Development of adamantan-1-yl-methoxy-functionalized 1-deoxynojirimycin derivatives as selective inhibitors of glucosylceramide metabolism in man

In this article, we present a straightforward synthesis of adamantan-1-yl-methoxy-functionalized 1-deoxynojirimycin derivatives. The used synthetic routes are flexible and can be used to create a wide variety of lipophilic mono- and difunctionalized 1-deoxynojirimycin derivatives. The compounds reported here are lipophilic iminosugar based on lead compound 4, a potent inhibitor of the three enzymes involved in the metabolism of the glycosphingolipid glucosylceramide. Iminosugar-based inhibitors of glucosylceramide synthase, one of these three enzymes, have attracted increasing interest over the past decade due to the crucial role of this enzyme in glycosphingolipid biosynthesis. Combined with the fact that an increasing number of pathological processes are being linked to excessive glycosphingolipid levels, glucosylceramide synthase becomes a very attractive therapeutic and research target. Our results presented here demonstrate that relocating the lipophilic moiety from the nitrogen atom to other positions on the 1-deoxynojirimycin ring system does not lead to a more potent or selective inhibitor of glucosylceramide synthase. The beta-aza-C-glycoside analogue (17) retained the best inhibitory potency for glucosylceramide synthase and is a more potent inhibitor than the therapeutic agent N-butyl-1-deoxynojirimycin (3), marketed as treatment for Gaucher disease under the commercial name Zavesca.     

Antioxidant activity of propofol and related monomeric and dimeric compounds

This study was carried out to investigate the antioxidant activity of propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) and its related compounds, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), 2,6-dimethylphenol, 2,6-di-t-butylphenol, and their dimeric compounds. The degree of antioxidant activity was evaluated based on the degree of peroxidation induced with Fe-ascorbic acid in egg phosphatidylcholine through the determination of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) formed during peroxidation. Their antioxidant activities were in the order of dipropofol>di(2,6-di-t-butylphenol)>diBHA>di(2,6-dimethylphenol). Dipropofol, a dimeric compound of propofol, showed the highest antioxidant activities. Dimeric compounds had higher activities than monomeric compounds, and the 1,1-diphenyl-p-picryhydrazyl-trapping ability of dimeric compounds was also greater than those of monomeric compounds (4-10-fold). These results suggest that dimeric phenols may increase their antioxidant activities along with increments in the conjugation system and play a inhibitory role in the propagation of free radical chain reactions.     

The first direct evaluation of the two-active site mechanism for chitin synthase

Chitin synthase polymerizes UDP-GlcNAc to form chitin (poly-beta(1,4)-GlcNAc) and is essential for fungal cell wall biosynthesis. The alternating orientation of the GlcNAc residues within the chitin chain has led to the proposal that chitin synthase possesses two active sites. We report the results of the first direct test of this possibility. Two simple uridine-derived dimeric inhibitors are shown to exhibit 10-fold greater inhibition than a monomeric control, consistent with the presence of two active sites. This observation has important implications for the development of antifungal agents, as well as the understanding of polymerizing glycosyltransferases.     

Effects of Temperature and Energy on Stability of Oligomeric Enzyme Probed on Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Escherichia coli 3-Deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate 8-phosphate（KDO8P） synthase catalyzed the condensation reaction between D-arabinose 5-phosphate（A5P） and phosphoenolpyruvate（PEP） to form KDO8P and inorganic phosphate（Pi）. The noncovalent tetrameric association ofKDO8P synthase was observed and dissociated in gas phase by means of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry under the very ＂soft＂ conditions. The results indicate that PEP-bound enzyme generated abundant tetrameric species as well as monomeric species at the ＂soft＂ conditions, whereas, the unbound enzyme favored the formation of a dimeric species. The mass spectra of the mixture of the enzyme with one of substrates, PEP, and A5P or one of products, KDO8P and Pi show that the complex of the unbound enzyme with PEP or Pi was prone to the formation of a monomeric species, whereas, that of the unbound enzyme with A5P or KDO8P was similar to the unbound enzyme. The intensity of the dimeric species increased with the increase of temperature at a collision voltage of 10 V. Taken together, the results presented here suggest that mass spectrometry will be a powerful tool to explore subtile conformational changes and/or subunit-subunit interactions of multiprotein assembly induced by ligand-binding and/or the changes of environmental conditions.     

