Optimization of extraction of total trans‐resveratrol from peanut seeds and its determination by HPLC

Resveratrol, a stilbene phytoalexin in plants, is believed to benefit human health. In this study, an optimized enzyme‐assisted method was developed to extract the total content of trans‐resveratrol (free or combined with glucose) in peanut seeds, followed by detection using high‐performance liquid chromatography. The extraction process was optimized by Box–Behnken design and response surface methodology. The optimized enzyme concentration, digestion time, pH, and temperature were 3.02 g/L, 57.06 min, 5.88, and 51.05°C, respectively. Validation tests indicated that the experimental yield of trans‐resveratrol was 0.183 ± 0.007 µg/g with a relative standard deviation of 3.87% (n = 5) under the optimal condition, which was closely agreed with the predicted value (0.182 µg/g). The recoveries obtained from the spiked samples were varied from 89.4 to 103.9%. Therefore, this study will provide a useful method for quantification of total trans‐resveratrol in peanut seeds.     

Synthesis and Ameliorative Effect of Isatin–Mesalamine Conjugates on Acetic Acid‐induced Colitis in Rats

A series of new isatin–mesalamine conjugates ( 9a – g ) were synthesized via conjugation of isatin ( 3a ) and its derivatives ( 3b – 3d , 4 , 5 , and 6 ) with mesalamine ( 7 ) by using chloroacetyl chloride as a bifunctional linker. Compounds 3a – 3d were prepared by employing Sandmeyer reaction. Compounds 4 , 5 , and 6 were obtained from isatin ( 3a ) via previously reported methods. The synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, mass, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectral techniques. Synthesized compounds ( 3a – d , 4 , 5 , 6 , and 9a – g ) were evaluated for in vitro antioxidant activity by DPPH assay method using ascorbic acid as standard. Hybrids 9b (IC₅₀ = 368.6 ± 3.5 μM) and 9f (IC₅₀ = 335.1 ± 2.9 μM) showed better antioxidant activity than its parent compounds such as 3a (IC₅₀ = 556.8 ± 2.9 μM), 5 (IC₅₀ = 511.9 ± 3.6 μM), and 7 (IC₅₀ = 768.9 ± 2.7 μM). Acetic acid‐induced ulcerative colitis in rat model was chosen to examine the antioxidant potential of the synthesized hybrids ( 9b and 9f ) in the amelioration of ulcerative colitis. Colonic myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde enzymes were used as biomarkers of anti‐ulcerative colitis activity. In the present study, hybrids 9b and 9f reduced the levels of colonic myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde enzymes significantly (p < 0.05) when compared with control (colitic), at a dose (0.03 mM/12.5 mg/kg b.w. p.o.) (50%) less than that of its parent moieties mesalamine (0.16 mM/25 mg/kg) and isatin (0.16 mM/25 mg/kg). Thus, the molecular hybridization was proved to be significant in enhancing the activity of hybrids 9b and 9f by reducing the dose.     

Study of isomeric pentacyclic triterpene acids in traditional Chinese medicine of Forsythiae Fructus and their binding constants with β‐cyclodextrin by capillary electrophoresis

In this study, a capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method was first developed to identify three microconstituents of isomeric pentacyclic triterpene acids (PTAs including oleanolic acid (OA), ursolic acid (UA) and betulinic acid (BA)) in Forsythiae Fructus (FF). The baseline separation of PTAs by CZE were eventually achieved in a background electrolyte (BGE) containing 50.0 mmol/L borax and 0.5 mmol/L β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) at pH 9.5 within 13.0 min. Herein, it was not only the compositions of BGE were detail investigated for rapid and good separation, but also the binding ratio and the equilibrium constants (K) for OA, UA and BA with β‐CD was estimated by double reciprocal equation to well understand the separation mechanism. The proposed method allowed the LODs of PTAs were averaged at 1.50 μg/mL with UV detection (at 200 nm). The interday RSD of migration time and peak area were around 2.0 and 4.7% (n = 5), respectively. Thus, the content of PTAs in 19 FF real samples distinguished from maturation stages and geographical areas in China was quantified with the proposed method. Depending on the amount of each PTA in FF, it was demonstrated these microconstituents might benefit to identify their harvested time even qualities.     

