Fe(HSO4)3·SiO2 as an efficient,heterogeneous and recyclable catalyst for the synthesis of bis-(β-enaminones) and bis-(β-enamino esters)

Fe(HSO₄)₃·SiO₂ is used to catalyze the condensation of β-diketones and β-keto esters with aromatic and aliphatic diamines in solvent-free conditions at room temperature. This afforded the corresponding bis-(β-enaminones) and bis-(β-enamino esters) in very good to excellent yields. Short reaction times, easy work-up procedure, and reusability of the catalyst are the merits of this study.     

One‐pot,Green and Efficient Synthesis of 3,4‐Dihydropyrimidin‐2(1H)‐ones or Thiones Catalyzed by Citric Acid

One‐pot three‐component condensation of ethyl acetoacetate, aldehyde and urea or thiourea in refluxing ethanol in the presence of catalytic amounts of citric acid afforded the corresponding 3,4‐dihydropyrimidin‐2(1H)‐ones/thiones in high yields. The catalyst is reusable and can be applied several times without any decrease in product yield.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Silica Nanostructures in the Presence of Schiff-Base Ligand Via Simple Sonochemical Method

Silica nanostructures were synthesized on the basis of modified Stöber procedure via a sonochemical method and the reaction between tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), ethylenediamine (en) and methanol in water, in the attendance of Schiff-base ligand (H₂Salen) as capping agent. The effects of synthesis parameters such as: sonochemical irradiation time, sonochemical power and molar aspect ratio of Schiff-base ligand to TEOS were considered to achieve optimum situation. It was established that particle size, morphology and phase of the products could be affected by these parameters. The as synthesized silica nanostructures were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy.     

DABCO,A REAGENT FOR DEPROTECTION OF BENZYLIC TRIMETHYLSILYL ETHERS UNDER MICROWAVE IRRADIATION IN A SOLVENTLESS SYSTEM

Deprotection of trimethylsilyl ethers of benzylic alcohols to the corresponding alcohols using 1,4-diazobicyclo[2,2,2]octane (DABCO) under microwave irradiation under solvent-free conditions is reported.     

Study on the interaction of tamiflu and oseltamivir carboxylate with human serum albumin

Oseltamivir phosphate (OP; tamiflu) is an antiviral pro-drug, which is hydrolyzed hepatically to the active metabolite oseltamivir carboxylate (OC). It is the first orally neuraminidase inhibitor that was used in the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza virus A and B infection. Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant of the proteins in the blood plasma and is major transporter for delivering several drugs in vivo. This study was designed to examine the interaction of HSA with oseltamivir phosphate (OP) and oseltamivir carboxylate (OC) in aqueous solution at physiological conditions, using a constant protein concentration and various drug contents. FTIR, UV-Vis spectroscopic methods were used to determine the drugs binding mode, the binding constant and the effects of drug complexation on protein secondary structure. Structural analysis showed that OP and OC bind HSA via polypeptide polar groups with overall binding constants of K(OP-HSA)=3.86(± 1.05)× 10(3)M(-1) and K(OC-HSA)=1.5(±0.45) × 10(2)M(-1). The alterations of protein secondary structure are attributed to a partial destabilization of HSA on drug complexation. The protein secondary structure showed no major alterations at low drugs concentrations (50 μM), whereas at higher content (1mM), decrease of α-helix from 58% (free HSA) to 38% (OP-HSA)-48% (OC-HSA), decrease of random coil from 15% (free HSA) to 2% (OP-HSA)-3% (OC-HSA), increase of β-sheet from 6% (free HSA) to 20% (OC-HSA)-29% (OP-HSA) and turn from 8% (free HSA) to 17% (OC-HSA)-19% (OP-HSA) occurred in the drug-HSA complexes. These observations indicated that low drug content induced protein stabilization, whereas at high drug concentration, a partial protein destabilization occurred in these drug-HSA complexes.     

