Enantiomeric Discrimination Research Articles

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Tripartin, a Putative KDM4 Natural Product Inhibitor, and 1-Dichloromethylinden-1-ol Analogues.

The natural product tripartin has been reported to inhibit the N-methyl-lysine histone demethylase KDM4A. A synthesis of tripartin starting from 3,5-dimethoxyphenylacrylic acid was developed, and the enantiomers were separated by chiral HPLC. We observed that both tripartin enantiomers manifested an apparent increase in H3K9me3 levels when dosed in cells, as measured by western blot analysis. Thus, there is no enantiomeric discrimination toward this natural product in terms of its effects on cellular histone methylation status. Interestingly, tripartin did not inhibit isolated KDM4A-E under our assay conditions (IC50 >100 μm). Tripartin analogues with a dichloromethylcarbinol group derived from the indanone scaffold were synthesized and found to be inactive against isolated recombinant KDM4 enzymes and in cell-based assays. Although the precise cellular mode of action of tripartin is unclear, our evidence suggests that it may affect histone methylation status via a mechanism other than direct inhibition of the KDM4 histone demethylases.

One-Dimensional 13C NMR Is a Simple and Highly Quantitative Method for Enantiodiscrimination.

The discrimination of enantiomers of mandelonitrile by means of 1D 13C NMR and with the aid of the chiral solvating agent (S)-(+)-1-(9-anthryl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFAE) is presented. 1H NMR fails for this specific compound because proton signals either overlap with the signals of the chiral solvating agent or do not show separation between the (S)-enantiomer and the (R)-enantiomer. The 13C NMR method is validated by preparing artificial mixtures of the (R)-enantiomer and the racemate, and it is shown that with only 4 mg of mandelonitrile a detection limit of the minor enantiomer of 0.5% is obtained, corresponding to an enantiomeric excess value of 99%. Furthermore, the method shows high linearity, and has a small relative standard deviation of only 0.3% for the minor enantiomer when the relative abundance of this enantiomer is 20%. Therefore, the 13C NMR method is highly suitable for quantitative enantiodiscrimination. It is discussed that 13C NMR is preferred over 1H NMR in many situations, not only in molecules with more than one chiral center, resulting in complex mixtures of many stereoisomers, but also in the case of molecules with overlapping multiplets in the 1H NMR spectrum, and in the case of molecules with many quaternary carbon atoms, and therefore less abundant protons.

Electrochemical chiral sensor based on cellulose nanocrystals and multiwall carbon nanotubes for discrimination of tryptophan enantiomers

Based on the natural right-handed chirality of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and conductive amplification of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), we designed a composite chiral sensor to discriminate the tryptophan (Trp) enantiomers with the advantages of rapid recognition, high sensitivity and stability. In comparison with previous reports, the developed composite sensor from s-CNC (CNC from H2SO4-hydrolysis)/MWCNT nanoparticles exhibited high enantiospecificity to l-Trp, with the promising sensitivity of 3.5-fold of the peak current ratio for l-Trp to d-Trp at the optimal conditions (pH 7.0, 25 °C). Two kinds of CNCs (s-CNCs from H2SO4-hydrolysis and h-CNCs from HCl-hydrolysis) bearing different surface properties (groups and charges) exhibited different effects on the affinity to Trp enantiomers and resultant chiral recognition influence. The synergetic effect of chiral recognition from cellulose nanocrystals and signal amplification from multiwall carbon nanotubes offered an easy-handling and effective electrochemical approach for isomers discrimination to realize the chiral recognition of Trp enantiomers.

Electrochemical recognition for tryptophan enantiomers based on 3, 4, 9, 10-perylenetetracarboxylic acid–chitosan composite film

A novel and simple chiral sensing platform had been successfully fabricated by means of amidation reaction between 3, 4, 9, 10-perylenetetracarboxylic acid (PTCA) and chitosan (CS) to form 3, 4, 9, 10-perylenetetracarboxylic acid–chitosan (PTCA–CS) composite film. Since CS has chiral center and PTCA has excellent electrical conductivity, the PTCA–CS composite modified glassy carbon electrode (PTCA–CS/GCE) could be treated as an effective electrochemical chiral sensor and applied for chiral discrimination of tryptophan (Trp) enantiomers theoretically. PTCA–CS composite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV). When the prepared chiral sensing interface interacted with tryptophan isomers, a higher selectivity was received from D-Trp by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). It indicated that the PTCA–CS/GCE can be treated as an electrochemical chiral sensor for the discrimination of Trp enantiomers. Further study demonstrated that the peak currents were linearly increased with the increasing percentage of L-Trp of Trp racemic mixture. Furthermore, the enantioselective interaction of the PTCA–CS/GCE was systematically studied by other experimental factors, such as the incubation time and acidity.

