Comparative Studies of the Redox Behaviour and the Antioxidative Activity of Arylnaphthoquinones

Summary.  Comparative studies of redox behaviour and antioxidative activity (AOA) were carried out with two series of arylnaphthoquinone derivatives. For the electrochemical investigations, a voltammetric procedure combined with a glassy carbon electrode was applied. The AOA was examined using the photo-chemiluminometric method with the Photochem^? measuring device according to Popov et al. and the chemical procedure with the radical quencher DPPH (diphenylpicrylhydrazyl). Both the redox potential and the antioxidative activity of the investigated compounds are influenced by their substituents. Compounds with the OH-group at position 3 are easiest to oxidize (E _p = 0.18 V; pH 7.4). The lag phases (AOA) of these compounds are five to ten times greater than those of the strong antioxidants ascorbic acid and Trolox^?. As suggested for other natural compounds, we also found a good correlation between the oxidation potential and the AOA. Therefore, it seems that a good antioxidative activity requires a low redox potential. Corresponding authors. E-mail: wurglics@pharmchem.uni-frankfurt.de Received March 1, 2002; accepted March 28, 2002     

Indirect electrochemical determination of antioxidant capacity with hexacyanoferrate(III) reduction using a gold nanoparticle-coated o-phenylenediamine-aniline copolymer electrode

In spite of the many unstandardized literature methods for the determination of the antioxidant activity/capacity (AOA/AOC) of food extracts, there are a very limited number of documented voltammetric nanosensors, despite the fact that commercial electrochemical devices for rapid AOA estimation are on the rise. The mechanism of the developed sensor is based on the chemical reduction of hexacyanoferrate(III) to hexacyanoferrate(II) by antioxidants, followed by the decrement of the cathodic current intensity of hexacyanoferrate(III) in proportion to antioxidant concentration. During voltammetric measurements, the surface of the glassy carbon electrode was coated with an o-phenylenediamine-aniline copolymer and gold nanoparticles were accumulated on this electrode surface to increase the conductivity. It was shown that the developed electrode gave a reversible voltammogram for the hexacyanoferrate(III)/(II) redox couple, and that the cathodic peaks due to strong antioxidants having a standard redox potential less than that of this couple (E^o < 0.36 V) continuously emerged at very close peak potentials. Single antioxidants as well as binary–ternary mixtures were analyzed with this electrode using square wave voltammetry. The trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacities of selected antioxidants were evaluated with this electrode. The modified voltammetric sensor allowed precise measurement of the total antioxidant capacity of plant tea samples such as green tea, lime, and coral moss, and was not interfered by the food preservative sulfite. The results of the developed voltammetric sensor were statistically compared with those of a reference differential pulse voltammetry-cupric reducing antioxidant capacity electrochemical method established in literature.     

使用本征值方法研究抗氧化剂的构效关系

利用本征值(EVA)方法对一组分子多样性较大的酚类或苯胺类抗氧化剂进行了理论研究,在未采用任何实验数据的情况下,研究结果接近于文献报道的QSAR模型,表明EVA方法是研究抗氧化剂抗氧化活性构效关系的良好工具.     

Antioxidant,antimicrobial, and tyrosinase inhibition activities of acetone extract of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ascophyllum nodosum</Emphasis>

The search for new antioxidants of natural origin derived from plants and seaweeds is still very important at present. In our study, the acetone extract of A. nodosum was investigated for its potential use as a natural antioxidant, natural feed additive with antibacterial activity and as a tyrosinase inhibitor. This study could be useful in the context of improved utilization of the A. nodosum extract in the food and cosmetics industry, being not only economically advantageous but also environmentally friendly. Extracts showed antioxidant activity with application of different methodologies: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrilhydracil DPPH· radicals scavenging (39 %, 4 mg of freeze-dried sample), β-carotene-linoleic acid antioxidant assay (11 %, 4 mg of freeze-dried sample), O₂· radicals scavenging activity (IC₅₀ 0.43 mg mL⁻¹), OH· radicals scavenging activity (IC₅₀ 1.55 mg mL⁻¹), and iron chelation ability (IC₅₀ 0.56 mg mL⁻¹). The extract showed considerable antibacterial activity being more effective against gram-positive bacteria (Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus) than against gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Enterococcus aerogenes). Results of tyrosinase assay for the acetone extract of Ascophyllum nodosum presented 65.6 % inhibition of tyrosinase activity at the IC₅₀ value of 0.1 mg mL⁻¹. The outcomes of our study support potential utilization of this brown seaweed as a source of natural antioxidants. Antioxidant activity of the studied seaweed can be apparently explained by the free radicals scavenging activity, particularly related to the mechanisms of O₂⁻· radicals scavenging activity, OH· radicals inactivation, and iron chelation ability.     

