Design, synthesis, computational and biological evaluation of new anxiolytics

Synthesis and cytotoxic activity evaluation of novel imidazopyridine carbohydrazide derivatives

Two series of novel imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-2-carbohydrazide derivatives have been designed, synthesized, and evaluated for cytotoxic activity. Target compounds were designed in two series: aryl hydrazone derivatives that were devoid of triazole moiety (7a-e) and aryl triazole bearing group (11a-e). In vitro cytotoxicity screening was carried out using MTT assay against three human cancer cells including breast cancer (MCF-7), colon cancer (HT-29), and leukemia (K562) cell lines as well as a non-cancer cell line (Vero). Compound 7d bearing 4-bromophenyl pendant from aryl hydrazone series exhibited the highest cytotoxic potential with IC50 values of 22.6 µM and 13.4 µM against MCF-7 and HT-29 cells, respectively, while it was not toxic towards non-cancer cells up to the concentration of 100 µM. Cell cycle analysis revealed that 7d increased the number of MCF-7 cells in the G0/G1 phase and also induced apoptosis in these cells as revealed by Hoechst 33,258 staining. The molecular mechanism contributing to the anti-proliferative effect of the most potent compound was investigated in silico using Super Pred software and introduced PDGFRA as a plausible target for 7d. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic studies demonstrated Lys627 and Asp836 as key residues interacting with the active compound. Overall, 7d could serve as a suitable candidate for further modifications as a lead anticancer structure.

Formulation and in-silico study of meclizine ointment as anti-eczema

Meclizine is antihistamine and is used in combination with pyridoxine to treat motion sickness. The in-silico study of meclizine prediction studied showed that meclizine has anti-eczema activity with possible activity 95. This research aimed to explore the anti-eczema activity of meclizine. Therefore, five formulations of meclizine ointment have been prepared using different bases (white base, simple ointment base, hydrophilic petrolatum base, hydrophilic, and emulsifying ointment bases). The efficiency of meclizine ointment has been evaluated by testing the physical compatibility and stability, homogeneity and irritant effect, absorbance and spreadability, chemical identification, calibration curve, drug content (assay), and dissolution test. This is followed by evaluating the ointment's effectiveness on volunteers and molecular docking. Five creams trials have been prepared, and two formulas (F3, and F5) have been selected for further evaluation. The formulas three and five (F3, F5) have passed the physical and chemical tests and showed compatibility, homogenous, absorbed, non-irritant, and stable with calibration curve (R = 0.9999). Then, the F3 formula was selected by testing them on seven volunteers after evaluating the irritant test. Four of the volunteers showed excellent recovery, and three of the volunteers suffered from uncomforting feelings and the formation of new pills. Therefore, F5 has been tested by eight volunteers that contain high oleaginous activity; five showed an excellent recovery, while three of the volunteers showed no difference. According to that, F5 is more efficient for eczema patients than F3, and Meclizine showed promising activity as an anti-eczema that requires further evaluation in the future.

Experimental and Computational Study of Novel Pyrazole Azo Dyes as Colored Materials for Light Color Paints

This paper presents the synthesis of eight new pyrazole azo dyes using ethyl 5-amino-3-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate as the diazotization component and various active methylene derivatives as coupling components. These new azo dyes were characterized by spectroscopic (FT-IR, UV-VIS), and spectrometric (¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS) analyses. The dye structures were modeled by the MMFF94s force field and quantum chemical density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the B3LYP functional and the 6-311G(d,p) basis set, in the gas phase. Weak electrostatic hydrogen bonds for the azo and hydrazo dye tautomers were found in the ground state. The CIS, TD (using the B3LYP and M06-2X functionals), and ZINDO methods were used to estimate the dye UV-VIS spectra in ethanol, which were compared with the experimental ones. The anti-configuration arrangement of the π-bonds and the presence of the prevalent hydrazo dye tautomer were supported by the computed ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectra. A good accordance between the experimental and predicted absorption maxima and chemical shifts was observed. Color investigations using the CIEL*a*b* space were conducted for all dyes in powder and for their mixtures in water-based acrylic resins. The results confirm the newly synthesized dyes' color properties and that they might be used for light color paints in the varnishes industry.

