Antioxidant activity of (+)-bergenin: a phytoconstituent isolated from the bark of Sacoglottis uchi Huber (Humireaceae)

(+)-Bergenin (1) was isolated from Sacoglottis uchi, a species of vegetable found in the Amazon region and popularly used for the treatment of several hepatic problems. The structure of 1 was fully characterized using IR, GC-MS and NMR (1D and 2D) analyses. This phytoconstituent has been used as an oriental folk medicine for the treatment of many diseases and shows antihepatotoxic properties. Tests with beta-carotene, DPPH and a heterogeneous Fenton system were carried out, confirming the antioxidant activity of 1. Theoretical calculations were performed to investigate the formation of the radical derivatives of 1 using *H, *OH, *CH(3), and *CCl(3) as initiator radicals. DFT thermodynamic calculations showed that the methoxyl group (O-6-CH(3)) is the most favorable site for radical attack. Frontier molecular orbital analysis showed that nucleophilic radical attack is favored on the aromatic ring of 1 where the LUMO is localized, with antibonding character with respect to the O-6-CH(3) bond. The possibilities of attack at other sites on 1 were investigated in detail in order to understand the regiospecificity of this reaction.     

Full NMR analysis of annomontine, methoxy- annomontine and N-hydroxyannomontine pyrimidine-beta-carboline alkaloids

Using modern NMR techniques, including 1H--13C and 1H--15N heteronuclear correlation experiments, the complete and unambiguous 1H, 13C, and 15N NMR chemical shift assignments of annomontine, methoxyannomontine, and N-hydroxyannomontine pyrimidine-beta-carboline alkaloids were performed. All 1H--1H scalar coupling constants and signal multiplicities were determined, and all nOe observations were also included.     

Identification of the optically active vibrational modes in the photoluminescence of MEH-PPV films

The temperature dependence of the photoluminescence properties of a thin film of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2(')-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylene-vinylene], MEH-PPV, fabricated by spin coating, is analyzed. The evolution with temperature of the peak energy of the purely electronic transition, of the first vibronic band, of the effective conjugation length, and of the Huang-Rhys factors are discussed. The asymmetric character of the pure electronic transition peak and the contribution of the individual vibrational modes to the first vibronic band line shape are considered by a model developed by Cury et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 121, 3836 (2004)]. The temperature dependence of the Huang-Rhys factors of the main vibrational modes pertaining to the first vibronic band allows us to identify two competing vibrational modes. These results show that the electron coupling to different vibrational modes depends on temperature via reduction of thermal disorder.     

Structurally Defined αMHC‐II Nanobody–Drug Conjugates: A Therapeutic and Imaging System for B‐Cell Lymphoma

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) of defined structure hold great promise for cancer therapies, but further advances are constrained by the complex structures of full‐sized antibodies. Camelid‐derived single‐domain antibody fragments (VHHs or nanobodies) offer a possible solution to this challenge by providing expedited target screening and validation through switching between imaging and therapeutic activities. We used a nanobody (VHH7) specific for murine MHC‐II and rendered “sortase‐ready” for the introduction of oligoglycine‐modified cytotoxic payloads or NIR fluorophores. The VHH7 conjugates outcompeted commercial monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for internalization and exhibited high specificity and cytotoxicity against A20 murine B‐cell lymphoma. Non‐invasive NIR imaging with a VHH7–fluorophore conjugate showed rapid tumor targeting on both localized and metastatic lymphoma models. Subsequent treatment with the nanobody–drug conjugate efficiently controlled tumor growth and metastasis without obvious systemic toxicity.     

Selective synthesis of 4-thiomethyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-ones under microwave irradiation using an environmentally benign KF/Al2O3/PEG-400 system

Research on Chemical Intermediates - We describe a simple and rapid method for selective synthesis of 4-thiomethyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-ones promoted by KF/Al2O3 using PEG-400 as solvent under microwave...     

Theoretical characterization of the chemical bonds of some three-membered ring compounds through QTAIM theory

Structural Chemistry - In this paper, we investigate the nature of the carbonyl and the intraring C–C, C–N, C–O, N–N, O–O and N–O bonds of cyclopropanone and the...     

