S. Baek, J. H. Lee, Chulwon Kim, J. Ko, S. Ryu, Seok-Geun Lee, W. Yang, J. Um, A. Chinnathambi, S. Alharbi, G. Sethi, K. Ahn
{"title":"Ginkgolic Acid C 17:1, Derived from Ginkgo biloba Leaves, Suppresses Constitutive and Inducible STAT3 Activation through Induction of PTEN and SHP-1 Tyrosine Phosphatase","authors":"S. Baek, J. H. Lee, Chulwon Kim, J. Ko, S. Ryu, Seok-Geun Lee, W. Yang, J. Um, A. Chinnathambi, S. Alharbi, G. Sethi, K. Ahn","doi":"10.3390/molecules22020276","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020276","url":null,"abstract":"Ginkgolic acid C 17:1 (GAC 17:1) extracted from Ginkgo biloba leaves, has been previously reported to exhibit diverse antitumor effect(s) through modulation of several molecular targets in tumor cells, however the detailed mechanism(s) of its actions still remains to be elucidated. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is an oncogenic transcription factor that regulates various critical functions involved in progression of diverse hematological malignancies, including multiple myeloma, therefore attenuating STAT3 activation may have a potential in cancer therapy. We determined the anti-tumor mechanism of GAC 17:1 with respect to its effect on STAT3 signaling pathway in multiple myeloma cell lines. We found that GAC 17:1 can inhibit constitutive activation of STAT3 through the abrogation of upstream JAK2, Src but not of JAK1 kinases in U266 cells and also found that GAC can suppress IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation in MM.1S cells. Treatment of protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibitor blocked suppression of STAT3 phosphorylation by GAC 17:1, thereby indicating a critical role for a PTP. We also demonstrate that GAC 17:1 can induce the substantial expression of PTEN and SHP-1 at both protein and mRNA level. Further, deletion of PTEN and SHP-1 genes by siRNA can repress the induction of PTEN and SHP-1, as well as abolished the inhibitory effect of drug on STAT3 phosphorylation. GAC 17:1 down-regulated the expression of STAT3 regulated gene products and induced apoptosis of tumor cells. Overall, GAC 17:1 was found to abrogate STAT3 signaling pathway and thus exert its anticancer effects against multiple myeloma cells.","PeriodicalId":19033,"journal":{"name":"Molecules : A Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89541209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Mogoșan, O. Voștinaru, R. Oprean, C. Heghes, L. Filip, G. Balica, R. Moldovan
{"title":"A Comparative Analysis of the Chemical Composition, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antinociceptive Effects of the Essential Oils from Three Species of Mentha Cultivated in Romania","authors":"C. Mogoșan, O. Voștinaru, R. Oprean, C. Heghes, L. Filip, G. Balica, R. Moldovan","doi":"10.3390/molecules22020263","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020263","url":null,"abstract":"This work was aimed at correlating the chemotype of three Mentha species cultivated in Romania with an in vivo study of the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of essential oils. The selected species were Mentha piperita L. var. pallescens (white peppermint), Mentha spicata L. subsp. crispata (spearmint), and Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. (pineapple mint). Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the essential oils isolated from the selected Mentha species was performed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The anti-inflammatory activity of the essential oils was determined by the rat paw edema test induced by λ-carrageenan. The antinociceptive effect of the essential oils was evaluated by the writhing test in mice, using 1% (v/v) acetic acid solution administered intraperitonealy and by the hot plate test in mice. The results showed a menthol chemotype for M. piperita pallescens, a carvone chemotype for M. spicata, and a piperitenone oxide chemotype for M. suaveolens. The essential oil from M. spicata L. (EOMSP) produced statistically significant and dose-dependent anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects.","PeriodicalId":19033,"journal":{"name":"Molecules : A Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry","volume":"177 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79927970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
