Papers by Ramiro Quijano-Quiñones
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
Medicinal Chemistry Research, Dec 27, 2019
A series of 15 chalcones-bearing substituents at positions 2, 4, and 5 of rings A and B were synt... more A series of 15 chalcones-bearing substituents at positions 2, 4, and 5 of rings A and B were synthesized using microwave-assisted Claissen–Smichdt condensation and evaluated for their activity against Giardia lamblia and Green monkey kidney cells. Five compounds exhibited activity against G. lamblia at IC 50 ’s <5 μM. The chalcone 3m exhibited the highest antigiardial activity (IC 50 = 1.03 μM), even more than the positive control (metronidazole, IC 50 = 1.4 μM), and selectivity (SI = 38.9). A preliminary SAR study suggested that electrophylicity has not relationship with antigiardiasic activity, and the docking study reveals that synthesized chalcones bind at zone 3 of colchicine site, therefore presumably the action mechanism of the synthesized chalcones does not follow the Michael acceptor mechanism.
Medicinal Chemistry, Aug 4, 2014
A series of functionalized N-sulfonyl-piperidines and N-sulfonyl-tetrahydropyridines were evaluat... more A series of functionalized N-sulfonyl-piperidines and N-sulfonyl-tetrahydropyridines were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against the representative panel of human solid tumor cells A2780 (ovarian), SW1573 (non-small cell lung) and WiDr (colon). The SAR study showed for WiDr cells a correlation between the biological activity and the length of the N-sulfonyl group, the nature of the substituents and the type of alkyl side chain. Further QSAR studies indicate that the size and nature of the N-sulfonyl group, the atomic polarizability (MP) and the partition coefficient are the most important descriptors for the activity. The major contribution is the size (F05C-S) of the N-sulfonyl group.
Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, Sep 7, 2017
Purpose: To prepare some 2-amino-4-(p-substituted phenyl)-oxazole derivatives and to evaluate the... more Purpose: To prepare some 2-amino-4-(p-substituted phenyl)-oxazole derivatives and to evaluate their in vitro antiprotozoal activity against Giardia lamblia and Trichomonas vaginalis. Methods: The 2-amino-4-(p-substituted phenyl)-oxazoles (a-g) were synthesized by microwave (MW) irradiation of mixtures of p-substituted 2-bromoacetophenones and urea in dimethylformamide (DMF). All compounds were identified by 1 H and 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and lowand high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). NMR assignments were made based on heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) and heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) experiments. Each synthesized compound's melting point was determined. Antiprotozoal activity against Giardia intestinalis and Trichomonas vaginalis was quantified using a rigorous and sensitive subculture method. The commercial drug, metronidazole, was used as positive control. The 50 % inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the antiprotozoal agents for each protozoa was determined. Results: Seven 2-amino-4-(p-substituted phenyl)-oxazoles (a-g) were synthesized. The most active compounds against G. lamblia was 2-amino-4-(p-benzoyloxyphenyl)-oxazole (3d) with an IC50 of 1.17 µM, while compound 3e (2-amino-4-(p-bromophenyl)-oxazole) showed the highest anti-trichomonal activity (IC50, 1.89 µM). Conclusion: The in vitro antigiardial activity of 2-amino-4-(p-benzoyloxyphenyl) oxazole was higher than that exhibited by metronidazole; however, it is necessary increase the number of synthetic derivatives in order to be able to determine their structure-activity relationship.
Molecules, Nov 17, 2016
The biogenetic origin of triterpene dimers from the Celastraceae family has been proposed as assi... more The biogenetic origin of triterpene dimers from the Celastraceae family has been proposed as assisted hetero-Diels-Alder reaction (HDA). In this work, computational calculation of HDA between natural quinonemethides (tingenone and isopristimerol) and hypothetical orthoquinones has been performed at the M06-2X/6-31G(d) level of theory. We have located all the HDA transition states supporting the biogenetic route via HDA cycloadditions. We found that all reactions take place through a concerted inverse electron demand and asynchronous mechanism. The enzymatic assistance for dimer formation was analyzed in terms of the calculated transition state energy barrier.
Molecules, Sep 30, 2018
Mechanistic theoretical studies about the feasibility of the traditional proposed mechanism of fo... more Mechanistic theoretical studies about the feasibility of the traditional proposed mechanism of formation for icetexane diterpene dimer grandione were assessed using density functional method at the M06-2X/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. Bulk water solvent effects were taken into account implicitly using the polarizable continuum model (SCI-PCM). The results were compared with the selectivity found in the biomimetic synthesis performed by experimental research groups. The relative free energy calculation shows that the one-step H-DA formation mechanism nominated in the literature is not a viable mechanism. We found that an alternative competing Tandem pathway is consistent with the experimental trends. Thus, our results suggested that the compound grandione is formed via a H-DA/retro-Claisen rearrangement and not by the traditional H-DA mechanism proposed early in the experimental studies. The H-DA initial step produce a biecyclic adduct followed by a domino retro-Claisen rearrangement that releases the energy strain of the bicyclic intermediary. Steric issues and hyperconjugation interactions are the mainly factors driving the reaction nature and the selectivity in the formation reaction. Finally, the enzymatic assistance for dimer formation was analyzed in terms of the calculated transition state energy barrier.
