Assessment of the capillary zone electrophoretic behavior of proteins in the presence of electroosmotic modifiers: protein-polyamine interaction studied using a polyacrylamide-coated capillary

The use of polyamines as electroosmotic modifiers has been shown to be effective in enhancing resolution of protein glycoforms in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using a bare capillary tube. In this study, effectiveness was evaluated by using a polyacrylamide-coated capillary tube instead of a bare capillary tube. Electropherograms obtained in the presence of polyamines were inferior to those obtained in their absence with respect to resolution. Electrophoretic mobility of the proteins decreased and their peaks were broadened by polyamines bound to them. This unfavorable effect was dependent on both the species of polyamines and the pH values of the electrolyte buffer. The reduction of resolution caused by polyamines was in the following order: spermidine (SPD) approximately spermidine-tri-hydrochloride (SPD-HCI) > putrescine (PUT) > hexamethonium chloride (HMC). The observed effect can be ascribed to the formation of complexes between the proteins and the polyamines. In addition, for the bare capillary tube the complexes showed interaction with the inner surface, resulting in local suppression of electroosmosis and poor resolution. The high resolution obtained in the coated capillary tube was reduced in the presence of the polyamines. Thus, the use of the polyamines has a negative effect on the analysis of protein microheterogeneity as a result of protein-polyamine interaction.     

Photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of tertiary amines

The sensitization effect of tertiary amines on the photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate was studied. N,N-Dimethylbenzylamine, triethylamine, and N,N-dimethylaniline increased the rate of polymerization in this order, but pyridine did not show any effect. A free-radical mechanism was confirmed by the tacticity of polymer, the retarding effect of hydroquinone, and the copolymer composition with styrene. On the basis of the detailed kinetics of the sensitized polymerization and the ultraviolet spectra of the reaction mixtures, a sensitization mechanism is proposed, in which the excited monomer and the amine form a complex and generate an initiating radical.     

Rapid ruthenium-catalyzed synthesis of pyranopyrandiones by reconstructive carbonylation of cyclopropenones involving C[bond]C bond cleavage

Pyranopyrandiones were prepared by a novel ruthenium-catalyzed carbonylative dimerization of cyclopropenones via C-C bond cleavage. For example, treatment of dipropylcyclopropenone with a catalytic amount of Ru3(CO)12 and NEt3 in THF under 15 atm of carbon monoxide at 140 degrees C for 20 h gave a novel functional monomer, 3,4,7,8-tetrapropylpyrano[6,5-e]pyran-2,6-dione, in an isolated yield of 81%. Unsymmetrically substituted pyranopyrandiones were also obtained by ruthenium-catalyzed carbonylative coupling of cyclopropenones with alkynes under similar reaction conditions.     

Diastereoselective inter- and intramolecular pinacol coupling of aldehydes promoted by monomeric titanocene(II) complex Cp(2)TiPh

A monomeric titanocene(III) derivative, Cp(2)TiPh, effectively promoted the pinacol coupling of both an aromatic aldehyde, benzaldehyde, and an aliphatic aldehyde, 3-phenylpropionaldehyde. The same reactive complex was successfully generated by a catalytic amount of a precursor, Cp(2)Ti(Ph)Cl, and its stoichiometric amount of Zn. The Cp(2)TiPh-catalyzed pinacol coupling of benzaldehyde derivatives and aliphatic aldehydes afforded the corresponding 1,2-diols in high yields with moderate to good threo-selectivity. On the other hand, Cp(2)TiPh-catalyzed pinacol cyclization of dials gave cyclic 1,2-diols with excellent diastereoselectivity. The extension of this protocol to chiral dials demonstrated that the phenyltitanium complex catalytically transmitted an axial chirality or a central chirality of the starting dials to the central chirality of the resultant 1,2-diols.     

Palladium-catalyzed and organozinc-promoted synthesis of dienes from allylic esters possessing an acyloxy or alkoxy group

Organozinc and a Pd catalyst promoted formation of dienes from allylic esters possessing a leaving group such as acyloxy and alkoxy groups next to the allyl moiety. The reaction proceeded with high regio- and stereoselectivity when applied to secondary allylic substrates.     

