Effect of ginseng saponins on the survival of cerebral cortex neurons in cell cultures

The effects of nerve growth factor (NGF) and saponins isolated from Panax ginseng C.A. Mayer on the survival of chick and rat embryonic cerebral cortex neurons were examined. Ginsenoside Rg1 (GRg1) exerted a survival-promoting effect on both chick and rat cerebral cortex neurons in cell cultures. Ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) also had an effect in the rat and displayed some influence in the chick. NGF alone exerted no effect on both neurons, although it did potentiate the GRb1 effect on chick embryonic cerebral cortex neurons, but did not alter the GRb1 effect on rat embryonic cerebral cortex neurons. NGF did not alter the survival-promoting effect of GRg1 on either chick or rat embryonic cerebral cortex neurons. The other saponins alone or with NGF exerted no effect on the survival of cerebral cortex neurons in either the chick or rat.     

DPPH (= 2,2‐Diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl = 2,2‐Diphenyl‐1‐(2,4,6‐trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl) Radical‐Scavenging Reaction of Protocatechuic Acid Esters (= 3,4‐Dihydroxybenzoates) in Alcohols: Formation of Bis‐alcohol Adduct

Protocatechuic acid esters (= 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoates) scavenge ca. 5 equiv. of radical in alcoholic solvents, whereas they consume only 2 equiv. of radical in nonalcoholic solvents. While the high radical‐scavenging activity of protocatechuic acid esters in alcoholic solvents as compared to that in nonalcoholic solvents is due to a nucleophilic addition of an alcohol molecule at C(2) of an intermediate o‐quinone structure, thus regenerating a catechol (= benzene‐1,2‐diol) structure, it is still unclear why protocatechuic acid esters scavenge more than 4 equiv. of radical (C(2) refers to the protocatechuic acid numbering). Therefore, to elucidate the oxidation mechanism beyond the formation of the C(2) alcohol adduct, 3,4‐dihydroxy‐2‐methoxybenzoic acid methyl ester ( 4 ), the C(2) MeOH adduct, which is an oxidation product of methyl protocatechuate ( 1 ) in MeOH, was oxidized by the DPPH radical (= 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl) or o‐chloranil (= 3,4,5,6‐tetrachlorocyclohexa‐3,5‐diene‐1,2‐dione) in CD₃OD/(D₆)acetone 3 : 1). The oxidation mixtures were directly analyzed by NMR. Oxidation with both the DPPH radical and o‐chloranil produced a C(2),C(6) bis‐methanol adduct ( 7 ), which could scavenge additional 2 equiv. of radical. Calculations of LUMO electron densities of o‐quinones corroborated the regioselective nucleophilic addition of alcohol molecules with o‐quinones. Our results strongly suggest that the regeneration of a catechol structure via a nucleophilic addition of an alcohol molecule with a o‐quinone is a key reaction for the high radical‐scavenging activity of protocatechuic acid esters in alcoholic solvents.     

Stereoselective synthesis of procyanidin B3-3-O-gallate and 3,3″-di-O-gallate, and their abilities as antioxidant and DNA polymerase inhibitor

A simple method for the synthesis of procyanidin B3 substituted with a galloyl group at the 3 and 3″ position is described. Condensation of a benzylated catechin-3-O-gallate electrophile with a nucleophile, catechin and catechin-3-O-gallate, proceeded smoothly and stereoselectively to afford the corresponding dimer gallates, procyanidin B3-3-O-gallate and procyanidin B3-3,3″-di-O-gallate, in good yields. Further, their antioxidant activities on UV-induced lipid peroxide formation, DPPH radical scavenging activity and inhibitory activity of DNA polymerase were also investigated. Among three procyanidin B3 congeners (procyanidin B3, 3-O-gallate and 3,3″-di-O-gallate), the 3,3″-di-O-gallate derivative showed the strongest antioxidant and radical scavenging activity. Interestingly, the 3-O-gallate derivative was the strongest inhibitor of mammalian DNA polymerase with IC₅₀ value of 0.26 μM, although it showed the weakest antioxidant and radical scavenging activity. It became apparent that the presence of a galloyl group at the C-3 position in the proanthocyanidin oligomer was very important for biological activity, however, the antioxidant activity of these compounds was not parallel to the DNA polymerase inhibitory activity.     

Two-step preparation for catalyst-free biodiesel fuel production

Biodiesel fuel was prepared by a two-step reaction: hydrolysis and methyl esterification. Hydrolysis was carried out at a subcritical state of water to obtain fatty acids from triglycerides of rapeseed oil, while the methyl esterification of the hydrolyzed products of triglycerides was treated near the supercritical methanol condition to achieve fatty acid methyl esters. Consequently, the two-step preparation was found to convert rapessed oil to fatty acid methyl esters in considerably shorter reaction time and milder reaction condition than the direct supercritical methanol treatment. The optimum reaction condition in this two-step preparation was 270°C and 20 min for hydrolysis and methyl esterification, respectively. Variables affecting the yields in hydrolysis and methyl esterification are discussed.     

