Unlocking the Drug Potential of the Bryostatin Family: Recent Advances in Product Synthesis and Biomedical Applications

Bryostatins are a class of naturally occurring macrocyclic lactones with a unique fast developing portfolio of clinical applications, including treatment of AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. This comprehensive account summarizes the recent progress (2014–present) in the development of bryostatins, including their total synthesis and biomedical applications. An emphasis is placed on the discussion of bryostatin 1 , the most-studied analogue to date. This review highlights the synthetic and biological challenges of bryostatins and provides an outlook on their future development.     

Al-Decorated C2N Monolayer as a Potential Catalyst for NO Reduction with CO Molecules: A DFT Investigation

Developing efficient and economical catalysts for NO reduction is of great interest. Herein, the catalytic reduction of NO molecules on an Al-decorated C₂N monolayer (Al-C₂N) is systematically investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our results reveal that the Al-C₂N catalyst is highly selective for NO, more so than CO, according to the values of the adsorption energy and charge transfer. The NO reduction reaction more preferably undergoes the (NO)₂ dimer reduction process instead of the NO direct decomposition process. For the (NO)₂ dimer reduction process, two NO molecules initially co-adsorb to form (NO)₂ dimers, followed by decomposition into N₂O and O_ads species. On this basis, five kinds of (NO)₂ dimer structures that initiate four reaction paths are explored on the Al-C₂N surface. Particularly, the cis-(NO)₂ dimer structures (D_cis-N and D_cis-O) are crucial intermediates for NO reduction, where the max energy barrier along the energetically most favorable pathway (path II) is as low as 3.6 kcal/mol. The remaining O_ads species on Al-C₂N are then easily reduced with CO molecules, being beneficial for a new catalytic cycle. These results, combined with its low-cost nature, render Al-C₂N a promising catalyst for NO reduction under mild conditions.     

哒嗪酮类α1-肾上腺素受体拮抗剂的合成和生物活性研究

将苯(氧)乙胺和苯氧烷胺类α₁-肾上腺素受体拮抗剂中的苯(氧)乙胺、苯氧烷胺片段引入哒嗪酮类化合物中, 设计、合成了30个新的含哒嗪酮环的α₁-肾上腺素受体拮抗剂. 所有新化合物的结构均经¹H NMR, IR, HRMS确证. 生物活性测试表明28个目标物对α₁-肾上腺素受体有较好的拮抗作用(pA₂＞6.00), 化合物6o, 6p, 6q, 6v, 6x, 6y, 10c, 10d的pA₂值＞7.00.     

Recent Advances in the Chemistry and Biological Activity of 2,4-Azepandione Ring System

The focus of this review is on the structure, methods of syntheses, chemical reactivity, and biological activity of 2,4-azepandione and some derivatives. Some important fused-ring systems containing 2,4-azepandione moiety were also reviewed.     

Advantages to Conversion of Lattice Heat Capacity to Cv in the Resolution of Excess Properties The Ln2S3's as an example

This paper represents a fitting (modeling) of the temperature dependence of the Komada-Westrum characteristic temperature for those γ-, δ- and ε-phase lanthanide sesquisulfides for which the total heat capacities, including internal degrees of freedom (e.g., Schottky and magnetic contributions), were connected to the residue of only lattice vibrations yielding lattice heat-capacity contributions. These characteristic temperatures (θ_KW) at 298.15 K are seen to behave smoothly (nearly linearly) as a function of (cationic) atomic number within the region of stability of each phase as does the density. The trends between the phases also show some consistency but not predictability of one from the other. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On the use of ionic liquids as mobile phase additives in high-performance liquid chromatography. A review

The popularity of ionic liquids (ILs) has grown during the last decades in several analytical separation techniques. Consequently, the number of reports devoted to the applications of ILs is still increasing. This review is focused on the use of ILs (mainly imidazolium-based associated to chloride and tetrafluoroborate) as mobile phase additives in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this approach, ILs just function as salts, but keep several kinds of intermolecular interactions, which are useful for chromatographic separations. Both cation and anion can be adsorbed on the stationary phase, creating a bilayer. This gives rise to hydrophobic, electrostatic and other specific interactions with the stationary phase and solutes, which modify the retention behaviour and peak shape. This review updates the advances in this field, with emphasis on topics not always deeply considered in the literature, such as the mechanisms of retention, the estimation of the suppressing potency of silanols, modelling and optimisation of the chromatographic performance, and the comparison with other additives traditionally used to avoid the silanol problem.     

Highly Diastereoselective Alkylation of a Pyroglutamate Derivative with an Electrophile Obtained from Indole. Synthesis of a Potential Intermediate for the Preparation of the Natural Sweetener (-)-Monatin

The synthesis of a potential intermediate for the preparation of the very intensive sweetening agent (-)-Monatin is described. The synthesis is based on a highly diastereoselective alkylation reaction of a pyroglutamate derivative with an electrophile obtained from indole.     

