Whole cells of recombinant CYP153A6-E. coli as biocatalyst for regioselective hydroxylation of monoterpenes.

Optimized recombinant whole cells of E. coli bearing CYP153A6 were employed for catalyzing the hydroxylation of different monoterpene derivatives. In most cases, high selectivity was observed with exclusive hydroxylation of the allylic methyl group bound to the aliphatic ring. In the case of (R)- and (S)-carvone, hydroxylation occurred also on the other allylic methyl group, although to a lesser extent. Biotransformations carried out in fed-batch mode on (S)-limonene and α-terpineol showed that recombinant whole cells retained activity for at least 24 h, allowing for the recovery of 3.25 mg mL-1 of (S)-perillyl alcohol and 5.45 mg mL-1 of 7-hydroxy-α-terpineol, respectively.

Modulation of lipase B from Candida antarctica properties via covalent immobilization on eco-friendly support for enzymatic kinetic resolution of rac-indanyl acetate.

In this study, the modulation of enzymatic biocatalysts were developed by the use of lipase B from Candida antarctica covalently immobilized on an eco-friendly support, cashew apple bagasse, activated with 10% glycidol-ethylenediamine-glutaraldehyde (GEG) under different immobilization strategies (5 mM or 100 mM ionic strength and in absence or presence of 0.5% (v/v) Triton X-100). The biocatalysts were characterized for thermal and organic solvents stabilities and compared with the soluble enzyme. The biocatalysts were then applied to the hydrolysis of the rac-indanyl acetate (2:1 ratio enzyme/substrate) at pH 7.0 and 30 °C for 24 h. For all the strategies evaluated, GEG promoted kinetic resolution of rac-indanyl acetate with maximum conversion (50%) and led to (R)-indanol with excellent enantiomeric excess (97%), maintaining the maximum conversion for five consecutive cycles of hydrolysis. Therefore, the use of cashew apple bagasse has proved to be a promising eco-friendly support for enzyme immobilization, since it resulted in stable biocatalysts for enzymatic kinetic resolution.

Skeletal Optimization of Cytotoxic Lipidic Dialkynylcarbinols.

In line with a recent study of the pharmacological potential of bioinspired synthetic acetylenic lipids, after identification of the terminal dialkynylcarbinol (DAC) and butadiynyl alkynylcarbinol (BAC) moieties as functional antitumor pharmacophoric units, this work specifically addresses the issue of carbon backbone length. A systematic variation of the aliphatic chain length was thus carried out in both the DAC and BAC series. The critical impact of the length of the lipidic skeleton was first confirmed in the racemic series, with the highest cytotoxic activity observed for C17 to C18 backbones. Enantiomerically enriched samples were prepared by asymmetric synthesis of the optimal C18 DAC and C17 BAC derivatives. Samples with upgraded enantiomeric purity were alternatively produced by enzymatic kinetic resolution. Eutomers possessing the S configuration displayed cytotoxicity IC50 values as low as 15 nm against HCT116 cancer cells, the highest level of activity reached to date in this series.

Annonalide and derivatives: Semisynthesis, cytotoxic activities and studies on interaction of annonalide with DNA.

The cytotoxic activity of the pimarane diterpene annonalide (1) and nine of its semisynthetic derivatives (2-10) was investigated against the human tumor cell lines HL-60 (leukemia), PC-3 (prostate adenocarcinoma), HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma), SF-295 (glioblastoma) and HCT-116 (colon cancer), and normal mouse fibroblast (L929) cells. The preparation of 2-10 involved derivatization of the side chain of 1 at C-13. Except for 2, all derivatives are being reported for the first time. Most of the tested compounds presented IC50s below 4.0 µM, being considered potential antitumor agents. The structures of all new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses including 2D NMR and HRMS. Additionally, the interaction of annonalide (1) with ctDNA was evaluated using spectroscopic techniques, and the formation of a supramolecular complex with the macromolecule was confirmed. Competition assays with fluorescent probes (Hoechst and ethidium bromide) and theoretical studies confirmed that 1 interacts preferentially via DNA intercalation with stoichiometric ratio of 1:1 (1:ctDNA). The ΔG value was calculated as -28.24 kJ mol-1, and indicated that the interaction process occurs spontaneously. Docking studies revealed that van der Walls is the most important interaction in 1-DNA and EB-DNA complexes, and that both ligands (1 and EB) interact with the same DNA residues (DA6, DA17 and DT19).

