Chemical Profile of Lipophilic Fractions of Different Parts of Zizyphus lotus L. by GC-MS and Evaluation of Their Antiproliferative and Antibacterial Activities

Zizyphus lotus L. is a perennial shrub particularly used in Algerian folk medicine, but little is known concerning the lipophilic compounds in the most frequently used parts, namely, root bark, pulp, leaves and seeds, which are associated with health benefits. In this vein, the lipophilic fractions of these morphological parts of Z. lotus from Morocco were studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and their antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities were evaluated. GC-MS analysis allowed the identification and quantification of 99 lipophilic compounds, including fatty acids, long-chain aliphatic alcohols, pentacyclic triterpenic compounds, sterols, monoglycerides, aromatic compounds and other minor components. Lipophilic extracts of pulp, leaves and seeds were revealed to be mainly composed of fatty acids, representing 54.3-88.6% of the total compounds detected. The leaves and seeds were particularly rich in unsaturated fatty acids, namely, (9Z,12Z)-octadeca-9,12-dienoic acid (2431 mg kg^-1 of dry weight) and (9Z)-octadec-9-enoic acid (6255 mg kg^-1 of dry weight). In contrast, root bark contained a high content of pentacyclic triterpenic compounds, particularly betulinic acid, accounting for 9838 mg kg^-1 of dry weight. Root bark extract showed promising antiproliferative activity against a triple-negative breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) = 4.23 ± 0.18 µg mL^-1 of extract. Leaf extract displayed interesting antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermis, presenting minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values from 1024 to 2048 µg mL^-1 of extract. Our results demonstrate that Zizyphus lotus L. is a source of promising bioactive components, which can be exploited as natural ingredients in pharmaceutical formulations.

Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 3,4-di-hydro-2H-anthra[1,2-b][1,4]dioxepine-8,13-dione

The title compound, C17H12O4, was synthesized from the dye alizarin. The dihedral angle between the mean plane of the anthra-quinone ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.039 Å) and the dioxepine ring is 16.29 (8)°. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are linked by C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming sheets lying parallel to the ab plane. The sheets are connected through π-π and C=O⋯π inter-actions to generate a three-dimensional supra-molecular network. Hirshfeld surface analysis was used to investigate inter-molecular inter-actions in the solid-state: the most important contributions are from H⋯H (43.0%), H⋯O/O⋯H (27%), H⋯C/C⋯H (13.8%) and C⋯C (12.4%) contacts.

Crystal structure of (Z)-3-allyl-5-(4-methyl-benzyl-idene)-2-sulfanyl-idene-1,3-thia-zolidin-4-one

In the title compound, C14H13NOS2, the atoms of the allyl group are disordered over two sets of sites, with an occupancy ratio of 0.559 (10):0.441 (10). The rhodanine ring makes a dihedral angle of 5.51 (12)° with the mean plane through the p-tolyl group. There are no specific inter-molecular inter-actions in the crystal packing.

Diels-Alder reactions between dienamides and quinones: stereochemistry of the cycloadditions and cytotoxic activity of the adducts

Tetrahydronaphthoquinones and tetrahydroanthraquinones bearing an amido group have been prepared by Diels-Alder reactions between (E)-1-(N-carbobenzyloxyamino)-1,3-butadiene (2) or (E)-1-(N-benzoyl-N-benzylamino)-1,3-butadiene (5) and benzoquinone or 5-substituted naphthoquinones. The stereochemistry of the cycloadditions was investigated. A high regioselectivity was observed in the reaction of the diene carbamate 2 with 5-methoxy and 5-acetoxy naphthoquinones. This latter gave the unexpected 1,8-regioisomer 3d. The cycloadditions of the dienamide 5 with naphthoquinones 1 (R = OH, OMe, OAc) are regiospecific. Assignment of the structure of the tetrahydroanthraquinone 6b is in good agreement with the known directing effect of the 5-hydroxy group of juglone 1b in analogous Diels-Alder reactions. With 5-methoxy and 5-acetoxy naphthoquinones, the opposite regiochemistry observed is consistent with the electron-donating influence of the methoxy or acetoxy group, making the C-3 carbon atom more electron deficient. Aromatization of the adducts 6b and 7c was accompanied by an unusual elimination of the amido moiety. Thus, 1-hydroxy and 1-methoxy anthraquinones were obtained. Reactions of the dienes 2 and 5 with benzoquinone gave the tetrahydronaphthoquinones 9 and 10 with an endo stereospecificity. Oxidation of 9 by activated manganese dioxide gave the naphthoquinone 11. These compounds were submitted to in vitro cytotoxic assays towards murine L 1210 leukemia cells and clonogenic human tumor cell line MDA-MB 231. The naphthoquinone derivatives 9, 10 and 11 had significant activities with IC50 less than or equal to 0.4 microgram/ml towards these two tumor cell systems.