Effects of acid treatment on activated carbon used as a support for Rb and K catalyst for C2F5I synthesis and its mechanism

In the present work, the activated carbon (AC) support was treated with HCl, HNO₃ and HF solution. The order of catalyst dispersion was as follows: Rb-K/AC-HNO₃ > Rb-K/AC-HF > Rb-K/AC-HCl > Rb-K/AC. The same sequence was also observed for the amount of the acid surface oxygen groups on AC, but not for the basicity of the catalyst. The key role of acid treatment on AC surface chemistry and the basic sites, which are closely related to catalyst dispersion and basicity, is examined to rationalize these findings. On the other hand, a consideration of the reaction mechanism suggests that the reaction proceeds via CF₂ carbenes formed on the catalyst surface as intermediates, followed by carbine disproportionation to CF₃ radicals and CF₃CF₂ radicals, followed by reaction with I₂ to produce CF₃CF₂I, and it was also found that the Rb-K/AC-HCl catalyst with a high dispersion and moderate basicity was helpful for the enhancement of catalytic activity for C₂F₅I synthesis.     

2-氧代-2-[(2-氯-5-吡啶甲氨基)(芳基)甲基]-4-芳基-5,5-二甲基-1,3,2-二氧膦杂环己烷的合成及其生物活性研究

通过类Mannich 反应“一锅法”合成了10个未见文献报道的含吡啶基的环状α-氨基膦酸酯, 其结构经¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR, IR, MS和元素分析确证. 测定了该系列化合物的杀虫、杀菌和除草活性, 结果表明, 所测化合物的杀虫活性不太好, 但所有化合物在药液浓度为1.0×10^－4 g/mL 时都具有较好的除草活性, 部分化合物在5.0×10^－5 g/mL时显示出良好的杀菌活性.     

TG Measurements of the Oxidation Kinetics of Fe-Cr Alloy with Regard to its Application as a Separator in SOFC

The high-temperature oxidation behavior of a ferritic alloy (SUS 430) in a SOFC environment, corresponding to the anode (H₂/H₂O gas mixture) and cathode (air) operating conditions, was determined with regard to application of the alloy as a metallic separator material in SOFC. The oxidation kinetics of Fe-16Cr alloy (SUS 430), was studied by thermogravimetry in H₂/H₂O gas mixtures with p_H/p_HO=94/6 and 97/3 and in air, in the temperature range 1023-1223 K, for 3.6 up to 1080 ks. It was found that the protective oxide scale, composed mainly of Cr₂O₃ with uniform thickness and excellent adhesion to the metal substrate, grows in accordance with the parabolic rate law. The dependence of the parabolic rate constant, k_p, of the scale on temperature obeys the Arrhenius equation: k_p=6.8×10^-4 exp (-202.3 kJ mol^-1R^-1T^-1) for H₂/H₂O gas mixtures with p_H/p_HO=94/6. The determined k_p was independent of the oxygen partial pressure in the range from 5.2×10^-22 to 0.21 atm at 1073 K, which means that the rates of growth of the scale on Fe-16Cr alloy in the above-mentioned atmospheres are comparable. The oxidation test results on Fe-16Cr alloy in H₂/H₂O gas mixtures and air demonstrate the applicability of SUS 430 alloys as a separator for SOFC. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Fullerenes against COVID-19: Repurposing C60 and C70 to Clog the Active Site of SARS-CoV-2 Protease

The persistency of COVID-19 in the world and the continuous rise of its variants demand new treatments to complement vaccines. Computational chemistry can assist in the identification of moieties able to lead to new drugs to fight the disease. Fullerenes and carbon nanomaterials can interact with proteins and are considered promising antiviral agents. Here, we propose the possibility to repurpose fullerenes to clog the active site of the SARS-CoV-2 protease, M^pro. Through the use of docking, molecular dynamics, and energy decomposition techniques, it is shown that C₆₀ has a substantial binding energy to the main protease of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, M^pro, higher than masitinib, a known inhibitor of the protein. Furthermore, we suggest the use of C₇₀ as an innovative scaffold for the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 M^pro. At odds with masitinib, both C₆₀ and C₇₀ interact more strongly with SARS-CoV-2 M^pro when different protonation states of the catalytic dyad are considered. The binding of fullerenes to M^pro is due to shape complementarity, i.e., vdW interactions, and is aspecific. As such, it is not sensitive to mutations that can eliminate or invert the charges of the amino acids composing the binding pocket. Fullerenic cages should therefore be more effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus than the available inhibitors such as masinitib, where the electrostatic term plays a crucial role in the binding.     

