The researchers Daniel Carbajo (Supramolecular Chemistry) and Sergio López (RUBAM) will participate in this seminar session of Scientific Vermouth, on 21st May at 12:00h, with the following talks:
- Daniel Carbajo – Efficient Small Molecule Reversal Agents of Anticoagulant Fondaparinux
Fondaparinux is a synthetic polyanionic pentasaccharide with strong anticoagulant properties. Its structure resembles that of heparin, as they share a similar repeating unit while its shorter size presents both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic advantages. However, its widespread use in hospitals has been hampered partially due to the lack of an approved antidote.
Recently, we used Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry to optimize a family of molecules (3XY) as reversal agents of heparin. Considering the structural resemblance of both heparin and fondaparinux, we aimed to expand the potential of these antidotes against the smallest possible heparinoid used in clinics.
Here, we have assessed the affinity of these ligands by a combination of fluorescence titrations, NMR experiments and molecular modeling, indicating that interaction occurs by a combination of electrostatic, hydrogen bonding, and CH–π interactions. Biochemical activity has been explored both in vitro and ex-vivo, showing higher potency than current gold-standard heparinoid antidotes. - Sergio López – A shift in the paradigm? A male‐specific lactone increases the response of both sexes of the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae to the food lure ammonium bicarbonate
Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a key pest species of wild and cultivated olive trees worldwide. Contrarily to most tephritid flies, in which males release the sex pheromone, in B. oleae the female is the sex responsible of attracting the opposite sex. However, and even though vast research has been done during the last decades, we are still far from understanding the chemical signals involved in the sexual communication of this species, including those produced by males. We report for the first time the presence of two male-specific volatile compounds, namely γ-hexalactone and δ-hexalactone, with the former exerting a significant attraction upon both sexes under laboratory and field conditions. Volatile collections conducted on laboratory-reared virgin individuals of both sexes revealed the presence of these two compounds only in males, regardless of their age. In double-choice behavioral assays, γ-hexalactone resulted to be attractive for virgin males and females (7–14 days old), with no attractiveness reported for δ-hexalactone. Finally, in field assays traps baited with the binary blend of ammonium bicarbonate and γ-hexalactone yielded significantly more catches per week of both sexes than those baited with ammonium bicarbonate and ammonium bicarbonate plus 1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane, the major sex pheromone component. Altogether, our results shed light on the chemical ecology of the species and represent a promising experimental basis for the development of more innovative and effective mass trapping tools based on the use of γ-hexalactone.
