A highly sensitive GC–MS method for simultaneous determination of anacardic acids in cashew (Anacardium occidentale) nut shell oil in the presence of other phenolic lipid derivatives

The commercial value of cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) has become a cornerstone of the agrowaste industry. It is the by‐product of the cashew industry and has an 1/8 inch thickness of soft honeycomb structure. CNSL contains phenolic lipids with aliphatic chains such as anacardic acid, cardanol, cardol and methyl cardol, and their derivatives. The developed GC–MS method is rapid, accurate and selective using a selected derivatizing reagent, namely N‐methyl‐N‐(trimethylsilyl)‐trifluoroacetamide that was previously diluted 1:1% with anhydrous pyridine. The proposed GC–MS method was applied for the analysis of different CNSL samples. The results showed that all classes of CNSL compounds were detected. The four alkyl phenols were detected with their different alkyl sidechains without any interference. This method is also specified for the detection of fatty acids of saturated and unsaturated chains. Silylation did not cause any alteration in the chemical structure of CNSL compounds regardless of esterification action. Silylation is considered a safe derivatizing agent compatible with GC chromatography and specific for all volatile and nonvolatile polar and nonpolar CNSL compounds that could be detected in CNSL samples.     

Amphiphilic antioxidants from "cashew nut shell liquid" (CNSL) waste

Hydrogenated cardanol and cardols, contained in industrial grade cardanol oil and obtained by distillation of the raw "cashew nut shell liquid" (CNSL), are easily transformed into efficient 4-thiaflavane antioxidants bearing a long alkyl chain on A ring and a catechol group on B ring.     

天然生物质腰果壳液的分离研究进展

天然生物质腰果壳液中的主要组分腰果酚可替代石油酚,广泛应用于油田、涂料等领域;腰果酸和强心酚具有较高的反应活性,通过化学改性,可广泛应用于医药和材料领域,且各组分均具有很好的生物降解性。然而,各组分的精确分离成为腰果壳液广泛应用的关键。本文通过对国内外腰果壳液的分离方法的系统总结,综述了腰果酚、腰果酸、强心酚的精细分离方法以及其优缺点,并对各组分的应用前景进行了简单的介绍和展望,为这类来源广泛的生物质的应用提供理论支持。     

CNSL,a Promising Building Blocks for Sustainable Molecular Design of Surfactants: A Critical Review

Surfactants are crystallizing a certain focus for consumer interest, and their market is still expected to grow by 4 to 5% each year. Most of the time these surfactants are of petroleum origin and are not often biodegradable. Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) is a promising non-edible renewable resource, directly extracted from the shell of the cashew nut. The interesting structure of CNSL and its components (cardanol, anacardic acid and cardol) lead to the synthesis of biobased surfactants. Indeed, non-ionic, anionic, cationic and zwitterionic surfactants based on CNSL have been reported in the literature. Even now, CNSL is absent or barely mentioned in specialized review or chapters talking about synthetic biobased surfactants. Thus, this review focuses on CNSL as a building block for the synthesis of surfactants. In the first part, it describes and criticizes the synthesis of molecules and in the second part, it compares the efficiency and the properties (CMC, surface tension, kraft temperature, biodegradability) of the obtained products with each other and with commercial ones.     

