"Hexacarboxytrindanes": benzene rings with homotopic faces as scaffolds for the construction of D3 chiral architectures.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Alfonso Zambon.
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A number of quite specific and fairly potent inhibitors of protein kinase CK2, belonging to the classes of condensed polyphenolic compounds, tetrabromobenzimidazole/triazole derivatives and indoloquinazolines are available to date. The structural basis for their selectivity is provided by a hydrophobic pocket adjacent to the ATP/GTP binding site, which in CK2 is smaller than in the majority of other protein kinases due to the presence of a number of residues whose bulky side chains are generally replaced by smaller ones. Consequently a doubly substituted CK2 mutant V66A,I174A is much less sensitive than CK2 wild type to these classes of inhibitors. The most efficient inhibitors both in terms of potency and selectivity are 4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzotriazole, TBB (Ki = 0.4 microM), the TBB derivative 2-dimethylamino-4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzimidazole, DMAT (Ki = 0.040 microM), the emodin related coumarinic compound 8-hydroxy-4-methyl-9-nitrobenzo[g]chromen-2-one, NBC (Ki = 0.22 microM) and the indoloquinazoline derivative ([5-oxo-5,6-dihydroindolo-(1,2a)quinazolin-7-yl]acetic acid), IQA (Ki = 0.17 microM). These inhibitors are cell permeable as judged from ability to block CK2 in living cells and they have been successfully employed, either alone or in combination with CK2 mutants refractory to inhibition, to dissect signaling pathways affected by CK2 and to identify the endogenous substrates of this pleitropic kinase. By blocking CK2 these inhibitors display a remarkable pro-apoptotic efficacy on a number of tumor derived cell lines, a property which can be exploited in perspective to develop antineoplastic drugs.
The kinetic parameters for topomerization around the N-CO bond and enantiomerization around the C-CO bond in N-1-naphthoyl fulleropyrrolidine 1 and N-1-naphthoyl pyrrolidine 2 have been determined by dynamic NMR (line shape simulation and selective inversion transfer). The DeltaS(not =) values are negligible. The DeltaH# value for topomerization of 1 is smaller with respect to that of 2 by 4.3 kcal mol(-1) (explained by the electron-withdrawing effect of fullerene) and the value for enantiomerization is greater by 1.4 kcal mol(-1) (explained by the greater rigidity of the fulleropyrrolidine ring, as confirmed by ab initio analyses).
Copper(I) thiophen-2-carboxylate was successfully employed in the trimerization of [2.2.1] bicyclic vic-bromotrimethyltin olefins (in their racemic composition), bearing different functionalities, to invariably obtain almost quantitative yields of the syn and anti tris-annelated benzenes. The two isomers come in different ratios, smaller than or equal to the statistical 1:3 ratio, depending on the steric hindrance opposed by the functionalities. In the case of enantiopure (3-bromo-4,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-en-2-yl)trimethylstannane, the 1:9 ratio found with Cu(NO(3))(2).3H(2)O increases to 1:6.
The toxic effects of eighteen substituted anilines were determined by means of a short-term in vitro assay, using submitochondrial particles (SMP) as biosensors. The assay allows for the quantification of the effects of toxicants that act specifically on mitochondrial respiratory functions, like uncouplers and inhibitors, or non-specifically, by disturbing the structure and functioning of the inner mitochondrial membrane. The obtained EC(50) values range from 72.5 to 1910 micromol/l. The type and position of the substituents are of fundamental importance in determining the toxic potency. In general, the presence of electron-withdrawing substituents produces higher toxic effects, whereas electron-donating groups seem to reduce the toxicity. Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) showed that toxicity values were correlated with the Hammett sigma constant and with hydrogen bonding capacity descriptors, such as E(LUMO), E(HOMO) and Q(+). The results indicate that toxicity increases with increasing the hydrogen bonding donor capacity of the NH(2) group and support the hypothesis of a mechanism of action based on hydrogen bonding formation between the amino group of anilines and polar groups at the membrane/water interface. Such an interaction would cause a derangement of the membrane structure and, as a consequence, a disturbance of its functioning.