Resumo em Inglês:

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid found in ruminant food products, has been associated with anticarcinogenic activity. However, its effect on cancer metabolism is unclear. In this paper we evaluated the effects of cis-9, trans-11 CLA on the metabolic profile of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells using high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The NMR spectra showed that phosphocholine level, a cancer malignance biomarker, was reduced in both cells treated with CLA, but the reduction was more pronounced in MCF-7 cells. The NMR spectra also showed that CLA has opposite effect on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 acetone metabolism. Acetone signal has been observed in the spectra of MDA-MB-231 control cells, but not in the spectra of the cells treated with 50 and 100 µM CLA. Conversely, the acetone signal is very small or not observed in the NMR spectra of MCF-7 control cells and in cells treated with 50 µM of CLA, but is very strong in the spectra of the cells treated with 100 µM of CLA. Therefore, this CLA concentration is causing a ketosis in MCF-7 cells by inducing the use of fatty acids as an energy source or by reducing acetone catabolism. These results indicate that CLA interfere in the metabolism of both cells. However, the strongest effect has been observed on the metabolism of MCF-7 cells cultivated in the presence of 100 µM CLA. Therefore, CLA could be a potential anticarcinogenic drug, especially for cells with positive estrogen receptor, such as MCF-7.

Resumo em Inglês:

A modified and efficient Knoevenagel condensation procedure was developed to synthesize the title compounds using β-alanine and acetic acid as catalysts, showing good to excellent yields. We used lawsone with suitable aliphatic aldehydes including isobutyraldehyde, 3-methyl-butyraldehyde, 2-ethylbutyraldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, 2-phenyl-propionaldehyde, among others. These compounds were submitted to cytotoxic screening against three tumor cell lines presenting good to excellent cytotoxic profiles.

Resumo em Inglês:

Spiro-pyrrolidinyl-2-oxindoles were prepared by the oxidative rearrangement of Na-acetyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carbolines (THBC) using dimethyldioxirane generated in situ. The Na-acetyl THBC substrates were obtained by Pictet-Spengler and acyl-Pictet-Spengler reactions of L-tryptophan methyl ester, followed by Na-acetylation. The stereoselectivity of the oxidative rearrangement was evaluated and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to determine the stereochemistry of the oxindole products relative to L-tryptophan. Density functional theory calculations were consistent with a face selective, substrate controlled, epoxidation of the indolic double bond. The calculations indicated that the resulting epoxide would readily rearrange at room temperature via a concerted ring opening/ring contraction process to give the 3-substituted-2-oxindole.

Resumo em Inglês:

This article reports a novel virtual screening algorithm seeking the rational identification of novel lead anticoagulants. Seven 5-(3-methyl-1-aryl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-1H-tetrazoles and seven novel 1-aryl-4-(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-3-methyl-1H-pyrazoles were obtained in three steps starting from arylhydrazine hydrochlorides as raw materials in good yields: 50-72% and 50-85%, respectively. All compounds were submitted to an in silico target-base pipeline named integrated multiplex analysis virtual screening (IMA-VS), which comprises the evaluation of their (i) fitting physicochemical properties to the chemical environment of the target enzyme; (ii) active-site homing electrostatic potential to the target enzyme; (iii) structural fitting to the target active site through molecular docking; and (iv) overall absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) profile. After the virtual selection of potential anticoagulant hits, all molecules were synthesized and candidates were evaluated in vitro for their anticoagulant and hemolytic profile. The most promising candidate pointed out by IMA-VS was compound 1-(3',4'-dichlorophenyl)-4-(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-3-methyl-1H-pyrazole that shown to display factor Xa (FXa)-specific inhibitory activity in vitro, acting as an uncompetitive inhibitor with an inhibition constant (Ki) = 61.16 ± 12.96 µM, in addition to the lowest hemolytic activity of the series. Further experiments revealed the antithrombotic activity of this compound in an in vivo model of arterial thrombosis induced by FeCl3.

