17O NMR investigation of p,π-interactions in α,β-unsaturated and aromatic ethers

The ¹⁷O chemical shifts have been measured for 51 α,β-unsaturated and aromatic ethers. A good linear relationship is found between the ¹⁷O chemical shifts in a series of dialkyl and the corresponding alkyl vinyl ethers. Hence, the extent of p,π-interaction, between the oxygen atom and the vinyl group in the latter series does not, apparently, depend upon branching at the α-carbon atom in the alkyl moiety of these ethers. The PhOBu^t ether, however, as compared to the other alkyl phenyl ethers, shows significantly weakened p,π-interaction, which is apparently related to the steric hindrance of this interaction. The effects of two unsaturated groups upon the ¹⁷O chemical shifts in the corresponding ethers are non-additive. This is undoubtedly a result of ‘rivalry’ between these groups for conjugation with the lone electron pairs on the ethereal oxygen. The ¹⁷O chemical shift ranges of substituted methyl and vinyl phenyl ethers are nearly equal (≈30 ppm). An analysis of the ¹⁷O shielding for cyclopropyl ethers shows no observable p,σ-conjugation in these compounds. Excellent correlation (r>0.99) between the values of ¹⁷O chemical shifts and the calculated (MO LCAO SCF, CNDO/2) π-electron charges on the corresponding oxygen atoms look promising for experimental estimations of π-electron densities on the ethereal oxygen.     

Deoxygenative α-alkylation and α-arylation of 1,2-dicarbonyls

Construction of C–C bonds at the α-carbon is a challenging but synthetically indispensable approach to α-branched carbonyl motifs that are widely represented among drugs, natural products, and synthetic intermediates. Here, we describe a simple approach to generation of boron enolates in the absence of strong bases that allows for introduction of both α-alkyl and α-aryl groups in a reaction of readily accessible 1,2-dicarbonyls and organoboranes. Obviation of unselective, strongly basic and nucleophilic reagents permits carrying out the reaction in the presence of electrophiles that intercept the intermediate boron enolates, resulting in two new α-C–C bonds in a tricomponent process.

α-Branched carboxylic acids and other carbonyls are readily accessed by a metal- and base-free deoxygenative α-alkylation and α-arylation of 1,2-dicarbonyls via boron enolates, resulting in a tricomponent coupling with unconventional electrophiles.     

Scalable synthesis and coupling of quaternary α-arylated amino acids: α-aryl substituents are tolerated in α-helical peptides

Quaternary amino acids are important tools for the modification and stabilisation of peptide secondary structures. Here we describe a practical and scalable synthesis applicable to quaternary alpha-arylated amino acids (Q4As), and the development of solid-phase synthesis conditions for their incorporation into peptides. Monomeric and dimeric α-helical peptides are synthesised with varying degrees of Q4A substitution and their structures examined using biophysical methods. Both enantiomers of the Q4As are tolerated in folded monomeric and oligomeric α-helical peptides, with the (R)-enantiomer slightly more so than the (S).

Both R and S enantiomers of Fmoc-protected amino acids bearing α-aryl substituents may be made on gram scale. Solid-phase synthesis leads to helical peptides unperturbed by the presence of these additional α-aryl groups.     

α-Functionally Substituted α,β-Unsaturated Aldehydes as Fine Chemicals Reagents: Synthesis and Application

α-Functionalized α,β-unsaturated aldehydes is an important class of compounds, which are widely used in fine organic synthesis, biology, medicine and pharmacology, chemical industry, and agriculture. Some of the 2-substituted 2-alkenals are found to be the key metabolites in plant and animal cells. Therefore, the development of efficient methods for their synthesis attracts the attention of organic chemists. This review focusses on the recent advances in the synthesis of 2-functionally substituted 2-alkenals. The approaches to the preparation of α-alkyl α,β-unsaturated aldehydes are not included in this review.     