Rapid determination of anilines in water samples by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop prior to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A rapid, sensitive and environmentally friendly method for the analysis of 14 anilines in water samples by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop (DLLME-SFO) prior to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed and optimized. In the proposed method, cyclohexane was used as the extraction solvent as its toxicity was much lower than that of the solvent usually used in dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME). In the optimized conditions, the method exhibited good analytical performance. Based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, limits of detection for anilines were in the range of 0.07 to 0.29 μg L⁻¹, and the linear range was 0.5–200 μg L⁻¹ with regression coefficients (r ²) higher than 0.9977. It was efficient for qualitative and quantitative analysis of anilines in water samples. The relative standard deviations varied from 2.9 to 8.6 % depending on different compounds indicating good precision. Tap water and river water were selected for evaluating the application to real water samples. The relative recoveries of anilines for the two real samples spiked with 10 μg L⁻¹ anilines were in the scope of 78.2–114.6 % and 77.3–115.6 %, respectively.     

Interrelation between the chemical structure and antioxidant properties of N-substituted amides of salicylic acid

The kinetics of the initiated oxidation of a model lipid (methyl oleate has been investigated in the presence of a group of new “hybrid” structures, namely, N-substituted amides of salicylic acid whose structure contains an amide residue conjugated with, or separated by a bridging fragment (three methylene groups) from, an N-phenolic substituent. The compounds also differ in the degree of screening of the OH groups. The process was initiated by thermal decomposition of azobisisobutyronitrile at 60°C (initiation rate of w _i = 4.2 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ s⁻¹) or by UV irradiation (γ = 313−365 nm, w _i = 0.6 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ s⁻¹). The compounds examined exhibit antiradical activity owing to the presence of the phenolic hydroxyl groups. N-substituted salicylamides efficiently inhibit the overall methyl oleate oxidation process and are comparable in activity with dibunolum and α-tocopherol or are superior to them. The structures in which the residues of salicylamide and sterically hindered phenol are separated by the bridging fragment are particularly efficient. The advantages of the salicylamides absorbing at 300–365 nm manifest themselves in UV-initiated oxidation. The peroxidase activity of the N-substituted salicyl acid derivatives is determined by the structure of the amide moiety. The compounds examined here are new, promising, effective antioxidants, whose particular structural fragments act via different mechanisms in oxidation.     

A DFT study of ethylene polymerization by zirconocene catalysts

A DFT study of ethylene polymerization by zirconocene catalysts was carried out. Stationary points corresponding to intermediates and transition states were located on the potential energy surface of the [Cp₂ZrC₂H₅]⁺+C₂H₄ model system. Three possible reaction mechanisms involving the formation of β-agostic complexes were considered. The energy and thermodynamic characteristics for different reaction pathways were calculated. Corresponding activation energies lie in the range 3.9–6.8 kcal mol⁻¹. Published inIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1168–1177, July, 2000.     

Combined chromatographic strategy based on macroporous resin,high‐speed counter‐current chromatography and preparative HPLC for systematic separation of seven antioxidants from the fruit of Terminalia billerica

In the present study, combined chromatographic strategy based on macroporous resin, high‐speed counter‐current chromatography and preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography for systematic separation of antioxidants from crude samples guided by high‐performance liquid chromatography with 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl has been successfully established. Based on this strategy, seven antioxidants including isorugosin A, _β‐1,2,3,6‐tetragalloyl‐D ‐glucose, chebulinic acid, 1,2,3,4,6‐penta‐O‐galloyl‐_β‐D‐glucose, chebulagic acid, ethyl gallate, and gallic acid were obtained from the fruit of Terminalia billerica. First, high‐performance liquid chromatography with 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl experiment showed the presence of seven main antioxidants in the crude extract of the fruit of Terminalia billerica. Then, a macroporous resin column chromatography method was developed for the enrichment of these seven antioxidants. Finally, an efficient method based on high‐speed counter‐current chromatography and preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography was developed for the separation of these antioxidants. In the selection of solvent systems, it was found that acetic acid could be a good regulator for modifying the partition coefficient values of tannins. The present study provides a reference for systematic separation of antioxidants from crude samples. Considering the general existence of antioxidants in crude samples, this combined chromatographic strategy might lead to broader application prospects.     