Seed Oil Fatty Acids of Mongolian Compositae: The trans‐Fatty Acids of Heteropappus hispidus,Asterothamnus centrali‐asiaticus and Artemisia palustris

Seed oils from the Compositae plant family are known to contain a variety of unusual fatty acids. Subsequent to the recent discovery of γ‐linolenic acid in Saussurea and Youngia, further Mongolian Compositae species were investigated for their seed oil fatty acid composition. A number of δ3trans‐fatty acids (16 : 1δ3t, 18 : 1δ3t and 18 : 3δ3t, 9c, 12c) were found in the seed oils of Heteropappus hispidus and Asterothamnus centrali‐asiaticus. The latter fatty acid, but not the trans‐monoenes, was also found in one species of Artemisia. These unusual fatty acid isomers were characterized by capillary gas‐liquid chromatographic (GLC) separations in combination with other chromatographic techniques (analytical thin layer chromatography, TLC and preparative argentation TLC), and infrared spectrocsopy (IR). Their identity was further confirmed by co‐chromatography with other seed oils known to contain these trans‐fatty acids. The fact that within the Compositae plant family there are apparently two or three distinct groups of genera containing δ3trans‐fatty acids is discussed.     

A New Isoflavanol from the Fruits of Kotschya strigosa (Fabaceae)

The phytochemical investigation of the MeOH extract from fruits of Kotschya strigosa using repeated normal and reversed‐phase column chromatography and Sephadex LH‐20 chromatography led to the isolation and characterization of a new isoflavanol, named kotstrigoisoflavanol ( 1 ), together with three known compounds, diosmetin ( 2 ), β‐sitosterol ( 3 ), and the 3‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranoside of β‐sitosterol ( 4 ). The antioxidant activity of crude extract, 1, and 2 was determined using the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH˙) method. The crude extract (IC₅₀ 61.7 ± 0.2 μg/ml) and 2 (IC₅₀ 70.2 ± 0.1 μg/ml) showed moderate antioxidant activities, while 1 was weakly active (IC₅₀ 153.1 ± 0.1 μg/ml), as compared with the standard reference l ‐ascorbic acid (IC₅₀ 21.9 ± 0.0 μg/ml).     

Graphene/dodecanol floating solidification microextraction for the preconcentration of trace levels of cinnamic acid derivatives in traditional Chinese medicines

A novel graphene/dodecanol floating solidification microextraction followed by HPLC with diode‐array detection has been developed to extract trace levels of four cinnamic acid derivatives in traditional Chinese medicines. Several parameters affecting the performance were investigated and optimized. Also, possible microextraction mechanism was analyzed and discussed. Under the optimum conditions (amount of graphene in dodecanol: 0.25 mg/mL; volume of extraction phase: 70 μL; pH of sample phase: 3; extraction time: 30 min; stirring rate: 1000 rpm; salt amount: 26.5% NaCl; volume of sample phase: 10 mL, and without dispersant addition), the enrichment factors of four cinnamic acid derivatives ranged from 26 to 112, the linear ranges were 1.0 × 10⁻²–10.0 μg/mL for caffeic acid, 1.3 × 10⁻³–1.9 μg/mL for p‐hydroxycinnamic acid, 2.8 × 10⁻³–4.1 μg/mL for ferulic acid, and 2.7 × 10⁻³–4.1 μg/mL for cinnamic acid, with r ² ≥ 0.9993. The detection limits were found to be in the range of 0.1–1.0 ng/mL, and satisfactory recoveries (92.5–111.2%) and precisions (RSDs 1.1–9.5%) were also achieved. The results showed that the approach is simple, effective and sensitive for the preconcentration and determination of trace levels of cinnamic acid derivatives in Chinese medicines. The proposed method was compared with conventional dodecanol floating solidification microextraction and other extraction methods.     

