Antioxidant Biomarkers from Vanda coerulea Stems Reduce Irradiated HaCaT PGE-2 Production as a Result of COX-2 Inhibition

BACKGROUND: In our investigations towards the isolation of potentially biologically active constituents from Orchidaceae, we carried out phytochemical and biological analyses of Vanda species. A preliminary biological screening revealed that Vanda coerulea (Griff. ex. Lindl) crude hydro-alcoholic stem extract displayed the best DPPH /(•)OH radical scavenging activity and in vitro inhibition of type 2 prostaglandin (PGE-2) release from UV(B) (60 mJ/cm(2)) irradiated HaCaT keratinocytes. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Bio-guided fractionation and phytochemical analysis led to the isolation of five stilbenoids: imbricatin (1) methoxycoelonin (2) gigantol (3) flavidin (4) and coelonin (5). Stilbenoids (1-3) were the most concentrated in crude hydro-alcoholic stem extract and were considered as Vanda coerulea stem biomarkers. Dihydro-phenanthropyran (1) and dihydro-phenanthrene (2) displayed the best DPPH/(•)OH radical scavenging activities as well as HaCaT intracellular antioxidant properties (using DCFH-DA probe: IC(50) 8.8 µM and 9.4 µM, respectively) compared to bibenzyle (3) (IC(50) 20.6 µM). In turn, the latter showed a constant inhibition of PGE-2 production, stronger than stilbenoids (1) and (2) (IC(50) 12.2 µM and 19.3 µM, respectively). Western blot analysis revealed that stilbenoids (1-3) inhibited COX-2 expression at 23 µM. Interestingly, stilbenoids (1) and (2) but not (3) were able to inhibit human recombinant COX-2 activity. CONCLUSIONS: Major antioxidant stilbenoids (1-3) from Vanda coerulea stems displayed an inhibition of UV(B)-induced COX-2 expression. Imbricatin (1) and methoxycoelonin (2) were also able to inhibit COX-2 activity in a concentration-dependent manner thereby reducing PGE-2 production from irradiated HaCaT cells. Our studies suggest that stilbenoids (1-3) could be potentially used for skin protection against the damage caused by UV(B) exposure

Methyl 5,7-dihydr­oxy-2,2,9-trimethyl-6,11-dioxo-6,11-dihydro-2H-anthra[2,3-b]pyran-8-carboxyl­ate

The title compound, C22H18O7, also known as laurentiquinone B, is a new anthraquinone which was isolated from Vismia laurentii, a Cameroonian medicinal plant. The asymmetric unit contains two independent mol­ecules. Each of them contains four fused rings, three of which are coplanar and typical of anthracene, while the heterocyclic rings adopt envelope conformations. Intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds result in the formation of two planar rings, which are also almost coplanar with the adjacent rings. In the crystal structure, inter­molecular O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules and a π–π contact is also present [centroid-centroid distance = 3.967 (3) Å]

On the benefits of rubbing salt in the cut: self-healing of saloplastic PAA/PAH compact polyelectrolyte complexes.

The inherent room temperature mending and self-healing properties of saloplastic PAA/PAH CoPECs are studied. After ultracentrifugation of PAA/PAH polyelectrolyte complexes, tough, elastic materials are obtained that undergo self-healing facilitated by salt. At intermediate salt concentrations the CoPECs remain elastic enough to recover their original shape while the chains are mobile enough to repair the cut, thus leading to actual self-healing behavior.journal articleresearch support, non-u.s. gov'tresearch support, u.s. gov't, non-p.h.s.2014 Apr 232014 01 29importe

Isoselective Hydroformylation of Propylene by Iodide‐Assisted Palladium Catalysis

Isobutanal is a high value bulk material that, in principle, could be produced with 100 % atom-economy by isoselective hydroformylation of propylene with syngas. However, leading industrial Rh- and Co-catalyzed hydroformylation methods preferentially form n-butanal over the iso-product, and methods offering isoselectivity remain underdeveloped. Here we report an iodide-assisted Pd-catalyzed hydroformylation of propylene that produces isobutanal with unprecedented levels of selectivity. The method involves PdI2 , simple alkyl monophosphines, such as tricyclohexylphosphine, and common green solvents, enabling the title reaction to occur with isoselectivity in up to 50 : 1 iso/n product ratios under industrially relevant conditions (80-120 °C). The catalytic and preliminary mechanistic experiments indicate a key role of the iodide anions in both the catalytic activity and the isoselectivity

Transfer C-H Borylation of Alkenes under Rh(I)-Catalysis: In-sight into the Mechanism, Selectivity-Control & Synthetic Capacity

