Chemistry News Archive July 2009

Biodiesel on the wing: A 'green' process for biodiesel from feather meal

Scientists in Nevada are reporting development of a new and environmentally friendly process for producing biodiesel fuel from "chicken feather meal," made from the 11 billion pounds of poultry industry waste that accumulate annually in the United States alone. Their study is scheduled for the July 22 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

In the study Mano Misra, Susanta Mohapatra, Narasimharao Kondamudi, and Jason Strull note that chicken feather meal consists of processed chicken feathers, blood, and innards that have been processed at high temperatures with steam. Currently feather meal is used as animal feed and fertilizer because of its high protein and nitrogen content. With as much as 12 percent fat content, feather meal has potential as an alternative, nonfood feedstock for the production of biofuel, the report says.

The researchers describe a new process for extracting fat from chicken feather meal using boiling water and processing it into biodiesel. Given the amount of feather meal generated by the poultry industry each year, they estimate this process could create 153 million gallons of biodiesel annually in the U.S. and 593 million gallons worldwide. In addition, they note that removal of fat content from feather meal results in both a higher-grade animal feed and a better nitrogen source for fertilizer applications.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: "A Green Process for Producing Biodiesel from Feather Meal" [J. Agric. Food Chem., 2009, 57 (14), pp 6163?6166, DOI: 10.1021/jf900140e].

Stop and smell the flowers - the scent really can soothe stress

Feeling stressed? Then try savoring the scent of lemon, mango, lavender, or other fragrant plants. Scientists in Japan are reporting the first scientific evidence that inhaling certain fragrances alter gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that can reduce stress levels. Their study appears in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

In the new study, Akio Nakamura and colleagues note that people have inhaled the scent of certain plants since ancient times to help reduce stress, fight inflammation and depression, and induce sleep. Aromatherapy, the use of fragrant plant oils to improve mood and health, has become a popular form of alternative medicine today. And linalool is one of the most widely used substances to soothe away emotional stress. Until now, however, linalool's exact effects on the body have been a deep mystery.

The scientists exposed lab rats to stressful conditions while inhaling and not inhaling linalool. Linalool returned stress-elevated levels of neutrophils and lymphocytes - key parts of the immune system - to near-normal levels. Inhaling linalool also reduced the activity of more than 100 genes that go into overdrive in stressful situations. The findings could form the basis of new blood tests for identifying fragrances that can soothe stress, the researchers say.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: "Stress Repression in Restrained Rats by (R)-(?)-Linalool Inhalation and Gene Expression Profiling of Their Whole Blood Cells" [J. Agric. Food Chem., 2009, 57 (12), pp 5480?5485, DOI: 10.1021/jf900420g].

An inner 'fingerprint' for personalizing medical care

Fingerprints move over. Scientists are reporting evidence that people have another defining trait that may distinguish each of the 6.7 billion humans on Earth from one another almost as surely as the arches, loops, and whorls on their fingertips. In a study scheduled for the Aug. 7 issue of ACS' monthly publication the Journal of Proteome Research, they report evidence from studies in humans for the existence of unique patterns in metabolism.

Metabolism is a whole caboodle of chemical processes. The body uses to turn food into energy, grow, repair damage from diseases and injuries, use medicines, and carry out other functions necessary to continue living. In the new study, Ivano Bertini and colleagues cite growing evidence that each individual has a unique metabolic profile. It's a biochemical counterpart to fingerprints that can be detected by analyzing the chemical whorls and grooves that result from metabolism and can be detected in the urine.

Doctors have dreamed of using such tests for the early diagnosis of disease and personalized medical care. They could pick drugs and treatments that are best for each individual, rather than today's one-size-fits all medicine. To do so, however, doctors need evidence that the metabolic fingerprint remains stable over a period of years, with changes due to disease or medications, for instance, but not advancing age or other factors. The new study provides that evidence, based on the analysis of over 1,800 urine samples from people monitored for 2-3 years. Researchers could identify individual patients from their metabolic profiles with an accuracy of over 99 percent. The study could pave the way for using metabolic profiling to apply personalized medical care, the researchers suggest.

Journal of Proteome Research: "Individual Human Phenotypes in Metabolic Space and Time" [J. Proteome Res., Article ASAP, DOI: 10.1021/pr900344m].

