Synthesis of Polycyclic and Cage Siloxanes by Hydrolysis and Intramolecular Condensation of Alkoxysilylated Cyclosiloxanes

The controlled synthesis of oligosiloxanes with well-defined structures is important for the bottom-up design of siloxane-based nanomaterials. This work reports the synthesis of various polycyclic and cage siloxanes by the hydrolysis and intramolecular condensation of monocyclic tetra- and hexasiloxanes functionalized with various alkoxysilyl groups. An investigation of monoalkoxysilylated cyclosiloxanes revealed that intramolecular condensation occurred preferentially between adjacent alkoxysilyl groups to form new tetrasiloxane rings. The study of dialkoxy- and trialkoxysilylated cyclotetrasiloxanes revealed multistep intramolecular condensation reactions to form cubic octasiloxanes in relatively high yields. Unlike conventional methods starting from organosilane monomers, intramolecular condensation enables the introduction of different organic substituents in controlled arrangements. So-called Janus cubes have been successfully obtained, that is, Ph₄R₄Si₈O₁₂, in which R=Me, OSiMe₃, and OSiMe₂Vi (Vi=vinyl). These findings will enable the creation of siloxane-based materials with diverse functions.     

The Utility of p-N-Succinimidobenzoyl Isothiocyanate in Synthesis of Benzoxazole,Quinazoline, Pyrimidine, 1,2,4-Triazoline, 1,3-Thiazolidine,and Thiourea Derivatives

Reactions of p-N-succinimidobenzoyl isothiocyanate (1) with different nucleophilic reagents afforded adducts. Simultaneous or subsequent cyclization of these adducts gave access to a variety of different heterocycles, including benzoxazole, quinazoline, pyrimidine, 1,2,4-triazoline, 1,3-thiazolidine and others. The structures of the new products were confirmed by their micro-analytical and spectral data.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements to view the free supplemental file.     

Key structures of bacterial peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharide triggering the innate immune system of higher animals: Chemical synthesis and functional studies

Chemistry-based investigation is reviewed which led to identification of the active entities responsible for the immunostimulating potencies of peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharide. Though these glycoconjugates which ubiquitously occur in wide range of bacteria as the essential components of their cell envelopes have long been known to enhance the immunological responses of higher animals, neither the precise chemical structures required nor the mechanism of their action remained to be elucidated until early 1970s. Chemical synthesis of partial structures of peptidoglycan proved N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine to be the minimum structure responsible for the activity and led to later identification of its receptor protein Nod2 present in animal cells. Another active partial structure of peptidoglycan, γ-D-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid, and its receptor Nod1 were also identified as well. With regard to lipopolysaccharide, its glycolipid part named lipid A was purified and the structure studied. Chemically synthesized lipid A according to the newly elucidated structure exhibited full activity described for lipopolysaccharide known as endotoxin. Synthetic homogeneous lipid A and its structural analogues and labeled derivatives enabled precise studies of their interaction with receptor proteins and the mechanism of their action. Chemical synthesis of homogeneous partial structures of peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharide gave unequivocal evidences for the concept that definite small molecular parts of these complex macromolecular bacterial glycoconjugates are specifically recognized by their respective receptors and trigger our defense system now widely recognized as innate immunity.     

Effect of Motif‐Programmed Artificial Proteins on the Calcium Uptake in a Synthetic Hydrogel

Motif‐programmed artificial proteins with mineralization‐related activity were covalently immobilized onto the surface of a hydrogel, poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA). We investigated the influence of assaying conditions upon the ability of three selected proteins (PS64, PS382 and PS458) to modulate calcification in vitro. A long‐term assay measuring the real amount of calcium phosphate phase in the protein‐modified PHEMA showed that all proteins enhanced the uptake of calcium by the hydrogel. For PS382 and PS458, this is a behaviour opposite to that displayed when the same proteins were tested in a free state by a rapid solution assay. Such difference may be attributed to a restricted mobility of the proteins due to immobilization.

     

Utilization of the pleiotropy of a peptidic aptamer to fabricate heterogeneous nanodot-containing multilayer nanostructures

Peptide aptamers (=binders) against inorganic materials often show a capacity for mineralization of their target atoms; thus they are able to function both as binding molecules and as mediators for mineralization. Although the mechanisms underlying these two properties of peptide aptamers are not yet fully understood, they have been used separately to fabricate various nanostructures. Here, we present a novel method of nanofabrication, in which binding and mineralization by a peptide aptamer are alternately utilized to assemble multilayered nanostructures comprised of metal loaded cage proteins ornamented with Ti-binding peptides.     