Resumo em Inglês:

A reliable method was developed and validated based on dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) to determine simultaneously methylparaben (MePB), ethylparaben (EtPB), propylparaben (PrPB), and butylparaben (BuPB) in breast milk samples. A central composite design 24 with four independent variables and five levels of variance was used to optimize the DLLME conditions. The DLLME/UHPLC-MS/MS method was linear from 5 (lower limit of quantification, LLOQ) to 100 ng mL-1 (upper limit of quantification, ULOQ). The inter-assay and intra-assay precision values presented coefficients of variation (CVs) lower than 15%, and the relative standard error of the inter- and intra-assay accuracy values was lower than 10.4%. The DLLME/UHPLC-MS/MS method was successfully applied to determine parabens in human milk samples obtained from sixteen volunteer lactating mothers.

Resumo em Inglês:

The Cannabis sativa L. plant has a complex chemical composition, containing various chemical compounds such as terpenes, sugars, hydrocarbons, steroids, flavonoids, and amino acids. Few works have attempted to identify the constitutional isomers of cannabinoids that are found in the plant. The present study reported the analysis of seven cannabinoid standards: five neutral and two acidic, as well as Cannabis products (hashish and marijuana) and parts of the Cannabis plant (flower and leaf) using mono-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole MS (GC × GC-QMS), ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time of flight (UPLC-ESI-QTOF)-MS and UPLC-ESI-travelling wave ion mobility (TWIM)-MS. The results of GC-MS demonstrated close retention times (∆tR = 1.303 min) in separation of the five cannabinoid standards, whereas GC × GC-QMS provided a substantially better identification and distinction of constitutional isomers of cannabinoids, where a total of 11 cannabinoids were identified in the hashish sample. UPLC-QTOF-MS and UPLC-TWIM-MS data obtained complete chemical information, in which ESI(+) revealed the presence of seven constitutional isomers of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC), whereas ESI(-) proved the presence of four isomers of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (∆9-THCA A).

Resumo em Inglês:

This study evaluated the environmental occurrence of fifty-one pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in surface and drinking water samples collected in southern Brazil over a 4-year period. The method used involved a stage based on solid-phase extraction, followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Thirty compounds were detected (22 different pesticides and 8 PPCPs) and at least four compounds were identified in more than 50% of the samples. Atrazine was the most frequently detected pesticide and it was found at concentrations between 5 and 49 ng L-1. From PPCPs, glibenclamide, methylparaben and nimesulide were the most commonly detected in both drinking water and surface water samples. Results showed the extent to which traces of pesticides and PPCPs were present in water samples from this region.

Resumo em Inglês:

A series of triphenylamino (TPA)-chalcones and triphenylamino-β-arylchalcones, displaying either D-π-D or D-π-A architecture, were synthesized through aldol condensations and Heck reactions. The chalcone derivatives display intense absorption bands ranging from 389 to 432 nm and molar extinction coefficients of ca. 105 L mol-1 cm-1 corresponding to π-π* electronic transitions. The photoluminescence emissions are peaked between 470 and 563 nm with large Stokes shifts (80-131 nm), attributed to charge transfer in the excited state. The dyes present low fluorescence quantum yields, which is attributed to radiationless excited state deactivation related to aryl rings rotation. Spectroscopic and electrochemical methods were used to determine the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels. Both optical and electrochemical properties of the TPA-chalcone derivatives are considerably affected by the substitution pattern of the chalcones aryl rings and also by the β-arylation of the olefin moiety.

