Secondary metabolites from Scrophularia canina L.

A re-examination of Scrophularia canina L. confirmed the presence of iridoid glucosides considered as chemotaxonomic markers for the Scrophulariaceae family, like aucubin, harpagide and 8-O-acetylharpagide, besides the further presence of 8-epiloganic acid, which is, indeed, considered the biogenetic precursor of iridoids normally found in Scrophulariaceae, and was recognised here for the first time in the studied species. Also verbascoside and (E)-phytol were evidenced for the first time in S. canina. The former compound is an almost ubiquitous glycosidic phenyl-ethanoid, which attains systematic importance when in co-occurrence with iridoids, and its taxonomical implications were discussed. The latter compound, even though it is omnipresent, is interestingly endowed with several biological activities, which may give an additional reason for the traditional uses of this plant.     

A new iridoid diglucoside from Harpagophytum procumbens

A new iridoid diglucoside has been isolated from an aqueous extract of Harpagophytum procumbens secondary roots, together with six known compounds. Its structure has been assigned as 6′-O-glucopyranosyl-8-O-trans-coumaroylharpagide by spectroscopic means.     

Interactions between Amines and Phospholipids: A Chromatographic Study on Immobilized Artificial Membrane (IAM) Stationary Phases at Various pH Values

The chromatographic capacity factors (log k′) for 23 amines were measured by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) on a stationary phase composed of phospholipids, the so‐called `Immobilized Artificial Membrane' (IAM). The chromatographic behaviour of the compounds, which consist of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, and compounds with endocyclic amino functions, was studied with eluents at various pH values (7.0, 5.5, and 3.0). The results were compared both to the octanol/buffer partition values of neutral forms (log P) and to those of mixtures of neutral and ionised forms, existing at the three pH values above mentioned (log D^7.0, log D^5.5, and log D^3.0). At pH 7.0, the log k′ of all secondary and tertiary amines overlapped with those previously observed for neutral isolipophilic compounds. This behaviour was also observed for primary amines, but only for compounds fully ionised at this pH. In contrast, the partially ionised primary amines at pH 7.0 and the compounds with an endocyclic amino function both showed stronger interactions with phospholipids than expected on the basis of log P. The changes in retention observed with eluents at pH 5.5 indicated that retention varies with the ionisation degree of the analytes. At pH 3.0, the interaction between phospholipids and the ionised forms of the amines considered was impaired probably by a change in the charges on the IAM surface. The present study indicates that phospholipids are a partitioning phase that better accommodates the neutral forms of primary amines than does octanol. Moreover, the phospholipid phase is much less sensitive to the ionisation of analytes than octanol, but only at pH 7.0 and 5.5; indeed, the ionised forms of all the amines considered are retained to the same extent as expected for hypothetical neutral isolipophilic compounds. We can thus conclude that, for amines, the partition scale in phospholipids is distinct from the one in octanol.     

Phenolic content and in vitro antifungal activity of unripe grape extracts from agro-industrial wastes

The antifungal activity of unripe grape extracts from agro-industrial wastes has been evaluated against several strains of Candida spp. and dermatophytes. All the extracts tested showed antifungal activity. The geometric mean MIC ranged from 53.58 to 214.31 μg/mL for Candida spp. and from 43.54 to 133.02 μg/mL for dermatophytes. The chemical analyses have been carried out using Liquid Chromatograph equipped with a DAD and MS detectors. Flavan-3-ols were the main metabolites within all samples ranged from 3.3 to 6.8 mg/g fresh weight. For Candida spp. highest negative significant correlation has been found between MICs and polymeric flavan-3-ols (r = ?0.842; p < 0.001) and for dermatophytes between MICs and caffeoyl derivatives (r = ?0.962; p < 0.01). The results indicate that total extracts obtained from unripe grapes, a large source of waste material derived from the wine industry, could be used as a cheap source of value-added products.     

On the nonlocal bending problem with fractional hereditariness

Meccanica - Nonlocal hereditariness in Bernoulli–Euler beam is investigated in this paper. An approach to solve that problem is proposed and some analytical solutions are provided. To this...     

