Lipophilicity Parameters Research Articles

Pharmacological classification of anticancer drugs applying chromatographic retention data and chemometric analysis

The combination of chromatography and chemometrics has been introduced in order to provide information about drug analytes, biological macromolecules, the stationary phase, whose properties are related to molecular pharmacology and rational drug design. In this work a pharmacological classification was made in order to find strategy for predicting an activity of anticancer drugs. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method has been employed to build some relationship models between the following: lipophilicity parameters of selected antitumor drugs obtained by chromatographic analysis, some molecular modeling descriptors from HyperChem software, lipophilicity parameters calculated by proper program, biological activity, as well as mechanism of actions and therapeutic properties of selected anticancer drugs. The most significant influence on factors value had parameters, which described compounds’ lipophilicity. Important debt on antitumor properties had some other molecular descriptors, which were considered in this paper (e.g. topological, physico-chemical, and energy ones). In addition, distribution of individual drugs on plots determined by two principal components had shown points in good accordance with their chemical structures and cytostatic activity as well as their mechanism of actions and therapeutic properties.

Evaluation of the Lipophilicity of New Anticancer 1,2,3-Triazole-Dipyridothiazine Hybrids Using RP TLC and Different Computational Methods

Two new anticancer-active 1,2,3-triazole-dipyridothiazine hybrids were evaluated for their lipophilicity using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and computational methods. The experimental lipophilicity was evaluated with mobile phases (mixtures of TRIS buffer and acetone), exploiting a linear correlation between the retention parameter (RM) and the volume of acetone. The relative lipophilicity parameter (RM0) was obtained by extrapolation to 0% acetone concentration. This parameter was intercorrelated with a specific hydrophobic surface area (b) revealing two congeneric subgroups: hybrids of 1,2,3-triazole-2,7-diazaphenothiazines and 1,2,3-triazole-3,6-diazaphenothiazines. The parameter RM0 was converted into the absolute lipophilicity parameter logPTLC using a calibration curve prepared on the basis of compounds of known logP values. Triazole–dipyridothiazine hybrids turned out to be medium lipophilic with logPTLC values of 1.232–2.979. The chromatographically established parameter logPTLC was compared to the calculated lipophilic parameter logPcalcd obtained with various algorithms. The lipophilicity was correlated with molecular descriptors and ADME properties. The new triazole–dipyridothiazine hybrids followed Lipinski’s rule of five. The lipophilicity of these hybrids was dependent on the substituents attached to the triazole ring and the location of the azine nitrogen atoms.

Insight into the hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatographic retention behaviors of hydrophilic compounds on different stationary phases

In this work, the correlations between retention behavior and lipophilicity of a large set of hydrophilic neutral and ionic analytes were studied based on three hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) stationary phases, including zwitterionic, crosslinked diol and triazole stationary phases. It was found that HILIC, due to the diversity of retention mechanism, is a more complex chromatography separation mode than reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) which has been widely accepted for lipophilicity assessment. Because electrostatic interactions contributed to the overall retention of the charged solutes on all three stationary phases, ion-strength of the mobile phase kept the same during the whole experiment. After the correlations between retention factor log k and water volume fraction Φ were investigated, the mixed retention model was revealed to be more suitable for HILIC retention behavior than other single models including partitioning and adsorption model. Moreover, in order to bridge the relationship between HILIC log k and lipophilicity parameter log D, net charge ne and Abraham solvation parameter were introduced in the quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) model. Although the correlation coefficients between log D and log k were still moderate, the significant improvement in correlation has made HILIC a potential choice as the complement of RPLC for log D measurement.

Comparison of Various Chromatographic Systems for Identification of Vortioxetine in Bulk Drug Substance, Human Serum, Saliva, and Urine Samples by HPLC-DAD and LC-QTOF-MS.

