Monocyclic phenolic acids; hydroxy- and polyhydroxybenzoic acids: occurrence and recent bioactivity studies

Among the wide diversity of naturally occurring phenolic acids, at least 30 hydroxy- and polyhydroxybenzoic acids have been reported in the last 10 years to have biological activities. The chemical structures, natural occurrence throughout the plant, algal, bacterial, fungal and animal kingdoms, and recently described bioactivities of these phenolic and polyphenolic acids are reviewed to illustrate their wide distribution, biological and ecological importance, and potential as new leads for the development of pharmaceutical and agricultural products to improve human health and nutrition.     

Immobilized hepatic microsomes for the synthesis of glucuronides

A method has been developed for the direct immobilization of hepatic microsomes. The technique is simple and efficient. The immobilized microsomes retain biological activity and can be used to perform enzymatic reactions.     

Biomimetic oxidation of aromatic xenobiotics: synthesis of the phenolic metabolites from the anti-HIV drug efavirenz

We report the oxidation of the first line anti-HIV drug efavirenz (EFV), mediated by a bio-inspired nonheme Fe-complex. Depending upon the experimental conditions this system can be tuned either to yield the major EFV metabolite, 8-hydroxy-EFV, in enantiomerically pure form or to mimic cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity, yielding 8-hydroxy-EFV and 7-hydroxy-EFV, the two phenolic EFV metabolites reported to be formed in vivo. The successful oxidation of the anti-estrogen tamoxifen and the equine estrogen equilin into their CYP-mediated metabolites supports the general application of bio-inspired nonheme Fe-complexes in mirroring CYP activity.     

Hydrothermal synthesis, structures and magnetic studies of transition metal sulfates containing hydrazine

By employing hydrothermal method, six transition metal sulfates containing hydrazine (N(2)H(4)) have been obtained: [M(SO(4))(2)(N(2)H(5))(2)](n) (M = Mn(1), Co(2), Ni(3)) and [M(N(2)H(4))SO(4)](n) (M = Mn(4), Co(5), Ni(6)). Their crystal structures and magnetic properties have been investigated experimentally and theoretically. Compounds 1-3 consist of one-dimensional sulfate bridged homometallic chains with protonated hydrazine molecule as terminal ligand, and compounds 4-6 are hydrazing-sulfate mixed bridged homometallic three-dimensional frameworks. Compounds 1-6 exhibit antiferromagnetic coupling between M(2+) ions, but their magnetic properties differ at low temperatures because of the different single-ion anisotropy and crystal structures. The magnetostructural correlations and the magnetic coupling mechanism are analyzed by density functional theory calculations (DFT).     

Solid-phase synthesis of phenolic steroids: from optimization studies to a convenient procedure for combinatorial synthesis of biologically relevant estradiol derivatives

During the course of our studies on therapeutic agents for the treatment of breast cancer, we became interested in the solid-phase combinatorial synthesis of estradiol derivatives that contain a functionalized side chain at either position 16 beta or 7 alpha. Both types of compounds have already demonstrated inhibitory activity toward both biosynthesis and action of estradiol. As a first step, two versatile precursors bearing an azidoalkyl side chain at either position 16 beta or 7 alpha of estradiol were synthesized using standard solution-phase methods. Afterward, the effectiveness of five linkers to attach the phenolic function of these estradiol derivatives to a polystyrene resin was investigated; they were benzylic ether (Merrifield), 4-alkoxy-benzylic ethers (Wang, Sheppard), tetrahydropyranyl ether (Ellman), benzoic ester, and o-nitrobenzyl ether. To test the linker in a synthetic context, a short sequence of reactions, including reduction of the azide and acylation of the corresponding amine, was performed on the polymer-bound estradiol derivative. While all of the tested linkers proved effective in attaching the phenol functionality of the precursor, only the o-nitrobenzyl ether photolabile linker enabled the release of the final products in acceptable purities. Consequently, this linker was used to perform successfully the solid-phase synthesis of four different classes of estradiol derivatives in acceptable yields and excellent purities. This study was preliminary to the combinatorial synthesis of larger libraries of biologically relevant estradiol derivatives.     