Monodisperse copper‐ and silver‐nanocolloids suitable for heat‐conductive fluids

Copper colloid was prepared via reductive stabilization. The suspension of the trioctylaluminum‐stabilized copper colloid was peptized using Korantin SH and cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL). Fluids with particle sizes <10 nm were obtained with Korantin and 7–15 nm in the case of CNSL. However, the copper colloid is air sensitive. A very straightforward one‐step method leads to air‐stable silver nanofluids. Thermal decomposition of silver lactate in the presence of Korantin SH and mineral oil as the medium gave a silver nanofluid. Silver particle formation and air stability were monitored using UV–VIS spectroscopy. The presence of monodispersed spherical silver nanoparticles was confirmed. Transmission electron microscopy showed a two‐dimensional assembly of the silver particles with a size distribution of 9.5 ± 0.7 nm. FTIR has revealed information about the interaction between the surfactant and the silver surface. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Novel Donepezil–Arylsulfonamide Hybrids as Multitarget-Directed Ligands for Potential Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most devastating neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by multiple pathological features. Therefore, multi-target drug discovery has been one of the most active fields searching for new effective anti-AD therapies. Herein, a series of hybrid compounds are reported which were designed and developed by combining an aryl-sulfonamide function with a benzyl-piperidine moiety, the pharmacophore of donepezil (a current anti-AD acetylcholinesterase AChE inhibitor drug) or its benzyl-piperazine analogue. The in vitro results indicate that some of these hybrids achieve optimized activity towards two main AD targets, by displaying excellent AChE inhibitory potencies, as well as the capability to prevent amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation. Some of these hybrids also prevented Aβ-induced cell toxicity. Significantly, drug-like properties were predicted, including for blood-brain permeability. Compound 9 emerged as a promising multi-target lead compound (AChE inhibition (IC₅₀ 1.6 μM); Aβ aggregation inhibition 60.7%). Overall, this family of hybrids is worthy of further exploration, due to the wide biological activity of sulfonamides.     

Thiophosphate esters of cashew nutshell liquid derivatives as new antioxidants for poly(methyl methacrylate)

In this work, poly(methyl methacrylate) films 1% additivated with new thiophosphate esters antioxidants derived from technical Cashew Nutshell Liquid (CNSL), a byproduct of the cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale L.) industry, were investigated by thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements under inert (N₂) and oxidative (synthetic air) atmospheres. Three new products were synthesized and characterized by GC/MS, ¹H and ³¹P NMR. The analyses were focused on the onset (T _e) and offset temperature (T _o) of degradation of the films, and on the maximum degradation temperature (T _MAX). It was observed that the thermal stability of the films increased with the addition of the thiophosphate ester antioxidants, which indicates that CNSL could be used as a natural source of phenolic material for the synthesis of antioxidants.     

Thermal evaluation of cashew nutshell liquid as new bioadditives for poly(methyl methacrylate)

In this study, the thermal-oxidative stability of poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, 1 % additivated with replenishable phenolic lipids is evaluated by thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) analyses and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses. Since technical cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), a byproduct from the cashew industry, is composed basically of two phenolic lipids, cardanol and cardol, the utilization of this industrial waste and its main components as a new source of bioadditives for use as antioxidants is evaluated. The TG analyses revealed that addition of the phenolic constituent of CNSL increased the thermal stability of PMMA films considerably. The results obtained were also confirmed by DSC analyses.     

Dual-responsive shape memory and self-healing ability of a novel copolymer from epoxy/cashew nut shell liquid and polycaprolactone

In this work, the blends of epoxy (EP) and polycaprolactone (PCL) with a bio-based curing agent, viz. cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) were studied for their dual-responsive shape memory and self-healing behaviors. The suitable EP/CNSL weight ratio was observed at 70/30. The increase of PCL content up to 20 wt% in EP-CNSL matrix significantly enhanced the shape memory response to both thermal and chemical stimuli. All specimens showed 100% thermo-responsive shape recovery and the recovery time decreased with increasing PCL content. In the case of chemo-responsive shape memory, the immersion times spent for 100% shape recovery in water and methanol substantially decreased when PCL was added. Moreover, after thermal treatment, the EP-CNSL matrix with 20 wt% PCL showed significant self-healing ability with high tensile strength recovery at 93.70%. The EP-CNSL/PCL copolymer could be a promising alternative bio-related smart material for various applications such as dual-activated sensors and coatings with self-healing ability.     

