Ricerc@Sapienza

Capillary methacrylate-based monoliths were prepared for the high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) separation of both small molecules and large biomolecules. An efficient grafting from/to syntheticapproach was adopted introducing a network of activated sites in the inner wall surface using the newsilanization agent (N-trimethoxysilylpropyl)-polyethylenimine.

A new chiral stationary phase was designed by
introducing 9-amino-9-deoxy-9-epiquinine, one of the
most versatile organocatalysts in asymmetric synthesis, as
chiral scaffold. The derivatization of its amino group with
the 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl (DNB) fragment provided hydrogen
bonding and ?–? donor/acceptor systems in addition to
the quinoline and quinuclidine moieties having two nitrogen
atoms with different basicities. The selector offers
multiple interaction sites in both typical of the Pirkle-type

Physical hydrogels of a high-carboxymethylated derivative of scleroglucan (Scl-CM300) were investigated as potential systems for topical drug delivery using three different therapeutic molecules (fluconazole, diclofenac and betamethasone). Rheological tests were carried out on drug-loaded hydrogels along with in-vitro release studies in a vertical Franz cell, in order to investigate if and how different drugs may influence the rheological and release properties of Scl-CM300 hydrogels.

Cell division cycle phosphatases CDC25 A, B and C are involved in modulating cell cycle processes and are found overexpressed in a large panel of cancer typology. Here, we describe the development of two novel quinone-polycycle series of CDC25A and C inhibitors on the one hand 1a-k, coumarin-based, and on the other 2a-g, quinolinone-based, which inhibit either enzymes up to a sub-micro molar level and at single-digit micro molar concentrations, respectively.

This minireview surveys the work of our research group directed toward finding novel antimycobacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs. Many active compounds were found with a common 1,5-diarylpyrrole skeleton. Some of the synthesized compounds, designed on the basis of structure–activity relationship studies, showed very interesting activities and proved to be effective in vivo, thus providing evidence of their attractiveness for lead optimization.

The d and l amino acid mediated enantioselective intramolecular aldol reaction of 4-((1-methyl-2,6-dioxo-cyclohexyl)methyl)-pent-4-enal 1 leading, after dehydration, to (-)-(R) and (+)-(S) 4a-methyl-3-methylene-5-oxo-2,3,4,4a,5,6,7,8-octahydro-naphthalene-1-carbaldehyde 2 was explored. It was found that (-)-(R) carbaldehyde 2 is enantioselectively formed in the presence of l-amino acids while (+)-(S) carbaldehyde 2 is enantioselectively formed in the presence of d-amino acids. (-)-(R) Carbaldehyde 2 was then transformed into (+)-22.

This paper describes the development of an original micro-solid phase extraction device and its evaluation for the isolation of F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs) from cord and maternal plasma samples. The unit is very simple and consists in a rotating disc (1.8 cm diameter) of oxidized buckypaper (BP), enwrapped in a polypropylene mesh pouch.

The oxidation of a series of hydrocarbons by the nonheme iron(IV)-oxo complex [(N4Py)FeIV═O]2+ is efficiently mediated by N-hydroxyphthalimide. The increase of reactivity is associated to the oxidation of the mediator to the phthalimide N-oxyl radical, which efficiently abstracts a hydrogen atom from the substrates, regenerating the mediator in its reduced form.

The combination of an efficient chromatographic separation with post-column addition of a supercharging agent was evaluated for the determination of small peptides. The procedure takes advantage of porous graphitic carbon (PGC) ability in retaining very polar and ionic molecules to overstep the poor retention of small peptides on conventional reversed phase (RP) columns. The method was developed specifically for the most hydrophilic di-, tri- and tetrapeptides, which are not identified in ordinary peptidomics experiments.

The connection between chocolate and cocoa is studied. As cocoa is produced in different countries, samples coming from the same geographical region are analysed. The analyses focus on the characterisation of the considered samples for different aspects of quality and to individuate the original locations of production, also connecting this with the nutritional aspects. For this purpose, qualitative and quantitative traditional analysis and determination of fatty acid content are performed. The obtained experimental data show interesting correlations.