Improving the antidepressant action and the bioavailability of sertraline by co-crystallization with coumarin 3-carboxylate. Structural determination

Antidepressant effects of coumarins and their derivatives: A critical analysis of research advances

Coumarins and their derivatives are non-flavonoids polyphenols with diverse pharmacological activities including anti-depressant effects. This study systematically examines the antidepressant effects of coumarins and their derivatives in relation to time series of research progress in the pharmacological pathways, association with other diseases, toxicity and bibliometric analysis. The review was approached using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) coupled with R package involving Biblioshiny, a web interface for Bibliometrix analysis and VOSviewer software analytic tools. Literature searches were conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed from the inception through January 21, 2023. Coumarins, depression, coumarin derivatives and treatment were the main search terms used which resulted in the inclusion of 46 eligible publications. Scopoletin, psoralen, 7-hydroxycoumarin, meranzin hydrate, osthole, esculetin/umbelliferone were the most studied coumarins with antidepressant effects. Coumarins and their derivatives exerted antidepressant effects with a stronger affinity for monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibition and, their inhibitory effect via neurotransmitter pathway on MAO is well-studied. However, epigenetic modification, neuroendocrine, neurotrophic pathways are understudied. Recent research focuses on their antidepressant effects which targeted cytokines and fibromyalgia. There is a link between the gut microbiome, the brain, and depression; meranzin hydrate exerts an antidepressant activity by remodelling the gastrointestinal system. We established that empirical data on some coumarins and their derivatives to support their antidepressant effects are limited. Likewise, the safe dose range for several coumarins and their derivatives is yet to be fully determined.

A new bioactive cocrystal of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid and thiourea: detailed structural features and biological activity studies

Cocrystallization is a phenomenon widely used to enhance the biological and physicochemical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The present study deals with the synthesis of a cocrystal of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (2-oxochromene-3-carboxylic acid, C₁₀H₆O₄), a synthetic analogue of the naturally occurring antioxidant coumarin, with thiourea (CH₄N₂S) using the neat grinding method. The purity and homogeneity of the coumarin-3-carboxylic acid-thiourea (1/1) cocrystal was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, FT-IR analysis and thermal stability studies based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Detailed geometry analysis via density functional theory (DFT) demonstrated that the 1:1 cocrystal stoichiometry is sustained by N-H...O hydrogen bonding between the amine (-NH₂) groups of thiourea and the carbonyl group of coumarin. The synthesized cocrystal exhibited potent antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ = 127.9 ± 5.95 µM) in a DPPH radical scavenger assay in vitro in comparison with the standard N-acetyl-L-cysteine (IC₅₀ = 111.6 ± 2.4 µM). The promising results of the present study highlight the significance of cocrystallization as a crystal engineering tool to improve the efficacy of pharmaceutical ingredients.

Natural Coumarins: Exploring the Pharmacological Complexity and Underlying Molecular Mechanisms

Coumarins belong to the benzopyrone family commonly found in many medicinal plants. Natural coumarins demonstrated a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, anticancer, antibacterial, antimalarial, casein kinase-2 (CK2) inhibitory, antifungal, antiviral, Alzheimer's disease inhibition, neuroprotective, anticonvulsant, phytoalexins, ulcerogenic, and antihypertensive. There are very few studies on the bioavailability of coumarins; therefore, further investigations are necessitated to study the bioavailability of different coumarins which already showed good biological activities in previous studies. On the evidence of varied pharmacological properties, the present work presents an overall review of the derivation, availability, and biological capacities of coumarins with further consideration of the essential mode of their therapeutic actions. In conclusion, a wide variety of coumarins are available, and their pharmacological activities are of current interest thanks to their synthetic accessibility and riches in medicinal plants. Coumarins perform the valuable function as therapeutic agents in a range of medical fields.

