Interplay of Electronic Structure and Bulk Properties in 2D and 3D Ternary Carbonitrides from First Principles

The changes in electronic structure and hardness as inferred from the bulk modulus are investigated for model structures of ternary compounds XC₃N₃ (X = B, Al, P, As, Ga) within the framework of density functional theory (DFT). The optimisations of the proposed two‐ (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) structures and the calculations of the bulk moduli are performed by a pseudo potential method. The electronic structures are calculated with the augmented sphere wave method (ASW). The obtained hardness for 2D BC₃N₃ system (B₀ ～ 220 GPa) points to a magnitude close to that of graphitic C₃N₄. For heavier X atoms it decreases rapidly. This is equally observed for the 3D systems examined in the β‐C₃N₄ structure for which B₀(β‐BC₃N₃) amounts to ～330 GPa. Within the magnitude of the well known hard material cubic BN, the BC₃N₃ phases can be predicted as candidates for ultra hard materials. The electronic effect induced by the chemical nature of the X substitutional was examined according to its position in the periodic table i.e. X_III or X_V. Both, band structures and the electron localisation function (ELF) were used for this analysis. The ELF plots show a decreasing covalency with heavier X‐atoms. Potential applications of the devised systems are proposed such as dopings with atoms (Li, rare gas) and molecules (N₂).     

Investigation of the complexation of essential oil components with cyclodextrins

The formation of inclusion complexes of six essential oil (EO) components (β-caryophyllene, cis-ocimene, trans-ocimene, sabinene hydrate (thujanol), γ-terpinene and α-terpineol) with six cyclodextrins (CDs) (α-CD, β-CD, γ-CD, HP-β-CD, RAMEB and CRYSMEB) was investigated by using static headspace-gas chromatography and UV–visible spectroscopy. Retention studies showed that CDs could efficiently reduce the volatility of EO components except for β-caryophyllene with α-CD. In this case, no inclusion complex was detected while for other compounds the formation of 1:1 inclusion complexes was observed. Results revealed that the inclusion stability mainly depends on geometric complementarity between encapsulated molecule and CD's cavity. Molecular modelling was used to investigate the complementarities between host and guest. Thus, CDs could efficiently be regarded as promising encapsulants for EO components leading to improve their application in cosmetic, pharmaceutical and agriculture fields.     

Investigation of monoterpenes complexation with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin

In this study, we investigated the inclusion complexation of 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and eight monoterpenes (eucalyptol, geraniol, limonene, linalool, α-pinene, β-pinene, pulegone, and thymol) in aqueous solution and solid state. The formation constants (K _f) of inclusion complexes were determined using fluorescence spectroscopy and static headspace gas chromatography. The results indicated the formation of 1:1 inclusion complexes between HP-β-CD and all studied guests. A linear relationship was found between K _f values and the hydrophobic character of the monoterpenes expressed as logP. Solid complexes were prepared by the freeze-drying method in a 1:1 (HP-β-CD:monoterpene) molar ratio. Physicochemical characterization of solid inclusion complexes was carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Finally, the encapsulation efficiency (EE%) of HP-β-CD was determined using HPLC analysis. Noticeable difference in the EE% was observed between monoterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated monoterpenes. These results suggested that complexation with HP-β-CD could be a promising strategy to enlarge the application of monoterpenes in cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries.     

Development of a Total Organic Carbon method for the quantitative determination of solubility enhancement by cyclodextrins: Application to essential oils

Formation of inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins (CDs) is known to enhance guest solubility in aqueous medium. Different techniques allow determining the evolution in solubility of individual guest compounds. However, examination of mixtures solubility encapsulated in CDs is still a challenge. This is mainly related to the difference in the response of mixture components to the applied technique or to the fact that most of the conventional methods examine the signal of an individual constituent of the mixture. Thus, applying current techniques may not reflect the behavior of the whole mixture. Here, we used for the first time Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analysis to explore and assess the efficiency of 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) to enhance the solubility of natural complex mixtures such as essential oils (EOs). Phase solubility studies were performed for eleven EOs with HP-β-CD. The TOC method has provided good validation parameters for linearity, precision and accuracy. For further validation of the method, phase solubility studies were performed with HP-β-CD for eugenol, as a model EO component. The eugenol solubility was determined by UV–Visible and TOC analyses in order to compare the results. Data obtained from both methods were similar (p < 0.05), thereby proving the effectiveness of the developed TOC method. Finally, the phase solubility diagrams of EOs showed that the solubilizing potential of CD increased proportionally with the decrease in EO intrinsic solubility. Results proved that TOC could be successfully applied to investigate CD/guest inclusion complexes and is expected to have a broad range of applications in the field of mixtures encapsulation.     