O. Janďourek, Marek Tauchman, P. Paterová, K. Konečná, L. Navrátilová, V. Kubíček, O. Holas, J. Zítko, M. Doležal
{"title":"Synthesis of Novel Pyrazinamide Derivatives Based on 3-Chloropyrazine-2-carboxamide and Their Antimicrobial Evaluation","authors":"O. Janďourek, Marek Tauchman, P. Paterová, K. Konečná, L. Navrátilová, V. Kubíček, O. Holas, J. Zítko, M. Doležal","doi":"10.3390/molecules22020223","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020223","url":null,"abstract":"Aminodehalogenation of 3-chloropyrazine-2-carboxamide with variously substituted benzylamines yielded a series of fifteen 3-benzylaminopyrazine-2-carboxamides. Four compounds possessed in vitro whole cell activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv that was at least equivalent to that of the standard pyrazinamide. MIC values ranged from 6 to 42 µM. The best MIC (6 µM) was displayed by 3-[(4-methylbenzyl)amino]pyrazine-2-carboxamide (8) that also showed low cytotoxicity in the HepG2 cell line (IC50 ≥ 250 µM). Only moderate activity against Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus was observed. No activity was detected against any of tested fungal strains. Molecular docking with mycobacterial enoyl-ACP reductase (InhA) was performed to investigate the possible target of the prepared compounds. Active compounds shared common binding interactions of known InhA inhibitors. Antimycobacterial activity of the title compounds was compared to the previously published benzylamino-substituted pyrazines with differing substitution on the pyrazine core (carbonitrile moiety). The title series possessed comparable activity and lower cytotoxicity than molecules containing a carbonitrile group on the pyrazine ring.","PeriodicalId":19033,"journal":{"name":"Molecules : A Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82814981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advances of Vibrational Spectroscopic Technologies in Life Sciences","authors":"C. Huck","doi":"10.3390/molecules22020278","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020278","url":null,"abstract":"n/a.","PeriodicalId":19033,"journal":{"name":"Molecules : A Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry","volume":"157 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76837323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xianming Su, Jian Zhang, Hong-qing Wang, Jing Xu, Jiuming He, Liying Liu, Ting Zhang, Ruo-yun Chen, Jie Kang
{"title":"Phenolic Acid Profiling, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities, and miRNA Regulation in the Polyphenols of 16 Blueberry Samples from China","authors":"Xianming Su, Jian Zhang, Hong-qing Wang, Jing Xu, Jiuming He, Liying Liu, Ting Zhang, Ruo-yun Chen, Jie Kang","doi":"10.3390/molecules22020312","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020312","url":null,"abstract":"To investigate the anti-atherosclerosis related mechanism of blueberries, the phenolic acids (PAs) content, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as the microRNA (miRNA) regulation of polyphenol fractions in blueberry samples from China were studied. Sixteen batches of blueberries including 14 commercialized cultivars (Reka, Patriot, Brigitta, Bluecrop, Berkeley, Duke, Darrow, Northland, Northblue, Northcountry, Bluesource, Southgood, O’Neal, and Misty) were used in this study. Seven PAs in the polyphenol fractions from 16 blueberry samples in China were quantified by high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS2). The antioxidant activities of blueberry polyphenols were tested by (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH]) assay. The anti-inflammatory (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]) activities of the polyphenol fractions of the blueberries were investigated by using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. The correlation analysis showed that the antioxidant (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH]) and anti-inflammatory (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]) activities of the polyphenol fractions of the blueberries were in accordance with their PA contents. Although the polyphenol-enriched fractions of blueberries could inhibit the microRNAs (miRNAs) (miR-21, miR-146a, and miR-125b) to different extents, no significant contribution from the PAs was observed. The inhibition of these miRNAs could mostly be