New Thyrointegrin αvß3 Antagonist with a Scalable Synthesis, Brain Penetration, and Potent Activity against Glioblastoma Multiforme.

We have previously reported that the αvß3 inhibitor P-bi-TAT, a bifunctional version of the thyroid hormone metabolite tetraiodothyroacetic acid (tetrac) conjugated to polyethylene glycol (PEG) MW 4000, has excellent efficacy in a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) mouse model. However, bioanalysis problems due to PEG polydispersity and large-scale synthesis issues led to a search for new molecules, culminating in the discovery of fb-PMT, a conjugate of tetrac and monodisperse PEG36, with a lipophilic 4-fluorobenzyl group at the opposite end of the PEG chain. fb-PMT reduces GBM tumor growth and viability by up to 98%, is suitable for large-scale synthesis, and is amenable to bioanalysis using mass spectrometry-based detection. We also showed that changes in lipophilicity at the opposite end of the PEG chain from the active tetrac component affected the proton NMR chemical shift of the tetrac moiety in D20 and brain levels of the compound after subcutaneous dosing.

Xanthenylacetic Acid Derivatives Effectively Target Lysophosphatidic Acid Receptor 6 to Inhibit Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Growth.

Despite the increasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide, current pharmacological treatments are still unsatisfactory. We have previously shown that lysophosphatidic acid receptor 6 (LPAR6) supports HCC growth and that 9-xanthenylacetic acid (XAA) acts as an LPAR6 antagonist inhibiting HCC growth without toxicity. Here, we synthesized four novel XAA derivatives, (±)-2-(9H-xanthen-9-yl)propanoic acid (compound 4 - MC9), (±)-2-(9H-xanthen-9-yl)butanoic acid (compound 5 - MC6), (±)-2-(9H-xanthen-9-yl)hexanoic acid (compound 7 - MC11), and (±)-2-(9H-xanthen-9-yl)octanoic acid (compound 8 - MC12, sodium salt) by introducing alkyl groups of increasing length at the acetic α-carbon atom. Two of these compounds were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and quantum mechanical calculations, while molecular docking simulations suggested their enantioselectivity for LPAR6. Biological data showed anti-HCC activity for all XAA derivatives, with the maximum effect observed for MC11. Our findings support the view that increasing the length of the alkyl group improves the inhibitory action of XAA and that enantioselectivity can be exploited for designing novel and more effective XAA-based LPAR6 antagonists.

Synthesis and antimalarial and anticancer evaluation of 7-chlorquinoline-4-thiazoleacetic derivatives containing aryl hydrazide moieties.

Twelve 7-chloroquinoline derivatives were designed and synthesized using the principle of molecular hybridization through the coupling of 2-[2-(7-chloroquinolin-4-ylthio)-4-methylthiazol-5-yl]acetic acid 1 with various benzoyl hydrazines 2a-l. The synthetic compounds were tested as antimalarials. Some of them showed an efficient in vitro activity as inhibitors of ß-hematin formation and an in vivo activity in a murine model, resulting in compounds 8 and 9 as the most active ones with IC50 values of 0.65 ± 0.09 and 0.64 ± 0.16 µM, respectively. The effects of the compounds on the cell viability, cell cycle, and apoptosis induction of A549 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines were also examined. Our data showed that compounds 6 and 12 were the most active agents, decreasing the cell viability of MCF-7 cells with IC50 values of 15.41 and 12.99 µM, respectively. None of the compounds analyzed significantly affected the viability of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Also, significant induction of apoptosis was observed when both cancer cell lines were incubated with compounds 6 and 12. In MCF-7 cells, treatment with these compounds led to cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase. The results obtained suggest that these structures may be useful in developing new therapies for malaria and cancer treatment.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Activity of New Amides Derived from 3-Benzhydryl and 3-sec-Butyl-2,5-dioxo-pyrrolidin-1-yl-acetic Acid.