Existence of positive solutions for fractional differential systems with multi point boundary conditions

In this paper, we study the existence of positive solutions to the boundary value problem for the fractional differential system $$\left\{\begin{array}{lll} D_{0^+}^\beta \phi_p(D_{0^+}^\alpha u) (t) = f_1 (t, u (t), v (t)),\quad t \in (0, 1),\\ D_{0^+}^\beta \phi_p(D_{0^+}^\alpha v) (t) = f_2 (t, u (t), v(t)), \quad t \in (0, 1),\\ D_{0^+}^\alpha u(0)= D_{0^+}^\alpha u(1)=0,\; u (0) = 0, \quad u (1)-\Sigma_{i=1}^{m-2} a_{1i}\;u(\xi_{1i})=\lambda_1,\\ D_{0^+}^\alpha v(0)= D_{0^+}^\alpha v(1)=0,\; v (0) = 0, \quad v (1)-\Sigma_{i=1}^{m-2} a_{2i}\; v(\xi_{2i})=\lambda_2, \end{array}\right. $$ where ${1<\alpha,\beta\leq 2, 2 <\alpha + \beta\leq 4, D_{0^+}^\alpha}$ is the Riemann–Liouville fractional derivative of order α. By using the Leggett–Williams fixed point theorem in a cone, the existence of three positive solutions for nonlinear singular boundary value problems is obtained.     

Dinuclear Zn(II) and tetranuclear Co(II) complexes of a tetradentate N2O2 Schiff base ligand: Synthesis,crystal structure,characterization, DFT studies,cytotoxicity evaluation,and catalytic activity toward benzyl alcohol oxidation

Two novel dinuclear Zn(II) and tetranuclear Co(II) complexes of a tetradentate N₂O₂ Schiff base ligand (H₂ L = N,N′-bis-(4-hydroxysalicylidene)-1,3-diaminopropane) were prepared. The structures of the H₂ L ligand, [4(Zn₂ L (μ-O₂CCH₃)(O₂CCH₃)(H₂O))]⋅4CH₃OH⋅3H₂O (complex 1 ) and [Co₄ L ₂(μ-O₂CCH₃)₂(O₂CCH₃)₂]⋅2H₂O (complex 2 ) were unambiguously characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies revealed that two Zn(II) nuclei of 1 were connected through μ-phenolato and μ-acetato bridges and had distorted square pyramidal and distorted octahedral coordination geometries. Four Co(II) nuclei of 2 , on the contrary, showed a Co₄O₄ cubane-like configuration in which Co(II) cations and O atoms were located at alternating corners of a distorted cube. Density functional theory studies at the B3LYP/6–31 G(d) level were carried out to gain an insight into the thermodynamic stability of the complexes. in vitro cytotoxicity of the ligand and the complexes were evaluated using the MTT assay against breast cancer MCF7 cells, melanoma cancer A375 cells, and prostate cancer PC3 cells as representative human cancer cell lines. Complex 1 showed a remarkable activity against A375 and PC3 cancer cell lines. In addition, 1 and 2 were used as precursors to produce zinc and cobalt oxide nanoparticles via pyrolysis technique. The resulting ZnO and Co₃O₄ nanoparticles were characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Then, these nanoparticles were used as heterogeneous catalysts in the oxidation of benzyl alcohol with hydrogen peroxide at room temperature. Both catalysts showed good recyclability with a negligible decrease in their efficiency during four catalytic cycles. The results of theoretical calculations showed that the most stable product was benzaldehyde, which is in good agreement with the obtained experimental results.     

An Overview of NO Signaling Pathways in Aging

Nitric Oxide (NO) is a potent signaling molecule involved in the regulation of various cellular mechanisms and pathways under normal and pathological conditions. NO production, its effects, and its efficacy, are extremely sensitive to aging-related changes in the cells. Herein, we review the mechanisms of NO signaling in the cardiovascular system, central nervous system (CNS), reproduction system, as well as its effects on skin, kidneys, thyroid, muscles, and on the immune system during aging. The aging-related decline in NO levels and bioavailability is also discussed in this review. The decreased NO production by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was revealed in the aged cardiovascular system. In the CNS, the decline of the neuronal (n)NOS production of NO was related to the impairment of memory, sleep, and cognition. NO played an important role in the aging of oocytes and aged-induced erectile dysfunction. Aging downregulated NO signaling pathways in endothelial cells resulting in skin, kidney, thyroid, and muscle disorders. Putative therapeutic agents (natural/synthetic) affecting NO signaling mechanisms in the aging process are discussed in the present study. In summary, all of the studies reviewed demonstrate that NO plays a crucial role in the cellular aging processes.