Cysteine-Based Perfluorinated Derivatives: A Theoretical and Experimental Study.

Cysteine-based perfluoroaromatic (hexafluorobenzene (HFB) and decafluorobiphenyl (DFBP)) were synthesized and established as a chemoselective and available core to construct molecular systems ranging from small molecules to biomolecules with interesting properties. The DFBP was found more effective than HFB for the monoalkylation of decorated thiol molecules. As proof of concept of the potential application of perfluorinated derivatives as non-cleavable linkers, some antibody-perfluorinated conjugates were prepared via thiol through two different strategies, i) using thiol from reduced cystamine coupling to carboxylic acids from mAb by amide bond, and ii) using thiols from reduction of mAb disulfide bond. Conjugates cell binding analysis demonstrated that the bioconjugation does not affect the macromolecular entity. Besides, some molecular properties of synthesized compounds are evaluated through spectroscopic characterization (FTIR and 19 F NMR chemical shifts) and theoretical calculations. The comparison of calculated and experimental 19 F NMR shifts and IR wavenumbers give excellent correlations, asserting as powerful tools in structurally identifying HFB and DFBP derivatives. Moreover, molecular docking was also developed to predict cysteine-based perfluorated derivatives' affinity against topoisomerase Il and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2). The results suggested that mainly cysteine-based DFBP derivatives could be potential topoisomerase II α and COX-2 binders, becoming potential anticancer agents and candidates for anti-inflammatory treatment.

Optimized and scalable synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles for RNA extraction in response to developing countries' needs in the detection and control of SARS-CoV-2.

Ecuador is one of the most affected countries, with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, in Latin America derived from an ongoing economic crisis. One of the most important methods for COVID-19 detection is the use of techniques such as real time RT-PCR based on a previous extraction/purification of RNA procedure from nasopharyngeal cells using functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNP). This technique allows the processing of ~ 10,000 tests per day in private companies and around hundreds per day at local Universities guaranteeing to reach a wide range of the population. However, the main drawback of this method is the need for specialized MNP with a strong negative charge for the viral RNA extraction to detect the existence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Here we present a simplified low cost method to produce 10 g of nanoparticles in 100 mL of solution that was scaled to one litter by parallelizing the process 10 times in just two days and allowing for the possibility of making ~ 50,000 COVID-19 tests. This communication helps in reducing the cost of acquiring MNP for diverse biomolecular applications supporting developing country budgets constraints and chemical availability specially during the COVID-19 International Health Emergency.