Synthesis of some pyrazolyl benzenesulfonamide derivatives as dual anti-inflammatory antimicrobial agents

Four series of pyrazolylbenzenesulfonamide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity using cotton pellet induced granuloma and carrageenan-induced rat paw edema bioassays. Moreover, COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitory activity, ulcerogenic effect and acute toxiCIT000y were also determined. Furthermore, the target compounds were screened for their in-vitro antimicrobial activity against Eischerichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Compounds 4-(3-Phenyl-4-cyano-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)benzenesulfonamide 9a and 4-(3-Tolyl-4-cyano-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)benzenesulfonamide 9b were not only found to be the most active dual anti-inflammatory antimicrobial agents in the present study with good safety margin and minimal ulcerogenic effect but also exhibited good selective inhibitory activity towards COX-2. A docking pose for 9a and 9b separately in the active site of the human COX-2 enzyme was also obtained. Therefore, these compounds would represent a fruitful matrix for the development of dual anti-inflammatory antimicrobial candidates with remarkable COX-2 selectivity.     

Synthesis,characterization and preliminary screening of regioisomeric 1-(3-pyridazinyl)-3-arylpyrazole and 1-(3-pyridazinyl)-5-arylpyrazole derivatives towards cyclooxygenase inhibition

In a search for novel compounds with analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity, a series of regioisomeric 1-(3-pyridazinyl)-3-arylpyrazole (5a–f, 6a–f) and 1-(3-pyridazinyl)-5-arylpyrazole (7a–f, 8a–f) derivatives were synthesized. The structure of these regioisomers was confirmed by spectral techniques. The compounds were preliminarily screened at 8 μM concentration for their inhibitory activity against cyclooxygenase enzymes, COX-1 and COX-2, using a human whole blood test. The tested derivatives showed inhibitory activity for both enzymes and are worthy of further investigation for developing better leads.     

Synthesis,antitumor and antimicrobial activity of some new 6-methyl-3-phenyl-4(3H)-quinazolinone analogues: in silico studies

Some new derivatives of substituted-4(3H)-quinazolinones were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antitumor and antimicrobial activities. The results of this study demonstrated that compound 5 yielded selective activities toward NSC Lung Cancer EKVX cell line, Colon Cancer HCT-15 cell line and Breast Cancer MDA-MB-231/ATCC cell line, while NSC Lung Cancer EKVX cell line and CNS Cancer SF-295 cell line were sensitive to compound 8. Additionally, compounds 12 and 13 showed moderate effectiveness toward numerous cell lines belonging to different tumor subpanels. On the other hand, the results of antimicrobial screening revealed that compounds 1, 9 and 14 are the most active against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 16, 32 and 32?μg/mL respectively, while compound 14 possessed antimicrobial activities against all tested strains with the lowest MIC compared with other tested compounds. In silico study, ADME-Tox prediction and molecular docking methodology were used to study the antitumor activity and to identify the structural features required for antitumor activity.     

Synthesis,cyclooxygenase inhibition and anti-inflammatory evaluation of new 1,3,5-triaryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole derivatives possessing methanesulphonyl pharmacophore

A new series of 1,3,5-triaryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole derivatives 13a–p were synthesized via aldol condensation of 3/4-nitroacetophenones with appropriately substituted aldehydes followed by cyclization of the formed chalcones with 4-methanesulfonylphenylhydrazine hydrochloride. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition, anti-inflammatory activity and ulcerogenic liability. All compounds were more potent inhibitors for COX-2 than COX-1. While most compounds showed good anti-inflammatory activity, compounds 13d, 13f, 13k and 13o were the most potent derivatives (ED₅₀?=?66.5, 73.4, 79.8 and 70.5?μmol/kg, respectively) in comparison with celecoxib (ED₅₀?=?68.1?μmol/kg). Compounds 13d, 13f, 13k and 13o (ulcer index?=?3.89, 4.86, 4.96 and 3.92, respectively) were 4–6 folds less ulcerogenic than aspirin (ulcer index?=?22.75) and showed approximately ulceration effect similar to celecoxib (ulcer index?=?3.35). In addition, molecular docking studies were performed for compounds 13d, 13f, 13k and 13o inside COX-2 active site which showed acceptable binding interactions (affinity in kcal/mol ?2.1774, ?6.9498) in comparison with celecoxib (affinity in kcal/mol ?6.5330).     