A critical overview of computational approaches employed for COVID-19 drug discovery

COVID-19 has resulted in huge numbers of infections and deaths worldwide and brought the most severe disruptions to societies and economies since the Great Depression. Massive experimental and computational research effort to understand and characterize the disease and rapidly develop diagnostics, vaccines, and drugs has emerged in response to this devastating pandemic and more than 130 000 COVID-19-related research papers have been published in peer-reviewed journals or deposited in preprint servers. Much of the research effort has focused on the discovery of novel drug candidates or repurposing of existing drugs against COVID-19, and many such projects have been either exclusively computational or computer-aided experimental studies. Herein, we provide an expert overview of the key computational methods and their applications for the discovery of COVID-19 small-molecule therapeutics that have been reported in the research literature. We further outline that, after the first year the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears that drug repurposing has not produced rapid and global solutions. However, several known drugs have been used in the clinic to cure COVID-19 patients, and a few repurposed drugs continue to be considered in clinical trials, along with several novel clinical candidates. We posit that truly impactful computational tools must deliver actionable, experimentally testable hypotheses enabling the discovery of novel drugs and drug combinations, and that open science and rapid sharing of research results are critical to accelerate the development of novel, much needed therapeutics for COVID-19.

Synthesis of pyrazoline fatty chain derivatives and its effects on melanoma cells

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in Brazil, representing 30% of all cases. Among these, melanoma represents only 3% of malignant neoplasms; however, it is the most serious and has a high capacity for metastasis. For this reason, it is extremely important to identify more efficient compounds and treatments that stop or decrease the proliferation of melanoma, even in its more advanced stages. This work reports the synthesis and biological evaluation of two homologous series of pyrazoline fatty chain derivatives as potent antitumoral agents in the melanoma B16F10 cell line. Cells were treated with pyrazoline fatty chain compounds (3, 30, 300, and 3000 μM) for 0, 24, 48, and 72 h. Decreased cell viability was observed when using most compounds at different concentrations and times. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) between antitumoral activity and the number of carbons and lipophilicity, as well as the oxygen-sulfur bioisosteric exchange, was evaluated. Among the tested derivatives, the lipophilic compounds 5-hydroxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)-3-undecyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-1-carboxamide (2d) and 5-hydroxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)-3-undecyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-1-thiocarboxamide (3d) showed the best results in the B16F10 cell line, as they produced the best cell viability decrease effects. The presence of fatty unbranched undecyl chain in the molecular structure appears to be important for its antimelanoma properties.

Novel Thiazole-Based Thiazolidinones as Potent Anti-infective Agents: In silico PASS and Toxicity Prediction, Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Molecular Modelling

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE

The infectious disease treatment remains a challenging concern owing to the increasing number of pathogenic microorganisms associated with resistance to multiple drugs. A promising approach for combating microbial infection is to combine two or more known bioactive heterocyclic pharmacophores in one molecular platform. Herein, the synthesis and biological evaluation of novel thiazole-thiazolidinone hybrids as potential antimicrobial agents were dissimilated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The preparation of the substituted 5-benzylidene-2-thiazolyimino-4- thiazolidinones was achieved in three steps from 2-amino-5-methylthiazoline. All the compounds have been screened in PASS antibacterial activity prediction and in a panel of bacteria and fungi strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bacterial concentration were both determined by microdilution assays. Molecular modeling was conducted using Accelrys Discovery Studio 4.0 client. ToxPredict (OPEN TOX) and ProTox were used to estimate the toxicity of the title compounds.

RESULTS

PASS prediction revealed the potentiality antibacterial property of the designed thiazolethiazolidinone hybrids. All tested compounds were found to kill and to inhibit the growth of a vast variety of bacteria and fungi, and were more potent than the commercial drugs, streptomycin, ampicillin, bifomazole and ketoconazole. Further, in silico study was carried out for prospective molecular target identification and revealed favorable interaction with the target enzymes E. coli MurB and CYP51B of Aspergillus fumigatus. Toxicity prediction revealed that none of the active compounds was found toxic.

CONCLUSION

Substituted 5-benzylidene-2-thiazolyimino-4-thiazolidinones, endowing remarkable antibacterial and antifungal properties, were identified as a novel class of antimicrobial agents and may find a potential therapeutic use to eradicate infectious diseases.

