Reversible Capture Mechanism of CO2 as a Zn(II)-Methylcarbonate.

In this study, we elucidate the reaction mechanism for capturing CO2 with the ZnL1(MeOH) complex (L1 = diacetyl-2-(4-methyl-3-thiosemicarbazone)-3-(2-hydrazinatopyridine)) in a methanol solution, using density functional theory calculations. One pathway involves the protonation of ZnL1(MeOH) by methylcarbonic acid, followed by ligand exchange of MeOH with MeOCO2-. An alternative mechanism suggests a tautomerization between ZnL1(MeOH) and Zn(HL1)(OMe), followed by CO2 insertion. This latter pathway is energetically more favorable than the former and more complex than initially proposed. In fact, we unveiled that the solvent catalyzes tautomerization, as one explicit methanol molecule acts as a proton transfer agent. Then, Zn(HL1)(OMe) captures CO2, yielding a methylcarbonate bound to the metal center. The final step involves a rearrangement that leads to the cleavage of the Zn-O(Me)(COO) bond and the formation of a new Zn-O(COOMe) bond, along with the rotation of the methylcarbonate group. Furthermore, we evaluated the ligand basicity through the pKa calculated values of the Zn(II) complexes, the effects of varying the ligand from 4-methyl-thiosemicarbazone to 4-ethyl (L2), 4-phenethyl (L3), and 4-benzyl (L4) derivatives, and reversibility of the reaction in an argon environment.

Seeking the most stable isomer of azahomocubanes.

This study examines the stability and protonation properties of four potential azahomocubanes. Through high-level ab initio computations, we find that 9-azahomocubane is the most stable isomer, closely followed by 5-azahomocubane, 1-azahomocubane, and 2-azahomocubane. However, understanding the stability of the systems with a nitrogen atom incorporated into a highly constrained polycyclic environment extends beyond mere bond angles or hybridization considerations. Strain energy analysis reveals that azahomocubanes experience less strain compared to their carbon congeners. An exploration of multiple solvents shows that their impact on relative energies and geometries is negligible. On the other hand, among the four isomers, 2-azahomocubane exhibits the highest tendency for protonation. Basicity, as assessed through the minimum electrostatic potential, correlates well with protonation affinities.

Fused Pyrroles in Cholestane and Norcholestane Side Chains: Acaricidal and Plant Growth-Promoting Effects.

Herein, we describe the synthesis and characterization of fused pyrroles in cholestane and norcholestane side chains derived from kryptogenin and diosgenin, respectively. Both conventional and microwave heating techniques were used to synthesize the steroidal pyrroles from primary amines, with the microwave method producing the highest yields. In particular, the norcholestane pyrroles were tested as acaricides against the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) under laboratory conditions and as plant growth promoters on habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq) under greenhouse conditions.

Morphological Alterations in the Early Developmental Stages of Zebrafish (Danio rerio; Hamilton 1822) Induced by Exposure to Polystyrene Microparticles.

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants of widespread concern in aquatic environments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the negative impact of pristine MPs of polystyrene of 100 µm on embryo and larvae of Danio rerio exposed to three environmentally relevant concentrations of polystyrene (3.84 × 10- 6, 3.84 × 10- 7, and 3.84 × 10- 8 g/mL). The exposure effect was evaluated through the general morphology score, biometrics, and integrated biomarker response version 2 index. No mortality was observed but the anatomical structure of fishes was affected showing pigmentation deficiency and alterations in the head region as the main affected endpoints. The general morphology score and the integrated biomarker response values were highly sensitive to address the effect of the three concentrations of MPs used here. Our results provide solid evidence of the negative impact of 100 µm pristine polystyrene MPs exposure on early stages of zebrafish.

Microwave-enhanced synthesis of 26-amino-22-oxocholestanes and their cytotoxic activity.

The synthesis of a series of 26-amino-22-oxocholestanes derived from diosgenin was accomplished via the substitution of an iodine atom at C-26 by primary and secondary amines. The reactions were conducted in refluxing acetonitrile and through microwave-assisted heating. The latter shows significant improvements in terms of reaction times going from hours to a few minutes or even seconds for completion. Only one of the selected amines, 4-aminourazole, did not yield the substitution product and the imine formation pathway was investigated instead, achieving the 26-iminourazole-22-oxocholestane. All the final products have been characterized and the cytotoxic activity of three of them has been evaluated in SiHa, MCF-7 and MDA tumor cell lines by the sulforhodamine B assay.

