Total syntheses of epothilones B and d

A convergent, total synthesis of epothilones B (2) and D (4) is described. The key steps are Normant coupling to establish the desired (Z)-stereochemistry at C12-C13, Wadsworth-Emmons olefination of methyl ketone 28 with the phosphonate ester 8, diastereoselective aldol condensation of aldehyde 5 with the enolate of keto acid derivatives to form the C6-C7 bond, selective deprotection of acid 52, and macrolactonization.     

Surface Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles as a Selective Sorbent for Affinity Fishing of PPAR-γ Ligands from Choerospondias axillaris

Coronary heart disease (CHD), which has developed into one of the major diseases, was reported to be treated by the target of peroxisome proliferators-activate receptor γ (PPAR-γ). As a natural medicine long used in the treatment of CHD, there are few studies on how to screen the target active compounds with high specific activity from Choerospondias axillaris. To advance the pace of research on target-specific active compounds in natural medicines, we have combined magnetic ligand fishing and functionalized nano-microspheres to investigate the active ingredients of PPAR-γ targets in Choerospondias axillaris. The PPAR-γ functionalized magnetic nano-microspheres have been successfully synthesized and characterized by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The specificity, reusability, and reproducibility of the nano-microspheres were investigated with the help of the specific binding of rosiglitazone to PPAR-γ. In addition, the incubation temperature and the pH of the buffer solution in the magnetic ligand fishing were optimized to improve the specific adsorption efficiency of the analytes. Finally, with the aid of ultraperformance liquid chromatography plus Q-Exactive Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS/MS), the 16 active ligands including 9 organic acids, 5 flavonoids, and 2 phenols were found in the ethanolic extracts of Choerospondias axillaris. Therefore, the study can provide a successful precedent for realizing the designated extraction and rapid isolation of target-specific active ingredient groups in the complex mixtures.     

铜电路板缝腐蚀过程缝隙中pH、Cl-浓度分布的测量

根据铜电路板缝腐蚀特征,研制了阵列式Ag/AgCl、IrO2电极,设计缝隙腐蚀模拟装置,在0.5mol.L-1的NaCl溶液中分别同时原位检测电子线路板缝隙腐蚀过程,缝隙内的氯离子浓度分布、pH分布及其随时间的变化.研究表明,在电子线路板发生缝隙腐蚀的过程中,缝隙内部不同深度的Cl-及H+浓度逐渐增大,且随着与缝口距离的增大而增大,从而导致缝隙腐蚀不断向纵深方向发展.     

Simultaneous Determination of Six Immunosuppressants in Human Whole Blood by HPLC-MS/MS Using a Modified QuEChERS Method

A high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was established for the simultaneous determination of mycophenolic acid, mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, rapamycin, everolimus and pimecrolimus in human whole blood by optimizing the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) preparation method. Whole blood was extracted into ethyl acetate, salted out with anhydrous magnesium sulfate, and purified with ethylenediamine-N-propyl silane adsorbent. The supernatant was evaporated under nitrogen until dry and finally reconstituted in methanol. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column in methanol (mobile phase A)-water (optimized for 0.1% acetic acid and 10 mM ammonium acetate, mobile phase B) at a 0.3 mL·min⁻¹ flow rate. Electrospray ionization and positive ion multiple reaction monitoring were used for detection. The time for of analysis was 13 min. The calibration curves range of tacrolimus, rapamycin, everolimus and pimecrolimus were in the range of 1–100 ng·mL⁻¹, mycophenolate mofetil in the range of 0.1–10 ng·mL⁻¹ and mycophenolic acid at 10–1000 ng·mL⁻¹. All correlation coefficients were >0.993. The coefficients of variation (CV, %) for inter-day and intra-day precision were less than 10%, while the spiked recoveries were in the range of 92.1% to 116%. Our method was rapid, sensitive, specific, and reproducible for the simultaneous determination of six immunosuppressants in human whole blood. Importantly, our approach can be used to monitor drug concentrations in the blood to facilitate disease treatment.     

一例含阴离子水簇的钴配合物的合成、结构及理论研究

金属配合物中的水簇研究为研究宏观意义上的水以及与蛋白质分子有关的水分子提供了有效途径。本文合成了一个含有阴离子水簇的带状超分子配合物[Co(2,2-bipy)₂(N₃)₂](N₃)_0.5Cl_0.5·2H₂O(1,2, 2-bipy=2, 2-联吡啶)。单晶结构解析表明,配合物属于三斜晶系,P-1空间群,晶胞参数为:a=0.822 54(7) nm,b=1.175 58(9) nm,c=1.237 06(10) nm,α=91.379 0(10)°,β=92.151 0(10)°,γ=108.119 0(10)°,V=1.135 27(16) nm³,由一个单核[Co(2,2-bipy)₂(N₃)₂]⁺配合物阳离子、两个非配位水分子、0.5个游离的叠氮离子和0.5个氯离子组成,叠氮离子和氯离子位置无序,占有率各为50%。两个客体水分子通过强烈的分子间氢键作用形成了环状水四聚体,且与无序的N^-₃和Cl^-通过氢键作用形成了一个[(H₂O)₄(N₃)Cl]^2- 阴离子水簇。此外,本文基于密度泛函理论(DFT)对配合物[Co(2,2-bipy)₂(N₃)₂]⁺阳离子进行了量子化学计算,分析了其单点能和原子电荷,并计算了中心金属离子的氧化态,计算结果与实验相吻合。     

Identification of New Non-BBB Permeable Tryptophan Hydroxylase Inhibitors for Treating Obesity and Fatty Liver Disease

