Piperine from the fruits of Piper longum with inhibitory effect on monoamine oxidase and antidepressant-like activity

A bioassay-guided isolation of the ethanol extract from the fruits of Piper longum yielded a known piperidine alkaloid, piperine, as a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor. Piperine showed an inhibitory effect against MAO-A (IC50 value: 20.9 microM) and MAO-B (IC50 value: 7.0 microM). Kinetic analyses by a Lineweaver-Burk plot clearly indicated that piperine competitively inhibited MAO-A and MAO-B with Ki values of 19.0+/-0.9 microM and 3.19+/-0.5 microM, respectively. The inhibition by piperine was found to be reversible by dialysis of the incubation mixture. In addition, the immobility times in the tail suspension test were significantly reduced by piperine, similar to that of the reference antidepressant fluoxetine, without accompanying changes in ambulation when assessed in an open-field. These results suggest that piperine possesses potent antidepressant-like properties that are mediated in part through the inhibition of MAO activity, and therefore represent a promising pharmacotherapeutic candidate as an antidepressant agent.     

Synthesis of 2‐(2‐, 3‐, and 4‐pyridyl)benzoxazoles by the reaction of phenolic schiff bases with thianthrene cation radical

2‐(2‐, 3‐, and 4‐Pyridyl)benzoxazole derivatives were prepared in excellent yields by the oxidative cyclization of phenolic Schiff bases with thianthrene cation radical perchlorate in the presence of 2,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methylpyridine.     

Overview on the selective lean NO x reduction by hydrocarbons over Pt-based catalysts

Selective catalytic reduction of NO _x with hydrocarbons (HC-SCR) has received much attention as one of potential technologies for reducing NO _x emissions under lean-burn conditions. Pt/ZSM-5 prepared by sublimation method and Pt/V/MCM-41 catalysts have been introduced for the wider activity temperature window than those Pt catalysts reported previously. The influence of pre-treatment, oxygen concentration, water and SO₂ on the activities of Pt-based catalysts has been discussed. Combinatorial catalysis, which has been developed recently for discovering the practical HC-SCR catalysts quickly, has been introduced too. Finally, the reaction mechanism of HC-SCR over Pt-based catalysts has been briefly discussed.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the aminolysis of aryl thiocarbamates: effects of the non-leaving group

The kinetics of the aminolysis of aryl thiocarbamates [ATC: H2NC(=O)SC6H4Z] with benzylamines (XC6H4CH2NH2) in acetonitrile at 10.0 degrees C have been studied. The rate order with variation of the non-leaving amino group, RNH, in RNHC(=O)SC6H4Z is NH2 < PhNH < EtNH indicating that the polar (sigma*) and steric (E(s)) effects of the RNH group are insignificant, and the strength of push to expel the leaving group in the tetrahedral transition state is the sole, important effect. The strong push provided by the NH2 group, the negative rhoXZ(-0.38) value, the size of betaZ(-0.54), and failure of the reactivity-selectivity principle are all consistent with the concerted mechanism. The kinetic isotope effects involving deuterated amine nucleophiles (XC6H4CH2ND2) are normal (k(H)/k(D)approximately 1.40-1.73) suggesting a hydrogen-bonded cyclic transition state.     

Solid-phase synthesis of a combinatorial array of 1,3-bis(acylamino)-2-butanones, inhibitors of the cysteine proteases cathepsins K and L

To more rapidly prepare members of the 1,3-bis(acylamino)-2-butanone class of cysteine protease inhibitors, a solid-phase synthesis was developed. 1-Azido-3-amino-2,2-dimethoxybutane (4), which has the two amino groups differentiated and the ketone protected as a a ketal, served as a surrogate for the 1,3-diamino-2-butanone core. Amine (4) was coupled to the BAL-resin-linked carboxylic acids derived from alpha-amino acid esters. Evaluation of a small combinatorial array by measuring inhibition constants (Ki,appS) against cathepsins K, L, and B provided some structure-activity relationship trends with respect to selectivity and potency. Novel, potent inhibitors of cathepsins K and L were identified.     

Effect of Organic Additive on the Preparation of Rutile TiO2 by Steam Treatment

Low temperature phase transformation of alkoxide-derived titania was studied under an oxygen flow containing water vapor. The addition of hexylene glycol to the titanium alkoxide solution was effective in transforming rutile phase at low temperature (300°C). Hexylene glycol seems to form a bidentate ligand structure with TEOT in solution state. This bidentate structure promoted the rutile phase at low temperature, under O₂-steam treatment. This modification of TiO₂ gel structure could be monitored by FT-IR and XANES.     

