Probes for narcotic receptor mediated phenomena. Part 31: Synthesis of rac-(3R,6aS,11aS)-2-methyl-1,3,4,5,6,11a-hexahydro-2H-3,6a-methanobenzofuro[2,3-c]azocine-10-ol, and azocine-8-ol, the ortho-c and the para-c oxide-bridged phenylmorphan isomers

Two of the 12 possible oxide-bridged phenylmorphans, were synthesized, rac-(3R,6aS,11aS)-2-methyl-1,3,4,5,6,11a-hexahydro-2H-3,6a-methanobenzofuro[2,3-c]azocine-10-ol (7) (the ortho-c compound), and rac-(3R,6aS,11aS)-2-methyl-1,3,4,5,6,11a-hexahydro-2H-3,6a-methanobenzofuro[2,3-c]azocine-8-ol (8) (the para-c compound). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies indicated that the dihedral angle between the least squares planes through the phenyl ring and the atoms C₁, C_11a, C₁₂, and C₃ in the piperidine ring in both 7·CHCl₃ and 8·HBr was 6.9°. The C₁₂-C_6a-C_6b-C_10a torsion angle was found to be 139.3° for both compounds. The angular relationship between the phenolic ring and the piperidine ring in phenylmorphans that interact with specific opioid receptors as agonists or antagonists is of considerable theoretical interest.     

Synthesis and Application of Low Molecular Weight PEI-Based Copolymers for siRNA Delivery with Smart Polymer Blends

Polyethylenimine (PEI) is a commonly used cationic polymer for small-interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery due to its high transfection efficiency at low commercial cost. However, high molecular weight PEI is cytotoxic and thus, its practical application is limited. In this study, different formulations of low molecular weight PEI (LMW-PEI) based copolymers polyethylenimine-g-polycaprolactone (PEI–PCL) (800 Da–40 kDa) and PEI–PCL–PEI (5–5–5 kDa) blended with or without polyethylene glycol-b-polycaprolactone (PEG–PCL) (5 kDa-4 kDa) are investigated to prepare nanoparticles via nanoprecipitation using a solvent displacement method with sizes ≈100 nm. PEG–PCL can stabilize the nanoparticles, improve their biocompatibility, and extend their circulation time in vivo. The nanoparticles composed of PEI–PCL–PEI and PEG–PCL show higher siRNA encapsulation efficiency than PEI–PCL/PEG–PCL based nanoparticles at low N/P ratios, higher cellular uptake, and a gene silencing efficiency of ≈40% as a result of the higher molecular weight PEI blocks. These results suggest that the PEI–PCL–PEI/PEG–PCL nanoparticle system could be a promising vehicle for siRNA delivery at minimal synthetic effort.     

Synthesis of NSC-341,964: An unexpected study on the stability of 2-aryl-4H-3,1-benzoxazin-4-ones

Resynthesis of NSC 341,964, which had been assigned structure 1 (1-[[3-(7-chloro-4-oxo-4H-3,1-benzoxazin-2-yl)phenyl]methyl]pyridinium chloride) was approached via 7-chloro-2-(3-methylphenyl)-4H-3,1-benzoxazin-4-one ( 5 ) obtained from 3-methylbenzoyl chloride ( 2 ) and 2-amino-4-chlorobenzoic acid ( 3 ) followed by dehydration in acetic anhydride. Radical bromination provided 6 which with pyridine afforded the bromide analog 7 of 1 . Ion exchange, however, gave ring-opened benzoic acid 8 rather than 1 . The original sample of NSC 341,964 also proved to be ring-opened material. However, 7 upon standing exhibited slow hydrolysis to 8 so that the structure of the original NSC 341,964 remains uncertain. A more direct route to compound 8 is also described.     

Sterically demanding cyclopentadienyl chemistry: synthesis of iron and zirconium complexes of 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindenyl

Reaction of phenyl magnesium bromide with the ,β-unsaturated ketone 3-methyl-2,3,4,5,6,7-hexahydroind-8(9)-en-1-one, followed by an aqueous work-up, generates the pro-chiral tetra-substituted cyclopentadiene, 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindene, Cp^‡H, a precursor to the η⁵-cyclopentadienyl ligand in (Cp^‡)₂Fe and [(Cp^‡)Fe(CO)]₂(μ-CO)₂. Both complexes were generated as mixtures of rac-(RR and SS)- and meso-(RS)-isomers, and in either case pure meso-isomer was isolated by crystallisation and characterised by single crystal X-ray structure, both molecules having crystallographic C_i symmetry. Reduction with Na/Hg cleaves meso-(RS)-[(Cp^‡)Fe(CO)]₂(μ-CO)₂ and the resulting mixture of (R)- and (S)-[(Cp^‡)Fe(CO)₂]⁻ anions reacts with MeI to give racemic (Cp^‡)Fe(CO)₂Me, which was characterised by the X-ray crystal structure. The Cp^‡ ligand is more electron donating than (η-C₅H₅) as revealed by the reduction potential of the (Cp^‡)₂Fe⁺/(Cp^‡)₂Fe couple, E°=−0.127 V (vs. Ag  AgCl). Reaction of LiCp^‡ with ZrCl₄ yields the zirconocene dichloride [Zr(Cp^‡)₂Cl₂] as mixture of rac- and meso-isomers, from which pure rac-isomer is obtained as a mixture of RR and SS crystals by recrystallisation. The reaction of rac-[Zr(Cp^‡)₂Cl₂] with LiMe gives rac-[Zr(Cp^‡)₂Me₂]. The structures of RR-[Zr(Cp^‡)₂Cl₂] and rac-[Zr(Cp^‡)₂Me₂] have been determined by X-ray diffraction. The structural studies reveal the influence of the bulky substituted cyclopentadienyl ligand on the metal---Cp^‡ distances and other metric parameters.     

