements and aggregation studies in selected solvents indicate that in ubiquinone-10 in the liquid phase and in solution in hydrocarbons like dodecane the molecules have a preferred association possibly involving stacking of the benzoquinone rings. Surface balance studies indicated that the surface-active character of ubiquinone-10 is relatively weak and only in a comparatively polar and highly structured solvent, formamide, was there evidence of an effect on surface tension of the solvent. The critical micelle concentratiom in this solvent was estimated to be about 5 M on the basis of surface tension measurements. Ubiquinone-10 is well known to form virtually insoluble monolayers at the air/water interface. Studies of the partition of ubiquinone-10 in binary mixtures of solvents suggest that the interaction of the benzoquinone ring substituent with structured polar solvents is considerably weaker than the internal cohesion between molecules of the solvent. No evidence on the basis of wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurements was obtained to indicate that solvent molecules were a component of the crystal lattice of ubiquinone-10 that had precipitated from solvent mixtures.     

Effects of the application of chemical additives to desiccated flax on retting

Summary Application of chemical additives to alter the rate of retting of desiccated flax stems was successful. Treatment with ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (EDTA) and urea increased the rate of retting. Increases, in the population of fungal colonisers were observed on urea-treated stems but not after EDTA treatment. Enhanced PG activities were detected in stems treated with EDTA and maimum PL and xylanase activities were detected in stems treated with urea. Urea treated stems produced relatively finer fibres compared to fibres from EDTA treated stems of controls.     

Kinetics of reabsorption of nutrients in renal brush border membrane vesicles from rats with experimental ascending pyelonephritis

The uptake of nutrients was investigated in the renal cortical brush border membrane (BBM) vesicles at different stages of ascending pyelonephritis. There was significant difference (p less than 0.05) in the uptake of D-glucose, L-alanine, L-aspartate, L-lysine and L-proline 3 days postinfection and onwards in both right unobstructed and left obstructed experimental kidneys as compared to the sham operated control. The uptake of D-glucose, L-lysine and L-proline was found to be significantly decreased (p less than 0.05) during the course of infection. While uptake of L-alanine and L-aspartate increased (p less than 0.05) in early stages and decreased (p less than 0.05) in later stages of infection. The differential effect was attributed to the compensatory measure and different kinds of transport systems for different types of amino acids.     

Mycoplasmalike Organisms (MLOs) Associated With the Witches' Broom Disease of Poplar

The witches' broom disease has been recently observed on poplars in Paris and its suburbs. The incidence of the disease appeared to be considerably high along main roads. The electron microscopic examination of 350 nm thick sieve tube sections revealed the presence of wall-less mycoplasmalike organisms (MLOs) in diseased samples of Populus alba var. nivea Wesm. They could not be found in their healthy counterparts.     

Study on growth and biomass of underground organs ofTypha angustata Bory & Chaub

Underground and aboveground biomass and their ratios at flowering time in different natural stands of Typha angustata near Jaipur, India were studied in the field and experimentally over a period of eleven months (June to April). The underground biomass was 40–50% of the aboveground biomass in both natural and experimental conditions.     

Guaianolides from Saussurea affinis

Cynaropicrin, 11βH-11,13-dihydrodesacylcynaropicrin, aguerins A and B, isoamberboin and the new guaianolides saussureolide and 11βH-11,13-dihydrodesacylcynaropicrin 8-β-d-glucoside were isolated from Saussurea affinis.     

Protection by Desferrioxamine Against Histopathological Changes of the Liver in the Post-Oligaemic Phase of Clinical Haemorrhagic Shock in Dogs: Correlation with Improved Survival Rate and Recovery

Haemorrhagic shock was produced in anaesthetized dogs, by rapid arterial bleeding to mean arterial blood pressure 35 mmHg, and maintained oligaemic for 4 h followed by return of withdrawn blood(R0WB). Dogs were observed for 72 h after ROWB for survival and recovery, and, for histopathological (HP) studies on liver, dogs were sacrificed 2 h after ROWB in non-survival experiments. Desferrioxamine mesylate (25mg/kg) was administered intra-muscularly at 2,3 and 4h after blood loss in survival experiments and for HP studies the drug was given at 4 h in one group and at 2 h plus 4 h after blood loss in the second group. With the drug given at 3 or 4h, survival was 70% and 100% while in the 2h and the untreated groups it was 50%. Recovery was rapid in all the drug treated survivors, few became conscious within 30min. showed slight activity by 4-6 h, all were almost normally active by 24 and fully so by 72 h after ROWB. All the 5 control survivors remained unconscious/drowsy upto 24 h; 3 were sluggish at 72 h. By group analysis, serum iron elevation during the oligaemic and at the end of the post-oligaemic phase was less in the drug-treated animals. HP changes of shock in the liver studied by light microscopy, were markedly reduced in severity and were less prevalent in the drug-treated dogs. The salutory effects of desferrioxamine may be due to inhibition of iron catalyzed free-radical production and tissue damage, through its strong iron chelating action. It may have a therapeutic advantage in this emergency condition without the disadvantages of toxicity inherent in prolonged use.     

Calcium ion binding to delta- and to beta-crystallins. The presence of the "EF-hand" motif in delta-crystallin that aids in calcium ion binding

Abnormal levels of endogenous calcium ions are known to induce eye lens opacity, and a variety of causative factors has been proposed, including calcium-mediated aggregation and precipitation of the lens proteins crystallins. We have specifically looked in some detail at the interaction of Ca2+ with various crystallins and its consequences. Lenses incubated in solutions containing 10 mM Ca2+ or 5 mM Tb3+ opacified. Fluorescence titration of crystallins with TbCl3 revealed that this ion binds to delta- and beta-crystallins in solution. Equilibrium dialysis showed that four Ca2+ ions bind to one delta-crystallin tetramer with an affinity of 4.3 x 10(3) M-1. Analysis of the amino acid sequence of delta-crystallin reveals the presence of a calmodulin-type "helix-loop-helix" or "EF-hand" calcium ion binding conformational motif in the region comprising residues 300-350. This is a novel feature of the molecule not reported so far. No other crystallins appear to have this motif. beta-Crystallin also binds four Ca2+ ions/aggregate unit of mass 160 kDa, with an affinity of 2.6 x 10(3) M-1, presumably in the midregion of the molecule that is rich in anionic and polar residues. Circular dichroism spectroscopy shows that the binding of calcium ion leads to subtle conformational changes in the molecules, notably in the tertiary structure.