Development of novel 9H-carbazole-4H-chromene hybrids as dual cholinesterase inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease affecting mental ability and neurocognitive functions. Cholinesterase enzymes affect concentration of acetylcholine in the brain, leading to dementia. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel dual cholinesterase inhibitors as possible anti-AD drugs. Herein, we have designed and synthesized a novel series of 9H-carbazole-4H-chromenes 4(a-l) through a one-pot three-component reaction of salicylaldehydes (1), hydroxycarbazole (2) and N-methyl-1-(methylthio)-2-nitroethenamine (3) using triethylamine as a catalyst in ethanol. Synthetic transformation involves the formation of two C-C bonds and one C-O bond in a single step to obtain desired analogs. The rapid one-pot reaction does not require chromatographic purification, proceeds under mild conditions, and exhibits good tolerance toward various functional groups with high synthetic yields. Synthesized compounds were screened for cytotoxicity using MTT assay in BV-2 microglial cells. These compounds were then in-vitro screened against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinestrase (BuChE) enzymes. Most of these ligands have shown dual cholinesterase inhibitory activity compared to the standard drug. In-vitro results showed that the compounds 4a and 4d have promising anticholinesterase response against both cholinesterase enzymes (4a, AChE IC50: 5.76 µM, BuChE IC50: 48.98 µM; 4d, AChE IC50: 3.58 µM, BuChE IC50: 42.73 µM). In-vitro results were validated by molecular docking and dynamic simulation at 100 ns. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation study strongly supported structural features present in these analogs. Together, these analogs could be exploited to develop dual anti-cholinesterase candidates to treat AD in combination with other drugs.

Asymmetrically Substituted 10H,10'H-9,9'-Spirobi[acridine] Derivatives as Hole-Transporting Materials for Perovskite Solar Cells.

Hole-transporting materials (HTMs) based on the 10H, 10'H-9,9'-spirobi [acridine] core (BSA50 and BSA51) were synthesized, and their electronic properties were explored. Experimental and theoretical studies show that the presence of rigid 3,6-dimethoxy-9H-carbazole moieties in BSA 50 brings about improved hole mobility and higher work function compared to bis(4-methoxyphenyl)amine units in BSA51, which increase interfacial hole transportation from perovskite to HTM. As a result, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on BSA50 boost power conversion efficiency (PCE) to 22.65 %, and a PSC module using BSA50 HTM exhibits a PCE of 21.35 % (6.5×7 cm) with a Voc of 8.761 V and FF of 79.1 %. The unencapsulated PSCs exhibit superior stability to devices employing spiro-OMeTAD, retaining nearly 90 % of their initial efficiency after 1000 h operation output. This work demonstrates the high potential of molecularly engineered spirobi[acridine] derivatives as HTMs as replacements for spiro-OMeTAD.

Influence of Electronic Environment on the Radiative Efficiency of 9-Phenyl-9H-carbazole-Based ortho-Carboranyl Luminophores.

The photophysical properties of closo-ortho-carboranyl-based donor-acceptor dyads are known to be affected by the electronic environment of the carborane cage but the influence of the electronic environment of the donor moiety remains unclear. Herein, four 9-phenyl-9H-carbazole-based closo-ortho-carboranyl compounds (1F, 2P, 3M, and 4T), in which an o-carborane cage was appended at the C3-position of a 9-phenyl-9H-carbazole moiety bearing various functional groups, were synthesized and fully characterized using multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Furthermore, the solid-state molecular structures of 1F and 4T were determined by X-ray diffraction crystallography. For all the compounds, the lowest-energy absorption band exhibited a tail extending to 350 nm, attributable to the spin-allowed π-π* transition of the 9-phenyl-9H-carbazole moiety and weak intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) between the o-carborane and the carbazole group. These compounds showed intense yellowish emission (λem = ~540 nm) in rigid states (in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 77 K and in films), whereas considerably weak emission was observed in THF at 298 K. Theoretical calculations on the first excited states (S1) of the compounds suggested that the strong emission bands can be assigned to the ICT transition involving the o-carborane. Furthermore, photoluminescence experiments in THF‒water mixtures demonstrated that aggregation-induced emission was responsible for the emission in rigid states. Intriguingly, the quantum yields and radiative decay constants in the film state were gradually enhanced with the increasing electron-donating ability of the substituent on the 9-phenyl group (‒F for 1F < ‒H for 2P < ‒CH3 for 3M < ‒C(CH3)3 for 4T). These features indicate that the ICT-based radiative decay process in rigid states is affected by the electronic environment of the 9-phenyl-9H-carbazole group. Consequently, the efficient ICT-based radiative decay of o-carboranyl compounds can be achieved by appending the o-carborane cage with electron-rich aromatic systems.

