Dinuclear and Mononuclear Platinum(II) and Palladium(II) Complexes with Modified 2,2′‐Dipyridylamine Ligands Featuring a Cisplatin Analogous Structure Motif

In modern cancer therapy the clinical application of platinum‐based drugs is more and more limited by the occurrence of intrinsic or acquired resistances. In this context the potential use of dinuclear platinum complexes in chemotherapy is increasingly relevant. The novel complexes Pd(Bzdpa)Cl₂, Pd₂(C₄H₈(dpa)₂)Cl₄, and Pt₂(C₄H₈(dpa)₂)Cl₄ allow a direct comparison of mono‐ and dinuclear palladium and platinum complexes respectively deriving from a 2,2′‐dipyridylamine (Hdpa) ligand system. They were characterized by single crystal X‐ray analysis as well as infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The cisplatin analogous mononuclear palladium complex Pd(Bzdpa)Cl₂ ( 1 ) (Bzdpa: (2,2′‐dipyridylbenzyl)amine) belongs to a range of 2,2′‐dipyridylamine‐based compounds which were extensively studied in our laboratories. 1 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pna2₁ with a = 13.722(3), b = 13.457(3), c = 9.483(2), V = 1751.1(6) ų, and Z = 4. The metal binding motif of 1 was expanded by a flexible butyl‐linker to form the tetradentate C₄H₈(dpa)₂ ligand. The resulting isotypic dinuclear complexes Pd₂(C₄H₈(dpa)₂)Cl₄·2CH₃CN ( 2 ) and Pt₂(C₄H₈(dpa)₂)Cl₄·2CH₃CN ( 3 ) crystallize in the triclinic space group with a = 7.8427(2), b = 8.7940(2), c = 11.7645 (3), α = 79.219(2)°, β = 84.033(2)°, γ = 87.744(2)°, V = 792.58(3) ų ( 2 ) and a = 7.831(5), b = 8.814(5), c = 11.817(5), α = 79.271(5)°, β = 83.571(5)°, γ = 88.063(5)°, V = 796.3(8) ų ( 3 ), both with one centrosymmetrical molecule in the unit cell.     

Coumarin-based D–π–A dyes for efficient DSSCs: DFT and TD-DFT study of the π-spacers influence on photovoltaic properties

Research on Chemical Intermediates - A series of D–π–A architectures dyes with Coumarin-based derivatives as difluorenylaminocoumarin (DF) and diphenylaminocoumarin (DP) have been...     

Synthesis,characterization and antioxidant,antibacterial activity Zn2+, Cu2+, Ni2+ and Co2+, complexes of ligand [2-(thiophen-2-yl)-1-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole]

New metal complexes of (Zn(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II)) based on the ligand 2-(thiophen-2-yl)-1-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole] were synthesized, whose structures were determined with the different spectroscopic techniques ¹H NMR,¹³C NMR, FT-IR, UV–Visible and by mass spectrometry. The thermal analysis was performed by TG-DTA. The antioxidant activity of the ligand and its complexes was evaluated by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method, in comparison with the synthetic antioxidant, ascorbic acid. The results obtained showed that the antioxidant activity of the ligand and its complexes is moderate and that the copper complex has a high activity that exceeds that of ascorbic acid. Antimicrobial activity of the ligand and its metal complexes was studied against two Gram-positive bacteria: Bacillus subtilis ILP1428B, Staphylococcus aureus CIP543154 and two Gram-negative bacteria: Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27653, Escherichia coli CIP5412 (American Type Culture Collection)the activity data show that the metal complexes are more potent than the free ligand.     

Physico-Chemical and Phytochemical Characterization of Moroccan Wild Jujube “Zizyphus lotus (L.)” Fruit Crude Extract and Fractions