Solid-state NMR of a paramagnetic DIAD-FeII catalyst: sensitivity, resolution enhancement, and structure-based assignments

A general protocol for the structural characterization of paramagnetic molecular solids using solid-state NMR is provided and illustrated by the characterization of a high-spin Fe(II) catalyst precursor. We show how good NMR performance can be obtained on a molecular powder sample at natural abundance by using very fast (>30 kHz) magic angle spinning (MAS), even though the individual NMR resonances have highly anisotropic shifts and very short relaxation times. The results include the optimization of broadband heteronuclear (proton-carbon) recoupling sequences for polarization transfer; the observation of single or multiple quantum correlation spectra between coupled spins as a tool for removing the inhomogeneous bulk magnetic susceptibility (BMS) broadening; and the combination of NMR experiments and density functional theory calculations, to yield assignments.     

The Effect of α-, β- and γ-Cyclodextrin on Wheat Dough and Bread Properties

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic oligosaccharides that have found widespread application in numerous fields. CDs have revealed a number of various health benefits, making them potentially useful food supplements and nutraceuticals. In this study, the impact of α-, β-, and γ-CD at different concentrations (up to 8% of the flour weight) on the wheat dough and bread properties were investigated. The impact on dough properties was assessed by alveograph analysis, and it was found that especially β-CD affected the viscoelastic properties. This behavior correlates well with a direct interaction of the CDs with the proteins of the gluten network. The impact on bread volume and bread staling was also assessed. The bread volume was in general not significantly affected by the addition of up to 4% CD, except for 4% α-CD, which slightly increased the bread volume. Larger concentrations of CDs lead to decreasing bread volumes. Bread staling was investigated by texture analysis and low field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (LF-NMR) measurements, and no effect of the addition of CDs on the staling was observed. Up to 4% CD can, therefore, be added to wheat bread with only minor effects on the dough and bread properties.     

α-Glucosidase, α-Amylase and Antioxidant Evaluations of Isolated Bioactives from Wild Strawberry

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder and is a global challenge to the current medicinal chemists and pharmacologists. This research has been designed to isolate and evaluate antidiabetic bioactives from Fragaria indica. The crude extracts, semi-purified and pure bioactives have been used in all in vitro assays. The in vitro α-glucosidase, α-amylase and DPPH free radical activities have been performed on all plant samples. The initial activities showed that ethyl acetate (Fi.EtAc) was the potent fraction in all the assays. This fraction was initially semi-purified to obtain Fi.EtAc 1–3. Among the semi-purified fractions, Fi.EtAc 2 was dominant, exhibiting potent IC₅₀ values in all the in vitro assays. Based on the potency and availability of materials, Fi.EtAc 2 was subjected to further purification to obtain compounds 1 (2,4-dichloro-6-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxytoluene) and 2 (2-methyl-6-(4-methylphenyl)-2-hepten-4-one). The two isolated compounds were characterized by mass and NMR analyses. The compounds 1 and 2 showed excellent inhibitions against α-glucosidase (21.45 for 1 and 15.03 for 2 μg/mL), α-amylase (17.65 and 16.56 μg/mL) and DPPH free radicals (7.62 and 14.30 μg/mL). Our study provides baseline research for the antidiabetic bioactives exploration from Fragaria indica. The bioactive compounds can be evaluated in animals-based antidiabetic activity in future.     

Torsion angle relationship of the 17O NMR chemical shift in α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds

The torsion angle effect on the isotropic shielding of ¹⁷O nucleus in α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl groups is studied by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations using a polarizable continuum model (PCM) for the solvent, employing the PBE0 functional together with the 6‐311G(d,p) basis set for geometry optimization, and the 6‐311+G(2d,p) basis set for calculating the NMR shielding with the gauge‐including atomic orbitals (GIAO) method. This study adds new information on the sensitivity of the ¹⁷O nucleus to conformational changes, revealing a strong dependence of the ¹⁷O NMR chemical shift on the dihedral angle between the carbonyl and the vinyl moiety in all studied compounds; remarkable differences are observed with the data reported for α‐diketones. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic NMR of low‐sensitivity fast‐relaxing nuclei: 17O NMR and DFT study of acetoxysilanes

