Hydrogels on the Base of Modified Chitosan and Hyaluronic Acid Mix as Polymer Matrices for Cytostatics Delivery.

The development of biodegradable polysaccharide hydrogel matrices for cytostatic delivery can improve the therapeutic results of patients by prolonging the action of the drug, reducing its toxicity and providing additional biological activity by polysaccharides. In this work, N-succinyl chitosan/hyaluronic acid dialdehyde/cytostatic formulations have been prepared using two different chitosan grades (30 kDa and 150 kDa) and hyaluronic acid dialdehyde. The interaction of amino groups of N-succinyl chitosan and aldehydes of hyaluronic acid resulted in the formation of azomethine bonds and was demonstrated using 13C NMR. The elastic properties of the obtained hydrogels determine their use as implants. Two cytostatics-5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C were chosen as drugs because of their using both in oncology and in ophthalmology for the surgical treatment of glaucoma. Hydrogel formulations containing cytostatic were prepared and drug release was studied using in vitro dialysis method. It was established that the molecular weight of N-succinyl chitosan and rheological properties of hydrogel influenced the drug release behavior of the gelling delivery system. Formulations prepared from N-succinyl chitosan with greatest molecular weight and mitomycin C were found to be the most promising for medical application due to their rheological properties and prolonged drug release. Mild preparation conditions, simplicity of the technique, short gelation time (within a minute), 100% yield of hydrogel, suitability for drug release applications are the main advantages of the obtained hydrogels.

Comparative study of chemical and topological structure of macromolecules of lignins of birch (Betula verrucosa) and apple (Malus domestica) wood.

Recent advances in investigations of chemical structure of lignin give rise to questions about relationship between chemical structure and topology of the macromolecules. In this paper, we made a comparison of results of the studies of chemical and topological structures of lignins. The features of topological structure of lignins of birch and apple wood were identified on the basis of the study of dilute solutions of the lignins by the sedimentation-diffusion analysis and viscometry. The number of branches of macromolecules in the birch and apple lignins was calculated by the Zimm-Kilb equation. Quantitative characteristics of chemical structure of the lignins were obtained by 2D NMR spectroscopy and nitrobenzene oxidation. The structural analysis and the calculations based on the hydrodynamic data gave estimation of the degree of branching of macromolecules, which fit well in the theory on the role of dibenzodioxocin and 4'-O-5 structures in branching of lignin macromolecules.

Synthesis and Antiviral Activity of Quercetin Brominated Derivatives.

Reaction of quercetin (QR) (1) with bromine under various conditions was studied. Interaction of QR with 2-3 equiv. of bromine in glacial acetic acid at 35-40°C for 2-4 h and 20-22°C for 24 h led to the formation of QR 6,8-dibromide (2) (52-54% yields, 96-98% purity by HPLC). Interaction of QR with 2-5 equiv. bromine in absolute ethanol at 0-5°C and 20-22°C for 24 h led to the formation of 3-O-ethyl-QR-2,3,6,8,5'-pentabromide (3) (95-97% purity by HPLC) the output of which depends on the quantity of bromine. It was shown in MDCK cell culture that compound 2 exhibits a moderate inhibitory activity against pandemic influenza virus A/H1N1/pdm09 (EC50 6.0 µg/mL, CTD50 97.7 µg/mL, SI 16). Compound 3 was inactive.

A revised mechanism of thermal decay of arylnitroso oxides.

The electronic spectra were measured and the unimolecular decay kinetics of the isomeric forms (cis and trans) of 4-methoxyphenylnitroso oxide in acetonitrile, benzene, and hexane was studied using flash photolysis. The cis form absorbed in a shorter wavelength region and was more labile than the trans form. The difference between the reactivity of the two species increased on going from hexane to acetonitrile. The temperature dependences of reaction rate constants were studied for both isomeric forms. The analysis of products of flash photolysis of 4-methoxyphenyl azide in the presence of oxygen allowed for understanding the mechanism of thermal decay of nitroso oxides. It was shown that the trans nitroso oxide is converted into cis nitroso oxide. The latter undergoes an unusual ring cleavage reaction to form 4-methoxy-6-oxohexa-2,4-dienenitrile N-oxide derivative. We conclude that the nitro- and nitrosobenzenes, which are the main products of the steady-state photolysis of aromatic azides in the presence of oxygen, are formed by the photochemical transformation of the nitroso oxides.