Background: Determination of psychotropic drugs in clinical study is significant, and the establishment of methodologies for these drugs in biological matrices is essential for patients’ safety. The search for new methods for their detection is one of the most important challenges of modern scientific research. The methods for analyzing of psychotropic drugs and their metabolites in different biological samples should be based on combining a very efficient separation technique including high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with a sensitive detection method and effectively sample preparation methods. Objective: Retention, peaks symmetry and system efficiency of vortioxetine on Hydro RP, Polar RP, HILIC A (with silica stationary phase), HILIC-B (with aminopropyl stationary phase), and ACE HILIC-N (with polyhydroxy stationary phase and SCX columns were investigated. Various mobile phases containing methanol or acetonitrile as organic modifiers and different additives were also applied to obtained optimal retention, peaks shape, and systems efficiency. The best chromatographic procedure was used for simultaneous analysis of vortioxetine and its metabolites in human serum, urine and saliva samples. Methods: Analysis of vortioxetine was performed in various chromatographic systems: Reversed phase (RP) systems on alkylbonded or phenyl stationary phases, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC), and ion-exchange chromatography (IEC). Based on the dependence of log k vs the concentration of the organic modifier, log kw values for vortioxetine in various chromatographic systems were determined and compared with calculated log P values. Solid phase extraction (SPE) method was applied for sample pre-treatment before HPLC analysis. HPLC-QTOF-MS method was applied for confirmation of presence of vortioxetine and some its metabolites in biological samples collected from psychiatric patient. Conclusions: Differences were observed in retention parameters with a change of the applied chromatographic system. The various properties of stationary phases resulted in differences in vortioxetine retention, systems’ efficiency, and peaks’ shape. Lipophilicity parameters were also determined using different HPLC conditions. The most optimal systems were chosen for the analysis of vortioxetine in biological samples. Both serum and urine or saliva samples collected from patients treated with vortioxetine can be used for the drug determination. For the first time, vortioxetine was detected in patient’s saliva. Obtained results indicate on possibility of application of saliva samples, which collection are non-invasive and painless, for determination and therapeutic drug monitoring in patients.

Heterocycles 51: Liphophilicity investigation of some thiazole chalcones and aurones by experimental and theoretical methods

Reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography were used for lipophilicity determination of a library of 30 thiazole chalcones and aurones previously synthetized in our laboratory. The experimental lipophilicity data have been compared with theoretical lipophilicity parameters estimated by various computational methods. Good correlations between the experimental and calculated lipophilicity parameters have been found for both investigated classes of compounds. Correlations between the lipophilicity of the thiazole chalcones and aurones and their antiproliferative activity were discussed. The methodologies and data gathered in this study will contribute to the lipophilicity studies of chalcones and aurones derivatives, two important classes of compounds in medicinal chemistry.

A revised model of fungicide translaminar activity

Translaminar redistribution is valuable for fungicide activity but difficult to measure and predict. The translaminar activity of 38 fungicides active against cucumber powdery mildew was measured experimentally and used to develop a QSAR (Quantitative structure–activity relationship) model of translaminar movement from calculated parameters. Over 300 physiochemical parameters generated from energy-minimized 3D structures were considered and one-parameter, two-parameter, and five-parameter models were developed. The one-parameter lipophilicity model explained 39% of variability in translaminar activity in the full dataset but none of the variability in the small succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) set. Adding a polar surface area parameter to the lipophilicity parameter improved predictability to 52% and explained over 70% of the variability in the SDHI class. The expanded model with five physiochemical parameters explained more than 80% of the variability in overall translaminar redistribution. The three additional parameters were correlated with molecular size and reactivity. The models were validated with a Leave-One-Out method that showed excellent robustness (r2adj = 0.83, q2 = 0.79, p < .0001) for the five-parameter model. Because the models require only calculated parameters from a 3D chemical structure, they could enable the design or selection of compounds likely to be translaminar.

The effect of polar head group of dodecyl surfactants on the growth of wheat and cucumber

