Rational and controllable syntheses of variants of modified N-confused N-fused porphodimethenes and a porphotrimethene with adaptive properties.

Retrosynthetic design and synthesis with structural isolation of two unprecedented core modified N-confused N-fused porphodimethene-like porphyrinoids possessing a [5.5.5.5] tetracyclic ring with tunable photophysical properties is reported. The solid-state X-ray crystal structure reveals the expected cis geometry for the meso-sp3 carbons. Controlled chemical oxidation of the porphodimethene analogue 11 bearing the N-confused pyrrole moiety to the corresponding porphotrimethene 12 has been achieved in quantitative yield, while 10 bearing the N-methyl N-confused pyrrole moiety remained unsusceptible to chemical oxidation. All three S2N3 hybrid N-confused N-fused porphodi(tri)methene-like porphyrinoids 10-12 could recognize the fluoride anion with high selectivity; however, porphodimethene 10 and porphotrimethene 12 do so via deprotonation rather than an anion recognition based mechanism as has been anticipated in the case of porphodimethene 11.

Circulatory levels of lysophosphatidylcholine species in obese adolescents: Findings from cross-sectional and prospective lipidomics analyses.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Obesity has reached epidemic proportions, emphasizing the importance of reliable biomarkers for detecting early metabolic alterations and enabling early preventative interventions. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms and specific lipid species associated with childhood obesity remains limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate plasma lipidomic signatures as potential biomarkers for adolescent obesity. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 103 individuals comprising overweight/obese (n = 46) and normal weight (n = 57) were randomly chosen from the baseline ORANGE (Obesity Reduction and Noncommunicable Disease Awareness through Group Education) cohort, having been followed up for a median of 7.1 years. Plasma lipidomic profiling was performed using the UHPLC-HRMS method. We used three different models adjusted for clinical covariates to analyze the data. Clustering methods were used to define metabotypes, which allowed for the stratification of subjects into subgroups with similar clinical and metabolic profiles. We observed that lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) species like LPC.16.0, LPC.18.3, LPC.18.1, and LPC.20.3 were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with baseline and follow-up BMI in adolescent obesity. The association of LPC species with BMI remained consistently significant even after adjusting for potential confounders. Moreover, applying metabotyping using hierarchical clustering provided insights into the metabolic heterogeneity within the normal and obese groups, distinguishing metabolically healthy individuals from those with unhealthy metabolic profiles. CONCLUSION: The specific LPC levels were found to be altered and increased in childhood obesity, particularly during the follow-up. These findings suggest that LPC species hold promise as potential biomarkers of obesity in adolescents, including healthy and unhealthy metabolic profiles.

Elucidating the functional role of human ABHD16B lipase in regulating triacylglycerol mobilization and membrane lipid synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Lipids are essential biological macromolecules that play a pivotal role in various physiological processes and cellular homeostasis. ABHD16B, a member of the α/ß-hydrolase domain (ABHD) superfamily protein, has emerged as a potential key regulator in lipid metabolism. However, the precise role of human ABHD16B in lipid metabolism remains unclear. In this study, we reported the overexpression of ABHD16B in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to determine its physiological relevance in lipid metabolism. Through in vivo [14C]acetate labeling experiments, we observed that overexpression of ABHD16B causes a decrease in cellular triacylglycerol (TAG) levels and a concurrent increase in phospholipid synthesis in wild-type cells. Mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis further corroborated these findings, showing a significant decrease in TAGs with a carbon chain length of 48 and an increase in major phospholipid species, specifically 34:2, upon overexpression of ABHD16B. Confocal microscopy analysis revealed a reduction in the number of lipid droplets in strains overexpressing ABHD16B, consistent with the observed decrease in neutral lipids. Additionally, qRT-PCR analysis indicated a high phospholipid synthetic activity of ABHD16B and a potential decrease in TAG levels in wild-type yeast, possibly due to upregulation of endogenous TAG hydrolytic enzymes, as confirmed using 3tglsΔ mutant strain. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis revealed significant modifications in fatty acid composition upon ABHD16B overexpression. Collectively, our results underscore the influence of ABHD16B overexpression on TAG levels, phospholipid synthesis, lipid droplet dynamics, and fatty acid composition. These findings reveal a complex interplay between TAG hydrolysis and phospholipid synthesis, highlighting the critical involvement of ABHD16B in lipid homeostasis and providing further insights into its regulatory function in cellular lipid metabolism.

