Binary and Ternary Metal Complexes Derived from Cu Acetate with Some Sulfur-Containing Chemotherapeutic Agents

Two ternary complexes, [Cu₂(Pir)(Pen)(OH)(Ac)H₂O] and [Cu(Pir)(Cap)(Ac)] ½H₂O (where, Pen = D-penicillamine, Cap = captopril, and Pir = piroxicam) have been synthesized and characterized using elemental analyses, spectroscopic analyses (IR, UV-vis, MS), thermal analyses (TGA), conductance measurements, and magnetic measurements. The binary complexes, [Cu₂(Pen)(OH)₂(H₂O)₂] 4H₂O and [Cu(Cap)Ac] 3/2H₂O, have also been prepared and characterized by these techniques to facilitate the interpretation of the mixed ligand complexes. The results show that D-penicillamine can coordinate two copper atoms through amino nitrogen, and thiol sulfur after displacement of a hydrogen atom. At the same time, the ligand coordinates to the second copper atom through a carboxyl group after displacement of a hydrogen from the latter group. Captopril coordinates through thiol sulfur and carbonyl oxygen. Piroxicam coordinates as a neutral bidentate ligand in the keto form through carbonyl oxygen and pyridyl nitrogen. The magnetic moment measurements of complexes containing captopril indicate the reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I) by the thiol group.     

Synthesis of trans/cis‐3,4‐Disubstituted 1,2,3,4‐Tetrahydroisoquinolines by Nucleophilic Acyl Substitution of Homophthalic Anhydride with Aldimines

The reaction of the functionalized N‐protected imines 3 and 7 containing either the chloromethyl or ethyl ester moieties, respectively, attached to the imine carbon with homophthalic anhydride 2 afforded cis/tran‐3‐subsituted‐1‐oxo‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinoline‐4‐caboxylic acids appropriate for further synthetic elaboration.     

Synthesis of Functionalized Pyrano[3,2‐c]pyridines and Their Transformations to 4‐Hydroxy‐3[(1E)‐N‐hydroxyalkanimidoyl]pyridones

Reaction of 4‐hydroxy‐6‐methyl‐2(1H)‐pyridones 1a and 4‐hydroxy‐1,6‐dimethyl‐2(1H)‐pyridones 1b with diethyl malonates 2a–e leads to the formation of pyrano[3,2‐c]pyridines 4a–j. Degradation of 4a–i affords the corresponding ketones 6a–i. Condensation of ketones 6a–i with hydroxyl amine or phenyl hydrazine hydrochloride is described.     

Efficient adsorbents of nanoporous aluminosilicate monoliths for organic dyes from aqueous solution

Growing public awareness on the potential risk to humans of toxic chemicals in the environment has generated demand for new and improved methods for toxicity assessment and removal, rational means for health risk estimation. With the aim of controlling nanoscale adsorbents for functionality in molecular sieving of organic pollutants, we fabricated cubic Im3m mesocages with uniform entrance and large cavity pores of aluminosilicates as highly promising candidates for the colorimetric monitoring of organic dyes in an aqueous solution. However, a feasible control over engineering of three-dimensional (3D) mesopore cage structures with uniform entrance (~5 nm) and large cavity (~10 nm) allowed the development of nanoadsorbent membranes as a powerful tool for large-quantity and high-speed (in minutes) adsorption/removal of bulk molecules such as organic dyes. Incorporation of high aluminum contents (Si/Al=1) into 3D cubic Im3m cage mesoporous silica monoliths resulted in small, easy-to-use optical adsorbent strips. In such adsorption systems, natural surfaces of active acid sites of aluminosilicate strips strongly induced both physical adsorption of chemically responsive dyes and intraparticle diffusion into cubic Im3m mesocage monoliths. Results likewise indicated that although aluminosilicate strips with low Si/Al ratios exhibit distortion in pore ordering and decrease in surface area and pore volume, enhancement of both molecular converges and intraparticle diffusion onto the network surfaces and into the pore architectures of adsorbent membranes was achieved. Moreover, 3D mesopore cage adsorbents are reversible, offering potential for multiple adsorption assays.     

