A Norbornadiene-Based Molecular System for the Storage of Solar-Thermal Energy in an Aqueous Solution: Study of the Heat-Release Process Triggered by a Co(II)-Complex.

It is urgent yet challenging to develop new environmentally friendly and cost-effective sources of energy. Molecular solar thermal (MOST) systems for energy capture and storage are a promising option. With this in mind, we have prepared a new water-soluble (pH > 6) norbornadiene derivative (HNBD1) whose MOST properties are reported here. HNBD1 shows a better matching to the solar spectrum compared to unmodified norbornadiene, with an onset absorbance of λonset = 364 nm. The corresponding quadricyclane photoisomer (HQC1) is quantitatively generated through the light irradiation of HNBD1. In an alkaline aqueous solution, the MOST system consists of the NBD1-/QC1- pair of deprotonated species. QC1- is very stable toward thermal back-conversion to NBD1-; it is absolutely stable at 298 K for three months and shows a marked resistance to temperature increase (half-life t½ = 587 h at 371 K). Yet, it rapidly (t½ = 11 min) releases the stored energy in the presence of the Co(II) porphyrin catalyst Co-TPPC (ΔHstorage = 65(2) kJ∙mol-1). Under the explored conditions, Co-TPPC maintains its catalytic activity for at least 200 turnovers. These results are very promising for the creation of MOST systems that work in water, a very interesting solvent for environmental sustainability, and offer a strong incentive to continue research towards this goal.

Reactivity of the Iboga Skeleton: Oxidation Study of Ibogaine and Voacangine.

The iboga alkaloids scaffold shows great potential as a pharmacophore in drug candidates for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. Thus, the study of the reactivity of this type of motif is particularly useful for the generation of new analogs suitable for medicinal chemistry goals. In this article, we analyzed the oxidation pattern of ibogaine and voacangine using dioxygen, peroxo compounds, and iodine as oxidizing agents. Special focus was placed on the study of the regio- and stereochemistry of the oxidation processes according to the oxidative agent and starting material. We found that the C16-carboxymethyl ester present in voacangine stabilizes the whole molecule toward oxidation in comparison to ibogaine, especially in the indole ring, where 7-hydroxy- or 7-peroxy-indolenines can be obtained as oxidation products. Nevertheless, the ester moiety enhances the reactivity of the isoquinuclidinic nitrogen to afford C3-oxidized products through a regioselective iminium formation. This differential reactivity between ibogaine and voacangine was rationalized using computational DFT calculations. In addition, using qualitative and quantitative NMR experiments combined with theoretical calculations, the absolute stereochemistry at C7 in the 7-hydroxyindolenine of voacangine was revised to be S, which corrects previous reports proposing an R configuration.

New Insights into the Chemical Composition of Ayahuasca.

Ayahuasca is a psychedelic beverage originally from the Amazon rainforest used in different shamanic settings for medicinal, spiritual, and cultural purposes. It is prepared by boiling in water an admixture of the Amazonian vine Banisteriopsis caapi, which is a source of ß-carboline alkaloids, with plants containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine, usually Psychotria viridis. While previous studies have focused on the detection and quantification of the alkaloids present in the drink, less attention has been given to other nonalkaloid components or the composition of the solids suspended in the beverage, which may also affect its psychoactive properties. In this study, we used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to study the composition of ayahuasca samples, to determine their alkaloid qualitative and quantitative profiles, as well as other major soluble and nonsoluble components. For the first time, fructose was detected as a major component of the samples, while harmine (a ß-carboline previously described as an abundant alkaloid in ayahuasca) was found to be present in the solids suspended in the beverage. In addition, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), harmine, tetrahydroharmine, harmaline, and harmol were identified as the major alkaloids present in extracts of all samples. Finally, a novel, easy, and fast method using quantitative NMR was developed and validated to simultaneously quantify the content of these alkaloids found in each ayahuasca sample.

