Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. Acta Crystallogr B Struct Sci Cryst Eng Mater. 2024 Aug 1;80(Pt 4):347-359.
doi:  10.1107/S2052520624005948. Epub 2024 Jul 30.

Solvatomorphism in a series of copper(II) complexes with the 
5-phenylimidazole/perchlorate system as ligands.

Loukopoulos E(1), Papatriantafyllopoulou C(2), Moushi E(2), Kitos AA(1), 
Tasiopoulos AJ(2), Perlepes SP(1), Nastopoulos V(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Patras, 26504, Greece.
(2)Department of Chemistry, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus.

In the course of an investigation of the supramolecular behaviour of copper(II) 
complexes with the 5-phenylimidazole/perchlorate ligand system (`blend') 
remarkable solvatomorphism has been observed. By employing a variety of 
crystallization solvents (polar protic, polar/non-polar aprotic), a series of 12 
crystalline solvatomorphs with the general formula [Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4]·x(solvent) 
have been obtained [LH = 5-phenylimidazole, x(solvent) = 3.3(H2O) (1), 
2(methanol) (2), 2(ethanol) (3), 2(1-propanol) (4), 2(2-propanol) (5), 
2(2-butanol) (6), 2(dimethylformamide) (7), 2(acetone) (8), 2(tetrahydrofurane) 
(9), 2(1,4-dioxane) (10), 2(ethyl acetate) (11) and 1(diethyl ether) (12)]. The 
structures have been solved using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and the 
complexes were characterized by thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy. The 
solvatomorphs are isostructural (triclinic, P1), with the exception of compound 
9 (monoclinic, P21/n). The supramolecular structures and the role of the various 
solvents is discussed. All potential hydrogen-bond functionalities, both of the 
[Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4] units and of the solvents, are utilized in the course of the 
crystallization process. The supramolecular assembly in all structures is 
directed by strong recurring Nimidazole-H...Operchlorate motifs leading to 
robust scaffolds composed of the [Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4] host complexes. The solvents 
are located in channels and, with the exception of the disordered waters in 1 
and the diethyl ether in 12, participate in hydrogen-bonding formation with the 
[Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4] complexes, serving as both hydrogen-bond acceptors and donors 
(for the polar protic solvents in 2-6), or solely as hydrogen-bond acceptors 
(for the polar/non-polar aprotic solvents in 7-11), linking the complexes and 
contributing to the stability of the crystalline compounds.

open access.

DOI: 10.1107/S2052520624005948
PMCID: PMC11301897
PMID: 39136540


2. Reprod Toxicol. 2024 Oct;129:108683. doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2024.108683. Epub
 2024 Aug 8.

Ultra-diluted/dynamized doxorubicin reduces the toxicity caused by doxorubicin 
during the in vitro culture of pig preantral follicles enclosed in ovarian 
tissue.

Lima de Andrade RD(1), Palomino GJQ(1), de Queiroz ISM(1), Bezerra da Silva 
AF(1), Ferreira ACA(1), Alves BG(2), de Morais SM(3), Rodrigues APR(1), de Lima 
LF(1), de Figueiredo JR(4).

Author information:
(1)Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocytes and Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), 
State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
(2)Conception Biosciences Inc., Berkeley, CA, USA.
(3)Laboratory of Chemistry and Natural Products, State University of 
Ceara, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
(4)Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocytes and Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), 
State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. Electronic address: 
jrf.lamofopapapers@gmail.com.

