Modulation of Antioxidant Compounds in Fruits of Blanco Using Postharvest LED Irradiation.

Phlegrean mandarin fruits are already known for health-promoting properties due to the high concentration of phytochemicals in peel, pulp, and seed. Biotic and abiotic factors, including light, may modulate their biosynthesis, metabolism, and accumulation. In this context, light-emitting diodes (LED) have recently been applied to control nutritional traits, ripening process, senescence, fruit shelf-life, and pathogenic microbial spoilage of fruits.

Hands-on synthesis of furanamides and evaluation of their antimicrobial activity.

Diverse natural and synthetic furan derivatives have shown biological activity. Here, we describe the preparation of benzyl and arylethyl β-furanamides with OH or OMe aryl substituents by an adapted sustainable method from a furoic acid using methyl chloroformate. Symmetric and asymmetric β,β'-furanamides have instead been prepared using azabenzotriazole based catalyst (HATU).

Antioxidant Properties of Pulp, Peel and Seeds of Phlegrean Mandarin ( Blanco) at Different Stages of Fruit Ripening.

In this work, we assess the potential of waste products of Phlegrean mandarin ( Blanco), namely seeds and peel, to be reutilized as a source of bioactive compounds beneficial for the human diet. Starting from the evidence that the by-products of this specific cultivar are the most powerful sources of antioxidants compared to pulp, we have investigated if and how the bioactive compounds in peel and seeds may be affected by fruit ripening. Three stages of fruit ripening have been considered in our study: unripe fruits = UF, semi-ripe fruits = SRF, ripe fruits = RF.

Ecotoxicity and photodegradation of Montelukast (a drug to treat asthma) in water.

The present work focuses on the ecotoxicological effects of montelukast sodium (MTL) and its photoproducts, obtained under environmentally-like conditions. Despite of the potential presence in surface waters and the common use of MTL as asthma drug, limited data has been published for its photodegradation, while no information is available for its ecotoxicity. Light-induced degradation is an effective way for drugs to degrade in aquatic environments, and MTL is highly photosensitive, even by exposure to sunlight.

A One-Pot Approach to Novel Pyridazine -Nucleosides.

The synthesis of glycosides and modified nucleosides represents a wide research field in organic chemistry. The classical methodology is based on coupling reactions between a glycosyl donor and an acceptor. An alternative strategy for new -nucleosides is used in this approach, which consists of modifying a pre-existent furyl aglycone.

Synthesis of novel lignan-like compounds and their antimicrobial activity.

Herein we report the preparation of 3,4-dibenzylfurans and some oxidized derivatives with lignan backbone. The compounds were prepared using the Friedel-Crafts reaction with BF etherate as catalyst, demethylation with iodocyclohexane, acetylation and oxidation reactions. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated through their capacity to inhibit the growth of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, and of the yeast Candida albicans.

Comparative Studies on Different Cultivars: A Revaluation of Waste Mandarin Components.

Peel, pulp and seed extracts of three mandarin varieties, namely Phlegraean mandarin (), Kumquat (), and Clementine () were compared and characterised in terms of photosynthetic pigment content, total polyphenols amount, antioxidant activity and vitamin C to assess the amount of functional compounds for each cultivar. The highest polyphenols content was found in the Phlegraean mandarin, especially in peel and seeds, whereas Kumquat exhibited the highest polyphenols amount in the pulp. The antioxidant activity was higher in the peel of Phlegraean mandarin and clementine compared to Kumquat, which showed the highest value in the pulp.

Synthesis of 3-benzoyl-4-benzylfurans structural related to furolignans.

Furolignan-type natural products, possessing important biological properties, have been synthesized from a commercially available furan. The elaborated synthetic strategy is based on an innovative Friedel-Crafts reaction starting from an alcohol or a carboxylic acid and triflic anhydride as promoter. Through this synthetic strategy, furolignans having two different aryl groups have been obtained.

Antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties of novel synthetic lignan-like compounds.

