Potential bile acid metabolites. 25. Synthesis and chemical properties of stereoisomeric 3alpha,7alpha,16- and 3alpha,7alpha,15-trihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-oic acids

Epimeric 3alpha,7alpha,16- and 3alpha,7alpha,15-trihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-oic acids and some related compounds were synthesized from chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), respectively. The key reaction involved one-step remote oxyfunctionalization of unactivated methine carbons at C-17 of CDCA and at C-14 of UDCA as their methyl ester-peracetate derivatives with dimethyldioxirane (DMDO). After dehydration of the resulting 17alpha- and 14alpha-hydroxy derivatives with POCl(3) or conc. H(2)SO(4), the respective Delta(16)- and Delta(14)-unsaturated products were subjected to hydration via hydroboration followed by oxidation to yield the 3,7,16- and 3,7,15-triketones, respectively. Stereoselective reduction of the respective triketones with tert-butylamine-borane complex afforded the epimeric 3alpha,7alpha,16- or 3alpha,7alpha,15-trihydroxy derivatives exclusively. A facile formation of the corresponding epsilon-lactones between the side chain carboxyl group at C-24 and the 16alpha- (or 16beta-) hydroxyl group in bile acids is also clarified.     

Synthesis of 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,6 beta,7 alpha,25,26-pentol and identification of a novel bile alcohol, alpha-trichechol, present in the West Indian manatee bile

In order to confirm the structure of alpha-trichechol, the major bile alcohol of the West Indian manatee, chemical synthesis of 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,6 beta,7 alpha,25,26-pentol was carried out. The chain of 3 alpha-hydroxy-5 beta-chol-6-en-24-oic acid was elongated by an Arndt-Eistert reaction to form 3 alpha-hydroxy-26,27-dinor-5 beta-cholest-6-en-25-oic acid. The unsaturated C25 bile acid was converted into 3 alpha,6 beta,7 alpha-trihydroxy-25-homo-5 beta-cholan-25-oic acid by 1,2-glycol formation of the delta 6-double bond. The acetylated derivative of the trihydroxy C25 bile acid was then converted into 3 alpha,6 beta,7 alpha,26-tetraacetoxy-27-nor-5 beta-cholestan-25-one by successive treatment with thionyl chloride, diazomethane, and acetic acid. A Grignard reaction of the 25-oxo compound with methylmagnesium iodide afforded the desired bile alcohol, 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,6 beta,7 alpha,25,26-pentol. By direct comparison with the synthetic pentahydroxy bile alcohol, the structure of the naturally occurring alpha-trichechol was determined to be 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,6 beta,7 alpha,25,26-pentol.     

Altered metabolism of bile acids in cholestasis: determination of 1 beta- and 6 alpha-hydroxylated metabolites

Trihydroxy and tetrahydroxy bile acid metabolites substituted at the C-1 or C-6 position were studied using the urine, serum and liver tissue from sixteen patients with cholestatic liver diseases. Following extraction, isolation and hydrolysis, bile acids were converted into the dimethylethylsilyl derivatives and assayed by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Five 1 beta-hydroxylated bile acids, viz. 1 beta,3 alpha,12 alpha-trihydroxy-, 1 beta,3 alpha,7 alpha-trihydroxy-, 1 beta,3 alpha,7 beta-trihydroxy-, 1 beta,3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholanoic acids and an epimer of the first compound, and two 6 alpha-hydroxylated bile acids, viz. 3 alpha,6 alpha,7 alpha-trihydroxy-, 3 alpha,6 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholanoic acids, were completely or partially identified. Large amounts of 1 beta-hydroxylated and 6 alpha-hydroxylated bile acids were found in the urine, whereas only trace amounts were detected in the serum and liver tissue. These findings indicate that altered metabolism, such as 1 beta- or 6 alpha-hydroxylation of bile acids, is enhanced in cholestasis, and that the resulting hydroxylated metabolites are eliminated in the urine.     

