Antioxidant activity of wheat extracts as affected by in vitro digestion

Phenolic compounds from soft wheat and its milling fractions were extracted and their in vitro antioxidant activity evaluated. Non-hydrolyzed extracts were prepared by extracting phenolics into distilled deionized water. To make hydrolyzed extracts samples were first subjected to pH adjustments in order to simulate gastrointestinal pH conditions. Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu's procedure. Total antioxidant activity (TAA) was determined using Trolox equivalents antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay and expressed as Trolox equivalents (TE). Antioxidant activity of wheat extracts was determined using the procedures of inhibition of beta-carotene bleaching, scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and inhibition of oxidation of human low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. The TPC and TAA of wheat extracts tested were significantly increased following hydrolysis. Similarly, the antioxidant activity, as determined by different procedures, was considerably increased when the samples were subjected to simulated digestion conditions.     

Synthesis, antioxidant and toxicological study of novel pyrimido quinoline derivatives from 4-hydroxy-3-acyl quinolin-2-one

A series of novel pyrimido and other fused quinoline derivatives like 4-methyl pyrimido [5,4-c]quinoline-2,5(1H,6H)-dione (4a), 4-methyl-2-thioxo-1,2-dihydropyrimido [5,4-c]quinoline-5(6H)-one (4b), 2-amino-4-methyl-1,2-dihydropyrimido [5,4-c]quinolin-5(6H)-one (4c), 3-methylisoxazolo [4,5-c]quinolin-4(5H)-one (4d), 3-methyl-1H-pyrazolo [4,3-c]quinoline-4(5H)-one (5e), 5-methyl-1H-[1,2,4] triazepino [6,5-c]quinoline-2,6(3H,7H)-dione (5f), 5-methyl-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-[1,2,4]triazepino [6,5-c]quinolin-6(7H)-one (5 g) were synthesized regioselectively from 4-hydroxy-3-acyl quinolin-2-one 3. They were screened for their in vitro antioxidant activities against radical scavenging capacity using DPPH(), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), total antioxidant activity by FRAP, superoxide radical (O(2)(°-)) scavenging activity, metal chelating activity and nitric oxide scavenging activity. Among the compounds screened, 4c and 5 g exhibited significant antioxidant activities.     

Design,synthesis, and evaluation of resveratrol derivatives as Aß1–42 aggregation inhibitors,antioxidants, and neuroprotective agents

A series of novel resveratrol derivatives were designed, synthesised and evaluated as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Among these compounds, compound 7l, (E)-5-(4-(isopropylamino)styryl)benzene-1,3-diol, exhibited potent ß-amyloid aggregation inhibition activity, which was confirmed by a ThT fluorescence assay (71.65% at 20 μM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Compound 7l also exhibited good antioxidant activity (4.12 Trolox equivalents in an oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay and a 37% reduction in reactive oxygen species in cells at 10 μM). The cytotoxicity analysis of compounds 7f, 7i, 7j and 7l indicated that these compounds have lower toxicities than resveratrol at 60 μM.     

O-Hydroxyl- or o-amino benzylamine-tacrine hybrids: Multifunctional biometals chelators,antioxidants, and inhibitors of cholinesterase activity and amyloid-β aggregation

In an effort to identify novel multifunctional drug candidates for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a series of hybrid molecules were synthesised by reacting N-(aminoalkyl)tacrine with salicylic aldehyde or derivatives of 2-aminobenzaldehyde. These compounds were then evaluated as multifunctional anti-Alzheimer’s disease agents. All of the hybrids are potential biometal chelators, and in addition, most of them were better antioxidants and inhibitors of cholinesterases and amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation than the lead compound tacrine. Compound 7c has the potential to be a candidate for AD therapy: it is a much better inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) than tacrine (IC₅₀: 0.55 nM vs 109 nM), has good biometal chelation ability, is able to inhibit Aβ aggregation and has moderate antioxidant activity (1.22 Trolox equivalents).     