Chemical Modification and some Aligned Composites of Chitosan in a Filament State

The mono‐filaments (> 10 m in length) of chitosan and the blends of chitosan‐collagen, chitin‐collagen and chitin‐silk fibroin were wet‐spun. The mono‐filaments were chemically N‐modified with each of n‐fatty acid anhydrides, intra‐molecular carboxylic anhydrides, fragrant aldehydes and transition metal ions. The mono‐filament was aligned on a straight line with the mono‐filament of silk fibroin or poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and a bundle of one to three mono‐filaments was coated with a medium of sericin (Se), chitosan or N‐acylchitosan to give rise to novel silk‐mimic filament composites. The filaments coated with a medium of sericin exhibited 26–27 denier for the titer, 2.46–3.36 gf · denier^?1 for the tenacity and 11.8–25.0% for the elongation. The apparent density (denier · μm^?1 in the filament diameter) of the filament composites was about 3–4 times higher than that of the mono‐filaments. Portion of fragrant aldehydes in Schiff's base was slowly hydrolyzed at room temperature by contacting with atmospheric moisture in the open air, and released from the fragrant filaments and composites. The filament composites coated with a chitosan medium were thrombogenic, and those coated with N‐acylchitosans were antithrombogenic.

An illustrated model for a silk‐mimic filament composite, N₀(N₂I‐FI).     

Evaluation of N-alkyl derivatives of radioiodinated spiperone as radioligands for in vivo dopamine D2 receptor studies: effects of lipophilicity and receptor affinity on the in vivo biodistribution.

A series of radioiodinated spiperone (2'-ISP) derivatives bearing amide N-alkyl substituents (N-methyl-2'-ISP, N-ethyl-2'-ISP, and N-propyl-2'-ISP) were synthesized and evaluated as potential singlet photon emission computed tomographic radiopharmaceuticals for visualizing dopaminergic receptors. The lipophilicity of these ligands (i.e., the partition coefficient for octanol-phosphate buffer) increased as the chain length increased. Investigation of blood-brain barrier permeability in rats showed a parabolic relationship between the brain uptake index and the partition coefficient. In vitro competitive binding studies showed that the relative affinity for the dopamine D2 receptor was in the order of N-propyl-2'-ISP greater than 2'-ISP greater than N-methyl-2'-ISP approximately N-ethyl-2'-ISP. In vivo biodistribution studies showed that the initial brain uptake correlated fairly well with the brain uptake index and that the kinetics of the radioactivity specifically bound to the striatum were strongly influenced by the dopamine receptor binding affinity of the compounds. Thus, the in vivo behavior of these N-alkylated 2'-ISP derivatives involved a complex interplay between receptor affinity, lipophilicity, and blood-brain barrier permeability.     

Catalytic reduction of nitric monoxide by ethene over Ag/TiO2 in the presence of excess oxygen

Selective reduction of nitric oxide (NO) by ethene in the presence of excess oxygen was investigated using a silver supported on TiO₂ (Ag/TiO₂) catalyst. Ag/TiO₂ showed high catalytic activity for the reduction of NO to N₂ and N₂O. The activity for the reduction of NO to N₂ and N₂O was enhanced with an increase up to 3 wt.% Ag loading level. On increasing the concentration of ethene, the catalytic activity for the reduction of NO to N₂ and N₂O was enhanced. The reduction of NO over Ag/TiO₂ catalyst never proceeds without coexistent oxygen.     

Analogs of alicyclic alpha-amino acids--effect of ring size and side chain on tumor accumulation

We studied the tumor-localizing characteristics of alicyclic alpha-amino acid analogs (a-j) without alpha-hydrogen, because of the selective affinity of synthetic nonmetabolizing amino acids such as 1-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid (ACPC) and alpha-aminoisobutyric acid alpha-AIB) to tumor tissues. Ten different alicyclic alpha-amino acids (a-j) were labeled with 14C using a modified Bücherer synthesis for amino acids. The tissue distributions and whole-body autoradiographic study of these 14C-labeled alicyclic alpha-amino acid analogs (a-j) were investigated in mice bearing Ehrlich tumor. These results showed that the tumor uptakes and tumor to tissue concentration ratios increased with decreasing ringsize in homologous series (8- through 4-membered ring systems) and alicyclic alpha-amino acid analogs containing 3- or 4-methyl group had the higher tumor to tissue concentration ratios. On the other hand, alicyclic alpha-amino acid analogs containing 2-methyl group and 4-phenyl group showed the lower tumor uptakes and the lower tumor to tissue concentration ratios. These results suggest that the small ringsize alicyclic alpha-amino acid analogs containing 3-methyl group such as 3-methyl-1-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid (3-MeACPC) may be effective for the early detection of tumors.     

Evolution of fluorescein as a platform for finely tunable fluorescence probes

Fluorescence imaging is the most powerful technique currently available for continuous observation of dynamic intracellular processes in living cells. Suitable fluorescence probes are naturally of critical importance for fluorescence imaging, but only a very limited range of biomolecules can currently be visualized because of the lack of flexible design strategies for fluorescence probes. At present, design is largely empirical. Here we show that the carboxylic group of traditional fluorescein dyes, formerly considered indispensable, has been replaced with other substituents, affording various kinds of new fluoresceins. Further, by breaking out of the traditional structure of fluorescein, we developed the first and totally rational design strategy for novel fluorescence probes based on a strict photochemical basis. The value of this approach is exemplified by its application to develop a novel, highly sensitive, and membrane-permeable fluorescence probe for beta-galactosidase, which is the most widely used reporter enzyme.