Synthesis and evaluation of N-substituted indole-3-carboxamide derivatives as inhibitors of lipid peroxidation and superoxide anion formation

The in vitro antioxidant effects of novel N-substituted indole-3-carboxamides (I3CDs) 1-10 on rat liver microsomal NADPH-dependent lipid peroxidation (LP) levels and their free radicals scavenging properties were determined by the inhibition of superoxide anion formation (SOD). Among the synthesized compounds, 4, 5, 8 and 9 significantly inhibited SOD with an inhibition range at 84–100% at 10^{? 3} M concentration. The presence of halo substituents both ortho- and para- positions of these compounds resulted 100% inhibition of SOD. Comparison the activity results of halogenated and non-halogenated derivatives suggested that the halogenated compounds are more active than the non-halogenated compounds. On the other hand, the introduction of a para fluoro benzyl in the 1-position of indole (compounds 7, 8) has more impact on the SOD inhibition when the benzamide ring was mono halogenated. However, none of other compounds had a significant inhibitory effects on the level of lipid peroxidation.     

Investigation of the in vitro antioxidant behaviour of some 2-phenylindole derivatives: discussion on possible antioxidant mechanisms and comparison with melatonin

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the development of many neurodegenerative diseases and also responsible from aging and some cancer types. Indolic compounds are a broad family of substances present in microorganisms, plants and animals. They are mainly related to tryptophan metabolism, and present particular properties that depend on their respective chemical structures. Due to free radical scavenger and antioxidant properties of indolic derivatives such as indolinic nitroxides and melatonin, a series of 2-phenyl indole derivatives were prepared and their in vitro effects on rat liver lipid peroxidation levels, superoxide formation and DPPH stable radical scavenging activities were determined against melatonin, BHT and α-tocopherol. The compounds significantly inhibited (72–98%) lipid peroxidation at 10^{? 3} M. These values were similar to that observed with BHT (88%). Possible structure–activity relationships of the compounds were discussed.     

Palladium Catalysis in the Synthesis of 8-Position modified Adenosine, 2′-Deoxyadenosine and Guanosine

Abstract

Adenosine and guanosine analogs with 8-position vinyl and aryl groups were prepared by palladium catalyzed cross-coupling of organostannanes with 8-bromopurine nucleosides. The reaction conditions and catalyst composition were improved so that both vinyl and aryl modifications could be made by a general procedure.     

Managing sun bears in a changing tropical landscape

Aim

Across the tropics, large‐bodied mammal species are threatened by rapid and widespread forest habitat conversion by either commercial logging or agricultural expansion. How such species use these habitats is an important area of research for guiding their future management. The tropical forest‐dwelling sun bear, Helarctos malayanus, is the least known of the eight bear species. Consequently, the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group ranks research on this species as a top priority. This study aims to investigate landscape variables that influence sun bear habitat use in forests under varying levels of degradation and protection.

Location

A 20,998 km² Sumatra forest landscape covering Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP), Batang Hari Protection Forest (BHPF) and neighbouring logging and agricultural concessions.

Methods

An occupancy‐based sampling technique using detection/non‐detection data with 10 landscape covariates was applied in six study areas that operated a total of 125 camera traps. The potential differences between habitat use (ψ) of sun bears were first modelled with broad‐scale covariates of study area, land‐use types and forest type. Sun bear habitat use was then investigated with the finer‐scale landscape features associated within these areas.

Results

From 10,935 trap nights, sun bears were recorded at altitudes ranging from 365 to 1791 m. At a broad‐scale, habitat use increased with protection status, being highest in KSNP (0.688 ± 0.092, ± SE) and BHPF (0.621 ± 0.110) compared to production (0.418 ± 0.121) and convertible (0.286 ± 0.122) forests. Within these areas, sun bears showed a preference for forest that was further from public roads and villages and at a lower elevation.

Main conclusions

The habitat suitability model identified several high‐quality habitat patches outside of the priority conservation areas for immediate protection. Consequently, conservation management strategies should emphasize the importance of high conservation value forests and prohibit further conversion of threatened lowland forests.

     

Expression and role of Toll-like receptors on human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells

Background aimsToll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in innate and adaptive immunity by recognizing pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs).MethodsIn the present study, we investigated the expression and role of TLRs on human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs). The proliferation, differentiation and immunoregulatory activity of UC-MSCs primed with or without TLR ligands were determined.ResultsAt the RNA level, the expression of TLR2, 4, 6 and 9 was relatively higher than that of other TLRs. However, TLR3 and TLR4 expression were relatively higher at the protein level. UC-MSCs expressed functional TLRs by nuclear factor-κB activation and cytokine expression assay. Poly-inosinic acid:cytidylic acid [Poly(I:C)] stimulation inhibited the proliferation of UC-MSCs, but the ligand of other TLRs had no significant effect. Poly(I:C) stimulation enhanced the adipogenic differentiation capability of UC-MSCs, but lipopolysaccharide inhibited the adipogenic differentiation. Poly(I:C) and CpG-oligonucleotide promoted the immunosuppressive potentiality of UC-MSCs, accompanied with the phosphorylation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and increased expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and interferon β, whereas activation of other TLR ligands (synthetic analog fibroblast-stimulating lipopeptide-1 and lipopolysaccharide) failed to affect the immunoregulatory activity of UC-MSCs.ConclusionsTaken together, our data demonstrated that TLR activation influenced the function of UC-MSCs, which might have important implications in future efforts to explore the clinical potentials of UC-MSCs.     

