Convergent syntheses of polycyclic ethers. Illustrations of the utility of acetal-linked intermediates

One of the most characteristic and spectacular class of compounds isolated from marine sources is the polycyclic ethers. Following the initial report of the structural determination of brevetoxin B, a variety of novel polycyclic ethers have begun to surface. These natural products include ciguatoxins, gambierol, gambieric acids, yessotoxins and gymnocins, each of which exhibit distinct biological properties such as cytotoxicity and neurotoxicity, as well as antiviral and antifungal activities. Because of these intriguing biological activities and their complex molecular architecture, the total synthesis of these compounds has been pursued by many laboratories over two decades. In particular, the development of novel convergent strategies to assemble the structural fragments is crucial for the successful construction of these nano-scale molecules. This Perspective will focus on a recent convergent methodology using an acetal-linkage as a key motif. Application of this methodology culminated in the total syntheses of gambierol and ciguatoxin CTX3C.     

Amphotericin B covalent dimers forming sterol-dependent ion-permeable membrane channels

Polyenemacrolides such as amphotericin B (AmB) were thought to assemble together and form an ion channel across plasma membranes. Their antimicrobial activity has been accounted for by this assemblage, whose stability and activity are dependent on sterol constituents of lipid bilayer membranes. The structure of this channel-like assemblage formed in biomembranes has been a target of extensive investigations for a long time. For the first step to this goal, we prepared several AmB dimers with various linkers and tested for their channel-forming activity. Among these, AmB dimers that bore an aminoalkyl-dicarboxylate tether covalently linked between amino groups of AmB showed potent hemolytic activity. Furthermore, K+ influx actions monitored by measuring the pH of the liposome lumen by 31P NMR revealed that the dimers formed the molecular assemblage similar to that of AmB in phospholipid membrane. Judging from changes in 31P NMR spectra, the dimers appeared to induce "all-or-none"-type ion flux across the liposome membrane in the presence of ergosterol, which suggested that the ion channel formed by ergosterol/dimer is similar to that of AmB. With these data in hand, we are now trying to elucidate the structure of the ion-channel complex by making the labeled conjugates of AmB for NMR measurements.     

Electron spin resonance study of polymerization of butadiene with tris(acetylacetonato)titanium and triethylaluminum

ESR spectra of homogeneous catalyst derived from tris(acetylacetonato)titanium(III) and triethylaluminum were observed at several temperatures from ?78°C, to +25°C, at molar ratios of aluminum to titanium of 1–108. At ?78°C, this catalyst yields a violet complex which shows an ESR signal with a g value of 1.959 and is associated with the first intermediate. At ?40°C to ?30°C, this signal decreases, and two signals with g values of 1.947 and 1.960 are observed. The latter two signals diminish at ?5°C to +10°C, while two kinds of new signals with g values of 1.965 and 1.969 appear overlapping each other. The structures of the species corresponding to these five signals are discussed on the basis of the ESR spectra, the intensity change, and the unpaired spin distribution. A new signal with a g value of 1.978 is found in the presence of butadiene at 25°C at Al/Ti > 8 and is assigned to a growing end of polybutadiene with this catalyst. The polymer yield increases remarkedly at Al/Ti molar ratios greater than 10. The microstructure of the resulting polymer consists almost completely of 1,2 units. The structure of the growing end is proposed to be a titanium (III) species containing two 1-substituted allyl groups, by comparison with the structure ascribed to the growing end of polybutadiene with n-butyl titanate-triethylaluminum catalyst.     

Determination of the specific interaction of disubstituted aromatic compounds on hydrous zirconium oxide-loaded porous polymer resin

Summary A porous polymer resin loaded with hydrous zirconium oxide (Zr-gel) was evaluated as a stationary phase for the liquid chromatographic separation of disubstituted aromatic compounds. The prepared Zr-gel was used to separate disubstituted phenols andortho-substituted benzoic acid derivatives in reversed-phase mode. The retention time of catechol was greater than those of other disubstituted phenols; this implies that the Zr-gel has specificity for the phenolic hydroxyl group. The retention behavior ofortho-substituted benzoic acid derivatives on the Zr-gel was also evaluated in reversedphase mode using buffer. Phthalic acid was specifically retained in the vicinity of pH 6.0, which has been regarded as the equal adsorbic point. Similar behavior was also observed for salicylic acid, although the retention time of salicylic acid was less than that of phthalic acid. It seems that the specific retention behavior of hydrous zirconium oxide is a result of complexation with ligands such as hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. The results of this study have revealed that the retention mechanism of hydrous zirconium oxide is a combination of ion exchange and interaction based on complexation with ligands.     

