Search

Tomasz Kostrzewa,1 Izabela Nowak,2 Agnieszka Feliczak-Guzik,2 Joanna Drzeżdżon,3 Dagmara Jacewicz,3 Magdalena Górska-Ponikowska,1,4,5 Alicja Kuban-Jankowska1 1Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, 80-211, Poland; 2Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, 61-614, Poland; 3Department of Environmental Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, 80-308, Poland; 4IEMEST Istituto Euro-Mediterraneo di Scienza e Tecnologia, Palermo, 90127, Italy; 5Department of Biophysics, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, 70174, GermanyCorrespondence: Tomasz Kostrzewa; Alicja Kuban-Jankowska, Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, 80-211, Poland, Tel +48 58 349 14 50, Fax +48 58 349 14 56, Email tomasz.kostrzewa@gumed.edu.pl; alicja.kuban-jankowska@gumed.edu.plIntroduction: Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) have been considered lately as promising drug delivery system in treatment of many human diseases including cancers. We previously studied potential drug compounds that were effective inhibitors of PTP1B phosphatase – possible target for breast cancer treatment. Based on our studies, two complexes were selected for encapsulation into the SLNs, the compound 1 ([VO(dipic)(dmbipy)] · 2 H2O) and compound 2 ([VOO(dipic)](2-phepyH) · H2O). Here, we investigate the effect of encapsulation of those compounds on cell cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. The study also included the stability evaluation of the obtained nanocarriers with incorporated active substances and characterization of their lipid matrix. Moreover, the cell cytotoxicity studies against the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line in comparison and in combination with vincristine have been performed. Wound healing assay was carried out to observe cell migration rate.Methods: The properties of the SLNs such as particle size, zeta potential (ZP), and polydispersity index (PDI) were investigated. The morphology of SLNs was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while the crystallinity of the lipid particles was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The cell cytotoxicity of complexes and their encapsulated forms was carried out against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line using standard MTT protocols. The wound healing assay was performed using live imaging microscopy.Results: SLNs with a mean size of 160 ± 25 nm, a ZP of − 34.00 ± 0.5, and a polydispersity index of 30 ± 5% were obtained. Encapsulated forms of compounds showed significantly higher cytotoxicity also in co-incubation with vincristine. Moreover, our research shows that the best compound was complex 2 encapsulated into lipid nanoparticles.Conclusion: We observed that encapsulation of studied complexes into SLNs increases their cell cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 cell line and enhanced the effect of vincristine.Keywords: solid lipid nanoparticles, stability of nanoparticles, oxovanadium(IV) and dioxovanadium(V) complexes, triple-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, live imaging microscopy

Isocyanides and isocyanates are some of the most reactive compounds in organic chemistry, making them perceived as compounds with high potential for use in both the laboratory and industry. With their high reactivity also comes several disadvantages, most notably their potentially high toxicity. The following article is a collection of information on the toxic effects of the isocyanide group on the human body and the environment. Information on the mechanism of how these harmful substances affect living tissues and the environment, worldwide information on how to protect against these chemicals, current regulations, and exposure limits for specific countries is compiled. The latest research on the application uses of isocyanates and isocyanides is also outlined, as well as the latest safer and greener methods and techniques to work with these compounds. Additionally, the presented article can serve as a brief guide to the organic toxicity of a group of isocyanates and isocyanates., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Large-scale cement production generates significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the breakdown of limestone, contributing to environmental pollution. Clean production of eco-friendly three-dimensional geopolymers can be used as environmentally friendly building materials. Replacing Portland cement with eco-friendly materials correlates with reduced energy consumption, costs, and negative environmental impact. In addition, geopolymer cement has above-average physical and chemical properties, which in many cases exceed conventional Portland cement. The literature review summarizes the latest research in the production of geopolymers following the principles of green chemistry and sustainable development goals. Examples of upcycling of construction waste, industrial waste (fly ash, silica fume, slag, tailing), demolition waste, agriculture solid waste (rice husk, palm oil), and mining waste into functional geopolymer materials will be discussed. Additionally, the review focused on innovative applications and physicochemical properties of functional geopolymer materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

