Synthesis and evaluation of novel 2-butyl-4-chloro-1-methylimidazole embedded chalcones and pyrazoles as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

A series of novel 2-butyl-4-chloro-1-methylimidazole embedded aryl and heteroaryl derived chalcones and pyrazoles were synthesized and evaluated for their angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity. The condensation of 2-butyl-4-chloro-1-methylimidazole-5-carboxaldehyde with various aryl and heteroaryl methyl ketones in the presence of 10% aqueous NaOH in methanol proceeded efficiently to give the respective chalcones in very good yields. Further, the reaction of chalcones with hydrazine hydrate in acetic acid gave substituted pyrazole analogues. Screening all 36 new compounds using ACE inhibition assay, resulted chalcones with better ACE inhibitory activity compared to the respective pyrazole analogues. Among the chalcones 4a-r, three compounds, (E)-3-(2-butyl-4-chloro-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)-1-(5-chlorothiophen-2-yl)prop-2-enone 4i, (E)-3-(2-butyl-4-chloro-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)-1-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)prop-2-enone 4l, (E)-3-(2-butyl-4-chloro-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)-1-(dibenzo[b,d] thiophen-2-yl)prop-2-enone 4q were resulted as most active ACE inhibitors with IC(50) of 3.60 μM, 2.24 μM, and 2.68 μM, respectively.     

A kinetic model for methanogenesis of acetic acid in a multireactor system

Bioconversion of acetic acid to methane by a crude culture of methanogens in a continuous multireactor system was investigated. Culture of methanogens was drawn from an active cow-dung digester (12 days) and was grown in a semisynthetic medium (pH 6.3, 37 degrees C) with acetic acid as the sole carbon source. The solubilities of CO(2), HCO(3) (-), and CO(3) (2-) increased with the rise in pH and exercised considerable influence on the gas composition. Various mechanisms for methanogenesis of acetic acid based on the available pathways were considered. Experimental data were compared with these mechanisms, the best fit was determined, and the corresponding rate expression was identified. This mechanism predicted that, of the total methane produced, 72%;comes from acetic acid directly and 28%;via the CO(2) reduction route.     

Novel chalcones as probes for in vivo imaging of beta-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's brains

A novel series of chalcone derivatives for in vivo imaging beta-amyloid plaques in the brain of Alzheimer's disease (AD) were synthesized and characterized. When in vitro binding studies using Abeta aggregates were carried out with chalcone derivatives, the binding affinities for Abeta aggregate varied from 3 to 105 nM. The radioiodinated chalcones were successfully prepared through an iododestannylation reaction from the corresponding tributyltin derivatives using hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant in high yields and with high radiochemical purities. Biodistribution studies in normal mice after iv injection of the radioiodinated chalcones displayed high brain uptake (2.0-4.7% ID/g at 2 min) and rapid clearance from the brain (0.2-0.6% ID/g at 30 min), which is highly desirable for amyloid imaging agents. The results in this study suggest that the novel radioiodinated chalcones may be useful amyloid imaging agents for detecting beta-amyloid plaques in the brain of AD.     

Synthesis,characterization, and use of 2-[(2H(9))butoxy]acetic acid and 2-(3-methylbutoxy)acetic acid as an internal standard and an instrument performance surrogate,respectively, for the gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric determination of 2-butoxyacetic acid,a human metabolite of 2-butoxyethanol

2-[(2H(9))Butoxy]acetic acid and 2-(3-methylbutoxy)acetic acid were synthesized, mixed with 2-butoxyacetic acid, and separated by capillary gas chromatography on a fused-silica column with a length of 50 m, inside diameter of 0.200 mm, and a "free fatty acid phase" wall coating of 0.3 microm film. 2-[(2H(9))Butoxy]acetic acid, 2-butoxyacetic acid, and 2-(3-methylbutoxy)acetic acid were baseline resolved at retention times of 13.55, 13.78, and 15.20 min; 2-(3-methylbutoxy)acetic acid having a peak efficiency of 360,000. Mass spectrometric detection using selected ion monitoring at m/z 66, 57, and 71 showed linear analytical responses from 0.04 ng to at least 200 ng with a limit of detection of 0.04 ng for 2-butoxyacetic acid.     

