Fenofibrate ameliorates letrozole-induced polycystic ovary in rats via modulation of PPARα and TNFα/CD95 pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine health problem during the childbearing period that seriously affects fertility in females. Fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARα) agonist, showed beneficial effects in models of endocrine disturbances. Thus, we evaluated the potential therapeutic effect of fenofibrate in experimental PCOS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats received oral fenofibrate (300 mg/kg/day) for three weeks following a three-week PCOS induction regimen using oral letrozole (1 mg/kg/day). We determined the changes in body weight, levels of serum testosterone, insulin, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), ovarian malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and tissue tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and CD95 protein expressions. The tissue expression of interleukin-10 (IL10) and PPARα genes was determined. RESULTS: Letrozole-treated rats showed successful induction of PCOS, confirmed by histopathology and significantly increased body weight, testosterone, insulin, AMH, and MDA, and decreased SOD. Ovaries of untreated PCOS rats showed increased TNFα and CD95 and decreased PPARα and IL10 expression. Administration of fenofibrate ameliorated the letrozole-induced PCOS changes. CONCLUSIONS: Fenofibrate-mediated amelioration of PCOS in rats is attributed partly to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties and activation of PPARα.

Discovery of benzothiazole-based thiazolidinones as potential anti-inflammatory agents: anti-inflammatory activity, soybean lipoxygenase inhibition effect and molecular docking studies.

Despite the greatest achievement in the development of anti-inflammatory agents in the last two decades, the current clinical drugs suffer from a variety of complications in community settings and hospital. There is still an urgent need to design novel molecules with better safety profile and with different molecular targets from those in current clinical use. The aim of this research was to discover a series of benzothiazole-based thiazolidinones with lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitory activity as a mechanism of anti-inflammatory action. Carrageenan-induced mouse foot paw oedema assay was carried out to determine the anti-inflammatory activity, while LOX inhibition was examined through the conversion of sodium linoleate to 13-hydroperoxylinoleic acid. Molecular docking studies were performed using AutoDock 4.2 software. The anti-inflammatory activity of the title compounds was determined in a range of 18.4%-69.57%, where compound #3 was found to be the most potent (69.57%) and also to be more active than the reference drug indomethacin (47%). Moreover, compound #3 showed the highest LOX inhibitory activity with IC50 of 13 µM being less potent to that of the reference NDGA (IC50 = 1.3 µM). Compound #3 has been identified as lead compound for further modification in an attempt to improve anti-inflammatory and LOX inhibitory activities.

Polymorphism in two biologically active dihydropyrimidinium hydrochloride derivatives: quantitative inputs towards the energetics associated with crystal packing.

A new polymorph belonging to the tetrahydropyrimidinium class of compounds, namely 6-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-(methoxycarbonyl)-4-methyl-2-(3-(trifluoromethylthio)phenylamino)-3,6-dihydropyrimidin-1-ium chloride, and a hydrate of 2-(3-bromophenylamino)-6-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-(methoxycarbonyl)-4-methyl-3,6-dihydropyrimidin-1-ium chloride, have been isolated and characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD). A detailed comprehensive analysis of the crystal packing in terms of the associated intermolecular interactions and a quantification of their interaction energies have been performed for both forms of the two different organic salts (A and B) using X-ray crystallography and computational methods such as density functional theory (DFT) quantum mechanical calculations, PIXEL lattice-energy calculations (with decomposition of total lattice energy into the Coulombic, polarization, dispersion and repulsion contribution), the calculation of the Madelung constant (the EUGEN method), Hirshfeld and two-dimensional fingerprint plots. The presence of ionic [N-H](+)···Cl(-) and [C-H](+)···Cl(-) hydrogen bonds mainly stabilizes the crystal packing in both forms A and B, while in the case of B·H2O [N-H](+)···O(water) and O(water)-H···Cl(-) hydrogen bonds along with [N-H](+)···Cl(-) and [C-H](+)···Cl(-) provide stability to the crystal packing. The lattice-energy calculations from both PIXEL and EUGEN methods revealed that in the case of A, form (I) (monoclinic) is more stable whereas for B it is the anhydrous form that is more stable. The analysis of the `Madelung mode' of crystal packing of two forms of A and B and its hydrates suggest that differences exist in the position of the charged ions/atoms in the organic solid state. The R/E (distance-energy) plots for all the crystal structures show that the molecular pairs in their crystal packing are connected with either highly stabilizing (due to the presence of organic R(+) and Cl(-)) or highly destabilizing Coulombic contacts. The difference in crystal packing and associated intermolecular interactions between polymorphs (in the case of A) or the hydrates (in the case of B) have been clearly elucidated by the analysis of Hirshfeld surfaces and two-dimensional fingerprint plots. The relative contributions of the various interactions to the Hirshfeld surface for the cationic (dihydropyrimidinium) part and anionic (chloride ion) part for the two forms of A and B and its hydrate were observed to be different.

