Ligand-Functionalized MIL-68-type Indium(III) Metal-Organic Frameworks with Prominent Intrinsic Proton Conductivity

Indium-based metal-organic frameworks (In-MOFs) have now become an attractive class of porous solids in materials science and electrochemistry due to their diverse structures and promising applications. In the field of proton conduction, to find more crystalline MOFs with splendid proton-conductive properties, herein, five three-dimensional isostructural In-MOFs, MIL-68-In or MIL-68-In-X (X = NH2, OH, Br, or NO2) using terephthalic acid (H2BDC) or functionalized terephthalic acids (H2BDC-X) as multifunctional linkages were efficiently fabricated. First, the outstanding structural stability of the five MOFs, including thermal and water stability, was verified by thermal analysis and powder X-ray diffraction. Subsequently, the H2O-mediated proton conductivities (σ) were fully assessed and compared. Notably, their σ evinced a significant positive correlation between the temperature or relative humidity (RH) and varied with the functional groups on the organic ligands. Impressively, their highest σ values are up to 10-3-10-4 S/cm (100 °C/98% RH) and change in this order: MIL-68-In-OH (1.72 × 10-3 S/cm) > MIL-68-In-NH2 (1.70 × 10-3 S/cm) > MIL-68-In-NO2 (4.47 × 10-4 S/cm) > MIL-68-In-Br (4.11 × 10-4 S/cm) > MIL-68-In (2.37 × 10-4 S/cm). Finally, the computed activation energy values under 98 or 68% RHs are assessed, and the related proton conduction mechanisms are speculated. Moreover, after electrochemical testing, these MOFs illustrate remarkable structural rigidity, laying a meritorious material foundation for future applications.

Fragment Hopping-Based Design of Novel Biphenyl-DAPY Derivatives as Potent Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors Featuring Significantly Improved Anti-Resistance Efficacy

To enhance the anti-resistance efficacy of our previously reported non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) 4, a series of novel biphenyl-DAPY derivatives were developed using the fragment-hopping strategy. Most of the compounds 8a-v exhibited remarkably improved anti-HIV-1 potency. The most active compound 8r proved to be exceptionally potent against the wild-type HIV-1 (EC₅₀ = 2.3 nM) and five mutant strains, such as K103N (EC₅₀ = 8 nM) and E138K (EC₅₀ = 6 nM), significantly better than 4. The new DAPY analogue was 8-fold less cytotoxic and had a 17-fold higher selectivity index (CC₅₀ = 40.77 μM, SI > 17391) than etravirine and rilpivirine. Also, it displayed favorable pharmacokinetic properties with an oral bioavailability of 31.19% and weak sensitivity toward both CYP and hERG. No apparent acute toxicity (2 g/kg) and tissue damage occurred. These findings will further expand the possibility of successfully identifying biphenyl-DAPY analogues as highly potent, safe, and orally active NNRTIs for HIV treatment.

Picomolar inhibitor of reverse transcriptase featuring significantly improved metabolic stability

Considering the undesirable metabolic stability of our recently identified NNRTI 5 (t_1/2 = 96 min) in human liver microsomes, we directed our efforts to improve its metabolic stability by introducing a new favorable hydroxymethyl side chain to the C-5 position of pyrimidine. This strategy provided a series of novel methylol-biphenyl-diarylpyrimidines with excellent anti-HIV-1 activity. The best compound 9g was endowed with remarkably improved metabolic stability in human liver microsomes (t_1/2 = 2754 min), which was about 29-fold longer than that of 5 (t_1/2 = 96 min). This compound conferred picomolar inhibition of WT HIV-1 (EC₅₀ = 0.9 nmol/L) and low nanomolar activity against five clinically drug-resistant mutant strains. It maintained particularly low cytotoxicity (CC₅₀ = 264 μmol/L) and good selectivity (SI = 256,438). Molecular docking studies revealed that compound 9g exhibited a more stable conformation than 5 due to the newly constructed hydrogen bond of the hydroxymethyl group with E138. Also, compound 9g was characterized by good safety profiles. It displayed no apparent inhibition of CYP enzymes and hERG. The acute toxicity assay did not cause death and pathological damage in mice at a single dose of 2 g/kg. These findings paved the way for the discovery and development of new-generation anti-HIV-1 drugs.