Enantioselective Formal Syntheses of 11 Nuphar Alkaloids and Discovery of Potent Apoptotic Monomeric Analogues

Concise, scalable, and enantioselective formal syntheses of eight dimeric and three monomeric nuphar alkaloids were achieved, along with the construction of a stereochemically diverse collection of the first known monomeric analogues having apoptotic activity. The syntheses involved the development of highly enantioselective Brønsted acid catalyzed vinylogous Mukaiyama–Mannich reactions, which feature the unprecedented use of a supersilyl group to control the regio‐, enantio‐ and diastereoselectivity. Biological studies reveal that several of these novel nuphar analogues are even more potent than their dimeric natural product counterparts.     

含肉桂酰胺类化合物的合成及α-糖苷酶抑制活性

合成了4个未见报道的含肉桂酰胺类化合物9a～9b, 初步评价了它们的α-糖苷酶抑制活性. 这些化合物均具有α-糖苷酶抑制活性, 是一类结构新颖的α-糖苷酶抑制活性化合物, 其中, 化合物9b和9c的活性高于阳性对照药物阿卡波糖.     

A DFT investigation of dissociation of nitrous acid,transformation of its monomeric isomers,their dimeric isomers,and dimerization

The structure optimization of the monomeric isomers of the nitrous acid HONO, their cyclic dimers (HONO)₂, and transition states of their transformations has been carried out using the density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6‐311++G(d,p) and B3LYP/aug‐cc‐pVQZ levels of theory. Three monomeric isomers (c, t, and z isomers) and six dimeric isomers (cc, ct, cz, tt, zz, and tz isomers) were found. Dissociation of the most stable of the HONO isomer (t isomer) was investigated and its rate constant was obtained at the UB3LYP/aug‐cc‐pVQZ level. Energetics, thermodynamic properties, rate, and equilibrium constants of the monomeric and dimeric isomerizations of the nitrous acid were obtained. Dimerization energies, enthalpies, and free energies of the dimeric isomers, (HONO)₂ were also obtained. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

On the Molecularity of Bilirubins and their Esters and Anions in Chloroform Solution

Summary.  Bilirubins with propionic acids at C-8 and C-12 engage in intramolecular hydrogen bonding and are thought to be monomeric in solution, although the latter is unproven. In contrast, their dimethyl esters and etiobilirubin analogs (with the C-8 and C-12 propionic acids replaced by alkyl residues) favor intermolecular hydrogen bonding and are thought to be dimeric in nonpolar solvents. There is little information on the molecularity of the bilirubin dianion in solution. In this work, vapor pressure osmometry studies of chloroform solutions of bilirubins, their dimethyl esters, and etio-analogs clearly indicate that the diacids and dianions are monomeric, whereas the diesters and dialkyls are dimeric. However, the presence of a C-10 gem-dimethyl group causes the ester and the etiobilirubin to become monomeric. Received May 9, 2000. Accepted May 19, 2000     

On the Molecularity of Bilirubins and their Esters and Anions in Chloroform Solution

 Bilirubins with propionic acids at C-8 and C-12 engage in intramolecular hydrogen bonding and are thought to be monomeric in solution, although the latter is unproven. In contrast, their dimethyl esters and etiobilirubin analogs (with the C-8 and C-12 propionic acids replaced by alkyl residues) favor intermolecular hydrogen bonding and are thought to be dimeric in nonpolar solvents. There is little information on the molecularity of the bilirubin dianion in solution. In this work, vapor pressure osmometry studies of chloroform solutions of bilirubins, their dimethyl esters, and etio-analogs clearly indicate that the diacids and dianions are monomeric, whereas the diesters and dialkyls are dimeric. However, the presence of a C-10 gem-dimethyl group causes the ester and the etiobilirubin to become monomeric.     

