Synthesis, fluorescence and theoretical insights into a novel FRET-based dansyl-rhodamine sensor for the in vitro detection of toxic bioaccumulated Hg(II) ions.

This work describes the successful design and synthesis of a new fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based sensor, denoted as RD1. This sensor incorporates a robust dual-fluorophore design, which combines a rhodamine and a dansyl derivative, functionalized with a thiosemicarbazide group that acts as Hg(II) specific recognition site. A synthetic pathway was developed that allowed the efficient synthesis of RD1 with a remarkable overall yield of 44% over four steps, through microwave-assisted protocols.

Mutagenic drinking water and different levels of emerging micropollutants in Southern Brazil: A new challenge.

This study investigated the presence of mutagenic compounds in raw and treated waters at four water treatment plants (WTP01 to WTP04), in southern Brazil. Samples were concentrated using Amberlite XAD4 resin and the acidic and neutral pH fractions tested by mutagenesis in Salmonella/microsome assay, using TA98, TA100 and YG7108 strains in presence and absence of metabolic activation (in vitro human S9). Mutagenesis in raw water was found only by strain TA98 at WTP03, with and without S9.

Crosstalk of Nucleic Acid Mimics with Lipid Membranes: A Multifaceted Computational and Experimental Study.

Nucleic acid mimics (NAMs) have demonstrated high potential as antibacterial drugs. However, very few studies have assessed their possible diffusion across the bacterial envelope. In this work, we studied NAMs' diffusion in lipid bilayer systems that mimic the bacterial outer membrane using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.

Cholesteryl Phenolipids as Potential Biomembrane Antioxidants.

The lipophilization of polyphenols (phenolipids) may increase their affinity for membranes, leading to better antioxidant protection. Cholesteryl esters of caffeic, dihydrocaffeic, homoprotocatechuic and protocatechuic acids were synthetized in a one-step procedure with good to excellent yields of ~50-95%. After evaluation of their radical scavenging capacity by the DPPH method and establishing the anodic peak potential by cyclic voltammetry, their antioxidant capacity against AAPH-induced oxidative stress in soybean PC liposomes was determined.