Stereodefined synthesis of the four possible stereoisomers of 5,18-diHETE

Because of the structural similarity between 5,18-diHETE and anti-inflammatory resolvin E2, synthesis of 5,18-diHETE was studied. Methyl (R)-3-hydroxyvalerate was converted to the (R)-C9–C20 phosphonium salt via alkylation of the derived iodide with propargyl alcohol dianion and subsequent Castro-Stephens coupling. The (S)-enantiomer was prepared via Mitsunobu inversion. The (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of the γ-TMS-propargylic alcohol corresponding to the C1–C7 part were constructed by asymmetric hydrogen transfer reaction and converted to the (R)- and (S)-enals by adding the aldehyde carbon using the reaction of the derived TMS-epoxide with Et₂AlCN followed by hydride reduction. The (R)-enantiomer of the C1–C8 enal was coupled with the (R)-C9–C20 phosphonium salt by Wittig reaction, and the functional group in the product was transformed to afford 5R,18R-diHETE stereoselectively. Other stereoisomers were synthesized as well.     

Effectiveness of the Influence of Selected Essential Oils on the Growth of Parasitic Fusarium Isolated from Wheat Kernels from Central Europe

The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of selected seven commercial essential oils (EsO) (grapefruit, lemongrass, tea tree (TTO), thyme, verbena, cajeput, and Litsea cubeba) on isolates of common Central European parasitic fungal species of Fusarium obtained from infected wheat kernels, and to evaluate the oils as potential natural fungicides. The study was conducted in 2 stages. At each stage, the fungicidal activity of EsO (with concentrations of 0.025; 0.05; 0.125; 0.25; 0.50; 1.0, and 2.0%) against Fusarium spp. was evaluated using the disc plate method and zones of growth inhibition were measured. At the first stage, the fungistatic activity of EsO was evaluated against four species of Fusarium from the Polish population (F. avenaceum FAPL, F. culmorum FCPL, F. graminearum FGPL and F. oxysporum FOPL). The correlation coefficient between the mycelial growth rate index (T) and the fungistatic activity (FA) was calculated. At the second stage, on the basis of the mycelium growth rate index, the effectiveness of the EsO in limiting the development of Fusarium isolates from the German population (F. culmorum FC1D, F. culmorum FC2D, F. graminearum FG1D, F. graminearum FG2D and F. poae FP0D) was assessed. The first and second stage results presented as a growth rate index were then used to indicate essential oils (as potential natural fungicides) effectively limiting the development of various common Central European parasitic species Fusarium spp. Finally, the sensitivity of four Fusarium isolates from the Polish population and five Fusarium isolates from the German population was compared. The data were compiled in STATISTICA 13.0 (StatSoft, Inc, CA, USA) at the significance level of 0.05. Fusarium isolates from the German population were generally more sensitive than those from the Polish population. The sensitivity of individual Fusarium species varied. Their vulnerability, regardless of the isolate origin, in order from the most to the least sensitive, is as follows: F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. poae, F. avenaceum and F. oxysporum. The strongest fungicidal activity, similar to Funaben T, showed thyme oil (regardless of the concentration). Performance of citral oils (lemongrass and Litsea cubeba) was similar but at a concentration above 0.025%.     

Spectroscopic and Molecular Docking Approaches for Investigation of Interaction of Phellopterin with Human Serum Albumin

The mechanism of interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and natural product phellopterin (PL) from Angelica dahurica was investigated by spectroscopic techniques with molecular docking under simulated physiological conditions. The experimental results showed that the fluorescence of HSA was regularly quenched by PL, and the quenching constants (K_SV) decreased with increasing temperature, which indicated that the quenching mechanism was a static quenching procedure. The binding constants (K_A) were larger than 10^?5 M^?1 and the number of binding sites (n) was approximate to 1 at different temperatures, which indicated that the binding affinity was hige and there was just one main binding site in HSA for PL. According to thermodynamic parameters from Van't Hoff equation, the binding process of PL with HSA was spontaneous and exothermic process due to ΔG < 0, and the electrostatic force played major role in the binding between PL and HSA according to ΔH < 0 and ΔS > 0. The binding distance (r) was calculated to be about 3.35 nm, which implied that the energy transfer from HSA to PL occurred with high possibility according to the theory of Förster's non-radiation energy transfer. The microenvironment and conformation of HSA changed with the addition of PL based on the results of synchronous and three-dimensional fluorescence methods. The molecular docking analysis revealed the binding locus of PL to HSA in subdomain IIIA (Sudlow's site II).     

