Effect of brain lesions on [3H]ohmefentanyl binding site densities in the rat striatum and substantia nigra.

We have recently demonstrated that [3H]ohmefentanyl, a non-peptidergic opioid ligand which was suggested to cross the blood brain barrier in contrast to other peptidergic opioid ligands, bound not only to mu opioid receptor sites but also to sigma sites. In order to examine whether [3H]ohmefentanyl can be used as a marker for mu sites, we investigated the effects of brain lesions on [3H]ohmefentanyl binding site densities, as compared with [3H][D-Ala2, MePhe4, Gly-ol5]enkephalin ([3H]DAGO), a selective mu ligand. These binding site densities were measured by quantitative autoradiography in the rat striatum and substantia nigra, two brain structures known to contain a high density of mu receptors, following lesions of the nigro-striatal dopaminergic pathway and striatal intrinsic neurons. Following unilateral nigral lesion with 6-hydroxydopamine, [3H]ohmefentanyl binding site densities were decreased in the patches (-35%) and matrix (-20%) of the ipsilateral striatum and in the lesioned substantia nigra pars compacta (-49%). Unilateral striatal lesion with quinolinic acid induced 72%, 61% and 50% decreases in [3H]ohmefentanyl binding in the patches and matrix of the lesioned striatum and in the ipsilateral substantia nigra pars reticulata, respectively. Similar results were obtained in the binding of [3H]DAGO. Indeed, a significant linear correlation was observed between [3H]ohmefentanyl and [3H]DAGO binding site densities. Therefore, mu opioid receptors may be mainly located on intrinsic neurons in the striatum, dopaminergic cell bodies in the substantia nigra pars compacta and nerve terminals of striatal efferents in the substantia nigra pars reticulata.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Novel Rearrangements of 2,3-Dimercapto-1-propanol Derivatives: Formation of Dialkyl Sulfide, Dialkyl Disulfide, and 1,2,3-Tris(alkylthio)propane

The base alkylation of 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanol with alkyl halides leads in good yield to 2,3-bis(alkylthio)-1-propanol and dialkyl sulfide. The reaction of 2,3-bis(alkylthio)-1-propanol with catalytic concentrated sulfuric acid proceeds with rearrangement to give 1,2,3-tris(alkylthio)propane and dialkyl disulfide. The rearrangement reaction takes place through a common intermediate thiaranium intermediate 8.     

Theoretical Study on the Structures and Stability of Isomers and Complex of[Si,C,O,O] Sytem

A detailed singlet potential energy surface(PES) of [Si,C,O,O] system including a van der Waals (vdW) comples SiO……CO2,eight isomers,and twelve transiton states is investigated by MP2 and QCISD(T) (single-point)methods.At the final QCISD(T)/6-311 G(2df)//MP2/6-311G(d) level with zero-point energy included,the complex SiO……CO is found to be thermodynamically and kinetically the most stable species.Although eight ismoers are located as local energy minima,they are rather unstable toward isomerization to the dissociation fragments or comples.For the reaction of silocon atoms with carbon dioxide,two competitive reaction channels are found,and the primary pathway,which leads to the products of SiO and CO fragments,is the direct oxygen-abstraction process from carbon dioxide by silicon atom with a41.16 kJ/mol reaction barrier height.Our predications are in good agreement with previous experimental and theoretical studies.