New 1H-benzimidazole-2-yl hydrazones with combined antiparasitic and antioxidant activity.

Parasitic infections, caused mainly by the species Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis), are widespread around the world and lead to morbidity and mortality in the population. Meanwhile, some studies have showed that these parasites induce oxidative stress in the infected host. With the aim of developing a class of compounds combining anthelmintic with antioxidant properties, a series of new benzimidazolyl-2-hydrazones 5a-l, bearing hydroxyl- and methoxy-groups, were synthesized. The anthelmintic activity on encapsulated T. spiralis was studied in vitro thus indicating that all hydrazones were more active than the clinically used anthelmintic drugs albendazole and ivermectin. 5b and 5d killed the total parasitic larvae (100% effectiveness) after 24 hours incubation period at 37 °C in both concentrations (50 and 100 µg ml-1). The antioxidant activity of the target compounds was elucidated in vitro against stable free radicals DPPH and ABTS as well as iron induced oxidative damage in model systems containing biologically relevant molecules lecithin and deoxyribose. The two 2,3- and 3,4-dihydroxy hydrazones 5b and 5d were the most effective radical scavengers in all studied systems. DFT calculations were applied to calculate the reaction enthalpies in polar and nonpolar medium and estimate the preferred mechanism of antioxidant activity. The relative radical scavenging ability of compounds 5a-l showed a good correlation to the experimentally observed trends. It was found that the studied compounds are capable to react with various free radicals - ˙OCH3, ˙OOH and ˙OOCH3, through several possible reaction pathways - HAT in nonpolar medium, SPLET in polar medium and RAF in both media.

Experimental and computational studies of the structure and vibrational spectra of 2-[5,5-dimethyl-3-(2-phenyl-vinil)-cyclohex-2-enylidene]-malononitrile.

The FTIR spectra (4000-100 cm(-1)) and Raman spectra (3500-30 cm(-1)) of 2-[5,5-dimethyl-3-(2-phenyl-vinil)-cyclohex-2-enylidene]-malononitrile in solid state were measured. In addition, the structure and harmonic vibrational frequencies of this molecule were theoretically evaluated using B3LYP density functional methods. The computed vibrational frequencies are used to determine the types of molecular motions associated with each of the experimental bands observed. Bond length alternation (BLA) was established. Comparison with the experimental spectra provides important information about the ability of this computational method to describe the vibrational modes in this type of "push-pull" systems with potential non-linear optical applications.

Experimental and computational studies of the structure and vibrational spectra of pyridinium-betaine of squaric acid.

The FTIR spectra of pyridinium-betaine of squaric acid in 4000-100 cm(-1) frequency region in solid state were measured. In addition, the structure and harmonic vibrational frequencies of this molecule were theoretically evaluated using restricted Hartree-Fock and B3LYP density functional methods. The computed vibrational frequencies are used to determine the types of molecular motions associated with each of the experimental bands observed. Comparison with the experimental spectra provides important information about the ability of these computational methods to describe the vibrational modes in these highly polar strained ring compounds.