Water-soluble carbosilane dendrimers: synthesis biocompatibility and complexation with oligonucleotides; evaluation for medical applications

Novel amine- or ammonium-terminated carbosilane dendrimers of type nG-[Si{OCH2(C6H3)-3,5-(OCH2CH2NMe2)2}]x, nG-[Si{O(CH2)2N(Me)(CH2)2NMe2}]x and nG-[Si{(CH2)3NH2}]x or nG-[Si{OCH2(C6H3)-3,5-(OCH2CH2NMe3 +I-)2}]x, nG-[Si{O(CH2)2N(Me)(CH2)2NMe3 +I-}]x, and nG-[Si{(CH2)3NH3 +Cl-}]x have been synthesized and characterized up to the third generation by two strategies: 1) alcoholysis of Si--Cl bonds with amino alcohols and subsequent quaternization with MeI, and 2) hydrosilylation of allylamine with Si--H bonds of the dendritic systems and subsequent quaternization with HCl. Quaternized carbosilane dendrimers are soluble in water, although degradation is apparent due to hydrolysis of Si--O bonds. However, dendrimers containing Si--C bonds are water-stable. The biocompatibility of the second-generation dendrimers in primary cell cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and erythrocytes have been analyzed, and they show good toxicity profiles over extended periods. In addition, we describe a study on the interactions between the different carbosilane dendrimers and DNA oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) and plasmids along with a comparative analysis of their toxicity. They can form complexes with DNA ODNs and plasmids at biocompatible doses via electrostatic interaction. Also a preliminary transfection assay has been accomplished. These results demonstrate that the new ammonium-terminated carbosilane dendrimers are good base molecules to be considered for biomedical applications.     

Assignment of the 1H and 13C NMR signals of some hydroxyphenylcoumarins

The complete 1H and 13C NMR assignments of six hydroxyphenylcoumarins have been made using 1D and 2D NMR techniques, including COSY, HMQC and HMBC experiments.     

Asymmetric synthesis of rubiginones A(2) and C(2) and their 11-methoxy regioisomers

Convergent enantioselective syntheses of angucyclinone-type natural products rubiginones A(2) (2) and C(2) (1) and their 11-methoxy regioisomers 3 a and 3 b have been achieved by using two domino processes from a common enantiomerically pure 1-vinylcyclohexene 4. Key steps in the synthesis of this diene were the stereoselective conjugate addition of AlMe(3) on (SS)-[(p-tolylsulfinyl)methyl]-p-quinol (9) and the elimination of the beta-hydroxy sulfoxide fragment, after oxidation to sulfone, to recover a carbonyl group. The first domino sequence comprised Diels-Alder reaction with a sulfinyl naphthoquinone followed by sulfoxide elimination. An efficient opposite regioselection in the cycloaddition step was achieved in the convergent construction of the tetracyclic skeleton using a sulfoxide at C-2 or C-3 of the dienophiles 5 or 6, derived from 5-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone. The second domino process, triggered by oxygen and sunlight, allowed the transformation of the initial tetracyclic adducts into the final products after B ring aromatization, silyl deprotection and C-1 oxidation.     

Exploiting the Multidentate Nature of Chiral Disulfonimides in a Multicomponent Reaction for the Asymmetric Synthesis of Pyrrolo[1,2‐a]indoles: A Remarkable Case of Enantioinversion

A new multicomponent coupling reaction for the enantioselective synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2‐a]indoles under the catalysis of a chiral disulfonimide is described. The high specificity of the reaction is a consequence of the multidentate character of the Brønsted acid catalyst. Insights from DFT calculations helped explain the unexpected high enantioselectivity observed with the simplest 3,3′‐unsubstituted binaphthyl catalyst as a result of transition‐state stabilization by a network of cooperative noncovalent interactions. The remarkable enantioinversion resulting from the simple introduction of substituents at 3‐ and 3′‐positions, the first reported example of this phenomenon in the context of binaphthalene‐derived Brønsted acid catalysis, was instead attributed to destabilizing steric interactions.     

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Pyrazoles Bearing a Quaternary Stereocenter

An efficient one‐pot asymmetric synthesis of pyrazoles bearing a chiral quaternary stereocenter has been developed. Quinine‐derived thiourea catalyzed the enantioselective addition of pyrazolones to isatin‐derived ketimines, providing the corresponding acetylated pyrazoles after in situ treatment with Ac₂O/Et₃N. The corresponding pyrazoles were afforded in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities.     