NIR Absorbing Aromatic E-Ethylene Bridged Hexaphyrins (2.1.1.2.1.1): Synthesis, Characterization, and Protonation Studies.

Judicious syntheses, spectroscopic analyses, and solid state structural evidence of two structural variants (with planar geometry) of strongly aromatic hybrid [30] E-ethylene bridged hexaphyrins (2.1.1.2.1.1) exhibiting strong NIR absorption are reported. The induced correspondence of fused phenanthrene on the pyrrole moieties has led to a further red-shift of up to ∼45 nm in the neutral and protonated form of the macrocycles. The electronic nature and aromaticity of both hexaphyrins are fully supported by DFT calculations.

Molecular insights on PS-PLA1 lipase activity of human ABHD16B.

The human alpha beta hydrolase domain (ABHD) proteins are ubiquitous and regulate the cellular lipids' anabolic and catabolic processes. The structural aspects for specific biochemical function of many ABHD proteins related to physiological disorders and its link to pathological conditions remain unknown. Here putative human ABHD16B protein was overexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for its biological activity. In-vitro enzymatic assay of the recombinant ABHD16B protein with fluorescently tagged glycerophospholipids revealed that the PLA1 activity is observed with phosphatidylserine (PS). In addition, it efficiently hydrolyzed monoacylglycerol over triacylglycerols. Further, molecular dynamic simulations and per residue binding free energy decomposition analysis revealed that the origin of PS-specific PLA1 activity of ABHD16B is due to the electrostatic interaction of the PS head group with K8, R319, and E178, which led to having the hydrogen bond interaction of sn-1 acyl chain ester to the catalytic site residues. Site-directed mutagenesis of the 245GXSXG249 motif of ABHD16B reduced the maximal lipase activity of PS and MAG. In summary, these results revealed that ABHD16B plays a vital role in PS selectivity that in turn, controls the specific subcellular pools of 2-LPS metabolism in the tissues at low pH.

Fluoride ion coordination-induced turn-on fluorescence of tailored N-methyl N-confused tripyrromonomethene analogues.

Structural isolation of two unprecedented AIEE/ACQ type fluorophores based on N-methyl N-confused tripyrromonomethene analogues exhibiting selective F- anion-coordination-induced-enhanced emission (ACIEE) with a detection limit of 10-7 M is reported. The intrinsic relation between molecular structures/molecular arrangements with (without) anion binding have been revealed at a deeper level via spectroscopic measurements and DFT level theoretical studies.

Insights into the role of F26 residue in the FMN: ATP adenylyltransferase activity of Staphylococcus aureus FAD synthetase.

