Simultaneous Determination of α- and γ-Mangostins in Mouse Plasma by HPLC–MS/MS Method: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study of Mangosteen Extract in Mouse

Recently, extracts from the pericarp of mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana L., exhibited various pharmacological properties such as anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and chemopreventive activities. Albeit it has diverse application, there is little information about its pharmacokinetic aspects. Thus, the present study was undertaken to develop the simultaneous determination of α- and γ-mangostins (α- and γ-MG), major and active compounds, from extracts for the application of pharmacokinetic studies in mice using combined liquid chromatography–tandem mass-spectrometry and microsampling systems. The intra- and inter-validation, precision, accuracy, stability, recovery and matrix effects of α- and γ-MG were conducted in mouse plasma. Based on the developed analytical methods, pharmacokinetic parameters of α- and γ-MG after intravenous and oral administration of mangosteen extract were calculated. In sample preparation steps, the biological samples were deproteinized by acetonitrile and chromatographic separation was accomplished on a C₁₈ column. The detection was accomplished by multiple-reaction monitoring scanning after electrospray ionization source in the positive ionization mode. The optimized mass transition ion pairs (m/z) for quantitation were 411.062 → 354.900, 397.384 → 340.900, and 808.379 → 527.200 for α- and γ-MG and docetaxel (internal standard), respectively. The total run time was 5 min. The results provided a meaningful basis for the preclinical and clinical application of mangosteen extract.     

New Lignans from the Aerial Parts of Rudbeckia laciniata

Three new furofuran lignans, (+)‐4,4′‐O‐diangeloylpinoresinol ( 1 ), (+)‐4,4′‐O‐diangeloylmedioresinol ( 2 ), and (+)‐4,4′‐O‐diangeloylsyringaresinol ( 3 ), together with the known compound (+)‐syringaresinol, were isolated from the MeOH extract of Rudbeckia laciniata. The structure elucidation of these compounds were based on 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR, and HR‐ESI‐MS data. The additional structural evidence was obtained from alkaline hydrolysis of the compounds.     

An Improved Pinacol Rearrangement for the Synthesis of 2-Alkyl-1, 3-Cyclopentanediones

2-Methyl, 2-ethyl and 2-isopropyl-1,3-cyclopentanediones are prepared by a modification of the method described by Nakamura, et. al.¹     

Synthesis of Sterically Hindered Amine Containing Azide via Chemoselective Hydride Reduction

The chemoselective reduction of an ester in the presence of an azido group by LiCl/NaBH₄ is described. A sterically hindered secondary amine containing an azido group is synthesized by this method.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Isonucleosides with 1,2,4‐Triazole‐3‐Carboxamide

Novel 1,2,4‐triazole isonucleosides (1 and 2) were efficiently synthesized starting from D‐ribose and D‐xylose, respectively. The key steps were condensation of cyclic sulfate 8 with methyl‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐carboxylate and nucleophilic displacement of the tosylate 15 with methyl‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐carboxylate, respectively.     

New Cyclization Route to the Skeletons of Lennoxamine and Chilenine

A new cyclization route, triggered by epoxide opening, has been performed to provide the key intermediates for isoindolobenzapine alkaloids, lennoxamine and chilenine. The epoxide was prepared by the Stille reaction using vinyltributylstannane and the following dioxirane treatment. Cyclization under the treatment of BF₃ · OEt₂ provided an azepine moiety, and the oxidative cyclization toward the known precursor for the alkaloids has been achieved by reaction with a stoichiometric amount of Pd(OAc)₂. This formal synthesis suggests a new route to the alkaloids.     

Palladium-Catalyzed Arylation and Vinylation of 2,3-Dihydrofuran with Hypervalent Iodonium Salts

The palladium-catalyzed arylation and vinylation of 2,3-dihydrofuran with aryl and alkenyl iodonium salts afforded 2-phenyl- or 2-alkenyl-2,5-dihydrofurans at room temperature in an aqueous medium.     

The Reaction of Ninhydrin with Trimethylbenzenes under Friedel-Crafts Reaction Conditions

The reaction of ninhydrin with 1,2,3- and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene in the presence of H₂SO₄ or AlCl₃ afforded 2-monoaryl and 2,2-diaryl-1,3-indanedione derivatives as the major products. With 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene as the arene nucleophile, either a reduction product or an indenoindanone derivative was obtained depending upon the catalyst employed in the reaction.     

Synthesis and properties of near IR induced self-healable polyurethane/graphene nanocomposites

A series of self-healable polyurethane (SHPU)/modified graphene (MG) nanocomposites were synthesized from poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG) and 4,4′-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) with minute amounts (0–1 wt%) of MG which was chemically modified graphene oxide (GO) with phenyl isocyanate and reduced in the presence of phenylhydrazine.     

Investigation on the dissolution of Mn ions from LiMn2O4 cathode in the application of lithium ion batteries: First principle molecular orbital method

The dissolution phenomenon of Mn ions in LiMn₂O₄ (LMO) cathode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) was investigated by a first principle calculation using the discrete variational Xα molecular orbital method. It was found that the oxidation number of Mn ions easily increases at high temperatures due to the empty levels of Mn 3d orbitals located in the vicinity of the Fermi energy level of LMO crystal. The changes of density of states (DOS) and Mn‐O bonding properties with doping were examined. Analysis of DOS showed that the substitution of elements with a smaller oxidation number than Mn was found effective in keeping Mn ions at higher oxidation states. From the calculation of bonding properties, the dissolution of Mn was found to be strongly correlated with the covalent nature of Mn‐O bond. Based on the results, we concluded that increasing the covalent character of Mn‐O bond is effective to minimize the dissolution of Mn ions, along with suppressing the formation of Jahn‐Teller‐active Mn³⁺ by inducing Mn ions at high oxidation state with proper selection of doping elements. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.