Antiviral Activities of Halogenated Emodin Derivatives against Human Coronavirus NL63

The current COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the need for the development of new vaccines and drugs to combat Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Recently, various drugs have been proposed as potentially effective against COVID-19, such as remdesivir, infliximab and imatinib. Natural plants have been used as an alternative source of drugs for thousands of years, and some of them are effective for the treatment of various viral diseases. Emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthracene-9,10-dione) is a biologically active anthraquinone with antiviral activity that is found in various plants. We studied the selectivity of electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions on an emodin core (halogenation, nitration and sulfonation), which resulted in a library of emodin derivatives. The main aim of this work was to carry out an initial evaluation of the potential to improve the activity of emodin against human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) and also to generate a set of initial SAR guidelines. We have prepared emodin derivatives which displayed significant anti-HCoV-NL63 activity. We observed that halogenation of emodin can improve its antiviral activity. The most active compound in this study was the iodinated emodin analogue E_3I, whose anti-HCoV-NL63 activity was comparable to that of remdesivir. Evaluation of the emodin analogues also revealed some unwanted toxicity to Vero cells. Since new synthetic routes are now available that allow modification of the emodin structure, it is reasonable to expect that analogues with significantly improved anti-HCoV-NL63 activity and lowered toxicity may thus be generated.     

(Quasi 3D) Numerical simulation of operation of a capacitive type nanoparticle counter

Operation of a nanoparticle counter is based on condensation of water on nanoparticles forming water droplets which are fed to a capacitive type detector. Impaction of a water droplet onto the water filled detector causes formation of a crater resulting in change of capacitance that is measured by associated electronics. Numerical simulation of electric field distribution during droplet impaction has been performed in order to analyze the suitability of the approach and to estimate the magnitude of change of detector capacitance during droplet impaction. A single impinging droplet is able to cause capacitance change in the femtofarad range.     

Dihaloiodates(I): synthesis with hydrogen peroxide and their halogenating activity

Tetraalkylammonium and pyridinium dichloro- and dibromoiodates(I) were efficiently prepared from iodine and tetralkylammonium chloride or pyridine by oxidation with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of an equimolar amount of a hydrogen halide. Their halogenating activity was tested on 1,3-dimethoxybenzene and styrene as model substrates. The results show that ICl₂^? salts acted as iodinating reagents, while IBr₂^? salts brominated both substrates.     

The role of geometry on regioselectivity and rate of fluorination of fluorene and diphenylmethane with Selectfluor F-TEDA-BF4

Diphenylmethane and fluorene were used as target molecules in an investigation of the effect of the geometry of aromatic molecules on the regioselectivity and rate of fluorination with 1-chloromethyl-4-fluoro-1,4-diazoniabicyclo[2.2.2]octane bis(tetrafluoroborate) (Selectfluor F-TEDA-BF4). In acetonitrile at 80 degrees C ring fluorination of diphenylmethane was accompanied by oxidation of the saturated carbon atom, while in trifluoroacetic acid only ring fluorination with an ortho-para regioselectivity of 1.8:1 was observed. Fluorene was converted in acetonitrile as well as in trifluoroacetic acid into 2- and 4-fluoro substituted products in the relative ratio of 2:1 and 1.2:1, respectively. The reactions in acetonitrile obey a simple rate equation: v = d[F-TEDA]/dt = k2 x [F-TEDA] x [Substrate] and the second order rate constants for the reactions in acetonitrile at 65 degrees C were determined; values of 0.6 x 10(-4) M-1 s-1 for diphenylmethane and 35.5 x 10(-4) M-1 s-1 for fluorene were obtained. The reaction rates for the various functionalisations of fluorene relative to those for diphenylmethane were found to be considerably influenced by the type of functionalisation. Relative rate factors (k(rel) = k2(fluorene)/k2(diphenylmethane)) with values between 59 for fluorination and 712 for chlorination were determined, while the corresponding data for the biphenyl/diphenylmethane pair were only slightly dependent on the type of functionalisation. A reaction pathway involving electron transfer, thus forming cation radical intermediates, was proposed as the main process in the case of fluorination of fluorene with F-TEDA-BF4.     

Antiinfluenza virus activity of a bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii

A novel antibacterial substance produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii has been isolated and characterized (1). The inhibitory agent corresponded to the criteria for bacteriocins. It was active against lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species and several food-borne pathogens. The cell-free supernatant was purified by HPLC gel-filtration. Three preparations at different purification steps were tested for activity on the reproduction of influenza virus A/chicken/Germany, strain Weybridge (H7N7) and strain Rostock (H7N1) in cell cultures of chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF). The inhibitory effect was shown to be highly selective and specific. Expression of viral glycoproteins hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, and nucleoprotein on the surface of infected cells, virus-induced cytopathic effect, infectious virus yield, and hemagglutinin production were all reduced at nontoxic concentrations of the crude preparation (B1). B1 did not protect cells from infection, did not affect adsorption, and slightly inhibited viral penetration into infected cells. The purification did not enhance the cellular toxicity and increased about 870-fold the virus-inhibitory activity. No inactivating effect on extracellular virus was found.     

Static electric conductivity for scattering by point defects

The problem of interactions with a periodic lattice potential with scattering by a delta-shaped potential is investigated. Using a closed formal expression for the electric conductivity and factorization of the scattering potential, the temperature dependence of the mobility is obtained, over and beyond the results following from the kinetic equation.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 34–45, June, 1987.