Polarity guided extraction,HPLC based phytochemical quantification,and multimode biological evaluation of Otostegia limbata (Benth.) Boiss

Purpose of studyOtostegia limbata (Benth.) Boiss. (Family: Lamiacae) is an important underexplored ethnomedicinal plant that has been used as antinflammatory, anticancer and antibacterial herbal remedy previously. The present work was aimed to evaluate the antioxidant, antimicrobial, antileishmanial, and anticancer prospective of O. limbata stem and leaf extracts.ResultsThe highest amount of phenolic and flavonoid content was obtained in the methanol-acetone and methanol stem extracts i.e., 53.29 ± 1.33 and 28.64 ± 1.16, respectively with highest DPPH scavenging in MeH stem extract (IC₅₀ = 34.5 ± 1.34 μg/ml). Significant amount of catechin, gallic acid, apigenin and rutin was quantified. A moderate antibacterial and substantial antifungal activity was observed. Cytotoxicity against brine shrimps categorized 21% of stem (3 out of 14 extracts) and 57% (8 out of 14 extracts) of leaf extracts as potent. Substantial cytotoxicity against THP-1 cell line (IC₅₀ = 3.46 ± 0.25 μg/ml) and Leishmania (IC₅₀ = 1.50 ± 0.23 μg/ml) was exhibited by methanol-distilled water leaf extract while noteworthy antiproliferative activity against Hep-G2 (IC₅₀ = 0.44 ± 0.45 μg/ml) was manifested by n-hexane stem extract. Absence of hemolysis in normal RBCs signified plant’s selective cytotoxicity. Methanol-distilled water and chloroform stem extracts displayed prominent protein kinase inhibition and antidiabetic potential of plant.ConclusionThe results of present study recommend O. limbata as a potential source of antifungal, antileishmanial, anticancer, and α-amylase inhibitory agents.     

Synthesis of Novel 1,2,4‐Triazole‐3‐thione Derivatives as Influenza Neuraminidase Inhibitors

A series of 1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐thione derivatives ( 6a – 6t ) were synthesized and evaluated against influenza viruses (H1N1) neuraminidase (NA) in vitro. Eighteen compounds exhibited inhibitory potency with IC₅₀ values ranging from 14.68 ± 0.49 to 39.85 ± 4.23 μg/mL. Among them, compounds 6e and 6h showed significant inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 14.97 ± 0.70 and 14.68 ± 0.49 μg/mL, respectively. Structure activity relationships were established. Molecular docking studies were performed to understand the binding interaction between active compounds and NA.     

Synthesis of novel 2,3‐disubstituted quinazolin‐4(3H)‐one derivatives containing hydrazone skeleton as potent urease inhibitors and their antimicrobial activities

A new series of quinazolinones containing hydrazone moiety were synthesized, and their inhibitory activities on urease were assessed in vitro. Most of the compounds exhibited potent urease inhibitory activity. Among the synthesized compounds, molecule 4a bearing furan ring has the best inhibitory effect against urease with IC₅₀ = 2.90 ± 0.11 μg/mL. Compounds 4f , 4g , 4h , 4i , and 4j have hydroxy group on phenyl ring. Compound 4i is the most active inhibitor among these compounds with IC₅₀ = 5.01 ± 0.10 μg/mL, which has 3‐Cl and 4‐Br on phenyl ring. Also, newly synthesized compounds had been tested for their antimicrobial effects against three of Gram‐positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus 702 Roma, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, and Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 19615) and three of Gram‐negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 13315, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853). Antimicrobial activity results show that compounds 4a , 4h , 4j , 4f , and 4l have the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 1000 μg/mL to all tested bacteria. The other compounds have the MIC value of >1000 μg/mL to all tested bacteria.     

