Metabolism of tomato steroidal glycosides in humans

Pregnane glycosides have been isolated in small amounts, along with the major components furostanol and spirostanol glycosides, from Dioscoreaceae, Taccaceae, and Solanaceae, suggesting that pregnane glycosides might be biosynthesized from furostanol and spirostanol glycosides. Recently, commercial natural foods composed of diosgenin have been used for the treatment of diseases such as osteoporosis and premenstrual syndrome in women. It is anticipated that diosgenin would be metabolized into a type of steroidal hormone, for instance progesterone, however, this metabolism has not been confirmed. Therefore, we have examined the metabolites in the urine of subjects who ingested tomatoes, which contain a considerable amount of the steroidal glycoside esculeoside A. The occurrence of steroidal hormones in the metabolites has been recognized. It has been proven that when a steroidal glycoside is administered, it is partly metabolized into a type of steroidal hormone exhibiting various physiological activities.     

The survival of inefficient and efficient norms: Equilibria with and without meta-norms in a repeated norm enforcing game

ABSTRACT

Although meta-norms have been considered as the key to sustaining cooperation norms, this study argues that the meta-norms also facilitate the survival of inefficient norms. The opportunistic norm violation strategy is proposed as an alternative mechanism to motivate costly punishments. A repeated norm enforcing game, in which the externality of the normative action can be negative or positive, is analyzed. This game is equivalent to a social dilemma if the externality is large enough. The ranges of externalities that support tit-for-tat, meta-norm, and opportunism equilibria are compared. The meta-norm equilibrium has the highest stability; however, it can persist in negative externalities. Finally, the opportunism equilibrium is more stable than the tit-for-tat equilibrium, but it breaks down when the externality is small.     

Interval Dismantlable Lattices

A finite lattice is interval dismantlable if it can be partitioned into an ideal and a filter, each of which can be partitioned into an ideal and a filter, etc., until you reach 1-element lattices. In this note, we find a quasi-equational basis for the pseudoquasivariety of interval dismantlable lattices, and show that there are infinitely many minimal interval non-dismantlable lattices.     

A facile and stereoselective synthetic method for allylic 1,3-dienyl ethers

The 1,4-elimination reaction of 1-allyloxy-4-methoxy-(2Z)-alkenes with n-butyllithium is shown to proceed in a marked preference to the [2,3] Wittig rearrangement to afford the allylic (1Z,3E)-dienyl ethers in high stereoselectivities. The synthetic utility of this method is demonstrated by the Claisen rearrangement of the dienyl ethers thus obtained.     

Iron complexes of (e)- and (z)-1,2-dichlorodisilenes

Novel disilene-iron complexes [(E)- (1E) and (Z)-(eta2-R3SiClSi=SiClSiR3)Fe(CO)4 (1Z), SiR3 = tBu2MeSi] were synthesized by the reaction of the corresponding tetrachlorodisilane with an excess amount of K2Fe(CO)4, and the structures of 1E and 1Z were determined by X-ray crystallography. These complexes constitute not only the first transition-metal complexes with E,Z-isomerism but also the first complexes with halogen-substituted disilene ligands. The initial formation of 1Z during the synthetic reaction and the slow one-way isomerization of 1Z to 1E are rationalized by the intervention of the corresponding silylene complex (R3SiCl2Si)(R3Si)Si=Fe(CO)4.     

Elimination-addition mechanism for nucleophilic substitution reaction of cyclohexenyl iodonium salts and regioselectivity of nucleophilic addition to the cyclohexyne intermediate

The reaction of 4-substituted cyclohex-1-enyl(phenyl)iodonium tetrafluoroborate with tetrabutylammonium acetate gives both the ipso and cine acetate-substitution products in aprotic solvents. The isomeric 5-substituted iodonium salt also gives the same mixture of the isomeric acetate products. The reaction is best explained by an elimination-addition mechanism with 4-substituted cyclohexyne as a common intermediate. The cyclohexyne formation was confirmed by deuterium labeling and trapping to lead to [4 + 2] cycloadducts and a platinum-cyclohexyne complex. Cyclohexyne can also be generated in the presence of some other mild bases such as fluoride ion, alkoxides, and amines, though amines are less effective bases for the elimination. Kinetic deuterium isotope effects show that the anionic bases induce the E2 elimination (k(H)/k(D) > 2), while the amines allow formation of a cyclohexenyl cation in chloroform to lead to E1 as well as S(N)1 reactions (k(H)/k(D) approximately 1). Bases are much less effective in methanol, and methoxide was the only base to efficiently afford the cyclohexyne intermediate. Nucleophiles react with the cyclohexyne to give regioisomeric products in the ratio dependent on the ring substituent. The observed regioselectivity of nucleophilic addition to substituted cyclohexynes is rationalized from calculated LUMO populations, which are governed by the bond angles at the acetylenic carbons: The less deformed carbon has a higher LUMO population and is preferentially attacked by the nucleophile.     

Amphiphilic guest sorption of K2[Cr3O(OOCC2H5)6(H2O)3]2[alpha-SiW12O40] ionic crystal

An ionic crystal K2[Cr3O(OOCC2H5)6(H2O)3]2[alpha-SiW12O40] x 3H2O (1a) is synthesized by the complexation of a Keggin-type polyoxometalate of [alpha-SiW12O40]4- with K+ and a macrocation of [Cr3O(OOCC2H5)6(H2O)3]+. Compound 1a possesses both hydrophilic and hydrophobic channels in the crystal lattice. The 3 mol mol(-1) of the water of crystallization in 1a resides in the hydrophilic channel. The water of crystallization is removed by the evacuation at 303 K to form the guest-free phase 1b with small changes in the lattice lengths (+/-0.2 A). The water sorption profile is reproduced by the single rate constant. Therefore, the water sorbed probably resides in the hydrophilic channel. Compound 1b sorbs various kinds of polar organic molecules, and the amounts of < or = C3 alcohols are comparable to or larger than that of water, while chlorocarbons with no hydrogen-bonding ability and nonpolar molecules are excluded. Thus, 1b showed the amphiphilic sorption property. The states of the polar organic molecules sorbed in 1b have been quantitatively investigated using ethanol as a probe molecule. The IR, NMR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies combined with the sorption kinetics reveal that ethanol molecules are mainly sorbed into the hydrophilic channel at P/P0 < or = 0.5, while the sorption into the hydrophobic channel is dominant at P/P0 > or = 0.6. Thus, it is demonstrated that ethanol molecules enter both hydrophilic and hydrophobic channels of 1b.