PPI‐G4 Glycodendrimers Upregulate TRAIL‐Induced Apoptosis in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Cells

Although chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common adult leukemia in Western world, it remains incurable with conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) is an antitumor candidate in cancer therapy. This study examines the proapoptotic effects of poly(propylene imine) (PPI) glycodendrimers modified with the maltotriose residues (PPI‐G4‐OS‐Mal‐III and PPI‐G4‐DS‐Mal‐III) on the TNF family in CLL cells. The combination of an understanding of the signaling pathways associated with CLL and the development of a molecular profiling is a key issue for the design of personalized approaches to therapy. Gene expression is determined with two‐color microarray 8 × 60K. The findings indicate that PPI‐G4‐OS/DS‐Mal‐III affect gene expression from the TRAIL apoptotic pathway and exert a strong effect on CLL cells comparable with fludarabine. Dendrimer‐targeted technology may well prove to bridge the gap between the ineffective treatment of today and the effective personalized therapy of the future.

     

Chemical Genetics Reveals a Role of dCTP Pyrophosphatase 1 in Wnt Signaling

Cell‐based screening is a powerful approach to identify novel chemical modulators and biological components of relevant biological processes. The canonical Wnt pathway is essential for normal embryonic development and tissue homeostasis, and its deregulation plays a crucial role in carcinogenesis. Therefore, the identification of new pathway members and regulators is of significant interest. By means of a cell‐based assay monitoring Wnt signaling we identified the pyrrolocoumarin Pyrcoumin as inhibitor of canonical Wnt signaling. Target identification and validation revealed that Pyrcoumin is a competitive inhibitor of dCTP pyrophosphatase 1 (dCTPP1). We demonstrate a yet unknown interaction of dCTPP1 with ubiquitin carboxyl‐terminal hydrolase (USP7) that is counteracted by dCTPP1 inhibitors. These findings indicate that dCTPP1 plays a role in regulation of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling most likely through a direct interaction with USP7.     

Phosphorylation Reduces the Mechanical Stability of the α‐Catenin/ β‐Catenin Complex

The α‐catenin/β‐catenin complex serves as a critical molecular interface involved in cadherin–catenin‐based mechanosensing at the cell–cell adherence junction that plays a critical role in tissue integrity, repair, and embryonic development. This complex is subject to tensile forces due to internal actomyosin contractility and external mechanical micro‐environmental perturbation. However, the mechanical stability of this complex has yet to be quantified. Here, we directly quantified the mechanical stability of the α‐catenin/β‐catenin complex and showed that it has enough mechanical stability to survive for tens to hundreds of seconds within physiological level of forces up to 10 pN. Phosphorylation or phosphotyrosine‐mimetic mutations (Y142E or/and T120E) on β‐catenin shorten the mechanical lifetime of the complex by tens of fold over the same force range. These results provide insights into the regulation of the α‐catenin/β‐catenin complex by phosphorylation.     

Synthesis and Cytotoxicity of 6‐Pyrrolidinyl‐2‐(2‐Substituted Phenyl)‐4‐Quinazolinones

In our continuing search for potential anticancer candidates, 2‐(3‐methoxyphenyl)‐6‐pyrrolidinyl‐4‐quinazolinone ( JJC‐1 ) was selected as the lead compound. Starting 5‐pyrrolidinyl‐2‐aminobenzamide was prepared using standard methodology from 5‐chloro‐2‐nitrobenzoic acid by reaction with SOCl₂, NH₃, pyrrolidine, and H₂. The starting benzamide then was reacted with 2‐substituted benzaldehyde or benzoyl chloride in N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAC) in the presence of NaHSO₃ at 150 °C. Thermal cyclodehydration/dehydrogenation gave the target 6‐pyrrolidinyl‐2‐(2‐substituted phenyl)‐4‐quinazolinones ( 15–22 ). These target compounds were assayed for their cytotoxicity in vitro against six cancer cell lines, including human monocytic leukemia cells (U937), mouse monocytic leukemia cells (WEHI‐3), human hepatoma cells (HepG2, Hep3B) and human lung carcinoma cells (A549, CH27). Most of them exhibited significant cytotoxic effect toward U937 and WEHI‐3 cells, with EC₅₀ values ranging from 0.30 to 10.10 μM. Compound 19 was investigated further for its action mechanisms. Preliminary findings indicated that compound 19 induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis on U937 cells.     