Antitumor agents. Part 202: novel 2'-amino chalcones: design, synthesis and biological evaluation

New 4',5',2,3,4-substituted 2'-amino chalcones were synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxicity against a panel of human tumor cell lines. Several compounds displayed significant cytotoxicity. The most promising lead molecule (10) also had high activity toward multi-drug resistant KB-VIN, and ovarian 1A9 cell lines. 2'-Amino chalcones demonstrated significantly increased antitumor activity compared with the corresponding chalcones, while, the epoxide derivatives generally showed greatly reduced activity.     

Synthesis of novel pyrazolic analogues of chalcones and their 3-aryl-4-(3-aryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazole derivatives as potential antitumor agents

Novel (E)-1-aryl-3-(3-aryl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)prop-2-en-1-ones 5/6 (pyrazolic chalcones) were synthesized from a Claisen–Schmidt reaction of 3-aryl-1-phenylpyrazol-4-carboxaldehydes 4 with several acetophenone derivatives 1. Subsequently, the microwave-assisted cyclocondensation reaction of chalcones 5/6 with hydrazine afforded the new racemic 3-aryl-4-(3-aryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazoles 7 or their N-acetyl derivatives 8 and 9 when reactions where carried out in DMF or acetic acid, respectively. Several of these compounds were screened by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) for their ability to inhibit 60 different human tumor cell lines, where 5c and 9g showed remarkable activity mainly against leukemia (K-562 and SR), renal cancer (UO-31) and non-small cell lung cancer (HOP-92) cell lines, with the most important GI₅₀ values ranging from 0.04 to 11.4 μM, from the in vitro assays.     

Chalcones and flavonoids as anti-tuberculosis agents

A series of flavonoids, chalcones and chalcone-like compounds were evaluated for inhibitory activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Among them, eight compounds exhibited >90% inhibition on the growth of the bacteria at a concentration of 12.5 microg/mL. Chalcones 1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(3-chlorophenyl)-2-propen-1-one (22) and 1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(3-iodophenyl)-2-propen-1-one (37) demonstrated 90 and 92% inhibition, respectively. Chalcone-like compounds (heterocyclic ring-substituted 2-propen-1-one) 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-(pyridin-3-yl)-2-propen-1-one (48), 1-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(phenanthren-9-yl)-2-propen-1-one (49), 1-(pyridin-3-yl)-3-(phenanthen-9-yl)-2-propen-1-one (50) and 1-(furan-2-yl)-3-phenyl-2-propen-1-one (51) exhibited 98, 97, 96 and 96% inhibition, respectively. The actual minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), defined as the lowest concentration inhibiting 99% of the inoculum, for 22, 37, 48, 49, 50 and 51 were 20.3, 31.5, 48.3, >35.7, 6.8 and 19.2, respectively. A hydrophobic substituent on one aromatic ring, and a hydrogen-bonding group on the other aromatic ring resulted in increased anti-TB activity of the chalcones and chalcone-like compounds. Flavones and flavanones are more geometrically constrained than the corresponding chalcone analogues. The decreased activity of the flavones with respect to the chalcones may be due to the confinement of the terminal aromatic rings to the same plane.     

Novel ring cleavage products in the biotransformation of biphenyl by the yeast Trichosporon mucoides

The yeast Trichosporon mucoides, grown on either glucose or phenol, was able to transform biphenyl into a variety of mono-, di-, and trihydroxylated derivatives hydroxylated on one or both aromatic rings. While some of these products accumulated in the supernatant as dead end products, the ortho-substituted dihydroxylated biphenyls were substrates for further oxidation and ring fission. These ring fission products were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses as phenyl derivatives of hydroxymuconic acids and the corresponding pyrones. Seven novel products out of eight resulted from the oxidation and ring fission of 3,4-dihydroxybiphenyl. Using this compound as a substrate, 2-hydroxy-4-phenylmuconic acid, (5-oxo-3-phenyl-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-yl)acetic acid, and 3-phenyl-2-pyrone-6-carboxylic acid were identified. Ring cleavage of 3,4,4'-trihydroxybiphenyl resulted in the formation of [5-oxo-3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-yl]acetic acid, 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-pyrone-6-carboxylic acid, and 3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-pyrone-6-carboxylic acid. 2,3,4-trihydroxybiphenyl was oxidized to 2-hydroxy-5-phenylmuconic acid, and 4-phenyl-2-pyrone-6-carboxylic acid was the transformation product of 3,4,5-trihydroxybiphenyl. All these ring fission products were considerably less toxic than the hydroxylated derivatives.     

