Lipase-catalysed esterification reaction in a tubular reactor

Summary Lipozyme catalysed esterification of oleic acid with lauryl alcohol was studied in a tubular recycle reactor. Water formed during the reaction was removed by adsorption, either by passing the product mixture through another column packed with molecular sieve, or by packing the reactor partially with silica gel.     

Fuel mobilization for energy metabolism in the silkmoth, Bombyx mori, during reproductive processes

Flight muscles of male moth, B. mori seem to utilize carbohydrate preferentially as a source of energy for all its acrobatic movements during the search for female moth. Depletion of triacylglycerol from flight muscles without affecting its level from fat body suggests that this lipid fraction serves as a source of energy in flight muscles during insemination processes. Significant depletion of triacylglycerol and glycogen from flight muscles of female moth after egg laying indicates that they are used to meet the energy requirement of female during oviposition activity. Depletion of proteins from flight muscles of male and female insects suggest that these proteins are transported to the accessory reproductive glands to meet their protein demand.     

Synthesis of Novel Quinoline–Benzoxazolinone Ester Hybrids: In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Activity and Antibacterial Activity

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - A series of novel quinoline-benzoxazolinone ester hybrids were synthesized characterized and assessed for their in vitro anti-inflammatory and...     

Design and synthesis of novel 2,4-disubstituted aminopyrimidines: reversible non-covalent T790M EGFR inhibitors

Abstract

Cardiotoxicity is one amongst the adverse effect of Osimertinib delineate in clinical trials and related to escalating doses. To triumph over the drawbacks of Osimertinib, in this study, we tend to delineate the design, synthesis, in vitro biological analysis of a series of novel reversible selective T790M inhibitors with minimal cardiotoxicity. Amongst the virtually sorted compounds; compound 18 and 74 have been located to be the foremost active compounds of the series with IC₅₀ value of 0.88, 0.92?μM in cellular assay and 0.56, 0.62?μM in enzymatic assay, against double mutant L858R/T790M EGFR. Additionally, they showed much less affinity toward wild-type (WT)-EGFR with minimal cardiotoxicity.     

Purification and characterization of an extracellular antifungal chitinase from Penicillium ochrochloron MTCC 517 and its application in protoplast formation

A highly chitinolytic strain Penicillium ochrochloron MTCC 517 was procured from MTCC, Chandigarh, India. Culture medium supplemented with 1% chitin was found to be suitable for maximum production of chitinase. Purification of extracellular chitinase was done from the culture medium by organic solvent precipitation and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The chitinase was purified 6.92-fold with 29.9% yield. Molecular mass of purified chitinase was found to be 64 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The chitinase showed optimum temperature 40 °C and pH 7.0. The enzyme activity was completely inhibited by Hg²⁺, Zn²⁺, K⁺ and NH₄⁺. The enzyme kinetic study of purified chitinase revealed the following characteristics, such as apparent K_m 1.3 mg ml^?1, V_max 5.523 × 10^?5 moles l^?1 min^?1 and K_cat 2.37 s^?1 and catalytic efficiency 1.82 s^?1 M^?1. The enzyme hydrolyzed colloidal chitin, glycol chitin, chitosan, glycol chitosan, N,N′-diacetylchitobiose, p-nitrophenyl N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminide and 4-methylumbelliferyl N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminide. The chitinase of P. ochrochloron MTCC 517 is an exoenzyme, which gives N-acetylglucosamine as the main hydrolyzate after hydrolysis of colloidal chitin. Protoplasts with high regeneration capacity were obtained from Aspergillus niger using chitinase from P. ochrochloron MTCC 517. Since it also showed antifungal activity, P. ochrochloron MTCC 517 seems to be a promising biocontrol agent.     

Physicochemical and molecular modeling studies of cefixime–l-arginine–cyclodextrin ternary inclusion compounds

In an attempt to improve the physicochemical properties of cefixime (CEF), its supramolecular inclusion compounds were prepared with β-cyclodextrin (βCD) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) in presence and/or absence of ternary component l-arginine (ARG) using spray drying technique. Initially, the phase solubility studies revealed a stoichiometry of 1:1 molar ratio with an A_L-type of phase solubility curve. The stability constants of binary systems were remarkably improved in presence of ARG, indicating positive effect of its addition. The inclusion complexes were characterized by FTIR, XRPD, DSC, SEM, particle size analysis, and dissolution studies. Further, molecular mechanic (MM) calculations were performed to investigate the possible orientations of CEF inside βCD cavity in presence and/or absence of ternary component. In case of physicochemical studies, the ternary systems performed well as a result of comprehensive effect of ternary complexation and particle size reduction achieved by a spray drying technology.     

