Transformation of arctiin to estrogenic and antiestrogenic substances by human intestinal bacteria

After anaerobic incubation of arctiin (1) from the seeds of Arctium lappa with a human fecal suspension, six metabolites were formed, and their structures were identified as (-)-arctigenin (2), (2R,3R)-2-(3',4'-dihydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dimethoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (3), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dimethoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (4), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3"-hydroxy-4"-methoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (5), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dihydroxybenzyl)butyrolactone (6), and (-)-enterolactone (7) by various spectroscopic means including two dimensional (2D)-NMR, mass spectrometry, and circular dichroism. A possible metabolic pathway was proposed on the basis of their structures and the time course of the transformation. Enterolactones obtained from the biotransformation of arctiin and secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG, from the seeds of Linum usitatissium) by human intestinal bacteria were proved to be enantiomers, with the (-)-(2R,3R) and (+)-(2S,3S) configurations, respectively. Compound 6 showed the most potent proliferative effect on the growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in culture among 1 and six metabolites, while it showed inhibitory activity on estradiol-mediated proliferation of MCF-7 cells at a concentration of 10 microM. These results indicate that the transformation of 1 by intestinal flora might be essential for the manifestation of the estrogenic and antiestrogenic activity of 1.     

Improved separation of alpha chains of collagen type I, type III, and type V by noninterrupted electrophoresis using thioglycolic acid as a negatively charged reducer

Improved separation of alpha chains of collagen type I (alpha 1 [I]2 alpha 2[I]), type III(alpha 1[III]3), and type V (alpha 1[V]alpha 3[V])was achieved by noninterrupted sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with a negatively charged reducer, thioglycolic acid. The thioglycolic acid, added to the running buffer of the cathodic reservoir, in the middle of electrophoresis quickly migrated in the gel anode, reducing interchain disulfide linkages in collagen type III and dissociating it into its alpha chain monomer, alpha 1[III], without an interruption of electrophoresis. The alpha chain, alpha 1[III], migrated more slowly than the alpha 1 [I] and alpha 2[I] chains of collagen type I, resulting in an excellent separation of alpha 1[III] from alpha 1[I]. The mobility of alpha 1[III] could be controlled by varying the time of thioglycolic acid addition to the running buffer. This enabled us not only to separate alpha 1[III] from alpha 1[I] and alpha 1[V], but also to precisely quantitate these alpha chains, even at low protein loading of mixed samples.     

The synthesis of isoquinoline alkaloid and its related compounds using alanine derivatives as chiral auxiliaries

Chiral 1-substituted isoquinoline derivatives, which were obtained by the reaction using alanine derivatives as chiral auxiliaries, were transformed to (S)-2,3,9,10,11-pentamethoxyhomoprotoberberine (7) and a synthetic intermediate for O-methylkreysigine (9) in good yields and high stereoselectivity. The corresponding chiral allyl derivative of isoquinoline was transformed to a pyrrolidinoisoquinoline (16) in a highly enantioselective manner.     

Synthesis of disubstituted cucurbit[6]uril and its rotaxane derivative

Synthesis of diphenyl cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) has been achieved via co-oligomerization of diphenyl glycoluril and unsubstituted glycoluril. The unsymmetrically substituted CB[6], Ph(2)CB[6], was further converted to a rotaxane incorporating bis(dinitrophenyl)spermine. [reaction: see text]     

Systematic enantiomeric separation of [60]fullerene bisadducts possessing an inherent chiral addition pattern

The optical resolution of trans-2 and trans-3 [60]fullerene bisadducts with an inherent chiral addition pattern, modified by Bingel reaction, cycloaddition by benzyne, Prato reaction, and cycloaddition by o-quinodimethane, was systematically investigated by using chiral HPLC columns (Chiralcel OD and Chiralpak AD). The chiroptical properties of enantiomers separated were also examined.     