The present study investigated the effect of adding allopathic doxorubicin (DOX 
0.3 µg/mL), the vehicle of ultradiluted/dynamized doxorubicin (0.2 % ethanol), 
different dynamizations of ultradiluted/dynamized doxorubicin (DOX 6CH, DOX 12CH 
and DOX 30CH), both in the absence or presence of chemical stress induced by 
doxorubicin at 0.3 µg/mL on follicular survival and activation, antioxidant 
capacity of the medium, Catalase activity (CAT), production of reactive protein 
thiol, maintenance of type I and III collagen fibers and accumulation of 
lipofuscin in porcine ovarian tissue cultured in vitro for 48 hours. To do this, 
part of the ovarian tissue fragments was fixed for the uncultured control and 
the rest were cultured in: MEM (cultured control), DOX 0.3 µg/mL, Ethanol, DOX 
6CH, DOX 12CH, DOX 30CH, DOX (0.3 µg/mL) + DOX 6CH, DOX (0.3 µg/mL) + DOX 12CH, 
DOX (0.3 µg/mL) + DOX 30CH treatments. The results showed that, in general, 
ultradiluted/dynamized doxorubicin (DOX 6CH, DOX 12CH and DOX 30CH) mitigated 
the toxic effect of allopathic doxorubicin (0.3 µg/mL) on the morphology of 
preantral follicles, the content of type I and III collagen fibers, and the 
production of lipofuscin in the tissue. However, only DOX (0.3 µg/mL) + DOX 6CH 
attenuated the oxidative stress induced by DOX (0.3 µg/mL), maintaining adequate 
CAT activity that was similar to the uncultured control. Additionally, when the 
three isolated ultradiluted/dynamized doxorubicin were considered, only DOX 12CH 
increased the reduced thiol levels compared to the uncultured control and MEM. 
In conclusion, supplementing the culture medium with ultradiluted/dynamized DOX 
(DOX 6CH, DOX 12CH and DOX 30CH) attenuated the toxicity induced by allopathic 
doxorubicin during the in vitro culture of pig preantral follicles enclosed in 
ovarian tissue.

Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2024.108683
PMID: 39121978 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors 
declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal 
relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this 
paper.


3. PeerJ. 2024 Jun 28;12:e17539. doi: 10.7717/peerj.17539. eCollection 2024.

Effect of glucocorticoid blockade on inflammatory responses to acute sleep 
fragmentation in male mice.

Hasan ZW(1), Nguyen VT(1), Ashley NT(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Biology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, United 
States of America.

The association between sleep and the immune-endocrine system is well 
recognized, but the nature of that relationship is not well understood. Sleep 
fragmentation induces a pro-inflammatory response in peripheral tissues and 
brain, but it also activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, 
releasing glucocorticoids (GCs) (cortisol in humans and corticosterone in mice). 
It is unclear whether this rapid release of glucocorticoids acts to potentiate 
or dampen the inflammatory response in the short term. The purpose of this study 
was to determine whether blocking or suppressing glucocorticoid activity will 
affect the inflammatory response from acute sleep fragmentation (ASF). Male 
C57BL/6J mice were injected i.p. with either 0.9% NaCl (vehicle 1), metyrapone 
(a glucocorticoid synthesis inhibitor, dissolved in vehicle 1), 2% ethanol in 
polyethylene glycol (vehicle 2), or mifepristone (a glucocorticoid receptor 
antagonist, dissolved in vehicle 2) 10 min before the start of ASF or no sleep 
fragmentation (NSF). After 24 h, samples were collected from brain (prefrontal 
cortex, hypothalamus, hippocampus) and periphery (liver, spleen, heart, and 
epididymal white adipose tissue (EWAT)). Proinflammatory gene expression (TNF-α 
and IL-1β) was measured, followed by gene expression analysis. Metyrapone 
treatment affected pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression during ASF in some 
peripheral tissues, but not in the brain. More specifically, metyrapone 
treatment suppressed IL-1β expression in EWAT during ASF, which implies a 
pro-inflammatory effect of GCs. However, in cardiac tissue, metyrapone treatment 
increased TNF-α expression in ASF mice, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect 
of GCs. Mifepristone treatment yielded more significant results than metyrapone, 
reducing TNF-α expression in liver (only NSF mice) and cardiac tissue during 
ASF, indicating a pro-inflammatory role. Conversely, in the spleen of ASF-mice, 
mifepristone increased pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β), 
demonstrating an anti-inflammatory role. Furthermore, irrespective of sleep 
fragmentation, mifepristone increased pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression 
in heart (IL-1β), pre-frontal cortex (IL-1β), and hypothalamus (IL-1β). The 
results provide mixed evidence for pro- and anti-inflammatory functions of 
corticosterone to regulate inflammatory responses to acute sleep loss.

©2024 Hasan et al.

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17539
PMCID: PMC11216221
PMID: 38952964 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare there are no competing 
interests.


