Highly Enantioselective Brønsted Acid Catalyzed Heyns Rearrangement

Herein we report the first method for highly enantioselective Brønsted acid catalyzed Heyns rearrangements. These reactions, catalyzed by a chiral spiro phosphoric acid, afforded synthetically valuable chiral α-aryl-α-aminoketones which cannot be obtained by means of previously reported Heyns rearrangement methods. This method features low catalyst loadings, high yields and high enantioselectivities, making these reactions highly practical. We used the method to efficiently synthesize various chiral amines, including some biologically active molecules. We experimentally proved that these acid-catalyzed Heyns rearrangements proceeded via a proton-transfer process involving an enol intermediate and the stereocontrol was realized during the proton-transfer step.     

Liquid Fluxional Ga Single Atom Catalysts for Efficient Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Precise design and tuning of the micro-atomic structure of single atom catalysts (SACs) can help efficiently adapt complex catalytic systems. Herein, we inventively found that when the active center of the main group element gallium (Ga) is downsized to the atomic level, whose characteristic has significant differences from conventional bulk and rigid Ga catalysts. The Ga SACs with a P, S atomic coordination environment display specific flow properties, showing CO products with FE of ≈92 % at −0.3 V vs. RHE in electrochemical CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR). Theoretical simulations demonstrate that the adaptive dynamic transition of Ga optimizes the adsorption energy of the *COOH intermediate and renews the active sites in time, leading to excellent CO₂RR selectivity and stability. This liquid single atom catalysts system with dynamic interfaces lays the foundation for future exploration of synthesis and catalysis.     

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 as a dispersive solid phase extraction sorbent for simultaneous determination of 145 pesticide residues in polyphenol-rich plants

Many plants have a high polyphenol content, which causes the matrix effect and makes the analysis of trace pesticide residues highly challenging. A common approach to improving matrix effects is to purify pesticides through the use of sorbents, but this requires a combination of multiple sorbents and extensive use. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 is widely used for pesticide analysis due to its high porosity, large specific surface area, and versatility. Here, we established and validated a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method based on a zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 that was used to test the removal ability for polyphenols. To this end, 145 pesticide residues in peppermint, perilla, fennel, and mulberry leaves were analyzed by the modified method coupled with liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The mean recoveries of all pesticide residues were in the range of 74.3–103.7%, with mean relative standard deviations ≤9.1% at spiked concentrations of 1, 10, 50, and 100 μg/kg for mulberry leaves. The limits of quantitation of the method ranged from 1 to 50 μg/kg. This study offers a reliable approach for the accurate quantitative analysis of various trace substances in the polyphenol-rich plants.     

Fabrication of a family of atomically precise silver nanoclusters via dual-level kinetic control

The controllable preparation of metal nanoclusters in high yield is an essential prerequisite for their fundamental research and extensive application. Here a synthetic approach termed “dual-level kinetic control” was developed to fabricate a family of new silver nanoclusters. The introduction of secondary ligands was first exploited to retard the reduction rate and accomplish the first-level kinetic control. And the cooling of the reaction was performed to further slow the reduction down and accomplish the second-level kinetic control. A family of atomically precise silver nanoclusters (including [Ag₂₅(SR)₁₈]⁻, [Ag₃₄(SR)₁₈(DPPP)₃Cl₄]²⁺, [Ag₃₆(SR)₂₆S₄]²⁺, [Ag₃₇(SR)₂₅Cl₁]⁺, and [Ag₅₂(SR)₂₈Cl₄]²⁺) were controllably prepared and structurally determined. The developed “dual-level kinetic control” hopefully acts as a powerful synthetic tool to manufacture more nanoclusters with unprecedented compositions, structures, and properties.

A dual-level kinetic control was exploited to fabricate a family of atomically precise silver nanoclusters.     

Hyperacmosin R,a New Decarbonyl Prenylphloroglucinol with Unusual Spiroketal Subunit from Hypericum acmosepalum

Two previously undescribed polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols, hyperacmosins R-S (1–2), were obtained from the aerial parts of Hypericum acmosepalum. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and electronic circular dichroism calculation (ECD). Compound 1 featured an unprecedented 5,8-spiroketal subunit as well as the loss of C-2′ carbonyl in the phloroglucinol ring. In addition, compounds 1 and 4 showed weak hepatoprotective activity against paracetamol-induced HepG2 cell damage at 10 μm. The plausible biosynthetic pathway of 1 was proposed via a retro-Clasisen reaction and decarboxylation.     

Synthesis of Diversified Pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine Frameworks from 5-Aminopyrazoles and Alkynyl Aldehydes via Switchable C≡C Bond Activation Approaches

A cascade 6-endo-dig cyclization reaction was developed for the switchable synthesis of halogen and non-halogen-functionalized pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridines from 5-aminopyrazoles and alkynyl aldehydes via C≡C bond activation with silver, iodine, or NBS. In addition to its wide substrate scope, the reaction showed good functional group tolerance as well as excellent regional selectivity. This new protocol manipulated three natural products, and the arylation, alkynylation, alkenylation, and selenization of iodine-functionalized products. These reactions demonstrated the potential applications of this new method.     

