<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vivo</Emphasis> Conversion of Phenmetrazine into its N-Nitroso Derivative

THE possibility that nitrosamines, many of which are powerful carcinogens, can be formed in the stomach of mammals from ingested amines and nitrites¹ has led to speculation on the sources of relevant amines for man². One such source is the large number of drugs that are secondary or tertiary amines, many being taken by an individual for a long time.     

Formation of a Piperidinium Derivative from N-(5′-Chloropentyl)-N-methylaminoaceto-2,6-xylidide in relation to the Sustained Local Anaesthetic Action on the Sciatic Nerve of the Guinea-pig <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vivo</Emphasis>

THE possibility of using the intramolecular alkylation reaction of tertiary ω-haloalkylamines (Fig. 1) to overcome the cell membrane barrier to cyclic quaternary ammonium compounds seems to have been almost entirely overlooked. Some pharmacological applications of this principle have already been studied^1–3 and we feel that the possibility of obtaining local anaesthetic agents⁴ may be of therapeutic interest. The nerve sheaths and membranes hinder the penetration of quaternary ammonium compounds⁵, but tertiary amines in their base form are able to pass⁶. Thus, a tertiary haloalkylamine (I in Fig. 1) should be able to cross the barriers, and, because of its capacity to cyclize, the corresponding cyclic quaternary ammonium derivative (II) would be expected to be formed at least to some extent at the sites for blockade of nerve excitation. The barriers to outward diffusion of the quaternary compound formed are probably the same as for the inward movement, so that very slow disappearance can be expected. Accordingly, if the quaternary derivative has a local anaesthetic action, this would probably be of long duration. Our observation that tertiary haloalkylamine derivatives closely related to lidocaine have a long term anaesthetic effect⁴ supports this hypothesis. It would be valuable, however, to try to relate the local Q XCH3 JH3 -NHCOCH2N(CH2)5CI VCH3 I 'CH3 jJrX . -NHC0CH2N 4-Ct CH3 *? II anaesthetic effect in vivo with the amount of (I) and of the piperidinium derivative (II) formed in the nerves. One compound, N-(5 '-chloropentyl)-N-methylaminoaceto-2,6-xyli-dide (I in Fig. 1), tritium-labelled in the 1'-position (specific activity 10 mCi/mmol), was therefore selected for the following experiments.     

On the specificity of the folin and lowry reagents for amine derivatives.

Reactivities of several amine derivatives with the Folin and Lowry reagents were examined. Tertiary amines reacted with the Folin reagent to produce a blue color, and secondary amines having a 2-hydroxyethyl group reacted with the Folin reagent only in the presence of Cu²⁺, i.e., with the Lowry reagent. On the other hand, primary and quarternary amines and amine N-oxides produced no color with either reagent. Reactivities of tertiary amines were greatly influenced by the nature of the N-substituted groups, and the color yield of those forming stable chelate complexes with metals was strongly inhibited by the presence of Cu²⁺, indicating that the formation of a stable complex with Cu²⁺ reduces the reactivity of tertiary amino nitrogen. The requirement of Cu²⁺ for the color development with secondary amines having a 2-hydroxyethyl group may be due to the formation of weak chelate complex with Cu²⁺.     

Inhibitory effect of amines on polar filament extrusion byPlistophora anguillarum spores

In in vitro tests, amines were screened for the inhibition of polar filament extrusion by spores ofPlistophora anguillarum, a microsporidian parasite of the eel. Primary amines having C₈ ⁻ C₁₈ alkyl chains were effective, irrespective of the anions bound. Secondary amines having a branched C₈ chain and tertiary amines having C₁₄−C₁₈ chains were also effective. Asymmetry in side chains seemed to be required for inhibitory action. Quaternary ammonium salts having C₁₂−C₁₆ alkyl chains and some germicides or disinfectants such as cetyl pyridinium chloride and benzethonium chloride were also effective. Diamines and amides were ineffective regardless of the length of their alkyl chins. In in vivo tests, eel larvae-fed for 4 days with a commercial feed supplemented with 5×10⁸ cells of spores and 4g of laurylamine aspartate/100 g feed, and thereafter with the usual commercial feed for 26 days—were not infected.     