Tributyltin(IV) Schiff base complexes with amino acid derivatives: synthesis,characterization and biological activity

The synthesis in one‐pot reactions and structural characterization of six new tri‐n‐butyltin(IV) derivatives of Schiff bases are reported. The compounds are derived from a condensation reaction between l ‐alanine, l ‐valine, l ‐isoleucine, l ‐methionine, l ‐phenylalanine or l ‐tryptophan and 3,5‐di‐tert‐butyl‐2‐hydroxybenzaldehyde. Characterization was completed using elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, one‐ and two‐dimensional solution NMR (¹H, ¹³C and ¹¹⁹Sn) as well as solid‐state ¹¹⁹Sn NMR. In addition, the crystal structures of three of the compounds were confirmed using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Although five‐coordinated and polymeric in the solid state, the tin compounds are four‐coordinated and monomeric in solution. The coordination environment around the triorganotin units comprises three carbon atoms and two oxygen atoms from two ligands in a trigonal bipyramidal geometry. The anti‐proliferative effect of these compounds on the cervical carcinoma cell lines HeLa, CaSki and ViBo was screened in vitro, the compounds showing cytotoxic activity against all three strains and null or low cytotoxic activity (necrotic) as well. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unusual substituent effects on the bonding of iminoboranes

Substituent effects on iminoboranes XBNH, HBNX and XBNX (X = H, CH3, NH2, OH, F) have been analyzed in the framework of the NBO, AIM and ELF approaches, using B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) optimized geometries and electron densities. Boron-substituted derivatives, XBNH, are more stable than the corresponding nitrogen-substituted isomers HBNX, with the energy difference increasing as the electron withdrawing character of the substituent increases. The BN linkage is not much affected by N-substitution, but it is significantly altered when the substituent is attached to the boron atom in both XBNH and XBNX series of compounds. Moreover, substituent effects on the structures of iminoboranes are opposite those observed for the corresponding isoelectronic acetylene derivatives. The ELF analysis indicates that electron-withdrawing substituents enhance the localization of electrons in a torus around the CC or the BN axis. As a result, although electron density is depleted at the bcp, the bond does not necessarily become weaker, since density increases around the periphery, a phenomenon named the "hole" effect. The dissimilarities between acetylene and iminoborane derivatives are primarily a consequence of the significant distortion of this torus in the latter, due to the large difference between the electronegativities of B and N, which leads to a large contribution of the X-B=:N-Y resonance structure in some cases. The "hole" effect is reflected in a reasonable correlation between the Laplacian of the electron density at the bcp and the BN bond length.     

Separation of fifteen quinolones by high performance liquid chromatography: application to pharmaceuticals and ofloxacin determination in urine

A simple chromatographic method is described for assaying 15 quinolones and fluoroquinolones (pipemidic acid, marbofloxacin, enoxacin, ofloxacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, lomefloxacin, enrofloxacin, sarafloxacin, difloxacin, oxolinic acid, nalidixic acid, flumequine and piromidic acid), in urine and pharmaceutical samples. The determination was achieved by LC using an RP C18 analytical column. A mobile phase composed of mixtures of methanol-ACN-10 mM citrate buffer at pH 3.5 and 10 mM citrate buffer at pH 4.5, delivered under an optimum gradient program, at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min, allows to accomplish the chromatographic separation in 26 min. For detection, diode-array UV-Vis at 280 nm and fluorescence detection set at excitation wavelength/emission wavelength: 280/450, 280/ 495, 280/405 and 320/360 nm were used. Detection and quantification limits were between 0.3-18 and 0.8-61 ng/mL, respectively. The method was validated in terms of interday (n = 6) and intraday (n = 6) precision and accuracy. The procedure was successfully applied to the analysis of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals. Also, ofloxacin was determined in human urine samples belonging to a patient undergoing treatment with this active principle, among others.     

Enantiomeric quality control of antihistamines in pharmaceuticals by affinity electrokinetic chromatography with human serum albumin as chiral selector

The present paper deals with the enantiomeric separation of six antihistaminic enantiomers by affinity electrokinetic chromatography (AEKC)-partial filling technique using human serum albumin (HSA) as chiral selector. A multivariate optimization approach of the most critical experimental variables in enantioresolution, running pH, HSA concentration and HSA plug length (SPL) was carried out since there are interactions between variables that could not be considered in an univariate optimization. The estimated and experimental resolution values obtained for antihistaminic enantiomers varied from 1.13 (for orphenadrine) to 2.15 (for brompheniramine). The optimum experimental conditions for enantioresolution of each compound were: brompheniramine, pH 8.5, [HSA] 180 μM, SPL 180 s; chlorcyclizine, pH 6.5, [HSA] 180 μM, SPL 150 s; chlorpheniramine, pH 8.25, [HSA] 160 μM, SPL 150 s; hydroxyzine, pH 7.0, [HSA] 180 μM, SPL 150 s; and orphenadrine, pH 7.8, [HSA] 160 μM, SPL 150 s. pH and the quadratic term of pH seem to be the most critical factors that determine enantioresolution of antihistamines. The validity of the developed methodologies to enantiomeric quality control of antihistamines in pharmaceutical formulations is demonstrated analyzing the content of brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine and hyroxyzine enantiomers in commercially available pharmaceutical formulations containing racemic mixtures of compounds. Resolution, accuracy, reproducibility, cost and sample throughput of the proposed methodologies make them suitable for quality control of the enantiomeric composition of antihistamines in pharmaceutical preparations.