Silver sulfadoxinate: Synthesis, structural and spectroscopic characterizations, and preliminary antibacterial assays in vitro

Exploring the antiviral activities of the FDA-approved drug sulfadoxine and its derivatives against Chikungunya virus

BACKGROUND

Currently, there is no antiviral licensed to treat chikungunya fever, a disease caused by the infection with Alphavirus chikungunya (CHIKV). Treatment is based on analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve symptoms. Our study aimed to evaluate the antiviral activity of sulfadoxine (SFX), an FDA-approved drug, and its derivatives complexed with silver(I) (AgSFX), salicylaldehyde Schiff base (SFX-SL), and with both Ag and SL (AgSFX-SL) against CHIKV.

METHODS

The anti-CHIKV activity of SFX and its derivatives was investigated using BHK-21 cells infected with CHIKV-nanoluc, a marker virus-carrying nanoluciferase reporter. Dose-response and time of drug-addition assays were performed in order to assess the antiviral effects of the compounds, as well as in silico data and ATR-FTIR analysis for insights on their mechanisms of action.

RESULTS

The SFX inhibited 34% of CHIKV replication, while AgSFX, SFX-SL, and AgSFX-SL enhanced anti-CHIKV activity to 84%, 89%, and 95%, respectively. AgSFX, SFX-SL, and AgSFX-SL significantly decreased viral entry and post-entry to host cells, and the latter also protected cells against infection. Additionally, molecular docking calculations and ATR-FTIR analysis demonstrated interactions of SFX-SL, AgSFX, and AgSFX-SL with CHIKV.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, our findings suggest that the addition of metal ions and/or Schiff base to SFX improved its antiviral activity against CHIKV.

Inverting Steric Effects: Using "Attractive" Noncovalent Interactions To Direct Silver-Catalyzed Nitrene Transfer

Nitrene transfer (NT) reactions represent powerful and direct methods to convert C-H bonds into amine groups that are prevalent in many commodity chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The importance of the C-N bond has stimulated the development of numerous transition-metal complexes to effect chemo-, regio-, and diastereoselective NT. An ongoing challenge is to understand how subtle interactions between catalyst and substrate influence the site-selectivity of the C-H amination event. In this work, we explore the underlying reasons why Ag(tpa)OTf (tpa = tris(pyridylmethyl)amine) prefers to activate α-conjugated C-H bonds over 3° alkyl C(sp3)-H bonds and apply these insights to reaction optimization and catalyst design. Experimental results suggest possible roles of noncovalent interactions (NCIs) in directing the NT; computational studies support the involvement of π···π and Ag···π interactions between catalyst and substrate, primarily by lowering the energy of the directed transition state and reaction conformers. A simple Hess's law relationship can be employed to predict selectivities for new substrates containing competing NCIs. The insights presented herein are poised to inspire the design of other catalyst-controlled C-H functionalization reactions.

Silver(i) complexes with quinazoline and phthalazine: synthesis, structural characterization and evaluation of biological activities

New silver(i) complexes with quinazoline and phthalazine have been synthesized, characterized and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity and their effect on the viability of fibroblasts and the development of zebrafish embryos.