Design and synthesis of 3-(4-Ethylphenyl)-2-substituted amino-3H-quinazolin-4-ones as a novel class of analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents

A new series of 3-(4-ethylphenyl)-2-substituted amino-3H-quinazolin-4-ones were synthesized by reacting the amino group of 2-hydrazino-3-(4-ethylphenyl)-3H-quinazolin-4-one from 4-ethyl aniline with a variety of aldehydes and ketones. The title compounds were investigated for analgesic, anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic index activities. The compound 2-(N′-3-pentylidene-hydrazino)-3-(4-ethylphenyl)-3H-quinazolin-4-one (AS2) emerged as the most active compound of the series and was moderately more potent than the reference standard diclofenac sodium. Interestingly the test compounds showed only mild ulcerogenic potential when compared to aspirin.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of some new pyridazinone derivatives

A series of pyridazinone derivatives (19–34) were synthesized with an aim to synthesize safer anti-inflammatory agents. The compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory, analgesic, ulcerogenic and lipid peroxidation (LPO) actions. The percentage inhibition in edema at different time intervals indicated that compounds 20, 26, 28 and 34 exhibited good anti-inflammatory potential, comparable with that of ibuprofen (85.77%) within a range of 67.48–77.23%. The results illustrate that 5-(4-fluoro-benzyl)-3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-1,6-dihydro-6-pyridazinone (26) and 5-(4-chloro-benzyl)-3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-1,6-dihydro-6-pyridazinone (20) showed best anti-inflammatory activity. Furthermore, activity is more in case of chloro substitution as compared with methyl-substitution. The compounds synthesized were also evaluated for their ulcerogenic and LPO action and showed superior gastrointestinal safety profile along with reduction in LPO as compared with that of the ibuprofen.     

Synthesis,biological evaluation and molecular modeling of novel thienopyrimidinone and triazolothienopyrimidinone derivatives as dual anti-inflammatory antimicrobial agents

New thienopyrimidinone and triazolothienopyrimidinone derivatives have been synthesized. These compounds were subjected to anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity screening aiming to identify new candidates that have dual anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities.Compounds 5, 7 and 10a showed minimal ulcerogenic effect and high selectivity towards human recombinant COX-2 over COX-1 enzyme. Their docking outcome correlated with their biological activity and assured the high selectivity binding towards COX-2. In addition, they could act safely up to 80 mg/kg orally or 40 mg/kg parentrally. The antimicrobial screening showed that compound 10a displayed distinctive inhibitory effect on the growth of Escherichia coli comparable to that of ampicillin. Moreover, compounds 5, 7, 9 and 12a possessed 50% of the inhibitory activity of ampicillin against E. coli. Thus, compounds 5, 7 and 10a represent promising dual acting anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents. This work provides rewarding template enriching the chemical space for dual anti-inflammatory anti-microbial activities.     

Design of potent fluoro-substituted chalcones as antimicrobial agents

Owing to ever-increasing bacterial and fungal drug resistance, we attempted to develop novel antitubercular and antimicrobial agents. For this purpose, we developed some new fluorine-substituted chalcone analogs (3, 4, 9–15, and 20–23) using a structure–activity relationship approach. Target compounds were evaluated for their antitubercular efficacy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and antimicrobial activity against five common pathogenic bacterial and three common fungal strains. Three derivatives (3, 9, and 10) displayed significant antitubercular activity with IC₅₀ values of ≤16,760. Compounds derived from trimethoxy substituent scaffolds with monofluoro substitution on the B ring of the chalcone structure exhibited superior inhibition activity compared to corresponding hydroxy analogs. In terms of antimicrobial activity, most compounds (3, 9, 12–14, and 23) exhibited moderate to potent activity against the bacteria, and the antifungal activities of compounds 3, 13, 15, 20, and 22 were comparable to those of reference drugs ampicillin and fluconazole.     

Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by two arylderivatives: 3a-Acetoxy-5H-pyrrolo(1,2-a) (3,1)benzoxazin-1,5-(3aH)-dione and cis-N-p-Acetoxy-phenylisomaleimide

Two arylderivatives, 3a-Acetoxy-5H-pyrrolo(1,2-a) (3,1)benzoxazin-1,5-(3aH)-dione 3 and cis-N-p-Acetoxy-phenylisomaleimide 4, were synthesized from anthranilic acid and para-aminophenol, respectively. The inhibitory effects of these compounds on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity were evaluated in vitro as well as by docking simulations. Both compounds showed inhibition of AChE activity (K_i = 4.72 ± 2.3 μM for 3 and 3.6 ± 1.8 μM for 4) in in vitro studies. Moreover, they behaved as irreversible inhibitors and made π–π interaction with W84 and hydrogen bonded with S200 and Y337 according to experimental data and docking calculations. The docking calculations showed ΔG bind (kcal/mol) of ? 9.22 for 3 and ? 8.58 for 4. These two compounds that can be use as leads for a new family of anti-Alzheimer disease drugs.     

