A facile synthesis of novel 3-(aryl/alkyl-2-ylmethyl)-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-ones using microwave heating

(Z)-5-(2-(1H-Indol-3-yl)-2-oxoethylidene)-3-(aryl/alkyl-2-ylmethyl)-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-ones (7a–w) have been synthesized by the Knoevenagel condensation reaction of 3-(aryl/alkyl-2-ylmethyl)-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-ones (3a–d) with suitably substituted 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)2-oxoacetaldehydes (6a–g) under microwave conditions. The thioxothiazolidin-4-ones were prepared from the corresponding aryl/alkyl amines (1a–d) and di-(carboxymethyl)-trithiocarbonyl (2). The aldehydes (6a–g) were synthesized from the corresponding acid chlorides (5a–g) using HsnBu₃.     

Synthesis and structure of an arylpyran normal, pseudodiacid showing recognition

Abstract  

Oxidation of 1,4-bis(4′-oxo-2′,2′-dimethylpent-2-yl)benzene with hypochlorite produces 1,4-bis(3′-carboxy-2′-methylbut-2-yl)benzene and 3-(4′-carboxyphenyl)-3,3-dimethylpropanoic acid. Cyclization of this mixture forms 3,3,7,7-tetramethyl-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-s-indacen-1,5-dione, 3,3,7,7-tetramethyl-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-as-indacen-1,5-dione (5) and 6-carboxy-3,3-dimethyl-1-indanone (6). Ketoacid (6) is converted to the arylpyran pseudoacid 7-carboxy-3-hydroxy-4,4-dimethylisobenzopyran-1-one (7). In the crystal structure of (7), carboxylic acid and the pseudoacid groups each form complementary dimer hydrogen bonds linking the molecules in chains. Contact O···O distances reflect their differing energetics, with pseudoacyl O···O at 2.78(1)Å and carboxylic O···O at 2.62(1)Å.     

Guanidinoamidized linear polyethyleneimine for gene delivery

Guanidine was introduced to low molecular weight linear polyethyleneimine(LPEI) via amide groups, to explore the effect of both guanidine degree and pendant chain length on its transfection behavior. The resulting guanidinoamidized LPEIs(GLPEIs) could dramatically reduce LPEI's toxicity, enhance its DNA-packaging capability, cellular uptake and therefore transfection efficiency. These polyplexes were taken up very efficiently via caveolae-mediated endocytosis and their transfection efficiencies in ovarian cancer cells were significantly improved compared to native LPEI10 k polyplexes. Among these GLPEIs, LPEI-C3-G100 showed higher DNA affinity even than LPEI25 k and the highest transfection efficiency, probably due to the optimization of polymer chain flexibility. Of notice, LPEI-C3-G100 polyplexes could more effectively accumulate into cytoplasm than LPEI25 k, although the transfection efficiency of LPEI-C3-G100 polyplexes was not superior to that of LPEI25 k polyplexes, which would be probably attributed to the more efficient release of LPEI25 k polyplexes than LPEI-C3-G100 polyplexes in the cytoplasm.     

Synthetic UDP-furanoses as potent inhibitors of mycobacterial galactan biogenesis

UDP-galactofuranose (UDP-Galf) is a substrate for two types of enzymes, UDP-galactopyranose mutase and galactofuranosyltransferases, which are present in many pathogenic organisms but absent from mammals. In particular, these enzymes are involved in the biosynthesis of cell wall galactan, a polymer essential for the survival of the causative agent of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We describe here the synthesis of derivatives of UDP-Galf modified at C-5 and C-6 using a chemoenzymatic route. In cell-free assays, these compounds prevented the formation of mycobacterial galactan, via the production of short "dead-end" intermediates resulting from their incorporation into the growing oligosaccharide chain. Modified UDP-furanoses thus constitute novel probes for the study of the two classes of enzymes involved in mycobacterial galactan assembly, and studies with these compounds may ultimately facilitate the future development of new therapeutic agents against tuberculosis.     

Identification of chemicals and their metabolites from PHY906, a Chinese medicine formulation,in the plasma of a patient treated with irinotecan and PHY906 using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS)

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is increasingly being used in combination with Western medicine. In general, TCM is comprised of multiple components in sharp contrast to Western medicine, where a single active chemical is used. Presently, there are no well-established standards for most of the chemical compounds of TCM and their respective metabolites. Moreover, there are no formal analytical methods for the identification of these chemicals, especially in trace amounts. The ability to measure the pharmacokinetic behaviors of chemicals and their metabolites from these herbal formulations are critical in understanding of the action of TCM. This paper describes the use of LC/MS/MS along with enzyme treatments and n-octanol/water partition coefficient, to investigate the chemical components of PHY906 and their metabolites in the plasma of a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with irinotecan and PHY906. The chemicals from an aqueous extract of PHY906 and the plasma from a patient was prepared and separated on an Agilent ZORBAX-SB C₁₈ column, and eluted with acetonitrile/0.05% (v/v) formic acid. From the PHY906 aqueous extract, a total of 57 compounds and 27 metabolites were identified and tentatively assigned structures based on their identified mass spectrometry, enzyme digestion and n-octanol/water partition coefficient. In contrast, analysis of patient plasma identified only 33 chemicals and new metabolites. These findings demonstrated that LC/MS/MS was and effective and reliable method for studying the parent chemicals of the Chinese herbal medicine PHY906 and their metabolites in a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer.     

