λ5-Phosphorus-Containing α-Diazo Compounds (PCDCs): a valuable tool for accessing phosphorus-functionalized molecules

The compounds characterized by the presence of a λ5-phosphorus functionality at the α-position with respect to the diazo moiety, here referred to as λ5-phosphorus-containing α-diazo compounds (PCDCs), represent a vast class of extremely versatile reagents in organic chemistry and are particularly useful in the preparation of phosphonate- and phosphinoxide-functionalized molecules. Indeed, thanks to the high reactivity of the diazo moiety, PCDCs can be induced to undergo a wide variety of chemical transformations. Among them are carbon–hydrogen, as well as heteroatom–hydrogen insertion reactions, cyclopropanation, ylide formation, Wolff rearrangement, and cycloaddition reactions. PCDCs can be easily prepared from readily accessible precursors by a variety of different methods, such as diazotization, Bamford–Stevens-type elimination, and diazo transfer reactions. This evidence along with their relative stability and manageability make them appealing tools in organic synthesis. This Review aims to demonstrate the ongoing utility of PCDCs in the modern preparation of different classes of phosphorus-containing compounds, phosphonates, in particular. Furthermore, to address the lack of precedent collective papers, this Review also summarizes the methods for PCDCs preparatio

Antioxidant activity of phenolic extracts from different cultivars of Italian onion (Allium cepa) and relative human immune cell proliferative induction

The total antioxidant activity (TAC) may vary considerably between onion cultivars. Immunological effects of onion phenolic compounds are still underestimated.The objective of this study is to determine the total phenol content (TPC) and the relative TAC of three Allium cepa L. (Liliaceae) onion cultivars cultivated in Cannara (Italy): Rossa di Toscana, Borettana di Rovato, and Dorata di Parma, and to evaluate the phenol extracts ability to induce human immune cell proliferation.TPC was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, TAC with FRAP, TEAC/ABTS, and DPPH methods. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy human donors were incubated for 24 h at 37 °C with 1 ng/mL of phenolic extract in PBS, immunostained, and then analyzed by 4-color flow cytometry for the phenotypic characterization of T helper cells (CD4+ cells), cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD8+ cells), T regulatory cells (CD25high CD4+ cells), and natural killer cells/monocytes (CD16+ cells).Rossa di Toscana displayed the highest TPC (6.61 ± 0.87 mg GA equivalents/g onion bulb DW) and the highest TAC with the experienced methods: FRAP, 9.19 ± 2.54 μmol Trolox equivalents/g onion bulb DW; TEAC/ABTS, 21.31 ± 0.41 μmol Trolox equivalents/g onion bulb DW; DPPH, 22.90 ± 0.01 μmol Trolox equivalents/g onion bulb DW. Incubation with Rossa di Toscana extract determined an increase in the frequency of the antitumor/anti-infection NK CD16+ immune cells (23.0 ± 0.4%).Content of health-promoting phenols and the deriving antioxidant and immunostimulating activity vary considerably among the investigated cultivars. Rossa di Toscana can be considered as a potential functional food

VALIDATED PUNGENCY ASSESSMENT OF THREE ITALIAN ONION (ALLIUM CEPA L.) CULTIVARS

Abstract In the frame of a broad multidisciplinary study aimed at enlightening the peculiarities of three onion cultivars (Dorata di Parma, Borettana and Rossa di Toscana

Binding properties of different categories of IDO1 inhibitors: a microscale thermophoresis study

Aim: Inhibition of IDO1 is a strategy pursued in the immune-oncology pipeline for the development of novel anticancer therapies. At odds with an ever-increasing number of inhibitors being disclosed in the literature and patent applications, only very few compounds have hitherto advanced in clinical settings. Materials & methods: We have used MicroScale Thermophoresis analysis and docking calculations to assess on a quantitative basis the binding properties of distinct categories of inhibitors to IDO1. Results: Results shed further light on hidden molecular aspects governing the recognition by the enzyme of compounds with different mechanism of inhibition. Conclusion: Results pinpoint specific binding features of distinct inhibitors to IDO1 that offer clues for the design of next-generation inhibitors of the enzyme

