Application of Optimization Technique to Develop Nano-Based Carrier of Nigella Sativa Essential Oil: Characterization and Assessment

BACKGROUND

Chitosan, a naturally occurring polymer, has interesting applications in the field of drug delivery due to its plentiful advantages as biodegradability, biocompatibility and nontoxic nature. Nigella sativa essential oil is unstable, volatile, and insoluble in water and these problems confine its usage in developing new medicines.

OBJECTIVE

This study focuses on developing a chitosan-based nanocarrier for the encapsulation of Nigella Sativa essential oil. By using Quality by design outline, the quality target product outline, critical quality attributes and critical material attributes were defined by knowledge and risk-based procedures.

METHODS

According to defined critical material attributes, Optimization software (Statgraphics XVII) was used to study the effect of the processing parameters. The processing parameters identified and fixed first with a "One factor at a time" approach. Various physicochemical characterization techniques were performed.

RESULTS

As a result, the ratio of chitosan to benzoic acid (2:1) along with the stirring rate (4000 rpm) produced minimum-sized particles (341 nm) with good stability. The anti-bacterial activity study using Staph. Aureus strain proved that the optimized nanoparticles were more efficacious than the pure oil based on the diameter of inhibition zone obtained (diameter =5.5 cm for optimized formula vs diameter = 3.6 cm for pure oil). Furthermore, MTT (methyl thiazolyl-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) assay was performed to compare the in vitro cytotoxicity using two different cell lines (i.e. HCT 116 for colorectal carcinoma and PC3 for prostatic cancer). It was found that in both cell lines, the optimized nanoparticles had noteworthy antiproliferative properties illustrated by determining the concentration at which 50% of growth is inhibited (IC50). The optimized nanoparticles showed lower IC50 (17.95 ±0.82 and 4.02 ±0.12μg/ml) than the bare oil IC50 (43.56 ±1.95 and 29.72 ±1.41μg/ml).

Prolonging food shelf-life by dual actives release from multi-layered polymer particles

Biodegradable polymer based 'controlled release packaging' technology has ability to release packaging actives in controlled manner to prolong the food shelf-life. Currently available systems are not sufficiently capable of releasing multiple actives in sustainable fashion. Hence, the purpose of this study was to develop dual actives (antioxidant and antibacterial) loaded multilayered microparticles in one step and to release them at rates suitable for long-term inhibition of bacterial growth as well as lipid oxidation in food. In order to achieve this goal, 2 kinds of multilayered polymer particles made up of PLLA (Poly(l-lactic acid)) and PLGA (Poly(dl-lactic-co-glycolic acid) with varying viscosity were developed using emulsion solvent evaporation method. Surprisingly, low viscous PLGA resulted tri-layered particles (PLGA/PLLA/PLGA: shell/middle/core) instead of bi-layered (PLGA/PLLA: shell/core) particles as observed for high viscous PLGA. The mechanism of formation of tri-layered particles was investigated in detail. The outermost layer consisted of relatively more hydrophilic polymer PLGA along with benzoic acid (antibacterial) and the inner core comprised of hydrophobic polymer PLLA and tocopherol (antioxidant). Release study demonstrated that release rate of dual actives were significantly accelerated from tri-layered particles in comparison to bi-layered one and their release profiles can be well explained with the help of Ridger-Peppas model. Both sets of particles exhibited long-term antibacterial (against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) as well as antioxidant effect over a period of 60 days. The results show for the first time the feasibility of using multilayered microparticles to prolong the food shelf-life by simultaneous release of multiple actives.

Phosphate helps to recover from scavenging effect of chloride in self-enhanced ozonation

Self-enhanced ozonation is a new approach for generation of hydroxyl radicals at low pH. Unfortunately at acidic environment chloride effectively scavenges the radicals. Therefore, the presence of chloride in ozonated medium would be detrimental for the most of the process practical applications. In self-enhanced ozonation process almost complete degradation of aromatics is observed during first 10min. Addition of 3.22 mM of chloride completely hinders degradation of nitrobenzene (NB) or benzoic acid (BA). This work shows that the scavenging effect of chlorides may be overcome with an excess of phosphate. Addition of 50 mM of phosphates to ozonated water brings back 74% removal of NB or 87% of BA, when 24 μM of compound is ozonated in the presence of 3.22 mM chloride during 60min. The excess of phosphate sufficient to overcome the scavenging activity of chloride in the self-enhanced ozonation of aromatic compounds at acidic pH is much lower than that implied by the reaction rates of both ions with hydroxyl radicals. To the best of our knowledge the recovering effect of phosphate has not been shown before.

