Trimethylamine N-oxide aggravates vascular permeability and endothelial cell dysfunction under diabetic condition:in vitro and in vivo study

AIM:To provide the direct evidence for the crucial role of trimethylamine N-oxide(TMAO)in vascular permeability and endothelial cell dysfunction under diabetic condition.METHODS:The role of TMAO on the in vitro biological effect of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells(HRMEC)under high glucose conditions was tested by a cell counting kit,wound healing,a transwell and a tube formation assay.The inflammation-related gene expression affected by TMAO was tested by real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).The expression of the cell junction was measured by Western blotting(WB)and immunofluorescence staining.In addition,two groups of rat models,diabetic and non-diabetic,were fed with normal or 0.1%TMAO for 16wk,and their plasma levels of TMAO,vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),interleukin(IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-αwere tested.The vascular permeability of rat retinas was measured using FITC-Dextran,and the expression of zonula occludens(ZO)-1 and claudin-5 in rat retinas was detected by WB or immunofluorescence staining.RESULTS:TMAO administration significantly increased the cell proliferation,migration,and tube formation of primary HRMEC either in normal or high-glucose conditions.RT-PCR showed elevated inflammation-related gene expression of HRMEC under TMAO stimulation,while WB or immunofluorescence staining indicated decreased cell junction ZO-1 and occludin expression after high-glucose and TMAO treatment.Diabetic rats showed higher plasma levels of TMAO as well as retinal vascular leakage,which were even higher in TMAO-feeding diabetic rats.Furthermore,TMAO administration increased the rat plasma levels of VEGF,IL-6 and TNF-αwhile decreasing the retinal expression levels of ZO-1 and claudin-5.CONCLUSION:TMAO enhances the proliferation,migration,and tube formation of HRMEC,as well as destroys their vascular integrity and tight connection.It also regulates the expression of VEGF,IL-6,and TNF-α.

Trimethylamine N-oxide generation process was influenced by the proportion and source of macronutrients in the diet

Trimethylamine N-oxide(TMAO)is a risk factor of various chronic diseases,which was produced by metabolism from precursors to trimethylamine(TMA)in gut and the oxidation from TMA in liver.The TMA generation was influenced by diet,mainly due to the rich TMAO precursors in diet.However,it was still unclear that the effects of different proportion and source of macronutrients in different dietary pattern on the production process of TMAO.Here,the generation of TMA from precursors and TMAO from TMA was determined after single oral choline chloride and intraperitoneal injection TMA,respectively,in mice fed with carbohydrates,proteins and fats in different proportion and sources.The results suggested that the generation of TMAO was increased by low non-meat protein and high fat via enhancing the production of TMAO from TMA,and decreased by plant protein and refined sugar via reducing TMA production from precursors in gut and TMAO transformation from TMA in liver.The high fat and high sugar diets accelerating the development of atherosclerosis did not increase the production of TMAO,the risk factor for atherosclerosis,which indicated that the dietary compositions rather than the elevated TMAO level might be a more key risk factor for atherosclerosis.

Density Function Theory Study on Effects of Different Energetic Substituent Groups and Bridge Groups on Performance of Carbon-Linked Ditetrazole 2N-Oxides

Based on the parent tetrazole 2N-oxide, six series of novel carbon-linked ditetrazole 2N- oxides with different energetic substituent groups （-NH2, -Na, -NO2, NF2, -NHNO2） and energetic bridge groups （-CH2-, -CH2-CH2-, -NH-, -N=N-, -NH-NH-） were designed. The overall performance and the effects of different energetic substituent groups and energetic bridge groups on the performance were investigated by density functional theory and electrostatic potential methods. The results showed that most of designed compounds have oxygen balance around zero, high heats of formation, high density, high energy, and acceptable sensitivity, indicating that tetrazole N-oxide is a useful parent energetic compound employed for obtaining high energy compounds, even only combined with some very common energetic substituent groups and bridge groups. Comprehensively considering the effects on energy and sensitivity, the -NO2, -NF2, -NH- and-NH-NH- are appropriate substituent groups for combining tetrozale N-oxide to design new energetic compounds, while -NH2, -Na, -CH2-CH2-, and -N=N- are inappropriate.

