Preparation of protected peptidyl thioester intermediates for native chemical ligation by Nα‐9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) chemistry: considerations of side‐chain and backbone anchoring strategies,and compatible protection for N‐terminal cysteine*,†

Abstract: Native chemical ligation has proven to be a powerful method for the synthesis of small proteins and the semisynthesis of larger ones. The essential synthetic intermediates, which are C‐terminal peptide thioesters, cannot survive the repetitive piperidine deprotection steps of N^α‐9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) chemistry. Therefore, peptide scientists who prefer to not use N^α‐t‐butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) chemistry need to adopt more esoteric strategies and tactics in order to integrate ligation approaches with Fmoc chemistry. In the present work, side‐chain and backbone anchoring strategies have been used to prepare the required suitably (partially) protected and/or activated peptide intermediates spanning the length of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI). Three separate strategies for managing the critical N‐terminal cysteine residue have been developed: (i) incorporation of N^α‐9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl‐S‐(N‐methyl‐N‐phenylcarbamoyl)sulfenylcysteine [Fmoc‐Cys(Snm)‐OH], allowing creation of an otherwise fully protected resin‐bound intermediate with N‐terminal free Cys; (ii) incorporation of N^α‐9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl‐S‐triphenylmethylcysteine [Fmoc‐Cys(Trt)‐OH], generating a stable Fmoc‐Cys(H)‐peptide upon acidolytic cleavage; and (iii) incorporation of N^α‐t‐butyloxycarbonyl‐S‐fluorenylmethylcysteine [Boc‐Cys(Fm)‐OH], generating a stable H‐Cys(Fm)‐peptide upon cleavage. In separate stages of these strategies, thioesters are established at the C‐termini by selective deprotection and coupling steps carried out while peptides remain bound to the supports. Pilot native chemical ligations were pursued directly on‐resin, as well as in solution after cleavage/purification.     

Synthesis and Structure Elucidation of 5-Aminomethinimino-3-methyl-4-isoxazolecarboxylic Acid Phenylamides and Their Immunological Activity

A series of 5-aminomethinimino-3-methyl-4-isoxazolecarboxylic acid phenylamides 4 has been prepared by condensation of 5-amino-3-methyl-4-isoxazolecarboxylic acid phenylamides 1 with trichloroacetic aldehyde. Alcoholysis of trichloro derivatives 2 gave 5-alkoxymethine derivatives 3 which, on reaction with an appropriate amine, formed the corresponding compounds 4 . The compounds obtained were evaluated for their immunological activity. The properties of three compounds, described in this report, permitted inhibition of the immune response in all possible ways: diminishing both types of immune response ( 4d ), humoral immune response ( 4a ), or cellular immune response ( 4c ). Preparation 4d is comparable in its effectiveness to CsA, so it may be potentially used as an agent for prolongation of the function of transplanted organs. Two other compounds may potentially be used in cases where only one type the immune response is required for combating pathogen invasion.     

Proteolytic components of serum IgG preparations

Chemical catalysis, an effector mechanism utilized by fully assembled antibodies, can also be mediated by the isolated antibody subunits. Because trace amounts of free light chains (L chains) are present in IgG preparations, a detailed study was undertaken to identify the constituents responsible for the polyreactive proteolytic activity of IgG purified from human sera, determined as the extent of cleavage of the model peptide substrate Pro-Phe-Arg-methylcoumarinamide. Two proteolytic species with approximate mass of 50 kD and 150 kD were separated by repetitive gel filtration in a denaturing solvent (6 M guanidine hydrochloride). The activity of the renatured 50-kD fraction (in fluorescence units/microg protein) was more than 45-fold greater than of the 150-kD fraction. Both fractions lost the activity following immunoadsorption on immobilized anti-IgG antibody. Fab fragments prepared from the 150-kD IgG fraction retained the activity. Reducing and non-reducing SDS-electrophoresis suggested the 50-kD fraction isolated from the IgG preparations to be a mixture of heavy chain (H chain) monomers and disulphide bonded L chain dimers. Electrophoretically homogeneous monomers of 50-kD H chains and 25-kD L chains were prepared by gel filtration of reduced and alkylated IgG from seven human subjects. Each of the alkylated L chain preparations displayed the proteolytic activity. The activity in alkylated H chains was undetectable or only marginally greater than the background values. L chain dimers appear to be the major species responsible for the polyreactive proteolytic activity of serum IgG preparations, with a smaller contribution furnished by tetrameric IgG.     

