Corallistin A,a second example of a free porphyrin from a living organism. Isolation from the demosponge Corallistes sp. of the coral see and inhibition of abnormal cells

It is shown that the demosponge Corallistes sp. (Tetractinomorpha, Lithistida, Corallistidae) collected in the Coral Sea, contains corallistin A ( 1 ), the second example, of a free porphyrin from a living organism. The compound proved to be active against the Kb cell line. In contrast with the geoporphyrins which do not bear any O-atom corallistin A ( 1 ) carries two carboxylic groups.     

P to Se cross polarization in β-P4Se3

Cross polarization from ³¹P to ⁷⁷Se is demonstrated in β-P₄Se₃. This material, an inorganic glass, is readily synthesized from the elements and serves as a convenient sample for setting the Hartmann-Hahn condition.     

Normal-Phase TLC Separation of Some Antiarrhythmics. Densitometric Determination of Mexiletine Hydrochloride in Capsules

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - A normal-phase (NP) TLC method has been established for separation of the five antiarrhythmics - disopyramide, flecainide,...     

Novel Hydroxyicosatetraenoic and Hydroxyicosapentaenoic Acids and a 13-Oxo Analog. Isolation from a Mixture of the Calcareous Red Algae Lithothamnion corallioides and Lithothamnion calcareum of Brittany Waters

A mixture of the red calcareous algae Lithothamnion corallioides CROUAN and Lithothamnion calcareum (PALLAS ) ARESCHOUGH , from Brittany waters, gives, on ethanolic extraction, the novel icosanoids ethyl 13-hydroxy-arachidonate (=(+)-all-Z-ethyl 13-hydroxyicosa-5,8, 11,14,-tetraenoate; (+)- 1 )), ethyl 13-hydroxytimnodonate (=(+)-(all-Z)-ethyl 13-hydroxyicosa-5,8,11,14,17-pentaenoate ((+)- 2 ), and (5Z,9E,11E,14E)-ethyl 8-hydroxy-13-oxoicosa-5,9,11,14-tetraenoate ( 3 ). Moreover, the ethyl esters of four known icosatetraenoic acids are contained in the above algae. Structural elucidations of these metabolites are based mainly on NMR data.     

Comparative metallobiochemical studies on present environmental levels of arsenic in mammals

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis has been developed for the determination of arsenic down to 0.1 ng in the tissues of 5 month old rabbits and in the diet to which animals were exposed. Much effort was devoted to study all possible interferences and contaminations. The application of NAA to metabolic studies in laboratory animals exposed to present environmental levels of arsenic shows marked differences between the concentrations of the element in the tissues of rats and rabbits, suggesting that arsenic follows different metabolic pathways in these animals.     

Photoinduced Double Addition of Acetylene to 3-Oxocyclopent-1-ene-1-carbonitrile or 3-oxocyclopent-1-enyl acetate leading to 2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-one and other rearranged products

UV Irradiation of 3-oxocyclopent-1-enyl acetate ( 17 ) and acetylene in MeCN at 0° gives, besides the product of normal enone-alkyne [2 + 2] cycloaddition (cis-4-oxobicyclo[3.2.0] hept-6-en-1-yl acetate, 18 ) and its product of oxa-di-π-methane rearrangement (5-oxotricyclo[4.1.0.0^2,7]hept-2-yl acetate, 19 ), unexpected products of further addition of a molar equivalent of acetylene. These are indanone ( = 2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-one, 16 ), in 21% yield, cis-1-cisoid-1,2-cis-2- ( 20 ) and cis-1-transoid-1,2-cis-2-7-oxotricyclo[4.3.0.0^2,5]non-3-en-1-yl acetate ( 21 ), 4-oxo-7-‘exo’-vinyltricyclo[3.2.0.0^2,6]hept-2-yl acetate ( 22 ), cis-4-oxo-6-‘endo’- ( 23 ) and cis-4-oxo-6-‘exo’-vinylbicyclo[3.2.0]hept-1-yl acetate ( 24 ), and cis-4-oxo-7-‘exo’-vinylbicyclo[3.2.0]hept-1-yl acetate ( 25 ). At least in part, indanone must be formed via intermediates 20 and 21 . In fact, on heating a 9:1 mixture 20/21 , indanone is obtained quantitatively. With 3-oxocyclopent-1-ene-1-carbonitrile ( 15 ) in place of 17 , indanone is formed in lower (8%) yield besides much tars.     

Oxidative Breaking of Long-Chain Acetylenic Enol Ethers of Glycerol of the Marine Sponges Raspailia pumila and of Model Compounds with Aerial Oxygen

The raspailynes (novel long-chain enol ethers of glycerol having the enol ethers double bond conjugated in sequence, to an acetylenic and an olefinic bond, isolated from the North-East-Atlantic sponges Raspailia pumila and R. ramosa) are stable under normal hydrolytic conditions for enol ethers. In contrast, when their solutions are evaporated, these lipids such as raspailyne Bl (=(?))-3-[(1Z,5Z)-(tetradeca-1,5-dien-3-ynyl)oxy]-1,2-propanediol;(?- 2 ) rapidly react with aerial O₂ under normal laboratory-daylight conditions, with rupture of the C=C enol ether bond to give 1-O-formylglycerol ( 3 ) and an aldehyde (such as tridec-4-en-2ynal( 4 ) from (?)- 2 ). This reaction must be caused by triplet O₂, since thermally generated singlet O₂ has no effect on (?)- 2 in solution. That the mere presence of an enol-ether moiety conjugated to an acetylenic group is responsible for such a behaviour is demonstrated with the model compounds 1-methoxypentadec-1-en-3-yn-5-ol ( 6a ) and its 5-O-acetyl or 5-O-tetra-hydropyranyl derivatives 6b and 6c , respectively. Resistance to both hydroytic conditions and singlet O₂ of these compounds is thought to arise from electron depletion at the enol-ether C(beta;) atom by the acetylenic group. Plausible reaction pathways for enol-ether bond rupture in these compounds by aerial O₂ are outlined.     