Separation of Benzoic and Unconjugated Acidic Components of Leonardite Humic Material Using Sequential Solid-Phase Extraction at Different pH Values as Revealed by Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry and Correlation Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Here, we report on sequential solid-phase extraction of leonardite hymatomelanic acid (CHM) on a non-ionic sorbent at four steadily lowered pH values: 7, 5, 3, and 2, yielding fractions with different acidic properties. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry, we revealed a gradual shift of dominating scaffolds in the fractions of CHM from reduced saturated to oxidized aromatic compounds. An increase on the average aromaticity of the CHM fractions was accompanied by a red shift in fluorescence spectra. These results were supported by heteronuclear single quantum coherence and heteronuclear multiple bond correlation NMR experiments. We have demonstrated that the CHM fraction isolated at pH 5 was dominated by aliphatic carboxyl carriers, while the pH 3 fraction was dominated by aromatic carboxyl acids. The developed fractionation technique will enable deeper insight on structure-property relationships and the design of the humic-based materials with tailored reactive properties.

Lipases in Green Chemistry: Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) as New Green Solvents

Deep eutectic solvents (DES) may become important alternatives as versatile, biodegradable, and cost-effective solvents for biocatalysis. Especially for reactions where substrates and products of different polarities are combined, the design of a tailored solvent that may dissolve all compounds-while being enzyme-compatible at the same time-appears to be a strong ally in sustainable chemistry. Herein it is shown that the combination of DES with "water as cosolvent" (in a range from 5% to 20% water, v/v) leads to non-conventional solvents with significantly reduced viscosity. In these media, lipases and proteases can perform synthetic reactions efficiently, and hydrolytic side reactions remain suppressed (even at 20% water, v/v). The use of these less viscous non-conventional media could also provide options for hydrolase-catalyzed synthetic reactions even in continuous fashion.

Efficient adsorption of benzoic acid from aqueous solution by nitrogen-containing activated carbon

Adsorption is an efficient treatment process to remove benzoic acid from aqueous solution. In this study, nitrogen-containing surface groups were introduced onto activated carbon (AC) surface by modification with ammonium hydroxide, ammonium carbonate, melamine or urea. The nitrogen-containing AC samples were characterized using N₂ adsorption-desorption, Boehm titration, determination of the pH of the point of zero charge (pH_pzc) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The adsorption of benzoic acid from aqueous solution by nitrogen-containing AC has been studied. The Langmuir model fitted the experimental data of equilibrium isotherms better than the Freundlich model. At initial solution pH 2.1, the adsorption capacity was closely related with the amount of pyridinic and pyrrolic N on the AC surface, which indicated these two nitrogen-containing groups played an important part in the adsorption process. The enhancement of adsorption capacity was due to the strengthened π-π dispersion force between benzoic acid and the AC basal plane. Since the surface charge of AC as well as the existence form of benzoic acid varied with solution pH value, the adsorption capacity was found to be highest at pH 3.8 and dropped sharply at higher or lower pH values.

A new strategy to efficiently cleave and form C-H bonds using proton-coupled electron transfer

Oxidative activation and reductive formation of C-H bonds are crucial in many chemical, industrial, and biological processes. Reported here is a new strategy for these transformations, using a form of proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET): intermolecular electron transfer coupled to intramolecular proton transfer with an appropriately placed cofactor. In a fluorenyl-benzoate, the positioned carboxylate facilitates rapid cleavage of a benzylic C-H bond upon reaction with even weak 1e- oxidants, for example, decamethylferrocenium. Mechanistic studies establish that the proton and electron transfer to disparate sites in a single concerted kinetic step, via multi-site concerted proton-electron transfer. This work represents a new elementary reaction step available to C-H bonds. This strategy is extended to reductive formation of C-H bonds in two systems. Molecular design considerations and possible utility in synthetic and enzymatic systems are discussed.

