Antioxidant and Antisteatotic Activities of a New Fucoidan Extracted from Ferula hermonis Roots Harvested on Lebanese Mountains

Fucoidan is a fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharide with attractive therapeutic potential due to a variety of biological activities, including antioxidant action. Fucoidan is typically found in the cell wall of marine brown algae, but extra-algal sources have also been discovered. In the present work, for the first time we extracted a water soluble fucoidan fraction from the roots of the terrestrial shrub Ferula hermonis. This fucoidan fraction was termed FUFe, and contained fucose, glucose, sulfate, smaller amounts of monosaccharides such as galactose and mannose, and a minor quantity of proteins. FUFe structural features were investigated by FTIR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The antioxidant property of FUFe was measured by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays, which revealed a high radical scavenging capacity that was confirmed in in vitro cellular models. In hepatic and endothelial cells, 50 μg/mL FUFe could reduce ROS production induced by intracellular lipid accumulation. Moreover, in hepatic cells FUFe exhibited a significant antisteatotic action, being able to reduce intracellular triglyceride content and to regulate the expression of key genes of hepatic lipid metabolism. Altogether, our results candidate FUFe as a possible bioactive compound against fatty liver disease and related vascular damage.     

Application of PMR Spectroscopy in Pharmaceutical Analysis Assay of Furosemide

An analytical method is described for the analysis of furosemide, [4-chloro-2-furfurylamino-5-sulfamoylbenzoic acid], using PMR. The procedure reported in this study is simple, rapid and gives accurate results 98.19 ± 1.34% and 99.23 ± 0.88% for furosemide ampoules and tablets respectively. Furthermore, the PMR spectrum obtained provides a mean for qualitative identification of the drug and checking its purity.     

NOVEL SULPHOARYLAZO 4-PYRAZOLONE-BASED TARTRAZINE DYE ANALOGUES

In a multistep synthesis, a novel series of 4-pyrazolone–based tartrazine dye analogues were prepared benzimidazol-5-yl acetoacetamide derivative I. Chemical structure of the hitherto prepared dyestuffs were confirmed on the basis of correct elemental analysis as well as spectral data. The degree of exhaustion of the hitherto synthesized 3-[2-(oxoimidazo-5-yl) carboxamido] tartrazine dye analogues was determined and found to be in the range of 92.6–97.8%. The latter high ratios might be ascribed to the presence of the cyclic amide function in structure of these dyestuffs.     

An Efficient One-Pot Synthesis of Pyrazolopyrimidines, Intermediates for Potential Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors

Summary. A simple high-yielding procedure is presented for the synthesis of pyrazolopyrimidinones overcoming limitations found in earlier work and of considerable utility for the production of intermediates for potential phosphodiesterase inhibitors.     

Acetals of Dehydro-L-Ascorbic Acid 2-Hydrazones. Access to the Chiral Building Block (R)-Glycerol Acetonide

5,6-O-Isopropylidene, cyclohexylidene and benzylidene derivatives of L-threo-2,3-hexodiulosono-1,4-lactone 2-phenylhydrazone were prepared. Reduction of the isopropylidcne derivative was followed by treatment with base, and then periodate oxidation and reduction to give (R)-glycerol acetonide. Hydrogen bonding in the hydrazones has a role in forming geometrical isomers.     

Use of thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for characterization of reactive metabolites of 3'-hydroxyacetanilide, a non-hepatotoxic regioisomer of acetaminophen

3'-Hydroxyacetanilide (AMAP) is a non-hepatotoxic regioisomer of acetaminophen that nonetheless does form reactive metabolites that are trapped as glutathione thioether adducts. These reactive intermediates are, 4-acetamido-o-benzoquinone, 2-acetamido-p-benzoquinone and N-acetyl-3-methoxy-p-benzoquinone. Thermospray liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (TSP LC-MS) was used to characterize products of reactions of these reactive compounds with cysteine or N-acetyl-cysteine. The TSP spectra of the mono- and bis-thioether adducts showed protonated molecular ions and characteristic fragmentation patterns. The chromatographic resolution together with the MS selectivity allowed for unequivocal identification of these conjugates in the urine of mice treated with AMAP.     

The chemical constituents of Capparis spinosa of Jordanian origin

Investigation of Capparis spinosa of Jordanian origin lead to isolation of two new compounds beta-sitosterylglucoside-6'-octadecanoate (1) and 3-methyl-2-butenyl-beta-glucoside (2). Linked Scan MS measurements were used to propose a mass fragmentation pattern for the alkaloid Cadabicine isolated here for the second time from nature.     

Instability of the Benard–Marangoni Convection in a Porous Layer Affected by a Non-Vertical Magnetic Field

The onset of the Benard–Marangoni convection in a horizontal porous layer permeated by a magnetohydrodynamic fluid with a nonlinear magnetic permeability is examined. The porous layer is assumed to be governed by the Brinkman model; it is bounded by a rigid surface from below and by a non-deformable free surface from above and subjected to a non-vertical magnetic field. The critical effective Marangoni number and the critical Rayleigh number are obtained for different values of the effective Darcy number, Biot number, Chandrasekhar number, nonlinear magnetic parameter, and angle from the vertical axis for the cases of stationary convection and overstability. The related eigenvalue problem is solved by using the first-order Chebyshev polynomial method.     

Polynomial expansions and generating functions

We study expansions in polynomials {P_n(x)}^∞_o generated by ∑^∞_{n = o}P_n(x)tⁿ = A(t) φ(xt^kθ(t)), θ(0) ≠ 0, and ∑^∞_{n = 0}P_n(x)tⁿ = ∑^k_{j = 1}A_j(t) φ(xt?_j), ?₁,…,?_k being the k roots of unity. The case k = 1 is contained in a recent work by Fields and Ismail. We also prove a new generalization of Vandermond's inverse relations.