New approach to the synthesis of oligodeoxyribonucleotides modified with phosphorothioates of predetermined sense of P-chirality

Appropriately protected, diastereomerically pure dinucleoside phosphorothioates, obtained by the stereocontrolled oxathiaphospholane method, were S-alkylated with 2-nitrobenzyl bromide and then converted into their 3′-O-phosphoramidites. The corresponding S-protected dinucleotide building blocks were successfully used for the synthesis of oligonucleotides containing P-stereodefined phosphorothioate bonds at preselected positions.     

Generation of thiyl radicals by the photolysis of 5-iodo-4-thiouridine

The photochemistry of 2',3',5'-tri-O-acetyl-5-iodo-4-thiouridine (3) in deoxygenated 1:1 CH(3)CN-H(2)O pH 5.8 (phosphate buffer) solution has been studied by means of steady-state and nanosecond laser flash photolysis methods. Under steady-state irradiation (lambda > or = 334 nm), the stable photoproducts were iodide ion, 2',3',5'-tri-O-acetyl-4-thiouridine (4), and two disulfides. The disulfides were the symmetrical bis-(2',3',5'-tri-O-acetyl-5-iodo-4-thiouridine) (5) and unsymmetrical 6, which contains both 4-thiouridine and 5-iodo-4-thiouridine residues. The formation of the dehalogenated photoproduct suggests that C(5)-I bond cleavage is a primary photochemical step. Attempts to scavenge the resulting C(5)-centered radical by suitable addends, bis-(N-alpha-acetyl)cystine-bis-N-ethylamide or benzene, were unsuccessful. Analysis of the photoproducts formed under these conditions showed that the S-atom is the reactive center. The photoproduct 4, obtained by irradiation of 3 in CD(3)CN-H(2)O, followed by reversed-phase HPLC isolation using nonlabeled eluents, did not contain deuterium. An analogous experiment performed in CH(3)CN-D(2)O gave deuterated product 4-d with 88% of the deuterium incorporated at C(5). Transient absorption observed upon laser excitation (lambda= 308 nm) of 3 was assigned to the 4-uridinylthiyl radical on the basis of the similarity of this spectrum with that obtained upon laser photolysis of the disulfide: bis-(2',3',5'-tri-O-acetyl-4-thiouridine) 14. On the basis of the results of steady-state and laser photolysis studies, a mechanism of the photochemical reaction of 3 is proposed. The key mechanistic step is a transformation of the C(5)-centered radical formed initially by C(5)-I bond cleavage into a long-lived S-centered radical via a 1,3-hydrogen shift. Theoretical calculations confirmed that the long-lived S-centered radical is the most stable radical derived from the 4-thiouracil residue.     

[2 + 3]‐Cycloadditions of Phosphonodithioformate S‐Methanides with CS,NN,and CC Dipolarophiles

The reaction of the methyl (dialkoxyphosphinyl)‐dithioformates (= methyl dialkoxyphosphinecarbodithioate 1‐oxides) 10 with CH₂N₂ at − 65° in THF yielded cycloadducts which eliminated N₂ between − 40 and − 35° to give the corresponding phosphonodithioformate S‐methanides ( =methylenesulfonium (dialkoxyoxidophosphino)(methylthio)methylides) 11 (Scheme 3). These reactive 1,3‐dipoles were intercepted by aromatic thioketones to yield 1,3‐dithiolanes. Whereas the reaction with thiobenzophenone ( 12b ) led to the sterically more congested isomers 15 regioselectively, a mixture of both regioisomers was obtained with 9H‐fluorene‐9‐thione ( 12a ). Trapping of 11 with phosphono‐ and sulfonodithioformates led exclusively to the sterically less hindered 1,3‐dithiolanes 16 and 18 , respectively (Scheme 4). In addition, reactive CC dipolarophiles such as ethenetetracarbonitrile, maleic anhydride, and N‐phenylmaleimide as well as the NN dipolarophile dimethyl diazenedicarboxylate were shown to be efficient interceptors of 11 (Scheme 5).     

Ethyl (2‐pyridyl­methyl)­phospho­nate

Molecules of the title compound, C₈H₁₂NO₃P, exist as zwitterions. The positive charge formally located on the N atom is spread over the pyridyl ring. A partial delocalization of negative charge within the O—P—O system is observed. The conformational features and hydrogen‐bonding network of the title compound are compared with the structure of (2‐pyridyl­methyl)­phosphonic acid.     