Crystal structures, Hirsfeld surface analysis and a computational study of four ethyl 2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxylate derivatives: a survey of organyl 2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxylate structures

Crystal structures, Hirshfeld surface analysis and a computational study have been carried out on 2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxylates. Crystal structures are reported for ethyl R-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxylate derivatives, 2a: R=6-Me, 2b: 7-Me, 2c: 7-Me, 2d: R=7-MeO. In contrast to 2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxamides, 1, in which classical intramolecular N–H···O hydrogen bonds stabilize planar structures and hinder rotation of the amido group out of the coumarin plane in 2, without an equivalent hydrogen bond, there is a greater rotational freedom of the carboxylate group. The interplanar angles between the coumarin core and its attached –C(O)–R substituent in crystalline 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are 10.41(6), 36.65(6), 10.4(2) and 5.64(6)°, respectively, with distances between the carbonyl oxygen atoms of 2.8255(16), 2.9278(16), 4.226(2) and 2.8328(14) Å, respectively. A theoretical study of molecular conformations was carried out at the M06-2X density level with the 6-31+G(d) and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets, in methanol solution modeled by PCM, indicated that the most stable conformations had the carbonyl group of the ester in the plane of the coumarin core: the s-cis arrangement of the ester carbonyl and the 2-oxo moieties being the slightly more stable than the s-trans form by less than 0.5 kcal/mol. The experimental conformations of 2a and 2d match well the low energy s-cis arrangement, and 2c matches the slightly lesser stable s-trans arrangement found in the theoretical study. A survey of the molecular conformations of more than 50 2H-chromene-3-carboxylates derivatives in the CCDC data base indicated two distinct groupings of conformations, s-cis and s-trans, each with interplanar angles <30°.

Comparisons of the spectroscopic and microbiological activities among coumarin-3-carboxylate, o-phenanthroline and zinc(II) complexes

Coumarins (2H-chromen-2-one) are oxygen-containing heterocyclic compounds that belong to the benzopyranones family. In this work we have synthesized different coordination complexes with coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (HCCA), o-phenanthroline (phen) and zinc(II). In the reported [Zn(CCA)₂(H₂O)₂] complex, coumarin-3-carboxylate (CCA) is acting as a bidentate ligand while in the two prepared complexes, [Zn(phen)₃]CCA(NO₃) (obtained as a single crystal) and [Zn(CCA)₂phen].4H₂O, CCA is acting as a counterion of the complex cation [Zn(phen)₃]⁺² or coordinated to the metal center along with phen, respectively. These compounds were characterized on the basis of elemental analysis and thermogravimetry. NMR, FTIR and Raman spectroscopies of the compounds and the CCA potassium salt (KCCA) allow to determine several similarities and differences among them. Finally, their behavior against alkaline phosphatase enzyme and their antimicrobial activities were also measured.

Evidence of promising biological-pharmacological activities of the sertraline-based copper complex: (SerH2)2[CuCl4]

In the current study the ability of copper complex to exert multiple biological activities is combined with the pharmacological action of sertraline (SerH₂Cl, antidepressant drug). The hydrated and anhydrous forms of the tetrachlorocuprate(II) salts, namely (SerH₂)₂[CuCl₄]·½H₂O and (SerH₂)₂[CuCl₄], were synthesized and characterized by physicochemical methods. The crystal structures were determined by X-ray diffraction methods. The hydrate complex crystallizes in the monoclinic P2₁ space group with a=8.0807(2) Å, b=36.2781(8) Å, c=12.6576(3) Å, β=95.665(2)°, and Z=4 molecules per unit cell and the un-hydrate in P2₁ with a=13.8727(6) Å, b=7.5090(3) Å, c=18.618(1) Å, β=104.563(6)°, and Z=2. It has been suggested that Cu(II) ions might be critical in the development of mood disorders, showed potent biocidal activity, and also acted as analgesic adjuvant. To improve sertraline efficiency, the antidepressant and analgesic activities of the complex have been assessed in rats denoting a marked synergistic effect. Antithyroid and antimicrobial activities were also evaluated. Because depressive disorders and hyperthyroidism diseases led to an oxidative stress state, antioxidant capability has also been tested. The complex behaved as a good superoxide radical scavenger (IC₅₀=6.3×10^-6M). The ability of the complex to act as bromoperoxidase mimic was assessed. A pseudo-first order constant of k=0.157±0.007min^-1 has been determined. The complex evidences promising biological-pharmacological activities and the albumin binding studies showed a K_b of 2.90×10³M^-1 showing an improvement in the uptake of sertraline by albumin at 8h incubation (time required for effective interaction of sertraline with the protein).