Photochemical tuning of the helical structure of cholesteric liquid crystals by photoisomerization of chiral azobenzenes, and their structural effects

Several chiral azobenzene compounds having different chiral substituents were synthesized. A cholesteric phase was induced by mixing each chiral azobenzene compound with a host non-chiral nematic liquid crystal (E44). The helical twisting power (HTP) as well as the change in HTP by trans-cis photoisomerization of the chiral azobenzene compound was dependent on the structure of the chiral substituents. A compensated nematic phase was induced by combination of E44, a chiral azobenzene compound and a non-photochromic chiral compound. Reversible switching between the compensated nematic phase and cholesteric phase was brought about by trans-cis photoisomerization of the chiral azobenzene compound in the liquid crystalline systems. An azobenzene compound substituted with a menthyl group showed the highest efficiency as the trigger for the switching; this efficiency was related to the compactness of the chiral group substituted within the azobenzene core moiety.     

Structure elucidation of a novel analog of sildenafil detected as an adulterant in a dietary supplement using LC-UV and LC/MS

A sildenafil-related compound was detected in a dietary supplement marketed as an aphrodisiac. The compound was detected during analysis of the dietary supplement using LC-UV and LC/electrospray ionization-MS. The structure of the compound was established using high resolution MS, NMR spectrometry, and X-ray crystal structure analysis. The compound was identified as 5-(5-((3,5-dimethylpiperazin-1-yl)sulfonyl)-2-ethoxyphenyl)-l-methyl-7-((1-methyl-4-nitro-1H-imidazol-5-yl)thio)-3-propyl-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-d] pyrimidine. Based on this structure, the compound was named nitroprodenafil. The dietary supplement was found to contain 90 mg nitroprodenafil/capsule. This article describes the structural characterization of a new sildenafil-related compound. The compound was detected during analysis of a dietary supplement using LC-UV and LC/electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS. The structure was established using high resolution MS (HRMS), NMR spectrometry, and X-ray crystal structure analysis. The structures of methisosildenafil, thiomethisosildenafil, and this new analog, named nitroprodenafil (21), are shown in Figure 1. In the Demizu et al. report, the compound is named mutaprodenafil instead ofnitroprodenafil. Considering the naming right, the authors of this paper think the use of mutaprodenafil is appropriate as the compound name, although nitroprodenafil is used.     

A Virtual Active Compound Produced from the Negative Image of a Ligand-binding Pocket, and its Application to in-silico Drug Screening

We developed a new structure-based in-silico screening method using a negative image of a ligand-binding pocket and a multi-protein–compound interaction matrix. Based on the structure of the ligand pocket of the target protein, we designed a negative image, which consists of virtual atoms whose radii are close to those of carbon atoms. The virtual atoms fit the pocket ideally and achieve an optimal Coulomb interaction. A protein–compound docking program calculates the protein–compound interaction matrix for many proteins and many compounds including the negative image, which can be treated as a virtual compound. With specific attention to a vector of docking scores for a single compound with many proteins, we selected a compound whose score vector was similar to that of the negative image as a candidate hit compound. This method was applied to representative target proteins and showed high database enrichment with a relatively quick procedure.     

WYE‐120318, a ring contraction product of methylnaltrexone,and structure revision of coniothyrione

A contracted ring degradation product, WYE‐120318 (compound 2), was discovered during the development phase for methylnaltrexone bromide (compound 1) drug substance. The compound was isolated by high‐performance liquid chromatography fractionation, and its structure was determined by spectroscopic data analyses. WYE‐120318 is formed from methylnaltrexone through a benzyl‐benzilic acid type rearrangement reaction to yield an α‐hydroxy‐cyclopentanecarboxylic acid substructure. The proposed structure and the formation mechanism are confirmed by the synthesis of WYE‐120318 from methylnaltrexone (compound 1). A similar benzyl‐benzilic acid type rearrangement reaction can be envisioned as the biological origin of remisporine A (compound 3), a naturally occurring cyclopentadienyl compound that autocatalytically dimerizes to remisporine B (compound 4). The structure of remisporine A was deduced from its dimer 4. Coniothyione (compound 5) can be considered as the first example of a stable natural product bearing the remisporine A skeleton. However, the regiochemistry of the chlorosubstitution in the coniothyrione structure needs to be revised to compound 6 on the basis of the nuclear magnetic resonance data and biogenesis analysis. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Compressional, temporal, and compositional behavior of H2-O2 compound formed by high pressure x-ray irradiation

X-ray irradiation was found to convert H(2)O at pressures above 2 GPa into a novel molecular H(2)-O(2) compound. We used optical Raman spectroscopy to explore the behavior of x-ray irradiated H(2)O samples as a function of pressure, time, and composition. The compound was found to be stable over a period of two years, as long as high pressure conditions (>2 GPa) were maintained. The Raman shifts for the H(2) and O(2) vibrons behaved differently from pure H(2) and O(2) as pressure was increased on the compound up to 70 GPa, indicating that it remains a distinct, molecular compound. Based on spectra taken from different locations in a single sample, it appears that multiple forms of the H(2)-O(2) compound exist. The structure and composition of the starting material plays an important role in compound formation, as we found that hydrogen-filled ice clathrate C(2) (H(2))H(2)O did not undergo the same dissociation as observed in ice VII upon x-ray irradiation until pressure was increased to above 10 GPa.     

