Synthesis of new thiazolium betaines and the ring expansion reaction via 1,4-dipolar cycloaddition

The 1,4-dipolar cycloaddition of 3-phenyl-7-[N-pheny(carbamoyl)]-5,6-dihydroimidazo[2,1-b]thia-zolium betaine (7d) with a series of aliphatic alkylating agents such as ethyl bromoacetate, α-chloroacetone, and ethyl 4-chloroacetoacetate gave a variety of new ring-expanded cycloadducts 10a-c instead of ring transformation compounds 9 . This result was derived from the difference of reactivity between N- and S-alkylations of thiazolium betaines 7a,d. The advantage of our method is to prepare the triheterocyclic compounds 10a-c of complicated structure using reactive thiazolium betaine 7d in a one-pot without isolation of intermediates. Treatment of N-bridged thiazolo compounds 1a-c with benzoyl isothiocyanate led to new thiazolium betaines 2a-c , which were reacted with methyl iodide to afford the S-alkylated quarternary ammonium salts 3a-c. Synthesis of new 2-iminothiazolinium betaines 5a,b also was carried out.     

New synthetic route for preparing rattle-type silica particles with metal cores

Rattle-type silica particles with metal cores, applicable to catalysts and metal/inorganic composite coating materials, were prepared by the pre-shell/post-core method that can control the size of metal cores inside silica capsules and exchange from metal cores into different ones with a metal displacement reaction.     

Photoaddition reactions of 1,4-diphenylbutadiyne with olefins

1,4-Diphenylbutadiyne(DPB) and several olefins such as 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene, 1,4-cyclohexadiene and dimethyl fumarate were irradiated with 300 nm UV light to obtain interesting cross-cycloaddition products.     

Artificial peptidase with an active site comprising a Cu(II) center and a proximal guanidinium ion. A carboxypeptidase A analogue

An immobile artificial metallopeptidase having a well-defined active site was constructed on the backbone of cross-linked polystyrene by adjoining a guanidinium moiety to the Cu(II) complex of a tetraaza ligand. The catalyst (CABP) and intermediate polymers were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, inductively coupled plasma measurement, electron probe microanalysis, test for primary amines, binding of Cu(II) ion, and complexation of p-nitrobenzoate ion. CABP effectively catalyzed amide hydrolysis of carboxyl-containing N-acyl amino acids. The catalytic rate of CABP in the hydrolysis of unactivated amides was comparable to that of the catalytic antibody with the highest peptidase activity reported to date. It is proposed that the guanidinium moiety of CABP recognizes the carboxylate anion of the substrate whereas the Cu(II) center participates in the cleavage of the amide bond of the complexed substrate. Several characteristic features of carboxypeptidase A were reproduced by CABP: catalytic action of the metal ion, participation of guanidinium in substrate recognition, hydrolysis of small unactivated amides, and substrate selectivity toward amide bonds adjacent to a carboxylate group.     

Development of soft plasma ionization (SPI) source for analysis of organic compounds

We present a newly designed soft plasma ionization (SPI) source developed for mass spectrometric study of organic compounds in this study. The SPI cell having a relatively small size consists of a hollow anode and a hollow mesh cathode. The voltage–current characteristic depending on the pressure was investigated, indicating that it has similar characteristics to conventional hollow cathode glow discharges. To investigate the emission characteristics of the SPI source, some molecular band emission spectra (N₂, N₂⁺ and OH⁺) were measured by using argon and helium discharge gases. The SPI source was installed to a commercially used quadrupole mass analyzer for analyzing organic compounds. To demonstrate the SPI source, the mass spectra of some organic compounds (methylene chloride, toluene, benzene, cyclohexane and chloroform) were measured. The organic compounds were ionized with good stability in the plasma, and the fragmentation depended on the applied current. When helium and argon gases were used as the discharge gas, the helium plasma was more suitable for SPI-MS rather than argon because the argon plasma not only suffers from spectral interference but also has lower sensitivity.     

Paradoxical effects of elastase inhibitor guamerin on the tissue repair of two different wound models: sealed cutaneous and exposed tongue wounds

