Total synthesis of the potent androgen receptor antagonist (-)-arabilin: a strategic, biomimetic [1,7]-hydrogen shift

The first total synthesis of (-)-arabilin, a Streptomyces metabolite that inhibits hormone activation of the androgen receptor, has been completed. The key step, a [1,7]-hydrogen shift, establishes the enol ether-containing skipped-tetraene substructure. This nonenzymatic pericyclic reaction is considered to be biomimetic.     

A new quantitative and low-cost determination method of nitrate in vegetables, based on deconvolution of UV spectra

A new UV-spectrophotometric method for the determination of nitrate in vegetables is presented. The method is based on the spectral deconvolution: UV spectrum of a sample is considered as a linear combination of absorption spectra, named reference spectra. The combination of a small number of spectra of reference allows to reconstitute the shape of UV spectrum of an unknown sample. There have been several fresh vegetables (lettuce, curly lettuce, oak-leaf lettuce), as well as frozen spinaches that have been tested. The results obtained were comparable to those obtained with the reference HPLC method (official European reference method for the determination of nitrate in foodstuffs). The nitrate content varied from 377 to 3240 mg kg⁻¹ of fresh vegetables, and 545 to 1190 mg kg⁻¹ of frozen spinach. The recovery of added nitrate ranged from 91 to 99%. The results were obtained with a laboratory spectrophotometer and also with a dedicated field-type spectrophotometer. This method does not require almost any consumable, is quantitative and very fast reading with easy and low maintenance.     

Oleanolic triterpene saponins from the roots of Panax bipinnatifidus

Ten oleanane-type saponins (1-10), including three new compounds, namely bifinosides A-C (1-3), were isolated from the roots of Panax bipinnatifidus SEEM. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic methods.     

Chloration d'un polyethylene ramifie influence de la temperature et du solvant

The chlorination of branched high-pressure polyethylenes, promoted by u.v. at various temperatures in carbon tetrachloride and 1,1–2,2 tetrachloroethane, has been studied. It has been possible to elucidate the influence of the temperature and the nature of the solvent on the characteristics of the chlorinated polymers.The chlorination is more efficient in carbon tetrachloride, where the efficiency of the u.v. is not affected by the medium.At the same degree of chlorination, the chain-breaking mechanisms are more important in carbon tetrachloride than in tetrachloroethane; they increase when the temperature of the medium increases. The chlorine-saturated polyethylene obtained in carbon tetrachloride is richer in 1,2 dichloroethylene sequences.Below 60°, the yield of chlorinated polymer is the same in the two solvents. Chlorination at higher temperature in tetrachloroethane does not improve the structural regularity or the yield of the chlorine-saturated polyethylenes.     

Nouvelle méthode de détermination des taux de réativité des copolymères par résonance magnétique nucléaire: Application aux poly(méthacrylate de méthyle–chlorure de vinylidène)

Constant-composition copolymers of methyl methacrylate and vinylidene chloride produced by radical copolymerization are studied by ¹H-NMR at 60 and 250 MHz. The different methods of the literature for the derivation of reactivity ratios from either the copolymer composition or the sequence average lengths, or even the diad distribution, are applied but lead to rather dispersed results. A new graphical method is proposed, based on the use of peculiar values of the triad distribution functions. It allows us to detect a penultimate effect for the vinylidene chloride-rich region. In the same range, a change in tacticity of the diads and triads on the methylmethacrylate sequences, as compared with homopolymers, is observed; it suggests that the anomaly is caused by the competition of the depropagation reaction.     

Mechanisms of micellization and rheology of PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers with various architectures