Recent Progress on Anticancer Agents Incorporating Pyrazole Scaffold

The search of new anticancer agents is considered as a dynamic field of medicinal chemistry. In recent years, the synthesis of compounds with anticancer potential has increased and a large number of structurally varied compounds displaying potent anticancer activities have been published. Pyrazole is an important biologically active scaffold that possessed nearly all types of biological activities. The aim of this review is to collate literature work reported by researchers to provide an overview on in vivo and in vitro anticancer activities of pyrazole based derivatives among the diverse biological activities displayed by them and also presents recent efforts made on this heterocyclic moiety regarding anticancer activities. This review has been driven from the increasing number of publications, on this issue, which have been reported in the literature since the ending of the 20th century (from 1995-to date).

5-Methyl-4-(5-methyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-di-hydro-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-one

The title compound, C20H18N4O2, known as bis-pyrazolone, was crystallized from dimethyl sulfoxide. The structure has ortho-rhom-bic (Pbca) symmetry at 150 K, and displays both intra- and inter-molecular hydrogen bonding through C-H⋯O and N-H⋯O contacts, respectively. None of the phenyl and pyrazolone rings in the mol-ecule are coplanar. The dihedral angle between the pyrazolone rings is 66.18 (5)°.

3-(Hydroxyimino)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-2(3H)-ylidene)-1-arylethanones as new red heterocyclic dyes: Synthesis, spectral studies, quantum-chemical investigations, and antibacterial activities

The synthesis, optical properties, theoretical calculations, and antibacterial activities of a series of new red heterocyclic dyes derived from imidazo[1,2- a]pyridine are presented. 3-(Hydroxyimino)imidazo[1,2- a]pyridin-2(3 H)-ylidene)-1-arylethanones are obtained from the reaction of 3-nitroimidazo[1,2- a]pyridine with substituted acetophenone derivatives in good yields (65%–72%). The structures are confirmed by spectral and analytical data, and the optical properties of the dyes are characterized by spectrophotometry. Density functional theory calculations are performed to provide the optimized geometries and relevant frontier orbitals. Calculated electronic absorption spectra are also obtained by the time-dependent density functional theory method. Moreover, the antibacterial activities (minimum inhibitory concentration) of the new dyes against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species are determined (minimum inhibitory concentration: 5–200 μg mL−1).

Novel Thiazolidin-4-ones as Potential Non-nucleoside Inhibitors of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase

BACKGROUND

HIV is the causative agent of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), an infectious disease with increasing incidence worldwide. Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) play an important role in the treatment of AIDS. Although, many compounds are already being used as anti-HIV drugs, research for the development of new inhibitors continues as the virus develops resistant strains.

METHODS

The best features of available NNRTIs were taken into account for the design of novel inhibitors. PASS (Prediction of activity spectra for substances) prediction program and molecular docking studies for the selection of designed compounds were used for the synthesis. Compounds were synthesized using conventional and microwave irradiation methods and HIV RT inhibitory action was evaluated by colorimetric photometric immunoassay.

RESULTS

The evaluation of HIV-1 RT inhibitory activity revealed that seven compounds have significantly lower ΙC50 values than nevirapine (0.3 μΜ). It was observed that the activity of compounds depends not only on the nature of substituent and it position in benzothiazole ring but also on the nature and position of substituents in benzene ring.

CONCLUSION

Twenty four of the tested compounds exhibited inhibitory action lower than 4 μΜ. Seven of them showed better activity than nevirapine, while three of the compounds exhibited IC50 values lower than 5 nM. Two compounds 9 and 10 exhibited very good inhibitory activity with IC50 1 nM.

Derivatives of a new heterocyclic system - pyrano[3,4-c][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines: synthesis, docking analysis and neurotropic activity

8-Hydrazino derivatives of pyrano[3,4-c]pyridines and derivatives of the new heterocyclic system 3-thioxopyrano[3,4-c][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines on the basis of methanesulfonates of pyrano[3,4-c]pyridinium were synthesized by optimization of a previously used method. Derivatives of alkylsulfonyl pyrano[3,4-c][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines were also synthesized. All compounds were evaluated for their neurotropic activity. Among all the compounds tested for anticonvulsant activity by pentylenetetrazole and maximal electric shock seizure (MES) tests, six compounds (5a, 5b, 5e, 5g, 5j, and 5p) appeared to be active. These compounds were also evaluated for their anxiolytic as well as antidepressant activities using "open field", "elevated plus maze" (EPM), and "forced swimming" tests, respectively. It should be mentioned that compounds tested by the "rotating rod" method did not affect neuromuscular coordination. The most active compound appeared to be 5g in all tests. Docking studies of the most active compounds were performed on the GABAA receptor, SERT and 5-HT1A receptor.

