Synthesis of 20S-protopanaxadiol 20-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, a metabolite of Panax ginseng glycosides, and compounds related to it

A preparative semi-synthetic method was developed to prepare 20S-protopanaxadiol 20-O-β-Dglucopyranoside (1), a metabolite of Panax ginseng glycosides. The 20-O-•-D-glucopyranosides of 20S-hydroxydammar-24-en-3,12-dione, 3β,20S-dihydroxydammar-24-en-12-one, and 3β,12α, 20S-trihydroxydammar-24-ene were synthesized for the first time. __________ Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 4, pp. 364–369, July–August, 2006.     

Molecular dynamics simulations on the structures and properties of ε-CL-20-based PBXs——Primary theoretical studies on HEDM formulation design

Five polymer bonded explosives (PBXs) with the base explosiveε-CL-20 (hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane), the most important high energy density compound (HEDC), and five polymer binders (Estane 5703, GAP, HTPB, PEG, and F2314) were constructed. Molecular dynamics (MD) method was employed to investigate their binding energies (Ebind), compatibility, safety, mechanical properties, and energetic properties. The information and rules were reported for choosing better binders and guiding formulation design of high energy density material (HEDM). According to the calculated binding energies, the ordering of compatibility and stability of the five PBXs was predicted as ε-CL-20/PEG ＞ ε-CL-20/ Estane5703 ≈ε-CL-20/GAP ＞ ε-CL-20/HTPB ＞ ε-CL-20/F2314. By pair correlation function g(r) analyses, hydrogen bonds and vdw are found to be the main interactions between the two components. The elasticity and isotropy of PBXs based ε-CL-20 can be obviously improved more than pure ε-CL-20 crystal. It is not by changing the molecular structures of ε-CL-20 for each binder to affect the sensitivity. The safety and energetic properties of these PBXs are mainly influenced by the thermal capability (C°p) and density (ρ) of binders, respectively.     

Synthesis of 3β,20S-dihydroxydammar-24-en-12-one 3,20-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (chikusetsusaponin-LT8), a glycoside from Panax japonicus

A method for preparative production of 3β,20S-dihydroxydammar-24-en-12-one 3,20-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), a glycoside from Panax japonicus, chikusetsusaponin-LT₈ was developed. Chemical transformation of betulafolientriol, a component of Betula leaves extract, produced the 12-keto-20S-protopanaxadiol (3β,20S-dihydroxydammar-24-en-12-one) (2), exhaustive glycosylation of which by 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α-D-glucopyranosylbromide (3) under Koenigs—Knorr reaction conditions with subsequent removal of protecting groups formed 3β,20S-dihydroxydammar-24-en-12-one 3,20-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1). The principal glycosylation product was 3β,20S-dihydroxydammar-24-en-12-one 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside if equimolar amounts of (2) and (3) were used. __________ Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 44–48, January–February, 2006.     

Synthesis of diglycosides of 3β,20S-dihydroxydammar-24-en-12-one

The 3-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl-20-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-20-O-β-Dgalactopyranoside of 3β,20S-dihydroxydammar-24-en-12-one, which are structural analogs of chikusetsusaponin-LT₈ (1), a minor glycoside from Panax japonicus, were synthesized for the first time.     

Oxidation of steroidal diols and triols with air/NaH

Abstract  

The unusual air oxidation of steroidal triols and diols in the presence of sodium hydride in THF is described. The initial oxidation product, ketone or aldehyde, frequently undergoes further transformations in the reaction medium. The course of the reaction depends on the stereochemistry of the substrate. For example, oxidation of (20R)-20-hydroxymethyl-6β-methoxy-3α,5α-cyclopregnane-16β,17α-diol with air/NaH afforded 6β-methoxy-23,24,25,26,27-pentanor-3α,5α-cyclofurostane-16α,17α-diol in 60% yield whereas similar reaction of (20R)-20-hydroxymethyl-6β-methoxy-3α,5α-cyclopregnane-16α,17α-diol gave 6β-methoxy-D-homo-16a-oxa-3α,5α-cycloandrostan-16-one in 30% yield. The objective of this preliminary study was to select alcohols susceptible to air/NaH oxidation and to establish the effect of conditions on the course of the reaction.     

