Gastroprotective potentials of the ethanolic extract of Mukia maderaspatana against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in rats

This study investigated the protective effects of the ethanolic extract of Mukia maderaspatana against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in rats. Gastric ulceration was induced by single intraperitoneal injection of indomethacin (30 mg/kg b.wt.). M. maderaspatana extract produced significant reduction in gastric mucosal lesions, malondialdehyde and serum tumour necrosis factor-α associated with a significant increase in gastric juice mucin content and gastric mucosal catalase, nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 levels. The volume and acidity of the gastric juice decreased in pretreated rats. The plant extract was evaluated in the gastric juice of rats, untreated has showed near normal levels in pretreated rats. The M. maderaspatana was able to decrease acidity and increase the mucosal defence in the gastric area, therefore justifying its use as an antiulcerogenic agent. Ranitidine significantly increased pH value and decreased pepsin activity and gastric juice free and total acidity. The anti-ulcer effect was further confirmed histologically.     

Chemical constituents and in vitro antioxidant activity of Phyllanthus wightianus

The whole plant of Phyllanthus wightianus (PW) was investigated for the antioxidant effects of three successive extracts: hexane (PWHE), chloroform (PWCE) and methanol (PWME), using standard in vitro models. The PWME exhibited a strong scavenging effect on 2,2-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals and nitric oxide radical inhibition activity, due to possessing the highest content of tannins. The free radical scavenging effect of PWME was comparable with that of reference antioxidants. The extracts were subjected to isolation of their compounds: isomeric sterol mixture (1) [stigmasterol (1a), compesterol (1b) and β-sitosterol (1c)], fredilin (2), lupeol (3), gallic acid (4), bergenin (5), geraniin (6), corilagin (7) and ellagic acid (8) were established through the use of column chromatographic methods and spectral data. The percentage of tannins was also determined and estimated using the HPLC method. The data suggest that tannins are the active antioxidant compounds of P. wightianus. This study provides proof for the ethnomedical claims and reported biological activities of this plant. The plant therefore has very good therapeutic potential.     

Piperidine‐mediated synthesis of thiazolyl chalcones and their derivatives as potent antimicrobial agents

A series of new thiazolyl chalcones, 1‐[2‐amino‐4‐methyl‐1, 3‐thiazol‐5‐yl]‐3‐aryl‐prop‐2‐en‐1‐one were prepared by piperidine mediated Claisen‐Schmidt condensation of thiazolyl ketone with substituted aromatic aldehyde. These chalcones on cyclization gave 2‐amino‐6‐(2‐amino‐4‐methyl‐1,3‐thiazol‐5‐yl)‐4‐aryl‐4H‐pyridine‐3‐carbonitrile and 2‐amino‐6‐(2‐amino‐4‐methyl‐1,3‐thiazol‐5‐yl)‐4‐aryl‐4H‐pyran‐3‐carbonitrile. The results showed that this skeletal framework exhibited marked potency as antimicrobial agents. The most active antibacterial agent was 2‐amino‐6‐(2‐amino‐4‐methyl‐1,3‐thiazol‐5‐yl)‐4‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐4H‐pyran‐3‐carbonitrile while 2‐amino‐6‐(2‐amino‐4‐methyl‐1,3‐thiazol‐5‐yl)‐4‐(4‐methoyphenyl)‐4H‐pyran‐3‐carbonitrile appeared to be the most active antifungal agent. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2011).     

Adsorption of collagen onto single walled carbon nanotubes: a molecular dynamics investigation

Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has been carried out to understand the adsorption of collagen like peptides onto single walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) in an aqueous environment. It is observed that the triple helical structure of all the model collagen like peptides (CPs) has been unaltered upon adsorption onto CNT. The model CPs do not wrap around the CNT, however, the axis of the triple helix subtends a cross angle with respect to the axis of the CNT. The interaction between the CPs and CNT as well as that between the CPs and water molecules was observed by MD simulation snapshots. The inherent nature of the interaction of CPs with CNT facilitates the penetration of CPs into the water/CNT interface. During this process, water molecules trapped between the CPs and CNT are appreciably displaced. Although, hydrophobic-hydrophobic interaction is crucial for the interaction, the role of πR (R = OH and NH(2)) interactions are also observed from the geometrical parameters. The sequence specific interaction of CPs with CNT is evident from the results. It is found that the length of the CNT, curvature of the CNT and length of the CPs do not significantly influence interaction between the two systems. Overall the findings provide important information for the development of nanocomposite materials from collagen and CNT.     

Saturation of the free exciton resonance in GaAs

The transmission of 500 ns pulses through GaAs-AlGaAs heterostructures has been studied as a function of light intensity (0.015 to 50 kW/cm²) and wavelength (810 to 840 nm). The intrinsic exciton absorption (λ=818 nm at 10°K) can be modeled by the sum of a small unsaturable background and a dominant term which saturates as a Bloch resonance with a saturatiom parameter of about 150 W/cm².     

Generalized statistics variational perturbation approximation using q-deformed calculus

A principled framework to generalize variational perturbation approximations (VPAs) formulated within the ambit of the nonadditive statistics of Tsallis statistics, is introduced. This is accomplished by operating on the terms constituting the perturbation expansion of the generalized free energy (GFE) with a variational procedure formulated using q-deformed calculus. A candidate q-deformed generalized VPA (GVPA) is derived with the aid of the Hellmann-Feynman theorem. The generalized Bogoliubov inequality for the approximate GFE are derived for the case of canonical probability densities that maximize the Tsallis entropy. Numerical examples demonstrating the application of the q-deformed GVPA are presented. The qualitative distinctions between the q-deformed GVPA model vis-á-vis prior GVPA models are highlighted.     

Achiral Trisubstituted Thioureas as Secondary Ligands to CuI Catalysts: Direct Catalytic Asymmetric Addition of α‐Fluoronitriles to Imines

Thioureas have emerged as effective hydrogen‐bonding catalysts over the last two decades, and they are broadly utilized in asymmetric catalysis. We report that achiral trisubstituted thioureas function as beneficial secondary ligands to Cu^I catalysts, thereby enabling highly diastereo‐ and enantioselective addition of α‐fluoronitriles to imines. The structure of the thiourea significantly affects the reaction outcome, and kinetic experiments indicate that the thioureas enhance the stereocontrol by binding to the Cu^I complex. The reaction products can be readily transformed into valuable β‐amino acid derivatives bearing a fluorinated tetrasubstituted stereogenic center.