Bioactivity‐integrated ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry for the identification of nuclear factor‐κB inhibitors and β2 adrenergic receptor agonists in Chinese medicinal preparation Chuanbeipipa dropping pills

A simple and dual‐target method based on ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry combined with dual‐bioactive [nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) and β₂‐adrenergic receptor] luciferase reporter assay systems was developed to rapidly characterize the chemical structure of various bioactive compounds of TCM preparations. Chuanbeipipa dropping pills, a traditional Chinese medicine preparation used for the clinical therapy of chronic obstructive lung disease and cough caused by bronchial catarrh, was analyzed with this method. Potential anti‐inflammatory and spasmolytic constituents were screened using NF‐κB and β₂‐adrenergic receptor activity luciferase reporter assay systems and simultaneously identified according to the time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry data. One β₂‐adrenergic receptor agonist (ephedrine) and two structural types of NF‐κB inhibitors (platycosides derivatives and ursolic acid derivatives) were characterized. Platycodin D3 and E were considered new NF‐κB inhibitors. Further cytokine and chemokine detection confirmed the anti‐inflammatory effects of the potential NF‐κB inhibitors. Compared with conventional fingerprints, activity‐integrated fingerprints that contain both chemical and bioactive details offer a more comprehensive understanding of the chemical makeup of plant materials. This strategy clearly demonstrated that multiple bioactivity‐integrated fingerprinting is a powerful tool for the improved screening and identification of potential multi‐target lead compounds in complex herbal medicines. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bioactivity‐based ultra‐performance liquid chromatography‐coupled quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry for NF‐κB inhibitors identification in Chinese Medicinal Preparation Bufei Granule

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparations have become effective treatments for many diseases. However, their active ingredients are still uncertain and difficult to identify. In this study, we propose a strategy that integrates ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q‐TOF‐MS) and bioactive (NF‐κB inhibitor) luciferase reporter assay systems for the rapid determination of various anti‐inflammatory compounds of TCM preparations. In this way, Bufei Granule (BFG), a TCM preparation used for the clinical therapy of asthma, was analyzed by the two ways of component identification and activity detection. Potential anti‐inflammatory constituents were screened by NF‐κB activity assay systems and simultaneously identified according to the mass spectrometry data. Three structural types of NF‐κB inhibitors (caffeic acid derivatives, flavonoids and Pentacyclic triterpenes) were characterized. Further cytokine detection confirmed the anti‐inflammatory effects of the potential NF‐κB inhibitors. Compared with conventional chromatographic separation and inhibitory activity detection, integrating UPLC/Q‐TOF‐MS identification and virtual validation was more convenient and more reliable. This strategy clearly demonstrates that MS data‐based fingerprinting is a meaningful tool not only in identifying constituents in complex matrix but also in directly screening for powerful trace ingredients in TCM preparations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of 1′‐ and 3′‐Substituted 2‐Deoxy‐2‐fluoro‐D‐ribofuranosyl Nucleosides

Convergent syntheses of the 9‐(3‐X‐2,3‐dideoxy‐2‐fluoro‐β‐D ‐ribofuranosyl)adenines 5 (X=N₃) and 7 (X=NH₂), as well as of their respective α‐anomers 6 and 8 , are described, using methyl 2‐azido‐5‐O‐benzoyl‐2,3‐dideoxy‐2‐fluoro‐β‐D ‐ribofuranoside ( 4 ) as glycosylating agent. Methyl 5‐O‐benzoyl‐2,3‐dideoxy‐2,3‐difluoro‐β‐D ‐ribofuranoside ( 12 ) was prepared starting from two precursors, and coupled with silylated N⁶‐benzoyladenine to afford, after deprotection, 2′,3′‐dideoxy‐2′,3′‐difluoroadenosine ( 13 ). Condensation of 1‐O‐acetyl‐3,5‐di‐O‐benzoyl‐2‐deoxy‐2‐fluoro‐β‐D ‐ribofuranose ( 14 ) with silylated N²‐palmitoylguanine gave, after chromatographic separation and deacylation, the N⁷‐β‐anomer 17 as the main product, along with 2′‐deoxy‐2′‐fluoroguanosine ( 15 ) and its N⁹‐α‐anomer 16 in a ratio of ca. 42 : 24 : 10. An in‐depth conformational analysis of a number of 2,3‐dideoxy‐2‐fluoro‐3‐X‐D ‐ribofuranosides (X=F, N₃, NH₂, H) as well as of purine and pyrimidine 2‐deoxy‐2‐fluoro‐D ‐ribofuranosyl nucleosides was performed using the PSEUROT (version 6.3) software in combination with NMR studies.     

