Design, synthesis and antibacterial activity evaluation of pleuromutilin derivatives according to twin drug theory.

A series of novel pleuromutilin derivatives were designed and synthesized based on the twin drugs theory. Piperazinyl and thioether were used as the linkage to connect the pleuromutilin nuclear and sulfonamide to improve the biological activity and water solubility of derivatives. The in vitro antibacterial activities against drug-sensitive and drug-resistance bacteria were evaluated by agar dilution method. Most of the 25 compounds displayed excellent antibacterial activities against drug-sensitive bacteria, particularly, five compounds (9, 10, 11, 14a and 14b) exerted the excellent antibacterial activities against drug-resistance bacteria.

Design, synthesis and antibacterial activities of pleuromutilin derivatives.

We described the design, synthesis and antimicrobial activities of novel pleuromutilin derivatives with substituted piperazine substrate. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was used to evaluate the activity of the derivatives against six bacteria in vitro, and compound 8 was potent against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis with the MIC value of 0.0625 µg/ml. 10a and 10 b showed similar activity to positive control drugs (tiamulin, erythromycin) against S. aureus with the MIC value of 0.125 µg/ml. The binding mode of compound 8 and tiamulin to the ribosome pocket showed the correlation between binding parameters and the antibacterial activity, and more bonds and stronger combination could effectively enhance the activity of compounds.[Formula: see text].

Cardioprotective effect of rosmarinic acid against myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury via suppression of the NF-κB inflammatory signalling pathway and ROS production in mice.

CONTEXT: Rosmarinic acid (RosA), a natural poly-phenolic compound isolated from a variety of Labiatae herbs, has been reported to have a range of biological effects. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cardioprotective effects of RosA against myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice were given RosA (100 mg/kg) via intragastric administration. After 1 week of administration, the mice were subjected to 30 min/24 h myocardial I/R injury. The mice were randomly subdivided into 4 groups: Vehicle, RosA, Vehicle + I/R, and RosA + I/R. Infarct size (IS), cardiac function (including EF, FS), histopathology, serum enzyme activities, ROS changes, cis aconitase (ACO) activity, and specific mRNA and protein levels were assessed in vivo. HL-1 cells were pre-treated with or without RosA (50 µM), followed by stimulation with 9 h/6 h of oxygen and glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation (OGD/R). The cells were randomly subdivided into 4 groups: Vehicle, RosA, Vehicle + OGD/R, and RosA + OGD/R. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, ACO activity, ROS changes and protein levels were measured in vitro. RESULTS: Treatment with RosA reduced the following indicators in vivo (p < 0.05): (1) IS (14.5%); (2) EF (-23.4%) and FS (-18.4%); (3) the myocardial injury enzymes CK-MB (20.8 ng/mL) and cTnI (7.7 ng/mL); (4) DHE-ROS: (94.1%); (5) ACO activity (-2.1 mU/mg protein); (6) ogdh mRNA level (122.9%); and (7) OGDH protein level (69.9%). Moreover, treatment with RosA attenuated the following indicators in vitro (p < 0.05): (1) LDH level (191 U/L); (2) DHE-ROS: (165.2%); (3) ACO activity (-3.2 mU/mg protein); (4) ogdh mRNA level (70.0%); and (5) OGDH (110.1%), p-IκB-a (56.8%), and p-NF-κB (57.7%) protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: RosA has the potential to treat myocardial I/R injury with potential application in the clinic.

Superlubricity between a silicon tip and graphite enabled by the nanolithography-assisted nanoflakes tribo-transfer.

Superlubricity between a cone-shaped (sharp) silicon tip and graphite remains a challenge in the nanotribology field. In this paper, an efficient method of achieving superlubricity between a cone-shaped silicon tip and graphite was proposed. Graphite nanoflakes were transferred onto the silicon tip by repeatedly rubbing against the scratches produced by nanolithography on a graphite surface. The superlubricity between the graphite nanoflakes-wrapped tip and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was attained, and the friction coefficient was reduced to 0.0007. At low normal loads, the frictional force was small and showed a strong correlation with the sliding angle, but as the normal load increased, this dependence gradually decreased. It was firstly found that the transferred graphite nanoflakes on the contact zone of the silicon tip could be transformed into amorphous carbon layers induced by the shear force and high pressure during the superlubricity test process.

Design, synthesis, and antibacterial activity of pleuromutilin derivatives.

This paper reports the design, synthesis, and antibacterial activity study of pleuromutilin derivatives with 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline and 2-methoxy-4-nitroaniline side chains at the C22 position. The structures of the new compounds were characterized by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and HRMS. The inhibitory activity of the compounds against MSSA, pyogeniccoccus, streptococcus, and MRSA strains was determined using the micro broth dilution method. The results showed that the compounds exhibited certain activity against Gram-positive bacteria, among which compounds A8a, A8b, A8c, A8d, and A7 demonstrated superior antibacterial activity against MSSA, MRSA, and pyogeniccoccus compared to tiamulin, although the derivatives showed lower antibacterial activity against streptococcus compared to the control drug. Based on the favorable in vitro activity of A8c, the time-kill kinetics against MRSA were evaluated, revealing that compound A8c could inhibit bacterial proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner.

Cdk1 is required for the self-renewal of mouse embryonic stem cells.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) is indispensible for the early development of the embryo. However, its role in maintaining the undifferentiated state of the embryonic stem (ES) cells remains unknown. In this study, we dissected the function of Cdk1 in mouse ES cells by RNA-interference and gene expression analyses. Cdk1 expression is tightly correlated with the undifferentiated state of the ES cells. Upon differentiation, Cdk1 expression reduced drastically. Cdk1 knock-down by RNA interference resulted in the loss of proliferation and colony formation potential of the ES cells. Consequentially, expression of self-renewal genes was reduced while differentiation markers such as Cdx2 were induced. Our results suggest a role for Cdk1 in maintaining the unique undifferentiated and self-renewing state of the mouse ES cells.

Reduction of facial pigmentation of melasma by topical lignin peroxidase: A novel fast-acting skin-lightening agent.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lignin peroxidase (LIP) as a skin-lightening agent in patients with melasma. A self-controlled clinical study was performed in 31 women who had melasma on both sides of the face. This study involved 8 weeks of a full-face product treatment. The skin color was measured at days 0, 7, 28 and 56 using a chromameter on the forehead and cheeks. Standardized digital photographic images of each side of the face of all subjects were captured by a complexion analysis system. Clinical scores of the pigmentation were determined by two dermatologists. After using the LIP whitening lotion for 7 days, the luminance (L*) values of the melasma and the normal skin were significantly increased from baseline. The L* values continued to increase at days 28 and 56. The melasma area severity index (MASI) score was statistically decreased after 28 days of treatment. No treatment-related adverse events were observed. LIP whitening lotion was able to eliminate the skin pigmentation after 7 days of treatment, and provides a completely innovative approach to rapid skin lightening. The LIP whitening lotion exhibited good compatibility and was well tolerated.