There are few literature reports on using precatalysts based on ruthenium(II/III) ions in the polymerization of olefins. Therefore, a new coordination compound was designed based on ruthenium(III) ion and 2-phenylpyridine. The resulting monocrystal was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), solid-state (photo)IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The new ruthenium(III) complex compound was used as a precatalyst in the oligomerization reactions of ethylene, 2-propen-1-ol, 2-chloro-2-propen-1-ol, 3-butene-2-ol and 2,3-dibromo-2-propen-1-ol with methylaluminoxane and ethylaluminium dichloride as activators. The catalytic activity of the newly discovered ruthenium(III) complex compound ranges from 159.5 (for 2-chloro-2-propen-1-ol) to 755.6 (for ethylene) g mmol -1 h -1 bar -1 , indicating that it is a chemical compound with high catalytic activity. In addition, the oligomerization reaction products were subjected to physicochemical characterization, using BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm), mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, NMR, TGA, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the morphology of the porous polymeric materials was investigated by SEM. The distinguishing feature of the obtained precatalyst is its high catalytic activity under mild reaction conditions, a rare phenomenon. Compared with other precatalysts, it is the most active ruthenium(II/III) ion-based catalytic material used in oligo- and polymerization reactions of ethylene.

Estrogens function in numerous physiological processes including controlling brain cell growth and differentiation. 2-Methoxestradiol (2-ME2), a 17β-estradiol (E2) metabolite, is known for its anticancer effects as observed both in vivo and in vitro. 2-ME2 affects all actively dividing cells, including neurons. The study aimed to determine whether 2-ME2 is a potentially cancer-protective or rather neurodegenerative agent in a specific tissue culture model as well as a clinical setup. In this study, 2-ME2 activity was determined in a Parkinson's disease (PD) in vitro model based on the neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. The obtained results suggest that 2-ME2 generates nitro-oxidative stress and controls heat shock proteins (HSP), resulting in DNA strand breakage and apoptosis. On the one hand, it may affect intensely dividing cells preventing cancer development; however, on the other hand, this kind of activity within the central nervous system may promote neurodegenerative diseases like PD. Thus, the translational value of 2-ME2's neurotoxic activity in a PD in vitro model was also investigated. LC-MS/MS technique was used to evaluate estrogens and their derivatives, namely, hydroxy and methoxyestrogens, in PD patients' blood, whereas the stopped-flow method was used to assess hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) levels. Methoxyestrogens and H 2 O 2 levels were increased in patients' blood as compared to control subjects, but hydoxyestrogens were simultaneously decreased. From the above, we suggest that the determination of plasma levels of methoxyestrogens and H 2 O 2 may be a novel PD biomarker. The presented research is the subject of the pending patent application "The use of hydrogen peroxide and 17β-estradiol and its metabolites as biomarkers in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases," no. P.441360., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In this paper, a synthesis of two innovative coordination compounds, based on chromium(III) and cobalt(II) ions with N,O-donor ligands (nitrilotriacetate, dipicolinate) and 4-acetylpyridine, is reported. The obtained metal-organic compounds were structurally characterized using the single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. The well-defined chromium(III) and cobalt(II) complexes were used as precatalysts in the oligomerization reaction of 2-chloro-2-propen-1-ol and 2-propen-1-ol with methylaluminoxane (MMAO) as an activator. The products of the oligomerization reaction were subjected to full physicochemical characteristics, i.e., time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), TGA, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods. The catalytic activity of the precatalysts in both reactions was calculated and compared with other catalysts known in the literature.

Designing catalyst systems based on transition metal ions and activators using the principles of green chemistry is a fundamental research goal of scientists due to the reduction of poisonous solvents, metal salts and organic ligands released into the environment. Urgent measures to reduce climate change are in line with the goals of sustainable development and the new restrictive laws ordained by the European Union. In this report, we attempted to use known oxovanadium(IV) green complex compounds with O, N and S donor ligands, i.e., [VO(TDA)phen] • 1.5 H 2 O (TDA = thiodiacetate), (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), oxovanadium(IV) microclusters with 2-phenylpyridine (oxovanadium(IV) cage), [VOO(dipic)(2-phepyH)] • H 2 O (dipic = pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate anion), (2-phepyH = 2-phenylpyridine), [VO(dipic)(dmbipy)] • 2H 2 O (dmbipy = 4,4'-dimethoxy-2,2'-dipyridyl) and [VO(ODA)(bipy)] • 2 H 2 O (ODA = oxydiacetate), (bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine), as precatalysts in oligomerization reactions of 3-buten-2-ol, 2-propen-1-ol, 2-chloro-2-propen-1-ol and 2,3-dibromo-2-propen-1-ol. The precatalysts, in most cases, turned out to be highly active because the catalytic activity exceeded 1000 g mmol -1 ·h -1 . In addition, the oligomers were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI-TOF-MS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques.