Light-energy conversion systems for hydrogen production and photocurrent generation using zinc chlorin derivatives

To develop efficient systems for light-energy conversion, monomeric and dimeric zinc chlorin derivatives were synthesized. These derivatives act as photosensitizers for light-induced hydrogen production with methylviologen as the electron mediator and Pt nanoparticles as the hydrogen-evolution catalyst. The monomeric derivative exhibited ~1.5-times higher activity than the dimeric derivative. The photocurrent-generating activity of the Zn chlorin derivatives assembled on a chemically modified indium tin oxide electrode was investigated; the dimeric derivative exhibited significant activity compared to the monomeric derivative. The photosensitizing activity of the derivatives in dye-sensitized solar cells was also investigated. The dimeric derivative exhibited two-fold higher performance than the monomeric derivative. The dimerization effect on the photosensitizing activities is briefly discussed in terms of stacking conformations based on the results of absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies.     

Ainsliadimer A, a new sesquiterpene lactone dimer with an unusual carbon skeleton from Ainsliaea macrocephala

A phytochemical investigation of Ainsliaea macrocephala led to the isolation of a new dimeric sesquiterpene lactone, ainsliadimer A (1). The structure of 1 was elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, and confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Ainsliadimer A represents an unusual carbon skeleton with a cyclopentane system connecting the two monomeric sesquiterpene lactone units. This unique molecule exerted potent inhibitory activity against the production of nitric oxide in RAW264.7 stimulated by LPS.     

银杏叶中α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制剂的超滤质谱筛选

采用体外酶抑制活性检测方法结合超滤质谱(UF-LC/MS)筛选方法对中药提取物中的α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制剂进行了筛选.以4-硝基苯-α-D-吡喃葡萄糖苷(PNPG)为底物,阿卡波糖为阳性对照药,对5种富含黄酮类化合物的中药提取物进行了α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制活性的初步测定.结果表明,银杏叶具有最强的α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制活性,可作为进一步复筛的对象.利用超滤质谱技术对银杏叶中潜在的α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制剂进行了筛选,从中筛选出4种潜在的α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制剂,并利用液相色谱-串联质谱技术(LC-MSn)对其结构进行了鉴定.本文结果为开发新一代安全有效的降糖药物奠定了基础.     

Novel deoxycholic acid alkylamide-phenylurea-derived organogelators

Three monomeric and three dimeric deoxycholic acid (DCA) alkylamido-phenylurea derivatives are designed based on known gelators and are synthesized and characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, ESI-TOF mass spectrometry, and elemental analyses. Among them, a monomeric derivative forms supramolecular gels in CHCl₃ and chlorobenzene, whereas a dimeric derivative gels THF and higher 1-alkanols containing 7-10 carbons. The morphologies of their xerogels are studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). No signature of macroscopic chirality of the gels is visible.     

Mixed micelle behavior of Pluronic L64 and Triton X-100 with conventional and dimeric cationic surfactants

The mixed micellar properties of a triblock copolymer, Pluronic L64, (EO)13(PO)30(EO)13, and a nonionic surfactant, Triton X-100, in aqueous solution with conventional alkyl ammonium bromides and their dimeric homologues were investigated with the help of fluorescence and cloud point measurements. The composition of mixed micelles and the interaction parameter, beta, evaluated from the critical micelle concentration (cmc) data for different mixtures using Rubingh's and Motomura's theories are discussed. It has been observed that the mixed micelle formation between monomeric/dimeric alkyl ammonium bromides and L64 was due to synergistic interactions which increase with the increase in hydrophobicity of the cationic component. On the other hand, synergistic mixing was observed in the mixed micelles of Triton X-100 and monomeric cationic surfactants, the magnitude of which decreases slightly with the increase in hydrophobicity of the cationic component. Antagonistic interactions were observed in the case of Triton X-100 and dimeric cationic surfactants.     

Engineering of an active animal fatty acid synthase dimer with only one competent subunit

Animal fatty acid synthases are large polypeptides containing seven functional domains that are active only in the dimeric form. Inactivity of the monomeric form has long been attributed to the obligatory participation of domains from both subunits in catalysis of substrate loading and condensation reactions. However, we have engineered a fatty acid synthase containing one wild-type subunit and one subunit compromised by mutations in all seven functional domains that is active in fatty acid synthesis. This finding indicates that a single subunit, in the context of a dimer, is able to catalyze the entire biosynthetic pathway and suggests that, in the natural complex, each of the two subunits forms a scaffold that optimizes the conformation of the companion subunit.     

