Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Difluoromethyl Cinnamoyl Amides.

Series of novel amides of isoferulic acid, where the phenolic hydroxyl was replaced by a difluoromethyl group, were synthesized and their in vitro antibacterial activities assayed against fourteen bacterial strains (six Gram-positive and eight Gram-negative). A one-pot methodology was developed to obtain the 3'-(difluoromethyl)-4'-methoxycinnamoyl amides using Deoxofluor as a fluorinating agent. The -isopropyl, -isopentyl, and -(2-phenylethyl) amides , and were the most active and selective against (MIC = 8 µg/mL) with and displaying negligible or no cytotoxicity against HepG2 and A549 cells.

Naturally occurring compounds elicit HIV-1 replication in chronically infected promonocytic cells.

Since antiretroviral therapy suppresses but does not eradicate HIV-1 infection, methods to purge viral reservoirs are required. Many strategies involve the reactivation of chronically HIV infected cells to induce the expression of integrated viral genome. In this study, five bioactive compounds, the plant derivatives 1-cinnamoyl-3,11-dihydroxymeliacarpin (CDM), nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), and curcumin (Cur) and the synthetic stigmasterol analogs (22S,23S)-22,23-dihydroxystigmast-4-en-3-one (compound 1) and (22S,23S)-3 β -bromo-5 α ,22,23-trihydroxystigmastan-6-one (compound 2), were evaluated for their ability to elicit HIV replication in promonocytic (U1) and lymphocytic (H9+) HIV-1 chronically infected cells.

Effect of antibiotics against Mycoplasma sp. on human embryonic stem cells undifferentiated status, pluripotency, cell viability and growth.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are self-renewing pluripotent cells that can differentiate into specialized cells and hold great promise as models for human development and disease studies, cell-replacement therapies, drug discovery and in vitro cytotoxicity tests. The culture and differentiation of these cells are both complex and expensive, so it is essential to extreme aseptic conditions. hESCs are susceptible to Mycoplasma sp.

Apoptosis resistance in HIV-1 persistently-infected cells is independent of active viral replication and involves modulation of the apoptotic mitochondrial pathway.

Background: HIV triggers the decline of CD4+ T cells and leads to progressive dysfunction of cell-mediated immunity. Although an increased susceptibility to cell death occurs during the acute phase of HIV infection, persistently-infected macrophages and quiescent T-cells seem to be resistant to cell death, representing a potential reservoir for virus production.

Results: Lymphoid (H9/HTLVIIIB and J1.

Oxidative stress in vero cells infected with vesicular stomatitis virus.

Viral-induced apoptosis might be mediated by oxidative stress. It has already been described that cell death in vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-infected cells occurs by apoptosis. In this study, oxidative stress parameters present in VSV-infected Vero cells were analyzed.