The increasing application of various surfactants nowadays, may lead to the contamination of the natural environment and represent potential threat to terrestrial higher plants. In this article, the effect of 13 surfactants, with dodecyl alkyl chain and various aromatic (imidazolium, pyridinium, thiazolium) and aliphatic (guanidinium, ammonium, thiosemicarbazidium) polar heads, on germination, development and growth of wheat and cucumber was investigated. The study aimed to prove how changes in lipophilicity of surfactants and their various structural modifications (existence of the aliphatic or aromatic polar group, the introduction of oxygen and sulfur) influence toxicity towards investigated plants. The calculated lipophilic parameter (AlogP) is shown to be a useful parameter for predicting potential toxicity of the compound. The strategy of using surfactants with aliphatic polar heads instead of aromatic prove to be a promising strategy in reducing harmful effect, as well as the introduction of polar groups in the structure of cation. From all investigated compounds, surfactants with imidazolium polar head displayed the most harmful effect towards wheat and cucumber. The cucumber seeds were more sensitive to the addition of surfactants comparing to wheat. All obtained experimental results were additionally investigated using computational methods, simulating the transport of surfactants through a lipid bilayer. The influence of cation tendency to fit in lipid bilayer structure was correlated with toxicity. For the first time, it is concluded that cation ability to mimic the structure of bilayer have less harmful effect on plant development.

Application of TLC to Evaluate the Lipophilicity of Newly Synthesized Betulin Derivatives.

Designing a new drug has recently become a very important topic that many researches are concerned with. This work relates to a newly synthesized betulin and betulone derivatives which have anticancer activity. Thin-layer chromatography was applied to evaluate the lipophilicity of these triterpenes in order to find the correlation between theoretically and experimentally calculated values of lipophilicity and the structure of compounds investigated. Moreover, the relationships between lipophilicity and pharmacokinetic parameters or anticancer activity were carried out. The similarity analysis was also done for the purpose to divide the compounds investigated into groups pointing which of these can meet the criteria for medicine substances. The cluster analysis showed the differences in the compounds grouping in relation which the values of lipophilicity are considered, i.e., calculated by computer software or obtained experimentally by use of TLC. Analysis clearly shows that those theoretically calculated values of lipophilicity are strongly connected to the structure of the compounds.

Oxygenated elansolid-type of polyketide spanned macrolides from a marine heterotrophic Bacillus as prospective antimicrobial agents against multidrug-resistant pathogens

Three homologous oxygenated elansolid-type of polyketide spanned macrolides were isolated from a heterotrophic marine bacterium, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MTCC 12716, associated with an intertidal red alga Hypnea valentiae. The complete genome of the bacterium was sequenced and all detectable natural product gene clusters were analysed. The B. amyloliquefaciens MTCC 12716 genome features polyketide synthase (pks) systems of every known formally classified family, nonribosomal peptide synthetases and hybrid clusters. Comprehensive spectroscopic studies revealed the compounds to possess isobenzofuranyl benzoate and 1H-furopyrano[2,3-c]oxacyclononadecine-6-carboxylate moieties. The identified compounds displayed broad-spectrum bactericidal activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, and drug-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ≤1.0 µg/mL, whereas the standard antibiotics ampicillin and chloramphenicol were active only at concentrations of ≥6.25 µg/mL. The plausible mechanism of elansolid-type macrolide biosynthesis by trans-AT polyketide synthases through the pks starter unit para-hydroxybenzoic acid was hypothesised, and the structures were correlated with the gene organisation, with the predicted gene cluster comprising 16 genes (~81 kb in size). The best binding poses for each compound with the peptide deformylase (PDF) protein of S. aureus revealed docking scores (>11.30 kcal/mol) greater than actinonin (6.96 kcal/mol), a natural PDF inhibitor. The higher electronic values along with optimum lipophilic parameters support the potential anti-infective properties of the studied macrolides. These antibacterial elansolid-type of polyketide spanned macrolides in marine symbiotic B. amyloliquefaciens could be potential leads for biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications against emerging multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Two novel classes of fused azaisocytosine-containing congeners as promising drug candidates: Design, synthesis as well as in vitro, ex vivo and in silico studies