Stereoselective synthesis of (26R)-26-hydroxydiosgenin and its effect on the regulation of rat ovarian function.

The stereoselective cyclization of a C-16 acetylated 22,26-dioxocholestene derivative to give the spirostane E and F rings, under alkaline conditions, yields exclusively the (26R)-26-hydroxydiosgenin. Both experimental and computational data support the formation of a single diastereoisomer. The effect of diosgenin and (26R)-26-hydroxydiosgenin on rat ovary is also investigated.

Introduction to celebrating Latin American talent in chemistry.

In celebration of the excellence and breadth of Latin American research achievements across the chemical sciences, we are delighted to present an introduction to the themed collection, Celebrating Latin American talent in chemistry.

A Glycosaminoglycan-Rich Fraction from Sea Cucumber Isostichopus badionotus Has Potent Anti-Inflammatory Properties In Vitro and In Vivo.

Sea cucumber body wall contains several naturally occurring bioactive components that possess health-promoting properties. Isostichopus badionotus from Yucatan, Mexico is heavily fished, but little is known about its bioactive constituents. We previously established that I. badionotus meal had potent anti-inflammatory properties in vivo. We have now screened some of its constituents for anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. Glycosaminoglycan and soluble protein preparations reduced 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced inflammatory responses in HaCaT cells while an ethanol extract had a limited effect. The primary glycosaminoglycan (fucosylated chondroitin sulfate; FCS) was purified and tested for anti-inflammatory activity in vivo. FCS modulated the expression of critical genes, including NF-ĸB, TNFα, iNOS, and COX-2, and attenuated inflammation and tissue damage caused by TPA in a mouse ear inflammation model. It also mitigated colonic colitis caused in mice by dextran sodium sulfate. FCS from I. badionotus of the Yucatan Peninsula thus had strong anti-inflammatory properties in vivo.

Prediction of Natural Product Classes Using Machine Learning and 13C NMR Spectroscopic Data.

Structure elucidation of chemical compounds is a complex and challenging activity that requires expertise and well-suited tools. To assign the molecular structure of a given compound, 13C NMR is one of the most widely used techniques because of its broad range of structural information. Taking into account that molecules found in nature can be grouped into natural product (NP) classes because of structural similarities, we explore the possibility of NP class prediction via 13C NMR data. Employing freely available 13C NMR data of NPs, we trained four classifiers for the prediction of eight common NP classes. The best performance was obtained with the XGBoost classifier reaching f1-scores of above 0.82. We also performed experiments with different percentages of positive samples, including the glycoside presence. Furthermore, we tested cases outside the data set, yielding performances above 80% for most classes. For the chromans case, we restricted the test examples to the coumarin subclass, and the prediction accuracy increased to 100%.

Mesoscale Assembly of Bisteroidal Esters from Terephthalic Acid.

A new series of bisteroidal esters was synthesized using a spacer group, sterols and sapogenins as substrates. Steroidal dimers were prepared in high yields employing diesters of terephthalic acid as linkages at the 3ß, 3'ß steroidal positions. In all attempts to crystallize bisteroids, it was observed that the compounds tended to self-organize in solution, which was detected when employing various solvent systems. The non-covalent interactions (van der Waals) of the steroidal moieties of this series of symmetrical bisteroids, the polarity of the solvents systems, and the different solubilities of the bisteroid aggregates, indeed induce the molecules to self-assemble into supramolecular structures with well-defined organization. Our results show that the self-assembled structures for the bisteroidal derivatives depend on the solvent system used: with hexane/EtOAc, membrane-shaped structures were obtained, while pure EtOAc afforded strand-shaped arrangements. In the CHCl3/CH3OH system, thin strands were formed, since van der Waals interactions are lowered in this system, as a consequence of the increased solubility of the bisteroids in CHCl3. Based on the characterization by SEM and XRD, we show evidence that the phenomenon of self-assembly of bisteroids occurs presenting different morphologies depending on the solvent used. The new steroidal dimer derivatives were characterized by NMR, TGA, DSC, SEM, and XRD. Finally, the molecular structure of one bisteroid was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis.

