Synthesis, characterization, and emulsion polymerization of polymerizable coumarin derivatives

Coumarin-Synthetic Methodologies, Pharmacology, and Application as Natural Fluorophore

Coumarins are secondary metabolites made up of benzene and α-pyrone rings fused together that can potentially treat various ailments, including cancer, metabolic, and degenerative disorders. Coumarins are a diverse category of both naturally occurring as well as synthesized compounds with numerous biological and therapeutic properties. Coumarins as fluorophores play a key role in fluorescent labeling of biomolecules, metal ion detection, microenvironment polarity detection, and pH detection. This review provides a detailed insight into the characteristics of coumarins as well as their biosynthesis in plants and metabolic pathways. Various synthetic strategies for coumarin core involving both conventional and green methods have been discussed comparing advantages and disadvantages of each method. Conventional methods discussed are Pechmann, Knoevenagel, Perkin, Wittig, Kostanecki, Buchwald-Hartwig, and metal-induced coupling reactions such as Heck and Suzuki, as well as green approaches involving microwave or ultrasound energy. Various pharmacological applications of coumarin derivatives are discussed in detail. The structural features and conditions responsible for influencing the fluorescence of coumarin core are also elaborated.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Coumarin Antimicrobial Polymer Fluorescent Coating

Polymer materials are widely used in medical materials, food packaging, coatings, and other fields. However, the surface of the materials is easily contaminated by microorganisms, resulting in serious problems. To solve this issue, a new type of antibacterial polymer fluorescent coating was successfully synthesized by copolymerization of divinylbenzene with 7-methacryloxy-4-methyl coumarin, dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate, and other monomers. The surface structure and thermal stability of the coating were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Fluorine was polymerized into the polymer, improving the thermal stability compared to polystyrene and polydivinylbenzene. The bactericidal and antibacterial adhesion properties of the coating materials were studied by a contact germicidal test and antibacterial adhesion test. The polymer had a strong inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus. After immersion in room temperature water, the film maintained its strong inhibitory effect on S. aureus fluorescence intensity and had high fluorescence stability.

Thermoresponsive Self-Assembly of Twofold Fluorescently Labeled Block Copolymers in Aqueous Solution and Microemulsions

A nonionic double hydrophilic block copolymer with a long permanently hydrophilic and a small thermoresponsive block is synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization (RAFT). By employing a specifically designed chain-transfer agent, the polymer is functionalized with complementary end groups which are suited for Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The end group attached to the permanently hydrophilic block of poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) pDMAm is designed as a permanently hydrophobic segment ("sticker") comprising a long alkyl chain and the 4-aminonaphthalimide fluorophore. The other end attached to the thermoresponsive block of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) pNiPAm incorporates a coumarin fluorophore. The temperature-dependent self-assembly of the twofold fluorescently labeled copolymer is studied in pure aqueous solution as well as in an o/w microemulsion by several techniques including turbidimetry, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and fluorescence spectroscopy. It is compared to the behaviors of the analogous twofold-labeled pDMAm and pNiPAm homopolymer references. The findings indicate that the block copolymer behaves as a polymeric surfactant at low temperatures, with one relatively small hydrophobic end block and an extended hydrophilic chain forming "hairy micelles". At elevated temperatures above the LCST phase transition of the pNiPAm block, however, the copolymer behaves as an associative telechelic polymer with two nonsymmetrical hydrophobic end blocks, which do not mix. Thus, instead of a network of bridged "flower micelles", large dynamic aggregates are formed. These are connected alternatingly by the original micellar cores as well as by clusters of the collapsed pNiPAm blocks. This type of structure is even more favored in the o/w microemulsion than in pure aqueous solution, as the microemulsion droplets constitute an attractive anchoring point for the hydrophobic dodecyl sticker but not for the collapsed pNiPAm chains.

