Collaborative study for the detection of toxic compounds in shellfish extracts using cell-based assays. Part I: screening strategy and pre-validation study with lipophilic marine toxins

Human poisoning due to consumption of seafood contaminated with phycotoxins is a worldwide problem, and routine monitoring programs have been implemented in various countries to protect human consumers. Following successive episodes of unexplained shellfish toxicity since 2005 in the Arcachon Bay on the French Atlantic coast, a national research program was set up to investigate these atypical toxic events. Part of this program was devoted to fit-for-purpose cell-based assays (CBA) as complementary tools to collect toxicity data on atypical positive-mouse bioassay shellfish extracts. A collaborative study involving five laboratories was conducted. The responses of human hepatic (HepG2), human intestinal (Caco2), and mouse neuronal (Neuro2a) cell lines exposed to three known lipophilic phycotoxins-okadaic acid (OA), azaspiracid-1 (AZA1), and pectenotoxin-2 (PTX2)-were investigated. A screening strategy composed of standard operating procedures and a decision tree for dose-response modeling and assay validation were designed after a round of "trial-and-error" process. For each toxin, the shape of the concentration-response curves and the IC(50) values were determined on the three cell lines. Whereas OA induced a similar response irrespective of the cell line (complete sigmoid), PTX2 was shown to be less toxic. AZA1 induced cytotoxicity only on HepG2 and Neuro2a, but not on Caco2. Intra- and inter-laboratory coefficients of variation of cell responses were large, with mean values ranging from 35 to 54 % and from 37 to 48 %, respectively. Investigating the responses of the selected cell lines to well-known toxins is the first step supporting the use of CBA among the panel of methods for characterizing atypical shellfish toxicity. Considering these successful results, the CBA strategy will be further applied to extracts of negative, spiked, and naturally contaminated shellfish tissues.     

A concise enantioselective synthesis of the fungal metabolite (+)-decarestrictine L

A stereoselective 10-step synthesis of the fungal metabolite (+)-decarestrictine L from commercially available ethyl (R)-3-hydroxybutyrate is described in which tandem oxonium ylide formation and rearrangement is used to construct the tetrahydropyranyl core of the natural product.     

A strategy to study genotoxicity: application to aquatic toxins, limits and solutions

Humans can be exposed to aquatic toxins mainly through contamination of food and water (drinking and recreational). Among these toxins, contamination by both phycotoxins occurring in shellfish and cyanotoxins mostly involved in freshwater bodies are of concern for public health. Whereas regulations exist to evaluate the genotoxicity of most compounds to which humans are exposed, including drugs and chemicals, no regulations have been established for these compounds. In this paper, we show that the same strategy including both in vitro and in vivo tests can be followed to evaluate the genotoxicity of aquatic toxins (phycotoxins and cyanotoxins). However, this strategy encountered different limits which arise when completing an overview of the genotoxic potential of toxins. The most restrictive one is undoubtedly the low amount (even the lack sometimes) of purified toxins available. Solutions and recommendations for testing the genotoxicity of aquatic toxins are suggested to overcome the specific problems encountered with these compounds. It must be kept in mind that recent developments in drug toxicology should be considered and that experiments must be conducted in respect of the 3Rs principle of refinement, reduction and replacement for animal experimentation.     

A concise and stereoselective synthesis of the A-ring fragment of the gambieric acids

The A-ring fragment of the gambieric acids has been prepared by a short and efficient route. The key 3(2H)-furanone intermediate has been obtained by [2,3] rearrangement of an allylic oxonium ylide generated from intramolecular reaction of a crotyl ether with a copper carbenoid. A single stereogenic center has been set by using a chiral pool starting material and the other three have been established by using highly diastereoselective substrate-controlled transformations. [reaction--see text]     

Synthesis of 2-Azanorbornanes via Strain-Release Formal Cycloadditions Initiated by Energy Transfer

Rigid bicycles are becoming more popular in the pharmaceutical industry because they allow for expansion to new and unique chemical spaces. This work describes a new strategy to construct 2-azanorbornanes, which can act as rigid piperidine/pyrrolidine scaffolds with well-defined exit vectors. To achieve the synthesis of 2-azanorbornanes, new strain-release reagent, azahousane, is introduced along with its photosensitized strain-release formal cycloaddition with alkenes. Furthermore, new reactivity between a housane and an imine is disclosed. Both strategies lead to various substituted 2-azanorbornanes with good selectivities.