The Utilization of Gum Tragacanth to Improve the Growth of Rhodotorula aurantiaca and the Production of γ-Decalactone in Large Scale

The production of γ-decalactone and 4-hydroxydecanoic acid by the psychrophilic yeast R. aurantiaca was studied. The effect of both compounds on the growth of R. aurantiaca was also investigated and our results show that γ-decalactone must be one of the limiting factors for its production. The addition of gum tragacanth to the medium at concentrations of 3 and 4 g/l seems to be an adequate strategy to enhance γ-decalactone production and to reduce its toxicity towards the cell. The production of γ-decalactone and 4-hydroxydecanoic acid was significantly higher in 20-l bioreactor than in 100-l bioreactor. By using 20 g/l of castor oil, 6.5 and 4.5 g/l of γ-decalactone were extracted after acidification at pH 2.0 and distillation at 100 °C for 45 min in 20- and 100-l bioreactors, respectively. We propose a process at industrial scale using a psychrophilic yeast to produce naturally γ-decalactone from castor oil which acts also as a detoxifying agent; moreover the process was improved by adding a natural gum.     

Synthesis and antituberculosis activity of several steroids from 3<Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-acetoxy-5<Emphasis Type="Italic">α</Emphasis>-pregn-16-en-20-one

The semicarbazone and isonicotinoylhydrazone of 5α-pregn-2-en-20-one, which was prepared from 3β-acetoxy-5α-pregn-16-en-20-one, were synthesized for the first time. The antituberculosis activity of these and semicarbazones and isonicotinoylhydrazones of saturated, unsaturated, and adamantane-modified ketosteroids synthesized by us earlier was studied in vitro experiments.     

Simple Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Minocycline in Brain and Plasma

A new high-performance liquid chromatography assay was developed for the determination of minocycline in plasma and brain. A solid–liquid extraction procedure was coupled with a reversed-phase HPLC system. The system requires a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile:water:perchloric acid (26:74:0.25, v/v/v) adjusted to pH 2.5 with 5 M sodium hydroxide for elution through a RP8 column (250 × 3.0 mm, i.d.) with UV detection set at 350 nm. The method proved to be accurate, precise (RSD < 20%) and linear between 0.15–20 μg mL⁻¹ in plasma and 1–20 μg mg⁻¹ in brain. The method was successfully applied to a blood-brain barrier minocycline transport study.     

Evaluation of a novel ELISA for serotonin: urinary serotonin as a potential biomarker for depression

Depression is a common disorder with physical and psychological manifestations often associated with low serotonin. Since noninvasive diagnostic tools for depression are sparse, we evaluated the clinical utility of a novel ELISA for the measurement of serotonin in urine from depressed subjects and from subjects under antidepressant therapy. We developed a competitive ELISA for direct measurement of serotonin in derivatized urine samples. Assay performance was evaluated and applied to clinical samples. The analytical range of the assay was from 6.7 to 425 μg serotonin/g creatinine (Cr). The limit of quantification was 4.7 μg/g Cr. The average recovery for spiked urine samples was 104.4%. Average intra-assay variation was 4.4%, and inter-assay variation was <20%. The serotonin analysis was very specific. No significant interferences were observed for 44 structurally and nonstructurally related urinary substances. Very good correlation was observed between urinary serotonin levels measured by ELISA and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS; ELISA = 1.16 × LC-MS/MS − 53.8; r = 0.965; mean % bias = 11%; n = 18). Serotonin was stable in acidified urine for 30 days at room temperature and at −20 °C. The established reference range for serotonin was 54–366 μg/g Cr (n = 64). Serotonin levels detected in depressed patients (87.53 ± 4.89 μg/g Cr; n = 60) were significantly lower (p < 0.001) than in nondepressed subjects (153.38 ± 7.99 μg/g Cr). Urinary excretion of serotonin in depressed individuals significantly increased after antidepressant treatment by 5-hydroxy-tryptophane and/or selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (p < 0.01). The present ELISA provides a convenient and robust method for monitoring urinary serotonin. It is suitable to monitor serotonin imbalances and may be particularly helpful in evaluating antidepressant therapies.     