Antibiotic resistance and biofilm tolerance are among the principal factors involved in the persistence of chronic infections. The need for new antimicrobials is an ever-increasing challenge in clinical environments and in the control of global health. Arylfurans form a set of structures that have been identified in many natural products, e.

Ecotoxic effects of loratadine and its metabolic and light-induced derivatives.

Loratadine and desloratadine are second-generation antihistaminic drugs. Because of human administration, they are continuously released via excreta into wastewater treatment plants and occur in surface waters as residues and transformation products (TPs). Loratadine and desloratadine residues have been found at very low concentrations (ng/L) in the aquatic environment but their toxic effects are still not well known.

Photochemical fate and eco-genotoxicity assessment of the drug etodolac.

The photochemical behavior of etodolac was investigated under various irradiation conditions. Kinetic data were obtained after irradiation of 10(-4) M aqueous solutions by UVB, UVA and direct exposure to sunlight. The Xenon lamp irradiation was used in order to determine the photodegradation quantum yield under sun-simulated condition (ϕsun).

Photoenhanced transformation of nicotine in aquatic environments: involvement of naturally occurring radical sources.

This work investigated the fate of nicotine (Nico) in aqueous solution upon reaction with singlet oxygen ((1)O2) and hydroxyl radical (HO·). The second-order rate constants of Nico with (1)O2 (k(Nico,(1)O(2)) = (3.38 ± 0.

Chlorpropham and phenisopham: phototransformation and ecotoxicity of carbamates in the aquatic environment.

In this study, a comparison of two carbamic pesticides, chlorpropham and phenisopham, was carried out in terms of both photodegradability and ecotoxicity. The photochemical behaviour of the two pesticides was investigated under environmental-like conditions (aqueous media, UVB or solar irradiation). The photochemical kinetic parameters were calculated by irradiating 5 × 10(-5) M solutions (H₂O-CH₃CN, 9 : 1 v/v) using UVB lamps.

Ecotoxicological evaluation of caffeine and its derivatives from a simulated chlorination step.

Caffeine is ubiquitous in surface and ground waters and it has been proposed as a marker of the anthropogenic pressure on the environment. Sewage treatment plants based on active sludges seem to be not very efficient in its complete removal from effluents while additional disinfection treatments by chlorination are able to do it. In a simulation of the chlorination step herein we report that caffeine is transformed in six by-products: 8-chlorocaffeine, 1,3-dimethyl-5-azabarbituric acid, N,N'-dimethylparabanic acid, N,N'-dimethyloxalamide, N-methylurea and N,N'-dimethylurea.

The impact of the hydroxyl radical photochemical sources on the rivastigmine drug transformation in mimic and natural waters.

In this paper we investigated the degradation of the rivastigmine drug induced by hydroxyl radical in synthetic and natural waters focusing on both reactivity and photoproducts identification. The hydroxyl radical formation rate was quantified by using terephthalic acid as trapping molecule and it was related with the rivastigmine degradation rate. The second order rate constant between hydroxyl radical and rivastigmine was estimated to be ≈ 5.

Chemical fate and genotoxic risk associated with hypochlorite treatment of nicotine.

Nicotine, the main alkaloid of tobacco, is a non- prescription drug to which all members of a tobacco-smoking society are exposed either through direct smoke inhalation or through second-hand passive 'smoking'. Nicotine is also commercially available in some pharmaceutical products and is used worldwide as a botanical insecticide in agriculture. Nicotine dynamics in indoor and outdoor environments as well as the human excretions and the manufacturing process are responsible for its entry in the environment through municipal and industrial wastewater discharges.

Investigation on the phototransformation of tadalafil in aqueous media. 6-Epimerization vs. solvent trapping reaction.

Irradiation of tadalafil at lambda > 290 nm in aqueous solutions leads to 6-epimer and/or water adducts depending on concentration and pH. A rationalization of the results involves the heterolytic cleavage of C6-N5 bond via a well-stabilized zwitterionic intermediate. The drug is stable in the dark except under strongly basic conditions where it undergoes C12a-epimerization.