Trimethylamine N-oxide attenuates high-fat high-cholesterol dietinduced steatohepatitis by reducing hepatic cholesterol overload in rats

BACKGROUND Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) has been shown to be involved in cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, its role in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is unknown. AIM To determine the effect of TMAO on the progression of NASH. METHODS A rat model was induced by 16-wk high-fat high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet feeding and TMAO was administrated by daily oral gavage for 8 wk. RESULTS Oral TMAO intervention attenuated HFHC diet-induced steatohepatitis in rats. Histological evaluation showed that TMAO treatment significantly alleviated lobular inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning in the livers of rats fed a HFHC diet. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were also decreased by TMAO treatment. Moreover, hepatic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and cell death were mitigated in HFHC diet-fed TMAOtreated rats. Hepatic and serum levels of cholesterol were both decreased by TMAO treatment in rats fed a HFHC diet. Furthermore, the expression levels of intestinal cholesterol transporters were detected. Interestingly, cholesterol influxrelated Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 was downregulated and cholesterol efflux-related ABCG5/8 were upregulated by TMAO treatment in the small intestine. Gut microbiota analysis showed that TMAO could alter the gut microbial profile and restore the diversity of gut flora. CONCLUSION These data suggest that TMAO may modulate the gut microbiota, inhibit intestinal cholesterol absorption, and ameliorate hepatic ER stress and cell death under cholesterol overload, thereby attenuating HFHC diet-induced steatohepatitis in rats. Further studies are needed to evaluate the influence on CVD and define the safe does of TMAO treatment.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of a Zinc(II) Complex Salt with the Schiff Base of Picolinaldehyde N-oxide and Semicarbazone

The title zinc（Ⅱ） complex salt [Zn（H2O）6]（ClO4）2-（PNOS）4, where PNOS is derived from picolinaldehyde N-oxide with semicarbazone, has been prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray single-crystal analysis. It crystallizes in triclinic, space group PI with a = 7.529（3）, b = 10.206（4）, c = 14.678（6）A, a = 86.293（6）, β= 87.686（7）, γ= 81.382（6）°, C28H44Cl2N16O22Zn, Mr = 1093.06, V = 1112.3（8） ,A^3 Z = 1, Dc = 1.632 g/cm^3, S = 1.089, μ（MoKa） = 0.773 mm^-1, F（000） = 564, the final R = 0.0438 and wR = 0.1076 for 3888 independent reflections with Rint = 0.0224. The crystal structure possesses a [Zn（H2O）6]^2＋ cation, two ClO4^- anions and four PNOSs. In the crystal structure, Zn^2＋ cation is located at the symcenter and coordinated by six water molecules. In [Zn（H2O）6]^2＋, an elongate octahedral complex cation, the average Zn-O bond length is 2.087（2） A. There exist a lot of H bonds in the structure, linking the cation [Zn（H2O）6]^2＋, anion ClO4^- and PNOS to form a 3D network.

Hydrothermal Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Fluorescent Property of a Cd(Ⅱ) Complex Based on Biimidazole and Isonicotinate-N-oxide

A new complex [Cd（H2biim）2（H2O）2]·（ino）2·4H2O （H2biim = 2,2＇-biimidazole, ino = isonicotinate-N-oxide） has been prepared and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, IR and fluorescence spectra analysis. The crystal is of triclinic system, space group P1 with a = 7.5380（6）, b = 8.0402（7）, c = 13.5094（11） , α = 104.269（1）, β = 93.604（1）, γ = 98.349（1）°, V = 780.93（11） 3, Mr = 765.00, Dc = 1.627 g/cm3, F（000） = 390, μ = 0.776 mm-1 and Z = 1. The final R = 0.0322 and wR = 0.0825 for 7038 observed reflections with I 2σ（I） and R = 0.0341 and wR = 0.0832 for all data. The title complex exhibits an infinite chain-like structure through bridging isonicotinate-N-oxide. Strong interchain hydrogen bonds between isonicotinate-N-oxide and H2biim result in the robust 3-D supramolecular architecture. Moreover, the complex shows strong photoluminescence with emission maximum at λ = 401 nm upon λex = 330 nm.

