Mobility of water molecules in Li+, Na+ and Cs+ ionic forms of Nafion membrane studied by NMR

Correlation times and diffusion coefficients of water molecules were measured for the first time by ¹H spin relaxation and pulsed field gradient NMR in Li⁺, Na⁺ and Cs⁺ ionic forms of Nafion 117 membrane. Hydration numbers of Li⁺, Na⁺ and Cs⁺ cations were calculated. It was shown that at high humidity macroscopic transfer is controlled by the local translational motion of water molecules.     

Het(aryl)isatin to het(aryl)aminoindoline scaffold hopping: A route to selective inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a large family of zinc-dependent endoproteases known to exert multiple regulatory roles in tumor progression. A variety of chemical classes have been explored for targeting individual MMP isoforms. In the present study, we further developed our isatin based scaffold BB0223107 capable of binding to and inactivating MMP-2 in a zinc-independent manner (Agamennone et al., 2016). Forty four new compounds were synthesized based on the modified BB0223107. All compounds were tested in enzyme inhibition assays against MMP-2, ?8 and ?13. SAR studies demonstrated that 5-het(aryl)-3-aminoindolin-2-ones (37–39) were active toward MMP-2 and MMP-13. The most potent compounds 33 and 37 displayed an IC₅₀ of 3 µM against MMP-13 and showed a negligible activity toward MMP-8; almost all new compounds were inactive toward MMP-8. Replacement of the isatin ring with a biaryl system (compound 33) did not decrease the potency against MMP-13 but reduced the selectivity. Structure-based computational studies were carried out to rationalize the inhibitory activity data. The analysis of binding geometries confirmed that all fragments occupied the S1′ site in the three enzymes while no ligand was able to bind the catalytic zinc ion. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of 3-aminoindolin-2-one-based MMP inhibitors that, based on the computer modeling study, do not coordinate the zinc ion. Thus, the het(aryl)-3-aminoindolin-2-one derivatives emerge as a drug-like and promising chemotype that, along with the hetaryl variations, represents an alternative and thrifty tool for chemical space exploration aimed at MMP inhibitor design.     

Carbohydrate-based nanostructured catalysts: applications in organic transformations

The requirement of green and sustainable materials to prepare heterogeneous catalysts has intensified for practical reasons over the past few decades. Carbohydrates are possibly the most plentiful and renewable organic materials in nature with inimitable physiochemical properties, plausible low-cost and large-scale production, and sustainability features could be exploited in the generation of nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts. This review article outlines the organic transformations catalyzed by diverse carbohydrate-based nanostructured catalysts in greener and environmentally friendly processes. Selected examples are highlighted for a variety of organic reactions exploiting the proposed catalysts’ reactivity and reusability, and interactions with the intrinsic nature of the applied carbohydrate supports; advantages and speculated challenges of the introduced catalysts are deliberated as well.     

对氯苯甲酸构筑的铜(Ⅱ)配合物的合成、HSA结合及细胞毒性

本文合成了配合物[Cu(pcba)₂·(phen)(H₂O)] (pcba =对氯苯甲酸,phen = 1,10-邻菲罗啉),该配合物属于三斜晶系,P1空间群,晶胞参数为a=0.790 98(2) nm,b=1.072 40(4) nm,c=1.487 19(6) nm,α=100.613(3)°,β=95.239(3)°,γ=108.334(3)°,Z=2,D_c=1.638 g·cm^-3,F(000)=582,最终结构残差因子R₁=0.035 9,wR₂=0.089 1。采用紫外及荧光研究了配合物和人血清蛋白(HSA)的相互作用方式。结果表明,配合物静态猝灭HSA荧光,可求得配合物与HSA的猝灭常数K_sv=2.35×10⁵ L·mol^-1,猝灭速率常数K_q=2.35×10¹³ L·mol^-1·s^-1,结合常数为K_a=2.14×10¹³ L·mol^-1,结合位点n=2.37。同时,研究了配合物对胃癌细胞A549、宫颈癌细胞Hela和肝癌细胞HepG2的抗增殖能力。     

Versatile Near-Infrared Super-Resolution Imaging of Amyloid Fibrils with the Fluorogenic Probe CRANAD-2

CRANAD-2 is a fluorogenic curcumin derivative used for near-infrared detection and imaging in vivo of amyloid aggregates, which are involved in neurodegenerative diseases. We explore the performance of CRANAD-2 in two super-resolution imaging techniques, namely stimulated emission depletion (STED) and single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), with markedly different fluorophore requirements. By conveniently adapting the concentration of CRANAD-2, which transiently binds to amyloid fibrils, we show that it performs well in both techniques, achieving a resolution in the range of 45–55 nm. Correlation of SMLM with atomic force microscopy (AFM) validates the resolution of fine features in the reconstructed super-resolved image. The good performance and versatility of CRANAD-2 provides a powerful tool for near-infrared nanoscopic imaging of amyloids in vitro and in vivo.     

Anti-fibrosis attributes: UHPLC-MS/MS-based pharmacokinetics profiling of a novel autotaxin inhibitor with excellent in vivo efficacy in rat

3,4-Difluorobenzyl(1-ethyl-5-(4-((4-hydroxypiperidin-1-yl)-methyl)thiazol-2-yl)-1H-indol-3-yl)carbamate (NAI59), a small molecule with outstanding therapeutic effectiveness to anti-pulmonary fibrosis, was developed as an autotaxin inhibitor candidate compound. To evaluate the pharmacokinetics and plasma protein binding of NAI59, a UPLC–MS/MS method was developed to quantify NAI59 in plasma and phosphate-buffered saline. The calibration curve linearity ranged from 9.95 to 1990.00 ng/mL in plasma. The accuracy was −6.8 to 5.9%, and the intra- and inter-day precision was within 15%. The matrix effect and recovery, as well as dilution integrity, were within the criteria. The chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions were also feasible to determine phosphate-buffered saline samples, and it has been proved that this method exhibits good precision and accuracy in the range of 9.95–497.50 ng/mL in phosphate-buffered saline. This study is the first to determine the pharmacokinetics, absolute bioavailability, and plasma protein binding of NAI59 in rats using this established method. Therefore, the pharmacokinetic profiles of NAI59 showed a dose-dependent relationship after oral administration, and the absolute bioavailability in rats was 6.3%. In addition, the results of protein binding showed that the combining capacity of NAI59 with plasma protein attained 90% and increased with the increase in drug concentration.     

On the Relative Twist Formula of l-adic Sheaves

We propose a conjecture on the relative twist formula of l-adic sheaves, which can be viewed as a generalization of Kato—Saito's conjecture. We verify this conjecture under some transversal assumptions. We also define a relative cohomological characteristic class and prove that its formation is compatible with proper push-forward. A conjectural relation is also given between the relative twist formula and the relative cohomological characteristic class.