Interaction of a chelating agent, 5-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)pyridin-4(1 H )-one, with Al(III), Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions

The Effects of Fisetin and Curcumin on Oxidative Damage Caused by Transition Metals in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases pose a significant health challenge for the elderly. The escalating presence of toxic metals and chemicals in the environment is a potential contributor to central nervous system dysfunction and the onset of neurodegenerative conditions. Transition metals play a crucial role in various pathophysiological mechanisms associated with prevalent neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Given the ubiquitous exposure to metals from diverse sources in everyday life, the workplace, and the environment, most of the population faces regular contact with different forms of these metals. Disturbances in the levels and homeostasis of certain transition metals are closely linked to the manifestation of neurodegenerative disorders. Oxidative damage further exacerbates the progression of neurological consequences. Presently, there exists no curative therapy for individuals afflicted by neurodegenerative diseases, with treatment approaches primarily focusing on alleviating pathological symptoms. Within the realm of biologically active compounds derived from plants, flavonoids and curcuminoids stand out for their extensively documented antioxidant, antiplatelet, and neuroprotective properties. The utilization of these compounds holds the potential to formulate highly effective therapeutic strategies for managing neurodegenerative diseases. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of abnormal metal levels, particularly copper, iron, and zinc, on the initiation and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, it aims to elucidate the potential of fisetin and curcumin to inhibit or decelerate the neurodegenerative process.

New alkaloids from the diversity-enhanced extracts of an endophytic fungus Aspergillus flavus GZWMJZ-288

Three new alkaloids (1-3) together with four previously reported compounds (4-7) were identified from the extracts and the diversity-enhanced extracts of the fermentation broth of the endophytic fungus, Aspergillus flavus GZWMJZ-288 associated with Garcinia multiflora. The structures of new compounds were respectively determined as 19-amino-19-dehydroxy 5-epi-α-cyclopiazonic acid (1), 2-hydroxymethyl-5-(3-oxobutan-2-yl)aminopyran-4(4H)-one (2) and 4-amino-2-hydroxymethylpyridin-5-ol (3) by spectroscopic analysis, ECD calculation and X-ray single crystal diffraction. Compounds 1 and 4 with 19-enamine were dynamic equilibrium of Z- and E- isomers in the solution but favored in Z- isomers in the solid state, while compound 7 with 19-enol was favored in Z- isomer in the solution but a mixture of Z- and E- isomers in solid state. This phenomenon could be explained by the quantum-mechanical energies calculations. Among the isolated compounds 1-7, compounds 1, 4 and 7 with a rare 1,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1-azaacenaphtho[3,4-c]pyrrolizidine skeleton showed α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with the IC₅₀ values of 41.97 ± 0.97, 232.57 ± 11.45 and 243.95 ± 3.36 μM, respectively, and the binding modes were performed by silico docking studies.

New strong extrafunctionalizable tris(3,4-HP) and bis(3,4-HP) metal sequestering agents: synthesis, solution and in vivo metal chelation

Finding new multifunctional metal binders to be potentially used in diagnosis or therapy has been a subject of major challenge. Hydroxypyridinones have long been recognized as privileged chelating structures for the design of metal chelating drugs, especially towards hard metal ions, in view of their decorporation in metal overload disorders. Thus, pursuing our strategy of engineering new polydentate 3-hydroxy-4-pyridinones (3,4-HP) with extrafunctionalization capacity for sensing or targeting purposes, we report herein the synthesis and full characterization of a hexadentate (tris-3,4-HP) and a tetradentate (bis-3,4-HP) ligand, possessing three and two 3,4-HP arms N-attached to an aminomethanetrispropionic acid backbone, respectively. Thus, as compared with previously reported analogues, each ligand possesses an extra free amino group ready for further functionalization. Their chelating capacity towards Fe and Al was evaluated in aqueous solution, by potentiometric and spectroscopic techniques, and they proved to be strong sequestering agents for these metal ions without depletion of Zn, an essential biometal. Their excellent in vivo metal-decorporation capacity was also evidenced in mice injected with a radiotracer (⁶⁷Ga) as an animal model of metal overload pathological situations. These findings provide encouragement for further ongoing extrafunctionalizations in view of several potential biomedical applications.

Salicylamide derivatives for iron and aluminium sequestration. From synthesis to complexation studies

This paper presents an easy, fast and economic synthesis of chelating agents for medical, environmental and analytical applications, and the evaluation of the stability of their complexes with Fe³⁺ and Al³⁺. Complex formation equilibria with Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ metal ions were also studied to evaluate if the chelating agents can perturb the homeostatic equilibria of these essential metal ions. Effective chelating agents for metal ions, in addition to their well-known medical uses, find an increasing number of applications in environmental remediation, agricultural applications (supplying essential elements in an easily available form), and in analytical chemistry as colorimetric reagents. Besides the stability of the complexes, the lack of toxicity and the low cost are the basic requisites of metal chelating agents. With these aims in mind, we utilized ethyl salicylate, a cheap molecule without toxic effects, and adopted a simple synthetic strategy to join two salicylate units through linear diamines of variable length. Actually, the mutual position of the metal binding oxygen groups, as well as the linker length, affected protonation and complex formation equilibria. A thorough study of the ligands is presented. In particular, the complex formation equilibria of the three ligands toward Fe³⁺, Al³⁺, Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions were investigated by combined potentiometric and spectrophotometric techniques. The results are encouraging: all the three ligands form stable complexes with all the investigated metal ions, involving the oxygen donor atoms from the 2-hydroxybenzamido unit, and nitrogen atoms in copper and zinc coordination.