Antioxidant effects of photodegradation product of nifedipine

Recently, increasing evidence suggests that the antihypertensive drug nifedipine acts as a protective agent for endothelial cells, and that the activity is unrelated to its calcium channel blocking. Nifedipine is unstable under light and reportedly decomposes to a stable nitrosonifedipine (NO-NIF). NO-NIF has no antihypertensive effect, and it has been recognized as a contaminant of nifedipine. The present study for the first time demonstrated that NO-NIF changed to a NO-NIF radical in a time-dependent manner when it interacted with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal of NO-NIF radicals in HUVECs showed an asymmetric pattern suggesting that the radicals were located in the membrane. The NO-NIF radicals had radical scavenging activity for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, whereas neither NO-NIF nor nifedipine did. In addition, the NO-NIF radical more effectively quenched lipid peroxides than NO-NIF or nifedipine. Furthermore, NO-NIF attenuated the superoxide-derived free radicals in HUVECs stimulated with LY83583, and suppressed iron-nitrilotriacetic acid (Fe-NTA)-induced cytotoxicity in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Our findings suggest that NO-NIF is a candidate for a new class of antioxidative drugs that protect cells against oxidative stress.     

Structure-activity relationships of new N-acylanthranilic acid derivatives as plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 inhibitors

Novel anthranilic acid derivatives having substituted N-acyl side chains were designed and synthesized for evaluation as plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) inhibitors. Compounds with a 4-diphenylmethyl-1-piperazinyl moiety on the acyl side chains in general exhibited potent in vitro PAI-1 inhibitory activity and good pharmacokinetic profiles after oral administration in rats. Compound 16f (TM5275) was identified as a promising candidate for further pharmacological evaluation.     

Mesomorphic properties of copolyesters of 3,6-linked triphenylene-based units and polymethylene spacers

Main chain discotic liquid crystalline polymers consisting of triphenylene-based units and alkyl spacers (C8, C10 and C12), connected by ester linkages in the 3- and 6-positions of triphenylene, have been synthesized and their mesomorphic properties were studied by DSC, polarizing optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. It was found that these polymers exhibit a hexagonal columnar (Col_h) mesophase with intracolumnar order over a wide temperature range. The clearing temperature decreases on increasing the spacer length. It was found that the clearing temperatures are rather higher than that of the corresponding triphenylene monomer having six hexyloxy chains. These polymers form an ordered columnar mesophase, while the corresponding monomeric mesogen shows a disordered columnar phase. In the polymeric system, the fluctuations of the disc-like units in the mesophase are restricted by the connection of the mesogenic units, which stabilizes the columnar mesophase.     

Cyclic Acetal-Photosensitized Polymerization. XII. Photopolymerizations of Styrene and Methyl Methacrylate in the Presence of Polycyclic Acetals

Styrene (St) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) were photopolymerized in the presence of poly-2-vinyl-1,3-dioxolane (PVDO), poly-2-vinyl-4-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxolane (PVHDO), or the terpolymer of vinyl formal/vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol (PVFAcA) at 30 or 40°C. The ability to accelerate the photopolymerization increased in the order PVFAcA < PVHDO < PVDO; the ability of pendent cyclic acetal was larger than that of cyclic acetals which are not pendent. Moreover, the promoting ability per cyclic acetal increased with the increase in the number of cyclic acetal cyclic acetal group in the molecule.     

Vinyl Polymerization. 350. Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Initiated by the System Sodium Polyvinyl Sulfonate)/Ferric Chloride/Water

In an aqueous medium, sodium polyvinyl sulfonate)(PVS-Na) initiated radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in the presence of ferric chloride. The presence of water and Fe(III) ion was essential. The polymerization was concluded to take place in the aqueous phase. The effects of the amount of water, MMA, Fe(III) ion, and temperature on the polymerization were studied. The mechanism of the initiation is discussed.     

First Isolation and Stereochemistry of Optically Active Telluroxides

Optically active telluroxides 1 and 2 were isolated for the first time by means of medium-pressure liquid chromatography using an optically active column. Absolute configuration of the telluroxides (+)-1 and (+)-2 was determined to be R based on their specific rotations and circular dichroism spectra. The configurational lability and mechanism for racemization via an achiral hydrate were clarified by kinetic study and isotope tracer experiment.     

Nickel–palladium-catalyzed hydroamination/cyclization of sulfur-substituted 1,6-diynes with secondary amines

Hydroamination/cyclizations of sulfur-substituted 1,6-diynes catalyzed by nickel or nickel–palladium in DMSO were examined. Pyrroles 2a–l and furans 5a–i bearing various secondary amines were obtained in high yields. The organosulfanylmethyl group on pyrroles was easily oxidized with ceric ammonium nitrate to produce the pyrrolecarboxaldehyde and corresponding acetal.     

Electron-transfer-mediated decay and interatomic Coulombic decay from the triply ionized states in argon dimers

We report the first observation of electron-transfer-mediated decay (ETMD) and interatomic Coulombic decay (ICD) from the triply charged states with an inner-valence vacancy, using the Ar dimer as an example. These ETMD and ICD processes, which lead to fragmentation of Ar(3+)-Ar into Ar(2+)-Ar(2+) and Ar(3+)-Ar+, respectively, are unambiguously identified by electron-ion-ion coincidence spectroscopy in which the kinetic energy of the ETMD or ICD electron and the kinetic energy release between the two fragment ions are measured in coincidence.     

Chemoselective and Direct Functionalization of Methyl Benzyl Ethers and Unsymmetrical Dibenzyl Ethers by Using Iron Trichloride

Methyl and benzyl ethers are widely utilized as protected alcohols due to their chemical stability, such as the low reactivity of the methoxy and benzyloxy groups as leaving groups under nucleophilic conditions. We have established the direct azidation of chemically stable methyl and benzyl ethers derived from secondary and tertiary benzyl alcohols. The present azidation chemoselectively proceeds at the secondary or tertiary benzylic positions of methyl benzyl ethers or unsymmetrical dibenzyl ethers and is also applicable to direct allylation, alkynylation, and cyanation reactions, as well as the azidation. The present methodologies provide not only a novel chemoselectivity but also the advantage of shortened synthetic steps, due to the direct process without the deprotection of the methyl and benzyl ethers.