First Structure-Activity Relationship Study of Potent BLT2 Agonists as Potential Wound-Healing Promoters.

The first potent leukotriene B4 (LTB4) receptor type 2 (BLT2) agonists, endogenous 12()-hydroxyheptadeca-5,8,10-trienoic acid (12-HHT), and synthetic CAY10583 (CAY) have been recently described to accelerate wound healing by enhanced keratinocyte migration and indirect stimulation of fibroblast activity in diabetic rats. CAY represents a very valuable starting point for the development of novel wound-healing promoters. In this work, the first structure-activity relationship study for CAY scaffold-based BLT2 agonists is presented.

On the stability of "non-magic" endohedrally doped Si clusters: a first-principles sampling study of MSi16(+) (M = Ti,V,Cr).

Density-functional theory is used to study the geometric and electronic structure of cationic Si(16)(+) clusters with a Ti, V, or Cr dopant atom. Through unbiased global geometry optimization based on the basin-hopping approach, we confirm that a Frank-Kasper polyhedron, with the metal atom at the center, represents the ground-state isomer for all three systems. The endohedral cage geometry is thus stabilized even though only VSi(16)(+) achieves electronic shell closure within the prevalent spherical potential model.

Capillary condensation and orientational ordering of confined polar fluids.

The phase behavior and the orientational structure of polar model fluids confined to slit pores is investigated by means of density functional theory in a modified mean-field approximation. We focus on fluid states and further assume a uniform number density throughout the pore. Our results for spherical dipolar particles with additional van der Waals-like interactions (Stockmayer fluids) reveal complex fluid-fluid phase behavior involving condensation and first- and second-order isotropic-to-ferroelectric phase transitions, where the ferroelectric ordering occurs parallel to the confining walls.

cDNA structure and expression of calpactin, a peptide involved in Ca2(+)-dependent cell aggregation in sponges.

Aggregation of cells of the marine sponge Geodia cydonium is mediated by an aggregation factor (AF) particle of Mr 1.3 X 10(8). It is now reported that the AF particle is associated with calpactin, which was ascribed a role in the cell-adhesion process.

Role of phospholipase A2 in the stimulation of sponge cell proliferation by homologous lectin.

Using the Geodia cydonium system, we showed that after incubation of competent sponge cells in the presence of lectin, phospholipase A2 was released from the cells. The substrates for this enzyme, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, were identified in the extracellular material of sponge tissue. In addition, the phospholipase A2 inhibitor calelectrin was identified by immunobiochemical techniques; this molecule was associated with the aggregation factor.