Modulation of Lipopolysaccharide‐Induced NF‐κB Signaling Pathway by 635 nm Irradiation via Heat Shock Protein 27 in Human Gingival Fibroblast Cells

Heat shock protein‐27 (HSP27) is a member of the small HSP family which has been linked to the nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) signaling pathway regulating inflammatory responses. Clinical reports have suggested that low‐level light therapy/laser irradiation (LLLT) could be an effective alternative treatment to relieve inflammation during bacterial infection associated with periodontal disease. However, it remains unclear how light irradiation can modulate the NF‐κB signaling pathway. We examined whether or not 635 nm irradiation could lead to a modulation of the NF‐kB signaling pathway in HSP27‐silenced cells and analyzed the functional cross‐talk between these factors in NF‐κB activation. The results showed that 635 nm irradiation led to a decrease in the HSP27 phosphorylation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, I‐κB kinase (IKK)/inhibitor of κB (IκB)/NF‐κB phosphorylation, NF‐κB p65 translocation and a subsequent decrease in the COX‐1/2 expression and prostaglandin (PGE₂) release in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)‐induced human gingival fibroblast cells (hGFs). However, in HSP27‐silenced hGFs, no obvious changes were observed in ROS generation, IKK/IκB/NF‐κB phosphorylation, NF‐κB p65 translocation, nor in COX‐1/2 expression, or PGE₂ release. This could be a mechanism by which 635 nm irradiation modulates LPS‐induced NF‐κB signaling pathway via HSP27 in inflammation. Thus, HSP27 may play a role in regulating the anti‐inflammatory response of LLLT.     

Synthesis of Glycaro‐1,5‐lactams and Tetrahydrotetrazolopyridine‐5‐carboxylates: Inhibitors of β‐D‐Glucuronidase and α‐L‐Iduronidase

The known glucaro‐1,5‐lactam 8 , its diastereoisomers 9 – 11 , and the tetrahydrotetrazolopyridine‐5‐carboxylates 12 – 14 were synthesised as potential inhibitors of β‐D ‐glucuronidases and α‐L ‐iduronidases. The known 2,3‐di‐O‐benzyl‐4,6‐O‐benzylidene‐D ‐galactose ( 16 ) was transformed into the D ‐galactaro‐ and L ‐altraro‐1,5‐lactams 9 and 11 via the galactono‐1,5‐lactam 21 in twelve steps and in an overall yield of 13 and 2%, respectively. A divergent strategy, starting from the known tartaric anhydride 41 , led to the D ‐glucaro‐1,5‐lactam 8 , D ‐galactaro‐1,5‐lactam 9 , L ‐idaro‐1,5‐lactam 10 , and L ‐altraro‐1,5‐lactam 11 in ten steps and in an overall yield of 4–20%. The anhydride 41 was transformed into the L ‐threuronate 46 . Olefination of 46 to the (E)‐ or (Z)‐alkene 47 or 48 followed by reagent‐ or substrate‐controlled dihydroxylation, lactonisation, azidation, reduction, and deprotection led to the lactams 8 – 11 . The tetrazoles 12 – 14 were prepared in an overall yield of 61–81% from the lactams 54, 28 , and 67 , respectively, by treatment with Tf₂O and NaN₃, followed by saponification, esterification, and hydrogenolysis. The lactams 8 – 11 and 40 and the tetrazoles 12 – 14 are medium‐to‐strong inhibitors of β‐D ‐glucuronidase from bovine liver. Only the L ‐ido‐configured lactam 10 (K_i = 94 μM ) and the tetrazole 14 (K_i = 1.3 mM ) inhibit human α‐L ‐iduronidase.     

