Publications by authors named "Gil V J da Silva"

Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter that regulates numerous essential functions, including cognition and voluntary movement. As such, it serves as an important scaffold for synthesis of novel analogues as part of drug development effort to obtain drugs for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease. To that end, similarity search of the ZINC database based on two known dopamine-1 receptor (D1R) agonists, dihydrexidine (DHX) and SKF 38393, respectively, was used to predict novel chemical entities with potential binding to D1R.

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A chiral derivatizing agent (CDA) with the aldehyde function has been widely used in discriminating chiral amines because of the easy formation of imines under mild conditions. There is a preference for the use of cyclic aldehydes as a CDA since their lower conformational flexibility favors the differentiation of the diastereoisomeric derivatives. In this study, the imines obtained from the reaction between ()-citronellal and the chiral amines (-butylamine, methylbenzylamine, and amphetamine) were analyzed by the nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE).

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Leishmaniasis is a group of diseases caused by protozoan parasites from the genus Leishmania. There are estimated 1.3 million new cases annually with a mortality of 20,000-30,000 per year, when patients are left untreated.

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Purification and bioassay-guided fractionation were employed to isolate proanthocyanidins with antioxidant activity from peanut skin (Arachis hypogaea Runner 886). The crude extract was prepared with acetone (60% v/v) and purified using chromatographic methods, including a semipreparative HPLC technique. As a result, two proanthocyanidins were isolated and identified using NMR, epicatechin-(2 β → O → 7, 4 β → 8)-catechin (proanthocyanidin A1) and epicatechin-(β → 2 O → 7, 4 β → 8)-epicatechin (proanthocyanidin A2).

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The use of liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) in dereplication studies of medicinal plants is a common strategy, but the analyses of polyacetylenes by LC-ESI-MS are little explored and require huge efforts, especially if there are low concentrations in the extracts. A post-column sodiation strategy was successfully applied to enhance the detection of polyacetylene glycosides. Their molecular formulae were proposed by HRESI, whereas the polyacetylene chromophores were determined by UV data.

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A series of 3(2H)-furanones, based on side-chain modifications of a parent 3(2H)-furanone, was synthesized in good yield. The parent compound was prepared by hydrogenolysis, and subsequent acid hydrolysis, of isoxazole derivatives. The isoxazole was prepared by a [3+2] 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction between 3-butyn-2-ol and nitrile oxide.

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2D DOSY 1H NMR has proved to be a useful technique in the identification of the molecular skeleton of the four major compounds of ethyl acetate extract of aerial parts of Bidens sulphurea (Asteraceae). The combination of this technique with HPLC, mass spectrometry and other NMR techniques enabled the identification of four flavonoid glycosides: quercetin-3-O-beta-D-galactopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-beta-D-glycopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-alpha-L-arabinofuranoside and quercetin-3-O-beta-D-rhamnopyranoside.

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Colonial spiders evolved a differential prey-capture behaviour in concert with their venom chemistry, which may be a source of novel drugs. Some highly active tetrahydro-beta-carboline (THbetaC) toxins were recently isolated from the venom of the colonial spider Parawixia bistriata; the spiders use these toxins as part of their chemical arsenal to kill and/or paralyze preys. The major THbetaC compound isolated from this venom was identified as 6-hydroxytrypargine, also known as PwTX-I.

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The (2,3)J(CH) dependence on dihedral angle (theta H--C--C--X) for cyclopentane derivatives was investigated. We observed that the combined use of experimentally obtained (2,3)J(CH) values and the theoretically determined dihedral angles between the corresponding nuclei can be used to infer the relative stereochemistry of the ring substituents in cyclopentane derivatives. There is a good correlation between the magnitude of (3)J(CH) and the dihedral angle between the hydrogen and the coupled carbon (R2 = 0.

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A suitable intermediate for the synthesis of eremophilanes and bakkanes was prepared by a highly regioselective and stereoselective one-step synthesis through a niobium catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction. As a demonstration of the versatility of this intermediate, a total synthesis of (+/-)-bakkenolide A is described.

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Here we report the detailed measurement of long-range heteronuclear spin-spin coupling constants, especially 2, 3JCH spin-spin couplings for eight different cyclopentane derivatives. These 2, 3JCH constants were shown to be a useful tool in the determination of the relative stereochemistry in these rings. The coupling constant measurements reported here are based on two different experiments: a 2D heteronuclear correlation experiment named G-BIRDR, X-CPMG-HSQMBC and the 2D-coupled gHSQC {1H-13C} experiment

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We have found that some of the usually poor dienophiles (2-cycloenones) can undergo Diels-Alder reaction at -78 degrees C with unusually high stereoselectivity in the presence of niobium pentachloride as a Lewis acid catalyst. A remarkable difference in reaction rates for unsubstituted and alpha- or beta-methyl substituted 2-cycloenones was also observed.

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In this paper we present a complete 1H and 13C NMR spectral analysis of three lignan lactones (methylpluviatolide, dimethylmatairesinol and hinokinin) by the use of techniques such as COSY, HMQC, HMBC and J-resolved. Complete assignment and all homonuclear hydrogen coupling constant measurements were performed, providing enough data also to the confirmation of the relative stereochemistry.

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Detailed measurements of long-range heteronuclear spin-spin coupling constants, especially (2, 3)J(CH) spin-spin couplings for various cyclopentane derivatives, are reported. The measurements are based on a 2D heteronuclear correlation experiment named G-BIRD(R, X)-CPMG-HSQMBC.

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A detailed analysis with total assignment of (1)H and (13)C NMR spectral data for a cycloheptenone derivative, a key intermediate for the synthesis of perhydroazulene terpenoids, is related. These assignments are based on 1D (1)H and (13)C NMR and on 2D NMR techniques including gCOSY, gHSQC, gHMBC, J-resolved and NOEDIF experiments. The unequivocal assignments were supported by theoretical chemical shifts and scalar coupling constant calculations at GIAO B3LYP/cc-pVDZ level from optimized structures at the same level of theory.

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Detailed assignments of (1)H and (13)C NMR spectral data for 13 beta-substituted cycloenones are reported. The assignments are based on 1D (1)H and (13)C NMR and on 2D shift-correlated ((1)H,(13)C-HMQC and HMBC), J-resolved and COSY and double irradiation experiments.

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A detailed NMR analysis with total assignment of (1)H and (13)C NMR data for the endo and the exo adducts, obtained by Diels-Alder reaction between 2-cyclohexenone and cyclopentadiene, is described. The unequivocal assignment of the endo and exo structures was performed by (1)H and (13)C NMR. These assignments were supported by theoretical chemical shift calculations at GIAO/HF level using 6-311 + g(2d, p) from optimized structures at the B3LYP/6-31g(d) level.

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We describe the complete 1H and 13C NMR analysis of three aryltetralin lignan lactones (polygamain, morelensin and 4,5-dimethoxymorelensin) using modern NMR techniques such as COSY, HMQC, HMBC, 2D-J-resolved and NOE experiments. The relative stereochemistry of these compounds, which is very important with regard to their biological activity, was completely determined.

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