Fungal strains as catalysts for the biotransformation of halolactones by hydrolytic dehalogenation with the dimethylcyclohexane system

Bicyclic chloro-, bromo- and iodo-γ-lactones with dimethylcyclohexane rings were used as substrates for bioconversion by several fungal strains (Fusarium, Botrytis and Beauveria). Most of the selected microorganisms transformed these lactones by hydrolytic dehalogenation into the new compound cis-2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethyl-9-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]- nonan-8-one, mainly the (-)-isomer. When iodo-γ-lactone was used as the substrate, two products were observed: a hydroxy-γ-lactone and an unsaturated lactone. The structures of all substrates and products were established on the basis of their spectral data. The mechanism of dehalogenation of three halolactones was also studied.     

Hydroxy lactones with the gem-dimethylcyclohexane system – Synthesis and antimicrobial activity

Two new lactones comprising the gem-dimethylcyclohexane ring: 2-chloro-5,5-dimethyl-9-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-8-one and 2-bromo-5,5-dimethyl-9-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-8-one as well as the already known 2-iodo-5,5-dimethyl-9-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-8-one, were obtained from (6,6-dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-yl)acetic acid. These lactones were used as substrates for the screening of biotransformation by whole cells of nine fungal strains (Fusarium species, Syncephalastrum racemosum and Cunninghamella japonica). Some of these microorganisms (mainly Fusarium species) transformed all three lactones during the hydrolytic dehalogenation into 2-hydroxy-5,5-dimethyl-9-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-8-one. It is worth noting that two microorganisms (Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium scirpi) converted iodolactone with very high enantioselectivity (75.1% and 91.6%, respectively). The (+) isomer of hydroxy lactone was preferred. At the last step the hydroxy lactone obtained during biotransformation was examined for its biological activity against bacteria, yeasts and fungi. It was found that this compound inhibits growth of some tested microorganisms.     

Antimicrobial activities of essential oil and methanol extract of Coriaria nepalensis

Plant extracts and products have been used for centuries in traditional medicine; for most of them, in addition to the scant scientific credibility, the chemical composition and spectrum of activity are yet to be explored. To put forward this effort and to identify novel antimicrobial agents, the inhibitory activities of methanolic extract and essential oil from Coriaria nepalensis against various microorganisms including pathogenic yeast, and Gram-positive and negative bacteria were evaluated. Chemical compositions of C. nepalensis methanolic extract and essential oil were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In vitro susceptibility tests against all the tested isolates were performed in terms of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and well diffusion assay using standard protocols. All microorganisms tested were profoundly found susceptible to both the C. nepalensis extract and oil with MIC values of 1.3-2.1?mg?mL?1 (Gram-positive bacteria), 1.4-2.2?mg?mL?1 (Gram-negative bacteria) and 0.9-1.6?mg?mL?1 (yeasts). The extent of inhibition was shown more by methanolic extract than by essential oil. This study is the first to report the antimicrobial activity of extracts obtained from the C. nepalensis. It can be concluded that the observed antimicrobial characteristics of C. nepalensis indicate that it might be a promising antimicrobial agent.     

Rapid species identification of seafood spoilage and pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria by MALDI-TOF mass fingerprinting

The rapid identification of food pathogenic and spoilage bacteria is important to ensure food quality and safety. Seafood contaminated with pathogenic bacteria is one of the major causes of food intoxications, and the rapid spoilage of seafood products results in high economic losses. In this study, a collection of the main seafood pathogenic and spoilage Gram-positive bacteria was compiled, including Bacillus spp., Listeria spp., Clostridium spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Carnobacterium spp. The strains, belonging to 20 different species, were obtained from the culture collections and studied by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). A reference library was created, including the spectral fingerprints of 32 reference strains and the extracted peak lists with 10-30 peak masses. Genus-specific as well as species-specific peak masses were assigned and could serve as biomarkers for the rapid bacterial identification. Furthermore, the peak mass lists were clustered with the web-application SPECLUST to show the phyloproteomic relationships among the studied strains. Afterwards, the method was successfully applied to identify six strains isolated from seafood by comparison with the reference library. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene was carried out and contrasted with the proteomic approach. This is the first time MALDI-TOF MS fingerprinting is applied to Gram-positive bacterial identification in seafood, being a fast and accurate technique to ensure seafood quality and safety.     