Comparison of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) genotypes with respect to the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids

The aim of our work was to characterize linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) genotypes divided into groups with high and low content of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Out of 32 linseed genotypes, 68.75 % represented high alpha-linolenic genotypes and 31.25 % were genotypes with low ALA content. Proportional representation of fatty acids was realized according to the norm (Czech Office for Standards, Metrology and Testing, 1994). Oil content was analyzed according to the internal methodology of Agritec Ltd., based on the norm (Czech Office for Standards, Metrology and Testing, 2011). The content of total fat ranged from 36.22 % to 46.35 %, that of ALA from 1.10 % to 65.20 %, and that of linoleic acid (LA) from 11.10 % to 75.00 % in the analyzed seed samples within all groups. The genotypes were divided also according to the seed color and a linear correlation between all three parameters within these groups was observed. Negative linear dependence was confirmed between parameters; ALA and LA content in the groups: high ALA brown seed (p < 0.0001; correlation coefficient (r) = ?0.70), and high ALA yellow seed (p < 0.001; r = ?0.36). Also, positive linear dependence between the total fat and the LA content in the groups: low ALA brown seed (p < 0.001; r = 0.34); low ALA yellow seed (p < 0.0001; r = 0.62), was found.     

Efficient oxidation of hydrazine using amine-functionalized cobalt and nickel porphyrin-modified electrodes

The meso-tetra(para-aminophenyl) porphyrinatocobalt(II) (Co(II)MTpAP) and meso-tetra(para-aminophenyl)porphyrinatonickel(II) (Ni(II)MTpAP) were self-assembled on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and were utilized for the oxidation of hydrazine. The oxidation of hydrazine at the self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of Co(II)MTpAP and Ni(II)MTpAP occurred at ?0.20 and 0.42 V, respectively. When compared to the SAM of Ni(II)MTpAP, Co(II)MTpAP SAM not only decreased the overpotential of hydrazine oxidation but also enormously increased its current. The oxidation of hydrazine was influenced by pH. While increasing the pH, the oxidation potential of hydrazine was shifted towards a less positive potential. Further, an inverted shape cyclic voltammogram (CV) was observed for the oxidation of hydrazine at Co(II)MTpAP-modified GCE, whereas a normal CV curve was observed at Ni(II)MTpAP-modified GCE. The appearance of the inverted shape peak for hydrazine oxidation at the SAM of Co(II)MTpAP is due to the oxidation of axially ligated hydrazine molecules during the reverse potential scan. The hydrazine oxidation was also performed at amine-functionalized cobalt and nickel phthalocyanine-modified electrodes in order to study the influence of a macrocyclic ring. Irrespective of the macrocyclic ring, an inverted shape CV was observed at cobalt phthalocyanine-modified electrode.     

Precursors to oak lactone. Part 2: Synthesis, separation and cleavage of several β-d-glucopyranosides of 3-methyl-4-hydroxyoctanoic acid

The β-d-glucopyranosides of all four stereoisomers of 3-methyl-4-hydroxyoctanoic acid have been prepared. The (3S,4S) and (3R,4R) species were prepared from cis-5-n-butyl-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-2(3H)-furanone (cis-oak lactone) by a process involving ring-opening with base and protection of the carboxyl function as its benzyl ester. The glucose unit was introduced by a modified Koenigs-Knorr procedure. A different strategy was necessary for synthesis of the (3S,4R) and (3R,4S) compounds. This was based on the reductive ring-opening of trans-oak lactone and subsequent protection of the primary alcohol as its t-butyldiphenylsilyl ether. Separation of the individual glucosides was effected by preparative thin layer chromatography. Those corresponding to the nature-identical isomers of oak lactone have been shown to produce oak lactone under both acidic hydrolysis and pyrolysis conditions. The galloyl-β-d-glucoside of the cis-species, obtained as a natural isolate from the wood of Platycarya strobilacea, was also found to produce cis-oak lactone upon both acid hydrolysis and pyrolysis. Both the nature-identical (4S,5S) cis-oak lactone and its non-natural (4R,5R) enantiomer have been prepared from their corresponding glycosides and their aroma thresholds in white wine were determined to be 23 and 82 μg/L (ppb) respectively. The aroma threshold of the nature-identical isomer in a red wine was 46 μg/L.     

Photoisomerization of octyl methoxycinnamate

The octyl-p-methoxy-trans-cinnamate (E-OMC) was exposed to sunlight to induce the E to Z transformation. Octyl-p-methoxy-cis-cinnamate (Z-OMC) was then purified from the mixture of the E- and the Z-OMC using C-18-semi-preparative HPLC. The UV absorption of the Z configuration at various concentrations in various solvents was measured. Molar absorption coefficient of the compound was then calculated. By using the obtained molar absorption coefficient of Z-OMC and of E-OMC, E to Z photoisomerization of octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) in various solvents at various concentrations could be monitored by C-18 HPLC using UV detector. The result indicates that equilibrium of photoisomerization depends upon concentration and polarity of the solvent used.     