Rheology of polystyrene solutions around the coil overlapping concentration: A phenomenological description of stresses in simple shear flow

Linear viscoelasticity behavior is described with the sum of two terms for polystyrene solutions in tricresyl phosphate around the coil overlapping concentration (K. Osaki, T. Inoue, & T. Uematsu, J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 2001, 39, 211). One is a Rouse–Zimm (RZ) term represented by the Zimm theory with arbitrarily chosen values of the hydrodynamic interaction parameter and the longest relaxation time (τ_RZ). The other (the L term) consists of a relaxation mode with a single relaxation time (τ_L > τ_RZ) and a high‐frequency limiting modulus proportional to the square of the concentration. In this study, we describe the viscosity (η) and first normal stress coefficient (Ψ₁) in steady shear with simple formulas. The stress due to the L term is assumed to be given by a Kaye, Bernstein, Kearsley, and Zapas (K‐BKZ) equation with the damping function h(γ) = (1 + 0.2γ²)^?1/2, where γ is the magnitude of shear. Contributions to η and Ψ₁ from the RZ term are derived from the RZ model, in which the relaxation time in steady flow is given by τ_st = τ + (τ_RZ ? τ)/(1 + 0.35τ_RZ γ˙) instead of τ_RZ. Here, γ˙ is the rate of shear, and τ is the τ_RZ value at the infinite dilution limit. η and Ψ₁ at various concentrations for two polystyrene samples (with molecular weights of 2890 and 8420 kg mol^?1) are well described with parameters derived from dynamic viscoelasticity. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1038–1045, 2002     

Studies on sustained-release suppositories. III. Rectal absorption of morphine in rabbits and prolongation of its absorption by alginic acid addition

Rectal absorption of morphine from various kinds of suppository bases was investigated. The extent of bioavailability of morphine by rectal administration varied with the bases used (30.5-97.5%), but every value was higher than that in the case of oral administration (13.5%). Witepsol bases were preferable to macrogol base for the rectal absorption of morphine. In particular, Witepsol S-55 or W-35 gave a higher plasma peak level than H-15 or E-75, whereas the difference in the mean residence times obtained from these bases could not be regarded as significant. Sustained-release suppositories of morphine could be prepared simply by mixing alginic acid (Alg) with morphine in a suppository base. Further, prolonged rectal absorption could be obtained by using these sustained-release suppositories, and the absorption rate was controlled by the amount of Alg added. It seems likely that the sustained release was due to the binding of morphine to Alg from the results of partition coefficient and binding ratio measurements in aqueous solution. The rapid initial absorption and the subsequent prolonged absorption of morphine simultaneously obtained from the morphine-Alg suppository may be useful in the clinical context.     

Preparation and properties of polyamides and polymides containing bibenzyl,stilbene, and tolan structures

Polyisophthalamides and polyterephthalamides were prepared by the solution polycondensation of the corresponding diacyl chlorides with 4,4′-diaminobibenzyl, trans-4,4′-diaminostilbene, and 4,4′-diaminotolan in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). Polypyromellitimides were synthesized in two steps by the ring-opening polyaddition of pyromellitic dianhydride with the aromatic diamines in DMAc, followed by thermal cyclodehydration. The amorphous polyisophthalamides were soluble in some amide solvents containing lithium chloride, while the polyterephthalamides having fair degree of crystallinity were insoluble in these solvents. The thermal stability of these aromatic polymers decreased in the order of the tolan-containing polymers > the stilbene-containing polymers > the bibenzyl-containing polymers, both in air and under nitrogen.     

Effect of sucrose on the structure of a cubic phase formed from a monoolein/water mixture

The effect of sucrose on the structure of molecular assemblies formed in an MO/H2O mixture has been studied using a small-angle X-ray scattering method. It was found that the phase transition Ia3d --> Pn3m --> H(II) occurs with increased sucrose concentration in the mixture with the composition 70 wt% MO at 20 degrees C. This structural change induced by sucrose addition would be ascribed to a cosmotropic property of sucrose, which leads to the dehydration of the MO head group and hence causes a decrease in the effective area occupied by the MO molecule at the polar/apolar interface, which facilitates the formation of molecular assemblies with a high curvature for the reversed liquid-crystal mesophase.     

Stimulatory effect of red light on starch accumulation in a marine green alga,chlamydomonas sp. strain MGA161

A marine green alga,Chlamydomonas sp. strain MGA161 was cultivated under illumination of red and white lights. The growth rate under red light illumination was almost the same as that in the basic conditions under white light illumination, but red light-grown cells accumulated almost twice as much starch as white light-grown cells. Although there was a slight decrease in carbonic anhydrase activity, red light-illuminated cells had almost 2.3 times the fructose-l,6-diphos-phatase activity of white light-illuminated cells. Red light might stimulate starch accumulation by increasing the amounts of enzymes related to carbon fixation through the phytochrome system. Cells grown under red light degraded 1.6 times as much starch and produced 1.7 times as much hydrogen and 1.6 times as much ethanol compared with cells grown under white light during 12 h of dark anaerobic fermentation.