Practical stereoselective synthesis of (2,3,4, 5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-5-yl)acetic acid

Highly enantioselective asymmetric hydrogenation of readily accessible olefins, (E)- and (Z)-[1-(toluene-4-sulfonyl)-1,2,3, 4-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-5-ylidene]acetic acid (4a and 4b, respectively) and [1-(toluene-4-sulfonyl)-2, 3-dihydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-5-yl]acetic acid (4c), is presented as an efficient and straightforward route to (R)-[1-(toluene-4-sulfonyl)-2,3,4, 5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-5-yl]acetic acid [(R)-1] which is a key intermediate for the synthesis of non-peptide AVP V2-agonist. Hydrogenation of carboxylic acid 4c gave (R)-1 in quantitative yield and 85% ee using Ru(OAc)2[(S)-H8-BINAP], a Ru(II) complex of a partially hydrogenated BINAP (H8-BINAP), as a catalyst. When (R)-1 of 76% ee was transformed into the corresponding isopropylamide 6, pure enantiomer (R)-6 was obtained in 75% yield by recrystallization from MeOH.     

Trapping social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) with acetic acid and saturated short chain alcohols

Nineteen compounds were evaluated in combination with a solution of acetic acid as baits for trapping the German yellowjacket, Vespula germanica (F.), the western yellowjacket Vespula pensylvanica (Sausssure), and the golden paper wasp Polistes aurifer Saussure. Compounds with three to six carbon chains or branched chains and with a hydroxy functional group were selected for testing based on their similarity to isobutanol. They were compared with isobutanol with acetic acid, which is a known wasp attractant. None of the compounds tested were superior to isobutanol when presented with acetic acid as a lure for these species of wasps. However, traps baited with either the S-(-)- or the racemic mixture of 2-methyl-1-butanol in combination with acetic acid captured similar numbers of both species of yellowjackets, compared with isobutanol with acetic acid. Polistes aurifer responded strongly to the S-(-)-enantiomer and to the racemic mixture of 2-methyl-1-butanol with acetic acid and not to the R-(+)-enantiomer with acetic acid.     

Synthesis and evaluation of in vitro antiviral activity of novel phenoxy acetic acid derivatives

Several substituted phenoxy acetic acid derived pyrazolines were synthesized by the reaction between 2-{4-[3-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3-oxo-1-propenyl]-2-methoxyphenoxy} acetic acid and substituted acid hydrazides and were tested for their in vitro cytotoxicity and antiviral activity. None of the compounds showed any specific antiviral activity [50% antivirally effective concentration (EC(50)) > or = 5-fold lower than minimum cytotoxic concentration]. The most cytotoxic of the series was 2-{4-[3-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1-(2-hydroxybenzoyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-5-pyrazolyl]-2-methoxyphenoxy}acetic acid (3(j)), with a minimum cytotoxic concentration of 0.16 microg/mL in human embryonic lung (HEL) cells.     

Der substitutionsspezifische einfluss von chalkonen auf die anthocyanbiosynthese bei Petunia hybrida

The effect of two chalcones, 3,4,2′,4′,6′-pentahydroxy- and the 4, 2 ′,4′,6′ -tetrahydroxy- 3-methoxy-chalcone- 4′-glucoside, on the synthesis of different flower anthocyanins in isolated petals of Petunia hybrida has been investigated. The results show that the synthesis of those anthocyanins, which have the same substitution pattern as the chalcone used was increased. This suggests that the chalcones are incorporated into the anthocyanins concerned. When the chalcones were fed together with acetic acid-[1-¹⁴C], this specific substitution effect was detectable only for the 3,4,2′,4′,6′-pentahydroxy-chalcone-4′-glucoside.     

