A novel imidazole derivative: synthesis, characterization and chemosensory ability for ions

Imidazoles have been explored over the years as optical chemosensors for their ability to coordinate with analytes, through specific binding sites, especially for ions, provided by the nitrogen heteroatom. Consequently, a novel 2,4,5-triheteroarylimidazole was synthetized bearing indolyl and furyl moieties. The compound was characterized by the usual spectroscopic techniques, and the preliminary chemosensory ability was carried out in acetonitrile and acetonitrile/water (25:75) in the presence of ions with biological, medicinal and environmental relevance. In an aqueous medium, the new compound showed a slight enhancement of fluorescence in the presence of HSO4−. As for cations, an enhancement of the fluorescence was observed upon interaction with Fe2+, Sn2+, Fe3+ and Al3+. On the other hand, a quenching of fluorescence was observed in the presence of Cu2+.This research was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for financial support to CQ/UM (UID/QUI/00686/2020). Thanks are also due to FCT for financial support to the Portuguese NMR Network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho)

A review on flexible electrochemical biosensors to monitor alcohol in sweat

The continued focus on improving the quality of human life has encouraged the development of increasingly efficient, durable, and cost-effective products in healthcare. Over the last decade, there has been substantial development in the field of technical and interactive textiles that combine expertise in electronics, biology, chemistry, and physics. Most recently, the creation of textile biosensors capable of quantifying biometric data in biological fluids is being studied, to detect a specific disease or the physical condition of an individual. The ultimate goal is to provide access to medical diagnosis anytime and anywhere. Presently, alcohol is considered the most commonly used addictive substance worldwide, being one of the main causes of death in road accidents. Thus, it is important to think of solutions capable of minimizing this public health problem. Alcohol biosensors constitute an excellent tool to aid at improving road safety. Hence, this review explores concepts about alcohol biomarkers, the composition of human sweat and the correlation between alcohol and blood. Different components and requirements of a biosensor are reviewed, along with the electrochemical techniques to evaluate its performance, in addition to construction techniques of textile-based biosensors. Special attention is given to the determination of biomarkers that must be low cost and fast, so the use of biomimetic materials to recognize and detect the target analyte is turning into an attractive option to improve electrochemical behavior.Authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), FEDER funds by means of Portugal 2020 Competitive Factors Operational Program (POCI) and the Portuguese Government (OE) for funding the project PluriProtech—“Desenvolvimentos de soluções multicamada para proteção ativa contra ameaças NBQR”, ref. POCI-01-0247-FEDER-047012. Authors also acknowledge strategic funding of UID/CTM/00264/2020 of 2C2T and by the “plurianual” 2020–2023 Project UIDB/00264/2020

Synthesis and preliminary antibacterial evaluation of A 2,4,5-Tri(hetero)arylimidazole derivative

The imidazole ring is a planar heterocycle whose derivatives are applied in several scientific areas, such as medicinal, materials and supramolecular chemistry. The presence of the imidazole ring in these structures is the key to the development of new drugs, since it is ubiquitous in naturally occurring biological structures. Therefore, over the past few decades, several imidazole derivatives have been synthesized and occupy a unique position in the field of medicinal chemistry due to their diverse biological activities. In order to continue the work developed by the research group, we report the synthesis of 2,4,5-tri(hetero)arylimidazole derivatives and their characterization by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopies. As a complement to the characterization of the synthesized 2,4,5-tri(hetero)arylimidazole derivatives, a screening for antibacterial activity showed the inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus proliferation, suggesting antibacterial activity. Therefore, these new compounds have the potential for the development of new drugs

Synthesis, characterization and preliminary antibacterial evaluation against Staphylococcus aureus of a new 2,4,5-tri(hetero)arylimidazole derivative based on azaindole heterocycle

