Comparative study on the determination of cephalexin in its dosage forms by spectrophotometry and HPLC with UV-vis detection

This paper discusses the spectrophotometric determination of cephalexin as the intact cephalexin or as its acid-induced degradation product. Cephalexin can be determined in the range 1 × 10^–5–18 × 10^–5 M with relative standard deviations of 5-1%. The limits of quantitation and detection were 10^–5 and 0.3 × 10^–5 M, respectively. These procedures were compared with reversed-phase HPLC determination. No interference was observed in the presence of common pharmaceutical adjuvants. The H-point standard additions method was applied in order to correct for the possible presence of the cephalexin precursor, 7-aminocephalosporanic acid; this improves the selectivity of the UV-vis spectrophotometric method.     

Comparative receptor mapping of serotoninergic 5-HT3 and 5-HT4 binding sites*

The clinical use of currently available drugs acting at the5-HT₄ receptor has been hampered by their lack of selectivityover 5-HT₃ binding sites. For this reason, there is considerableinterest in the medicinal chemistry of these serotonin receptor subtypes, andsignificant effort has been made towards the discovery of potent and selectiveligands. Computer-aided conformational analysis was used to characterizeserotoninergic 5-HT₃ and 5-HT₄ receptorrecognition. On the basis of the generally accepted model of the5-HT₃ antagonist pharmacophore, we have performed a receptormapping of this receptor binding site, following the active analog approach(AAA) defined by Marshall. The receptor excluded volume was calculated as theunion of the van der Waals density maps of nine active ligands(pK_i 8.9), superimposed in pharmacophoric conformations.Six inactive analogs (pK_i < 7.0) were subsequently used todefine the essential volume, which in its turn can be used to define theregions of steric intolerance of the 5-HT₃ receptor. Five activeligands (pK_i 9.3) at 5-HT₄ receptors wereused to construct an antagonist pharmacophore for this receptor, and todetermine its excluded volume by superimposition of pharmacophoricconformations. The volume defined by the superimposition of five inactive5-HT₄ receptor analogs that possess the pharmacophoric elements(pK_i 6.6) did not exceed the excluded volume calculated forthis receptor. In this case, the inactivity may be due to the lack of positiveinteraction of the amino moiety with a hypothetical hydrophobic pocket, whichwould interact with the voluminous substituents of the basic nitrogen ofactive ligands. The difference between the excluded volumes of both receptorshas confirmed that the main difference is indeed in the basic moiety. Thus,the 5-HT₃ receptor can only accommodate small substituents inthe position of the nitrogen atom, whereas the 5-HT₄ receptorrequires more voluminous groups. Also, the basic nitrogen is located at ca.8.0 Å from the aromatic moiety in the 5-HT₄ antagonistpharmacophore, whereas this distance is ca. 7.5 Å in the5-HT₃ antagonist model. The comparative mapping of bothserotoninergic receptors has allowed us to confirm the three-componentpharmacophore accepted for the 5-HT₃ receptor, as well as topropose a steric model for the 5-HT₄ receptor binding site. Thisstudy offers structural insights to aid the design of new selective ligands,and the resulting models have received some support from the synthesis of twonew active and selective ligands: 24 (K_i(5-HT₃)= 3.7 nM; K_i(5-HT₄) > 1000 nM) and 25(K_i(5-HT₄) = 13.7 nM;K_i(5-HT₃) > 10 000 nM).     

An eco-friendly tandem tosylation/Ferrier N-glycosylation of amines catalyzed by Er(OTf)3 in 2-MeTHF

Er(OTf)₃ in 2-MeTHF provides a new and eco-friendly process for Ferrier glycosylation of sulfonamides and amino acids with various N-nucleophiles.The stereoselective synthesis of 2,3-unsaturated-N-pseudoglycals was carried out with 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-d-glucal and different nucleophiles affording good results in a short time.     