A three‐dimensional coordination polymer based on the Zn4(μ3‐OH)2 unit: poly[[(μ4‐benzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylato)bis(μ3‐benzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylato)bis(μ3‐hydroxido)bis(1,10‐phenanthroline‐5,6‐dione)tetrazinc] dihydrate]

The title compound, {[Zn₄(C₈H₄O₄)₃(OH)₂(C₁₂H₆N₂O₂)₂]·2H₂O}_n, has been prepared hydrothermally by the reaction of Zn(NO₃)₂·6H₂O with benzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylic acid (H₂bdc) and 1,10‐phenanthroline‐5,6‐dione (pdon) in H₂O. In the crystal structure, a tetranuclear Zn₄(OH)₂ fragment is located on a crystallographic inversion centre which relates two subunits, each containing a [ZnN₂O₄] octahedron and a [ZnO₄] tetrahedron bridged by a μ₃‐OH group. The pdon ligand chelates to zinc through its two N atoms to form part of the [ZnN₂O₄] octahedron. The two crystallographically independent bdc²⁻ ligands are fully deprotonated and adopt μ₃‐κO:κO′:κO′′ and μ₄‐κO:κO′:κO′′:κO′′′ coordination modes, bridging three or four Zn^II cations, respectively, from two Zn₄(OH)₂ units. The Zn₄(OH)₂ fragment connects six neighbouring tetranuclear units through four μ₃‐bdc²⁻ and two μ₄‐bdc²⁻ ligands, forming a three‐dimensional framework with uninodal 6‐connected α‐Po topology, in which the tetranuclear Zn₄(OH)₂ units are considered as 6‐connected nodes and the bdc²⁻ ligands act as linkers. The uncoordinated water molecules are located on opposite sides of the Zn₄(OH)₂ unit and are connected to it through hydrogen‐bonding interactions involving hydroxide and carboxylate groups. The structure is further stabilized by extensive π–π interactions between the pdon and μ₄‐bdc²⁻ ligands.     

Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis of β‐Lactams and Cyclo‐β‐dipeptides

Different cyclo‐β‐dipeptides were prepared from corresponding N‐substituted β‐alanine derivatives under mild conditions using PhPOCl₂ as activating agent in benzene and Et₃N as base. To evaluate β³‐substituent influence, the amino acids 7 – 26 were synthesized, and a β‐lactam formation reaction was carried out instead of cyclo‐β‐dipeptide formation. The crystal structures of three derivatives of cyclo‐β‐peptides and one β‐lactam are presented.     

Plantamajoside Inhibits UVB and Advanced Glycation End Products‐Induced MMP‐1 Expression by Suppressing the MAPK and NF‐κB Pathways in HaCaT Cells

Photoaging and glycation stress are major causes of skin deterioration. Oxidative stress caused by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation can upregulate matrix metalloprotease 1 (MMP‐1), a major enzyme responsible for collagen damage in the skin. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulate via gradual formation from skin proteins, especially from long‐lived proteins such as dermal elastin and collagen. Plantamajoside (PM), isolated from Plantago asiatica, has various biological effects including anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In this study, we assessed the protective effects of PM on a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) and primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) against stress caused by glyceraldehyde‐induced AGEs (glycer‐AGEs) with UVB irradiation. We found that PM attenuated UVB‐ and‐glycer‐AGEs‐induced MMP‐1 expression in HaCaT and HDF cells and proinflammatory cytokines expression by inhibiting the phosphorylation of mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) activated by reactive oxygen species. Specific inhibitors of NF‐κB and MAPKs attenuated the induced expression of MMP‐1. PM also inhibited the phosphorylation of IκBα, and reduced nuclear translocation of NF‐κB in these cells. Furthermore, PM attenuated the upregulation of receptor for AGEs (RAGE) by glycer‐AGEs with UVB irradiation. Therefore, our findings strongly suggest that PM is a promising inhibitor of skin photoaging.     