Rate constant for the reaction of F-atoms with trichloroacetic acid

Kinetics of the reaction of F-atoms with trichloroacetic acid was studied at 293 K using a low-pressure flow reactor. Reactant concentrations were monitored by mass spectrometry combined with molecular beam sampling. The reaction rate constant obtained was k = (4.3 ± 0.8) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹. This is an average value determined by the relative method employing four reference reactions of F-atoms: with 1,1,1-trichloroethane, ethanol, cyclohexane, and 2-fluoroethanol, for which rate constant ratios k/k_ref = 7.4 ± 1.2, 0.24 ± 0.02, 0.28 ± 0.02, and 0.34 ± 0.04, respectively, were obtained. The resultant rate constant is compared with the rate constants for the related fluoro-substituted acids.     

A Facile One‐pot Synthesis and Anticancer Evaluation of Interesting Pyrazole and Pyrimidinthione via Heterocyclic Interconversion

Design and synthesis of new pyrazole, pyrimidinthione, and triazepinthione derivatives via heterocyclic ring opening of azacoumarin were promoted with grinding and ultrasonic reaction conditions. Efficient solventless one‐pot synthesis can be well progressed to afford the good yield of new heterocyclic products that were characterized by IR, ¹H‐NMR, MS, and microanalytical data. Anticancer evaluation for the synthesized compounds exhibited moderate to good cytotoxicity such as pyrazole derivatives 5 , 9 , and 14 that displayed best cytotoxic activities with IC₅₀ 8.16 ± 1.1, 7.02 ± 0.6, and 5.12 ± 0.41 μg/mL and 9.28 ± 0.7, 6.45 ± 0.9, and 5.85 ± 0.26 μg/mL for MCF‐7 and WI cells, respectively. Pyrimidine derivatives 6 , 11 , and 15 exhibited strong cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ 8.9 ± 0.62, 7.16 ± 0.5, and 7.72 ± 0.41 μg/mL against MCF‐7.     

Ion‐pair‐based hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the simultaneous determination of urinary benzene,toluene, and styrene metabolites

In the current study, a novel technique for extraction and determination of trans,trans‐muconic acid, hippuric acid, and mandelic acid was developed by means of ion‐pair‐based hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction in the three‐phase mode. Important factors affecting the extraction efficiency of the method were investigated and optimized. These metabolites were extracted from 10 mL of the source phase into a supported liquid membrane containing 1‐octanol and 10% w/v of Aliquat 336 as the ionic carrier followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis. The organic phase immobilized in the pores of a hollow fiber was back‐extracted into 24 μL of a solution containing 3.0 mol/L sodium chloride placed inside the lumen of the fiber. A very high preconcentration of 212‐ to 440‐fold, limit of detection of 0.1–7 μg/L, and relative recovery of 87–95% were obtained under the optimized conditions of this method. The relative standard deviation values for within‐day and between‐day precisions were calculated at 2.9–8.5 and 4.3–11.2%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to urine samples from volunteers at different work environments. The results demonstrated that the method can be used as a sensitive and effective technique for the determination of the metabolites in urine.     

Polarity-guided phytochemical extraction,polyphenolic characterization,and multimode biological evaluation of Seriphidium kurramense (Qazilb.) Y. R. Ling

