Synthesis of Cytotoxic Benzofurans and Ethers Derivatives of Paeonol.

Paeonol is a broadly studied natural product due to its many biological activities. Using a methodology previously employed by our research group, 11 derivatives of paeonol were synthesized (seven of them are unpublished compounds), including four ethers and seven benzofurans. Additionally, we determined the crystal structure of one of these ether derivatives (1a) and of five benzofuran derivatives (2a, 2b, 2c, 2f and 2g) by single crystal X-Ray diffraction. To continue studying the cytotoxicity of this natural product and its derivatives, all compounds were tested against two cancer cell lines, HCT116 and MCF-7. Compounds 2b, 2e, and 2g were considered active against the colorectal adenocarcinoma cells HCT116 (Growth inhibition > 60%). Compound 2e showed an IC50 of 0.2 µM and was selected for further analysis, results reinforce its anticancer potential.

Synthesis of novel glycerol-fluorinated triazole derivatives and evaluation of their phytotoxic and cytogenotoxic activities.

The control of weeds in agriculture is mainly conducted with the use of synthetic herbicides. However, environmental and human health concerns and increased resistance of weeds to existing herbicides have increased the pressure on researchers to find new active ingredients for weed control which present low toxicity to non-target organisms, are environmentally safe, and can be applied at low concentrations. It is herein described the synthesis of glycerol-fluorinated triazole derivatives and evaluation of their phytotoxic and cytogenotoxic activities. Starting from glycerol, ten fluorinated triazole derivatives were prepared in four steps. The assessment of them on Lactuca sativa revealed that they present effects on phytotoxic and cytogenotoxic parameters with different degrees of efficiency. The compounds 4a, 4b, 4d, 4e, 4i, and 4j have pre-emergent inhibition behavior, while all the investigated compounds showed post emergent effect. Mechanism of action as clastogenic, aneugenic, and epigenetic were observed in the lettuce root meristematic cells, with alterations as stick chromosome, bridge, delay, c-metaphase, and loss. It is believed that glycerol-fluorinated triazole derivatives possess a scaffold that can be explored towards the development of new chemicals for the control of weed species.

Review on Compounds Isolated from Eriocaulaceae Family and Evaluation of Biological Activities by Machine Learning.

Eriocaulaceae is a pantropical family whose main center of biodiversity is in Brazil. In general, the family has about 1200 species, in which phytochemical and biological studies have shown a variety of structures and activities. The aim of this research is to compile the compounds isolated in the Eriocaulaceae family and carry out a computational study on their biological targets. The bibliographic research was carried out on six databases. Tables were built and organized according to the chemical class. In addition, a summary of the methods of isolating the compounds was also made. In the computational study were used ChEMBL platform, DRAGON 7.0, and the KNIME 4.4.0 software. Two hundred and twenty-two different compounds have been isolated in sixty-eight species, divided mainly into flavonoids and naphthopyranones, and minor compounds. The ligand-based virtual screening found promising molecules and molecules with multitarget potential, such as xanthones 194, 196, 200 and saponin 202, with xanthone 194 as the most promising. Several compounds with biological activities were isolated in the family, but the chemical profiles of many species are still unknown. The selected structures are a starting point for further studies to develop new antiparasitic and antiviral compounds based on natural products.

Lactose quantification in bovine milk by nuclear magnetic resonance without deuterated solvent (No-D qNMR).

Milk is a homogeneous mixture of substances such as lactose, proteins, and glycerides. Among carbohydrates, lactose is a disaccharide composed of glucose and galactose, and it is present in bovine milk at a level of 4.6%. According to resolution no. 135 of the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) from Brazil, dairy products labeled "lactose-free" must contain 1.0 mg mL-1 or less of this disaccharide. Thus, this work aims to develop and validate a method for quantifying the lactose content by quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance without the use of deuterated solvent (No-D qMNR). The validation of the developed method followed the norms provided by ANVISA resolution RDC no. 166, based on the figures of merit such as selectivity, linearity, the limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), accuracy, precision, and robustness. The obtained results validated the method due to excellent linearity, demonstrated by the value of R > 0.990 and the homoscedasticity of the results, as well as precision, accuracy, and robustness values lower than 5%. Furthermore, LOD and LOQ values around 0.1345 mg mL-1 and 0.4076 mg mL-1, respectively, were obtained, which are lower than those required by legislation. The No-D qNMR technique was also able to quantify lactose content in commercial lactose-free milk.

A new synthetic resorcinolic lipid 3-heptyl-3,4,6-trimethoxy-3H-isobenzofuran-1-one: evaluation of toxicology and ability to potentiate the mutagenic and apoptotic effects of cyclophosphamide.

Resorcinolic lipids have important biological actions, including anti-carcinogenic activity. Therefore, we evaluated the mutagenic, genotoxic, immunomodulatory and apoptotic potential and the biochemical and histopathological changes caused by the synthetic resorcinolic lipid 3-Heptyl-3,4,6-trimethoxy-3H-isobenzofuran-1-one, (AMS35AA; 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) alone or in combination with cyclophosphamide (100 mg/kg) in Swiss mice. The results indicated that AMS35AA is not genotoxic or mutagenic and does not alter liver or kidney histology. However, the compound does cause an increase (p < 0.05) in the levels of glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase and creatinine and in splenic phagocytosis and liver and kidney apoptosis. When combined with cyclophosphamide, AMS35AA caused increased (p < 0.05) mutagenic damage (although the compound had anti-genotoxic activity), splenic phagocytosis, neutropenia and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase and creatinine levels (even in the absence of histological damage) and induced liver and kidney apoptosis. We conclude that this resorcinolic lipid may be an important chemotherapy adjuvant that can potentiate mutagenic damage and increase apoptosis caused by cyclophosphamide without causing adverse effects. In addition, the immunomodulatory activity of the compound should be noted, which counters reductions in lymphocyte number, a primary side effect of cyclophosphamide in cancer therapy.

High stereoselectivity on low temperature Diels-Alder reactions.

We have found that some of the usually poor dienophiles (2-cycloenones) can undergo Diels-Alder reaction at -78 degrees C with unusually high stereoselectivity in the presence of niobium pentachloride as a Lewis acid catalyst. A remarkable difference in reaction rates for unsubstituted and alpha- or beta-methyl substituted 2-cycloenones was also observed.