Bis[μ3‐cis‐N‐(2‐aminopropyl)‐N′‐(2‐carboxylatophenyl)oxamidato(3–)]bis(2,2′‐bipyridine)dichloridotetracopper(II) dihydrate

The title complex, bis[μ₃‐cis‐N‐(2‐aminopropyl)‐N′‐(2‐carboxylatophenyl)oxamidato(3−)]‐1:2:4κ⁷N,N′,N′′,O:O′,O′′:O′′′;2:3:4κ⁷O′′′:N,N′,N′′,O:O′,O′′‐bis(2,2′‐bipyridine)‐2κ²N,N′;4κ²N,N′‐dichlorido‐1κCl,3κCl‐tetracopper(II) dihydrate, [Cu₄(C₁₂H₁₂N₃O₄)₂Cl₂(C₁₀H₈N₂)₂]·2H₂O, consists of a neutral cyclic tetracopper(II) system having an embedded centre of inversion and two solvent water molecules. The coordination of each Cu^II atom is square‐pyramidal. The separations of Cu^II atoms bridged by cis‐N‐(2‐aminopropyl)‐N′‐(2‐carboxylatophenyl)oxamidate(3−) and carboxyl groups are 5.2096 (4) and 5.1961 (5) Å, respectively. A three‐dimensional supramolecular structure involving hydrogen bonding and aromatic stacking is observed.     

Polymorphism of 3‐(5‐phenyl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazol‐2‐yl)‐ and 3‐[5‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazol‐2‐yl]‐2H‐chromen‐2‐ones

This study of 3‐(5‐phenyl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazol‐2‐yl)‐2H‐chromen‐2‐one, C₁₇H₁₀N₂O₃, 1 , and 3‐[5‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazol‐2‐yl]‐2H‐chromen‐2‐one, C₁₆H₉N₃O₃, 2 , was performed on the assumption of the potential anticancer activity of the compounds. Three polymorphic structures for 1 and two polymorphic structures for 2 have been studied thoroughly. The strongest intermolecular interaction is stacking of the `head‐to‐head' type in all the studied crystals. The polymorphic structures of 1 differ with respect to the intermolecular interactions between stacked columns. Two of the polymorphs have a columnar or double columnar type of crystal organization, while the third polymorphic structure can be classified as columnar‐layered. The difference between the two structures of 2 is less pronounced. Both crystals can be considered as having very similar arrangements of neighbouring columns. The formation of polymorphic modifications is caused by a subtle balance of very weak intermolecular interactions and packing differences can be identified only using an analysis based on a study of the pairwise interaction energies.     

Synthesis of Three‐, Five‐, and Six‐Membered Heterocycles Derived from New β‐Amino‐α‐(trifluoromethyl) Alcohols

Nucleophilic trifluoromethylation of α‐imino ketones 2 , derived from arylglyoxal, with Ruppert–Prakash reagent (CF₃SiMe₃) offers a convenient access to the corresponding O‐silylated β‐imino‐α‐(trifluoromethyl) alcohols. In a ‘one‐pot’ procedure, by treatment with NaBH₄, these products smoothly undergo reduction and desilylation yielding the expected β‐amino‐α‐(trifluoromethyl) alcohols 4 . The latter were used as starting materials for the synthesis of diverse trifluoromethylated heterocycles, including aziridines 5 , 1,3‐oxazolidines 8 , 1,3‐oxazolidin‐2‐ones 9 , 1,3,2‐oxazaphospholidine 2‐oxides 10 , 1,2,3‐oxathiazolidine 2‐oxides 11 , and morpholine‐2,3‐diones 12 . An optically active 5‐(trifluoromethyl)‐substituted 1,3‐oxazolidin‐2‐one 9g was also obtained.     

