Giovanni Di Fabio

A new ferrocenemethyl-thymidine nucleoside: Synthesis, incorporation into oligonucleotides and optical spectroscopic studies on the resulting single strand, duplex and triplex structures

Abstract A new thymidine analogue, bearing a ferrocenemethyl residue at the N-3 position of the base, was synthesized in high yields via Mitsunobu reaction of ferrocenemethanol with sugar protected thymidine, converted into the corresponding 3′-phosphoramidite and incorporated into oligonucleotides. Duplex and triplex formation experiments, evaluated by UV and CD spectroscopy, showed a dramatic decrease of the affinity towards complementary single strands, while for triplexes, the introduction of a ferrocene residue in the third strand resulted in higher melting temperatures, associated with a reduced content of triplex structure.

Triterpenoids from Gymnema sylvestre and Their Pharmacological Activities

Because plants are estimated to produce over 200,000 metabolites, research into new natural substances that can be used in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical and agro-industrial production of drugs, biopesticides and food additives has grown in recent years. The global market for plant-derived drugs over the last decade has been estimated to be approximately 30.69 billion USD. A relevant specific example of a plant that is very interesting for its numerous pharmacological properties, which include antidiabetic, anticarcinogenic, and neuroprotective effects is Gymnema sylvestre, used as a medicinal plant in Asia for thousands of years. Its properties are attributed to triterpenoidic saponins. In light of the considerable interest generated in the chemistry and pharmacological properties of G. sylvestre triterpenes and their analogues, we have undertaken this review in an effort to summarise the available literature on these promising bioactive natural products. The review will detail studies on the isolation, chemistry and bioactivity of the triterpenoids, which are presented in the tables. In particular the triterpenoids oxidised at C-23; their isolation, distribution in different parts of the plant, and their NMR spectral data; their names and physico-chemical characterisation; and the biological properties associated with these compounds, with a focus on their potential chemotherapeutic applications.

Solid phase synthesis of oligonucleotides tethered to oligo-glucose phosphate tails

Abstract Oligonucleotides conjugated at both 3′ and 5′-ends with glucose residues, 4,6-linked through a phosphodiester bridge, have been synthesized by sequential addition of a 6- O -DMT-glucose-4-phosphoramidite building block following a standard automated ODN assembly procedure. Two 3′,5′-bis-glycoconjugated 18-mers, designed for antisense experiments, have been prepared and their hybridization properties with a complementary DNA fragment evaluated by UV thermal analysis.

New C-23 modified of silybin and 2,3-dehydrosilybin: Synthesis and preliminary evaluation of antioxidant properties

Silybin is the major flavonolignan of silymarin and it displays a plethora of biological effects, generally ascribed to its antioxidant properties. Herein we shall describe an efficient synthetic strategy to obtain a variety of new and more water-soluble silybin and 2,3-dehydrosilybin (DHS) derivatives in which the 23-hydroxyl group was converted to a sulfate, phosphodiester, or amine group, using a solution-phase approach. Furthermore a new and efficient method for the preparation of DHS from silybin was developed and optimised. The antioxidant properties of the new compounds were evaluated in a cellular model in vivo and they displayed an antioxidant activity comparable to or higher than silybin and DHS, being able to prevent H(2)O(2)-induced generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Most of the derivatives also displayed a better hydrophilicity while retaining the biological activities of silybin and they might broaden the in vivo applications of this class of natural compounds.

Is Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni a Non Cariogenic Sweetener? A Review

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a small perennial shrub of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family that is native to South America, particularly Brazil and Paraguay, where it is known as “stevia” or “honey leaf” for its powerful sweetness. Several studies have suggested that in addition to their sweetness, steviosides and their related compounds, including rebaudioside A and isosteviol, may offer additional therapeutic benefits. These benefits include anti-hyperglycaemic, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-diarrheal, diuretic, and immunomodulatory actions. Additionally, critical analysis of the literature supports the anti-bacterial role of steviosides on oral bacteria flora. The aim of this review is to show the emerging results regarding the anti-cariogenic properties of S. rebaudiana Bertoni. Data shown in the present paper provide evidence that stevioside extracts from S. rebaudiana are not cariogenic. Future research should be focused on in vivo studies to evaluate the effects on dental caries of regular consumption of S. rebaudiana extract-based products.

Tuning RNA Interference by Enhancing siRNA/PAZ Recognition.

Chemically modified siRNAs were synthesized to enhance the corresponding silencing activities. The introduced modifications endowed siRNAs with high silencing effect, long RNAi persistence, and better serum resistance. Theoretical data allowed us to correlate the observed siRNAs interfering performance with the peculiar interactions with PAZ.

C-4 Gem-Dimethylated Oleanes of Gymnema sylvestre and Their Pharmacological Activities

Gymnema sylvestre R. Br., one of the most important medicinal plants of the Asclepiadaceae family, is a herb distributed throughout the World, predominantly in tropical countries. The plant, widely used for the treatment of diabetes and as a diuretic in Indian proprietary medicines, possesses beneficial digestive, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic and anti-helmentic effects. Furthermore, it is believed to be useful in the treatment of dyspepsia, constipation, jaundice, hemorrhoids, cardiopathy, asthma, bronchitis and leucoderma. A literature survey revealed that some other notable pharmacological activities of the plant such as anti-obesity, hypolipidemic, antimicrobial, free radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory properties have been proven too. This paper aims to summarize the chemical and pharmacological reports on a large group of C-4 gem-dimethylated pentacyclic triterpenoids from Gymnema sylvestre.

A novel synthetic strategy for monosubstituted cyclodextrin derivatives

A first solid phase approach to obtain monosubstituted CD conjugates to different labels has been developed. A new solid support has been designed to get a variety of C-6 monofunctionalized CDs (α, β, MeβCD and HPβCD) covalently linked through a phosphodiester bridge to different labels, in highly pure form and under very mild detachment conditions.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NEW 3'-3' LINKED OLIGODEOXYRIBONUCLEOTIDES FOR ALTERNATE STRAND TRIPLE HELIX FORMATION

Abstract Protected forms of 1,2,3-propanetriol andcis, cis-1,3,5-cyclohexanetriol were incorporated onto solid supports which were exploited in the solid phase synthesis of 3′-3′ linked oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs), involving only nucleoside 3′-phosphoramidites as building blocks, UV thermal denaturation analysis showed the ability of ODNs with this inversion of polarity motif to cooperatively hybridize with duplexes of the type 5′-(Pu)m(Py)n-3′ in an alternate strand recognition approach. Download : Download full-size image

New silibinin glyco-conjugates: Synthesis and evaluation of antioxidant properties

New silibinin glyco-conjugates have been synthesized by efficient method and in short time. Exploiting our solution phase strategy, several structurally diverse silibinin glyco-conjugates (gluco, manno, galacto, and lacto-) were successfully realized in very good yields and in short time. In preliminary study to evaluate their antioxidant and neuroprotective activities new derivatives were subjected to DPPH free radical scavenging assay and the Xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibition models assay. Irrespective of the sugar moiety examined, new glyco-conjugates are more than 50 times water-soluble of silibinin. In the other hand they exhibit a radical scavenging activities slightly higher than to silibinin and XO inhibition at least as silibinin.