The aim of this study was to design and synthesize two new series of pyrrolidine-2,5-dione-acetamides with a benzhydryl or sec-butyl group at position 3 as potential anticonvulsants. Their anticonvulsant activity was evaluated in standard animal models of epilepsy: the maximal electroshock (MES), the 6 Hz, and the subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (scPTZ) tests. The in vivo studies revealed the most potent anticonvulsant activity for 15 (3-(sec-butyl)-1-(2-(4-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazin-1-yl)-2-oxoethyl)pyrrolidine-2,5-dione), with ED50 values of 80.38 mg/kg (MES) and 108.80 mg/kg (6 Hz). The plausible mechanism of action was assessed in in vitro binding assays, in which 15 interacted effectively with voltage-gated sodium (site 2) and L-type calcium channels at a concentration of 100 µM. Subsequently, the antinociceptive activity of compounds 7 and 15 was observed in the hot plate test of acute pain. Moreover, compounds 7, 11 and 15 demonstrated an analgesic effect in the formalin test of tonic pain. The hepatotoxic properties of the most effective compounds (7, 11 and 15) in HepG2 cells were also investigated.

(4-Oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)acetic acids as potent and selective aldose reductase inhibitors.

(4-Oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)acetic acids exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities. Among them, the only derivative used in clinical practice is the aldose reductase inhibitor epalrestat. Structurally related compounds, [(5Z)-(5-arylalkylidene-4-oxo-2-thioxo-1,3-thiazolidin-3-yl)]acetic acid derivatives were prepared previously as potential antifungal agents. This study was aimed at the determination of aldose reductase inhibitory action of the compounds in comparison with epalrestat and evaluation of structure-activity relationships (SAR). The aldose reductase (ALR2) enzyme was isolated from the rat eye lenses, while aldehyde reductase (ALR1) was obtained from the kidneys. The compounds studied were found to be potent inhibitors of ALR2 with submicromolar IC50 values. (Z)-2-(5-(1-(5-butylpyrazin-2-yl)ethylidene)-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)acetic acid (3) was identified as the most efficacious inhibitor (over five times more potent than epalrestat) with mixed-type inhibition. All the compounds also exhibited low antiproliferative (cytotoxic) activity to the HepG2 cell line. Molecular docking simulations of 3 into the binding site of the aldose reductase enzyme identified His110, Trp111, Tyr48, and Leu300 as the crucial interaction counterparts responsible for the high-affinity binding. The selectivity factor for 3 in relation to the structurally related ALR1 was comparable to that for epalrestat. SAR conclusions suggest possible modifications to improve further inhibition efficacy, selectivity, and biological availability in the group of rhodanine carboxylic acids.

The extraordinary transformation of traditional Chinese medicine: processing with liquid excipients.

Context: The Chinese medicinal materials originate from animals, plants, or minerals must undergo appropriate treatment before use as decoction pieces. Processing of Chinese medicines with liquid excipients is a pharmaceutical technique that transforms medicinal raw materials into decoction pieces which are significantly different from the original form. During processing, significant changes occur in chemical constituents, which inevitably affects clinical efficacy. At present, the liquid materials in processing mainly involve wine, vinegar, honey, saline water, ginger juice, herbal juice, etc.Objective: This review introduces the typical methods of liquid excipients processing, summarizes the influence on chemical composition, pharmacological efficacy, and expounds the ways and mechanisms of liquid excipients to change the properties of drugs, enhance the efficacy, eliminate or reduce toxicity and adverse reaction.Methods: English and Chinese literature from 1986 to 2020 was collected from databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Elsevier, Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015, and CNKI (Chinese). Liquid excipients, processing, pharmacological effects, synergism, chemical constitution, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were used as the key words.Results: Liquid excipients play a key role in the application of TCM. Processing with proper liquid excipients can change the content of toxic or active components by physical or chemical transformation, decrease or increase drug dissolution, alter drug pharmacokinetics, or exert their own pharmacological effects. Thus, processing with liquid excipients is essential to ensure the safety and efficacy of TCM in clinic.Conclusion: This article could be helpful for researchers who are interested in traditional Chinese herbs processed with liquid excipients.

