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Subcellular microenvironment plays a crucial role in maintaining cell homeostasis being hydration an essential parameter to monitor the variations of lipid organization in biological membranes. Fluorescent microenvironment‐sensitive probes are stimuli‐responsive molecules and able to change their fluorescence profile according to the microenvironment properties (polarity, hydration, microviscosity and tension). Here we present an organic fluorescent probe, NPM‐1, as a new microenvironmental dye with selective plasma membrane localization in live cells. Using high‐resolution confocal microscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy, we explored the hydration and polarity variations during the formation of apoptotic bodies in real time. To have a clear understanding of the cell microenvironment variations, an analogue polarity probe able to localize the cytosol and nucleoli was also synthetized, CellPol‐1. Then, we were able to monitor the subcellular hydration variations during the apoptotic body dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of BODIPY‐carboranyl dyads synthesized by a Sonogashira cross‐coupling reaction, where different C‐substituted ortho‐ and meta‐carboranyl fragments have been linked to a BODIPY fluorophore is described. Chemical, photophysical and physicochemical analyses are presented, including NMR and single XRD experiments, optical absorption/emission studies and partition coefficient (log P) measurements. These studies, supported by DFT computations (M06‐2X/6‐31G**), provide an explanation to the largely divergent cell income that these fluorescent carboranyl‐based fluorophores display, for which a structural or physicochemical explanation remains elusive. By studying the cell uptake efficiency and subcellular localization for our set of dyads on living HeLa cells, we tracked the origins of these differences to significant variations in their static dipole moments and partition coefficients, which tune their ability to interact with lipophilic microenvironments in cells. Remarkably, m‐carboranyl‐BODIPY derivatives with a higher lipophilicity are much better internalised by cells than their homologous with o‐carborane, suggesting that m‐isomers are potentially better theranostic agents for in vitro bioimaging and boron carriers for boron neutron capture therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The organosolv process promotes biomass delignification at relatively high temperatures using a wide variety of organic solvent solutions. Nevertheless, previous studies on organosolv processes have not dealt with the use of ethyl lactate as organic solvent. Thus the aim of the present contribution was to determine and to validate if the use of ethyl lactate has a positive influence on lignin recovery for organosolv processes whose feedstock is the solid waste from a wheat straw‐based biorefinery. The effect of operating conditions (temperature and time) on lignin recovery was also studied. RESULTS: A mixed design of experiments was proposed as the strategy to maximize lignin recovery. The mathematical model derived from a multiple linear regression applied to the mixed design results indicates that 190 °C and a non‐aqueous solution containing ethyl lactate and ethanol (81.2% w/w ethyl lactate) could provide a maximum lignin recovery of 75.9% w/w. This theoretical maximum was validated. Thus the proposed model adequately describes the behavior of lignin recovery. Moreover, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) characterization of the resultant lignin suggested that its structure is a function of the organic solvent solution used during the organosolv process. CONCLUSION: The evidence from this study indicates that lignin recovery from the solid waste of a wheat straw‐based biorefinery in an organosolv process depends on temperature and ethyl lactate presence in the reaction medium. These findings enhance the understanding of organosolv processes and could be applied if eventual lignin valorization is desired. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mexico is one of the largest agricultural producers in Latin America and generates a large amount of agricultural residue. The aim of this study was to establish the usefulness of four of the main Mexican crops (corn, wheat, sugarcane, and Agave) as feedstock for lignocellulosic bioethanol production. The lignocellulosic residue ratio (RR), defined as weight of residue (in tons) per ton of product, was measured by sampling crop fields in 11 geographic regions of Mexico. The chemical composition, assessed by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), and structural composition (extractives, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin contents), heating value, and metal content of these lignocellulosic residues were measured. Biorefinery locations, and their theoretical bioethanol production, were suggested using the gravity center method and techno‐economic criteria. The highest RR (1.1 ton of straw per ton of grain) was obtained for wheat straw followed by corn (0.8 ton of stover per ton of grain), sugar cane (0.15 ton of bagasse per ton of cane), and Agave (0.2 ton of bagasse per ton of stem). The composition of these biomasses varied significantly depending on the parental material in extractive compounds, lignocellulosic matter, ashes, hemicellulose, lignin, O‐alkyl C, aromatic C, and carboxyl C. The cellulose crystallinity index and the heating value exhibited small variations among biomasses. Copper, Zn, Cd, and Ni content in the biomasses generally exceeded the European Norm (EN‐Plus FprEN 1496 1‐2 B) for solid biofuels. In total, these agricultural biomasses could be used as feedstock for 34 biorefineries in Mexico with a total bioethanol production potential of approximately 1246 million L year–1. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The measurement of physicochemical parameters in living cells can provide information on individual cellular organelles, helping us to understand subcellular function in health and disease. While organelle‐specific chemical probes have allowed qualitative evaluation of microenvironmental variations, the simultaneous quantification of mitochondrial local microviscosity (ηm) and micropolarity (ϵm), along with concurrent structural variations, has remained an unmet need. Herein, we describe a new multifunctional mitochondrial probe (MMP) for simultaneous monitoring of ηm and ϵm by fluorescence lifetime and emission intensity recordings, respectively. The MMP enables highly precise measurements of ηm and ϵm in the presence of a variety of agents perturbing cellular function, and the observed changes can also be correlated with alterations in mitochondrial network morphology and motility. This strategy represents a promising tool for the analysis of subtle changes in organellar structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The changes occurring during the depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomasses are not yet fully understood. Synchrotron micro‐Fourier transform infrared (µ‐FTIR), Raman spectroscopy (RS), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) were applied for better characterization of wheat straw fibers during a continuous pretreatment process in terms of conditioning (C), extrusion (E), steam explosion (SE), and enzymatic hydrolysis (EH). µ‐FTIR revealed functional groups as phenylpropanoid polymers, ethers, and aliphatic alcohol. RS detected acetoacetate, methyl and phenol groups after SE. The crystallinity index and silica content were also determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four secondary diamines with aromatic spacer groups derived from α,α′-dibromo- p-xylene and 4,4′-bis(chloromethyl)-1,1′-biphenyl have been transformed into bis-dithiocarbamate ligands and each combined with dimethyl-, di- n-butyl-, and diphenyltin(IV) dichloride to yield a total of 12 mononuclear diorganotin(IV) bis-dithiocarbamate complexes with six-coordinate metal coordination geometries and either 23- or 27-membered macrocyclic structures. The products were fully characterized by IR and NMR (1H, 13C, 119Sn) spectroscopy and high-resolution ESI+-TOF mass spectrometry. A representative selection of the macrocyclic complexes was further examined by DFT computational studies and the relative binding energies of the cis and trans isomers of the different diorganotin complexes were calculated and compared. Additionally, four possible conformations of the trans isomers were analyzed. With the purpose of examining whether the complexes can be applied to the recognition of anions, five macrocycles were selected based on criteria that allowed the influence of the aromatic spacer group, the N substituent of the dithiocarbamate ligand, and the organic groups attached to the metal center on the recognition properties to be explored. Among the NMe4+X- salts (X- = F-, Cl-, Br-, I-, NO3-, HSO4-, and CH3COO-) examined, the diorganotin complexes were sensitive to fluoride and carboxylate anions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this work was to determine the influence of air temperature, sample diameter and antioxidants on water activity, moisture content and colour difference of thinly sliced mango in a fluidized bed and tray dryer. Mango samples were treated with antioxidants solutions (ascorbic and citric acid) before the drying process. Fluidized bed and tray drying of control and treated samples were carried out at two temperatures: 50 and 60 °C. A fractional factorial design 2 was used in both drying methods. The Newton semi-theoretical model was found to represent thin-layer drying kinetics of mango. For both drying types, moisture content of thinly sliced mango was well characterised ( R ≥ 0.975) by the model. The temperature increment increases the drying constant and decreases the equilibrium moisture content and water activity of the dehydrated samples. Colour closest to the original colour of fresh mango was obtained when 2 cm diameter mango pretreated with citric acid (1%) was dehydrated by fluidized bed at 60 °C. In addition, it was observed that the drying time at equilibrium by using fluidized bed was lower (60 min) than the tray dryer (120 min). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluates the effect of lead chloride on the activities of acetylcholinesterase, glutathione transferase, and thiols in rats. Reduction in GSH-T activity and thiol concentrations; Elimination of non-protein thiol concentrations; Augment of supernatant proteins.