The relation between the chloride status of the photosynthetic water splitting complex and the inhibitory effectiveness of amines

The protective role of chloride ions (Cl^–) against inhibition of the photosynthetic water splitting complex by amines was investigated with purified photosystem II membrane particles from tobacco chloroplasts. Seemingly competitive interactions occurred between Cl^– (except at low concentrations) and Tris, but not between Cl^– and NH₃. The rate of Cl^– release was not increased by the amines but, instead, may have been limited by a labilization under the experimental conditions of the extrinsic 23 kDa polypeptide. An additional detachment of the 18 kDa polypeptide was seen when SO₄ ^2– ions were present. Tris induced changes of the thermoluminescence patterns of flash illuminated photosystem II particles were found to be different from those caused by either Cl^– deficiency or high pH. It is concluded that the protective functions of Cl^– are brough about not because it is bound to the target site of the inhibitory actions of Lewis bases like amines and hydroxyl ions. Instead, this effect of Cl^– may be due to its influence on the tertiary and quaternary structures of the water oxidizing protein complex.     

Photosynthetic control, “energy-dependent” quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence and photophosphorylation under influence of tertiary amines

The effects of the tertiary amines tetracaine, brucine and dibucaine on photophosphorylation and control of photosynthetic electron transport in isolated chloroplasts of Spinacia oleracea were investigated. Tertiary amines inhibited photophosphorylation while the related electron transport decreased to the rates, observed under non-phosphorylating conditions. Light induced quenching of 9-aminoacridine fluorescence and uptake of ¹⁴C-labelled methylamine in the thylakoid lumen declined in parallel with photophosphorylation, indicating a decline of the transthylakoid proton gradient. In the presence of ionophoric uncouplers such as nigericin, no effect of tertiary amines on electron transport was seen in a range of concentration where photophosphorylation was inhibited. Under the influence of the tertiary amines tested, pH-dependent feed-back control of photosystem II, as indicated by energy-dependent quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence, was unaffected or even increased in a range of concentration where 9-aminoacridine fluorescence quenching and photophosphorylation were inhibited. The data are discussed with respect to a possible involvement of localized proton flow pathways in energy coupling and feed-back control of electron transport.Abbreviations 9-AA 9-aminoacridine - J _e flux of photosynthetic electron transport - PC photosynthetic control - pH₁ H⁺ concentration in the thylakoid lumen - pmf proton motive force - _P potential quantum yield of photochemistry of photosystem II (with open reaction centers) - Q _A primary quinone-type electron acceptor of photosystem II - q _Q photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence - q _E energy-dependent quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence - q _AA light-induced quenching of 9-amino-acridine fluorescence     

Effet d'anesthesiques locaux sur le transfert de mannose dans les membranes microsomiques d'Aspergillus niger van Tieghem

The influence of various local anaesthetics has been studied on the mannose transfer enzymic system which is localized in Aspergillus niger van Tieghem microsomal membranes. The n-alcanes and tertiary amines do not seem to react on the first step of the reaction: i.e. the polyprenylphosphate-mannose biosynthesis. However two amines, the dibucaine and to a lesser extent the tetracaine, inhibit the mannose transfer from the polyprenylphosphate-mannose to the endogenous proteins.     

Polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides of various α-amino acids using secondary amines as initiator

In the polymerizations of alanine, γ-ethyl glutamate, and leucine N-carboxyanhydrides (NCA's) initiated by tertiary amines and some secondary amines such as N-methyl-L -alanine dialkylamide, a stereoselectivity was observed: the polymerization rates of L - and D -NCA's were identical to each other and larger than that of DL -NCA. However, this selectivity was not observed in the polymerizations of valine and isoleucine NCA's initiated by N-methyl-L -alanine dialkylamide. The stereoselective polymerizations of valine and isoleucine NCA's were induced only with tetriary amines such as tri-n-butylamine. N-Methyl-L -alanine di-alkylamide has been shown to initiate the polymerization of usual α-amino acid NCA according to the activated-NCA mechanism, but it initiated the polymerizations of valine and isoleucine NCA's according to the primary amine-type mechanism. This is because in the latter NCA's the N–H group is masked by the adjacent C^β-branched alkyl substituent against the approach of the secondary amine. Poly(DL -alanine)s produced in the stereoselective polymerization had higher viscosities and were more stereoblock-like than those produced without the stereoselectivity. These experimental results indicate that the stereoselective polymerization is possible only when the polymerization proceeds through the activated-NCA mechanism.     