A Novel Based-Network Strategy to Identify Phytochemicals from Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (Danshen) for Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disease that strikes millions worldwide. Herein, we demonstrate a new approach based on network target to identify anti-AD compounds from Danshen. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were employed to establish the DS-AD network, which mainly involved apoptosis of neuron cells. Then network scoring was confirmed via Connectivity Map analysis. M308 (Danshenxinkun D) was an anti-AD candidate with a high score (p < 0.01). Furthermore, we conducted ex vivo experiments with H₂O₂-treated PC12 cells to verify the neuroprotective effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza-containing plasma (SMP), and UPLC-Q-TOF/MS and RT-qPCR were performed to demonstrate the anti-AD activity of M308 from SMP. Results revealed that SMP could enhance cell viability and level of acetylcholine. AO/EB staining and Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) analysis showed that SMP significantly suppressed apoptosis, which may be due to anti-oxidative stress activity. Moreover, the effects of M308 and SMP on expressions of PSEN1, DRD2, and APP mRNA were consistent, and M308 can significantly reverse the expression of PSEN1 and DRD2 mRNA in H₂O₂-treated PC12 cells. The strategy based on the network could be employed to identify anti-AD compounds from Chinese herbs. Notably, M308 stands out as a promising anti-AD candidate for development.     

Thermal study of phenol–formaldehyde resin modified with cashew nut shell liquid

In this study, an experimental phenol–formaldehyde resin with 20% phenol replacement by cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) was studied and compared with a conventional phenol–formaldehyde resin synthesized totally from petrochemical raw materials. The resins were characterized with standard lab analysis for their physicochemical specifications, while their thermal properties were studied with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For comparison reasons pure CNSL and wood were also included in the TGA study. A DSC study conducted both for the neat resins and the system wood–resin as to examine the effect of wood on the curing performance of the resins in the real time conditions of their usage at the wood-based panels industry.The adhesion strength of these resins was investigated by their application in plywood production. The plywood panels were tested for their shear strength and wood failure performance while their free formaldehyde emissions were determined with the desiccator method. It was proved that although the neat CNSL modified PF resin (PCF) cures at longer time and higher temperature than a conventional PF resin, wood affects it more significantly, resulting in the evening of their curing performance. This is a novel finding that manifests the possibility of replacing a convention PF resin by a CNSL modified one in the plywood production, without changing any of their production conditions and with improvement to their overall properties.     

Thermo-oxidative evaluation of new cardol derivatives as antioxidants for mineral oils

In this study, the thermo-oxidative stability of two new phosphorylated derivatives of cardol, a compound from the cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) industry waste CNSL (cashew nutshell liquid), were evaluated. The antioxidant capacity of these new molecules upon two mineral oils, NH10 and NH20 were also studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTG), observing the onset and offset temperatures variation. The results showed that both MP and DP Cardol increased considerably the onset and offset temperatures of NH10 and NH20 oils.     

Integration of metabolomics and network pharmacology to validate the mechanism of Schisandra chinensis（Turcz.）Baill - Acorus tatarinowii Schott ameliorating the Alzheimer's disease by regulating the aromatase activity to affect local estrogen in brain of AD model rats

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a latent and progressive neurodegenerative disease. Schisandra chinensis（Turcz.）Baill - Acorus tatarinowii Schott (Sc-At) are effective in treating neurological disorders.Purpose of this study is to explore the mechanism of Sc-At in AD treatment. First, untargeted ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time of flight/mass spectrometer (UPLC-QTOF/MS) metabolomics was employed to detect the rat brain metabolism. Then, network pharmacology was used to determine the potential anti-AD targets. Bioinformatics, and molecular docking were conducted for further analysis. A MetScape study examined the association between differential metabolites and potential targets. Finally, the targeted ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) metabolomics and the potential protein activity studies were carried out to elucidate the mechanisms. The results showed that Sc-At improved the neuronal cell alignment disorder in hippocampal CA1 region of AD rats. In brain metabolomics, 30 differential metabolites were screened in the study model versus blank group. The network pharmacology analyzed 54 targets of Sc-At anti-AD where, 14 were correlated with amyloid β-protein (Aβ). Aromatase was selected as an important hub target having the best binding power in molecular docking simulation predictions and also correlated with Aβ. Further tests showed that the brain aromatase activity, and the downstream product 17β-Estradiol levels were elevated in AD rats treated with Sc-At. This work may provide new perspectives for the pharmacological effects and the action mechanisms of natural compounds extracts in treating AD progression.     