Changes of Physicochemical, Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity during the Brewing Process of Zhenjiang Aromatic Vinegar.

Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar (ZAV) is a kind of traditional fermented food worldwide. In this study, the changes of physicochemical properties, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total antioxidant activity (TAA) were evaluated during the brewing process of ZAV. In addition, the correlation between phenolic compound contents and antioxidant activities was investigated during the aging process (AP) of ZAV. The results showed that total acids, non-volatile acids, and amino nitrogen increased gradually during the brewing process. Reducing sugar decreased sharply at the early fermentation stage and then increased during the AP. Meanwhile, TPC, TFC, and TAA kept a very low level at the stage of alcohol fermentation (AF), and increased to the highest level at the sixth year of the AP. TAA has a high positive correlation with TPC and TFC during the brewing process of ZAV. In addition, the contents of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, and catechin were higher than other phenolic compounds and reached the highest level at the sixth year of the AP, and were the main composition of phenolic compounds during the AP. Moreover, gallic acid, ferulic acid, and sinapic acid had the higher contribution at the early stage of the AP, and then declined to a lower level. Catechin, vanillic acid, and syringic acid had a higher contribution during the AP. These findings would be helpful in controlling the quality of vinegar and improving its functional properties.

An easy access to topical gels of an anti-cancer prodrug (5-fluorouracil acetic acid) for self-drug-delivery applications.

An easy access to topical gels (both hydro- and organogels) derived from an anti-cancer prodrug namely 5-fluorouracil acetic acid (5-FuA) achieved by exploiting a simple salt formation strategy is reported for the first time. Nearly 85% of the salts synthesized were gelators. Single crystal structures of some of the gelator salts revealed an intriguing hydrogen bonding network including double stranded 1D chains stabilized through uracil-uracil complementary interactions and the crystal structures of the gelator salts corroborated well with the hypothesis based on which the gelators were designed. Studies indicated that both the hydrogel and the methyl salicylate gel of the gelator salt FuA-15 were suitable for self-drug-delivery application.

Pt-Based Catalysts for Electrochemical Oxidation of Ethanol.

Despite its attractive features as a power source for direct alcohol fuel cells, utilization of ethanol is still hampered by both fundamental and technical challenges. The rationale behind the slow and incomplete ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) with low selectivity towards CO2 on most Pt-based catalysts is still far from being understood, and a number of practical problems need to be addressed before an efficient and low-cost catalyst is designed. Some recent achievements towards solving these problems are presented. Pt film electrodes and Pt monolayer (PtML) electrodes on various single crystal substrates showed that EOR follows the partial oxidation pathway without C-C bond cleavage, with acetic acid and acetaldehyde as the final products. The role of the substrate lattice on the catalytic properties of PtML was proven by the choice of appropriate M(111) structure (M = Pd, Ir, Rh, Ru and Au) showing enhanced kinetics when PtML is under tensile strain on Au(111) electrode. Nanostructured electrocatalysts containing Pt-Rh solid solution on SnO2 and Pt monolayer on non-noble metals are shown, optimized, and characterized by in situ methods. Electrochemical, in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) techniques highlighted the effect of Rh in facilitating C-C bond splitting in the ternary PtRh/SnO2 catalyst. In situ FTIR proved quantitatively the enhancement in the total oxidation pathway to CO2, and in situ XAS confirmed that Pt and Rh form a solid solution that remains in metallic form through a wide range of potentials due to the presence of SnO2. Combination of these findings with density functional theory calculations revealed the EOR reaction pathway and the role of each constituent of the ternary PtRh/SnO2 catalyst. The optimal Pt:Rh:Sn atomic ratio was found by the two in situ techniques. Attempts to replace Rh with cost-effective alternatives for commercially viable catalysts has shown that Ir can also split the C-C bond in ethanol, but the performance of optimized Pt-Rh-SnO2 is still higher than that of the Pt-Ir-SnO2 catalyst.