Preparation and characterization of novel polyaryloxydiphenylsilanes with high glass transition temperature by melt polycondensation of dianilinodiphenylsilane with bisphenols

Novel polyaryloxydiphenylsilanes with reduced viscosities of 0.31–0.65 dL/g were obtained by the melt polycondensation of dianilinodiphenylsilane with three bisphenols, 2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane, 3 (4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,3-trimethyl-5-indanol, and 9,9-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) fluorene, at 200–320°C in vacuo. These polymers are all amorphous and readily soluble in a wide variety of organic solvents such as chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons, cyclic ethers, and polar aprotic solvents. Because of their bulky and/or rigid ring structures, polyaryloxydiphenylsilanes containing diphenylhexafluoropropane, phenylindane, and diphenylfluorene units in the main chain have high glass transition temperatures of 106, 112, and 172°C, respectively. They are thermally stable showing almost no weight loss up to 350°C in air. Colorless, transparent, but brittle films are obtained from these polymers by solution casting. Ultraviolet transmission is sharply cut off by these polyaryloxydiphenylsilane films at ca. 300 nm, and the cut-off wavelength depends on the bisphenols used.     

PtBr2-catalyzed consecutive enyne metathesis-aromatization of 1-(1-methoxy-but-3-enyl)-2-(1-alkynyl)benzenes: dual role of the Pt catalyst

1,7-Enynes 1, connected through an aromatic ring and bearing a leaving methoxy group at the 4-position, underwent the PtBr(2)-catalyzed enyne metathesis followed by aromatization in one pot to afford vinyl naphthalenes 3 in good to acceptable yields. The cyclobutene intermediate 11a and another intermediate 2a were isolated, indicating that PtBr(2) acts as a dual role catalyst: (1) as a transition metal catalyst, it induces the enyne metathesis to produce 11a starting from 1a, and (2) as a Lewis acid catalyst, it facilitates elimination of MeOH from 2a to give the aromatized product 3a.     

Electron attachment and vibrational excitation in hydrogen iodide: calculations based on the nonlocal resonance model

High resolution laser spectroscopy has been applied to study the hyperfine structure of excited energy levels of Thulium I. As part of our aim to complete the fine and hyperfine structure of the Tm I spectra 51 transitions in the visible were measured and precise values for the magnetic dipole hyperfine structure constants A of 24 odd and 19 even levels were determined. In addition, a new energy level of even parity with J = 3/2 is found at 27 509.40 (5)cm^?1 using laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy.     

Analysis of the interaction between human plasma fibronectin and gelatin by affinity electrophoresis

The interaction between human plasma fibronectin and gelatin was analyzed by affinity electrophoresis, in which the fibronectin was subjected to electrophoresis in a 4% polyacrylamide gel in the presence and absence of gelatin, as an affinity ligand, and the fibronectin band was stained by an immunoblotting method. The apparent dissociation constants (Kd) of fibronectin for gelatin were calculated from affinity plots based on the original affinity equation at different pHs, urea concentrations, and temperatures. The fibronectin exhibited much lower affinity in the presence of urea. The Kds at 37 degrees C were 1.49 X 10(-7) M, 2.50 X 10(-6) M, and 3.58 X 10(-6) M with 2 M, 3 M, and 4 M urea, respectively. The van't Hoff plots of Kd values against absolute temperature (T) showed that the value of log Kd decreased in proportion to the increase in the value of 1/T within the range of 15-50 degrees C. The standard enthalpy, the standard free energy change at 37 degrees C, and the entropy change at 37 degrees C for association were calculated to be -124.7 kJ/mol, -33.23 kJ/mol, and -295.1 J/mol/deg, respectively. These results suggest that a hydrophilic interaction, such as hydrogen bond or van der Waals interaction, plays an important role in the binding of plasma fibronectin to gelatin.     

Measurement of hyperfine structure constants,g values and tensor polarizability of excited states of Sm I

Atomic-beam laser spectroscopy with fluorescence detection is applied to investigate the hyperfine structure (hfs), Stark and Zeeman effects of the electric dipole transitions of Sm i. The measurements are performed for the four transitions of 0 → 15650.55, 292.58 → 15650.55, 292.58 → 15567.32, and 1489.55 → 16890.59 cm^-1. The hfs constants of the upper and lower levels and the isotope shifts of the transitions are determined. The tensor polarizability of the 15650.55 cm^-1 level is found to be α₂ = -556.2 ± 11.8 kHz/(kV/cm)². Thanks to the accurate g values of the lower levels [Childs, W.J., Goodman, L.S.: Phys. Rev. A 6, 2011 (1972)], the g values of the upper levels are obtained from the observed Zeeman splittings. The values are found to be -0.115907(79), 2.22259(20) and 1.599968(51) for the 15650.55 cm^-1 .1, 15567.32 cm^-1 and 16890.59.cm^-1 levels, respectively.