A facile microwave assisted green chemical synthesis of novel piperidino 2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-ones and their in vitro microbiological evaluation

A series of novel hybrid heterocyclic compounds, 3-(3-alkyl-2,6-diarylpiperin-4-ylidene)-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-ones were synthesised and a comparative study was also carried out under microwave irradiation. The synthesised compounds were characterised by their melting points, elemental analysis, MS, FT-IR, one-dimensional NMR (1H, D₂O exchanged 1H and ¹³C), two dimensional HOMOCOSY and NOESY spectroscopic data. All the synthesised title compounds were screened for their in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity against clinically isolated strains namely B. subtilis, M. luteus, S. typhii, S. paratyphii B, S. felxneri, P. vulgaris, A. niger, Mucor, Rhizopus and M. gypsuem and the results were discussed.     

Membrane peroxidation: Inhibiting effects of water- soluble antioxidants on phospholipids of different charge types

Quantitative kinetic methods of autoxidation are used to determine the antioxidant activities of two water-soluble antioxidants of the chromanol type, 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox) and 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8- tetramethyl-2-N,N,N-trimethylethanaminium methylbenzene-sulfonate (MDL 73404), during free radical peroxidation of phospholipid membranes of different charge types. The stoichiometric factor (n) for peroxyl radical trapping for both Trolox and MDL 73404 was found to be 2. Trolox was found to partition partially, approximately 20%, into the lipid phase of liposomes. The antioxidant activity of Trolox during peroxidation of membranes determined by measurements of the absolute rate constant for inhibition of oxygen uptake,k_inh, was found to vary with the membrane surface charge that is controlled by variation in pH. When peroxidation is initiated in the lipid phase by azo-bis-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile (ADVN), using a typical zwitterionic liposome, dilinoleoylphosphatidyl choline (DLPC), the k_inh was found to be 2.98 × 10³ M⁻¹s⁻¹. The k_inh of Trolox increased approximately 2-fold for membranes that have positive surface, including DLPC at pH 4, DLPC containing stearylamine at pH 7, and for a membrane of dimyristoylphosphatidic acid containing linoleic acid (DMPA/LA). Conversely, Trolox does not inhibit peroxidation of negatively charged dilinoleoylphosphatidyl glycerol (DLPG) at pH 7–11. Studies made of the positively charged MDL 73404 show that its antioxidant activity using DLPC and DLPG is pH dependent. Trolox inhibits the peroxidations of DLPC initiated in the aqueous phase by azo-bis(2-amidinopropane·HCl)(ABAP) at pH 4 or 7. However, Trolox does not inhibit the peroxidation of DLPG at pH 7. The different antioxidant activities of Trolox and MDL 73404 are rationalized in terms of a peroxyl-radical diffusion model and specific charge interactions between antioxidants and membrane surface.     

Antioxidant Properties of Fruits and Vegetables Shots and Juices: An Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Study

The antioxidant activity of some commercially available fruit and vegetable juices was evaluated with regard to their radical scavenging activity against the stable free radical 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-l-piperidinyloxy (TEMPOL) monitored by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. TEMPOL is a stable nitroxide free radical characterized by a well-defined EPR spectrum consisting of three peaks. The integral intensity of the EPR spectra of TEMPOL was decreased upon juice addition, and the decrease was dose dependent. EPR spectroscopy using stable free radicals provides a simple, rapid, and sensitive method for the determination of antioxidant activity of fruit and vegetable juices. The method was standardized by using the standard antioxidant compound Trolox, and the antioxidant activity of the juices was expressed as Trolox equivalents. When concentrated juices of fruits and vegetables (shots) were considered, the evaluated antioxidant activity was almost twofold higher than that of the conventional, non-concentrated ones. Fruits and vegetables shots also showed very good stability during storage. This finding indicates that natural antioxidant compounds contained in commercially available concentrated juices are not eliminated or inactivated when the juices are kept refrigerated according to the instructions of the manufacturer.     

