2‐[N‐(X‐Chlorophenyl)carbamoyl]benzenesulfonamide (with X = 2 and 4)

The structures of 2‐[N‐(2‐chlorophenyl)carbamoyl]benzenesulfonamide and 2‐[N‐(4‐chlorophenyl)carbamoyl]benzenesulfonamide, both C₁₃H₁₁ClN₂O₃S, are stabilized by extensive intra‐ and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. In both structures, sulfonamide groups are hydrogen bonded via the N and O atoms and form chains of molecules. The carbamoyl groups are also hydrogen bonded, involving the O and N atoms, further strengthening the polymeric chains running along the c and a axes in the 2‐ and 4‐chloro derivatives, respectively. Carbamoylsulfonamide derivatives are novel compounds with a great potential for medicinal applications.     

Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure and its Impacts on Cutaneous Phosphorylation Signaling in Carcinogenesis: Focusing on Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases†

Sunlight exposure is a significant risk factor for UV-induced deteriorating transformations of epidermal homeostasis leading to skin carcinogenesis. The ability of UVB radiation to cause melanoma, as well as basal and squamous cell carcinomas, makes UVB the most harmful among the three known UV ranges. UVB-induced DNA mutations and dysregulation of signaling pathways contribute to skin cancer formation. Among various signaling pathways modulated by UVB, tyrosine phosphorylation signaling which is mediated by the action of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) on specific tyrosine residues is highly implicated in photocarcinogenesis. Following UVB irradiation, PTKs get activated and their downstream signaling pathways contribute to photocarcinogenesis by promoting the survival of damaged keratinocytes and increasing cell proliferation. While UVB activates oncogenic signaling pathways, it can also activate tumor suppressive signaling pathways as initial protective mechanisms to maintain epidermal homeostasis. Tyrosine dephosphorylation is one of the protective mechanisms and is mediated by the action of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). PTP can counteract UVB-mediated PTK activation and downregulate oncogenic signaling pathways. However, PTPs have not been studied extensively in photocarcinogenesis with previous studies regarding their inactivation induced by UVB. This current review will summarize the recent progress in the protective function of PTPs in epidermal photocarcinogenesis.     

Pt3Co Octapods as Superior Catalysts of CO2 Hydrogenation

As the electron transfer to CO₂ is a critical step in the activation of CO₂, it is of significant importance to engineer the electronic properties of CO₂ hydrogenation catalysts to enhance their activity. Herein, we prepared Pt₃Co nanocrystals with improved catalytic performance towards CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol. Pt₃Co octapods, Pt₃Co nanocubes, Pt octapods, and Pt nanocubes were tested, and the Pt₃Co octapods achieved the best catalytic activity. Both the presence of multiple sharp tips and charge transfer between Pt and Co enabled the accumulation of negative charges on the Pt atoms in the vertices of the Pt₃Co octapods. Moreover, infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy confirmed that the high negative charge density at the Pt atoms in the vertices of the Pt₃Co octapods promotes the activation of CO₂ and accordingly enhances the catalytic activity.     

Synthesis of ligand-selective ZnS nanocrystals exhibiting ligand-tunable fluorescence

High-quality ZnS nanocrystals (NCs) of nearly identical size are synthesized using isomeric ligands, o-, m-, p-phenylenediamines (PDAs) that bind to the NC cores. The fluorescence emission from the NC is tunable according to the structure of the isomer. The measured fluorescence quantum yields (QYs) are 2-3 times higher for NCs that are passivated with isomeric PDA ligands than the fluorescence QY of NCs prepared at the absence of PDAs. The NC morphologies were studied by low-angle and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), and by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The average correlating sizes were found to be 3.0+/-0.3, 3.7+/-0.30, and 3.0+/-0.5 nm for the NCs that were passivated with o-PDA, m-PDA, and p-PDA, respectively. The Fourier-transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies were carried out to investigate the shell structure and the interaction between the core and the shell. The adsorbed ligands were quantitatively analyzed by TGA. The structure, morphology, and optical properties of these PDA passivated NCs were compared with the NCs prepared in the absence of PDA.     

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles using root extract of Duchesnea indica and assessment of its biological activities

Treatment of microbial infections and inflammatory conditions have many challenges in terms of efficacy and safety issues. Novel approaches such as nanoparticles based drug delivery system have shown promising results to solve some of these problems. The aim of this study was to exploit the efficacy of the synthesized silver nanoparticles. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were biosynthesized using root extract (aqueous) of Duchesnea indica. They were characterized using different techniques such as, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometry, transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and zetasizer. The UV–Vis spectra gave a characteristic peak at 423 nm; XRD confirmed its crystalline structure; FTIR confirmed the involvement of phytochemicals in their capping and reduction; TEM images confirmed their spherical shape with average width of 20.49 nm and average area of 319.25 nm². Various biological activities were performed on these NPs, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and muscle relaxant, which showed significant results as follow. Among bacterial strains, Salmonella typhi (MIC: 0.01 mg/ml) and Escherichia coli (MIC: 0.01 mg/ml), while among that of fungal Microsporum canis (MIC: 0.53 mg/ml) and Alternaria alternata (MIC: 0.51 mg/ml) were most susceptible. The AgNPs showed maximum anti-inflammatory activity (46.15 and 56.85%) at 20 mg/kg after 3 and 5 h of drug administration, comparable to that of standard. In-vivo model exhibited concentration dependent inhibition of both COX-2 and 5-LOX enzymes. Similarly, it exhibited maximum analgesic activity (54.24%) at 20 mg/kg dose after 60 min. of pain induction. Furthermore, they depicted maximum muscle relaxation (P < 0.01) after 60 and 90 min of drug administration. Above results suggest that these AgNPs can be studied further for the development of more effective and safe formulations.     