Apoptotic, necrotic, and antiproliferative activity of diosgenin and diosgenin glycosides on cervical cancer cells.

(25R)-spirost-5-en-3ß-ol, also known as diosgenin (DSG), exerts antiproliferative activity on diverse cell lines, induces apoptosis, and acts as a chemopreventative agent. However, the relationship between DSG glycosides and apoptotic, necrotic, and antiproliferative activity remains unclear. It is in this regard that we report the antiproliferative, necrotic, and apoptotic activities of DSG and its glycoside derivatives: (25R)-spirost-5-en-3ß-yl O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (3GD), (25R)-spirost-5-en-3ß-yl O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 â†’ 4)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (3GRD); and (25R)-spirost-5-en-3ß-yl O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 â†’ 2)-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 â†’ 4)]-ß-D-glucopyranoside), also known as dioscin (DSC), in in vitro assays of cervical HeLa and CaSki cancer cells. The results demonstrated that DSG glycosidic derivatives preserved their antiproliferative activity. However, in both cancer cell lines, 3GD and 3GRD were less potent than DSG, while DSC was more potent than DSG. With respect to necrotic activity, all tested compounds showed no or low activity on the two cervical cancer cell lines. Regarding apoptosis, the results showed that DSG glycosides were better apoptosis-inducers than DSG, suggesting that glucose and rhamnose residues play a central role in enhancing the apoptotic activity of DSG. Finally, DSG and its glycosidic derivatives were shown to affect the proliferative potential of lymphocytes (non-tumour cells) to a lesser extent than cancer cells, suggesting that these compounds have selective action. In conclusion, the results indicate that DSG and its glycosidic derivatives are promising anticancer compounds since they are compounds with low necrotic activity and selective action.

trans-Hydroboration-oxidation products in Δ5-steroids via a hydroboration-retro-hydroboration mechanism.

Herein, we report for the first time a "trans-hydroboration-oxidation product" isolated and characterized under traditional hydroboration-oxidation conditions using cholesterol and diosgenin as substrates. These substrates are excellent starting materials because of the rigidity and different structural environments around the double bond. Further investigations based on experimental evidence, in conjunction with theoretical studies, indicate that the formation of this trans-species occurs via a retro-hydroboration of the major product to generate the corresponding Δ6-structure and the subsequent hydroboration by the ß-face. Besides, the corresponding Markovnikov type products have been isolated in synthetically useful yields. The behavior of the reaction under a range of temperatures is also investigated.

22-Oxocholestane oximes as potential anti-inflammatory drug candidates.

22-Oxocholestanes bearing the oxime functionality in the side chain have been synthesized from diosgenin and evaluated in vivo as anti-inflammatory agents in an acute inflammation mouse ear model, against the commercial glucocorticoid dexamethasone. The final compounds were all regioselectively obtained with an E configuration at the oxime double bond. The title compounds reduced ear-induced inflammation and edema. The most active oximes repressed the expression of proinflammatory genes TNF-α, COX-2, and IL-6; including macrophage migration inhibitory factor. Overall, our data suggest that 22-oxocholestane oximes exert a strong in vivo anti-inflammatory activity.

Revisiting the Formation Mechanism of 1,3,4-Oxadiazole-2(3 H)-ones from Hydrazonyl Chloride and Carbon Dioxide.

The reaction mechanism for the synthesis of 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2(3 H)-ones from hydrazonyl chloride and CO2 in the presence of CsF/18-crown-6 and toluene, is revisited via density functional theory computations. Although this reaction was earlier classified as a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, we found some competing pathways involved therein. The mechanisms including the (F-CO2)- anion and the nitrile imine intermediate are some options. The dimerization of nitrile imine is another competing mechanism in this reaction. Our results show that the most favorable mechanism proceeds via a stepwise pathway without involving any nitrile imine intermediate or the (F-CO2)- anion. The F- anion, resulting from the formation of a complex between 18-crown-6 and Cs+ cation, deprotonates the nitrile imine precursor easily, which acts then as a nucleophilic anion, enhancing the reactivity of CO2 toward it. The mechanism for the reaction with COS, an isoelectronic analogue of CO2, is also explored.