Discovery of a new insecticide lead by optimizing a target-diverse scaffold: tetrazolinone derivatives

In order to discover lead compounds with novel action mechanism, a series of tetrazolinone derivatives bearing structurally diverse substituents, 1-aryl-4-substituted-1,4-di-hydro-5H-tetrazol-5-ones 2, 1-((5-(alkylthio)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)methyl)-4-(substituted)- phenyl-1H-tetrazol-5(4H)-ones 5, and 1-((5-(alkylthio)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)methyl)-4- (substituted)phenyl-1H-tetrazol-5(4H)-ones 7, were designed and synthesized in good yields by a multiple-step synthetic procedure. The results of greenhouse in vivo test indicated that all the target compounds did not displayed herbicidal activity, however, some of them exhibited excellent in vivo insecticidal activity against Tetranychus cinnabarinus at the concentration of 250 mg L-1. To our knowledge, this is the first report about the insecticidal activity of tetrazolinone derivatives, which indicated that the tetrazolinone scaffold could be identified as a novel insecticidal lead structure. The present work demonstrated that optimizing a target-diverse scaffold is an effective way to discover new lead compounds with new action mechanism or biological activity.     

2,6-disubstituted pyran-4-one and thiopyran-4-one inhibitors of DNA-Dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK)

6-aryl-2-morpholin-4-yl-4H-pyran-4-ones and 6-aryl-2-morpholin-4-yl-4H-thiopyran-4-ones were synthesised and evaluated as potential inhibitors of the DNA repair enzyme DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK). Several compounds in each series exhibited superior activity to the chromenone LY294002, and were of comparable potency to the benzochromenone NU7026 (IC(50)=0.23 microM). Importantly, members of both structural classes were found to be selective inhibitors of DNA-PK over related phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related kinase (PIKK) family members. A multiple-parallel synthesis approach, employing Suzuki cross-coupling methodology, was utilised to prepare libraries of thiopyran-4-ones with a range of aromatic groups at the 3'- and 4'-positions on the thiopyran-4-one 6-aryl ring. Screening of the libraries resulted in the identification of 6-aryl-2-morpholin-4-yl-4H-thiopyran-4-ones bearing naphthyl or benzo[b]thienyl substituents at the 4'-position, as potent DNA-PK inhibitors with IC(50) values in the 0.2-0.4 microM range.     

A method to measure antioxidant activity in organic media: application to lipophilic vitamins

The 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical (ABTS(.+)) can be generated by the enzymatic system formed by hydrogen peroxide and horseradish peroxidase in an organic medium. The ABTS radical is easily generated in acidified ethanol medium in about 100 s with a stability of 1.7 x 10(-3) (-deltaabs/min) monitored at 730 nm. Other organic solvents, such as methanol or acetone, have lower radical generation times but the radical is less stable. The addition of Trolox or a lipophilic antioxidant such as alpha-tocopherol or beta-carotene produces a decrease in absorbance that can be used to estimate antioxidant capacity. Using a spectrophotometric end-point method and microplate-reader equipment, we have developed a method that estimates the antioxidant activity of different lipophilic vitamins. The use of Trolox as an antioxidant standard led to a limit of detection of 0.08 nmoles and limit of quantitation of 0.28 nmoles, while similar values were obtained for alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene. The relative antioxidant activity values obtained by different antioxidants showed that alpha-tocopherol has a similar antioxidant potential to Trolox and that beta-carotene has 2.6 times the antioxidant potential of Trolox. In our opinion, this method can be useful for estimating the antioxidant activity in lipophilic samples and as a complement to other methods that measure antioxidant activity in aqueous media.     

Synthesis and cell growth inhibitory properties of substituted (E)-1-phenylbut-1-en-3-ones

A series of (E)-1-phenylbut-1-en-3-ones, based on the naturally occurring (E)-1-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)but-1-en-3-one [IC₅₀ (K562) 60 μM], was synthesised and screened for cytotoxic activity against the K562 human leukaemia cell line. (E)-1-(Pentafluorophenyl)but-1-en-3-one [IC₅₀ (K562) 1.8 μM] was found to be over 30-fold more active than 1.     

