Photochemically catalyzed reaction of ochratoxin A with D- and L-cysteine

The photolysis (>300 nm) of ochratoxin A (OTA, N-[[(3R)-5-chloro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-oxo-7-isochromanyl]carbonyl]-3-phenyl-L-alanine, 1) in the presence of excess (2 and 12 molar equiv) cysteine (CySH) has been investigated and found to yield sulfur adducts 5 and 6 that are characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The adduct 5 was ascribed to the Michael addition conjugate resulting from covalent attachment of CySH to the ochratoxin quinone (4) generated by photooxidation of OTA. This species was also formed by photolysis of a synthetic sample of the hydroquinone of OTA (ochratoxin hydroquinone, 3) in the presence of 12 equiv L-CySH. The conjugate 5 derived from photolysis of 3 with L-CySH was used for 1H-NMR analysis. The sulfur adduct 6 was the major species detected from covalent attachment of CySH to photoactivated OTA, and it resulted from direct displacement of the OTA Cl atom by CySH. The implications of the cysteinyl adducts to the in vivo toxicity of OTA are discussed, with particular emphasis given to conjugate 5, as products from the photooxidative pathway may be of relevance to the nephrotoxic properties of OTA.     

Sol-Gel Fabrication and Properties of Silica Cores of Optical Fibers Doped with Yb3+, Er3+, Al2 O3 or TiO2

Optical cores of preforms for drawing optical fibers doped with Er3+ and Yb3+ were fabricated by the sol-gel method with the aim of increasing the thickness of glass layers coated in a single coating cycle and to determine the relation between the preparation conditions and optical properties of the fibers. Al2O3-P2O5-SiO2 and TiO2-P2O5-SiO2 glasses have been studied as matrices for entrapping the rare-earth elements. Input sols have been prepared from silicon and titanium alkoxides, AlCl3, ErCl3, YbCl3, POCl3, water and a modifier under acidic catalysis of HCl. The sols were coated on the inner wall of a silica substrate tube and the gel layers were sintered at high temperatures up to 2000°C after which the tube was collapsed into the preform. Continuous and homogenous glass films with the maximum thickness of about 8 m were fabricated. The influence of high-temperature heat treatment of the layers on their composition and optical attenuation was observed. The amplified stimulated emission of Er3+ around 1.55 m was measured under the excitation of the fibers by an Nd : YAG laser at 1.064 m.     

Synthesis and properties of sym-triazines. 10 Synthesis of 2,4-diamino-sym-triazines containing a sterically hindered phenol substituent

Condensation of N-(4-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)biguanide with esters in the presence of catalytic amounts of sodium ethylate gives 2-amino-4-(4-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylanilino)-6-substituted sym-triazines. When the trichloroacetate ester is used the main product is 2-amino-4-(4-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylanilino)-6-oxo-1(5)H-sym-triazine.For communication 9 see [1]Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, pp. 1395–1399, October, 1992.     

Insoluble eggshell matrix proteins--their peptide mapping and partial characterization by capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography

Avian eggshell matrix proteins were studied by two analytical approaches. Peptide mapping was done by trypsin and pepsin followed by collagenase cleavage; analyses were carried out by capillary electrophoresis and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Comparison of peptide maps obtained by both methods revealed a complex mixture of peptides in the insoluble layers of the eggshell; it was concluded that there are at least three different insoluble protein/peptide layers in the avian eggshell (cuticle, palisade, and mammillary layer). Partial characterization of peptides in each layer was made by HPLC-mass spectrometry analysis. There is an evidence that the eggshell insoluble proteins contain species susceptible to collagenase cleavage, however, the sequences split by this enzyme probably are not those typical for the main triple-helical core of collagenous proteins. It is proposed that the action of collagenase upon eggshell proteins is caused by the side effect of collagenase described previously with synthetic peptides. Some of the proteins present are probably glycosylated. Fatty acid content in the insoluble eggshell layers (after decalcification) was in the range of 2-4% (which reflected both lipid and lipoproteins bound fatty acids). Porphyrin pigments are dominant in the cuticle layer.     

New guaianolides from Berlandiera Pumila and B. Texana,and the X-ray crystal structure of pumilin

The isolation and structure determination of two new guaianolides, pumilin and its 2,3-epoxide, from Berlandiera pumila and B. texana are reported. The structure of pumilin was determined from nmr and mass spectral data, and from an X-ray single crystal study; the structure of the epoxide was found by comparison of nmr spectra. Pumilin is shown to be a Δ¹⁽¹⁰⁾-cis-guaianolide with a cyclopentenone ring attached to C1 and C5, and an α-methylene-γ-lactone ring trans-fused to C6 and C7. The absolute configuration was inferred from spectral considerations and knowledge of previous structural determinations. The cd spectrum of pumilin exhibits a negative Cotton effect, and the lactone chromophore has left-handed chirality. The cyclo-heptene ring is in the chair configuration, with the lactone a half-chair and the cyclopentenone essentially planar. Crystals are orthorhombic, a = 7.065, b = 13.652, c = 19.586 Å, space group P2₁2₁2₁, Z = 4, and the final R value is 3.9%. The crystal structure is strengthened by an O···O hydrogen bond linking the molecules into infinite chains.     