Determination of Antioxidant Activity of Hibiscus Flowers by Flow Injection Analysis with Chemiluminescence Detection

This study reports a simple and rapid method for the determination of the antioxidant activity of the phenolics present in plants of the Hibiscus genus. The protocol is based on the ability of the phenolic compounds to inhibit luminol chemiluminescence through the inactivation of free radicals in a flow injection system. Using the optimized operational conditions, the antioxidant activities of several phenolics were measured. The results were explained on the basis of structure–reactivity relationships. The antioxidant activities of dried flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Hibiscus sabdariffa were evaluated. The protocol was validated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-hydrate free radical assay. The differences in the antiradical activities were explained based on the concentrations of total polyphenol and flavonoid concentrations determined by spectrophotometric methods. It was concluded that the chemiluminescence method was complementary for the evaluation of hydrophilic antioxidants in plants.     

Estimation of the aggregation number and core radius of microemulsions

Summary A simple working method for the estimation of the aggregation numbers and core radii from weight measurements of sodium bis-2-ethylhexylsulphosuccinate (aerosol-OT orAOT)/decane/water microemulsions of several compositions is proposed.Starting out from the hypotheses that (i) the density of the water inside the droplets is the same as that of free water, (ii) all the surfactant is localized as interface, and (iii) the penetration of the organic phase into the interface is negligible, values for the aggregation number and core radii comparable to those determined using more sophisticated methods were obtained.The results/methodological simplicity ratio may be of great advantage in kinetic work on reaction mechanisms in microemulsions.

---

Abschätzung von Aggregationszahl und Radius von Mikroemulsionen

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine einfache Methode zur Abschätzung von Aggregationszahl und Core-Radius von Mikroemulsionen aus Gewichtsmessungen von Natriumbis-2-ethylhexylsulphosuccinat (aerosol-OT oderAOT)/Decan/Wasser-Mikroemulsionen verschiedener Zusammensetzung vorgeschlagen. Unter den Annahmen, daß (i) die Dichte von Wasser innerhalb der Aggregationen die gleiche als bei freiem Wasser ist, (ii) das ganze Emulsionsmittel in der Grenzfläche vorliegt und (iii) das Eindringen der organischen Phase in die Grenzfläche vernachlässigbar ist, können Werte für Aggregationszahlen und Core-Radien erhalten werden, die durchaus mit entsprechenden Werten aus aufwendigeren Methoden vergleichbar sind. Das Leistungsverhältnis (Ergebnisse/geringer Aufwand) ist sehr vorteilhaft und macht die Methode für kinetische Arbeiten zur Bestimmung von Reaktionsmechanismen in Mikroemulsionen interessant.

     

Volatiles and Antifungal-Antibacterial-Antiviral Activity of South African Salvia spp. Essential Oils Cultivated in Uniform Conditions

Spontaneous emissions of S. dentata Aiton and S. scabra Thunb., as well as the essential oil (EO) composition of the cited species, together with S. aurea L., were investigated. The chemical profile of the first two species is reported here for the first time. Moreover, in vitro tests were performed to evaluate the antifungal activity of these EOs on Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and Fusarium solani. Secondly, the EO antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus pseudointermedius was examined, and their antiviral efficacy against the H1N1 influenza virus was assessed. Leaf volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as the EOs obtained from the arial part of Salvia scabra, were characterized by a high percentage of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (97.8% and 76.6%, respectively), mostly represented by an equal amount of germacrene D (32.8% and 32.7%, respectively). Both leaf and flower spontaneous emissions of S. dentata, as well as the EO composition, showed a prevalence of monoterpenes divided into a more or less equal amount of hydrocarbon and oxygenated compounds. Interestingly, its EO had a non-negligible percentage of oxygenated sesquiterpenes (29.5%). S. aurea EO, on the contrary, was rich in sesquiterpenes, both hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds (41.5% and 33.5%, respectively). S. dentata EO showed good efficacy (Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC): 0.5%) against M. canis. The tested EOs were not active against E. coli and S. aureus, whereas a low inhibition of S. dentata EO was observed on S. pseudointermedius (MIC = 10%). Once again, S. dentata EO showed a very good H1N1 inhibition; contrariwise, S. aurea EO was completely inactive against this virus. The low quantity of S. scabra EO made it impossible to test its biological activity. S. dentata EO exhibited interesting new perspectives for medicinal and industrial uses.     