Equilibrium studies on reactive extraction of succinic acid from aqueous solutions with tertiary amines

Reactive extraction of succinic acid from aqueous solutions with various tertiary amines dissolved in 1-octanol and n-heptane has been studied as a function of the acid concentration and the chain length of tertiary amine. When 1-octanol was used as diluent, the extractability of the tertiary amine was proportional to the chain length of tertiary amine at the same concentration of amines. The loading values were also proportional to the chain length of tertiary amine. However, when n-heptane was used as diluent, the extractability and loading values of the tertiary amine were inversely proportional to the chain length of amines. It was due to the aggregate formation of the acid-amine complex.     

Theoretical investigation of reactivities of amines in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-nitrosation reactions by N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>

N-nitrosamine is a class of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic compounds, which can be produced from N-nitrosation of amine by nitrosating agents. N-nitrosation of 19 amines (eight acyclic amines, five heterocyclic amines, and six amines with unsaturated groups) by N₂O₃ was investigated at the CBS-QB3 level of theory. The results indicate that generally the heterocyclic amines have the highest reactivities among the three kinds of amines, whereas the reactivities of the amines with unsaturated and electron-withdrawing groups are relatively low. Frontier molecular orbital analysis indicates that the energy gap between the HOMO of an amine and the LUMO of N₂O₃ has a close connection with the reactivity of an amine. A structure-reactivity relationship of amines in the N-nitrosation reactions by N₂O₃ was established using the stepwise multivariate linear regression. The results indicate that the reactivity of an amine has a definite relationship (R_adj² = 0.947) with the heterolytic bond dissociation energy of R₁R₂N-H bond, energy of HOMO, NBO occupancy of the natural lone pair orbital of N atom, the NBO charge of the N atom, and the pyramidalization angle of an amine. This work will be helpful to gain more insight into the N-nitrosation reactions.     

Synthesis of novel polyethyleneimine derivatives by stepwise, reversible blocking of primary and secondary amines

In the design of polyethyleneimine derivatives for use as catalysts and binding media, the placement of reactive and hydrophobic groups previously has been limited by the specificity of the addition reaction. In this paper is described a protocol to limit the sites of addition of nucleophiles and long-chain alkanes to tertiary amines and the less reactive of the secondary amines. Three blocking groups for the primary and secondary amines were tested, but only trifluoroacteylating reagents left the polymer reactive to substitution on the tertiary amines with halogenated alkanes. The secondary amines that resisted trifluoroacetylation were blocked with either tert-butyloxy carbonate or trimethylsilyl carbonate. The tertiary amines were quaternized with iodododecane or dodecyl benzyl chloride. After removal of the trifluoroacetyl groups, the polymer amines were inactivated by methylation, which proceeded to 93% completion. The 7% of the amines that were not quaternized were largely tertiary, since propylene sulfide, which reacts only with secondary and primary amines, was substituted onto the polymer only to the extent of 0.2% total amine, as quantified by the indirect method of P. H. Butterworth, F. Baum, and J. W. Porter (1967, Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 118, 716–723). The sulfhydryl group did not oxidize over at least 14 days. This is the first stable sulfhydryl-containing synthetic polymer that has been reported.     

Interactions between anaesthetics and lipid mixtures amines

The efefct of a number of amine anaesthetics related to procaine on the temperature of lipid phase transitions has been studied using chlorophyll α as a fluorescence probe. The amines cause a reduction in the temperature of the phase transition of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanol-amine and of mixtures of these lipids. The binding of charged amines causes a build up of positive charge on the membranes, limiting the binding. Incorporation of negative charge into the lipid bilayers causes a considerable increase in the binding of the charged amines, and the effect is reversed by addition of Ca²⁺. Anaesthesia is suggested to arise from an increase in the proportion of lipid in the liquid crystalline phase, resulting in a conformational change in the sodium channel. Effects of the tertiary amines on nerve conduction can be understood if the negatively charged lipid in the membrane is concentrated around the sodium channel: positively charged anaesthetics will have a greater effect when applied to the inside of a nerve because of the low Ca²⁺ concentration inside the nerve.     