Novel alkenylative cyclization using a ruthenium catalyst

Novel alkenylative cyclization of enyne was developed using Cp*RuCl(cod) under ethylene gas at room temperature.     

Precolumn derivatization of nucleotides based on fluorescent carbamate formation of the sugar moieties in high-performance liquid chromatography.

The fluorescence derivatization of nucleotides with 2-(5-chlorocarbonyl-2-oxazolyl)-5,6-methylenedioxybenzo++ furan in the presence of sodium azide and the separation of the derivatives by high-performance liquid chromatography are described. The reagent reacts with 5'-terminal hydroxyl groups of nucleotides to produce the corresponding fluorescent carbamates. The derivatives of mono- and oligonucleotides are separated by chromatography on a reversed phase column (TSKgel ODS-80TM) and the derivatives of octa- and deca-nucleotides on a size exclusion column (TSKgel G3000SWXL). The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) are 0.8-6.0 pmol on column. 5'Phosphorylated nucleotide also gives a fluorescent derivative after alkaline phosphatase-mediated dephosphorylation.     

Adsorption of humic acid on goethite: isotherms, charge adjustments, and potential profiles

The adsorption of natural organic matter (NOM) on mineral (hydr)oxide plays an important role in the evaluation of the speciation of toxic metal ions in the environment. Because both NOM and mineral oxide have variable charges that adjust upon adsorption, a good understanding of proton binding is required before the binding of metal ions can be understood. In this study, the adsorption of purified Aldrich humic acid (PAHA) on goethite was examined as a function of the environmental conditions (pH, salt concentration, and free concentration of PAHA) together with the proton adsorption to PAHA, goethite, and their mixtures. The induced charges on both components were separated on the basis of the difference between the charge/pH curves of the mixture and those of the single components. The electrostatic potential profile across the adsorbed layer was obtained as a numerical solution of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation using the charge density of the adsorbed PAHA and the goethite surface. From the quantitative evaluation of the induced charge on both components, it is revealed that the degree of the charge adjustment is related to the electrostatic affinity between the PAHA segments and the goethite surface, the electrostatic repulsion between the PAHA segments, and the electrostatic shielding by salt ions. Considering the charge distribution of the adsorbed PAHA at the goethite surface, it is concluded that the change of the charge adjustment is sensitive to that of the conformation of the adsorbed PAHA. From the detailed inspection of the assumptions made and the comparison with the reported theoretical calculations, the obtained potential profiles are considered to broadly reflect the true potential profiles. Because a charge adjustment is not frequently considered in detail in relation to the NOM adsorption on metal (hydr)oxides, the obtained results can form the basis for the further development of modeling of the adsorption of NOM on (hydr)oxide surfaces.     

High-performance liquid chromatography of histamine and 1-methylhistamine with on-column fluorescence derivatization.

An on-column fluorometric derivatization method was developed for the determination of histamine and 1-methylhistamine (HMs) by high-performance liquid chromatography. The system for the derivatization consisted only of a commercially available single-plunger pump and a reversed-phase C18 column supported on synthetic polymer with a mobile phase of acetonitrile and alkaline borate buffer solution containing o-phthalaldehyde as a derivatization reagent. It required no additional reaction system as for a post-column derivatization method. Injected HMs might be derivatized to a fluorophore on the inlet site of the high-performance liquid chromatographic column, followed by chromatography on the same column. Optimization of the on-column reaction conditions resulted in a simple and sensitive analytical method for the determination of HMs with excellent reproducibility and linearity of 0.05-5 micrograms/ml of both HMs. Application of this method to the determination of HMs in food samples resulted in a limit of quantification of 0.05 mg/100 g and in a greater than 95% overall mean recovery at a fortification of 0.1 mg/g of both HMs. This method was furthermore applicable to the determination of histamine released from rat peritoneal mast cells.     

Selective generation of organic aggregates included within metal-organic micropores through vapor adsorption

The ethanol vapor adsorption behavior and the inclusion crystal structure of a 1D-transformable coordination polymer host were characterized. The adsorption jump was observed during phase transition or two-phase equilibrium with abnormal adsorption enthalpy caused by the nature of "mass induced phase transition." The included ethanol guests selectively form O-H...O hydrogen bonded pairs inside channels, suggesting selective construction of a specific cluster/aggregate in pores under control of thermodynamic factors and cooperative intermolecular interactions among the guest and channel surface.