Synthesis and pharmacological studies of new pyrazole analogues of podophyllotoxin

The pyrazole analogues of podophyllotoxin were synthesized by the chalcone route. This route attracts the attention because of its simple operating conditions and easy availability of the chemicals. Initially, benzylideneacetophenones (chalcones) were prepared in high yields by Claisen-Schmidt reaction of acetophenones with 4-(methylthio)benzaldehyde. The cyclopropyl ketones were prepared in good yields by the reaction of chalcones with trimethylsulfoxonium iodide. Tetralones were prepared in good yields by the Friedel-Craft’s intramolecular cyclization reaction of cyclopropyle ketones in the presence of anhyd. stannic chloride and acetic anhydride. The tetralones on formylation to give substituted hydroxylmethylene tetralones. Condensation of substituted hydroxylmethylene tetralones with hydrazine hydrate afforded target compounds. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, ¹H NMR and Mass spectral technique. The title compounds were screened for their antimitotic and antimicrobial activities. Among the synthesized compounds cyclopropyl ketones and pyrazole analogues of podophyllotoxin, compound 7-(methylthio)-5-(4-(methylthio)phenyl)-4,5-dihydro-² H-benzo[g]indazole is more active than 5-(4-(methylthio)phenyl)-4,5-dihydro-² H-benzo[g]indazole, 7-methyl-5-(4-(methylthio)phenyl)-4,5-dihydro-² H-benzo[g]indazole, 7-methoxy-5-(4-(methylthio)phenyl)-4,5-dihydro-² H-benzo[g]indazole and the key intermediate tetralones in 100, 200 and 400 ppm at 12, 18 and 24 h and also showed very good activity against screened bacteria and fungi compared to their standard.     

The amino acid sequence around four cysteine residues in trout actin

Four unique carboxymethylcysteine-containing peptides were isolated from tryptic and chymotryptic digests of trout muscle actin carboxymethylated with iodo[2-(14)C]acetic acid in 6m-guanidinium chloride. The amino acid sequences of these peptides were determined and showed a high degree of homology with the corresponding sequences from rabbit actin. One of the radioactive peptides was the C-terminal peptide and another sequence probably contained the cysteine residue from the N-terminal region of the protein.     

Measurement and analysis of intracellular ATP levels in metabolically engineered Zymomonas mobilis fermenting glucose and xylose mixtures

Intracellular adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) levels were measured in a metabolically engineered Zymomonas mobilis over the course of batch fermentations of glucose and xylose mixtures. Fermentations were conducted over a range of pH (5-6) in the presence of varying initial amounts of acetic acid (0-8 g/L) using a 10% (w/v) total sugar concentration (glucose only, xylose only, or 5% glucose/5% xylose mixture). Over the design space investigated, ethanol process yields varied between 56.6% and 92.3% +/- 1.3% of theoretical, depending upon the test conditions. The large variation in process yields reflects the strong effect pH plays in modulating the inhibitory effect of acetic acid on fermentation performance. A corresponding effect was observed on maximum cellular specific growth rates, with the rates varying between a low of 0.15 h(-1) observed at pH 5 in the presence of 8 g/L acetic acid to a high of 0.32 +/- 0.02 h(-1) obtained at pH 5 or 6 when no acetic acid was initially present. While substantial differences were observed in intracellular specific ATP concentration profiles depending upon fermentation conditions, maximum intracellular ATP accumulation levels varied within a relatively narrow range (1.5-3.8 mg ATP/g dry cell mass). Xylose fermentations produced and accumulated ATP at much slower rates than mixed sugar fermentations (5% glucose, 5% xylose), and the ATP production and accumulation rates in the mixed sugar fermentations were slightly slower than in glucose fermentations. Results demonstrate that higher levels of acetic acid delay the onset and influence the extent of intracellular ATP accumulation. ATP production and accumulation rates were most sensitive to acetic acid at lower values of pH.     

High enthalpy and low enthalpy death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae induced by acetic acid

Acetic acid at concentrations as may occur during vinification and other alcoholic yeast fermentations induced death of glucose-grown cell populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae IGC 4072 at temperatures at which thermal death was not detectable. The Arrhenius plots of specific death rates with various concentrations of acetic acid (0-2%, w/v) pH 3.3 were linear and could be decomposed into two distinct families of parallel straight lines, indicating that acetic acid induced two types of death: (1) High enthalpy death (HED) predominated at lower acetic acid concentrations (> 0.5%, w/v) and higher temperatures; its enthalpy of activation (DeltaH( not equal)) approached that of thermal death (12.4 x 10(4) cal/mol); (2) Low enthalpy death (LED) predominated at higher acetic acid concentrations and lower temperatures with DeltaH( not equal) of 3.9 x 10(4) cal/mol. While the DeltaH( not equal) values for HED induced by acetic acid were similar with those reported earlier for HED induced by other fermentation endproducts, the values for the entropy coefficients were different: 127-168 entropy units mol(-1)L for acetic acid as compared with 3.6-5.1 entropy units mol(-1)L for ethanol, which agreed with experimental results indicating that acetic acid is over 30-times more toxic than ethanol with respect to yeast cell viability at high process temperatures.     