Transfer C-H borylation of alkenes bears the potential to unlock a range of attractive transformations for modular synthe-sis and late-stage derivatization of complex molecules. However, its scarce precedence associated with a limited mechanistic understanding hinders the development of practical synthetic protocols. Here we report a Rh(I)-catalyzed transfer C-H borylation reaction that is founded on an unprecedented yet crucial elementary step of the beta-boryl elimination engaging the Rh(I)-(beta-borylalkyl) intermediate. A thorough mechanistic investigation involving a series of catalytic and stoichiometric experiments and complementary computational studies revealed that this step proceeds with a considerably low free energy barrier, further elucidated the full catalytic cycle, and provided insight into the features con-trolling the activity and the selectivity. Driven by this mechanistic understanding, we devised a protocol that is compatible with a plethora of functional groups, including often problematic motifs, and applicable not only to terminal but also inter-nal alkenes and varied electronic and steric properties. The method proved also to be effective in complex settings of the late-stage borylation of derivatives of macrocyclic mycoestrogen Zearalenol, bioactive Brompheniramine, Chlorpromazine, and CD3254, and the synthesis of the boronic acid bio¬isostere of the drug Ozagrel. Besides the valuable new method, these mechanistic investigations set the stage for the development of other hydrogen-for-functional group exchange reactions undergoing a similar pathway

Novel thiophene-based donor–acceptor scaffolds as cathodes for rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors

International audienceWell-defined π-conjugated thiophene donor–acceptor molecules play an important role in different fields ranging from synthetic chemistry to materials science. Their chemical structure provides specific electronic and physicochemical properties, which can be further tuned by the introduction of functional groups. Herein, we design and synthesize two novel thiophene-based π-conjugated donor–acceptor molecules TDA-1 and TDA-2 through Aldol and Knoevenagel condensations. In our proof-of-concept study we report for the first time on the use of small organic molecules employed in aqueous zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (Zn-HSCs),which exhibit capacitance as high as 206.7 and 235.2 F g−1 for TDA-1, and TDA-2, respectively

Transfer C–H borylation of alkenes under Rh(I) catalysis: Insight into the synthetic capacity, mechanism, and selectivity control

International audienceTransfer C–H borylation of alkenes bears the potential to unlock a range of attractive transformations for modular synthesis and late-stage derivatization of complex molecules. However, its scarce precedence and a limited mechanistic understanding hinders the development of practical synthetic protocols. Here, we report a Rh(I)-catalyzed transfer C–H borylation that is applicable to various terminal and internal alkenes and compatible with a plethora of functional groups, including often problematic motifs. The successful late-stage borylation of bioactive molecules, including derivatives of macrocyclic zearalenol and the drug brompheniramine, underscores its synthetic capacity. A thorough mechanistic investigation involving a series of catalytic and stoichiometric experiments as well as computational studies gave insight into the full catalytic cycle employing a β-boryl elimination, which is unprecedented for Rh-catalysis, and elucidated the features controlling the activity and the selectivity. This work sets the stage for the development of other hydrogen-for-functional group exchange reactions undergoing similar pathways

Impact of Light Intensity on Antioxidant Activity of Tropical Microalgae

Twelve microalgae species isolated in tropical lagoons of New Caledonia were screened as a new source of antioxidants. Microalgae were cultivated at two light intensities to investigate their influence on antioxidant capacity. To assess antioxidant property of microalgae extracts, four assays with different modes of action were used: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azinobis (3-éthylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonique) (ABTS), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and thiobabituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). This screening was coupled to pigment analysis to link antioxidant activity and carotenoid content. The results showed that none of the microalgae studied can scavenge DPPH and ABTS radicals, but Chaetoceros sp., Nephroselmis sp., and Nitzschia A sp. have the capacity to scavenge peroxyl radical (ORAC) and Tetraselmis sp., Nitzschia A sp., and Nephroselmis sp. can inhibit lipid peroxidation (TBARS). Carotenoid composition is typical of the studied microalgae and highlight the siphonaxanthin, detected in Nephroselmis sp., as a pigment of interest. It was found that xanthophylls were the major contributors to the peroxyl radical scavenging capacity measured with ORAC assay, but there was no link between carotenoids and inhibition of lipid peroxidation measured with TBARS assay. In addition, the results showed that light intensity has a strong influence on antioxidant capacity of microalgae: Overall, antioxidant activities measured with ORAC assay are better in high light intensity whereas antioxidant activities measured with TBARS assay are better in low light intensity. It suggests that different antioxidant compounds production is related to light intensity