First heterobimetallic AgI–CoIII coordination compound with both bridging and terminal –NO2 coordination modes: synthesis,characterization, structural and computational studies of (PPh3)2AgI–(μ‐κ2O,O′:κN‐NO2)–CoIII(DMGH)2(κN‐NO2)

An unusual heterobimetallic bis(triphenylphosphane)(NO₂)Ag^I–Co^III(dimethylglyoximate)(NO₂) coordination compound with both bridging and terminal –NO₂ (nitro) coordination modes has been isolated and characterized from the reaction of [CoCl(DMGH)₂(PPh₃)] (DMGH₂ is dimethylglyoxime or N,N′‐dihydroxybutane‐2,3‐diimine) with excess AgNO₂. In the title compound, namely bis(dimethylglyoximato‐1κ²O,O′)(μ‐nitro‐1κN:2κ²O,O′)(nitro‐1κN)bis(triphenylphosphane‐2κP)cobalt(III)silver(I), [AgCo(C₄H₇N₂O₂)₂(NO₂)₂(C₁₈H₁₅P)₂], one of the ambidentate –NO₂ ligands, in a bridging mode, chelates the Ag^I atom in an isobidentate κ²O,O′‐manner and its N atom is coordinated to the Co^III atom. The other –NO₂ ligand is terminally κN‐coordinated to the Co^III atom. The structure has been fully characterized by X‐ray crystallography and spectroscopic methods. Density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) have been used to study the ground‐state electronic structure and elucidate the origin of the electronic transitions, respectively.     

Norbornane Mimics of Distorted β‐D‐Glucopyranosides – Inhibitors of β‐D‐Glucopyranosidases?

The racemic gluco‐configured norbornanes 4 and 16 were prepared and tested as inhibitors of β‐glucosidases. The known alcohol 5 was deprotected to provide the triol 6 . Silylation (→ 7 ), monobenzoylation (→ 8 / 9 ), and oxidation provided the regioisomeric ketones 10 and 11 . Reduction of 10 gave the desired endo‐alcohol 13 , albeit in low yield, while reduction of the isomeric ketone 11 provided mostly the altro‐configured endo‐alcohol 12 . The alcohol 13 was desilylated to 14 . Debenzoylation to 15 followed by hydrogenolytic deprotection gave the amino triol 4 that was reductively aminated to the benzylamine 16 . The amino triols 4 and 16 proved weak inhibitors of the β‐glucosidase from Caldocellum saccharolyticum ( 4 : IC₅₀ = 5.6 mm; 16 : IC₅₀ = 3.3 mm) and from sweet almonds ( 16 : IC₅₀ = 5.5 mm) . A comparison of 4 with the manno‐configured norbornane 3 shows that 3 is a better inhibitor of snail β‐mannosidase than 4 is of β‐glucosidases, in keeping with earlier results suggesting that these β‐glycosidases enforce a different conformational itinerary.     

保护的几丁寡糖及结构类似物的合成：复杂氨基寡糖合成的通用方法

建立了逐步合成具有重要生物活性的2-脱氧-2-氨基葡萄糖寡糖链的通用方法。采用邻苯二甲酰基保护氨基、硫代苯基为还原末端的离去基团,以氨基葡萄糖为起始原料,几种保护的几丁寡糖及结构类似物被合成：3-O-乙酰基-4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖-（1→4）-（3-O-乙酰基-6-O-苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基）-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖甲苷（4）、3-O-乙酰基-4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖-（1→4）-（3-O-乙酰基-6-O-苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖）-（1→4）-（3-O-乙酰基-6-O-苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基）-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖甲苷（6）、3-O-乙酰基-4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖-（1→3）-（4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基）-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖甲苷（8）、3-O-乙酰基-4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖-（1→3）-（4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖）- （1→3）-（4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基）- b-D-吡喃葡萄糖甲苷（10）。所合成化合物通过核磁共振和质谱分析确证了其化学结构。     

Enantiomeric separation of 2‐arylpropionic acid nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs by HPLC with hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin as chiral mobile phase additive