Stability of Lidocaine in Aqueous Solution: Effect of Temperature,pH, Buffer,and Metal Ions on Amide Hydrolysis

The degradation of lidocaine in aqueous solution obeys the expression k _obs = (k _H+[H ⁺] + k _o ) [H⁺]/([H ⁺ ] + K _a + k_o K _a([H ⁺ ] + K _a) where k _H+ is the rate constant for hydronium ion catalysis, and k _o and k_o are the rate constants for the spontaneous (or water-catalyzed) reactions of protonated and free-base lidocaine. At 80°C, the rate constants for these processes are 1.31 × 10^–7 M ^–l sec^–1, 1.37 × 10^–9 sec^–1, and 7.02 × 10^–9sec^–1; the corresponding activation energies are 30.5, 33.8, and 26.3 kcal mol^–1, respectively. It was found that the room temperature pH of maximum stability is 3–6 and that lidocaine is more reactive in the presence of metal ions such as Fe²⁺ and Cu²⁺. The dissociation constant, K _a, for lidocaine at 25–80°C was also measured at 0.1 M ionic strength and a plot of pK _a versus 1/T gave a slope of (1.88 ± 0.05) × 10³ K^–1 and intercept 1.56 ± 0.16.     

蒺藜果实化学成分及其抗氧化活性研究

目的 研究蒺藜Tribulus terrester果实的化学成分及其抗氧化活性。方法 综合利用硅胶柱色谱、Sephadex LH-20凝胶柱色谱等分离手段进行分离纯化;结合NMR、MS、IR、UV等波谱学技术来鉴定化合物的结构;通过DPPH法、ABTS法以及羟基自由基清除方法测定化合物的抗氧化活性。结果 从蒺藜果实75%甲醇提取物中分离鉴定了10个化合物,分别为(E)-4-hydroxy-N-(3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)acryloyl)benzamide(1)、蒺藜酰胺（2）、海柯皂苷元（3）、25R-螺甾-4-烯-3,12-二酮（4）、槲皮素（5）、3,4’-二羟基-3’-甲氧基苯丙酮（6）、对羟基苯甲酸（7）、(9Z,11E)-13-hydroxy-9,11-octadecadienoic acid(8)、(8E,12Z)-10-hydroxy-8,12-octadecadienoic acid(9)、肉豆蔻酸（10）,其中化合物1～6对DPPH、ABTS自由基以及羟基自由基均有较显著的活性,并且化合物5清除ABTS自由基和羟基自由基半数抑制浓度（...     

Amine Prodrugs Which Utilize Hydroxy Amide Lactonization. I. A Potential Redox-Sensitive Amide Prodrug

Several amides of 3-(3,6-dioxo-2,4-dimethylcyclohexa-l,4-diene)-3,3-diniethylpropionic acid (2) have been synthesized and tested as model redox-sensitive pro-prodrugs of amines. The reduction of these model pro-prodrugs generated hydroxy amide intermediates 4a-4h, the lactonization of which resulted in amine release. The rates of lactonization of 4a-4h were investigated at pH 7.4 and 37°C. The half-lives for appearance of the product lactone la from these intermediates were found to range from 1.4 to 3.4 min. With such rapid lactonization rates, it is believed that reduction will be the rate-limiting step in the two-step conversion of the pro-prodrug to the amine.     

