Tetra‐μ‐acetato‐κ2O:O′‐bis[(4‐phenylpyridine‐κN)copper(II)]

The title compound, [Cu₂(C₂H₃O₂)₄(C₁₁H₉N)₂] or [Cu₂(MeCO₂)₄(phpy)₂] (phpy is 4‐phenyl­pyridine), consists of centrosymmetric dimers in which the Cu^II atoms display a square‐pyramidal CuO₄N coordination, with four acetate O atoms in the basal plane [Cu—O 1.975 (3)–1.987 (3) Å] and the phpy N atom in the apical position [Cu—N 2.150 (3) Å]. The Cu atoms are 2.654 (1) Å apart and are bridged by four acetate groups. The discrete dimers are extended into a three‐dimensional supramolecular array through intermolecular π–π‐stacking interactions.     

Michael-Addition Reaction of Malononitrile with α,β-Unsaturated Cycloketones Catalyzed by KF／Al2O3

A series of KF/Al2O3 catalyzed Michael-addition reactions between malononitrile and α,β-unsaturated cycloketones in DMF solution were studied. At room temperature, 2-cyano-3-aryl-3-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-one-2-yl) propionitrile derivatives were synthesized by the reaction between 2-arylmethylidene-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydronaphthalen-1-one and malononitrile. However, if the temperature was increased to 80℃, 2-amino-3-cyano-4-aryl-4H-benzo[h]chromene derivatives were obtained in high yields. When the α,β-unsaturated ketones were replaced by 2,6-biarylmethylidenecyclohexanone or 2,5-biarylmethylidenecyclopentanone, another series of 2-amino-3-cyano-4H-pyran derivatives was isolated successfully. The structures of the products were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Synthesis of [18,19,21,22‐13C4]‐Labeled Tautomycin as an NMR Probe of Protein Phosphatase Inhibitor

We have accomplished the synthesis of ¹³C‐labeled tautomycin at the C18, C19, C21, and C22 positions starting from 100 % [¹³C]triethylphosphonoacetate for the purpose of elucidating the dynamics and conformation of the C17–C26 moiety. NMR spectroscopy of ¹³C‐labeled tautomycin revealed strong binding with protein phosphatase type 1 and new features in the ¹³C NMR spectrum, such as the very small three‐bond coupling constants (²J).     

Four New Podocarpane‐Type Trinorditerpenes from Aleurites moluccana

Four new podocarpane‐type trinorditerpenenes, (5β,10α)‐12,13‐dihydroxypodocarpa‐8,11,13‐trien‐3‐one ( 1 ), (5β,10α)‐12‐hydroxy‐13‐methoxypodocarpa‐8,11,13‐trien‐3‐one ( 2 ), (5β,10α)‐13‐hydroxy‐12‐methoxypodocarpa‐8,11,13‐trien‐3‐one ( 3 ), and (3α,5β,10α)‐13‐methoxypodocarpa‐8,11,13‐triene‐3,12‐diol ( 4 ), together with four known diterpenes, 12‐hydroxy‐13‐methylpodocarpa‐8,11,13‐trien‐3‐one ( 5 ), spruceanol ( 6 ), ent‐3α‐hydroxypimara‐8(14),15‐dien‐12‐one ( 7 ), and ent‐3β,14α‐hydroxypimara‐7,9(11),15‐triene‐12‐one ( 8 ), were isolated from the twigs and leaves of Aleurites moluccana. Their structures were elucidated by means of comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, including NMR and MS. Except 8 , all compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity; compound 4 exhibited moderate inhibitory activity against Raji cells with an IC₅₀ value of 4.24 μg/ml.     

Diterpenoids of Isodon macrophylla

Two new ent‐abietane diterpenoids, macrophynin E ( 1 ) and macrophynin F ( 2 ), and a known related ent‐abietanoid (?)‐lambertic acid ( 3 ), together with four known ent‐kauranoids, were isolated from the roots and aerial parts of Isodon macrophylla, respectively. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic‐data analysis and chemical correlations.     

Tocopherols and Triterpenoids from Sida acuta

A new tocopherol derivative, 7_a‐methoxy‐α‐tocopherol ( 1 ), and a new taraxastane triterpene, taraxast‐1,20(30)‐dien‐3‐one ( 5 ), together with four known compounds, β‐tocopherol ( 2 ), α‐tocopherol ( 3 ), α‐tocospiro B ( 4 ) and taraxasterone ( 6 ) were isolated from the whole plant of Sida acuta. Their structures were elucidated by spectral analysis including MS, 1D and 2D‐NMR spectroscopy. Among those compounds, compounds 1 , 2 , and 3 showed significant antioxidant effect (EC₅₀ = 86.9, 68.2, and 70.9 μM, respectively) in the DPPH radicals scavenging activity assay.     

