Synthesis of jasplakinolide analogues containing a novel omega-amino acid

The synthesis of the omega-amino acid 4 is described utilizing a two-dimensional synthesis strategy combined with an enzymatic differentiation of homotopic ester groups. The amino acid 4 features two non-bonded interactions that result in conformational constraints on a cyclic construct. This amino acid was incorporated into the four macrolactams 17, 22, 31, and 37. The ring in 17 and 22 is 18-membered, whereas 31 and 37 have a 19-membered ring. The pairs with the same ring size differ in a N-methyl group. For the larger macrolactams (31 and 37) conformational analysis showed that the macrocyclic rings are somewhat more rigid than in the natural lead, the depsipeptide jasplakinolide. Nevertheless, their conformations are comparable to the natural product. There are no intramolecular hydrogen bonds, neither is the cis-rotamer populated in the N-methyl compound 37. Due to the increased flexibility of the smaller macrolactams 17 and 22 and signal overlap, a distinct solution structure could not be obtained for these compounds. The amino acid 4 should be useful for restricting the conformation of other small peptides.     

Trident Nano-Indexing the Proteomics Table: Next-Version Clustering of Iron Carbide NPs and Protein Corona

Protein corona composition and precise physiological understanding of differentially expressed proteins are key for identifying disease biomarkers. In this report, we presented a distinctive quantitative proteomics table of molecular cell signaling differentially expressed proteins of corona that formed on iron carbide nanoparticles (NPs). High-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization coupled with ion trap mass analyzer (HPLC/ESI-Orbitrap) and MASCOT helped quantify 142 differentially expressed proteins. Among these proteins, 104 proteins showed upregulated behavior and 38 proteins were downregulated with respect to the control, whereas 48, 32 and 24 proteins were upregulated and 8, 9 and 21 were downregulated CW (control with unmodified NPs), CY (control with modified NPs) and WY (modified and unmodified NPs), respectively. These proteins were further categorized on behalf of their regularity, locality, molecular functionality and molecular masses using gene ontology (GO). A STRING analysis was used to target the specific range of proteins involved in metabolic pathways and molecular processing in different kinds of binding functionalities, such as RNA, DNA, ATP, ADP, GTP, GDP and calcium ion bindings. Thus, this study will help develop efficient protocols for the identification of latent biomarkers in early disease detection using protein fingerprints.     

Synthesis of Starch-Grafted Polymethyl Methacrylate via Free Radical Polymerization Reaction and Its Application for the Uptake of Methylene Blue

In this research, a new biodegradable and eco-friendly adsorbent, starch-grafted polymethyl methacrylate (St-g-PMMA) was synthesized. The St-g-PMMA was synthesized by a free radical polymerization reaction in which methyl methacrylate (MMA) was grafted onto a starch polymer chain. The reaction was performed in water in the presence of a potassium persulfate (KPS) initiator. The structure and different properties of the St-g-PMMA was explored by FT-IR, 1H NMR, TGA, SEM and XRD. After characterization, the St-g-PMMA was used for the removal of MB dye. Different adsorption parameters, such as effect of adsorbent dose, effect of pH, effect of initial concentration of dye solution, effect of contact time and comparative adsorption study were investigated. The St-g-PMMA showed a maximum removal percentage (R%) of 97% towards MB. The other parameters, such as the isothermal and kinetic models, were fitted to the experimental data. The results showed that the Langmuir adsorption and pseudo second order kinetic models were best fitted to experimental data with a regression coefficient of R² = 0.93 and 0.99, respectively.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of some novel dithiolane,thiophene, coumarin,and 2-pyridone derivatives

Novel 2-cyano-N-[1-(naphtha-2-yl)ethylidene] acetohydrazide 1 was utilized as key intermediate for the synthesis of some new dithiolane, thiophene, coumarin, 2-pyridone, and other related products containing a hydrazide moiety. Newly synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental analyses and spectral data (IR, ¹H NMR and mass spectra). The antimicrobial activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated.     

Sensitivity of in-Plane Strain Measurement to Calibration Parameter for out-of-Plane Specimen Rotations

In practice, out-of-plane motions usually are not avoidable during experiments. Since 2D–DIC measurements are vulnerable to parasitic deformations due to out-of-plane specimen motions, three-dimensional digital image correlation (StereoDIC or 3D–DIC) oftentimes is employed. The StereoDIC method is known to be capable of accurate deformation measurements for specimens subjected to general three-dimensional motions, including out-of-plane rotations and displacements. As a result, there has been limited study of the deformation measurements obtained when using StereoDIC to measure the displacement and strain fields for a specimen subjected only to out-of-plane rotation. To assess the accuracy of strain measurements obtained using stereovision systems and StereoDIC when a specimen undergoes appreciable out of plane rotation, rigid body out-of-plane rotation experiments are performed in the range ?40⁰?≤?θ?≤?40⁰ using a two-camera stereovision system. Results indicate that (a) for what would normally be considered “small angle” calibration processes, the measured normal strain in the foreshortened specimen direction due to specimen rotation increases in a non-linear manner with rotation angle, with measurement errors exceeding ±1400με and (b) for what would normally be considered “large angle” calibration processes, the magnitude of the errors in the strain are reduced to ±300με. To theoretically assess the effect of calibration parameters on the measurements, two separate analyses are performed. First, theoretical strains due to out-of-plane rigid body rotation are determined using a pinhole camera model to project a series of three-dimensional object points into the image plane using large angle calibration parameters and then re-project the corresponding sensor plane coordinates back into the plane using small angle calibration parameters. Secondly, the entire imaging process is also simulated in order to remove experimental error sources and to further validate the theory. Results from both approaches confirmed the same strain error trends as the experimental strain measurements, providing confidence that the source of the errors is the calibration process. Finally, variance based sensitivity analyses show that inaccuracy in the calibrated stereo angle parameter is the most significant factor affecting the accuracy of the measured strain.     