The Isolation and Characterization of Antagonist Trichoderma spp. from the Soil of Abha,Saudi Arabia

Background: The genus Trichoderma is widely spread in the environment, mainly in soils. Trichoderma are filamentous fungi and are used in a wide range of fields to manage plant patho-genic fungi. They have proven to be effective biocontrol agents due to their high reproducibility, adaptability, efficient nutrient mobilization, ability to colonize the rhizosphere, significant inhibitory effects against phytopathogenic fungi, and efficacy in promoting plant growth. In the present study, the antagonist Trichoderma isolates were characterized from the soil of Abha region, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: Soil samples were collected from six locations of Abha, Saudi Arabia to isolate Trichoderma having the antagonistic potential against plant pathogenic fungi. The soil dilution plate method was used to isolate Trichoderma (Trichoderma Specific Medium (TSM)). Isolated Trichoderma were evaluated for their antagonistic potential against Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata and Helminthosporium rostratum. The antagonist activity was assessed by dual culture assay, and the effect of volatile metabolites and culture filtrate of Trichoderma. In addition, the effect of different temperature and salt concentrations on the growth of Trichoderma isolates were also evaluated. Results: The most potent Trichoderma species were identified by using ITS4 and ITS 5 primers. Total 48 Trichoderma isolates were isolated on (TSM) from the soil samples out of those six isolates were found to have antagonist potential against the tested plant pathogenic fungi. In general, Trichoderma strains A (1) 2.1 T, A (3) 3.1 T and A (6) 2.2 T were found to be highly effective in reducing the growth of tested plant pathogenic fungi. Trichoderma A (1) 2.1 T was highly effective against F. oxysporum (82%), whereas Trichoderma A (6) 2.2 T prevented the maximal growth of H. rostratum (77%) according to the dual culture data. Furthermore, Trichoderma A (1) 2.1 T volatile metabolites hindered F. oxysporum growth. The volatile metabolite of Trichoderma A (6) 2.2 T, on the other hand, had the strongest activity against A. alternata (45%). The Trichoderma A (1) 2.1 T culture filtrate was proven to be effective in suppressing the growth of H. rostratum (47%). The temperature range of 26 °C to 30 °C was observed to be optimum for Trichoderma growth. Trichoderma isolates grew well at salt concentrations (NaCl) of 2%, and with the increasing salt concentration the growth of isolates decreased. The molecular analysis of potent fungi by ITS4 and ITS5 primers confirmed that the Trichoderma isolates A (1) 2.1 T, A (3) 3.1 and A (6) 2.2 T were T. harzianum, T. brevicompactum, and T. velutinum, respectively. Conclusions: The study concludes that the soil of the Abha region contains a large population of diverse fungi including Trichoderma, which can be explored further to be used as biocontrol agents.     

Synthesis of Aliphatic Esters of Cinnamic Acid as Potential Lipophilic Antioxidants Catalyzed by Lipase B from Candida antarctica

Immobilized lipase from Candida antarctica (Novozyme 435) was tested for the synthesis of various phenolic acid esters (ethyl and n-butyl cinnamate, ethyl p-coumarate and n-butyl p-methoxycinnamate). The second-order kinetic model was used to mathematically describe the reaction kinetics and to compare present processes quantitatively. It was found that the model agreed well with the experimental data. Further, the effect of alcohol type on the esterification of cinnamic acid was investigated. The immobilized lipase showed more ability to catalyze the synthesis of butyl cinnamate. Therefore, the process was optimized for the synthesis of butyl cinnamate as a function of solvent polarity (logP) and amount of biocatalyst. The highest ester yield of 60.7 % was obtained for the highest enzyme concentration tested (3 % w/w), but the productivity was for 34 % lower than the corresponding value obtained for the enzyme concentration of 1 % (w/w). The synthesized esters were purified, identified, and screened for antioxidant activities. Both DPPH assay and cyclic voltammetry measurement have shown that cinnamic acid esters have better antioxidant properties than cinnamic acid itself.     

