Seven-membered ring boronates at trans-diol moieties of carbohydrates

MS and ¹H, ¹³C and ¹¹B NMR results are presented revealing the formation of cyclic seven-membered boronate structures at trans-1,2-diol moieties of carbohydrates providing new opportunities for the activation, protection and analysis of glucopyranose-based oligomers and polymers such as cellulose or starch. ‘Coordination-induced shifts’ in ¹³C NMR spectra were identified for the esterification by boronic acids of carbohydrates, which can be applied for further studies.     

Syntheses and characterization of a new class of mono‐ and heterodinuclear derivatives of boron derived from Schiff bases

Reactions of 2‐isopropoxy‐1, 3, 2‐ benzodioxaborole with equivalent amounts of Schiff base ligands having two hydroxyl groups ( 1a–3a ) yield mononuclear derivatives with one residual hydroxy group. The reactions of these mononuclear derivatives with hexamethyldisilazane in a 2:1 ratio yield heterodinuclear derivatives. All these newly synthesized derivatives have been characterized by elemental analyses and molecular weight measurements. Tentative structures have been proposed on the basis of IR and NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ¹¹B,²⁹Si)spectral data and Fab‐mass studies. Schiff bases and their corresponding mono‐ and heterodinuclear derivatives of boron have also been screened for antifungal activities. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison ofn-decane hydroconversion with Pt/SAPO-5 and Pt/SAPO-11 catalysts

The product distributions from bifunctional conversion ofn-decane over Pt/SAPO-5 and Pt/SAPO-11 catalysts are compared in detail. Selectivities in decane reaction vary largely with the catalyst employed: Pt/SAPO-11 produces high yields of feed isomers, whereas Pt/SAPO-5 gives high yields of cracked products and only under mild reaction conditions are isodecanes the main products obtained. These selectivities seem to be determined by the structure of the catalyst.     

SAPO—11分子筛用i—Pr2NH导向合成及其酸性研究

以ＡｌＰＯ４、Ｈ３ＰＯ４、ＳｉＯ２等为原料采用单一模板剂ｉＰｒ２ＮＨ合成了ＳＡＰＯ１１分子筛，利用Ａｖｒａｍｉ方程等对合成过程进行了定量描述。还利用红外（ＩＲ）、程序升温脱附（ＴＰＤ）、线性丁烯骨架异构反应催化活性测试等手段表征了ＳＡＰＯ１１的酸性。结果表明，合成过程随温度有明显变化，晶化阶段的活化能远高于核化阶段的值。可用Ａｖｒａｍｉ方程的参数来表征合成过程的难易程度。分子筛中存在Ｂ酸和Ｌ酸位，主要在中等强度范围，从而对线性丁烯骨架异构反应有较好的催化活性。提高分子筛中硅含量可明显增大酸位浓度，酸强度也有轻度增强。     

Ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3β-ol Rescues AD Deficits by Modulating Microglia Activation but Not Oxidative Stress

Ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3β-ol (EK100) was isolated from the Taiwan-specific medicinal fungus Antrodia camphorata, which is known for its health-promotion and anti-aging effects in folk medicine. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major aging-associated disease. We investigated the efficacy and potential mechanism of ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3β-ol for AD symptoms. Drosophila with the pan-neuronal overexpression of human amyloid-β (Aβ) was used as the AD model. We compared the life span, motor function, learning, memory, oxidative stress, and biomarkers of microglia activation and inflammation of the ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3β-ol-treated group to those of the untreated control. Ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3β-ol treatment effectively improved the life span, motor function, learning, and memory of the AD model compared to the untreated control. Biomarkers of microglia activation and inflammation were reduced, while the ubiquitous lipid peroxidation, catalase activity, and superoxide dismutase activity remained unchanged. In conclusion, ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3β-ol rescues AD deficits by modulating microglia activation but not oxidative stress.     

A Novel N-Tert-Butyl Derivatives of Pseudothiohydantoin as Potential Target in Anti-Cancer Therapy