Iboga Inspired N-Indolylethyl-Substituted Isoquinuclidines as a Bioactive Scaffold: Chemoenzymatic Synthesis and Characterization as GDNF Releasers and Antitrypanosoma Agents.

The first stage of the drug discovery process involves the identification of small compounds with biological activity. Iboga alkaloids are monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) containing a fused isoquinuclidine-tetrahydroazepine ring. Both the natural products and the iboga-inspired synthetic analogs have shown a wide variety of biological activities. Herein, we describe the chemoenzymatic preparation of a small library of novel N-indolylethyl-substituted isoquinuclidines as iboga-inspired compounds, using toluene as a starting material and an imine Diels-Alder reaction as the key step in the synthesis. The new iboga series was investigated for its potential to promote the release of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) by C6 glioma cells, and to inhibit the growth of infective trypanosomes. GDNF is a neurotrophic factor widely recognized by its crucial role in development, survival, maintenance, and protection of dopaminergic neuronal circuitries affected in several neurological and psychiatric pathologies. Four compounds of the series showed promising activity as GDNF releasers, and a leading structure (compound 11) was identified for further studies. The same four compounds impaired the growth of bloodstream Trypanosoma brucei brucei (EC50 1-8 µM) and two of them (compounds 6 and 14) showed a good selectivity index.

Readily accessible azido-alkyne-functionalized monomers for the synthesis of cyclodextrin analogues using click chemistry.

A set of linear and cyclic oligomers were synthesized starting from a suitable azido-alkyne monomer through click oligomerization. The synthesis of these monomers starting from bromobenzene features an enzymatic dihydroxylation and the regio- and stereoselective installation of the azide and alkyne functionalities. Optimization of the click reaction was accomplished using dimerization as the model reaction. The product distribution of the oligomerization could be modulated by the monomer concentration and the use of additives, generating mainly cyclic oligomers consisting of tetramers, pentamers and hexamers.

Efficient Access to the Iboga Skeleton: Optimized Procedure to Obtain Voacangine from Voacanga africana Root Bark.

Iboga alkaloids are a group of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids with promising and intriguing biological activities. Ibogaine is the representative member of the series and has become widely known as a potent atypical psychedelic with promising effects to treat substance use disorder. Nowadays, an efficient and scalable enantioselective total synthesis of ibogaine and related iboga alkaloids is still lacking, so direct extraction from natural sources or semi-synthetic schemes are the methods of choice to obtain them in a preparative scale. In particular, ibogaine can be obtained either by a low yielding direct isolation from Tabernanthe iboga or using a semi-synthetic procedure from voacangine, an iboga alkaloid occurring in a higher yield in the root bark of Voacanga africana. In this work, we describe an optimized process to obtain voacangine from V. africana root bark as a precursor of the iboga scaffold. Using a direct acetone-based extraction procedure (0.5 kg of root bark), voacangine was isolated in ∼0.8% of root bark dried weight, while the major alkaloids isolated from the bark were identified as iboga-vobasinyl dimers (∼3.7%) such as voacamine and voacamidine. Since these alkaloids contain the voacangine moiety in their structure, the cleavage of the dimers was further optimized, affording an extra amount of voacangine in ∼50% isolated molar yield. In this manner, the total amount of voacangine obtained by application of the whole procedure to the plant material (extraction and dimer cleavage) could almost duplicate the content originally found in the root bark.

Chemoenzymatic Total Synthesis and Structural Revision of Ampelomins B, D, E, and epi-Ampelomin B.

Enantioselective synthesis of ampelomin B and epi-ampelomin B, D, and E was accomplished starting from toluene, through a chemoenzymatic sequence, in which stereoselective hydrogenation, Mitsunobu reaction, and regio- and stereoselective nucleophilic opening of an epoxide were used as the main transformations. Structural revision and absolute configuration of the natural compounds were carried out.

Ibogaine Administration Modifies GDNF and BDNF Expression in Brain Regions Involved in Mesocorticolimbic and Nigral Dopaminergic Circuits.