Searching for new less toxic anticancer drug candidates is a big challenge from a medical point of view. The present investigation was aimed at describing two independent synthetic approaches based on isosteric replacements, spectroscopic characteristics, in vitro anticancer and ex vivo antihaemolytic activities of novel molecules (9–22) and correlations between their standardised lipophilicity indices, computed log Paverage values and pharmacokinetic descriptors. Two novel protocols for annelation of the triazinone template on hydrazinylideneimidazolidines (1–8) (showing a high reactivity towards electrophilic reagents, such as ethyl trifluoropyruvate and ethyl 3-methyl-2-oxobutyrate) were developed for the first time, giving rise to two original classes of highly conjugated azaisocytosine-containing molecules (9–16 and 17–22). Both syntheses proceeded under basic conditions to yield the most probable intermediates (e.g. hemiaminals and imines), which in refluxing two-component solvent mixtures or a suitable solvent cyclised through closing the triazinone ring on functionalised imidazolidines in both cases. All fused azaisocytosine-containing congeners were investigated with the purpose of preselecting possible drug candidates with a better selectivity that could be suitable for further more detailed drug development studies. The majority of test molecules revealed strong antiproliferative effects in most tumour cell cultures and they were more cytotoxic against tumour cells than anticancer drug – pemetrexed. These cytotoxicities may be associated with the activation of initiator and executioner caspases (confirmed for compound 12) which are inducers of apoptosis. Simultaneously, three bioisosteres bearing the trifluoromethyl moiety at the C-3 and the ortho substitution at the phenyl ring (10, 12 and 13) proved to be the most promising in terms of selectivity as they were less or equally toxic to normal cells as pemetrexed. It was shown that isosteric replacement of the ethyl group in antitumour active congeners by the trifluoromethyl or isopropyl group was favourable for the selectivity of the designed drug-like molecules. Almost all new compounds revealed the protective effects in an ex vivo model of oxidatively stressed rat erythrocytes (better or comparable than that of ascorbic acid/Trolox), proving that they are safe to red blood cells. The statistically significant and predictive QSAR equations were derived that describe relationships between some pharmacokinetic descriptors (such as log Ka, HSA, fu, brain, Caco-2, log Kp) and lipophilicity parameters of test molecules. Among all molecules with anticancer profile, the possible drug candidates seem to be 10, 12, 13, 19 and 21 which are the least toxic for normal cells, deprived of haemolytic effects on oxidatively-stressed red blood cells and have the optimum pharmacokinetic descriptors in terms of their lipophilicity parameters. Because of a high development potential they should be utilised in further more extended in vivo investigations aimed at developing novel less toxic anticancer agents.

The Application of CA and PCA to the Evaluation of Lipophilicity and Physicochemical Properties of Tetracyclic Diazaphenothiazine Derivatives.

The subject of the study was 11 new synthetized tetracyclic diazaphenothiazine derivatives. Using thin-layer chromatography in a reverse phase system (RP-TLC), their RM0 lipophilicity parameter was determined. The mobile phase was composed of 0.2 M Tris buffer (pH = 7.4) and acetone (POCH S.A., Gliwice, Poland) in different concentrations. Using computer programs, based on different computational algorithms, theoretical values of lipophilicity (AClogP, ALOGP, ALOGPs, miLogP, MLOGP, XLOGP2, and XLOGP3) as well as molecular descriptors (molecular weight, volume of a molecule, dipole moment, polar surface, and energy of HOMO orbitals and LUMO orbitals) and parameters of biological activity: human intestinal absorption (HIA), plasma protein binding (PPB), and blood-brain barrier (BBB), were determined. The correlations between the experimental values of lipophilicity and theoretically calculated lipophilic values and also between experimental values of lipophilicity and values of physicochemical or biological properties were assessed. A certain relationship between structure and lipophilicity was found. On the other hand, the relationships between RM0 and physicochemical or biological properties were not statistically significant and therefore unusable. For all analysed values, an analysis of similarities and principal component analyses were also made. The obtained dendrograms for the analysis of lipophilicity and physicochemical and biological properties indicate the relationship between experimental values of lipophilicity and structure in the case of theoretical lipophilicity values only. PCA, on the other hand, showed that ALOGP, MLOGP, miLogP, and BBB and molar volume have the largest share in the description of the entire system. Distribution of compounds on the area of factors also indicates the connections between them related to their structure.