The bifunctional flavin adenine dinucleotide synthetase (FADS) synthesizes the flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) co-factors essential for the function of flavoproteins. The Staphylococcus aureus FADS (SaFADS) produces FMN from riboflavin (RF) by ATP:riboflavin kinase (RFK) activity at its C-terminal domain. The N-terminal domain converts FMN to FAD under a reducing environment by FMN:ATP adenylyltransferase (FMNAT) activity which is reversible (FAD pyrophosphorylase activity). Herein, we investigated the role of F26 residue of the 24-GFFD-28 motif of SaFADS FMNAT domain, mostly conserved in the reducing agent-dependent FADSs. The steady-state kinetics studies showed changes in the KmATP values for mutants, indicating that the F26 residue is crucial for the FMNAT activity. Further, the FMNAT activity of the F26S mutant was observed to be higher than that of the wild-type SaFADS and its other variants at lower reducing agent concentration. In addition, the FADpp activity was inhibited by an excess of FAD substrate, which was more potent in the mutants. The altered orientation of the F26 side-chain observed in the molecular dynamics analysis suggested its plausible involvement in stabilizing FMN and ATP substrates in their respective binding pockets. Also, the SaFADS ternary complex formed with reduced FMN exhibited significant structural changes in the ß4n-ß5n and L3n regions compared to the oxidised FMN bound and apo forms of SaFADS. Overall, our data suggests the functional role of F26 residue in the FMNAT domain of SaFADS.

Metalloceneincorporated Hybrid Singly N-Methyl N-Confused Calixphyrins: Synthesis, Characterization, Protonation and Deprotonation Studies.

Rational design and isolation of two hitherto unknown highly stable single conformer of ferrocene incorporated meso-aryl substituted singly N-methyl N-confused-calixphyrins have been achieved in quantitative yields. The solid-state crystal structure reveals the obvious trans-geometry for the meso-protons with the possibility for both the macrocycles to exist either racemic or enantiomer forms. However, thorough solution-state spectroscopic characterization strongly concludes the experimental isolation of a single isomer for both the macrocycles. The drastic modification of UV-vis spectral patterns upon imine pyrrole N protonation and amine pyrrole NH deprotonation of both the calixphyrins could pave way for these macrocycles to act as opto-electronic materials. The conformational preorganization and protonation and deprotonation induced conformational reorganization have been extensively studied by solution state spectroscopic techniques, solid state X-ray crystal structure and in depth DFT level theoretical calculations.

Structural isolation of NIR absorbing ferrocenyl bridged N-confused fused expanded phlorin, N-confused porphodimethene and the π-extended corrorin isomer: synthesis and characterization.

Concise syntheses and spectroscopic, solid state X-ray crystal structure and theoretical studies of three electronically appealing new generation hitherto unknown ferrocenyl bridged N-confused heterocyclic macrocycles with (without) fusion are reported. Intriguingly, the expanded N-confused fused phlorin (1.1.1.1.1) with the built-in tripentacyclic [5.5.5] moiety exhibits tailing of the NIR absorption band beyond 1000 nm while the nonconjugated porphodimethene and a new generation π-extended isomeric corrorin analogue exhibit UV-vis absorption.

Targeting COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease through active phytocompounds of ayurvedic medicinal plants - Emblica officinalis (Amla), Phyllanthus niruri Linn. (Bhumi Amla) and Tinospora cordifolia (Giloy) - A molecular docking and simulation study.

Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), a viral disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was declared a global pandemic by WHO in 2020. In this scenario, SARS-CoV-2 main protease (COVID-19 Mpro), an enzyme mainly involved in viral replication and transcription is identified as a crucial target for drug discovery. Traditionally used medicinal plants contain a large amount of bioactives and pave a new path to develop drugs and medications for COVID-19. The present study was aimed to examine the potential of Emblica officinalis (amla), Phyllanthus niruri Linn. (bhumi amla) and Tinospora cordifolia (giloy) bioactive compounds to inhibit the enzymatic activity of COVID-19 Mpro. In total, 96 bioactive compounds were selected and docked with COVID-19 Mpro and further validated by molecular dynamics study. From the docking and molecular dynamics study, it was revealed that the bioactives namely amritoside, apigenin-6-C-glucosyl7-O-glucoside, pectolinarin and astragalin showed better binding affinities with COVID-19 Mpro. Drug-likeness, ADEMT and bioactivity score prediction of best drug candidates were evaluated by DruLiTo, pkCSM and Molinspiration servers, respectively. Overall, the in silico results confirmed that the validated bioactives could be exploited as promising COVID-19 Mpro inhibitors.