Resumo em Inglês:

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the influence of metallic alloys and copper in the degradation of biodiesel in mixture with blackberry extract. Biodiesel is formed by unsaturated esters highly susceptible to the oxidation reaction. The initial induction period (IP) of the control sample was 9.53 h and, after 208 days, the IP reduced to 5.74 h. However, with the addition of the antioxidant, the final IP was 6.27 h. The assays involving carbon steel, stainless steel, silver steel and copper showed final IP of 3.78, 4.43, 1.59 and 0.09 h, respectively. This behavior indicates that the reaction was catalyzed in the presence of metal. The addition of the blackberries extract favored the increase of the induction period and the decrease of the reaction rate constant values, aside from the carbon steel that presented a final IP of 1.22 h. The highest rate constant was 7.41 h obtained for biodiesel in contact with copper, as well as the highest IP. The acid number ranged from 0.34 to 0.60 mgKOH g-1. It was possible to observe in the oxidation reactions the presence of the linearity deviation proposed by Arrhenius.

Resumo em Inglês:

The present investigation describes the synthesis of a series of novel triazole derivatives from 4,4'-dihydroxybenzophenone along with their elastase inhibitory activity. The 1,2,3-triazoles were obtained via the copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC), also known as click reaction, between bis(4-(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy))benzophenone and several benzyl azides. It was found that five derivatives exhibited significant inhibitory effects, presenting half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values in the range of 16.6 to 72.1 µM. The most active compound, namely bis(4-(1-(4-iodobenzyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)benzophenone (IC50 = 16.6 ± 1.9 µM), was found to bind to elastase with the inhibition constant (Ki) of 11.12 µM, thereby illustrating competitive inhibitory behavior. Further, docking investigations provided insights on the possible binding mode of the most active compound with the elastase.

Resumo em Inglês:

In this work, the bioaccessibility of Ca, Mg, and Cu in commercial dried fruits was evaluated in vitro, and compared with that in the corresponding fresh fruits. In fresh fruits, the bioaccessibility of Ca was found to be between 72.3 and 92.2%, while Mg bioaccessibility was observed to be in the range 59.5-66.3%. In dried fruits, the bioaccessibility of Mg was approximately 45%, while that of Ca was in the range of 12.2-52%. The average bioaccessibility of Ca in banana (dried fruit) was lower (12.2%) than papaya (22.9%) and apple (52%). In addition, for all samples, Cu content was below the limit of detection (LOD) (1.12 µg g-1), suggesting that Cu is present in the researched fruits in a chemical form that is poorly absorbed by the human body. Considering these results, it is possible to conclude that the bioaccessibility of Ca and Mg was significantly lower in dried fruits than in fresh fruits, whereas Cu bioaccessibility was below the LOD of the method. These results demonstrate that the dehydration process negatively affected the bioaccessibility of all elements evaluated in this study, reducing the amount of nutrients that can be absorbed by the human body.

Resumo em Inglês:

Novel iodotyramides with para-substituted benzoic acids were synthesized via electrophilic aromatic substitutions and amide coupling via N,N'-diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC) in dimethylformamide (DMF). All derivatives were in vitro screened against U-937 macrophages and Plasmodium falciparum, Leishmania panamensis and Trypanosoma cruzi protozoan parasites. The hemolytic activity was evaluated on human red blood cells (RBC). Compounds N-(4-hydroxy-3,5-diiodophenethyl)-4-methylbenzamide and N-(3,5-diiodo-4-methoxyphenethyl)-4-methoxybenzamide were the most active against L. panamensis with an effective concentration 50 (EC50) of 17.9 and 17.5 µg mL-1, respectively; while compounds N-(3,5-diiodo-4-methoxyphenethyl)-4-methylbenzamide and N-(3,5-diiodo-4-methoxyphenethyl)-4-methoxybenzamide were the most active for T. cruzi with EC50 values of 23.75 and 6.19 µg mL-1, respectively. In contrast, all derivatives showed high activity against P. falciparum with EC50 < 25 µg mL-1, except compound N-(4-hydroxy-3,5-diiodophenethyl)-benzamide. No compound was hemolytic over RBC. This report represents the importance of novel iodotyramides as anti-parasites agents.