Distinct influence of trimethylamine N-oxide and high hydrostatic pressure on community structure and culturable deep-sea bacteria

Trimethylamine N-oxide(TMAO)is one of the most important nutrients for bacteria in the deep-sea environment and is capable of improving pressure tolerance of certain bacterial strains.To assess the impact of TMAO on marine microorganisms,especially those dwelling in the deep-sea environment,we analyzed the bacterial community structure of deep-sea sediments after incubated under different conditions.Enrichments at 50 MPa and 0.1 MPa revealed that TMAO imposed a greater influence on bacterial diversity and community composition at atmospheric pressure condition than that under high hydrostatic pressure(HHP).We found that pressure was the primary factor that determines the bacterial community.Meanwhile,in total,238 bacterial strains were isolated from the enrichments,including 112 strains a ffiliated to 16 genera of 4 phyla from the Yap Trench and 126 strains a ffiliated to 11 genera of 2 phyla from the Mariana Trench.Treatment of HHP reduced both abundance and diversity of isolates,while the presence of TMAO mainly af fected the diversity of isolates obtained.In addition,certain genera were isolated only when TMAO was supplemented.Taken together,we demonstrated that pressure primarily defines the bacterial community and culturable bacterial isolates.Furthermore,we showed for the first time that TMAO had distinct influences on bacterial community depending on the pressure condition.The results enriched the understanding of the significance of TMAO in bacterial adaptation to the deep-sea environment.

Synthesis and Structure of the Manganese Complexwith 2-Aminopyridine N-oxide

The complex Mn(apo)6Cl2 (apo=2-aminopyridine N-oxide) was obtained by the reaction of MnCl2(4H2O with apo(HCl and NaOH in ethanol. A single-crystal X-ray study shows that the complex is mononuclear with octahedral coordination environment (MnC30H36N12O6Cl2). The oxygen atoms from apo ligands coordinate to the manganese atom forming Mn(apo)6Cl2. The compound Mn(apo)6Cl2 is hexagonally symmetric with space group R3, lattice constants: a = 12.010(2), b = 12.010(2), c = 20.232(4) ?, ( = 120(, V= 2527.4(7) ?3, Z=3, Mr =786.55, Dc=1.550 g/cm3, (= 0.614mm-1, F(000) = 1221, R = 0.0541, Rw = 0.0580 for 1229 reflections with I>2((I). The distances between Mn(II) and O atoms are in the range from 2.171(5) to 2.184(5) ?, and the distance between the chlorine anion and N atom of amido group is 3.3 ?. The dihedral angle between two adjacent pyridine ring planes is 59.19 (0.17)°.

Synthesis and Structure of bis(μ-2-aminopyridine N-oxide)-bis[dichlorocopper(II)]

The complex [Cu2（apo）4Cl4]·2H2O （apo=2-aminopyridine N-oxide） was obtained. A single- crystal X-ray study shows that the complex is a binuclear compound （Cu2C20H28Cl4N8O6）. The coordination geometry about each copper atom is best described as a distorted square pyramid. The compound [Cu2（apo）4Cl4]·2H2O belongs to the triclinic system with space group P, lattice constants: a = 7.8550（7）, b = 8.5378（7）, c = 12.082（1） ?, α = 72.807（1）, β = 77.641（1）, γ = 70.800（1）(, V =724.85（11） ?3, Z=1, Mr =745.38, Dc=1.708 g/cm3, μ =1.886mm-1, F（000） =378, R=0.0359, wR2=0.0884 for 2220 reflections with I >2σ（I）. The distances between Cu（II） and O atoms are in the range from 1.934（2） to 2.042（2）?. The distance between two copper atoms Cu-Cu（A） is 3.2978（8） ?. The distances of Cu-Cl（1） and Cu-Cl（2） are 2.2322（9）, 2.5095（10） ?, respectively. There is no evident hydrogen bond between N and Cl.

