Stereocontrolled synthesis of beta-difluoromethylated materials

Investigation of synthetic routes for regio- and stereocontrolled fluorinated materials with a difluoromethyl group, using ethyl bromodifluoroacetate as a starting material, is described. In particular, (E)-difluoromethylated trisubstituted olefins were prepared via the proton migration reaction catalyzed by using fluoride anion. Further, optically active beta-difluoromethyl esters were obtained by the enzymatic resolution.     

Radical-mediated hydroxyalkylation of α,β-unsaturated esters

The radical-mediated hydroxyalkylation of α,β-unsaturated esters with alkyl iodides, trialkylborane, water and KF in THF gave the corresponding α-hydroxy esters. The synthetic advantage of the method was demonstrated by a short-step total synthesis of (±)-tanikolide.     

Synthetic study of diversifolin: the construction of 11-oxabicyclo[6.2.1]undec-3-ene core using ring-closing metathesis

Stereoselective synthesis of a potential intermediate bearing 11-oxabicyclo[6.2.1]undec-3-ene core, a common scaffold of biologically active germacrane-type sesquiterpenes, has been achieved. Synthetic features involve formal 1,3-asymmetric induction, unusual ring-closing metathesis constructing a 10-membered carbocycle system, and unique lactone transposition.     

Phytochrome-mediated inhibition of coleoptile growth in rice: age-dependency and action spectra

Phytochrome has been shown to be the major photoreceptor involved in the photo-inhibition of coleoptile growth in Japonica-type rice (Oryza sativa L.). We have characterized this typical photomorphogenetic response of rice using mutants deficient in phytochrome A (phyA) and phytochrome B (phyB) and with respect to age-dependency and action spectra. Seedlings were irradiated with a pulse of light 40 h or 80 h after germination (i.e. at an early or late developmental stage) and the final coleoptile length of these seedlings was determined. A saturating pulse of red light (R) had a stronger effect when it was given in the late stage than in the early stage. It was found that the photoinhibition is mediated by both the phyA and the phyB in the late stage but predominantly by phyB in the early stage. Consistent with many other reported responses, the photo-inhibition in the phyA mutant, which was observed in the early and late developmental stages and is thought to be mediated mainly by phyB, occurred in the low-fluence range (10(1)-10(3) micromol m(-2)) of R and was far-red-light (FR)-reversible; the photo-inhibition in the phyB mutant, which was observed in the late developmental stage and is thought to be mediated mainly by phyA, occurred in the very-low-fluence range (10(-2)-10(0) micromol m(-2)) and was FR-irreversible. The action spectra (350-800 nm at 50 nm intervals) obtained at the two developmental stages using phyA and phyB mutants indicated that both the phyB-mediated low-fluence response and the phyA-mediated very-low-fluence response have a major peak at 650 nm and a minor peak at 400 nm.     

Simultaneous chiral resolution of monosaccharides as 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonate derivatives by ligand-exchange CE using borate as a central ion of the chiral selector

Six reducing monosaccharides (mannose, galactose, fucose, glucose, xylose, and arabinose) were derivatized with 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (ANTS). Based on the chiral ligand-exchange principle using borate as a central ion of the chiral selector and (S)-3-amino-1,2-propanediol (SAP) as a chiral selector ligand, all of the six ANTS-monosaccharides were simultaneously enantioseparated using absorbance at 245 nm for detection. The optimum conditions for both high resolution and moderately short migration time consisted of 200 mM SAP-200 mM borate buffer (pH 9.2) containing 10% ACN as a BGE at 30 degrees C with an applied voltage of +30 kV. It was revealed that the proposed chiral ligand-exchange CE using the SAP-borate system was applicable to enantioseparation of not only diols but also polyols.     

Existence of low-molecular-weight thiols in Caenorhabditis elegans demonstrated by HPLC-fluorescene detection utilizing 7-chloro-N-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-sulfonamide

A highly sensitive and simple method using HPLC-fluorescence detection with 7-chloro-N-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-sulfonamide (DAABD-Cl) as a fluorogenic reagent demonstrated the existence of the low-molecular-weight thiols in the extract of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). The method includes derivatization of the thiols with DAABD-Cl at 40 degrees C for 10 min in borate buffer (pH 9.0) containing TCEP, CHAPS and EDTA, separation of the derivatives on an ODS column and fluorometric determination of the derivatives at 510 +/- 15 nm with excitation at 400 +/- 15 nm. The identification of the thiols was made by HPLC-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-MS) following isolation of the derivatives using HPLC-fluorescence detection. Low-molecular-weight thiols were found to exist in the extract of C. elegans, such as cysteine, cysteinylglycine, gamma-glutamylcysteine, reduced glutathione and two other unidentified thiol compounds, confirming the existence of the 'glutathione cycle' in C. elegans similar to the mammalian body.     

Indoline derivatives II: synthesis and factor Xa (FXa) inhibitory activities

Factor Xa (FXa) is well known to play a pivotal role in blood coagulation, so FXa inhibitor is a promising drug candidate for prophylaxis and treatment of thromboembolic diseases. In the course of our research, we have found that (R)-5-[1-(acetimidoyl)piperidin-4-yloxy]-2-(7-amidinonaphthalen-2-yl)-1-(ethanesulfonyl)indoline ((R)-1) showed potent FXa inhibitory activity in vitro. However, single oral administation (RS)-1 showed high toxicity in mice. Among newly synthesized compounds, ({(RS)-5-[1-(acetimidoyl)piperidin-4-yloxy]-2-(7-amidinonaphthalen-2-yl)indolin-1-yl}sulfonyl)acetic acid ((RS)-11d) showed more potent FXa inhibitory activity and higher safety than (RS)-1. The R-isoform of compound 11d ((R)-11d) exhibited potent in vitro anticoagulant activity in human and hamster plasma. Orally administered (R)-11d also showed dose-dependent potent anticoagulant activity in hamsters, marmosets and cynomolgus monkeys. Compound (R)-11d with potent anticoagulant activity and high safety is therefore favorable as a novel oral FXa inhibitor.     

Triple Helix Formation in a Topologically Controlled DNA Nanosystem

In the present study, we demonstrate single‐molecule imaging of triple helix formation in DNA nanostructures. The binding of the single‐molecule third strand to double‐stranded DNA in a DNA origami frame was examined using two different types of triplet base pairs. The target DNA strand and the third strand were incorporated into the DNA frame, and the binding of the third strand was controlled by the formation of Watson–Crick base pairing. Triple helix formation was monitored by observing the structural changes in the incorporated DNA strands. It was also examined using a photocaged third strand wherein the binding of the third strand was directly observed using high‐speed atomic force microscopy during photoirradiation. We found that the binding of the third strand could be controlled by regulating duplex formation and the uncaging of the photocaged strands in the designed nanospace.     

Inhibitors of nitric oxide production from the flowers of Angelica furcijuga: structures of hyuganosides IV and V

The methanolic extract from the flowers of Angelica furcijuga KITAGAWA was found to inhibit nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-activated mouse peritoneal macrophages. From the methanolic extract, two new glycosides, hyuganosides IV and V, were isolated together with 28 known constituents. The structures of the new constituents were determined on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects of 11 coumarin constituents on nitric oxide production were examined. Among them, 3'-angeloyl-cis-khellactone (IC(50)=82 microM), (S)-(-)-oxypeucedanin (57 microM), imperatorin (60 microM), isoepoxypteryxin (53 microM), and isopteryxin (8.8 microM) showed inhibitory activity.