Degradation of organic pollutants by Vacuum-Ultraviolet (VUV): Kinetic model and efficiency

Vacuum-Ultraviolet (VUV), an efficient and green method to produce hydroxyl radical (•OH), is effective in degrading numerous organic contaminants in aqueous solution. Here, we proposed an effective and simple kinetic model to describe the degradation of organic pollutants in VUV system, by taking the •OH scavenging effects of formed organic intermediates as co-existing organic matter in whole. Using benzoic acid (BA) as a •OH probe, •OH was regarded vital for pollutant degradation in VUV system, and the thus developed model successfully predicted its degradation kinetics under different conditions. Effects of typical influencing factors such as BA concentrations and UV intensity were investigated quantitatively by the model. Temperature was found to be an important influencing factor in the VUV system, and the quantum yield of •OH showed a positive linear dependence on temperature. Impacts of humic acid (HA), alkalinity, chloride, and water matrices (realistic waters) on the oxidation efficiency were also examined. BA degradation was significantly inhibited by HA due to its scavenging of •OH, but was influenced much less by the alkalinity and chloride; high oxidation efficiency was still obtained in the realistic water. The degradation kinetics of three other typical micropollutants including bisphenol A (BPA), nitrobenzene (NB) and dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and the mixture of co-existing BA, BPA and DMP were further studied, and the developed model predicted the experimental data well, especially in realistic water. It is expected that this study will provide an effective approach to predict the degradation of organic micropollutants by the promising VUV system, and broaden the application of VUV system in water treatment.

Spectroscopic investigation on structure and pH dependent Cocrystal formation between gamma-aminobutyric acid and benzoic acid

Vibrational spectroscopic methods, including terahertz absorption and Raman scattering spectroscopy, were utilized for the characterization and analysis of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), benzoic acid (BA), and the corresponding GABA-BA cocrystal formation under various pH values of aqueous solution. Vibrational spectroscopic results demonstrated that the solvent GABA-BA cocrystal, similar as grinding counterpart, possessed unique characteristic features compared with that of starting parent compounds. The change of vibrational modes for GABA-BA cocrystal comparing with starting components indicates there is strong inter-molecular interaction between GABA and BA molecules during its cocrystallization process. Formation of GABA-BA cocrystal under slow solvent evaporation is impacted by the pH value of aqueous solution. Vibrational spectra indicate that the GABA-BA cocrystal could be stably formed with the solvent condition of 2.00≤pH≤7.00. In contrast, such cocrystallization did not occur and the cocrystal would dissociate into its parent components when the pH value of solvent is lower than 2.00. This study provides experimental benchmark to discriminate and identify the structure of cocrystal and also pH-dependent cocrystallization effect with vibrational spectroscopic techniques in solid-state pharmaceutical fields.

Cobalt-Catalyzed Coupling of Benzoic Acid C-H Bonds with Alkynes, Styrenes, and 1,3-Dienes

A method for cobalt-catalyzed, carboxylate-directed functionalization of arene C-H bonds is reported. Alkynes, styrenes, and 1,3-dienes can be coupled with benzoic acids to provide cyclic products in good yields. The reactions proceed in the presence of a cobalt(II) hexafluoroacetylacetonate catalyst, (TMS)2 NH base, Ce(SO4 )2 cooxidant, and oxygen oxidant.

Molecular Design of Efficient Organic D-A-π -A Dye Featuring Triphenylamine as Donor Fragment for Application in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

A metal-free organic sensitizer, suitable for the application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), has been designed, synthesized and characterized both experimentally and theoretically. The structure of the novel donor-acceptor-π-bridge-acceptor (D-A-π-A) dye incorporates a triphenylamine (TPA) segment and 4-(benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazol-4-ylethynyl)benzoic acid (BTEBA). The triphenylamine unit is widely used as an electron donor for photosensitizers, owing to its nonplanar molecular configuration and excellent electron-donating capability, whereas 4-(benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazol-4-ylethynyl)benzoic acid is used as an electron acceptor unit. The influences of I₃^- /I^- , [Co(bpy)₃ ]^3+/2+ and [Cu(tmby)₂ ]^2+/+ (tmby=4,4',6,6'-tetramethyl-2,2'-bipyridine) as redox electrolytes on the DSSC device performance were also investigated. The maximal monochromatic incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) reached 81 % and the solar light to electrical energy conversion efficiency of devices with [Cu(tmby)₂ ]^2+/+ reached 7.15 %. The devices with [Co(bpy)₃ ]^3+/2+ and I₃^- /I^- electrolytes gave efficiencies of 5.22 % and 6.14 %, respectively. The lowest device performance with a [Co(bpy)₃ ]^3+/2+ -based electrolyte is attributed to increased charge recombination.

