Facilitation of peptide fibre formation by arginine-phosphate/carboxylate interactions

This study describes peptide fibre formation in a hexapeptide, derived from the V3 loop of HIV-1, mediated by the interactions between arginine residues and phosphate/carboxylate anions. This charge neutralization approach was further confirmed when the deletion of arginine residue from the hexapeptide sequence resulted in fibre formation, which was studied by a combination of microscopic techniques.     

Terpenoid alkaloids of the Buxaceae family with potential biological importance

The plants of the family Buxaceae are widely used in traditional medicine and constitute rich sources of terpenoidal alkaloids. Compounds of this family have been the subject of numerous chemical and pharmacological studies over past decades because of their interesting biological activities such as cholinesterase inhibition, as well as antibacterial and antileishmanial activities. The chemical and biological properties of these alkaloids, including data relevant to straightforward structure determination and information on biosynthesis, are highlighted in this review, with 144 references being cited.     

Introduction of vinyl and hydroxymethyl functionalities at C-4 of glucose-derived substrates: synthesis of spirocyclic, bicyclic, and tricyclic nucleosides

Installing hydroxymethyl and hydroxyethyl substitutions at C-4 through vinylation and hydroboration-oxidation reactions of the C-4 bis-hydroxymethyl derivative of d-glucose based substrate, and inserting heteroatoms thereafter permitted formation of N-, O-, or S-heterocycles leading to [4,5]- or [5,5]-spirocycles and a bicyclo[3.3.0]octane product. Some of the spirocycles were converted to spironucleosides under Vorbruggen glycosidation reaction conditions. Similarly, the bicyclic product was elaborated to the corresponding bicyclic nucleoside as well as an unexpected tricyclic nucleoside.     

Toward efficient nanoporous catalysts: controlling site-isolation and concentration of grafted catalytic sites on nanoporous materials with solvents and colorimetric elucidation of their site-isolation

We report that the polarity and dielectric constants of solvents used for grafting organosilanes on mesoporous materials strongly affect the concentration of grafted organic groups, the degree of their site-isolation, and the catalytic properties of the resulting materials. Polar and nonpolar organosilanes as well as polar-protic, dipolar-aprotic, and nonpolar solvents were investigated. Polar-protic solvents, which have high dielectric constants, resulted in smaller concentrations ( approximately 1-2 mmol/g) of polar organic groups such as 3-aminopropyl groups, higher surface area materials, site-isolated organic groups, and more efficient catalytic properties toward the Henry reaction of p-hydroxybenzaldehyde with nitromethane. On the other hand, dipolar-aprotic and nonpolar solvents resulted in larger concentrations ( approximately 2-3 mmol/g) of grafted polar functional groups, lower-to-higher surface area materials, more densely populated catalytic groups, and poor-to-efficient catalytic properties toward the Henry reaction. Both the polar-protic and dipolar-aprotic solvents resulted in significantly lower concentration of grafted groups for nonpolar organosilanes such as (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane compared to corresponding grafting of the polar amino-organosilanes. The relationship between the solvent properties and the percentage and degree of site-isolation of the grafted functional groups was attributed to differences in solvation of the organosilanes and silanols in various solvents and possible hydrogen-bonding between the organsilanes and the solvents. The degree of site-isolation of the amine groups, which affect the material's catalytic properties, was elucidated by a new colorimetric method involving probing of the absorption maxima (lambdamax) on the d-d electronic spectrum of Cu2+ complexes with the amine-functionalized materials and the colors of the samples. The absorption lambdamax and the colors of the materials were found to be uniquely dependent on the type of solvents used for grafting the organoamines. For instance, the monoamine- and diamine-functionalized samples grafted in methanol resulted in pale blue and light purple colors with lambdamax at approximately 720 and 650 nm, respectively. These correspond to CuNO5 and CuN2O4 structures, respectively, which are indicative of the presence of site-isolated organoamines in samples grafted in methanol. The monoamine and diamine samples grafted in toluene resulted in purple and deep purple colors with lambdamax at approximately 590 and 630 nm, respectively. These correspond to CuN2O4 and CuN4O2, which are indicative of the presence of closely spaced organoamines in samples grafted in toluene. The samples grafted in isopropanol gave colors and lambdamax intermediate between those of samples grafted in toluene and methanol.     

Anticancer Drug Modified GCFE,for the Study of Its In‐Vivo Interaction Mechanism

An anticancer drug (Adriamycin) modified Glassy Carbon Fiber Electrode (GCFE) has been prepared to study its interaction with ds‐DNA. The redox reaction of Adriamycin molecules at the chemically modified GCFE helps in understanding the in‐vivo mechanism of action of this anti cancer drug. The modified electrode has been fabricated by the adsorption of Adriamycin on GCFE surface. The results of Differential Pulse Voltammetric (DPV) analysis in acetate buffer of pH 4.5 ± 0.1, showed that the interaction between DNA guanine and adenine bases and electrode surface, is easily detected. A suitable mechanism for the oxidation and reduction of Adriamycin in‐situ intercalated in ds‐DNA immobilized on to the GCFE surface has been explained. The drug‐DNA complex formation at GCFE surface has also been studied. The prepared modified electrode is of utmost relevance because the mechanism of interaction of DNA‐Adriamycin at charged interfaces is parallel to the in‐vivo DNA‐Adriamycin complex reaction, where the nucleic acid is in close contact with charged phospholipid membranes and proteins. The interaction studies of Adriamycin at modified GCFE using DPV method help in understanding the DNA‐Adriamycin reaction mechanism.     