Synthesis,characterization and antimicrobial activity of 3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylaldehyde-S-methylthiosemicarbazones and their Ni(II) complexes

Ni(II) complexes were prepared by the reactions of 3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylaldehyde-S-methylisothiosemicarbazone (L) with salicylaldehyde or 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde in the presence of NiCl₂·6H₂O. The complexes and starting material L were characterized by physic-chemical analysis and spectroscopic techniques such as ¹HNMR, ¹³CNMR, IR and UV–VIS. Antimicrobial activity studies of L and the two complexes standards strains of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Candida albicans) and 22 clinically isolated microorganisms, including multidrug resistant pathogenic microorganisms, were carried out. The free thiosemicarbazone L showed a significant inhibition of the growth all of Gram-positive bacteria tested.     

Synthesis and in Vitro Evaluation of New Cephalosporins Exhibiting Antimicrobial Activity against Gram-Positive Bacteria,in Particular Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci

The preparation and biological evaluation of 7β-[[2-(phenyl)thiazol-4-yl]acetamido]cephalosporins and 7β-[[(2-(pyridin-2-yl)thiazol-4-yl]acetamido]cephalosporins, 9a-o , substituted at the 3-position with acetyloxymethyl, chlorine, hydrogen, and methyl are described. Hantzsch's thiazole synthesis is employed to provide thiazoleacetic acids 5a-e , subsequently followed by Morpho CDI-assisted amidation to complete the synthesis of target cephalosporins 9a-o . These compounds display activity selectively against Gram-positive bacteria, but are inactive against most Gram-negative bacteria tested. Those with acetyloxymethyl at the 3-position, i.e., 9a, 9e, 9i, 9m , and 90 , exhibit activity with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 16 (μg/mL or lower against four strains of methicillin-resistant staphylococci, namely Staphylococcus aureus X400 and S13E and Staphylococcus epidermidis 270 and 222. Notably, 9a displays an activity profile similar to that of vancomycin regarding its spectrum and potency.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of dihydrotriazine derivatives as potential antibacterial agents

A series of 1,4-dihydro-1,3,5-triazine derivatives were designed and synthesized and their antibacterial and antifungal activities were evaluated. Most of the synthesized compounds showed potent inhibition of several Gram-positive bacterial strains(including multidrug-resistant clinical isolates) and Gramnegative bacterial strains, with minimum inhibitory concentrations(MICs) in the range of 2.1–181.2 mmol/L. Compounds 7a and 7c presented the most potent inhibitory activities against Grampositive bacteria(e.g., Staphylococcus aureus 4220), Gram-negative bacteria(e.g., Escherichia coli 1924),and the fungus Candida albicans 7535, with MICs of 2.1 or 4.1 mmol/L. Especially, compound 7a was the most potent, with an MIC of 2.1 mmol/L against four multidrug-resistant, Gram-positive bacterial strains.The cytotoxic activity of the compound 7a, 7c and 7f was assessed in HepG2 cells, and the results suggest that 1,4-dihydro-1,3,5-triazine derivatives bearing a 6-benzyloxynaphthalen moiety are interesting scaffolds for the development of novel antibacterial agents.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of some novel 5-alkyl-6-substituted uracils and related derivatives

6-chloro-5-ethyl-, n-propyl- and isopropyluracils 5a-c were efficiently prepared from the corresponding 5-alkybarbituric acids 3a-c via treatment with phosphorus oxychloride and N,N-dimethylaniline to yield the corresponding 5-alkyl-2,4,6-trichloro-pyrimidines 4a-c, which were selectively hydrolyzed by heating in 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide for 30 minutes. The reaction of compounds 5a-c with 1-substituted piperazines yielded the corresponding 5-alkyl-6-(4-substituted-1-piperazinyl)uracils 6a-j. The target 8-alkyltetrazolo[1,5-f]pyrimidine-5,7(3H,6H)-diones 7a-c were prepared via the reaction of 5a-c with sodium azide. Compounds 6a-j and 7a-c were tested for in vitro activities against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and the yeast-like pathogenic fungus Candida albicans. Compound 6h displayed potent broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, while compound 6b showed moderate activity against the Gram-positive bacteria. All the tested compounds were practically inactive against Candida albicans.     