Semi-synthesis and Crystal Structure of Sophoridine N-oxide

Sophoridine N-oxide was synthesized and characterized by 1H-NMR,EI-MS,IR and elemental analysis,together with X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis,and its crystal structure was reported for the first time.The crystal belongs to the orthorhombic system,space group P212121 with a = 8.321（2）,b = 15.650（3）,c = 24.352（5） ,V = 3171.1（11） 3,Z = 8,Dc = 1.258 g/cm3,λ（CuKα） = 1.54178,F（000） = 1440,the final R = 0.0351 and wR = 0.0970.The crystal structure shows Sophoridine N-oxide crystallizes with two host molecules of similar conformation and four water solvent molecules in the asymmetric unit.In the crystal structure,intermolecular O-H…O hydrogen bonds link the constituent molecules into a 2D layer structure,which further extends to a 3D supramolecular architecture via Van der Waals interactions and intermolecular O-H…O hydrogen bonds.

PREPARATION AND MECHANISM OF 7,17-SECO C_(19)-DITERPENOID ALKALOIDS VIA PYROLYSIS OF THEIR N-OXIDES IN DIGLYME

A new preparation method of the N-ethyl 7,17-seco C_(19)-diterpenoid alkaloids(5)and(6)by pyrolysis of the N-oxides(3)and(4),respectively, in anhydrous diglyme is described.A probable reaction mechanism for the pyroly- sis is presented and studied preliminarily.

Contribution of trimethylamine N-oxide on the growth and pressure tolerance of deep-sea bacteria

Trimethylamine N-oxide(TMAO) is widely dispersed in marine environments and plays an important role in the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen. Diverse marine bacteria utilize TMAO as carbon and nitrogen sources or as electron acceptor in anaerobic respiration. Alteration of respiratory component according to the pressure is a common trait of deep-sea bacteria. Deep-sea bacteria from dif ferent genera harbor high hydrostatic pressure(HHP) inducible TMAO reductases that are assumed to be constitutively expressed in the deep-sea piezosphere and facilitating quick reaction to TMAO released from ?sh which is a potential nutrient for bacterial growth. However, whether deep-sea bacteria universally employ this strategy remains unknown. In this study, 237 bacterial strains affliated to 23 genera of Proteobacteria,Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were isolated from seawater, sediment or amphipods collected at dif ferent depths. The pressure tolerance and the utilization of TMAO were examined in 74 strains. The results demonstrated no apparent correlation between the depth where the bacteria inhabit and their pressure tolerance, regarding to our samples. Several deep-sea strains from the genera of Alteromonas, Halomonas,Marinobacter, Photobacterium, and Vibrio showed capacity of TMAO utilization, but none of the isolated Acinebacter, Bacillus, Brevundimonas, Muricauda, Novosphingobium, Rheinheimera, Sphingobium and Stenotrophomonas did, indicating the utilization of TMAO is a species-speci?c feature. Furthermore, we noticed that the ability of TMAO utilization varied among strains of the same species. TMAO has greater impact on the growth of deep-sea isolates of Vibrio neocaledonicus than shallow-water isolates. Taken together, the results describe for the ?rst time the TMAO utilization in deep-sea bacterial strains, and expand our understanding of the physiological characteristic of marine bacteria.