Determining amino acid scores of the genetic code table: Complementarity, structure, function and evolution

The Standard Genetic Code (SGC) table was investigated with respect to the three-dimensional codon arrangement, and all possible 24 hierarchical base partitions (4! = 24). This was done by determining the amino acid scores for each codon hierarchy in relation to the 1st horizontal, 2nd vertical and 3rd horizontal sub-tables.Marked differences were observed for the hydrophobicity and lipophilicity parameters encoded by the second base of the SGC table. The nucleotide hierarchy U < C < G < A and its complement A < G < C < U at the second base correlated best with the amino acid hydrophobicity and polarity. By contrast, the hierarchy C < G < U < A and its backwards transcript A < U < G < C at the second base were associated with the amino acid parameters of lipophilicity and accessible surface area.No association was observed between 24 base hierarchies of the codons at the 1st and 3rd positions with respect to the hydropathy, polarity, lipophilicity and accessible surface area. The results imply that the second base possesses the majority of information content with respect to the physicochemical properties observed.It is shown that amino acid information obtained by determining the scores of the bases and codon weightings in digital form coincides with physicochemical properties, and the temperature range between 25 °C and 100 °C does not affect the hydrophobicity, the related prediction of α- and β-protein structure, codon scores, or the complementarity code for sense and antisense peptide interactions.The amino acid scores determined for the SGC table enable the construction of rules and algorithms for the analysis of the structure, function and evolution of proteins. It has been demonstrated that IUPAC-based encoding of nucleobase and amino acid sequences could be used for the representation of the bases with the Semiotic (Greimas) Square and probabilistic square of opposition.It is concluded that the structural, functional and evolutionary patterns of the protein sequences may be modeled using codon based amino acid information, instead of using the information based on amino acid physicochemical properties only.

Application of reversed-phase thin layer chromatography and QSRR modelling for prediction of protein binding of selected β-blockers

Chromatographic properties of sixteen β-blockers were studied using planar chromatography. The aim of presented study was to investigate influence of different organic solvents (acetonitrile, methanol, dioxin and tetrahydrofurane) on β-blockers’ retention on C18 bonded silica gel stationary phase. Group of sixteen, diverse in terms of structure, beta blockers was used as a model set. The main goal of this study was to compare chromatographically estimated lipophilicity parameters with values obtained with the use of computational methods. Furthermore, in order to understand molecular mechanisms of retention better, quantitative structure-retention relationships (QSRR) analysis was performed. The next step was focused on application of chromatographically obtained lipophilicity parameters for prediction of protein binding (PB), based on quantitative retention–activity relationships (QRAR) approach. The obtained results showed that reversed-phase thin layer chromatography (RP-TLC), especially with tetrafydrofurane used as an organic modifier of mobile phase, is a useful tool for lipophilicity estimation, as well as for prediction of β-blockers’ biological properties. The QRAR model included C0 parameters for tetrahydrofuran-water as a mobile phase, as well as maximal projection area, and can be easily applied for prediction of systematically synthesized β-blockers structures’ PB.

Application of Ionic Liquids for the Determination of Lipophilicity Parameters Using TLC Method, and QSRR Analysis for the Antipsychotic Drugs.

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography may cause difficulties, especially in the case of basic drugs due to the strong silanophilic interactions in the partition mechanism. Recently, imidazolium-based ionic liquids additives appeared interesting and a convenient solution for suppressing the harmful effect of free residuals of silanol groups, allowing remodeling of the stationary/mobile-phase system, and thus improving the lipophilicity assessment process. The aim of the study was to evaluate the retention behavior of basic antipsychotics using various RP-LC systems, and compare them with data obtained from the modified ionic-liquids RP-TLC systems, and perform the QSRR analysis. Retention and lipophilicity parameters of diverse antipsychotics have been examined in various RP-LC systems. Lipophilicity indices were compared with miscellaneous computed logP values. Furthermore, a large number of molecular descriptors have been computed and compared using various medicinal chemistry software, in order to contribute to the analysis of QSRR. Designated correlation coefficients showed that lipophilicity parameters from TLC systems without [EMIM][BF4] additive correlates very poor with the calculated logPs indices, whereas the indices from the traditional HPLC and TLC systems (with [EMIM][BF4]) were clearly better. Furthermore, QSRR analysis performed for these experimentally obtained lipophilicity parameters showed significant relationships between the retention constants (ROM, logkw) and the in silico calculated physicochemical molecular descriptors. ILs additive may be a significant factor affecting the lipophilicity of basic compounds, thus their use may be favorable in lipophilicity assessment studies. QSRR models with ILs showed that they may be useful in searching/or predicting HPLC/TLC retention parameters for the new/other antipsychotic drugs.