Dual Drug Loaded Nanotheranostic Platforms as a Novel Synergistic Approach to Improve Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

This study focuses on the development of theranostic, dual drug-loaded nanocarriers to propose a proof-of-principle therapeutic approach in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The nanoconstructs consist of a core of zinc oxide nanocrystals doped with gadolinium, useful as a potential contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging applications. After functionalizing their surface with amino-propyl groups, the physical adsorption of two hydrophobic drugs is performed: Vismodegib and Sorafenib. Their synergistic use might improve PDAC treatment and stroma depletion when co-delivered in the tumor microenvironment for future in vivo applications. To enhance the nanoconstructs’ biostability, the ensemble is coated by a lipid bilayer and a tumor targeting peptide is incorporated on the outer shell surface. As a first proof of concept, the resulting nanoconstructs are tested against two pancreatic cancer cell lines, showing a modest increase in treatment efficacy compared to the free drug counterparts and proving to spare healthy pancreatic cells. In a second testing set, the dual-drug loaded nanoconstructs are tested on both cell lines previously sensitized to a first-line chemotherapeutic drug, Gemcitabine, showing an improved treatment response. From these preliminary results, the nanotheranostic platforms might constitute a good starting point for future PDAC therapy and diagnosis studies.     

Antioxidant and antiproliferative activity of Stachys glutinosa L. ethanol extract

Ethanol extracts of Stachys glutinosa L. (Lamiaceae) were investigated for antioxidative properties, as well as antiproliferative action on various cell lines. The antioxidant activities were investigated by ABTS (2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) assay, DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging, β-carotene/linoleic acid assay, scavenging of hydrogen peroxide (horseradish peroxidase test), superoxide anion scavenging, and hypochlorous acid scavenging (taurine test). The antioxidant activity was reported as IC₅₀ and reveals antioxidant effects. Antiproliferative effects were measured in vitro on three cell lines: HepG2 (human hepatocarcinoma), MCF7 (breast human adenocarcinoma) and C2C12 (mouse myoblast) cell lines by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The ethanol extract induced variations in cell viability on all cell lines tested. At 200 μg/mL, the effects on cell viability were ? 23%, ? 27% and ? 37%, respectively, for C2C12, MCF7 and HepG2.     

Activation of Hsp90 Enzymatic Activity and Conformational Dynamics through Rationally Designed Allosteric Ligands

Hsp90 is a molecular chaperone of pivotal importance for multiple cell pathways. ATP‐regulated internal dynamics are critical for its function and current pharmacological approaches block the chaperone with ATP‐competitive inhibitors. Herein, a general approach to perturb Hsp90 through design of new allosteric ligands aimed at modulating its functional dynamics is proposed. Based on the characterization of a first set of 2‐phenylbenzofurans showing stimulatory effects on Hsp90 ATPase and conformational dynamics, new ligands were developed that activate Hsp90 by targeting an allosteric site, located 65 Å from the active site. Specifically, analysis of protein responses to first‐generation activators was exploited to guide the design of novel derivatives with improved ability to stimulate ATP hydrolysis. The molecules’ effects on Hsp90 enzymatic, conformational, co‐chaperone and client‐binding properties were characterized through biochemical, biophysical and cellular approaches. These designed probes act as allosteric activators of the chaperone and affect the viability of cancer cell lines for which proper functioning of Hsp90 is necessary.     

Application of extended kinetic theory to particle transport with inelastic scattering

In the frame of extended kinetic theory, the linear Boltzmann equation for test particles in an absorbing and inelastically scattering background leads to a partial-integral-difference equation which is studied in the proper mathematical setting. As an application, penetration of a beam of particles in a plane slab is considered in steady state conditions, and the relevant problem is solved by a rigorous algorithm. Accurate results for particle and energy distributions, and for transmission, reflection, and absorption coefficients are provided and briefly discussed.

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Riassunto Viene studiata, nell'ambito della teoria cinetica estesa, 1'equazione di Boltzmann lineare per il trasporto di particelle in un mezzo assorbente e scatterante anelasticamente. L'equazione integro-differenziale alle differenze è applicata al problema stazionario della penetrazione di un fascio di particelle in una lastra piana. Vengono presentati risultati numerici rigorosi per le distribuzioni di particelle ed energia, e per i coefficient: di trasmissione, riflessione ed assorbimento.

     

An experimental setup for spectroscopy applications of optically generated VUV and XUV radiation

In this paper, we present an experimental setup to study photoionization of atoms and molecules using the high-order harmonic radiation generated by a highly non-linear process. We report on the characteristics of this table-top experimental apparatus showing also the results of the photoionization of krypton gas, by the use of the ninth order harmonic of fs Ti : S laser, observed both in the electron spectrum and in the mass spectrum.