Innovative Cross-Linked Polyurethane Networks Based on Cyclodextrins and Polyethylene Glycols: Inclusion Capacity and Potential Use as Controlled Release Carrier for Nifedipine

Summary: Polymers derived from cyclodextrins show several biomedical applications. In this paper, six cross-linked polyurethane networks based on β-cyclodextrin (βCD) or hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) and polyethylene glycols (PEG 400, PEG 1500 or PEG 4000) were synthesized by the usual two-step polymerization method. The polymers were characterized by Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The inclusion capacity was evaluated by the discoloration method of a phenolphthalein solution. In order to explore their potential use as controlled drug delivery systems, dissolution profiles and release behavior of inclusion complexes between PUR/TDI/βCD/PEG4000 or PUR/TDI/HPβCD/PEG1500 and nifedipine (NIF) were investigated. FTIR assignments confirmed the formation of urethane linkages. XRD patterns revealed that the crystallinity decreased mainly due to the crosslinking process. TGA showed three stages of mass loss attributed to water loss, cleavage of urethane bonds and volatilization of decomposition products. The inclusion capacity of cyclodextrins cross-linked with polyurethane was suitably maintained. Dissolution profiles demonstrated that the inclusion complexes PUR/TDI/βCD/PEG4000-NIF and PUR/TDI/HPβCD/PEG1500-NIF are feasible systems for controlling drug release, showing a biexponential release behavior.     

Spirodiclofen Derivatives as Highly Potential Acaricides:Synthesis,Structure and Bioactivity

A series of new compounds as highly potential acaricides was synthesized based on the structure of spirodiclofen. Their structures were identified by 1H NMR spectroscopy and element analysis. The bioassay indicated that most of the compounds exhibited excellent acaricidal activities, what's more, the bioactivities of some new compounds were better than that of the commercial spirodiclofen at a concentration of 20μg/mL. The relationship between structure and biological activity was also discussed.     

Arbutin: Occurrence in Plants,and Its Potential as an Anticancer Agent

Arbutin, a hydroquinone glucoside, has been detected in ca. 50 plant families, especially in the plants of the Asteraceae, Ericaceae, Proteaceae and Rosaceae families. It is one of the most widely used natural skin-whitening agents. In addition to its skin whitening property, arbutin possesses other therapeutically relevant biological properties, e.g., antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, as well as anticancer potential. This review presents, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of the distribution of arbutin in the plant kingdom and critically appraises its therapeutic potential as an anticancer agent based on the literature published until the end of August 2022, accessed via several databases, e.g., Web of Science, Science Direct, Dictionary of Natural Products, PubMed and Google Scholar. The keywords used in the search were arbutin, cancer, anticancer, distribution and hydroquinone. Published outputs suggest that arbutin has potential anticancer properties against bladder, bone, brain, breast, cervix, colon, liver, prostate and skin cancers and a low level of acute or chronic toxicity.     

Inspired by Grape Seed and Wine: Tannic Acid as a Modified Coating for Fabricating Highly Flexible,Transparent and Conductive Film

The application of transparent conductive films in flexible electronics has shown promising prospects recently. Tannic acid(TA) was successfully applied to modifying the surface of polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) to fhbricate highly flexible, transparent and conductive Ag nanowires(NWs) based films. TA modification transformed the PDMS surface from hydrophobicity into hydrophilicity without decreasing the transparence. A sheet resistance(Rs) of 80 Ω/cm^2 with an optical transmittance of 94% was achieved, which was superior to that of indium tin oxide(ITO) films. More importantly, the TA layer enhanced the interaction between Ag NWs and the PDMS substrate. The Ag NWs films on TA modified PDMS substrate exhibited excellent stability in Rs when subjected to a bending test.     

Rapid and Cheap Synthesis of Benzimidazoles via Intermittent Microwave Promotion: A Simple and Potential Industrial Application of Air as Oxidant

Using inexpensive KI as the catalyst in the presence of ambient air, benzimidazoles were synthesized from aromatic aldehydes and o-phenylenediamine with excellent yields via intermittent microwave irradiation without reflux equipment. The synthesis process was mild and only needed only a short reaction time (7–10 min). As a simple example of the utilization of molecular oxygen under mild conditions, this method provides a novel way to synthesize benzimidazoles. The industrial synthesis of benzimidazoles may be realized by a cycle of microwave irradiation.     