9H-Carbazole Derivatives Containing the N-Benzyl-1,2,3-triazole Moiety as New Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors.

A series of triazole-containing carbazole derivatives were designed as new anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) agents. The target compounds 6a-q were simply prepared via a one-pot three-component click reaction of N-propargyl-9H-carbazole, sodium azide, and an appropriate benzyl halide. The in vitro anti-cholinesterase assay showed that the unsubstituted benzyl derivative 6p along with the 2-F, 2-Me, 3-Me, 3-MeO, and 3-F analogs (6a, 6c, and 6g-i) had significant anti-AChE activity (IC50s ≤ 3.8 µM). Among them, the 2-methylbenzyl derivative 6c with an IC50 value of 1.9 µM was the most active compound. The SAR studies revealed that small halogen atoms such as the fluorine atom or electron-donating groups such as methyl or methoxy at the ortho or meta positions of the benzyl pendent group could be tolerated or improved the anti-AChE activity.

Carbazole and Quinazolinone Derivatives from a Fluoride-Tolerant Streptomyces Strain OUCMDZ-5511.

Six new 9H-carbazole derivatives (1-6) and nine previously reported compounds (7-15) were isolated from a fermented solid medium of the Thailand mangrove-derived Streptomyces strain, OUCMDZ-5511, under fluoride stress. Compounds 2-5, 12, and 15 were exclusively present in the fluoride-supplemented fermentation medium, while compounds 7-9, 13, and 14 were newly discovered natural products. The molecular structures of the compounds were identified by a spectroscopic analysis. The new compound 2 displayed antiquorum sensing activity against Chromobacterium violaceum ATCC 12472 by reducing the violacein production and inhibiting the biofilm formation in a concentration-dependent manner. The study revealed that compound 2 could be a novel potential inhibitor of quorum sensing.

Exploring the adverse effects of 1,3,6,8-tetrabromo-9H-carbazole in atherosclerotic model mice by metabolomic profiling integrated with mechanism studies in vitro.

Given its wide distribution in the environment and latent toxic effects, 1,3,6,8-tetrabromo-9H-carbazole (1368-BCZ) is an emerging concern that has gained increasing attention globally. 1368-BCZ exposure is reported to have potential cardiovascular toxicity. Although atherosclerosis is a cardiovascular disease and remains a primary cause of mortality worldwide, no evidence has been found regarding the impact of 1368-BCZ on atherosclerosis. Therefore, we aimed to explore the deleterious effects of 1368-BCZ on atherosclerosis and the underlying mechanisms. Serum samples from 1368-BCZ-treated atherosclerotic model mice were subjected to metabolomic profiling to investigate the adverse influence of the pollutant. Subsequently, the molecular mechanism associated with the metabolic pathway of atherosclerotic mice that was identified following 1368-BCZ exposure was validated in vitro. Serum metabolomics analysis revealed that 1368-BCZ significantly altered the tricarboxylic acid cycle, causing a disturbance in energy metabolism. In vitro, we further validated general markers of energy metabolism based on metabolome data: 1368-BCZ dampened adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Furthermore, blocking the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) reversed the high production of ROS induced by 1368-BCZ. It is concluded that 1368-BCZ decreased the ATP synthesis by disturbing the energy metabolism, thereby stimulating the AhR-mediated ROS production and presumably causing aggravated atherosclerosis. This is the first comprehensive study on the cardiovascular toxicity and mechanism of 1368-BCZ based on rodent models of atherosclerosis and integrated with in vitro models.

