New synthesized polyoxygenated diarylheptanoids suppress lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammation.

In neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis, neuroinflammation induced by the microglial activation plays a crucial role. In effort to develop effective anti-neuroinflammatory compounds, different new linear polyoxygenated diarylheptanoids were synthesized. In LPS-triggered BV-2 microglial cells their ability to reduce the concentration of IL-6 and TNF-α pro-inflammatory cytokines was evaluated. Moreover, their effect on NF-κB and ATP citrate lyase (ACLY), a recently emerged target of metabolic reprogramming in inflammation, was assessed. Finally, we turned our attention to inflammatory mediators derived from the cleavage of citrate catalyzed by ACLY: prostaglandin E2, nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species. All compounds showed null or minimal cytotoxicity; most of them had a great anti-neuroinflammatory activity. Diarylheptanoids 6b and 6c, bearing a halide atom and benzyl ether protective groups, exhibited the best effect since they blocked the secretion of all inflammatory mediators analyzed and reduced NF-κB and ACLY protein levels.

Access to Wieland-Miescher Diketone-Derived Building Blocks by Stereoselective Construction of the C-9 Quaternary Carbon Center Using the Mukaiyama Aldol Reaction.

The Mukaiyama aldol reaction has been used to efficiently install a lateral chain at the C-9 position of the Wieland-Miescher ketone derivative 3 within two steps, representing a shortcut compared to that of the classical sequences. The treatment of the silylated enol ether 8 with a wide range of acetals in the presence of tin tetrachloride led to a the diastereoselective construction of the C-9 quaternary center of 33 new building blocks derived from the Wieland-Miescher ketone derivative 3.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modeling studies on novel quinonoid inhibitors of CDC25 phosphatases.

The cell division cycle 25 phosphatases (CDC25A, B, and C; E.C. 3.1.3.48) are key regulator of the cell cycle in human cells. Their aberrant expression has been associated with the insurgence and development of various types of cancer, and with a poor clinical prognosis. Therefore, CDC25 phosphatases are a valuable target for the development of small molecule inhibitors of therapeutic relevance. Here, we used an integrated strategy mixing organic chemistry with biological investigation and molecular modeling to study novel quinonoid derivatives as CDC25 inhibitors. The most promising molecules proved to inhibit CDC25 isoforms at single digit micromolar concentration, becoming valuable tools in chemical biology investigations and profitable leads for further optimization. [Formula: see text].