Study of the enantiomeric separation of the anticholinergic drugs on two immobilized polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases by HPLC and the possible chiral recognition mechanisms.

In this work, the enantiomeric separation of ten anticholinergic drugs was first examined on two derivative polysaccharide chiral stationary phases (CSPs), i.e., Chiralpak ID and Chiralpak IA in the normal phase mode. Except for scopolamine hydrobromide, the remaining nine analytes could be completely separated with good resolutions using both columns under the optimized mobile phase conditions. And the enantiomeric discrimination ability of the studied CSPs towards nine analytes was in the order of Chiralpak ID>Chiralpak IA. The influences of organic modifier types, alcohol content, and base/acid additives on the enantiomeric separation were evaluated and optimized. According to the experimental results, the effect of the structures of analytes on enantiomeric separation was discussed. Additionally, the chiral recognition mechanisms were proposed based on the thermodynamic analysis of the experimental data.

The effect of the diameter of cyclic peptide nanotube on its chirality discrimination

In this work, the transport behaviors of the enantiomers of lactic acid (LA) in two cyclic peptide nanotubes (CPNTs) with different diameters were studied using steered molecular dynamic (SMD) simulation to investigate the effect of the diameter of CPNT on the discrimination of the enantiomers of LA. For this purpose, two cyclic peptides with two different sizes ([Ala-D-Ala-L]5 and [Ala-D-Ala-L]4) were used for constructing two CPNTs so that each CPNT was composed of eight cyclic peptide units. The docking calculations were performed to obtain the appropriate position of each enantiomer at the lumen of each CPNT. The variation of the pulling force versus time, exerted on the enantiomers moving in the CPNTs was calculated using the SMD simulations with two different strategies (positional and directional).The obtained results showed that the diameter of CPNT has considerable effect on the discrimination of the LA enantiomers so that the increase of the diameter of CPNT, increased the velocity difference between two enantiomers and improved the performance of CPNT for the chirality discrimination. The SMD simulations indicated that the velocity of S-enantiomer became more than R-enantiomer and its motion became more comfortable than R-enantiomer when the diameter of CNPT increased. The RDFs of the H and O atoms of the LA enantiomers relative to the O atoms of CPNT were calculated and it was found that the increase of the diameter of CPNT creates the significant changes in the RDFs of H1, H2 and H3 atoms of the enantiomers.

Chiral magnetic-nanobiofluids for rapid electrochemical screening of enantiomers at a magneto nanocomposite graphene-paste electrode

The development of highly sensitive and selective enantiomeric platforms towards the rapid screening of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is nowadays a crucial challenge in several fields related to pharmacology, biomedicine, biotechnology and (bio)sensors. Herein, it is presented a novel, facile and generic methodology focused on exploiting the synergistically and electrocatalytic properties of chiral magnetic-nanobiofluids (mNBFs) with electrochemical enantiobiosensing at a magneto nanocomposite graphene paste electrode (mNC–GPE). The feasibility of this approach has been validated by chirally recognizing tryptophan (TRP) enantiomers as a proof-of-concept. For this aim, a specific chiral mNBF based on an aqueous dispersion of cobalt ferrite loaded with gold nanoparticles carrying a thiolated β-cyclodextrin (β–CD-SH/Au/CoFe2O4–NPs) has been synthesized and used towards the supramolecular discrimination of TRP enantiomers at an advanced graphene-paste transducer via cyclic voltammetry. This strategy, which is the first demonstration of applicability of chiral mNBFs for electrochemical enantiorecognition, opens up new approaches into enantio(bio)sensing.

A chiral responsive carbon dots-gold nanoparticle complex mediated by hydrogen peroxide independent of surface modification with chiral ligands.