The Rearrangement of 2,2‐Diphenyl‐1‐[(E)‐2‐phenylethenyl]cyclopropane to 3,4,4‐Triphenylcyclopent‐1‐ene: a DFT Analysis

A computational study on the rearrangement of 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐[(E)‐2‐phenylethenyl]cyclopropane ( 1 ) is presented, using density functional theory (DFT), (U)B3LYP with the 6‐31G* basis set (DFT1) and (U)M05‐2X with the 6‐311+G** basis set (DFT2). In agreement with a biradical character of the transition structure (TS) or intermediate, the potential‐energy hypersurface is lowered by the influence of three conjugated Ph groups. Surprisingly, two conformations of the geminal diphenyl group (different twist angles) induce two different minimum‐energy pathways for the rearrangement. Independent of the functional used, the first hypersurface harbors true biradical intermediates, whereas the second energy surface is a flat, slightly ascending slope from the starting material to the TS. The functional (U)M05‐2X with the basis set 6‐311+G** provides realistic energies which seem to be close to experiment. The activation energy for racemization of enantiomers of 1 is lower than that of rearrangement by 2.5 kcal mol^?1, in agreement with experiment.     

具有β-(1→6)-半乳吡喃糖骨架和α-L-(1→3)-阿拉伯呋喃糖侧链的阿拉伯半乳寡糖的简易合成

4-Methoxyphenyl glycoside of β-D-Galp-(1→6)-[α-L-Araf-(1→3)-]β-D-Galp-(1→6)-β-D-Galp-(1→6)-{β-D-Galp-(1→6)-[α-L-Araf-(1→3)-]β-D-Galp-(1→6)-β-D-Galp-(1→6)-}2β-D-Galp-(1→6)-[α-L-Araf-(1→)3)-]β-D-Galp-(1→)6)-β-D-Galp was synthesized with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzoyl-α-D-galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (1), 6-O-acetyl-2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-α-D-galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (11), 4-methoxyphenyl 3-O-allyl-2,4-tri-O-benzoyl-β-D-galactopyranoside (2),isopropyl 3-O-allyl-2,4-tri-O-benzoyl--thio-β-D-galactopyranoside (12),4-methoxyphenyl 2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-β-D-galactopyranoside (5), and 2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-α-L-arabinofuranosyl trichloroacetimidate (8) as the key synthons.     

A Flexible Approach to the γ－Amino－β－hydroxy Acid Moiety of Hapalosin

A flexible approach to ethyl (3R,4S)-N-Boc-4-amino-3-hydroxy-5-phenylpentanoate (N-Boc-AHPPA-OEt), the γ-amino-β-hydroxy acid moiety of hapalosin is described. The synthetic method features a ring-opening ethanolysis of an activated N-Boc-lactam, which is obtained via a diastereoselective reductive-alkylation of (R)-malimide derivative. The flexibility of the method resides in the introduction of the alkyl side chain by Grignard reagent addition.     

Palladium‐catalyzed carbonylative cyclization of β‐bromo‐α,β‐unsaturated carboxylic acids with 2,2‐dimethylhydrazine leading to 1‐(dimethylamino)‐1H‐pyrrole‐2,5‐diones

β‐Bromo‐α,β‐unsaturated carboxylic acids are carbonylatively cyclized with 2,2‐dimethylhydrazine under carbon monoxide pressure in THF in the presence of a catalytic amount of a palladium catalyst along with a base to give 1‐(dimethylamino)‐1H‐pyrrole‐2,5‐diones. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous analysis of gemfibrozil,morphine, and its two active metabolites in different mouse brain structures using solid‐phase extraction with ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry with a deuterated internal standard

