Chirality measures of α-amino acids

To measure molecular chirality, the molecule is treated as a finite set of points in the Euclidean R(3) space supplemented by k properties, p(1)((i)), p(2)((i)), ..., p(k)((i)) assigned to the ith atom, which constitute a point in the Property P(k) space. Chirality measures are described as the distance between a molecule and its mirror image minimized over all its arbitrary orientation-preserving isometries in the R(3) × P(k) Cartesian product space. Following this formalism, different chirality measures can be estimated by taking into consideration different sets of atomic properties. Here, for α-amino acid zwitterionic structures taken from the Cambridge Structural Database and for all 1684 neutral conformers of 19 biogenic α-amino acid molecules, except glycine and cystine, found at the B3LYP/6-31G** level, chirality measures have been calculated by a CHIMEA program written in this project. It is demonstrated that there is a significant correlation between the measures determined for the α-amino acid zwitterions in crystals and the neutral forms in the gas phase. Performance of the studied chirality measures with changes of the basis set and computation method was also checked. An exemplary quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) application of the chirality measures was presented by an introductory model for the benchmark Cramer data set of steroidal ligands of the sex-hormone binding globulin.     

Effect of Temperature on The Solubility of α-Amino Acids and α,ω-Amino Acids in Water

The aqueous solubilities of glycine, dl-α-alanine (2-aminopropanoic acid), dl-α-aminobutyric acid (2-aminobutanoic acid), dl-α-norvaline (2-aminopentanoic acid), dl-α-norleucine (2-aminohexanoic acid), β-alanine (3-aminopropanoic acid), γ-aminobutyric acid (4-aminobutanoic acid), 5-aminovaleric acid (5-aminopentanoic acid), and 6-aminocaproic acid (6-aminohexanoic acid) were determined from 293.15 to 323.15 K at intervals of 5.00 K using the gravimetric method. The temperature dependence of the solubility of α-amino acids and α,ω-amino acids in water is well described by the van’t Hoff equation. Linear van’t Hoff plots were used to determine the differential enthalpy of solution. The results obtained are compared with reported values in literature and are discussed in terms of the position of the ionic groups in the hydrocarbon chain.     

The Cytotoxic Effect of α-Synuclein Aggregates

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder involving a functional protein, α-synuclein, whose primary function is related to vesicle trafficking. However, α-synuclein is prone to form aggregates, and these inclusions, known as Lewy bodies, are the hallmark of Parkinson's disease. α-synuclein can alter its conformation and acquire aggregating capacity, forming aggregates containing β-sheets. This protein's pathogenic importance is based on its ability to form oligomers that impair synaptic transmission and neuronal function by increasing membrane permeability and altering homeostasis, generating a deleterious effect over cells. First, we establish that oligomers interfere with the mechanical properties of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) membrane, as demonstrated by nanoindentation curves. In contrast, nanoindentation revealed that the α-synuclein monomer's presence leads to a much more resistant lipid bilayer. Moreover, the oligomers’ interaction with cell membranes can promote lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, suggesting the activation of cytotoxic events.     

Effect of urea on the structure and functional activity of proteins. Chymotrypsinogen A and α-chymotrypsin

The effect of urea on the structural stability and functional activity of globular proteins,viz., chymotrypsinogen A (ChtG) and -chymotrypsin (Cht), was studied over a wide range of concentrations (0.5–6 rnol L-1), and the existence of two different mechanisms of the action of urea on these proteins was demonstrated. No changes in the spatial structure of ChtG were observed in the concentration range from 0,5 to 3 mol L^–1 (region 1). Differential UV spectroscopy shows tile redistribution of aromatic groups between the inner volume and the outer surface of a protein molecule (protein denaturation) at concentrations >3 mol L^–1 (regionII), In regionI, urea changes the kinetic parameters of enzymatic reactions involving Cht, which is explained on the basis of millimeter spectroscopy data by its action on the structure and nucleophilic reactivity of water.Deceased.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 998–1002, April, 1996.     

Effect of pH on the reactivity of dipeptides and α-amino acids in the N-acylation

The reaction kinetics of Gly, L-??-Ala, Gly-Gly, L-??-Ala-L-??-Ala and ??-Ala-??-Ala with picryl benzoate in water (40 wt %)-2-propanol was investigated. At pH = 4?C8 the rate constants of N-acylation of the anionic form of dipeptides are less than those of the corresponding amino acid anions, in agreement with their basicity, whereas the relative effective rate constants of reactions depend on pH: in acidic, neutral and slightly alkaline media the k _ef values are higher for the dipeptides, and in a strongly alkaline medium, for the amino acids. These differences are due to the changes in the concentrations of reactive forms of amino acids and dipeptides in the system at varying the medium pH.     

