Evaluation of anti-pigmentary effect of synthetic sulfonylamino chalcone

An additional methylene group driving the conformation and assembly of two arylsulfonamide para-alkoxychalcone hybrids

The structures of two arylsulfonamide para-alkoxychalcones, namely, N-{4-[(E)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-enoyl]phenyl}benzenesulfonamide, C22H19NO4S, (I), and N-{4-[(E)-3-(4-ethoxyphenyl)prop-2-enoyl]phenyl}benzenesulfonamide, C23H21NO4S, (II), reveal the effect of the inclusion of one -CH2- group between the CH3 branch and the alkoxy O atom on the conformation and crystal structure. Although the molecular conformations and one-dimensional chain motifs are the same in both structures, their crystallographic symmetry, number of independent molecules and crystal packing are different. The crystal packing of (I) is stabilized by weak C-H...π and π-π interactions, while only C-H...π contacts occur in the structure of (II). The role of the additional methylene group in the crystal packing can also be seen in the fact that the alkoxy O atom is an acceptor in nonclassical hydrogen bonds only in the para-ethoxy analogue, (II). The remarkable similarity between the crystal packing features of (I) and (II) lies in the formation of N-H...O hydrogen-bonded ribbons, a synthon commonly found in related compounds.

Kinetic study on the tyrosinase and melanin formation inhibitory activities of carthamus yellow isolated from Carthamus tinctorius L

Carthamus yellow (CY) is the major component of the yellow pigments of Carthamus tinctorius L. CY has been extensively used as a natural color additive for food and cosmetics. Here, our results demonstrate that carthamus yellow reduced the activity of mushroom tyrosinase in a dose-dependent manner with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) value of approximately 1.01 ± 0.03 mg/mL. A kinetic study of carthamus yellow on tyrosinase exhibited a mode of competitive inhibition with a Ki of 0.607 mg/mL. Moreover, cell viability analysis indicated that carthamus yellow used at concentrations of 1.0-4.0 mg/mL had no cytotoxicity in B16F10 melanoma cells. Melanin content analysis showed that melanin production in B16F10 melanoma cells treated with 4 mg/mL carthamus yellow can decrease to 82.3 ± 0.4% of the levels of melanin production of untreated cells. Thus, carthamus yellow has the potential to become a useful skin-whitening agent in the future.

The discrete role of chlorine substitutions in the conformation and supramolecular architecture of arylsulfonamides

Two arylsulfonamide derivatives, N-(4-acetylphenyl)benzenesulfonamide, C(14)H(13)NO(3)S, and N-(4-acetylphenyl)-2,5-dichlorobenzenesulfonamide, C(14)H(11)Cl(2)NO(3)S, differing by the absence or presence of two chloro substituents on one of the phenyl rings, were synthesized and characterized in order to establish structural relationships and the role of chloro substitution on the molecular conformation and crystal assembly. Both arylsulfonamides form inversion-related dimers through C-H···π and π-π interactions. These dimers pack in a similar way in the two structures. The substitution of two H atoms at the 2- and 5-positions of one phenyl ring by Cl atoms did not substantially alter the molecular conformation or the intermolecular architecture displayed by the unsubstituted sulfonamide. The structural information controlling the assembly of such compounds in their crystal phases is in the (phenyl)benzenesulfonamide molecular framework.