Nutritionally enriched 1,3-diacylglycerol-rich oil: Low calorie fat with hypolipidemic effects in rats.

An enzymatic process was developed for the preparation of a nutritionally enriched 1,3-diacylglycerol(DAG)-rich oil from a blend of refined sunflower and rice bran oils. The process involves hydrolysis of vegetable oil blend using Candida cylindracea followed by esterification with glycerol using Lipozyme RM1M. The resultant DAG-rich oil contains 84% of DAG (66% of 1,3-DAG, 18% of 1,2-DAG) and 16% of triacylglycerol (TAG) along with micro nutrients like γ-oryzanol, tocotrienols, tocopherols and phytosterols. Nutritional studies of the DAG-rich oil were conducted in Wistar rats and compared with sunflower oil (SFO). The calorific value of the DAG-rich oil was estimated to be 6.45 Kcals/g as against 9.25 Kcals/g for SFO. The serum and liver cholesterol and TAG levels in rats fed with 1,3-DAG-rich oil were found to be significantly reduced as compared to rats fed diet containing SFO. We conclude that 1,3-DAG-rich oil is a low calorie fat and exhibits hypolipidemic effects.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 5-fatty-acylamido-1, 3, 4-thiadiazole-2-thioglycosides.

In the present study, the synthesis of 1, 3, 4-thiadiazole-based thioglycosides were accomplished in good yields with employing a convergent synthetic route. The starting material 5-amino-1, 3, 4-thiadiazole-2-thiol and followed by a series of 5-fatty-acylamido-1, 3, 4-thiadiazole-2-thiols (4a-4j) were synthesized with different fatty acid chlorides. The glycosylation of compounds 4a-4j were achieved with trichloroacetimidate methodology. Antimicrobial and cytotoxicity activities of title compounds were evaluated. Among the entire compounds lauric acid and myristic acid derivatives showed good and moderate antimicrobial activity. In case of cytotoxicity results of compounds 8a-8j and 9a-9j, the acetate protected short chain (C6:0, C8:0, C10:0) compounds and the free hydroxyl long chain saturated (C16:0, C18:0) and unsaturated (C18:1, C22:1) compounds exhibited good activity against different cancer cell lines. Further, the free hydroxyl compounds 9a, 9c-9j did not show any toxicity towards normal CHO-K1 cell line whereas acylated compounds 8a-8j exhibited toxicity.

An anti-oxidant, α-lipoic acid conjugated oleoyl-sn-phosphatidylcholineas a helper lipid in cationic liposomal formulations.

Development of safe non-viral carrier systems for efficient intra-cellular delivery of drugs and genes hold promise in the area of translational research. Liposome based delivery systems have emerged as one of the attractive strategies for efficient delivery of drugs and nucleic acids. To this end, number of investigations was carried on liposomal formulations using lipids for achieving higher efficiency in transfection with lower cytotoxicities. In our efforts to develop safer and efficient liposomal delivery systems, we synthesized a novel anti-oxidant lipid, α-lipoyl, oleyl-sn-phosphatidylcholine (LOPC) and used as a helper lipid in combination with a cationic amphiphile, Di-Stearyl Dihydroxy Ethyl Ammonium Chloride (DSDEAC) and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) at varying concentrations of LOPC. DNA binding properties of the liposomal formulations (DS, DS LA1, DS LA2 and DS LA3) revealed that increasing the percentage of single aliphatic chain lipid LOPC, did not affect the DNA binding properties. But, transfection profiles of these liposomal formulations in 3 different cell lines (HeLa, HEK 293 and MCF7) showed difference in their efficacies. Results showed that optimal percentage of LOPC i.e. 25% in DSDEAC and DOPC at 1:1 molar ratio (DS LA1) enhanced transfection as compared to DSDEAC:DOPC alone. The endosomal escape studies with NBD labelled lysotracker and Rhodamine labelled liposomal formulations revealed that DS LA1 and DS LA2 facilitated the release of genetic cargo with a better efficiency than their counter parts. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), a key modulator of necroptosis were lowered with the treatment of DS LA1 than other liposomal formulations. Here in, we present a novel liposomal formulation using DSDEAC and DOPC at 1:1 molar ratio doped with 25-50% (mole ratio) LOPC as an efficient delivery system for enhanced transfection with quenching of ROS levels compared to formulations without LOPC.

Synthesis and in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial studies of novel structured phosphatidylcholines with phenolic acids.

