N,N'-ethylenebis(pyridoxylideneiminato) and N,N'-ethylenebis(pyridoxylaminato): synthesis, characterization, potentiometric, spectroscopic, and DFT studies of their vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) complexes

The Schiff base N,N'-ethylenebis(pyridoxylideneiminato) (H(2)pyr(2)en, 1) was synthesized by reaction of pyridoxal with ethylenediamine; reduction of H(2)pyr(2)en with NaBH(4) yielded the reduced Schiff base N,N'-ethylenebis(pyridoxylaminato) (H(2)Rpyr(2)en, 2); their crystal structures were determined by X-ray diffraction. The totally protonated forms of 1 and 2 correspond to H(6)L(4+), and all protonation constants were determined by pH-potentiometric and (1)H NMR titrations. Several vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) complexes of these and other related ligands were prepared and characterized in solution and in the solid state. The X-ray crystal structure of [V(V)O(2)(HRpyr(2)en)] shows the metal in a distorted octahedral geometry, with the ligand coordinated through the N-amine and O-phenolato moieties, with one of the pyridine-N atoms protonated. Crystals of [(V(V)O(2))(2)(pyren)(2)].2 H(2)O were obtained from solutions containing H(2)pyr(2)en and oxovanadium(IV), where Hpyren is the "half" Schiff base of pyridoxal and ethylenediamine. The complexation of V(IV)O(2+) and V(V)O(2) (+) with H(2)pyr(2)en, H(2)Rpyr(2)en and pyridoxamine in aqueous solution were studied by pH-potentiometry, UV/Vis absorption spectrophotometry, as well as by EPR spectroscopy for the V(IV)O systems and (1)H and (51)V NMR spectroscopy for the V(V)O(2) systems. Very significant differences in the metal-binding abilities of the ligands were found. Both 1 and 2 act as tetradentate ligands. H(2)Rpyr(2)en is stable to hydrolysis and several isomers form in solution, namely cis-trans type complexes with V(IV)O, and alpha-cis- and beta-cis-type complexes with V(V)O(2). The pyridinium-N atoms of the pyridoxal rings do not take part in the coordination but are involved in acid-base reactions that affect the number, type, and relative amount of the isomers of the V(IV)O-H(2)Rpyr(2)en and V(V)O(2)-H(2)Rpyr(2)en complexes present in solution. DFT calculations were carried out and support the formation and identification of the isomers detected by EPR or NMR spectroscopy, and the strong equatorial and axial binding of the O-phenolato in V(IV)O and V(V)O(2) complexes. Moreover, the DFT calculations done for the [V(IV)O(H(2)Rpyr(2)en)] system indicate that for almost all complexes the presence of a sixth equatorial or axial H(2)O ligand leads to much more stable compounds.     

Complete 1H and 13C NMR assignments of aurasperone A and fonsecinone A, two bis-naphthopyrones produced by Aspergillus aculeatus

Complete assignments of 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts of the polyketides aurasperone A and fonsecinone A were made by means of nuclear Overhauser enhancement and heteronuclear NMR correlation experiments. These compounds were isolated for the first time from Aspergillus aculeatus, an endophytic fungus obtained from leaves of Melia azedarach(Meliaceae).     

Mapping the binding site topology of amyloid protein aggregates using multivalent ligands

A key process in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer''s and Parkinson''s diseases is the aggregation of proteins to produce fibrillary aggregates with a cross β-sheet structure, amyloid. The development of reagents that can bind these aggregates with high affinity and selectivity has potential for early disease diagnosis. By linking two benzothiazole aniline (BTA) head groups with different length polyethylene glycol (PEG) spacers, fluorescent probes that bind amyloid fibrils with low nanomolar affinity have been obtained. Dissociation constants measured for interaction with Aβ, α-synuclein and tau fibrils show that the length of the linker determines binding affinity and selectivity. These compounds were successfully used to image α-synuclein aggregates in vitro and in the post-mortem brain tissue of patients with Parkinson''s disease. The results demonstrate that multivalent ligands offer a powerful approach to obtain high affinity, selective reagents to bind the fibrillary aggregates that form in neurodegenerative disease.

Multivalent ligands offer a powerful approach to obtain high affinity reagents to bind the aggregates that form in neurodegenerative disease. Selectivity for different proteins was achieved by using different linkers to connect the head groups.     

Flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of arylamines and sulphonamides by diazotization and coupling in a micellar medium

In a sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) micellar solution, the rate of coupling of a diazonium ion with N-(1- naphthyl)ethylenediamine (NED) increases greatly, the protonation of the resulting azo dyes takes place at higher pH values and the dyes are more soluble. These favourable features were applied to the development of a simple flow-injection spectrophotometric procedure for the determination of diazotizable substances of pharmaceutical interest. Limits of detection in the range 0.2–0.5 μg ml^?1 (signal-to-noise ratio=3), with relative standard deviation of 0.7–3% (n=3) for 5 μg ml^?1 standards, were obtained.     

