Alexandre Cuin

High selective antileishmanial activity of vanadium complex with stilbene derivative

Leishmaniasis is a group of disease caused by different species of the parasite Leishmania affecting millions of people worldwide. Conventional therapy relies on multiple parenteral injections with pentavalent antimonials which exhibit high toxicity and various side effects have been reported. Hence, the research for an effective and low toxic effect drug is necessary. In the present work, the synthesis, spectroscopic and analytical characterizations of stilbene derivative (H2Salophen) and its vanadium complex (VOSalophen) are reported. Besides the chemical ancillary information, investigation of the leishmanicidal effects of these compounds were provided. The biological assays against promastigote and amastigote forms of L. amazonensis have been shown that VOSalophen exhibited a strong antiparasitic activity (IC50 of 6.65 and 3.51 μM, respectively). Furthermore, the leishmanicidal activity was concentration and time-dependent. Regarding toxicity and selectivity on mammalian cells, VOSalophen have not caused significant damage to human erythrocytes in all concentrations tested and VOSalophen was almost seven times more destructive for the intracellular parasite than for macrophages. Furthermore, the leishmanicidal activity of VOSalophen in promastigote forms of L. amazonensis could be associated to mitochondrial dysfunction and increase of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. In L. amazonensis-infected macrophages, VOSalophen induces ROS production and a microbicidal action NO-dependent. Our biological results indicate the effective and selective action of VOSalophen against L. amazonensis and the leishmanicidal effect can be associated to parasite disorders and immumodulatory effects.

Three new mononuclear group 12 complexes with benzimidazole

Three iso-structural Zn(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II) complexes with 1-benzyl-2-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole (BPB), ZnBPB, CdBPB, and HgBPB, respectively, were synthesized by reaction of the ligand with the corresponding metal chlorides in methanolic solutions. The complexes [MCl2(BPB)2], where M = Zn(II), Cd(II), or Hg(II), were characterized by elemental analysis, 13C, 1H, and [1H–15N] heteronuclear multiple bond coherence NMR measurements, and Raman spectroscopy. The structures of the cadmium and mercury complexes were solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, while the structure of the zinc complex was determined by X-ray powder diffraction. The three compounds crystallize in the triclinic system in P-1 space group with the metal ions lying in a distorted tetrahedral environment. The zinc complex shows high luminescence in the solid state at room temperature. Graphical Abstract

Synthesis and crystal structure of a palladium(II) complex with the amino acid L-citrulline

Synthesis and structural characterization of a novel palladium Pd(II) complex with the amino acid L-citrulline (Cit, C 6 H 13 N 3 O 3 ) are presented in this paper. Elemental analysis indicates a 1:2 metal/ligand molar composition for the complex, with the molecular formula PdC 12 H 24 N 6 O 6. The compound was also characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopic measurements and the crystal structure has been solved by powder X-ray diffraction data with simulated annealing strategy in real space. The Pd(II) complex crystallizes in the triclinic system with space group P-1 and cell parameters a = 4.6493(4) A, b = 5.222(4) A, c = 18.040(2) A, α = 77.41(6)°, β = 94.72(7),° and γ = 101.45(7)°. The crystal structure confirms the presence of Pd(II) ions in a nearly square planar environment and the molecular formula with deprotonated citrulline as proposed by analytical and spectroscopic data.

Characterization, and crystal structure of thiophenyl-2-methylidene-2-aminophenol

The Schiff base thiophenyl-2-methylidene-2-aminophenol (ImineOH) is obtained from a stoichiometric mixture of 2-thiophenecarboxaldehyde and 2-aminophenol in ethanol under reflux at 90°C. Its crystal structure is determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. ImineOH packs in an orthorhombic unit cell in the Pbca space group with the unit cell parameters a = 16.942(4) Å, b = 13.4395(11) Å, and c = 17.5857(12) Å, V = 4004.1(10) Å3, Z = 16. Strong hydrogen bonds are present in the ImineOH structure. Apart from the X-ray study, ImineOH was characterized by elemental analysis (CHN-S) and FT-IR (4000 cm−1 to 400 cm−1), UV-Vis and 13C, 1H, and 15N NMR spectroscopic measurements.

Crystal structure and cytotoxic activities of a bis(pyrrolyl-imine) gold(III) complex

Abstract A gold(III) complex with N,N′-ethylenebis(pyrrol-2-yl-methyleneamine) (H2pyren) was synthesized and characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic measurements. Density functional theory (DFT) studies and cytotoxic assays were performed. Infrared, mass spectrometry, and 1H, 13C, and {15N,1H} nuclear magnetic resonance analyses indicate that pyren is deprotonated and gold(III) is four coordinate in a square planar environment, with the pyrrole and imine nitrogens as donors. The structure was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction and confirmed as a minimum of the potential energy surface by DFT. Cytotoxic activity of [Au(pyren)]+ was active against three tumorigenic cell lines with IC50 values of 35 μM. Interaction studies with CT-DNA by fluorescence and competition with ethidium bromide (EB) showed a quenching of the emission band of DNA with a Stern–Volmer quenching constant value of (3.0 ± 0.1) × 104 M−1 and a decrease in fluorescence quenching of EB-DNA system, respectively, confirming that DNA is a possible target for the complex via an intercalative binding, which was confirmed by DNA conformational changes observed with circular dichroism spectroscopy.