Novel phenoylated phosphatidylcholines were synthesized from 1,2-dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine/egg 1,2-diacyl phosphatidylcholine and phenolic acids such as ferulic, sinapic, vanillic and syringic acids. The structures of phenoylated phosphatidylcholines were confirmed by spectral analysis. 2-acyl-1-lyso phosphatidylcholine was synthesized from phosphatidylcholine via regioselective enzymatic hydrolysis and was reacted with hydroxyl protected phenolic acids to produce corresponding phenoylated phosphatidylcholines in 48-56% yields. Deprotection of protected phenoylated phosphatidylcholines resulted in phenoylated phosphatidylcholines in 87-94% yields. The prepared compounds were evaluated for their preliminary in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Among the active derivatives, compound 1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy) cinnamoyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine exhibited excellent antioxidant activity with EC50 value of 16.43µg/mL. Compounds 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy) cinnamoyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy) cinnamoyl-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine exhibited good antioxidant activity with EC50 values of 36.05 and 33.35µg/mL respectively. Compound 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy) cinnamoyl-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine exhibited good antibacterial activity against Klebsiella planticola with MIC of 15.6µg/mL and compound 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy) benzoyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine exhibited good antifungal activity against Candida albicans with MIC of 15.6µg/mL.

Synthesis of Novel Fatty Substituted 4-methyl-2HChromen-2-one via Cross Metathesis: Potential Antioxidants and Chemotherapeutic Agents.

A series of novel fatty substituted 4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-one (coumarins) were synthesized by employing cross metathesis, a key step in the synthesis. The antioxidant activities of the title compounds were compared with the commercial antioxidants, namely butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) and α-tocopherol, glycosidic and other substituted 4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-ones. Among the different 4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-ones, the glycosidic substituted 4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-ones was excellent, while those with aliphatic fatty acid chain and hydroxyl substitutents were good. Among the substituted 4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-ones, glycosidic, hydroxyl and cyano containing 4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-ones exhibited good, while fatty substituted exhibited moderate anticancer activities against the four different cancer cell lines tested, namely DU145 (Prostate carcinoma cancer cell), HepG2 (Hepato cellular carcinoma cancer cell), SKOV3 (Ovarian cancer cell) and MDA-MB 231 (Human breast cancer cell). The study reveals that these substituted coumarins can be potential candidates in a number of food and pharmaceutical formulations.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of ricinoleic acid-based lipoamino acid derivatives.

A series of novel ricinoleic acid based lipoamino acid derivatives were synthesized from (Z)-methyl-12-aminooctadec-9-enoate and different l-amino acids (glycine, alanine, phenyl alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, proline and tryptophan). The structures of all the prepared compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectral studies. The title compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities. Among all the derivatives, compound 7a (Z)-methyl-12-(2-aminoacetamido)octadec-9-enoate exhibited promising antibacterial activity (MIC, 3.9-7.8µg/mL) and compounds 7b (Z)-methyl 12-(2-aminopropanamido)octadec-9-enoate and 7g (Z)-methyl-12-(pyrrolidine-2-carboxamido)octadec-9-enoate exhibited moderate activity (MIC, 7.8-31.2µg/mL) selectively against four different Gram-positive bacterial strains such as Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96, Bacillus subtilis MTCC 121, S. aureus MLS-16 MTCC 2940, Micrococcus luteus MTCC 2470. These compounds also exhibited excellent antifungal activity against studied fungal strains. Further, the compounds 7a, 7b and 7g were also screened for anti-biofilm activity. Among these lipoamino acid derivatives, compound 7a exhibited good anti-biofilm activity (IC50, 1.9-4.1µg/mL) against four Gram-positive bacterial strains.

Total synthesis and in vitro bioevaluation of clavaminols A, C, H & deacetyl clavaminol H as potential chemotherapeutic and antibiofilm agents.

A highly concise and expedient total synthesis of bioactive clavaminols (1-4) has been executed using commercially available achiral compound decanol. The synthetic strategy relied on trans-Wittig olefination, Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation, regioselective azidolysis and in situ detosylation followed by reduction as key reactions with good overall yield. Based on biological evaluation studies of all the synthesized compounds, it was observed that the clavaminol A (1) exhibited good cytotoxicity against DU145 and SKOV3 cell lines with IC50 value of 10.8 and 12.5 µM, respectively. Clavaminol A (1) and deacetyl clavaminol H (3) displayed selective promising inhibition towards Gram-positive pathogenic bacterial strains and showed good antifungal activity against the tested Candida strains. In addition, compounds 1 and 3 have demonstrated significant bactericidal activity. Compound 3 was found to be equipotent to the standard drug Miconazole displaying MFC value of 15.6 µg/mL against Candida albicans MTCC 854, C. albicans MTCC 1637, C. albicans MTCC 3958 and Candida glabrata MTCC 3019. Compounds 1 and 3 were also able to inhibit the biofilm formation of Micrococcus luteus MTCC 2470 and Staphylococcus aureus MLS16 MTCC 2940. Clavaminol A (1) increased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in M. luteus MTCC 2470.

