Oily drug carriers in cancer chemotherapy. II. Preparation of viscous ethyl oleate for intraarterial infusion therapy and its disposition in rats and hamsters.

Viscous ethyl oleate (VEO) was prepared as an oil drug carrier by the addition of aluminum stearate or ethyl cellulose. Since the rate of shear of VEO containing aluminum stearate was greatly and nonlinearly changed against the shearing stress compared to that containing ethyl cellulose, the latter was used for subsequent microvascular and organ distribution experiments in rats and hamsters. For infusion into the carotid artery in hamsters, neat ethyl oleate (EO, 4cP) or VEOs of various apparent viscosities (40, 80, 120 cP-VEOs) embolized the vascular system in the cheek pouch, although arrival time to the site where the embolization was observed and the embolization period differed depending on the type of oily drug carrier. For infusion into the hepatic artery in rats, however, only 120 cP-VEO embolized the vascular system in the liver. After infusion of the oily drug carrier containing 3H-oleic acid into the artery of hamster cheek pouch and rat liver, 30-50% of the radioactivity was gradually eliminated within 48 h, whereas about 80% of the dose was rapidly eliminated after infusion to rat stomach and kidney. In addition, the amount of 120 cP-VEO remaining in each organ 48 h after infusion was higher than those of EO and 40 and 80 cP-VEOs. Histological observation after infusion in rat liver revealed that 120 cP-VEO slowly migrated from the artery or arteriole to the sinusoidal capillary region. These results suggest that 120 cP-VEO can be used as a drug carrier because of its function of vascular embolization and high retention in a targeted tissue.     

Rh(II)-catalyzed skeletal reorganization of enynes involving selective cleavage of C-C triple bonds

Treatment of enynes with a catalytic amount of Rh(II) complex results in skeletal reorganization to give cis-configured 1-vinylcycloalkenes, the formation of which occurs via double cleavage of both C-C double and C-C triple bonds.     

Affinity‐Labeling‐Based Introduction of a Reactive Handle for Natural Protein Modification

A new chemical method to site‐specifically modify natural proteins without the need for genetic manipulation is described. Our strategy involves the affinity‐labeling‐based attachment of a unique reactive handle at the surface of the target protein, and the subsequent selective transformation of the reactive handle by a bioorthogonal reaction to introduce a variety of functional probes into the protein. To demonstrate this approach, we synthesized labeling reagents that contain: 1) a benzenesulfonamide ligand that directs specifically to bovine carbonic anhydrase II (bCA), 2) an electrophilic epoxide group for protein labeling, 3) an exchangeable hydrazone bond linking the ligand and the epoxide group, and 4) an iodophenyl or acetylene handle. By incubating the labeling reagent with bCA, the reactive handle was covalently attached at the surface of bCA through epoxide ring opening. Either after or before removing the ligand by a hydrazone/oxime‐exhange reaction, which restores the enzymatic activity, the reactive handle incorporated could be derivatized by Suzuki coupling or Huisgen cycloaddition reactions. This method is also applicable to the target‐specific multiple modification in a protein mixture. The availability of various (photo)affinity‐labeling reagents and bioorthogonal reactions should extend the flexibility of this strategy for the site‐selective incorporation of many functional molecules into proteins.     

A short and stereoselective synthesis of highly substituted cyclopropanes from α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds with dichloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide

The reaction of the α-sulfinyl carbanion of dichloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide with a variety of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds gave highly substituted cyclopropanes (up to five substituents) in good to high yields with high stereoselectivity.     

A short synthesis of α-allenic alcohols from α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds with dichloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide

The reaction of the α-sulfinyl carbanion of dichloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide with α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds gave 1-chlorocyclopropyl p-tolyl sulfoxides having a carbonyl group in good to high yields. The carbonyl groups in the products were reduced or treated with alkylmetals to give alcohols. Finally, the alcohols were treated with Grignard reagent to give α-allenic alcohols via the rearrangement of the cyclopropylmagnesium carbenoid intermediates, which were generated by the sulfoxide-magnesium exchange reaction, in good to high yields. This procedure provides a new method for a short synthesis of various α-allenic alcohols in two or three steps from relatively easily available α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds.     

Domain-based local pair natural orbital CCSD(T) calculations of strongly correlated electron systems: Examination of dynamic equilibrium models based on multiple intermediates in S1 state of photosystem II

ABSTRACT

Domain-based local pair natural orbital (DLPNO) coupled cluster single and double (CCSD) methods with perturbative triples (T) correction with NormalPNO were used to compute energies for twelve different S₁ structures of the CaMn₄O₅ cluster in the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII). The DLPNO-CCSD(T₀) calculations with TightPNO for the important six structures among them revealed that the right (R)-opened S_1XYZW structures were more stable than the corresponding left (L)-opened structures (X?=?O₍₅₎, Y?=?W2, Z?=?W1, and W?=?O₍₄₎) of CaMn₄O₅. The three different S₁ structures belonging to the R-opened type (S_1acca, S_1bbca, and S_1abcb, where O^2-?=?a, OH^-?=?b and H₂O?=?c) were found nearly degenerated in energy, indicating the possibility of the coexistence of different structures in the S₁ state. The DLPNO-CCSD(T₀) calculations with TightPNO supported the proposal of a dynamic equilibrium model based on the multi-intermediate structures for the S₁ state, which is also in agreement with EPR and other experimental and hybrid DFT computational results. Implications of the computational results are discussed in relation to scope and applicability of NormalPNO and TightPNO for the CCSD(T₀) calculations of strongly correlated electron systems such as 3d transition-metal complexes.     

Synthesis of jaspine B regioisomers through palladium-catalyzed stereoselective tetrahydrofuran formation: Insight into the ligand recognition of sphingosine kinases

We recently reported a structure-activity relationship study of 4-epi-jaspine B derivatives toward sphingosine kinase (SphK) and identified selective inhibitors of two SphK isoforms. In this study, we designed and synthesized jaspine B regioisomers on the basis of palladium-catalyzed tetrahydrofuran formation and late-stage cross metathesis reactions to investigate the influence of the substitution position of functional groups on SphK inhibition. Evaluation of the jaspine B regioisomers SphK inhibitory activities revealed that several of these compounds exhibited comparable SphK1/2 inhibitory potency to that of 4-epi-jaspine B.