Bioassay-Guided Isolation and in Silico Study of Antibacterial Compounds From Petroleum Ether Extract of Peperomia blanda (Jacq.) Kunth

Bioassay-guided isolation protocol was performed on petroleum ether extract of Peperomia blanda (Jacq.) Kunth using column chromatographic techniques. Five compounds were isolated and their structures were elucidated via one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) NMR, gas chromatography mass sectroscopy (GCMS), liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LCMS), and ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) analyses. Dindygulerione E (a new compound), and two compounds isolated from P. blanda for the first time-namely, dindygulerione A and flavokawain A-are reported herein. Antimicrobial activity was screened against selected pathogenic microbes, and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were recorded within the range of 62-250 μg/mL. Assessment of the pharmacotherapeutic potential has also been done for the isolated compounds, using the Prediction of Activity spectra for Substances (PASS) software, and different activities of compounds were predicted. Molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) calculations have proposed the binding affinity of these compounds toward methylthioadenosine phosphorylase enzyme, which may explain their inhibitory actions.

New Caffeic Acid Derivatives as Antimicrobial Agents: Design, Synthesis, Evaluation and Docking

Background:

Phenolic acids (caffeic-, ferulic and p-coumaric acid) are widely distributed in the plant kingdom and exhibit broad spectrum of biological activities, including antimicrobial activity.

Objective:

The goal of this paper is the synthesis of some caffeic acid derivatives selected based on computer-aided predictions and evaluate their in vitro antimicrobial properties against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria and also a series of fungi.

Methods:

In silico prediction of biological activity was used to identify the most promising structures for synthesis and biological testing, and the putative mechanisms of their antimicrobial action. The designed compounds were synthesized using classical organic synthesis methods. The antimicrobial activity was studied using microdilution method.

Results:

Twelve tested compounds have shown good antibacterial activity. Five out of twelve tested compounds appeared to be more active than the reference drugs ampicillin and streptomycin. Despite that all compounds exhibited good activity against all bacteria tested, the sensitivity of bacteria towards compounds in general was different. The evaluation of antifungal activity revealed that all compounds were more active than ketoconazole, while seven compounds (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 12) appeared to be more active than bifonazole. Docking results indicate that gyrase inhibition is the putative mechanism of antibacterial action while the inhibition of 14α-demethylase may be responsible for antifungal action. Prediction of cytotoxicity by PROTOX showed that compounds are not toxic (LD50 1000-2000 mg/kg).

Conclusion:

Thirteen compounds, from which six are new ones, were synthesized, and twelve compounds were tested for antimicrobial activity. The studied compounds appeared to be promising potent and non-toxic antimicrobials, which could be considered as leads for new pharmaceutical agents.

Thiazoles and Thiazolidinones as COX/LOX Inhibitors

Inflammation is a natural process that is connected to various conditions and disorders such as arthritis, psoriasis, cancer, infections, asthma, etc. Based on the fact that cyclooxygenase isoenzymes (COX-1, COX-2) are responsible for the production of prostaglandins that play an important role in inflammation, traditional treatment approaches include administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which act as selective or non-selective COX inhibitors. Almost all of them present a number of unwanted, often serious, side effects as a consequence of interference with the arachidonic acid cascade. In search for new drugs to avoid side effects, while maintaining high potency over inflammation, scientists turned their interest to the synthesis of dual COX/LOX inhibitors, which could provide numerous therapeutic advantages in terms of anti-inflammatory activity, improved gastric protection and safer cardiovascular profile compared to conventional NSAIDs. Τhiazole and thiazolidinone moieties can be found in numerous biologically active compounds of natural origin, as well as synthetic molecules that possess a wide range of pharmacological activities. This review focuses on the biological activity of several thiazole and thiazolidinone derivatives as COX-1/COX-2 and LOX inhibitors.