Conversion of benzoic acid into phenol in an ITMS under CI-MSn conditions. Recognition of ortho-chlorobenzoyl derivatives

Isomeric chlorobenzoyl cations (m/z 139), under collision-induced experiments, fragment identically. Chlorobenzoyl cations can be efficiently converted into cholorophenol radical cations by the reaction with methanol in the ion trap analyzer under CI-MSn conditions. The substitution of the carbonyl group with a hydroxyl moiety is able to induce an ortho effect, which is absent in the startingortho-chlorobenzoyl cation. This transformation could be useful to recognize ortho-chlorinated benzoyl derivatives without the need of MS spectrum comparison of the whole set of isomers. The method reported in this study could be applicable to biologically active molecules that dissociate to form the chlorobenzoyl cations under CI or CI collision-induced dissociation conditions, such as indomethacin, the degradation products from the insect growth regulator 1-(2-chlorobenzoyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl) urea, and lorazepam.

Synthesis of Polycyclic Imidazolidinones via Amine Redox-Annulation

α-Ketoamides undergo redox-annulations with cyclic secondary amines, such as 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline, pyrrolidine, piperidine, and morpholine. Catalytic amounts of benzoic acid significantly accelerate these transformations. This approach provides polycyclic imidazolidinone derivatives in typically good yields.

Selective oxidation of benzyl alcohols to benzoic acid catalyzed by eco-friendly cobalt thioporphyrazine catalyst supported on silica-coated magnetic nanospheres

A novel magnetically recoverable thioporphyrazine catalyst (CoPz(S-Bu)₈/SiO₂@Fe₃O₄) was prepared by immobilization of the cobalt octkis(butylthio) porphyrazine complex (CoPz(S-Bu)₈) on silica-coated magnetic nanospheres (SiO₂@Fe₃O₄). The composite CoPz(S-Bu)₈/SiO₂@Fe₃O₄ appeared to be an active catalyst in the oxidation of benzyl alcohol in aqueous solution using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as oxidant under Xe-lamp irradiation, with 36.4% conversion of benzyl alcohol, about 99% selectivity for benzoic acid and turnover number (TON) of 61.7 at ambient temperature. The biomimetic catalyst CoPz(S-Bu)₈ was supported on the magnetic carrier SiO₂@Fe₃O₄ so as to suspend it in aqueous solution to react with substrates, utilizing its lipophilicity. Meanwhile the CoPz(S-Bu)₈ can use its unique advantages to control the selectivity of photocatalytic oxidation without the substrate being subjected to deep oxidation. The influence of various reaction parameters on the conversion rate of benzyl alcohol and selectivity of benzoic acid was investigated in detail. Moreover, photocatalytic oxidation of substituted benzyl alcohols was obtained with high conversion and excellent selectivity, specifically conversion close to 70%, selectivity close to 100% and TON of 113.6 for para-position electron-donating groups. The selectivity and eco-friendliness of the biomimetic photocatalyst give it great potential for practical applications.

Exploiting the MeDbz Linker To Generate Protected or Unprotected C-Terminally Modified Peptides

C-terminally modified peptides are important targets for pharmaceutical and biochemical applications. Known methods for C-terminal diversification are limited mainly in terms of the scope of accessible modifications or by epimerization of the C-terminal amino acid. In this work, we present a broadly applicable approach that enables access to a variety of C-terminally functionalized peptides in either protected or unprotected form. This chemistry proceeds without epimerization of C-terminal Ala and tolerates nucleophiles of varying nucleophilicity. Finally, unprotected peptides bearing nucleophilic side chain groups can be selectively functionalized by strong nucleophiles, whereas macrocyclization is observed for weaker nucleophiles. The potential utility of this method is demonstrated through the divergent synthesis of the conotoxin conopressin G and GLP-1(7-36) and analogs.

