Isolation and Stereostructures of Dolastatin G and Nordolastatin G, Cytotoxic 35-Membered Cyclodepsipeptides from the Japanese Sea Hare Dolabella auricularia

A bioassay-directed fractionation of the cytotoxic constituents of the Japanese sea hare Dolabella auricularia resulted in the isolation of two 35-membered depsipeptides dolastatin G (1) and nordolastatin G (2), which showed cytotoxicity against HeLa S(3) cells with IC(50) values of 1.0 and 5.3 &mgr;g/mL, respectively. The gross structures of these substances were established by spectroscopic analysis including 2D NMR techniques. The absolute stereostructure of 1 was determined by chiral HPLC analysis of amino acid components obtained from acid hydrolysis of 1 and by the enantioselective syntheses of two degradation products arising from polyketide portions. Nordolastatin G (2) is a congener that has the same absolute stereochemistry as that of 1.     

Colorimetric assay for lysozyme using Micrococcus luteus labeled with a blue dye, Remazol brilliant blue R, as a substrate.

Micrococcus luteus (M. lysodeikticus) labeled with Remazol brilliant blue R (blue ML) was prepared as a novel substrate for the colorimetric assay of lysozyme. The treatment of the labeled substrate with lysozyme resulted in the release of soluble blue products which can be easily measured spectrophotometrically at 600 nm. The blue color was most efficiently released at pH 7 and ionic strength of 0.2 on incubation with hen lysozyme at 40 degrees C. A new colorimetric method for the assay of lysozyme using this substrate was developed. The assay system gave a linear dose-response curve, and as little as 0.1 microgram of human lysozyme (1 microgram/ml, 100 microliters) can be detected. The present method is more convenient and reproducible than the conventional lysozyme assay with bacterial cells. Application of the system to the determination of lysozyme in human serum is described.     

Direct catalytic asymmetric Michael reaction of hydroxyketones: asymmetric Zn catalysis with a Et2Zn/linked-BINOL complex

Full details of our direct Michael addition of unmodified ketones using new asymmetric zinc catalysis are described. Et(2)Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL complexes were successfully applied to direct 1,4-addition reactions of hydroxyketones. The first generation Et(2)Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL 1 = 2/1 system was effective for 1,4-addition of 2-hydroxy-2'-methoxyacetophenone (3). Using 1 mol % of (S,S)-linked-BINOL 1 and 2 mol % of Et(2)Zn, we found that a 1,4-addition reaction of beta-unsubstituted enone proceeded smoothly at 4 degrees C to afford products in high yield (up to 90%) and enantiomeric excess (up to 95%). In the case of beta-substituted enones, however, the first generation Et(2)Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL 1 = 2/1 system was not at all effective. The second generation Et(2)Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL 1 = 4/1 with MS 3A system was developed and was effective for various beta-substituted enones to afford products in good dr, yield (up to 99%), and high enantiomeric excess (up to 99% ee). With the Et(2)Zn/1 = 4/1 systems, catalyst loading for beta-unsubstituted enone was reduced to as little as 0.01 mol % (substrate/chiral ligand = 10 000). The new system was also effective for 1,4-addition reactions of 2-hydroxy-2'-methoxypropiophenone (9) to afford chiral tert-alcohol in high enantiomeric excess (up to 96% ee). Mechanistic investigations as well as transformations of the Michael adducts into synthetically versatile intermediates are also described.     

Aminyl radical cyclization by means of anodic oxidation. Stereoselective synthesis of cis-1-methyl-2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines

Neutral aminyl radicals generated by anodic oxidation of lithium alkenylamides 2 undergo a stereoselective cyclization to give $\text{cis}$-1-methyl-2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines 4. Their $\text{cis}$ stereochemistry was confirmed by a comparison with $\text{trans}$-1,2-dimethyl-5-phenylpyrrolidine, the structure of which was established by X-ray crystallographic analysis of its quarternary ammonium bromide 6.     

Synthesis of porphyrin-introduced silica gels by sol-gel process

Using a hydroxyl group appended free base porphyrin derivative (HP), porphyrin-introduced silica gels were synthesized by a sol-gel process. The HP content in the materials linearly increased with increasing the HP concentration. Meanwhile, free base tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) with no hydroxyl groups were almost not incorporated into the silica gels. These facts suggested that the interaction between hydroxyl groups of the HP molecules and silica network is considerably strong. The UV-vis characters of HP-introduced materials were almost the same as pure HP molecules. The Beer's plot indicated that the HP molecules in the materials are dispersed.     

Michael addition reactions between chiral equivalents of a nucleophilic glycine and (S)- or (R)-3-[(E)-enoyl]-4-phenyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones as a general method for efficient preparation of beta-substituted pyroglutamic acids. Case of topographically controlled stereoselectivity

This paper describes a systematic study of addition reactions between the chiral Ni(II) complex of the Schiff base of glycine with (S)-o-[N-(N-benzylprolyl)amino]benzophenone and (S)- or (R)-3-[(E)-enoyl]-4-phenyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones as a general and synthetically efficient approach to beta-substituted pyroglutamic acids and relevant compounds. These reactions were shown to occur at room temperature in the presence of nonchelating organic bases and, most notably, with very high (>98% diastereomeric excess (de)) stereoselectivity at both newly formed stereogenic centers. The stereochemical outcome of the reactions was found to be overwhelmingly controlled by the stereochemical preferences of the Michael acceptors, and the chirality of the glycine complex influenced only the reaction rate. Thus, in the reactions of both the (S)-configured Ni(II) complex and the Michael acceptors, the reaction rates were exceptionally high, allowing preparation of the corresponding products with virtually quantitative (>98%) chemical and stereochemical yields. In contrast, reactions of the (S)-configured Ni(II) complex and (R)-configured Michael acceptors proceeded at noticeably lower rates, but the addition products were obtained in high diastereo- and enantiomeric purity. To rationalize the remarkably high and robust stereoselectivity observed in these reactions, we consider an enzyme-substrate-like mode of interaction involving a topographical match or mismatch of two geometric figures. Excellent chemical and stereochemical yields, combined with the simplicity and operational convenience of the experimental procedures, render the present method of immediate use for preparing various beta-substituted pyroglutamic acids and related compounds.     

15β-Hydroxylation of Lithocholic Acid by cunninghamella sp.

The microbiological transformation of lithocholic acid (3α-hydroxy-5β-cholanic acid) into 3α, 15β-dihydroxy-5β-cholanic acid by Cunninghamella sp. is Investigated. The structure has been determined on the basis of two-dimensional ¹H-NMR.