Quantitative immunoassay for determining polyaromatic hydrocarbons in electrical insulating oils

The development and application of a combined sample extraction and immunoassay protocol for the quantification of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in transformer oils is reported. Tests were performed on 12 different used transformer oils from three major manufacturers. The removal of matrix interferents was achieved by loading oil fractions onto silica solid phase extraction cartridges and eluting with non-polar solvent prior to evaporation and reconstitution in a more polar medium. Extracts were immunoassayed using two commercially available PAH test kits either having broad specificity towards priority PAHs or enhanced binding specificity toward more carcinogenic PAHs. The total and carcinogenic PAH test kits yielded PAH levels in the oil extracts 5.86-fold and 126-fold lower than the industry-standard IP346 method. The latter method, widely used by the industry, since it correlates with biological carcinogenicity tests, grossly over-estimates PAH levels in oils since it is a non-specific gravimetric solvent extraction approach. The assay was found to be unaffected by the extract sample matrix and was capable of determining PAHs at the nanogram per millilitre level. The assay protocol was simple, low-cost and rapid (<2 h) and equally amenable to operation at remote sites or high-throughput sample screening. The binding specificity of the total anti-PAH antibody was examined by preparing and loading an anti-PAH immunosorbent with oil, prior to solvent displacement of antibody-bound compounds and by gas chromatography (GC)–mass spectrometry (MS) analysis.     

Octafluoronaphthalene–diphenylacetylene (1/1)

The structure of the title complex, C₁₀F₈·C₁₄H₁₀, comprises mixed stacks of alternating di­phenyl­acetyl­ene and octa­fluoro­naphthalene mol­ecules, both lying at inversion centres and parallel to within 8.6 (1)°, in contrast with the herring‐bone packing observed in crystals of either pure component.     

Prognostic Metabolite Biomarkers for Soft Tissue Sarcomas Discovered by Mass Spectrometry Imaging

Metabolites can be an important read-out of disease. The identification and validation of biomarkers in the cancer metabolome that can stratify high-risk patients is one of the main current research aspects. Mass spectrometry has become the technique of choice for metabolomics studies, and mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) enables their visualization in patient tissues. In this study, we used MSI to identify prognostic metabolite biomarkers in high grade sarcomas; 33 high grade sarcoma patients, comprising osteosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, myxofibrosarcoma, and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma were analyzed. Metabolite MSI data were obtained from sections of fresh frozen tissue specimens with matrix-assisted laser/desorption ionization (MALDI) MSI in negative polarity using 9-aminoarcridine as matrix. Subsequent annotation of tumor regions by expert pathologists resulted in tumor-specific metabolite signatures, which were then tested for association with patient survival. Metabolite signals with significant clinical value were further validated and identified by high mass resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) MSI. Three metabolite signals were found to correlate with overall survival (m/z 180.9436 and 241.0118) and metastasis-free survival (m/z 160.8417). FTICR-MSI identified m/z 241.0118 as inositol cyclic phosphate and m/z 160.8417 as carnitine.

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Graphical Abstract ?

     

Hydrogen abstraction and dimerisation reactions of some organo-transition metal free radicals

The 17-electron species [M(CO)_5χL_χ] (M  Mn, Re, χ  0; M  Mn, Re; L  Ph₃P, χ  1, 2; M  Mn, Re; L  (o-MeC₆H₄O)₃P, χ  2; M  Mn; L  (p-ClC₆H₄O)₃P, (PhO)₃P, χ  2; M  Mn; L  P(OMe)₃, χ  3) have been generated by one electron oxidation of the corresponding anions and show typical radical reactivity, undergoing dimerisation or hydride abstraction in reactions controlled by steric effects. Evidence is presented for the source of the hydrogen atom. The 19-electron species [M(CO)₃(η⁷-C₇H₇)]^? (M  Cr, Mo) and [Fe(CO)₃(η⁵-C₆H₇)]^?, generated by reduction of the corresponding cations, undergo dimerisation at the organic ligand. Similar treatment of [Fe(CO)₂-L(η-cp)]⁺ (L  CO, PPh₃, P(OPh)₃, Me₂CO) yields [Fe₂(CO)₄(η-cp)₂] and these reduction reactions are rationalised in terms of the nature of the HOMO in the intermediate radical. Similar reduction of [Rh(diphos)₂]⁺ yield the 17-electron intermediate [Rh(diphos)₂] and this also undergoes hydrogen abstraction.