Synthesis, molecular properties and comparative docking and QSAR of new 2-(7-hydroxy-2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yl)acetic acid derivatives as possible anticancer agents.

Novel coumarin amino acid derivatives were synthesized. The structure of synthesized compounds has established on basis of different spectral data. The optimization geometry, frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), thermodynamic parameters and chemical reactivity, were discussed using DFT\B3LYP by 6-311G* basis set, to identify a clear view for inter and intramolecular interaction of tested compounds. The molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) has plotted to investigate a recognition manner of synthesized compounds upon COX-2 receptor. All tested compounds showed a promising (NLOs) nonlinear optical properties. Bond dissociation energy (BDE) has studied to investigate a potency of these molecules against autoxidation mechanism Polynomial molecular docking logarithms have performed into the COX-2 active site for tested compounds. The docking protocol that has low RMSD has selected for discussion the binding affinity. The compounds with a high docking score 3,4,6-8,10 and 11 were selected for additional study against ADMET insilico, which showed that these compounds are a good oral bioavailability without observed carcinogenesis affect. The compounds (3,4,6-8,10 and 11) which that passed through docking and ADMET profile have examined their potency against (MCF-7) breast cancer cell in vitro. The compound 7 showed a highest potency against MCF-7 with IC50 value 0.39 µM. The QSAR model has created to discover the structural necessity inhibition of MCF-7. The derived QSAR model has a statistically significant with a good predictive power.

Glacial Acetic Acid Catalyzed Synthesis, Physicochemical and Biological Evaluation of Benzodiazepines as Potent CNS Agents.

BACKGROUND: Approach for green chemistry for chemical synthesis is found to be very efficient as it makes the reaction more easily, less tedious, maximize desired products and minimize by-products. MATERIALS & METHODS: Utilizing this approach 1, 5-benzodiazepines and its derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for skeletal muscle and antianxiety activity. 1, 5-benzodiazepine derivatives have attracted great attention due to its diversity of pharmacological activities and its application in heterocyclic synthesis and medicines. The target compounds were synthesized by first reacting o-phenylenediamine with acetophenone to yield 1, 5-benzodiazepines. In the next step the NH of 1, 5-benzodiazepines were chloroacetylated and then the chloro group was substituted with different anilines. The structures were confirmed on the basis of their TLC, IR, 1H NMR and CHN elemental studies. The physicochemical parameters were determined for BBB penetration through online software. RESULTS: The Log P values of the compounds tested showed that compounds have the potential to be CNS active. The compounds were evaluated for the skeletal muscle relaxant activity and antianxiety activity. It was investigated that 1, 5-benzodiazepines derivatives possess significant differences between control group and treated group. CONCLUSION: Among these derivatives, the compound bearing chloro group possesses the highest skeletal muscle relaxant and antianxiety activity.

Endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasorelaxant effects of tiliacorinine 12'-O-acetate and mechanisms on isolated rat aorta.

Tiliacorinine 12'-O-acetate is a modified analog of Tiliacorinine, a major compound in Tiliacora triandra. The present study explored the vasorelaxation property of tiliacorinine 12'-O-acetate and its mechanism in isolated rat aorta using the organ bath technique. Tiliacorinine 12'-O-acetate exhibited concentration-dependent (10-15-10-3.5 M) vasorelaxation in endothelium-intact rings (Emax = 93.53 ± 2.79%) and endothelium-denuded rings (Emax = 74.31 ± 5.09%). The effects of tiliacorinine 12'-O-acetate were attenuated by pre-incubation with N(ω)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, endothelium nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) (100 µM), 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ, soluble quanylylcyclase inhibitor) (1 µM), and 4-aminopyridine (1 mM, Kv channel blocker). However, this effect was not impacted by indomethacin (10 µM, cyclooxygenase inhibitor), tetraethylammonium (5 mM, Kca channel blocker), barium chloride (1 mM, KIR channel blocker), or glibenclamide (10 µM, KATP channel blocker). Moreover, pretreatment with tiliacorinine 12'-O-acetate reduced the effect of L-NAME (100 µM) on acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation. Tiliacorinine 12'-O-acetate showed inhibitory effects on CaCl2-induced contracted rings and reduced the contraction induced by phenylephrine (10 µM) and caffeine (20 mM) in a Ca2+-free solution. The results of this study suggest that tiliacorinine 12'-O-acetate induced endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation through the eNOS/NO/sGC pathway, and also induced endothelium independent vasorelaxation involving the modulation of sGC activity, Kv channels, Ca2+ influx through Ca2+ channels and intracellular Ca2+ release. The data concerning the benefits of tiliacorinine 12'-O-acetate might be further investigated for the application of tiliacorinine 12'-O-acetate as an antihypertensive compound.