Full Solution‐Processed Synthesis and Mechanisms of a Recyclable and Bifunctional Au/ZnO Plasmonic Platform for Enhanced UV/Vis Photocatalysis and Optical Properties

The synthesis of noble metal/semiconductor hybrid nanostructures for enhanced catalytic or superior optical properties has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In this study, a facile and all‐solution‐processed synthetic route was employed to demonstrate an Au/ZnO platform with plasmonic‐enhanced UV/Vis catalytic properties while retaining strengthened luminescent properties. The visible‐light response of photocatalysis is supported by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitations while the enhanced performance under UV is aided by charge separation and strong absorption. The enhancement in optical properties is mainly due to local field enhancement effect and coupling between exciton and LSPR. Luminescent characteristics are investigated and discussed in detail. Recyclability tests showed that the Au/ZnO substrate is reusable by cleaning and has a long shelf life. Our result suggests that plasmonic enhancement of photocatalytic performance is not necessarily a trade‐off for enhanced near‐band‐edge emission in Au/ZnO. This approach may give rise to a new class of versatile platforms for use in novel multifunctional and integrated devices.     

Development and validation of LC–QTOF–MS/MS method for the identification and determination of low levels of a genotoxic impurity, 4,6-dichloro-5-nitro-2-(propylthio)pyrimidine in ticagrelor API

The foremost objective of the present study was to develop and validate a new LC–QTOF–MS/MS method for the identification and quantitative determination of 4,6-dichloro-5-nitro-2-(propylthio)pyrimidine (DPP) genotoxic impurity through the derivatization process in ticagrelor active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Owing to the low response of DPP at the specification level, DPP was converted to 4,6-dibenzylamino-5-nitro-2-(propylthio)pyrimidine (DPP derivative) by addition of benzyl amine, then analyzed using mass spectrometry with a time-of-flight analyzer, and good separation was accomplished under the experimental conditions described. The effective separation of DPP derivative was achieved using an Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ reverse-phase column (100 × 4.6 mm × 1.7 μm) with an isocratic program with mobile phase A as 0.1% formic acid in milli Q water and mobile phase B as acetonitrile in the ratio of 20:80 v/v. The flow rate was maintained as 0.4 ml/min, the injection volume was 2 μl, the autosampler temperature was 5°C, the column oven temperature was ambient and the run time was 6.0 min. The diluent used was 0.2% benzyl amine in water and acetonitrile in the ratio of 30:70 v/v. The retention time of the DPP derivative was 2.87 min. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.03 and 0.08 ppm, respectively. The DPP derivative was linear from 1.68 to 12.78 ppm with R² of 0.9958. Thus, the developed method is valid for the identification and quantitative determination of DPP derivative in ticagrelor API.     

Stability-indicating HPLC method development and validation for simultaneous estimation of metformin,dapagliflozin, and saxagliptin in bulk drug and pharmaceutical dosage form

A simple, precise, and rapid stability-indicating reversed-phase-HPLC method was developed and validated for the estimation of metformin (MET), dapagliflozin (DAP), and saxagliptin (SAX) combination in bulk and tablet dosage forms. The proposed method uses a Kromasil C18 column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with column oven temperature of 30°C and mobile phase containing a mixture of 60% phosphate buffer (pH = 3) and 40% acetonitrile. The flow rate was set at 1.0 mL/min, and the injection volume was 10 μL. The detection was carried out at 230 nm using a photodiode array detector, and the total run time was 4 min. The proposed method was validated according to International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines for specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, robustness, and solution stability. The method is linear over the range of 125–750 μg/mL for MET, 1.25–7.5 μg/mL for DAP, and 0.625–3.75 μg/mL for SAX. The observed correlation coefficients (R²) for MET, DAP, and SAX are >0.999. The proposed method is precise, and the percentage relative standard deviation was found to be between 0.4 and 0.8. The observed percentage recoveries were between 98.51 and 100.80 for all three compounds. The product was subjected to stress conditions of acid, base, oxidative, thermal, and photolytic degradation. The product was found to degrade significantly in oxidative, acid, and base hydrolysis degradation conditions, and the degradation products were well determined from the active peaks, thus proving the stability-indicating power of the method. The developed and validated stability-indicating reversed-phase-HPLC method was appropriate for quantitative determination of these drugs in pharmaceutical preparations and also for quality control in bulk manufacturing.