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Journal of Oleo Science 2021Quaternary ammonium compounds are widely used as antiseptic and disinfectant. It is been a concern that their widespread use will lead to an increase of environmental...
Quaternary ammonium compounds are widely used as antiseptic and disinfectant. It is been a concern that their widespread use will lead to an increase of environmental problems, therefore the development of biodegradable surfactants is necessary. The present research is aimed at the design of novel amphiphilic molecules with similar properties to those already known but more biodegradable. Based on benzalkonium chloride (BAC), novel carbonate cleavable surfactants (CBAC) were synthesized. The breakable carbonate sites make CBAC compounds more degradable and potentially more biodegradable than their non-cleavable BAC analogues. Natural products such as fatty alcohols (C-C) and N,N-dimethyl-2-aminoethanol were used as reagents for the synthesis of CBAC8-16. These amphiphilic compounds were characterized in terms of surface properties and antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts and moulds. The novel surfactants showed similar surface activities in aqueous solutions when compared to BAC. Also, the surface activity/structure relationship revealed that carbonate cleavable surfactants with n-decyl group (CBAC10) showed the same behaviour as non-cleavable BAC. Furthermore, compounds containing n-octyl (CBAC8), n-decyl (CBAC10) and n-dodecyl (CBAC12) group showed strong antimicrobial activities.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents, Local; Benzalkonium Compounds; Biodegradation, Environmental; Carbonates; Deanol; Disinfectants; Fatty Alcohols; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Indicators and Reagents; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Structure-Activity Relationship; Surface Properties; Surface-Active Agents
PubMed: 33431773
DOI: 10.5650/jos.ess20216 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2022New salts of photochromic indoline spiropyrans capable of reversibly responding to UV radiation were synthesized to develop light-controlled materials. Photoinduced...
New salts of photochromic indoline spiropyrans capable of reversibly responding to UV radiation were synthesized to develop light-controlled materials. Photoinduced reactions of the synthesized compounds were studied using absorption and luminescence spectroscopies, and the quantum yields of photoisomerization and other spectral and kinetic characteristics were measured. It was shown that the light sensitivity and photostability of the synthesized compounds are considerably influenced by the length of the spacer between the indole and ammonium nitrogen atoms.
Topics: Molecular Structure; Benzopyrans; Nitro Compounds; Ammonium Compounds
PubMed: 36500585
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27238492 -
British Medical Journal Jan 1948
Topics: Ammonia; Ammonium Compounds; Bromides; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Tetraethylammonium
PubMed: 18932880
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.1.4541.123-c -
Mitochondrion Jul 2020Plant mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is characterised by alternative electron transport pathways with different energetic efficiencies, allowing turnover of... (Review)
Review
Plant mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is characterised by alternative electron transport pathways with different energetic efficiencies, allowing turnover of cellular redox compounds like NAD(P)H. These electron transport chain pathways are profoundly affected by soil nitrogen availability, most commonly as oxidized nitrate (NO) and/or reduced ammonium (NH). The bioenergetic strategies involved in assimilating different N sources can alter redox homeostasis and antioxidant systems in different cellular compartments, including the mitochondria and the cell wall. Conversely, changes in mitochondrial redox systems can affect plant responses to N. This review explores the integration between N assimilation, mitochondrial redox metabolism, and apoplast metabolism.
Topics: Ammonium Compounds; Cell Respiration; Energy Metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Homeostasis; NAD; Nitrates; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Plant Proteins; Plants
PubMed: 32485334
DOI: 10.1016/j.mito.2020.05.010 -
Journal of Exposure Science &... Sep 2022Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), commonly used in cleaning, disinfecting, and personal care products, have recently gained worldwide attention due to the massive...
BACKGROUND
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), commonly used in cleaning, disinfecting, and personal care products, have recently gained worldwide attention due to the massive use of disinfectants during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite extensive use of these chemicals, no studies have focused on the analysis of QACs in human milk, a major route of exposure for infants.
OBJECTIVE
Our objectives were to identify and measure QACs in breast milk and evaluate early-life exposure to this group of compounds for nursing infants.
METHODS
Eighteen QACs, including 6 benzylalkyldimethyl ammonium compounds (BACs, with alkyl chain lengths of C8-C18), 6 dialkyldimethyl ammonium compounds (DDACs, C8-C18), and 6 alkyltrimethyl ammonium compounds (ATMACs, C8-C18), were measured in breast milk samples collected from U.S. mothers. Daily lactational intake was estimated based on the determined concentrations for 0-12 month old nursing infants.