New silver nanoparticle skin gel for healing burns

Scientists in India are reporting successful laboratory tests of a new and potentially safer alternative to silver-based gels applied to the skin of burn patients to treat infections. With names like silver sulfadiazine and silver nitrate, these germ-fighters save lives and speed healing. The researchers describe gel composed of silver nanoparticles - each 1/50,000th the width of a human hair - that appears more effective than these traditional gels. Their study is scheduled for the Aug. 3 issue of ACS' Molecular Pharmaceutics, a bi-monthly journal.

Kishore Paknikar and colleagues note that antimicrobial silver compounds have been used for decades on burn patients, whose damaged skin is highly vulnerable to bacterial infections. However, topical silver agents now in use can loose effectiveness in the body, cause skin discoloration, and damage cells. Drug-resistant bacteria can make these treatments less effective.

The scientists demonstrated that their gel killed a broad range of harmful bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the most common causes of burn infections, as well as several drug-resistant microbes. The gel, which contains 30 times less silver than silver sulfadiazine, did not have any apparent toxic effects when applied to the healthy skin of test animals. "These results clearly indicate that silver nanoparticles could provide a safer alternative to conventional antimicrobial agents in the form of a topical antimicrobial formulation," the article states.

Molecular Pharmaceutics: "Silver nanoparticles in therapeutics: development of an antimicrobial gel formulation for topical use" [Mol. Pharmaceutics, Article ASAP, DOI: 10.1021/mp900056g].

Capturing CO₂ in a bowl

The accidental discovery of a bowl-shaped molecule that pulls carbon dioxide out of the air suggests exciting new possibilities for dealing with global warming, including genetically engineering microbes to manufacture those CO₂ "catchers," a scientist from Maryland reports in an article scheduled for the August 3 issue of ACS' Inorganic Chemistry, a bi-weekly journal.

J. A. Tossell notes in the new study that another scientist discovered the molecule while doing research unrelated to global climate change. Carbon dioxide was collecting in the molecule, and the scientist realized that it was coming from air in the lab. Tossell recognized that these qualities might make it useful as an industrial absorbent for removing carbon dioxide.

Tossell's new computer modeling studies found that the molecule might be well-suited for removing carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, in addition to its previously described potential use as an absorbent for CO₂ from electric power plant and other smokestacks. "It is also conceivable that living organisms may be developed which are capable of emplacing structurally ion receptors within their cell membranes," the report notes.

Inorganic Chemistry: "Catching CO₂ in a Bowl" [Inorg. Chem., Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/ic802454w].

Fighting drug-resistant flu viruses

Amid reports that swine flu viruses are developing the ability to shrug off existing antiviral drugs, scientists in Japan are reporting a first-of-its kind discovery that could foster a new genre of antivirals that sidestep resistance problems, according to an article scheduled for the July 23 issue of the ACS' Journal of the Medicinal Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

Toshinori Sato and colleagues note in the new study that current antiviral drugs, including Tamiflu and Relenza, fight influenza by blocking key proteins that viruses need to reproduce. As the viruses reproduce, however, they can mutate into drug-resistant strains.

The researchers describe discovery of a new way to prevent flu viruses from infecting cells in the first place. They identified potential drugs that can block the first step in the infection process, and demonstrated that the substances work in cell cultures. "These results may lead to a new approach in the design of antiviral drugs," they state, noting that it could be used to develop new drugs for a variety of other medical problems.

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry: "Inhibition of Influenza Virus Infections by Sialylgalactose-Binding Peptides Selected from a Phage Library" [J. Med. Chem., 2009, 52 (14), pp 4247?4256; DOI: 10.1021/jm801570y].

New evidence that popular dietary supplement may help prevent, treat cataracts

Researchers are reporting evidence from tissue culture experiments that the popular dietary supplement carnosine may help to prevent and treat cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye that is a leading cause of vision loss worldwide. The study is scheduled for the July 28 edition of ACS' Biochemistry, a weekly journal.

In the new study, Enrico Rizzarelli and colleagues note that the only effective treatment for cataracts is surgical replacement of the lens, the clear disc-like structure inside the eye that focuses light on the nerve tissue in the back of the eye. Cataracts develop when the main structural protein in the lens, alpha-crystallin, forms abnormal clumps. The clumps make the lens cloudy and impair vision. Previous studies hinted that carnosine may help block the formation of these clumps.