A rapid and sensitive bioassay was established and validated to simultaneously determine gemfibrozil, morphine, morphine‐3β‐glucuronide, and morphine‐6β‐glucuronide in mouse cerebrum, epencephalon, and hippocampus based on ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The deuterated internal standard, M6G‐d3, was mixed with the prepared samples at 10 ng/mL as the final concentration. The samples were transferred into the C₁₈ solid‐phase extraction columns with gradient elution for solid‐phase extraction. The mobile phase consisted of methanol and 0.05% formic acid (pH 3.2). Multiple reaction monitoring has been applied to analyze gemfibrozil (m/z 249.0 → 121.0) in anion mode, and M6G‐d3 (m/z 465.1 → 289.1), morphine (m/z 286.0 → 200.9), and M3G and M6G (m/z 462.1 → 286.1) in the positive ion mode. The method has a linear calibration range from 0.05 to 10 ng for gemfibrozil, morphine, and M3G and M6G with correlation coefficients >0.993. The lower limit of quantitation for all four analytes was 0.05 ng/mL, relative standard deviation of intra‐ and interday precision was less than 10.5%, and the relative error of accuracy was from ?8.2 to 8.3% at low, medium, and high concentrations for all the analytes. In conclusion, gemfibrozil can influence the morphine antinociception after coronary heart disease induced chronic angina by the change in one of morphine metabolites', M3G, distribution in mouse brain.     

Ionic networks derived from the protonation of dendritic amines with carboxylic acid end‐functionalized PEGs

The synthesis and characterization of novel ionic networks linked by the ammonium salts of poly(propylene imine) (PPI) dendrimers of the first (PPI G1) and second (PPI G2) generation and two short bis carboxymethyl ether terminated poly(ethylene glycol)s (DiCOOH‐PEG) with different molecular weights (M_n ～ 250 and M_n ～ 600) are reported. Likewise, an ionic network based on PPI G1 and a long αω‐dicarboxylic acid functionalized PEG (M_n ～ 4800) were evaluated. Simpler ionic structures based on tris(2‐aminoethyl)amine or hexamethylene diamine and the short DiCOOH‐PEGs are also investigated. The ionic structures formed were confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy in the attenuated‐total‐reflection mode, and ¹H‐¹³C NMR spectroscopy. A comprehensive ¹H NMR analysis revealed that only the primary amines of the PPI G1 dendrimer residing at the periphery take part in the ionic network formation. In the case of PPI G2, the picture is less clear. A thorough investigation of the thermal degradation of the utilized precursors and all the ionic materials prepared was additionally performed by thermogravimetric analysis. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

The Design of α/β‐Peptides: Study on Three‐Residue Turn Motifs and the Influence of Achiral Glycine on Helix and Turn

Novel three‐residue helix‐turn secondary structures, nucleated by a helix at the N terminus, were generated in peptides that have ‘β‐Caa‐L ‐Ala‐L ‐Ala,’ ‘β‐Caa‐L ‐Ala‐γ‐Caa,’ and ‘β‐Caa‐L ‐Ala‐δ‐Caa’ (in which β‐Caa is C‐linked carbo‐β‐amino acid, γ‐Caa is C‐linked carbo‐γ‐amino acid, and δ‐Caa is C‐linked carbo‐δ‐amino acid) at the C terminus. These turn structures are stabilized by 12‐, 14‐, and 15‐membered (mr) hydrogen bonding between NH(i)/CO(i+2) (i+2 is the last residue in the peptide) along with a 7‐mr hydrogen bond between CO(i)/NH(i+2). In addition, a series of α/β‐peptides were designed and synthesized with alternating glycine (Gly) and (S)‐β‐Caa to study the influence of an achiral α‐residue on the helix and helix‐turn structures. In contrast to previous results, the three ‘β–α–β’ residues at the C terminus (α‐residue being Gly) are stabilized by only a 13‐mr forward hydrogen bond, which resembles an α‐turn. Extensive NMR spectroscopic and molecular dynamics (MD) studies were performed to support these observations. The influence of chirality and side chain is also discussed.     

