Smooth type LPS

In practice, the NBO program labels an electron pair as a lone pair (LP) on center B whenever cb 2 > 0.95, i.e., when more than 95% of the electron density is concentrated on B, with only a weak (<5%) delocalization tail on A. Although this numerical threshold produces an apparent discontinuity in program output for the best single NBO Lewis structure, the multi-resonance NRT description depicts smooth variations of bond order from uF(lon) = 1 (pure ionic one-center) to bu 10n) = 0 (covalent two-center). This properly reflects the fact that the ionic-covalent transition is physically a smooth, continuous variation of electron-density distribution, rather than abrupt hopping from one distinct bond type to another. 

In 1991 inhibition of PKC activity was found to be at the basis of the vascular smooth muscle cell growth arrest induced by a-tocopherol [16,17]. A number of reports have subsequently confirmed the involvement of PKC in the effect of a-tocopherol on different cell types, including monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, fibroblasts and mesangial cells [8,18-20]. a-Tocopherol, but not P-tocopherol, was found to inhibit thrombin-induced PKC activation and endothelin secretion in endothelial cells [21]. a-Tocopherol, and not P-tocopherol or trolox, inhibits the activity of PKC fi-om monocytes, followed by inhibition of phosphorylation and translocation of the cytosolic factor p47(phox) and by an impaired assembly of the NADPH-oxidase and of superoxide production [22]. a-Tocopherol has the important biological effect of inhibiting the release of the proinflammatory cytokine, IL-lp, via inhibition of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway [23]. 

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