Synthesis,anti-inflammatory,cytotoxic, and COX-1/2 inhibitory activities of cyclic imides bearing 3-benzenesulfonamide,oxime, and β-phenylalanine scaffolds: a molecular docking study

Abstract

Cyclic imides containing 3-benzenesulfonamide, oxime, and β-phenylalanine derivatives were synthesised and evaluated to elucidate their in vivo anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic activity and in vitro cytotoxic effects. Most active anti-inflammatory agents were subjected to in vitro COX-1/2 inhibition assay. 3-Benzenesulfonamides (2–4, and 9), oximes (11–13), and β-phenylalanine derivative (18) showed potential anti-inflammatory activities with 71.2–82.9% oedema inhibition relative to celecoxib and diclofenac (85.6 and 83.4%, respectively). Most active cyclic imides 4, 9, 12, 13, and 18 possessed ED₅₀ of 35.4–45.3?mg kg^?1 relative to that of celecoxib (34.1?mg kg^?1). For the cytotoxic evaluation, the selected derivatives 2–6 and 8 exhibited weak positive cytotoxic effects (PCE = 2/59–5/59) at 10?μM compared to the standard drug, imatinib (PCE = 20/59). Cyclic imides bearing 3-benzenesulfonamide (2–5, and 9), acetophenone oxime (11–14, 18, and 19) exhibited high selectivity against COX-2 with SI > 55.6–333.3 relative to that for celecoxib [SI > 387.6]. β-Phenylalanine derivatives 21–24 and 28 were non-selective towards COX-1/2 isozymes as indicated by their SI of 0.46–0.68.     

Synthesis,anti-inflammatory screening,molecular docking,and COX-1,2/-5-LOX inhibition profile of some novel quinoline derivatives

New quinoline compounds comprising pyrazole scaffold through different amide linkages were synthesized. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity. Eight compounds (5c, 11b,c, 12c, 14a,b, 20a and 21a) were found to exhibit promising anti-inflammatory profiles in acute and sub-acute inflammatory models. They were screened for their ulcerogenic activity and none of them showed significant ulcerogenic activity comparable to the reference drug celecoxib and are well tolerated by experimental animals with high safety margin (ALD₅₀ > 0.3 g/kg). Compounds 5c, 11b,c, 12c, 14a,b, 20a and 21a showed significant in vitro LOX inhibitory activity higher than that of zileuton. In vitro COX-1/COX-2 inhibition study revealed that compounds 12c, 14a,b and 20a showed higher selectivity towards COX-2 than COX-1. Among the tested compounds, 12c, 14a and 14b showed the highest inhibitory activity against COX-2 with an IC₅₀ values of 0.1, 0.11 and 0.11 μM respectively. The docking experiments attempted to postulate the binding mode for the most active compounds in the binding site of COX-2 enzymes and confirmed the high selectivity binding towards COX-2 enzyme over COX-1.     

Synthesis of some new amide-linked bipyrazoles and their evaluation as anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents

Four series of new bipyrazoles comprising the N-phenylpyrazole scaffold linked to polysubstituted pyrazoles or to antipyrine moiety through different amide linkages were synthesized. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. In vitro COX-1/COX-2 inhibition study revealed that compound 16b possessed the lowest IC₅₀ value against both COX-1 and COX-2. Moreover, the effect of the most promising compounds on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) protein expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated rat monocytes was also investigated. The results revealed that some of the synthesized compounds showed anti-inflammatory and/or analgesic activity with less ulcerogenic potential than the reference drug diclofenac sodium and are well tolerated by experimental animals. Moreover, they significantly inhibited iNOS and COX-2 protein expression induced by LPS stimulation. Compounds 16b and 18 were proved to display anti-inflammatory activity superior to diclofenac sodium and analgesic activity equivalent to it with minimal ulcerogenic potential.     

Synthesis,Biological Evaluation and in Silico Studies of 3-Hydroxy-N-(2-(substituted phenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-napthamide Derivatives