Chemoenzymatic preparation of the enantiomers of β-tryptophan ethyl ester and the β-amino nitrile analogue

Racemic α-tryptophan was chemoselectively transformed into the enantiomers of β-tryptophan ethyl ester. The key step in achieving enantiopurity was the N-acylation of the 3-amino-4-(3-indolyl)butanenitrile intermediate with Candida antarctica lipase A (CAL-A). The enzymatic N-acylation of racemic β-tryptophan ethyl ester was also studied. CAL-A was highly (R)-enantioselective in the present kinetic resolutions, leading to a mixture of the butanamide product with an (R)-configuration and the unreacted starting material with an (S)-configuration at 50% conversion.     

Stereochemical aspects of the bioreduction of the conjugated double bond of perillaldehyde

A study on the regioselective reduction of the conjugate double bond of perillaldehyde is described. The chemical reduction of this substrate was investigated in order to provide a straightforward access to the relevant natural flavour, dihydroperillaldehyde. The biological reduction of both natural (S)-(−)-perillaldehyde and synthetic (R)-(+)-perillaldehyde was accomplished by means of fermenting baker’s yeast. The latter microorganism converted, with different diastereoselectivity, the (S)- and (R)-enantiomers into the corresponding trans and cis saturated alcohols, respectively. The origin of the hydrogen atoms added to the double bond was studied by deuterium labelling experiments and ²H NMR measurements that clearly demonstrate a different mechanism of the biohydrogenation of the two enantiomeric forms of perillaldehyde.     

Synthesis,characterization and the rapid response property of the temperature responsive PVP-g-PNIPAM hydrogel

In this study, a poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-graft-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel (PVP-g-PNIPAM) was synthesized through the “grafting from” process. Grafting of temperature responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) brushes was carried out from the poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) synthesized with free radical polymerization and functionalized with ATRP initiator, PVP–Br, which was performed through a bromination reaction between pendant allylic groups of the PVP and N-bromosuccinimide (NBS). The structure of the initiator and PVP-g-PNIPAM was characterized by ultraviolet and visible (UV/Vis) absorption, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) morphology measurement displayed some dendritic grafted chains dangling onto the pore wall of the hydrogel.The characteristic in response to the change in environmental temperature was investigated by the fluorescence anisotropy and UV/Vis transmittance measurements. The results showed that the PVP-g-PNIPAM hydrogel exhibited rapid response to the change in environmental temperature due to free and mobile graft chains compared with the P(VP-co-NIPAM) hydrogel, which was prepared by free radical copolymerization in this work.     

The effect of vinyl esters on the enantioselectivity of the lipase-catalysed transesterification of alcohols

The enantioselectivity of the lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia (PCL) in the transesterification of 2-phenyl-1-propanol 1 was studied using a series of vinyl 3-arylpropanoates as acyl donors. The most enantioselective transesterification reaction of the alcohol was attained by using vinyl 3-(p-iodophenyl)- or 3-(p-trifluoromethylphenyl)propanoates, with enantiomer ratios, E, of 116 and 138, respectively. Vinyl 3-phenylpropanoate was also effective for the resolution of 1 mediated by lipases from P. fluorescens and porcine pancreas and for the PCL-catalysed transesterification of several 2-phenyl-1-alkanols. The enantiomeric resolution of 1 was practically carried out by the first enantioselective transesterification using PCL and vinyl 3-(p-iodophenyl)propanoate to afford (R)-1 and then the enantioselective hydrolysis of the resultant ester to afford (S)-1.     

A Validated Chiral LC Method for the Separation and Quantification of (S,R,S)-Enantiomer and (R,R,R)-Isomer of Aprepitant

A new and accurate chiral liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the separation and quantification of (S,R,S)-enantiomer (unwanted enantiomer) and (R,R,R)-isomer (key intermediate) of aprepitant in bulk drug and formulation samples of apprepitant. The elution time was approximately 20 min using an immobilized amylose-based chiral stationary phase (Chiralpak-IA). The mobile phase was n-hexane and ethanol (90:10, v/v) and was delivered at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. Detection was carried out with a wavelength set to 220 nm. The resolution factor between enantiomers was found to be greater than five. Limit of detection for both (S,R,S) enantiomer and (R,R,R) isomer of aprepitant was 0.035 µg, and limit of quantification for both (S,R,S) enantiomer and (R,R,R) isomers of aprepitant was 0.1 µg, for a 10 µL injection. The developed method showed excellent linearity (r > 0.999) for both isomers. When the method was applied to bulk drug samples and in pharmaceutical formulations recoveries were obtained ranging from 97.2 to 103.1%. Aprepitant sample solutions were found to be stable when characterized over a period of 48 h.     