Design, synthesis and in vitro biological evaluation of short-chain C12-sphinganine and its 1,2,3-triazole analogs as potential antimicrobial and anti-biofilm agents.

A conceptual synthetic approach of short-chain C12-sphinganine 1 and a small library of its 1,2,3-triazole analogs 2(a-f) has been accomplished using the commercially available and inexpensive 10-undecenoic acid as a starting material. Miyashita's C-2 selective endo mode azidolysis and Huisgen click reaction was employed for the synthesis of the designed analogs. Based on biological evaluation studies of all the synthesized compounds, it was observed that, (2S,3R)-2-(4-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)dodecan-1,3-diol (2b) exhibited promising antimicrobial and antifungal activities. Furthermore, compound 2b was able to inhibit the biofilm formation of Candida albicans MTCC 227, Micrococcus luteus MTCC 2470 and Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96 with IC50 values of 1.9, 2.1 and 2.9 µg/mL, respectively. Compound 2b increased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in C. albicans MTCC 227.

PE11, a PE/PPE family protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is involved in cell wall remodeling and virulence.

The role of the unique proline-glutamic acid (PE)/proline-proline-glutamic acid (PPE) family of proteins in the pathophysiology and virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is not clearly understood. One of the PE family proteins, PE11 (LipX or Rv1169c), specific to pathogenic mycobacteria is found to be over-expressed during infection of macrophages and in active TB patients. In this study, we report that M. smegmatis expressing PE11 (Msmeg-PE11) exhibited altered colony morphology and cell wall lipid composition leading to a marked increase in resistance against various environmental stressors and antibiotics. The cell envelope of Msmeg-PE11 also had greater amount of glycolipids and polar lipids. Msmeg-PE11 was found to have better survival rate in infected macrophages. Mice infected with Msmeg-PE11 had higher bacterial load, showed exacerbated organ pathology and mortality. The liver and lung of Msmeg-PE11-infected mice also had higher levels of IL-10, IL-4 and TNF-α cytokines, indicating a potential role of this protein in mycobacterial virulence.

Synthesis of dihydrosterculic acid-based monoglucosyl diacylglycerol and its analogues and their biological evaluation.

In the present study, Lactobacillus plantarum glycolipid (GL1) molecule in ß-configuration and its fatty acid analogues were synthesized using trichloroacetimidate methodology. The ß-configuration of the GL1 molecule was unambiguously assigned by NMR studies using 2D-ROESY (NOE) and J-coupling analysis. Dihydrosterculic acid was synthesized using Furukawa's reagent and the selective esterification of dihydrosterculic acid at C-3 position of glycerol was achieved with EDC-HCl at 0 °C. In vitro cytotoxicity of the GL1 molecule and its fatty acid analogues was evaluated against DU145, A549, SKOV3 and MCF7 cell lines. Among all the synthesized molecules, the GL1 molecule and compound 7d showed moderate activity, while the compound 7b showed promising activity against all the tested cell lines with IC50 values of 20.1, 18.2, 19.1 and 17.6 µM, respectively. In addition, all tested compounds showed poor cytotoxicity against normal HUVEC cells. The MCF7 cells when treated with compound 7b showed lower bromodeoxyuridine incorporation levels as compared to untreated cells, suggesting that the compound 7b was highly effective and inhibited the cell proliferation. In addition, the compounds showed significant increase in caspases 3 and 9 levels by inducing apoptosis in MCF 7 cells.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel lipoamino acid derivatives.

Seven novel lipoamino acid conjugates were synthesized from methyl oleate and amino acids. Methyl oleate was grafted to different amino acids using thioglycolic acid as a spacer group. Seven derivatives (3a-g) were prepared and characterized by spectral data (NMR, IR and MS spectral studies). All the derivatives were studied for their antimicrobial, anti-biofilm and anticancer activities. Among all the derivatives, it was found that compound 3b was the most potent antibacterial compound which showed good activity against four Gram positive bacterial strains and also exhibited excellent antifungal activity against a fungal strain. In the anti-biofilm assay, compound 3b showed promising activity with IC50 value of 2.8µM against Bacillus subtilis MTCC 121. All the compounds showed anticancer activities with 3c showing promising anticancer activity (IC50=15.3-22.4µM) against the four cell lines tested.