Bonding and Mobility of Alkali Metals in Helicenes.

In this work, we analyze the interactions of alkali metal cations with [6]- and [14]helicene and the cation mobility of therein. We found that the distortion of the carbon skeleton is the reason that some of the structures which are local minima for the smallest cations are not energetically stable for K+ , Rb+ , and Cs+ . Also, the most favorable complexes are those where the cation is interacting with two rings forming a metallocene-like structure, except for the largest cation Cs+ , where the distortion provoked by the size of the cation destabilizes the complex. As far as mobility is concerned, the smallest cations, particularly Na+ , are the ones that can move most efficiently. In [6]helicene, the mobility is limited by the capture of the cation forming the metallocene-like structure. In larger helicenes, the energy barriers for the cation to move are similar both inside and outside the helix. However, complexes with the cation between two layers are more energetically favored so that the movement will be preferred in that region. The bonding analysis reveals that interactions with no less than 50 % of orbital contribution are taking place for the series of E+ -[6]helicene. Particularly, the complexes of Li+ show remarkable orbital character (72.5-81.6 %).

Revisiting the racemization mechanism of helicenes.

Herein we propose a general mechanism for the racemization of [n]helicenes up to n = 24. It is a concerted process for n = 4-7, but a multi-step mechanism is followed for n≥ 8, involving 2n- 14 intermediates. The changes in the barriers are a delicate consequence of the steric hindrance and the π-interactions.

Mimicking natural phytohormones. 26-Hydroxycholestan-22-one derivatives as plant growth promoters.

26-Hydroxycholestan-22-one derivatives with oxygenated functions in the rings A and/or B were successfully synthesized from diosgenin. After the modifications of rings A and B, the spiroketal side chain was selectively opened through a Lewis acid mediated acetolysis to afford the cholestane derivatives. These compounds incorporate pharmacophores, which mimic the activity of natural phytohormones and show high growth promoting activity in Mexican rice cultivars using the rice lamina inclination test.

Antiproliferative, Cytotoxic, and Apoptotic Activity of Steroidal Oximes in Cervicouterine Cell Lines.

Steroidal sapogenins have shown antiproliferative effects against several tumor cell lines; and their effects on human cancer cells are currently under study. Changes in the functionality on the steroidal structure make it possible to modify the biological activity of compounds. Herein, we report the synthesis and in vitro antitumor activity of two steroidal oxime compounds on cervical cancer cells. These derivatives were synthesized from the steroidal sapogenin diosgenin in good yields. The in vitro assays show that the steroidal oximes show significant antiproliferative activity compared to the one observed for diosgenin. Cell proliferation, cell death, and the cytotoxic effects were determined in both cervical cancer cells and human lymphocytes. The cancer cells showed apoptotic morphology and an increased presence of active caspase-3, providing the notion of a death pathway in the cell. Significantly, the steroidal oximes did not exert a cytotoxic effect on lymphocytes.

Regioselective Spirostan E-Ring Opening for the Synthesis of Dihydropyran Steroidal Frameworks.

The regioselective opening of the ring E in spirostan sapogenins provides new dihydropyran derivatives. This novel side chain is obtained after a Lewis acid mediated acetolysis followed by an alkaline workup. The reaction mechanism is analyzed via density functional theory computations, and both experimental and computational data support the formation of an oxacarbenium intermediate. The behavior of the title skeletons under acidic conditions is also investigated.

The cubyl cation rearrangements.

Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations and high-level ab initio computations predict that the cage-opening rearrangement of the cubyl cation to the 7H(+)-pentalenyl cation is feasible in the gas phase. The rate-determining step is the formation of the cuneyl cation with an activation barrier of 25.3 kcal mol(-1) at the CCSD(T)/def2-TZVP//MP2/def2-TZVP level. Thus, the cubyl cation is kinetically stable enough to be formed and trapped at moderate temperatures, but it may be rearranged at higher temperatures.