Natural Product Research, Nov 7, 2021
A series of 15 novel 1,3-thiazole amide derivatives of the pentacyclic triterpene Ochraceolide A ... more A series of 15 novel 1,3-thiazole amide derivatives of the pentacyclic triterpene Ochraceolide A (1) was synthesized, characterized, and evaluated in vitro against three human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and SiHa) and a normal cell line (Vero). Synthetic derivatives were obtained by acylation of the 2-aminothiazole triterpene 2, previously reported. Remarkably, the 5-nitrofuramide derivative (2o) showed better cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity than compound 2 and the other derivatives against the three cancer cell lines with CC50 and IC50 values of 1.6-12.7 µM. Furthermore, butyramide derivative (2c) was approximately 25 times more selective than 2, as well as 3.4 times more selective than Docetaxel, against SiHa cells in the cytotoxic assay, while the phenyl amide derivatives were inactive against the three cancer cell lines.
Molecular Physics, Oct 14, 2019
A theoretical mechanistic investigation of the cycloaddition reaction of quercetine with 3,5-di-t... more A theoretical mechanistic investigation of the cycloaddition reaction of quercetine with 3,5-di-tertbutyl-o-quinone has been carry out employing density functional calculations at M06-2X/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. This computational study was performed in order to gain insight in the energetic and structural parameters that rule the observed experimental selectivity in the synthetised cyclodimers obtained under classical heating and microwave irradiation conditions and the influence of the solvent on their chemical reactivity. The effect of the solvent in the selectivity was studied implicitly using the polarisable continuum model in absence and presence of one explicit solvent's molecule. The theoretical results explain the main issues of the classical heating and the MWI reaction and suggest that thermal effects are directly responsible for the reaction selectivity observed. The comparison of the mechanistic pathway and the non-covalent interactions, shows that a dioxane assisted mechanism can explain the observed experimental selectivity of the two synthetised compounds, thus the dioxane molecule play a catalytic role on this hetero Diels-Alder reaction.
New Journal of Chemistry, 2021
The reaction for the formation of the Xuxuarine Atriterpene dimer in an aqueous medium was stud... more The reaction for the formation of the Xuxuarine Atriterpene dimer in an aqueous medium was studied using ONIOM/CPCM-X scheme at ONIOM(M06-2X/6-31G(d,p):PM6) level of theory, along with the inclusion of one...
RSC Advances, 2021
Acrolein dimerization is a intriguing case since the reaction does not occur to form the electron... more Acrolein dimerization is a intriguing case since the reaction does not occur to form the electronically preferred regioisomeric adduct. Various explanations have been suggested to rationalize this experimental regioselectivity, however, none of these arguments had been convincing enough. In this work, the hetero Diels-Alder acrolein dimerization was theoretically investigated using DFT and MP2 methods. The influence of nucleophilic/electrophilic interactions and non-covalent interactions (NCI) in the regiospecificity of the reaction were analyzed. Our results show that the NCI at the transition state are the key factor controlling the regiospecificity in this reaction. Besides, we found that the choice of calculation method can have an effect on the prediction of the mechanism in the reaction, as all DFT methods forecast a one-step hetero Diels-Alder acrolein dimerization, while MP2 predicts a stepwise description for the lower energy reaction channel.
Molecular Simulation, Sep 22, 2016
The potential energy surface (PES) of chrysophanol anthrone, the active component of Goa Powder, ... more The potential energy surface (PES) of chrysophanol anthrone, the active component of Goa Powder, was systematically explored and thoroughly scrutinised via density functional theory, in order to gain an understanding of its physicochemical properties. In particular, we focused on the rotations of the two hydroxyl-phenyl dihedral angles. A picture with a four stable rotamers emerged where only the most stable conformer has a planar structure and the less stable conformer has the maximum deviation from planarity. The computed PES shows that the energy barriers for Anthraquinones the conformer interconversion are less than 15 kcal/mol. From the analysis of the calculated intramolecular hydrogen bond enthalpy, we conclude that the number of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds governs the conformer stability. Additionally, the conformational equilibrium was pursued by means of an analysis of the energy of OH internal rotation barriers. The total energy changes were decomposed in an electrostatic decomposition scheme in order to gain an insight into the effects governing the torsional barrier and preferred conformations. This analysis shows that the interplay between the repulsive and attractive potentials causes the conformer stability, where the attractive term dominates the conformer stabilisation.