Crebanine N-oxide, a natural aporphine alkaloid isolated from Stephania hainanensis, induces apoptosis and autophagy in human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells

Objective: To investigate the cytotoxic effects and the potential mechanisms of crebanine N-oxide in SGC-7901 gastric adenocarcinoma cells. Methods: The cytotoxicity of crebanine N-oxide was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide assay and cellular morphology was observed under a microscope. Cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry using propidium iodide staining. The expression levels of apoptotic-related proteins, cleaved caspase-3, cytochrome C, p53 and Bax, and autophagyrelated proteins p62, beclin1 and LC3 were detected by Western blotting assays. Results: Crebanine N-oxide treatment significantly inhibited the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells in a dose-dependent and timedependent manner via induction of G2-phase cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and autophagy in SGC-7901 cells.Conclusions: Crebanine N-oxide could inhibit the growth of gastric cancer cells by promoting apoptosis and autophagy and could be used as a potential agent for treating gastric cancer.

Ternary Complexes of Rare Earth Nitrate with B-15-C-5 and 4-Picoline N-Oxide

A series of ternary complexes of rare earth(Ⅲ)nitrate with benzo-15-crown-5 and 4-picoline N-oxide have been prepared.They have the general formula of RE(NO_3)_3·2(4-picNO)·3H_2O·(1/2)(B-15-C-5) (RE=La～Tm).Their physico-chemical properties have also been studied with conductance,thermal analysis and IR absorption spectroscopy.

Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Fluorescence of a Three-dimensional Cd(II) Coordination Polymer [Cd(μ_(1,3)- SCN^-)_2(μ-dmpo)]_n (dmpo = 3,5-Dimethylpyridine N-Oxide)

A three-dimensional complex [Cd（μ1,3-SCN）2（dmpo）]n has been synthesized with μ1,3-SCN^- and dmpo as mixed bridge ligands. The crystal belongs to monoclinic, space group C2/c with a = 15.648（2）, b = 15.126（2）, c = 11.9773（15） A, β= 112.416（2）°, V= 2620.7（6） ,A, Z= 8, C9H9CdN3OS2, Mr = 351.71, Dc = 1.783 g/cm^3, F（000） = 1376 and μ = 1.967 mm^-1. The structure was refined to R = 0.0260 and wR = 0.0647 for 2186 observed reflections （I 〉 2σ（I））. In the crystal the Cd（Ⅱ） ions are coordinated by ,μ1,3-SCN^- bridge ligands to form the crossing chains on the adjacent planes, and these chains are further joined by μ-dmpo mono-dentate bridge ligands leading to a three-dimensional structure. The complex exhibits strong fluorescent emission property.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Tri-(2-mercaptopyridine N-oxide)bis(dimethyl sulfoxide) Dysprosium(III)

A range of rare earth metal complexes of 2-mercaptopyridine N-oxide (Hmpo) have been synthesized, and studied by elemental analysis and IR spectroscopic technique. Crystal structure of Dy(mpo)3(DMSO)2 (DMSO = dimethyl sulfoxide) has been determined. The complex crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P with lattice parameters: a = 9.602(3), b = 9.803(3), c = 15.498(5) ? a = 89.51(1), b = 85.73(1), g = 62.99(1)? Dc = 1.787 g/cm3, C19H24N3O5S5Dy, Mr = 697.21, Z = 2, F(000) = 690, = 3.321mm-1, the final R = 0.0237 and wR = 0.0587 for 4116 reflections with I > 2s(I). The coordination number of dysprosium (Ⅲ) is eight, and its coordination geometry is a somewhat distorted square antiprism with O(3), O(4), O(5), S(3) and O(1), O(2), S(1), S(2) at the tetragonal bases (dihedral angle between their mean planes is 2.9(1)). Around the Dy atom, three five-membered ring planes (Dy, O, N, C, S) make the dihedral angles of 74.42, 11.31 and 83.72, respectively.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of a New Chain Coordination Polymer [Cu(inio)_2(H_2O)]_∞(Inio = Isonicotinic Acid N-Oxide)