Perimeter Coordinated Diastereomeric Rh(I) Complex of Helically Twisted Weakly Aromatic Hybrid Singly N-Confused ß-ß Fused Ferrocenoporphyrinoids.

Expedient synthesis, spectroscopic, solid state structural proof, and theoretical study of helically twisted weakly aromatic hybrid singly N-confused ferrocenoporphyrinoids and the peripheral coordinated Rh(I) complex are reported. The X-ray crystal structure of the macrocycles reveals an ambiguously inverted pyrrole ring reinforcing regioselective ß,ß-linkage with the spatially adjacent N-confused N-methyl pyrrole ring leading to endocyclic extension of macrocyclic π-conjugation via tricyclic [5.5.5] moiety. The three-dimensional structure with built-in fused tricyclic [5.5.5] moiety has paved way to three-dimensional weak diatropicity with vis-NIR absorptions. The peripheral coordinated Rh(I) complex owing to helical chirality about the macrocyclic ring and planar chirality about the square planar Rh coordination site exists as a mixture of diastereomers (5:3) with well resolved 1H NMR spectra anticipating weak aromaticity. The experimental spectroscopic measurements are in agreement with theoretically determined electronic structure and properties strongly elucidating sustained weak diatropic ring currents in twisted macrocycles both in neutral form and in the metalated complex. Further fragment molecular orbital approach and molecular orbital theory gave insights on the stability of N-confused ß-ß fused oxo-ferrocenoporphyrinoids and formation of the selective peripheral coordinated Rh(I) complex.

Molecular insights into the mechanism of substrate binding and catalysis of bifunctional FAD synthetase from Staphylococcus aureus.

Flavin adenine dinucleotide synthetase (FADS), a bifunctional prokaryotic enzyme, is involved in the synthesis of two vital cofactors, flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Here, we investigated the biochemical characteristics of FADS from Staphylococcus aureus (Sa), a pathogenic bacteria causing food-borne diseases. The SaFADS possesses riboflavin kinase (RFK) and FMN adenylyltransferase (FMNAT) activities that transforms riboflavin to FMN and FMN to FAD, respectively. The FMNAT domain also exhibits reversible FAD pyrophosphorylase activity (FADpp). Further, we show that the FMNAT and FADpp activities are dependent on the reducing environment. Mutations of the conserved K289 and F290 residues present on the RFK domain affect the kinetic parameters of both the RFK and FMNAT domains. Additionally, the molecular dynamics analysis of apo and riboflavin: ATP: Mg2+ ternary complex of SaFADS shows that F290 is involved in stabilizing the active site geometry to hold the enzyme-substrate complex. In addition, the deletion of the αh2 helix that acts as a connecting linker between the FMNAT and RFK domains showed substantial loss of their activities. The helix deletion could have affected the flap motion of L2c, L4c, ß4n and L3n present in the close proximity resulting in the distortion of the active site geometry. In conclusion, our study has characterized the RFK and FMNAT activities of SaFADS and shown the importance of conserved K289 and F290 in RFK activity. As FADSs are potential drug targets, understanding their mechanism of action might help in discovering species-specific antibacterial drugs.

Targeted synthesis of meso-aryl substituted aromatic trans-doubly N-confused dithia/diselena [18] porphyrins (1.1.1.1) with NIR absorption: spectroscopic and theoretical characterization.

High yield synthesis and spectroscopic isolation of two hitherto unknown highly stable single conformers of meso-aryl substituted dithia/diselena trans-doubly N-confused porphyrins with fully π-conjugated [18] annulene structures are reported. In-depth solution state spectroscopic measurements and DFT level theoretical calculations strongly show the distinct aromaticity with strong NIR absorption of these new macrocycles.

Zn2+ stapling of N and C-terminal maintains stability and substrate affinity in GH26 endo-mannanase.

