• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1461-1476
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• 2009

This review focuses on the metabolic and osmoregulatory functions of betaine and its impact on nutrient digestibility and performance in pigs and poultry. Betaine is the trimethyl derivative of the amino acid glycine, and is present in plant and animal tissue. It has been shown to play an important role in osmoregulation of plants, bacteria and marine organisms. Due to its chemical structure, betaine exerts a number of functions both at the gastrointestinal and metabolic level. As a methyl group donor, betaine is involved in transmethylation reactions and donates its labile methyl group for the synthesis of several metabolically active substances such as creatine and carnitine. Therefore, supplementation of betaine may reduce the requirement for other methyl group donors such as methionine and choline. Beneficial effects on intestinal cells and intestinal microbes have been reported following betaine supplementation to diets for pigs and poultry, which have been attributed to the osmotic properties of betaine. Furthermore, betaine potentially enhances the digestibility of specific nutrients, in particular fiber and minerals. Moreover, at the metabolic level, betaine is involved in protein and energy metabolism. Growth trials revealed positive effects of supplemental betaine on growth performance in pigs and poultry, and there is evidence that betaine acts as a carcass modifier by reducing the carcass fat content. In conclusion, due to its various metabolic and osmoregulatory functions, betaine plays an important role in the nutrition of monogastric animals.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.2656-2664
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• 2010

We have synthesized a series of push-pull porphyrins containing both donor and acceptor substituents at the mesopositions and have examined their spectral and biological properties. The push-pull porphyrins containing both strong donor $NH_2$ and acceptor $NO_2$ at meso-positions, in which donor group condensed with the ligand, (2,6-bis(4-methylpiperazine-1-yl-methyl)-4-formlyphenol (L) to form imine linkages with porphyrin. The Schiff base ligand 5-[4-(2,6-bis(4-methylpiperazine-1-yl-methyl)-4-iminomethylphenol)phenyl]-10,15,20-tris(4-nitrophenyl) porphyrin [$an_3$(TPP)L] can be synthesized from 2,6-bis(4-methylpiperazine-1-yl-methyl)-4-formylphenol (L) and 5-(4-aminophenyl)-10, 15,20-tris(4-nitrophenyl)porphyrin. The push-pull porphyrin [$an_3$(TPP)L] was metallated to get copper, nickel and zinc complexes. The spectral, electrochemical, antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxicity properties of all the donor- acceptor push-pull porphyrins and their complexes were characterized and studied.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.99-104
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• 2010

The influences on antioxidant activities of the substituents ($R_1-R_4$) on benzo ring in 4-Methyl-2H-benzopyran-2-one analogues (1-23) were discussed quantitatively using three dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationships (3D-QSARs: Comparative molecular field analyses (CoMFA) and Comparative molecular similarity indice analyses (CoMSIA)) methods. The statistical qualities of CoMSIA models were better than those of CoMFA models and the CoMSIA 2 model was optimized model ($q^2$=0.700 & $r^2$=0.979). Also, the contribution ratios (%) of the optimized CoMSIA 2 model were H-bond donor field 43.5%, electrostatic field 41.8% and steric field 14.7% so that the antioxidant activity exhibited a strong correlation with H-bond donor and electrostatic factor of molecules. From the analytical results of the CoMSIA contour maps, if the positive charge favor group and H-bond donor disfavor group were placed in the $R_1-R_4$ positions on the benzo ring, it was predicted that the groups would raised the antioxidant activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.369-372
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• 2007

O-Methyltransferases (OMTs), one of the ubiquitous enzymes in plants, bacteria, and humans, catalyze a methyl-transfer reaction using S-adenosylmethionine and a wide range of phenolics as a methyl donor and acceptor, respectively. Substrates for most bacterial OMTs have largely remained elusive, but recent investigation using BcOMT2, an OMT from Bacillus cereus, suggested that ortho-dihydroxyflavonoids could serve as substrates. To elucidate the functional and structural features of BcOMT2, we expressed, and purified BcOMT2, and crystallized an apoenzyme and its ternary complex in the presence of a flavonoid and S-adenosylhomocysteine. Each crystal diffracted to $1.8{\AA}$ with its space group of C2 and $P2_{1}2_{1}2_{1}$, respectively. Structural analysis of apo-BcOMT2 and its ternary complex will provide the structural basis of methyl transfer onto (iso)flavonoids in a regiospecific manner.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.633-639
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• 2023

We synthesized 2-(10-methyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)-5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole (MPPO) and 5,5-(10-methyl-10H-phenothiazin-3,7-diyl)-bis-(2-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole) (DPPO). MPPO has both electron-donating and electron-accepting substituents with asymmetric molecular geometry. By incorporating one extra electron-accepting group into MPPO, we created a symmetric molecule, which is DPPO. The optical and electrochemical properties of these compounds were measured. The lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level of DPPO was lower than that of MPPO. The excited-state dipole moment of DPPO, with symmetric geometry, was calculated to be 4.1 Debye, whereas MPPO, with asymmetric geometry, had a value of 7.0 Debye. The charge-carrier mobility of both compounds was similar. We fabricated non-doped organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using D-A type molecules as an emitting layer. The current efficiency of the DPPO-based device was 7.8 cd/A, and the external quantum efficiency was 2.4% at 100 cd/m², demonstrating significantly improved performance compared to the MPPO-based device. The photophysical and electroluminescence (EL) characteristics of the two D-A type molecules showed that molecular symmetry, as well as the lowered LUMO level of DPPO, played critical roles in the enhancement of EL performance.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.803-809
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• 2009