Chiral recognition of enantiomers is fundamentally important. In this study, a novel strategy for the chiral discrimination of glucose enantiomers was constructed based on the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-mediated generation of a carbon dots-gold nanoparticle (C-dots@Au NP) complex independent of surface modification with chiral ligands. H2O2 is essential as a reductant to promote the growth of Au NPs from gold salts. Besides, the modification of C-dots with sulfhydryl groups is necessary for its anchoring on the surface of Au NPs. Therefore, in the presence of H2O2, the C-dots@Au NP complex can be self-generated from a simple mixture containing C-dots and Au salts. It is worth noting that glucose oxidase can selectively catalyze d-glucose but not l-glucose to generate H2O2. In this regard, the chiral recognition process can trigger the formation of the C-dots@Au NP complex. Furthermore, based on the production of reddish Au NPs and the reduction of C-dot fluorescence quenched by Au NPs, the resultant C-dots@Au NP complex enables achieving the chiral discrimination of glucose enantiomers by combining colorimetric and fluorometric assays. Compared with the conventional approaches that use chiral ligands to decorate NPs, the generation of the chiral-responsive C-dots@Au NP complex is much simpler and faster. Upon combination with specific enzymatic reactions that produce a reductive product, the current strategy provides a general approach for the identification of chiral enantiomers.

NMR study on the stabilization and chiral discrimination of sulforaphane enantiomers and analogues by cyclodextrins

Sulforaphane (SFN), a phytochemical isolated from broccoli, is an important antitumoral compound with additional beneficial effect on other important diseases. However, the chemical instability of SFN has hampered its clinical use. In order to circumvent this problem, we report the first comparative study on the inclusion complexes of SFN and SFN homologues with different cyclodextrins by NMR spectroscopy. From this study it has been shown that α-CD is the most indicated cyclodextrin for the stabilization of SFN and SFN homologues, and that the highest affinity constant is that of the isothiocyanate obtained from the wasabi. Furthermore, the study of the inclusion complexes of α-CD and the non-natural SFN and analogues with S absolute configuration at sulfur shows for the first time that α-CD is able to discriminate between the two enantiomers, with the natural R enantiomers forming the inclusion complexes with higher affinity.

Synthesis of chiral carbosilane dendrimers with l-cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine on their surface and their application as chiral selectors for enantiomer separation by capillary electrophoresis

The synthesis of chiral carbosilane dendrimers functionalized with cysteine and N-acetylcysteine groups is presented. These dendrimers were obtained through thiol–ene addition reactions and their application as chiral selectors in capillary electrophoresis was investigated. Four drugs used as model compounds were analyzed under different experimental conditions observing that the use of a first generation dendrimer containing 4 terminal N-acetyl-l-cysteine groups enabled the enantiomeric discrimination of razoxane with a discrimination power similar to that obtained with other powerful chiral selectors such as cyclodextrins.

Levetiracetam + nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug binary systems: A contribution to the development of new solid dosage forms

A study has been carried out of binary solid systems made up of the antiepileptic drug levetiracetam, LEV, and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, NSAID, capable of managing the inflammation that accompanies epileptic activity. One aim of this research was to identify eutectic mixtures and co-crystals, which are able to impact positively on their biopharmaceutical properties. The NSAIDs studied are (S)- and (R,S)-ibuprofen, (S)- and (R,S)-naproxen, (R,S)-ketoprofen and (R,S)-flurbiprofen, all class II in the Biopharmaceutical Classification System. A green mechanochemical methodology has been used to prepare binary mixtures with different molar ratios, and the binary solid-liquid phase diagrams established. For LEV+(S)-ibuprofen, formation of a single (1:1) co-crystal was confirmed; this was found to melt incongruently. The co-crystal was found to be stable in accelerated stability tests. For the other systems, interesting eutectic mixtures were identified, which showed enhanced dissolution rates of the NSAID relative to the pure drug. For LEV+(R,S)-ibuprofen, LEV+(S)-naproxen and LEV+(R,S)-naproxen, the eutectic mixture compositions have the effective doses of both components. All the NSAIDs investigated are chiral, and their racemates are racemic compounds. Levetiracetam, the (S)-enantiomer of etiracetam, was not efficient in enantiomer discrimination, as all the racemic compound structures are present as the prepared solid mixtures.

Synthesis of new chiral fluorescent sensors and their applications in enantioselective discrimination

New chiral fluorescent sensors derived from tetraphenylethylene and proline hydrazide were synthesized and applied in the chiral recognition of various chiral compounds, including unprotected amino acids, acidic compounds, chiral amines and even neutral alcohols. These results demonstrated that the excellent enantioselective response ability to various chiral substrates could be attributed to the –NH moieties of pyrrolidine ring and thiourea unit which acted as hydrogen-bonding donors. This result is of potential significance in enantiomeric discrimination and high-throughput analysis of the enantiomeric purity of chiral guests.

