Protective effect of baker's yeast mannan against Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in mice

The neutral mannan (WNM) and the acidic mannan (WAM025) fractions from baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were found to manifest significant protective effects against intraperitoneal and intravenous infections of Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mice. A remarkable decrease in the number of microbial cells in spleen and liver was observed in mice inoculated with these microorganisms after administration of either mannan fraction. In order to clarify the mechanism of the protective effects, we investigated in vitro the bactericidal activity and lysosomal enzyme activities such as myeloperoxidase, acid phosphatase, and neutral protease, in Kupffer cells (KCs) from mice pretreated with either mannan fraction. KCs from mice administered with these mannan fractions showed an enhanced killing effect on these bacteria in vitro, and neutral protease activity was considered to be one of the important factors in the killing effect on both L. monocytogenes and P. aeruginosa.     

A new oleanene glucuronide obtained from the aerial parts of Melilotus officinalis

A new oleanene glucuronide called melilotus-saponin O2 (1) was isolated together with three known ones (soyasaponin I, astragaloside VIII, wistariasaponin D) from the aerial parts of Melilotus officinalis (L.) Pallas (Leguminosae). The structure of 1 was determined to be 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-xylopyranosyl- (1-->2)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl melilotigenin by spectroscopic and chemical methods.     

Enhancement of the Catalytic Activity of Chiral H8‐BINOL Titanium Complexes by Introduction of Sterically Demanding Groups at the 3‐Position

The activity of chiral titanium catalysts derived from H₈‐BINOL ligands in the enantioselective arylation of an aldehyde with PhTi(OiPr)₃ is significantly enhanced by an increase of the size of the substituent at the 3‐position. High enantioselectivity (> 90 % ee) can be obtained even at a substrate/catalyst ratio (S/C) of 800 for DTBP‐H₈‐BINOL (DTBP=3,5‐di‐tert‐butylphenyl) and DAP‐H₈‐BINOL (DAP=3,5‐di(9‐anthraceny)phenyl). These titanium catalysts are successfully applied to the enantioselective arylation and heteroarylation of aldehydes at a S/C ratio of 400 by using organotitanium reagents generated in situ from bromide precursors. The remarkable weakening of the intramolecular aggregation of the two ?Ti(OiPr)₃ units in a DPP‐H₈‐BINOL (DPP=3,5‐diphenylpheny)‐derived bis‐titanium complex is revealed by X‐ray and variable‐temperature (VT)‐NMR studies. Based on these observations, a catalytic cycle, involving the rate‐limiting aryl group transfer followed by aldehyde complexation and enantioselective arylation, is proposed to account for the high activity of the 3‐substituted H₈‐BINOL catalyst system.     

Representation of Multicomponent Liquid-Liquid Equilibria for Aqueous and Organic Solutions Using a Modified UNIQUAC Model

A modified form of the UNIQUAC model is presented to accurately reproducebinary phase equilibria and ternary and quaternary liquid-liquid equilibria ofaqueous and organic solutions. The model gives a good representation in thereproduction of binary coexistence curves over a wide temperature range usingtemperature-dependent parameters and of binary vapor-liquid equilibria usingtwo binary energy parameters, and in the correlation of ternary and quaternaryliquid-liquid equilibria using ternary and quaternary parameters, in addition tobinary parameters. The quaternary calculated results are compared with thoseobtained from the modified Wilson and extended UNIQUAC models.     

Stepwise synthesis and magnetic control of trimetallic magnets [Co2Ln(L)2(H2O)4][Cr(CN)6].nH2O (Ln = La, Gd; H2L = 2,6-Di(acetoacetyl)pyridine) with 3-D pillared-layer structure

Integration of mononuclear [Cr(CN)6]3- and preorganized trinuclear [Co2Ln(L)2]3+ complexes provides novel trimetallic magnets having a 3-D pillared-layer framework with an alternate array of 2-D layer extended by Cr(III)-CN-Co(II) linkages and Ln(III) ion. The overall magnetic nature can be systematically controlled by Ln(III) ions inserted between the 2-D ferromagnetic layers.     

A three-dimensional ferromagnet, [Ni(dipn)]3[Cr(CN)6]2.3H2O (dipn = dipropylene triamine), based on a cubic Cr8Ni12 unit

The combination of Ni2+, dipropylenetriamine (dipn), and [Cr(CN)6]3- affords the cyanide-bridged bimetallic assembly, [Ni(dipn)]3[Cr(CN)6]2.3H2O (1). This compound crystallizes in cubic space group Pa, with a = b = c = 20.9742(7) A and Z = 8. A three-dimensional network is constructed on the basis of a Cr8Ni12 cubane unit formed by an alternate array of [Cr(CN)6]3- and [Ni(dipn)]2+ units through Cr-CN-Ni-NC-Cr edges. Cryomagnetic studies reveal a ferromagnetic interaction between Cr(III) and Ni(II) ions and a long-range ferromagnetic ordering below 42 K with very small coercive field. To the best of our knowledge, this compound is the first "complete ferromagnet" providing three-dimensional ferromagnetic interaction through a three-dimensional bridging structure that is based on a cubic unit among general metal-oxide and molecule-based magnets. Magnetooptical studies demonstrate a strong correlation between magnetic and optical properties.