The scientists exposed tissue cultures of healthy rat lenses to either guanidine - a substance known to form cataracts - or a combination of guanidine and carnosine. The guanidine lenses became completely cloudy, while the guanidine/carnosine lenses developed 50 to 60 percent less cloudiness. Carnosine also restored most of the clarity to clouded lenses. The results demonstrate the potential of using carnosine for preventing and treating cataracts, the scientists say.

Biochemistry: "Protective Effects of L- and D-Carnosine on alpha-Crystallin Amyloid Fibril Formation: Implications for Cataract Disease" [Biochemistry, 2009, 48 (27), pp 6522?6531; DOI: 10.1021/bi900343n].

Developing a safer form of acetaminophen

Scientists in Louisiana are reporting development of a process for producing large batches of a new and potentially safer form of acetaminophen, the widely used pain-reliever now the source of growing concern over its potentially toxic effects on the liver. Their study, which could speed development of a next-generation pain-reliever, is scheduled for the July 17 issue of ACS' Organic Process Research & Development, a bi-monthly journal.

In June, an advisory panel of the U. S. Food and Drug Administration recommended banning certain prescription pain relievers containing acetaminophen because of the drug's potential to cause liver damage when used in high doses. Mark Trudell and colleagues note in the study that scientists recently discovered a new form of acetaminophen that has similar potency to the original drug with a lower risk of liver toxicity. But until now, scientists have had difficulty producing this substance in quantities suitable for industrial scale-up.

The researchers describe a simple, efficient method for producing the new pain-reliever using only a few starting materials and a short series of chemical reactions. In laboratory studies, they used the new method to produce multigram quantities of the substance with 99 percent purity. The scientists point out that the new process can be performed on a much larger production level if needed.

Organic Process Research & Development: "First Multigram Preparation of SCP-123, A Novel Water-Soluble Analgesic" [Org. Process Res. Dev., Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/op900113b].

Potential new drugs: 970 million and still counting

Like astronomers counting stars in the familiar universe of outer space, chemists in Switzerland are reporting the latest results of a survey of chemical space - the so-called chemical universe where tomorrow's miracle drugs may reside. The scientists conclude, based on this phase of the ongoing count, that there are 970 million chemicals suitable for study as new drugs. Scheduled for the July 1 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the study represents the largest publicly available database of virtual molecules ever reported, the researchers say.

Jean-Louis Reymond and Lorenz Blum point out that the rules of chemical bonding allow simple elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and fluorine to potentially form millions of different molecules. This so-called "chemical universe" or "chemical space" has an enormous potential for drug discovery, particularly for identifying so-called "small molecules" - made of 10 to 50 atoms. Most of today's medicines consist of these small molecules. Until now, however, scientists had not attempted a comprehensive analysis of the molecules that populate chemical space.

In the report, Reymond and Blum describe development of a new searchable database, GDB-13, that scientists can use in the quest for new drugs. It consists of all molecules containing up to 13 atoms of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and chlorine under rules that define chemical stability and synthetic feasibility. The researchers identified more than 970 million possible structures, the vast majority of which have never been produced in the lab. Some of these molecules could lead to the design and production of new drugs for fighting disease, they say.

Journal of the American Chemical Society: "970 Million Druglike Small Molecules for Virtual Screening in the Chemical Universe Database GDB-13" [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2009, 131 (25), pp 8732?8733; DOI: 10.1021/ja902302h].

Successful initial safety tests for genetically-modified rice that fights allergy

In a first-of-its-kind advance toward the next generation of genetically modified foods - intended to improve consumers' health - researchers in Japan are reporting that a new transgenic rice designed to fight a common pollen allergy appears safe in animal studies. Their report is in the current issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

Fumio Takaiwa and colleagues note that the first generation of genetically-modified crops was designed to help keep crops weed and insect free. The next generation of transgenic crops is being developed to directly benefit human health. This includes veggies and grains that produce higher levels of nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, or even medicines and vaccines. Like the first generation of transgenic foods, however, researchers are anxiously trying to determine whether foods produced from these "biopharmaceutical" crops will be safe for humans and the environment.

The scientists describe development of a transgenic rice plant that has been genetically- engineered to fight allergies to Japanese cedar pollen, a growing public health problem in Japan that affects about 20 percent of the population. In laboratory studies, the researchers fed a steamed version of the transgenic rice and a non-transgenic version to a group of monkeys everyday for 26 weeks. At the end of the study period, the test animals did not show any health problems, in an initial demonstration that the allergy-fighting rice may be safe for consumption, the researchers say.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: "26-Week Oral Safety Study in macaques for Transgenic Rice Containing major Human T-Cell Epitope Peptides from Japanese Cedar Pollen Allergens" [J. Agric. Food Chem., 2009, 57 (12), pp 5633?5638; DOI: 10.1021/jf900371u].