Ibogaine is an atypical psychedelic alkaloid, which has been subject of research due to its reported ability to attenuate drug-seeking behavior. Recent work has suggested that ibogaine effects on alcohol self-administration in rats are related to the release of Glial cell Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA), a mesencephalic region which hosts the soma of dopaminergic neurons. Although previous reports have shown ibogaine's ability to induce GDNF expression in rat midbrain, there are no studies addressing its effect on the expression of GDNF and other neurotrophic factors (NFs) such as Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) or Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) in distinct brain regions containing dopaminergic neurons. In this work, we examined the effect of ibogaine acute administration on the expression of these NFs in the VTA, Prefrontal Cortex (PFC), Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc) and the Substantia Nigra (SN). Rats were i.p. treated with ibogaine 20 mg/kg (I20), 40 mg/kg (I40) or vehicle, and NFs expression was analyzed after 3 and 24 h. At 24 h an increase of the expression of the NFs transcripts was observed in a site and dose dependent manner. Only for I40, GDNF was selectively upregulated in the VTA and SN. Both doses elicited a large increase in the expression of BDNF transcripts in the NAcc, SN and PFC, while in the VTA a significant effect was found only for I40. Finally, NGF mRNA was upregulated in all regions after I40, while I20 showed a selective upregulation in PFC and VTA. Regarding protein levels, an increase of GDNF was observed in the VTA only for I40 but no significant increase for BDNF was found in all the studied areas. Interestingly, an increase of proBDNF was detected in the NAcc for both doses. These results show for the first time a selective increase of GDNF specifically in the VTA for I40 but not for I20 after 24 h of administration, which agrees with the effective dose found in previous self-administration studies in rodents. Further research is needed to understand the contribution of these changes to ibogaine's ability to attenuate drug-seeking behavior.

Ibogaine Acute Administration in Rats Promotes Wakefulness, Long-Lasting REM Sleep Suppression, and a Distinctive Motor Profile.

Ibogaine is a potent psychedelic alkaloid that has been the focus of intense research because of its intriguing anti-addictive properties. According to anecdotic reports, ibogaine has been originally classified as an oneirogenic psychedelic; i.e., induces a dream-like cognitive activity while awake. However, the effects of ibogaine administration on wakefulness (W) and sleep have not been thoroughly assessed. The main aim of our study was to characterize the acute effects of ibogaine administration on W and sleep. For this purpose, polysomnographic recordings on chronically prepared rats were performed in the light phase during 6 h. Animals were treated with ibogaine (20 and 40 mg/kg) or vehicle, immediately before the beginning of the recordings. Furthermore, in order to evaluate associated motor behaviors during the W period, a different group of animals was tested for 2 h after ibogaine treatment on an open field with video-tracking software. Compared to control, animals treated with ibogaine showed an increase in time spent in W. This effect was accompanied by a decrease in slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid-eye movements (REM) sleep time. REM sleep latency was significantly increased in animals treated with the higher ibogaine dose. While the effects on W and SWS were observed during the first 2 h of recordings, the decrement in REM sleep time was observed throughout the recording time. Accordingly, ibogaine treatment with the lower dose promoted an increase on locomotion, while tremor and flat body posture were observed only with the higher dose in a time-dependent manner. In contrast, head shake response, a behavior which has been associated in rats with the 5HT2A receptor activation by hallucinogens, was not modified. We conclude that ibogaine promotes a waking state that is accompanied by a robust and long-lasting REM sleep suppression. In addition, it produces a dose-dependent unusual motor profile along with other serotonin-related behaviors. Since ibogaine is metabolized to produce noribogaine, further experiments are needed to elucidate if the metabolite and/or the parent drug produced these effects.

Toluene Dioxygenase-Catalysed Oxidation of Benzyl Azide to Benzonitrile: Mechanistic Insights for an Unprecedented Enzymatic Transformation.