Enantioselective Anion Recognition by Chiral Halogen-Bonding [2]Rotaxanes.

The application of chiral interlocked host molecules for discrimination of guest enantiomers has been largely overlooked, which is surprising given their unique three-dimensional binding cavities capable of guest encapsulation. Herein, we combined the stringent linear geometric interaction constraints of halogen bonding (XB), the noncovalent interaction between an electrophilic halogen atom and a Lewis base, with highly preorganized and conformationally restricted chiral cavities of [2]rotaxanes to achieve enantioselective anion recognition. Representing the first detailed investigation of the use of chiral XB rotaxanes for this purpose, extensive 1H NMR binding studies and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation experiments revealed that the chiral rotaxane cavity significantly enhances enantiodiscrimination compared to the non-interlocked free axle and macrocycle components. Furthermore, by examining the enantioselectivities of a family of structurally similar XB [2]rotaxanes containing different combinations of chiral and achiral macrocycle and axle components, the dominant influence of the chiral macrocycle in our rotaxane design for determining the effectiveness of chiral discrimination is demonstrated. MD simulations reveal the crucial geometric roles played by the XB interactions in orientating the bound enantiomeric anion guests for chiral selectivity, as well as the critical importance of the anions' hydration shells in governing binding affinity and enantiodiscrimination.

Indistinguishable odour enantiomers: Differences between peripheral and central-nervous electrophysiological responses

The ability of humans to discriminate enantiomeric odour pairs is substance –specific. Current literature suggests that psychophysical discrimination of odour enantiomers mainly depends on the peripheral processing at the level of the olfactory sensory neurons (OSN). To study the influence of central processing in discrimination, we investigated differences in the electrophysiological responses to psychophysically indistinguishable (+)- and (−)- rose oxide enantiomers at peripheral and central-nervous levels in humans. We recorded the electro-olfactogram (EOG) from the olfactory epithelium and the EEG-derived olfactory event-related potentials (OERP). Results from a psychophysical three alternative forced choice test indicated indistinguishability of the two odour enantiomers. In a total of 19 young participants EOG could be recorded in 74 and OERP in 95% of subjects. Significantly different EOG amplitudes and latencies were recorded in response to the 2 stimuli. However, no such differences in amplitude or latency emerged for the OERP. In conclusion, although the pair of enantiomer could be discriminated at a peripheral level this did not lead to a central-nervous/cognitive differentiation of the two stimuli.

Analytical methodologies for the stereoselective determination of fluoxetine: An overview.

Fluoxetine is a widely used antidepressant belonging to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class; it is used in the treatment of major depression, obsessive compulsive, premenstrual dysphoric, panic and post-traumatic stress disorders. Fluoxetine is an optical active pharmaceutical substance, which is used as a racemate in therapy, but stereospecific interactions associated with the serotonin-reuptake carrier, for both the parent drug and its active metabolite, norfluoxetine, have been described in the literature. Therefore, the stereoselective analysis of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine is important in order to characterize the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile of the analytes. Several chromatographic and electrophoretic methods have been published in the literature for the chiral discrimination of fluoxetine enantiomers from different matrices. The purpose of the current review is to provide a systematic survey of the analytical techniques used for the chiral determination of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine covering a period of ~25 years.

Biphasic Liquid Crystal and the Simultaneous Measurement of Isotropic and Anisotropic Parameters by Spatially Resolved NMR Spectroscopy.

Residual dipolar couplings and other anisotropic NMR parameters are powerful tools for molecular structure elucidation when conventional techniques do not suffice. With current liquid crystalline preparations it is necessary to prepare two samples to extract isotropic and anisotropic data from spectra and to derive the residual dipolar couplings. Here, we present the preparation, measurement, and interpretation of a novel biphasic liquid crystalline phase where a single sample can be used to generate both isotropic and anisotropic data. First, we introduce the synthesis of the chiral polymer leading to the biphasic liquid crystal. Second, we present two approaches to measure spatially selective CLIP-HSQC spectra. From these spectra, we extracted the couplings, performed an assignment of diastereotopic protons, and achieved the enantiomeric discrimination of isopinocampheol as a well-studied test molecule.

