The Lycopodium alkaloids

Lycopodium alkaloids are quinolizine, or pyridine and alpha-pyridone type alkaloids. Some Lycopodium alkaloids are potent inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Huperzine A (HupA) is reported to increase efficiency for learning and memory in animals, and it shows promise in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). 201 Lycopodium alkaloids from 54 species of Lycopodium (sensu lato) have been reported so far. This review is intended to to cover the chemical, pharmacological and clinical research on Lycopodium alkaloids reported in the literature from the spring of 1993 to August 2004. Structures of 81 new Lycopodium alkaloids are presented, classified and analyzed. The structural characters and biogenetic relationships of the four major Lycopodium alkaloid groups (lycopodine, lycodine, fawcettimine and miscellaneous) are discussed. Bioactivities of Lycopodium alkaloids, especially HupA, are summarized. In particular, the effect of HupA and other cholinesterase inhibitors (anti-AD drugs) on acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity in the rat cortex and butylcholine esterase activity are compared. Structure-activity relationships and structure modifications of HupA and its analogs are described. Information on clinical trials with HupA and its derivative ZT-1 is presented. The state of HupA availability and recent advances in in vitro propagation of HupA producing plants are outlined. Finally, hypotheses about Lycopodium alkaloid biosynthetic pathways are discussed.     

Lycopodine‐Type Lycopodium Alkaloids from Huperzia serrata

Eleven Lycopodium alkaloids with a lycopodine‐type skeleton were isolated from the basic material of the whole plant of Huperzia serrata (Thunb .) Trev. (Huperziaceae). Among them, 12‐epilycodoline N‐oxide (=(12α,15R)‐12‐hydroxy‐15‐methyllycopodan‐5‐one N‐oxide; 1 ), 7‐hydroxylycopodine (=(15S)‐7‐hydroxy‐15‐methyllycopodan‐5‐one; 2 ), and 4,6α‐dihydroxylycopodine (=(6α,15R)‐4,6‐dihydroxy‐15‐methyllycopodan‐5‐one; 3 ) are new compounds. Their structures were identified spectroscopically, especially by means of 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR.     

Sensitive Voltammetric Response of p‐Nitroaniline on Single‐Wall Carbon Nanotube‐Ionic Liquid Gel Modified Glassy Carbon Electrodes

An ionic liquid (i.e., 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, BMIMPF₆)‐single‐walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) gel modified glassy carbon electrode (BMIMPF₆‐SWNT/GCE) is fabricated. At it the voltammetric behavior and determination of p‐nitroaniline (PNA) is explored. PNA can exhibit a sensitive cathodic peak at ?0.70 V (vs. SCE) in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution on the electrode, resulting from the irreversible reduction of PNA. Under the optimized conditions, the peak current is linear to PNA concentration over the range of 1.0×10^?8–7.0×10^?6 M, and the detection limit is 8.0×10^?9 M. The electrode can be regenerated by successive potential scan in a blank solution for about 5 times and exhibits good reproducibility. Meanwhile, the feasibility to determine other nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) with the modified electrode is also tested. It is found that the NACs studied (i.e., p‐nitroaniline, p‐nitrophenol, o‐nitrophenol, m‐nitrophenol, p‐nitrobenzoic acid, and nitrobenzene) can all cause sensitive cathodic peaks under the conditions, but their peak potentials and peak currents are different to some extent. Their peak currents and concentrations show linear relationships in concentration ranges with about 3 orders of magnitude. The detection limits are 8.0×10^?9 M for p‐nitroaniline, 2.0×10^?9 M for p‐nitrophenol, 5.0×10^?9 M for o‐nitrophenol, 5.0×10^?9 M for m‐nitrophenol, 2.0×10^?8 M for p‐nitrobenzoic acid and 8.0×10^?9 M for nitrobenzene respectively. The BMIMPF₆‐SWNT/GCE is applied to the determination of NACs in lake water.     

Alcohol‐Vapor Inclusion in Single‐Crystal Adsorbents [MII2(bza)4(pyz)]n (M=Rh,Cu): Structural Study and Application to Separation Membranes

The vapor absorbency of the series of alcohols methanol, ethanol, 1‐propanol, 1‐butanol, and 1‐pentanol was characterized on the single‐crystal adsorbents [M^II₂(bza)₄(pyz)]_n (bza=benzoate, pyz=pyrazine, M=Rh ( 1 ), Cu ( 2 )). The crystal structures of all the alcohol inclusions were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography at 90 K. The crystal‐phase transition induced by guest adsorption occurred in the inclusion crystals except for 1‐propanol. A hydrogen‐bonded dimer of adsorbed alcohol was found in the methanol‐ and ethanol‐inclusion crystals, which is similar to a previous observation in 2 ?2EtOH (S. Takamizawa, T. Saito, T. Akatsuka, E. Nakata, Inorg. Chem. 2005 , 44, 1421–1424). In contrast, an isolated monomer was present in the channel for 1‐propanol, 1‐butanol, and 1‐pentanol inclusions. All adsorbed alcohols were stabilized by hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic interactions between host and guest. From the combined results of microscopic determination (crystal structure) and macroscopic observation (gas‐adsorption property), the observed transition induced by gas adsorption is explained by stepwise inclusion into the individual cavities, which is called the “step‐loading effect.” Alcohol/water separation was attempted by a pervaporation technique with microcrystals of 2 dispersed in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) membrane. In the alcohol/water separation, the membrane showed effective separation ability and gave separation factors (alcohol/water) of 5.6 and 4.7 for methanol and ethanol at room temperature, respectively.     

