Antioxidant, antimicrobial and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of xanthones isolated from Artocarpus obtusus F.M. Jarrett

One of the most promising plants in biological screening test results of thirteen Artocarpus species was Artocarpus obtusus FM Jarrett and detailed phytochemical investigation of powdered dried bark of the plant has led to the isolation and identification of three xanthones; pyranocycloartobiloxanthone A (1), dihydroartoindonesianin C (2) and pyranocycloartobiloxanthone B (3). These compounds were screened for antioxidant, antimicrobial and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Pyranocycloartobiloxanthone A (1) exhibited a strong free radical scavenger towards DPPH free radicals with IC50 value of 2 μg/mL with prominent discoloration observed in comparison with standard ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol and quercetin, The compound also exhibited antibacterial activity against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC3359) and Bacillus subtilis (clinically isolated) with inhibition zone of 20 and 12 mm, respectively. However the other two xanthones were found to be inactive. For the tyrosinase inhibitory activity, again compound (1) displayed strong activity comparable with the standard kojic acid.     

Synthesis of Bio-Inspired 1,3-Diarylpropene Derivatives via Heck Cross-Coupling and Cytotoxic Evaluation on Breast Cancer Cells

The Heck cross-coupling reaction is a well-established chemical tool for the synthesis of unsaturated compounds by formation of a new C-C bond. In this study, 1,3-diarylpropene derivatives, designed as structural analogues of stilbenoids and dihydrostilbenoids, were synthesised by the palladium-catalysed reactions of 2-amidoiodobenzene derivatives with either estragole or eugenol. The products were obtained with high (E) stereoselectivity but as two regioisomers. The ratios of isomers were found to be dependent on the nature of the allylbenzene partner and were rationalised by electronic effects exercising a determining influence in the β-hydride elimination step. In addition, the cytotoxic effects of all the Heck reaction products were evaluated against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells, with unpromising results. Among all, compound 7d exhibited weak cytotoxic activity towards MCF-7 cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 47.92 µM in comparison with tamoxifen and was considered to have general toxicity (SI value < 2).     

Thermal decomposition of rice husk: a comprehensive artificial intelligence predictive model

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - This study explored the predictive modelling of the pyrolysis of rice husk to determine the thermal degradation mechanism of rice husk. The study can...     

Cross-dehydrogenative coupling strategy for phosphonation and cyanation of secondary N-alkyl anilines by employing 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone

The cross-dehydrogenative coupling strategy for metal-free phosphonation and cyanation of secondary N-alkyl anilines has been developed firstly under mild reaction conditions. Based on detailed optimization of reaction conditions, the substrate generality of N-alkyl anilines and various hydrogen phosphonates has been investigated, and a series of versatile α-aminophosphonates and α-aminonitriles were therefore furnished in good to excellent yields. A plausible collective reaction mechanism through dehydrogenation to imine formation, then to respective α-aminophosphonates and α-aminonitriles was proposed.     

Historical variations of Bera Lake (Malaysia) sediments geochemistry using radioisotopes and sediment quality indices

The Bera Lake basin is a lacustrine mire system and the largest natural lake in Peninsular Malaysia. Three cores were collected from the lake sediments in order to assess sediment quality and ecological risks for aquatic life and human health. An index analysis approach (C _f , C _d , E _r , and IR) and fallout ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs radioisotopes were applied to assess the impacts of environmental evolutionary changes. Sediment chronology was determined using the Constant Rate of Supply model with the resultant ages verified by ¹³⁷Cs horizons. Although the general contamination factors indicate low risk conditions in Bera Lake the risks associated with individual layers ranged from moderate to considerable. Five deforestation phases can be identified in the dated sediment cores with distinct variations in heavy metal influxes since 1972. These phases are in excellent agreement with the dates of land clearance and development projects undertaken over the past four decades. This study has highlighted the capability of contamination factors and chronological methods in environmental evolutionary studies where catchments have experienced extensive land use changes. The destiny of heavy metal influxes into a lake can also be revealed using this methodology.     