一种硝基三氮杂蔻化合物的合成及性质研究

通过往蒄中引入氮原子,以氟磺酸为催化剂,通过成环反应合成出目标化合物,并对产物进行了结构表征,对该化合物的性质做了测试,表明该化合物可以作为发光器件分子用于制备电致发光材料。     

Phase Diagrams of Urea Inclusion Compounds 3. Pentadecanoic acid and urea

The phase diagram of the pentadecanoic acid and urea system consists of a combination of a binary system with two incongruently melting compounds and a system with a miscibility gap of the liquid phases. The first compound is a molecular addition compound of 1 molecule of pentadecanoic acid and 4 molecules of urea, which forms three polymorphic modifications. The second compound is a channel inclusion compound, which is known to be in a ratio of 1:12.2. In addition to the thermoanalytical investigations, FTIR spectroscopic and X-ray diffractometric analyses were also conducted for the inclusion compound as well as the stable form of the molecular addition compound. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Aminorex and rexamino as metabolites of levamisole in the horse

Administration studies of levamisole in horses were carried out using two different levamisole preparations, namely, levamisole hydrochloride oral bolus and levamisole phosphate injectable solution. These preparations were analysed in detail for the presence of aminorex-like impurities. Both levamisole preparations were found to contain 1-(2-mercaptoethyl)-4-phenyl-2-imidazolidinone (I) and 4-phenyl-2-imidazolidinone (II) as degradation impurities, but neither aminorex nor rexamino was detected in these preparations. After the administration of these preparations to horses, aminorex, rexamino, in addition to levamisole and compound II, were detected in post-administration urine and plasma samples, among which compound II was found to have the longest detection time. Administration study of compound II was then performed on another horse to investigate whether it could be a metabolic precursor of aminorex and/or rexamino. However, no aminorex and rexamino was detected in the post-administration samples, suggesting that compound II was not a metabolic precursor of aminorex or rexamino. A metabolite (III) of compound II, tentatively identified to be a hydrolysis product of compound II, was observed instead.It has been established unequivocally that the normal use of levamisole products in horses can lead to the presence of aminorex, rexamino and 4-phenyl-2-imidazolidinone (II) in their urine and blood samples. As compound II has the longest detection time, the detection of aminorex (and in some cases rexamino) in some of the official samples from racehorses can be ascribed to the use of levamisole products as long as compound II is also present as a marker. These findings should be of direct relevance to the investigation of some of the cases of aminorex detection in official doping control samples from racehorses.     

Determination of (R)-xanthoanthrafil, a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, in a dietary supplement promoted for sexual enhancement

We describe here the first case of the finding of xanthoanthrafil, a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, in a dietary supplement. A methanol extract of the supplement product was first analyzed by TLC and HPLC. The results indicated that the extract contained an unknown compound. The molecular weight of the compound was 389 and the accurate mass showed its elemental composition to be C(19)H(23)N(3)O(6). Combined with this data, NMR analysis revealed the planar structure of the unknown compound to be N-(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-2-(1-hydroxypropan-2-ylamino)-5-nitrobenzamide. The R-configuration of this compound had been synthesized as a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, formerly reported as FR226807 by Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The absolute configuration of the isolated compound was estimated to have R-configuration by its optical rotation. Considering its general properties, this compound is renamed as (R)-xanthoanthrafil with the agreement of Astellas Pharma Inc. which is the successor of Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Quantitative analysis revealed that the content of (R)-xanthoanthrafil in the product was about 31 mg/capsule.     

A new naturally derived photosensitizer and its phototoxicity on head and neck cancer cells

In our screening for photosensitizers from natural resources, 15(1)-hydroxypurpurin-7-lactone ethyl methyl diester (compound 1) was isolated for the first time from an Araceae plant. To evaluate the efficacy of compound 1 as a photosensitizer for head and neck cancers, compound 1 was studied in reference to a known photosensitizer pheophorbide-a (Pha), in terms of photophysical properties, singlet oxygen generation and in in vitro experiments (intracellular uptake and phototoxicity assays) in two oral (HSC2 and HSC3) and two nasopharyngeal (HK1 and C666-1) cancer cell lines. In this study, compound 1 exhibited higher intracellular uptake over 24 h compared with Pha in both HSC3 and HK1 cells. When activated by ≥4.8 J cm(-2) of light, compound 1 was slightly more potent as a photosensitizer than Pha by consistently having marginally lower IC(50) values across different cell lines. In flow cytometry experiments to study the mechanism of photoactivated cell death in HSC3, compound 1 was observed to induce more pronounced apoptosis compared with Pha, which may have been driven by the transient G(2)/M cell cycle block which was also observed. These promising results on compound 1 warrant its further investigation as a clinically useful photodynamic therapy agent for head and neck cancer.     

