Shifts in the Genetic Landscape of the Western Eurasian Steppe Associated with the Beginning and End of the Scythian Dominance

The Early Iron Age nomadic Scythians have been described as a confederation of tribes of different origins, based on ancient DNA evidence [1-3]. It is still unclear how much of the Scythian dominance in the Eurasian Steppe was due to movements of people and how much reflected cultural diffusion and elite dominance. We present new whole-genome sequences of 31 ancient Western and Eastern Steppe individuals, including Scythians as well as samples pre- and postdating them, allowing us to set the Scythians in a temporal context (in the Western, i.e., Ponto-Caspian Steppe). We detect an increase of eastern (Altaian) affinity along with a decrease in eastern hunter-gatherer (EHG) ancestry in the Early Iron Age Ponto-Caspian gene pool at the start of the Scythian dominance. On the other hand, samples of the Chernyakhiv culture postdating the Scythians in Ukraine have a significantly higher proportion of Near Eastern ancestry than other samples of this study. Our results agree with the Gothic source of the Chernyakhiv culture and support the hypothesis that the Scythian dominance did involve a demic component.

Synthesis and anti-inflammatory properties of 2-methyl-5-(3-phenylpropionyl)-1-benzoxolane

2-Methyl-5-(3-phenylpropionyl)-1-benzoxolane (CAS 159264-96-7) was synthesized and studied for anti-inflammatory properties. This new aryl ketone was more active than the previously reported 5-acyl substituted 1-benzoxolanes except 5-cinnamoyl-2-methyl-1-benzoxolane (the unsaturated analogue) which exhibited similar anti-inflammatory activity and similar toxicity but was more gastrotoxic. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of 2-methyl-5-(3-phenylpropionyl)-1-benzoxolane were less pronounced than those of indometacin but greater than those of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). The new ketone was less toxic and less gastrotoxic than both the reference drugs mentioned above. Therapeutic indices of the new compound were significantly greater than those of ASA and indometacin.

Synthesis and anti-inflammatory properties of benzoyl, halogenobenzoyl or cinnamoyl substituted 1-benzoxepanes and 2-methyl-1-benzoxolanes

A series of new 7-acyl substituted 1-benzoxepanes and 5-acyl substituted 2-methyl-1-benzoxolanes were synthesized and studied for anti-inflammatory properties. The benzoyl derivatives were more active than the corresponding halogenobenzoyl derivatives and previously reported structural analogues containing less methylene groups in their heterocyclic ring. The introduction of a methyl group at the 2-position of 5-cinnamoyl-1-benzoxolane heterocyclic ring significantly potentiated the activity. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of 7-benzoyl-1-benzoxepane and 5-cinnamoyl-2-methyl-I-benzoxolane were less pronounced than those of indomethacin and diclofenac but greater than those of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Both compounds were less toxic and 5-cinnamoyl-2-methyl-1-benzoxolane was also less gastrotoxic than all the reference drugs mentioned above. Therapeutic indices of 5-cinnamoyl-2-methyl-1-benzoxolane were greater than those of diclofenac and significantly greater than those of ASA and indomethacin.