Modification,Biological Evaluation and SAR Studies of Novel 1H‐Pyrazol Derivatives Containing N,N′‐Disubstituted Urea Moiety as Potential Anti‐melanoma Agents

Malignant melanomas are amongst the most aggressive cancers. BRAF Inhibitors have exhibited therapeutic effects against BRAF‐mutant melanoma. In continuation of our earlier studies on anti‐melanoma agents based on 1H‐pyrazole skeleton, two sets of novel compounds that include 1H‐pyrazole‐4‐amines FA 1 – FA13 and corresponding urea derivatives FN 1 – FN13 have been synthesized and evaluated for their BRAF^V600E inhibitory and antiproliferation activities. Compound FN 10 displayed the most potent biological activity against BRAF^V600E (IC₅₀ = 0.066 μm ) and the A375 human melanoma cell line (GI₅₀ = 0.81 μm ), which was comparable to the positive control vemurafenib, and more potent than our previously reported 1H‐pyrazole‐3‐amines and their urea derivatives. The results of SAR studies and molecular docking can guide further optimization and may help to improve potency of these pyrazole‐based anti‐melanoma agents.     

PRODUCTS OF BIOGENIC AMINE METABOLISM IN THE LOBSTER: SULFATE CONJUGATES

Octopamine, dopamine and serotonin, the three biogenic amines found in the lobster nervous system, are each converted by lobster tissues into two principal classes of products, A and B metabolites. In this paper, evidence is presented that the B metabolites are sulfate conjugates of the amines and their A metabolites. Two double-labelled conjugates were formed from each of the three amines during incubations of lobster nerves with tritiated amine and ³⁵SO₄. When the two octopamine conjugates were hydrolyzed by mild acid, one of the conjugates was converted to a mixture of ³⁵SO₄ and [³H]-octopamine, and the other to a mixture of ³⁵SO₄, [³H]octopamine, and [³H]metabolite A. [³H]Metabolite A was also converted to octopamine by acid hydrolysis. The results indicated that one of the double-labelled conjugates was octopamine-sulfate, and the other metabolite-A-sulfate. An enzyme fraction prepared from nerve homogenates catalyzed the synthesis of double-labelled sulfate conjugates from the tritiated amines and [³⁵S]3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phospho-sulfate. Double-labelled conjugates formed in this way contained 1 mol of sulfate per mol of amine. Indirect evidence suggested that the sulfate was in ester linkage with the ring hydroxyls of the amines. Neither monoamine oxidase, nor catechol-O-methyl transferase is found in lobster tissues; therefore, in these animals, sulfation may be a major means of inactivation of the biogenic amines following their release from nerve endings.     

Ternary complex between elongation factor Tu•GTP and Phe-tRNA

The effect of aminoacylation and ternary complex formation with elongation factor Tu•GTP on the tertiary structure of yeast tRNA^Phe was examined by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. Esterification of phenylalanine to tRNA^Phe does not lead to changes with respect to the secondary and tertiary base pair interactions of tRNA. Complex formation of Phe-tRNA^Phe with elongation factor Tu•GTP results in a broadening of all imino proton resonances of the tRNA. The chemical shifts of several NH proton resonances are slightly changed as compared to free tRNA, indicating a minor conformational rearrangement of Phe-tRNA^Phe upon binding to elongation factor Tu•GTP. All NH proton resonances corresponding to the secondary and tertiary base pairs of tRNA, except those arising from the first three base pairs in the aminoacyl stem, are detectable in the Phe-tRNA^Phe•elongation factor Tu•GTP ternary complex. Thus, although the interactions between elongation factor Tu and tRNA accelerate the rate of NH proton exchange in the aminoacyl stem-region, the Phe-tRNA^Phe preserves its typical L-shaped tertiary structure in the complex. At high (> 10⁻⁴ M) ligand concentrations a complex between tRNA^Phe and elongation factor Tu•GDP can be detected on the NMR time-scale. Formation of this complex is inhibited by the presence of any RNA not related to the tRNA structure. Using the known tertiary structures of yeast tRNA^Phe and Thermus thermophilus elongation factor Tu in its active, GTP form, a model of the ternary complex was constructed.     

Structural and biochemical characterization of iminodiacetate oxidase from Chelativorans sp. BNC1

Ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) is the most abundant organic pollutant in surface water because of its extensive usage and the recalcitrance of stable metal‐EDTA complexes. A few bacteria including Chelativorans sp. BNC1 can degrade EDTA with a monooxygenase to ethylenediaminediacetate (EDDA) and then use iminodiacetate oxidase (IdaA) to further degrade EDDA into ethylenediamine in a two‐step oxidation. To alleviate EDTA pollution into the environment, deciphering the mechanisms of the metabolizing enzymes is an imperative prerequisite for informed EDTA bioremediation. Although IdaA cannot oxidize glycine, the crystal structure of IdaA shows its tertiary and quaternary structures similar to those of glycine oxidases. All confirmed substrates, EDDA, ethylenediaminemonoacetate, iminodiacetate and sarcosine are secondary amines with at least one N‐acetyl group. Each substrate was bound at the re‐side face of the isoalloxazine ring in a solvent‐connected cavity. The carboxyl group of the substrate was bound by Arg²⁶⁵ and Arg³⁰⁷. The catalytic residue, Tyr²⁵⁰, is under the hydrogen bond network to facilitate its deprotonation acting as a general base, removing an acetate group of secondary amines as glyoxylate. Thus, IdaA is a secondary amine oxidase, and our findings improve understanding of molecular mechanism involved in the bioremediation of EDTA and the metabolism of secondary amines.     

