Structure determination of bioactive galloyl derivatives by NMR spectroscopy

The investigation of the chemical constituents of Symplocos racemosa Roxb led to the isolation of two new glycosides, symcomoside A (1) and symcomoside B (2), together with one known glycoside, tortoside C (3), which is reported for the first time from this plant. The structures of the new compounds were determined by 1D and 2D homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy, from chemical evidence and by comparison with published data for closely related compounds. Symcomoside B (2) showed potent inhibitory activity against alpha-glucosidase in a concentration-dependent fashion with an IC50 value of 0.733 +/- 0.033 mM whereas symcomoside A (1) showed very weak inhibitory activity against alpha-glucosidase (9.90% in 0.70 mM).     

Imido Derivatives of Titanium (IV)

Reactions of titanium(IV) isopropoxide with acetamide, benzamide, and nicotinamide in different stoichiometric ratios in anhydrous benzene yielded imido derivatives of type (PrⁱO)_4-nTi(NHOCR)_n where n = 1, 2, 3, and 4; R = CH₃, C₆H₅, and C₅H₄N. All these complexes are insoluble in common organic solvents suggesting their polymeric nature. All these derivatives, with the exception of three which have characteristic melting points, did not sublime at 250°C in vacuo nor did they appear to decompose appreciably below 300°C. I.R. spectra of these derivatives are discussed.     

Quantitative estimation of constituents in fly ash by lithium tetraborate fusion

Silica is removed from fly ash sample by hydroflourination for its effective determination gravimetrically and the remaining residue is subjected to lithium tetraborate (Li₂B₄O₇) fusion followed by dissolution in dilute nitric acid to obtain a clear solution in which elements including aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), have been determined by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS). Two fly ash samples analyzed by the proposed method have been received from the National Council of Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM), India (proposed CRM in future) and fly ash CRM 1633 (b) from NIST, USA. The validity of the method has been established by analyzing fly ash CRM 1633 (b) as reference standard. The standard deviation has been calculated for each measurement.     

Chalepin and Chalepensin: Occurrence,Biosynthesis and Therapeutic Potential

Dihydrofuranocoumarin, chalepin (1) and furanocoumarin, chalepensin (2) are 3-prenylated bioactive coumarins, first isolated from the well-known medicinal plant Ruta chalepensis L. (Fam: Rutaceae) but also distributed in various species of the genera Boenminghausenia, Clausena and Ruta. The distribution of these compounds appears to be restricted to the plants of the family Rutaceae. To date, there have been a considerable number of bioactivity studies performed on coumarins 1 and 2, which include their anticancer, antidiabetic, antifertility, antimicrobial, antiplatelet aggregation, antiprotozoal, antiviral and calcium antagonistic properties. This review article presents a critical appraisal of publications on bioactivity of these 3-prenylated coumarins in the light of their feasibility as novel therapeutic agents and investigate their natural distribution in the plant kingdom, as well as a plausible biosynthetic route.     

Development of a microfluidic confocal fluorescence detection system for the hyphenation of nano-LC to on-line biochemical assays

One way to profile complex mixtures for receptor affinity is to couple liquid chromatography (LC) on-line to biochemical detection (BCD). A drawback of this hyphenated screening approach is the relatively high consumption of sample, receptor protein and (fluorescently labeled) tracer ligand. Here, we worked toward minimization of sample and reagent consumption, by coupling nano-LC on-line to a light-emitting diode (LED) based capillary confocal fluorescence detection system capable of on-line BCD with low-flow rates. In this fluorescence detection system, a capillary with an extended light path (bubble cell) was used as a detection cell in order to enhance sensitivity. The technology was applied to a fluorescent enhancement bioassay for the acetylcholine binding protein, a structural analog of the extracellular ligand-binding domain of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. In the miniaturized setup, the sensitive and low void volume LED-induced confocal fluorescence detection system operated in flow injection analysis mode allowing the measurement of IC₅₀ values, which were comparable with those measured by a conventional plate reader bioassay. The current setup uses 50 nL as injection volume with a carrier flow rate of 400 nL/min. Finally, coupling of the detection system to gradient reversed-phase nano-LC allowed analysis of mixtures in order to identify the bioactive compounds present by injecting 10 nL of each mixture.     

Tricetin 4′-<Emphasis Type="Italic">O-α</Emphasis>-L-rhamnopyranoside: A new flavonoid from the aerial parts of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Erica arborea</Emphasis>

Reversed-phase preparative HPLC purification of the methanol (MeOH) extract of the aerial parts of Erica arborea resulted in the isolation of a new flavonoid glycoside, tricetin 4′-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, together with the known flavonoid, isorhamnetin 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside. The structures of these compounds were determined by spectroscopic means. The antioxidant properties of these compounds were assessed by the DPPH assay. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 138–140, March–April, 2008.     

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors from Millettia conraui

A new geranylated isoflavone, 7-O-geranyl-6-methoxypseudobaptigenin (1) was isolated from the stem barks of Millettia conraui, along with known compounds 5-methoxydurmillone (2), conrauinone A (3), beta-amyrine (4), sitosterol (5), 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl sitosterol (6) and n-docosanol (7). Compounds 1 and 4 showed a significant alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The structures of the compounds were determined by analysis of their spectroscopic data.     

A mixed crystal of imperatorin and phellopterin,with C—H...O,C—H...π and π–π interactions

The crystal structure of 9‐(3‐methyl­but‐2‐enyl­oxy)­‐7H‐furo­[3,2‐g]­chro­men‐7‐one–4‐methoxy‐9‐(3‐methyl­but‐2‐enyl­oxy)‐7H‐­furo­[3,2‐g]­chromen‐7‐one (0.926/0.074), 0.926C₁₆H₁₄O₄·0.074C₁₇H₁₆O₅, is characterized by two independent imperatorin mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit, which exhibit different side‐chain conformations. A small amount of phellopterin overlaps with one of the two imperatorin mol­ecules. The supramol­ecular structure is supported by C—H...O, C—H...π and π–π interactions.