Total syntheses of melinonine-E and strychnoxanthine: Evolution of the synthetic strategy enabled by novel method development

In this full account, the evolution of a synthetic strategy was detailed from a nitroso-ene cyclization to an aza-Wacker reaction for ring construction in the syntheses of melinonine-E and strychnoxanthine. The aza-Wacker cyclization to form the bridged ring was successfully developed and applied in the first asymmetric syntheses of melinonine-E and strychnoxanthine in 5–6 steps from a readily available chiral lactone. The proposed biogenesis of these two rare β-carbolinium alkaloids was revised based on their absolute configurations. Moreover, the substrate scope of the aza-Wacker cyclization demonstrated its potential for accessing various bridged ring skeletons. The mechanistic investigation established that the profound effect of the N-substituent on the amide was crucial to the success of the cyclization via the tunable amidopalladation pathway.     

Catalytic asymmetric cyanosilylation of ketones with chiral Lewis base

The development of broadly applicable and practical catalytic approaches for the enantioselective creation of quaternary stereocenters remains a highly desirable yet challenging goal. In this Communication, we describe a highly enantioselective cyanosilylation of acetal ketones (alpha,alpha-dialkoxy ketones) catalyzed by modified cinchona alkaloids. This reaction is the first highly enantioselective cyanosilylation of ketones catalyzed by an organic chiral Lewis base and is found to be highly efficient with acetal ketones bearing a broad range of alkyl, aryl, alkenyl, and alkynyl substituents. This new catalytic asymmetric reaction, coupled with the versatility of the acetal functionality, provides a broadly useful synthetic method for chiral building blocks bearing quaternary stereocenters. Acetal ketones, readily accessible but previously unexplored in asymmetric synthesis, demonstrate unusual reactivity and selectivity toward the nucleophilic cyanosilylation, thereby suggesting that they may be interesting substrates for other catalytic enantioselective reactions.     

Photodissociation dynamics of the methyl radical at 212.5 nm: effect of parent internal excitation

Photodissociation dynamics of the CH3 radical at 212.5 nm has been investigated using the H atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight method with a pure CH3 radical source generated by the photolysis of CH3I at 266 nm. Time-of-flight spectra of the H atom products from the photolysis of both cold and hot methyl radicals have been measured at different photolysis polarizations. Experimental results indicate that the photodissociation of the methyl radical in its ground vibrational state at 212.5 nm excitation occurs on a very fast time scale in comparison with its rotational period, indicating the CH3 dissociation at 212.5 nm occurs on the excited 3s Rydberg state surface. Experimental evidence also shows that the photodissociation of the methyl radical in the nu2 = 1 state of the umbrella mode at 212.5 nm excitation is characteristically different from that in the ground vibrational state.     

Design, synthesis, and anti-proliferative evaluation of [1,1'-biphenyl]-4-ols as inhibitor of HUVEC migration and tube formation

Allylated biphenol neolignans contain a variety of chemopreventive entities that have been used as anti-tumor drug leads. Herein, 37 allylated biphenols were evaluated for anti-proliferative activity by the MTT assay and inhibitory effect on the migration and tube formation of HUVECs featuring anti-angiogenic properties. 3-(2-Methylbut-3-en-2-yl)-3′,5′-bis(trifluoromethyl)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-ol (5c) exerted an inhibitory effect on HUVECs compared to honokiol (IC?? = 47.0 vs. 52.6 μM) and showed significant blocking effects on the proliferation of C26, Hela, K562, A549, and HepG2 (IC?? = 15.0, 25.0, 21.2, 29.5, and 13.0 μM, respectively), superior to those of honokiol (IC?? = 65.1, 62.0, 42.0, 75.0, and 55.4 μM, respectively). Importantly, compound 5c inhibited the migration and capillary-like tube formation of HUVECs in vitro.     

Pnicogen-hydride interaction between FH2X (X = P and As) and HM (M = ZnH, BeH, MgH, Li, and Na)

A pnicogen-hydride interaction has been predicted and characterized in FH(2)P-HM and FH(2)As-HM (M = ZnH, BeH, MgH, Li, and Na) complexes at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level. For the complexes analyzed here, P(As) and HM are treated as a Lewis acid and a Lewis base, respectively. This interaction is moderate or strong since, for the strongest interaction of the FH(2)As-HNa complex, the interaction energy amounts to -24.79 kcal/mol, and the binding distance is equal to about 1.7 ?, much less than the sum of the corresponding van der Waals radii. By comparison with some related systems, it is concluded that the pnicogen-hydride interactions are stronger than dihydrogen bonds and lithium-hydride interactions. This interaction has been analyzed with natural bond orbitals, atoms in molecules, electron localization function, and symmetry adapted perturbation theory methods.     