¹⁷O NMR is not routinely used for structure characterization, and kinetic studies of fluxional organic compounds are seldom undertaken because poor sensitivity and fast quadrupole relaxation are frequently regarded as intractable issues. This work shows how, nowadays, quantitative ¹⁷O dynamic NMR studies on small organic molecules are feasible without enrichment being needed. It reports on acetoxysilanes, a class of fluxional compounds whose structure and dynamics were to be clarified. Natural abundance ¹⁷O NMR spectra were recorded over a wide range of temperatures using standard instrumentation. The analysis relies on simple linewidth measurements and directly provides the activation parameters. The activation enthalpy is found to decrease with increasing number of acetoxy groups bound to silicon. Density functional theory calculations properly predict this trend and show that a single oxygen atom of the acetoxy group is bound to silicon, excluding chelation as binding mode, and that the dynamic process involves the shift of the silicon atom between the two oxygen atoms of the acetoxy group. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

水相介质中碳酸钾/硫脲联合促进邻位氨基溴转变成α,β-脱氢氨的研究

建立了在水相介质中, 在碳酸钾/硫脲联合促进下, 具有邻位氨基溴的酯和邻位氨基溴的酮在室温下发生溴化氢消除反应, 高收率地制备α,β-脱氢氨(功能化烯胺)的新方法. 共考察了23种不同结构α,β-邻位氨基溴的酯和α,β-邻位氨基溴的酮的反应情况, 证明该方法具有广泛的适应性. 实验发现, 无论底物为α-氨基-β-溴结构还是α-溴-β-氨基结构, 反应过程中都要经过一个氮丙啶过程, 而氮丙啶的开环是区域专一的, 因此产物具有区域专一性(烯键上的氨基均处在羰基的α-位). 所有产物的结构均经过核磁共振波谱及高分辩率质谱确证. 克量级放大实验结果表明, 该方法具有一定的用于工业化生产的可行性.     

GC-MS Metabolic Profile and α-Glucosidase-, α-Amylase-, Lipase-, and Acetylcholinesterase-Inhibitory Activities of Eight Peach Varieties

The inhibition of certain digestive enzymes by target food matrices represents a new approach in the treatment of socially significant diseases. Proving the ability of fruits to inhibit such enzymes can support the inclusion of specific varieties in the daily diets of patients with diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, etc., providing them with much more than just valuable micro- and macromolecules. The current study aimed atidentifying and comparing the GC-MS metabolic profiles of eight peach varieties (“Filina”, “Ufo 4, “Gergana”, “Laskava”, “July Lady”, “Flat Queen”, “Evmolpiya”, and “Morsiani 90”) grown in Bulgaria (local and introduced) and to evaluate the inhibitory potential of their extracts towards α-glucosidase, α-amylase, lipase, and acetylcholinesterase. In order to confirm samples’ differences or similarities, principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were also applied to the identified metabolites. The results provide important insights into the metabolomic profiles of the eight peach varieties and represent a first attempt to characterize the peels of the peach varieties with respect to α-glucosidase-, α-amylase-, lipase-, and acetylcholinesterase-inhibitory activities. All of the studied peach extracts displayed inhibitory activity towards α-glucosidase (IC₅₀: 125–757 mg/mL) and acetylcholinesterase (IC₅₀: 60–739 mg/mL), but none of them affected α-amylase activity. Five of the eight varieties showed inhibitory activity towards porcine pancreatic lipase (IC₅₀: 24–167 mg/mL). The obtained results validate the usefulness of peaches and nectarines as valuable sources of natural agents beneficial for human health, although further detailed investigation should be performed in order to thoroughly identify the enzyme inhibitors responsible for each activity.     

