Óscar López

Phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of virgin olive oil.

The characterisation of virgin olive oil from Arbequina, Carrasqueña, Corniche, Manzanilla Cacereña, Morisca, Picual, and Verdial de Badajoz varieties according to the individual phenolic compounds at different ripening stage was carried out. In all olive oil varieties studied, secoiridoid derivatives were most abundant, followed by phenolic alcohols, flavonoids and phenolic acids. The secoiridoid derivatives of hydroxytyrosol were the most important complex phenols for Picual and Carrasqueña, whereas the tyrosol derivatives were the major ones found in Manzanilla Cacereña, and Verdial de Badajoz. For secoiridoid derivatives of hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, Arbequina was the oil variety showing the lowest concentration. Tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, vanillic acid, p-cumaric acid, luteolin, and apigenin levels were greater in early harvested samples in almost all oils analysed. Antioxidant activity measurements (antiradical, lipid peroxide inhibition, H2O2 and NO scavenging) were also accomplished for the seven varieties in the first ripening stage.

New trends in pest control: the search for greener insecticides

Insecticides have a pivotal role in our lives, not only for crop protection in agriculture, but also to avoid the spreading of harmful pests causing human diseases such as malaria. Due to economic and medical reasons, the design of effective agents that control these pests is quite an important task in agrochemical science and in the industrial sector. Nevertheless, the non-restricted use of highly toxic insecticides for several decades has provoked negative effects in the environment and the poisoning of non-targeted species. For these reasons, the development of selective and harmless insecticides is needed. A short overview of some of the recent advances in the chemistry of insecticides is presented, with a highlight of their greenness compared with classical insecticides. Synthesis, mode of action and environmental profile of pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, and insect growth regulators will be described. Furthermore, the use of biological insecticides such as spinosyns, azadirachtin, and Bacillus thuringiensis as green alternatives for synthetic insecticides will also be reviewed.

Effects of dietary virgin olive oil polyphenols: hydroxytyrosyl acetate and 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylglycol on DSS-induced acute colitis in mice

Hydroxytyrosol, a polyphenolic compound from extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has exhibited an improvement in a model of DSS-induced colitis. However, other phenolic compounds present such as hydroxytyrosyl acetate (HTy-Ac) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG) need to be explored to complete the understanding of the overall effects of EVOO on inflammatory colon mucosa. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of both HTy-Ac and DHPG dietary supplementation in the inflammatory response associated to colitis model. Six-week-old mice were randomized in four dietary groups: sham and control groups received standard diet, and other two groups were fed with HTy-Ac and DHPG, respectively, at 0.1%. After 30 days, all groups except sham received 3% DSS in drinking water for 5 days followed by a regime of 5 days of water. Acute inflammation was evaluated by Disease Activity Index (DAI), histology and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. Colonic expression of iNOS, COX-2, MAPKs, NF-kB and FOXP3 were determined by western blotting. Only HTy-Ac-supplemented group showed a significant DAI reduction as well as an improvement of histological damage and MPO. COX-2 and iNOS protein expression were also significantly reduced. In addition, this dietary group down-regulated JNK phosphorylation and prevented the DSS-induced nuclear translocation level of p65. However, no significant differences were observed in the FOXP3 expression. These results demonstrated, for the first time, that HTy-Ac exerts an antiinflammatory effect on acute ulcerative colitis. We concluded that HTy-Ac supplement might provide a basis for developing a new dietary strategy for the prevention of ulcerative colitis.

A green procedure for the regio- and chemoselective hydrophosphonylation of unsaturated systems using CaO under solventless conditions

Diethyl phosphite and diphenylphosphine add to a series of unsaturated derivatives using environmentally-friendly calcium oxide as a basic promoter under solventless conditions at room temperature. The corresponding adducts are obtained in a totally regioselective fashion, via a 1,4-addition on α,β-unsaturated esters and sulfone, and a 1,2-addition on cyclic and acyclic α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones.

A practical one-pot synthesis of O-unprotected glycosyl thioureas

Abstract An expeditious and high-yielding one-pot procedure to prepare different types of O -unprotected N -β- d -glycopyranosyl, N ′-substituted thioureas and di-β- d -glucopyranosyl thioureido bolaamphiphiles from β- d -glycopyranosylamines via O -unprotected glycopyranosyl isothiocyanates has been developed.

Synthesis and antioxidant activity of O-alkyl selenocarbamates, selenoureas and selenohydantoins.

The preparation of three different families of lipophilic organoselenium compounds (aryl- and sugar-derived selenoureas, O-alkyl selenocarbamates and selenohydantoins) has been carried out in order to evaluate their in vitro antioxidant profile, analyzing the influence of the selenium-containing functional group, and the substituents on the activity. Title compounds have therefore been studied for the first time as free radical, hydrogen peroxide, alkyl peroxides and nitric oxide scavengers using colorimetric methods; furthermore, their glutathione peroxidase-like activity has also been analyzed by NMR spectroscopy. Free radical scavenging activity has been evaluated using the DPPH method; the strongest free radical scavengers were found to be both, aryl- and sugar-derived selenoureas, with EC₅₀ values ranging 19-46 μM. Concerning anti-H₂O₂ activity, measured by the horseradish peroxidase-mediated oxidation of phenol red, the best results were achieved for aryl selenohydantoins, showing a 61-76% inhibition at 0.5 mM concentration. Organoselenium compounds were also found to be capable of inhibiting the chain reaction involving lipid peroxidation (ferric thiocyanate method); thus, when tested at 0.74 mM, sugar selenocarbamates exhibited 49-71% inhibition of alkyl peroxides-mediated degradation of linoleic acid. Nitric oxide scavenging was studied by transforming sodium nitroprusside into nitrite ion, which in turn was transformed into an easily UV-detectable azocompound; aryl selenocarbamates exhibited 64-80% inhibition at 0.71 mM concentration. It has also been demonstrated that selenoxo compounds can behave as excellent glutathione peroxidase mimics; thus a 0.05 molar equiv. of the title compounds catalyzed efficiently the H₂O₂-mediated oxidation of dithiothreitol into the corresponding cyclic disulfide, mimicking removal of H₂O₂ exerted by glutathione peroxidase; t(1/2) values were found to be quite low for aryl- and sugar-derived selenoureas (2.0-12.7 min).