稀土-全反式维甲酸-精氨酸三元配合物的合成、表征及抗肿瘤活性研究

合成了4种新型稀土三元固体配合物:REL2L′Cl·nH2O(RE:Nd3+、Eu3+、La3+、Sc3+;L=全反式维甲酸;L′=L-精氨酸阳离子),并对其进行红外光谱、紫外光谱、荧光光谱、元素分析和TG-DTA等测试。利用3-(4,5-二甲基噻唑-2)-2,5-二苯基四氮唑溴盐(MTT)测试方法,初步探讨了配合物对体外培养的人肝癌细胞HepG2、人肺癌细胞A549和人宫颈癌细胞Hela生长的影响。结果表明:4种稀土配合物和稀土硝酸盐、配体全反式维甲酸和L-精氨酸盐酸盐对3种癌细胞株的生长都有一定的抑制作用,但在一定的浓度范围内,三元固体配合物的抑制效果明显优于稀土硝酸盐和2种配体;稀土配合物对3种癌细胞株生长的抑制作用基本上随配合物浓度的增大而增强;在浓度为1 mmol·L-1时,4种配合物对3种肿瘤细胞的抑制率超过60%,ScL2L′Cl配合物表现出最强的作用,抑制率在80%以上。通过荧光,粘度和紫外光谱方法研究了配合物与药物靶分子DNA的相互作用,结果表明配合物与DNA以嵌入的方式相互作用,推测配合物抗肿瘤活性的起效与这种嵌入DNA双螺旋结构的作用方式有关     

Consensus model for identification of novel PI3K inhibitors in large chemical library

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) inhibitors have treatment potential for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammation and asthma. A consensus model consisting of three base classifiers (AODE, kNN, and SVM) trained with 1,283 positive compounds (PI3K inhibitors), 16 negative compounds (PI3K non-inhibitors) and 64,078 generated putative negatives was developed for predicting compounds with PI3K inhibitory activity of IC₅₀ ≤ 10 μM. The consensus model has an estimated false positive rate of 0.75%. Nine novel potential inhibitors were identified using the consensus model and several of these contain structural features that are consistent with those found to be important for PI3K inhibitory activities. An advantage of the current model is that it does not require knowledge of 3D structural information of the various PI3K isoforms, which is not readily available for all isoforms.     

Hybrid macromolecular antioxidants based on hydrophilic polymers and sterically hindered phenols

A novel class of biologically active substances was created. These are hybrid macromolecular antioxidants (HMAO) based on hydrophilic polymers with chemically grafted sterically hindered phenols with different structural parameters. The antiradical activities of HMAO were assessed in reactions with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and the corresponding sodium sulfonate in various solvents. The mechanism that explains the substantially enhanced activities of HMAO in water was proposed. The state of HMAO in solutions was studied by viscosimetry and photon correlation spectroscopy. HMAO were assayed in biological models. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 751–760, April, 2007.     

Study of reaction of gossypol and its imino derivatives with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl

Structures and state in solutions of natural polyphenol gossypol and four its imino derivatives, three of which were synthesized for the first time, were studied by IR and NMR spectroscopy, and by quantum chemistry. The reaction of these compounds with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) in ethanol was examined. The antioxidant activity of the studied compounds in the reaction with DPPH was evaluated using the values of the stoichiometric coefficients of reaction, EC₅₀, T ₁^2/DPPH and AE parameters. Gossypol hydrazones were shown to be 5–10 times more efficient, while Schiff base to be less efficient as antioxidants in comparison with gossypol itself. The influence of metal cations on the antioxidant activity of gossypol derivatives was studied.     