The Correlations Between TCA-Glyoxalate Metabolite and Antibiotic Production of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces</Emphasis> sp. M4018 Grown in Glycerol,Glucose, and Starch Mediums

The alterations of organic acids citrate, α-ketoglutarate, succinate, fumarate, malate production together with isocitrate lyase activity as a glyoxalate shunt enzyme, and antibiotic production of Streptomyces sp M4018 were investigated in relation to changes in the glucose, glycerol and starch concentrations (5–20 g/L) after identification as a strain of Streptomyces hiroshimensis based on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. The highest intracellular citrate and α-ketoglutarate levels in 20 g/l of glucose, glycerol, and starch mediums were 399.47 ± 4.78, 426.93 ± 6.40, 355.84 ± 5.38 ppm and 444.81 ± 5.12, 192.96 ± 2.26, 115.20 ± 2.87 ppm, respectively. The highest succinate, malate, and fumarate levels were also determined in 20 g/l of glucose medium as 548.9 ± 11.21, 596.15 ± 8.26, and 406.42 ± 6.59 ppm and the levels were significantly higher than the levels in glycerol and starch. Extracellular organic acid levels measured also showed significant correlation with carbon source concentrations by showing negative correlation with pH levels of the growth medium. The antibiotic production of Streptomyces sp. M4018 was also higher in glucose medium as was the case also for organic acids when compared with glycerol. On the other hand, there is no production in starch.     

A new phytoecdysteroid

A new phytoecdysteroid,viz, 2-deoxy-3-epi-4β, 20-dihydroxycedysone ((20R,22R)-3α,4β 14α,20,22,25-hexahydroxy-5β-cholest-7-en-6-one), named coronatasteronc, was isolated fromSerratula coronata and identified by NMR spectroscopy. Published inIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 1954–1955, November, 2000.     

Phase Gratings in Photoreactive Polymers:A Way to Optically Pumped Organic Lasers

 Poly-(4-vinylbenzyl-thiocyanate) (PVBT) was investigated as a photoreactive polymer which changes its refractive index upon UV irradiation as is required for the production of phase gratings. After UV irradiation, the refractive index of PVBT films increased from n_D ²⁰ = 1.629 to n_D ²⁰ = 1.660 (Δn = +0.031). The change in the refractive index resulted mainly from the photoinduced isomerization of thiocyanate (SCN) to isothiocyanate (NCS) groups. It was possible to modify irradiated PVBT with 1-naphthylmethyl amine which lead to a further increase of the refractive index. Both the isomerization and the modification were followed with FTIR spectroscopy. This modification of the irradiated zones also yields an advantageous stabilization of phase gratings enscribed in PVBT. The investigations were carried out in the realm of novel organic distributed feedback (DFB) lasers.     

Solid state electrochemical of the erbium hexacyanoferrate-modified carbon ceramic electrode and its electrocatalytic oxidation of <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-cysteine

A kind of erbium hexacyanoferrate (ErHCF)-modified carbon ceramic electrodes (CCEs) fabricated by mechanically attaching ErHCF samples to the surface of CCEs derived from sol–gel technique was proposed. The resulting modified electrodes exhibit well-defined redox responses with the formal potential of +0.215 V [vs saturated calomel electrode (SCE)] at a scan rate of 20 mV s⁻¹ in 0.5 M KCl (pH 7) solution. The voltammetric characteristics of the ErHCF-modified CCEs were investigated by voltammetry. Attractively, the ErHCF-modified CCEs presented good electrocatalytic activity with a marked decrease in the overvoltage about 400 mV for l-cysteine oxidation. The calibration plot for l-cysteine determination was linear at 5.0 × 10⁻⁶–1.3 × 10⁻⁴ M with a linear regression equation of I(A) = 0.558 + 0.148c (μM) (R ² = 0.9989, n = 20), and the detection limit was 2 × 10⁻⁶ M (S/N = 3). At last, the ErHCF-modified CCEs were used for amperometric detection of l-cysteine in real samples.     

Minor asterosaponin archasteroside C from the starfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Archaster typicus</Emphasis>

A new minor asterosaponin (20S)-6-O-{β-d-fucopyranosyl-(1→2)-[β-d-fucopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-quinovopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-d-quinovopyranosyl-(1→3)-β-d-quinovopyranosyl}-3β,6α,20-trihydroxycholest-9(11)-en-23-one 3-sulfate (archasteroside C) was isolated from the starfish Archaster typicus collected in shallow coastal waters of Vietnam. The structure of archasteroside C was determined by 2D NMR spectroscopy and electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry.     