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activities of Novel 4-Hydroxy-7-hydroxy- and 3-Carboxycoumarin Derivatives

Coumarin derivatives are used as fluorescent dyes and medicines. They also have some notable physiological effects, including the acute hepatoxicity and carcinogenicity of certain aflatoxins, the anticoagulant action of dicoumarol, and the antibiotic activity of novobicin and coumerymycin A1. Because the number of drug resistant strains is increasing at present, the synthesis of new antibacterial compounds is one of the critical methods for treating infectious diseases. Therefore, a series of coumarin-substituted derivatives, namely 4-hydroxy- and 7-hydroxycoumarins, and 3-carboxycoumarins were synthesized. 4-Hydroxycoumarin derivatives 4a-c underwent rearrangement reactions. Both 4- and 7-hydroxycoumarins were treated with activated aziridines which produced series of ring-opened products 7, 8, 10, and 11. 3-Carboxy-coumarin amide dimer derivatives 14-21 were prepared by reacting aliphatic alkylamines and alkyldiamines with PyBOP and DIEA. In this study, we use a new technique called modified micro-plate antibiotic susceptibility test method (MMAST), which is more convenient, more efficient, and more accurate than previous methods and only a small amount of the sample is required for the test. Some of the compounds were produced by reactions with acid anhydrides and demonstrated the ability to inhibit Gram-positive microorganisms. The dimer derivatives displayed lower antibacterial activities.     

Synthesis,Molecular Docking,and Biofilm Formation Inhibitory Activity of Bis(Indolyl)Pyridines Analogues of the Marine Alkaloid Nortopsentin

An efficient and simple protocol for the synthesis of a new class of diverse bis(indolyl)pyridines analogues of the marine alkaloid nortopsentin has been reported. A one-pot four-component condensation of 3-cyanocarbomethylindole, various aldehyde, 3-acetylindole, and ammonium acetate in glacial acetic acid led to the formation of 2,6-bis(1H-indol-3-yl)-4-(substituted-phenyl)pyridine-5-carbonitriles. Additionally, 2,6-bis(1H-indol-3-yl)-4-(benzofuran) pyridine-5-carbonitriles were prepared via a one-pot four-component condensation of 3-cyanocarbomethylindole, various N-substituted-indole-3-aldehydes, 2-acetylbenzofuran, and ammonium acetate. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit biofilm formation against the Gram-positive bacterial reference strains Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and the Gram-negative strain Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Some of the new compounds showed a marked selectivity against the Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. Remarkably, five compounds 4b, 7a, 7c, 7d and 8e demonstrated good antibiofilm formation against S. aureus and E. coli. On the other hand, the release of reducing sugars and proteins from the treated bacterial strains over the untreated strains was considered to explain the disruption effect of the selected compound on the contact cells of S. aureus and E. coli. Out of all studied compounds, the binding energies and binding mode of bis-indole derivatives 7c and 7d were theoretically the best thymidylate kinase, DNA gyrase B and DNA topoisomerase IV subunit B inhibitors.     

Synthesis,crystal structures,and antimicrobial activity of square-planar chloride and isocyanate Ni(II) complexes with the condensation product of 2-(diphenylphosphino)benzaldehyde and Girard’s T reagent

Square-planar isocyanate and chloride Ni(II) complexes with tridentate PNO condensation product of 2-(diphenylphosphino)benzaldehyde and Girard’s T reagent have been synthesized and their crystal structures were determined. These Ni(II) complexes with different monodentate ligands, chloride, cyanate, and thiocyanate were tested for their antimicrobial activities against pathogenic microorganisms. The ligand and Ni(II) complexes were active not only against laboratory control strains of bacteria and yeast, but also on clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains resistant to most of the clinically used antibiotics.     

Synthesis and evaluation of fluorogenic 2-amino-1,8-naphthyridine derivatives for the detection of bacteria

Several novel fluorogenic N-aminoacylnaphthyridine substrates were synthesized in good yield and tested for their ability to detect pathogenic bacteria in agar-based cell culture. Simple 2-N-(β-alanyl)amino-5,7-dialkylnaphthyridine substrates were selectively hydrolysed by β-alanylaminopeptidase expressing bacteria, but were subject to diffusion in the agar medium. Diffusion was reduced in the 2-N-(β-alanyl)amino-7-alkylnaphthyridine substrates with longer alkyl chains, but inhibition of growth was increased. 2-N-(β-Alanyl)amino-7-octylnaphthyridine inhibited the growth of all species tested, except for strains resistant to colistin/polymyxin, providing a rationale for the development of substrates for the selective detection of drug resistant species in clinical samples.     

Synthesis of novel steroidal oxazolo quinoxaline as antibacterial agents

Steroidal[oxazolo(4,5-b)quinoxaline-2-yl-hydrazone] derivative (7a–9a) (7b–9b) were prepared by the multi-step reactions of steroid. It is prepared via the reaction of steroidal semicarbazones with 2,3-dichloroquinoxaline at 80 °C in ethanol. The structures of the compounds were evident by IR, ¹H NMR and mass spectrometry and their purities were confirmed by elemental analyses. The antibacterial activity of these compounds was evaluated by the disk diffusion assay against two Gram-positive and two Gram-negative bacteria and then the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of compounds was determined. The results showed that compounds (7a, 7b, 8a, 8b) are better antibacterial agent as compared with the standard drug amoxicillin.     