Effect of calcination conditions on MoO3/SiO2 catalysts for synthesis of methylphenyl carbonate

The effect of calcination conditions on MoO₃/SiO₂ catalysts for the synthesis of methylphenyl carbonate was investigated in terms of catalytic activities and surface properties. The calcination temperature was varied in the range of 300 to 800^oC. These calcination conditions have shown a close relationship with the catalyst activities. The optimal calcination temperature of MoO₃/SiO₂was found to be around 550-600^oC. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR and XPS analysis.     

The photochemistry of polydonor-substituted phthalimides: Curtin-Hammett-type control of competing reactions of potentially interconverting zwitterionic biradical intermediates

The results of studies designed to obtain information about the factors that control the chemical efficiencies/regioselectivities and quantum yields of single electron transfer (SET)-promoted reactions of acceptor-polydonor systems are reported. Photochemical and photophysical investigations were carried out with bis-donor tethered phthalimides and naphthalimides of general structure N-phthalimido- and N-naphthalimido-CH2CH2-D-CH2CH2-NMsCH2-E (E = SiMe3 or CO2NBu4 and D = NMs, O, S, and NMe). These substrates contain common terminal donor groups (NMsCH2SiMe3 or NMsCH2CO2NBu4) that have known oxidation potentials and cation radical fragmentation rates. Oxidation potentials and fragmentation rates at the other donor site in each of these substrates are varied by incorporating different heteroatoms and/or substituents. Photoproduct distribution, reaction quantum yield, and fluorescence quantum yield measurements were made. The results show that photocyclization reactions of alpha-trimethylsilylmethansulfonamide (E = SiMe3)- and alpha-carboxymethansulfonamide (E = CO2NBu4)-terminated phthalimides and naphthalimides that contain internal sulfonamide, ether, and thioether donor sites (D = NMs, O, or S) are chemically efficient (80-100%) and that they take place exclusively by a pathway involving sequential photoinduced SET (zwitterionic biradical desilylation or decarboxylation) biradical cyclization. In contrast, photoreactions of alpha-trimethylsilylmethansulfonamide- and alpha-carboxymethansulfonamide-terminated phthalimides and naphthalimides that that contain an internal tertiary amine donor site (D = NMe) are chemically inefficient and follow a pathway involving alpha-deprotonation at the tertiary amine radical cation center in intermediate, iminium radical-containing, zwitterionic biradicals. In addition, the quantum efficiencies for photoreactions of alpha-trimethylsilylmethansulfonamide- and alpha-carboxymethansulfonamide-terminated phthalimides are dependent on the nature of the internal donor (eg., phi = 0.12 for D = NMs, E = SiMe3; phi = 0.02 for D = S, E = SiMe3; phi = 0.04 for D = NMe, E = SiMe3). The results of this effort are discussed in terms of how the relative energies of interconverting zwitterionic biradical intermediates and the energy barriers for their alpha-heterolytic fragmentation reactions influence the chemical yields and quantum efficiencies of SET promoted photocyclization reactions of acceptor-polydonor substrates.     

A one-step synthesis of 2,3-dihydro-4H-pyran-4-ones from 3-ethoxy alpha,beta-unsaturated lactones

[reaction: see text] Addition of diverse nucleophiles to the unsaturated lactone 2 that results from hetero Diels-Alder reaction of Brassard's diene 1 with aldehydes leads to an efficient and general approach to the synthesis of 2,3-dihydro-4H-pyran-4-ones 3.     

Neutral diamide ionophores — Phenylenedioxydiacetamides

The preparation of a series of neutral ligands containing ether and amide groups is described. These ligands as well as related ones bearing other diamide groups are shown to selectively chelate Group II A cations by picrate extraction from water to methylene dichloride. This result was also confirmed by atomic absorption measurement. The changes in UV absorption of aromatic rings and amide groups in the ligands upon titration with metal salts in methanol allow the estimation of the ordering of cation binding.

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Neutrale Diamid-Ionophore — Phenylendioxyacetamide

Zusammenfassung Die Darstellung einer Reihe von neutralen Liganden mit Ether- und Amidgruppen wird beschrieben. Sowohl diese Liganden — als auch verwandte mit anderen Diamidgruppen — bilden mit Kationen der Gruppe II A selektiv Chelate, wie durch Pikratextraktion aus wäßriger Lösung gezeigt wurde. Dieses Ergebnis wurde auch durch Messungen der Atomabsorption bestätigt. Die Änderungen in der UV-Absorption der aromatischen Ringe und der Amidgruppen in Methanol erlauben eine Abschätzung der Größenordnung der Kationenbindung.