The results of the computational and the physicochemical studies of the encapsulation of resveratrol with β-cyclodextrin are presented here. At first, the molecular docking experiments predicted good binding. Several MD simulations and MM-PBSA experiments confirmed the reliable binding, showing optimal kinetics and energy. As an application, resveratrol inclusion complexes with β-cyclodextrin were obtained in an aqueous alcohol medium via microwave treatment. The results of thermographic measurements of the obtained clathrates using a differential scanning calorimeter are presented, and the obtained activation energy was calculated using the Ozawa–Flynn–Wall and Friedman methods, as well as nonparametric kinetics. The effect of complexation on the kinetic parameters of thermal destruction of the β-cyclodextrin–resveratrol inclusion complex was considered. The morphology of the surface of the obtained clathrate complexes was described using a scanning electron microscope. The spectral properties of the inclusion complex were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H, and ¹³С NMR spectroscopic data. The obtained in silico, morphological, thermogravimetric, and spectral results confirmed the formation of the resveratrol–β-cyclodextrin complex. The antioxidant activities of the inclusion complex were determined to be 12.1 μg/mL, compared to 14.3 μg/mL for free resveratrol, indicating an improvement in the bioactivity.

The encapsulation of the famous alkaloid, anabasine, with β-CD was studied to obtain a more stable and bioavailable inclusion complex. Various in silico and experimental studies of the obtained β-CD-anabasine complex are presented. Firstly, molecular docking studies were conducted against the α, β, and γ cyclodextrins to explore which subclass is the best for encapsulation. The obtained results that pointed at β-cyclodextrin were further confirmed by five MD simulations and MM-PBSA studies. Experimentally, the spectral properties of the anabasine β-cyclodextrin complex were determined by FT-IR, ¹H, and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopic methods. Additionally, the surface morphology of the anabasine β-cyclodextrin was investigated using a scanning electron microscope. Furthermore, the outputs of the thermographic measurements utilizing a differential scanning calorimeter were displayed. The activation energy of the reaction of thermo-oxidative destruction of the clathrate complex was calculated, and the kinetic parameters of the thermal destruction processes were decided using the Freeman–Carroll, Sharpe–Wentworth, Achar, and Coates–Redfern methods. The kinetic parameters of the thermal decomposition of the anabasine β-cyclodextrin were in agreement and verified the reliability of the obtained results. The obtained computational, spectral, morphological, and thermogravimetric results verified the successful formation of the anabasine β-cyclodextrin complex.

In this work, the cyclization reactivity of various 3-acetyl-2-methylpyridines (including 3-acetyl-2-methylquinoline) containing both electron donor and acceptor substituents with salicylaldehyde into epoxybenzooxocino[4,3-b]pyridine derivatives was studied. The reactions were carried out in mild (under room temperature or reflux in 2-propanol) and harsh (in a sealed glass ampoule) conditions. It was shown that 3-acetyl-2-methylpyridines with an aryl substituent in the 4-position do not react with salicylaldehyde either under normal convection heating conditions or under more severe conditions. This effect was explained by the steric hindrance of the substituents using quantum chemical calculations. It was found that electron donor substituents in 3-acetyl-2-methylpyridines significantly facilitate cyclization in epoxybenzooxocino[4,3-b]pyridines. The presence of electron acceptor substituents (NO₂ group for example) in the 5-position of pyridine prevents cyclization under normal conditions, but gives a rather high conversion to oxocinopyridines under more specific conditions. This effect is quantum-chemically explained by the decrease in the basicity of pyridine. Pyridines with two pairs of methyl groups in ortho-positions to the acetyl group are capable to form mixtures of regioisomeric epoxybenzooxocinopyridines. Further, epoxybenzooxocinopyridines with methyl and acetyl groups can form a mixture of diastereomeric bisoxocins under more specific conditions. All 17 initial pyridines were studied quantum-chemically in order to understand what features of their structure and properties affect the success of the cyclization reaction and the yield of the target product. The pyridine molecules were calculated by the DFT RB3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) method taking into account the alcohol solvent within the CPCM model using Gaussian-2016 program. It was shown that the absence of steric hindrances in the form of bulky substituents in 4-position of pyridines is the main factor affecting the success of the cyclization reaction. Also, the yield of the target product is affected by the CH-acidity of the methyl group in 2-position, which, in turn, is affected by electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents in the 5- and 6-positions. Received: 20 September 2023 Accepted after revision: 19 October 2023 Article published online: 21 November 2023 © 2023. Thieme. All rights reserved Georg Thieme Verlag KG Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