First synthesis of double headed 1,3,4-oxadiazino[6,5-b]indole acyclo C-nucleosides

Condensation of 1,3-dihydro-2,3-dioxo-2H-indoles (la-c) with galactaric acid bis hydrazide (2) gave the corresponding galactaric acid bis[2-(1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-3H-indol-3-ylidene)hydrazides] (3a-c). Acetylation of the latter compounds with acetic anhydride in the presence of pyridine at ambient temperature gave the 2,3,4,5-tetra-O-acetylgalactaric acid bis[2-(1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-1-substituted-3H-indol-3-ylidene)hydrazides] (4b-d). Heterocyclization of the tetra-O-acetates 4b-d by heating with thionyl chloride afforded the double headed acyclo C-nucleosides: 1,2,3,4-tetra-O-acetyl- 1,4-bis[9-substituted-1,3,4-oxadiazino[6,5-b]indol-2-yl-1-ium]-galacto-tetritol dichlorides (5b-d). Structures of the prepared compounds were elucidated from their spectral properties.     

Syntheses and biological activities of chalcone and 1,5-benzothiazepine derivatives: promising new free-radical scavengers, and esterase, urease, and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors

A series of 2,4-diaryl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro- (36-40) and 2,4-diaryl-2,3-dihydro-1,5-benzothiazepines (25-35) have been synthesized from the corresponding chalcones 1-24. Both the benzothiazepines and chalcones were evaluated as DPPH free-radical scavengers and as inhibitors of cholinesterases, urease, and alpha-glucosidase. Compounds 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 18, 21, 36a, 37a, 37b, and 39a showed significant cholinesterase inhibiting activities. Among the 15 dihydro-1,5-benzothiazepines, 26, 32, and 35 exhibited significant radical-scavenging activities; and six tetrahydro-1,5-benzothiazepines (35, 36a, 36b, 37a, 37b, and 39a) were found to be inhibitors of AChE and BChE. Compounds 22, 25, 26, 33, 35, 36a, 37b, and 39a inhibited urease, and 25 and 27-31 were found to be potent inhibitors of alpha-glucosidase.     

Fluorination of 6-methyluracil and its nlcleosides.

6-Methyluracil and its perbenzoylated 1-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl) and 1-(2-deoxy-beta-D-ribofuranosyl) derivatives afford on treatment with elemental fluorine in acetic acid solutions, the corresponding derivatives of 5-fluoro-6-methyluracil and 5-fluoro-6-fluoromethyluracil. The free nucleosides have been obtained from the protected derivatives by methanolysis. The CH2F linkage in 5-fluoro-6-fluoromethyluracil derivatives is stable towards hydrolysis and nucleophilic agents.     

Batch and continuous culture-based selection strategies for acetic acid tolerance in xylose-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Acetic acid tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is crucial for the production of bioethanol and other bulk chemicals from lignocellulosic plant-biomass hydrolysates, especially at a low pH. This study explores two evolutionary engineering strategies for the improvement of acetic acid tolerance of the xylose-fermenting S. cerevisiae RWB218, whose anaerobic growth on xylose at pH 4 is inhibited at acetic acid concentrations >1 g L(-1) : (1) sequential anaerobic, batch cultivation (pH 4) at increasing acetic acid concentrations and (2) prolonged anaerobic continuous cultivation without pH control, in which acidification by ammonium assimilation generates selective pressure for acetic acid tolerance. After c. 400 generations, the sequential-batch and continuous selection cultures grew on xylose at pH≤4 with 6 and 5 g L(-1) acetic acid, respectively. In the continuous cultures, the specific xylose-consumption rate had increased by 75% to 1.7 g xylose g(-1) biomass h(-1) . After storage of samples from both selection experiments at -80 °C and cultivation without acetic acid, they failed to grow on xylose at pH 4 in the presence of 5 g L(-1) acetic acid. Characterization in chemostat cultures with linear acetic acid gradients demonstrated an acetate-inducible acetic acid tolerance in samples from the continuous selection protocol.