Assessment of lipophilicity of newly synthesized celecoxib analogues using reversed-phase HPLC

BackgroundLipophilicity is a physicochemical property of an essential importance in medicinal chemistry; therefore, fast and reliable measurement of lipophilicity will affect greatly the drug discovery process.ResultsA series of N-benzenesulfonamide-1H-pyrazoles, oximes and hydrazones as celecoxib analogues was investigated with regard to their retention behavior using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The mobile phases employed for this study consist of a mixture of water and methanol in different proportions. In addition, the stationary phase utilized for this separation was C18 silanized silica gel and using 200 nm as a detection wavelength. The retention behavior of the investigated compounds was determined based on practical determination of log k at different concentrations of methanol (as an organic modifier) in the mobile phase ranging from 60 to 80%. It was observed that the retention of these compounds (expressed as log k) decreased in a linear manner with increasing the concentration of methanol. High correlation coefficients (more than 0.90 in most cases) were obtained for the relationship between the volume fraction of the organic solvent and the retention values represented as log kw. A comparative evaluation was carried out between chromatographically-obtained lipophilicity parameters (represented as lipophilicity chromatographic index log kw or isocratic chromatographic hydrophobicity index, varphi0) and the computationally calculated log P values (miLogP, ALOGP, ACD/Labs and ALOGPs).ConclusionIt was found that a good correlation exists between the experimental and computed log P values. In the future, these results can give a deep insight about the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of the newly synthesized compounds.

Lipophilicity estimation of anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory 6-substituted 9-fluoroquino[3,2-b]benzo[1,4]thiazines

The lipophilicity parameters (logPcalcd, RM0 and logPTLC) of 17 new anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory tetracyclic 6-substituted 9-fluoroquinobenzothiazines were determined theoretically using computational methods and experimentally by reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography. The experimental parameter RM0 was determined on the RP-18 silica plates with acetone-aqueous TRIS buffer as mobile phase. The obtained parameter RM0 was further transformed into parameter logPTLC by use of the calibration curve. The theoretical logPcalcd values differed depending on the substituents and nature of calculating programs. Fluoroquinobenzothiazines turned out to be rather middling or highly lipophilic compounds. The parameter RM0 and specific hydrophobic surface area b were meaningly intercorrelated showing congeneric two classes of quinobenzothiazines. The calculated logPcalcd and experimental logPTLC values were compared and intercorrelated to show different prediction power of the computational programs. The lipophilicity was correlated with molecular descriptors (molar mass, molar volume, and molar refractivity), biomolecular descriptors (HIA, PB, MDCK, Caco-2, and BBB) and in vitro tested biological activities (tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibition and antiproliferative activity).

New Ru(II)–DMSO complexes containing coumarin-N-acylhydrazone hybrids: Synthesis, X-ray structures, cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activities

Four novel coumarin-N-acylhydrazone hybrid ligands HL2-5 [(E)-7-(diethylamino)-N′-(4-R-benzylidene)-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carbohydrazide, where R = H: HL2; Cl: HL3; Br: HL4 and OCH3: HL5] were obtained from condensation reactions of HL1 (7-(diethylamino)-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carbohydrazide) and p-substituted aldehydes. The reactions of HL2-5 with cis-[RuCl2(DMSO)4] in ethanol resulted in the Ru(II) complexes C2-5 of the type trans-Cl-[RuCl2(DMSO)2(HLn)]. Concomitantly, hydrolysis of the ligand occurred, affording complex C1trans-Cl-[RuCl2(DMSO)2(HL1)]. X-ray diffraction analyses revealed E/Z isomerization of the coumarin-N-acylhydrazones upon coordinating with Ru(II). C2-5 exhibit the Ru(II) atom in a distorted octahedral geometry with the ligand HL coordinated in the keto form through the hydrazone carbonyl and the iminic nitrogen. Ligands (HL1-5) and Ru(II)–DMSO complexes (C1-5) were screened for their antiproliferative activities. In general, the free ligands were more cytotoxic than the Ru(II) complexes, possibly caused by lower membrane permeation capacity of the latter and different mechanism of action than those displayed by the ligands. Amongst coumarin-N-acylhydrazone ligands, the highest potency of HL4 (IC50 = 16.1 and 11.9 μM for 4T1 and B16-F10, respectively) was associated to its better lipophilicity, caused by a -Br substituent. Antimicrobial assays towards gram-positive and gram-negative strains showed that only HL1 and complexes C2-5 were soluble in the agar gel culture media. C4 (R = Br) was the most effective compound (MIC = 40.5 μM for Staphylococcus aureus), also correlated to lipophilic parameters.

