Chalcone analogue as potent anti-malarial compounds against Plasmodium falciparum:Synthesis,biological evaluation,and docking simulation study

To investigate in vitro antimalarial activity of chalcone derivative compounds against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 (Pf3D7) strain and in silico antimalarial activity.MethodsSynthesis of the chalcone derivatives was conducted via Claisen-Schmidt method using NaOH 60% base as catalyst. An in vitro antimalarial activity assay was carried out according to the Rieckmann method against the chloroquine-sensitive Pf3D7 strain. Molecular docking studies of the prepared compounds were performed using Discovery Studio 3.1 (Accelrys, Inc., San Diego, USA) software to dihydrofolate reductases-thymidylate synthase (PfDHFR-TS) protein with Protein Data Bank ID of 1J3I.pdb (sensitive-protein) and ID: 4DP3.pdb (resistance-protein).ResultsThis work has successfully synthesized seven chalcone derivatives with a great antimalarial activity. It has been revealed that allyloxy, hydroxy and alkoxy functional groups could increase the antimalarial activity of the chalcone derivatives. The best antimalarial activity of the prepared compounds was possessed by 3b with an IC50 value of 0.59 μM and categorized as an excellent antiplasmodial. Molecular docking studies of 3b showed binding interaction with the amino acid residues such as Ala16, Ile164, Phe58, Tyr170 of the 1J3I.pdb protein and also Ala16, Phe58, Ile112, Met55 of the 4DP3.pdb protein.ConclusionsAn in vitro antimalarial assay of the prepared chalcone derivative (3a-g) showed an excellent and good antiplasmodial activity against the chloroquine-sensitive Pf3D7 strain. In silico antimalarial studies revealed that 3a-g made binding interaction with both sensitive-protein (1J3I.pdb) and resistance-protein (4DP3.pdb), which means that they were both active against chloroquine-sensitive and resistant plasmodium strain.

Optimization of the Cooling System of Electric Vehicle Batteries

The most important components of electrical vehicles are the battery and the related cooling system.These subsystems play a major role in determining the overall electric vehicle performances.In this study,a novel cooling system with fluid in the battery cell is proposed,by which the energy storage system can be optimized through control of the temperature of the batteries.A sensitivity analysis is conducted considering the maximum temperature,the heat rate,the coolant temperature,and the geometry of the cavities.The numerical simulations show that the parameters for the trapezoidal compartment have an impact on the thermal performance of battery.An optimal geometry is proposed accordingly.It is concluded that for high values of Reynolds number for which the flow becomes turbulent,a decrease in the battery temperature can be obtained thereby avoiding thermal stresses.

Enhanced production of hydrogen via catalytic methane decomposition on a Pt_(7)-Ni(110) substrate:a reactive molecular dynamics investigation

Numerous researchers in the energy field are engaged in a competitive race to advance hydrogen as a clean and environmentally friendly fuel.Studies have been conducted on the different aspects of hydrogen,including its production,storage,transportation and utilization.The catalytic methane decomposition technique for hydrogen production is an environmentally friendly process that avoids generating carbon dioxide gas,which contributes to the greenhouse effect.Catalysts play a crucial role in facilitating rapid,cost-effective and efficient production of hydrogen using this technique.In this study,reactive molecular dynamics simulations were employed to examine the impact of Pt_(7) cluster decoration on the surface of a Ni(110)catalyst,referred to as Pt_(7)-Ni(110),on the rates of methane dissociation and molecular hydrogen production.The reactive force field was employed to model the atomic interactions that enabled the formation and dissociation of chemical bonds.Our reactive molecular dynamics simulations using the Pt_(7)-Ni(110)catalyst revealed a notable decrease in the number of methane molecules,specifically~11.89 molecules per picosecond.The rate was approximately four times higher than that of the simulation system utilizing a Ni(110)catalyst and approximately six times higher than that of the pure methane,no-catalyst system.The number of hydrogen molecules generated during a simulation period of 150000 fs was greater on the Pt_(7)-Ni(110)surface than in both the Ni(110)and pure methane systems.This was due to the presence of numerous dissociated hydrogen atoms on the Pt_(7)-Ni(110)surface.