Biotransformation of 4-methylcoumarins by cambial meristematic cells of Camptotheca acuminata

Cambial meristematic cell (CMC) suspension cultures were investigated as a new biotransformation system for the first time. Four 4-methylcoumarins substrates were transformed by CMCs of Camptotheca acuminata into four corresponding products, including 4,8-dimethylcoumarin-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (I-1), 4,7-dimethylcoumarin-6-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (II-1), 6-hydroxy-7-methoxyl-4- methylcoumarin (III-1), and 4,7-dimethylcoumarin-5-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (IV-1), of which I-1, II-1, and IV-1 were new compounds. In addition, the biotransformation time and the amount of substrate were investigated to compare the biotransformation rate and optimize the biotransformation conditions of the four substrates in C. acuminata CMCs suspension cultures. The results suggested C. acuminata CMCs were able to select glycosylate phenolic hydroxyl groups of 4-methylcoumarins I, II, and IV, with high regio- and stereoselectivity, but no corresponding glycoside of any phenolic hydroxyl group of compound III was detected. Simultaneously, the result also showed that the C. acuminata CMCs were able to transform the 7-hydroxy groups of substrate III to its corresponding methylated products. Furthermore, the monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition activities of biotransformed products were evaluated, and the data showed that all the products possessed good MAO inhibition activities in vitro. In conclusion, C. acuminata CMCs could be applied to glycosylation biotransformation as a novel plant-based system due to the successful application of bioconversion of exogenous coumarins.

Cambial meristematic cell (CMC) suspension cultures were investigated as a new biotransformation system for the first time.

Novel functionalized monomers based on kojic acid: snythesis, characterization, polymerization and evalution of antimicrobial activity

Two novel acrylate monomers, [5-(benzyloxy)-4-oxo-4H-pyran-2-yl]methyl acrylate and {1-[(5-(benzyloxy)-4-oxo-4H-pyran-2-yl)methyl]-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl}methyl acrylate were synthesized by the reaction of 5-benzyloxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4H-pyran-4-one and 5-(benzyloxy)-2-{[4-(hydroxymethyl)-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]methyl}-4H-pyran-4-one with acryloyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine, respectively. These monomers were polymerized using 2,2^′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator in N,N-dimethylformamide:14-dioxane (10:1) solution. The thermal behavior of the polymers was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial and antifungal activites aganist bacteria and fungi using the disk diffusion method. The results indicated that some of these compounds demonstrated moderate to good antibacterial and antifungal activities.

Design and synthesis of antimicrobial, anticoagulant, and anticholinesterase hybrid molecules from 4-methylumbelliferone

We designed and synthesized new series of diverse triazoles, isoxazoles, isoxazolines, and aziridines linked 4-methylumbelliferone 1 using intermolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions. Structures of these compounds were established on the basis of (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and ESI-HRMS. All prepared compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial, anticoagulant, and anticholinesterase activities. Interestingly, among the tested molecules, some of the analogs displayed better activities than the parent 4-methylumbelliferone 1 such as 6a and 6d for their antifungal properties. Moreover, compounds 4, 5, 6, and 7 showed the importance of the added fragments to 4-methylumbelliferone 1 via the linker methylene to have good activity.

Optimization of 4D polymer printing within a massively parallel flow-through photochemical microreactor

Brush polymer patterns, where the position (x,y), height (z), and chemical composition of each feature in an array were controlled independently, were prepared by combining massively parallel tip-based photolithography, microfluidics, and photochemical radical polymerizations.

4-Methylcoumarins with cytotoxic activity against T24 and RT4 human bladder cancer cell lines

4-Methylcoumarins were synthesized by microwave-assisted synthesis via Pechmann condensation and their cytotoxic activity against human bladder cancer cell lines was investigated.

The use of coumarins as environmentally-sensitive fluorescent probes of heterogeneous inclusion systems

Coumarins, as a family of molecules, exhibit a wide range of fluorescence emission properties. In many cases, this fluorescence is extremely sensitive to the local environment of the molecule, especially the local polarity and microviscosity. In addition, coumarins show a wide range of size, shape, and hydrophobicity. These properties make them especially useful as fluorescent probes of heterogeneous environments, such as supramolecular host cavities, micelles, polymers and solids. This article will review the use of coumarins to probe such heterogeneous systems using fluorescence spectroscopy.