New butenolides in plantlets of Virola surinamensis (Myristicaceae)

A phytochemical investigation in plantlets of the Brazilian medicinal tree Virola surinamensis resulted in the isolation and structural determination of four new compounds: 3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-(11'-piperonyl-n-undecyl)-butenolide; 3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-(7'-piperonyl-n-heptyl)-butanolide; 9'-(3,4-methylenedioxy-phenyl)-nonanoic acid and 13'-(3,4-methylene-dioxyphenyl)-tridecanoic acid. Thirteen compounds previously isolated from seeds and adult plants were also reported.     

Studies on the encapsulation of diclofenac in small unilamellar liposomes of soya phosphatidylcholine

The encapsulation of acid (AD) and sodium diclofenac (SD) in small unilamellar liposomes (SUV) as well as the interactions of the drug with the bilayer was studied. SUV was prepared by sonication from multilamellar liposomes containing soya phosphatidylcholine and diclofenac at various proportions. The size distribution obtained from dynamic light scattering showed that the incorporation of SD decreases significantly the size of the liposomes suggesting that the drug interacts with the bilayer of the liposomes. This size decrease is related with the phase transition of liposomes to mixed micelar solution. The encapsulation of the hydrophilic dye indocyanine green in the aqueous compartment of liposomes showed that the rate of captured dye decreases with SD concentration suggesting the transition of liposomes to mixed micelles. The (31)P NMR analysis indicates that SD interacts with the phosphate of phosphatidylcholine head groups. A schematic model for interaction of SD with phosphatidylcholine of the liposomes in which the diclofenac anion interacts with the ammonium group of the phospholipid and the dichlorophenyl ring occupies a more internal site of bilayer near phosphate group was proposed.     

Titanosilicates as Supports for an Enzymatic Alcoholysis Reaction

Novel [Cr^III(amp)(bipy)(Cl)] (1) (H₂amp = N-(hydroxyphenyl)salicyldimine; bipy = 2,2-bipyridyl) and [Cr^III(app)(bipy)(Cl)]⁺ (2) (H₂app = N-(hydroxyphenyl)pyridine-2-carboxaldimine; bipy = 2,2-bipyridyl) complexes have been synthesized and characterized by physico-chemical methods. Complexes 1 and 2 have been employed as catalysts in the oxidation of both saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons using tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BuOOH). The significance of the results with respect to oxo-functionalization of C-H bonds both in unsaturated and saturated hydrocarbons is noted.     

Amidomethylation of amodiaquine: antimalarial N-Mannich base derivatives

Novel N-Mannich base-type derivatives of the antimalarial drug amodiaquine were synthesised by reaction with tertiary N-chloromethylamides. With the exception of the derivative of ethyl hippurate, all the so-formed (1-amidomethyl-1H-quinolin-4-ylidene)arylamines displayed high chemical and enzymatic stability. These compounds displayed antimalarial activity against the multi-drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum strain Dd2 (IC₅₀ values 15-31 nM) and demonstrated no significant loss in activity compared to amodiaquine (IC₅₀ 30 nM).     

A New ent‐Kaurane Diterpene from Stems of Alibertia macrophylla K. Schum. (Rubiaceae)

Phytochemical investigations of the stems of a specimen of Alibertia macrophylla led to the isolation and characterization of the new diterpene ent‐kaurane‐2β,3α,16α‐triol ( 1 ), along with triterpenes 2 – 8 , iridoids 9 – 12 , and phenolic acids 13 – 15 . The structure of 1 was established based on spectroscopic studies (¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR, IR, and HR‐ESI‐MS). This is the first report of the isolation of a diterpene from the Alibertia genus in Rubiaceae.     

Elemental concentration in the cortex and hippocampus of Wistar rats by X-ray total reflection fluorescence with synchrotron radiation

Summary The study of trace element levels is of great importance due to their relevance in agingand several neurodegenerative diseases. This work compares the elemental concentrations in different postnatal ages and between the temporal cortex, entorhinal cortex and hippocampus from Wistar rats, using X-ray total reflection fluorescence with synchrotron radiation. Ten elements were determined in brain samples: Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, (at trace level) and P, S, Cl and K (at major levels). The elements that increased with aging in cortical areas were: S, K, Fe, Cu and Zn. Ca and Zn levels decreased with advancing age in the hippocampus. In addition to this, Ti, Mn and Fe levels were more conspicuous in the entorhinal cortex.     

2020 Roadmap on two-dimensional nanomaterials for environmental catalysis

This roadmap demonstrates a series of two-dimensional nanomaterials, such as graphene, black phosphorus, oxides, layered double hydroxides, chalcogenides, bismuth-based layered compounds, MXenes, metal organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks, and others, for environmental catalysis.     

Gas-phase chemistry of the negative ions of fully-protected peptides by high-resolution electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Fully-protected C-terminal free peptides can be conveniently analyzed by high-resolution electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) in a quadrupole quadrupole time-of-flight tandem hybrid mass spectrometer, operated in the negative (-) ionizaionization mode. The unusual choice of negative ions in mass spectrometry applications to peptide analysis was needed to obtain exhaustive sequence and structural data. The low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments provided, in fact, tandem mass spectra displaying highly diagnostic fragments with a good signal-to-noise ratio. The method is applied to segments of porcine calcitonin (Cal), Cal (1016, 1), Cal (1724, 2) and Cal (2528, 3) whose [M H]- deprotonated molecular ions provided low-energy CID mass spectra which allow the evaluation either of the primary structure of the peptide and of the location of the side-chain protective groups. ESI (+) MS can be conveniently used, in the high resolution mode, to achieve precise information on the elemental composition of the examined peptides.