N‐Amidino‐4‐hydroxy‐l‐proline monohydrate and N‐amidino‐l‐methionine monohydrate

The title amidino‐amino acids (a‐Hpro), C₆H₁₁N₃O₃·H₂O, (I), and a‐Met, C₆H₁₃N₃O₂S·H₂O, (II), respectively, exist in the form of zwitterions. The five‐membered pyrrolidine ring in (I) adopts an envelope conformation, with the Cγ atom out of the plane defined by the rest of the ring atoms, and with the hydroxyl and carboxyl­ate groups in a trans configuration relative to the ring plane. The two crystallographically independent zwitterions in (II) reveal quite different conformations of their side chains and a slightly different orientation of the guanidine moiety with respect to the carboxyl­ate group. The crystal structures of both (I) and (II) are stabilized by extensive networks of O—H·O, N—H·O and C—H·O hydrogen bonds, the network being three‐dimensional in (I) and two‐dimensional in (II).     

Determination of doripenem and related substances in medicinal product using capillary electrophoresis

Doripenem, the latest carbapenem antibiotic licensed in the United States (15 October 2007) and the European Union (25 July 2008), has been implemented into therapeutic use along with imipenem, meropenem and ertapenem. The described method of zone electrophoresis in a low pH buffer for the separation of doripenem from its impurities has been successfully performed using field‐amplified sample stacking (FASS), followed by UV absorption detection at 214 nm. The best results were obtained with phosphate buffer (100 mM) pH 2.9 containing 10% (v/v) of methanol, as the background electrolyte. Uncoated fused‐silica capillary (60/52 cm; 75 μm id) with normal polarity, and voltage values of 25 kV, was used throughout the investigation. The optimised method of doripenem determination was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy and precision, and provides a detection limit of 3.0 μg/mL of doripenem. The repeatability, expressed by relative standard deviation (RSD) of the migration time, for doripenem and its degradation products varied from 1.37 to 2.51%, whereas the corrected peak areas were about 0.91–9.87%. Satisfactory separation was achieved within 20 min of electrophoresis; moreover, all carbapenems (imipenem, meropenem, ertapenem and doripenem) were well separated from each other during this time. The evaluated CZE method was applied in the analysis of a medicinal product containing doripenem Doribax^® powder for solution for infusion.     

Experimental and calculated H, C and P NMR spectra of pyridine-2-phosphono-4-carboxylic acid

Pyridine-2-phosphono-4-carboxylic acid (MC1) is a compound that possesses potential neuroactivity. In this work the ¹H, ¹³C and ³¹P NMR spectra of MC1 dissolved in D₂O in solution, in the 1.5-9.0 pD range, are presented. Theoretical calculations of the NMR spectra, as well as structural parameters of expected compounds, were performed at the B3PW91/6-311G** and B3PW91/6-31G** level, respectively, for all five possible forms of MC1 (cation, zwitteranion and three anions). Consecutive deprotonation of MC1 and its influence on the structure of the ligand are discussed in detail.     

Capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry: an attractive complementary technique for elemental speciation analysis

Some basic and practical aspects of interfacing capillary electrophoresis to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS) are reviewed in this article with emphasis on the use of this hyphenated technique for elemental speciation analysis. The principles behind the techniques of both CE and ICP-MS are introduced. The interfacing of CE to ICP-MS is discussed including several devices and nebulizers reported in literature. A brief account of their advantages and limitations is given. The various CE-ICP-MS applications for elemental speciation analysis are also reviewed. Some issues concerning the future of CE-ICP-MS for the elemental speciation analyses are discussed.     

Application of micellar electrokinetic chromatography for detection of silver nanoparticles released from wound dressing

The recent emergence of nanotechnology has provided a new therapeutic modality in case of silver nanoparticles. Dressings containing silver form the basis for the treatment of burns and wounds, either acute or chronic ones. The aim of the study was to examine silver release from the different wound dressings: commercially available (Atrauman Ag, Aquacel Ag) and experimental (FKDP‐AgNPs) using MEKC. In order to characterize prepared keratin based wound dressing before and after its modification with AgNPs, a compositional analysis was conducted using energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. Nanosilver toxicity was evaluated with the 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐5‐(3‐carboxymethoxyphenyl)‐2‐(4 sulfophenyl)‐2H‐tetrazolium test. Silver release from wound dressings was assessed using MEKC. The best separation was observed for MEKC in 20 mM borate buffer at pH 9 with 20 mM SDS addition. In vitro studies showed silver at higher concentration than 10 ppm exerted a toxic effect on fibroblasts isolated from diabetic mice versus. NIH/3T3 and BJ cell lines (p < 0.05). We observed silver was released more gradually from experimental FKDP‐AgNPs wound dressing, in compare to commercially available wound dressings. The fast and low‐cost method utilizing MEKC can be used in clinical practice to detect silver release from the wound dressings.