4. Polymers (Basel). 2024 May 31;16(11):1564. doi: 10.3390/polym16111564.

Efficient Alcoholysis of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) by Using Supercritical 
Carbon Dioxide as a Green Solvent.

Xu Y(1), Cui R(1), Han Y(1), Jiang J(1), Hu D(2), Zhao L(1)(2), Xi Z(1)(2).

Author information:
(1)State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, 
East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
(2)Shanghai Key Laboratory of Multiphase Materials Chemical Engineering, East 
China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.

In order to reduce the environmental impact of poly(ethylene terephthalate) 
(PET) plastic waste, supercritical fluids were used to facilitate effective 
recovery via improved solvent effects. This work focuses on the mechanisms of 
supercritical CO2 (ScCO2) during the alcoholysis processing of PET using 
systematic experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results of 
the alcoholysis experiment indicated that PET chips can be completely 
depolymerized within only an hour at 473 K assisted with ScCO2 at an optimal 
molar ratio of CO2/ethanol of 0.2. Random scission of PET dominates the early 
stage of the depolymerization reaction process, while specific scission 
dominates the following stage. Correspondingly, molecular dynamics (MD) 
simulations revealed that the solubilization and self-diffusion properties of 
ScCO2 facilitate the transportation of alcohol molecules into the bulk phase of 
PET, which leads to an accelerated diffusion of both oligomers and small 
molecules in the system. However, the presence of excessive CO2 has a negative 
impact on depolymerization by weakening the hydrogen bonding between polyester 
chain segments and ethanol, as well as decreasing the swelling degree of PET. 
These data provide a deep understanding of PET degradation by alcohols and the 
enhancement of ScCO2. It should be expected to achieve an efficient and 
high-yield depolymerization process of wasted polyesters assisted with ScCO2 at 
a relatively low temperature.

DOI: 10.3390/polym16111564
PMCID: PMC11174447
PMID: 38891510

Conflict of interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest to declare.


5. Anat Cell Biol. 2024 Sep 30;57(3):400-407. doi: 10.5115/acb.23.313. Epub 2024 
May 31.

Alcohol intake during pregnancy reduces offspring bone epiphyseal growth plate 
chondrocyte proliferation through transforming growth factor β-1 inhibition in 
the Sprague Dawley rat humerus.

Pillay D(1), Perry V(1), Ndou R(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, School of Medicine, Sefako 
Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa.

Intrauterine alcohol exposure delays bone maturation and intensifies 
osteoporosis and fracture risk. As most studies emphasize the neurological 
aspects of intrauterine alcohol exposure, there is a lack of research on the 
implications pertaining to osseous tissue. Previous studies investigated these 
effects in fetuses, with limited studies on postnatal life. Postnatal studies 
are crucial since peak bone growth occurs during adolescence. This study aimed 
at assessing the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the humerus proximal 
and distal growth plate chondrocytes in 3-week-old rats. Sprague Dawley rats 
(n=9) were assigned to either the ethanol group (n=3), saline (n=3), and 
untreated (n=3) group and time-mated. Once pregnant, as confirmed by the 
presence of a copulation plug, the former 2 groups were treated with 0.015 ml/g 
of 25.2% ethanol and 0.9% saline. The untreated group received no treatment. The 
left humeri belonging to 6 pups per group were used. Serial sections were cut 
with a microtome at 5 μm thickness. These sections were stained with 
haematoxylin and eosin for assessment of normal morphology or immunolabeled with 
anti-Ki-67 and transforming growth factor β-1 (TGFβ-1) antibody. Prenatal 
alcohol exposure adversely effected the growth plate sizes and the number of 
cells in the proliferative zone. Fewer TGFβ-1 immunopositive and proliferative 
chondrocytes were found using the anti-Ki-67 antibody. This may explain the 
growth retardation in offspring exposed to gestational alcohol, showing that 
gestational alcohol exposure inhibits cell proliferation, aiding the diminished 
stature.

DOI: 10.5115/acb.23.313
PMCID: PMC11424555
PMID: 38817052

Conflict of interest statement: Conflicts of Interest No potential conflict of 
interest relevant to this article was reported.