Synthesis of 3alpha,7alpha,14alpha-trihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-oic acid: a potential primary bile acid in vertebrates

A method for the synthesis of 3alpha,7alpha,14alpha-trihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-oic acid which is a possible candidate of bile acid metabolite in vertebrates was developed. The principal reactions involved were 1). stereoselective remote-hydroxylation of methyl ursodeoxycholate diacetate with dimethyldioxirane, 2). site-selective protection at C-3 by tert-butyldimethylsilylation of the resulting 3alpha,7alpha,14alpha-trihydroxy ester, 3). oxidation of the diol with pyridinium dichromate adsorbed on activated alumina, 4). stereoselective reduction of the 7-ketone with zinc borohydride, and 5). cleavage of the protecting group at C-3 with p-toluenesulfonic acid. A facile elimination of the 14alpha-hydroxy group under an acidic or neutral condition is also described. The synthetic reference compound is now available for comparison with unidentified biliary bile acids detected in vertebrate bile.     

Preparation and comparative properties of antisera against glyco-3 beta,12 alpha-dihydroxy-5-cholen-24-oic acid linked to bovine serum albumin at the C-3, C-15 alpha, and C-24 positions

Anti glyco-3 beta,12 alpha-dihydroxy-5-cholen-24-oic acid antisera were prepared by immunizing rabbits with hapten-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugates coupled at the C-3, C-15 alpha, and C-24 positions on the bile acid molecule, and their properties were investigated by heterologous combination assay using 125I-labeled tracer. The antiserum raised against the C-3 BSA conjugate showed poor titer and specificity, while the antisera from the other two conjugates showed satisfactorily high affinity constants (Ka = 5.0 x 10(8) and 7.0 x 10(8) M-1) and reasonable specificity, exhibiting negligible cross-reactivities with other major human bile acids and cholesterol. Among the unsaturated bile acids tested, high reactivity was observed with tauro-3 beta,12 alpha-dihydroxy-5-cholen-24-oic acid, which suggested that bridge phenomena were significant in this assay system.     

Determination of 3 beta,12 alpha-dihydroxy-5-cholen-24-oic acid and related bile acids in human serum by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The glycine, taurine and sulphate conjugates of 3 beta,12 alpha-dihydroxy-5-cholen-24-oic acid were synthesized as authentic samples for the analysis of this unusual bile acid. A highly sensitive and specific quantitative assay of the bile acid and related compounds has been developed by selected-ion monitoring in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of their methyl ester-trimethylsilyl ether derivatives, using the deuterium labelled internal standards: [2H6]3 beta,12 alpha-dihydroxy-5-cholen-24-oic acid, [2H5]3 beta-hydroxy-5-cholen-24-oic acid, [2H7]cholic acid and their sulphates. Calibration curves for these bile acids were linear over the range 0.01-100 micrograms/ml in human serum. Recoveries of the bile acids and their conjugates ranged from 95 to 103% of the added amounts of their standard samples. The unsaturated bile acid was identified in a significant amount of 25.2 micrograms/ml in serum of an infant with liver disease, and its sulphate comprised 55.1% of the amount of the bile acid.     

Measurement of bile acid CoA esters by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS)

The novel and rapid assay presented here combines high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) to directly measure and quantify the CoA esters of 3alpha,7alpha,12alpha-trihydroxy- and 3alpha,7alpha-dihydroxy-5beta-cholestan-26-oic acid (THCA and DHCA). The latter are converted inside peroxisomes to the primary bile acids, cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids, respectively. Prior to MS/MS, esters were separated by reversed-phase HPLC on a C(18) column using an isocratic mobile phase (acetonitrile/water/2-propanol) and subsequently detected by multiple reaction monitoring. For quantification, the CoA ester of deuterium-labelled 3alpha,7alpha,12alpha-trihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-oic acid (d(4)-CA) was used as internal standard. To complete an assay took less than 8 min.To verify the validity of the assay, the effect of peroxisomal proteins on the efficacy of extraction of the CoA esters was tested. To this end, variable amounts of the CoA esters were spiked with a fixed amount of either intact peroxisomes or peroxisomal matrix proteins and then extracted using a solid-phase extraction system. The CoA esters could be reproducibly recovered in the range of 0.1-4 micromol l(-1) (linear correlation coefficient R(2) > 0.99), with a detection limit of 0.1 micromol l(-1).In summary, electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry combined with HPLC as described here proved to be a rapid and versatile technique for the determination of bile acid CoA esters in a mixture with peroxisomal proteins. This suggests this technique to become a valuable tool in studies dealing with the multi-step biosynthesis of bile acids and its disturbances in disorders like the Zellweger syndrome.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of bile acids and bile alcohols diastereoisomeric at C-25