{2-[(1,3-Benzo-thia-zol-2-yl)meth-oxy]-5-fluoro-phen-yl}(4-chloro-phen-yl)methanone.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C21H13ClFNO2S, contains two independent mol-ecules with similar conformations. In the mol-ecules, the thia-zole ring is essentially planar [maximum atomic deviations = 0.014 (4) and 0.023 (5) Å] and is oriented with respect to the fluoro-phenyl ring and chloro-phenyl rings at 9.96 (18) and 70.39 (18)° in one mol-ecule and at 7.50 (18) and 68.43 (18)° in the other; the dihedral angles between the fluoro-phenyl and chloro-phenyl rings are 64.9 (2) and 64.6 (2)°, respectively. Inter-molecular C-H⋯O and C-H⋯F hydrogen bonds stabilize the three-dimensional supra-molecular architecture. Weak C-H⋯π and π-π inter-actions [centroid-centroid distance = 3.877 (3) Å] lead to a criss-cross mol-ecular packing along the c axis.

{2-[(1,3-Benzo-thia-zol-2-yl)meth-oxy]-5-chloro-phen-yl}(4-chloro-phen-yl)methan-one.

In the title compound, C21H13Cl2NO2S, the benzo-thia-zole ring makes dihedral angles of 0.94 (1) and 70.65 (5)° with the 4-chloro-phenyl-methanone unit and the 5-chloro-phenyl ring, respectively. The dihedral angle between the 4-chloro-phenyl-methanone unit and the 5-chloro-phenyl ring is 66.20 (5)°. The crystal structure consists of dimeric units generated by C-H⋯N hydrogen bonds, further linked by C-H⋯O and C-H⋯π inter-actions, leading to a three-dimensional network.

{2-[(1,3-Benzo-thia-zol-2-yl)meth-oxy]-5-bromo-phen-yl}(phen-yl)methanone.

In the title compound, C21H14BrNO2S, the dihedral angle between the planes of the benzo-thia-zole and phenyl-methanone groups is 63.4 (2)°. In the crystal, pairs of C-H⋯N hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules to form inversion dimers, which are further linked by C-H⋯O inter-actions into chains along the c axis. C-H⋯π and π-π inter-actions [centroid-centroid distance = 3.863 (1) Å] further stabilize the mol-ecular assembly.

2-(4-Bromo-anilino)-6-(4-chloro-phen-yl)-5-meth-oxy-carbonyl-4-methyl-3,6-dihydro-pyrimidin-1-ium chloride.

In the title molecular salt, C19H18BrClN3O2 (+)·Cl(-), the dihedral angles between the pyrimidine ring and the chlorobenzene and bromobenzene rings are 72.4 (2) and 45.5 (2)°, respectively. The dihedral angle between the chlorobenzene and bromobenzene rings is 27.5 (2)°. The conformation of the mol-ecule is stabilized by an intra-molecular C-H⋯O inter-action. In the crystal, the anion and cation are linked by an N-H⋯Cl hydrogen bond. Pairs of weak C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds form inversion dimers. Further N-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds form R 2 (1)(6) motifs and link the dimers into chains along [101]. Br⋯Cl short contacts [3.482 (2) Å] inter-link the hydrogen-bonded chains along the b-axis direction.

Review on natural coumarin lead compounds for their pharmacological activity.

Coumarin (2H-1-benzopyran-2-one) is a plant-derived natural product known for its pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, antihypertensive, antitubercular, anticonvulsant, antiadipogenic, antihyperglycemic, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties. Dietary exposure to benzopyrones is significant as these compounds are found in vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, coffee, tea, and wine. In view of the established low toxicity, relative cheapness, presence in the diet, and occurrence in various herbal remedies of coumarins, it appears prudent to evaluate their properties and applications further.