Size-selective separations of biological macromolecules on mesocylinder silica arrays

In order to control the design functionality of mesocylinder filters for molecular sieving of proteins, we fabricated tight mesocylinder silica nanotube (NT) arrays as promising filter candidates for size-exclusion separation of high-concentration macromolecules, such as insulin (INS), α-amylase (AMY), β-lactoglobulin (β-LG), and myosin (MYO) proteins. In this study, hexagonal mesocylinder structures were fabricated successfully inside anodic alumina membrane (AAM) nanochannels using a variety of cationic and nonionic surfactants as templates. The systematic design of the nanofilters was based on densely patterned polar silane coupling agents ("linkers") onto the AAM nanochannels, leading to the fabrication of mesocylinder silica arrays with vertical alignment and open surfaces of top-bottom ends inside AAM. Further surface coating of silica NTs hybrid AAM with hydrophobic agents facilitated the production of extremely robust constructed sequences of membranes without the formation of air gaps among NT arrays. The fabricated membranes with impermeable coated layers, robust surfaces, and uniformly multidirectional cylinder pores in nanoscale sizes rapidly separate large quantities of proteins within seconds. Meanwhile, comprehensive factors that affect the performance of the molecular transport, diffusivity, and filtration rate through nanofilter membranes were discussed. The mesocylinder filters of macromolecules show promise for the efficient separation and molecular transport of large molecular weight and size as well as concentrations of proteins.     

Stereoselective Synthesis of Sialyl Lewisa Antigen and the Effective Anticancer Activity of Its Bacteriophage Qβ Conjugate as an Anticancer Vaccine

Sialyl Lewis^a (sLe^a), also known as cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), is a tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen. The overexpression of sLe^a on the surface of a variety of cancer cells makes it an attractive target for anticancer immunotherapy. However, sLe^a-based anticancer vaccines have been under-explored. To develop a new vaccine, efficient stereoselective synthesis of sLe^a with an amine-bearing linker was achieved, which was subsequently conjugated with a powerful carrier bacteriophage, Qβ. Mouse immunization with the Qβ-sLe^a conjugate generated strong and long-lasting anti-sLe^a IgG antibody responses, which were superior to those induced by the corresponding conjugate of sLe^a with the benchmark carrier keyhole limpet hemocyanin. Antibodies elicited by Qβ-sLe^a were highly selective toward the sLe^a structure, could bind strongly with sLe^a-expressing cancer cells and human pancreatic cancer tissues, and kill tumor cells through complement-mediated cytotoxicity. Furthermore, vaccination with Qβ-sLe^a significantly reduced tumor development in a metastatic cancer model in mice, demonstrating tumor protection for the first time by a sLe^a-based vaccine, thus highlighting the significant potential of sLe^a as a promising cancer antigen.     

Synthesis of a Systematic 64-Membered Heparan Sulfate Tetrasaccharide Library

Heparan sulfate (HS) has multifaceted biological activities. To date, no libraries of HS oligosaccharides bearing systematically varied sulfation structures are available owing to the challenges in synthesizing a large number of HS oligosaccharides. To overcome the obstacles and expedite the synthesis, a divergent approach was designed, where 64 HS tetrasaccharides covering all possible structures of 2-O-, 6-O- and N-sulfation with the glucosamine-glucuronic acid-glucosamine-iduronic acid backbone were successfully produced from a single strategically protected tetrasaccharide intermediate. This extensive library helped identify the structural requirements for HS sequences to have strong fibroblast growth factor-2 binding but a weak affinity for platelet factor-4. Such a strategy to separate out these two interactions could lead to new HS-based potential therapeutics without the dangerous adverse effect of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.     

Total Syntheses of Polyhydroxylated Steroids by an Unsaturation-Functionalization Strategy

Highly oxygenated cardiotonic steroids, such as ouabain, possess a wide spectrum of biological functions and remain significant synthetic challenges. Herein, we have applied an unsaturation-functionalization strategy and developed a synthetic method in addressing the C19-hydroxylation issue for efficient synthesis of polyhydroxylated steroids. An effective asymmetric dearomative cyclization allowed the construction of the C19-hydroxy unsaturated steroidal skeleton in only four steps from the Hajos-Parrish ketone ketal 7 . The synthetic sequence featured C3−OH-directed hydrogenation/epoxidation, m-CPBA-triggered epoxidation/S_N2′ nucleophilic substitution, Birch reduction of an enone, and regioselective LiAlH₄ reduction to furnish the polyhydroxy functionalities on the steroid skeleton with high stereochemical control and efficiency. This approach ultimately enabled the total synthesis of 19-hydroxysarmentogenin and ouabagenin in 18 and 19 steps, respectively, overall. The synthesis of these polyhydroxylated steroids offers synthetic versatility and practicality in the search for new therapeutic agents.