Synthesis of novel ethyl 1-ethyl-6-fluoro-7-(fatty amido)-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylate derivatives and their biological evaluation.

A series of novel ethyl 1-ethyl-6-fluoro-7-(fatty amido)-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylate derivatives were prepared through multistep synthesis. The key step in the synthesis was to obtain the C-7 fatty amide derivative. The azide was selectively formed at C-7 position using sodium azide at 60°C. Subsequently, the azide was reduced under mild conditions using zinc and ammonium chloride to form the corresponding amine. The synthesized derivatives were further subjected to biological evaluation studies like cytotoxicity against a panel of cancer cell lines such as DU145, A549, SKOV3, MCF7 and normal lung cells, IMR-90 as well as with antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. It was observed that the carboxylated quinolone derivatives with hexanoic (8a), octanoic (8b), lauric (8d) and myristic (8e) moieties exhibited promising cytotoxicity against all the tested cancer cell lines. The results also suggested that hexanoic acid-based fatty amide carboxylated quinolone derivative (8a) exhibited promising activity against both bacterial and fungal strains and significant antibacterial activity was observed against Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96 (MIC value of 3.9µg/mL). The compound 8a also showed excellent anti-biofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96 and Bacillus subtilis MTCC 121 with MIC values of 2.1 and 4.6µg/mL, respectively.

Lipase catalyzed interesterification of rice bran oil with hydrogenated cottonseed oil to produce trans free fat.

Lipase catalyzed interesterification of rice bran oil (RBO) with hydrogenated cottonseed oil (HCSO) was carried out for producing a low trans free fat. The interesterification reaction was performed by varying parameters such as weight proportions of RBO and HCSO, reaction temperatures, time period and lipase concentration. Both non specific and specific lipases namely Novozym 435 and Lipozyme TL IM were employed for this study. Based on the data generated, the optimum reaction conditions were found to be: weight proportion of RBO and HCSO, 80:20; lipase concentration, 5 % (w/w) of substrates; reaction temperature, 60 °C; reaction time, 4 h for Lipozyme TL IM and 5 h for Novozym 435. The degree of interesterification, calculated based on the results of solid fat characteristics was used for comparing the catalytic activity of Novozym 435 and Lipozyme TL IM. It was observed that the degree of interesterification (DI) reached a near 100 % at the 4th hour for reaction employing Lipozyme TL IM with a rate constant of 0.191 h(-1) while Novozym 435 catalyzed reaction reached a near 100 % degree of interesterification at the 5th hour with a rate constant of 0.187 h(-1), suggesting that Lipozyme TL IM has a faster catalytic activity.

Hydrolysis of biomass using a reusable solid carbon acid catalyst and fermentation of the catalytic hydrolysate to ethanol.

Solid acid catalysts can hydrolyze cellulose with lower reaction times and are easy to recover and reuse. A glycerol based carbon acid catalyst developed at CSIR-IICT performed well in acid catalysis reactions and hence this study was undertaken to evaluate the catalyst for hydrolysis of biomass (alkali pretreated or native rice straw). The catalyst could release 262 mg/g total reducing sugars (TRS) in 4h at 140 °C from alkali pretreated rice straw, and more importantly it released 147 mg/g TRS from native biomass. Reusability of the catalyst was also demonstrated. Catalytic hydrolysate was used as sugar source for fermentation to produce ethanol. Results indicate the solid acid catalyst as an interesting option for biomass hydrolysis.

Synthesis, antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities of novel Schiff base analogues derived from methyl-12-aminooctadec-9-enoate.

A novel library of Schiff base analogues (5a-q) were synthesized by the condensation of methyl-12-aminooctadec-9-enoate and different substituted aromatic aldehydes. The synthesized compounds were thoroughly characterized by spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, ESI-MS and HRMS). The Schiff base analogues with different substitutions were screened for in vitro antibacterial activity against 7 different bacterial strains. Among these, the compounds with electron withdrawing substituent, namely chlorine (5a) and electron donating substituents, namely hydroxy (5 n) and methoxy (5 o), were found to exhibit excellent to good antimicrobial activities (MIC value 9-18 µM) against Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96, Staphylococcus aureus MLS-16 MTCC 2940 and Bacillus subtilis MTCC 121. The products were also screened for anti-biofilm and MBC (Minimum Bactericidal Concentration) activities which exhibited promising activities.

An improved dispersive solid-phase extraction clean-up method for the gas chromatography-negative chemical ionisation tandem mass spectrometric determination of multiclass pesticide residues in edible oils.