In the present study, a series of 3-hydroxy-N-(2-(substituted phenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-napthamide derivatives were synthesized, characterized and evaluated for theirin vitroactivity, i. e., antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. The target compounds were synthesized by condensation reaction of 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid hydrazide with substituted benzaldehydes which were subjected to cyclization reaction with thioglycolic acid and ZnCl₂ to get target compounds. The synthesized 3-hydroxy-N-(2-(substituted phenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-napthamide derivatives were examined for their antimicrobial activity and 3-hydroxy-N-(4-oxo-2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)thiazolidin-3-yl)-2-naphthamide ( S20 ) exhibited the highest antimicrobial potential. The N′-(2,3-dichlorobenzylidene)-3-hydroxy-2-naphthohydrazide ( S5 ) displayed good antifungal potential against Rhizopus oryzae, whereas N′-(2,3-dichlorobenzylidene)-3-hydroxy-2-naphthohydrazide ( S20 ) showed the highest antioxidant potential and N-(2-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-3-hydroxy-2-naphthamide ( S16 ) displayed the highest anti-inflammatory activity. The results of molecular docking studies revealed that existence of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions with their respective proteins. In silico ADMET studies were carried out by Molinspiration, Pre-ADMET and OSIRIS property explorer to predict the pharmacokinetic behaviour of synthesized 3-hydroxy-N-(2-(substituted phenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-napthamide derivatives.     

Antimicrobial activities of some synthesized 1-(3-(2-methylphenyl)-4-Oxo-3<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-quinazolin-2-yl-4-(substituted)thiosemicarbazide derivatives

The substituted thiosemicarbazide moiety was placed at the C-2 position and 2-methylphenyl group at N-3 position of quinazoline ring and obtained compounds were tested for their antitubercular activities and antibacterial activities against selected gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The target compounds 1-(3-(2-methylphenyl)-4-oxo-3H-quinazolin-2-yl)-4-(substituted) thiosemicarbazides were obtained by the reaction of 2-hydrazino-3-(2-methylphenyl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one with different dithiocarbamic acid methyl ester derivatives. All synthesized compounds were also screened for their antimicrobial activity against selective gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria by agar dilution method. Among the series, 1-[3-(2-methylphenyl)-4-oxo-3H-quinazolin-2-yl]-4-[4-chlorophenyl]-thiosemicarbazide exhibited the most potent activity against S. typhi, E. coli, and B. subtilis, while 1-[3-(2-methylphenyl)-4-oxo-3H-quinazolin-2-yl]-4-[4-nitrophenyl]-thiosemicarbazide was the most potent against E. coli, B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa, S. typhi, and S. flexneri. These two compounds exhibited the antitubercular activity at the minimum concentration (3 μg/mL) that offered potential for further optimization and development of new antitubercular agents. The obtained results demonstrated promising antimicrobial and antitubercular activities of the synthesized quinazoline compounds which could be used as new scaffolds for improving their antimicrobial activity.     

Design,synthesis, and evaluation of anti-inflammatory,analgesic, ulcerogenicity,and nitric oxide releasing studies of novel indomethacin analogs as non-ulcerogenic derivatives

Most non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) suffer from the deadlier gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities. The free -COOH group is responsible for the GI toxicity associated with all traditional NSAIDs. In the present research work, the main objective was to develop new chemical entities as potential anti-inflammatory agents with no GI toxicities. The results of synthesis and pharmacological screening of a series of hybrid molecules having general formula 2-(5-(5-(substituted phenyl)-2-oxo-ethylthio)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-yl)-2-phenyl-1H-indol-1-yl)-2-oxoethyl nitrate are described. These compounds were tested in vivo for their anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and ulcerogenic properties, and subjected to histopathological studies. Compound 7c, 2-(5-(5-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxo-ethylthio)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-yl)-2-phenyl-1H-indol-1-yl)-2-oxoethyl nitrate, was the most potent in this series. The compounds that showed significantly reduced GI ulcerogenicity also showed promising results in histopathological studies, and they were found to cause no mucosal injury. All the synthesized compounds were found to exhibit significant nitric oxide releasing activity in an in vitro method. In conclusion, the designed hybrid molecules were found to be significantly promising.     

Synthesis of 1-(4-methoxybenzyl)-3-cyclopropyl-1H-pyrazol-5-amine derivatives as antimicrobial agents

A series of novel substituted 1-(4-methoxybenzyl)-3-cyclopropyl-1H-pyrazol-5-amine benzamides 9(a–h) were synthesized to determine their antibacterial and antifungal activities as well as possible structure–activity relationships (SARs) to improve therapeutic efficacy. The pyrazol-5-amine benzamides were screened for their antibacterial activity against standard strains of Gram-positive (Streptococcus pyogenes NCIM 2608, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29737, Bacillus subtilis NCIM 2010) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 20852, Klebsiella pneumoniae MTCC 618) bacteria by using streptomycin as positive control. They were also tested for their antifungal activities against mycotoxic strains of Fusarium verticillioides, Aspergillus ochraceous, Aspergillus flavus, Alternaria alternata, and Penicillium chrysogenum using nystatin as positive control. Among the synthesized compounds, 9d, 9g, and 9h showed potent antimicrobial activities.     

