Dual anticancer and antibacterial activity of fluorescent naphthoimidazolium salts.

Cancer has emerged as a significant global health challenge, ranking as the second leading cause of death worldwide. Moreover, cancer patients frequently experience compromised immune systems, rendering them susceptible to bacterial infections. Combining anticancer and antibacterial properties in a single drug could lead to improved overall treatment outcomes and patient well-being. In this context, the present study focused on a series of hydrophilic naphthoimidazolium salts with donor groups (NI-R), aiming to create dual-functional agents with antibacterial and anticancer activities. Among these compounds, NI-TPA demonstrated notable antibacterial activity, particularly against drug-resistant bacteria, with MIC value of 7.8 µg mL-1. Furthermore, NI-TPA exhibited the most potent cytotoxicity against four different cancer cell lines, with an IC50 range of 0.67-2.01 µg mL-1. The observed high cytotoxicity of NI-TPA agreed with molecular docking and dynamic simulation studies targeting c-Met kinase protein. Additionally, NI-TPA stood out as the most promising candidate for two-photo excitation, fluorescence bioimaging, and localization in lysosomes. The study findings open new avenues for the design and development of imidazolium salts that could be employed in phototheranostic applications for cancer treatment and bacterial infections.

Two new halogenated sesquiterpene lactones from Palisada intermedia.

Two new sesquiterpene lactones, laurenolide A (1) and laurenolide B (2), along with six known compounds, palmitic acid (3), (R,R)-hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (4), trans-phytol acetate (5), cholesterol (6), cholesteryl acetate (7), cholesteryl heptadecanoate (8) were isolated from Palisada intermedia. The chemical structures of all compounds were elucidated by 1D and 2D-NMR spectroscopy and HR-ESI-MS analysis as well as compared with data in the literature. The petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol extracts and compounds 1, 2 were tested for the inhibition of two cancer cell lines MCF-7, NCI-H460 and they showed weak or none activities.

Synthesis, structure and in vitro cytotoxicity of platinum(II) complexes containing eugenol and a quinolin-8-ol-derived chelator.

The synthesis of potassium (η2-4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol)trichloridoplatinate(II), K[PtCl3(C10H12O2)], (1), starting from Zeise's salt and Ocimum sanctum L. oil has been optimized. Starting from (1), three new platinum(II) complexes, namely (η2-4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol)chlorido(2-methylquinolin-8-olato-κ2N,O)platinum(II), (2), (η2-4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol)chlorido(5-nitroquinolin-8-olato-κ2N,O)platinum(II), (3), and (η2-4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol)chlorido(5,7-dichloroquinolin-8-olato-κ2N,O)platinum(II), [Pt(C9H4Cl2NO)Cl(C10H12O2)], (4), containing eugenol and a quinolin-8-ol derivative (R-OQ), have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, MS, IR, 1H NMR and NOESY spectra. For (1) and (4), single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies were also carried out. Complexes (2)-(4) show good inhibiting abilities on three human cancer cell lines, i.e. KB, Hep-G2 and LU, with IC50 values of 1.42-17.8 µM. Complex (3) gives an impressively high activity against KB, Hep-G2, LU and MCF-7, with IC50 values of 1.42-4.91 µM, which are much lower than those of cisplatin and some other platinum(II) complexes.

Crystallization experiments with the dinuclear chelate ring complex di-µ-chlorido-bis[(η2-2-allyl-4-methoxy-5-{[(propan-2-yloxy)carbonyl]methoxy}phenyl-κC1)platinum(II)].

Crystallization experiments with the dinuclear chelate ring complex di-µ-chlorido-bis[(η2-2-allyl-4-methoxy-5-{[(propan-2-yloxy)carbonyl]methoxy}phenyl-κC1)platinum(II)], [Pt2(C15H19O4)2Cl2], containing a derivative of the natural compound eugenol as ligand, have been performed. Using five different sets of crystallization conditions resulted in four different complexes which can be further used as starting compounds for the synthesis of Pt complexes with promising anticancer activities. In the case of vapour diffusion with the binary chloroform-diethyl ether or methylene chloride-diethyl ether systems, no change of the molecular structure was observed. Using evaporation from acetonitrile (at room temperature), dimethylformamide (DMF, at 313 K) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO, at 313 K), however, resulted in the displacement of a chloride ligand by the solvent, giving, respectively, the mononuclear complexes (acetonitrile-κN)(η2-2-allyl-4-methoxy-5-{[(propan-2-yloxy)carbonyl]methoxy}phenyl-κC1)chloridoplatinum(II) monohydrate, [Pt(C15H19O4)Cl(CH3CN)]·H2O, (η2-2-allyl-4-methoxy-5-{[(propan-2-yloxy)carbonyl]methoxy}phenyl-κC1)chlorido(dimethylformamide-κO)platinum(II), [Pt(C15H19O4)Cl(C2H7NO)], and (η2-2-allyl-4-methoxy-5-{[(propan-2-yloxy)carbonyl]methoxy}phenyl-κC1)chlorido(dimethyl sulfoxide-κS)platinum(II), determined as the analogue {η2-2-allyl-4-methoxy-5-[(ethoxycarbonyl)methoxy]phenyl-κC1}chlorido(dimethyl sulfoxide-κS)platinum(II), [Pt(C14H17O4)Cl(C2H6OS)]. The crystal structures confirm that acetonitrile interacts with the PtII atom via its N atom, while for DMSO, the S atom is the coordinating atom. For the replacement, the longest of the two Pt-Cl bonds is cleaved, leading to a cis position of the solvent ligand with respect to the allyl group. The crystal packing of the complexes is characterized by dimer formation via C-H...O and C-H...π interactions, but no π-π interactions are observed despite the presence of the aromatic ring.