attributed to the other compounds present in the polyphenol-enriched fraction of the blueberries. This is the first study to evaluate the PAs content, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and miRNA regulation of Chinese blueberries.","PeriodicalId":19033,"journal":{"name":"Molecules : A Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81769510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Preparation of “Constrained Geometry” Titanium Complexes of [1,2]Azasilinane Framework for Ethylene/1-Octene Copolymerization","authors":"Seul Lee, S. Park, Jin Gu Kim, C. S. Kim, B. Lee","doi":"10.3390/molecules22020258","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020258","url":null,"abstract":"The Me2Si-bridged ansa-Cp/amido half-metallocene, [Me2Si(η5-Me4C5)(NtBu)]TiCl2, termed a “constrained-geometry catalyst (CGC)”, is a representative homogeneous Ziegler catalyst. CGC derivatives with the [1,2]azasilinane framework, in which the amide alkyl substituent is joined by the Si-bridge, were prepared, and the catalytic performances of these species was studied. Me4C5HSi(Me)(CH2CH=CH2)-NH(C(R)(R’)CH=CH2) (R, R’ = H or methyl; Me4C5H = tetramethylcyclopentadienyl) was susceptible to ring closure metathesis (RCM) when treated with Schrock’s Mo-catalyst to afford -Si(Me4C5H)(Me)CH2CH=CHC(R)(R’)NH- containing a six-membered ring framework. Using the precursors and the products of RCM, various CGC derivatives, i.e., [-Si(η5-Me4C5)(Me)CH2CH=CHC(R)(H)N-]TiMe2 (13, R = H; 15, R = Me), [-Si(η5-Me4C5)(Me)CH2CH2CH2CH2N]TiMe2 (14), [(η5-Me4C5)Si(Me)(CH2CH=CH2)NCH2CH=CH2]TiMe2 (16), [(η5-Me4C5)Si (Me)(CH=CH2)NCH2CH=CH2]TiMe2 (17), and [(η5-Me4C5)Si(Me)(CH2CH3)NCH2CH2CH3]TiMe2 (18), were prepared. The catalytic activity of the newly prepared complexes was lower than that of CGC when activated with [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4]/iBu3Al. However, the catalytic activity of these species was improved by using tetrabutylaluminoxane ([iBu2Al]2O) instead of iBu3Al and the activity of 14/[Ph3C][B(C6F5)4]/[iBu2Al]2O was comparable to that of CGC/[Ph3C][B(C6F5)4]/iBu3Al (4.7 and 5.0 × 106 g/mol-Ti, respectively). Advantageously, the newly prepared complexes produced higher molecular weight poly(ethylene-co-1-octene)s than CGC.","PeriodicalId":19033,"journal":{"name":"Molecules : A Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80901484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Rodrigues, D. Guimarães, T. Konno, L. Tinoco, T. Barth, F. Aguiar, N. Lopes, I. Leal, J. Raimundo, M. Muzitano
{"title":"Phytochemical Study of Tapirira guianensis Leaves Guided by Vasodilatory and Antioxidant Activities","authors":"A. Rodrigues, D. Guimarães, T. Konno, L. Tinoco, T. Barth, F. Aguiar, N. Lopes, I. Leal, J. Raimundo, M. Muzitano","doi":"10.3390/molecules22020304","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020304","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this research was to perform a phytochemical study of the methanol leaves extract of T. guianensis (MET) guided by vasodilatory and antioxidant activities. The chemical profile of MET and the ethyl acetate fraction (EA fraction) was determined by HPLC-UV-MS and EA fraction guided fractionation by reverse-phase chromatography. The vasorelaxant effects of MET, fractions, sub-fractions and constituents were assessed on rat aorta pre-contracted with phenylephrine. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by using a DPPH assay. The results show that MET-induced vasodilation was dependent on NO/cGMP; and that the PI3K/Akt pathway seems to be the main route involved in eNOS activation. The EA fraction showed greater vasodilatory and antioxidant potency and was submitted to further fractionation. This allowed the isolation and characterization of quercetin, quercetin 3-O-(6″-O-galloyl)-β-d-galactopyranoside and 1,4,6-tri-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose. Also, galloyl-HHDP-hexoside and myricetin deoxyhexoside were identified by HPLC-UV-MS. These compounds are being described for the first time for T. guianensis. 1,4,6-tri-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose and quercetin 3-O-(6″-O-galloyl)-β-d-galactopyranoside showed no vasodilatory activity. Quercetin and myricetin glycoside seems to contribute to the MET activity, since they have been reported as vasodilatory flavonoids. MET-induced vasodilation could contribute to the hypotensive effect of T. guianensis previously reported.","PeriodicalId":19033,"journal":{"name":"Molecules : A Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86107547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sampad Jana, S. Iram, Joice Thomas, M. Hayat, C. Pannecouque, W. Dehaen