Methyl 4-(4-chloro-phen-yl)-8-iodo-2-methyl-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-4H-pyrimido[2,1-b]quinazoline-3-carboxyl-ate.

In the title compound, C20H15ClIN3O3, the dihedral angle between the quinazolinone ring system [r.m.s. deviation = 0.047 (2) Å] and the pendant benzene ring is 82.63 (11)°. The mol-ecular conformation is stabilized by intra-molecular C-H⋯O inter-actions. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are linked by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into chains along the a-axis direction. Another set of chains propagating along [101] is formed due to inter-molecular I⋯Cl short contacts of 3.427 (1) Å, thus giving layers parallel to (010). The layers are connected by C-H⋯π and π-π inter-actions, the shortest distance between the centroids of aromatic rings being 3.8143 (16) Å.

[2-(1,3-Benzothia-zol-2-ylmeth-oxy)-5-bromo-phen-yl](4-chloro-phen-yl)methanone.

In the title compound, C21H13BrClNO2S, the dihedral angle between the planes of the benzothia-zole and chloro-phenyl-methanone groups is 71.34 (6)°. In the crystal, weak C-H⋯N hydrogen bonds lead to dimer formation, whereas Br⋯Cl short contacts [3.4966 (11) Å] form infinite chains along the a-axis direction. Further, the C-H⋯O, C-H⋯π and π-π [centroid-centroid distance = 3.865 (2) Å] inter-actions stabilize the three-dimensional network.

The antimosquito properties of extracts from flowering plants in South Africa.

Extracts of selected flowering plants, which are considered eco-friendly, are used for the treatment of numerous ailments and vector control worldwide. This has resulted in approximately 25 per cent of currently used drugs being derived from herbal sources. The aqueous and methanolic extracts of twelve plant species, Psidium guajava (pink fruit), Psidium guajava (white fruit), Psidium cattleianum var. cattleianum, Psidium guineense and Psidium X durbanensis, Achyranthes aspera, Alternanthera sessilis, Guilleminea densa, Capparis tomentosa, Leonotis leonurus, Dichrostachys cinerea and Carpobrotus dimidiatus, were tested for insecticidal activity, including larvicidal, adulticidal and repellent activities against the adult female mosquito, Anopheles arabiensis. The extracts of P. guajava (white fruit), C. tomentosa, L. leonurus,D. cinerea, and C. dimidiatus exerted a pronounced inhibitory effect on adult insects, while those of P. guajava (pink fruit), P. X durbanensis, P. cattleianum var. cattleianum, P. guineense, A. aspera, A. sessilis, and G. densa were ineffective and failed to satisfy the criteria set by the World Health Organization. In the tests for repellency against An. arabiensis, all the tested aqueous and methanolic plant extracts except those of A. sessilis repelled 80-100% of mosquitoes. The most effective mosquito repellents were the methanol and aqueous extracts of P. guajava (pink fruit), P. X durbanensis, P. cattleianum var. cattleianum, P. guineense, G. densa,L. leonurus and D. cinerea, which are potential sources of cost effective mosquito repellents to be utilized in malarial endemic areas.

Methyl (E)-2-[(3-chloro-4-cyano-phenyl)-imino]-4-(4-chloro-phen-yl)-6-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-pyrimidine-5-carboxyl-ate.

In the title compound, C(20)H(16)Cl(2)N(4)O(2), the dihedral angles between the planes of the chloro-phenyl, chloro-cyano-phenyl-imine and ester groups and the plane of the six-membered tetra-hydro-pyrimidine ring are 86.9 (2), 72.6 (2) and 7.9 (2)°, respectively. The Cl atom substituent on the cyano-phenyl ring is disordered over two rotationally related sites [occupancy factors 0.887 (2):0.113 (2)], while the mol-ecular conformation is stabilized by the presence of an intra-molecular aromatic C-H⋯π inter-action. Both N-H groups participate in separate inter-molecular hydrogen-bonding associations with centrosymmetric cyclic motifs [graph sets R(2) (2)(8) and R(2) (2)(12)], resulting in ribbons parallel to [010]. Further weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link these ribbons into a two-dimensional mol-ecular assembly.

Methyl 2,6-diphenyl-1-p-tolyl-4-(p-tolyl-amino)-1,2,5,6-tetra-hydro-pyridine-3-carboxyl-ate.