Crystal structure of trans-di-chlorido-(4-nitro-aniline-κN (1))(piperidine-κN)platinum(II).

In the title complex, [PtCl2(C5H11N)(C6H6N2O2)], the Pt(II) metal atom displays a slightly distorted trans-PtN2Cl2 square-planar coordination geometry. The dihedral angle between the mean plane of the benzene and piperidine rings is 89.03 (3)°. In the crystal structure, inversion dimers are formed via N-H⋯Cl hydrogen-bond inter-actions, resulting in chains parallel to the [001] direction. The benzene rings within the chains show π-π stacking inter-actions [centroid-to-centroid distances of 3.801 (3) Å] and neighbouring chains inter-act via N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

(14)C radiolabeling of proteins to monitor biodistribution of ingested proteins.

The economical preparation of microgram quantities of (14)C-labeled proteins by in vacuo methylation with methyl iodide is described. The (14)C radiolabeling was achieved by the covalent attachment of [(14)C]methyl groups onto amino and imidazole groups by reaction in vacuo with [(14)C]methyl iodide. The method was tested by investigating the biodistribution of (14)C in rats that were fed (14)C-labeled human soluble cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14) protein, a receptor for bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Two other control proteins, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and casein, were also labeled with (14)C and used for comparative analysis to determine the following: (i) the efficacy and cost efficiency of the in vacuo radiolabeling procedure and (ii) the extent of incorporation of the (14)C label into the organs of orogastrically fed 10-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats. [(14)C]BSA, [(14)C]casein, and [(14)C]CD14 were individually prepared with specific radioactivities of 34,400, 18,800, and 163,000 disintegrations per minute (dpm)/microg, respectively. It was found that the accumulation of (14)C label in the organs of [(14)C]CD14-fed rats, most notably the persistence of (14)C in the stomach 480 min postgavage, was temporally and spatially distinct from [(14)C]BSA and [(14)C]casein-fed rats.

Peptide quantitation with methyl iodide isotopic tags and mass spectrometry.

A novel method is presented for the quantitation of peptides based on their methylation by in vacuo chemical reaction with methyl iodide. Samples of two small peptides, hexaglycine and pentaalanine, were labeled with CH(3)I and CD(3)I, representing the "unknown" and "standard" respectively, and then subjected to a series of tests using mass spectrometry to ascertain the suitability of the isotopic labels for peptide quantitation. The experiments show methyl iodide to be a very quantitative label, exhibiting a linear relationship in concentration over the dynamic range of the mass spectrometer used in the analysis (up to 4 orders of magnitude) both as pure samples and in a complex mixture of peptides. The tendency of trimethylated peptides to preferentially form a(2) fragment ions in MS(2) produces a significant increase in sensitivity, especially when the mass spectrometer is used in the MRM mode. Tests were also performed to verify the stability of the label against H/D exchange and its suitability for long-term storage, showing little degradation while in solution and during subsequent chemical processing.

Glycation improves the thermostability of trypsin and chymotrypsin.

A novel glycation procedure, in vacuo glycation, was used to attach glucose covalently to the lysine residues of trypsin and chymotrypsin. Glycated trypsin and glycated chymotrypsin have greatly increased thermostability compared to the native enzymes. For example, glycated bovine trypsin, incubated at 50 degrees C and pH 8.0 for 3 h, retained more than 50% of its original activity whereas the native enzyme was inactivated under the same conditions. Similarly, after incubation at 50 degrees C and pH 8.0, glycated bovine chymotrypsin retained 45% of its original activity and the native enzyme was inactivated. Glycated porcine trypsin is exceptionally thermostable and could be used to digest native ribonuclease at 70 degrees C without the need for prior denaturation. The apparent increase in the thermal stability of the glycated proteins observed in activity measurements is also reflected by an increase in the T(m) values determined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and circular dichroism (CD). The glycation does not alter the activity or specificity of these enzymes.