Similarities and differences between d-ALA2 MET5 enkephalin amide and morphine in the induction of tolerance to their effects on catalepsy and on dopamine metabolism in the rat brain

Summary Rats were made tolerant to morphine or to DALA, a synthetic analogue of met-enkephalin, by prolonged exposure to these compounds. Tolerance was assessed by evaluating the resistance of the treated rats to present catalepsy after an acute dose of the opiates. Both morphine and DALA induced tolerance and cross-tolerance to the cataleptic effect. Acute administration of morphine and DALA increased the concentration of DOPAC in striatum, limbic area and s.nigra of control rats. This increase was not present when morphine was given acutely to chronically morphine-treated rats, indicating that these animals were tolerant to this effect. Chronically morphine-treated rats given DALA presented partial tolerance to the biochemical effect of the peptide in limbic area and in s.nigra but not in striatum, indicating that only in certain areas was crosstolerance produced by chronic morphine. When DALA was administered at different doses to chronically DALA treated rats, the peptide induced rise in DA catabolite was similar to that produced in control animals, so clearly there was no tolerance to this biochemical effect. In these animals cross tolerance to morphine's effect on DA metabolism was present in s.nigra but not in the other two areas, indicating that s.nigra is particularly sensitive to opiate-induced tolerance on DA metabolism.Supported by CNR-ROME Grant no. CT81.00258.04     

3,4-二甲氧基苄胺的合成

[目的] 探讨3，4-二甲氧基苄胺的合成方法。[方法] 设计两条合成路线：路线Ⅰ，以香兰素为原料，经甲基化、肟化及铝镍合金还原得目标物；路线Ⅱ，以3，4-二甲氧基苯甲酸为原料，经氯化、氨解及还原得目标物。[结果]两种方法所合成的目标物结构经FSI( )MS、1HNMR得以确证；路线I总收率为81．7％，路线I总收率为55．6％。     

北京地区居民丙烯酰胺膳食摄入量的研究

目的应用24小时回顾询问法,估计北京地区居民丙烯酰胺摄入量。方法采用GC-MS方法检测北京市场上购买的24类食物,并应用检测结果计算2460份食谱(820人×3天)的丙烯酰胺含量。结果北京地区居民的丙烯酰胺的平均摄入量为(μg/d):男性18·6,女性16·6;97·5分位数为(μg/d):男性59·0,女性50·4。应用每kg体重计算均值[μg/(kgbw·d)]:男性0·282,女性0·284;97·5百分位数[μg/(kgbw·d)]:男性0·898,女性1·007。各餐丙烯酰胺摄入比例为:早餐20·48%,午餐38·99%,晚餐39·42%,零食1·17%。结论午餐和晚餐食品是北京地区居民丙烯酰胺的主要来源,改变北京地区居民的正餐的烹调方式和控制北京传统早餐食品中的丙烯酰胺含量是减低北京地区居民丙烯酰胺暴露量的主要措施。     

Accuracy in the quantification of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) and relayed nuclear Overhauser enhancement (rNOE) saturation transfer effects

Accurate quantification of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) effects, including dipole–dipole mediated relayed nuclear Overhauser enhancement (rNOE) saturation transfer, is important for applications and studies of molecular concentration and transfer rate (and thereby pH or temperature). Although several quantification methods, such as Lorentzian difference (LD) analysis, multiple‐pool Lorentzian fits, and the three‐point method, have been extensively used in several preclinical and clinical applications, the accuracy of these methods has not been evaluated. Here we simulated multiple‐pool Z spectra containing the pools that contribute to the main CEST and rNOE saturation transfer signals in the brain, numerically fit them using the different methods, and then compared their derived CEST metrics with the known solute concentrations and exchange rates. Our results show that the LD analysis overestimates contributions from amide proton transfer (APT) and intermediate exchanging amine protons; the three‐point method significantly underestimates both APT and rNOE saturation transfer at ?3.5 ppm (NOE(?3.5)). The multiple‐pool Lorentzian fit is more accurate than the other two methods, but only at lower irradiation powers (≤1 μT at 9.4 T) within the range of our simulations. At higher irradiation powers, this method is also inaccurate because of the presence of a fast exchanging CEST signal that has a non‐Lorentzian lineshape. Quantitative parameters derived from in vivo images of rodent brain tumor obtained using an irradiation power of 1 μT were also compared. Our results demonstrate that all three quantification methods show similar contrasts between tumor and contralateral normal tissue for both APT and the NOE(?3.5). However, the quantified values of the three methods are significantly different. Our work provides insight into the fitting accuracy obtainable in a complex tissue model and provides guidelines for evaluating other newly developed quantification methods.