Development, validation and transfer of a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric method for the analysis of the tobacco-specific nitrosamine metabolite NNAL in human plasma at low picogram per milliliter concentrations

A highly sensitive bioanalytical method based on a simple liquid/liquid extraction and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC/MS/MS) analysis has been developed, validated and transferred for the determination of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), a tobacco-specific nitrosamine metabolite. Deuterated NNAL (NNAL-d(4)) was synthesized and used as the internal standard. This method can be used for the analysis of free and total NNAL (free NNAL plus NNAL-gluc) in K(3)-EDTA human plasma. Free NNAL and NNAL-d(4) are extracted from human plasma by liquid/liquid extraction. To analyze for total NNAL and the internal standard, a separate aliquot of the K(3)-EDTA human plasma is treated with beta-glucuronidase to deconjugate the NNAL-gluc; the total NNAL and internal standard are then extracted using liquid/liquid extraction. After drying down under nitrogen, the residue is reconstituted with acetonitrile and analyzed using positive ion electrospray and HILIC/MS/MS at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The chromatographic run time is 1.0 min per injection, with retention time for both NNAL and NNAL-d(4) of 0.75 min with a capacity factor (k') of 2. The standard curve range for this assay is from 5.00-1000 pg/mL for both free and total NNAL, using a total plasma sample volume of 1.0 mL. The interday precision and accuracy of the quality control (QC) samples demonstrated <7.6% relative standard deviation (RSD) and <3.3% relative error (RE) for free NNAL. For total NNAL, the interday precision and accuracy of the QC samples demonstrated <11.7% RSD and <2.8% RE. Optimization of enzyme hydrolysis of NNAL-gluc is discussed in detail. The overall recoveries for free and total NNAL and IS were 68.2 and 71.5% (free) and 70.7 and 65.5% (total). No adverse matrix effects were noticed for this assay.     

Temperature-dependent behavior of a symmetric long-chain bolaamphiphile with phosphocholine headgroups in water: from hydrogel to nanoparticles

The temperature-dependent self-assembly of the single-chain bolaamphiphile dotriacontan-1,1'-diyl-bis[2-(trimethylammonio)ethyl phosphate] (PC-C32-PC) was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray scattering, rheological measurements, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). At room temperature this compound, in which two phosphocholine headgroups are connected by a C(32) alkyl chain, proved to be capable of gelling water very efficiently by forming a dense network of nanofibers (Kohler et al. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 245). A specific feature of this self-assembly process is that it is not driven by hydrogen bonds but solely by hydrophobic interactions of the long alkyl chains. The nanofibers have a thickness of roughly the molecular length and show a helical superstructure. A model for the molecular structure of the fibrils which considers the extreme constitution of the bolaamphiphile is proposed. Upon heating the suspensions three different phase transitions can be detected. Above 49 degrees C, the temperature of the main transition where the alkyl chains become "fluid", a clear low-viscosity solution is obtained due to a breakdown of the fibrils into smaller aggregates. Through mechanical stress the gel structure can be destroyed as well, indicating a low stability of these fibers. The gel formation is reversible, but as a drastic rearrangement of the molecules takes place, metastable states occur.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of prodrugs based on the natural antibiotic duocarmycin for use in ADEPT and PMT

Chemotherapy of malign tumors is usually associated with serious side effects as common anticancer drugs lack selectivity. An approach to deal with this problem is the antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (ADEPT) and the prodrug monotherapy (PMT). Herein, the synthesis and biological evaluation of new glycosidic prodrugs suitable for both concepts are described. All prodrugs but one are stable in human serum and show QIC(50) values (IC(50) of prodrug/IC(50) of prodrug in the presence of the appropriate glycohydrolase) of up to 6500. This is the best value found so far for compounds interacting with DNA.     

Size‐Tunable Micron‐Bubbles Based on Fluorous–Fluorous Interactions of Perfluorinated Dendritic Polyglycerols

This paper describes the behavior of various generations of polyglycerol dendrimers that contain a perfluorinated shell. The aggregation in organic solvents is based on supramolecular fluorous–fluorous interactions, which can be described by means of ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy. In order to study the interaction and aggregation phenomena of dendrimers with perfluorinated shell and perfluoro‐tagged guest molecules we investigated [G3.5]‐dendrimer with a perfluorinated shell in the presence of perfluoro‐tagged disperse red. Noteworthy, the interaction intensities varied in an unexpected manner depending on the equivalents of perfluoro‐tagged guest molecules added to the dendrimers in solution which then formed supramolecular complexes based on fluorous–fluorous interactions. We found that these complexes aggregated around residual air in the solvent to form stable micron‐sized bubbles. Their sizes correlated with the interaction intensities measured for certain dendrimer–guest molecule ratios. Degassing of the solutions led to a quasi phase separation between organic and fluorous phase, whereby the dendrimers formed the fluorous phases. Regassing the sample with air afforded bubbles of the initial size again.     

Regioselective Oxidative Ring Opening of Cyclopropyl Silyl Ethers: A Quantum Chemical Study

In contrast to the structurally and configurationally stable alkyl‐ or aryl‐substituted cyclopropyl radical cations, cyclopropyl silyl ethers undergo spontaneous ring opening upon oxidation whereby the endocyclic C? C(O‐TMS) bond is cleaved with remarkable selectivity. DFT calculations on 1‐trimethylsilyloxybicyclo[4.1.0]heptane show that this selectivity arises from the topology of the potential surface of the corresponding radical cation which is initially generated in a very steep region of the potential surface from where the steepest descent leads to cleavage of the endocyclic rather than the lateral C? C(OTMS) bond. Cleavage of the lateral bond leads to interesting conformational changes which are explored in detail.     