Effects of carbazolyl and diphenylamino substituents bearing methoxy groups on the performance of hole-transporting materials in OLEDs.

Newly designed and synthesized derivatives of pentaphenylbenzene with methoxy-substituted carbazolyl or diphenylamino moieties were investigated to estimate their applicability as hole transport materials. Both the compounds exhibit high thermal stability. The intramolecular charge transfer is blocked for the film of the compound containing diphenylamino groups. The intermolecular charge transfer is induced in the film of carbazolyl-containing compound. The derivative of pentaphenylbenzene and diphenylamine exhibits higher hole drift mobility (2.4·10-3 cm2/V·s at the electric field of 5.5·105 V/cm) and by 0.1 eV lower ionization potential than the carbazolyl-containing compound. Both the compounds were utilized as hole-transporting materials in a series of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on of thermally activated delayed fluorescence. With the maximum values of external quantum efficiency of 25.9 % and power efficiency of 43.4 lm/W, OLEDs containing the layers of the synthesized compounds outperformed the device based on TCTA by 4 %, without the change in spectral properties. Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry revealed the moderate average roughness of the films of the compound deposited by the thermal vacuum evaporation technique with an arithmetic mean deviation of not more than 0.8 nm. The prominent hole transport characteristics of the compounds make them good candidates for utilization in optoelectronic devices.

HIF-1alpha/VEGF pathway mediates 1,3,6,8-tetrabromo-9 H-carbazole-induced angiogenesis: a potential vascular toxicity of an emerging contaminant.

The dioxin-like substances polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCZs) may trigger the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling pathway. Although the crosstalk between AhR and the hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) pathways is generally believed to occur, the exact mechanisms of the HIF-1 pathway in PHCZ toxicity have not been determined. We aimed to elucidate the effect of PHCZs on the HIF-1 pathway and its involvement in the regulation of target genes of HIF-1. Herein, we employed human HepG2 cells transiently transfected with a hypoxia response element (HRE) luciferase reporter to identify PHCZs that could influence HIF-1 pathway. We found that exposure to one of the four selected PHCZs, specifically 1,3,6,8-tetrabromo-9 H-carbazole (1368-BCZ), induced a significant enhancement of the activity of HRE activity. In silico data supported 1368-BCZ-induced HIF-1α activity preferentially. Moreover, 1368-BCZ significantly upregulated the expression of HIF-1 target genes, including endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and erythropoietin. Importantly, the stimulated secretion of VEGF by 1368-BCZ promoted the angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Therefore, the present experimental and computational studies provide new and direct evidence of 1368-BCZ - HIF-1 interaction, which sheds light on the HIF-mediated cardiovascular toxicity and allows a knowledge-based risk assessment of emerging pollutants.

Synthesis and crystal structure of 1-hy-droxy-8-methyl-9H-carbazole-2-carbaldehyde.

Two crystallographically independent mol-ecules are present in the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C14H11NO2, with virtually identical geometries. The carbazole units are planar. The hy-droxy group at position 1, carbaldehyde group at position 2, and methyl group at position 8 (with the exception of two H atoms) are coplanar with the attached benzene rings. The dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 2.20 (9)° in mol-ecule A and 2.01 (9)° in mol-ecule B. The pyrrole ring makes dihedral angles of 0.82 (10) and 1.40 (10)° [0.84 (10) and 1.18 (10)° in mol-ecule B] with the (-CH3)-substituted and (-OH and -CHO) substituted benzene rings, respectively. The mol-ecular structure is stabilized by the intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, while the crystal structure features N-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. A range of π-π contacts further stabilizes the crystal structure.

Necroptosis mediated by receptor interacting protein kinase 3 as critical players in experimental congenital hypothyroidism related neuronal damage.

