Negombins A-I, new chlorinated polyfunctional diterpenoids from the marine sponge Negombata species

Nine novel compounds designated negombins A-I (1-9) were isolated, together with latrunculin, from the Tanzanian sponge Negombata sp. The nine are sacculatane type diterpenes, previously only known from liverworts. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by interpretation of MS and 1D and 2D NMR spectra. A possible biogenesis initiated by the naturally rare chloronium ion is suggested, possibly hinting to a guest microorganism as the source of the compounds. Compound 4 is toxic to brine shrimp larvae.     

Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of new benzothiazole derivatives as schistosomicidal agents

A series of benzothiazol-2-yl-dithiocarbamates 3a-d along with their copper complexes 4a-c were synthesized via the reaction of suitable alkyl, aralkyl or heteroaryl halides with the sodium salt of benzothiazol-2-yl-dithiocarbamic acid, followed by complexation with copper sulphate. N-(4-Acetyl-5-aryl-4,5-dihydro-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-N-benzothiazol-2-yl-acetamides 7a-c were synthesized by cyclization of the appropriate thiosemicarbazones 6a-c in acetic anhydride. Selected compounds were screened for in vitro schistosomicidal activity against Schistosoma mansoni at three different dosage levels (10, 50 and 100 microg/mL). Three of these products, 4a-c, showed schistosomicidal activity similar to praziquantel, with 100% worm mortality at 10 microg/mL. These compounds would constitute a new class of potent schistosomicidal agents.     

Sensitive and selective fluorescence detection of guanosine nucleotides by nanoparticles conjugated with a naphthyridine receptor

Novel fluorescent nanosensors, based on a naphthyridine receptor, have been developed for the detection of guanosine nucleotides, and both their sensitivity and selectivity to various nucleotides were evaluated. The nanosensors were constructed from polystyrene nanoparticles functionalized by (N-(7-((3-aminophenyl)ethynyl)-1,8-naphthyridin-2-yl)acetamide) via carbodiimide ester activation. We show that this naphthyridine nanosensor binds guanosine nucleotides preferentially over adenine, cytosine, and thymidine nucleotides. Upon interaction with nucleotides, the fluorescence of the nanosensor is gradually quenched yielding Stern–Volmer constants in the range of 2.1 to 35.9 mM⁻¹. For all the studied quenchers, limits of detection (LOD) and tolerance levels for the nanosensors were also determined. The lowest (3σ) LOD was found for guanosine 3’,5’-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) and it was as low as 150 ng/ml. In addition, we demonstrated that the spatial arrangement of bound analytes on the nanosensors’ surfaces is what is responsible for their selectivity to different guanosine nucleotides. We found a correlation between the changes of the fluorescence signal and the number of phosphate groups of a nucleotide. Results of molecular modeling and ζ-potential measurements confirm that the arrangement of analytes on the surface provides for the selectivity of the nanosensors. These fluorescent nanosensors have the potential to be applied in multi-analyte, array-based detection platforms, as well as in multiplexed microfluidic systems.     

Synthesis of some nucleosides derivatives from L- rhamnose with expected biological activity

Practical procedures for production of variously blocked compounds from L-rhamnose have been developed. These compounds are highly useful as indirect β-L-rhamnosyl donors. This approach represents a new method for the synthesis of aromatic nucleoside analogues and the synthesis of ( 3S, 4S, 5S, 6R) 3, 4, 5-triacetoxy-2-methyl-7,9-diaza-1-oxa-spiro [4,5]decane-10-one-8-thione (7).     

Initial excited-state structural dynamics of 2'-deoxyguanosine determined via UV resonance Raman spectroscopy

The resonance Raman spectra of 2'-deoxyguanosine, a DNA nucleoside, were measured in aqueous solution at wavelengths throughout its 260 nm absorption band. Self-consistent analysis of the resulting resonance Raman excitation profiles and absorption spectrum using a time-dependent wave packet formalism with two electronic states yielded the initial excited-state structural dynamics in both states. The vibrational modes containing the N(7)═C(8) stretching and C(8)-H bending internal coordinates were found to exhibit significant initial structural dynamics upon photoexcitation to either state and are coincident with the photochemical reaction coordinate involving the formation of the 2'-deoxyguanosine cation radical.     

Novel synthesis and antitumor evaluation of polyfunctionally substituted heterocyclic compounds derived from 2-cyano-N-(3-cyano-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)-acetamide

The reaction of 2-amino-3-cyano-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene with ethyl cyanoacetate gave 2-cyano-N-(3-cyano-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)-acetamide. The latter was used to synthesize different heterocyclic derivatives comprising thiophene, thiazole, pyrazole, pyridine, pyrimidine, and coumarin rings. The mechanistic and synthetic pathways depended on regioselective attack and/or cyclization by the cyanoacetamido moiety in the key precursor on various chemical reagents. The competition of the reaction pathways including dipolar cyclization, dinucleophilic-bielectrophilic attack, β-attack, Gewald-type attack, and condensation reactions led to the diversity of the synthesized products. The antitumor activities of the synthesized products were studied and evaluated. Most of the compounds revealed high inhibitory effects when screened in vitro for their antiproliferative activity. Three human cancer cell lines, namely, breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), non-small cell lung cancer (NCI-H460) and CNS cancer (SF-268) were used in the screening tests. The simplicity of the synthetic procedures which mainly involved one-pot reactions under mild reaction conditions, the convenience of yield production and the diversity of the reactive sites in the produced systems play a valuable role for further heterocyclic transformations and further biological investigations.     