Transformation of arctiin to estrogenic and antiestrogenic substances by human intestinal bacteria

After anaerobic incubation of arctiin (1) from the seeds of Arctium lappa with a human fecal suspension, six metabolites were formed, and their structures were identified as (-)-arctigenin (2), (2R,3R)-2-(3',4'-dihydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dimethoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (3), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dimethoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (4), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3"-hydroxy-4"-methoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (5), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dihydroxybenzyl)butyrolactone (6), and (-)-enterolactone (7) by various spectroscopic means including two dimensional (2D)-NMR, mass spectrometry, and circular dichroism. A possible metabolic pathway was proposed on the basis of their structures and the time course of the transformation. Enterolactones obtained from the biotransformation of arctiin and secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG, from the seeds of Linum usitatissium) by human intestinal bacteria were proved to be enantiomers, with the (-)-(2R,3R) and (+)-(2S,3S) configurations, respectively. Compound 6 showed the most potent proliferative effect on the growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in culture among 1 and six metabolites, while it showed inhibitory activity on estradiol-mediated proliferation of MCF-7 cells at a concentration of 10 microM. These results indicate that the transformation of 1 by intestinal flora might be essential for the manifestation of the estrogenic and antiestrogenic activity of 1.     

Characterization of the non-stoichiometric and isomorphic hydration and solvation in FK041 clathrate

FK041 crystallizes as a non-stoichiometric hydrate or as solvated hydrates which were characterized as isomorphic clathrates by powder X-ray diffractometry. Moisture and organic solvent vapor sorption studies, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis revealed that FK041 monohydrate forms a physically stable host crystal, which has lattice channels for guest water and/or organic solvent molecules. The hydration state varies non-stoichiometrically between dihydrate and tetrahydrate depending on the relative humidity and the mol content of the co-existing organic solvent, that is 2-propanol, ethanol, or acetone. These organic solvents are thought to replace a part of originally present water with a mol ratio of 1:3. 2-Propanol exhibited the most stable solvation, indicating that the size and shape of 2-propanol are the most preferable to the lattice channels.     

Isolation of novel lignans, heteroclitins F and G, from the stems of Kadsura heteroclita, and anti-lipid peroxidative actions of heteroclitins A-G and related compounds in the in vitro rat liver homogenate system.

From the stems of Kadsura heteroclita, two new lignans named heteroclitins F and G were isolated and their structures were determined by various spectroscopic means including an X-ray diffraction method. Dibenzocyclooctadiene type lignans and related compounds isolated from the stems of K. heteroclita, potently inhibited the lipid peroxidation in the rat liver homogenate stimulated by Fe(2+)-ascorbic acid, CCl4-reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and adenosine 5'-diphosphate-NADPH.     

Vertebrate collagenase inhibitor. II. Tetrapeptidyl hydroxamic acids.

To develop a potent and specific collagenase inhibitor, a series of tetrapeptidyl hydroxamic acids were synthesized, based on the previous findings with tripeptidyl derivatives (Chem. Pharm. Bull., 38, 1007-1011, 1990). Among the series of tetrapeptidyl derivatives synthesized, R-Gly-Pro-Leu-Ala-NHOH and R-Gly-Pro-D-Leu-D-Ala-NHOH were found to be highly specific and potent inhibitors against vertebrate collagenase with an IC50 of 10(-6) M order, where R stands for Boc or acyl group. Analysis of their structure-activity relationships showed a characteristic feature of the substrate-binding site of collagenase as follows: 1) the S1 subsite forms a shallow hydrophobic pocket, although glycine residue corresponds to the subsite of the natural collagen substrate: 2) the S2 subsite constitutes a bulky pocket with less requirement for hydrophobicity: 3) the S3 subsite preferentially accommodates Pro residue: and 4) the accommodation of the P4-P1 subsites of peptidyl collagenase inhibitor to the S4-S1 subsites is required to form a tight binding of its hydroxamic acid moiety to the zinc ion at the catalytic site of the enzyme. The introduction of an enantiometric dipeptide unit, D-Leu-D-Ala, to the P2-P1 subsites demonstrated an increased binding capacity to the extended S4-S1 subsites of collagenase, thus providing proteinase-resistant inhibitor.     

A fluorimetric, column-switching HPLC and its application to an elimination study of LLU-alpha enantiomers in rat plasma

A method for the enantiomeric determination of 2,7,8-trimethyl-2-(beta-carboxyethyl)-6-hydroxy chroman (LLU-alpha, gamma-CEHC) in rat plasma was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fluorimetric derivatization with 4-N, N-dimethylaminosulfonyl-7-piperazino-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-PZ) followed by O-acetylation with acetyl chloride. The proposed HPLC system used two non-chiral columns (phenyl and octadecylsilica) and a chiral column (a modified cellulose type), which were connected via two column-switching valves. A derivatized sample prepared from rat plasma was first separated on the phenyl column, and the fraction including LLU-alpha derivative was introduced to the octadecylsilica column to quantify the concentration of the mixture of S- and R-LLU-alpha. Finally, the LLU-alpha derivative was directly injected into the chiral column to obtain the ratio of the enantiomers. The proposed HPLC system was applied to the enantiomeric determination of LLU-alpha in plasma after intravenous administration of racemic LLU-alpha. S-LLU-alpha was eliminated faster than R-LLU-alpha, and its concentration in plasma decreased to one-third at 2 min after dosing.