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane-basedx-acidic amino acids as glutamate receptors ligands

A novel series of bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane-based x-acidic amino acids, including (2S)- and (2R)-3-(30-carboxybicyclo[ 1.1.1]pentyl)alanines (8 and 9), (2S)- and (2R)-2-(30-carboxymethylbicyclo[1.1.1]pentyl)glycines (10 and 11), and (2S)- and (2R)-3-(30-phosphonomethylbicyclo[1.1.1]pentyl)glycines (12 and 13), were synthesized and evaluated as glutamate receptor ligands. Among them, (2R)-3-(30-phosphonomethylbicyclo[ 1.1.1]pentyl)glycine (13) showed relatively high affinity and selectivity at the NMDA receptor. The results are also discussed in light of pharmacophoric modelling studies of NMDA agonists and antagonists

Cholesterol and oxysterol sulfates:Pathophysiological roles and analytical challenges

Cholesterol and oxysterol sulfates are important regulators of lipid metabolism, inflammation, cell apoptosis, and cell survival. Among the sulfate-based lipids, cholesterol sulfate (CS) is the most studied lipid both quantitatively and functionally. Despite the importance, very few studies have analysed and linked the actions of oxysterol sulfates to their physiological and pathophysiological roles. Overexpression of sulfotransferases confirmed the formation of a range of oxysterol sulfates and their antagonistic effects on liver X receptors (LXRs) prompting further investigations how are the changes to oxysterol/oxysterol sulfate homeostasis can contribute to LXR activity in the physiological milieu. Here, we aim to bring together for novel roles of oxysterol sulfates, the available techniques and the challenges associated with their analysis. Understanding the oxysterol/oxysterol sulfate levels and their pathophysiological mechanisms could lead to new therapeutic targets for metabolic diseases

Harnessing the reverse cholesterol transport pathway to favor differentiation of monocyte-derived APCs and antitumor responses

Lipid and cholesterol metabolism play a crucial role in tumor cell behavior and in shaping the tumor microenvironment. In particular, enzymatic and non-enzymatic cholesterol metabolism, and derived metabolites control dendritic cell (DC) functions, ultimately impacting tumor antigen presentation within and outside the tumor mass, dampening tumor immunity and immunotherapeutic attempts. The mechanisms accounting for such events remain largely to be defined. Here we perturbed (oxy)sterol metabolism genetically and pharmacologically and analyzed the tumor lipidome landscape in relation to the tumor-infiltrating immune cells. We report that perturbing the lipidome of tumor microenvironment by the expression of sulfotransferase 2B1b crucial in cholesterol and oxysterol sulfate synthesis, favored intratumoral representation of monocyte-derived antigen-presenting cells, including monocyte-DCs. We also found that treating mice with a newly developed antagonist of the oxysterol receptors Liver X Receptors (LXRs), promoted intratumoral monocyte-DC differentiation, delayed tumor growth and synergized with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy and adoptive T cell therapy. Of note, looking at LXR/cholesterol gene signature in melanoma patients treated with anti-PD-1-based immunotherapy predicted diverse clinical outcomes. Indeed, patients whose tumors were poorly infiltrated by monocytes/macrophages expressing LXR target genes showed improved survival over the course of therapy. Thus, our data support a role for (oxy)sterol metabolism in shaping monocyte-to-DC differentiation, and in tumor antigen presentation critical for responsiveness to immunotherapy. The identification of a new LXR antagonist opens new treatment avenues for cancer patients

BF₃·Et₂O-Promoted Decomposition of Cyclic α-Diazo-β-Hydroxy Ketones: Novel Insights into Mechanistic Aspects