Chiral Thioureas Promote Enantioselective Pictet-Spengler Cyclization by Stabilizing Every Intermediate and Transition State in the Carboxylic Acid-Catalyzed Reaction

An investigation of the mechanism of benzoic acid/thiourea co-catalysis in the asymmetric Pictet-Spengler reaction is reported. Kinetic, computational, and structure-activity relationship studies provide evidence that rearomatization via deprotonation of the pentahydro-β-carbolinium ion intermediate by a chiral thiourea·carboxylate complex is both rate- and enantioselectivity-determining. The thiourea catalyst induces rate acceleration over the background reaction mediated by benzoic acid alone by stabilizing every intermediate and transition state leading up to and including the final selectivity-determining step. Distortion-interaction analyses of the transition structures for deprotonation predicted using density functional theory indicate that differential π-π and C-H···π interactions within a scaffold organized by multiple hydrogen bonds dictate stereoselectivity. The principles underlying rate acceleration and enantiocontrol described herein are expected to have general implications for the design of selective transformations involving deprotonation of high-energy intermediates.

Naturally occurring benzoic acid derivatives retard cancer cell growth by inhibiting histone deacetylases (HDAC)

Histone deacetylases (HDACs), which modulate the expression of genes, are potential therapeutic targets in several cancers. Targeted inhibition of HDAC prevents the expression of oncogenes thereby help in the treatment of cancers. Hence, several pharmaceutical companies developed inhibitors of HDAC and tested them in preclinical models and in clinical trials. SAHA (suberanilohydroxamic acid) is one such HDAC inhibitor developed for treating breast and colorectal carcinomas. However, due to poor efficacy in clinical trials the utility of SAHA for treating cancers was discouraged. Similarly another HDAC inhibitor Trichostatin-A (TSA) also showed promising results in clinical trials but exhibited severe adverse effects, which dampened the interest of using this molecule for cancer treatment. Therefore, search for developing a potent HDAC inhibitor with minimal side effects still continues. Hence, in this study we have screened benzoic acid and benzoic acid derivatives with hydroxylic (-OH) groups and methoxy (-OCH3) groups for their efficacy to bind to the TSA binding site of HDAC using molecular docking studies. Molecules that showed much stronger affinity (than TSA) to HDAC were tested for inhibiting HDAC expressing cultured cancer cells. DHBA but not Dimethoxy Benzoic Acid (DMBA) inhibited HDAC activity, leading to cancer cell growth inhibition through the induction of ROS and cellular apoptosis mediated by Caspase-3. In addition, DHBA arrested cells in G2/M phase of the cell cycle and elevated the levels of sub-G0-G1 cell population. In summary, results of this study report that DHBA could be a strong HDAC inhibitor and inhibit cancer cell growth more effectively.

Solid-state 17O NMR study of 2-acylbenzoic acids and warfarin

We report synthesis and solid-state ¹⁷O NMR characterization of four site-specifically ¹⁷O-labeled 2-acylbenzoic acids (2-RC(O)C₆H₄COOH) where R=H and CH₃): 2-[3-¹⁷O]formylbenzoic acid, 2-[1,2-¹⁷O₂]formylbenzoic acid, 2-[3-¹⁷O]acetylbenzoic acid, and 2-[1,2,3-¹⁷O₃]acetylbenzoic acid. In the solid state, both 2-formyl- and 2-acetyl-benzoic acids exist as the cyclic phthalide form each containing a five-membered lactone ring and a cyclic hemiacetal/hemiketal group. Static and magic-angle-spinning ¹⁷O NMR spectra were recorded at 14.1 and 21.1T for these compounds, from which the ¹⁷O chemical shift and nuclear quadrupolar coupling tensors were determined for each oxygen site. These results represent the first time that ¹⁷O NMR tensors are fully characterized for lactone, cyclic hemiacetal, and cyclic hemiketal functional groups. We also report solid-state ¹⁷O NMR data for the cyclic hemiketal group an anticoagulant drug, warfarin. Experimental ¹⁷O NMR tensors in these compounds were compared with computational results obtained with a periodic DFT code BAND.