Metal binding sites are present in one-third of proteins and are crucial for biological functions and structural maintenance. GH26 endo-mannanase (ManB-1601) from Bacillus sp. harbors a Zn2+ binding site which connects N (H1, H23) and C (E336)-terminal residues. Present study reveals how native circularization of ManB-1601 through Zn2+ coordination regulates the structure-function. We generated individual Zn2+ coordinating mutants and characterized them using biochemical and biophysical approaches. Contribution of individual Zn2+ coordination towards maintaining ManB-1601 stability and rigidity was in the following order H23>H1 > E336. Elimination of E336 and H23-Zn2+ coordination affected substrate hydrolysis to a greater degree than H1-Zn2+ coordination. Metal quantification of mutant proteins indicated that H23A did not contain Zn2+. Molecular dynamic simulation studies revealed disruption of H23-Zn2+ coordination leads to increased flexibility of N and C-terminal, active site loops and consequent drifting of substrate away from the active site region. Finally, mechanistic understanding on the functioning of Zn2+ site in ManB-1601 is developed wherein 1) H23 by anchoring Zn2+ ion majorly regulates the structure-function properties, 2) H1 provides thermo-stability, 3) E336 contributes towards maintaining substrate hydrolysis.

A bioactive polypeptide from sugarcane selectively inhibits intestinal sucrase.

Human sucrase enzyme is a key therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes. While sugarcane sucrase inhibitor (sucinh) modulates invertase activity thereby accumulates sucrose. Molecular level understanding of sucinh towards mammalian α-glucosidases is scarce. The interaction of sucinh with human sucrase was identified and the association of these proteins was confirmed using co-purification, co-immunoprecipitation and pull-down assay. In addition, microscale thermophoresis assay showed that sucinh has a tight binding with sucrase (Kd = 4.77 nM) and a better affinity over acarbose. Collectively, in vitro, ex vivo and in silico data revealed that sucinh is selective for intestinal sucrase. The M region (H5/6 loop) of sucinh identified at the protein-protein interface is shown to have high affinity over N and C regions. Whereas, the biolayer luminescent imaging and microscale thermophoresis on the synthetic peptide of 28 amino acids of M region has a weak dose-dependent binding with sucrase. However, the synthetic peptide did not show substantial inhibition of sucrase and amylase activities at low concentration. Naturally derived carbohydrate mimics were shown to have a positive impact at the in vitro conditions. The insights obtained in this study give clues towards a new class of bioactive therapeutic peptides for α-glucosidases. A new horizon towards polypeptides derived from food sources emerge as a promising strategy for dietary interventions for prediabetic conditions.

Redox-Associated Variation of Hückel Aromaticity from Lactam-Embedded Smallest Antiaromatic trans-Doubly N-Confused Porphyrins: Synthesis and Characterization.

High-yield synthesis, spectroscopic and solid-state structural proof of the lactam-embedded smallest ever metal-free stable Hückel antiaromatic trans-doubly N-confused [16] porphyrins are reported. These new facets of trans-doubly N-confused porphyrins have been anticipated to exhibit the redox-associated variation of Hückel aromaticity as a mere consequence of the amido-like structures of the N-confused N-methyl pyrrole rings of the macrocycles. Strong aromaticity upon NaBH4 reduction leading to a resonance dipolar structure of the [18]π-conjugated system as the reduced congener with concomitant Hückel topology are the important highlights. Excellent agreement between experimental spectroscopic measurements and the theoretically determined properties elucidate aromaticity switching upon chemical reduction. Recent years have witnessed an upsurge of demand for the experimental realization of stable antiaromatic systems because of their versatile applications in material science. The conformational rigidity and the enriched stability of these novel 16π antiaromatic doubly N-confused porphyrins might entitle these macrocycles toward such applications.

meso-Aryl substituted stable unorthodox 5,10-porphodimethenes with α,ß and ß,ß-N-methyl pyrrole connectivities: synthesis and spectroscopic, solid state and theoretical characterization.

