Natural products from the integument of nonavian reptiles

This review describes the epidermal and glandular chemistry of nonavian reptiles in relation to proposed functions, and includes more than 170 references. The results are presented according to the different reptile taxa.     

Atroposelective radical aryl migration reactions from sulfur to carbon

The paper describes stereoselective radical aryl migration reactions from sulfur in sulfonates to aryl radicals for the synthesis of axially chiral biaryls. A chirality center in secondary benzylic sulfonates is used to diastereoselectively (atroposelectively) install a stereogenic axis via a 1,5 aryl migration reaction. Atroposelectivity has not been investigated in stereoselective radical chemistry before. Good yields (53-82%) but low selectivities (up to 2 to 1) were obtained.     

A new series of dinuclear Au(I) complexes linked by diethynylpyridine groups

A series of novel digold complexes incorporating ethynyl pyridine derivatives as a spacer unit, [(R(3)P)Au(C[triple bond]C)X(C[triple bond]C)Au(PR(3))] (R = Ph, X = 2,5-pyridine (1); R = Cy (cyclohexane), X = 2,5-pyridine (2); R = Ph, X = 2,6-pyridine (3); R = Ph, X = 2,5'-bipyridine (4); R = Ph, X = 2,6'-bipyridine (5)), has been synthesised. All the complexes have been characterised spectroscopically and the structures determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The central (C[triple bond]C)(X)(C[triple bond]C) unit is essentially linear for complexes 1, 2 and 4 and kinked for complexes 3 and 5, but only in 1, with the shortest spacer group and the less bulky phosphine ligand, is there evidence of d(10)...d(10) Au...Au interactions (Au-Au 3.351(2) A). The solution UV/visible absorption and emission spectra for all the complexes are similar to those of the free ligands suggesting that the spectra are dominated by pi-pi* ligand-centred transitions and this is confirmed by DFT calculations.     

Quantification of femtomolar concentrations of the CYP3A substrate midazolam and its main metabolite 1'-hydroxymidazolam in human plasma using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

The benzodiazepine midazolam is a probe drug used to phenotype cytochrome P450 3A activity. In this situation, effective sedative concentrations are neither needed nor desired, and in fact the use of very low doses is advantageous. We therefore developed and validated an assay for the femtomolar quantification of midazolam and 1′-hydroxymidazolam in human plasma. Plasma (0.25 mL) and 96-well-based solid-phase extraction were used for sample preparation. Extraction recoveries ranged between 75 and 92% for both analytes. Extracts were chromatographed within 2 min on a Waters BEH C18 1.7 μm UPLC? column with a fast gradient consisting of formic acid, ammonia, and acetonitrile. Midazolam and 1′-hydroxymidazolam were quantified using deuterium- and ¹³C-labeled internal standards and positive electrospray tandem mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring mode, which yielded lower limits of quantification of 50 fg/mL (154 fmol/L) and 250 fg/mL (733 fmol/L) and a corresponding precision of <20%. The calibrated concentration ranges were linear for midazolam (0.05–250 pg/mL) and 1′-hydroxymidazolam (0.25–125 pg/mL), with correlation coefficients of >0.99. Within-batch and batch-to-batch precision in the calibrated ranges for both analytes were <14% and <12%. No ion suppression was detectable, and plasma matrix effects were minimized to <15% (<25%) for midazolam (1′-hydroxymidazolam). The assay was successfully applied to assess the kinetics of midazolam in two human volunteers after the administration of single oral microgram doses (1–100 μg). This ultrasensitive assay allowed us to quantify the kinetics of midazolam and 1′-hydroxymidazolam for at least 10 h, even after the administration of only 1 μg of midazolam.     

Detection of glycoproteins in polyacrylamide gels and on electroblots using Pro-Q Emerald 488 dye,a fluorescent periodate Schiff-base stain

Pro-Q Emerald 488 glycoprotein stain reacts with periodic acid-oxidized carbohydrate groups, generating a bright green-fluorescent signal on glycoproteins. The stain permits detection of less than 5-18 ng of glycoprotein per band, depending upon the nature and the degree of protein glycosylation, making it roughly 8-16-fold more sensitive than the standard colorimetric periodic acid-Schiff base method using acidic fuchsin dye (pararosaniline). The green-fluorescent signal from Pro-Q Emerald 488 stain may optimally be visualized using charge-coupled device/xenon arc lamp-based imaging systems or 470-488 nm laser-based gel scanners. Though glycoprotein detection may be performed on transfer membranes, direct detection in gels avoids electroblotting and the specificity of staining is better in gels. After detecting glycoproteins with Pro-Q Emerald 488 dye, total protein profiles may subsequently be detected using SYPRO Ruby protein gel stain. Using computer-assisted registration techniques, images may then be merged to generate differential display maps.     

Selection of a high-energy bioactive conformation of a sulfonium-ion glycosidase inhibitor by the enzyme glucoamylase G2

Transferred nuclear Overhauser effect and rotating-frame Overhauser enhancement NMR spectroscopies are used to probe the conformation of a bicyclic sulfonium ion, which is an analogue of the naturally occurring glycosidase inhibitor castanospermine, bound to the enzyme glucoamylase G2. Enzyme inhibition assays indicate that the bicyclic sulfonium ion is a slightly better inhibitor (K(i) = 1.32 mM) of glucoamylase G2 than the naturally occurring sulfonium-ion glycosidase inhibitor, salacinol, with a K(i) value of 1.7 mM. The NMR results are interpreted in terms of the selection by the enzyme of a high-energy conformation of the ligand that is already represented in the ensemble of free-ligand conformations.     

Selective proteome-wide detection of hydrophobic integral membrane proteins using a novel fluorescence-based staining technology

Integral proteins containing two or more alpha-helical membrane-spanning domains are underrepresented in two-dimensional gels. While sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gels separate these proteins, staining profiles are usually dominated by high-abundance hydrophilic proteins in the specimen. A fluorescence-based stain is presented that selectively highlights integral proteins containing two or more alpha-helical transmembrane domains but does not detect lipoproteins or proteins with hydrophobic pockets, such as albumin. The stain detects as little as 5-10 ng of bacteriorhodopsin, a seven-helix transmembrane protein. Stained proteins are detected using a laser scanner or charge-coupled device (CCD) camera imaging system. Fluorescence intensity of stained bands is linear with protein quantity over at least two orders of magnitude. After visualizing transmembraneous proteins, the total protein profile may be revealed using a general protein stain. Analysis of the multisubunit protein F1F0 ATP synthase revealed selective staining of the a and c subunits, polypeptides known to possess 5 and 2 transmembrane domains, respectively.