Biological Activities of Morita-Baylis-Hillman Adducts (MBHA)

Abstract

Background: The Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction (MBHR) is considered one of the most powerful and versatile methodologies used for carbon-carbon bond formation. The reaction is defined as the condensation between an electrophilic carbon sp² and the α position of an olefin, carrying an electron-withdrawing group, in the presence of a catalyst. The advantages of the reaction are the high atom economy and mild reaction conditions. Under ideal conditions, this reaction leads to the formation of multifunctional products, called Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts (MBHA), a class of relevant molecules that exhibit a variety of biological activities. Objective: Considering the importance of these compounds, this review brought together several studies regarding the biological activities of MBHA, to point out the use of these molecules as future therapeutic agents. Method: We searched for scientific articles available in the main databases, published between 1999 and 2022, using the descriptors: Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts, Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction, biological activity, and biological potentiality. Results: Thirty-five articles showed the variety of biological activities of MBHA, including molluscicidal, antitumor, herbicidal, and fungicidal, antileishmanial, antioxidant, antimalarial, anti-tumor inflammatory, vasorelaxant, antichagasic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities. Conclusion: Therefore, these compounds are promising candidates to become drugs for the treatment of a variety of diseases, following further studies to understand the effective mechanisms of action of MBHA.

Environmental, Personal Factors and Entrepreneurial Intentions of University Students from the Perspective of the Theory of Planned Behavior: Contributions to a Sustainable Vision of Entrepreneurship in the Business Area

“…The second H1b hypothesis established for the development of this study presumes that there is a positive relationship between the business environment and subjective norms, in which the findings support the acceptance of H1b. This result is consistent with Kobylińska [9], Choudhury and Mandal [21], Georgescu and Herman [22], Gieure et al [15], Krüger et al [38], and Paiva et al [39] when noting that the influence of family, friends and contact with successful people in business are crucial for the motivation and involvement of higher education students in business projects. This allows to say that an important predictor of university students' entrepreneurial intentions is the business environment that should be "attractive for students to think about startups" [21] (p. 2).…”

“…Other recent studies such as those by Gieure et al [15], Georgescu and Herman [22], Krüger et al [38], and Kobylińska [9] also reported that subjective norms and family context are predictive of students' intention to become entrepreneurs after graduation. Hence, Paiva et al [39] found the influence of the family context on the entrepreneurial intention of Brazilian and Portuguese university students. Additionally, they identified that more men than women intend to create businesses after graduation.…”

“…Studies [15,21,22,38,39] highlight that norms of conduct and influence of family, friends, and contact with successful people in business are crucial for higher education students to create new businesses.…”

“…The favorable attitude of family members towards the decision to start new businesses often translates into the option for an entrepreneurial career. Studies [15,22,38,39] highlight the existence of a positive relationship between subjective norms and entrepreneurial intentions when they point out that "in regions where there are greater social acceptance for the implementation of entrepreneurial activities, more startups are created" [21] (p. 2) and, in turn, more companies succeed. This means that not only financial or managerial assistance, but also psychological support manifested through acceptance of decisions serves as the basis for involvement in business projects.…”

Chromium Determination in Leather and Other Matrices: A Review

“…Trivalent chromium, Cr(III), exists as cationic species (Cr 3+ , Cr(OH) 2+ , Cr(OH) 2 + ) [6] and has been considered as an essential nutrient involved in the regulation of glucose [33,34], due to its participation in the activation of an insulin receptor [35,36]. It can be frequently found in the form of chromium picolinate in dietary supplements.…”