Innate elastase inhibitors are known to be putatively involved in the regulation of tissue inflammation by inhibiting polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) derived proteinases. The aim of this study was to evaluate affects of leukocyte elastase suppression and PMN infiltration on wound healing in mouse by administering the recombinant elastase inhibitor guamerin (rEIG) in two different wound models; 1) impaired pin-punctured dorsal mucosa of anterior tongue wound, 60 mice, treated with saline containing rEIG that were fed ad libitum and 2) stable linear excisional cutaneous wound, 40 mice, covered with fibrin sealant containing rEIG. The progress of healing was analyzed by histological methods. The tongue wounds treated with rEIG became edematous around the pin-punctured tongue wound, and influx of inflammatory cells and PMN into the underlying stromal tissue were seen rapidly after wounding and peaked between 2-4 days. Whereas the control mice showed almost no wheal formation in the pin-punctured wound, a far lesser levels of PMN infiltration, and almost complete wound closure in 4 days. In the other model, the liner excisional cutaneous wound treated with fibrin sealant containing rEIG showed early wound constriction, lesser degree of inflammatory cells influx, and complete reepithelialization in 4-5 days, whereas the wound of control mice with the fibrin sealant alone showed contrary delayed reepithelialization, greater degree of inflammatory cell infiltration, and consequencial formation of greater granulation tissue at wound site. Taken together, these data suggest paradoxical effects of rEIG on the wound healing where in the wound exposed to infiltrating milieu of microorganisms in the oral cavity, the rEIG aggravates the wound healing by interfering with other innate defensive factors and extended greater flux of PMNs to inflamed wound site, while in the wound enclosed by fibrin, the rEIG accelerated wound healing by inhibiting the inflammation-generated proteases and the acute inflammatory reaction.     

An efficient synthesis of 3(S)-aminopiperidine-5(R)-carboxylic acid as a cyclic β,γ′-diamino acid

An orthogonally protected β,γ′-diamino acid 6 possessing conformationally-constrained ring system was synthesized as a novel cyclic amino acid analogue. This synthesis involves as key steps chemoselective enzymatic hydrolysis of cis-piperidine-3,5-dicarboxylic ester derivative followed by efficient kinetic resolution of the partially resolved half-acid to afford the C₁-symmetric piperidine-3,5-dicarboxylic acid monoester in high enantiomeric excess (>98% ee). The optically active half-acid was transformed to the cyclic amino acid via Curtius-type rearrangement.     

Vibrational spectra and conformations of 1,4-cyclohexadiene and its oxygen analogues: ab initio and density functional calculations

The vibrational spectra and ring-puckering potential energy functions of 1,4-cyclohexadiene, 4H-pyran and 1,4-dioxin have been examined using a density functional theory (DFT) method as well as the Hartree–Fock (HF) and second-order Møller–Plesset (MP2) methods. The calculated vibrational frequencies and potential energy functions of those molecules have been compared with previously reported experimental data and MM3 results. For all three molecules, the DFT method using Becke's three-parameter functional (B3LYP) has led to the prediction of more accurate vibrational frequencies than the HF and MP2 methods. The enlargement of the basis set at the B3LYP levels has improved the accuracy of calculated vibrational frequencies. In particular, the C–O–C=C torsional force field parameters obtained from the B3LYP method have correctly predicted the ring-puckering potential energy functions of the oxygen-containing analogues, 4H-pyran and 1,4-dioxin, which could not be done by the MM3 method.     

Trp-Lys-Tyr-Met-Val-Met stimulates phagocytosis via phospho-lipase D-dependent signaling in mouse dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a key role in activating the immune response against invading pathogens as well as dying cells or tumors. Although the immune response can be initiated by the phagocytic activity by DCs, the molecular mechanism involved in this process has not been fully investigated. Trp-Lys-Tyr-Met-Val-Met-NH(2) (WKYMVM) stimulates the activation of phospholipase D (PLD) via Ca(2+) increase and protein kinase C activation in mouse DC cell line, DC2.4. WKYMVM stimulates the phagocytic activity, which is inhibited in the presence of N-butanol but not t-butanol in DC2.4 cells. Furthermore, the addition of phosphatidic acid, an enzymatic product of PLD activity, enhanced the phagocytic activity in DC2.4 cells. Since at least two of formyl peptide receptor (FPR) family (FPR1 and FPR2) are expressed in DC2.4 as well as in mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells, this study suggests that the activation of FPR family by WKYMVM stimulates the PLD activity resulting in phagocytic activity in DC2.4 cells.     

New flexible synthesis of pyrazoles with different,functionalized substituents at C3 and C5

Syntheses of pyrazoles featuring a functionalized side chain attached to carbon 3 and varying alkyl and aryl substituents attached to carbon 5 are presented. Installation of R = methyl, isopropyl, tert-butyl, adamantyl, or phenyl groups at C5 is reported here, starting by coupling protected alkynols with acid chlorides RCOCl, forming alkynyl ketones, which are reacted with hydrazine to form the pyrazole nucleus. Alcohol deprotection and conversion to a chloride gave 5-substituted 3-(chloromethyl)- or 3-(2-chloroethyl)pyrazoles. This sequence can be done within 2 d on a 30 g scale in excellent overall yield. Through nucleophilic substitution reactions, the chlorides are useful precursors to other polyfunctional pyrazoles. In the work here, derivatives with side chains LCH(2)- and LCH(2)CH(2)- at C3 (L = thioether or phosphine) were made as ligands. The significance of the ligands made here is that by placing a ligating side chain on a ring carbon (C3), rather than on a ring nitrogen, the ring nitrogen not bound to the metal and its attached proton will be available for hydrogen bonding, depending on the steric environment created by R at C5.