褪黑激素的合成与表征

以吲哚为起始原料,经4步反应合成了褪黑激素(MLT) 吲哚(1)在甲醇中羟基化得到5-羟基吲哚(2),(2)同2-氯乙胺在乙酸乙酯中进行胺乙基化反应得到5-羟基色胺(3),(3)与硫酸二甲酯在甲苯中对羟基进行醚化,得到5-甲氧基色胺(4),(4)经乙酰化得到产物MLT,收率80%     

减肥产品中非法添加西布曲明类似物的ESI-MS/MS检测与确证

通过分析西布曲明和减肥类健康产品中未知化合物质谱图的质谱信息,由高分辨串联质谱获得裂解碎片离子的精密质量数,质谱软件给出碎片的可能组成,推测了西布曲明和未知化合物的质谱裂解途径,进而推测出该化合物的结构。并通过合成该结构的化合物,采用液相色谱-串联质谱法对样品作确证检验,证实样品中添加了新的西布曲明类似物。该实验提供了一种可用于检测和确证健康产品中非法添加合成药物未知类似物的方法。     

20(S)-原人参二醇促进CFTR氯离子通道开放

利用氯离子通道细胞荧光测定模型对386种中药单体化合物进行筛选, 发现20(S)-原人参二醇对依赖于cAMP的CFTR氯离子通道具有激活作用. 20(S)-原人参二醇能够以剂量依赖的方式激活野生型CFTR氯离子通道, 其激活作用通过更为可靠的氯离子通道短路电流测定系统得到证实. 20(S)-原人参二醇对CFTR氯离子通道的激活效应具有作用迅速且可逆的特点. 其在发挥激活作用时依赖于腺苷环化酶激动剂Forskolin的存在, 单独与细胞孵育不提高细胞内cAMP的水平, 表明对CFTR氯离子通道的激活作用是通过与CFTR直接结合实现的. 该化合物对ΔF508-CFTR突变氯离子通道的开放也具有特征相似的激活作用.     

Exploiting the Evolutionary Relationship between Malarial Parasites and Plants To Develop New Herbicides

Herbicide resistance is driving a need to develop new herbicides. The evolutionary relationship between apicomplexan parasites, such as those causing malaria, and plants is close enough that many antimalarial drugs are herbicidal and so represent novel scaffolds for herbicide development. Using a compound library from the Medicines for Malaria Venture, the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and a physicochemical database of known herbicides, a compound was discovered that showed post‐emergence herbicidal activity equal to commercial herbicides. Using structure–activity analysis, important points for its potency were found. The compound was also tested and found to be active against common crop weeds. Physiological profiling suggested the compound was a photosystem II inhibitor, representing a new scaffold for herbicide development. Overall this approach demonstrates the viability of using antimalarial compounds as lead compounds for the development of much needed new herbicides.     

Antibacterial Activities and Molecular Docking of Novel Sulfone Biscompound Containing Bioactive 1,2,3-Triazole Moiety

In this study, a new synthetic 1,2,3-triazole-containing disulfone compound was derived from dapsone. Its chemical structure was confirmed using microchemical and analytical data, and it was tested for its in vitro antibacterial potential. Six different pathogenic bacteria were selected. MICs values and ATP levels were determined. Further, toxicity performance was measured using MicroTox Analyzer. In addition, a molecular docking study was performed against two vital enzymes: DNA gyrase and Dihydropteroate synthase. The results of antibacterial abilities showed that the studied synthetic compound had a strong bactericidal effect against all tested bacterial strains, as Gram-negative species were more susceptible to the compound than Gram-positive species. Toxicity results showed that the compound is biocompatible and safe without toxic impact. The molecular docking of the compound showed interactions within the pocket of two enzymes, which are able to stabilize the compound and reveal its antimicrobial activity. Hence, from these results, this study recommends that the established compound could be an outstanding candidate for fighting a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacterial strains, and it might therefore be used for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications.     