RESULTS
Thirteen of the 18 QACs were detected in breast milk and 7 of them were found in more than half of the samples. The total QAC concentrations (ΣQAC) ranged from 0.33 to 7.4 ng/mL (median 1.5 ng/mL). The most abundant QAC was C14-BAC with a median concentration of 0.45 ng/mL. The highest median ΣQAC estimated daily intake (EDI) was determined for <1-month old infants based on the average (using the median concentration) and high (using the 95 percentile concentration) exposure scenarios (230 and 750 ng/kg body weight/day, respectively).
SIGNIFICANCE
Our findings provide the first evidence of the detection of several QACs in breast milk and identify breastfeeding as an exposure pathway to QACs for nursing infants.
IMPACT STATEMENT
Our findings provide the first evidence of QAC occurrence in breast milk and identify breastfeeding as one of the exposure pathways to QACs for nursing infants.
Topics: Ammonium Compounds; COVID-19; Disinfectants; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Milk, Human; Pandemics; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
PubMed: 35437305
DOI: 10.1038/s41370-022-00439-4 -
Current Opinion in Chemical Biology Apr 2017The most abundant transition metal in biological systems is iron. It is incorporated into protein cofactors and serves either catalytic, redox or regulatory purposes.... (Review)
Review
The most abundant transition metal in biological systems is iron. It is incorporated into protein cofactors and serves either catalytic, redox or regulatory purposes. Anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria rely heavily on iron-containing proteins - especially cytochromes - for their energy conservation, which occurs within a unique organelle, the anammoxosome. Both their anaerobic lifestyle and the presence of an additional cellular compartment challenge our understanding of iron processing. Here, we combine existing concepts of iron uptake, utilization and metabolism, and cellular fate with genomic and still limited biochemical and physiological data on anammox bacteria to propose pathways these bacteria may employ.
Topics: Ammonium Compounds; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Biological Transport; Coenzymes; Iron; Oxidation-Reduction
PubMed: 28364725
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.03.009 -
Kidney360 May 2022Determination of urinary ammonium excretion is helpful in evaluating patients with acid-base disorders, chronic kidney disease, and nephrolithiasis. However, urinary...
BACKGROUND
Determination of urinary ammonium excretion is helpful in evaluating patients with acid-base disorders, chronic kidney disease, and nephrolithiasis. However, urinary ammonium levels are only measured by specialized laboratories in the United States, limiting widespread implementation. We evaluated the performance of a plasma ammonium assay to quantify urinary ammonium excretion and also determined ammonium stability under a variety of conditions.
METHODS
An enzymatic plasma ammonium assay (Randox) was modified to measure urinary ammonium concentration. Urine samples were diluted 40-fold and then assayed on an Abbott Architect ci8200 analyzer. Assay precision, limit of quantitation, and linearity were determined. The method was compared against the formalin titration method, and stability studies were conducted at different temperatures and pH.
RESULTS
After dilution, the assay had total precision of 18% at 2.54 mmol/L, 5% at 15.58 mmol/L, and 2% at 29.49 mmol/L, with a limit of quantitation of 2.92 mmol/L. Assay performance was linear in the range of 0.7-45 mmol/L. Method comparison against the formalin method showed a slope of 0.98 and intercept of -0.37 mmol/L. Urinary ammonium was determined to be stable for 48 hours at room temperature and for 9 days at 4°C and -20°C at pH 5.6-6.3. Ammonium was less stable at pH 3.8 and 8.5. When stored at -80°C, urinary ammonium was stable for at least 24 months.
CONCLUSIONS
The modified enzymatic plasma ammonium assay reliably quantifies urine ammonium at physiologic concentrations. It compares well with the formalin titration method and is suitable for routine clinical use on an automated chemistry analyzer.
Topics: Ammonium Compounds; Formaldehyde; Humans; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Urinary Tract
PubMed: 36128493
DOI: 10.34067/KID.0000262022 -
The Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Potential of New Water-Soluble Tris-Quaternary Ammonium Compounds.International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2023The invention and innovation of highly effective antimicrobials are always crucial tasks for medical and organic chemistry, especially at the current time, when there is...
