Synthesis of glucosylspiro-oxindole derivatives via one-pot three-component cycloaddition of azomethine ylides

Highly regio- and stereoselective synthesis of glucosylspiro-oxindole/acenaphthenone derivatives was accomplished through 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (1,3-DC) reaction. The glucosyl α,β-unsaturated-7,3-lactone (a sugar lactone) derived from d-glucose was used as a chiral dipolarophile in 1,3-DC reaction for the first time. The azomethine ylides generated from sarcosine/l-proline/thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid/piperidine-2-carboxylic acid with isatin and acenaphthoquinone were trapped by the sugar lactone to give a series of glucosylspiro-pyrrolidine derivatives in good yields.     

Mechanisms of a Cyclobutane-Fused Lactone Hydrolysis in Alkaline and Acidic Conditions

Searching for functional polyesters with stability and degradability is important due to their potential applications in biomedical supplies, biomass fuel, and environmental protection. Recently, a cyclobutane-fused lactone (CBL) polymer was experimentally found to have superior stability and controllable degradability through hydrolysis reactions after activation by mechanical force. In order to provide a theoretical basis for developing new functional degradable polyesters, in this work, we performed a detailed quantum chemical study of the alkaline and acidic hydrolysis of CBL using dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D3) and mixed implicit/explicit solvent models. Various possible hydrolysis mechanisms were found: B_AC2 and B_AL2 in the alkaline condition and A_AC2, A_AL2, and A_AL1 in the acidic condition. Our calculations indicated that CBL favors the B_AC2 and A_AC2 mechanisms in alkaline and acidic conditions, respectively. In addition, we found that incorporating explicit water solvent molecules is highly necessary because of their strong hydrogen-bonding with reactant/intermediate/product molecules.     

Direct synthesis of 3,5-diaryl-1,2,4-oxadiazoles using 1-(2-oxo-2-arylethyl)pyridin-1-iums with benzamidines

An efficient domino protocol for the synthesis of 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives from readily available 1-(2-oxo-2-arylethyl)pyridin-1-iums and amidine hydrochlorides was developed. In this practical approach, N-acyl amidine precursors were formed firstly via a simple nucleophilic substitution, without the purification of N-acylamidine intermediates, and the following intramolecularly dehydrative cyclization gave 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives in the presence of I₂/K₂CO₃/DMSO, which exhibited excellent functional group tolerance and proceeded under simple experimental conditions.     

Anticancer Effects and Molecular Action of 7-α-Hydroxyfrullanolide in G2/M-Phase Arrest and Apoptosis in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a breast cancer subtype characterized by the absence of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression. TNBC cells respond poorly to targeted chemotherapies currently in use and the mortality rate of TNBC remains high. Therefore, it is necessary to identify new chemotherapeutic agents for TNBC. In this study, the anti-cancer effects of 7-α-hydroxyfrullanolide (7HF), derived from Grangea maderaspatana, on MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells were assessed using MTT assay. The mode of action of 7HF in TNBC cells treated with 6, 12 and 24 µM of 7HF was determined by flow cytometry and propidium iodide (PI) staining for cell cycle analysis and annexin V/fluorescein isothiocyanate + PI staining for detecting apoptosis. The molecular mechanism of action of 7HF in TNBC cells was investigated by evaluating protein expression using proteomic techniques and western blotting. Subsequently, 7HF exhibited the strongest anti-TNBC activity toward MDA-MB-468 cells and a concomitantly weak toxicity toward normal breast cells. The molecular mechanism of action of low-dose 7HF in TNBC cells primarily involved G2/M-phase arrest through upregulation of the expression of Bub3, cyclin B1, phosphorylated Cdk1 (Tyr 15) and p53-independent p21. Contrastingly, the upregulation of PP2A-A subunit expression may have modulated the suppression of various cell survival proteins such as p-Akt (Ser 473), FoxO3a and β-catenin. The concurrent apoptotic effect of 7HF on the treated cells was mediated via both intrinsic and extrinsic modes through the upregulation of Bax and active cleaved caspase-7–9 expression and downregulation of Bcl-2 and full-length caspase-7–9 expression. Notably, the proteomic approach revealed the upregulation of the expression of pivotal protein clusters associated with G1/S-phase arrest, G2/M-phase transition and apoptosis. Thus, 7HF exhibits promising anti-TNBC activity and at a low dose, it modulates signal transduction associated with G2/M-phase arrest and apoptosis.     

罗丹明B内酯单晶的生长及晶体结构

从含有罗丹明B的溶胶-凝胶中首次水热合成了罗丹明B内酯的单晶,并测定了其晶体结构。每个不对称单位含有两个独立分子。     

Use of solid-phase extraction to enable enhanced detection of acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) in environmental samples

A challenge for understanding the role of bacterial cell–cell signalling in the environment is the detection of those signals, which are often present in low (nmol L⁻¹) concentrations. We describe here a simple purification method, solid-phase extraction (SPE), for increasing the sensitivity of detection for one such group of signals, acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), in environmental samples. Spiking of dried marine sponge tissue (Stylinos sp.) with AHLs resulted in detection down to 0.01 ppm for 3-oxo-hexanoyl homoserine lactone (3-oxo C₆-HSL) and 1 ppm for hexanoyl homoserine lactone (C₆-HSL). Compared with liquid extraction methods use of SPE resulted in twofold and tenfold improvements in sensitivity, respectively.     

Iridoids from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Symphoricarpos albus</Emphasis>

Twelve compounds including secologanin, loganin, the aglycon of loganin, and a new iridoid called glucologanin were isolated from fruit of common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus (L.) Blake. The structure of glucologanin was confirmed using PMR and mass spectroscopy and chemical transformations. 2′,3′,4′,6′,7-Penta-O-acetylloganin and 2′,3′,4′,6′-tetra-O-acetylloganin were synthesized. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 37–40, January–February, 2009.     

Preparation of halo enol phostones by reaction of acetylenic phosphonate monoesters with (bis-collidine)halo hexafluorophosphate

Reaction of non-conjugated acetylenic phosphonate monoesters with (bis-collidine) bromo and iodo hexafluorophosphates was found to lead to the formation of halo enol phostones. Depending on the size of the heterocyclic compounds formed (6-8-membered compounds), endo or a mixture of endo and exo cyclization products were obtained.     

Epoxy lactones by photooxidative rearrangement of 6β-acetoxyvouacapane

The first study of photooxidation reaction of 6β-acetoxyvouacapane isolated from Caesalpinia platyloba is reported. The reaction yielded four new epoxy lactones, 6β-acetoxy-15,16α-epoxy-13-spirocassa-12,16-olide, 6β-acetoxy-15,16β-epoxy-13-spirocassa-12,16-olide, 6β-acetoxy-12,13β-epoxycassa-16,12-olide and 6β-acetoxy-12,13α-epoxycassa-16,12-olide. All the structures were supported by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy as well as mass spectrometry. The stereochemistry was established on the base of single crystal X-ray diffraction.