Cyclopropanation of protected chiral,acyclic allylic alcohols: expedient access to the anti-cyclopropylcarbinol derivatives

The diastereoselective cyclopropanation of silyl-protected chiral allylic alcohols using Shi's carbenoid (TFA-Et(2)Zn-CH(2)I(2)) gave access to the anti-cyclopropylcarbinyl silyl ethers with excellent diastereocontrol. The level of stereocontrol was shown to depend on the sizes of the protective group and the allylic substituent. [reaction: see text]     

An ab initio study of ion induced charge transfer dynamics in collision of carbon ions with thymine

Charge transfer in collisions of carbon ions on a thymine target has been studied theoretically in a wide collision range by means of ab initio quantum chemistry molecular methods. The process appears markedly anisotropic in the whole energy domain, significantly favoured in the perpendicular orientation. A specific decrease of the charge transfer cross sections at low collision energies may be pointed out and could induce an enhancement of the complementary fragmentation processes for collision energies down to about 10 eV, as observed for the low-electron fragmentation process. Such feature may be of important interest in ion-induced biomolecular radiation damage.     

In vitro Release Study of Tretinoin from Tretinoin/Cyclodextrin Derivative Complexes

The effects of -cyclodextrin, hydroxypropyl -cyclodextrin and dimethyl -cyclodextrin complexes on the in vitro release of tretinoin gels were investigated. The experiments were carried out in a Franz cell using a silicone membrane as a barrier for the diffusion of the vehicle. Two types of vehicle were compared: a hydroalcoholic gel in which both tretinoin and the inclusion complexes are soluble, and an aqueous gel in which only the complexes are soluble but tretinoin is dispersed. As expected, the release rate of free tretinoin in the hydroalcoholic gel is much faster than in the aqueous gel. However, with the aqueous gel, the cyclodextrin complexation enhances the diffusion rate of the active drug through the membrane, especially with the hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin inclusion compound. The release of tretinoin is related not only to the stability constant of the inclusion, but also to the binding properties of the inclusion compounds to the vehicle.     

Conformational studies of new pseudotripeptide with pyrazine amidoxime motif and simplified analogs using IR,NMR spectroscopy,and molecular dynamic simulations

Solution structures of new pyrazine-based pseudotripeptide with amidoxime function and simplified pseudodipeptide analogs were determined by a combination of IR and NMR spectroscopic studies and molecular dynamic simulations using explicit chloroform as a solvent. It was found that proline-phenylalanine dipeptide residue and amidoxime moiety in o-position are essential for intramolecular hydrogen bonding including a seven-membered γ-turn formation. In addition, a cis/trans equilibrium study was present for prolyl amides in polar solvents (D₂O and DMSO). A phenylalanine substituent was found to exhibit profound effect on thermodynamic parameters in prolyl peptides. The presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonds dramatically increases the amount of trans isomer in non-hydrogen-bonding CHCl₃ and significantly favor cis isomer in hydrogen-bonding solvents such as DMSO and D₂O. All molecules are not cytotoxic therefore they can be further studied in relation to potent biological activities.

     

A New Sphingolipid and Furanocoumarins with Antimicrobial Activity from <i>Ficus exasperata</i>

From the methanol extract of the stem bark of Ficus exasperata, a new sphingolipid named Ficusamide, (2S,3S,4R,11E)-2-[(2',3'-dihydroxyhexacosanoylamino)]-11-octadecene-1,3,4-triol (1), along with three known furanocoumarins, (S)-(－) oxypeucedanin hydrate (2), (R)-(+) oxypeucedanin hydrate (3), bergapten (5-methoxypsoralen) and six other known compounds, were isolated. Their structures were characterized basing on spectroscopic methods and chemical evidence. Compounds (1-3) were analyzed for their antimicrobial activity. Ficusamide (1) showed wick activity (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC)=312.5?μg/mL) against Escherichia coli, while the furanocoumarins (2) and (3) showed significant activity (MIC=9.76?μg/mL) against Bacillus cereus, Candida albicans and Microsporum audouinii.     

Structural characterization of 2-aminobenzamide-derivatized oligosaccharides using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization two-stage time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer

Oligosaccharides were derivatized by reductive amination using 2-aminobenzamide (2-AB) and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization two-stage time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF/TOF) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in the positive ion mode. The major signals were obtained under these conditions from the [M+Na]+ ions for all 2-AB-derivatized oligosaccharides. A systematic study was conducted on a series of 2-AB-derivatized oligosaccharides to allow rationalization of the fragmentation processes. The MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS/MS spectra of the [M+Na]+ ions of 2-AB-derivatized oligosaccharides were dominated by glycosidic cleavages. These fragments originating both from the reducing and the non-reducing ends of the oligosaccharide yield information on sequence and branching. Moreover, the MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS/MS spectra were also characterized by abundant cross-ring fragments which are very informative on the linkages of the monosaccharide residues constituting these oligosaccharides. MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS/MS analysis of 2-AB-derivatized oligosaccharides, by providing structural information at the low-picomole level, appears to be a powerful tool for carbohydrate structural analysis.     

Progress on PPAPs cyclization: Guttiferone A as a case study

Guttiferone A and cyclized analogs are naturally occurring polycyclic polyprenylated acyl phloroglucinols possessing antiparasitic activities. Naturally occurring xanthones possess increased activity, but are either rare or difficult to synthesize. In this paper, three optimized methodologies to access natural, hydroxylated and non-natural xanthonic skeletons from guttiferone A are described. These compounds will serve as starting materials for further SAR studies.     

Fluoroimines from the reaction of fluoroamino acids or fluoroketo acids with the aldehyde or amine form of vitamin B6: Part III. Influence of fluorine on the formation and the reactivity of fluoroimines derived from β-fluoroaspartates or β-fluorooxaloacetate

The introduction of fluorine at the β-position in aspartate and in oxaloacetate, the typical amino acid-keto acid couple in transamination, induces large effects in their reaction with respectively pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) ($\text{1}$) and pyridoxamine 5′-phosphate (PMP) ($\text{4}$). The formation of imine intermediates through reaction of $\text{1}$ with $\text{erythro}$ or $\text{threo}$-β-fluoroaspartate ($\text{2e}$ and $\text{2t}$) and through reaction of $\text{4}$ with β-fluorooxaloacetate $\text{5}$ is highly favored in comparison with that of non-fluoro compounds. The stereoisomers of the imines are unambiguously determined using a reduction reaction. The evolution of these intermediates shows that no transaminatlon is observed and that a dehydrofluorination occurs suggesting that the β-fluoro moiety in the intermediate turns into a good leaving group, changing the model reaction of transamination on α carbon through the aldimine-ketimine tautomerization to an elimination on β carbon.