Designing of banana shaped chromophores via molecular engineering of terminal groups to probe photovoltaic behavior of organic solar cell materials.

To meet the rising requirement of photovoltaic compounds for modernized hi-tech purpose, we designed six new molecules (DTPD1-DTPD6) from banana shaped small fullerene free chromophore (DTPR) by structural tailoring at terminal acceptors. Frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), density of states (DOS), open circuit voltage (Voc), transition density matrix (TDM) analysis, optical properties, reorganization energy value of hole and electron were determined utilizing density function theory (DFT) and time-dependent density function theory (TD-DFT) approaches, to analyze photovoltaic properties of said compounds. Band gap contraction (∆E = 2.717-2.167 eV) accompanied by larger bathochromic shift (λmax = 585.490-709.693 nm) was observed in derivatives contrary to DTPR. The FMOs, DOS and TDMs investigations explored that central acceptor moiety played significant role for charge transformation. The minimum binding energy values for DTPD1-DTPD6 demonstrated the higher exciton dissociation rate with greater charge transferal rate than DTPR, which was further endorsed by TDM and DOS analyses. A comparable Voc (1.49-2.535 V) with respect to the HOMOPBDBT-LUMOacceptor for entitled compounds was investigated. In a nutshell, all the tailored chromophores can be considered as highly efficient compounds for promising OSCs with a good Voc response.

Chemical characterisation and hepatoprotective potential of Cosmos sulphureus Cav. and Cosmos bipinnatus Cav.

This study was conducted to validate the hepatoprotective activity of Cosmos sulphureus and Cosmos bipinnatus. Aqua-methanolic extracts of both plants were evaluated for the presence of various phyto-constituents through HPLC. Different doses of both plant extracts were administered to rats for nine days. Standard control was silymarin 100 mg/kg. Paracetamol 1 gm/kg was administered 3 h post treatment on 9th day for induction of hepatotoxicity. Blood was collected for the evaluation of liver biochemical markers and livers were removed for histopathological evaluation 24 h post-paracetamol treatment. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of quercetin, gallic acid, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid in both plant extracts. The extracts of both plants decreased the level of alanine aminotransaminase and total bilirubin significantly (p < 0.05), dose dependently and protected hepatocytes from paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity. It can be concluded that both plants may possess hepatoprotective activity possibly due to the presence of quercetin and phenolic compounds.

Different Targeting Strategies for Treating Breast Cancer Bone Metastases.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in women worldwide. Breast cancer tends to metastasize to bone. Around 70% of the breast cancer patients eventually develop bone metastasis. After the bone invasion, metastatic cells disrupt the balance between osteoblastic and osteoclastic activities, leading to skeletal complications, characterized by pain and pathological fractures and hence worsening the patient's quality of life. Once tumor invades the bone, it is hard to treat it with, the so-far available treatments options (e.g. bisphosphonates and denosumab). Bone metastasis should be essentially controlled, in cancer treatment and there is a strong need to explore new, more efficient therapeutic targets. This review discusses the bone physiological processes and the recent advances in exploring different pathways involved in bone metastasis. Furthermore, some novel treatment options, which are under preclinical and clinical investigations, are highlighted. CONCLUSION: A deeper understanding of these metastatic pathways can provide oncology researchers with novel avenues for treating bone metastasis, one of the main challenges to cure breast cancer. The restoration of healthy bone environment will not only improve the patient's quality of life but also reduces the tumor burden.