The synthesis and reactions of β-substituted ethyl sulfates

The synthesis of β-substituted ethyl sulfates and their reactions with nucleophilic reagents has been studied. Amines, phenolates, carboxylates, amine oxides, carbanions, and thiophenolates reacted with ethylene sulfate in high yield, with short reaction times, and at low temperatures, to form β-substituted ethyl sulfates. The β-substituted ethyl sulfates were easily hydrolyzed and in some cases were converted into polymeric material.     

New method for the synthesis of ethyl β-nitrosoalkyl sulfates from olefins

Russian Chemical Bulletin -     

Microbial metabolism. Part 12. Isolation, characterization and bioactivity evaluation of eighteen microbial metabolites of 4'-hydroxyflavanone

Fermentation of 4'-hydroxyflavanone (1) with fungal cultures, Beauveria bassiana (ATCC 13144 and ATCC 7159) yielded 6,3',4'-trihydroxyflavanone (2), 3',4'-dihydroxyflavanone 6-O-β-D-4-methoxyglucopyranoside (3), 4'-hydroxyflavanone 3'-sulfate (4), 6,4'-dihydroxyflavanone 3'-sulfate (5) and 4'-hydroxyflavanone 6-O-β-D-4-methoxyglucopyranoside (7). B. bassiana (ATCC 13144) and B. bassiana (ATCC 7159) in addition, gave one more metabolite each, namely, flavanone 4'-O-β-D-4-methoxyglucopyranoside (6) and 6,4'-dihydroxyflavanone (8) respectively. Cunninghamella echinulata (ATCC 9244) transformed 1 to 6,4'-dihydroxyflavanone (8), flavanone-4'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (9), 3'-hydroxyflavanone 4'-sulfate (10), 3',4'-dihydroxyflavanone (11) and 4'-hydroxyflavanone-3'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (12). Mucor ramannianus (ATCC 9628) metabolized 1 to 2,4-trans-4'-hydroxyflavan-4-ol (13), 2,4-cis-4'-hydroxyflavan-4-ol (14), 2,4-trans-3',4'-dihydroxyflavan-4-ol (15), 2,4-cis-3',4'-dihydroxyflavan-4-ol (16), 2,4-trans-3'-hydroxy-4'-methoxyflavan-4-ol (17), flavanone 4'-O-α-D-6-deoxyallopyranoside (18) and 2,4-cis-4-hydroxyflavanone 4'-O-α-D-6-deoxyallopyranoside (19). Metabolites 13 and 14 were also produced by Ramichloridium anceps (ATCC 15672). The former was also produced by C. echinulata. Structures of the metabolic products were elucidated by means of spectroscopic data. None of the metabolites tested showed antibacterial, antifungal and antiprotozoal activities against selected organisms.     

哒嗪酮衍生物的合成和生物活性研究

以4,5-二氯-3(2H)-哒嗪酮和2-溴-1-苯乙酮或2-溴-1-苯-1-丁酮反应合成了中间体4,5-二氯-2-(2-苯基-2-氧代-乙基))-3(2H)哒嗪酮,再与吗啉和哌啶反应合成了标题化合物.所有化学物的结构通过1 HNMR、IR和元素分析确证.初步生物活性测定表明,部分化合物在200mg·L-1对东方粘虫有一定的生物活性.     

Profiling methods for the determination of phenolic compounds in foods and dietary supplements

Profiling methods are needed that separate and detect all the phenolic compounds in a single extract of a food material. These methods must be comprehensive, rapid, and rich in spectral information. Fourteen methods that meet, or have the potential to meet, these criteria have been selected from the recent literature for review. In general, the methods employ a single aqueous methanol extraction, separation on a reversed-phase C column, and detection by UV/vis spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The variations in extraction, separation, and detection are discussed. An increasingly important aspect of these methods is the archiving of data to permit cross-comparison of samples and standards and retrospective analysis. This review shows that the necessary technology is available to achieve the desired analytical goals.     

Guaiazulene-based phenolic radical scavengers: synthesis, properties, and EPR studies of their reaction with oxygen-centred radicals

A variety of phenolic derivatives 4, carrying the guaiazulene moiety, were prepared starting from guaiazulene. Compounds 4 react with oxygen-centred radicals exhibiting chromotropic behaviour. The radical scavenging power of these compounds was evaluated by different methods. Compounds 4 are less efficient than some of the most common radical scavengers but show quite selective behaviour towards different oxygen-centred radicals. A correlation is found between the antioxidant activity of the compounds 4 and the corresponding phenolic O-H bond dissociation energy. Some aspects of the reaction of the compounds 4 with oxygen-centred radicals were elucidated by EPR and DFT studies.     

