Hiv-1 Specific Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors: why are Tsao-Nucleosides so Unique?

1. INTRODUCTION

AIDS will still be one of the most important challenges for the Scientific Community in the approaching new century. Since the identification, in 1983-84,^1,2 of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the etiological agent of AIDS, significant progress has been made in the treatment of HIV-infected patients. This has been in part due to the discovery and clinical use of an increasing number of anti-HIV drugs. However, while highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)³ approaches have reduced the morbidity and mortality, the intertwined problems of drug induced viral resistance, poor compliance with complex regimens and therapy failure continue. Therefore, there remains a pressing need for the development of new antiviral agents that can be used not only as first line therapeutic candidates, but also in the antiretroviral-experienced patient population.     

Multivariate optimization of the Kharasch–Sosnovsky allylic oxidation of olefins

The multivariate optimization method known as simplex is applied to the Kharasch–Sosnovsky allylic oxidation of double bonds. By applying this method, the amounts of three variables (copper source, oxidant, and additive) are optimized at the same time. Under the conditions thus obtained the reaction takes place in a considerable shorter time, being the alkene the limiting reagent. These conditions are applied to some monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes leading regioselectively to the corresponding benzoate esters, opening a route to the employment of this reaction in the synthesis of more complex molecules.     

Directed ortho-lithiation of unprotected diphenylphosphinic acids

Directed ortho lithiation of diphenylphosphinic acid and subsequent electrophilic trapping provides mono ortho-functionalized derivatives including enantiopure γ-aminophosphinic acids in moderate yields. Copper catalyzed coupling of the ortho anion leads to biphenyl-2,2′-diylbis(phenylphosphinic acid), a phosphorus analogue of biphenyl-2,2′-dicarboxylic acid. Preliminary studies of the metal-binding abilities of this O,O-chelating ligand towards a series of metal cations are included.     

Density Functional Theory Study of Hypoxanthine Tautomerism in Both the Isolated State and a Modeled-Ideal Aqueous Solution at Several Heterocyclic Protonation Levels

In order to advance the knowledge of prototropic tautomerism from the physicochemical point of view, the purine derivative hypoxanthine has been selected and studied. The overall purpose has been to explore thermodynamic aspects of the heterocycle tautomerism under the influence of both its protonation level and the surrounding dielectric constant. A Density Functional Theory study (at the B3LYP/6-31++G** level) was performed, in which the energetic and thermodynamic stabilities, the electric dipole moment values, the tautomeric equilibrium constants and the tautomeric populations were obtained for several hypoxanthine tautomers under systematically modified heterocyclic protonation levels, considering both isolated and ideal aqueous solution states. Among the interesting results obtained are changes in the tautomeric populations for several heterocyclic protonation states and with the increase of the dielectric constant. Several of the predictions made for an aqueous solution show good agreement with recently reported experimental conclusions. Also, the ionizable groups that contribute to the different hypoxanthine ionization steps in the main tautomers have been established. These and other related results are presented and discussed. Finally, the confidence developed in the predicted tautomeric populations in a modeled-ideal aqueous solution allows us to propose that the methodology applied here can be used for the study of prototropic tautomerism in heterocycles belonging to this class, particularly when the experimental work is challenging in both performance and physicochemical data analysis.     

The Cellular Interactions of PEGylated Gold Nanoparticles: Effect of PEGylation on Cellular Uptake and Cytotoxicity

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is frequently used to coat various medical nanoparticles (NPs). As PEG is known to minimize NP interactions with biological specimens, the question remains whether PEGylated NPs are intrinsically less toxic or whether this is caused by reduced NP uptake. In the present work, the effect of gold NP PEGylation on uptake by three cell types is compared and evaluated the effect on cell viability, oxidative stress, cell morphology, and functionality using a multiparametric methodology. The data reveal that PEGylation affects cellular NP uptake in a cell‐type‐dependent manner and influences toxicity by different mechanisms. At similar intracellular NP numbers, PEGylated NPs are found to yield higher levels of cell death, mostly by induction of oxidative stress. These findings reveal that PEGylation significantly reduces NP uptake, but that at similar functional (= cell‐associated) NP levels, non‐PEGylated NPs are better tolerated by the cells.     

Temperature dependence of the Ho L2‐edge XMCD spectra of Ho6Fe23

An X‐ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) study performed at the Ho L_2,3‐edges in Ho₆Fe₂₃ as a function of temperature is presented. It is demonstrated that the anomalous temperature dependence of the Ho L₂‐edge XMCD signal is due to the magnetic contribution of Fe atoms. By contrast, the Ho L₃‐edge XMCD directly reflects the temperature dependence of the Ho magnetic moment. By combining the XMCD at both Ho L₂‐ and L₃‐edges, the possibility of determining the temperature dependence of the Fe magnetic moment is demonstrated. Then, both μ_Ho(T) and μ_Fe(T) have been determined by tuning only the absorption L‐edges of Ho. This result opens new possibilities of applying XMCD at these absorption edges to obtain quantitative element‐specific magnetic information that is not directly obtained by other experimental tools.     

Theoretical study of the smiles rearrangement in the activation mechanism of proton pump inhibitors

This work describes the conformational behavior and the activation mechanism of timoprazole and substituted prazoles from the most stable conformation to the sulphenic acid. The stability of the conformers can be explained by the presence of hydrogen bonds, stereoelectronic effect because of the lone pair of sulfur atom and the N^…C and N^…S interactions. The first step of the Smile rearrangement is a nucleophilic addition to benzimidazole by pyridine moiety, which depends on the difference of the electron population of the atoms involved in the attack. The second step produces sulphenic acid by a concerted reaction where breaking of the S–C bond goes along with a proton migration, and is determined by the electron population of the sulfur atom. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phase determination in interference-based superresolving microscopes through critical frequency analysis

Utilizing the interference of wave fronts of two opposing lenses, 4Pi-confocal and I(5)M microscopy improve the axial resolution of far-field fluorescence microscopy as much as threefold to sevenfold. However, establishing the phase difference of the wave fronts in the sample is a problem yet to be solved. Here we show that the phase difference is encoded in the microscope's transfer of the spatial frequencies that match the distance of the interference peaks. As a result the phase difference is readily extracted through a Fourier transform of the image. Our method is relevant to all microscopes that exploit the interference of counterpropagating waves to improve the axial and the lateral resolution.     

Origin of the X‐ray magnetic circular dichroism at the L‐edges of the rare‐earths in RxR1−x′Al2 systems

An X‐ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) study performed at the rare‐earth L_2,3‐edges in the R_xR_1?x′Al₂ compounds is presented. It is shown that both R and R′ atoms contribute to the XMCD recorded at the L‐edges of the selected rare‐earth, either R or R′. The amplitude of the XMCD signal is not directly correlated to the magnetization or to the value of the individual (R, R′) magnetic moments, but it is related to the molecular field acting on the rare‐earth tuned in the photoabsorption process. This result closes a longstanding study of the origin of the XMCD at the L‐edge of the rare‐earths in multi‐component systems, allowing a full understanding of the exact nature of these signals.