Determination of 13-cis-Retinoic Acid and Its Metabolites in Plasma by Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography Using Cyclodextrin-Assisted Sweeping for Sample Preconcentration

The online preconcentration technique, cyclodextrin-assisted sweeping (CD-sweeping), coupled with micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was established to determine 13-cis-retinoic acid (13-cis-RA), all-trans-retinoic acid (all-trans-RA) and 4-oxo-13-cis-retinoic acid (4-oxo-13-cis-RA) in human plasma. A CD-sweeping buffer (45 mM borate (pH 9.2), containing 80 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 22 mM hydroxypropyl β-CD (HP-β-CD) was introduced into the capillary and, then, the sample dissolved in 70 mM borate (pH 9.2): methanol = 9:1 (v/v) was injected into capillary by pressure. The separation voltage was 23 kV. Compared to the conventional cyclodextrin-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD-MEKC) method, the new technique achieved 224–257-fold sensitivity enrichment of analytes. The limits of detection of 13-cis-RA, all-trans-RA were 1 ng/mL, whereas that of 4-oxo-13-cis-RA was 25 ng/mL in plasma. The linear ranges of 13-cis-RA, all-trans-RA were between 15 and 1000 ng/mL, whereas that of 4-oxo-13-cis-RA was between 75 and 1500 ng/mL. The coefficient of correlation between the concentration of analytes and peak area ratio of analytes and internal standard (2, 4-dihydroxy-benzophenone) for intra-day (n = 3) and inter-day (n = 5) analyses were both greater than 0.999. The optimized experimental conditions were successfully applied to determine 13-cis-retinoic acid and its metabolites in plasma samples from a patient during the administration of 13-cis-RA for treating acne.     

Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antifungal Effects of Calcium Hydroxide Mixed with Two Different Essential Oils

Background: Calcium hydroxide is a routinely used material for root canal disinfection during root canal treatment. Natural products have great potential in terms of their antibacterial effects. This study aimed to establish an effective alternative intracanal medicament using Origanum dubium (O. dubium) and Mentha spicata (M. spicata) essential oils. Materials and Methods: O. dubium and M. spicata, collected from Lefke, Cyprus, were separately subjected to hydrodistillation. The obtained essential oil compositions were analysed simultaneously by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The compositions were then divided into groups and mixed with calcium hydroxide at a 1:1 concentration; after that, the pastes were tested on Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and Candida albicans (C. albicans), which are the most common resistant pathogenic microorganisms in the root canal. The antibacterial activity of the pastes was measured using a disk diffusion assay. Results: The GC and GC-MS analyses revealed that O. dubium and M. spicata had major compositions of carvacrol (75.8%) and carvone (71.3%), respectively. Antimicrobial activity was found to be significantly higher when study groups with O. dubium essential oil were applied to both E. faecalis and C. albicans. The results also show that M. spicata, together with calcium hydroxide, demonstrated a significant antifungal effect on C. albicans when incubated for 72 h. Conclusions: M. spicata was found to be an effective antimicrobial agent on C. albicans, whereas O. dubium was found to be very effective on both E. faecalis and C. albicans. These data demonstrate that these natural essential oils may be promising candidates for alternative intracanal medicament in future routine clinical applications.     

Chemical Characteristics of Ethanol and Water Extracts of Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa L.) Acorns and Their Antibacterial,Anti-Fungal and Antitumor Properties

The aim of this study was to identify polyphenolic compounds contained in ethanol and water extracts of black alder (Alnus glutinosa L.) acorns and evaluate their anti-cancer and antimicrobial effects. The significant anti-cancer potential on the human skin epidermoid carcinoma cell line A431 and the human epithelial cell line A549 derived from lung carcinoma tissue was observed. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of alder acorns inhibited the growth of mainly Gram-positive microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus mutans) and yeast-like fungi (Candida albicans, Candida glabrata), as well as Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) strains. The identification of polyphenols was carried out using an ACQUITY UPLC-PDA-MS system. The extracts were composed of 29 compounds belonging to phenolic acids, flavonols, ellagitannins and ellagic acid derivatives. Ellagitannins were identified as the predominant phenolics in ethanol and aqueous extract (2171.90 and 1593.13 mg/100 g DM, respectively) The results may explain the use of A. glutinosa extracts in folk medicine.     

Synthesis and stereochemistry of JBIR-81, a peptide enamide derived from aspergilli

The absolute stereochemistry of an aspergilli-derived peptide enamide, JBIR-81, was determined to be 12S, 15S by the first synthesis of (12S,15S)-JBIR-81 and its epimer. The overall yield was 56% over six steps from N-methyl-l-leucine. The (Z)-enamide structure was effectively constructed with use of a copper (I) catalyzed coupling reaction between a vinyl halide and a carboxamide.