Nickel-catalyzed arylcyanation of alkynes

A nickel catalyst coordinated by trimethylphosphine is found to effect the addition reaction of Ar-CN bonds in aromatic nitriles across alkynes to give rise to various beta-arylalkenenitriles.     

Koshikamide B, a cytotoxic peptide lactone from a marine sponge Theonella sp

Koshikamide B (1) has been isolated from two separate collections of the marine sponge Theonella sp. as the major cytotoxic constituent. Koshikamide B is a 17-residue peptide lactone composed of six proteinogenic amino acids, two D-isomers of proteinogenic amino acids, seven N-methylated amino acids, and two unusual amino acid residues. The unusual amino acids are N(delta)-carbamoylasparagine and 2-(3-amino-2-hydroxy-5-oxopyrrolidin-2-yl)propionic acid (AHPP); the former is first found as the constituent of peptides, whereas the latter is a new amino acid residue. The N-terminus of koshikamide B is blocked by a methoxyacetyl group. The structure of koshikamide B (1) has been determined by interpretation of spectral data and analysis of chemical degradation products. Koshikamide B (1) exhibits cytotoxicity against P388 murine leukemia cells and the human colon tumor (HCT-116) cell line with an IC50 value of 0.45 and 7.5 microg/mL, respectively.     

Identification of PET radiometabolites by cytochrome P450, UHPLC/Q-ToF-MS and fast radio-LC: applied to the PET radioligands [11C]flumazenil, [18F]FE-PE2I, and [11C]PBR28

A general method is presented for the identification of radiometabolites in plasma of human and monkey subjects after administration of positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands. The radiometabolites are first produced in vitro, using liver microsomes, subsequently separated using fast radio-liquid chromatography (radio-LC), and individually collected and identified by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry in MS and MS^E mode. Fast radio-LC provided superior resolution compared to conventional radio-LC, resulting in separation of a greater number of metabolites. The radiometabolites produced in vivo are then compared to and identified based on the in vitro results. This approach was applied to three PET radioligands, [¹¹C]flumazenil, [¹⁸F]FE-PE2I, and [¹¹C]PBR28, resulting in the identification of five, two, and one radiometabolites, respectively. This procedure can easily be adopted to identify the radiometabolites produced in vivo from a variety of PET radioligands.     

Schulzeines A-C, new alpha-glucosidase inhibitors from the marine sponge Penares schulzei

Three new alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, schulzeines A-C (1-3), were isolated from the marine sponge Penares schulzei. Their structures were elucidated by spectral analysis and chemical degradations to be the isoquinoline alkaloids, encompassing two amino acids, and C(28) fatty acid, the last of which was sulfated. Absolute stereochemistry of schulzeines was determined by application of the modified Mosher analysis to fragments obtained by chemical degradation. Schulzeines A-C inhibit alpha-glucosidase with IC(50) values of 48-170 nM.     

Heteropolynuclear complexes of 3,5-dimethylpyrazolate [Pt2M4(Me2pz)8] (M = Ag, Cu). Highly luminescent character of the triplet excited state based on mixed-metal cores

The platinum dimer and heteropolynuclear platinum complexes of 3,5-dimethylpyrazolate, [Pt2M4(mu-Me2pz)8] [M = H (1), Ag (2), Cu (3)], were synthesized and structurally characterized. They exhibit yellow, sky-blue, and orange luminescence, respectively, in the solid state. The absorption bands of 2 and 3 are mainly assigned to the combination of the metal-metal-to-ligand charge-transfer and [Pt2 --> Pt2M4] transitions by the time-dependent density functional theory (DFT) method. DFT calculations also indicate that the emissive states of 2 and 3 are 3[Pt2 --> Pt2Ag4] and 3[Cu(d) --> Pt2Cu4], respectively.     

Preparation and characterization of conducting trimetallic nickel-dithiolene complexes with bridging tetrathiooxalate ligands

Trimetallic nickel dithiolene complexes with two tetrathiooxalate (tto) ligands were obtained by a reaction monitored by ESI-mass spectrometry followed by HPLC separation and were characterized by elemental or crystal structural analysis, MO calculations, and electrical conductivity measurements.     

An improved method of high-voltage isoelectric focusing on cellulose acetate membranes

An apparatus and the procedure for cellulose acetate isoelectric focusing were refined and optimized for routine use in clinical laboratories. The space in the electrophoretic chamber was minimized to maintain high humidity during the run. The water content of the thin cellulose acetate membranes in the chamber was well controlled during isoelectric focusing and the effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide was also excluded. The temperature of the membranes was kept below 2 degrees C, even under conditions of high electric field strength for faster isoelectric focusing of high-molecular-weight proteins. No special training was required for technicians in clinical laboratories to obtain reproducible isoelectric profiles of human serum proteins.