Detection of cashew nut DNA in spiked baked goods using a real-time polymerase chain reaction method

The detection of potentially allergenic foods, such as tree nuts, in food products is a major concern for the food processing industry. A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was designed to determine the presence of cashew DNA in food products. The PCR amplifies a 67 bp fragment of the cashew 2S albumin gene, which is detected with a cashew-specific, dual-labeled TaqMan probe. This reaction will not amplify DNA derived from other tree nut species, such as almond, Brazil nut, hazelnut, and walnut, as well as 4 varieties of peanut. This assay was sensitive enough to detect 5 pg purified cashew DNA as well as cashew DNA in a spiked chocolate cookie sample containing 0.01% (100 mg/kg) cashew.     

SBS/Pani · DBSA mixture plasticized with DOP and NCLS - Effect of the plasticizers on the probability density of volume resistivity measurements

Plasticized mixtures of styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SBS) and Polyaniline (Pani) were prepared in a Haake internal mixer. Two different plasticizers were used: dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL). Pani and plasticizers were characterized by FTIR and the resistive behavior of plasticized mixtures was investigated along the electrification time. It is shown that obtained experimental data are subject to deterministic dynamic fluctuations that cannot be described by single normal probability distribution functions (PDF) along the time. The PDF analysis shows that obtained PDFs must be described as sums of at least three distinct Gaussian distributions with different areas. It is also shown that the Gaussian component with larger area may provide better representation of the measured volume resistivity values.     

Recent Progress on Biological Activity of Amaryllidaceae and Further Isoquinoline Alkaloids in Connection with Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive age-related neurodegenerative disease recognized as the most common form of dementia among elderly people. Due to the fact that the exact pathogenesis of AD still remains to be fully elucidated, the treatment is only symptomatic and available drugs are not able to modify AD progression. Considering the increase in life expectancy worldwide, AD rates are predicted to increase enormously, and thus the search for new AD drugs is urgently needed. Due to their complex nitrogen-containing structures, alkaloids are considered to be promising candidates for use in the treatment of AD. Since the introduction of galanthamine as an antidementia drug in 2001, Amaryllidaceae alkaloids (AAs) and further isoquinoline alkaloids (IAs) have been one of the most studied groups of alkaloids. In the last few years, several compounds of new structure types have been isolated and evaluated for their biological activity connected with AD. The present review aims to comprehensively summarize recent progress on AAs and IAs since 2010 up to June 2021 as potential drugs for the treatment of AD.     

Curing behavior of polycardanol by MEKP and cobalt naphthenate using differential scanning calorimetry

In this study, polycardanol, which was synthesized by enzymatic oxidative polymerization of thermally treated cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) using fungal peroxidase, was partially or fully cured using methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) as initiator and cobalt naphthenate (Co-Naph) as accelerator. The curing behavior of polycardanol was extensively investigated in terms of curing temperature, curing time, concentration of initiator and accelerator, and the monomer-to-polymer conversion of polycardanol by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The curing behavior significantly depends on the thermal condition given and it was monitored with the change of the exotherms as a function of temperature. The optimal conditions for fully curing polycardanol are 1 wt% MEKP, 0.2 wt% Co-Naph, curing time 120 min, and curing temperature 200 °C. This study suggests that a polycardanol with high monomer-to-polymer conversion would be useful for processing a polycardanol matrix composite under the optimal conditions of curing.     