纳米固体超强酸SO42-/Fe2O3的制备及其催化合成乙酸乙酯

将Fe₂O₃纳米粉体经一定浓度的H₂SO₄浸泡活化后制成纳米固体超强酸SO₄^2-/Fe₂O₃,将其用于催化合成乙酸乙酯以考察其活性。利用均匀设计分析了超强酸制备过程及酯化反应过程中各因素的影响,研究结果表明较好的制备条件是:H₂SO₄浓度:2.5mol·L^-1;浸泡时间:1h;活化温度:167℃;活化时间:1h,此时获得的固体超强酸SO₄^2-/Fe₂O₃的粒径小于50nm。当催化剂用量为冰乙酸质量的5%,n(乙醇)∶n(冰乙酸)为3∶1,反应3.5h后乙酸的转化率高于80%。该催化剂经H₂SO₄溶液浸泡、活化再生后可重新使用,推断出其酸强度H₀<-14.5。     

Advances in the preparation of organofluorine compounds involving iodine and/or iodo-compounds

The intriguing properties of iodine have drawn the attention of organic chemists. In this paper, we will describe the recent development of stereo- and/or regioselective synthesis of fluorine-containing organic compounds employing hypervalent iodine fluorides such as ArIF₂ (1), IF₅ (22), and (E)-2-fluoro-alk-1-enyl-4-aryl iodonium salts R(F)C=C(H)IF-Ar (12). The electrochemical fluorination procedures involving iodo-compounds will also be presented to prepare fluoro-organic compounds.     

Extension of the Ye and Shreeve group contribution method for density estimation of ionic liquids in a wide range of temperatures and pressures

An extension of the Ye and Shreeve group contribution method [C. Ye, J.M. Shreeve, J. Phys. Chem. A 111 (2007) 1456–1461] for the estimation of densities of ionic liquids (ILs) is here proposed. The new version here presented allows the estimation of densities of ionic liquids in wide ranges of temperature and pressure using the previously proposed parameter table. Coefficients of new density correlation proposed were estimated using experimental densities of nine imidazolium-based ionic liquids. The new density correlation was tested against experimental densities available in literature for ionic liquids based on imidazolium, pyridinium, pyrrolidinium and phosphonium cations. Predicted densities are in good agreement with experimental literature data in a wide range of temperatures (273.15–393.15 K) and pressures (0.10–100 MPa). For imidazolium-based ILs, the mean percent deviation (MPD) is 0.45% and 1.49% for phosphonium-based ILs. A low MPD ranging from 0.41% to 1.57% was also observed for pyridinium and pyrrolidinium-based ILs.     

Al2O3/MeSO3H (AMA) as a New Reagent for the Thia-Fries Rearrangement of Arylsulfonates to Hydroxyaryl Sulfones

A new facile method for thia-Fries rearrangement of arylsulfonates has been developed. A variety of arylsulfonates rearrange in excellent yields in the presence of Al₂O₃/MeSO₃H as a new reagent without the use of any solvent.     

The use of carbon monoxide and water gas as the flame-forming agent in the thermionic detector

Summary The use of carbon monoxide were suggested as the flame-forming agent in the thermionic detector (TID). The main characteristics of this detector were studied. It was shown that the optimum flow rate of carbon monoxide is 40 ml/min at an air flow rate of 400–550 ml/min. The response increases twice with the positive potential on the collector. Molar responses of TID were compared with those obtained when using carbon monoxide and hydrogen. For instance, for phosphorus containing compounds they are approximately the same (10²), while for nitrogen containing compounds in the case of carbon monoxide, there is a 2–5 fold increase in the response. The linear dynamic range for methaphose and azobenzene is 10³.     

Capillary electrophoresis procedure for the simultaneous analysis and stoichiometry determination of a drug and its counter-ion by using dual-opposite end injection and contactless conductivity detection: Application to labetalol hydrochloride

In this work, a capillary electrophoresis (CE) procedure was developed for the simultaneous determination of a pharmaceutical drug and its counter-ion, namely labetalol hydrochloride. For this purpose, an uncoated fused-silica capillary, a low conductivity background electrolyte (BGE) and a capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector (C⁴D) were employed. This detection system is highly sensitive and enables detection of inorganic as well as organic ions unlike with direct UV detection. Moreover, to be able to simultaneously analyze the cationic drug (labetalol⁺) and its anionic counter-ion (Cl⁻) in the same electrophoretic run without the need of a coated capillary, a dual-opposite end injection was performed. In this technique, the sample is hydrodynamically injected into both ends of the capillary. This method is simple and easy to perform since the different injection steps are automated by the CE software.This novel CE-C⁴D procedure with dual-opposite end injection has been successfully validated and applied for the analysis of chloride content in an adrenergic antagonist (labetalol hydrochloride). Thus, the hereby developed method has been shown to enable fast (analysis time < 10 min), precise (repeatability of migration times < 0.7% and of corrected-peak areas < 3.3%; n = 6) and rugged analyses for the simultaneous determination of a pharmaceutical drug and its counter-ion.