Micelle formation was followed by micro-DSC and rheology for aqueous solutions of two copolymers of PEO-PPO-PEO, the Pluronic F127 (from BASF) and the EG56 (from PolymerExpert), a branched copolymer built with three chains of F127 type. It is shown that micellization is endothermic and that, for both polymers, the enthalpy of formation/melting is proportional to total concentration. The rheology of the solutions was carefully analyzed, before gelation for F127, and it reveals firstly the progressive changes of solubility of the unimers (decease of relative solution viscosity), followed by micelle formation over a 10 degrees C range. In this range, the micelle concentration dependence on temperature was deduced from enthalpy measurements and the corresponding volume fractions were derived. Viscosity was interpreted within the framework of well-known theories for hard sphere suspensions (Krieger-Dougherty or Quemada) based on an analogy between micelles and nanosized hairy grain suspensions. The gel state is achieved due to formation of the colloidal crystal. For EG56, the rheology is quite different; as the aggregation increases with temperature, a progression is observed from Newtonian to visco-elastic liquid. The characteristic frequency, defined by the relation G(') = G('), for EG56 varies with temperature and the corresponding times increase by two orders of magnitude according to an Arrhenius law. The frequency dependence of G(') and G(') at different temperatures can be superposed with a horizontal shift factor and a small amplitude adjustment. There is no elastic solid formation in this case. The "gelation" of these two copolymers is compared to the physical gelation of cold-set gels (gelatin).     

Polymérisation anionique de l'isoprène: Nature de la paire d'ions et stéréospécificité

With accumulated HR-NMR spectra of anionic polyisoprenes, it has been possible to study the influence of the nature of the propagating species on the microstructure of the obtained polymers If free ions are responsible for the propagation, the microstructure (1,4-: 25%, 1,2-: 33%, 3,4-: 42%) does not depend on the nature of the cations. But with contact ion pairs, the different addition modes are governed by the size of the alkali metal counterions. Mechanisms of anionic propagations via diene–cation coordination are proposed.     

Polymérisation anionique amorcée par les composés lamellaires du graphite et du lithium

In the present work, we use the binary insertion compound LiC₁₂ to polymerize styrene, methyl methacrylate, butadiene, isoprene, and to copolymerize isoprene and styrene in various hydrocarbon solvents (aromatics and aliphatic) and etheral solvents. We show that the styrene polymerization in aromatic solvents gives better yields than in the etheral solvents, the polymer being atactic. Methyl methacrylate does not polymerize in toluene but does so completely in DME. More generally, the yields of polymerization are better with KC₃₇ than with LiC₁₂ because of the different capacities of the monomer to get into the carbon layers. The polymerization of dienes with LiC₁₂ shows that the microstructures of the polymer obtained in π-or n-donor solvents are similar to the ones obtained by homogenous polymerization with Li cation in such solvents. However, for isoprene in cyclohexane, the results are different. The isoprene styrene copolymers are statistical ones and the mean length of styrene blocks is less than 5. The monomer interaction with the insertion compound and the growing chain geometry between the carbon layers are the facts which control either the stereospecificity of the polymerization or the selectivity of the copolymerization.     

Microchip-based one step DNA extraction and real-time PCR in one chamber for rapid pathogen identification

Optimal detection of a pathogen present in biological samples depends on the ability to extract DNA molecules rapidly and efficiently. In this paper, we report a novel method for efficient DNA extraction and subsequent real-time detection in a single microchip by combining laser irradiation and magnetic beads. By using a 808 nm laser and carboxyl-terminated magnetic beads, we demonstrate that a single pulse of 40 seconds lysed pathogens including E. coli and Gram-positive bacterial cells as well as the hepatitis B virus mixed with human serum. We further demonstrate that the real-time pathogen detection was performed with pre-mixed PCR reagents in a real-time PCR machine using the same microchip, after laser irradiation in a hand-held device equipped with a small laser diode. These results suggest that the new sample preparation method is well suited to be integrated into lab-on-a-chip application of the pathogen detection system.     

High-throughput profiling of N-linked oligosaccharides in therapeutic antibodies using a microfluidic CD platform and MALDI-MS

Recombinant therapeutic antibodies have shown a great potential in the treatment of several severe medical conditions such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. Glycosylation plays a critical role in biological activity and immunogenic properties of these compounds. The analysis of glycan profiles is therefore necessary in many steps of the development and manufacturing process from early development to quality control of the final product. In this paper, a fast, parallel, and robust sample preparation platform for glycosylation profiling using a microfluidic compact disc (CD) is presented. A sequential process including selective capture of antibody from a crude cell supernatant using protein A beads, enzymatic release of glycans, purification with a graphitized carbon black column, and crystallisation for MALDI-TOF analysis were performed on the CD. Glycosylation profiles of an antibody intended for therapeutic use produced in two different cell lines were compared.