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Histidine (His) plays a key role in mediating protein interactions and its unique side chain determines pH responsive self-assembling processes and thus in the formation of nanostructures. In this study, To identify novel self-assembling bioinspired sequences, we analyzed a series of peptide sequences obtained through the point mutation of aromatic residues of 264-277 fragment of nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) with single and double histidines. Through several orthogonal biophysical techniques and under different pH and ionic strength conditions we evaluated the effects of these substitutions in the amyloidogenic features of derived peptides. The results clearly indicate that both the type of aromatic mutated residue and its position can have different effect on amyloid-like behaviors. They corroborate the crucial role exerted by Tyr271 in the self-assembling process of CTD of NPM1 in AML mutated form and add novel insights in the accurate investigation of how side chain orientations can determine successful design of innovative bioinspired materials.

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4-Nitro and 7-nitro propranolol have been recently synthesized and characterized by us. (±)-4-NO2-propranolol has been shown to act as a selective antagonist of 6-nitrodopamine (6-ND) receptors in the right atrium of rats. As part of our follow-up to this study, herein, we describe the first synthesis of (±)-3-nitroatenolol as a probe to evaluate the potential nitration of atenolol by endothelium. Chiral chromatography was used to produce pure enantiomers. By using Riguera's method, which is based on the sign distribution of ΔδH, the absolute configuration of the secondary alcohol was determined.

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Skeletal muscle (SkM) lipid composition plays an essential role in physiological muscle maintenance and exercise performance. Thyroid hormones (THs) regulate muscle formation and fuel energy utilization by modulating carbohydrates and lipid and protein metabolism. The best-known effects of THs in SkM include the promotion of mitochondrial biogenesis, the fiber-type switch from oxidative to glycolytic fibers, and enhanced angiogenesis. To assess the role of THs on the lipidic composition of SkM fibers, we performed lipidomic analyses of SkM cells and tissues, glucose tolerance experiments, and exercise performance tests. Our data demonstrated that TH treatment induces remodeling of the lipid profile and changes the proportion of fatty acids in SkM. In brief, THs significantly reduced the ratio of stearic/oleic acid in the muscle similar to what is induced by physical activity. The increased proportion of unsaturated fatty acids was linked to an improvement in insulin sensitivity and endurance exercise. These findings point to THs as critical endocrine factors affecting exercise performance and indicate that homeostatic maintenance of TH signals, by improving cell permeability and receptor stability at the cell membrane, is crucial for muscle physiology.

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A new Lewis acid promoted domino isocyanide insertion/5-exo-dig cyclization of readily available Strecker 3-component adducts to 4-substituted 5-aminoimidazole derivatives is herein reported. Despite their potential as relevant heterocyclic scaffolds in medicinal chemistry programs, this class of compounds is still underrepresented, with current synthetic strategies poorly efficient in terms of timing and yields. To this end, we show how the exploitation of unconventional reactivities of isocyanides, promoted by ytterbium-triflate, could represent a key resource to enable a fast and easy access to such an unexplored area of the chemical space.

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Phytochemical investigation of Penicillium sp. RO-11 strain, collected from the sediments of a hydrothermal spring located in the southwestern area of Saudi Arabia, afforded, along with previously isolated compounds, the undescribed polyketides penicillactonin (1), penipyranicin D (4) and isopyrenulin B (5) and the undescribed meroterpenoid preaustinoid C (7). The structures of these compounds were elucidated based on data from mass spectrometry, 1D and 2D NMR, and comparison between experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Penicillactonin and preaustinoid C bring unprecedented structural features, for which a biosynthetic rationale is proposed, further extending the chemodiversity associated to Penicillium fungi. Preaustinoid C showed significant activity against LPS-induced NO production and selective effect on IL-2 and IFN-γ gene regulation in activated Jurkat cells.