OBJECTIVE: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is literally described as congenital thyroid hormone imperfection. The primary objective of this research was to reveal the possible relation between receptor-acting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) activity and neuronal damages in rat pups with CH. In addition, we evaluated the favorable impacts of 3.6-dibromo-α-([phenylamino] methyl)-9H-carbazole-9-ethanol (P7C3) reducing RIPK3 activity. METHODS: Adult rats were accordingly assigned into four groups: Group 1, which is called congenital hypothyroid; Group 2, which is called congenital hypothyroid administered P7C3; Group 3, called CH administered P7C3 and L-thyroxine; and Group 4, control group. RIPK3 level in plasma concentration and its expression in tissue was determined in all groups. RESULTS: Increased RIPK3 expressions were detected as high in the CH group when it is compared to the control group. Furthermore; the expressions in neuronal cytoplasm were found similar among Groups II and III. RIPK3 expressions in those two groups were relatively higher than in the control group. Most reacted parts of the brain were especially Purkinje cells in the cerebellum. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that there is excellent parallelism among damaged neurons and high RIPK3 activity in CH pathogenesis. P7C3 compounds may have a safeguarding impact on CH due to decreasing RIPK3 activity.

Experimental and DFT studies on the vibrational and electronic spectra of 9-p-tolyl-9H-carbazole-3-carbaldehyde.

The compound 9-p-tolyl-9H-carbazole-3-carbaldehyde (HCCD) was synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, FT-Raman and UV-Vis spectra. The X-ray diffraction study showed that HCCD has a Z-configuration. The benzene ring including methyl is twisted from the mean plane of the carbazole group by 59.7(3)°, which is comparable with the calculated result 65° for B3LYP/6-311++G(d, p) method. Vibrational spectra and electronic spectra measurements were made for the compound. Optimized geometrical structure and harmonic vibrational frequencies were computed with B-based DFT (BLYP, B3LYP and cam-B3LYP) methods, and WB-based DFT (WB97, WB97X and WB97XD) methods and ab initio RHF method using 6-311++G(d, p) basis set. Assignments of the observed spectra were proposed. The equilibrium geometries computed by all of the methods were compared with X-ray diffraction results. The absorption spectra of the title compound were computed both in gas phase and in DMF solution using TD-(cam)B3LYP/6-311++G(d, p) and PCM-(cam)B3LYP/6-311++G(d, p) approaches, respectively. The calculated results provide good descriptions of the bands maxima in the observed electronic spectrum. Temperature dependence of thermodynamic parameters in the range of 100-1000 K was determined. The natural atomic hybrids were calculated and discussed.

Incorporating two different chromophores onto a silicon atom: the crystal structure and photophysical properties of 9-{4-[(9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)dimethylsilyl]phenyl}-9H-carbazole.

The crystal structure of the title bifunctional silicon-bridged compound, C(35)H(31)NSi, (I), has been determined. The compound crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group P2(1)/c. In the crystal structure, the pairs of aryl rings in the two different chromophores, i.e. 9-phenyl-9H-carbazole and 9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluorene, are positioned orthogonally. In the crystal packing, no classical hydrogen bonding is observed. UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence emission spectra show that the central Si atom successfully breaks the electronic conjugation between the two different chromophores, and this was further analysed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Crystal structure of ethyl 2-phenyl-9-phenyl-sulfonyl-9H-carbazole-3-carboxyl-ate.

In the title compound, C27H21NO4S, the dihedral angles between the carbazole ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.015 Å) and the sulfur-bonded and directly linked benzene rings are 79.98 (11) and 53.51 (18)°, respectively. The benzene rings subtend a dihedral angle of 48.4 (2)°. The ethyl side chain of the ester group has an extended conformation [C-O-C-C = -172.3 (3)°]. In the crystal, inversion dimers linked by pairs of weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds generate R 2 (2)(22) loops. The dimers are linked by weak C-H⋯π and π-π [centroid-to-centroid distances ranging from 3.5042 (14) to 3.888 (2) Å] inter-actions, thereby forming a three-dimensional supra-molecular network.