Imidazole derivatives are known for their numerous biological applications, such as antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antiviral, antiparasitic and anticancer, among others. Therefore, several imidazole derivatives have been synthesized and developed in recent years as potential drugs in the treatment of several diseases. In this communication, we report the synthesis of a new imidazole derivative, substituted at positions 2, 4 and 5 with heterocyclic groups, using a simple synthetic methodology and an easy purification procedure. The new compound was characterized by the usual spectroscopic techniques (NMR, UV-Vis absorption and emission). The evaluation of the novel imidazole derivative as a potential antibiotic drug was carried out against the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, using disk test diffusion method. Results showed a dose-response effect against the bacteria under study, revealing that the rational design of this imidazole derivative is quite promising to improve antibacterial activity of imidazole derivatives.This research was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through CQ/UM (UIDB/00686/2020) and “Contrato‐Programa” UIDB/04050/2020 funded by national funds. Thanks are also due to FCT for financial support to the Portuguese NMR Network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400‐Univ. Minho)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synthesis, characterization, and preliminary chemosensory ability of a novel 2,4,5-Tri(Hetero)Arylimidazole based on an 8-Hydroxy-Quinoline group

2,4,5-Trisubstituted imidazole derivatives with heteroaromatic groups are versatile heterocyclic compounds exhibiting a wide range of biological activities, as well as very interesting thermal, optical, electronic, and redox properties. In recent years, this type of imidazole derivatives has been explored as colorimetric and fluorimetric chemosensors due to their ability to coordinate with ions of biological and environmental relevance. In order to continue the work developed by the research group, we report the synthesis and characterization using usual spectroscopic techniques (NMR, absorption and emission spectroscopies) of a new imidazole derivative, sub-stituted at position 2 of the imidazole with an 8-hydroxy-quinoline group. Furthermore, to com-plement the characterization of the synthesized imidazole, a preliminary study as an optical chemosensor was carried out in acetonitrile in the presence of ions with biological, medicinal, and environmental relevance.This research was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for financial support to CQ/UM (UID/QUI/00686/2020). Thanks are also due to FCT for financial support to the Portuguese NMR Network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho)

Gla-rich protein function as an anti-inflammatory agent in monocytes/macrophages: implications for calcification-related chronic inflammatory diseases

Calcification-related chronic inflammatory diseases are multifactorial pathological processes, involving a complex interplay between inflammation and calcification events in a positive feed-back loop driving disease progression. Gla-rich protein (GRP) is a vitamin K dependent protein (VKDP) shown to function as a calcification inhibitor in cardiovascular and articular tissues, and proposed as an anti-inflammatory agent in chondrocytes and synoviocytes, acting as a new crosstalk factor between these two interconnected events in osteoarthritis. However, a possible function of GRP in the immune system has never been studied. Here we focused our investigation in the involvement of GRP in the cell inflammatory response mechanisms, using a combination of freshly isolated human leucocytes and undifferentiated/differentiated THP-1 cell line. Our results demonstrate that VKDPs such as GRP and matrix gla protein (MGP) are synthesized and gamma-carboxylated in the majority of human immune system cells either involved in innate or adaptive immune responses. Stimulation of THP-1 monocytes/macrophages with LPS or hydroxyapatite (HA) up-regulated GRP expression, and treatments with GRP or GRP-coated basic calcium phosphate crystals resulted in the down-regulation of mediators of inflammation and inflammatory cytokines, independently of the protein gamma-carboxylation status. Moreover, overexpression of GRP in THP-1 cells rescued the inflammation induced by LPS and HA, by down-regulation of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF alpha, IL-1 beta and NFkB. Interestingly, GRP was detected at protein and mRNA levels in extracellular vesicles released by macrophages, which may act as vehicles for extracellular trafficking and release. Our data indicate GRP as an endogenous mediator of inflammatory responses acting as an anti-inflammatory agent in monocytes/macrophages. We propose that in a context of chronic inflammation and calcification-related pathologies, GRP might act as a novel molecular mediator linking inflammation and calcification events, with potential therapeutic application.Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) [PTDC/SAU-ORG/117266/2010, PTDC/BIM-MEC/1168/2012, UID/Multi/ 04326/2013]; FCT fellowships [SFRH/BPD/70277/2010, SFRH/BD/111824/2015