Mechanism and kinetics of the production of hydroxymethyl hydroperoxide in ethene/ozone/water gas-phase system

The mechanism and kinetics of the production of hydroxymethyl hydroperoxide (HMHP) in ethene/ ozone/water gas-phase system were investigated at room temperature (298±2 K) and atmospheric pressure (1×105 Pa). The reactants were monitored in situ by long path FTIR spectroscopy. Peroxides were measured by an HPLC post-column fluorescence technique after sampling with a cold trap. The rate constants (k3) of reaction CH2O2 H2O→HMHP (R3) determined by fitting model calculations to ex-perimental data range from (1.6―6.0)×10?17 cm3·molecule?1·s?1. Moreover, a theoretical study of reac-tion (R3) was performed using density functional theory at QCISD(T)/6-311 (2d,2p)//B3LYP/6-311 G(2d, 2p) level of theory. Based on the calculation of the reaction potential energy surface and intrinsic reac-tion coordinates, the classic transitional state theory (TST) derived k3 (kTST), canonical variational tran-sition state theory (CVT) derived k3 (kCVT), and the corrected kCVT with small-curvature tunneling (kCVT/SCT) were calculated using Polyrate Version 8.02 program to be 2.47×10-17, 2.47×10-17 and 5.22×10-17 cm3·molecule-1·s-1, respectively, generally in agreement with those fitted by the model.     

Zymotis,a large scale solid state fermenter design and evaluation

A novel design of a large scale solid state fermenter, designated asZymotis—the condensed term based on Greek word “Zymothiras,” which means the fermenter, offers efficient control of various fermentation parameters such as temperature, moisture, and aeration of the fermenting moist solids. A large quantity of metabolic heat can be easily removed by the novel cooling system employed. The unit can be operated at different capacities simply by adding or removing the compartments. Its evaluation at different capacities for cellulase production byTrichoderma harzianum gave similar performance as in the parallel fermentation under optimized parameters in laboratory scale column fermenter of high efficiency. The design is entirely different from all the known fermenter designs and is of potential promise in facilitating scale up of solid state fermentation for leading to industrial exploitation and harvesting numerous socioeconomic advantages of the system.     

Electron diffraction study of molecular structure and inversion potential for 1,1-dimethylsilacyclobutane and 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-1,3-disilacyclobutane

The geometrical parameters for 1,1-dimethylsilacyclobiitane and 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-13-disilacyclobutune are detemiined by gas phase electron diffraction analysis using a dynamic model, which considers ring inversion as a large-amplitude motion. The structural and potential function parameters were refined with allowance for molecular geometry relaxation estimated by quantum chemical calculations with an HF/6-311G** basis. The potential function of 1,1-dim ethylsilacyclobutane is represented as V(ϕ) = V₀[(ϕ/ϕ_e)² − 1]² with V₀ = 1.3 ± 1.2 kcallmole and ϕ_e = 29.7±4.5°, where ϕ is the ring puckering angle. A more reliable estimate for the height of the barrier (V₀ = 0.56 kcallmole) was obtained by solving the one-dimensional quantum vibrational problem and by fitting the frequency of the 0 →2 transition to the experimental value. For 1,1,3,3-tetram ethyl-1,3-disilacyclobutane, the potential function is adequately represented bx V(ϕ) = Aϕ², where A = (4.9 ± 1.8) · 10⁻⁴ kcall(mole · deg²) with a minimum coiresponding to a planar ring conformation with ϕ = 0°. The calculated structural parameters are compared with the data for related compounds. Translated fromZhumal Struktumoi Khimii. Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 269–284, March–April, 2000     

Profiling of the reactive oxygen species-related ecotoxicity of CuO, ZnO, TiO2, silver and fullerene nanoparticles using a set of recombinant luminescent Escherichia coli strains: differentiating the impact of particles and solubilised metals

