Crystal structure of the gold(I) complex [Au(tfp)Cl] with tfp = (C<Subscript>4</Subscript>H<Subscript>3</Subscript>O)<Subscript>3</Subscript>P

The Au(I) complex [Au(tfp)Cl] with tfp = (C₄H₃O)₃P has been prepared and characterised. It crystallises in the monoclinic P2₁/n space group with z = 4, a = 9.837(3), b = 12.684(4), c = 11.103(5)Å, = 91.58(2)° and V = 1384.8(2)ų. The structure of the complex consists of molecules connected in head-to-tail dimers by a metal-halogen contact as generally found in analogus complexes of lighter coinage metals. The typical feature of halogen gold compounds, the Au–Au interaction, seems prevented by the bulk of the tfp ligand.     

Intramolecular diels-alder reactions of the furan diene: substituent and solvent effects

An internal Diels-Alder reaction, using furan as the diene component, formed a highly functionalized 5-membered carbocyclic ring in excellent yield. Solvent and substituent effects of this reaction were examined.     

The Glucosamine-derivative NAPA Suppresses MAPK Activation and Restores Collagen Deposition in Human Diploid Fibroblasts Challenged with Environmental Levels of UVB

The ultraviolet (UV) component of solar radiation is the driving force of life on earth, but it can cause photoaging and skin cancer. In this study, we investigated the effects of the glucosamine-derivative 2-(N-Acetyl)-L-phenylalanylamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucose (NAPA) on human primary fibroblasts (FBs) stimulated in vitro with environmental levels of UVB radiation. FBs were irradiated with 0.04 J cm⁻² UVB dose, which resulted a mild dosage as shown by the cell viability and ROS production measurement. This environmental UVB dose induced activation of MAP kinase ERK 1/2, the stimulation of c-fos and at lower extent of c-jun, and in turn AP-1-dependent up-regulation of pro-inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-8 and suppression of collagen type I expression. On the contrary, 0.04 J cm⁻² UVB dose was not able to stimulate metalloprotease production. NAPA treatment was able to suppress the up-regulation of IL-6 and IL-8 via the inhibition of MAP kinase ERK phosphorylation and the following AP-1 activation, and was able to attenuate the collagen type I down-regulation induced by the UVBs. Taken together, our results show that NAPA, considering its dual action on suppression of inflammation and stimulation of collagen type I production, represents an interesting candidate as a new photoprotective and photorepairing agents.     

Influence of olive (cv Grignano) fruit ripening and oil extraction under different nitrogen regimes on volatile organic compound emissions studied by PTR-MS technique

Volatile organic compounds of extra virgin olive oils obtained from the local Italian cultivar Grignano were measured by proton transfer reaction–mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). Oils were extracted by olives harvested at different ripening stages across veraison, performing each extraction step and the whole extraction process in nitrogen atmosphere to observe the changes in the volatile profiles of the oils. Principal component analysis carried out on the full spectral signature of the PTR-MS measurements showed that the stage of ripening has a stronger effect on the global definition of volatile profiles than the use of nitrogen during oil extraction. The fingerprint-like chemical information provided by the spectra were used to construct a heat map, which allowed the dynamical representation of the multivariate nature of mass evolution during the ripening process. This provided the first evidence that some groups of volatile organic compounds displayed a time course of regulation with coordinated increasing or decreasing trends in association with specific stages of fruit ripening.