Concise synthesis of anti-HIV-1 active (+)-inophyllum B and (+)-calanolide A by application of (-)-quinine-catalyzed intramolecular oxo-Michael addition

(-)-Quinine-catalyzed intramolecular oxo-Michael addition (IMA) of 7-hydroxy-5-methoxy-8-tigloylcoumarins was developed for the enantioselective construction of 2,3-dimethyl-4-chromanone systems in the context of the asymmetric synthesis of anti-HIV-1 active Calophyllum coumarins. Combination of the IMA and MgI(2)-assisted demethylation of the 5-methoxy group along with isomerization of the formed chromanone systems as key steps successfully led to the concise synthesis of (+)-inophyllum B and (+)-calanolide A, possible candidates for AIDS drugs. Further examination of the asymmetric IMA with cinchona alkaloids lacking a methoxy group on the quinoline skeleton suggested the influence of the methoxy substituent on stereoselectivity at the stereogenic centers of the chromanone systems.     

Synthesis of di-branched heptasaccharide by one-pot glycosylation using seven independent building blocks

[reaction: see text] We describe an efficient synthesis of di-branched heptasaccharide 1 having phytoalexin elicitor activity in soybeans by one-pot glycosylation. The synthesis involves chemo- and regioselective sequential six-step glycosylations using seven independent building blocks and sequential removal of acyl- and benzyl ether-type protecting groups. The coupling of seven building blocks requires only four chemoselective activitable leaving groups of glycosyl donors. Both the glycosylation and deprotection reactions can be achieved utilizing a parallel manual synthesizer.     

Preparative high-yield electroelution of proteins after separation by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and its application to analysis of amino acid sequences and to raise antibodies.

A method for the preparative high-yield electroelution of proteins from sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel strips was established. The method consisted of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, detection of proteins with sodium acetate and electrophoretic elution at 200 V for 3 h by utilizing a horizontal flat-bed gel electrophoresis apparatus. Standard proteins with molecular masses of 14-66 kilodalton (cytochrome c, aldolase, ovalbumin and bovine serum albumin) were recovered with an average yield of 73.6 +/- 2.3%. A membrane-bound protein, rat skeletal muscle Ca(2+)-ATPase (100 kilodalton) was also well recovered (over 60%). This method was applicable to the purification of proteins required for N-terminal amino acid sequencing and to raise antibodies.     

Technical study for SPECT of the head using slant hole collimator

The performance of a 160 keV slant hole collimator (160 keV SH) was compared with that of a 140 keV high resolution collimator (140 keV HR) for SPECT imaging of the head using 99mTc. The minimum radius of revolution was reduced from about 23 cm to 13 cm using 160 keV SH. Relative sensitivity of the 160 keV SH was 108% of that of the 140 keV HR. Compared with SPECT using 140 keV HR, 160 keV SH SPECT yielded approximately a 15% increase in resolution. The 160 keV SH SPECT images of phantom were superior in resolution and contrast to that of 140 keV HR SPECT. We concluded that high quality SPECT images of the head can be obtained from rotating gamma cameras equipped with slant hole collimators.     

NMR study on the tautomeric equilibria between the hydrazone imine and diazenyl enamine forms in side chained quinoxalines: Solvent effects and temperature dependence

The reaction of 7-chloro-4-ethoxycarbonylmethylene-4,5-dihydro-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxaline 6 with 4-ethoxycarbonyl-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-5-diazonium chloride or 4-cyano-1,3-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-5-diazonium chloride gave 7-chloro-4-[α-(4-ethoxycarbonyl-1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-5-ylhydrazono)-ethoxycarbonylmethyl]-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxaline 8a or 7-chloro-4-[α-(4-cyano-1,3-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-5-ylhydrazono)ethoxycarbonylmethyl]-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxaline 8b , respectively, while the reaction of 7-chloro-4-ethoxycarbonylmethylene-4,5-dihydrotetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline 7 with 4-ethoxycarbonyl-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-5-diazonium chloride or 4-cyano-1,3-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-5-diazomum chloride provided 7-chloro-4-[α-(4-ethoxycarbonyl-1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-5-ylhydrazono)ethoxycarbonylmethyl]tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline 9a or 7-chloro-4-[α-(4-cyano-1,3-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-5-ylhydrazono)ethoxycarbonylmethyl]tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline 9b , respectively. Compounds 8a,b and 9a,b showed the tautomeric equilibria between the hydrazone imine C and diazenyl enamine D forms in dimethyl sulfoxide and/or trifluoroacetic acid, and the effects of solvent and temperature on the tautomer ratios of C to D were studied by the nmr measurements in a series of mixed trifluoroacetic acid/dimethyl sulfoxide media (compounds 8a,b and 9a,b ) and at various temperatures (compounds 8a,b ).     

Excitation-energy migration in self-assembled cyclic zinc(II)-porphyrin arrays: a close mimicry of a natural light-harvesting system

The excitation-energy-hopping (EEH) times within two-dimensional cyclic zinc(II)-porphyrin arrays 5 and 6, which were prepared by intermolecular coordination and ring-closing metathesis reaction of olefins, were deduced by modeling the EEH process based on the anisotropy depolarization as well as the exciton-exciton annihilation dynamics. Assuming the number of energy-hopping sites N = 5 and 6, the two different experimental observables, that is, anisotropy depolarization and exciton-excition annihilation times, consistently give the EEH times of 8.0 +/- 0.5 and 5.3 +/- 0.6 ps through the 1,3-phenylene linkages of 5 and 6, respectively. Accordingly, the self-assembled cyclic porphyrin arrays have proven to be well-defined two-dimensional models for natural light-harvesting complexes.     

Steroidal oligoglycosides from Solanum nigrum

Two new steroidal saponins, named nigrumnins I and II, together with two known saponins were obtained from the whole plant of Solanum nigrum L. On the basis of spectroscopic analysis (1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 1H-1H COSY, TOCSY, HMQC, HMBC and FAB-MS), nigrumnin I was established as (25R)-5alpha-spirostan-3beta-ol 3-O-betaD-xylopyranosyl-(1-->3)-[alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1 -->2)]-beta-D- glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->2)]-beta-D- galactopyranoside (1), and nigrumnin II was elucidated as (25R)-3beta,17alpha-dihydroxy-5alpha-spirostan-1 2-one 3-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->3)-[alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1--> 2)]-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-[alpha-L-rhamnopyra- nosyl-(1-->2)l-beta-D-galactopyranoside (2).     

Cobalt-catalyzed Heck-type reaction of alkyl halides with styrenes

A cobalt complex, CoCl2[1,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)hexane], catalyzes an alkylation reaction of styrenes in the presence of Me3SiCH2MgCl in ether to yield beta-alkylstyrenes. A variety of alkyl halides including alkyl chlorides can be employed as an alkyl source. A radical mechanism is strongly suggested for this alkylation reaction.