The high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of the 25R and 25S diastereoisomers of the bile alcohols 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,7 alpha,26-triol and 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,7 alpha, 12 alpha, 26-tetrol and the bile acids, 3 alpha,7 alpha-dihydroxy-5 beta-cholestane-26-oic acid and 3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha-trihydroxy-5 beta-cholestane-26-oic acid is described. A Radial-Pak microBondapak C18 reversed-phase cartridge was used for the separations and elutions were carried out with acetonitrile-water-methanol-acetic acid mixtures. All eight diastereoisomeric compounds showed baseline separation when up to 200 micrograms of the isomeric mixtures were injected into the column and the method can be used for isolation of pure diastereoisomers of these bile acids and bile alcohols.     

Capillary gas chromatography of hydroxylated bile acid stereoisomers of the allo and normal series

Relative retention times and methylene unit (MU) values were determined for 56 bile acids of the allo (5 alpha, A/B-trans) and normal (5 beta, A/B-cis) series, which differ from one another in the number, position and configuration of the hydroxyl groups at positions C-3, C-6, C-7 and/or C-12. The bile acids were derivatized to their methyl ester O-trimethylsilyl ethers (Me-TMS) and methyl ester O-dimethylethylsilyl ethers (Me-DMES), and chromatographed on fused-silica capillary columns, chemically bonded with non-selective OV-1 and selective PEG-20M liquid phases. Of the four possible combinations of derivatives and columns examined, Me-DMES on OV-1 and Me-TMS on PEG-20M were most suitable. The differences in the MU values between the 5 alpha- and 5 beta-series, and between the Me-DMES and Me-TMS ether derivatives, are also summarized. These retention data would be helpful in the identification of closely related bile acid stereoisomers or for estimation of their structures. photolysis.     

Triterpenes from the spores of Ganoderma lucidum and their cytotoxicity against meth-A and LLC tumor cells

Six new highly oxygenated lanostane-type triterpenes, called ganoderic acid gamma (1), ganoderic acid delta (2), ganoderic acid epsilon (3), ganoderic acid zeta (4), ganoderic acid eta (5) and ganoderic acid theta (6), were isolated from the spores of Ganoderma lucidum, together with known ganolucidic acid D (7) and ganoderic acid C2 (8). Their structures of the new triterpenes were determined as (23S)-7beta,15alpha,23-trihydroxy-3,11-dioxolanosta-8, 24(E)-diene-26-oic acid (1), (23S)-7alpha,15alpha23-trihydroxy-3,11-dioxolanosta-8, 24(E)-diene-26-oic acid (2), (23S)-3beta3,7beta, 23-trihydroxy-11,15-dioxolanosta-8,24(E)-diene-26-oic acid (3), (23S)-3beta,23-dihydroxy-7,11,15-trioxolanosta-8, 24(E)-diene-26-oic acid (4), (23S)-3beta,7beta,12beta,23-tetrahydroxy-11,15-dioxolanos ta-8,24(E)-diene-26-oic acid (5) and (23S)-3beta,12beta23-trihydroxy-7,11,15-trioxolanosta-8,24(E )-diene-26-oic acid (6), respectively, by chemical and spectroscopic means, which included the determination of a chiral center in the side chain by a modification of Mosher's method. The cytotoxicity of the compounds isolated from the Ganoderma spores was carried out in vitro against Meth-A and LLC tumor cell lines.     

Conjugated 1 beta-hydroxycholic acid in the urine of newborns and pregnant women measured by radioimmunoassay using antisera raised against N-(1 beta-hydroxycholyl)-2-aminopropionic acid-bovine serum albumin conjugate.