The invention and innovation of highly effective antimicrobials are always crucial tasks for medical and organic chemistry, especially at the current time, when there is a serious threat of shortages of effective antimicrobials following the pandemic. In the study presented in this article, we established a new approach to synthesizing three novel series of bioactive water-soluble tris-quaternary ammonium compounds using an optimized one-pot method, and we assessed their antimicrobial and antibiofilm potential. Five pathogenic microorganisms of the ESKAPE group, including highly resistant clinical isolates, were used as the test samples. Moreover, we highlighted the dependence of antibacterial activity from the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance of the QACs and noted the significant performance of the desired products on biofilms with MBEC as low as 16 mg/L against bacteria and 8 mg/L against fungi. Particularly notable was the high activity against and , which are among the most resilient bacteria known. The presented work will provide useful insights for future research on the topic.
Topics: Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Anti-Infective Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteria; Biofilms; Microbial Sensitivity Tests
PubMed: 37445691
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310512 -
Nature Communications Mar 2019Nitric oxide (NO) has important functions in biology and atmospheric chemistry as a toxin, signaling molecule, ozone depleting agent and the precursor of the greenhouse...
Nitric oxide (NO) has important functions in biology and atmospheric chemistry as a toxin, signaling molecule, ozone depleting agent and the precursor of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (NO). Although NO is a potent oxidant, and was available on Earth earlier than oxygen, it is unclear whether NO can be used by microorganisms for growth. Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria couple nitrite reduction to ammonium oxidation with NO and hydrazine as intermediates, and produce N and nitrate. Here, we show that the anammox bacterium Kuenenia stuttgartiensis is able to grow in the absence of nitrite by coupling ammonium oxidation to NO reduction, and produce only N. Under these growth conditions, the transcription of proteins necessary for NO generation is downregulated. Our work has potential implications in the control of NO and NO emissions from natural and manmade ecosystems, where anammox bacteria contribute significantly to N release to the atmosphere. We hypothesize that microbial NO-dependent ammonium oxidation may have existed on early Earth.
Topics: Ammonium Compounds; Anaerobiosis; Bacterial Proteins; Earth, Planet; Gene Expression; Gene Ontology; Molecular Sequence Annotation; Nitric Oxide; Nitrogen; Nitrous Oxide; Oxidation-Reduction; Planctomycetales; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
PubMed: 30886150
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09268-w -
Proceedings. Biological Sciences Jun 2020The symbiotic planktonic foraminifera inhabits open ocean oligotrophic ecosystems where dissolved nutrients are scarce and often limit biological productivity. It has...
The symbiotic planktonic foraminifera inhabits open ocean oligotrophic ecosystems where dissolved nutrients are scarce and often limit biological productivity. It has previously been proposed that meets its nitrogen (N) requirements by preying on zooplankton, and that its symbiotic dinoflagellates recycle metabolic 'waste ammonium' for their N pool. However, these conclusions were derived from bulk N-enrichment experiments and model calculations, and our understanding of N assimilation and exchange between the foraminifer host cell and its symbiotic dinoflagellates remains poorly constrained. Here, we present data from pulse-chase experiments with C-enriched inorganic carbon, N-nitrate, and N-ammonium, as well as a C- and N- enriched heterotrophic food source, followed by TEM (transmission electron microscopy) coupled to NanoSIMS (nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry) isotopic imaging to visualize and quantify C and N assimilation and translocation in the symbiotic system. High levels of N-labelling were observed in the dinoflagellates and in foraminiferal organelles and cytoplasm after incubation with N-ammonium, indicating efficient ammonium assimilation. Only weak N-assimilation was observed after incubation with N-nitrate. Feeding foraminifers with C- and N-labelled food resulted in dinoflagellates that were labelled with N, thereby confirming the transfer of N-compounds from the digestive vacuoles of the foraminifer to the symbiotic dinoflagellates, likely through recycling of ammonium. These observations are important for N isotope-based palaeoceanographic reconstructions, as they show that δN values recorded in the organic matrix in symbiotic species likely reflect ammonium recycling rather than alternative N sources, such as nitrates.
Topics: Ammonium Compounds; Animals; Carbon; Dinoflagellida; Ecosystem; Foraminifera; Nitrogen; Plankton; Symbiosis
PubMed: 32546098
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0620