A new Cu(Ⅱ) coordination polymer [Cu(inio)2(H2O)] (inio = isonicotinic acid N-oxide) with chemical formula C12H10CuN2O7 was prepared and its crystal structure has been determined by X-ray analysis. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group C2/c with a = 12.455(3), b = 6.202(1), c = 16.555(3) ? b = 106.776(3), V = 1224.3(4) 3, Z = 4, Mr = 357.76, Dc =1.941 g/cm3, m(MoKa) = 1.827 mm-1, F(000) = 724, R = 0.0601 and wR = 0.1417 for 908 observed reflections (I > 2s(I)). The Cu(Ⅱ) atom is coordinated by an elongated square pyramid geometry. The deprotonated isonicotinic acid N-oxides form a double-bridge between each pair of Cu(Ⅱ) ions in trans form through two oxygen atoms from the carboxyl groups and two other oxygen atoms from the -NO groups, respectively, which leads to an infinite one dimensional chain. The two adjacent elongated Cu(Ⅱ) square pyramidal geometries are arranged in trans form in the same chain. The OH…O hydrogen bonds extend the chain structure into two-dimensional layers.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of 3-Nitrophthalic Acid·3-methyl-4-nitropyridine N-Oxide Adducts

The title compound, a 1：1 molecular adduct of 3-nitrophthalic acid and 3-methyl- 4-nitropyridine N-oxide （PPOM）, has been synthesized and characterized by X-ray single-crystal structure analysis. It crystallizes in triclinic, space group PI with α = 7.6076（15）, b = 7.8180（16）, c = 14.546（3）A, α= 93.90（3）, β = 97.21（3）, γ= 114.43（3）°, C14H1N3O9, Mr = 365.26, Z = 2, V = 774.6（3） A^3, Dc = 1.566 g/m^3,μ（MoKa） = 0.134 mm^-1, F（000） = 376, R = 0.0538 and wR = 0. 1460 for 885 observed reflections （1 〉 2σ（I））. The protons of the carbonylic acids in the molecule are not transferred and the O-H…O and C-H…O hydrogen bonds form zigzag chains in the molecule.

Synthesis,characterization and fluorescence of N,N'-BIS (6-metyl-2-pyridinecarboxylamide-N-oxide)-1,2-ethane and corresponding rare earth (Ⅲ) complexes

A new ligand, N,N-BIS (6-metyl-2-pyridinecarboxylamide-N-oxide)-1,2-ethane (L) and six lanthanide(Ⅲ) complexes (RE=La, Sm, Eu, Tb, Gd, Yb) were synthesized and characterized in detail. The results indicated that the composition of the binary complexes was determined as [REL(H2O)(NO3)2]NO3·nH2O (n=0-2), and the Eu3+ complex had bright red fluorescence in solid state. Three complexes of Eu3+, Tb3+, and Gd3+ with 6-methylpicolinic acid N-oxide (L’) were also synthesized. The relative intensity of sensitized luminescence for Eu3+ increased in the following order: L>L’. The phosphorescence spectra of the Gd3+ complexes at 77 K were measured. The energies of excited triplet state for the ligands were 20704 cm-1 (L) and 20408 cm-1 (L’). The facts that the ligands sensitized Eu3+ strongly and the order of the emission intensity for Eu3+ complexes were explained by ΔE(T-5D). This meant that the triplet energy level of the ligand was the main factor to influence RE3+ luminescence.

Synthesis, Characterization and Properties of N,N′-Bis(6-methyl-2-pyridine-N-oxide)-1,3-Propane and Europium and Terbium Complexes

A new ligand, N,N′-Bis(6-methyl-2-pyridine-N-oxide)-1,3-propane (L), and some binary lanthanide complexes (Ln=Eu^(3+), Tb^(3+)) were synthesized and characterized in detail. The composition of the binary complexes was determined as LnL(NO_3)_3. They are 1∶1 electrolytes in DMF. The complexes have strong characteristic line fluorescence emission spectra, and it is also found that TbL(NO_3)_3 complex has stronger luminescence intensity than EuL(NO_3)_3 in solid state and in methanol.