Correlation between degradation pathway and toxicity of acetaminophen and its by-products by using the electro-Fenton process in aqueous media

The evolution of the degradation by-products of an acetaminophen (ACE) solution was monitored by HPLC-UV/MS and IC in parallel with its ecotoxicity (Vibrio fischeri 81.9%, Microtox^® screening tests) during electro-Fenton (EF) oxidation performed on carbon felt. The aromatic compounds 2-hydroxy-4-(N-acetyl) aminophenol, 1,4-benzoquinone, benzaldehyde and benzoic acid were identified as toxic sub-products during the first stage of the electrochemical treatment, whereas aliphatic short-chain carboxylic acids (oxalic, maleic, oxamic, formic, acetic and fumaric acids) and inorganic ions (ammonium and nitrate) were well identified as non-toxic terminal sub-products. Electrogenerated hydroxyl radicals then converted the eco-toxic and bio-refractory property of initial ACE molecule (500 mL, 1 mM) and subsequent aromatic sub-products into non-toxic compounds after 2 h of EF treatment. The toxicity of every intermediate produced during the mineralization of ACE was quantified, and a relationship was established between the degradation pathway of ACE and the global toxicity evolution of the solution. After 8 h of treatment, a total organic carbon removal of 86.9% could be reached for 0.1 mM ACE at applied current of 500 mA with 0.2 mM of Fe²⁺ used as catalyst.

Comparative studies of aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation of methylparaben and propylparaben in activated sludge

The biodegradability of two typical parabens (methylparaben and propylparaben) in activated sludge, at initial concentrations of 1mgL^-1 or 10mgL^-1, was investigated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The results showed that microorganisms played a key role in degradation of parabens in WWTPs, especially in aerobic systems. The half-lives of methylparaben and propylparaben under aerobic conditions have been estimated to range between 15.8 and 19.8min, and benzoic acid was found to be one of the major biodegradation products. The calculated biodegradation efficiency of methylparaben and propylparaben in activated sludge under aerobic conditions was significantly higher than that observed under anaerobic (nitrate, sulfate, and Fe (III) reducing) conditions, as methylparaben and propylparaben exhibited comparatively higher persistence in anaerobic systems, with half-lives ≥43.3h and ≥8.6h, respectively. Overall, the results of this study imply that the majority of these parabens can be eliminated by aerobic biodegradation during conventional wastewater treatment processes, whereas minor removal is possible in anaerobic systems if an insufficient hydraulic retention time was maintained.

Mechanism for odd-electron anion generation of dihydroxybenzoic acid isomers in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry with density functional theory calculations

RATIONALE

Proton and radical are transferred between matrices and matrix and analyte in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and these transfers drive ionization of analytes. The odd-electron anion [M-2H]•- was generated in dihydroxybenzoic acids (DHBs) and the ion abundance of the 2,5-DHB was the highest among six DHB isomers. We were interested in the mechanism of the ion generation of the odd-electron anion.

METHODS

The observed [M-2H]•- and [M-3H]- ions, which were generated with the hydrogen radical removed from the phenolic hydroxyl groups (OH) in DHB isomers, were analyzed using negative-ion MALDI-MS. The enthalpy for ion generation and their stable structures were calculated using the density functional theory (DFT) calculation program Gaussian 09 with the B3LYP functional and the 6-31+G(d) basis set.

RESULTS

The number of observed [M-2H]•- and [M-3H]- ions of the DHB isomers was dependent on the positions of the phenolic OH groups in the DHB isomers because the carboxy group interacts with the ortho OH group due to neighboring group participation, as confirmed from the stable structures of the [M-2H]•- anions calculated with the Gaussian 09 program. The DHB isomers were placed into three categories according to the number of the ions.

CONCLUSIONS

Odd-electron anions ([M-2H]•- ) and [M-2H• -H]- ([M-3H]- ) ions were generated from DHB isomers due to removal of the hydrogen radical from the phenolic groups. The enthalpy for ion generation revealed that ion formation proceeds via a two-step pathway through the [M-M]- ion as an intermediate. © 2016 The Authors. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Remediation of Cu metal-induced accelerated Fenton reaction by potato peels bio-sorbent