Synthesis, Crystal Structures and Antibacterial Activities of N,N'-Ethylene-bis(3-bromosalicylaldimine) and Its Copper(II) and Cobalt(III) Complexes

A bis-Schiff base N,N'-ethylene-bis(3-bromosalicylaldimine) (H2L) was prepared from 3-bromosalicylaldehyde and ethane-1,2-diamine. With H2L as ligand, a new copper(II) complex [CuL] (1) and a new cobalt(III) complex [CoL(NCS)(DMF)] (2) were prepared and characterized by physico-chemical methods and single crystal X-ray analysis. X-ray analysis indicates that the Cu atom in complex 1 is in square planar coordination, and the Co atom in complex 2 is in octahedral coordination. The compounds were tested in vitro for their antibacterial activities on Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Both complexes have effective activities on the bacteria.

Two Zinc(II) Complexes with Similar Hydrazone Ligands: Syntheses, Crystal Structures and Antibacterial Activities

A pair of new mononuclear zinc(II) complexes with hydrazone ligands 4-methoxybenzoic acid (1-pyridin-2-ylmethylidene)hydrazide (HLa) and benzoic acid (1-pyridin-2-ylethylidene)hydrazide (HLb) were prepared. They are [Zn(La)2] (1) and [Zn(Lb)2] (2). The complexes were characterized by physico-chemical methods and single crystal X-ray determination. The tridentate hydrazone ligands coordinate to the Zn atoms through the pyridine nitrogen, imino nitrogen and enolate oxygen atoms. The Zn atom in each complex is six coordinated by two hydrazone ligands, to form octahedral coordination. The complexes have effective activities against the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of dihydroquinazoline-2-amines as potent non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors of wild-type and mutant HIV-1 strains

A novel series of dihydroquinazolin-2-amine derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-HIV-1 activity in MT-4 cell cultures. All of the molecules were active against wild-type HIV-1 with EC₅₀ values ranging from 0.61 μM to 0.84 nM. The most potent inhibitor, compound 4b, had an EC₅₀ value of 0.84 nM against HIV-1 strain IIIB, and thus was more active than the reference drugs efavirenz and etravirine. Moreover, most of the compounds maintained high activity (low-micromolar EC₅₀ values) against strains bearing the reverse transcriptase (RT) E138K mutation. Compound 4b had EC₅₀ values of 3.5 nM and 66 nM against non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-resistant strains bearing the RT E138K and RES056 mutations. In enzyme activity assays, compound 4b exhibited an IC₅₀ value of 10 nM against HIV-1 RT. Preliminary SARs and molecular docking studies provide valuable insights for further optimization.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of a Polymeric Copper(II) Complex Derived from 2-Hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde Oxime with Antibacterial Activities

A centrosymmetric O-bridged polynuclear copper(II) complex, [CuL2]n, where L is the deprotonated form of the Schiff base ligand 2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde oxime, has been prepared and characterized by IR, UV and single-crystal X-ray determination. There is a crystallographic inversion center in the complex. The Cu atom in the complex is coordinated by the phenolate oxygen, imino nitrogen and hydroxyl oxygen atoms from two Schiff base ligands, forming octahedral geometry. The complex was tested in vitro for its antibacterial activity.

Design and synthesis of a novel series of non-nucleoside HIV-1 inhibitors bearing pyrimidine and N-substituted aromatic piperazine

A novel series of substituted piperazine-1-yl-pyrimidine derivatives were designed and synthesized as a new type of HIV-1 non-nucleoside inhibitors. Various N-substituted aromatic groups were incorporated into the piperazine ring through a simple and practical route to investigate the biological activity of these target compounds against wild-type and resistant strains of HIV-1. All of the target compounds were also evaluated as HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors in MT-4 cell cultures. The biological results showed that six of these compounds displayed inhibitory activities against the wild-type strain, among of which 7q and 7t were found to be the two most active analogues possessing EC₅₀ values of 31.50 μM and 3.36 μM, respectively. Molecular modeling studies of 7q provide valuable information for developing new anti-HIV-1 inhibitors.