Cytotoxic Activity of Capnellene‐8β, 10α‐Diol Derivatives from a Taiwanese Soft Coral Capnella sp.

The sesquiterpene capnellene‐8β, 10α‐diol ( 1 ) was isolated from non‐polar extract of the soft coral Capnella sp. Ten acylation products of capnellene‐8β, 10α‐diol were prepared: 10α‐hydroxy‐8β‐O‐benzoylcapnellene ( 2 ), 10α‐hydroxy‐8β‐O‐p‐toluoylcapnellene ( 3 ), 10α‐hydroxy‐8β‐O‐4‐chlorobenzoyl‐capnellene ( 4 ), 10α‐hydroxy‐8β‐O‐2‐furoylcapnellene ( 5 ), 10α‐hydroxy‐8β‐O‐2‐thiophenoylcapnellene ( 6 ), 10α‐hydroxy‐8β‐O‐4‐fluorobenzoylcapnellene ( 7 ), 10α‐hydroxy‐8β‐O‐4‐propylbenzoylcapnellene ( 8 ), 10α‐hydroxy‐8β‐O‐cinnamoylcapnellene ( 9 ), 10α‐hydroxy‐8β‐O‐4‐nitrobenzoylcapnellene ( 10 ), and 10α‐hydroxy‐8β‐O‐4‐anisoylcapnellene ( 11 ). The structures of capnellene‐8β, 10α‐diol as well as its derivatives were established through standard spectroscopic analysis. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of the eleven compounds were evaluated against Hela, KB, Daoy, and WiDr human tumor cell lines.     

Synthesis of β-（ 1→6）-Branched （ 1→3）-Glucononaoside with Alter-nate β- and α-Bonds in the Backbone

Lauryl glycoside of β-D-Glcp-(1→3)-[β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-]α-D-Glcp-(1→3)-β-D-Glcp-(1→3)-[β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-]α-D-Glcp-(1→3)-β-D-Glcp-(1→3)-[β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-]β-D-Glcp was synthesized through 3 3 3 strategy. 3-O-Allyl-2,4,6-tri-O-benzoyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)- -[2, 3, 4, 6-tetra-O-benzoyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-] 1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-D-glucofuranose was used as the key intermediate which was converted to the corresponding trisaccharide donor and acceptor readily.     

Preparation,characterization and catalytic application of PdPt bimetallic nanoparticles stabilized by 15‐membered triolefinic macrocycle‐terminated poly(propylene imine) dendrimer

PdPt bimetallic nanoparticles stabilized by 15‐membered triolefinic macrocycle‐stabilized poly(propylene imine) dendrimer (G3‐M(Pd_x Pt_10−x ) DSNs) have been prepared via synthesis of a 15‐membered triolefinic macrocycle‐modified third‐generation poly(propylene imine) dendrimer (G3‐M) and then synchronous ligand exchange with Pd(PPh₃)₄/Pt(PPh₃)₄ complexes. The structure and catalytic activity of the DSNs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR, transmission electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray and X‐ray photoelectron analyses. As a novel catalyst system, it can be concluded that the composition of the bimetallic nanoparticles has an influence on the catalytic activity of the hydrogenation reaction of acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber, which can be related to synergistic effect. Furthermore, the selectivity and recyclability of G3‐M(Pd_x Pt_10−x ) DSN catalyst are also discussed.     

CuI/amino acid‐catalyzed coupling and cyclization of β‐bromo‐α,β‐unsaturated amides with terminal alkynes leading to (3Z)‐3‐alkylidenepyrrol‐1‐ones

β‐Bromo‐α,β‐unsaturated amides are coupled and cyclized with terminal alkynes in DMF at 110 °C in the presence of a catalytic amount of CuI and amino acid along with a base to give the corresponding (3Z)‐3‐alkylidenepyrrol‐1‐ones in moderate to good yields. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

NaHCO3‐Catalyzed Hihgly Regiospecific Aminobromination of ß,ß‐Dicyanostyrene Derivatives with 1,3‐Dibromo‐5,5‐dimethylhydantoin (DBDMH)

The aminobromination of β,β‐dicyanostyrene derivetives with 1,3‐dibromo‐5,5‐dimethylhydantoin (DBDMH) has been systematic studied. The reaction afforded the vicinal haloamino products in good to excellent yields at room temperature (the highest yield was up to 94 %), and the full regiospecificity of all products were achieved catalyzed by NaHCO₃ in CH₃CN. A possible pathway involving a Michael Addition reaction for this aminobromination was proposed.     