Study on the bioactivity changes of hydroxylated sulfonylureas derivatives: A possible metabolism

Some new sulfonylureas and their hydroxylation products had been synthesized from 2-amino-4-methylpyrimidine. Their bioactivities against E. coli AHAS II in vitro were tested and the results indicated that the hydroxylation decreased the inhibition activities of sulfonylureas significantly. Subsequently herbicidal tests against stem-growth of barnyard grass and root-growth of rape confirmed the above conclusion. The preliminary molecular docking studies were also carried out to investigate the binding modes of non-hydroxylated and hydroxylated sulfonylureas with AHAS.     

Combined mass spectrometric and chromatographic methods for in‐depth analysis of phenolic secondary metabolites in barley leaves

Structural analysis via HPLC‐ESI‐MSn, UPLC‐HESI‐MS/MS and NMR reported 152 phenolic secondary metabolites in spring barley seedlings (Hordeum vulgare L.). Flavonoids with various patterns of glycosylation and acylation, as well as hydroxycinnamic acid glycosides, esters and amides, were identified in methanolic extracts from leaves of nine varieties of barley originating from different regions of the world. Hordatines derivatives, flavones acylated directly on the aglycone, and hydroxyferulic acid derivatives deserve special attention. Preparative chromatography enabled characterization of a number of compounds at trace levels with the 6‐C‐[6″‐O‐glycosyl]‐glycosides and the 6‐C‐[2″,6″‐di‐O‐glycosides]‐glucoside structure of flavones. Derivatives of flavonols, quercetin and isorhamnetin were observed only in Syrian varieties. The ultra performance liquid chromatography profiles of UV‐absorbing secondary metabolites were used for chemotaxonomic comparison between nine varieties of barley from different climatic conditions. The hierarchical clustering of bred lines from the Fertile Crescent and European and American varieties indicates a great diversity of chemical phenotypes within barley species. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Total synthesis of asymmetric flavonoids: the development and applications of 13C-labelling

This article compiles our results in the field of flavonoid chemistry with the aim to synthesise isotopically labelled products. Two strategies (C₆ + C₃–C₆ vs C₆–C₂ + C₁–C₆) and some organometallic (Pd⁰, Mo^IV) couplings were explored to build the C₆–C₃–C₆ flavonoid skeleton. Following this work, the gram scale has been reached in addition to the asymmetry of the targeted natural flavan-3-ols, i.e. (+)-catechin, (–)-epicatechin, and (–)-procyanidin B3. These characteristics were necessary in the event of using these molecules for pharmacokinetic and metabolic studies in human beings.     

Contamination studies in the use of human nails for dietary studies: The effect of clippers

A series of five experiments were undertaken using several brands of fingernail and toenail clippers to determine if there was a potential source of contamination and interference in the ongoing dietary studies using nails from large cohort groups. A cleanup protocol was deemed sufficient to remove possible contamination.     

Asymmetric synthesis and structure-activity studies of the fungal metabolites colletorin A,colletochlorin A and their halogenates analogues

The first asymmetric total synthesis of both enantiomers of the natural products colletorin A and colletochlorin A is presented. The proposed methodology is based on the coupling reaction between highly substituted aromatic Gilman cuprates and optically active allyl bromides, in turn obtained by Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation. The latter ensured a high degree of regio- and stereocontrol in the enantioselective step of the synthesis. The same synthetic strategy has been also applied for the preparation of differently halogenated synthetic analogues of colletochlorin A in high enantiomeric purity. The enantioselective synthesis of colletorin A and colletochlorin A allows to reliably assign their absolute configuration. Preliminary assessment of their herbicidal and insecticidal properties evidence the possibility to modulate the bioactivity of these compounds, highlighting its dependence on both the absolute stereochemistry and the halogen nature.     

Toward the synthesis of peloruside a: fragment synthesis and coupling studies

[reaction: see text] The asymmetric synthesis of building blocks 3, 4, and 5, corresponding to C(12)-C(19), C(7)-C(11), and C(1)-C(6) segments of peloruside A, is reported, along with boron-mediated aldol coupling studies directed toward the assembly of the complete carbon skeleton of this microtubule-stabilizing macrolide.