Conversion of Methane into Methanol and Ethanol over Nickel Oxide on Ceria–Zirconia Catalysts in a Single Reactor

The conversion of methane into alcohols under moderate reaction conditions is a promising technology for converting stranded methane reserves into liquids that can be transported in pipelines and upgraded to value‐added chemicals. We demonstrate that a catalyst consisting of small nickel oxide clusters supported on ceria–zirconia (NiO/CZ) can convert methane to methanol and ethanol in a single, steady‐state process at 723 K using O₂ as an abundantly available oxidant. The presence of steam is required to obtain alcohols rather than CO₂ as the product of catalytic combustion. The unusual activity of this catalyst is attributed to the synergy between the small Lewis acidic NiO clusters and the redox‐active CZ support, which also stabilizes the small NiO clusters.     

以聚乙二醇-b-聚四乙烯基吡啶为模板制备聚联苯胺微/纳米颗粒及其电容特性

以两亲性嵌段共聚物聚乙二醇-b-聚四乙烯基吡啶(PEO-b-P4VP)为模板制备聚联苯胺微/纳米颗粒,调节模板剂胶束溶液pH,得到了一系列形貌和尺寸可控的聚联苯胺微/纳米颗粒。利用红外光谱、核磁共振、透射电镜、循环伏安、恒电流放电、交流阻抗等测试对材料的结构和性能进行了表征。模板法合成的聚联苯胺为平均直径小于200nm的亚微米至纳米级棒状颗粒,其直径随着模板剂胶束溶液pH的降低而增加。所得聚联苯胺颗粒均显示了一定的电化学活性,当电流密度为1A/g时,聚联苯胺的比电容量达到306.3F/g,经过长时间的充放电测试,不同条件下合成的聚联苯胺的容量衰减率均很小,表现出良好的循环稳定性且各样品电化学性能呈现出随着直径的减小而增强的趋势。     

Nigella sativa L. and COVID-19: A Glance at The Anti-COVID-19 Chemical Constituents,Clinical Trials,Inventions, and Patent Literature

COVID-19 has had an impact on human quality of life and economics. Scientists have been identifying remedies for its prevention and treatment from all possible sources, including plants. Nigella sativa L. (NS) is an important medicinal plant of Islamic value. This review highlights the anti-COVID-19 potential, clinical trials, inventions, and patent literature related to NS and its major chemical constituents, like thymoquinone. The literature was collected from different databases, including Pubmed, Espacenet, and Patentscope. The literature supports the efficacy of NS, NS oil (NSO), and its chemical constituents against COVID-19. The clinical data imply that NS and NSO can prevent and treat COVID-19 patients with a faster recovery rate. Several inventions comprising NS and NSO have been claimed in patent applications to prevent/treat COVID-19. The patent literature cites NS as an immunomodulator, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, a source of anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds, and a plant having protective effects on the lungs. The available facts indicate that NS, NSO, and its various compositions have all the attributes to be used as a promising remedy to prevent, manage, and treat COVID-19 among high-risk people as well as for the therapy of COVID-19 patients of all age groups as a monotherapy or a combination therapy. Many compositions of NS in combination with countless medicinal herbs and medicines are still unexplored. Accordingly, the authors foresee a bright scope in developing NS-based anti-COVID-19 composition for clinical use in the future.     

Discovery,Development, and Patent Trends on Molnupiravir: A Prospective Oral Treatment for COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic needs no introduction at present. Only a few treatments are available for this disease, including remdesivir and favipiravir. Accordingly, the pharmaceutical industry is striving to develop new treatments for COVID-19. Molnupiravir, an orally active RdRp inhibitor, is in a phase 3 clinical trial against COVID-19. The objective of this review article is to enlighten the researchers working on COVID-19 about the discovery, recent developments, and patents related to molnupiravir. Molnupiravir was originally developed for the treatment of influenza at Emory University, USA. However, this drug has also demonstrated activity against a variety of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Now it is being jointly developed by Emory University, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, and Merck to treat COVID-19. The published clinical data indicate a good safety profile, tolerability, and oral bioavailability of molnupiravir in humans. The patient-compliant oral dosage form of molnupiravir may hit the market in the first or second quarter of 2022. The patent data of molnupiravir revealed its granted compound patent and process-related patent applications. We also anticipate patent filing related to oral dosage forms, inhalers, and a combination of molnupiravir with marketed drugs like remdesivir, favipiravir, and baricitinib. The current pandemic demands a patient compliant, safe, tolerable, and orally effective COVID-19 treatment. The authors believe that molnupiravir meets these requirements and is a breakthrough COVID-19 treatment.