Anti-tauro 1 beta-hydroxycholic acid antisera were prepared by immunizing rabbits with N-(1 beta,3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oyl)-2- aminopropionic acid-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugate. The antisera raised had high affinity (1.25-1.46 x 10(9) M-1) and specificity for conjugated 1 beta-hydroxycholic acid; cross-reactivity for glyco 1 beta-hydroxycholic acid was 100% and that for the glycine and taurine conjugates of other 1 beta-hydroxylated bile acids ranged from 11.30 to 0.23%. Urinary concentrations of conjugated 1 beta-hydroxycholic acid were determined by radioimmunoassay in newborns, 0-20 d after birth, in amounts ranging from 0.29 to 18.51 micrograms/ml and in women in late pregnancy (less than 1.13 micrograms/ml), as well as in normal women (less than 0.12 microgram/ml).     

Measurement of conjugated 1 beta-hydroxycholic acid in urine of newborns by specific radioimmunoassay.

Anti-tauro 1 beta-hydroxycholic acid antisera were prepared by immunizing rabbits with N-(1 beta,3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oyl)glycine bovine serum albumin conjugate. The immunoglobulin G fraction was obtained by ammonium sulfate precipitation, followed by diethylaminoethyl cellulose column chromatography. The antibody was characterized using [2-3H]tauro 1 beta-hydroxycholic acid which has a high affinity (Ka = 1.09 x 10(9) M-1) and reasonable specificity. Cross-reactivity for glyco 1 beta-hydroxycholic acid was 100% and those for other 1 beta-hydroxylated bile acids ranged from 4.32 to 29.6%. Concentrations of conjugated 1 beta-hydroxycholic acid in urine of newborns at 0-20 d after birth were determined by radioimmunoassay to be significant (0.2-11.1 micrograms/ml), exhibiting a tendency to increase during the 20 d after birth.     

Remote hydroxylation of methyl groups by regioselective cyclopalladation. Partial synthesis of hyptatic acid-A

Hyptatic acid-A (32), a 2alpha,3beta,24-trihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid, previously isolated from Hyptis capitata, was obtained from maslinic acid (2). The regioselective cyclopalladation of the axial methyl group on C-4 of maslinic acid afforded the C-24 hydroxymethylene group due to the presence of a C-2-OR substituent. Nevertheless, hederagenin (7) (23-hydroxy derivative) was formed when this oxygenated group was not present.     

Structure and stereochemistry of the higher bile acid isolated from turtle bile: (22S,25R)-3 alpha,12 alpha,15 alpha,22-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholestan-26-oic acid

The structure and stereochemistry of the higher bile acid, tetrahydroxyisosterocholanic acid (TISA), which was previously isolated from the bile of Amyda japonica (turtle) and proposed as a tetrahydroxyisosterocholanic acid, have been established as (22S,25R)-3 alpha,12 alpha,15 alpha,22-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholestan-26-oic acid by X-ray crystallographic analysis of its ethyl ester.     

Complete assignments of 1H and 13C NMR spectral data for three polyhydroxylated 12-ursen-type triterpenoids from Dischidia esquirolii

The complete assignments of all the (1)H and (13)C NMR signals of three polyhydroxylated 12-ursen-type triterpenes, 6beta,19alpha,22alpha-trihydroxyurs-12-en-3-oxo-28-oic acid (1), 3beta,6alpha,19alpha,23-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28- oic acid (2) and 3beta,6beta,19alpha,23-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (3), were carried out by means of homo- and hetero-nuclear two-dimensional NMR experiments. Compounds 1-3 were isolated from the aerial parts of Dischidia esquirolii. Of them, 1 and 2 were identified as new polyhydroxylated ursolic acid derivatives. Compound 2 is the C-6 hydroxyl epimer of 3, which was isolated first from Adina rubella, and its structure is revised in this paper.     

