Glutathione S-transferase inhibiting chemical constituents of Caesalpinia bonduc

Glutathione S-transferase inhibition assay-guided fractionations on the ethanolic extract of the bark of Caesalpinia bonduc resulted in the isolation of a new sterol, 17-hydroxy-campesta-4,6-dien-3-one (1) along with four known compounds, 13,14-seco-stigmasta-5,14-dien-3alpha-ol (2), 13,14-seco-stigmasta-9(11),14-dien-3alpha-ol (3), caesaldekarin J (4) and pipataline (5) as active constituents. Structures of compounds 1-5 were established on the basis of extensive NMR spectroscopic studies. The compounds (1-5) were isolated on the basis of their inhibitory activity against glutathione S-transferase, an enzyme that has been implicated in resistances during treatment of cancer and parasitic infections. Efforts to study structure-activity relationships of compounds 2 and 3 were also made by modifying their structures. The IC50 values of these compounds and their derivatives ranged from 57-380 microM and were compared to the inhibitory effects due to sodium taurocholate, an isoprene-derived GST inhibitor (IC50=398 microM). A plausible biosynthesis of 13,14-seco-steroids has also been proposed.     

Novel microbial transformations of sclareolide

Fungal catalysis of sclareolide (1) using Mucor plumbeus (ATCC 4740), Cunninghamella blakesleeana (ATCC 9245), Cunninghamella echinulata (ATCC 9244), Curvularia lunata (ATCC 12017) and Aspergillus niger (ATCC 1004), was performed. Cunninghamella blakesleeana (ATCC 9245) metabolized compound 1 to afford O(6)-sclareolide (2), 3beta,6alpha-dihydroxysclareolide (3), 9-hydroxysclareolide (4), along with three known metabolites, 1beta,3beta-dihydroxysclareolide (5), 3-oxosclareolide (6) and 3beta-hydroxysclareolide (7). Biotransformation experiments of compound 1 with Cunninghamella echinulata (ATCC 9244) also yielded two new compounds, 5-hydroxysclareolide (8), and 7beta-hydroxysclareolide (9) along with two known compounds 5 and 7. Spectroscopic methods were used to establish the structures of compounds 2-9. Compounds 2-9 exhibited modest acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity.     

Synthesis,characterization and antibacterial screening of some novel 1,2,4-triazine derivatives

A new series of 1, 2, 4-triazine derivatives possessing indole nucleus were synthesized with an aim to explore their effect on in vitro growth of microorganisms causing microbial infection. In vitro antimicrobial activity was performed against S. aureus, S. epidermidis, P. mirabilis and E. coli using disk diffusion method. The MIC was detected using the double dilution method. The results were compared by calculating percent inhibition area/μg of the compounds with the standard drug "Ciprofloxacin". Selected compounds were evaluated for toxic effects using human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell line by MTT-assay. Results revealed that some compounds of the series were found to exhibit better activity with less toxicity than Ciprofloxacin.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel fused indolo [3, 2-c] [1,8] naphthyridine derivatives as potential antibacterial agents

Nine novel fused indolo [1,8] naphthyridine derivatives were synthesized using the Povarov reaction, in a one-pot system, and were fully characterized by spectroscopic techniques such as FT-IR, NMR, TOF-MS, and elemental analysis. Furthermore, their antibacterial activities against six bacterial strains were assessed. The results of the bioassay demonstrated that compounds 4a, 4c, and 4i showed good inhibitory effect with a MIC value ranging from 0.04687 to 0.09375?µM against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. The toxicity of 4a–i, evaluated through mutagenicity test against Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA100 strains, revealed that there was no significant increase in the number of revertant colonies in comparison with the control, sodium azide.     

Synthesis of first ever 4-quinolone-3-carboxylic acid-appended spirooxindole-pyrrolidine derivatives and their biological applications

A series of 4-quinolone-3-carboxylic acid-containing spirooxindole-pyrrolidine derivatives was synthesized via multicomponent 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of azomethine ylides with new (E)-4-oxo-6-(3-phenyl-acryloyl)-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylic acids in good yields with high regioselectivity. The cycloadducts were characterized by analytical and spectral data including \(^{1}\hbox {H}\), \(^{13}\hbox {C}\), 2D NMR and mass spectroscopy. The structure of one of the compounds (8a) was investigated theoretically by computational techniques. DFT studies support the proposed mechanism for this cycloaddition reaction. Furthermore, antibacterial activities of the new compounds were evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Compounds 8f, 8m and 8p showed potent inhibition activities against selected bacteria. The in vitro cytotoxicity of spirooxindole derivatives (8a–r) was evaluated against MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Among the various compounds tested, compound 8f \((\hbox {IC}_{50} = 18.35~\upmu \hbox {M})\) showed significant cytotoxic activity compared to the standard drug doxorubicin \((\hbox {IC}_{50 }= 15.00~\upmu \hbox {M})\).     