Synthesis and Inhibitory Effect of Some Indole-Pyrimidine Based Hybrid Heterocycles on α-Glucosidase and α-Amylase as Potential Hypoglycemic Agents

The Michael addition reaction of barbituric acid with chalcones incorporating the indole scaffold was achieved by using a highly efficient bimetallic Iron–palladium catalyst in the presence of acetylacetone (acac). This catalytic approach produced the desired products in a simple operation and low catalyst loading with acceptable yield of the new hybrids. All tested compounds were subjected for biological activity on α-glucosidase and α-amylase. The results revealed that all synthesized compounds exhibited very good activity against both enzymes when compared to positive control (acarbose). Moreover, compound 5o showed the best activity whereas its IC₅₀ (μM) are 13.02+0.01 and 21.71+0.82 for α-glucosidase and α-amylase respectively. Both compounds 5o and 5l exhibited high similarity in binding mode and pose with amylase protein (4UAC). The obtained data may be used for developing potential hypoglycemic agents.     

Effect of Acridine Derivatives on the Dissolution of α-Brass

Acridine derivatives as inhibitors of diffusion- and diffusion–kinetic-controlled dissolution of -brass are studied. Inhibition coefficients of the dissolution and its steps correlate with parameters of a standard reaction series and wavelengths of the longest-wave absorption band of the electronic spectrum.     

Effect of temperature on partial molar volumes and viscosities of aqueous solutions of α-dl-Aminobutyric acid,dl-Norvaline and dl-Norleucine

In this work, we present experimental results for partial molar volumes and viscosities of aqueous solutions of α-dl-aminobutyric acid, dl-norvaline and dl-norleucine at 288.15, 293.15, 298.15 and 303.15?K. The thermodynamic behavior of aqueous amino acid solutions is compared with that reported for glycine and α-alanine in water and is discussed in terms of group additivity and electrostriction.

The temperature dependence of the infinite dilution partial molar volumes and the B viscosity coefficients are interpreted in terms of amino acid hydration. According to the usual hydrophobicity criteria, the amino acids considered do not have a hydrophobic character and their behavior is dominated by the polar groups.     

Synthesis of new α-hydroxyphosphonates and α-acetoxyphosphonates

A series of new α-hydroxyphosphonate (5–14) have been synthesized in high yields by reaction of β-chloro-α,β-unsaturated aldehydes (1–4) and trialkyl phosphite in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane at room temperature under solvent-free conditions. In addition, compounds (5–14) were reacted with acetic anhydride in DBU to give the new α-acetoxyphosphonate derivatives (15–23). All these phosphonates (5–23) were obtained as mixtures of two (E and Z) isomers and fully characterized by multinuclear (¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P) NMR, IR spectroscopy and HRMS.     

Highly Stereoselective Aldol Reactions by Memory of Chirality: Synthesis of Quaternary β-Hydroxy α-Amino Acids

We describe here an asymmetric aldol reaction based on the principle of Memory of Chirality. From α-amino acids such as leucine and methionine, we have synthesized in two steps quaternary α-amino acid derivatives with high diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity, using the chirality of the initial α-amino acid as the only chirality source. Furthermore, we were able to determine the relative and absolute configurations of the aldol products thanks to crystallographic structures and thus showed that the relative configuration depended on the aldehyde employed. We proposed a stereoselectivity explanation and obtained also quaternary β-hydroxy α-amino acids after acidic hydrolysis.     

Organocatalytic synthesis of α-hydroxy and α-aminophosphonates

A new and highly flexible procedure is described for the synthesis of α-amino- and α-hydroxy phosphonates. In the presence of a catalytic amount of oxalic acid (10 mol %), trimethyl phosphite reacts with aldehydes or imines (generated in situ from an aldehyde and an amine) to yield the corresponding coupled products in good yield.     

Effect of dioxane on the binding of competitive inhibitor proflavin and catalytic activity of bovine pancreatic α-chymotrypsin

The binding of competitive inhibitor proflavin by α-chymotrypsin in water-dioxane mixtures over the entire range of thermodynamic activities of water a _w was studied. The data on the degree of binding of proflavin were compared to the results on the catalytic activity of the enzyme preliminary incubated in water-dioxane mixtures. An analysis of the behavior of the concentration dependences of these characteristics demonstrated that, at low a _w values, the behavior of the interprotein contacts in the enzyme formed during its drying largely governs its functional properties, while at high a _w values, they are determined by the interaction of the enzyme with the organic solvent. Interplay of these two factors is responsible for the observed complex shape of the isotherm of binding of proflavin, with the maximum degree of binding being attained at moderate a _w values.     