Synthesis,in vitro antitumour activity,and molecular docking study of novel 2-substituted mercapto-3-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)-4(3H)-quinazolinone analogues

A novel series of 2-substituted mercapto-3-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)-4(3H)-quinazolinones 1–20 was synthesised and evaluated for in vitro antitumour activity. N-(4-Chlorophenyl)-2-[(3-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)-4(3H)-quinazolinon-2-yl)thio)acetamide (7) and N-(3,4,5 trimethoxybenzyl)-2-[(3-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)-4(3H)-quinazolinon-2-yl)thio]propanamide (19) exhibited excellent antitumour properties, with mean growth inhibitory concentration (GI₅₀) of 17.90 and 6.33 µΜ, respectively, compared with those of 5-fluorouracil 5-FU, gefitinib, and erlotinib (mean GI₅₀: 18.60, 3.24, and 7.29 µΜ, respectively). Comparison of the GI₅₀ (µM) values of compounds 7 and 19 versus those of 5-FU, gefitinib, and erlotinib against an in vitro subpanel of tumour cells lines showed that compounds 7 and 19 have activities almost equal to or higher than that of those standard drugs, especially against lung, CNS, and breast cancer cells. However, compounds 5, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 20 exhibited effective antitumour activity against the different cell lines tested, with growth inhibition percentage (MGI%) of 19, 24, 19, 17, 16, 15, and 16, respectively. A modelling study was performed for compounds 7 and 19 by docking them into the EGFR kinase enzyme to study their mode of binding with the putative binding site.     

Synthesis of some new antibacterial active cadmium and mercury complexes of 4-(3-(2-(4-(dimethyl aminophenyl allylidene aminopropyl-imino)prop-1-ethyl)-N,N-dimethyl benzene amine

Abstract

A series of novel cadmium(II) and mercury(II) halide and thiocyanate complexes with an asymmetric Schiff base ligand of 4-(3-(2-(4-(dimethyl aminophenyl allylidene aminopropyl-imino)prop-1-ethyl)-N,N-dimethyl benzene amine has been synthesised and characterised using spectral, physical and analytical data, such as ¹H NMR, UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopy, melting point, elemental analysis and molar conductivity measurements. The spectral and physical data proposed a pseudo-tetrahedral geometry around the metal centre in the metal complexes. Moreover, the in vitro antibacterial activity of all compounds was assayed against two gram-positive and two gram-negative bacterial strains by a disk diffusion method and the results showed that all compounds have antibacterial characteristics. Also, the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of each compound were determined.     

Synthesis and evaluation of pyrazolines bearing benzothiazole as anti-inflammatory agents

The present study aims at the synthesis of pyrazolines bearing benzothiazole and their evaluation as anti-inflammatory agents. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory potential using carrageenan induced paw edema model. Two compounds 5a and 5d alleviated inflammation more than the standard drug celecoxib. Eight compounds 5b, 5c, 5e, 5g, 5h, 6b, 6e and 6f showed anti-inflammatory activity comparable to celecoxib. To understand the mode of action, COX-2 enzyme assay and TNF-α assay were carried out. All the active compounds were assessed for their cytotoxicity. The ulcerogenic risk evaluation was performed on the active compounds that were not found to be cytotoxic. Out of ten active compounds, two compounds (5d and 6f) were finally found to be the most potent anti-inflammatory agents attributing to the suppression of the COX-2 enzyme activity and TNF-α production without being either cytotoxic or ulcerogenic.     

SYNTHESIS AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SOME 4-SUBSTITUTED 1-[1-(4-HYDROXYBUTYL)-1,2,3-TRIAZOL-(4 & 5)-YLMETHYL]-1H-PYRAZOLO-[3,4-d]PYRIMIDINES

The synthesis of 1-[1-(4-hydroxybutyl)-1,2,3-triazol-(4 and 5)-ylmethyl] -1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines 11a,b, 12a,b and 13–17 as carboacyclic nucleosides is described. The compounds 8a,b were condensed, separately, with compound 7 via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction to afford, after separation and deprotection, 1,4-regioisomers 11a,b and 1,5-regioisomers 12a,b. The deprotected carboacyclic nucleosides 11a served as precursor for the preparation of 4-amino 13, 4-methylamino 14, 4-benzylamino 15, 4-methoxy 16 and 4-hydroxy 17 analogues. All deprotected carboacyclic nucleosides were evaluated for their inhibitory effects against the replication of HIV-1(III_B), HIV-2(ROD), various DNA viruses, a variety of tumor-cell lines and tuberculosis. No marked biological activity was found.