Synthesis, Molecular Docking and in Vitro Screening of Some Newly Synthesized Triazolopyridine, Pyridotriazine and Pyridine⁻Pyrazole Hybrid Derivatives.

A series of novel pyridine and fused pyridine derivatives have been prepared starting from 6-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)-2-hydrazinyl-4-(thiophen-2-yl)-pyridine-3-carbonitrile 1 which on treatment with appropriate formic acid, acetic acid/ acetic anhydride, benzoyl chloride and/or carbon disulfide afforded the corresponding triazolopyridine derivatives 2⁻5. Also, treatment of hydrazide 1 with diethyloxalate, chloroacetyl chloride, chloroacetic acid and/or 1,2-dichloroethane yielded the corresponding pyridotriazine derivatives 7⁻10. Further transformation of compound 1 with a different active methylene group, namely acetyl acetone, diethylmalonate, ethyl cyanoacetate, ethyl benzoylacetate and/or ethyl acetoacetate, produced the pyridine⁻pyrazole hybrid derivatives 11⁻15. These newly synthesized compounds (1⁻15) were subjected to in silico molecular docking screenings towards GlcN-6-P synthase as the target protein. The results revealed moderate to good binding energies of the ligands on the target protein. All the newly prepared products exhibited antimicrobial and antioxidant activity.

Indole acids as a novel PDE2 inhibitor chemotype that demonstrate pro-cognitive activity in multiple species.

An internal HTS effort identified a novel PDE2 inhibitor series that was subsequently optimized for improved PDE2 activity and off-target selectivity. The optimized lead, compound 4, improved cognitive performance in a rodent novel object recognition task as well as a non-human primate object retrieval task. In addition, co-crystallization studies of close analog of 4 in the PDE2 active site revealed unique binding interactions influencing the high PDE isoform selectivity.

Synthesis and insecticidal activity of acridone derivatives to Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae and non-target aquatic species.

A serious Mosquito borne yellow fever is one of the grave diseases which affect the major population. Since there is no specific treatment for yellow fever, there is a necessity to develop an effective agent. The series of acridinone analogues 3 to 5 were synthesized with help of non-conventional microwave heating and confirmed by respective spectral characterization. 5c and 3b showed highest activity to kill 90% of larvae against A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus, respectively. Also the active products were treated to check the mortality of non-target aquatic species. Through the reports of the larvicidal bioassay, compounds 3b against C. quinquefasciatus whereas 5c against A. aegypti were found to be more active. By keeping this as a platform, further extension of the work can be done to find out a valuable drug for controlling disease vectors.

Removal of furan and phenolic compounds from simulated biomass hydrolysates by batch adsorption and continuous fixed-bed column adsorption methods.

It has been proposed to remove all potential inhibitors and sulfuric acid in biomass hydrolysates generated from dilute-acid pretreatment of biomass, based on three steps of sugar purification process. This study focused on its first step in which furan and phenolic compounds were selectively removed from the simulated hydrolysates using activated charcoal. Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated that the affinity of activated charcoal for each component was highest in the order of vanillic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, furfural, acetic acid, sulfuric acid, and xylose. The affinity of activated charcoal for furan and phenolic compounds proved to be significantly higher than that of the other three components. Four separation strategies were conducted with a combination of batch adsorption and continuous fixed-bed column adsorption methods. It was observed that xylose loss was negligible with near complete removal of furan and phenolic compounds, when at least one fixed-bed column adsorption was implemented in the strategy.