A general strategy for the synthesis of α-trifluoromethyl- and α-perfluoroalkyl-β-lactams via palladium-catalyzed carbonylation

β-Lactam compounds play a key role in medicinal chemistry, specifically as the most important class of antibiotics. Here, we report a novel one-step approach for the synthesis of α-(trifluoromethyl)-β-lactams and related products from fluorinated olefins, anilines and CO. Utilization of an advanced palladium catalyst system with the Ruphos ligand allows for selective cycloaminocarbonylations to give diverse fluorinated β-lactams in high yields.

β-Lactam compounds play a key role in medicinal chemistry, specifically as the most important class of antibiotics.     

Multitarget Action of Xanthones from Garcinia mangostana against α-Amylase, α-Glucosidase and Pancreatic Lipase

Digestive enzymes such α-amylase (AA), α-glucosidase (AG) and pancreatic lipase (PL), play an important role in the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids, being attractive therapeutic targets for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Garcinia mangostana is an interesting species because there have been identified xanthones with the potential to inhibit these enzymes. In this study, the multitarget inhibitory potential of xanthones from G. mangostana against AA, AG and PL was assessed. The methodology included the isolation and identification of bioactive xanthones, the synthesis of some derivatives and a molecular docking study. The chemical study allowed the isolation of five xanthones (1–5). Six derivatives (6–11) were synthesized from the major compound, highlighting the proposal of a new solvent-free methodology with microwave irradiation for obtaining aromatic compounds with tetrahydropyran cycle. Compounds with multitarget activity correspond to 2, 4, 5, 6 and 9, highlighting 6 with IC₅₀ values of 33.3 µM on AA, 69.2 µM on AG and 164.4 µM on PL. Enzymatic kinetics and molecular docking studies showed that the bioactive xanthones are mainly competitive inhibitors on AA, mixed inhibitors on AG and non-competitive inhibitors on PL. The molecular coupling study established that the presence of methoxy, hydroxyl and carbonyl groups are important in the activity and interaction of polyfunctional xanthones, highlighting their importance depending on the mode of inhibition.     

Asymmetric hydroalkylation of alkynes and allenes with imidazolidinone derivatives: α-alkenylation of α-amino acids

This work reports a new method for the synthesis of quaternary α-alkenyl substituted amino acids by the enantio- and diastereoselective addition of imidazolidinone derivatives to alkynes and allenes. Further hydrolysis of the imidazolidinone products under acidic conditions afforded biologically relevant amino acid derivatives. This method is geometry-selective (E-isomer), enantio- and diastereoselective, and products were obtained in good to excellent yields. The utility of this new methodology is proved by its operational simplicity and the successful accomplishment of gram-scale reactions. Experimental and computational studies suggest the key role of Li in terms of selectivity and support the proposed reaction mechanism.

Enantio-, diastereoselective, geometry-selective addition of imidazolidinone derivatives to alkynes and allenes in the presence of LiHMDS in order to obtain quaternary α-alkenyl substituted amino acids in high isolated yields.     

Solid-state 17O NMR study of the electric-field-gradient and chemical shielding tensors in polycrystalline amino acids

We have presented a systematic experimental investigation of carboxyl oxygen electric-field-gradient (EFG) and chemical shielding (CS) tensors in crystalline amino acids. Three 17O-enriched amino acids were prepared: L-aspartic acid, L-threonine, and L-tyrosine. Analysis of two-dimensional 17O multiple-quantum magic-angle spinning (MQMAS), MAS, and stationary NMR spectra yields the 17O CS, EFG tensors and the relative orientations between the two tensors for the amino acids. The values of quadrupolar coupling constants (CQ) are found to be in the range of 6.70-7.60 MHz. The values of deltaiso lie in the range of 268-292 ppm, while those of the delta11 and delta22 components vary from 428 to 502 ppm, and from 303 to 338 ppm, respectively. There is a significant correlation between the magnitudes of delta22 components and C--O bond lengths. Since C--O bond length may be related to hydrogen-bonding environments, solid-state 17O NMR has significant potential to provide insights into important aspects of hydrogen bonds in biological systems.     