Regulatory calcium effect on adenylyl cyclase functional activity in the infusorian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dileptis anser</Emphasis>

Earlier we have shown that some non-hormonal activators of adenylyl cyclase (AC) and hormones of higher vertebrate animals are able to affect functional activity of the AC system in the infusorian Dileptus anser. In the present work, sensitivity of this infusorian AC to Ca²⁺ was studied and it was found that calcium cations at concentrations of 0.5–10 μM stimulated significantly the enzyme activity in D. anser partially purified membranes. An increase of Ca²⁺ concentrations to 100 μM and higher led to the complete block of their stimulatory effect. In the EDTA-treated membranes the enzyme activity was reduced markedly, but it was restored significantly by addition of Ca²⁺. Calmodulin antagonists—chlorpromazine, W-7, and W-5—caused a dose-dependent decrease of the enzyme activity stimulated by 5 μM Ca²⁺ with IC₅₀ values of 35, 137, and 174 M, respectively. The AC-stimulating effects of biogenic amines (serotonin and octopamine) were completely retained in the presence of 2.5 and 100 μM Ca²⁺, whereas effects of peptide hormones (relaxine and EGF) were hardly changed in the presence of 2.5 μM calcium ions, but were markedly inhibited by 100 μM Ca²⁺. In the EDTA-treated membranes, the AC effects of biogenic amines were reduced, while the effects of peptide hormones were not revealed. On addition of Ca²⁺, the AC effects of biogenic amines were completely restored, whereas the effects of peptide hormones were not detected or restored to a non-significant degree. Calmodulin antagonists slightly affected the AC effects of peptide hormones at concentrations efficient in the case of vertebrate AC, but decreased them markedly at higher concentrations. The AC effects of biogenic amines were little sensitive even to high antagonist concentrations. The obtained data show that targets of action of peptide hormones in the infusorian D. anser cell culture are the AC forms whose activity depends on calcium cations and possibly is regulated by Ca²⁺/calmodulin, whereas targets of action of biogenic amines are calcium-independent enzyme forms.     

Gas phase acidities of N-substituted amine-boranes

Complexation energies and acidities of 19 primary, secondary and tertiary amine-boranes were investigated using MP2/6-311+G(d,p) and B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) methods. Gas phase acidities for free amines were also calculated. Acidity values for studied complexes range from 327.3 to 349.1 kcal mol^?1 and the most acidic are the ones with direct connection between deprotonation center and a π-system. Results obtained by both computational methods are in good agreement with each other and with known experimental data. Addition of BH₃ increases the acidity of amines by 30 to 50 kcal mol^?1. This enhancement effect was compared to the respective effect witnessed in phosphine-boranes and traced back to changes of charge delocalization on nitrogen. A question about the structural stability of several deprotonated amine-borane anions in the gas phase was also raised.     

The Interaction of Trihalogenoacetic Anhydrides and Trihalogenoacetyl Chlorides with Thymidine 5"-Phosphate as an Approach to New Activating Agents in the Phosphorylation Reactions for Nucleotides

The interaction of thymidine 5"-phosphate with trichloroacetic anhydride, trichloroacetyl chloride, and tribromoacetyl bromide was studied in dimethylformamide and acetonitrile in the presence of tertiary amines. The first two reactions gave the mixed anhydride of trichloroacetic and thymidylic acids (acyl phosphate) as the major product and P ¹,P ²-dithymidine 5"-pyrophosphate as the byproduct. The third reaction proceeded by a more complicated mechanism and mainly led to substituted polyphosphates. The subsequent treatment of the reaction mixtures with morpholine resulted in thymidine 5"-phosphoromorpholidate in a high yield. The phosphorylating activities of the trichloroacetyl and tribromoacetyl phosphates were 77 and 89%, respectively.