Asymmetric Total Syntheses,Stereostructures, and Cytotoxicities of Marine Bromotriterpenoids Aplysiol B (Laurenmariannol) and Saiyacenol A

There are marine cytotoxic bromotriterpenoids, named the thyrsiferol family that are structurally characterized by some tetrahydropyran (THP) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) rings. The thyrsiferol family belongs to natural products that are often difficult to determine their stereostructures even by the current, highly advanced spectroscopic methods, especially in acyclic systems including stereogenic tetrasubstituted carbon centers. In such cases, it is effective to predict and synthesize the possible stereostructures. Herein, to elucidate ambiguous stereostructures and unassigned absolute configurations of aplysiol B, laurenmariannol, and saiyacenol A, members of the thyrsiferol family, we carried out their asymmetric chemical syntheses featuring 6-exo and 5-exo oxacyclizations of epoxy alcohol precursors and 6-endo bromoetherification of a bishomoallylic alcohol. In this paper, we report total assignments of their stereostructures through their asymmetric chemical syntheses and also their preliminary cytotoxic activities against some tumor cells. These results could not have been achieved without depending on asymmetric total synthesis.     

Optimisation of the ultrasound-assisted extraction of betalains and polyphenols from Amaranthus hypochondriacus var. Nutrisol

The present study optimised the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds from Amaranthus hypochondriacus var. Nutrisol. Influence of temperature (25.86–54.14 °C) and ultrasonic power densities (UPD) (76.01–273.99 mW/mL) on total betalains (BT), betacyanins (BC), betaxanthins (BX), total polyphenols (TP), antioxidant activity (AA), colour parameters (L*, a*, and b*), amaranthine (A), and isoamaranthine (IA) were evaluated using response surface methodology. Moreover, betalain extraction kinetics and mass transfer coefficients (K_La) were determined for each experimental condition. BT, BC, BX, TP, AA, b*, K_La, and A were significantly affected (p < 0.05) by temperature extraction and UPD, whereas L*, a*, and IA were only affected (p < 0.05) by temperature. All response models were significantly validated with regression coefficients (R²) ranging from 87.46 to 99.29%. BT, A, IA, and K_La in UAE were 1.38, 1.65, 1.50, and 29.93 times higher than determined using conventional extraction, respectively. Optimal UAE conditions were obtained at 41.80 °C and 188.84 mW/mL using the desired function methodology. Under these conditions, the experimental values for BC, BX, BT, TP, AA, L*, a*, b*, K_La, A, and IA were closely related to the predicted values, indicating the suitability of the developed quadratic models. This study proposes a simple and efficient UAE method to obtain betalains and polyphenols with high antioxidant activity, which can be used in several applications within the food industry.     

Total Synthesis of Zephycarinatines via Photocatalytic Reductive Radical ipso-Cyclization

We report herein a nonbiomimetic strategy for the total synthesis of the plicamine-type alkaloids zephycarinatines C and D. The key feature of the synthesis is a stereoselective reductive radical ipso-cyclization using visible-light-mediated photoredox catalysis. This cyclization enabled the construction of a 6,6-spirocyclic core structure through the addition of a carbon-centered radical onto the aromatic ring. Biological evaluation of zephycarinatines and their derivatives revealed that the synthetic derivative with a keto group displays moderate inhibitory activity against LPS-induced NO production. This approach could offer future opportunities to expand the chemical diversity of plicamine-type alkaloids as well as providing useful intermediates for their syntheses.     

Unlocking the Drug Potential of the Bryostatin Family: Recent Advances in Product Synthesis and Biomedical Applications

Bryostatins are a class of naturally occurring macrocyclic lactones with a unique fast developing portfolio of clinical applications, including treatment of AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. This comprehensive account summarizes the recent progress (2014–present) in the development of bryostatins, including their total synthesis and biomedical applications. An emphasis is placed on the discussion of bryostatin 1 , the most-studied analogue to date. This review highlights the synthetic and biological challenges of bryostatins and provides an outlook on their future development.     

Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Zinc Phosphate with 28‐Ring Channels

An organic–inorganic hybrid zinc phosphate with 28‐ring channels was synthesized by use of an organic ligand instead of organic amine template under a hydro(solvo)thermal condition. This crystalline zinc phosphate contains large channels constructed from 28 zinc and phosphate tetrahedral units. The walls of the channels consist of two types of zincophosphate chains, in which the Zn atoms are coordinated by 2,4,5‐tri(4‐pyridyl)‐imidazole ligands as pendent groups. This compound exhibits yellow emission and interesting properties of removing cobalt, cadmium, and mercury cations from aqueous solution. A new two‐dimensional organic–inorganic hybrid zincophosphate was also obtained by changing the solvent mixture ratios in the synthesis.     