Large Amplitude Motions of Pyruvic Acid (CH3-CO-COOH)

Torsional and rotational spectroscopic properties of pyruvic acid are determined using highly correlated ab initio methods and combining two different theoretical approaches: Second order perturbation theory and a variational procedure in three-dimensions. Four equilibrium geometries of pyruvic acid, Tc, Tt, Ct, and CC, outcome from a search with CCSD(T)-F12. All of them can be classified in the C_s point group. The variational calculations are performed considering the three internal rotation modes responsible for the non-rigidity as independent coordinates. More than 50 torsional energy levels (including torsional subcomponents) are localized in the 406–986 cm⁻¹ region and represent excitations of the ν₂₄ (skeletal torsion) and the ν₂₃ (methyl torsion) modes. The third independent variable, the OH torsion, interacts strongly with ν₂₃. The A₁/E splitting of the ground vibrational state has been evaluated to be 0.024 cm⁻¹ as it was expected given the high of the methyl torsional barrier (338 cm⁻¹). A very good agreement with respect to previous experimental data concerning fundamental frequencies (ν^CAL − ν^EXP ~ 1 cm⁻¹), and rotational parameters (B₀^CAL − B₀^EXP < 5 MHz), is obtained.     

Metabolomic Profiling of Fresh Goji (Lycium barbarum L.) Berries from Two Cultivars Grown in Central Italy: A Multi-Methodological Approach

The metabolite profile of fresh Goji berries from two cultivars, namely Big Lifeberry (BL) and Sweet Lifeberry (SL), grown in the Lazio region (Central Italy) and harvested at two different periods, August and October, corresponding at the beginning and the end of the maturation, was characterized by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (ESI FT-ICR MS) methodologies. Several classes of compounds such as sugars, amino acids, organic acids, fatty acids, polyphenols, and terpenes were identified and quantified in hydroalcoholic and organic Bligh-Dyer extracts. Sweet Lifeberry extracts were characterized by a higher content of sucrose with respect to the Big Lifeberry ones and high levels of amino acids (glycine, betaine, proline) were observed in SL berries harvested in October. Spectrophotometric analysis of chlorophylls and total carotenoids was also carried out, showing a decrease of carotenoids during the time. These results can be useful not only to valorize local products but also to suggest the best harvesting period to obtain a product with a chemical composition suitable for specific industrial use. Finally, preliminary studies regarding both the chemical characterization of Goji leaves generally considered a waste product, and the biological activity of Big Lifeberry berries extracts was also investigated. Goji leaves showed a chemical profile rich in healthy compounds (polyphenols, flavonoids, etc.) confirming their promising use in the supplements/nutraceutical/cosmetic field. MG63 cells treated with Big Lifeberry berries extracts showed a decrease of iNOS, COX-2, IL-6, and IL-8 expression indicating their significant biological activity.     

Biohydrometallurgy for Rare Earth Elements Recovery from Industrial Wastes

Biohydrometallurgy recovers metals through microbially mediated processes and has been traditionally applied for the extraction of base metals from low-grade sulfidic ores. New investigations explore its potential for other types of critical resources, such as rare earth elements. In recent times, the interest in rare earth elements (REEs) is growing due to of their applications in novel technologies and green economy. The use of biohydrometallurgy for extracting resources from waste streams is also gaining attention to support innovative mining and promote a circular economy. The increase in wastes containing REEs turns them into a valuable alternative source. Most REE ores and industrial residues do not contain sulfides, and bioleaching processes use autotrophic or heterotrophic microorganisms to generate acids that dissolve the metals. This review gathers information towards the recycling of REE-bearing wastes (fluorescent lamp powder, spent cracking catalysts, e-wastes, etc.) using a more sustainable and environmentally friendly technology that reduces the impact on the environment.