Cytotoxic compounds from the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus sp. recovered from the sediments of the Brazilian coast.

A fungal strain of Aspergillus sp. (BRF 030) was isolated from the sediments collected in the northeast coast of Brazil, and the cytotoxic activity of its secondary metabolites was investigated against HCT-116 tumour cell line. The cytotoxicity-guided fractionation of the extracts from this fungus cultured in potato-dextrose-sea water for 14 days at room temperature yielded the hetero-spirocyclic γ-lactams pseurotin A (1), pseurotin D (2) and pseurotin FD-838 (7), the alkaloids fumitremorgin C (5), 12,13-dihydroxy fumitremorgin C (6), methylsulochrin (4) and bis(dethio)bis(methylthio)gliotoxin (3). Among them, fumitremorgin C (5) and 12,13-dihydroxy fumitremorgin C (6) were the most active. The cytotoxic activities of the extracts from Aspergillus sp. grown from 7 to 28 days were investigated, and they were associated with the kinetic production of the compounds. The most active extracts (14 and 21 days) were those with the highest relative concentrations of the compounds fumitremorgin C (5) and 12,13-dihydroxy fumitremorgin C (6).

Solubilisation capacity of Brij surfactants.

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of selected Brij non-ionic surfactants for enhancing the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs. Griseofulvin was selected as a model drug candidate enabling comparisons to be made with the solubilisation capacities of other poly(ethylene oxide)-based copolymers. UV/Vis and (1)H NMR spectroscopies were used to quantify the enhancement of solubility of griseofulvin in 1 wt% aqueous micellar solutions of Brij 78 (C(18)H(37)E(20)), Brij 98 (C(18)H(35)E(20)) and Brij 700 (C(18)H(37)E(100)) (where E represents the OCH(2)CH(2) unit of the poly(ethylene oxide) chain) at 25, 37 and 40 °C. Solubilisation capacities (S(cp) expressed as mg griseofulvin per g Brij) were similar for Brij 78 and 98 (range 6-11 mg g(-1)) but lower for Brij 700 (3-4 mg g(-1)) as would be expected for the surfactant with the higher ethylene oxide content. The drug loading capacity of micelles of Brij 78 was higher than many di- and triblock copolymers with hydrophilic E-blocks specifically designed for enhancement of drug solubility.

Vegetables as chemical reagents.

Biocatalysis is an important adjunct to the chemical armamentarium that organic chemists may bring to bear for the synthesis of important intermediates and finished pharmaceutical and other commercial products. For most of the world however, such catalytic reagents are not an option due to their high cost and import limitations. Recent studies indicate that the use of locally available vegetables may offer an alternative opportunity for countries to investigate their local resources for the effective conduct of key synthetic transformations with significant economic and ecological implications. This review offers a brief overview of the field of microbial and plant biocatalysts, discusses the studies thus far on the use of intact plant materials for conducting synthetic chemical reactions, and considers some opportunities for future development.

New enamine derivatives of lapachol and biological activity.

A convenient synthesis of the new enamine derivatives 2-(4-morpholinyl)-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-1,4-naphthalenedione, 2-(1-piperidinyl)-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-1,4-naphtalenedione and 2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-1,4-naphthalenedione was carried out from natural 2-hydroxy-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-1,4-naphthalenedione (lapachol) and morpholine, piperidine and pyrrolidine. The structures of the products were established mainly by NMR analysis, including 2D experiments. Biological activities of these products were evaluated against Artemia salina, Aedes aegypti and cytotoxicity using A549 human breast cells.