Purpose of studyThe undertaken study aims to assess the polyphenolic profile, and antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antidiabetic, and cytotoxic potential of Seriphidium kurramense (Qazilb.) Y. R. Ling extracts.MethodsExtracts of aerial parts were prepared by successive extraction (n-hexane {Sk-nH}, ethyl acetate {Sk-EA}, methanol {Sk-M} and aqueous {Sk-Aq}). Chromogenic assays determined the antioxidant profile while HPLC quantified several polyphenols. Agar well diffusion was employed for antimicrobial potential while brine shrimp and hemolytic assays established the biosafety profile.ResultsThe results have shown that maximum extract recovery (17.49% w/w), total phenolics content (24.44 ± 0.15 μg GAE/mgE), and total flavonoids content (6.87 ± 0.25 μg QE/mgE) were recorded in Sk-Aq. RP-HPLC quantified a significant amount of syringic acid (1.43 ± 0.05 µg/mgE), caffeic acid (0.48 ± 0.02 µg/mgE), gentisic acid (6.44 ± 0.01 µg/mgE), and quercetin (4.39 ± 0.01 µg/mgE) in Sk-Aq, while maximum amounts of thymoquinone (0.21 ± 0.02 µg/mgE) and luteolin (3.90 ± 0.03 µg/mgE) along with apigenin (3.72 ± 0.03 µg/mgE) existed in Sk-M and highest quantities of ferulic acid (2.98 ± 0.01 µg/mgE), myricetin (1.04 ± 0.02 µg/mgE) and kaempferol (1.23 ± 0.01 µg/mgE) were found to be present in Sk-EA. A substantial free radical scavenging (85.87 ± 1.00%), total reducing power (211.93 ± 0.97 µg AAE/mgE), and urease inhibition activity (87.99 ± 0.19% at 500 µg/ml) were also recorded in the Sk-Aq. The highest antioxidant capacity (243.5 ± 1.12 µg AAE/mgE), antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activity (100% reduction in plaque formation at 400 µg/ml) were observed for Sk-EA. Maximum antibacterial and antifungal activities were revealed against Klebsiella pneumoniae (MIC = 25 ± 0.37 µg/ml), and Candida albicans (MIC = 50 ± 0.19 µg/ml) respectively. The prominent antidiabetic potential was displayed by Sk-nH in terms of α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition.ConclusionThe results reported, herein suggest that S. kurramense can be a promising candidate for antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antidiabetic secondary metabolites.     

Phenolic composition,antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) Benth., Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl) A. Gray,and Crossopteryx febrifuga (Afzel.) Benth

Medicinal plants from Chad grow under special climatic conditions in between the equatorial forest of Central Africa and the desert of North Africa and are understudied. Three medicinal plants from Chad (T. diversifolia, P. Biglobosa and C. Febrifuga) were evaluated for their phenolic composition, antioxidant and enzyme inhibition activities. The total phenolic composition varied from 203.19 ± 0.58 mg GAE/g DW in the ethyl acetate extract of P. biglobosa, to 56.41 ± 0.89 mg GAE/g DW in the methanol extract of C. febrifuga while the total flavonoid content varied from 51.85 ± 0.91 mg QE/g DW in the methanol extract of P. biglobosa to 08.56 ± 0.25 mg QE/g DW in the methanol extract of C. febrifuga. HPLC-DAD revealed that rutin, gallic acid and protocatechuic acid were the most abundant phenolics in T. diversifolia, P. Biglobosa and C. Febrifuga respectively. The antioxidant activity assayed by five different methods revealed very good activity especially in the DPPH^?, ABTS^?+ and CUPRAC assays where the extracts were more active than the standard compounds used. Good inhibition was exhibited against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) with methanol (IC₅₀: 15.63 ± 0.72 µg/mL), ethyl acetate (IC₅₀: 16.20 ± 0.67 µg/mL) extracts of P. biglobosa, and methanol (IC₅₀: 21.53 ± 0.65 µg/mL) and ethyl acetate (IC₅₀: 30.81 ± 0.48 µg/mL) extracts of T. diversifolia showing higher inhibition than galantamine (IC₅₀: 42.20 ± 0.44 µg/mL) against BChE. Equally, good inhibition was shown on α-amylase and α-glucosidase. On the α-glucosidase, the ethyl acetate (IC₅₀ = 12.47 ± 0.61 µg/mL) and methanol extracts (IC₅₀ = 16.51 ± 0.18 µg/mL) of P. biglobosa showed higher activity compared to the standard acarbose (IC₅₀ = 17.35 ± 0.71 µg/mL) and on α-amylase, the ethyl acetate (IC₅₀ = 13.50 ± 0.90 µg/mL) and methanol (IC₅₀ = 18.12 ± 0.33 µg/mL) extracts of P. biglobosa showed higher activity compared to acarbose (IC₅₀ = 23.84 ± 0.25 µg/mL). The results indicate that these plants are good sources of antioxidant phenolics and can be used to manage oxidative stress linked illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.     