Repeated oral administration of capsaicin increases anxiety-like behaviours with prolonged stress-response in rats

This study was conducted to examine the psycho-emotional effects of repeated oral exposure to capsaicin, the principal active component of chili peppers. Each rat received 1 mL of 0.02% capsaicin into its oral cavity daily, and was subjected to behavioural tests following 10 daily administrations of capsaicin. Stereotypy counts and rostral grooming were significantly increased, and caudal grooming decreased, in capsaicin-treated rats during the ambulatory activity test. In elevated plus maze test, not only the time spent in open arms but also the percent arm entry into open arms was reduced in capsaicin-treated rats compared with control rats. In forced swim test, although swimming duration was decreased, struggling increased in the capsaicin group, immobility duration did not differ between the groups. Repeated oral capsaicin did not affect the basal levels of plasma corticosterone; however, the stress-induced elevation of plasma corticosterone was prolonged in capsaicin treated rats. Oral capsaicin exposure significantly increased c-Fos expression not only in the nucleus tractus of solitarius but also in the paraventricular nucleus. Results suggest that repeated oral exposure to capsaicin increases anxiety-like behaviours in rats, and dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis may play a role in its pathophysiology.     

Synthesis and SAR studies of 5-(pyridin-4-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine derivatives as potent inhibitors of Bloom helicase

Human cells utilize a variety of complex DNA repair mechanisms in order to combat constant mutagenic and cytotoxic threats from both exogenous and endogenous sources. The RecQ family of DNA helicases, which includes Bloom helicase (BLM), plays an important function in DNA repair by unwinding complementary strands of duplex DNA as well as atypical DNA structures such as Holliday junctions. Mutations of the BLM gene can result in Bloom syndrome, an autosomal recessive disorder associated with cancer predisposition. BLM-deficient cells exhibit increased sensitivity to DNA damaging agents indicating that a selective BLM inhibitor could be useful in potentiating the anticancer activity of these agents. In this work, we describe the medicinal chemistry optimization of the hit molecule following a quantitative high-throughput screen of >355,000 compounds. These efforts lead to the identification of ML216 and related analogs, which possess potent BLM inhibition and exhibit selectivity over related helicases. Moreover, these compounds demonstrated cellular activity by inducing sister chromatid exchanges, a hallmark of Bloom syndrome.     

Effect of weight loss and exercise on angiogenic factors in the circulation and in adipose tissue in obese subjects

Background:

Vascular growth is a prerequisite for adipose tissue (AT) development and expansion. Some AT cytokines and hormones have effects on vascular development, like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF‐A), angiopoietin (ANG‐1), ANG‐2 and angiopoietin‐like protein‐4 (ANGPTL‐4).

Methods:

In this study, the independent and combined effects of diet‐induced weight loss and exercise on AT gene expression and proteins levels of those angiogenic factors were investigated. Seventy‐nine obese males and females were randomized to: 1. Exercise‐only (EXO; 12‐weeks exercise without diet‐restriction), 2. Hypocaloric diet (DIO; 8‐weeks very low energy diet (VLED) + 4‐weeks weight maintenance diet) and 3. Hypocaloric diet and exercise (DEX; 8‐weeks VLED + 4‐weeks weight maintenance diet combined with exercise throughout the 12 weeks). Blood samples and fat biopsies were taken before and after the intervention.

Results:

Weight loss was 3.5 kg in the EXO group and 12.3 kg in the DIO and DEX groups. VEGF‐A protein was non‐significantly reduced in the weight loss groups. ANG‐1 protein levels were significantly reduced 22‐25% after all three interventions (P < 0.01). The ANG‐1/ANG‐2 ratio was also decreased in all three groups (P < 0.05) by 27‐38%. ANGPTL‐4 was increased in the EXO group (15%, P < 0.05) and 9% (P < 0.05) in the DIO group. VEGF‐A, ANG‐1, and ANGPTL‐4 were all expressed in human AT, but only ANGPTL‐4 was influenced by the interventions.

Conclusions:

Our data show that serum VEGF‐A, ANG‐1, ANG‐2, and ANGPTL‐4 levels are influenced by weight changes, indicating the involvement of these factors in the obese state. Moreover, it was found that weight loss generally was associated with a reduced angiogenic activity in the circulation.