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of New Acridone Derivatives Containing an Isoxazoline Fragment

A method was developed for the preparation of N-(4-R-4,5-dihydroisoxazol-5-yl)methylacridones by the reaction of aromatic aldehyde oximes with allyl acridones. For the obtained compounds, a high inhibitory activity in relation to test strains of pathogenic microorganisms was revealed, exceeding furacilin.

     

A correlation between the virulence and the adhesion of Listeria monocytogenes to silicon nitride: An atomic force microscopy study

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular Gram-positive bacterium that is widely distributed in the environment. Despite being pathogenic at the species level, L. monocytogenes in fact comprises a diversity of strains from pathogenic ones that can result in disease and/or mortality to others that are relatively avirulent. The main goal of the current study was to answer the question on whether enhanced binding or attachment of L. monocytogenes to inert surfaces bears any relationship to pathogenicity in food-borne isolates. To answer this question, the nanoscale adhesion forces of eight L. monocytogenes strains that vary in their pathogenicity levels to a model surface of silicon nitride were quantified using atomic force microscopy. The strains used were the highly pathogenic (EGDe, 874, 1002, ATCC 19115), the intermediate pathogenic (ATCC 19112, ATCC 19118), and the non pathogenic (ATCC 15313 and HCC25). Our results indicate that the average nanoscale adhesion (in nN) and the 50% lethal dose (LD50) of strain virulence quantified in mice are logarithmically correlated according to: (nN) = −0.032 ln (LD50) + 1.040, r² = 0.96. Such correlation indicates that nanoscale adhesion could potentially be used as a design criterion to distinguish between virulent and avirulent L. monocytogenes strains. Finally, stronger adhesion of virulent strains to inert surfaces modeled by silicon nitride might be a way for pathogenic strains to survive better in the environment and thus increase their likelihood of infecting animals or humans.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of 2-(4-(benzo[d]thiazol-5-ylsulfonyl)piperazine-1-yl)-N-substituted acetamide derivatives

A new series of 2-(4-(benzo[d]thiazol-5-ylsulfonyl)piperazin-1-yl)-N-substituted acetamide (5a-5k) compounds have been synthesized, and these compounds were characterized with spectral data like IR, NMR, and Mass spectroscopy. All compounds were evaluated in vitro for their efficacy as antimicrobial against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacterial strains such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using ciprofloxacin as a standard and fungal strains like Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus as compared with standard drug Clotrimazole, and Molecular docking study shows that all these compounds were having good to excellent correlation binding energy as compared with binding energy of standard drugs.     

New Acridone- and (Thio)Xanthone-Derived 1,1-Donor–Acceptor-Substituted Alkenes: pH-Dependent Fluorescence and Unusual Photooxygenation Properties

A synthetic route to new heterocyclic 1,1-donor–acceptor-substituted alkenes starting with N-methyl-acridone, xanthone, and thioxanthone was investigated, leading to the acridone- and xanthone-derived products methyl 2-methoxy-2-(10-methylacridin-9 (10H)-ylidene)acetate (7) and methyl 2-methoxy-2-(9H-xanthen-9-ylidene)acetate (10) in low yields with the de-methoxylated product methyl 2-(10-methylacridin-9 (10H)-ylidene)acetate (8) and the reduced compound methyl 2-methoxy-2-(9H-xanthen-9-yl)acetate (11) as the major products from N-methyl acridone and xanthone. From thioxanthone, only the rearrangement and reduction products (14) and (15) resulted. The photophysical properties of compounds (7), (8), and (10) were investigated in the presence and absence of the Brønsted acid TFA by NMR, UV–VIS absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Protonation of the acridone-derived alkenes (7) and (8) led to strong bathochromic and hyperchromic fluorescence shifts and a substantial increase in Stokes shift. The photooxygenation experiments with these substrates showed an unusual reactivity pattern in the singlet oxygen processes: whereas the electron-rich enolether (7) was chemically unreactive, (8) and (10) were oxidatively cleaved, presumably via intermediate 1,2-dioxetanes.     

