1H and 13C NMR signal assignment of cucurbitacin derivatives from Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrader and Ecballium elaterium L. (Cucurbitaceae)

2D NMR-derived 1H and 13C NMR signal assignments of six structurally closely related cucurbitacin derivatives are presented. The investigated 2-O-beta-D-glucopyranosylcucurbitacins I, J, K, and L were obtained from Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrader whereas the aglyca cucurbitacin E and I were isolated from Ecballium elaterium L.     

Chemoenzymatic approach to enantiopure streptogramin B variants: characterization of stereoselective pristinamycin I cyclase from Streptomyces pristinaespiralis

Streptogramin B antibiotics are cyclic peptide natural products produced by Streptomyces species.In combination with the synergistic group A component, they are "last line of defense" antimicrobial agents against multiresistant cocci. The racemization sensitivity of the phenylglycine (Phg(7)) ester is a complex challenge in total chemical synthesis of streptogramin B molecules. To provide fast and easy access to novel streptogramin antibiotics, we introduce a novel chemoenzymatic strategy in which diversity is generated by standard solid phase protocols and stereoselectivity by subsequent enzymatic cyclization. For this approach, we cloned, overproduced, and biochemically characterized the recombinant thioesterase domain SnbDE TE of the pristinamycin I nonribosomal peptide synthetase from Streptomyces pristinaespiralis. SnbDE TE catalyzes regioselective ring closure of linear peptide thioester analogues of pristinamycin I as well as stereoselective cyclization out of complex in situ racemizing substrate mixtures, enabling synthesis of Streptogramin B variants via a dynamic kinetic resolution assay. A remarkable substrate tolerance was detected for the enzymatic cyclization including all the seven positions of the peptide backbone. Interestingly, SnbDE TE was observed to be the first cyclase from a macrolactone forming NRPS which is additionally able to catalyze macrolactamization of peptide thioester substrates. An N-methylated peptide bond between positions 4 and 5 is mandatory for a high substrate turnover. The presented strategy is potent to screen for analogues with improved activity and guides our understanding of structure--activity relationships in the important class of streptogramin antibiotics.     

Orthogonally Protected, Carboxy-Activated L-Homoisoserine, 2-Methyl-L-homoisoserine, and Homoisocysteine Derivatives. New Building Blocks for Peptide and Depsipeptide Modification

Starting from L-malic, L-citramalic, and rac. thiomalic acids routes to L-homoisoserine, 2-methyl-L-homoisoserine and rac. homoisocysteine have been developed. The new orthogonally protected and carboxy-activated building blocks are GABA as well as -hydroxy and -mercapto acid derivatives, suitable for the construction of peptide and depsipeptide surrogates.     

Why are olefins oxidized by RuO4 under cleavage of the carbon-carbon bond whereas oxidation by OsO4 yields cis-diols?

Quantum chemical calculations using gradient-corrected (B3LYP) density functional theory have been carried out to investigate the mechanism of the oxidative cleavage of alkenes by ruthenium tetraoxide. The initial reaction of the tetraoxide with the olefin occurs via a [3+2] cycloaddition as in the case of osmium tetraoxide. The results clearly show that the bond cleavage does not take place at the primary adduct, but much later in the reaction path. After the formation of the ruthenium(VI)dioxo-2,5-dioxolane, the reaction proceeds with the addition of a second olefin to yield ruthenium(IV)-bis(2,5-dioxolane), which in turn becomes oxidized first to rutheniumoxo(VI)-bis(2,5-dioxolane) 6(Ru) and then to ruthenium(VIII)-dioxo-bis(2,5-dioxolane) 7(Ru). Only in complexes containing the metal center in the formal oxidation state +VIII are low activation barriers for C-C bond cleavage and exothermic formation of carbonyl compounds as products calculated. The lowest activation barrier, DeltaH(++) = 2.5 kcal/mol, is calculated for the C-C bond breaking reaction of 7(Ru) which is predicted as the pivotal intermediate of the oxidation reaction. The calculations of the oxidation reaction with OsO(4) show that those reactions where the oxidation state of the metal increases have larger activation barriers for M = Ru than for M = Os, while reactions which reduce the oxidation state have a lower activation barrier for ruthenium compounds. Also, reactions which increase the oxidation state of the metal are in the case of M = Os more exothermic than for M = Ru. In this work, all important points of the potential energy surface (PES) are reported, and the complete catalytic cycle for the oxidative cleavage of olefins by ruthenium tetraoxide is presented.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering for quantitative detection of ethyl carbamate in alcoholic beverages

Ethyl carbamate, a by-product of fermentation and storage with widespread occurrence in fermented food and alcoholic beverages, is a compound potentially toxic to humans. In this work, a new approach for quantitative detection of ethyl carbamate in alcoholic beverages, based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), is reported. Individual silver-coated gold nanoparticle colloids are used as SERS amplifiers, yielding high Raman enhancement of ethyl carbamate in three kinds of alcoholic beverages (vodka, Obstler, and white rum). The characteristic band at 1,003 cm^-1, which is the strongest and best reproducible peak in the SERS spectra, was used for quantitative evaluation of ethyl carbamate. The limit of detection, which corresponds to a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, was 9.0?×?10^-9 M (0.8 μg?·?L^-1), 1.3?×?10^-7 M (11.6 μg?·?L^-1), and 7.8?×?10^-8 M (6.9 μg?·?L^-1), respectively. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy offers great practical potential for the in situ assessment and identification of ethyl carbamate in the alcoholic beverage industry.     

Experimental design for in-house validation of a screening immunoassay kit. The case of a multiplex dipstick for Fusarium mycotoxins in cereals

The benefits of using rapid qualitative methods to verify compliance of food and feed with legislation requirements include user-friendly format, the possibility of detection without expensive instrumentation, rapid response and affordable price. Prior to their use, however, the methods have to pass validation experiments, in order to assess their performance profile. An experimental protocol for in-house validation of a screening immunoassay has been designed and applied to evaluate performance characteristics of a multiplex dipstick kit for the determination of major Fusarium toxins, namely zearalenone, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, deoxynivalenol and fumonisins in wheat and maize. The test is intended for screening of cereals on the presence/absence of these mycotoxins at maximum permitted levels established by European legislation or target levels. The response of the measurement is determined with a reader device. Samples classified as negative are considered as compliant, whereas positive samples need to be re-analysed with confirmatory methods. The in-house validation design consisted of three steps, namely (1) estimating the precision of the method including "between day" effects and influences from different varieties of the matrices, (2) establishing robust cutoff values for the dipstick response at target mycotoxin levels assuming an acceptable rate of false negative results of 5 % and (3) assessment of the rate of false positive results of blank samples and samples containing the target analytes below the legal limits. The total precision expressed as relative standard deviation and determined individually for each analyte/concentration/matrix combination varied from 9 to 30 % and was considered as acceptable. In 17 out of 28 cases, the repeatability standard deviation was the most important factor. The predominance of the repeatability compared to the other factors (matrix, days) was an indicator for the ruggedness of the assay. The validation study demonstrated that the test was able to differentiate blank samples from samples contaminated at target mycotoxin levels with a false positive rate lower than 6 %. Considering realistic mycotoxin occurrence in European samples, significant economical benefits can be expected when using the test under real-world conditions.