A Review on Flexible Electrochemical Biosensors to Monitor Alcohol in Sweat

The continued focus on improving the quality of human life has encouraged the development of increasingly efficient, durable, and cost-effective products in healthcare. Over the last decade, there has been substantial development in the field of technical and interactive textiles that combine expertise in electronics, biology, chemistry, and physics. Most recently, the creation of textile biosensors capable of quantifying biometric data in biological fluids is being studied, to detect a specific disease or the physical condition of an individual. The ultimate goal is to provide access to medical diagnosis anytime and anywhere. Presently, alcohol is considered the most commonly used addictive substance worldwide, being one of the main causes of death in road accidents. Thus, it is important to think of solutions capable of minimizing this public health problem. Alcohol biosensors constitute an excellent tool to aid at improving road safety. Hence, this review explores concepts about alcohol biomarkers, the composition of human sweat and the correlation between alcohol and blood. Different components and requirements of a biosensor are reviewed, along with the electrochemical techniques to evaluate its performance, in addition to construction techniques of textile-based biosensors. Special attention is given to the determination of biomarkers that must be low cost and fast, so the use of biomimetic materials to recognize and detect the target analyte is turning into an attractive option to improve electrochemical behavior

Synthesis, Characterization and Preliminary Antibacterial Evaluation against Staphylococcus aureus of a New 2,4,5-Tri(hetero)arylimidazole Derivative Based on Azaindole Heterocycle

Imidazole derivatives are known for their varied biological applications, such as antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antiviral, antiparasitic and anticancer compounds, among others. Therefore, numerous imidazole derivatives have been synthesized and developed in recent years as potential drugs in the treatment of several diseases. In this communication, we report the synthesis of a new imidazole derivative, substituted at positions 2, 4 and 5 with heterocyclic groups, using a simple synthetic methodology and an easy purification procedure. The new compound was characterized by the usual spectroscopic techniques (NMR, UV-Vis absorption and emission). The evaluation of the novel imidazole derivative as a potential antibiotic drug was carried out against the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, using the disk test diffusion method. The results showed a dose–response effect against the bacterium under study, revealing that the rational design of this imidazole derivative is quite promising to improve the antibacterial activity of imidazole derivatives

2,4,5-(Hetero)arylimidazole probe for the selective detection of fluoride anion

Selective recognition of anions is a very dynamic topic in supramolecular chemistry which has been widely investigated recently due to the importance of these analytes in a broad variety of medicinal, environmental and biological processes. Fluoride anion is of particular importance due to its established role in dental care and treatment of osteoporosis, and, consequently its straightforward recognition is vital. 2,4,5-Triaryl-imidazoles are versatile compounds with application in medicine, due to their biological activity, and materials and biomedical sciences, for their interesting optical properties which can be tuned by careful selection of substituents at positions 2, 4 and 5. In fact, replacement of the aryl group by a heterocyclic moiety results in larger π-conjugated systems with improved optical properties for several applications in materials and in medicinal chemistry as Two Photon Absorption (TPA) fluorophores for bioimaging, DNA intercalators, optical chemosensors, among others. In this communication, we report the synthesis of a new diphenylimidazole, substituted at position 2 with a carbazolyl group using a simple synthetic methodology and an easy purification procedure. The new compound was characterized by the usual techniques and a detailed photophysical study was undertaken. The evaluation of the imidazole derivative as a fluorimetric chemosensor was carried out in acetonitrile in the presence of relevant anions with biological, medicinal and environmental relevance. The results obtained showed that the new compound exhibited selectivity to the fluoride anion.Thanks are due to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) and FEDER for financial support through the Chemistry Research Centre of the University of Minho (Ref. UID/QUI/0686/2019). The NMR spectrometer Bruker Avance III 400 is part of the National NMR Network and was purchased within the framework of the National Program for Scientific Re-equipment, contract REDE/1517/RMN/2005 with funds from POCI 2010 (FEDER) and FCT