Hydride abstraction and regioselective insertion reaction at β C-H bond of alkyllithium by ethyl(phenylthio)methylene carbenoid

Study on the reaction of alkyllithium with 1-chloropropyl phenyl sulfide showed two novel reactions, the regioselective insertion and the hydride abstraction, at the β C-H bond of alkyllithium by ethyl(phenylthio)methylene carbenoid.     

X-Ray photoelectron spectra of inequivalent atoms in inorganic compounds

X-Ray photoelectron spectra of compounds containing inequivalent atoms were studied. The spectra of some compounds did not have separate peaks corresponding to inequivalent atoms, but their spectra were summations of the spectra of the compounds containing single kinds of atoms. In determining the chemical states of the atoms with XPS, the spectra of the compounds must be compared with the spectra of compounds having the same oxidation and coordination numbers, and the photoelectron spectral intensities are summations of the intensities of the primary and satellite peaks.     

Total synthesis of monocyclic β-lactam antibiotics,nocardicin A and D

The total synthesis of monocyclic β-lactam antibiotics, nocardicins A (1a) and D (1d), is described. 3-Aminonocardicinic acid (3-ANA, 2) was synthesized from p-hydroxyphenylglycine via an acid chloride-imine cyloaddition reaction. The side chain amino acid 13 was prepared via a key step of condensation of p-hydroxyacetophenone and α-phthalimidobutyrolactone. Acylation of 3-ANA with 13 gave nocardicin D, from which nocardicin A was obtained by oximation.     

Two-metal ion, Ni(II) and Cu(II), binding alpha-helical coiled coil peptide

Metalloproteins are an attractive target for de novo design. Usually, natural proteins incorporate two or more (hetero- or homo-) metal ions into their frameworks to perform their functions, but the design of multiple metal-binding sites is usually difficult to achieve. Here, we undertook the de novo engineering of heterometal-binding sites, Ni(II) and Cu(II), into a designed coiled coil structure based on an isoleucine zipper (IZ) peptide. Previously, we described two peptides, IZ-3adH and IZ-3aH. The former has two His residues and forms a triple-stranded coiled coil after binding Ni(II), Zn(II), or Cu(II). The latter has one His residue, which allowed binding with Cu(II) and Zn(II), but not with Ni(II). On the basis of these properties, we newly designed IZ(5)-2a3adH as a heterometal-binding peptide. This peptide can bind Cu(II) and Ni(II) simultaneously in the hydrophobic core of the triple-stranded coiled coil. The first metal ion binding induced the folding of the peptide into the triple-stranded coiled coil, thereby promoting the second metal ion binding. This is the first example of a peptide that can bind two different metal ions. This construction should provide valuable insights for the de novo design of metalloproteins.     

Ring-expansion of thioacetal ring via bicyclosulfonium ylide. Effect Of protic nucleophile on ylide intermediate

The reaction of 2-(3-diazo-2-oxopropane-1-yl)-2-methyldithiolane 9a, 2-(4-diazo-3-oxobutane-2-yl)-2-methyldithiolane 9c, and 2-(3-diazo-2-oxopropane-1-yl)-2-methyl-1,3-dithiane 9b with Rh(2)(OAc)(4) gave three-carbon ring-expansion products dithiocan-2-en-1-ones 13a, 13c and dithionan-2-en-1-one 13b, respectively. 2-(5-Diazo-4-oxopentyl)-2-methyldithiolane 9e also gave the five-carbon ring-expansion products dithionan-3-en-1-one 13e and 5-methylenedithionane-1-one 13'e. On the other hand, reaction of 2-(4-diazo-3-oxobutyl)-2-methyldithiolane 9d in the presence of AcOH gave the four-carbon ring-expansion product 16d substituted by an acetoxyl group. In addition, the reaction of 2-(3-diazo-2-oxopropyl)-2-methyl-3-oxathiolane 9f in the absence of AcOH gave 4-oxa-7-thiocan-2-en-1-one 19 via a sulfonium ylide intermediate, whereas, in the presence of AcOH, an alternative regioisomer 20 was also formed competitively with 19 via an oxonium ylide intermediate.     

Glucuronate-modified liposomes with prolonged circulation time

For the purpose of obtaining liposomes with long circulation time in blood, we synthesized 1-O-palmityl-D-glucuronic acid (PGlcUA) and incorporated it into the liposomal membranes. The clearance of the PGlcUA-liposomes composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), cholesterol, and PGlcUA (40:40:20 as a molar ratio) from blood and their tissue distribution were compared with those of dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG)-liposomes (DPPC/cholesterol/DPPG = 40:40:20). When [3H]inulin-loaded PGlcUA-liposomes and DPPG-liposomes were intravenously injected into rats, the half-life of the PGlcUA-liposomes in the blood appeared to be 1.7-fold longer than that of DPPG-liposomes. Radioactivities present in plasma and various tissues were measured 22 h after administration of these liposomes, and radioactivity remaining in the plasma was 2.5-fold greater when PGlcUA-liposomes were injected. The distribution pattern of [3H]inulin in PGlcUA-liposomes was similar to that in DPPG-liposomes. The radioactivity recovered in urine was 25% lower in rats treated with PGlcUA-liposomes than in those treated with DPPG-liposomes. Since both PGlcUA- and DPPG-liposomes exhibited similar size distribution and zeta-potential, glucuronic acid, rather than negative charge, on the liposomal surface appears to endow liposomes with a longer circulation time in the bloodstream.     

A new and known cytotoxic aryltetralin-type lignans from stems of Bursera graveolens

A new 4alpha-aryltetralin-type lignan called burseranin (1) and a known analogous lignan picropolygamain (2) were isolated along with known triterpenes, lupeol and epi-lupeol from the methanol extract of stems of Bursera graveolens, which showed a remarkable inhibitory activity against human HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells. The whole structure of 1 was established based on combined spectral studies and the absolute structure for 2 was first confirmed by CD spectral evidence. In addition, cytotoxic activities of the stem (methanol) extract and its components are evaluated in this paper.