Synthesis, physicochemical and biological evaluation of 2-amino-5-chlorobenzophenone derivatives as potent skeletal muscle relaxants

Neuritin Alleviates Diabetic Retinopathy by Regulating Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Rats

BACKGROUND

Neuritin, a small-molecule neurotrophic factor, maintains neuronal cell activity, inhibits apoptosis, promotes process growth, and regulates neural progenitor cell differentiation, migration, and synaptic maturation. Neuritin helps retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) survive optic nerve injury in rats and regenerate axons. However, the role of Neuritin in Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

This study is intended to investigate the effect and mechanism of Neuritin in DR. For this purpose, we established DR rat models and injected Neuritin into them. This study provides a potential treatment for diabetic retinopathy.

METHODS

The rat model of DR was established by streptozotocin (STZ) injection, and the effect of Neuritin on DR was detected by intravitreal injection. Histological analysis was performed by H&E and TUNEL methods. The mRNA and protein expressions of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) pathway-related transcription factors were detected by qRT-PCR and western blot. The blood-retinal barrier (BRB) function was assessed using the patch-clamp technique and Evans blue leakage assay.

RESULTS

Neuritin significantly improved the retinal structure, restrained the apoptosis of retinal cells, and protected the normal function of BRB in DR model rats. Mechanistically, Neuritin may function by inhibiting the expression of GRP78, ASK1, Caspase-12, VEGF, and so on.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that Neuritin alleviates retinal damage in DR rats via the inactive endoplasmic reticulum pathway. Our study provides a potential treatment for DR.

Atorvastatin Calcium Ameliorates Cognitive Deficits Through the AMPK/Mtor Pathway in Rats with Vascular Dementia

AIM

In this study, the protective effects of atorvastatin calcium (AC) on nerve cells and cognitive improvement in vivo and in vitro were investigated by establishing cell models and vascular dementia (VD) rat models.

BACKGROUND

VD is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive deficits caused by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion. AC has been studied for its potential to cure VD but its efficacy and underlying mechanism are still unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The mechanism of action of AC on cognitive deficits in the early stages of VD is unclear. Here, the 2-vessel occlusion (2-VO) model in vivo and the hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) cell model in vitro was established to investigate the function of AC in VD.

METHODS

The spatial learning and memory abilities of rats were detected by the Morris method. The IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in cell supernatant was tested by ELISA kits. After behavioural experiments, rats were anaesthetized and sacrificed, and their brains were extracted. One part was immediately fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for H&E, Nissl, and immunohistochemical analyses, and the other was stored in liquid nitrogen. All data were shown as mean ± SD. Statistical comparison between the two groups was performed by Student's t-test. A two-way ANOVA test using GraphPad Prism 7 was applied for escape latency analysis and the swimming speed test. The difference was considered statistically significant at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

AC decreased apoptosis, increased autophagy, and alleviated oxidative stress in primary hippocampal neurons. AC regulated autophagy-related proteins in vitro by western blotting. VD mice improved cognitively in the Morris water maze. Spatial probing tests showed that VD animals administered AC had considerably longer swimming times to the platform than VD rats. H&E and Nissl staining showed that AC reduces neuronal damage in VD rats. Western blot and qRT-PCR indicated that AC in VD rats inhibited Bax and promoted LC3-II, Beclin-1, and Bcl-2 in the hippocampus region. AC also improves cognition via the AMPK/mTOR pathway.

CONCLUSION

This study found that AC may relieve learning and memory deficits as well as neuronal damage in VD rats by changing the expression of apoptosis/autophagy-related genes and activating the AMPK/mTOR signalling pathway in neurons.

Crystal structure and Hirshfeld-surface analysis of a monoclinic polymorph of 2-amino-5-chloro-benzo-phenone oxime at 90 K

The synthesis and crystal structure of a monoclinic polymorph of 2-amino-5-chloro-benzo-phenone oxime, C13H11ClN2O, are presented. The mol-ecular conformation results from twisting of the phenyl and 2-amino-5-chloro benzene rings attached to the oxime group, which subtend a dihedral angle of 80.53 (4)°. In the crystal, centrosymmetric dimers are formed as a result of pairs of strong O-H⋯N hydrogen bonds. A comparison is made to a previously known triclinic polymorph, including differences in atom-atom contacts obtained via a Hirshfeld-surface analysis.

Toxic blister agents: Chemistry, mode of their action and effective treatment strategies

Since their use during the First World War, Blister agents have posed a major threat to the individuals and have caused around two million casualties. Major incidents occurred not only due to their use as chemical warfare agents but also because of occupational hazards. Therefore, a clear understanding of these agents and their mode of action is essential to develop effective decontamination and therapeutic strategies. The blister agents have been categorised on the basis of their chemistry and the biological interactions that entail post contamination. These compounds have been known to majorly cause blisters/bullae along with alkylation of the contaminated DNA. However, due to the high toxicity and restricted use, very little research has been conducted and a lot remains to be clearly understood about these compounds. Various decontamination solutions and detection technologies have been developed, which have proven to be effective for their timely mitigation. But a major hurdle seems to be the lack of proper understanding of the toxicological mechanism of action of these compounds. Current review is about the detailed and updated information on physical, chemical and biological aspects of various blister agents. It also illustrates the mechanism of their action, toxicological effects, detection technologies and possible decontamination strategies.

Formation of Synthetically Versatile 2-Aminobenzophenones from Readily Accessed Acyl Hydrazides

Herein, we report the transformation of readily accessed acyl hydrazides into protected 2-aminobenzophenones via a two-step process involving an aryne-based molecular rearrangement followed by a one-pot addition-elimination procedure. The assembly of the scaffold is tolerant of a wide variety of functional groups, and the carbamate group on the product can be facilely removed to afford highly valuable 2-aminobenzophenones. Application of the protocol was demonstrated in the synthesis of neurological medicine phenazepam.

A new synthetic route to benzophenone derivatives

The rearrangement reaction of 1-alkyl-2-(benzoylmethyl)pyridinium iodides 3a–d, 6 in the presence of various nucleophiles leads to 2-alkylaminobenzophenone derivatives 4a–c. Best results were achieved with alkylammonium sulfites as recyclization reagents.