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A new series of 5-norbornene-2-carboxamide derivatives was prepared and their affinities to the 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT2C receptors were evaluated and compared to a previously synthesized series of derivatives characterized by exo-N-hydroxy-5-norbornene-2,3-dicarboximidenucleus, in order to identify selective ligands for the above-mentioned subtype receptors. Arylpiperazines represents one of the most important classes of 5-HT1AR ligands, and recent research concerning new derivatives has been focused on the modification of one or more portions of such pharmacophore. The combination of structural elements (heterocyclic nucleus, propyl chain and 4-substituted piperazine), known to be critical to the affinity to 5-HT1A receptors, and the proper selection of substituents led to compounds with high specificity and affinity towards serotoninergic receptors. The most active compounds were selected for further in vivo assays to determine their functional activity. Finally, to rationalize the obtained results, molecular docking studies were performed. The results of the pharmacological studies showed that Norbo-4 and Norbo-18 were the most active and promising derivatives for the serotonin receptor considered in this study.

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We recently identified 6-nitrodopamine and other nitro-catecholamines (6-nitrodopa, 6-nitroadrenaline), indicating that the endothelium has the ability to nitrate the classical catecholamines (dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline). In order to investigate whether drugs could be subject to the same nitration process, we synthesized 4-nitro- and 7-nitropropranolol as probes to evaluate the possible nitration of the propranolol by the endothelium. The separation of the enantiomers in very high yields and excellent enantiopurity was achieved by chiral HPLC. Finally, we used Riguera's method to determine the absolute configuration of the enantiomers, through double derivatization with MPA and NMR studies.

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Due to the neuroprotective role of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) isoforms NCX1 and NCX3, we synthesized novel benzodiazepinone derivatives of the unique NCX activator Neurounina-1, named compounds 1-19. The derivatives are characterized by a benzodiazepinonic nucleus linked to five- or six-membered cyclic amines via a methylene, ethylene, or acetyl spacer. The compounds have been screened on NCX1/NCX3 isoform activities by a high-throughput screening approach, and the most promising were characterized by patch-clamp electrophysiology and Fura-2AM video imaging. We identified two novel modulators of NCX: compound 4, inhibiting NCX1 reverse mode, and compound 14, enhancing NCX1 and NCX3 activity. Compound 1 displayed neuroprotection in two preclinical models of brain ischemia. The analysis of the conformational and steric features led to the identification of the molecular volume required for selective NCX1 activation for mixed NCX1/NCX3 activation or for NCX1 inhibition, providing the first prototypal model for the design of optimized isoform modulators.

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The cytochalasan asporychalasin (1) was obtained from the marine fungus Aspergillus oryzae, isolated from the Red Sea sediments collected off Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The chemical structure of 1 was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and quantum-mechanical calculations of 13C NMR resonances and ECD to possess an unprecedented 6/6/11-fused tricyclic skeleton, including an isoquinolindione ring in place of the typical isoindolone. Asporychalasin exhibited moderate antiproliferative activity against three human cancer cell lines, lung carcinoma (A549), liver carcinoma (HepG2), and breast carcinoma (MCF7), and no toxicity on zebrafish embryos.

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The new asperorlactone (1), along with the known illudalane sesquiterpene echinolactone D (2), two known pyrones, 4-(hydroxymethyl)-5-hydroxy-2H-pyran-2-one (3) and its acetate 4, and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (5), were isolated from a culture of Aspergillus oryzae, collected from Red Sea marine sediments. The structure of asperorlactone (1) was elucidated by HR-ESIMS, 1D, and 2D NMR, and a comparison between experimental and DFT calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. This is the first report of illudalane sesquiterpenoids from Aspergillus fungi and, more in general, from ascomycetes. Asperorlactone (1) exhibited antiproliferative activity against human lung, liver, and breast carcinoma cell lines, with IC50 values < 100 µM. All the isolated compounds were also evaluated for their toxicity using the zebrafish embryo model.

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Chemical analysis of the aerial parts obtained from a Tunisian specimen of Daucus carota yielded to the isolation of six undescribed polyoxygenated germacranes and one elemanolide, along with one known metabolite. The stereostructures of the undescribed compounds were determined by extensive spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D NMR and HR-ESI-MS analysis. Due to their structural similarity with the Plasmodium transmission-blocking agent daucovirgolide G, the isolated metabolites were evaluated for their inhibitory activity on the development of Plasmodium early sporogonic stages. Three compounds proved to inhibit ookinete formation showing a good transmission blocking efficacy, but the low potency exhibited by these compounds when compared to daucovirgolide G further supports the observation that strict structural requirements do exist for the antimalarial activity of germacranolides.