Brittle table salt can stretch like taffy in the nanoworld

Researchers in New Mexico are reporting the surprise discovery that common table salt - so brittle that it crushes easily between a thumb and forefinger - becomes a super plastic in the weird environs of the nanoworld. The super-elastic salt can stretch like taffy to twice its original length without breaking. The discovery could lead to new insights into the role of salt in a wide variety of situations ranging from helping clouds to form to triggering asthmatic attacks in people, they say. Their study is in the current issue of ACS' Nano Letters, a monthly journal.

Nathan Moore and colleagues note in the new study that researchers have known for years that metals like gold, lead and aluminum can be pulled into nanowires 1/50,000th the width of a human hair. Like other materials of such tiny dimensions, their properties change. Materials that conduct electricity poorly, for instance, become good conductors and materials that break easily develop new strength. That's why nanomaterials may form the basis of futuristic technologies that spawn new industries. But until now, no one expected to create nanowires from crystals of common table salt, or sodium chloride, which crumbles so easily.

The scientists made the unusual discovery while studying how water coats salt crystals using a microscope specially designed to observe mechanical and adhesive forces. They detected an unusual attractive force between the diamond tip of the microscope and the salt surface. After a series of tests, the researchers showed that the force encountered may have been caused by the presence of salt nanowires. In a similar test, they were able to capture images of salt nanowires being formed and stretched. The finding is "a striking and unexpected example of how material properties can change when viewed at the nanoscale," the article states.

Nano Letters: "Superplastic Nanowires Pulled from the Surface of Common Salt" [Nano Lett., 2009, 9 (6), pp 2295?2299; DOI: 10.1021/nl9004805].

Once-a-month pill for both fleas and ticks in Fido and Fluffy

Scientists in New Jersey are describing discovery and successful tests of the first once-a-month pill for controlling both fleas and ticks in domestic dogs and cats. Their study is in the current issue of ACS' Journal of the Medicinal Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

Peter Meinke and colleagues at Merck Research Laboratories note the need for better ways of controlling fleas and ticks, driven in part by increases in pet ownership. Estimates suggest that there were 71 million pet dogs and 81 million pet cats in the United States alone in 2007 - up from 61 million and 70 million in 2001. Although many powders, sprays and other topical agents are on the market, many pet owners prefer the convenience of pills. Products given orally can reach more parts of an animal's body, do not wash off in rain or bath water, and don't transfer from pets to people. At least one existing pill fights fleas in pets, but does not appear effective for ticks.

In tests on fleas and ticks in dogs and cats, a single dose of the new pill was 100 percent effective in protecting against both fleas and ticks for a month. There were no signs of toxic effects on the animals. Scientists obtained the flea and tick fighter from a substance first found in a fungus that "has the potential to usher in a new era in the treatment of ecoparasitic [ticks and fleas, for instance] infestations in companion animals."

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry: "Discovery of the Development Candidate N-tert-Butyl Nodulisporamide: A Safe and Efficacious Once Monthly Oral Agent for the Control of Fleas and Ticks on Companion Animals" [J. Med. Chem., 2009, 52 (11), pp 3505?3515; DOI: 10.1021/jm801334v].

Other "-caines" often replace Novocaine in the dentist's office

Novocaine? Not necessarily. The widespread belief that dentists rely on Novocaine to make those office visits almost painless needs some updating, according to an article scheduled for the June 29 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine. In fact, patients are more likely to get any of several other anesthetics than the century-old standby Novocaine, which once reigned as the archetypal dental anesthetic.

C&EN senior editor Elizabeth Wilson notes that Novocaine, also known as procaine, has become a catchall term for a variety of dental anesthetics widely used today. These substances include less-familiar names like benzocaine, lidocaine, articaine, and mepivacaine. Like Novocaine, all are non-addictive relatives of the original, naturally occurring local anesthetic cocaine, which is found in coca leaves.

None of the newer local anesthetics are perfect, leading scientists to seek better medications that are faster-acting, more effective, and safer. Wilson's article describes not only this ongoing quest, but also research to determine exactly how dental anesthetics work in the body.

Chemical & Engineering News: "Dental anesthetics".