Diosgenin-based thio(seleno)ureas and triazolyl glycoconjugates as hybrid drugs. Antioxidant and antiproliferative profile

The stereoselective preparation of diosgenin-derived thio(seleno)ureas and glycomimetics bearing a 1,2,3-triazolyl tether on C-3 has been accomplished. The key steps in the synthetic pathway are the incorporation of an amino moiety and its further transformation into thio- and selenoureas, and also a click chemistry reaction involving a propargyl residue and an azido moiety to afford carbohydrate-derived 1,2,3-triazoles; subsequent BF3-promoted acetolysis of the spiranic moiety afforded the corresponding 22-oxocholestanic structure. The N-phenyl selenourea, an hitherto unknown steroidal derivative, turned out to be a potent ROS scavenger, in particular against free radicals (EC50 = 29.47 ± 2.33 μM, DPPH method), and as a glutathione peroxidase mimic in the elimination of H2O2 (t1/2 = 4.8 min, 1% molar ratio). 22-Oxocholestane structures bearing a C-3 azido, propargyl, thioureido, and particularly selenoureido moiety behaved as strong antiproliferative agents against HeLa cells (IC50 1.87-11.80 μM). N-phenyl selenourea also exhibited IC50 values lower than 6.50 μM for MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 and HepG2 cancer cells; apoptosis was found to be involved in its mode of action. Such compound was also capable of efficiently eliminating ROS endogenously produced by HeLa cells. Antiproliferative properties of thioxo and selenoxo derivatives were stronger than diosgenin.

Phenolic thio- and selenosemicarbazones as multi-target drugs

A series of isosteric phenolic thio- and selenosemicarbazones have been obtained by condensation of naturally-occurring phenolic aldehydes and thio(seleno)semicarbazides. Title compounds were designed as potential multi-target drugs, and a series of structure-activity relationships could be established upon their in vitro assays: antioxidant activity, α-glucosidase inhibition and antiproliferative activity against six human tumor cell lines: A549 (non-small cell lung), HBL-100 (breast), HeLa (cervix), SW1573 (non-small cell lung), T-47D (breast) and WiDr (colon). For the antiradical activity, selenium atom and 2 or 3 phenolic hydroxyl groups proved to be essential motifs; remarkably, the compound with the most potent activity, with a trihydroxyphenyl scaffold (EC50 = 4.87 ± 1.57 μM) was found to be stronger than natural hydroxytyrosol, a potent antioxidant present in olive oil (EC50 = 13.80 ± 1.41 μM). Furthermore, one of the thiosemicarbazones was found to be a strong non-competitive inhibitor of α-glucosidase (Ki = 9.6 ± 1.6 μM), with an 8-fold increase in activity compared to acarbose (Ki = 77.9 ± 11.4 μM), marketed for the treatment of type-2 diabetes. Most of the synthesized compounds also exhibited relevant antiproliferative activities; in particular, seleno derivatives showed GI50 values lower than 6.0 μM for all the tested cell lines; N-naphthyl mono- and dihydroxylated derivatives behaved as more potent antiproliferative agents than 5-fluorouracil or cisplatin.

Expeditious synthesis of cyclic isourea derivatives of β-D-glucopyranosylamine

2-(Alkylamino, dialkylamino, arylamino)tetrahydropyrano[2,3-d]oxazoles are prepared in good yield by a one-pot three-step synthesis from O-unprotected β-d-glucopyranosylamine, by its transformation into glucopyranosyl isothiocyanate in dioxane–water, coupling with amines, and reaction of the corresponding thioureas with yellow mercury(II) oxide in the same reaction medium. In the case of diethylamine prolonged reaction time during the last step, with an extra portion of yellow HgO, led to N,N-diethyl-N′-(β-d-glucopyranosyl)urea in a one-pot four-step synthesis. 2-(β-d-Glucopyranosylamino)tetrahydropyrano[2,3-d]oxazole, an analogue of trehazolin, is obtained in good yield by cyclocondensation of 1,3-bis(β-d-glucopyranosyl)thiourea.

Stereoselective synthesis of imidazolidine, imidazoline and imidazole C- and N-pseudonucleosides

Abstract Methyl 2-deoxy-2-isothiocyanato-α- d -glucopyranoside 2, which exists in equilibrium with the corresponding 2,3-cyclic carbamate 1, reacts with d -glucosamine producing the pseudo-C and N-nucleoside of chiral imidazolidine-2-thione 3, in good yield and high stereoselectivity. Starting from 3, different pseudo-C- and N-nucleosides of imidazoline-2-thione 6–11, and of imidazole 12 and 13 are obtained. Conformational aspects of some of the prepared compounds are discussed.