A DFT Study Toward the Reaction Mechanisms of TNT With Hydroxyl Radicals for Advanced Oxidation Processes

The degradation pathway of environmental contaminant 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was investigated computationally at the SMD­(Pauling)/M06-2<i>X</i>/6-311+G­(d,p) level of theory. The dominant decomposition pathway of TNT → 4,6-dinitro-<i>o</i>-cresol → 4,6-dinitro-2-hydroxybenzylalcohol → 4,6-dinitro-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde was provided, and the corresponding predicted products and their distributions are in a good agreement with available experimental data on TNT degradation by Fenton reaction. It was shown that the mechanism of addition–elimination is crucial for this stage of the reaction. The reaction of H atom abstraction is a minor competing pathway. The details on transition states, intermediate radicals, and free energy surfaces for all proposed reactions are given and make up for a lack of experimental knowledge

Using Imidazo[2,1‑<i>b</i>][1,3,4]thiadiazol Skeleton to Design and Synthesize Novel MNK Inhibitors

Mitogen-activated protein kinase-interacting protein kinases (MNKs) phosphorylate eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and regulate the processes of cell proliferation, cell cycle, and migration and invasion of cancer cells. Selectively inhibiting the activity of MNKs could be effective in treating cancers. In this study, we report a series of novel MNK inhibitors with an imidazo[2,1-b][1,3,4]thiadiazol scaffold, from which, compound 18 inhibited the phosphorylation of eIF4E in various cancer cell lines potently. Compound 18 was more potent against MNK2 than MNK1, and decreased the levels of cyclin-B1, cyclin-D3, and MMP-3 in A549 and MDA-MB-231 cells, impaired cell growth and colony formation, arrested the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase, and inhibited cell migration and the secretion of TNF-α, MCP-1, and IL-8 from A549 cells. It represents a starting compound to design further inhibitors that selectively target MNKs and apply in other diseases