One of the main goals of recent bioinorganic chemistry studies has been to design and synthesize novel substances to treat human diseases. The promising compounds are metal-based and metal ion binding components such as vanadium-based compounds. The potential anticancer action of vanadium-based compounds is one of area of investigation in this field. In this study, we present five oxovanadium(IV) and dioxovanadium(V) complexes as potential PTP1B inhibitors with anticancer activity against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line, the triple negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, and the human keratinocyte HaCaT cell line. We observed that all tested compounds were effective inhibitors of PTP1B, which correlates with anticancer activity. [VO(dipic)(dmbipy)]·2 H 2 O (Compound 4 ) and [VOO(dipic)](2-phepyH)·H 2 O (Compound 5 ) possessed the greatest inhibitory effect, with IC 50 185.4 ± 9.8 and 167.2 ± 8.0 nM, respectively. To obtain a better understanding of the relationship between the structure of the examined compounds and their activity, we performed a computer simulation of their binding inside the active site of PTP1B. We observed a stronger binding of complexes containing dipicolinic acid with PTP1B. Based on our simulations, we suggested that the studied complexes exert their activity by stabilizing the WPD-loop in an open position and limiting access to the P-loop.

Polyolefins are used in everyday life, including in the production of many types of plastic. In addition, polyolefins account for over 50% of the polymers produced in the world. After conducting the oligomerization reactions of 2-propen-1-ol, 2-chloro-2-propen-1-ol, and norborene, polyolefins are obtained. In this report, two complexes of oxovanadium(IV) and dioxovanadium(V) with dipicolinate, 2-phenylyridine, and 4,4'-dimethoxy-2,2'-bipyridyl as precatalysts for 2-propen-1-ol, 2-chloro-2-propen-1-ol, and norborene oligomerizations are prepared. We present for the first time the new dipicolinate complex compound of oxovanadium(IV) with 4,4'-dimetoxy-2,2'-bipyridyl. Both complexes were tested for catalytic activity in the oligomerization reactions of 2-propen-1-ol, 2-chloro-2-propen-1-ol, and norbornene. Both synthesized complexes showed high catalytic activity in these oligomerization reactions, except for the oligomerization of norbornene.

Nowadays, studies are carried out on the design and synthesis of new catalysts for olefin oligomerization and polymerization, which would contain non-toxic metals and at the same time show high catalytic activities. Complex compounds of transition metal ions such as Fe(II), Cr(III) and Zr(II) containing pyridine or quinoline as ligands show at least moderate catalytic activity in ethylene and propylene polymerizations. To investigate the catalytic activity of the complex containing pyridine ligands and quinoline derivatives, here we have synthesized the crystals of new bis(5-chloroquinolin-8-olato)-bis(pyridine)-cobalt(II) solvate. The synthesized cobalt(II) complex compound was tested in reactions of 2-chloro-2-propen-1-ol and norbornene oligomerizations. Our studies showed that bis(5-chloroquinolin-8-olato)-bis(pyridine)-cobalt(II) after activation by MMAO-12 catalyzes the formation of oligomers in nitrogen atmosphere, under atmospheric pressure and at room temperature. Bis(5-chloroquinolin-8-olato)-bis(pyridine)-cobalt(II) possesses moderate catalytic activity in the formation of norbornene oligomers process and low catalytic activity in 2-chloro-2-propen-1-ol oligomerization., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Currently, new precatalysts for olefin oligomerization are being sought in the group of vanadium(IV) complexes. Thus, the aim of our research was to examine the catalytic activity of the oxovanadium(IV) dipicolinate complex [VO(dipic)(H 2 O) 2 ] 2 H 2 O (dipic = pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate anion) in 2-propen-1-ol oligomerization as well as to characterize oligomerization products using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The oligomerization process took place at room temperature, under atmospheric pressure and under nitrogen atmosphere to prevent oxidation of the activator MMAO-12-the modified methylaluminoxane (7 wt.%) aluminum in toluene. The last point was to determine the catalytic activity of the complex in the oligomerization reaction of 2-propen-1-ol. The aspect that enriches this work is the proposed mechanism of oligomerization of allyl alcohol based on the literature.