Computational study of the hydrogen peroxide scavenging mechanism of allyl methyl disulfide, an antioxidant compound from garlic.

Although many sulfur containing garlic compounds present antioxidant activity, little is known about molecular mechanisms through which these compounds react with reactive oxygen species. In this work, the reactivity and the hydrogen peroxide scavenger reaction mechanisms (including thermodynamics and kinetics aspects) of allyl methyl disulfide in aqueous phase are studied employing density functional theory computational methods. Three reactive sites susceptible for electrophilic attack are found over sulfur atoms and the double bond allyl moiety. For each detected site, one redox reaction is proposed and analyzed. All reactions are thermodynamically feasible, whereas attack over the methyl bound sulfur atom is kinetically favored.

QSAR and 3D-QSAR studies applied to compounds with anticonvulsant activity.

INTRODUCTION: Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR and 3D-QSAR) have been applied in the last decade to obtain a reliable statistical model for the prediction of the anticonvulsant activities of new chemical entities. However, despite the large amount of information on QSAR, no recent review has published and discussed this data in detail. AREAS COVERED: In this review, the authors provide a detailed discussion of QSAR studies that have been applied to compounds with anticonvulsant activity published between the years 2003 and 2013. They also evaluate the mathematical approaches and the main software used to develop the QSAR and 3D-QSAR model. EXPERT OPINION: QSAR methodologies continue to attract the attention of researchers and provide valuable information for the development of new potentially active compounds including those with anticonvulsant activity. This has been helped in part by improvements in the size and performance of computers; the development of specific software and the development of novel molecular descriptors, which have given rise to new and more predictive QSAR models. The extensive development of descriptors, and the way by which descriptor values are derived, have allowed the evolution of the QSAR methods. This evolution could strengthen the QSAR methods as an important tool in research and development of new and more potent anticonvulsant agents.

Lacosamide derivatives with anticonvulsant activity as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. Molecular modeling, docking and QSAR analysis.

Lacosamide is an anticonvulsant drug which presents carbonic anhydrase inhibition. In this paper, we analyzed the apparent relationship between both activities performing a molecular modeling, docking and QSAR studies on 18 lacosamide derivatives with known anticonvulsant activity. Docking results suggested the zinc-binding site of carbonic anhydrase is a possible target of lacosamide and lacosamide derivatives making favorable Van der Waals interactions with Asn67, Gln92, Phe131 and Thr200. The mathematical models revealed a poor relationship between the anticonvulsant activity and molecular descriptors obtained from DFT and docking calculations. However, a QSAR model was developed using Dragon software descriptors. The statistic parameters of the model are: correlation coefficient, R=0.957 and standard deviation, S=0.162. Our results provide new valuable information regarding the relationship between both activities and contribute important insights into the essential molecular requirements for the anticonvulsant activity.

Theoretical studies on sulfanilamide and derivatives with antibacterial activity: conformational and electronic analysis.

Quantum chemical methods have been used to study the conformational and electronic properties of sulfanilamide and derivatives with antibacterial activity. Calculations at B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2p) level of theory predict the existence of four conformers for sulfanilamide depending on the orientation of p-amino and amide groups. Focusing on the sulfonamide moiety, amide NH(2) and SO(2) groups could exist either in an eclipsed or staggered arrangement. Gas-phase results predict the eclipsed conformer to be most stable but opposite to what has been rationalized previously, no stabilizing hydrogen bonds between those groups has been found through NBO analysis. When solvent effect is taken into account through the IEF-PCM method, staggered conformer is preferred; in fact, eclipsed conformation changed when explicit solvent molecules were included. Conformational analysis of all derivatives has shown two global minima which are specular images. Five out of the seven derivatives studied adopted a particular minimum energy conformation with very similar geometries.