Facile cross-link method to synthesize chitosan-based adsorbent with superior selectivity toward gold ions: Batch and column studies.

The recovery of gold from wastewater has received significant attention in the last years due to its high economic value and low availability. A novel chitosan-based adsorbent (CS-GTU) was successfully synthesized by using formaldehyde as a crosslinker between chitosan and guanylthiourea, and applied for selective adsorption of AuIII from an aqueous medium. Through batch experiments, the maximum adsorption capacity of CS-GTU for AuIII could reach up to 695.63 mg/g at pH 5.0, and the adsorption process followed the Pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models, indicating that the monolayer chemisorption possibly occurred on the adsorbent surfaces. The adsorption was an enthalpy driven and spontaneous chemical process based on thermodynamic analysis. Furthermore, the adsorbent has demonstrated outstanding selectivity toward AuIII from multi-metallic solutions, and five cycled experiments of adsorption-desorption showed that CS-GTU could be efficiently regenerated. Experimental breakthrough curves were successfully simulated by using the Thomas model, which can fit the experimental data with the correlated curve (R2 > 0.9) well. This improvement in adsorption was a consequence of the complexation and electrostatic attraction of gold ions with the abundant sulfur/nitrogen-containing groups. The CS-GTU beads can be considered as a suitable and efficient adsorbent for gold ions in aqueous solutions.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 4-aminoquinoline-guanylthiourea derivatives as antimalarial agents.

Guanylthiourea (GTU) has been identified as an important antifolate antimalarial pharmacophore unit, whereas, 4-amino quinolones are already known for antimalarial activity. In the present work molecules carrying 4-aminoquinoline and GTU moiety have been designed using molecular docking analysis with PfDHFR enzyme and heme unit. The docking results indicated that the necessary interactions (Asp54 and Ile14) and docking score (-9.63 to -7.36 kcal/mmol) were comparable to WR99210 (-9.89 kcal/mol). From these results nine molecules were selected for synthesis. In vitro analysis of these synthesized compounds reveal that out of the nine molecules, eight show antimalarial activity in the range of 0.61-7.55 µM for PfD6 strain and 0.43-8.04 µM for PfW2 strain. Further, molecular dynamics simulations were performed on the most active molecule to establish comparative binding interactions of these compounds and reference ligand with Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (PfDHFR).

Guanylthiourea derivatives as potential antimalarial agents: Synthesis, in vivo and molecular modelling studies.

Guanylthiourea (GTU) derivatives were identified as possible anti-malarial agents, recently, using in vitro studies on Plasmodium falciparum. This article gives an account of the in vivo anti-malarial activity of GTU derivatives against experimental rodent malaria. A total of 20 synthesized GTU derivatives were evaluated for in vivo antimalarial activity, out of which six showed encouraging results; one compound appeared to have curative potential. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics analysis were carried out to understand the molecular level interactions.

Antihypoxic and antioxidant effects of exogenous succinic acid and aminothiol succinate-containing antihypoxants.

Pronounced antihypoxic and antioxidant effects of preventive injection of succinic acid, aminothiol antihypoxants gutimine and amtizol, and succinate-containing aminothiol antihypoxants gutimine succinate and amtizol succinate to Wistar rats with acute hypoxic hypoxia have been demonstrated. Exogenous succinic acid was inferior to aminothiol compounds by antihypoxic effect, but superior to them by its effect on the level of LPO products. Succinate in the aminothiol molecule modulated the intensity of their antihypoxic and antioxidant effects. It did not modulate the antihypoxic activity of amtizol, but reduced the antihypoxic effect of gutimine, presumably because of the physicochemical characteristics of aminothiols. Comparison of the intensities of antihypoxic and antioxidant effects of the studied drugs showed no direct relationship between these effects.

Electronic structure and reactivity of guanylthiourea: a quantum chemical study.

Electronic structure analysis of guanylthiourea (GTU) and its isomers has been carried out using quantum chemical methods. Two major tautomeric classes (thione and thiol) have been identified on the potential energy (PE) surface. In both the cases conjugation of pi-electrons and intramolecular H-bonds have been found to play a stabilizing role. Various isomers of GTU on its PE surface have been analyzed in two different groups (thione and thiol). The interconversion from the most stable thione conformer (GTU-1) to the most stable thiol conformer (GTU-t1) was found to take place via bimolecular process which involves protonation at sulfur atom of GTU-1 followed by subsequent C-N bond rotation and deprotonation. The detailed analysis of the protonation has been carried out in gas phase and aqueous phase (using CPMC model). Sulfur atom (S1) was found to be the preferred protonation site (over N4) in GTU-1 in gas phase whereas N4 was found to be the preferred site of protonation in aqueous medium. The mechanism of S-alkylation reaction in GTU has also been studied. The formation of alkylated analogs of thiol isomers (alkylated guanylthiourea) is believed to take place via bimolecular process which involves alkyl cation attack at S atom followed by C-N bond rotation and deprotonation. The reactive intermediate RS(NH(2))C-N-C(NH(2))(2)(+) belongs to the newly identified [symbol: see text]N(<--L)(2) class of species and provides the necessary dynamism for easy conversion of thione to thiol.