4-Alkoxycarbonyl- and aminocarbonyl-substituted isoxazoles as masked acrylates and acrylamides in the asymmetric synthesis of delta2-isoxazolines

4-Alkoxycarbonyl and aminocarbonyl-substituted isoxazoles undergo conjugate reduction to give delta2-isoxazolines on treatment with sodium borohydride and sodium trifluoroacetoxyborohydride, respectively. They are also alkylated at C5 through sonication with secondary and tertiary alkyl iodides in the presence of zinc dust and copper(I) iodide. These reactions are analogous to those observed with acrylates and acrylamides. The behavior is characteristic of the 4-substituted isoxazoles but not the 5-substituted regioisomers. The reductions of 4,5-disubstituted isoxazoles and the C5 alkylations of 4-substituted isoxazoles generally afford trans-4,5-disubstituted isoxazolines. Incorporating chiral auxiliaries into the alkoxycarbonyl group maintains this relative stereoselectivity. It does not provide significant levels of asymmetric induction in the reductions, but the alkylations occur with good levels of stereocontrol at both C4 and C5. Because both enantiomers of the auxiliaries are available, this provides access to either enantiomer of the products, in 93 to > or = 98% de. The methodology, therefore, provides a complementary approach to nitrile oxide cycloadditions to alkenes for the asymmetric synthesis of delta2-isoxazolines.     

Nanoparticle-Decorated Biomimetic Extracellular Matrix for Cell Nanoencapsulation and Regulation

Cell encapsulation has been studied for various applications ranging from cell transplantation to biological production. However, current encapsulation technologies focus on cell protection rather than cell regulation that is essential to most if not all cell-based applications. Here we report a method for cell nanoencapsulation and regulation using an ultrathin biomimetic extracellular matrix as a cell nanocapsule to carry nanoparticles (CN²). This method allows high-capacity nanoparticle retention at the vicinity of cell surfaces. The encapsulated cells maintain high viability and normal metabolism. When gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are used as a model to decorate the nanocapsule, light irradiation transiently increases the temperature, leading to the activation of the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) promoter and the regulation of reporter gene expression. As the biomimetic nanocapsule can be decorated with any or multiple NPs, CN² is a promising platform for advancing cell-based applications.