Synthesis of Nature‐Inspired Medium‐Sized Fused Heterocycles from Amino Acids

Herein, we describe the synthesis of molecular scaffolds consisting of medium‐sized fused heterocycles using amino acids, which are some of the most useful building blocks used by nature as well as chemists to create structural diversity. The acyclic precursors were assembled by using traditional Merrifield solid‐phase peptide synthesis, and cyclization was carried out through acid‐mediated tandem endocyclic N‐acyliminium ion formation, followed by nucleophilic addition with internal nucleophiles. The synthesis of molecular scaffolds consisting of seven‐, eight‐, and nine‐membered rings proceeded with full stereocontrol of the newly generated stereogenic center in most cases.     

DNA gel particles: An overview

A general understanding of interactions between DNA and oppositely charged compounds forms the basis for developing novel DNA-based materials, including gel particles. The association strength, which is altered by varying the chemical structure of the cationic cosolute, determines the spatial homogeneity of the gelation process, creating DNA reservoir devices and DNA matrix devices that can be designed to release either single- (ssDNA) or double-stranded (dsDNA) DNA. This review covers recent developments on the topic of DNA gel particles formed in water–water emulsion-type interfaces. The degree of DNA entrapment, particle morphology, swelling/dissolution behavior and DNA release responses are discussed as functions of the nature of the cationic agent used. On the basis of designing DNA gel particles for therapeutic purposes, recent studies on the determination of the surface hydrophobicity and the hemolytic and the cytotoxic assessments of the obtained DNA gel particles have been also reported.     

Oxazolidinone cross-alkylation during Evans’ asymmetric alkylation reaction

Starting from Evans’ imidazolidin-2-one (1) two compounds were obtained by trans-N-acylation: the expected one 3 with S,R configuration and a second compound 5, that is, related to 3 by the loss of a CH(CH₃)CO fragment. The stereochemistry of 3 was established by NMR spectroscopy, mainly NOE experiments, as expected, the new center has an S configuration, the compound being thus S,R. The structure of compound 5 was determined by X-ray crystallography. A mechanism of formation of 5 was proposed.     

The solar-chemical photo-Friedel-Crafts heteroacylation of 1,4-quinones

Photochemical reactions between 1,4-benzo- and 1,4-naphthoquinone and several heteroaromatic carbaldehydes were investigated under solar irradiation conditions. These reactions gave the corresponding heteroacylated hydroquinones in the range 71%-92% yield.     

Rapid species identification of seafood spoilage and pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria by MALDI-TOF mass fingerprinting

The rapid identification of food pathogenic and spoilage bacteria is important to ensure food quality and safety. Seafood contaminated with pathogenic bacteria is one of the major causes of food intoxications, and the rapid spoilage of seafood products results in high economic losses. In this study, a collection of the main seafood pathogenic and spoilage Gram-positive bacteria was compiled, including Bacillus spp., Listeria spp., Clostridium spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Carnobacterium spp. The strains, belonging to 20 different species, were obtained from the culture collections and studied by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). A reference library was created, including the spectral fingerprints of 32 reference strains and the extracted peak lists with 10-30 peak masses. Genus-specific as well as species-specific peak masses were assigned and could serve as biomarkers for the rapid bacterial identification. Furthermore, the peak mass lists were clustered with the web-application SPECLUST to show the phyloproteomic relationships among the studied strains. Afterwards, the method was successfully applied to identify six strains isolated from seafood by comparison with the reference library. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene was carried out and contrasted with the proteomic approach. This is the first time MALDI-TOF MS fingerprinting is applied to Gram-positive bacterial identification in seafood, being a fast and accurate technique to ensure seafood quality and safety.     

1H NMR and UV-visible data fusion for determining Sudan dyes in culinary spices

Two data fusion strategies (variable and decision level) combined with a multivariate classification approach (Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis, PLS-DA) have been applied to get benefits from the synergistic effect of the information obtained from two spectroscopic techniques: UV-visible and ¹H NMR. Variable level data fusion consists of merging the spectra obtained from each spectroscopic technique in what is called “meta-spectrum” and then applying the classification technique. Decision level data fusion combines the results of individually applying the classification technique in each spectroscopic technique. Among the possible ways of combinations, we have used the fuzzy aggregation connective operators. This procedure has been applied to determine banned dyes (Sudan III and IV) in culinary spices. The results show that data fusion is an effective strategy since the classification results are better than the individual ones: between 80 and 100% for the individual techniques and between 97 and 100% with the two fusion strategies.     