Computer-aided prediction of biological activity spectra for chemical compounds: opportunities and limitation

An essential characteristic of chemical compounds is their biological activity since its presence can become the basis for the use of the substance for therapeutic purposes, or, on the contrary, limit the possibilities of its practical application due to the manifestation of side action and toxic effects. Computer assessment of the biological activity spectra makes it possible to determine the most promising directions for the study of the pharmacological action of particular substances, and to filter out potentially dangerous molecules at the early stages of research. For more than 25 years, we have been developing and improving the computer program PASS (Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances), designed to predict the biological activity spectrum of substance based on the structural formula of its molecules. The prediction is carried out by the analysis of structure-activity relationships for the training set, which currently contains information on structures and known biological activities for more than one million molecules. The structure of the organic compound is represented in PASS using Multilevel Neighborhoods of Atoms descriptors; the activity prediction for new compounds is performed by the naive Bayes classifier and the structure-activity relationships determined by the analysis of the training set. We have created and improved both local versions of the PASS program and freely available web resources based on PASS (http://www.way2drug.com). They predict several thousand biological activities (pharmacological effects, molecular mechanisms of action, specific toxicity and adverse effects, interaction with the unwanted targets, metabolism and action on molecular transport), cytotoxicity for tumor and non-tumor cell lines, carcinogenicity, induced changes of gene expression profiles, metabolic sites of the major enzymes of the first and second phases of xenobiotics biotransformation, and belonging to substrates and/or metabolites of metabolic enzymes. The web resource Way2Drug is used by over 18,000 researchers from more than 90 countries around the world, which allowed them to obtain over 600,000 predictions and publish about 500 papers describing the obtained results. The analysis of the published works shows that in some cases the interpretation of the prediction results presented by the authors of these publications requires an adjustment. In this work, we provide the theoretical basis and consider, on particular examples, the opportunities and limitations of computer-aided prediction of biological activity spectra.

Synthesis of New Dyes from Imidazo[1,2-a]Pyridine: Tautomerism, Spectroscopic Characterisation, DFT/TD-DFT Calculations, Atoms in Molecules Analyses and Antibacterial Activities

The synthesis, optical properties, theoretical calculations and antibacterial activity of a series of new heterocyclic dyes from imidazo[1,2-a] pyridine are described. The key intermediate 2-[3-(hydroxyimino)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-2(3H)-ylidene]malononitrile was obtained via the nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen in 3-nitroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine with malononitrile in basic methanol solution. Tautomerism, oxidation and alkylation studies on the dye led to the synthesis of new heterocyclic indigo-coloured, purple, and orange dyes in good yields. The structures of all newly synthesised compounds were confirmed by spectral and analytical data. The optical properties of the dyes were spectrally characterised and shown to exhibit interesting photophysical properties including high extinction coefficients. Density functional theory calculations of the dyes were performed to provide the optimised geometries and relevant frontier orbitals. Calculated electronic absorption spectra were also obtained by the time-dependent density functional theory method. In addition, electrostatic potential maps and electron density maps of the dyes were evaluated by AIM (atoms in molecules) analysis. Moreover, the new dyes exhibited potent antibacterial activity and their antibacterial activities (MIC) against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species were determined.

2,3-Disubstituted-1,4-naphthoquinones containing an arylamine with trifluoromethyl group: synthesis, biological evaluation, and computational study

Antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities were evaluated. Two compounds (5b and 5e) were identified as the hits against S. epidermidis. Compounds 5b and 5e showed promising antibacterial and antibiofilm activities.

Synthesis and cytotoxic activity of certain benzothiazole derivatives against human MCF-7 cancer cell line

A new series of benzothiazole has been synthesized as cytotoxic agents. The new derivatives were tested for their cytotoxic activity toward the human breast cancer MCF-7 cell line against cisplatin as the reference drug. Many derivatives revealed good cytotoxic effect, whereas four of them, 4, 5c, 5d, and 6b, were more potent than cisplatin, with IC₅₀ values being 8.64, 7.39, 7.56, and 5.15 μm compared to 13.33 μm of cisplatin. The four derivatives' cytotoxic activity was accompanied by regulating free radicals production, by increasing the activity of superoxide dismutase and depletion of intracellular reduced glutathione, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities, accordingly, the high production of hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide, and other free radicals causing tumor cell death as monitored by reduction in the synthesis of protein and nucleic acids. Most of the tested compounds showed potent to moderate growth inhibitory activity; in particular, compound 6b exhibited the highest activity suggesting it is a lead compound in cytotoxic activity.

Pyridofuropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrimidines and pyridofuropyrimido[1,2-a]azepines: new chemical entities (NCE) with anticonvulsive and psychotropic properties

A series of pyridofuropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrimidines4and of pyridofuropyrimido[1,2-a]azepines5having as precursors a some new condensed furo[2,3-b]pyridines3were synthesized and evaluated for their anticonvulsive and psychotropic properties.