Resumo em Inglês:

In the present study, we have carried out a condensation reaction for the synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones from 2-amino-N-benzylbenzamide and different aromatic aldehydes using FeCl3 catalyst supported on Al2O3. It was demonstrated that this material can be used successfully for the nucleation of quinazolinones with good to excellent yield; furthermore, the FeCl3/Al2O3 catalyst can be recovered and reused. This catalyst was used before in the synthesis of imidazole with very good yields. The synthesized quinazolinones showed a large range diastereotopic effect over the methylene group and, this anomalous difference was studied through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and computational calculations.

Resumo em Inglês:

Morinda citrifolia (noni) is found in the Atlantic and Amazonian Forest in Brazil and with recognized uses in folk medicine. However, few studies exist in its chemical characterization. The present work aims to investigate the efficiency of the sonication for extracting bioactive compounds from fruits and leaves of noni, using an experimental design of 23, whose variables were time, temperature and mass of the plant. Parallel extractions were performed using two extraction solvents (hexane and ethanol) and the same experimental design. The compounds were identified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The independent variable was the mass yield and all the variables studied in the sonication process were significant (p < 0.05%) for the process. Ethanol was more effective than hexane and the leaves produced higher yield and diversity of compounds than fruits. Vitamin E (tocopherol), octanoic acid, hydroxymethylfurfural, phytol and squalene were the main compounds identified.

Resumo em Inglês:

In this study, 20 different protocols for protein extraction of cowpea seeds in natura were evaluated taking into account four parameters: cell disruption method, time, temperature and solvent. Factorial design experiments were executed to determine the effects on the total protein content of extracts. The total protein content was determined and the results were in the range of 8.75 ± 1.3 and 86.6 ± 6.9 mg g-1. The richest protein extracts were obtained using Tris-HCl buffer at 50 ºC for 20 min for each assessed cell disruption method. However, the results using water were similar to buffer according to t-test at the 95% confidence level. Six protocols demonstrated higher extraction efficiency. Comparative proteomic study using size exclusion chromatography coupled to diode array detector (SEC-DAD) revealed that the one protocol extracted simultaneously high and low molecular mass biomolecules. In fact, the effect of microwave radiation promoted an increased solubility of biomolecules in water. The analysis of chromatographic profiles for principal component analysis (PCA) highlights the greater efficiency of extraction with the application of this protocol. Therefore, our study showed that the optimum condition for extraction of cowpea seed protein consists of water assisted by microwave radiation at 50 ºC for 20 min.

Resumo em Inglês:

To research the potential ability of whole marine sponges to act as biocatalysts, this paper describes for the first time the employment of whole Cliona varians sponge in the stereoselective reduction of prochiral a-keto esters and isatin to the corresponding chiral alcohols. The addition of D-fructose, D-glucose or sucrose remarkably increased the conversion ratios and stereoselectivities by this marine sponge. Furthermore, in the presence of D-glucose and D-maltose, the reduction of isatin by C. varians afforded the corresponding 3-hydroxyindolin-2-one with high conversions (85-90%) and good enantioselectivities (60-74%). These results showed that the marine sponge presents great potential to be used as biocatalyst for stereoselective reduction of carbonyl compounds.

Resumo em Inglês:

The big avocado seed weevil, Heilipus lauri Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is one of the most significant pests of avocado in Colombia and other countries, such as Mexico. The volatile compounds produced by males and females were collected by headspace (HS)-solid phase microextraction (SPME) and dynamic headspace collection (DHS) on a sorbent. Comparative analysis of these volatile compounds was performed using gas chromatography (GC)-flame ionization detector (FID) and GC coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). Four male-specific compounds were identified as grandisol, papayanol, papayanal and grandisal in a ratio of 94.8:3.0:1.8:0.4. Our results may help in integrated pest management by using these semiochemicals for trapping and controlling population of this species.