Structural Study of Alkaline 1-Phenyl-1H-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrazole-5-thiolate Salts: An Example of Periodicity in Alkaline Cations

The alkaline 1-phenyl-1H-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrazole-5-thiolate salts, M[C₆H₅N₄CS] (M = Li ( 1 ), Na ( 2 ), K ( 3 ), Rb ( 4 ) and Cs ( 5 )) were obtained and characterized by means of mass spectrometry (FAB⁺) and NMR (¹H; ¹³C) spectroscopy. The structures of Na ( 2 ), K ( 3 ), Rb ( 4 ) and Cs ( 5 ) compounds were determined by X-ray diffraction methods. The ligand shows a rich variety of coordination patterns with the alkaline cations. The formation of a four-membered ring MSCN in the compounds with heavier alkali cations (K, Rb and Cs) is shown. In all the cations the coordination number around it increases with the ionic radius. Compounds with Cs⁺ and Rb⁺ exhibited the formation of Cs-C and Rb-C interactions with the phenyl group.     

Studies on the Synthesis and Properties of Temperature Responsive and Biodegradable Hydrogels

Novel linear poly(NIPA‐co‐CL) copolymers have been synthesized by radical copolymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) and 2‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxepane (MDO). The structure of copolymers was confirmed by ¹H NMR and IR spectroscopy. Cross‐linked poly(NIPA‐co‐CL) hydrogels have also been prepared in toluene using N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide as cross‐linking agent. The hydrogels thus obtained exhibit good temperature response and are biodegradable in the presence of proteinase K.

Temperature influence on the enzymatic degradation by proteinase K of poly(NIPA‐co‐CL) hydrogel (G‐60).     

The peripheral benzodiazepine receptor in photodynamic therapy with the phthalocyanine photosensitizer Pc 4

The peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) is an 18 kDa protein of the outer mitochondrial membrane that interacts with the voltage-dependent anion channel and may participate in formation of the permeability transition pore. The physiological role of PBR is reflected in the high-affinity binding of endogenous ligands that are metabolites of both cholesterol and heme. Certain porphyrin precursors of heme can be photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT), which depends on visible light activation of porphyrin-related macrocycles. Because the apparent binding affinity of a series of porphyrin analogs for PBR paralleled their ability to photoinactivate cells, PBR has been proposed as the molecular target for porphyrin-derived photocytotoxicity. The phthalocyanine (Pc) photosensitizer Pc 4 accumulates in mitochondria and structurally resembles porphyrins. Therefore, we tested the relevance of PBR binding on Pc 4-PDT. Binding affinity was measured by competition with 3H-PK11195, a high-affinity ligand of PBR, for binding to rat kidney mitochondria (RKM) or intact Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. To assess the binding of the Pc directly, we synthesized 14C-labeled Pc 4 and found that whereas Pc 4 was a competitive inhibitor of 3H-PK11195 binding to the PBR, PK11195 did not inhibit the binding of 14C-Pc 4 to RKM. Further, 14C-Pc 4 binding to RKM showed no evidence of saturation up to 10 microM. Finally, when Pc 4-loaded CHO cells were exposed to activating red light, apoptosis was induced; Pc 4-PDT was less effective in causing apoptosis in a companion cell line overexpressing the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. For both cell lines, PK11195 inhibited PDT-induced apoptosis; however, the inhibition was transient and did not extend to overall cell death, as determined by clonogenic assay. The results demonstrate (1) the presence of low-affinity binding sites for Pc 4 on PBR; (2) the presence of multiple binding sites for Pc 4 in RKM and CHO cells other than those that influence PK11195 binding; and (3) the ability of high supersaturating levels of PK11195 to transiently inhibit apoptosis initiated by Pc 4-PDT, with less influence on overall cell killing. We conclude that the binding of Pc 4 to PBR is less relevant to the photocytotoxicity of Pc 4-PDT than are other mitochondrial events, such as photodamage to Bcl-2 and that the observed inhibition of Pc 4-PDT-induced apoptosis by PK11195 likely occurs through a mechanism independent of PBR.