Oligomerization of phenylacetylene on fe-catalysts

Using a low activity system as a catalyst gives additional opportunities for study of polymerization mechanism. We made an attempt using phenylacetylene as a monomer to synthesize, separate, and identify oligomers of this alkyne on melting iron catalyst—“naked” metal. Four components with the lowest molecular weight were identified as: (compound 1) isomers of 1,2-diphenylcyclobutadiene, (compound 2) 1,3-diphenylcyclobutadiene, (compound 3) 1,4-diphenylbuten-1-yne-3, and (compound 4) triphenyl substituted Dewar benzene. It was shown, that in the presence of iron catalysts the phenylacetylene oligomerization proceeds as a linear polymerization through a 2 + 2 cycloaddition.     

气相色谱-微波等离子体发射光谱的研究 I. 化合物结构对经验式测定的影响

本文以烯烃、芳烃、多核芳烃、烯烃-烷烃混合物、烯烃-多核芳烃混合物、氯代烃和溴代烃等类型的化合物为代表, 考察了化合物结构对气相色谱-微波等离子体发射光谱联用测定化合物经验式结果的影响。对属于同系物的烃类选其中任一种为参比物, 测定准确度不受化合物结构的影响; 对含有非同系物的混合物, 如烯烃-多核芳烃, 参比物和被测物的结构对测定结果准确度有一定的影响, 选择其中的非同系物作参比物时, 所测得的经验式准确度相对较差; 含卤素原子的化合物结构对经验式测定影响较大, 必须选择结构相近(碳架结构和卤素原子数相近)的化合物作为经验式测定的参比物。     

Efficient access to some new pyrimidine derivatives and their antimicrobial evaluation

1-[4-(3-Hydroxyphenyl)-6-methyl-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidin-5-yl]ethanone ( 1 ) was used as a precursor for heterocyclic synthesis. Condensation of compound 1 with monochloroacetic acid and benzaldehyde gave thiazolopyrimidine 2 which in turn underwent cyclization with malononitrile dimmer to afford malononitrile derivative 3 . Also, the reaction of compound 1 with benzaldehyde under a basic condition produced chalcone 4 . Chalcone 4 can be used as a key intermediate for further preparation of heterocyclic compounds. In addition, compound 1 was allowed to react with malononitrile dimmer and/or ethyl chloroacetate to give pyrimidines 8 and 9 , respectively. Alkylation of compound 8 with ethyl chloroacetate afforded S-alkylated product 10 which was treated with hydrazine hydrate to yield the hydrazino derivative 11 . Alternative synthesis of compound 10 was taken place through reaction of compound 9 with malononitrile dimmer. The biological activity of the synthesized compounds was investigated. Compounds 1 , 4 , 5 , and 8 recorded high activities against Gram positive bacteria (S. aureus). Structures of the new synthesized compounds were elucidated by elemental analysis and spectral data.     

耐辐射奇球菌抗辐射物质的研究

本研究分析了耐辐射奇球菌(Deinococcus radiodurans)生长过程中产生的色素物质。紫外照射实验结果表明这种物质具有很强的抗紫外辐射能力。紫外扫描、高压液相测定和显色反应表明这种抗辐射物质含有萜类双键,主要吸收峰在310nm处,保留时间为4．632min,其含量占总量的53．04%,初步确定这种色素物质为类胡萝卜素。     

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and DNA Binding Studies of α,α'-Bis(3,5-bismethyl-1-pyrozolyl)- carbene-acetyl-isopropenyl Hydrazine

The title compound α,α'-bis(3,5-bismethyl-pyrozole-N-yl)-carbene-acetyl-isopro-penyl hydrazine (C16H22N6O, Mr = 314.40) has been prepared. It was characterized by elemental analysis as well as IR, MS, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectra. Its crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, getting the following data: triclinic, space group P1 with a = 6.9734(16), b = 10.773(3), c = 12.001(3) A, α = 75.311(4), β = 82.695(4), γ = 77.143(4)°, Z = 2, V = 847.9(3) A3, Dc : 1.231 g/cm3, F(000) = 336 and μ(MoKα) = 0.082 mm-1 (λ = 0.71073 A). The results of crystal structure determination show that there exist intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonds, resulting in a two-dimensional supramolecular framework of the title compound. The binding of the title compound to DNA was investigated by absorption, emission, and viscosity measurements. The title compound shows absorption hyperchromicity accompanied by a blue shift at about 254 nm. The binding constant Kb for the title compound has been determined to be 1.89 × 104 M-1 from absorption measurements. The addition of the title compound to DNA pretreated with EB causes appreciable reduction in the emission intensity, indicating that the DNA-bound EB fluorophore is partially replaced by the title compound. The value of K is 3.093 × 104 M-1. The relative viscosity of DNA decreased with the addition of the title compound. Results suggest that the title compound binds to DNA with a non-classical intercalative or groove interaction mode. The observed efficient nuclease activity of the title compound is interesting and may have further influences on the chemistry of DNA minor groove binders.