Stereoselective preparation of six diastereomeric quatercyclopropanes from bicyclopropylidene and some derivatives

Diastereomeric meso- and d,l-bis(bicyclopropylidenyl) (5) were obtained upon oxidation with oxygen of a higher-order cuprate generated from lithiobicyclopropylidene (4) in 50 and 31 % yield, respectively. Their perdeuterated analogues meso-[D(14)]- and d,l-[D(14)]-5 were obtained along the same route from perdeuterated bicyclopropylidene [D(8)]-3 (synthesized in six steps in 7.4 % overall yield from [D(8)]-THF) in 20.5 % yield each. Dehalogenative coupling of 1,1-dibromo-2-cyclopropylcyclopropane (6) gave a mixture of all possible stereoisomers of 1,5-dicyclopropylbicyclopropylidene 16 in 69 % yield, from which (Z)-cis-16 was separated by preparative gas chromatography (26 % yield). The crystal structure of meso-5 looks like a superposition of the crystal structures of two outer bicyclopropylidene units (3) and one inner s-trans-bicyclopropyl unit, whereas the two outer cyclopropyl moieties adopt a gauche orientation with respect to the cyclopropane rings at the inner bicyclopropylidene units in (Z)-cis-16. Birch reduction with lithium in liquid ammonia of meso-5 and d,l-5 gave two pairs of diastereomeric quatercyclopropanes trans,trans-(R*,S*,R*, S*)-17/cis,trans-(R*,S*,R*,R*)-18 and trans,trans-(R*,S*,S*,R*)-19/cis,trans-(R*,S*,S*,S*)-20 in 97 and 76 % yield, respectively, in a ratio 9:1 for every pair. The latter diastereomer was also obtained as the sole product by Birch reduction of (Z)-cis-16 in 96 % yield. Under the same conditions, tetradecadeuterio analogues trans,trans-[D(14)]-(R*,S*,R*,S*)-17/cis,trans-[D(14)]-(R*, S*,R*,R*)-18 (8:1) and trans,trans-[D(14)]-(R*,S*,S*,R*)-19/cis,trans-[D(14)]-(R*,S*,S*,S*)-20 (12:1) were prepared from meso-[D(14)]-5 and d,l-[D(14)]-5 in 37 and 63 % yield, respectively. Reduction of meso-5 with diimine gave the cis,cis-quatercyclopropane (S*,S*,R*,R*)-21 as the main product (58 % yield) along with the cis,trans-diastereomer (S*,S*,R*,S*)-18 (29 % yield). Thus, five of the six possible diastereomeric quatercyclopropanes were obtained from meso-5, d,l-5, and (Z)-cis-16. The X-ray crystal structure analyses of trans,trans-(R*,S*,R*,S*)-17 and cis,cis-(S*,S*,R*,R*)-21 revealed for the both an unusual conformation in which the central bicyclopropyl unit adopts an s-trans-(antiperiplanar) orientation with phi=180.0 degrees , and the two terminal bicyclopropyl moieties adopt a synclinal conformation with phi=49.8 and 72.0 degrees , respectively. In solution the vicinal coupling constants (3)J(H,H) in trans,trans-(R*,S*,R*,S*)-[D(14)]-17, trans,trans-(R*,S*,S*,R*)-[D(14)]-19, trans,cis-(R*,S*,R*,R*)-[D(14)]-18 and trans,cis-(R*,S*,S*,S*)-[D(14)]-20 were found to be 4.1, 4.7, 5.9 and 5.9 Hz, respectively. This indicates a predominance of the all-gauche conformer in (R*,S*,R*,S*)-17 and a decreasing fraction of it in this sequence of the other diastereomers.     

Highly Substituted Spiro[4.4]nonatrienes from a β-Amino-Substituted α,β-Unsaturated Fischer Carbene Complex and Three Molecules of an Arylalkyne

A novel mode of reaction towards arylethynes is shown by the β-trimethylsilyl-substituted α,β-unsaturated Fischer carbene complexes 1 . A mixture of the isomeric, highly substituted spiro[4.4]nonatrienes 2 and 3 is formed by the formal insertion of three alkyne molecules and subsequent cyclization (see scheme). Such selective triple insertions of alkynes into ethenylcarbene complexes have not been previously observed.     

Estimating relative free energies from a single ensemble: Hydration free energies

The ability to determine the free energy of solvation for a number of small organic molecules with varying sizes and properties from the coordinate trajectory of a single simulation of a given reference state was investigated. The relative free energies were estimated from a single step perturbation using the perturbation formula. The reference state consisted of a cavity surrounded by solvent. To enhance sampling a soft-core interaction was used for the cavity. The effect of the size of the cavity, the effective core height, and the length of simulation on the ability to reproduce results obtained from thermodynamic integration calculations was considered. The results using a single step perturbation from an appropriately chosen initial state were comparable to results from thermodynamic integration calculations for a wide range of compounds. Using a large number of compounds the computational efficiency was potentially increased by 2–3 orders of magnitude over traditional free energy approaches. Factors determining the efficiency of the approach are discussed. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 20: 1604–1617, 1999