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activities of Novel Quinazolinone Acylhydrazone Derivatives Containing the Indole Moiety

A series of novel quinazolinone acylhydrazone derivatives containing the indole moiety were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their inhibition activities against some important phytopathogens in vitro. Antibacterial experiments indicated that some compounds exhibited remarkable inhibition activities against tested bacteria. Especially, the EC₅₀ values of 7a (EC₅₀ = 55.13 μg/mL against Xoo, EC₅₀ = 56.92 μg/mL against Rs) demonstrated the best antibacterial activities against Xoo and Rs than the other compounds, and the control agents Bismerthiazol (EC₅₀ = 89.80 μg/mL against Xoo) and Thiodiazole copper (EC₅₀ = 189.52 μg/mL against Rs), moreover, compound 7o (EC₅₀ = 50.80 μg/mL) displayed the excellent activity against Xac than the control Bismerthiazol (EC₅₀ = 56.92 μg/mL).     

Bioprospecting Dodonaea viscosa Jacq.; a traditional medicinal plant for antioxidant,cytotoxic, antidiabetic and antimicrobial potential

Purpose of studyDodonaea viscosa Jacq. is an ethnomedicinal plant that has been extensively used for the treatment of gout, rheumatism and pain. Current study was undertaken to mine its antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and antidiabetic potential. Chromogenic assays were employed to establish plant’s multimode antioxidant profile whereas HPLC fingerprinting was performed to quantify polyphenols. Standard brine shrimp lethality, MTT and SRB assays proved its cytotoxicity potential.ResultsAmong all the extracts (flower, leaf, stem and root), maximum extract recovery (22% w/w), gallic acid equivalent total phenolic content (20.11 ± 0.11 ug GAE/mg DW), ascorbic acid equivalent total antioxidant capacity (22.5 ± 0.07 µg/mg DW) and total reducing power (31.1 ± 1.13 µg/mg DW) were recorded in the distilled water + acetone extract of leaf. The acetone extract of leaf showed maximum quercetin equivalent total flavonoid content (4.78 ± 0.13 µg/mg DW). HPLC-DAD analysis revealed significant amount of rutin, vanillic acid, coumaric acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid, syringic acid, cinnamic acid, gentisic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, apigenin and myricetin in the different plant parts. Maximum scavenging potential was exhibited by methanol + ethyl acetate stem extract (IC₅₀ = 23.8 µg/ml). The highest antibacterial potential was found in flower (85.7%) and root (71.4%) extracts. The ethanol + ethyl acetate (1:1) leaf extract showed noteworthy toxicity against brine shrimps (LC₅₀ = 95.46 µg/ml) while a notable antiproliferative activity against THP-1 (IC₅₀ = 3.4 µg/ml) and Hep G2 (IC₅₀ = 20 µg/ml) cell lines was shown by ethanol + ethyl acetate extracts (1:1) of stem and root, respectively. A moderate inhibition of α-amylase enzyme was observed in all parts of the plant.ConclusionThe results of the present study suggest D. viscosa as a potential source of antioxidant, anticancer and α-amylase inhibitory phytochemicals.     

Development of an electrophoretic method based on nanostructured materials for HbA1c determination

Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) detection is performed routinely in hospitals as it is the most widespread confirmatory diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Here we present a novel CE method for measuring HbA1c by introducing silica nanoparticles (NPs) modified with a boronic acid derivative (sugar loadings of 51 ± 2 μg/mg) as pseudo‐stationary phase. Before the sample injection, SiO₂NP─B(OH)₂ were introduced via pressure. Electrophoretic separation was explored through variation of the buffer pH and separation voltage, being the best separation, resolution and shorter separation time achieved with a 25 mM phosphate buffer pH 6.5. The calibration curve obtained was expressed as Area = 182.05%⁻¹ × HbA1c − 377.02; R² = 0.9826, using a UV/VIS absorbance detector at 415 nm (diode array). No interferences were observed from carbamylated or acetylated hemoglobin and the method shows a noteworthy stability. A paired t‐test was applied to compare the developed CE method with a commercial HbA1c test and no significant variations have been observed at a 90% significance level.     