Synthesis of (±)‐Kempa‐6,8‐dien‐3‐ol (=(2aRS,3SR,4aSR,7RS,7aSR,10bSR,10cSR)‐2,2a,3,4,4a,5,6,7,7a,8,10b,10c‐Dodecahydro‐2a,7,10,10c‐tetramethylnaphth[2,18‐cde]azulen‐3‐ol)

The synthesis of kempa‐6,8‐dien‐3β‐ol ( 4a ), as a synthetic leading model of the natural product 4b , was carried out starting from intermediate 12 , the synthetic route of which has been developed previously (Scheme 1). The conversion of 12 to the model compound 4a involved the elaboration of three structure modifications by three processes, Tasks A, B, and C (see Scheme 2). Task A was achieved by epoxy‐ring opening of 41 with Me₃SiCl (Scheme 9), and Task B being performed by oxidation at the 13‐position, followed by hydrogenation, and then epimerization (Schemes 4 and 5). The removal of the 2‐OH group from 12 (Task C) was achieved via 30b according to Scheme 6, whereby 30b was formed exclusively from 30a / 31a 1 : 1 (Scheme 7). In addition, some useful reactions from the synthetic viewpoint were developed during the course of the present experiments.     

Effect of carbon nanotubes on the crystallization and properties of polypropylene

The effect of different concentrations of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) on the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics, morphology, and mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP) matrix composites obtained by melt compounding was investigated by means of X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, optical and scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Microscopy showed well‐dispersed nanotube ropes together with small and large aggregates. The modulus was found to increase by about 75% at a level of 0.5 wt % nanotubes. The SWNTs displayed a clear nucleating effect on the PP crystallization, favoring the α crystalline form rather than the β form. The crystallization kinetics analysis showed a significant increase in activation energy on incorporating nanotubes. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 2445–2453, 2005     

Synthesis of 2‐Dihydrooxadiazolinyl Chromones

Reactions of the substituted 2‐formyl chromones with aroylhydrazines gave corresponding 2‐(aroylhydrazonomethylidyne) chromones. Then 2‐(3′‐acetyl‐5′‐aryl‐2′,3′‐dihydro‐1′,3′,4′‐oxadiazol‐2′‐yl) chromones were prepared by these 2‐(aroylhydrazonomethylidyne) chromones under refluxing with Ac₂O. All target compounds were characterized through elemental analysis and IR, ¹H NMR, MS.     

Polyterephthalamides with naphthoxy‐pendent groups

A series of new aromatic polyamides having pendent naphthoxy groups were synthesized by the triphenyl phosphite‐activated polycondensation of (2‐naphthoxy)terephthalic acid (NOTPA) with various aromatic diamines in a medium consisting of N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP), pyridine, and calcium chloride. The diacid monomer NOTPA was prepared from the nitro displacement of dimethyl 2‐nitroterephthalate with the potassium naphthoxide of β‐naphthol, followed by base‐induced ester hydrolysis. All the resulting polymers were noncrystalline and readily soluble in aprotic polar solvents such as NMP and N,N‐dimethylacetamide. Almost all the polymers could be solution‐cast to tough, creasable amorphous films with good mechanical properties, the values of tensile strengths ranging from 90 to 124 MPa with initial moduli ranging from 1.72 to 2.51 GPa. Except for two examples, all the other polyamides displayed discernible glass transitions between 189 and 248 °C in the differential scanning calorimetric traces. These polyamides showed insignificant decomposition below 400 °C in nitrogen or air. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1781–1789, 2002     

8—氮鸟嘌呤的极谱伏安行为

用循环伏安法（ＣＶ）、电流采样极诸法（ＳＣＰ，即ＴＡＳＴ）、常规脉冲极谱法（ＮＰＰ）、微分脉冲极谱法（ＤＰＰ）、线性扫描伏安法（ＬＳＶ）、Ｏｓｔｅｒｙｏｕｎｇ方波伏安法（ＯＳＷＶ）和计时库仑法（ＣＣ）等电化学技术研究了抗癌药物８－氮鸟嘌呤（８－ａｚａｇｕａｎｉｎｅ，ｇｕａｎａｚｏｌｏ，简称８－ＡＧ）的极谱伏安行为．在 ０． １ｍｏｌ／Ｌ Ｈ２ＳＯ４底液中，８－ＡＧ有一良好的还原峰，峰电位（Ｅｐ）在－０． ９５Ｖ（ｖｓ．Ａｇ／ＡｇＣｌ，下同）附近，８－ＡＧ浓度在４×１０－６～８×１０－４ｍｏｌ／Ｌ范围内．峰高与浓度有良好的线性关系，线性相关系数ｒ＝０．９９９９～０．９９１０，检出限为１× １０－６ｍｏｌ／Ｌ．实验证明了该峰具有吸附性．本文提出了电极反应机理，它包括：酸性介质中８－ＡＧ的质子化、质子化的８－ＡＧ在汞电极上吸附以及完全不可逆的两电子还原过程．同时用量子化学计算方法（全略微分重叠法即ＣＮＤＯ／２）对８－ＡＧ和鸟嘌呤的各原子的净电荷以及Ｗｉｂｅｒｇ键级进行了计算，从理论上解释了８－ＡＧ的电化学还原机理。     

Biomimetic Asymmetric Reduction of Quinazolinones with Chiral and Regenerable NAD(P)H Models

A facile approach to chiral dihydroquinazolinone derivatives has been described via biomimetic asymmetric reduction of quinazolinones with chiral and regenerable NAD(P)H models. The utility of this method was demonstrated by a concise synthesis of the bromodomain protein divalent inhibitor.