Resumo em Inglês:

Derivatives of the thiazolidine-2,4-dione core represent a heterocyclic class with several correlated properties. In this context, the synthesis of structural analogues of these bioactive substances becomes attractive in the field of medicinal chemistry. These analogues act as antimicrobial agents against Gram-positives pathogens. The present work aimed to synthesize 10 different derivatives of 5-arylidene-thiazolidine-2,4-dione, employing urea as the catalyst in a solvent-free reaction medium, with yields that ranged from 45 to 99%. The compounds obtained were submitted to an antimicrobial assay against S. aureus ATCC 29213. Two compounds presented minimum inhibitory concentration of 62.5 and 32.5 µg mL-1 and minimum bactericidal concentration < 500 µg mL-1, demonstrating their antibacterial potential. Principal component analysis was carried out to discriminate the compounds in active and inactive classes. Four geometric and electronic molecular descriptors were required to completely discriminate the compounds. The selected descriptors can guide us in designing new 5-arylidene-thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives with enhanced activity.

Resumo em Inglês:

In this work, we tested a linear interpolation approach in order to select polarization functions (exponents) to be used with Gaussian basis sets. The Gaussian primitive functions were generated here for Ga to Kr and also for Sc to Cu. The general contraction method was used for the construction of contracted Gaussian basis sets of 6Z and 7Z quality. Polarization functions were added to the contracted bases by explicit optimization and also by interpolation of exponents. The performance of the contracted basis sets, augmented with polarization functions obtained by interpolation, was tested with molecular configurations interaction single and double excitations (CISD) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations for the systems Se, Se2, Se6, Ge2, CrH and FeH. The outcomes obtained in this work with interpolated polarization functions agreed very well with the ones augmented with polarization functions obtained by explicit optimization. The interpolation methodology presented here is useful to generate polarization functions for any Gaussian basis set in different series of atoms of the periodic table.

Resumo em Inglês:

An extraction method based on solid-phase extraction was developed to determine the major alkaloid components, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, harmine, harmaline, harmalol, and tetrahydroharmine, in ayahuasca using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Coconut charcoal and menthone-thiosemicarbazone polymer were tested as new adsorbent materials. Experiments carried out at levels of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 250 µg mL-1 resulted in recoveries in the ranges 45.3-115.7% for menthone-thiosemicarbazone and 40.6-116.2% for coconut charcoal. The detection and quantification limits ranged from 0.003 to 0.016 µg mL-1 and from 0.009 to 0.043 µg mL-1, respectively. The method developed was linear over the tested range (0.05-1.0 µg mL-1), with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9969 to 0.9998. The technique was applied for analysis of the compounds in an ayahuasca sample collected from a religious group located in the city of Fortaleza, obtaining concentrations in the range from 0.3 to 19.3 mg mL-1.

Resumo em Inglês:

Nine new compounds derived from selenoglycolic acid were synthesized, and their structures were fully characterized by elemental analysis, infrared (IR), 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The compounds were evaluated in an in silico study and showed strong to moderate antibacterial activity against several strains of Staphylococcus aureus. In particular, three compounds exhibited excellent antibacterial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) between 16 and 64 µg mL-1. Furthermore, two of the nine compounds showed antifungal activity, with MIC of 1024 and 512 µg mL-1. In silico studies of the parameters of Lipinski's rule of five indicate that these compounds have potential to be new drug candidates.

Resumo em Inglês:

Novel isatinspirooxazine derivatives were designed and synthesized as potential anti-proliferative agents. The new compounds were obtained from aldol condensation reactions between isatin and 3-(hydroxyimino)butan-2-one in the presence of an organic base in order to generate an aldol adduct, followed by cyclization in trifluoroacetic acid, providing the desired isatinspirooxazines in 30 to 80% yield. All the synthesized compounds, including the starting material and the synthetic intermediates, were tested for in vitro anti-proliferative activity against cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 (breast cancer) and A549 (lung cancer), highlighting the compound 4-methyl,5'-methyl-spiro[(5-aza-4-eno-3-one-cyclohexane)-1,3'-(1H-indol-one)] with an IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) = 0.34 µM, more potent than the reference drug, doxorubicin (IC50 = 1.88 µM), in breast cancer line MDA-MB231.