Spondias purpurea L. Bark Extract Protects against Oxidative Stress and Reduces Hypercholesterolemia in Mice Fed High-Fat Diet.

Oxidative stress plays a key role in the initiation and progression of metabolic diseases, including obesity. Preventing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and oxidative damage to macromolecules is a beneficial strategy for reducing comorbidities associated with obesity. Fruits from the Spondias genus are known for their antioxidant activity, but they are not available year-round due to their seasonality. In this context, we investigated the antioxidant activity and identified the chemical constituents of the aqueous extract of the stem bark of Spondias purpurea L. (EBSp). Additionally, we evaluated the effect of EBSp consumption on metabolic parameters in mice with obesity induced by a high-fat diet. Chemical analyses revealed 19 annotated compounds from EBSp, including flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins, methoxylated coumarin, and gallic and ellagic acids, besides other phenolic compounds. In vitro, EBSp showed antioxidant activity through the scavenging of the free radicals and the protection of macromolecules against oxidative damage. Cellular assays revealed that EBSp reduced the levels of malondialdehyde produced by erythrocytes exposed to the oxidizing agent AAPH. Flow cytometry studies showed that EBSp reduced reactive oxygen species levels in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells treated with hydrogen peroxide. Obese mice treated with EBSp (400 mg.kg-1) for 60 days showed reduced levels of malondialdehyde in the heart, liver, kidneys, and nervous system. The total cholesterol levels in mice treated with EBSp reached levels similar to those after treatment with the drug simvastatin. Together, the results show that the combination of the different phenolic compounds in S. purpurea L. bark promotes antioxidant effects in vitro and in vivo, resulting in cytoprotection in the context of oxidative stress associated with obesity and a reduction in hypercholesterolemia. From a clinical perspective, the reduction in oxidative stress in obese individuals contributes to the reduction in the emergence of comorbidities associated with this metabolic syndrome.

Cerium catalyst promoted C-S cross-coupling: synthesis of thioethers, dapsone and RN-18 precursors.

In this work, we present a novel, efficient and green methodology for the synthesis of thioethers by the C-S cross-coupling reaction with the assistance of [Ce(l-Pro)2]2Ox as a heterogeneous catalyst in good to excellent yields. A scale-up of the protocol was explored using an unpublished methodology for the synthesis of a dapsone-precursor, which proved to be very effective over a short time. The catalyst [Ce(l-Pro)2]2Ox was recovered and it was shown to be effective for five more reaction cycles.

Complete assignment of 1H and 13C NMR spectra of alpha-phenylsulfinyl-N-methoxy-N-methylpropionamide and some p-substituted derivatives.

The complete assignment of the (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra of the diastereomeric pairs of some alpha-arylsulfinyl-substituted N-methoxy-N-methylpropionamides with the substituents methoxy, methyl, chloro, nitro is reported.

Complete assignment of 1H and 13C NMR spectra of some alpha-arylthio and alpha-arylsulfonyl substituted N-methoxy-N-methyl propionamides.

The complete assignments of the 1H and 13C NMR spectra of the some alpha-arylthio and alpha-arylsulfonyl substituted N-methoxy-N-methyl propionamides, bearing methoxy, methyl, chloro, and nitro as substituents at the phenyl ring are reported.