Leucascandrolide A,a New Type of Macrolide: The first powerfully bioactive metabolite of calcareous sponges (Leucascandra caveolata,a new genus from the coral sea)

Leucascandrolide A ((+)- 1 ), a doubly O-bridged 18-membered macrolide of a new type, i.e., showing little C₁-branching vs. extensive 1,3-dioxygenation and a peculiar side chain, was isolated from a calcareous sponge of a new genus, Leucascandra caveolata BOROJEVIC and KLAUTAU from the Coral Sea. Transesterification of (+)- 1 gave the methyl ester 3 , derived from the side chain, and the 5-hydroxy derivative (+)- 2 , derived from the macrolide portion and with the natural configuration at C(5) (axial). Mosher's MTPA esters 4 and 5 obtained from (+)- 2 showed scattered Δδ = (δ(S) ? δ(R)) data. However, inversion of the configuration at C(5) led, via ketone (+)- 6 , to the less encumbered 5-equatorial hydroxy derivative (+)- 7 , whose MTPA esters 8 and 9 gave consistent Δδ data, allowing the assignment of the absolute configuration of (+)- 7 , and hence of (+)- 1 . The structural novelty of (+)- 1 and its powerful antifungal and cytotoxic activities are likely to renew interest in calcareous sponges, previously limited to scarcely biologically active 2-aminoimidazoles.     

A novel glyceryl ester (glyceryl dendryphiellate A), a trinor-eremophilane (dendryphiellin A1), and eremophilanes (dendryphiellin E1 and E2) from the marine deuteromycete Dendryphiella salina (SUTHERLAND) PUGH et NICOT

Continuing studies of the global extracts from cultures of the marine deuteromycete Dendryphiella salina have led to the isolation of novel compounds that add to the scarce list of marine fungal metabolites. Besides (22E)-ergosta-4.6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one which, though known from basidiomycetes, was unknown in the sea, they are an unusual glyceryl ester, i.e. glycer-1-yl dendryphiellale A (= (+)-(2R)-2,3-dihydroxyprop-l-yl (6S,2E,4E)6-methylocta-2,4-dienoate; (+)- 1 ), a trinor-eremophilane, i.e. dendryphiellin A1 ( = (+)-(3R*,4E,6E)-7-{[(1R*,2S*,7R*,8aR*)-1,2,6,7,8,8a-hexahydro-7-hydroxy-1,8a-dimethyl-6-oxonaphthalen-2yl]oxycarbonyl}-3-methylhepta-4,6-dienoic acid; (+)- 11 ), and two eremophilanes, i.e. dendryphiellin El ( = (+)-(1R*, 2S*, 7S*,8aR*)-1,2,6,7,8,8a-hexahydro-1,8a-dimethyl-7-(1-methylethenyl)-6-oxonaphthalen-2-yl(6S,2E,4E)-6-methyl-octa-2,4-dienoate; (+)- 13 ) and dendryphiellin E2 ( = (+)-(1R*, 2S*, 8aR*)-1,2,6,7,8,8a-hexahydro-7-isopropyl-idene-1,8a-dimethyl-6-oxonaphthalen-2-yl (6S,2E,4E)-6-Methylocta-2,4-dienoate; (+)- 14 ). Absolute configurations have been established for (+)- 1 via total synthesis and for the acid portion of (+)- 13 and (+)- 14 via transesterification in NaOMe/MeOH which gave in both cases melhyl dendryphiellate A ((+)- 16 ) of known configuration and the free alcoholic moiety of (+)- 14 , i.e. (+)- 17 .     

Synthesis of the Alleged Natural Monoterpenoid α-Santolinenone

Authentic α-santolinenone ( = (+)-(4R)-1(7)-p-menthen-2-one; (+)- 1 ) is made available for the the first time in 30% overall yield from (+)-(4R)-p-menthene ((+)- 2 ) via the diastereoisomeric allylic alcohols (+)- 4a /(+)- 4b , which are oxidized to (+)- 1 with Ag₂CO₃/Celite. Yields are good, except for the last stage; indeed, only alcohol (+)- 4a , with equatorial OH-group, undergoes oxidation, and (+)- 1 is partly substracted via a hetero Diels-Alder dimerization giving a mixture of the diastereoisomeric dihydropyrans (+)- 5a /(+)- 5b . When Cr(VI) reagents ae used, (+)- 4a /(+)- 4b mainly give phellandral ( 6 ) and carvotanacetone ( 7 ), NnO₂ reacts too sluggishly with (+)- 4a /(+)- 4b . A camphor pyrolyzate, previously thought to be 1 must be a different compound, probably 7 .