Calix[4]arene based selective fluorescent chemosensor for organic acid recognition

A novel calix[4]arene-based fluorescent chemosensor bearing a 2-aminopyridine moiety and a naphthalenic fluorophore was synthesized The chemical structure of the product was elucidated by FT-IR, MS-FAB, NMR and elemental analyses. Then, the properties and identification mechanism of the synthesized chemosensor were investigated. The results show that the chemosensor exhibits selective fluorescent quenching in the presence of aromatic organic acid in acetonitrile solution, and that the binding ability of the chemosensor with organic acid is in the order of p-cyanic-benzyl acid > p-chloric-benzyl acid > p-methoxyl-benzyl acid > benzyl acid. __________ Translated from Journal of South China University of Technology (Natural Science Edition), 2007, 35(4): 20–24 [译自: 华南理工大学学报(自然科学版)]     

Dielectric behaviour of Gelatin solutions and Gels

 Sol and Gel state properties of aqueous gelatin solutions of concentrations 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% (w/v) have been investigated through dielectric relaxation studies done at various temperatures in the range T=20–60 °C carried out over a frequency range f=20 Hz–10 MHz and no relaxation of any nature was observed. The sharp transition observed at the gelation temperature T _gel provided an excellent matching with the same measured through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The capacitance (C _p) values above f=100 kHz became increasingly negative as the gel was melted to the sol state. However, in the gel state C _p was found to be almost independent of temperature for frequencies above 100 kHz. At frequencies lower than 10 kHz, C _p measured was ∼10⁵ F, implying pronounced interfacial polarization either due to electro-chemical reaction or because of ions getting trapped at some interface within the bulk. Received: 10 February 1997 Accepted: 2 September 1997     

Acyl iodides in organic synthesis: XIII. Reaction of acyl iodides with nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic compounds

Reactions of acetyl iodide with pyridine at room temperature and with quinoline both at 20–25°C and on cooling to −50°C involve dehydrohalogenation of acetyl iodide with formation of ketene and pyridinium or quinolinium iodides. The reaction of acetyl iodide with pyridine at −5 to −50°C led to the formation of N-acetylpyridinium iodide. Benzoyl iodide reacted with both pyridine and quinoline at both −50°C and at 20–25°C to form stable N-benzoylpyridinium and N-benzoylquinolinium iodides. The reaction of pyrrole with acetyl iodide under analogous conditions was accompanied by polymerization.     

Algal transformation of hydrocortisone by the cyanobacterium Nostoc ellipsosporum

The potential of Nostoc ellipsosporum for biotransformation of hydrocortisone was studied. The microorganism was isolated during a screening program from soil samples collected from the paddy fields in the north of Iran and had not been previously examined for this purpose. The biotransformation yielded 11β,17α,20β, 21-tetrahydroxypregn-4-en-3-one and 11β-hydroxyandrost-4-ene-3,17-dione. Both of the metabolites were purified chromatographically and characterized using instrumental analyses. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 572–574, November–December, 2006.     

A New Chiral Director for the Highly Diastereoselective Borane Reductionof Steroid-20-ones

Summary.  The synthesis of a new chiral boroxazolidine was achieved which was used to control the stereochemistry of the borane reduction of the 20-keto group of steroids. The otherwise hardly accessible 20α-(20S)-alcohol can thus be prepared in a yield of 91%. Received April 10, 2000. Accepted (revised) May 2, 2000     

Synthesis of 20<Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis>-protopanaxadiol <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-D-galactopyranosides

20S-Protopanaxadiol (3β,12β,20S-trihydroxydammar-24-ene) 3-, 12-, and 20-O-β-D-galactopyranosides were synthesized for the first time. Condensation of 12β-acetoxy-3β,20S-dihydroxydammar-24-ene (1) and 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α-D-galactopyranosylbromide (α-acetobromogalactose) (2) under Koenigs–Knorr conditions with subsequent removal of the protecting groups resulted in regio- and stereoselective formation of 20S-protopanaxadiol 3-O-β-D-galactopyranoside, an analog of the natural ginsenoside Rh₂. Glycosylation of 12β,20S-dihydroxydammar-24-en-3-one (5) by 2 with subsequent treatment of the reaction products with NaBH₄ in isopropanol and deacetylation with NaOMe gave 20S-protopanaxadiol 12- and 20-O-β-Dgalactopyranosides.