Syntheses and biological evaluation of 3-substituted amino-1-aryl-6-hydroxy-hex-2-ene-1-ones as antioxidant and hypolipidemic agents

A new series of compounds belonging to 3-substituted amino-1-aryl-6-hydroxy-hex-2-ene-1-ones (4-12a-e) have been synthesized and evaluated for antioxidant and hypolipidemic activities. Amongst all the synthesized compounds, seven compounds, namely 5b, 5d, 6e, 8a, 8b, 10b and 11a, exhibit better antioxidant activity than probucol. Two compounds, 5d and 10b, have been evaluated in detail for antioxidant and hypolipidemic activities and show comparable activity profile to that of probucol and guggulipid. From the present study it may be postulated that the mechanism of action of these compounds could be through activation of lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), liver lipolytic activity, increased faecal bile acid secretion and inhibition of hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis.     

Synthesis and structure–activity relationship studies of phenolic hydroxyl derivatives based on quinoxalinone as aldose reductase inhibitors with antioxidant activity

To enhance aldose reductase (ALR2) inhibition and add antioxidant ability, phenolic hydroxyl was introduced both to the quinoxalinone core and C3 side chain, resulting in a series of derivatives as ALR2 inhibitors. Biological activity tests suggested that most of the derivatives were potent and selective inhibitors with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.059 to 6.825 μM, and 2-(3-(4-hydroxystyryl)-7-methoxy-2-oxoquinoxalin-1(2H)-yl)acetic acid (6b) was the most active. Particularly, it was encouraging to find that some derivatives endowed with obvious antioxidant activity, and among them the phenolic 3,4-dihydroxyl compound 6f with 7-hydroxyl in the quinoxalinone core showed the most potent activity, even comparable with the well-known antioxidant Trolox. Structure-activity relationship and docking studies highlighted the importance of phenolic hydroxyl both in C3 side chain and the core structure for constructing potent ALR2 inhibitors with antioxidant activity.     

Synthesis of 2-bromomethyl-3-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-propyl pyrimidine and theophylline nucleosides under microwave irradiation. Evaluation of their activity against hepatitis B virus

Alkylation of 2-methylthiopyrimidin-4(1H)-one (1a) and its 5(6)-alkyl derivatives 1b-d as well as theophylline (7) with 2,2-bis(bromomethyl)-1,3-diacetoxypropane (2) under microwave irradiation gave the corresponding acyclonucleosides 1-[(3-acetoxy-2-acetoxymethyl-2-bromomethyl)prop-1-yl]-2-methyl-thio pyrmidin-4(1H)-ones 3a-d and 7-[(3-acetoxy-2-acetoxymethyl-2-bromomethyl)prop-1-yl]theophylline (8), which upon further irradiation gave the double-headed acyclonucleosides 1,1 '-[(2,2-diacetoxymethyl)-1,3-propylidene]-bis[(2-(methylthio)-pyrimidin-4(1H)-ones] 4a-c, and 7,7 '-[(2,2-diacetoxymethyl)-1,3-propylidene]-bis(theophylline) (9). The deacetylated derivatives were obtained by the action of sodium methoxide. The activity of deacetylated nucleosides against Hepatitis B virus was evaluated. Compound 5b showed moderate inhibition activity against HBV with mild cytotoxicity.     

Synthesis of N-(1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methyleneamines and 3,3-diaryl-4-(1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)azetidin-2-ones as potential antileishmanial agents

A series of N-(1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methyleneamines and eight new 3,3-diaryl-4-(1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)azetidin-2-ones have been synthesized and screened for their antileishmanial activity against Leishmania major. 3,3-Diaryl-4-(1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)azetidin-2-ones have been synthesized by the Staudinger's ketene-imine cycloaddition employing two 2-diazo-1,2-diarylethanones as the precursors of diarylketenes. A marked improvement in anti-parasitic activity is observed by transformation of the methyleneamines to azetidin-2-ones in seven out of eight compounds. Two compounds displayed antileishmanial activity comparable to that of the clinically used antileshmanial drug, amphotericine B.     