Computational study of some details of the cyclization reaction between 3,5-diacetyl-2,6-dimethylpyridine and salicylic aldehyde in an acidic medium was performed by the DFT RB3LYP/6-31G method using the Gaussian-2016 software package. It was shown that protonation of the pyridine nitrogen atom leads to a significant increase in the charge of the hydrogen atom of the 2-methyl group of pyridine and the methyl acetyl group. This leads to the growth of the methyl group CH-acidity and enolization of the acetyl group. It was also found that the protonated tautomeric enol form of 3,5-diacetyl-2,6-dimethylpyridine gives a stable pre-reaction complex with salicylic aldehyde due to the formation of three hydrogen bonds. The formation of this pre-reaction complex, apparently, leads to the implementation of the Knoevenagel reaction, instead of the alternative possible Claisen–Schmidt reaction of salicylic aldehyde at the acetyl group of pyridine. The possible biological activity of the previously obtained cyclization products was evaluated by molecular docking using the AutoDock Vina software. Some cyclization products showed higher values of the binding affinity with the selected target proteins in comparison with the known antiviral drugs Nevirapine and Favipiravir. The results obtained confirm the correctness of the proposed cyclization mechanism between 3,5-diacetyl-2,6-dimethylpyridine and salicylic aldehyde. This also makes it possible to assess the prospects of previously obtained derivatives of epoxybenzo[7,8]oxocino[4,3-b]pyridine as synthetic analogs of natural integrastatins A, B for further synthesis and study of their antiviral activity.

In this paper for the first time we report simple one-step synthesis of 5-methyl-11,12-dihydro-5H-5,11-epoxybenzo[7,8]oxocino[4,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives by acid-catalyzed cyclization reaction of various 4-methyl-5-acetyl pyrimidine derivatives with salicylic aldehyde. It was shown that 2-substituted 4-methyl-5-acetylpyrimidines successfully react to form a cyclization product. At the same time, 4-methyl-5-acetylpyrimidines with a substituent in the 6th position do not enter into the cyclization reaction. This may be caused by the negative effect of substituents in the 6th position, which hinder the free rotation of the acetyl group and prevent the formation of a stable pre-reaction complex. The structure of the obtained 5-methyl-11,12-dihydro-5H-5,11-epoxybenzo[7,8]oxocino[4,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives was confirmed using 1H, 13C spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and X-ray diffraction analysis.

Integrastatins are naturally occurring heterotetracyclic compounds with a broad spectrum of biological activity. A number of new structural analogues of integrastatins 2a-u have been synthesized using a novel one-step method [1], but a systematic theoretical study of their structural features and biological activity has not been realized. This study aimed to in silico investigate physicochemical and bioactivity properties for a series of 21 new synthetic analogues of natural integrastatins. Global chemical reactivity descriptors was assessed using DFT B3LYP 6-311++G(d, p) CPCM (solvent — water) calculations. High ionization potential IP in the range from 5.9 to 7.1 eV and electron affinity EA at the level of 2.1 to 3.2 eV were shown, which together with a sufficiently large energy gap DEgap from 3.8 to 4.6 eV indicates the hard nature of the compounds 2a-u. Antiviral activity and inhibitory potential as CYP2C19 inducers were identified using the PASSOnline resource. According to the results of molecular docking studies Human immunodeficiency virus HIV-1 reverse transcriptase protein (PDB ID: 3V81) and protein of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of the SARS-CoV-2 (PDB ID: 7AAP) can serve as a likely biological target for the compounds 2a-u. Potentially high oral efficacy and a promising safety profile for the therapeutic use were showed using ADMETlab 3.0 online portal. Further experimental in vitro and in vivo studies of the pharmaceutical potential of compounds 2a-u is need for more accurate evaluation the assumptions made on the basis of in silico approach.