Wild jujube “Ziziphus lotus (L.) Desf.” belongs to the Rhamnaceae family and is a traditionally herbaceous medicinal plant. It is very common in arid and semi-arid regions and is currently used for its antidiabetic, sedative, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic activities. The aim of the present work was to characterize the physico-chemical properties and the phytochemical profile of wild jujube sample collected from the Guercif region, in order to determine the polyphenolic compounds and the antioxidant ability Analyses were carried out directly after the harvest for the determination of pH, refractive index, total soluble solid (°Brix), dry matter, sugar/acidity, total sugars, reducing sugars, as well as lipid and protein content. Results showed that the investigated fruit is acidic (pH 4.9 ± 0.23) and rich in sugars (80.2 g/100 g ± 3.81). The GC-MS analysis of the fruit revealed a number of volatile compounds, as many as 97, belonging to different chemical classes. The HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS analysis showed the presence of a total of 20 polyphenolic compounds in both EtOAc and MeOH-water extracts. Among them, p-Hydroxybenzoic acid was the most abundant in the EtOAc extract (185.68 µg/100 mg ± 0.5) whereas Quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside-7-O-glucoside was found in higher amounts in the MeOH-water extract (25.40 µg/100 mg ± 0.5). These components have medical interest, notably for human nutrition, as well as health benefits and therapeutic effects. Therefore, Moroccan jujube “Zizyphus lotus (L.)” fruit may have potential industrial applications for food formulations.     

Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography (2D-LC) in Pharmaceutical Analysis: Applications Beyond Increasing Peak Capacity

One-dimensional liquid chromatography (1D-LC) is not always capable of efficiently separating complex samples. This drawback is not solely due to the lack of column efficiency, but is mainly due to insufficient selectivity and the need to separate the analytes of interest with orthogonal retention mechanisms. In this regard, two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) is currently attracting much interest for its markedly higher resolving power compared to one-dimensional separation. In this work, three applications of 2D-LC from the pharmaceutical industry are presented with the goal not only to increase peak capacity, but also to support investigations. In the first application, the retention times of peaks of interest are matched under different mobile phase conditions for the purpose of transferring the method from a mass spectrometry (MS) incompatible buffer to an MS compatible buffer. The second application includes developing a method for simultaneous detection and quantitation of degradants and aggregates in a biologics and small molecule combination product. The third application supports method development by confirming the purity of separated peaks using orthogonal separation conditions in the first and second dimensions and to investigate mass balance issues where some peaks are expected to elute in the solvent front.     

DFT and TD-DFT calculations on thieno[2,3-b]indole-based compounds for application in organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Eight novel organic compounds with donor–π–acceptor (D–π–A) structure were designed for use as donors in organic bulk...     

Benzocarbazole-based D–Di–π–A dyes for DSSCs: DFT/TD-DFT study of influence of auxiliary donors on the performance of free dye and dye–TiO2 interface

Research on Chemical Intermediates - A series of ten organic dyes Ai (i=1–10) of type D–Di–π–A (i=2–10) combining various auxiliary donors (Di) with the same...     

Design and enhanced gene silencing activity of spherical 2′-fluoroarabinose nucleic acids (FANA-SNAs)

Drug delivery vectors for nucleic acid therapeutics (NATs) face significant barriers for translation into the clinic. Spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) – nanoparticles with an exterior shell made up of DNA strands and a hydrophobic interior – have recently shown great potential as vehicles to improve the biodistribution and efficacy of NATs. To date, SNA design has not taken advantage of the powerful chemical modifications available to NATs. Here, we modify SNAs with 2′-deoxy-2′-fluoro-d-arabinonucleic acid (FANA-SNA), and show increased stability, enhanced gene silencing potency and unaided uptake (gymnosis) as compared to free FANA. By varying the spacer region between the nucleic acid strand and the attached hydrophobic polymer, we show that a cleavable DNA based spacer is essential for maximum activity. This design feature will be important when implementing functionalized nucleic acids into nanostructures for gene silencing. The modularity of the FANA-SNA was demonstrated by silencing two different targets. Transfection-free delivery was superior for the modified SNA compared to the free FANA oligonucleotide.

Optimizing FANA modified spherical nucleic acids (FANA-SNAs) for highly efficient delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics.     

Tetrazo[1,2-b]indazoles: Straightforward Access to Nitrogen-Rich Polyaromatics from s-Tetrazines

The straightforward access to a new class of aza-polyaromatics is reported. Starting from readily available fluorinated s-tetrazine, a cyclization process with azide leads to the formation of an unprecedented tetrazo[1,2-b]indazole or a bis-tetrazo[1,2-b]indazole (cis and trans conformers). Based on the new nitrogen core, further N-directed palladium-catalyzed ortho-C−H bond functionalization allows the introduction of halides or acetates. The physicochemical properties of these compounds were studied by a joint experimental/theoretical approach. The tetrazo[1,2-b]indazoles display solid-state π-stacking, low reduction potential, absorption in the visible range up to the near-infrared, and intense fluorescence, depending on the molecular structure.