A concise and convenient synthetic methodology leading to an unambiguous isolation of two hitherto unknown highly stable single conformers of meso-aryl substituted unorthodox 5,10-porphodimethenes has been developed by the inclusion of N-methyl pyrrole units with α,ß and ß,ß-linkages into the core of heterocyclic macrocycles.

Conformationally Rigid Ethynylene-Cumulene Conjugated Aromatic [30] Heteroannulenes with NIR Absorption: Synthesis, Spectroscopic and Theoretical Characterization.

Two hitherto unknown conformationally rigid Hückel aromatic ethynylene-cumulene conjugated [30] heteroannulenes have been synthesized and characterized. A thorough solution-state spectroscopic characterization, combined with in-depth theoretical calculations, has been performed to arrive at the proposed geometry of the macrocycles. The most stable optimized structures for the free base form of both the macrocycles showed absolute planar geometries without any ring inversion with mean plane deviation (MPD) values of 0.00 and 0.00 Å, respectively, in accordance with the NMR spectroscopic observations. The induced correspondence of rigid ethynylene-cumulene moieties leading to near-infrared (NIR) absorption in neutral and protonated forms of macrocycles is the important highlight of this article. This noteworthy finding has been supported by DFT-level theoretical calculations. There is an increasing pursuit in designing such NIR-absorbing/-emitting systems due to their immense applications in medicine and biology for recognizing and transportation of various substrates. The geometry of the novel 30π aromatic heteroannulenes shows promise for evolution of such novel systems in near future.

Salt bridges are pivotal for the kinetic stability of GH26 endo-mannanase (ManB-1601).

Hitherto, how salt bridges contribute towards the structure-function of endo-mannanases has not been demonstrated. In the present study, we revealed that ManB-1601 (GH26 endo-mannanase from Bacillus sp.) has eight salt bridges which are highly conserved among GH26 endo-mannanases from Bacillus spp. Disruption of salt bridges do not alter overall structure, optimum pH and temperature of ManB-1601. Among the salt bridges, elimination of K95/E156 and E171/R221 pair decreased the substrate affinity and catalytic efficiency of ManB-1601. Differential scanning calorimetry and isothermal equilibrium denaturation studies suggested that salt bridges do not markedly contribute towards thermal (∆Tm 0 to -5 °C) and conformational stability (∆∆G -0.37 to -1.25 Kcal mol-1) of ManB-1601. Interestingly, salt bridges were found to prominently contribute towards kinetic stability of ManB-1601 as salt bridge mutants exhibited drastic reduction in half-life of enzyme inactivation (T1/2) at 66 °C (1.1 to 6-fold) and 70 °C (4.09 to 22.5-fold). Molecular dynamic simulations studies showed that salt bridges contribute towards maintaining the biological activity against thermal denaturation by rigidifying the active site. Our study on ManB-1601 suggest that even in the case salt bridges do not confer thermal and conformational stabilities they may serve as crucial structural elements for enzyme functioning by contributing towards kinetic stability.

Sesaminol diglucoside, a water-soluble lignan from sesame seeds induces brown fat thermogenesis in mice.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is the site of non-shivering thermogenesis in mammals, wherein energy is dissipated as heat. We observed that aqueous extract of black sesame seed triggers an increase in the expression of Uncoupling Protein 1 (UCP1) in brown adipocytes from mice. The active component from the extract was purified and identified to be sesaminol diglucoside (SDG). SDG treatment decreased mass of white fat pads and serum glucose levels and increased UCP1 levels in BAT thereby protecting mice against high fat induced weight gain. Further in silico and in vitro studies revealed that these effects are due to the agonist like behaviour of SDG towards beta 3 adrenergic receptors (ß3-AR). Together, our results suggest that SDG induces BAT mediated thermogenesis through ß3-AR and protects mice against diet-induced obesity.