An improved sample preparation using dispersive solid-phase extraction clean-up was proposed for the trace level determination of 35 multiclass pesticide residues (organochlorine, organophosphorus and synthetic pyrethroids) in edible oils. Quantification of the analytes was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in negative chemical ionisation mode (GC-NCI-MS/MS). The limit of detection and limit of quantification of residues were in the range of 0.01-1ng/g and 0.05-2ng/g, respectively. The analytes showed recoveries between 62% and 110%, and the matrix effect was observed to be less than 25% for most of the pesticides. Crude edible oil samples showed endosulfan isomers, p,p'-DDD, α-cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon residues in the range of 0.56-2.14ng/g. However, no pesticide residues in the detection range of the method were observed in refined oils.

A green recyclable SO(3)H-carbon catalyst derived from glycerol for the production of biodiesel from FFA-containing karanja (Pongamia glabra) oil in a single step.

Simultaneous esterification and transesterification method is employed for the preparation of biodiesel from 7.5% free fatty acid (FFA) containing karanja (Pongamia glabra) oil using water resistant and reusable carbon-based solid acid catalyst derived from glycerol in a single step. The optimum reaction parameters for obtaining biodiesel in >99% yield by simultaneous esterification and transesterification are: methanol (1:45 mole ratio of oil), catalyst 20wt.% of oil, temperature 160°C and reaction time of 4h. After the reaction, the catalyst was easily recovered by filtration and reused for five times with out any deactivation under optimized conditions. This single-step process could be a potential route for biodiesel production from high FFA containing oils by simplifying the procedure and reducing costs and effluent generation.

Total synthesis and biological evaluation of clavaminol-G and its analogs.

The first total synthesis of clavaminol-G (1) and 1-aminoundecan-2-ol (2) has been achieved from 10-undecenoic acid using epoxidation, regioselective azidolysis and in situ detosylation and reduction reactions as key steps. The methodology is extended for the synthesis of 1-aminoundecan-2-ol derivatives; namely, methyl 11-amino-10-hydroxyundecanoate (3), 11-amino-10-hydroxyundecanoic acid (4) and 11-aminoundecan-1,10-diol (5). Among these, 1-aminoundecan-2-ol (2) exhibited good antimicrobial activity and promising cytotoxicity towards HeLa, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 and A549 cell lines with IC50 values of 4.36, 4.02, 3.88 and 6.78 µM, respectively. Compound 3 exhibited good activity against HeLa cells (IC50 = 3.59 µM), while compound 5 showed moderate activity towards HeLa and A549 cell lines. Clavaminol G (1) and compound 4 showed no activity towards all the cell lines.

Production of melanin pigment from Pseudomonas stutzeri isolated from red seaweed Hypnea musciformis.

UNLABELLED: Hypnea musciformis red seaweed is popularly known to produce carrageenan was collected from the Gulf of Mannar, India. Strain HMGM-7 [MTCC 11712] was isolated from the surface of this seaweed, which was capable of producing an extracellular black-coloured polymeric pigment. Based on phenotypic characterization and 16S rDNA sequencing, the strain HMGM-7 was identified as Pseudomonas stutzeri. Biophysical characterization by UV-visible, FT-IR, EPR and XRD spectroscopic studies confirmed the pigment as melanin. Further chemical characterization showed that it was acid-resistant, alkali-soluble and alkali-insoluble in most of the organic solvents and distilled water. To our knowledge, this is a first report on a marine Pseudomonas stutzeri strain producing significant amounts of melanin of about 6·7 g l(-1) without L-tyrosine supplementation in the sea-water production medium. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This investigation reports a marine Pseudomonas stutzeri strain HMGM-7 [MTCC 11712] that produces significant quantities of melanin (6·7 g l(-1) ) in sea-water medium without the supplementation of L-tyrosine. The confirmation of the produced melanin was carried out by various chemical and physical characterization studies. The isolated melanin may find potential application for use in cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical industries.

Biodiesel production from used cooking oil by two-step heterogeneous catalyzed process.

The present study demonstrates the production of biodiesel from used cooking oil containing high free fatty acid by a two-step heterogeneously catalyzed process. The free fatty acids were first esterified with methanol using a 25 wt.% TPA/Nb(2)O(5) catalyst followed by transesterification of the oil with methanol over ZnO/Na-Y zeolite catalyst. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, BET surface area and CO(2)-TPD. In the case of transesterification the effect of reaction parameters, such as catalyst concentration, methanol to oil molar ratio and reaction temperature, on the yield of ester were investigated. The catalyst with 20 wt.% ZnO loading on Na-Y exhibited the highest activity among the others. Both the solid acid and base catalysts were found to be reusable for several times indicating their efficacy in the two-step process.