Variability in UVB tolerances of melanized and nonmelanized cells of Cryptococcus neoformans and C. laurentii

Solar radiation is one of the major factors responsible for the control of fungus populations in the environment. Inactivation by UVA and UVB radiation is especially important for the control of fungi that disperse infective units through the air, including fungi such as Cryptococcus spp. that infect their vertebrate hosts by inhalation. Cryptococcus neoformans produces melanin in the presence of certain exogenous substrates such as l-3,4 dihydroxyphenylalanine and melanization may protect the fungus against biotic and abiotic environmental factors. In the present study, we investigated the effect of exposure to an UVB irradiance of 1000 mW m(-2) (biologically effective weighted irradiance) on the survival of melanized and nonmelanized cells of four strains of C. neoformans and four strains of C. laurentii. The relative survival (survival of cells exposed to radiation in relation to cells not exposed) of cells grown 2, 4, 6 or 8 days on medium with or without L-dopa was determined after exposure to UVB doses of 1.8 and 3.6 kJ m(-2). Both the irradiance spectrum and the intensities of those doses are environmentally realistic, and, in fact, occur routinely during summer months in temperate regions. Differences in tolerance to UVB radiation were observed between the C. neoformans and C. laurentii strains. The C. neoformans strains were more susceptible to UVB radiation than the C. laurentii strains. In C. neoformans, differences in tolerance to radiation were observed during development of both melanized and nonmelanized cells. For most treatments (strain, time of growth and UVB dose), there were virtually no differences in tolerances between melanized and nonmelanized cells, but when differences occurred they were smaller than those previously observed with UVC. In tests with two strains of C. laurentii, there was no difference in tolerance to UVB radiation between melanized and nonmelanized cells during 8 days of culture; and in tests with four strains for less culture time (4 days) there were no significant differences in tolerance between melanized and nonmelanized cells of any strain of this species.     

1,3,4-Oxadiazole N-Mannich Bases: Synthesis,Antimicrobial, and Anti-Proliferative Activities

The reaction of 5-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2(3H)-thione 3 with formaldehyde solution and primary aromatic amines or 1-substituted piperazines, in ethanol at room temperature yielded the corresponding N-Mannich bases 3-arylaminomethyl-5-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2(3H)-thiones 4a–l or 3-[(4-substituted piperazin-1-yl)methyl]-5-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2(3H)-thiones 5a–d, respectively. The in vitro inhibitory activity of compounds 4a–l and 5a–d was assessed against pathogenic Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, and the yeast-like pathogenic fungus Candida albicans. The piperazinomethyl derivatives 5c and 5d displayed broad-spectrum antibacterial activities the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) 0.5–8 μg/mL) and compounds 4j, 4l, 5a, and 5b showed potent activity against the tested Gram-positive bacteria. In addition, the anti-proliferative activity of the compounds was evaluated against prostate cancer (PC3), human colorectal cancer (HCT-116), human hepatocellular carcinoma (HePG-2), human epithelioid carcinoma (HeLa), and human breast cancer (MCF7) cell lines. The optimum anti-proliferative activity was attained by compounds 4l, 5a, 5c, and 5d.     

Synthesis and characterization of mixed-ligand diimine-piperonal thiosemicarbazone complexes of ruthenium(II): Biophysical investigations and biological evaluation as anticancer and antibacterial agents

We have used a novel microwave-assisted method developed in our laboratories to synthesize a series of ruthenium-thiosemicarbazone complexes. The new thiosemicarbazone ligands are derived from benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carbaldehyde (piperonal) and the complexes are formulated as [(diimine)(2)Ru(TSC)](PF(6))(2) (where the TSC is the bidentate thiosemicarbazone ligand). The diimine in the complexes is either 2,2'-bipyridine or 1,10-phenanthroline. The complexes have been characterized by spectroscopic means (NMR, IR and UV-Vis) as well as by elemental analysis. We have studied the biophysical characteristics of the complexes by investigating their anti-oxidant ability as well as their ability to disrupt the function of the human topoisomerase II enzyme. The complexes are moderately strong binders of DNA with binding constants of 10(4) M(-1). They are also strong binders of human serum albumin having binding constants on the order of 10(4) M(-1). The complexes show good in vitro anticancer activity against human colon cancer cells, Caco-2 and HCT-116 and indeed show some cytotoxic selectivity for cancer cells. The IC(50) values range from 7 - 159 μM (after 72 h drug incubation). They also have antibacterial activity against Gram-positive strains of pathogenic bacteria with IC(50) values as low as 10 μM; little activity was seen against Gram-negative strains. It has been established that all the compounds are catalytic inhibitors of human topoisomerase II.