Design,Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel and Potent Protein Arginine Methyltransferases 5 Inhibitors for Cancer Therapy

Protein arginine methyltransferases 5 (PRMT5) is a clinically promising epigenetic target that is upregulated in a variety of tumors. Currently, there are several PRMT5 inhibitors under preclinical or clinical development, however the established clinical inhibitors show favorable toxicity. Thus, it remains an unmet need to discover novel and structurally diverse PRMT5 inhibitors with characterized therapeutic utility. Herein, a series of tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ) derivatives were designed and synthesized as PRMT5 inhibitors using GSK-3326595 as the lead compound. Among them, compound 20 (IC₅₀: 4.2 nM) exhibits more potent PRMT5 inhibitory activity than GSK-3326595 (IC₅₀: 9.2 nM). In addition, compound 20 shows high anti-proliferative effects on MV-4-11 and MDA-MB-468 tumor cells and low cytotoxicity on AML-12 hepatocytes. Furthermore, compound 20 possesses acceptable pharmacokinetic profiles and displays considerable in vivo antitumor efficacy in a MV-4-11 xenograft model. Taken together, compound 20 is an antitumor compound worthy of further study.     

Isolation and Identification of Antioxidative Peptide from Goose Liver Hydrolysate to Ameliorate Alcohol-Mediated Oxidative Stress Damage in HHL-5 Hepatocytes

The aim of this study was to isolate and identify antioxidative peptide from goose liver hydrolysate (GLHP) for ameliorating oxidative stress damage by alcohol in HHL-5 hepatocytes. In this research, the target antioxidative peptides in GLHP were separated, purified, and identified via a tangential flow ultrafiltration system combined with size exclusion chromatography (SEC), ion exchange chromatography (IEC), reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC), and LC-MS/MS. The results suggested that the amino acid sequence of the target antioxidative peptide for ameliorating alcohol-mediated oxidative stress damage in HHL-5 hepatocytes was Leu-Pro-Leu-Pro-Phe-Pro (LPLPFP), which had a molecular weight of 683.41 Da, and was derived from NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 1 in goose liver. In addition, LPLPFP was confirmed to have a satisfactory stability and maintained high hepatic protective activity in a simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Moreover, the mechanism of LPLPFP prevented against oxidative stress damage in HHL-5 hepatocytes was attributed to inhibiting the production of reactive oxide species (ROS) by upregulating genes expression in the Ahr-NQO1 signal pathway. In conclusion, these results indicated that dietary GLHP supplementation could ameliorate alcohol-mediated oxidative stress damage and provide an affordable dietary intervention strategy to prevent alcohol-mediated hepatocyte damage.     

致癌性卤代醌类消毒副产物造成 DNA 损伤的分子机理研究

卤代醌是一类卤代芳烃类环境污染物的致癌中间体,也是在饮用水中新发现的氯化消毒副产物。我们最近发现卤代醌和 H₂O₂ 或有机氢过氧化物体系可以不依赖过渡金属离子,而产生高活性的羟基/烷氧自由基和醌氧/醌碳自由基。目前尚不清楚这些卤代醌类致癌物和氢过氧化物共存能否诱导 DNA 产生氧化损伤和修饰,以及其潜在的分子机制是什么。我们的研究发现 DNA 在四氯-1,4-苯醌/H₂O₂体系中可被氧化产生 8-氧脱氧鸟苷、DNA 链断裂和三种甲基氧化产物,这些反应不依赖过渡金属离子,且由于卤代醌与 DNA 的嵌入作用而导致其氧化作用增强。其他卤代醌也观察到了类似的现象,而且通常比经典的 Fenton 体系更有效。我们进一步将研究从纯化的 DNA 扩展到了活细胞的基因组 DNA。同时还发现卤代醌和有机氢过氧化物(如叔丁基过氧化氢或在正常生理条件下产生的 13S-过氧羟基-9Z,11E-十八碳二烯酸(13-HPODE))共存时,可通过独特的醌氧自由基介导机制诱导 DNA 氧化生成致突变性更强的咪唑啉酮类产物 dIz。这些发现为解释普遍存在的卤代醌类致癌中间体和消毒副产物的潜在基因毒性、致突变性和致癌性提供了新思路。     

酶催化原子转移自由基聚合

原子转移自由基聚合(ATRP)是制备分子量以及分散度可控聚合物的重要途径。然而,受制于除氧步骤复杂、金属催化剂残留以及单体适用范围有限等因素,ATRP难以应用于批量制备功能化聚合物/共聚物材料,限制了其进一步应用。近年来提出和发展的酶催化聚合,为高效便捷除氧、拓展单体适用范围以及制备具有特殊(纳米)结构的纯净聚合物/共聚物提供了新思路。本文详细介绍了酶的结构与催化机理,以酶的种类进行分类,系统总结了具有不同结构的酶催化体系(包括过氧化辣根酶、血红蛋白、血红素、漆酶等)的催化机理、适用单体、优缺点及应用等;综述了酶以及酶模拟物催化ATRP体系的发展现状;最后,对酶催化ATRP的发展前景和挑战进行了探讨和展望。