High Acetic Acid Production Rate Obtained by Microbial Electrosynthesis from Carbon Dioxide.

High product specificity and production rate are regarded as key success parameters for large-scale applicability of a (bio)chemical reaction technology. Here, we report a significant performance enhancement in acetate formation from CO2, reaching comparable productivity levels as in industrial fermentation processes (volumetric production rate and product yield). A biocathode current density of -102 ± 1 A m(-2) and an acetic acid production rate of 685 ± 30 (g m(-2) day(-1)) have been achieved in this study. High recoveries of 94 ± 2% of the CO2 supplied as the sole carbon source and 100 ± 4% of electrons into the final product (acetic acid) were achieved after development of a mature biofilm, reaching an elevated product titer of up to 11 g L(-1). This high product specificity is remarkable for mixed microbial cultures, which would make the product downstream processing easier and the technology more attractive. This performance enhancement was enabled through the combination of a well-acclimatized and enriched microbial culture (very fast start-up after culture transfer), coupled with the use of a newly synthesized electrode material, EPD-3D. The throwing power of the electrophoretic deposition technique, a method suitable for large-scale production, was harnessed to form multiwalled carbon nanotube coatings onto reticulated vitreous carbon to generate a hierarchical porous structure.

Biotransformations of 2-hydroxy-2-(ethoxyphenylphosphinyl)acetic acid and the determination of the absolute configuration of all isomers.

2-Hydroxy-2-(ethoxyphenylphosphinyl)acetic acid, a new type of organophosphorus compound possessing two stereogenic centers, was investigated. Racemic 2-butyryloxy-2-(ethoxyphenylphosphinyl)acetic acid was synthesized and hydrolyzed using four bacterial species as biocatalysts. In all cases the reaction was more or less stereoselective and isomers bearing a phosphorus atom with an (SP)-configuration were hydrolyzed preferentially. The observed (1)H and (31)P NMR chemical shifts of Mosher esters of 2-hydroxy-2-(ethoxyphenylphosphinyl)acetic acid were correlated with the configurations of both stereogenic centers of all four stereoisomers.

Aryl-acetic and cinnamic acids as lipoxygenase inhibitors with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activity.

Cinnamic acids have been identified as interesting compounds with cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Lipoxygenase pathway, catalyzing the first two steps of the transformation of arachidonic acid into leukotrienes is implicated in several processes such as cell differentiation, inflammation and carcinogenesis. Development of drugs that interfere with the formation or effects of these metabolites would be important for the treatment of various diseases like asthma, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, cancer, and blood vessel disorders. Till now, asthma consists of the only pathological case in which improvement has been shown by lipoxygenase LO inhibitors. Thus, the research has been directed towards the development of drugs that interfere with the formation of leukotrienes. In order to explore the anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic effects of antioxidant acrylic/cinnamic acids a series of derivatives bearing the appropriate moieties have been synthesized via the Knoevenagel condensation and evaluated for their biological activities. The compounds have shown important antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity and very good inhibition of soybean lipoxygenase while some of them were tested for their anticancer activity.

Study on the preparation of wood vinegar from biomass residues by carbonization process.

In the paper, the production of wood vinegar from Chinese fir sawdust (FS), cotton stalk (CS) and bamboo sawdust (BS) by carbonization process was addressed. The wood vinegar yield was investigated and the organic compounds contained were determined by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. It was found that the refined wood vinegar yield of FS increased firstly and then decreased with increasing carbonization temperature and the highest yield reached about 25% in 350-450°C. The relative contents of acids and ketones from FS decreased and that of phenols increased with increasing temperature. The relative contents of acids and phenols in the wood vinegars produced from the samples were in the order of BS>CS>FS and that of ketones reversed. KCl solution treatment caused a decrease in the relative contents of the phenols and ketones, but an increase in that of the acids in FS wood vinegar.