Effect of exchange of terminal substituents on the mesophase behaviour of some azo/ester compounds

Six homologous series of 4-(4′-alkoxy phenylazo) phenyl 4″-substituted benzoates (In_a-f) were prepared in which, within each homologous series, the length of the terminal alkoxy chain varies between 6, 8, 10, and 12 carbons, while the other terminal substituent, X, is a polar group that alternatively changed from CH₃O, CH₃, H, Br, NO₂ and CN. Compounds prepared were characterised by spectroscopic methods, and their mesophase behaviour investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarised optical microscopy (POM). The results were discussed in terms of mesomeric and polarisability effects. In each group of compounds, bearing the same alkoxy substituent, the nematic-to-isotropic transition temperatures (T_C) were successfully correlated with the polarisability anisotropy of bonds to the substituent X. A comparative study was made between the investigated compounds and their previously prepared isomers, namely, 4-(4′-substituted phenylazo) phenyl 4″-alkoxybenzoates (IIn_a-f) in which the two terminal (alkoxy- and X) groups are exchanged.     

Purification, Sequencing, and Biochemical Characterization of a Novel Calcium-Independent α-Amylase AmyTVE from Thermoactinomyces vulgaris

α-Amylase from Thermoactinomyces vulgaris was highly purified 48.9-fold by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 column, and ion exchange chromatography column of DEAE-cellulose. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 135 and 145 kDa by SDS–PAGE. Its high molecular weight is due to high glycosylation. The purified amylase exhibited maximal activity at pH 6.0 to 7.0 and was stable in the range of pH 4.0 to 9.0. The optimum temperature for its activity was 50 °C. The enzyme half-life time was 120 min at 50 °C, suggesting intermediate temperature stable α-amylase. The enzyme was sensitive to different metal ions, including NaCl, CoCl₂, and CaCl₂, and to different concentrations of EDTA. The enzyme activity was inhibited in the presence of 1 mM CaCl₂, suggesting that it is a calcium-independent α-amylase. The TLC showed that the amylase hydrolyzed starch to produce large maltooligosaccharides as the main products. A 1.1-kb DNA fragment of the putative α-amylase gene (amy TVE) from T. vulgaris was amplified by using two specific newly designed primers. Sequencing analysis showed 56.2 % similarity to other Thermoactinomyces α-amylases with two conserved active sites confirming its function.     

Effect of lateral substitution on supramolecular liquid crystal associates induced by hydrogen-bonding interactions between 4-(4′-pyridylazo-3-methylphenyl)-4′′-alkoxy benzoates and 4-substituted benzoic acids

Five laterally methyl-substituted pyridine-based derivatives of the title compounds (I 8–I 16), with molecular formula 4-C_nH_2n+1O-C₆H₄COOC₆H₃(3-CH₃)-N=N-C₅H₄N were prepared and their molecular formulae elucidated via elemental analyses, infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectra. The number of carbon atoms in the alkoxy chain (n) varies between 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 carbons. The newly prepared pyridine-based derivatives were investigated for their mesophase behaviour by differential scanning calorimetry and polarised optical microscopy; most of them were found to possess monotropic smectic C (SmC) mesophase. Two groups (A and B) of the 1:1 hydrogen-bonded associates, formed between each of the derivatives I 8– I 16 and two types of 4-substituted benzoic acids (II), were prepared and similarly characterised to investigate the effect of lateral methyl substitution on the central phenylene ring, as well as terminal polar substituents and alkoxy-chain length on the stability of the mesophases induced by intermolecular hydrogen bonding. In Group A complexes, mesomorphic 4-alkoxy benzoic acids, that carry the terminal n-alkoxy group of varying chain length, were used. The other series of complexes (Group B) is composed from the same pyridine-based derivatives and each of the non-mesomorphic 4-substituted benzoic acids that carries small compact polar groups, varying between CH₃O, CH₃, H, Cl, Br, and CN. All complexes prepared were investigated for their mesophase behaviour by differential scanning calorimetry and polarised optical microscopy and found to be purely smectogenic, possessing SmC as the only mesophase observed. The formation of the hydrogen-bonded complexes was confirmed by constructing their binary phase diagrams, which cover the whole range of concentration of the two complements.     

Ac conductivity study of lithium and potassium diphosphate LiK3P2O7 using impedance spectroscopy

In this work, a LiK₃P₂O₇ ceramic material was prepared by the solid-state reaction method and identified by X-ray diffractometry. The dielectric properties, impedance characteristics, and modulus were studied over a range of frequency (200 Hz to 5 MHz) and temperature (615–708 K). The frequency and temperature dependence of dielectric permittivity, dielectric loss, and electric modulus is studied. The frequency analysis of modulus properties showed a distribution of relaxation times. Conductivity plots against frequency at a higher frequency suggested the response obeying the universal power law. The temperature behavior of the frequency exponents shows that the correlated barrier hopping CBH model is well adapted to this material. The activation energy associated with the impedance relaxation and the electric modulus spectra is close to the activation energy for dc conductivity indicating the similar nature of relaxation and conductivity. Thermodynamic parameters such as free energy of activation, enthalpy, and entropy have been calculated.