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of a mechanism-based inhibitor for gelatinase A

[structure: see text] Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), of which 26 are known, have been implicated in a number of pathological conditions, including tumor metastasis. We have previously described the first mechanism-based inhibitor for MMPs (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 6799-6800), which in chemistry mediated by the active site zinc ion selectively and covalently inhibits MMP-2, -3, and -9. Computational analyses indicated that this selectivity in inhibition of MMPs could be improved by design of new variants of the inhibitor class. We report herein the syntheses of methyl 2-(4-{4-[(2-thiiranylpropyl)sulfonyl]phenoxy}phenyl)acetate (3) and 2-(4-{4-[(2-thiiranylpropyl)sulfonyl]phenoxy}phenyl)acetic acid (4), and show that compound 3 serves as a mechanism-based inhibitor exclusively for MMP-2. This molecule should prove useful in delineating the functions of MMP-2 in biological systems.     

Interaction and lipid-induced conformation of two cecropin-melittin hybrid peptides depend on peptide and membrane composition

The interaction of two hybrid peptides of cecropin A and melittin [CA(1-8)M(1-18) and CA(1-7)M(2-9)] with liposomes was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), circular dichroism (CD), and quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS). The study was carried out with large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) of three different lipid compositions: 1,2-dimyristoil-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC), 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-rac-(1-glycerol) (DMPG) and a binary mixture of DMPC/DMPG, in a wide range of peptide-to-lipid (P:L) molar ratios (0 to 1:7). DSC results indicate that, for both peptides, the interaction depends on membrane composition, with very different behavior for zwitterionic and anionic membranes. CD data show that, although the two peptides have different secondary structures in buffer (random coil for CA(1-7)M(2-9) and predominantly beta-sheet for CA(1-8)M(1-18)), they both adopt an alpha-helical structure in the presence of the membranes. Overall, results are compatible with a model involving a strong electrostatic surface interaction between the peptides and the negatively charged liposomes, which gives place to aggregation in the gel phase and precipitation after a threshold peptide concentration. In the case of zwitterionic membranes, a progressive surface coverage with peptide molecules destabilizes the membrane, eventually leading to membrane disruption. Moreover, delicate modulations in behavior were observed depending on the peptide.     

Complexation of 6-Deoxy-6-(aminoethyl)amino-β-cyclodextrin with Sodium Cholate and Sodium Deoxycholate

In order to study its guest binding and the inclusion phenomena, 6-deoxy-6-(aminoethyl)amino--cyclodextrin (CDN) was synthesised and its binding properties examined. The complexation phenomena of sodium cholate (NaC) and sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) with CDN has been monitored by the NMR method using ¹³C chemical shift data. The method of continuous variation Job's method has been used to determine the stoichiometry of these supramolecular complexes. The Job's plot confirms the 1 : 1 supramolecular complex for NaC: CDN and the 1 : 2 supramolecular complex for NaDC: CDN. The interaction of NaC and NaDC with CDN has been obtained through two-dimensional Rotational Nuclear Overhauser Effect Spectroscopy (ROESY) NMR. Equilibrium constants were also obtained from ¹³C chemical shift data (C-1, C-3 & C-4) at different pH values (7, 9, & 11).     

TOPS-MODE based QSARs derived from heterogeneous series of compounds. Applications to the design of new herbicides

A new application of TOPological Sub-structural MOlecular DEsign (TOPS-MODE) was carried out in herbicides using computer-aided molecular design. Two series of compounds, one containing herbicide and the other containing nonherbicide compounds, were processed by a k-Means Cluster Analysis in order to design the training and prediction sets. A linear classification function to discriminate the herbicides from the nonherbicide compounds was developed. The model correctly and clearly classified 88% of active and 94% of inactive compounds in the training set. More specifically, the model showed a good global classification of 91%, i.e., (168 cases out of 185). While in the prediction set, they showed an overall predictability of 91% and 92% for active and inactive compounds, being the global percentage of good classification of 92%. To assess the range of model applicability, a virtual screening of structurally heterogeneous series of herbicidal compounds was carried out. Two hundred eighty-four out of 332 were correctly classified (86%). Furthermore this paper describes a fragment analysis in order to determine the contribution of several fragments toward herbicidal property; also the present of halogens in the selected fragments were analyzed. It seems that the present TOPS-MODE based QSAR is the first alternate general "in silico" technique to experimentation in herbicides discovery.     

Generation and reactivity of 3‐carbethoxy‐5‐phenyl‐5H,7H‐thiazolo[3,4‐c]oxazol‐4‐ium‐1‐olate

3‐Carbethoxy‐5‐phenyl‐5H,7H‐thiazolo[3,4‐c]oxazol‐4‐ium‐1‐olate was generated from (2R,4R)‐N‐ethoxyoxalyl‐2‐phenylthiazolidine‐4‐carboxylic acid and its reactivity studied. This münchnone showed low reactivity as dipole although from the reaction with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate the corresponding (3R)‐3‐phenyl‐17H,3H‐pyrrolo[1,2‐c]thiazole‐5,6,7‐tricarboxylate could be isolated. The thermolysis of (2R,4R)‐N‐ethoxyoxalyl‐2‐phenylthiazolidine‐4‐carboxylic acid in refluxing acetic anhydride led to the synthesis of N‐(1‐ethoxycarbonyl‐2‐phenylvinyl)‐2‐phenyl‐4‐thioxo‐1,3‐thiazolidine. The structure of methyl (2R,4R)‐N‐ethoxyoxalyl‐2‐phenylthiazoliddine‐4‐carboxylate was determined by X‐ray crystallography.