Synthesis,Electronic Properties and WOLED Devices of Planar Phosphorus‐Containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

We describe the synthesis and the physical properties of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) containing a phosphorus atom at the edge. In particular, the impact of the successive addition of aromatic rings on the electronic properties was investigated by experimental (UV/Vis absorption, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry) and theoretical studies (DFT). The physical properties recorded in solution and in the solid state showed that the P‐containing PAHs exhibit properties expected for an emitter in white organic light‐emitting diodes (WOLEDs).     

Unusual Bonding and Properties in Main Group Element Chemistry: Rational Synthesis,Characterization, and Experimental Electron Density Determination of Mixed‐Valent Tetraphosphetes

Five dispirocyclic λ³,λ⁵‐tetraphosphetes [{R₂Si(NR¹)(NR²)P₂}₂] (R¹ = R² and R¹ ≠ R²) are easily prepared in almost quantitative yields via photolysis of the respective bis(trimethylsilyl)phosphanyldiazaphosphasiletidines with intense visible light. These deep‐yellow low‐coordinate phosphorus compounds can be considered as the first higher congeners of the well‐known cyclodiphosphazenes. The tetraphosphetes are remarkably stable in air and show unexpected molecular properties related to the unique bonding situation of the central four‐π‐electron four‐membered phosphorus ring. The extent of rhombic distortion of the central P₄ ring is remarkable due to an unusually acute angle at the σ²‐phosphorus atoms. All of the P?P bonds are approximately equal in length. The distances are in the middle of the range given by phosphorus single and double bonds. The anisotropic absorption of visible light that can easily be observed in the case of the yellow/colorless dichroic crystals of [{Me₂Si(NtBu)(NtBu)P₂}₂] and the exceptional ³¹P NMR chemical shift of the σ²‐phosphorus atoms are the most remarkable features of the λ³,λ⁵‐tetraphosphetes. In the case of [{Me₂Si(NtBu)(NtBu)P₂}₂], the Hansen–Coppens multipole model is applied to extract the electron density from high‐resolution X‐ray diffraction data obtained at 100 K. Static deformation density and topological analysis reveal a unique bonding situation in the central unsaturated P₄ fragment characterized by polar σ‐bonding, pronounced out‐of‐ring non‐bonding lone pair density on the σ²‐phosphorus atoms, and an additional non‐classical three‐center back‐bonding contribution.     

Studies on metabolism of total glucosides of paeony from Paeoniae Radix Alba in rats by UPLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS/MS

Total glucosides of paeony are the active constituents of Paeoniae Radix Alba. In this study, a novel strategy was proposed to find more metabolites and the differences between paeoniflorin, albiflorin and total glucosides of paeony (TGP). This strategy was characterized as follows: firstly, the animals were divided into three groups (paeoniflorin, albiflorin and TGP) to identify the source of TGP metabolites from paeoniflorin or albiflorin; secondly, a generic information‐dependent acquisition scan for the low‐level metabolites was triggered by the multiple mass defect filter and dynamic background subtraction; thirdly, the metabolites were identified with a combination of data‐processing methods including mass defect filtering, neutral loss filtering and product ion filtering; finally, a comparative study was used in the metabolism of paeoniflorin, albiflorin and TGP. Based on the strategy, 18 metabolites of TGP, 10 metabolites of paeoniflorin and 13 metabolites of albiflorin were identified respectively. The results indicated that the hydrolysis, conjugation reaction and oxidization were the major metabolic pathways, and the metabolic sites were the glycosidic linkage, the ester bond and the benzene ring. This study is first to explore the metabolism of TGP, and these findings enhance our understanding of the metabolism and the interactions of paeoniflrin and albiflorin in TGP. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Applicability of ~9Be global optical potential to reactions of ~(7,10,11,12)Be

Elastic scattering angular distributions and total reaction cross-sections of ~(7,10,11,12)Be projectiles are predicted by the systematic ~9 Be global phenomenological optical model potential for target mass numbers ranging from24 to 209. These predictions provide a detailed analysis by their comparison with the available experimental data.Furthermore, these elastic scattering observables are also predicted for some targets out of the mass number range.The results are in reasonable agreement with the existing experimental data, and they are presented in this study.