{"title":"Application of the Triazolization Reaction to Afford Dihydroartemisinin Derivatives with Anti-HIV Activity","authors":"Sampad Jana, S. Iram, Joice Thomas, M. Hayat, C. Pannecouque, W. Dehaen","doi":"10.3390/molecules22020303","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020303","url":null,"abstract":"Artemisinin and synthetic derivatives of dihydroartemisinin are known to possess various biological activities. Post-functionalization of dihydroartemisinin with triazole heterocycles has been proven to lead to enhanced therapeutic potential. By using our newly developed triazolization strategy, a library of unexplored fused and 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole derivatives of dihydroartemisinin were synthesized in a single step. All these newly synthesized compounds were characterized and evaluated for their anti-HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) potential in MT-4 cells. Interestingly; three of the synthesized triazole derivatives of dihydroartemisinin showed activities with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values ranging from 1.34 to 2.65 µM.","PeriodicalId":19033,"journal":{"name":"Molecules : A Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86581675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Grozav, Ioana Porumb, L. Gaina, L. Filip, D. Hanganu
{"title":"Cytotoxicity and Antioxidant Potential of Novel 2-(2-((1H-indol-5yl)methylene)-hydrazinyl)-thiazole Derivatives","authors":"A. Grozav, Ioana Porumb, L. Gaina, L. Filip, D. Hanganu","doi":"10.3390/molecules22020260","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020260","url":null,"abstract":"Newly synthesized 2-(2-((1H-indol-5yl)methylene)-hydrazinyl)-thiazole derivatives were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity on two carcinoma cell lines A2780 and HeLa. Significant cytotoxic activity for 2-(2-((1H-indol-5-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl)-4-methylthiazole (1) and 2-(2-((1H-indol-5-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl)-4-phenylthiazole (3), on both A2780 [IC50: 11.6 μM (1), and 12.4 μM (3)] and HeLa [IC50: 22.4 μM (1) and 19.4μM (3)] cell lines is reported. Their antioxidant potential was evaluated by spectrophotometric method, using DPPH radical or Fe (TPTZ)3+ complex, and EPR spectroscopy, therefore the compounds 1 and 3 showed remarkable antioxidant activity simultaneously with a cytotoxic effect on A2780 and HeLa cell lines. Furthermore, based on theoretical quantum chemical calculation, the present study analyzed the chemoselectivity of the hydrogen extraction from the indolyl-hydrazinil-thiazoles in reaction with free radicals.","PeriodicalId":19033,"journal":{"name":"Molecules : A Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82638786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qi Zhang, Lang Chi, Gang Hai, Yueting Fang, Xiangchun Li, R. Xia, Wei Huang, E. Gu
{"title":"An Easy Approach to Control β-Phase Formation in PFO Films for Optimized Emission Properties","authors":"Qi Zhang, Lang Chi, Gang Hai, Yueting Fang, Xiangchun Li, R. Xia, Wei Huang, E. Gu","doi":"10.3390/molecules22020315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22020315","url":null,"abstract":"We demonstrate a novel approach to control β-phase content generated in poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) films. A very small amount of paraffin oil was used as the additive to the PFO solution in toluene. The β-phase fraction in the spin-coated PFO films can be modified from 0% to 20% simply by changing the volume percentage of paraffin oil in the mixed solution. Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) study confirmed low β-phase fraction promise better OLEDs device, while high β-phase fraction benefits ASE performance.","PeriodicalId":19033,"journal":{"name":"Molecules : A Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry","volume":"13 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91420311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}