Pigeon Pea Husk for Removal of Emerging Contaminants Trimethoprim and Atenolol from Water

The pace of industrialization and rapid population growth in countries such as India entail an increased input of industrial and sanitary organic micropollutants, the so-called emerging contaminants (EC), into the environment. The emission of EC, such as pharmaceuticals, reaching Indian water bodies causes a detrimental effect on aquatic life and ultimately on human health. However, the financial burden of expanding sophisticated water treatment capacities renders complementary, cost-efficient alternatives, such as adsorption, attractive. Here we show the merits of washed and milled pigeon pea husk (PPH) as low-cost adsorbent for the removal of the EC trimethoprim (TMP) and atenolol (ATN) that are among the most detected pharmaceuticals in Indian waters. We found a linear increase in adsorption capacity of PPH for TMP and ATN at concentrations ranging from 10 to 200 μg/L and from 50 to 400 μg/L, respectively, reflecting the concentrations occurring in Indian water bodies. Investigation of adsorption kinetics using the external mass transfer model (EMTM) revealed that film diffusion resistance governed the adsorption process of TMP or ATN onto PPH. Moreover, analysis of the adsorption performance of PPH across an extensive range of pH and temperature illustrated that the highest adsorption loadings achieved concurred with actual conditions of Indian waters. We anticipate our work as starting point towards the development of a feasible adsorbent system aiming at low-cost water treatment.ISSN:1420-304

Discovery of a Novel Series of Potent SHP2 Allosteric Inhibitors

Src homology 2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP2) is the first reported nonreceptor oncogenic tyrosine phosphatase connecting multiple signal transduction cascades and exerting immunoinhibitory function through the PD-1 checkpoint receptor. As part of a drug discovery program aimed at obtaining novel allosteric SHP2 inhibitors, a series of pyrazopyrazine derivatives bearing an original bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane basic moiety on the left-hand side region of the molecule were identified. We report herein the discovery process, the in vitro pharmacological profile, and the early developability features of compound 25, one of the most potent members of the series