GC-MS Analysis of Methadone and EDDP in Addicted Patients under Methadone Substitution Treatment: Comparison of Urine and Plasma as Biological Samples

(1) Background: Methadone, along with buprenorphine, is the most commonly used drug for the treatment of opioid dependence. This study aimed to analyze methadone and its major metabolite, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenyl pyrrolidine (EDDP), in the urine and plasma of opiate addicts. The study group consisted of drug users voluntarily admitted to the detoxification center C.E.T.T.T. “St. Stelian” of Bucharest. Secondly, the study aimed to identify whether urine or plasma provides better results for the proposed method. (2) Methods: A GC-MS method, using an internal standard (diphenylamine) in the FULL-SCAN and SIM modes of operation and using the m/z = 72 ion for methadone and the m/z = 277 ion for EDDP, combined with a liquid–liquid extraction procedure was performed. (3) Results: The applied procedure allows the detection and quantification of methadone in both urine and plasma samples. EDDP was identified in patients with higher levels of methadone. Higher levels of methadone were detected in urine than in plasma samples. (4) Conclusions: This procedure can be used in clinical laboratories for the rapid determination of methadone levels in urine rather than in plasma. The procedure can be applied for the monitoring of methadone substitution treatment.     

Combination of DES and macrocyclic host molecules: Review and perspectives

Solvation in deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and encapsulation in macrocycles are efficient strategies for molecule's solubilization. Recently, new systems combining DES and macrocycles are being constructed using two approaches: a) solubilizing hosts in preformed DES or b) using hosts as a DES component. This strategy could evolve in new outcomes in DES properties, more precisely provide the solvents with supramolecular capacity, and translate into interesting performances. In the present review, we will give the reader an overview of the studies accomplished in this growing research area, with a focus on the experimental perspectives that we consider to be the most important in order to enlarge knowledge on the properties and behavior of these neoteric systems.     

Matrix-fracture exchange in a fractured porous medium: stochastic upscalingCoefficient d'échange matrice-fracture en milieu poreux fracturé : changement d'échelle par approche stochastique

We present in this Note a stochastic approach to the matrix-fracture exchange in a heterogeneous fractured porous medium. We introduce an intermediate scale, called the unit-scale, between the local-scale (fracture-scale) and the large-scale characteristic of the reservoir mesh (reservoir block). This paper focuses on the problem of upscaling fluid exchange phenomena from the unit scale to the reservoir mesh or block scale. Simplifying the Darcian flow terms enables us to obtain a probabilistic solution of the dual continuum problem, in continuous time, in the case of a purely random exchange coefficient. This is then used to develop several upscaling approaches to the fluid exchange problem, and to analyze the so-called ‘effective’ exchange coefficient. The results are a first contribution to the more general problem of upscaling multidimensional flow-exchange processes in space and time, in randomly heterogeneous dual continua. To cite this article: M. Kfoury et al., C. R. Mecanique 332 (2004).     

Discovery of Monoacylglycerol Lipase (MAGL) Inhibitors Based on a Pharmacophore-Guided Virtual Screening Study

Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is an important enzyme of the endocannabinoid system that catalyzes the degradation of the major endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). MAGL is associated with pathological conditions such as pain, inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, elevated levels of MAGL have been found in aggressive breast, ovarian and melanoma cancer cells. Due to its different potential therapeutic implications, MAGL is considered as a promising target for drug design and the discovery of novel small-molecule MAGL inhibitors is of great interest in the medicinal chemistry field. In this context, we developed a pharmacophore-based virtual screening protocol combined with molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, which showed a final hit rate of 50% validating the reliability of the in silico workflow and led to the identification of two promising and structurally different reversible MAGL inhibitors, VS1 and VS2. These ligands represent a valuable starting point for structure-based hit-optimization studies aimed at identifying new potent MAGL inhibitors.     

Recent Advances in In Silico Target Fishing

In silico target fishing, whose aim is to identify possible protein targets for a query molecule, is an emerging approach used in drug discovery due its wide variety of applications. This strategy allows the clarification of mechanism of action and biological activities of compounds whose target is still unknown. Moreover, target fishing can be employed for the identification of off targets of drug candidates, thus recognizing and preventing their possible adverse effects. For these reasons, target fishing has increasingly become a key approach for polypharmacology, drug repurposing, and the identification of new drug targets. While experimental target fishing can be lengthy and difficult to implement, due to the plethora of interactions that may occur for a single small-molecule with different protein targets, an in silico approach can be quicker, less expensive, more efficient for specific protein structures, and thus easier to employ. Moreover, the possibility to use it in combination with docking and virtual screening studies, as well as the increasing number of web-based tools that have been recently developed, make target fishing a more appealing method for drug discovery. It is especially worth underlining the increasing implementation of machine learning in this field, both as a main target fishing approach and as a further development of already applied strategies. This review reports on the main in silico target fishing strategies, belonging to both ligand-based and receptor-based approaches, developed and applied in the last years, with a particular attention to the different web tools freely accessible by the scientific community for performing target fishing studies.