By-Product of the Red Ginseng Manufacturing Process as Potential Material for Use as Cosmetics: Chemical Profiling and In Vitro Antioxidant and Whitening Activities

Red ginseng (RG), which is obtained from heated Panax ginseng and is produced by steaming followed by drying, is a valuable herb in Asian countries. Steamed ginseng dew (SGD) is a by-product produced in processing red ginseng. In the present study, phytochemical profiling of extracts of red ginseng and steamed ginseng dew was carried out using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (RRLC-Q-TOF-MS) analysis. Additionally, antioxidant activities (DPPH, ·OH, and ABTS scavenging ability) and whitening activities (tyrosinase and elastase inhibitory activity) were analyzed. Phytochemical profiling revealed the presence of 66 and 28 compounds that were non-saponin components in chloroform extracts of red ginseng and steamed ginseng dew (RG-CE and SGD-CE), respectively. Meanwhile, there were 20 ginsenosides identified in n-butanol extracts of red ginseng and steamed ginseng dew (RG-NBE and SGD-NBE). By comparing the different polar extracts of red ginseng and steamed ginseng dew, it was found that the ethyl acetate extract of red ginseng (RG-EAE) had the best antioxidant capacity and whitening effect, the water extract of steamed ginseng dew (SGD-WE) had stronger antioxidant capacity, and the SGD-NBE and SGD-CE had a better whitening effect. This study shows that RG and SGD have tremendous potential to be used in the cosmetic industries.     

Potential Use of Tea Tree Oil as a Disinfectant Agent against Coronaviruses: A Combined Experimental and Simulation Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the relevance of proper disinfection procedures and renewed interest in developing novel disinfectant materials as a preventive strategy to limit SARS-CoV-2 contamination. Given its widely known antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties, Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil, also named Tea tree oil (TTO), is recognized as a potential effective and safe natural disinfectant agent. In particular, the proposed antiviral activity of TTO involves the inhibition of viral entry and fusion, interfering with the structural dynamics of the membrane and with the protein envelope components. In this study, for the first time, we demonstrated the virucidal effects of TTO against the feline coronavirus (FCoVII) and the human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43), both used as surrogate models for SARS-CoV-2. Then, to atomistically uncover the possible effects exerted by TTO compounds on the outer surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virion, we performed Gaussian accelerated Molecular Dynamics simulations of a SARS-CoV-2 envelope portion, including a complete model of the Spike glycoprotein in the absence or presence of the three main TTO compounds (terpinen-4-ol, γ-terpinene, and 1,8-cineole). The obtained results allowed us to hypothesize the mechanism of action of TTO and its possible use as an anti-coronavirus disinfectant agent.     

pH-Dependent Chalcogenopyrylium Dyes as Potential Sensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy: Selective Retention in Tumors by Exploiting pH Differences between Tumor and Normal Tissue

Ideal photosensitizers have long-wavelength absorption and strong tumor selectivity with rapid clearance from normal tissues. The telluroselenopyrylium dye 1 that absorbs light at 795 nm (epsilon = 285,000 M-1 cm-1) has a novel property that enhances the tumor specificity and normal tissue clearance. After intralesional injection to both tumors and surrounding skin, it disappeared from the normal skin of BALB/c mice faster than it did from subcutaneously implanted Colon 26 tumors, which resulted in therapeutic selectivity. In vivo reflectance spectroscopy showed that the half-life in tumor was about 50 min while in skin it was around 12 min. This phenomenon appears to be related to the pH differences in normal skin versus tumor, because the rates of drug hydrolysis in solution were shown to be sensitive to changes in pH. Inhibition of tumor regrowth following intratumoral photosensitizer administration depended on both light dose and drug dose, as well as the time interval between dye injection and irradiation; selectivity depended on the time interval. Although treatment parameters were not optimized efficacy was superior to systemic Photofrin under our standard conditions. We discuss how new, more optimal, photosensitizers can be designed that use rates of hydrolysis to exploit the differences in pH between normal tissue and tumor.     

Highly Efficient Organosuperbase-Catalyzed Mannich-type Reactions of Sulfonylimidates with Imines: Successful Use of Aliphatic Imines as Substrates and a Unique Reaction Mechanism

First walk, then run! Highly efficient organosuperbase-catalyzed Mannich-type reactions of sulfonylimidates with readily prepared Boc-protected imines have been developed. The desired products were obtained in high yield and with high anti selectivity. Mechanistic studies show an induction period for the catalyzed reaction, and that the organosuperbase works as an initiator.     

Use of cyclohexanone oxime as an oxidant in redox polymerization: Kinetics of oxidation and polymerization

Cyclohexanone oxime was employed as an oxidant in combination with Vanadium (III) as a redox initiator system for the polymerization of AN and MMA. Kinetics were investigated in aqueous sulphuric acid medium and mechanisms for oxidation and polymerization were proposed. Michaelis–Menten kinetics were evident from the rates of oxidation with protonation of oxime being the noncompetitive complexation. A mechanism involving monomer in the initiating radical production step and mutual termination of growing radicals was proposed to account for the fractional orders in the initiator concentration and the monomer exponents higher than unity.     