Notable blue shifts of the ν2 $C{\equiv}N$ stretching, $_{v4}$ C-C stretching and $_{v8}$ CCN deformation bands of $CD_3CN$ are observed upon solvation of $InCl_3$, resulting from the donor-acceptor interaction. The Raman spectrum in the $_{v2}$ region shows further details; at least two new bands emerge on the blue side of the $_{v2}$ band of free $CD_3CN$, whose relative intensities vary with concentration, suggesting that there exist at least two different cationic species in the solution. The strong hydrogen bonds formed between the methyl group and ${InCl_4}^-$ result in a large band appearing on the red side of the ν1 $CD_3$ symmetric stretching band. The solvation number of $InCl_3$, determined from the Raman intensities of the $C{\equiv}N$ stretching bands for free and coordinated $CD_3CN$, increases from $\sim$1.5 to $\sim$1.8 with decreasing concentration.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.11
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• pp.3399-3404
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• 2013

A new accepter unit, pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-2,5-dione, was prepared and utilized for the synthesis of the conjugated polymers containing electron donor-acceptor pair for OPVs. Pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-2,5-dione unit, regioisomer of the known pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione, is originated from the structure of stable synthetic pigment. The new conjugated polymers with 1,4-diphenylpyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-2,5-dione, thiophene and carbazole were synthesized using Suzuki polymerization to generate P1 and P2. The solid films of P1 and P2 show absorption bands with maximum peaks at about 377, 554 and 374, 542 nm and the absorption onsets at 670 and 674 nm, corresponding to band gaps of 1.85 and 1.84 eV, respectively. To improve the hole mobility of the polymer with 1,4-bis(4-butylphenyl)-pyrrolo[3,2-b]-pyrrole-2,5-dione unit, which was previously reported by us, the butyl group at the 4-positions of the N-substituted phenyl group was substituted with hydrogen and methyl group. The field-effect hole mobility of P2 is $9.6{\times}10^{-5}cm^2/Vs$. The device with $P2:PC_{71}BM$ (1:2) showed $V_{OC}$ value of 0.84 V, $J_{SC}$ value of 5.10 $mA/cm^2$, and FF of 0.33, giving PCE of 1.42%.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.3-13
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• 1987

Infrared absorption spectra of alkyl alcohols in the OH stretching region were obtained from varying the concentrations of alcohols in $CCl_4$. The OH stretching bands were broadened and shifted to lower frequencies due to the hydrogen-bond formation. Three bands were obtained from the breakdown of these bands by the simplex method. Each band was assigned to various types of hydrogen-bonded OH groups. The electronic structures and interaction energies of dimeric and trimeric alcohols were calculated by semi-empirical MO(CNDO/2, INDO) methods. These results were in good agreement with those of deconvoluted ir spectra. The EDA(electron donor-acceptor) effect of alkyl group on hydrogen-bond formation was in the decreasing order of butyl > propyl > ethyl > methyl group. On the other hand, the experimental results were in the order : propyl > ethyl > butyl > methyl group. This seemed to be ascribed to the bulkiness of butyl alcohol.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.184-187
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• 2008

S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) is an important metabolic intermediate in living organisms and participates in many reactions as a methyl group donor. SAM has been used as a dietary supplement and is proposed to have beneficial effects on the liver and brain. The aim of this study was to find lactic acid bacteria with high SAM-producing ability to be used as SAM enhancing probiotics. We used high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to quantify the amount of SAM produced, and found that Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4 produced a significantly higher amount of SAM than other Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus strains. The effect of various carbon and nitrogen sources on SAM production was examined. This study confirmed that Bifidobacterium may be utilized as a source of SAM in the functional food industry.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.2329-2337
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• 2009

Three heteroleptic ruthenium sensitizers, Ru(L)($L^1)(NCS)_2$ [L = 4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine, Ru-T1: $L^1$ = (E)-2-(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridin-4-yl)-3-(thiophen-2-yl)acrylonitrile, Ru-T2: $L^2$ = (E)-3-(5'-hexyl-2,2'-bithiophen-5- yl)-2-(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridin-4-yl)acrylonitrile, and Ru-T3: $L^3$ = (E)-3-(5"-hexyl-2,2':5',2"-terthiophen-5-yl)-2- (4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridin-4-yl)acrylonitrile)], were synthesized and used as photosensitizers in nanocrystalline dyesensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The introduction of the 3-(5-hexyloligothiophen-5-yl)acrylonitrile group increased the conjugation length of the bipyridine donor ligand and thus improved their molar absorption coefficient and light harvesting efficiency. DSSCs with the configuration of Sn$O_2$: F/Ti$O_2$/ruthenium dye/liquid electrolyte/Pt devices were fabricated using these Ru-$T1{\sim}T3$ as a photosensitizers. Among the devices, the DSSCs composed of Ru-T2 exhibited highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.84% under AM 1.5 G illumination (100 mW/$cm^2$).