Wee1 kinase as a target for cancer therapy

Wee1, a protein kinase, regulates the G₂ checkpoint in response to DNA damage. Preclinical studies have elucidated the role of wee1 in DNA damage repair and the stabilization of replication forks, supporting the validity of wee1 inhibition as a viable therapeutic target in cancer. MK-1775, a selective and potent small-molecule inhibitor of wee1, is under clinical development as a potentiator of DNA damage caused by cytotoxic chemotherapies. We present a review of the role of wee1 in the cell cycle and DNA replication and summarize the clinical development to date of this novel class of anticancer agents.     

An Enzyme-Catalyzed Multistep DNA Refolding Mechanism in Hairpin Telomere Formation

Hairpin telomeres of bacterial linear chromosomes are generated by a DNA cutting–rejoining enzyme protelomerase. Protelomerase resolves a concatenated dimer of chromosomes as the last step of chromosome replication, converting a palindromic DNA sequence at the junctions between chromosomes into covalently closed hairpins. The mechanism by which protelomerase transforms a duplex DNA substrate into the hairpin telomeres remains largely unknown. We report here a series of crystal structures of the protelomerase TelA bound to DNA that represent distinct stages along the reaction pathway. The structures suggest that TelA converts a linear duplex substrate into hairpin turns via a transient strand-refolding intermediate that involves DNA-base flipping and wobble base-pairs. The extremely compact di-nucleotide hairpin structure of the product is fully stabilized by TelA prior to strand ligation, which drives the reaction to completion. The enzyme-catalyzed, multistep strand refolding is a novel mechanism in DNA rearrangement reactions.     

Gender-Specific Metabolomic Profiling of Obesity in Leptin-Deficient ob/ob Mice by 1H NMR Spectroscopy

Despite the numerous metabolic studies on obesity, gender bias in obesity has rarely been investigated. Here, we report the metabolomic analysis of obesity by using leptin-deficient ob/ob mice based on the gender. Metabolomic analyses of urine and serum from ob/ob mice compared with those from C57BL/6J lean mice, based on the ¹H NMR spectroscopy in combination with multivariate statistical analysis, revealed clear metabolic differences between obese and lean mice. We also identified 48 urine and 22 serum metabolites that were statistically significantly altered in obese mice compared to lean controls. These metabolites are involved in amino acid metabolism (leucine, alanine, ariginine, lysine, and methionine), tricarbocylic acid cycle and glucose metabolism (pyruvate, citrate, glycolate, acetoacetate, and acetone), lipid metabolism (cholesterol and carnitine), creatine metabolism (creatine and creatinine), and gut-microbiome-derived metabolism (choline, TMAO, hippurate, p-cresol, isobutyrate, 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, methylamine, and trigonelline). Notably, our metabolomic studies showed distinct gender variations. The obese male mice metabolism was specifically associated with insulin signaling, whereas the obese female mice metabolism was associated with lipid metabolism. Taken together, our study identifies the biomarker signature for obesity in ob/ob mice and provides biochemical insights into the metabolic alteration in obesity based on gender.     

Comparative Characteristics of Porous Bioceramics for an Osteogenic Response In Vitro and In Vivo

Porous calcium phosphate ceramics are used in orthopedic and craniofacial applications to treat bone loss, or in dental applications to replace missing teeth. The implantation of these materials, however, does not induce stem cell differentiation, so suitable additional materials such as porous calcium phosphate discs are needed to influence physicochemical responses or structural changes. Rabbit adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC) and mouse osteoblastic cells (MC3T3-E1) were evaluated in vitro by the MTT assay, semi-quantitative RT-PCR, and immunoblotting using cells cultured in medium supplemented with extracts from bioceramics, including calcium metaphosphate (CMP), hydroxyapatite (HA) and collagen-grafted HA (HA-col). In vivo evaluation of the bone forming capacity of these bioceramics in rat models using femur defects and intramuscular implants for 12 weeks was performed. Histological analysis showed that newly formed stromal-rich tissues were observed in all the implanted regions and that the implants showed positive immunoreaction against type I collagen and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The intramuscular implant region, in particular, showed strong positive immunoreactivity for both type I collagen and ALP, which was further confirmed by mRNA expression and immunoblotting results, indicating that each bioceramic material enhanced osteogenesis stimulation. These results support our hypothesis that smart bioceramics can induce osteoconduction and osteoinduction in vivo, although mature bone formation, including lacunae, osteocytes, and mineralization, was not prominent until 12 weeks after implantation.