IOP conference series, Jun 7, 2013
The reaction between norbornadiene and o-benzoquinone is an important step in polyalicyclic rigid... more The reaction between norbornadiene and o-benzoquinone is an important step in polyalicyclic rigid structures synthesis. It has been considered that this reaction is an example of Diels-Alder (DA) and hetero-Diels-Alder (HDA) cycloadditions with o-benzoquinone acting as diene (forming CC bonds) and heterodiene (forming O-C bonds). We have performed a Density Functional Theory study of this reaction, employing B3LYP, mPW1PW91, and B1B95 functionals and 6-31G(d,p) and 6-31+G(d,p) Gaussian type basis sets. The results indicate that Diels-Alder is a feasible mechanism for both reactions, but should not be the main route to the formation of products with CC bonds.
Microorganisms, Dec 17, 2019
Micromycetes from unexplored sources represent an opportunity to discover novel natural products ... more Micromycetes from unexplored sources represent an opportunity to discover novel natural products to control insect pests. With this aim, a strain of Acremonium masseei CICY026 isolated from a tropical sinkhole was identified, cultured on fermented rice, and its ethyl acetate extract (EAE) was evaluated against three serious phytophagous insects (Bemisia tabaci, Myzus persicae, and Rhopalosiphum padi). DNA from A. masseei CICY026 was used to confirm its identity. EAE caused settling inhibition (SI) of M. persicae and R. padi (67.5% and 75.3%, respectively). Bioassay-guided fractionation of the active EAE led to the isolation of a novel metabolite, named hexahydroacremonintriol (1), and of acremonin A glucoside (2). The structures of 1 and 2 were determined using IR, one-and two-dimensional NMR, HRMS, and confirmed by theoretical data. The aphid M. persicae was noticeably sensitive to 1 and 2 (SI: 55.6% and 67.2%, respectively), whereas R. padi was only slightly affected by 1 (SI: 59%). This new knowledge about mycobiota from these special sinkhole ecosystems will inform the development of new biorational pesticides.
Open Chemistry, 2015
A series of seven 2-amino-4-arylthiazoles were prepared following Hantzsch's modified method unde... more A series of seven 2-amino-4-arylthiazoles were prepared following Hantzsch's modified method under microwave irradiation. A set of 50 derivatives was obtained and the in vitro activity against Giardia intestinalis was evaluated. The results on the biological activity revealed that, in general, the N-(5-bromo-4-arylthiazol-2-yl)-acetamide scaffold showed high bioactivity. In particular, compounds 6e (IC 50 = 0.39 μM) and 6b (IC 50 = 0.87 μM) were found to be more potent than the positive control metronidazole. Citoxicity and acute toxicity tests performed showed low toxicity and high selectivity of the most active compounds (6e SI = 139, 6b SI = 52.3). A QSAR analysis was applied to a data set of 37 obtained 2-amino-4-arylthiazoles derivatives and the best model described a strongly correlation between the anti-giardiasic activity and molecular descriptors as E2M, RDF115m, F10, MATS6v, and Hypnotic-80, with high statistical quality. This finding indicates that N-substituted aminothiazole scaffold should be investigated for the development of highly selective anti-giardial agent.
Molecular Simulation, Feb 21, 2019
The keto-enol tautomerization of chrysophanol anthrone was systematically investigated via a seri... more The keto-enol tautomerization of chrysophanol anthrone was systematically investigated via a series of density functional theory computations using the M06-2X/6-31 + G(d,p) level of theory. Bulk solvent effects were taken into account implicitly using the polarisable continuum model and explicitly with one pyridine molecule. Moreover, the tautomeric equilibrium was estimated by calculating the equilibrium constant. The pyridine-assisted tautomerism was found to be the energetically preferred pathway, where the pyridine acts as a proton carrier through a two-step reaction, in which the first one corresponds to the deprotonation of the chrysophanol anthrone and the second step to the protonation yielding the enol form. The results show, in accordance with experimental reports, that in the process of dissociation of the protonated pyridine and the aryloxylate anion, the ion is quite susceptible to oxidation. The highly dipolar structures of the transition states and intermediates are stabilised by pyridine up to 7.0 kcal/mol. The non-covalent interactions stabilising the transition states and the intermediates were analysed. Additionally, an intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the enol form of chrysophanol anthrone and the pyridine is formed at the last stage of the reaction. The keto-enol equilibrium analysis shows that the enol form of chrysophanol anthrone must be present in small amounts in basic solvents.
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Papers by Ramiro Quijano-Quiñones