Inflammatory responses of a human keratinocyte cell line to 10 nm citrate- and PEG-coated silver nanoparticles

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are among the most commonly used engineered NPs and various commercially available products are designed to come in direct contact with the skin (wound dressings, textiles, creams, among others). Currently, there is limited understanding of the influence of coatings on the toxicity of AgNPs and in particular their ability to impact on AgNP’s mediated inflammatory responses. As AgNPs are often stabilized by different coatings, including citrate and polyethyleneglycol (PEG), in this study we investigate the influence of citrate (Cit10) or PEG (PEG10) coatings to 10 nm AgNP on skin, using human HaCaT keratinocytes. AgNPs cytotoxicity and inflammatory response (nuclear factor (NF)-κB induction and cytokine production) of HaCaT were assessed after in vitro exposure to 10 and 40 µg/mL after 4, 24, and 48 h. Results showed that although both types of coated AgNPs decreased cell proliferation and viability, Cit10 AgNPs were more toxic. NF-κB inhibition was observed for the highest concentration (40 µg/mL) of PEG10 AgNPs, and the putative link to early apoptotic pathways observed in these cells is discussed. No production of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNFα was stimulated by AgNPs. Furthermore, Cit10 and PEG10 AgNPs decreased the release of MCP-1 by HaCaT cells after 48 h of exposure. As cytokines are vital for the immunologic regulation in the human body, and it is demonstrated that they may interfere with NPs, more research is needed to understand how different AgNPs affect the immune system.     

Lagaspholones A and B: two new jatropholane-type diterpenes from Euphorbia lagascae

[structure: see text] Two new diterpenes, lagaspholones A (1) and B (2), have been isolated from the methanolic extract of Euphorbia lagascae, along with the known compounds (+)-dehydrovomifoliol, scopoletin, dehydrodiconiferyl diacetate, 3-indolcarbaldehyde, and 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1 and 2 contain the rare jatropholane-type skeleton, characterized by a 5:6:7:3 fused ring system. A possible biosynthetic pathway for lagaspholones is proposed.     

A new process for acrylic acid synthesis by fermentative process

With the synthesis of chemical products through biotechnological processes, it is possible to discover and to explore innumerable routes that can be used to obtain products of high added value. Each route may have particular advantages in obtaining a desired product, compared with others, especially in terms of yield, productivity, easiness to separate the product, economy, and environmental impact. The purpose of this work is the development of a deterministic model for the biochemical synthesis of acrylic acid in order to explore an alternative process. The model is built-up with the tubular reactor equations together with the kinetic representation based on the structured model. The proposed process makes possible to obtain acrylic acid continuously from the sugar cane fermentation.     

Complexation of transition metals by 3-azidopropionitrile. An electrospray ionization mass spectrometry study

Most complexes of azides and transition metals involve the N(3)(-) azide anion as a ligand other than an organic azide. Complexes of organic azides with metals are involved in biological applications and in the deposition of nitrenes on metal surfaces, producing nitride layers for semi-conductors preparation; this makes the study of these interactions an important issue. This work describes a study of the complexation of nickel and cobalt by 3-azidopropionitrile by means of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Complexes were obtained from solutions of NiCl(2) and CoCl(2) in methanol/water. In the case of nickel, other NiX(2) salts were investigated (where X = Br or NO(3)) and other solvents were also studied (notably ethanol/water). All complexes detected were single positively charged, with various stoichiometries, some resulted from the fragmentation of the ligand, the loss of N(2), and HCN being quite common. The most abundant cations observed were [Ni(II)AzAzX](+), where X = Cl, Br, NO(3). Some of the complexes showed solvation with methanol/ethanol/water. Metal reduction was observed in complexes where a radical was lost, resulting from the homolytic cleavage of a metal-nitrogen bond. Collision induced dissociation (CID) experiments followed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) analysis were not absolutely conclusive about the coordination site. However, terminal ions observed from the fragmentation routes were explained by a proposed gas-phase mechanism. Density functional theory calculations were carried out and provided structures for some complexes, pointing to the possibility of 3-azidopropionitrile acting as a mono- or a bidentate ligand.