We report novel insights into the cascade rearrangement of destabilized vinyl cations deriving from the BF3·Et2O-induced decomposition of cyclic α-diazo-β-hydroxy ketones in turn prepared by aldol-type condensation of cycloalkanones with diazoacetone. Complexation of the hydroxy group of the α-diazo-β-hydroxy compound with the Lewis acid is the first event, followed by the generation of the cycloalkanylidenediazonium salt that, after nitrogen loss, produces the highly reactive vinyl cation. The subsequent ring expansion results in the formation of a cycloalkenyl vinyl cation that affords the allylic cation by 1,2-methylene shift and ring contraction. The cation can then trap the solvent, the fluoride or the hydroxide released from the [BF3OH]− to afford different reaction products. The effect of both solvent and substrate ring size on products types and ratios were analyzed and discussed from a mechanistic point of view

C24-hydroxylated stigmastane derivatives as Liver X Receptor agonists

Phytosterols are stucturally correlated to the endogenous ligands of Liver X Receptor (LXR), a ligand-activated nuclear receptor that has emerged as an attractive drug target due to its ability to integrate metabolic and inflammatory signaling. Natural and semi-synthetic phytosterol derivatives characterized by the presence of side-chain oxygenated functions have shown to be able to modulate LXR activity. Here, we describe the efficient synthesis of four stigmastane derivatives, endowed with a hydroxyl group at C24 position, namely (24R)- and (24S)-stigmasta-5,28-diene-3β,24-ols (also referred to as saringosterols, 10a and 10b) and (24R)- and (24S)-stigmasta-5-ene-3β,24-ols (11a and 11b), starting from the readily available stigmasterol. Thanks to X-ray crystallography the absolute configuration of the newly created chiral centers was definitively assigned for all the four compounds. The subsequent luciferase assays with GAL-4 chimeric receptors evidenced the ability of the two 24(S)-epimers, 10b and 11b, to interact with LXRs, showing the same degree of affinity as (22R)-hydroxycholesterol (1). With regard to the isoform selectivity both the derivatives 10b and 11b showed a preference for LXRβ up to 4-fold in terms of efficacy for 11b. The gene expression profiling of (24S)-stigmasta-5,28-diene-3β,24-ol (10a) and (24S)-stigmasta-5-ene-3β,24-ol (11a) demonstrated the capability of both the compounds to induce the expression of four well-known LXR target genes, such as ABCA1, SREBP1c, FASN, and SCD1 in U937 monocytic cell line, thus supporting the hypothesis they were LXR positive modulators

Novel Isoquinolinone-Derived Inhibitors of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1: Pharmacological Characterization and Neuroprotective Effects in an in Vitro Model of Cerebral Ischemia

ABSTRACT Excessive activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), a nuclear enzyme catalyzing the transfer of ADP-ribose units from NAD to acceptor proteins, induces cellular energy failure by NAD and ATP depletion and has been proposed to play a causative role in a number of pathological conditions, including ischemia/reperfusion injury. In this study, we used an in vitro enzyme activity assay to characterize a series of newly synthesized isoquinolinone derivatives as potential PARP-1 inhibitors. Several compounds displayed powerful inhibitory activity: thieno[2,3-c]isoquinolin-5-one (TIQ-A) displayed a submicromolar IC 50 of 0.45 Ϯ 0.1 M, whereas the 5-hydroxy and 5-methoxy TIQ-A derivatives had IC 50 values of 0.39 Ϯ 0.19 and 0.21 Ϯ 0.12 M, respectively. We then examined the neuroprotective effects of the newly characterized compounds in cultured mouse cortical cells exposed to 60 min of oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD). When PARP-1 inhibitors were present in the incubation medium during OGD and the subsequent 24-h recovery period, they significantly attenuated neuronal injury. TIQ-A provided neuroprotection even when added to the culture 30 min after OGD and was able to reduce the early activation of PARP induced by OGD as detected by flow cytometry. When the IC 50 values observed in the PARP-1 activity assay for selected compounds were compared with their IC 50 values for the neuroprotective activity, a significant correlation (r ϭ 0.93, P Ͻ 0.01) was observed. Our results suggest that TIQ-A and its derivatives are a new class of neuroprotectants that may be helpful in studies aimed at understanding the involvement of PARP-1 in physiology and pathology. Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is a covalent post-translational modification of proteins catalyzed by a family of enzymes involved in numerous cellular processes including DNA repair and telomere replicatio