Unusual products of the aqueous chlorination of atenolol.

The reaction of the drug atenolol with hypochlorite under conditions that simulate wastewater disinfection was investigated. The pharmaceutical reacted in 1h yielding three products that were separated by chromatographic techniques and characterized by spectroscopic features. Two unusual products 2-(4-(3-(chloro(2-chloropropan-2-yl)amino)-2-hydroxypropoxy)phenyl) acetamide and 2-(4-(3-formamido-2-hydroxypropoxy)phenyl) acetamide were obtained along with 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetamide.

Lignans by photo-oxidation of propenyl phenols.

Dimeric cyclic or acyclic lignan derivatives have been obtained from isoeugenol under light induced oxidations (mainly by MB-sensitized photooxygenation in water/CH(3)CN or di-tert-butyl peroxide photo-oxidation). Coniferyl alcohol gives lignans only under peroxide-mediated photo-oxidation while ferulic acid was unreactive under both conditions.

New insight into the reaction of singlet oxygen with sulfur-containing cyclic alkenes: dye-sensitized photooxygenation of 5,6-dihydro-1,4-dithiins.

The reaction of 3-methyl-5,6-dihydro-1,4-dithiins with singlet oxygen affords dicarbonyl compounds and/or ring-contracted ketosulfoxides, the latter regio- and stereoselectively, depending on the nature of the substituent at C-2 and on the reaction conditions. In competition with normal fragmentation, the intermediate dioxetanes, derived from [2 + 2] cycloaddition of singlet oxygen to the double bond, undergo an intramolecular oxygen transfer to the sulfur-1 atom, leading to labile epoxide intermediates. The latter convert to cis- and trans-ketosulfoxides through a non-concerted S-4 migration.

Phototransformation products of tamoxifen by sunlight in water. Toxicity of the drug and its derivatives on aquatic organisms.

Transformation of tamoxifen has been observed in water by prolonged sunlight irradiation. The main photoproducts, isolated by chromatographic techniques, have been identified by spectroscopic means. Photoisomerization, photocyclization and, to a lesser extent, photooxygenation appear to be involved in the degradation of the drug.

Transformation and ecotoxicity of carbamic pesticides in water.

Background: N-methylcarbamate insecticides are widely used chemicals for crop protection. This study examines the hydrolytic and photolytic cleavage of benfuracarb, carbosulfan and carbofuran under natural conditions. Their toxicity and that of the corresponding main degradation products toward aquatic organisms were evaluated.

Phototransformation of carboxin in water. Toxicity of the pesticide and its sulfoxide to aquatic organisms.

Sunlight exposure of aqueous suspensions of carboxin (1) causes its phototransformation to sulfoxide 2 and minor components. Similar effects are observed in the presence of humic acid or nitrate or at different pH values. Photoproducts 2-9 were isolated by chromatographic techniques and/or identified by spectroscopic means.

Sensitized photooxygenation of the fungicide furalaxyl.

Background: The photolysis of pesticides is of high current interest since light is one of the most important abiotic factors which are responsible for the environmental fate of these substances and may induce their conversion into noxious products. The action of light can also be mediated by oxygen and synthetic or naturally occurring substances which act as sensitizers. Our objective in this study was to investigate the photochemical behaviour of the systemic fungicide furalaxyl in the presence of oxygen and various sensitizers, and to compare the toxicity of the main photoproduct(s) to that of the parent compound.

Identification of phototransformation products of prednisone by sunlight: toxicity of the drug and its derivatives on aquatic organisms.

Solar simulator irradiation of an aqueous suspension of prednisone, a widely prescribed drug, produces seven photochemical derivatives. The compounds have been identified on the basis of their physical features. All the chemicals have been tested to evaluate their toxic effects on freshwater organisms from different trophic levels.