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Four new aromatic polyketides (1-4) were isolated from Penicillium sp. RO-11, obtained from the sediment of a hydrothermal spring in the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia. The new compounds are penipyranicins A-C (1-3), characterized by a 4-methyl-4H-pyran moiety, a structural motif unprecedented among fungal polyketides, and the naphthopyrone derivative isopyrenulin (4). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of data from mass spectrometry, 1D and 2D NMR analysis, and comparison between experimental and time-dependent density functional theory-calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra. A plausible biosynthetic pathway connecting penipyranicins and isopyrenulin is proposed. The isolated compounds were active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

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Bioassay-guided investigation of the Saudi medicinal and edible plant Cissus rotundifolia yielded seven metabolites, including the new sucrose diester cissuxinoside (1) and the unprecedented cissoic acid (2), belonging to unusual classes of secondary metabolites. Their chemical structures were elucidated through a combination of HR-MS and NMR data. The absolute configuration of cissoic acid was assigned by comparison of experimental and TDDFT-calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra. In addition, three rare C-glycosyl flavones (3-5) were fully characterized, and for 3 and 4 NMR data are reported here for the first time. This study identified 1-O-(4-coumaroyl)-ß-d-glucopyranose (7) as the main compound responsible for the glucose uptake stimulation effect exerted by the extract.

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The chemical analysis of the sponge Dysidea avara afforded the known sesquiterpene quinone avarone, along with its reduced form avarol. To further explore the role of the thiazinoquinone scaffold as an antiplasmodial, antileishmanial and antischistosomal agent, we converted the quinone avarone into the thiazinoquinone derivative thiazoavarone. The semisynthetic compound, as well as the natural metabolites avarone and avarol, were pharmacologically investigated in order to assess their antiparasitic properties against sexual and asexual stages of Plasmodium falciparum, larval and adult developmental stages of Schistosoma mansoni (eggs included), and also against promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania infantum and Leishmania tropica. Furthermore, in depth computational studies including density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed. A toxic semiquinone radical species which can be produced starting both from quinone- and hydroquinone-based compounds could mediate the anti-parasitic effects of the tested compounds.

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A visible-light-promoted three-component isocyanide-based synthesis of iminofurans is herein reported. The reaction proved to be general in scope and proceeds through a triple domino process. Control experiments with 18O-labeled water and TEMPO provided key mechanistic insights for delineating the reactivity paradigms crucial to design efficient photoredox isocyanide-based domino transformations.

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Schistosomiasis is the most significant neglected tropical parasitic disease caused by helminths in terms of morbidity and mortality caused by helminths. In this work, we present the antischistosomal activity against Schistosoma mansoni of a rationally selected small set of thiazinoquinone derivatives, some of which were previously found to be active against Plasmodium falciparum and others synthesized ad hoc. The effects on larvae, juvenile, and adult parasite viability as well as on egg production and development were investigated, resulting in the identification of new multistage antischistosomal hit compounds. The most promising compounds 6, 8, 13, and 14 with a LC50 value on schistosomula from ∼5 to ∼15 µM also induced complete death of juvenile (28 days old) and adult worm pairs (7 weeks old) and a detrimental effect on egg production and development in vitro. Structure-activity relationships (SARs) were analyzed by means of computational studies leading to the hypothesis of a redox-based mechanism of action with a one-electron reduction bioactivation step and the subsequent formation of a toxic semiquinone species, similarly to what was previously observed for the antiplasmodial activity. Our results also evidenced that the selective toxicity against mammalian cells or parasites as well as specific developmental stages of a parasite can be addressed by varying the nature of the introduced substituents.