In vitro antimicrobial activity of extracts and compounds isolated from Cladonia uncialis

Heptane (Hep), diethyl ether (Et₂O), acetone (Me₂CO) and methanolic (MeOH) extracts, as well as ( ? )-usnic acid and squamatic acid, were obtained from thallus of Cladonia uncialis (Cladoniaceae). The antimicrobial activities of these extracts, ( ? )-usnic acid and squamatic acid, were tested against reference strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. In addition, Me₂CO extract was analysed against 10 strains of Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolated from patients. All extracts exerted antibacterial activity against the reference strain S. aureus, comparably to chloramphenicol [minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 5.0 μg/mL]. The Me₂CO extract exhibited the strongest activity against S. aureus (MIC = 0.5 μg/mL), higher than ( ? )-usnic acid, whereas squamatic acid proved inactive. The Me₂CO extract showed potent antimicrobial activity against MRSA (MIC 2.5–7.5 μg/mL). Also no activity of C. uncialis extracts against E. coli and C. albicans was observed.     

Identification of novel diclofenac acid and naproxen bearing hydrazones as 15-LOX inhibitors: Design,synthesis, in vitro evaluation,cytotoxicity, and in silico studies

Inflammation is the immune system's adaptive response to tissue dysfunction or homeostatic imbalance, inducing fever, pain, physiological and biochemical changes via the cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) pathways. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as diclofenac acid and naproxen, are the most common inhibitors of the COX pathway. These drugs, however, are currently being studied as LOX inhibitors as well. Therefore, in the present study, a novel series of diclofenac acid and naproxen-bearing hydrazones 7(a-r) were designed, synthesized, and characterized by different spectroscopic methods like ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR and HRMS (EI) analysis. All these synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro inhibitory potential against the Soybean 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) enzyme. These compounds exhibited varying degrees of inhibitory potential ranging from IC₅₀ 4.61 ± 3.21 μM to 193.62 ± 4.68 μM in comparison to standard inhibitors quercetin (IC₅₀ 4.84 ± 6.43 μM) and baicalein (IC₅₀ 22.46 ± 1.32 μM). The most potent compounds in the series were compounds 7c (IC₅₀ 4.61 ± 3.21 μM), and 7f (IC₅₀ 6.64 ± 4.31 μM). These compounds were found least cytotoxic and showed 96.42 ± 1.3 % and 94.87 ± 1.6 % viability to cells at 0.25 mM concentration respectively. ADME and in silico studies supported the drug-likeness and binding studies of the molecules with the target enzyme.     

Extraction behavior of cerium by tetraoctyldiglycolamide from nitric acid solutions

The diamide N,N,N′,N′-tetraoctyldiglycolamide (TODGA) was synthesized and characterized. The prepared TODGA was applied for extraction of Ce(III) from nitric acid solutions. The equilibrium studies included the dependencies of cerium distribution ratio on nitric acid, TODGA, nitrate ion, hydrogen ion and cerous ion concentrations. Analysis of the results indicates that the main extracted species is Ce(TODGA)₂(NO₃)₃HNO₃. The capacity of Ce loading is approximately 45 mmol/L for 0.1 M solution of TODGA in n-hexane. Finally, the thermodynamic parameters were calculated: K (25 °C) = 3.8 × 10³, ΔH = −36.7 ± 1.0 kJ/mol, ΔS = −54.6 ± 3.0 J/K mol, and ΔG = −20.4 ± 0.1 kJ/mol.