Optimization and Characterization of Mesoporous Sulfonated Carbon Catalyst and Its Application in Modeling and Optimization of Acetin Production

In this study, an optimized mesoporous sulfonated carbon (OMSC) catalyst derived from palm kernel shell biomass was developed using template carbonization and subsequent sulfonation under different temperatures and time conditions. The OMSC catalyst was characterized using acid-base titration, elemental analysis, XRD, Raman, FTIR, XPS, TPD-NH₃, TGA-DTA, SEM, and N₂ adsorption–desorption analysis to reveal its properties. Results proved that the OMSC catalyst is mesoporous and amorphous in structure with improved textural, acidic, and thermal properties. Both FTIR and XPS confirmed the presence of -SO₃H, -OH, and -COOH functional groups on the surface of the catalyst. The OMSC catalyst was found to be efficient in catalyzing glycerol conversion to acetin via an acetylation reaction with acetic acid within a short period of 3 h. Response surface methodology (RSM), based on a two-level, three-factor, face-centered central composite design, was used to optimize the reaction conditions. The results showed that the optimized temperature, glycerol-to-acetic acid mole ratio, and catalyst load were 126 °C, 1:10.4, and 0.45 g, respectively. Under these optimum conditions, 97% glycerol conversion (GC) and selectivities of 4.9, 27.8, and 66.5% monoacetin (MA), diacetin (DA), and triacetin (TA), respectively, were achieved and found to be close to the predicted values. Statistical analysis showed that the regression model, as well as the model terms, were significant with the predicted R² in reasonable agreement with the adjusted R² (<0.2). The OMSC catalyst maintained excellent performance in GC for the five reaction cycles. The selectivity to TA, the most valuable product, was not stable until the fourth cycle, attributable to the leaching of the acid sites.     

New eudesmane derivatives and other sesquiterpenes from the epigeal parts of Dittrichia graveolens

In bioassay-guided searches for novel bioactive natural products from higher plants of the Egyptian flora, two new eudesmane sesquiterpene derivatives, 3alpha-hydroxyilicic acid methyl ester (1) and 2alpha-hydroxy-4-epi-ilicic acid (2), together with 11 known sesquiterpenes were isolated from bioactive fractions of the active epigeal parts extracts of Dittrichia graveolens (L.) GREUTER (Asteraceae) growing in the coastal regions of northwestern Egypt. Four other known sesquiterpene lactones with different carbon skeletons, named 2alpha-hydroxy-2R-xanthalongin (8), 4-epi-isoinuviscolide (9), 8-epi-helenalin (10), and bigelovin (11), were also isolated for the first time from the same source. The stereochemical structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated on the basis of physical and spectroscopic methods including UV, IR, 1H-, 13C-NMR, distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer, 2D NMR, 1H-1H correlation spectroscopy, 1H-13C heteronuclear single-quantum coherence, 1H-13C heteronuclear multiple-bond connectivity, 1H-1H nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy experiments, and high-resolution mass spectrometry, as well as some chemical transformations. The antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, and antipyretic activities of D. graveolens extracts and chromatographic fractions were carried out and the various bioactivities of our findings are discussed.     

Protein foam application for enhanced oil recovery

Protein foam was explored as a foaming agent for enhanced oil recovery application in this study. The influence of salinity and oil presence on bulk stability and foamability of the egg white protein (EWP) foam was investigated. The results were compared with those of the classical surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) foam. The results showed that the EWP foam is more stable than the SDS foam in the presence of oil and different salts. Although, the SDS foam has more foamability than the EWP foam, however, at low to moderate salinities (1–3 wt% NaCl), both foam systems showed improvement in foamability. At a NaCl concentration of 4.0 wt% and above, foamability of the SDS foam started to decrease drastically while the foamability of the EWP foam remained the same. The presence of oil has a destabilizing effect on both foams but the EWP foam was less affected in comparison to the SDS foam. Moreover, increasing the aromatic hydrocarbon compound percentage in the added oil decreased the foamability and stability of the SDS foam more than EWP foams. This study suggests that the protein foam could be used as an alternative foaming agent for enhanced oil recovery application due to its high stability compared to the conventional foams.     

Harvesting of the Microalga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nannochloropsis</Emphasis> sp. by Bioflocculation with Mung Bean Protein Extract

Harvesting microalgae from medium is a major challenge due to their small size and low concentrations. In an attempt to find a cost-effective and eco-friendly harvesting technique, mung bean (Vigna radiata) protein extract (MBPE) was used for flocculation of Nannochloropsis sp. The effects of parameters such as pH, flocculant dose, algae concentration, and mixing time were used to study the flocculation efficiency (FE) of MBPE. Optimum parameters of MBPE dosage of 20 mL L^?1 and a mixing rate of 300 rpm for 6 min achieved a FE of >92% after 2 h of settling time. MBPE-aggregated microlga flocs were characterized by microscopy. Zeta potential values decreased with increasing flocculant dose, and the values obtained were ?6.93 ± 0.60, ?5.36 ± 0.64, and ?4.44 ± 0.22 for doses of 10, 20, and 30 mL L^?1, respectively. In conclusion, MBPE flocculants used in this study are safe, nontoxic, and pollution free, so they could be used for an effective, convenient, and rapid harvesting of microalgae in an eco-friendly approach. These methods are sustainable and could be applied in industrial scale for aquaculture nutrition.