Chemical Synthesis of Burkholderia Lipid A Modified with Glycosyl Phosphodiester‐Linked 4‐Amino‐4‐deoxy‐β‐L‐arabinose and Its Immunomodulatory Potential

Modification of the Lipid A phosphates by positively charged appendages is a part of the survival strategy of numerous opportunistic Gram‐negative bacteria. The phosphate groups of the cystic fibrosis adapted Burkholderia Lipid A are abundantly esterified by 4‐amino‐4‐deoxy‐β‐L ‐arabinose (β‐L ‐Ara4N), which imposes resistance to antibiotic treatment and contributes to bacterial virulence. To establish structural features accounting for the unique pro‐inflammatory activity of Burkholderia LPS we have synthesised Lipid A substituted by β‐L ‐Ara4N at the anomeric phosphate and its Ara4N‐free counterpart. The double glycosyl phosphodiester was assembled by triazolyl‐tris‐(pyrrolidinyl)phosphonium‐assisted coupling of the β‐L ‐Ara4N H‐phosphonate to α‐lactol of β(1→6) diglucosamine, pentaacylated with (R)‐(3)‐acyloxyacyl‐ and Alloc‐protected (R)‐(3)‐hydroxyacyl residues. The intermediate 1,1′‐glycosyl‐H‐phosphonate diester was oxidised in anhydrous conditions to provide, after total deprotection, β‐L ‐Ara4N‐substituted Burkholderia Lipid A. The β‐L ‐Ara4N modification significantly enhanced the pro‐inflammatory innate immune signaling of otherwise non‐endotoxic Burkholderia Lipid A.     

Palladium‐catalyzed cyclization of β‐bromo‐α,β‐unsaturated ketones with arylhydrazines leading to 3‐substituted 1‐aryl‐1 H‐pyrazoles

β‐Bromo‐α,β‐unsaturated ketones are condensed with arylhydrazines to form hydrazones, which are in situ intramolecularly cyclized into 3‐substituted 1‐aryl‐1 H‐pyrazoles under a catalytic system of Pd(OAc)₂/1,3‐bis(diphenylhosphino)propane (dppp)/NaO^tBu. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative analysis of cortisol and 6β‐hydroxycortisol in urine by fully automated SPE and ultra‐performance LC coupled with electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (ESCi)‐TOF‐MS

An ultra‐performance LC TOF MS method for quantitative analysis of cortisol and 6β‐hydroxycortisol in urine was developed. The method was used for determination of the ratio between 6β‐hydroxycortisol and cortisol in urine received from autopsy cases and living persons as a measure of cytochrome P450 3A enzyme activity. Urine samples (0.25 mL) were extracted with an in‐house developed fully automated 96‐well SPE system. The compounds were quantified using a Waters ACQUITY UPLC system coupled to a Waters SYNAPT G2. The MS sensitivity was optimized by using negative ionization in sensitivity mode (resolution >10 000 full‐width at half‐maximum), and further optimized by using the enhanced duty cycle around the 410 m/z. ESCi (simultaneous electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization) mode was used to compensate for the matrix effects of postmortem urine. Finally, the SYNAPT G2 was tested as a quantitative instrument. The developed method has a measurement range from 2.5–300 ng/mL for cortisol to 10–1200 ng/mL for 6β‐hydroxycortisol. Mean overall process efficiencies were 29.4 and 23.0% for cortisol and 6β‐hydroxycortisol, respectively. In 20 forensic reference cases, the range of the 6β‐hydroxycortisol/cortisol ratio was 0.29–14.2 with a median of 3.04.