Characterizing affinity epitopes between prion protein and β-amyloid using an epitope mapping immunoassay

Cellular prion protein, a membrane protein, is expressed in all mammals. Prion protein is also found in human blood as an anchorless protein, and this protein form is one of the many potential sources of misfolded prion protein replication during transmission. Many studies have suggested that β-amyloid_1–42 oligomer causes neurotoxicity associated with Alzheimer''s disease, which is mediated by the prion protein that acts as a receptor and regulates the hippocampal potentiation. The prevention of the binding of these proteins has been proposed as a possible preventative treatment for Alzheimer''s disease; therefore, a greater understanding of the binding hot-spots between the two molecules is necessary. In this study, the epitope mapping immunoassay was employed to characterize binding epitopes within the prion protein and complementary epitopes in β-amyloid. Residues 23–39 and 93–119 in the prion protein were involved in binding to β-amyloid_1–40 and _1–42, and monomers of this protein interacted with prion protein residues 93–113 and 123–166. Furthermore, β-amyloid antibodies against the C-terminus detected bound β-amyloid_1–42 at residues 23–40, 104–122 and 159–175. β-Amyloid epitopes necessary for the interaction with prion protein were not determined. In conclusion, charged clusters and hydrophobic regions of the prion protein were involved in binding to β-amyloid_1–40 and _1–42. The 3D structure appears to be necessary for β-amyloid to interact with prion protein. In the future, these binding sites may be utilized for 3D structure modeling, as well as for the pharmaceutical intervention of Alzheimer''s disease.     

Synthesis of adducts of o-quinone metabolites of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with 2'-deoxyribonucleosides

[structure: see text] The first syntheses of the adducts formed in the reactions of o-quinone metabolites of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (BPQ and BAQ) at 2'-deoxyadenosine and 2'-deoxyguanosine sites in DNA are reported. These syntheses entail Pd-catalyzed coupling of protected amine derivatives of catechols with suitably protected halopurine analogues of 2'-deoxyribonucleosides.     

A New Method to Investigate the Clustering Phenomena in Supercritical Fluids

EstimationoflocaldensityofsolventaboutthesoluteSolvatochromicbehaviorsofspectroscopicprobesarewidelyusedtoestimatethesol-ventstrengthofsupercriticalfluids(SCF,).i-3lnthiswork,thesolvatochrondcshiftofthen-n*transitionbandforacetone(O.o37mo1.L-')insupercrihcal(SC)CO2wasde-terminedbyUVspectroscopytostUdythesolvationeffect.TheMcRae-BaylissexpressionbasedonthedielectriccontinUUInmodelgivestherelahonshipbetWeenso1vatochromicshiftandpo1arizabilityofnonPolarsolvents4-5asfollows:wherevisthewave…     

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Properties of [Co(1,3- bdoaH)_2·4H_2O]·4H_2O with Benzene-1,3-dioxyacetate Ligand

1INTRODUCTIONTheorganicaromaticcarboxylatemetalcom-plexeshavearousedmuchattentionandbeenwidelyinvestigated.However,thestrategyofdesignandsynthesisofthesecomplexesismostlyfocusedonrigidligands,suchasterephthalicacidandbenzenetricarboxylicacid,etc.[1～5].Theassemblyofcom-plexesbyusingflexiblearomaticcarboxylateli-gandsisfarlessdeveloped[6,.Phenylenedioxydia-7]ceticacids(bdoaH2)withbiologicalactivitiesandwideapplicationsinagriculture[8]areafamilyofmultidentateflexibleligandswithversatilebind…     

Ox-LDL suppresses PMA-induced MMP-9 expression and activity through CD36-mediated activation of PPAR-g

During chronic inflammatory response, mono- cytes/macrophages produce 92-kDa matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which may contribute to their extravasation, migration and tissue remodeling. Activation of peroxisome proliferator- activated factor receptor-g (PPAR-g) has been shown to inhibit MMP-9 activity. To evaluate whether ox-LDL, a PPAR-g activator, inhibits PMA-induced MMP-9 expression and activity, and if so, whether CD36 and PPAR-g are involved in this process, we investigated the effect of ox-LDL on MMP-9 expression and activity in PMA-activated human monocytic cell line U937. PMA-induced MMP-9 expression and activity were suppressed by the treatment with ox-LDL (50 mg/ml) or PPAR-g activators such as troglitazone (5 mM), ciglitazone (5 mM), and 15d- PGJ2 (1 mM) for 24 h. This ox-LDL or PPAR-g activator-mediated inhibition of MMP-9 activity was diminished by the pre-treatment of cells with a blocking antibody to CD36, or PGF2a (0.3 mM), which is a PPAR-g inhibitor, as well as overexpression of a dominant-negative form of CD36. Taken together, these results suggest that ox-LDL suppresses PMA-induced MMP-9 expression and activity through CD36-mediated activation of PPAR-g.