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptophan) is a hormone that regulates emotions in the central nervous system. However, serotonin in the peripheral system is associated with obesity and fatty liver disease. Because serotonin cannot cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), we focused on identifying new tryptophan hydroxylase type I (TPH1) inhibitors that act only in peripheral tissues for treating obesity and fatty liver disease without affecting the central nervous system. Structural optimization inspired by para-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA) resulted in the identification of a series of oxyphenylalanine and heterocyclic phenylalanine derivatives as TPH1 inhibitors. Among these compounds, compound 18i with an IC₅₀ value of 37 nM was the most active in vitro. Additionally, compound 18i showed good liver microsomal stability and did not significantly inhibit CYP and Herg. Furthermore, this TPH1 inhibitor was able to actively interact with the peripheral system without penetrating the BBB. Compound 18i and its prodrug reduced body weight gain in mammals and decreased in vivo fat accumulation.     

用化学溶液方法在Ni-5at%W基底上制备La2Zr2O7过渡层的研究

La2Zr2O7(LZO)过渡层以其独特的物理化学性质越来越受到人们的关注。本文以乙酰丙酮镧和乙酰丙酮锆为前驱盐,丙酸为溶剂配置前驱液,用化学溶液方法(CSD)在具有立方织构的Ni-5at%W基底上制备了LZO过渡层薄膜。研究了前驱液成分、性质以及退火温度对LZO成相以及取向的影响。用常规XRD和X射线四环衍射仪分析了LZO薄膜的相成分和织构。结果显示,在1050℃下退火可以获得强立方织构的LZO薄膜,其中(222)峰的Phi扫描半高宽值为8.95°;(400)峰的Chi扫描半高宽值为6.8°。用高分辨扫描电子显微镜(FE-SEM)观察到LZO薄膜表面均匀致密,没有裂纹和空洞。     

Mesoporous sodium four-coordinate aluminosilicate nanoparticles modulate dendritic cell pyroptosis and activate innate and adaptive immunity

Pyroptosis is a programmed cell death widely studied in cancer cells for tumour inhibition, but rarely in dendritic cell (DC) activation for vaccine development. Here, we report the synthesis of sodium stabilized mesoporous aluminosilicate nanoparticles as DC pyroptosis modulators and antigen carriers. By surface modification of sodium-stabilized four-coordinate aluminium species on dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles, the resultant Na-^IVAl-DMSN significantly activated DC through caspase-1 dependent pyroptosis via pH responsive intracellular ion exchange. The released proinflammatory cellular contents further mediated DC hyperactivation with prolonged cytokine release. In vivo studies showed that Na-^IVAl-DMSN induced enhanced cellular immunity mediated by natural killer (NK) cells, cytotoxic T cells, and memory T cells as well as humoral immune response. Our results provide a new principle for the design of next-generation nanoadjuvants for vaccine applications.

Na-^IVAl-DMSN acts as both antigen carriers and modulators to “hyperactivate” dendritic cells (DCs) via potassium (K⁺) efflux dependent pyroptosis, eventually leading to enhanced adaptive and innate immunity.     

Tomatidine-stimulated maturation of human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes for modeling mitochondrial dysfunction

Human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) have been reported to exhibit immature embryonic or fetal cardiomyocyte-like phenotypes. To enhance the maturation of hESC-CMs, we identified a natural steroidal alkaloid, tomatidine, as a new substance that stimulates the maturation of hESC-CMs. Treatment of human embryonic stem cells with tomatidine during cardiomyocyte differentiation stimulated the expression of several cardiomyocyte-specific markers and increased the density of T-tubules. Furthermore, tomatidine treatment augmented the number and size of mitochondria and enhanced the formation of mitochondrial lamellar cristae. Tomatidine treatment stimulated mitochondrial functions, including mitochondrial membrane potential, oxidative phosphorylation, and ATP production, in hESC-CMs. Tomatidine-treated hESC-CMs were more sensitive to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity than the control cells. In conclusion, the present study suggests that tomatidine promotes the differentiation of stem cells to adult cardiomyocytes by accelerating mitochondrial biogenesis and maturation and that tomatidine-treated mature hESC-CMs can be used for cardiotoxicity screening and cardiac disease modeling.Subject terms: Heart failure, Embryonic stem cells, Stem-cell differentiation     

Dynamic synovial fibroblasts are modulated by NBCn1 as a potential target in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by aggressive fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) and pannus formation. Various therapeutic strategies have been developed against inflammatory cytokines in RA in recent decades. Based on the migratory features of FLSs, we examined whether modulation of the migratory module attenuates RA severity. In this study, inflamed synovial fluid-stimulated FLSs exhibited enhanced migration and migratory apparatus expression, and sodium bicarbonate cotransporter n1 (NBCn1) was identified in primary cultured RA-FLSs for the first time. The NBC inhibitor S0859 attenuated the migration of FLSs induced with synovial fluid from patients with RA or with TNF-α stimulation. Inhibition of NBCs with S0859 in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model reduced joint swelling and destruction without blood, hepatic, or renal toxicity. Primary FLSs isolated from the CIA-induced mouse model also showed reduced migration in the presence of S0859. Our results suggest that inflammatory mediators in synovial fluid, including TNF-α, recruit NBCn1 to the plasma membrane of FLSs to provide dynamic properties and that modulation of NBCn1 could be developed into a therapeutic strategy for RA.Subject terms: Chemotaxis, Bone, Ion channel signalling, Rheumatoid arthritis, Drug development