Quantitative structure-cytotoxic activity relationship of phenylthiourea derivatives from ChemBL database on sirtuin-1 receptor by in silico

Rational drug design becomes a necessity amid the development of drugs that are inefficient and time-consuming. Hansch's QSAR helps reduce these shortcomings supported by the role of biocomputation. Some of the roles of biocomputation that can be used include in silico testing and the availability of databases for new drug-receptor and ligand candidates. This study aims to determine the QSAR through the search for the best equations analyzed by ANOVA statistics between cytotoxic activity in silico (Log 1/c) anticancer compounds derived from phenylthiourea stored in the ChemBL database with lipophilic parameters (ALPP and AlogP) , electronic (ACDpKa), and its sterics (PMW). The best equation is obtained Log 1/c = -46,194 - 0,152 PMW- 3,769 ALogP - 1,336 ACDpKa with a value of N = 28; F = 20,866; r = 0,850; P = 0,000; SE = 5.82160. In the future, this equation can be used to find other new phenylthiourea derivatives that have better cytotoxic activity.

Investigation of lipophilicity and pharmacokinetic properties of 2-(methoxy)phenylpiperazine dopamine D2 ligands

Reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography and micellar thin-layer chromatography were used in order to investigate retention behaviour and to determine lipophilicity of series of 2-(methoxy)phenylpiperazine dopamine D2 ligands with different size, shape and rigidity. The retention mechanism was discussed. The lipophilicity parameters obtained in conventional reversed-phase systems expressed as RM0 and C0, as well as RM values determined in microemulsion reversed-phase systems were correlated with in silico determined lipophilicity values. In silico pharmacokinetic properties of 2-(methoxy)phenylpiperazine dopamine D2 ligands revealed the importance of experimentally determined lipophilicity values besides the molecular weight, on the blood–brain barrier permeability process. Also, the experimentally determined lipophilicity was found as a very important factor in plasma protein binding process of 2-(methoxy)phenylpiperazine dopamine D2 ligands. Besides, the Lipinski's rule of five indicates that examined ligands satisfy the criterion of drug-like molecules. The principal component analysis was performed on the experimentally determined and calculated lipophilicity values as well on the molecular descriptors which describe the pharmacokinetic properties in order to provide basic insights into similarities among the studied ligands.

Structural features guided “fishing” strategy to identification of flavonoids from lotus plumule in a self-built data “pool” by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry

Lotus plumule, a traditional Chinese medicine, has significant pharmaceutical value to treat various health problems. Flavonoids are important bioactive ingredients in lotus plumule. In this study, we proposed an efficient “fishing” strategy to profile and identify non-targeted flavonoids from lotus plumule aqueous extract based on a self-built mass data “pool” with an untargeted mass data acquisition method in order to acquire comprehensive structural information of flavonoids in lotus plumule. This mass data acquisition method was applied by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-orbitrap HRMS) executed in full MS/dd-MS2 mode with different collision energies in positive ionization mode. The self-built targeted data “pool” was constructed by the basic structure of flavonoids in lotus plumule, such as odd quasi-molecular ions, C6-C3-C6 skeleton, molecular weight limit. The “molecule lures” of fishing are characterized by molecular features, fragmental patterns, characteristic fragments ions, relative abundance and retention times. More importantly, the special “lures” of PredRet (the tool of predicting the retention times) and ClogP (the calculated lipophilicity parameter) were adopted to distinguish some isomers and some compounds whose mass spectra are difficult to determine with no reference substances. The “fished” flavonoids were further confirmed by their molecular features and fragmental patterns. This developed analysis method was successfully applied to profile 29 flavonoids compounds in the aqueous extract of lotus plumule, and 3 of them were recognized for the first time in lotus plumule. To our knowledge, this is the first analytical screening methods without standard samples to systematically identify flavonoids in lotus plumule.