Novel α-Aminophosphonates and α-Aminophosphonic Acids: Synthesis,Molecular Docking and Evaluation of Antifungal Activity against Scedosporium Species

The Scedosporium genus is an emerging pathogen with worldwide prevalence and high mortality rates that gives multidrug resistance to antifungals; therefore, pharmacological alternatives must be sought for the treatment of diseases caused by this fungus. In the present project, six new α-aminophosphates were synthesized by the Kabachnik–Fields multicomponent reaction by vortex agitation, and six new monohydrolyzed α-aminophosphonic acids were synthesized by an alkaline hydrolysis reaction. Antifungal activity was evaluated using the agar diffusion method as an initial screening to determine the most active compound compared to voriconazole; then it was evaluated against 23 strains of the genus Scedosporium following the M38-A2 protocol from CLSI (activity range: 648.76–700 µg/mL). Results showed that compound 5f exhibited the highest antifungal activity according to the agar diffusion method (≤1 mg/mL). Cytotoxicity against healthy COS-7 cells was also evaluated by the MTT assay and it was shown that compound 5f exhibits a lower toxicity in comparison to voriconazole at the same concentration (1000 µM). A docking study was conducted afterwards, showing that the possible mechanism of action of the compound is through the inhibition of allosteric 14-α-demethylase. Taking these results as a basis, 5f is presented as a compound with attractive properties for further studies.     

Kinetic Study of 17α-Estradiol Mechanism during Rat Sperm Capacitation

17α-Estradiol (αE2) is a natural diastereoisomer of 17β-estradiol (E2). It is well known that αE2 can bind to estrogen receptors. However, its biological activity is less than that of E2 and is species and tissue specific. The goal of our study was to propose the mechanism of αE2 hormonal response in rat sperm during their capacitation in vitro and compare it with a previously studied mouse model. Concentration changes in externally added αE2 during capacitation of rat sperm were monitored by the high-performance liquid chromatographic method with tandem mass spectrometric detection (HPLC-MS/MS). The calculated values of relative concentrations B_t were subjected to kinetic analysis. The findings indicated that αE2 in rat sperm did not trigger autocatalytic reaction, in contrast to the mouse sperm, and that the initiation of the hormone penetration through the sperm plasma membrane was substantially faster in rats.     

Determinants for α4β2 vs. α3β4 Subtype Selectivity of Pyrrolidine-Based nAChRs Ligands: A Computational Perspective with Focus on Recent cryo-EM Receptor Structures

The selectivity of α4β2 nAChR agonists over the α3β4 nicotinic receptor subtype, predominant in ganglia, primarily conditions their therapeutic range and it is still a complex and challenging issue for medicinal chemists and pharmacologists. Here, we investigate the determinants for such subtype selectivity in a series of more than forty α4β2 ligands we have previously reported, docking them into the structures of the two human subtypes, recently determined by cryo-electron microscopy. They are all pyrrolidine based analogues of the well-known α4β2 agonist N-methylprolinol pyridyl ether A-84543 and differ in the flexibility and pattern substitution of their aromatic portion. Indeed, the direct or water mediated interaction with hydrophilic residues of the relatively narrower β2 minus side through the elements decorating the aromatic ring and the stabilization of the latter by facing to the not conserved β2-Phe119 result as key distinctive features for the α4β2 affinity. Consistently, these compounds show, despite the structural similarity, very different α4β2 vs. α3β4 selectivities, from modest to very high, which relate to rigidity/extensibility degree of the portion containing the aromatic ring and to substitutions at the latter. Furthermore, the structural rationalization of the rat vs. human differences of α4β2 vs. α3β4 selectivity ratios is here proposed.