The enantio‐separations of eight 2‐arylpropionic acid nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (2‐APA NSAIDs) were established using reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography with hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HP‐β‐CD) as chiral mobile phase additive for studying the stereoselective skin permeation of suprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, indoprofen, fenoprofen, furbiprofen, ibuprofen and carprofen. The effects of the mobile phase composition, concentration of HP‐β‐CD and column temperature on retention and enantioselective separation were investigated. With 2‐APA NSAIDs as acidic analytes, the retention times and resolutions of the enantiomers were strongly related to the pH of the mobile phase. In addition, both the concentration of HP‐β‐CD and temperature had a great effect on retention time, but only a slight or almost no effect on resolutions of the analytes. Enantioseparations were achieved on a Shimpack CLC‐ODS (150 × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm) column. The mobile phase was a mixture of methanol and phosphate buffer (pH 4.0–5.5, 20 mM) containing 25 mM HP‐β‐CD. This method was flexible, simple and economically advantageous over the use of chiral stationary phase, and was successfully applied to the enantioselective determination of the racemic 2‐APA NSAIDs in an enantioselective skin permeation study. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Biological properties of two enantiomorphic forms of N‐(2,6‐dimethylphenyl)‐4‐hydroxy‐2,2‐dioxo‐1H‐2λ6,1‐benzothiazine‐3‐carboxamide,a structural analogue of piroxicam

The title benzothiazine‐3‐carboxamide, C₁₇H₁₆N₂O₄S, crystallized in two enantiomorphic crystal forms with the space groups P3₂ and P3₁ despite the absence of a classic stereogenic atom. The molecular structures are mirror images of each other. Only one sulfonyl O atom takes part in intramolecular hydrogen bonding as a proton acceptor and this atom is different in the two enantiomorphic structures. As a result, the S atom becomes a pseudo‐stereogenic centre. This fact is worth taking into account due to the different biological activities of the enantiomorphic forms. One form possesses a high analgesic activity, while the other form revealed a high anti‐inflammatory activity.     

Synthesis and application of a chiral ionic liquid functionalized β‐cyclodextrin as a chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis

A novel chiral ionic liquid functionalized β‐cyclodextrin, 6‐O‐2‐hydroxpropyltrimethylammonium‐β‐cyclodextrin tetrafluoroborate ([HPTMA‐β‐CD][BF₄]), was synthesized and used as a chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis. [HPTMA‐β‐CD][BF₄] not only increased the solubility in aqueous buffer in comparison with the parent compound, but also provided a stable reversal electroosmotic flow, and the enantioseparation of eight chiral drugs was examined in phosphate buffer containing [HPTMA‐β‐CD][BF₄] as the chiral selector. The effects of the [HPTMA‐β‐CD][BF₄] concentration and the background electrolyte pH were studied. Moreover, the chiral separation abilities of β‐CD and [HPTMA‐β‐CD][BF₄] were compared and possible mechanisms for the chiral recognition of [HPTMA‐β‐CD][BF₄] are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Semisynthesis and absolute configuration of a novel rearranged 19,20‐δ‐lactone (9βH)‐pimarane diterpene

Annonalide (3β,20‐epoxy‐3α,16‐dihydroxy‐15‐oxo‐7‐pimaren‐19,6β‐olide, C₂₀H₂₆O₆, 1 ) is the major (9βH)‐pimarane diterpene isolated from tubers of Cassimirella ampla, and it exhibits cytotoxic properties upon interaction with ctDNA. We have prepared new derivatives of 1 by modification of the (9βH)‐pimarane backbone and report here the semisynthesis and absolute configuration of a novel rearranged 19,20‐δ‐lactone (9βH)‐pimarane. Our approach was the reduction of the carbonyl groups of 1 with sodium borohydride, at positions C15 (no stereoselectivity) and C3 (stereoselective reduction), followed by rearrangement of the 6,19‐γ‐lactone ring into the six‐membered 19,20‐δ‐lactone ring in 4a (3β,6β,16‐trihydroxy‐7‐pimaren‐19,20β‐olide monohydrate, C₂₀H₃₀O₆·H₂O). The absolute structure of the new compound, 4a , was determined unambiguously with a Flack parameter x of −0.01 (11), supporting the stereochemistry assignment of 1 redetermined here. Besides the changes in the pattern of covalent bonds caused by reduction and lactone rearrangement, the conformation of one of the three fused cyclohexane rings is profoundly different in 4a , adopting a chair conformation instead of the boat shape found in 1 . Furthermore, the intramolecular hydrogen bond present in 1 is lost in new compound 4a , due to hydrogen bonding between the 3‐OH group and the solvent water molecule.