Potent "clicked" MMP2 inhibitors: synthesis, molecular modeling and biological exploration

A new series of MMP2 inhibitors is described, following a fragment-based drug design approach. One fragment containing an azide group and a well known hydroxamate Zinc Binding Group in a α-sulfone, α-tetrahydropyrane scaffold, has been synthesized. Water-LOGSY, STD and competition-STD experiments indicate that this fragment binds to the active site of the enzyme. A click chemistry reaction was used to connect the azide to lipophilic alkynes selected to interact selectively with the S1' subunit of MMP2, as shown by docking and molecular dynamic experiments of the designed compounds. The most potent compounds 18 and 19 displayed an IC(50) of 1.4 and 0.3 nM against MMP2 respectively, and showed negligible activity towards MMP1 and MMP7, two metalloproteinases which have a shallow S1' subsite. Compound 18 also showed a promising selectivity profile against some antitarget metalloproteinases, such as MMP8, and considerably less activity against MMP14 (IC(50) = 65 nM), and MMP9 (IC(50) = 98 nM), other MMPs characterized by having a deep S1' pocket and, therefore, more similar to MMP2.     

Pt-Ag clusters and their neutral mononuclear Pt(II) starting complexes: structural and luminescence studies

The mononuclear complexes [Pt(bzq)(S^S)] [S^S = pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (pdtc 1), dimethyldithiocarbamate (dmdtc 2)] were prepared by reaction of [Pt(bzq)(NCMe)(2)]ClO(4) with an equimolecular amount of [NH(4)(pdtc)] and [Na(dmdtc)·2H(2)O] respectively in MeOH. Reactions of 1 and 2 with AgClO(4) in 1 : 1 and 2 : 1 molar ratios rendered the heteropolinuclear compounds [{Pt(bzq)(S^S)Ag}(2)](ClO(4))(2) (S^S = pdtc 3, dmdtc 4) and [{Pt(bzq)(S^S)}(2)Ag](ClO(4)) (S^S = pdtc 5, dmdtc 6) respectively. The X-ray studies on single crystals of 3 and 4 showed that both consist of tetranuclear [Pt(2)Ag(2)] clusters with the Pt-Ag and the Ag-Ag distances in the range of those corresponding to Pt-Ag dative bonds and argentophilic interactions. In 3 the tetranuclear [Pt(2)Ag(2)] clusters are connected into infinite polymeric chains by Pt···Pt metallophilic interactions (Pt···Pt = 3.1890(7) ?). The X-ray study on a single crystal of 5 showed that it is a polymer based on trinuclear [Pt(2)Ag] clusters containing two unsupported Pt-Ag dative bonds and connected by Ag-S bonds in such a way that the "Pt-Ag-S-Pt-Ag-S" atoms draw a zigzag polymeric chain. TD-DFT calculations carried out for 1 indicate that the lowest energy absorption band in CH(2)Cl(2) can be described as a mixture of (1)MLCT, (1)IL and (1)L'LCT transitions. Powdered samples of 1 at 298 K and 77 K show a green-yellow emission band coming mainly from a (3)LC excited state. However complex 2 shows "luminescence thermochromism": the colour of its luminescence changes from green-yellow at 77 K to orange-red at 298 K. The emission of the Pt-Ag clusters, 3-6, in the solid state, are due to excimeric (3)ππ and/or (3)MMLCT (dσ* →π*) low-lying excited states, indicating that the presence of silver in the clusters makes the "Pt(bzq)(S^S)" fragments interact to a large extent through Pt···Pt and/or π-π interactions. Solid 3 is a highly selective vapochromic compound towards acetonitrile although this behaviour is not fully reversible.     

Separation of regioisomers and enantiomers of underivatized saturated and unsaturated fatty acid monoacylglycerols using enantioselective HPLC

The challenging separation of regioisomers and enantiomers of monoacylglycerols (MAGs) of fatty acids has been achieved using a single chiral HPLC column (Chiralpak^® IC or Chiralpak^® IA) and hexane/2‐propanol eluent mixtures, without previous derivatization of the samples. The efficacy of the method is independent of the chain length and the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acids of the MAG. In addition, the separation method allows monitoring the time course for the loss of enantiomeric purity of the fatty acid‐derived MAGs in polar hydroxylic solvents.