Polina V. Oliferenko

Aqueous biphasic systems. Partitioning of organic molecules: A QSPR treatment

The partitioning of 29 small organic probes in a PEG-2000/(NH4)2SO4 biphasic system was investigated using a quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) approach. A three-descriptor equation with the squared correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.97 for the partition coefficient (log D) was obtained. All descriptors were derived solely from the chemical structure of the compounds. Using the same descriptors, a three-parameter model was also obtained for log P (octanol/water, R2=0.89); predicted log P values were used as an external descriptor for modeling log D.

Theoretical scales of hydrogen bond acidity and basicity for application in QSAR/QSPR studies and drug design. Partitioning of aliphatic compounds.

Phenomenological analysis of existing hydrogen bond (HB) donor and acceptor scales and apparent physical considerations have enabled the establishment of new quantitative scales of hydrogen bond basicity and acidity. Chemical structures represented by molecular graphs and the orbital electronegativities of Hinze and Jaffe are utilized as an input data. The scales obtained correlate well with several experimental solvent polarity scales such as and, pK(HB), and E(T)(30). To demonstrate the applicability of the new quantities, we have applied them to seven equilibrium partitioning data sets: octanol-water, hexadecane-water, chloroform-water, gas-water, gas-octanol, gas-hexadecane, and gas-chloroform partition coefficients. The hydrogen bond descriptors when supplemented by a cavity-forming term and a dipolarity term show high performance in correlations of the partition coefficients of aliphatic compounds. These new HB descriptors can be used in studying hydrogen bonding and fluid phase equilibria as well as scoring functions in ligand docking and descriptors in ADME evaluations.

Computer-assisted rational design, synthesis, and bioassay of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents

A focused dataset of previously synthesized and tested [1,2,4]-triazolo[1,5-a]pyridines and pyridine-3-carboxylates was studied by Molecular Field Topology Analysis (MFTA) to identify steric and electronic determinants of anti-inflammatory activity useful for the design and synthesis of new anti-inflammatory agents. Rational design based on the MFTA model identified eleven novel pyridine-3-carboxylates (2a-e and 3a-f) as promising. After synthesis and screening, three of (2a, 2c, 3a) revealed potent anti-inflammatory activity exceeding that of indomethacin, the reference inhibitor for artificially induced edema in rats.

Macrocyclic peptidomimetics with antimicrobial activity: synthesis, bioassay, and molecular modeling studies.

Novel, cyclic peptidomimetics were synthesized by facile acylation reactions using benzotriazole chemistry. Microbiological testing of the synthesized compounds revealed an exceptionally high activity against Candida albicans with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) two orders of magnitude lower than the MIC of the antifungal reference drug amphotericin B. A strikingly high activity was also observed against three Gram-negative bacterial strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus vulgaris), two of which are known human pathogens. Thus the discovered chemotype is a potential polypharmacological agent. The toxicity against mammalian tumor cells was found to be low, as demonstrated in five different human cell lines (HeLa, cervical; PC-3, prostate; MCF-7, breast; HepG2, liver; and HCT-116, colon). The internal consistency of the experimental data was studied using 3D-pharmacophore and 2D-QSAR.

Promising Aedes aegypti Repellent Chemotypes Identified through Integrated QSAR, Virtual Screening, Synthesis, and Bioassay

Molecular field topology analysis, scaffold hopping, and molecular docking were used as complementary computational tools for the design of repellents for Aedes aegypti, the insect vector for yellow fever, chikungunya, and dengue fever. A large number of analogues were evaluated by virtual screening with Glide molecular docking software. This produced several dozen hits that were either synthesized or procured from commercial sources. Analysis of these compounds by a repellent bioassay resulted in a few highly active chemicals (in terms of minimum effective dosage) as viable candidates for further hit-to-lead and lead optimization effort.

Dual inhibition of the α-glucosidase and butyrylcholinesterase studied by Molecular Field Topology Analysis

A striking dual inhibition of enzymes α-glucosidase and butyrylcholinesterase by small drug-like molecules, including 1,4-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles, chalcones, and benzothiazepines, was rationalized with the help of Molecular Field Topology Analysis, a 3D QSAR technique similar to CoMFA. A common pharmacophore supported the concept of a link existing between type-2 diabetes mellitus and Alzheimers disease. These findings will be instrumental for rational design of drug candidates for both of these conditions.

Synthesis, Bioassay, and Molecular Field Topology Analysis of Diverse Vasodilatory Heterocycles

A diverse training set composed of 76 in-house synthesized and 61 collected from the literature was subjected to molecular field topology analysis. This resulted in a high-quality quantitative structure-activity relationships model (R² = 0.932, Q² = 0.809) which was used for the topological functional core identification and prediction of vasodilatory activity of 19 novel pyridinecarbonitriles, which turned out to be active in experimental bioassay.

Ionic conjugates of lidocaine and sweeteners as better tasting local anesthetics for dentistry

Lidocaine is the most widely utilized intraoral injected dental anesthetic, used for more than 500 million dental injections per year. Local anesthesia is essential for pain-free dentistry, yet intraoral injections are often considered painful and a source of anxiety for many patients. Any new anesthetics that will reduce the stress and anxiety of dental injection are expected to be beneficial. A novel chemical approach to taste modulation is proposed, in which the lidocaine cation is coupled with anionic sweeteners such as saccarinate and acesulfamate. The ionic conjugates synthesized using anion exchange techniques, were much less bitter, demonstrated a high local anesthetic potential in animal studies, and were as safe as the original hydrochloride. Based on the currently robust market for lidocaine it is expected that the resulting anesthetics will be in high demand in clinical practices worldwide.