We propose a novel combination of high-throughput luminescent bacterial tests for the evaluation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating potential of engineered nanoparticles (eNPs) and the role of solubilised metal ions in this process. The set of tests consists of differently engineered recombinant Escherichia coli strains: (1) a new sensor strain, which bioluminescence is induced by superoxide anions; (2) six recombinant E. coli strains (superoxide dismutase (sod) single, double and triple mutants and a respective wild-type strain), transformed with luxCDABE genes responding to toxic compounds by decreasing their luminescence; and (3) three strains in which bioluminescence is specifically induced by bioavailable metals (Cu, Zn and Ag). The applicability of this battery of tests in profiling oxidative potential of eNPs was evaluated on nTiO₂, nCuO, nZnO and nAg (25, 30, 70 and <100 nm, respectively) NPs and fullerenes. As controls for the size or solubility, the bulk formulations (bTiO₂, bCuO and bZnO) and soluble salts (ZnSO₄, CuSO₄ and AgNO₃) were also analysed. Bacterial toxicity tests showed that nCuO was four-fold more toxic, and nAg was 15-fold more toxic to triple sod mutant than to wild type (2-h EC₅₀ values were 8.1 and 2.0 mg Cu l⁻¹, respectively, and 46 and 3.1 mg Ag l⁻¹, respectively). Formation of ROS by nCuO and nAg was proved by superoxide anion-inducible strain. The metal sensor bacteria showed that the ROS formation by CuO NPs was caused by solubilised Cu ions, but in case of nAg, particles also had an effect. nZnO was remarkably more toxic to sod triple mutant than to wild type strain (2-h EC₅₀ were 4.5 and 54 mg Zn l⁻¹, respectively). Fullerenes inhibited the bioluminescence of sod triple mutant at 3,882 mg l⁻¹ but had no effect on the wild-type strain even at 20,800 mg l⁻¹. Nano and bTiO₂ showed some effect on viability of bacteria only at high concentrations (>4,000 mg l⁻¹) although nTiO₂ (but not bTiO₂) induced the bioluminescence of the superoxide anion sensing bacteria starting from 100 mg l⁻¹. Thus, our innovative combined approach is expected to provide more consistent and informative data concerning the general toxicity, ROS-production potential and also solubilisation of metals in the case of metallic NPs.     

Preparation of α-santonin and estafiatin derivatives and their effect on biochemiluminescence kinetics

The anti-oxidant activity (AOA) of α-santonin, estafiatin, and their derivatives is studied by induced biochemiluminescence. A relationship is found between the AOA and molecular structure of the synthesized compounds. Institute of Phytochemistry, Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Republic of Kazakhstan, Karaganda, fax (3212) 433773, e-mail: arglabin@phyto.karaganga.su. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 738–742, November–December, 1999.     

Kohn-Sham potentials corresponding to Slater and Gaussian basis set densities

A new method based on linear response theory is proposed for the determination of the Kohn-Sham potential corresponding to a given electron density. The method is very precise and affords a comparison between Kohn-Sham potentials calculated from correlated reference densities expressed in Slater-(STO) and Gaussian-type orbitals (GTO). In the latter case the KS potential exhibits large oscillations that are not present in the exact potential. These oscillations are related to similar oscillations in the local error function δ _i (r)=(−ɛ _i )ϕ _i (r) when SCF orbitals (either Kohn-Sham or Hartree-Fock) are expressed in terms of Gaussian basis functions. Even when using very large Gaussian basis sets, the oscillations are such that extreme care has to be exercised in order to distinguish genuine characteristics of the KS potential, such as intershell peaks in atoms, from the spurious oscillations. For a density expressed in GTOs, the Laplacian of the density will exhibit similar spurious oscillations. A previously proposed iterative local updating method for generating the Kohn-Sham potential is evaluated by comparison with the present accurate scheme. For a density expressed in GTOs, it is found to yield a smooth “average” potential after a limited number of cycles. The oscillations that are peculiar to the GTO density are constructed in a slow process requiring very many cycles. Received: 24 February 1997 / Accepted: 18 June 1997     

Photooxidative dehydrogenation of Δ8-drimen-and Δ8-11-homodrimen-7-ones into α,α ′-dienones

An efficient two-step procedure for photooxidative dehydrogenation of drimane and 11-homodrimane compounds containing an 8-en-7-one structural unit into α,α′-dienones was elaborated. The method is based on the transformation of ketones into the respective enol acetates followed by photosensitized oxygenation. Methyl 7-oxo-11-homodrima-5,8-dien-12-oate, 5,6-dehydro-7-ketoisodrimenine, 11-acetoxydrima-5,8-dien-7-one and 11,12-diacetoxydrima-5,8-dien-7-one were prepared in high yields starting from methyl 7-oxo-11-homodrim-8-en-12-oate, 7-oxoisodrimenine, 11-hydroxydrim-8-en-7-one and 11,12-diacetoxydrim-8-en-7-one, respectively. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 678–682, April, 2006.