Role of graphene oxide as a heterogeneous acid catalyst and benign oxidant for synthesis of benzimidazoles and benzothiazoles

Graphene oxide plays a dual role as active metal-free acid catalyst and as non-toxic oxidant for benzothiazole and benzimidazole synthesis. Isolated partially reduced graphene oxide was re-oxidized to regenerate the catalyst and restore its activity.

Pyridofuropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrimidines and pyridofuropyrimido[1,2-a]azepines: new chemical entities (NCE) with anticonvulsive and psychotropic properties

A series of pyridofuropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrimidines4and pyridofuropyrimido[1,2-a]azepines5, with new condensed furo[2,3-b]pyridines3as precursors, were synthesized and evaluated for their anticonvulsive and psychotropic properties.

Iron-catalyzed unprecedented formation of benzo[d]imidazo[2,1-b]thiazoles under solvent-free conditions

The unprecedented formation of benzo[d]imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole during iron-catalyzed coupling of 2-aminobenzothiazole, aldehydes with nitroalkane in air has been observed.

Mannich bases in medicinal chemistry and drug design

The biological activity of Mannich bases, a structurally heterogeneous class of chemical compounds that are generated from various substrates through the introduction of an aminomethyl function by means of the Mannich reaction, is surveyed, with emphasis on the relationship between structure and biological activity. The review covers extensively the literature reports that have disclosed Mannich bases as anticancer and cytotoxic agents, or compounds with potential antibacterial and antifungal activity in the last decade. The most relevant studies on the activity of Mannich bases as antimycobacterial agents, antimalarials, or antiviral candidates have been included as well. The review contains also a thorough coverage of anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant activities of Mannich bases. In addition, several minor biological activities of Mannich bases, such as their ability to regulate blood pressure or inhibit platelet aggregation, their antiparasitic and anti-ulcer effects, as well as their use as agents for the treatment of mental disorders have been presented. The review gives in the end a brief overview of the potential of Mannich bases as inhibitors of various enzymes or ligands for several receptors.

Synthesis, molecular docking and anti-inflammatory screening of novel quinoline incorporated pyrazole derivatives using the Pfitzinger reaction II

In continuation of our study of novel quinolines with anti-inflammatory activity using the Pfitzinger reaction, several new quinoline derivatives were synthesized and tested for their anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic effect. A docking study on the COX-2 binding pocket was carried out for the target compounds to rationalize the possible selectivity of them against COX-2 enzyme. The most active compounds (5a, 8a and 11a) were found to be superior to celecoxib. Compound 11a demonstrated the highest anti-inflammatory activity as well as the best binding profiles into the COX-2 binding site. Moreover, compounds 9c, 9e, 10a and 11a were devoid of ulcerogenic activity.

Investigation on the Optimization of the Synthesis Processes of Morpholine from Residual Liquid of Morpholine Industry

Aimed to reduce the impact on the environment about waste liquor of morpholine industry,and to increase the profit of it, in this paper, morpholine synthesis from industrial morpholine residual is discussed and optimized, by the method of pressurized hydrolysis reaction. The kinds and volume of catalyst and system temperature-pressure and other reaction conditions are analyzed and optimized to obtain the best yield rate of morpholine. Experiments suggest that pressurized hydrolysis reaction, using sodium hydroxide as catalyst, could be an efficient method to synthesize morpholine from industrial morpholine residual.

What are we measuring when we test strain differences in anxiety in mice?

We examined measures of locomotor and anxiety-like behavior in male and female mice of 15 inbred strains on the elevated-plus maze, light/dark transition box and open field. Strain differences were found on all measures of locomotor activity and anxiety. Strain means for measures of locomotor activity on the three apparatus were significantly correlated, but strain means for commonly used measures of anxiety were not correlated. Principal component analysis revealed a common locomotor activity factor, which accounted for 28.6 % of the variance, but no common anxiety factor. Species-typical behaviors (defecations, stretch-attend postures, grooming) accounted for smaller proportions (<11 %) of the variance. These results plus comparisons with previously published data suggest that the elevated-plus maze, light/dark box and open field measure different facets of anxiety, and that the reliability of genetic differences on anxiety is highly dependent on apparatus, procedural variables and laboratory factors. Locomotor activity, however, is a stable trait that differs across strains and is reliably measured in different apparatus and laboratories. We conclude that anxiety traits of inbred mouse strains are best reflected by species-typical behaviors in each apparatus. These results suggest that new ways of measuring trait anxiety are required in order to determine the neural and genetic correlates of anxiety-like behaviour in mice.