Potential Efficacy of β-Amyrin Targeting Mycobacterial Universal Stress Protein by In Vitro and In Silico Approach

The emergence of drug resistance and the limited number of approved antitubercular drugs prompted identification and development of new antitubercular compounds to cure Tuberculosis (TB). In this work, an attempt was made to identify potential natural compounds that target mycobacterial proteins. Three plant extracts (A. aspera, C. gigantea and C. procera) were investigated. The ethyl acetate fraction of the aerial part of A. aspera and the flower ash of C. gigantea were found to be effective against M. tuberculosis H₃₇Rv. Furthermore, the GC-MS analysis of the plant fractions confirmed the presence of active compounds in the extracts. The Mycobacterium target proteins, i.e., available PDB dataset proteins and proteins classified in virulence, detoxification, and adaptation, were investigated. A total of ten target proteins were shortlisted for further study, identified as follows: BpoC, RipA, MazF4, RipD, TB15.3, VapC15, VapC20, VapC21, TB31.7, and MazF9. Molecular docking studies showed that β-amyrin interacted with most of these proteins and its highest binding affinity was observed with Mycobacterium Rv1636 (TB15.3) protein. The stability of the protein-ligand complex was assessed by molecular dynamic simulation, which confirmed that β-amyrin most firmly interacted with Rv1636 protein. Rv1636 is a universal stress protein, which regulates Mycobacterium growth in different stress conditions and, thus, targeting Rv1636 makes M. tuberculosis vulnerable to host-derived stress conditions.     

State selective laser photodissociation of Tl2 at 337.1 nm by optogalvanic spectroscopy

This paper reports the first time achievement of laser photolysis of thallium dimers by single photon absorption of N₂-laser light at 337.1 nm resulting in a large population inversion of thallium 7 ²S excited state with respect to 6 ²P state. The photodissociation nitrogen laser pulse is spatially and temporally overlapped with the tunable dye laser pulse that is used for confirming the production of selectively excited thallium atoms. The dye laser excites the thallium atoms from 7 ²S state to high lying Rydberg states that collisionally ionize giving an ion-current signal which is subsequently processed by a box-car average/integrator and recorded on the chart recorder. The photodissociation of Tl₂ to Tl(7 ²S ) state demonstrates the existence of the molecular dissociative state 1g that is correlated with Tl 7 ²S +6 ²P states. A complete absence of 6 ²P state population among the photolysis products indicates a 100% prompt population inversion between 7 ²S and 6 ²P atomic states.     

Copper(II) complexes of entwined 2,9-di(o-substituted phenyl)-1,10-phenanthroline type ligands and intramolecular quenching in copper(I) complexes

Cu¹¹ complexes of 1,10-phenanthroline, disubstituted at the 2 and 9 positions or monosubstituted at the 2 position by phenyl moieties possessingortho substituents, were prepared and investigated by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. The electronic spectral d-d band position varies from 14 500 to 13 200 cm⁻¹. E.s.r. g_‖ values are between 2.256 to 2.283 and A_‖ between 164 to 117×10⁻⁴ cm⁻¹. Thebis[2,9-di(o-substituted phenyl)-1,10-phenanthroline]Cu¹¹ complexes undergo reversible one-electron electrochemical reduction (Cu¹¹/Cu¹) in the +0.536 to +0.825 V potential range versus s.c.e., whereas thebis[2-mono(o-substituted phenyl)-1,10-phenanthroline]Cu¹¹ complexes undergo reduction in the +0.360 to +0.405 V range; the redox couple is found to be quasireversible. Emission studies on copper(I) complexes show that onlybis[2,9-di(o-tolyl)-1,10-phen]Copper(I) complex exhibits emission properties. Emission behaviour of other structurally similar compounds is explored. TMC 2555