Tumors are currently more and more common all over the world; hence, attempts are being made to explain the biochemical processes underlying their development. The search for new therapeutic pathways, with particular emphasis on enzymatic activity and its modulation regulating the level of glucocorticosteroids, may contribute to the development and implementation of new therapeutic options in the treatment process. Our research focuses on understanding the role of 11β-HSD1 and 11β-HSD2 as factors involved in the differentiation and proliferation of neoplastic cells. In this work, we obtained the 9 novel N-tert-butyl substituted 2-aminothiazol-4(5H)-one (pseudothiohydantoin) derivatives, differing in the substituents at C-5 of the thiazole ring. The inhibitory activity and selectivity of the obtained derivatives in relation to two isoforms of 11β-HSD were evaluated. The highest inhibitory activity for 11β-HSD1 showed compound 3h, containing the cyclohexane substituent at the 5-position of the thiazole ring in the spiro system (82.5% at a conc. 10 µM). On the other hand, the derivative 3f with the phenyl substituent at C-5 showed the highest inhibition of 11β-HSD2 (53.57% at a conc. of 10 µM). A low selectivity in the inhibition of 11β-HSD2 was observed but, unlike 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid, these compounds were found to inhibit the activity of 11β-HSD2 to a greater extent than 11β-HSD1, which makes them attractive for further research on their anti-cancer activity.     

Structural Insights and Docking Analysis of Adamantane-Linked 1,2,4-Triazole Derivatives as Potential 11β-HSD1 Inhibitors

The solid-state structural analysis and docking studies of three adamantane-linked 1,2,4-triazole derivatives are presented. Crystal structure analyses revealed that compound 2 crystallizes in the triclinic P-1 space group, while compounds 1 and 3 crystallize in the same monoclinic P2₁/c space group. Since the only difference between them is the para substitution on the aryl group, the electronic nature of these NO₂ and halogen groups seems to have no influence over the formation of the solid. However, a probable correlation with the size of the groups is not discarded due to the similar intermolecular disposition between the NO₂/Cl substituted molecules. Despite the similarities, CE-B3LYP energy model calculations show that pairwise interaction energies vary between them, and therefore the total packing energy is affected. HOMO-LUMO calculated energies show that the NO₂ group influences the reactivity properties characterizing the molecule as soft and with the best disposition to accept electrons. Further, in silico studies predicted that the compounds might be able to inhibit the 11β-HSD1 enzyme, which is implicated in obesity and diabetes. Self- and cross-docking experiments revealed that a number of non-native 11β-HSD1 inhibitors were able to accurately dock within the 11β-HSD1 X-ray structure 4C7J. The molecular docking of the adamantane-linked 1,2,4-triazoles have similar predicted binding affinity scores compared to the 4C7J native ligand 4YQ. However, they were unable to form interactions with key active site residues. Based on these docking results, a series of potentially improved compounds were designed using computer aided drug design tools. The docking results of the new compounds showed similar predicted 11β-HSD1 binding affinity scores as well as interactions to a known potent 11β-HSD1 inhibitor.     

Novel c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase (JNK) Inhibitors with an 11H-Indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-one Scaffold

c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) plays a central role in stress signaling pathways implicated in important pathological processes, including rheumatoid arthritis and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Therefore, inhibition of JNK is of interest for molecular targeted therapy to treat various diseases. We synthesized 13 derivatives of our reported JNK inhibitor 11H-indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-one oxime and evaluated their binding to the three JNK isoforms and their biological effects. Eight compounds exhibited submicromolar binding affinity for at least one JNK isoform. Most of these compounds also inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nuclear factor-κB/activating protein 1 (NF-κB/AP-1) activation and interleukin-6 (IL-6) production in human monocytic THP1-Blue cells and human MonoMac-6 cells, respectively. Selected compounds (4f and 4m) also inhibited LPS-induced c-Jun phosphorylation in MonoMac-6 cells, directly confirming JNK inhibition. We conclude that indenoquinoxaline-based oximes can serve as specific small-molecule modulators for mechanistic studies of JNKs, as well as potential leads for the development of anti-inflammatory drugs.     

Electronic Structures, (d-p)π Conjugation Effects, and Spectroscopic Properties of Polyoxometalates: M6O19 2− (M=Cr, Mo, W)

The electronic structures and bonding of isopoly oxometalates M₆O₁₉ ^2– (M=Cr, Mo, W) have been investigated by using ab initio and relativistic density functional methods. We have discussed the role of the central oxygen atom and the (d-p) conjugation interactions between the metal and bridging oxygen atoms. It is found that there exist 12 three-centered two-electron (d-p-d) bonds for the three M₄(-O)₄ planar rings in M₆O₁₉ ^2– ions and these hexametalates are considered to have quasi-aromaticity. The (d-p) conjugation effects play essential role in stabilizing these cluster compounds, and the reduced (d-p) conjugation effects account for the instability of the isopoly oxochromate ion, Cr₆O₁₉ ^2–. The vibrational spectra and electronic spectra of M₆O₁₉ ^2– ions are evaluated and assigned theoretically and the calculated spectra are in fairly good agreement with the measured experimental results.