Spectroscopic Properties of Morin in Various CH3OH-H2O and CH3CN-H2O Mixed Solvents

Experimental and Theoretical Study of Fluorescent Properties of Morin

Morin (M) is one of the most widely distributed flavonoids with several beneficial effects on human health, and has the potential of being used as a possible treatment for COVID-19. To achieve a better understanding of the process of M dissolution, the fluorescent (FL) emission from M solutions prepared with different polar and nonpolar solvents (methanol, DMSO, and chloroform) was measured and compared with the FL emission from M powder and M crystals. In the FL spectra of the solutions with high M concentration, as well as in the spectra of M in solid state, two features, at 615 nm and 670 nm, were observed. As the solution concentration decreases, the maxima of FL spectra of the M solutions in all considered solvents shift to the blue side of the spectrum until reaching the value of 520 nm. To explain the experimental results, the TDDFT-M06-2X/6-31++G(d,p) method was used to determine the possible electronic transitions in the M molecule. The computations show that the FL emission in the spectral range of detection of our setup (405–800 nm) is related to the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). Comparison of the experimental data with the computations strongly suggests that in low-concentrated solutions, the FL emission is mostly due to electronic transitions in the keto OH3 form, whereas in aggregated states, the dominate contribution to the FL emission spectra is due to the transitions in keto OH5 form. Moreover, the time evolution of the M solutions FL spectra was observed, measured and explained for the first time.

The subgroup of 2'-hydroxy-flavonoids: Molecular diversity, mechanism of action, and anticancer properties

Flavonoids are abundant in nature, structurally very diversified and largely investigated. However, the subgroup of 2'-hydroxyflavonoids is much less known and not frequently studied. The present review identifies the major naturally-occurring and synthetic 2'-hydroxyflavonoid derivatives and discusses their structural characteristics and biological properties, with a focus on anticancer activities. The pharmacological properties of 2'-hydroxyflavone (2'-HF) and 2'-hydroxyflavanone (2'-HFa) are detailed. Upon binding to the Ral-interacting protein Rlip implicated in the transport of glutathione conjugates, 2'-HFa inhibits tumor cell proliferation and restrict tumor growth, in particular in breast cancer models. Among the synthetic derivatives, the characteristics of the anticancer product 2D08 (2',3',4'-trihydroxy flavone) are detailed to shed light on the molecular mechanism of action of this compound, as a regulator of protein SUMOylation. Inhibition of protein SUMOylation by 2D08 blocks cancer cell migration and invasion, and the compound greatly enhances the anticancer effects of conventional cytotoxic drugs like etoposide. The structural role of the 2'-hydroxyl group on the phenyl C-ring of the flavonoid is discussed, notably the capacity to engage intramolecular H-bonding interactions with the O1 atom on the B-ring of the chromone unit (or the oxygen of a 3-OH group when it is presents). The 2'-hydroxyl group of flavonoid appears as a regulator of the conformational freedom between the bicyclic A-B unit and the appended phenyl C-ring, favoring the planarity of the molecule. It is an essential group accounting for the biological properties of 2'-HF, 2'-HFa and structurally related compounds. This review shed light on 2'-hydroxyflavonoids to encourage their use and chemical development.

Determination of solubility, stability and degradation kinetics of morin hydrate in physiological solutions

Natural drugs have emerged as potential alternatives to synthetic drugs to avoid their toxic effects. Morin hydrate (MH) is a natural therapeutic agent, obtained from Maclura pomifera, Maclura tinctoria and Psidium guajava. Solubility and degradation kinetics of morin hydrate in different physiological media, namely, 0.1 N HCl (pH 1.2), sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.0), water (pH 7.0), phosphate buffer saline (pH 7.4) and tris base (pH 9.0), were investigated via classical spectroscopic methods. Stability studies of MH were performed to determine the effect of different pH media, temperature (room and freeze) and light on the degradation kinetics. Solubility and stability of MH varied significantly in different biological media and storage conditions. Solubility of MH was pH-dependent and increased with the increase in pH. Degradation kinetics and regression values (r²) values were calculated from the linear fitted models of zero, first and second order kinetics.

The stability of morin hydrate depends on pH, temperature, and light.

Role of hydroxyl groups in the B-ring of flavonoids in stabilization of the Hoogsteen paired third strand of Poly(U).Poly(A)*Poly(U) triplex

We have reported the interaction of two flavonoids namely quercetin (Q) and morin (M) with double stranded poly(A).poly(U) (herein after A.U) and triple stranded poly(U).poly(A)*poly(U) (herein after U.A*U, dot represents the Watson-Crick and asterisk represents Hoogsteen base pairing respectively) in this article. It has been observed that relative positions of hydroxyl groups on the B-ring of the flavonoids affect the stabilization of RNA. The double strand as well as the triple strand of RNA-polymers become more stabilized in presence of Q, however both the duplex and triplex remain unaffected in presence of M. The presence of catechol moiety on the B-ring of Q is supposed to be responsible for the stabilization. Moreover, after exploiting a series of biophysical experiments, it has been found that, triple helical RNA becomes more stabilized over its parent duplex in presence of Q. Fluorescence quenching, viscosity measurement and helix melting results establish the fact that Q binds with both forms of RNA through the mode of intercalation while M does not bind at all to either forms of RNA.