Investigation of side chain liquid crystal polymers bearing cholesterol and bile acid derivatives

Cholic acid (or 3a,7a,12a-trihydoxyl-5a-cholan-24-oic acid) and lithocholic acid (or 3a-hydroxyl-5a-cholanic-24-oic acid) are commonly occurring bile acids synthesized from cholesterol in the liver in mammals. They all possess a steroid skeleton containing four rings, three with six carbons and one with five carbons. The transformation of cholesterol to cholic acid results in two major structural changes that affect the steroid skeleton. The first is the hydrogenation of the double bond between C5 and C6 and the second is a conformational flip of ring A from the 5a-position to the 5a-position. In addition, one or more hydroxyl groups are added to the steroid skeleton. Outside of the ring system, C24 is converted from a saturated alkyl to a carboxylic acid group.Side chain polymers based on cholesterol moiety have been made as reported in the literature.Since bile acids and cholesterol are all in the family of steroid molecules, it is of interest to investigate whether bile acids may also act as mesogenic groups.Therefore, flexible spacer groups with 10 carbons are introduced between bile acid skeleton and the poymerizable double bonds. The monomers and polymers are compared with cholesterol and dihydrocholesterol monomers and polymers with the same spacers. Dihydrocholesterol is chosen to investigate the influence of the double bond in the formation of LC, given that both cholesterol and dihydrocholesterol have a planar structure but there is no double bond in the latter. These monomers and their corresponding polymers were characterized for their liquid crystalline (LC) properties by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and X-ray diffraction.It was found that only the compounds bearing the planar cholesterol moieties possess LC phases. It is concluded that the 5a-configuration between the first and second cycles on the steroid skeleton of bile acids does not favor proper alignment of the rigid part of the bile acid moieties. It is interesting to see the effect of a small variation in structure on the properties of the otherwise structurally-similar compounds and the materials made from them.     

New triterpenoid saponins from Stelmatocrypton khasianum

Four new triterpenoid saponins, designated as stelmatotriterpenosides E-H (1-4), together with three known compounds, asterbatanoside B (5), 2alpha,3beta,19alpha,23-tetrahydroxy-olean-12-en-28-oic acid-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (6) and 2alpha,3beta,19alpha,23-tetrahydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (7), were isolated from the stems of Stelmatocrypton khasianum. On the basis of chemical and spectral evidence, the structures of 1-4 were established as 2alpha,3beta,23-trihydroxy-olean-12-en-28-oic acid-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (1), 2alpha,3beta,23-trihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (2), 2alpha,3beta,19alpha-trihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (3), and 2beta,3beta,19alpha-trihydroxy-urs-12-en-24,28-dioic acid-24-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl diester (4).     

New triterpene glucosides from the roots of Rosa laevigata Michx

Two new ursane-type triterpene glucosides, 2alpha,3alpha,24-trihydroxyurs-12,18-dien-28-oic acid beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (1) and 2alpha,3alpha,23-trihydroxyurs-12,19(29)-dien-28-oic acid beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (2), were isolated from the roots of Rosa laevigata, together with three known compounds: 2alpha,3beta,19alpha-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid beta-Dglucopyranosyl ester (3), 2alpha,3alpha,19alpha-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (4) and 2alpha,3beta,19alpha,23-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (5). The structures of new compounds were established on the basis of detailed 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 2 and 5 exhibited modest in vitro antifungal activities against Candida albicans and C. krusei.     

Isolation and X-ray structure of deoxycholic acid from the sponge Ircinia sp

Ethyl acetate extract of the sponge Ircinia sp., collected by SCUBA divers off the coast of southern India, contained a cholest-based sterol of insignificant antimicrobial activity, with one carboxylic acid side chain (3alpha, 7beta-dihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-oic acid, DCA). The structure of the compound was determined by spectroscopic data and single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. DCA crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P4(1)2(1)2, chirality documented by solution optical rotation [alpha]D = +67.4 degrees (c 0.16, CHCl3).     

A new steroid aromatization rearrangement involving inversion of sidechain configuration

The bile acid, cholic acid, has been transformed into 3α-hydroxy-12-methyl-18-nor-5β, 17α-chola-8,11,13-trien-24-oic acid. The constitution of this novel type of steroid (benzenoid C-ring with 17α-sidechain) has been supported by chemical degradation, and confirmed by crystal structure analysis of the methyl ester iodoacetate derivative.