The Therapeutic Potential of Carnosine as an Antidote against Drug-Induced Cardiotoxicity and Neurotoxicity: Focus on Nrf2 Pathway

Different drug classes such as antineoplastic drugs (anthracyclines, cyclophosphamide, 5-fluorouracil, taxanes, tyrosine kinase inhibitors), antiretroviral drugs, antipsychotic, and immunosuppressant drugs are known to induce cardiotoxic and neurotoxic effects. Recent studies have demonstrated that the impairment of the nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway is a primary event in the pathophysiology of drug-induced cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity. The Nrf2 pathway regulates the expression of different genes whose products are involved in antioxidant and inflammatory responses and the detoxification of toxic species. Cardiotoxic drugs, such as the anthracycline doxorubicin, or neurotoxic drugs, such as paclitaxel, suppress or impair the Nrf2 pathway, whereas the rescue of this pathway counteracts both the oxidative stress and inflammation that are related to drug-induced cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity. Therefore Nrf2 represents a novel pharmacological target to develop new antidotes in the field of clinical toxicology. Interestingly, carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine), an endogenous dipeptide that is characterized by strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties is able to rescue/activate the Nrf2 pathway, as demonstrated by different preclinical studies and preliminary clinical evidence. Starting from these new data, in the present review, we examined the evidence on the therapeutic potential of carnosine as an endogenous antidote that is able to rescue the Nrf2 pathway and then counteract drug-induced cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity.     

Simultaneous Electroanalysis of Hypochlorite and H2O2: Use of I−/I2 as a Probing Potential Buffer

Sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) have been simultaneously analyzed, for the first time, using a simple and rapid potentiometric method. The present method shows a high sensitivity, selectivity and satisfactory reproducibility. Pt electrode was used as an indicator electrode and the I₂/I^? redox couple was used as a probing potential buffer. The large difference in the rates of the oxidation of I^? by the two oxidizing agents, that is, the oxidation of I^? by NaClO is by several orders of magnitude faster than that by H₂O₂, enabled the selective analysis of these two species. Based on such a large difference in the rates, a momentary potential response corresponding to the oxidation of I^? by NaClO and another quite slow one by H₂O₂ could be obtained. Factors affecting the selectivity as well as the sensitivity, such as the concentrations of molybdate (used as catalyst for the oxidation of I^? by H₂O₂), H⁺, I₂, and I^? in the potential buffer were examined. The expected Nernstian responses were obtained over a considerable range of the concentrations of the two oxidizing agents with slopes of 30.5 and 29.9 mV for NaClO and H₂O₂, respectively (in a close agreement with the theoretical value, that is, 29.6 mV) and with a detection limit in the submicromolar range (0.2 μM).     

Highly Concentrated Aqueous Dispersions of Graphene Exfoliated by Sodium Taurodeoxycholate: Dispersion Behavior and Potential Application as a Catalyst Support for the Oxygen‐Reduction Reaction

A high‐yielding exfoliation of graphene at high concentrations in aqueous solutions is critical for both fundamental study and future applications. Herein, we demonstrate the formation of stable aqueous dispersions of pristine graphene by using the surfactant sodium taurodeoxycholate under tip sonication at concentrations of up to 7.1 mg mL^?1. TEM showed that about 8 % of the graphene flakes consisted of monolayers and 82 % of the flakes consisted of less than five layers. The dispersions were stable regardless of freezing (?20 °C) or heat treatment (80 °C) for 24 h. The concentration could be significantly improved to about 12 mg mL^?1 by vacuum‐evaporation of the dispersions at ambient temperature. The as‐prepared graphene dispersions were readily cast into conductive films and were also processed to prepare Pt/graphene nanocomposites that were used as highly active electrocatalysts for the oxygen‐reduction reaction.     

Use of copper and gold electrodes as sensitive elements for fabrication of an electronic tongue: Discrimination of wines and whiskies

A low-cost method is proposed to classify wine and whisky samples using a disposable voltammetric electronic tongue that was fabricated using gold and copper substrates and a pattern recognition technique (Principal Component Analysis). The proposed device was successfully used to discriminate between expensive and cheap whisky samples and to detect adulteration processes using only a copper electrode. For wines, the electronic tongue was composed of copper and gold working electrodes and was able to classify three different brands of wine and to make distinctions regarding the wine type, i.e., dry red, soft red, dry white and soft white brands.     

Unexpected Cyclization of Dipyridyl-glycoluril in the Presence of Formaldehyde and Strong Acid: A New Scaffold with a Potential as an Anion Receptor

In an attempted synthesis of peripherally pyridine-substituted cucurbituril, an unexpected cyclized product was obtained. A careful NMR analysis followed by mass spectrometry and preliminary crystallographic analyses, helped us in resolving the structure. The structure has two quaternized pyridine functionalities and a groove suitable as a potential receptor site. In addition, just like the parent glycoluril structure, two remaining urea-derived nitrogens can be alkylated by alkyl halides. Thus, we believe this high yielding reaction may become an entry point to a new class of anion receptors.