Thermal and surface study of phenolic resin from cashew nut shell liquid cured by plasma treatment

In this study, phenolic resins from cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) were applied as coating on Carbon Steel 1020 samples and successfully cured by plasma treatment or with hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA). The crosslinked samples were characterized by thermal analysis using thermogravimetry (TG), derivative thermogravimetry (DTG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques in order to evaluate the thermal stability of these samples, as well as understand and study the curing process. TG/DTG curves showed that the thermal stability of the HMTA-cured resin was slightly higher than the resin treated by plasma. According to the DSC curves, HMTA-cured resin and plasma-treated resin exhibited only transition temperatures, so both resins were predominantly amorphous. Images generated by AFM provided qualitative evaluation of the resin surfaces, demonstrating that the coating surface with best homogeneity was cured by plasma treatment.     

Novel and Potent Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease from Natural (±)-7,8-Dihydroxy-3-methyl-isochroman-4-one

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes memory and cognitive decline as well as behavioral problems. It is a progressive and well recognized complex disease; therefore, it is very urgent to develop novel and effective anti-AD drugs. In this study, a series of novel isochroman-4-one derivatives from natural (±)-7,8-dihydroxy-3-methyl-isochroman-4-one [(±)-XJP] were designed and synthesized, and their anti-AD potential was evaluated. Among them, compound 10a [(Z)-3-acetyl-1-benzyl-4-((6,7-dimethoxy-4-oxoisochroman-3-ylidene)methyl)pyridin-1-ium bromide] possessed potent anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity as well as modest antioxidant activity. Further molecular modeling and kinetic investigations revealed that compound 10a was a dual-binding inhibitor that binds to both catalytic anionic site (CAS) and peripheral anionic site (PAS) of the enzyme AChE. In addition, compound 10a exhibited low cytotoxicity and moderate anti-Aβ aggregation efficacy. Moreover, the in silico screening suggested that these compounds could pass across the blood–brain barrier with high penetration. These findings show that compound 10a was a promising lead from a natural product with potent AChE inhibitory activity and deserves to be further developed for the prevention and treatment of AD.     

In Silico Molecular Docking Analysis of Karanjin against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases as a Potential Natural Lead Molecule for New Drug Design,Development and Therapy

Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are neurodegenerative disorders that have emerged as among the serious health problems of the 21st century. The medications currently available to treat AD and PD have limited efficacy and are associated with side effects. Natural products are one of the most vital and conservative sources of medicines for treating neurological problems. Karanjin is a furanoflavonoid, isolated mainly from Pongamia pinnata with several medicinal plants, and has been reported for numerous health benefits. However, the effect of karanjin on AD and PD has not yet been systematically investigated. To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of karanjin, extensive in silico studies starting with molecular docking against five putative targets for AD and four targets for PD were conducted. The findings were compared with three standard drugs using Auto Dock 4.1 and Molegro Virtual Docker software. Additionally, the physiochemical properties (Lipinski rule of five), drug-likeness and parameters including absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination and toxicity (ADMET) profiles of karanjin were also studied. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed with two selective karanjin docking complexes to analyze the dynamic behaviors and binding free energy at 100 ns time scale. In addition, frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) and density-functional theory (DFT) were also investigated from computational quantum mechanism perspectives using the Avogadro-ORCA 1.2.0 platform. Karanjin complies with all five of Lipinski’s drug-likeness rules with suitable ADMET profiles for therapeutic use. The docking scores (kcal/mol) showed comparatively higher potency against AD and PD associated targets than currently used standard drugs. Overall, the potential binding affinity from molecular docking, static thermodynamics feature from MD-simulation and other multiparametric drug-ability profiles suggest that karanjin could be considered as a suitable therapeutic lead for AD and PD treatment. Furthermore, the present results were strongly correlated with the earlier study on karanjin in an Alzheimer’s animal model. However, necessary in vivo studies, clinical trials, bioavailability, permeability and safe dose administration, etc. must be required to use karanjin as a potential drug against AD and PD treatment, where the in silico results are more helpful to accelerate the drug development.