This article has allied exposure to Ecological Particulate Matter (EPM) and its remediation using potato peel surface (PPC) bio-sorbent on two important edible crops Spinacia oleracea and Luffa acutangula. Fenton reaction acceleration was one of the major stress oxidation reactions as a consequence of iron and copper toxicity, which involve in the formation of hydroxyl radical (OH) through EPM. Results showed that the oxidative stress encouraged by Cu in both species that recruits the degradation of photosynthetic pigments, initiating decline in growth, reduced leaf area and degrade proteins. The plants were cultivated in natural environmental condition in three pots with three replicates like (a) control, (b) Cu treated and (c) treated water. Oxidative stress initiated by metal activity in Cu accumulated plant (b) were controlled, through bio-sorption of metal from contaminated water using PPC; arranged at laboratory scale. The acceleration of Fenton reaction was verified in terms of OH radical generation. These radicals were tested in aqueous extract of leaves of three types of plants via benzoic acid. The benzoic acid acts as a scavenger of OH radical due to which the decarboxylation of benzoic acid cured. Observation on (b) showed more rapid decarboxylation as compared to other plants which showed that Cu activity was much higher in (b) as compared to (a) and (c). The rapid decarboxylation of benzoic acid and lower chlorophyll contents in (b) suggest that Fenton reaction system was much enhanced by Cu-O and Fe-O chemistry that was successfully controlled by PPC which results in restoring the metabolic pathway and nullifying oxidative stress in

Discovery of 4-[(5-arylidene-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)methyl]benzoic acid derivatives active as novel potent allosteric inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B: In silico studies and in vitro evaluation as insulinomimetic and anti-inflammatory agents

New 4-{[5-arylidene-2-(4-fluorophenylimino)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl]methyl}benzoic acids (5) and 2-thioxo-4-thiazolidinone analogues (6) were synthesised as a part of a continuing search for new inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), an enzyme which is implicated in metabolic disorders and inflammatory signaling. Most of the tested compounds were shown to be potent PTP1B inhibitors. Moreover, their inhibition mechanism was markedly influenced by the substituents in the positions 2 and 5, as kinetic studies indicated. Docking experiments suggested that certain derivatives 5 and 6 may efficiently fit into an allosteric site positioned between the β-sheet including Leu71 and Lys73 and a lipophilic pocket closed by the loop consisting of Pro210 to Leu 204. In cellular assays, several of these new 4-thiazolidinone derivatives showed insulinomimetic and anti-inflammatory properties. Out of them, compound 5b exhibited the most promising profile, being able to promote the activation of both insulin receptor and downstream Akt protein as well as to increase 2-deoxyglucose cellular uptake. Interestingly, compound 5b was also able to interrupt critical events in inflammatory signaling.

Feruloyl esterases from Schizophyllum commune to treat food industry side-streams

Agro-industrial side-streams are abundant and renewable resources of hydroxycinnamic acids with potential applications as antioxidants and preservatives in the food, health, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Feruloyl esterases (FAEs) from Schizophyllum commune were functionally expressed in Pichia pastoris with extracellular activities of 6000UL(-1). The recombinant enzymes, ScFaeD1 and ScFaeD2, released ferulic acid from destarched wheat bran and sugar beet pectin. Overnight incubation of coffee pulp released caffeic (>60%), ferulic (>80%) and p-coumaric acid (100%) indicating applicability for the valorization of food processing wastes and enhanced biomass degradation. Based on substrate specificity profiling and the release of diferulates from destarched wheat bran, the recombinant FAEs were characterized as type D FAEs. ScFaeD1 and ScFaeD2 preferably hydrolyzed feruloylated saccharides with ferulic acid esterified to the O-5 position of arabinose residues and showed an unprecedented ability to hydrolyze benzoic acid esters.

Radicals induced from peroxomonosulfate by nanoscale zero-valent copper in the acidic solution

A highly efficient advanced oxidation process for the degradation of benzoic acid (BA) during activation of peroxomonosulfate (PMS) by nanoscale zero-valent copper (nZVC) in acidic solution is reported. BA degradation was almost completely achieved after 10 min in the nZVC/PMS process at initial pH 3.0. PMS could accelerate the corrosion of nZVC in acidic to release Cu⁺ which can further activate PMS to produce reactive radicals. Both sulfate radical (SO₄^-•) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) were considered as the primary reactive oxidant in the nZVC/PMS process with the experiments of methyl (MA) and tert-butyl alcohol quenching. Acidic condition (initial pH ≤ 3.0) facilitated BA degradation and pH is a decisive factor to affect the oxidation capacity in the nZVC/PMS process. Moreover, BA degradation in the nZVC/PMS process followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics, and BA degradation efficiency increased with the increase of the nZVC dosage.