Enzymatic dioxygenation of benzyl azide by toluene dioxygenase (TDO) produces significant amounts of the cis-cyclohexadienediol derived from benzonitrile, along with the expected azido diols. We demonstrate that TDO catalyses the oxidation of benzyl azide to benzonitrile, which is further dioxygenated to produce the observed cis-diol. A proposed mechanism for this transformation involves initial benzylic monooxygenation followed by a nitrene-mediated rearrangement to form an oxime, which is further dehydrated to afford the nitrile. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of enzymatic oxidation of an alkyl azide to a nitrile. In addition, the described oxime-dehydration activity has not been reported for Rieske dioxygenases.

Double [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement in the enzymatic dioxygenation of benzyl azide: preparation of novel synthetically valuable azido-diols.

Enzymatic dioxygenation of benzyl azide by toluene dioxygenase produces the expected enantiopure cis-cyclohexadienediol along with an exocyclic diene formed by a spontaneous sequence of two [3,3] sigmatropic shifts. This novel dienediol presents high synthetic potential for natural product synthesis. The sigmatropic rearrangements can be reversed by protection of the diol moiety. An optimized production protocol for either of these valuable diols is presented.

Synthesis of a thiol-ß-cyclodextrin, a potential agent for controlling enzymatic browning in fruits and vegetables.

A thiol-ß-cyclodextrin was synthesized by a simple and environmentally friendly three-step method comprising epoxy activation of ß-cyclodextrin, thiosulfate-mediated oxirane opening, and further reduction of the S-alkyl thiosulfate to a thiol group. The final step was optimized by using thiopropyl-agarose, a solid phase reducing agent with many advantages over soluble ones. ß-Cyclodextrin thiolation was confirmed by titration with a thiol-reactive reagent, NMR studies, and MALDI-TOF/TOF. Thiolated cyclodextrin had an average value of one thiol group per molecule. Thiol-ß-cyclodextrin proved to be an excellent agent for controlling polyphenol oxidase activity. This copper-containing enzyme is responsible for browning in fruits and vegetables. Under the same conditions, thiol-ß-cyclodextrin generated a reductive microenvironment that increased the antibrowning effect on Red Delicious apples compared to unmodified ß-cyclodextrin.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of trans-tetrahydrofuran cores of annonaceous acetogenins from bromobenzene.

Two types of trans-THF cores, present in acetogenins, have been synthesized by an intramolecular iodoetherification reaction. The starting alkenol was obtained in a few steps from a chiral cis-diol resulting from microbial oxidation of bromobenzene. The cyclization gave complete stereoselectivity for trans-THF cores with either (S,S) or (R,R) configurations at the THF chiral carbons.

Insecticidal properties of annonaceous acetogenins and their analogues. Interaction with lipid membranes.

The interactions were studied by FTIR and DSC of the terminal lactone of annonaceous acetogenins (ACGs) and synthetic analogues, such as THF, with POPC bilayers, as well as the toxic effect produced by these compounds on Spodoptera frugiperda larvae. The aim of this work was to find a relationship between ACG insecticidal properties and the specific sites of interaction with lipid membranes. ACGs interact to different extents with the phosphate of lipid membranes and differences in the antisymmetric stretching of the phosphate groups were found in the presence of water that indicate water loss and further hydrogen bonding.The ACG tested produced more than 70% larval mortality. Rolliniastatin-1 (3) proved to have the most toxic effects (100%) on early larval instars when incorporated in the larval diet at a dose of 100 microg per g of diet. Additionally, it produced a significant decrease in growth rate (GR) and consumption index (CI), and reduced the efficiency with which larvae converted ingested food into biomass (ECI). The destabilization that occurs in the membrane due to dehydration around the phosphate groups caused by interaction with ACGs and their synthetic analogues would account for ACGs' insecticidal action.

Synthesis and antifungal activities of natural and synthetic biflavonoids.

The synthesis of some natural and synthetic biflavonoids was performed in good overall yields starting from readily available materials via high yielding aldol and Ullmann condensations. Some of these compounds, especially bichalcones, display an interesting activity against fungi, higher than that of the corresponding monomers.