Effect of cationic surfactants on the enzymatic activity of α-chymotrypsin

The hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl benzoate catalyzed by α-chymotrypsin in the presence of cetyltriphenylphosphonium bromide, cetyltributylphosphonium bromide and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (pre and post micellar regions) has been studied. The ester is hydrolyzed readily by α-chymotrypsin in all the surfactants with the highest activity shown in cetyltributylphosphonium bromide. The dependences of the Michaelis constant and the catalytic constant with surfactant concentration have also been discussed.     

Effect of cationic micelles on the decomposition of α-aminophenyl cephalosporins

The intramolecular rates of degradation of α-aminophenyl cephalopsorins were determined with and without hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Micellar-derived spectral shifts were used to measure the bind of the ionic forms as well as to determine the effect of CTAB on the apparent dissociation constant of the antibiotics. The rate of the degradation of cephalexin (Cp), cefadroxil (Cf), and cephradine (Cph), increased with surfactant concentration reaching a plateau at high surfactant concentrations. In the plateau region, the rate constant was salt sensitive decreasing with NaBr concentrations. These effects were quantitatively analyzed within the framework of the pseudo-phase model with explicit considerations of ion exchange. All the experimental results were fitted to this model. The intramolecular degradation of Cf, Cp and Cph was catalyzed by 96-, 59-, and 29-fold, respectively. A working hypothesis to rationalize these effects was suggested. The obtained results demonstrate that the quantitative analysis can be used to assess, predict and control the effects of surfactants on the drug stability.     

The Preparation and Properties of Some α-Acyloxy- and α-Carbamoyloxy-Phosphonothionates

New f -acyloxy and f -carbamoyloxy derivatives of dimethyl 2,2,2-trichloroethyl-phosphonothionate have been prepared, characterized, and screened for activity against free-living soil nematodes. Several of the more easily hydrolysable esters, and also the N -methylcarbamoyl derivative, were as active as the parent pesticide, dimethyl f -hydroxy-2,2,2-trichloroethylphosphonothionate, after an induction period during which the active species is assumed to be released in vivo . It is concluded that the 2,2,2-trichloroethyl group is essential for activity in compounds of these types and that the presence of the N -methylcarbamoyl group does not in itself confer activity.     

Viscous and dielectric properties of α-tocopherol and α-tocopherol acetate

This article presents the results of the shear viscosity and the dielectric relaxation measurements performed for α-tocopherol and α-tocopherol acetate, two principal compounds from the vitamin E group. The temperature dependence of the viscosity and dielectric relaxation time of the compounds can be very well reproduced with the Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann equation. It was found that for both tocopherols, the viscosity and the relaxation time attain their infinite high value (solid-like state) at the temperature of ～60 K below the transition to the glass state.     

Effect of α-Ketoglutarate on Monoclonal Antibody Production of Hybridoma Cell Lines in Serum-Free and Serum-Containing Medium

Process development and optimization for increase population growth and protein productivity in mammalian cell culture have been studied for many years. In this study, the behavior of hybridoma cells was investigated using six-well micro-titer plate systems with a working volume of 4 ml. Mouse hybridoma cell lines D2 and 2C83G2 were seeded in serum-free and serum-containing media and cultured for 8 days. alpha-Ketoglutarate is an integral component of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and is produced from glutamine via glutamate. To study its effect on cell growth, metabolism, and monoclonal antibody (mAb) production, 2 mM alpha-ketoglutarate (pH 7.2) was added in both media at the beginning of the cultivation and in another set after 72 h. High cell density was observed in D2 cell culturing in serum-free medium, while 2C83G2 cell line showed high cell density in serum-containing medium. However, both cell lines cultured in serum-free medium gave viability above 70% when grown for 8 days. The supplement of 2 mM alpha-ketoglutarate supported cell growth and mAb production of both hybridoma cell lines in serum-free and serum-containing medium. The addition of alpha-ketoglutarate at the beginning of the batch cultivation gave better result in cell growth and mAb production as compared to alpha-ketoglutarate supplementation after 72 h. However, addition after 72 h was better than no addition at all. This indicates that alpha-ketoglutarate have a positive effect on production and release of antibody.