Design, synthesis and biological studies of a library of NK1-Receptor Ligands Based on a 5-arylthiosubstituted 2-amino-4,6-diaryl-3-cyano-4H-pyran core: Switch from antagonist to agonist effect by chemical modification

A library of 5-arylthiosubstituted 2-amino-4,6-diaryl-3-cyano-4H-pyrans has been synthesized as a new family of non-peptide NK1 receptor ligands by a one-pot cascade process. Their biological effects via interaction with the NK1 receptor were experimentally determined as percentage of inhibition (for antagonists) and percentage of activation (for agonists), compared to the substance P (SP) effect, in IPone assay. A set of these amino compounds was found to inhibit the action of SP, and therefore can be considered as a new family of SP-antagonists. Interestingly, the acylation of the 2-amino position causes a switch from antagonist to agonist activity. The 5-phenylsulfonyl-2-amino derivative 17 showed the highest antagonist activity, while the 5-p-tolylsulfenyl-2-trifluoroacetamide derivative 20R showed the highest agonist effect. As expected, in the case of the 5-sulfinylderivatives, there was an enantiomeric discrimination in favor of one of the two enantiomers, specifically those with (SS,RC) configuration. The anticancer activity studies assessed by using human A-549 lung cancer cells and MRC-5 non-malignant lung fibroblasts, revealed a statistically significant selective cytotoxic effect of some of these 2-amino-4H-pyran derivatives toward the lung cancer cells. These studies demonstrated that the newly synthesized 4H-pyran derivatives can be used as a starting point for the synthesis of novel SP-antagonists with higher anticancer activity in the future.

Enantioselective Recognition of Proline Enantiomers Using Sulfhydryl-modified Self-assembled Gold Electrodes

ABSTRACTPenicillamine, cysteine, and N-isobutyryl-cysteine enantiomers self-assembled gold electrodes were used for the enantioselective recognition of proline in the presence of copper(II). High stereoselectivity for proline was obtained for the D-form of the sulfhydryl compounds, particularly on the D-penicillamine-modified gold electrode. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to confirm the chiral discrimination of proline enantiomers on the D-penicillamine modified gold electrode in the presence of copper(II). The largest electrochemical response was obtained for D-proline for the recognition of its enantiomers, whereas small responses were obtained for the L- and D-forms of phenylalanine, tyrosine, serine, and glutamic acid. The influences of incubation time and pH for chiral ligand exchange were evaluated. This study complements and enhances applications for the recognition of amino acid enantiomers based on ligand exchange by electrochemical analysis.

Chiral discrimination of amino acid enantiomers based on different interactions with Cu2+

Chiral discrimination of amino acid enantomers could give us a better understanding of the fundamental processes in organisms since enantiomers may have opposite biological effects. However, most of the reported chiral discrimination methods were based on different interaction between the chiral host platform and amino acid enantiomers, the chiral discrimination probes using achiral host platform have not been explored yet. Herein we reported the development of an easy, rapid and sensitive discrimination methodology of amino acid enantiomers using achiral materials, which relied on the different coordination between Cu2+ ions and amino acid enantiomers. These coordinations could result in different pH values of samples containing the same amount of l- or d-amino acid enantiomers and Cu2+. By introduction of pH-responsive fluorophore 5(6)-Carboxyfluorescein (CF), above pH variation could be easily detected through fluorescence (FL) spectrometter, which could be utilized to determine the variety of amino acid enantiomers (including basic and acidic amino acids). Moreover, a more convenient achiral polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel containing CF and Cu2+ has also been successfully fabricated to discriminate amino acid enantiomers and even the enantiomeric excess (ee) of mixtures at the designed concentration ranges.

Discriminative sensing of DOPA enantiomers by cyclodextrin anchored graphene nanohybrids

Discriminative sensing of chiral species with a convenient and robust system is a challenge in chemistry, pharmaceutics and particularly in biomedical science. Advanced nanohybrid materials for discrimination of these biologically active molecules can be developed by combination of individual obvious advantages of different molecular scaffolds. Herein, we report on the comparison of the performance of cyclodextrin functionalized graphene derivatives (x-CD/rGO, x: α-, β-, γ-) for discrimination of DOPA enantiomers. Within this respect, electrochemical measurements were conducted and the experimental results were compared to molecular docking method. Thanks to cavity size of γ-CD and the unique properties of graphene, rGO/γ-CD nanohybrid is capable of selective recognition of DOPA enantiomers. Limit of detection (LOD) value and sensitivity were determined as 15.9 μM and 0.2525 μA μM−1 for D-DOPA, and 14.9 μM and 0.6894 μA μM−1 for L-DOPA.