Synthesis,In Vitro α-Amylase Activity,and Molecular Docking Study of New Benzimidazole Derivatives

Russian Journal of Organic Chemistry - New benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized by reacting substituted phenacyl bromides with 1H-benzimidazole-2-thiols. The synthesized compounds were...     

Isolation,Structure Elucidation and In Silico Prediction of Potential Drug-Like Flavonoids from Onosma chitralicum Targeted towards Functionally Important Proteins of Drug-Resistant Bad Bugs

Admittedly, the disastrous emergence of drug resistance in prokaryotic and eukaryotic human pathogens has created an urgent need to develop novel chemotherapeutic agents. Onosma chitralicum is a source of traditional medicine with cooling, laxative, and anthelmintic effects. The objective of the current research was to analyze the biological potential of Onosma chitralicum, and to isolate and characterize the chemical constituents of the plant. The crude extracts of the plant prepared with different solvents, such as aqueous, hexane, chloroform_, ethyl acetate, and butanol, were subjected to antimicrobial activities. Results corroborate that crude (methanol), EtoAc, and n-C₆H₁₄ fractions were more active against bacterial strains. Among these fractions, the EtoAc fraction was found more potent. The EtoAc fraction was the most active against the selected microbes, which was subjected to successive column chromatography, and the resultant compounds 1 to 7 were isolated. Different techniques, such as UV, IR, and NMR, were used to characterize the structures of the isolated compounds 1–7. All the isolated pure compounds (1–7) were tested for their antimicrobial potential. Compounds 1 (4′,8-dimethoxy-7-hydroxyisoflavone), 6 (5,3′,3-trihydroxy-7,4′-dimethoxyflavanone), and 7 (5′,7,8-trihydroxy-6,3′,4′-trimethoxyflavanone) were found to be more active against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella Typhi. Compound 1 inhibited S. typhi and S. aureus to 10 ± 0.21 mm and 10 ± 0.45 mm, whereas compound 6 showed inhibition to 10 ± 0.77 mm and 9 ± 0.20 mm, respectively. Compound 7 inhibited S. aureus to 6 ± 0.36 mm. Compounds 6 and 7 showed significant antibacterial potential, and the structure–activity relationship also justifies their binding to the bacterial enzymes, i.e., beta-hydroxyacyl dehydratase (HadAB complex) and tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase. Both bacterial enzymes are potential drug targets. Further, the isolated compounds were found to be active against the tested fungal strains. Whereas docking identified compound 7, the best binder to the lanosterol 14α-demethylase (an essential fungal cell membrane synthesizing enzyme), reported as an antifungal fluconazole binding enzyme. Based on our isolation-linked preliminary structure-activity relationship (SAR) data, we conclude that O. chitralicum can be a good source of natural compounds for drug development against some potential enzyme targets.     

Multifunctional Magnetic Nanomedicine Drug Delivery and Imaging-Based Diagnostic Systems

Magnetically guided drug transportation is a technique in which magnetic pharmaceutical transporters in organisms are controlled by applied magnetic forces to deliver drugs to the desired location. Different magnetic drug delivery systems (MDDSs) are developed to treat a variety of illnesses, particularly cancer and neurological disorders. However, a unique magnetic setup is required in each application for an effective magnetically guided drug aiming to direct the drug-carrying nanocarriers to the intended area. The current and future perspectives of MDDS are investigated in this study by considering their biological functions, deliverable efficiency, complexity, and the nature of the externally applied magnetic field. Despite the fact that MDDSs have low cytotoxicity, regulated magneto reactivity, extended circulation lifespan, and high surface stability, very few clinical studies have been conducted to date in order to achieve optimized therapeutic efficacy before entering the market. In recent studies, the development of novel magnetic medication transporting carriers is preferred over direct magnetic medication administration. Better functional magnetic targeting technologies are required for such breakthroughs to enter clinical trials. Because MDDSs are unlikely to work in all clinical situations, more focused research is needed to replace or improve the strategy for treating multiple illnesses.     

Effect of Zn doping on electronic structure and optical properties zincblende GaN(A DFT+U insight)

The development of new materials,having exceptional properties in comparison to existing materials is highly required for bringing advancement in electronic and optoelectronic technologies.Keeping this fact,we investigated structural,electronic,and optical properties of zincblende GaN doped with selected Zn concentrations(6.25%,12.50%,and 18.70%),using the first-principle calculations based on density functional theory with GGA+U.We conducted the entire study using the WIEN2K code.In this study,we calculated various significant parametric quantities such as cohesive energies,formation energies,bulk moduli,and lattice constants along with the study of optical and electronic properties by substituting Ga atoms with Zn atoms in 1×2×2 supercell.The structural stability is confirmed by studying the phonon dispersion curves which suggest that Zn:GaN material is stable against the 6.25%and 18.70%Zn concentrations while for 12.50%,it shows instability.The Hubbard values U=0,2,4,6 eV were added to GGA and the electronic properties were improved with the U=6 eV.Optical absorption was blue shifted while the refractive index and dielectric constant were increased with increasing the Zn concentrations.Electronic properties are enhanced due to the prime contribution of cations(Zn)3ri states.The optical and electronic properties are further discussed in detail in the entire study.     

Donor-acceptor (D-A) terpolymers based on alkyl-DPP and t-BocDPP moieties for polymer solar cells

A series of low band gap terpolymers based on 4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b¢] dithiophene (BDTT) and diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) with varied solubilizing groups (i.e., tert-butoxycarbonyl, t-Boc and 2-octyldodecyl) are developed as electron donors for bulk heterojunction (BHJ) polymer solar cells (PSCs). The results reveal that the one with 50% t-Boc concentration (P3) performs better than the other terpolymers used in this study in conventional PSC devices with a power conversion efficiency of 2.92%.