Synthesis, Crystal Structures and Antibacterial Activities of Trifluoromethylsulfonate Salts of 2-[(3-Chloropyridinium-2-yl)hydrazonomethyl]-6-methoxyphenol and its Copper(II) and Cobalt(III) Complexes

A new trifluoromethylsulfonate salt of 2-[(3-chloropyridinium-2-yl)hydrazonomethyl]-6-methoxyphenol, (HL)CF3SO3, and its copper(II) and cobalt(III) complexes, [CuL(OH2)]CF3SO3 · 0.5H2O (1) and [CoL2]CF3SO3 · CH3OH (2), were prepared and characterized by physico-chemical methods and single crystal X-ray analysis. A trifluoromethylsulfonate anion is present in each of the compounds. The Cu atom in complex 1 is coordinated by the phenolate O, imino N and pyridine N atoms of L ligand, giving square planar geometry. The Co atom in complex 2 is coordinated by two phenolate O, two imino N and two pyridine N atoms from two L ligands, giving octahedral geometry. The three compounds were tested in vitro for their antibacterial activities.

Exploration of structure-based on imidazole core as antibacterial agents

Imidazole, a five-membered heterocycle having three carbon atoms, and two double bonds, having efficient antibacterial Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtili, Bacillus proteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Helicobacter pyloriurease etc, shows a broad-spectrum of antibacterial activities. To Search new antibacterial drugs to overcome resistance of microorganisms to antibiotics, to date hundreds of this sort of derivatives have been synthesized and possess potent antibacterial activity. As the structure of imidazole derivatives is various, the target of antibacterial is also diverse including β-Lactamases, β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III (FabH), DNA gyrase and topoisomerase, glutamate racemase and urease. In this review, we will discuss the emergence of resistance to antibiotics and attempt to summarize the main developments of imidazole derivatives in the past ten years. We hope that increasing knowledge of the structure-activity relationship (SAR) will be beneficial to the rational design of new generation of small molecule antibacterial drugs.

Design, synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking of novel metronidazole derivatives as selective and potent JAK3 inhibitors

Two series of novel metronidazole derivatives as potential inhibitors targeting JAK have been designed, synthesized and their biological activities were also evaluated.

N′-(5-Bromo-2-methoxybenzylidene)-3,4-methylenedioxybenzohydrazide

In the title mol­ecule, C₁₆H₁₃BrN₂O₄, the two benzene rings form a dihedral angle of 74.9 (2)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked via inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into chains propagating along the c axis.

N'-(3,5-Dibromo-2-hydroxy-benzyl-idene)-3,4-methyl-enedioxy-benzohydrazide

In the asymmetric unit of the title hydrazone compound, C(15)H(10)Br(2)N(2)O(4), there are two independent mol-ecules. In each mol-ecule, the five-membered ring adopts a flattened envelope conformation; the flap atoms are displaced by 0.114 (2) and 0.219 (2) Å from the planes of the other four atoms. In one mol-ecule the dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 22.8 (2)°, while in the other it is 40.8 (2)°. Each mol-ecule displays an E configuration with respect to the C=N bond. In both mol-ecules, intra-molecular O-H⋯N hydrogen bonds are observed. In the crystal structure, mol-ecules are linked through inter-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the a axis.

N'-(5-Bromo-2-methoxy-benzyl-idene)-4-hydroxy-benzohydrazide methanol solvate

In the title hydrazone compound, C₁₅H₁₃BrN₂O₃·CH₃OH, the methanol solvate is linked to the benzohydrazide molecule through O—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The benzohydrazide mol­ecule adopts an E configuration about the C=N double bond. The mol­ecule is twisted, with a dihedral angle between the two substituted benzene rings of 35.7 (2)°. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules are linked through inter­molecular N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming layers parallel to the ac plane.