The application of levulinic acid and 5-nitro-2-furylmethylene diacetate in the total synthesis of some novel biologically active (5-nitro-2-furyl)azomethines

Summary The syntheses andin vitro antibacterial and antifungal evaluation of certain (5-nitro-2-furyl)azomethines with different heterocyclic nuclei are described.

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Die Anwendung von Lävulinsäure und 5-Nitro-2-furylmethylendiacetat in der Totalsynthese einiger neuer biologisch aktiver (5-Nitro-2-furyl)azomethine

Zusammenfassung Es wird die Synthese und diein-vitro-antibakterielle und antifungale Wirksamkeit für bestimmte (5-Nitro-2-furyl)azomethine mit verschiedenen heterocyclischen Kernen beschrieben.

     

Thermogravimetric study of flame-retarding properties on phosphorylated beech sawdust

Beech sawdust (S) and samples containing 1% of H₃PO₄ (SP), (NaPO₃)_n (PS), P₂O₅ (POS), NaOH/P₂O₅ (SPS), NaOH (SS) or Na₂CO₃ (CS) were analysed using dynamic and isothermal thermogravimetry (TG) in nitrogen and oxygen environments. According to the results of dynamic experiments in nitrogen, the thermal resistance at 275 °C decreased in the order: S > SS > CS > SP> SPS > PS > POS, while in oxygen the order was: S > POS > SPS=CS=PS > SP > SS. The difference in residues obtained in nitrogen in comparison to oxygen environment reaches its maximum at temperatures from 300 to 325 °C and according to the decreasing values the following order could be listed: SS (300 °C/27%) > SP (325 °C/25%) > CS (300 °C/24%) > S (325 °C/23%) > SPS (300 °C/19%) > PS (300 °C/11%) > POS (275 °C/4%). This indicates that with a decreasing difference in residues formed in oxidative and inert environments the flame-retardant effect of the sample is increasing. The calculated initial rate constants of residue formation and gasification and the corresponding activation energies of the processes in nitrogen and oxygen from the isothermal experiments gave smaller values of rate constants for SPS than for S. For the SPS sample in comparison with S the activation energy of residue formation in nitrogen decreased while the three remaining values increased. The E_r* of PS in the oxygen is the biggest from all studied samples under the conditions used, while SPS gave the biggest E_g* in the oxygen environment. The phosphorus could be washed out with water from SP and SPS, while it remained in PS and POS. These last two samples also have the best flame-retarding properties according to TG analysis.     

A new approach for the detection of carbon-centered radicals in enzymatic processes using prefluorescent probes

In this communication we propose a novel application for prefluorescent probes in the detection of free carbon-centered radicals in enzymatic processes. Prefluorescent probes combine a fluorescent moiety tethered to a paramagnetic nitroxide that acts as a fluorescence quencher. Trapping of a radical by the nitroxide group restores the fluorescence properties. The increase in fluorescence intensity with time reflects the formation and quenching of carbon-centered radicals and can be used for the quantitative evaluation of yields and kinetics. As a test system we used horseradish peroxidase, an oxidoreductase that is widely accepted to operate by a radical-mediated mechanism. We used the prefluorescent probe (quinoline-TEMPO), where a quinoline moiety has been tethered to 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl.     

The structural phase transitions of aminoguanidinium(1+) dihydrogen phosphate—study of crystal structures, vibrational spectra and thermal behavior

Aminoguanidinium(1+) dihydrogen phosphate was prepared by crystallization from aqueous solution. On the basis of the results of DSC measurements, X-ray structural analysis was carried out at temperatures of 160, 215 and 293 K for three aminoguanidinium(1+) dihydrogen phosphate phases ( |Z=2|non-ferroic |melting point 408 K; II |201-222 K|(2) |Z=2|non-ferroic|-; III |<201 K|(2)|Z=4|non-ferroic|-). The triclinic unit cell dimensions (a=6.8220(2), b=7.1000(2), c=7.4500(2) Å, α=86.925(2)°, β=80.731(2)°, γ=79.630(2)°, V=350.21(2) Å³—phase I) are similar for all three structural phases with the exception of phase III, where doubling of the c-axis length leads to an increase in the volume to 692.34(3) Å³. The crystal structure of all three modifications consists of parallel layers of dihydrogen phosphate anions that are interconnected by aminoguanidinium(1+) cations through hydrogen bonds of the N-H…O type. The planar aminoguanidinium(1+) cations are oriented almost parallel to each other and are perpendicular to the anion layers. The primary differences amongst phases I, II and III lie in the location of the H atom in the short O-H…O bonds connecting the dihydrogen phosphate anions in layers. The FTIR and FT Raman spectra of natural and deuterated compounds were recorded and interpreted. The FTIR spectra were studied down to a temperature of 90 K.     

Nitrite catalyzes reductive nitrosylation of the water-soluble Ferri-Heme model FeIII(TPPS) to FeII(TPPS)(NO)

Quantitative investigation of the reaction of the ferri-heme model compound Fe(III)(TPPS)(H(2)O)(2) (1) to give Fe(II)(TPPS)(NO) (2) (TPPS = tetra(4-sulfonato-phenyl)porphinato) in buffered aqueous solution demonstrates a slow pH-independent reductive nitrosylation pathway in the pH range 4-6. The rate of this reaction is subject to modest general base catalysis. In the course of this study, a surprising catalytic pathway whereby nitrite ion (NO(2)(-)) strongly catalyzes the reduction of 1 to 2 under reductive nitrosylation conditions was demonstrated.