Synthesis and in vitro Study of Novel Methylenebis(phenyl- 1,5-benzothiazepine)s and Methylenebis(benzofuryl-1,5- benzothiazepine)s as Antimicrobial Agents

A series of methylenebis(phenyl-1,5-benzothiazepine)s 4 and methylenebis(benzofuryl-1,5-benzothiazepine)s 5 were prepared by the reaction of methylene-bis-chalcones 3 with 2-aminothiophenol for 4 and followed by the condensation with chloroacetone for 5. The structures of the synthesized compounds have been confirmed by their IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MS and elemental analyses. All the synthesized compounds were tested for their antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. To elucidate the essential structural requirements for the antimicrobial activity, the preliminary structure-activity relationship has been described. Among the compounds tested, the dimeric compounds 4f, 4g, 5f and 5g were found to be most active against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus sphaericus, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella aerogenes and Chromobacterium violaceum. Similarly these dimeric compounds showed potent antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Trichophyton rubrum, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. It is interesting to note that the dimeric compounds with substituents of heterocyclic ring at the 4th position of benzothiazepine system displayed notable antibacterial activity equal to that of streptomycin and penicillin. Further, the activity of all the dimeric compounds was compared with that of their monomeric compounds, and it is interesting to note that almost all the dimeric compounds showed enhanced activity than their monomeric compounds.     

Synthesis, reactivity, and electronic properties of 6,6-dicyanofulvenes

A series of 6,6-dicyanofulvene derivatives are synthesized starting from masked, dimeric, or monomeric cyclopentadienones. The reactivities of 6,6-dicyanofulvenes relative to their parent cyclopentadienones are discussed. 6,6-Dicyanofulvenes are capable of undergoing two consecutive, reversible, one-electron reductions and are presented as potential n-type small molecules.     

人三叶因子3双结构域突变体的构建

利用基因工程方法在大肠杆菌-酶母穿梭质粒pPIC9K上构建了人三叶因子3(HumanTrefoilFactor3,hTFF3)双结构域突奕体基因,采用毕氏酵母表达系统对目的基因进行了分泌表达。经S-Sepharose,Q-Sepharose,SephacrylS-100纯化后得到突变体蛋白,主要以单体形式存在。SDS-PAGE表明重组蛋白分子量约为12000,并在Westernblotting印迹实验中证明能被抗hTFF3抗体所识别,N-端氨基酸测序与天然hTFF3-一致,质谱检测纯化的蛋白出现单体和双体两种形式。用重组蛋白对乙醇诱导的大鼠胃溃疡进行实验治疗表明hTFF3双体突变体与天然形成的双体蛋白具有相同的活力,并且活力高于单体形式的hTFF3。     

TiCl4共引发乙烯基单体正离子聚合反应动力学及其机理

TiCl4,共引发异丁烯（1B）或苯乙烯（St）进行正离子聚合，聚合反应速率与共引发剂TICl4之间可呈一级和二级动力学关系，这与TiCl4浓度（[TiCl4]）、单体浓度、亲核试剂的亲核性等多方面因素有关。单分子TiCl4与休眠分子链末端进行离子化反应并产生活性中心碳正离子和反离子TiCl5^-，TiCl5^-与另一个TiCl4分子进一步反应则形成双分子反离子Ti2Cl9^-，导致TiCl4表现为二级动力学关系的机理。     

Oil Solubilization Capacity,Liquid Crystalline Properties,and Antibacterial Activity of Alkanolamine‐Based Novel Cationic Surfactants

A series of monomeric and dimeric cationic surfactants with tuned polarity was synthesized. Oil solubilization capacity, thermotropic liquid crystalline properties, and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of novel hydroxylated cationic surfactants using selected gram positive and gram negative bacteria were examined. Antibacterial activity and the propensity of gemini surfactants for oil solubilization were observed to be better than those of corresponding monomeric surfactants. Pseudo ternary phase diagrams for these surfactants, methyl methacrylate (MMA), and water clearly showed, that microemulsions can be easily formulated with all these surfactants. Solubilization and foam studies of mixed surfactant systems were also examined. Molecular architecture like the tail length, head group area, and presence of ethanolic goups in the surfactant affect the performance properties. Unlike conventional gemini surfactants the synthesized gemini surfactants also show thermotropic liquid crystalline properties (smectic‐A, L_α phase).