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Several marine natural linear prenylquinones/hydroquinones have been identified as anticancer and antimutagenic agents. Structure-activity relationship studies on natural compounds and their synthetic analogs demonstrated that these effects depend on the length of the prenyl side chain and on the type and position of the substituent groups in the quinone moiety. Aiming to broaden the knowledge of the underlying mechanism of the antiproliferative effect of these prenylated compounds, herein we report the synthesis of two quinones 4 and 5 and of their corresponding dioxothiazine fused quinones 6 and 7 inspired to the marine natural product aplidinone A (1), a geranylquinone featuring the 1,1-dioxo-1,4-thiazine ring isolated from the ascidian Aplidium conicum. The potential effects on viability and proliferation in three different human cancer cell lines, breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), pancreas adenocarcinoma (Bx-PC3) and bone osteosarcoma (MG-63), were investigated. The methoxylated geranylquinone 5 exerted the highest antiproliferative effect exhibiting a comparable toxicity in all three cell lines analyzed. Interestingly, a deeper investigation has highlighted a cytostatic effect of quinone 5 referable to a G0/G1 cell-cycle arrest in BxPC-3 cells after 24 h treatment.

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A deep study of the metabolic content of the tunicate Polycarpa aurata, collected from Indonesian coast, afforded the isolation of two novel alkaloids, polyaurines A (1) and B (2), along with two new p-substituted benzoyl derivatives (3 and 4) and four known compounds (5-8). The structural elucidation of the new secondary metabolites was assigned by 1D, 2D NMR, and HRESIMS techniques. Computational studies resulted a useful tool to unambiguously determine in polyaurine B the presence of rarely found 1,2,4-thiadiazole ring. The effects of polyaurines A and B on mammalian cells growth and on the viability of different blood-dwelling Schistosoma mansoni (phylum: Platyhelminthes) stages, as well as egg production, were evaluated. Both compounds resulted not cytotoxic; interestingly some of the eggs produced by polyaurine A-treated adult pairs in vitro are smaller, deformed, and/or fragmented; therefore, polyaurine A could represent an interesting bioactive natural molecule to be further investigated.

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The increased levels of cyclic nucleotides (cGMP and cAMP) in enterocytes trigger intracellular mechanisms of ion and fluid secretion into the lumen, causing secretory diarrhea. Twelve novel pyridopyrimidines derived from 5-(3,5-bistrifluoromethylphenyl)-1,3-dimethyl-5,11-dihydro-1H-indeno[2,1 : 5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione (FPIPP) were synthesized and evaluated on intracellular cyclic nucleotide accumulation. All compounds had no effect on either cyclic nucleotide basal levels or on pre-contracted aortic rings. The metabolic activity and viability in T84 cells, assessed by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) and the LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) assays, respectively, were not affected by incubation with the compounds (50 µM). Compound VI almost abolished cGMP accumulation (94 % inhibition) induced by STa toxin in T834 cells and significantly reduced (69 %) forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation in Jurkat cells. Compound VI was active in an in vivo model for diarrhea in rabbits. These results prompted us to perform a microscopic histopathological analysis of intestinal tissues, showing that only compound VI preserves the intestine without significant pathological changes and with a decreased inflammatory pattern in comparison to FPIPP. In vitro stability test revealed that compound VI is resistant to oxidation promoted by atmospheric oxygen.

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Anthocyanins are natural pigments responsible for the typical color of red wines and are critically associated with the wine commercial value and longevity. Thus, understanding the molecular bases of the anthocyanin chemical behavior in the complex wine environment is a central issue to the enological sector. By setting up a nuclear-magnetic-resonance-based experimental protocol, new important insights into the chemistry of malvidin-3- O-glucoside, a major wine anthocyanin, in model solution have been provided. Two new equilibrating isomers of the anthocyanin have been identified and quantified at typical wine pH values. More importantly, the key role of pH in determining the solubility and co-pigmentation process of malvidin-3- O-glucoside has been clarified. Consequently, a value of pH of about 3.3 or lower favors co-pigmentation while inhibiting the precipitation of significant quantities of anthocyanins during the maceration-extraction phase of the winemaking.

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