Thermal properties,phase transitions,vibrational and reorientational dynamics of [Mn(NH<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>6</Subscript>](NO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

[Mn(NH₃)₆](NO₃)₂ crystallizes in the cubic, fluorite (C1) type crystal lattice structure (Fm \( \overline{3} \) m) with a = 11.0056 Å and Z = 4. Two phase transitions of the first-order type were detected. The first registered on DSC curves as a large anomaly at T _C1 ^h  = 207.8 K and T _C1 ^c  = 207.2 K, and the second registered as a smaller anomaly at T _C2 ^h  = 184.4 K and T _C2 ^c  = 160.8 K (where the upper indexes h and c denote heating and cooling of the sample, respectively). The temperature dependence of the full width at half maximum of the band associated with the δ_s(HNH)F_1u mode suggests that the NH₃ ligands in the high temperature and intermediate phase reorientate quickly with correlation times in the order of several picoseconds and with activation energy of 9.9 kJ mol^?1. In the phase transition at T _C2 ^c probably only a some of the NH₃ ligands stop their reorientation, while the remainders continue to reorientate quickly with activation energy of 7.7 kJ mol^?1. Thermal decomposition of the investigated compound starts at 305 K and continues up to 525 K in four main stages (I–IV). In stage I, ²/₆ of all NH₃ ligands were seceded. Stages II and III are connected with an abruption of the next ²/₆ and ¹/₆ of total NH₃, respectively, and [Mn(NH₃)](NO₃)₂ is formed. The last molecule of NH₃ per formula unit is freed at stage IV together with the simultaneous thermal decomposition of the resulting Mn(NO₃)₂ leading to the formation of gaseous products (O₂, H₂O, N₂ and nitrogen oxides) and solid MnO₂.     

Ligand Displacement Reaction Paths in a Diiron Hydrogenase Active Site Model Complex

The mechanism and energetics of CO, 1‐hexene, and 1‐hexyne substitution from the complexes (SBenz)₂[Fe₂(CO)₆] (SBenz=SCH₂Ph) ( 1 ‐CO), (SBenz)₂[Fe₂(CO)₅(η²‐1‐hexene)] ( 1 ‐(η²‐1‐hexene)), and (SBenz)₂[Fe₂(CO)₅(η²‐1‐hexyne)] ( 1 ‐(η²‐1‐hexyne)) were studied by using time‐resolved infrared spectroscopy. Exchange of both CO and 1‐hexyne by P(OEt)₃ and pyridine, respectively, proceeds by a bimolecular mechanism. As similar activation enthalpies are obtained for both reactions, the rate‐determining step in both cases is assumed to be the rotation of the Fe(CO)₂L (L=CO or 1‐hexyne) unit to accommodate the incoming ligand. The kinetic profile for the displacement of 1‐hexene is quite different than that for the alkyne and, in this case, both reaction channels, that is, dissociative (S_N1) and associative (S_N2), were found to be competitive. Because DFT calculations predict similar binding enthalpies of alkene and alkyne to the iron center, the results indicate that the bimolecular pathway in the case of the alkyne is lower in free energy than that of the alkene. In complexes of this type, subtle changes in the departing ligand characteristics and the nature of the mercapto bridge can influence the exchange mechanism, such that more than one reaction pathway is available for ligand substitution. The difference between this and the analogous study of (μ‐pdt)[Fe(CO)₃]₂ (pdt=S(CH₂)₃S) underscores the unique characteristics of a three‐atom S?S linker in the active site of diiron hydrogenases.     

Enantioselective and Regiodivergent Functionalization of N‐Allylcarbamates by Mechanistically Divergent Multicatalysis

A pair of mechanistically divergent multicatalytic reaction sequences has been developed consisting of nickel‐catalyzed isomerization of N‐allylcarbamates and subsequent phosphoric‐acid‐catalyzed enantioselective functionalization of the resulting intermediates. By appropriate selection of reaction partners, in situ generated imines and ene‐carbamates are mechanistically partitioned to yield opposing functionalized products. Formal α‐functionalization to give protected α‐arylamines is achieved upon enantioselective Friedel–Crafts reaction with arene nucleophiles, whereas formal β‐functionalization is achieved upon reaction with diarylimine electrophiles in an enantioselective Povarov‐[4+2] cycloaddition.     

In silico identification of conserved microRNAs and their target transcripts from expressed sequence tags of three earthworm species

MicroRNAs are a recently identified class of small regulatory RNAs that target more than 30% protein-coding genes. Elevating evidence shows that miRNAs play a critical role in many biological processes, including developmental timing, tissue differentiation, and response to chemical exposure. In this study, we applied a computational approach to analyze expressed sequence tags, and identified 32 miRNAs belonging to 22 miRNA families, in three earthworm species Eisenia fetida, Eisenia andrei, and Lumbricus rubellus. These newly identified earthworm miRNAs possess a difference of 2-4 nucleotides from their homologous counterparts in Caenorhabditis elegans. They also share similar features with other known animal miRNAs, for instance, the nucleotide U being dominant in both mature and pre-miRNA sequences, particularly in the first position of mature miRNA sequences at the 5' end. The newly identified earthworm miRNAs putatively regulate mRNA genes that are involved in many important biological processes and pathways related to development, growth, locomotion, and reproduction as well as response to stresses, particularly oxidative stress. Future efforts will focus on experimental validation of their presence and target mRNA genes to further elucidate their biological functions in earthworms.     

Long-range fluorine-proton coupling in 1,2,4-triazole derivatives

Several 1,2,4-triazole derivatives containing a 2-fluorophenyl substituent at either the 3- or 5-position and a methyl group at the 4-position were synthesized. These derivatives exhibit long-range ¹⁹F-¹H and ¹⁹F-¹³C through-space coupling in their ¹H and ¹³C nmr spectra between the fluorine and the 4-methyl group. The close spatial proximity of these nuclei was confirmed by X-ray analysis and by fluorine irradiated proton observe ({¹⁹F}-¹H) NOE difference spectroscopy.