In vitro antioxidant activity of 2,5,7,8-tetramethyl-2-(2'-carboxyethyl)-6-hydroxychroman (alpha-CEHC), a vitamin E metabolite

2,5,7,8-tetramethyl-2-(2'-carboxyethyl)-6-hydroxychroman (alpha-CEHC) has been identified as a major water-soluble metabolite of vitamin E, which circulates in the blood and is excreted with the urine. The aim of this study was to assess the antioxidant activity of alpha-CEHC using several methods with different prooxidant challenges. In the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity assay, a fluorescent protein acts as a marker for oxidative damage induced by peroxyl radicals. In the Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) assay, a stable free radical, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS.+) is reduced directly by antioxidants. Scavenging properties vs. reactive nitrogen species were studied measuring the effects on tyrosine nitration after reaction with peroxynitrite. Trolox, alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, and (-)-epicatechin were simultaneously tested in order to compare their antioxidant activities. In all mentioned systems, alpha-CEHC exhibited antioxidant properties similar to those of Trolox. We conclude that alpha-CEHC is a molecule with good antioxidant activity, having the advantage over Trolox of being a naturally occurring compound. These properties might be useful for research or industrial purposes.     

Synthesis and Antiviral Evaluation of Novel 2,3-Dihydroxypropyl Nucleosides from 2- and 4-Thiouracils

Regioselective alkylation of 2-thiouracils 1a–c and 4-thiouracils 7a,b with 2,3-O-isopropylidene-2,3-dihydroxypropyl chloride (2) afforded 2-{[(2,2-Dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl) methyl]thio}pyrimidin-4(1H)-ones 3a–c and 4-{[(2,2-Dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methyl]thio} pyrimidin-2(1H)-ones 8a,b, respectively. Further alkylation with 2 and/or 2,3-O-isopropylidine-1-O-(4-toluenesulfonyl)-glycerol (4) gave the acyclo N-nucleosides 5a–c and 9a,b whose deprotection afforded 6a–c and 10a,b. 2-(Methylthio)pyrimidin-4(1H)-ones 11a–c and 4-(methylthio)pyrimidin-2(1H)-ones 14a,b were treated with 2 and/or 4 to give 12a–c and 15a,b which were deprotected to give 13a–c and 16a,b. Pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dithiones 17a–c were treated with two equivalents of 2 to give 2,4-bis{[(2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methyl]thio}pyrimidines 18a–c. Deprotection of compounds 18a–c gave 2,4-bis[(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)thio]pyrimidines 19a-c. The activity of the deprotected nucleosides against Hepatitis B virus was evaluated and showed moderate inhibition activity against HBV with mild cytotoxicity.     

Synthesis and antioxidant properties of substituted 3-benzylidene-7-alkoxychroman-4-ones

A series of 3-benzylidene-7-alkoxychroman-4-one derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their antioxidant activities. The antioxidant activity was assessed using three methods, namely, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assays. 3-Benzylidene-7-alkoxychroman-4-one derivatives bearing catecholic group on benzylidene moiety exhibited excellent antioxidant activity. Compounds having catechol moiety exhibited potent antioxidant activities in all tested methods and they were more active than the reference drug, Trolox.     

4-(1H-indazol-5-yl)-6-phenylpyrimidin-2(1H)-one analogs as potent CDC7 inhibitors

A series of 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6-phenylpyrimidin-2(1H)-ones were identified by HTS as inhibitors of CDC7. Molecular modeling and medicinal chemistry techniques were employed to explore the SAR for this series with a focus on removing potential metabolic liabilities and improving cellular potency.     

Synthesis and anti-HIV activity of 1,3,4,5-tetrahydro-2H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one (TBO) derivatives. Truncated 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-5-methylimidazo[4,5,1-jk][1,4]benzodiazepin-2( 1H)-on es (TIBO) analogues

4,5,6,7-Tetrahydro-5-methylimidazo[4,5,1-jk][1,4]benzodiazepin-2(1 H)-ones (TIBO), 1, have been shown to significantly inhibit HIV-1 replication, as reported in detail in our prior publications. Since our earlier reports, we have modified the TIBO structures 1 by removing the 5-membered ring of 1, generating 1,3,4,5-tetrahydro-2H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-ones (TBO), 4, a bicyclic series of compounds. Although compounds 4 possess modest activity when compared to TIBO analogues 1, they clearly demonstrated significant anti-HIV-1 activity.