In the title compound, C(33)H(32)N(2)O(2), the tetra-hydro-pyridine ring adopts a boat conformation with the carbonyl group in an s-cis conformation with respect to the C=C bond of the six-membered tetra-hydro-pyridine ring. The mol-ecular conformation is stabilized by intra-molecular N-H⋯O, C-H⋯O and C-H⋯π inter-actions. Formation of centrosymmetric head-to-head dimers is observed through pairwise inter-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Additional weak C-H⋯O and C-H⋯π inter-actions stabilize the three-dimensional mol-ecular assembly.

(2-(Benzo[d]thia-zol-2yl-meth-oxy)-5-chloro-phen-yl)(phen-yl)methanone.

In the title compound, C(21)H(14)ClNO(2)S, the dihedral angle between the benzothia-zole and diphenyl methanone groups is 68.6 (2)°. The crystal structure consists of dimeric units generated by C-H⋯N bonds, further linked by C-H⋯O bonds and C-H⋯π and π-π inter-actions [centroid-centroiddistance = 3.856 (2) Å], which lead to a criss-cross assembly parallel to (001).

N-(2-Amino-3,5-dibromo-benz-yl)-N-methyl-cyclo-hexan-1-aminium p-toluenesulfonate.

The title compound, C(14)H(21)Br(2)N(2) (+)·C(7)H(7)O(3)S(-), features a salt of protonated bromhexine, a pharmaceutical used in the treatment of respiratory disorders, and the p-toluenesulfonate anion. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter-molecular N-H⋯O, N-H⋯Br and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

3-(2-Bromo-acet-yl)-6-fluoro-2H-chromen-2-one.

The non-H atoms of the title compound, C(11)H(6)BrFO(3), are essentially coplanar (r.m.s. deviation for all non-H atoms = 0.074 Å). In the crystal, the molecules are linked by C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Br inter-actions.

Ethyl 6-methyl-2-sulfanyl-idene-4-[4-(trifluoro-meth-yl)phen-yl]-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-pyrimidine-5-carboxyl-ate.

The title compound, C(15)H(15)F(3)N(2)O(2)S, adopts a conformation with an intra-molecular C-H⋯π inter-action. The dihedral angles between the planes of the 4-(trifluoro-meth-yl)phenyl and ester groups with the plane of the six-membered tetra-hydro-pyrimidine ring are 81.8 (1) and 16.0 (1)°, respectively. In the crystal structure, inter-molecular N-H⋯S hydrogen bonds link pairs of mol-ecules into dimers and N-H⋯O inter-actions generate hydrogen-bonded mol-ecular chains along the crystallographic a axis.

Ethyl 4-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-6-methyl-2-sulfanylidene-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-pyrimidine-5-carboxyl-ate.

In the title compound, C(15)H(16)N(2)O(4)S, the dihedral angles between the planes of the benzodioxole and ester groups and the plane of the six-membered tetra-hydro-pyrimidine ring are 89.5 (1) and 20.2 (1)°, respectively. Inter-molecular N-H⋯S hydrogen bonds assemble the mol-ecules into dimers, which are further connected via N-H⋯O inter-actions into chains parallel to [010]. Weak C-H⋯S and C-H⋯π inter-actions enhance the stability of the crystal structure.

Erratum: Tetra-kis-µ-l-alanine-κO:O'-bis-[tetra-aqua-terbium(III)] hexa-perchlorate. Corrigendum.

The surname of one of the authors and the affiliation of that author in the paper by Mohamed et al. [Acta Cryst. (2009), E66, m193-m194] are corrected.[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1107/S1600536809028955.].

3-(2-Amino-1,3-thia-zol-4-yl)-6-bromo-2H-chromen-2-one.

The mol-ecule of the title compound, C(12)H(7)BrN(2)O(2)S, is essentially planar with a maximum deviation of 0.234 (3) Šfrom the mean plane through all non-H atoms. The dihedral angle between the coumarin ring plane and that of the five-membered thia-zole ring is 12.9 (1)°. In the crystal, strong N-H⋯O, N-H⋯N and weak but highly directional C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds provide the links between the mol-ecules. In addition, C-H⋯π and π-π inter-actions [centroid-centroid distances = 3.950 (3)-4.024 (3) Å] provide additional stability to the inter-layer regions in the lattice.