Mycobacterium sp．高效转化植物甾醇为雄甾-1，4-二烯-3，17-二酮的诱变选育

采用紫外线、亚硝基胍复合诱变雄甾-4-烯-3,17-二酮（AD）和雄甾-1,4-二烯-3,17-二酮（ADD）的转化产生菌Mycobacterium sp．,结合平板筛选,获得一株遗传性状稳定单产ADD的突变菌株Mycobacterium sp．-11,其ADD质量浓度达到1246ms／L,比原始菌株（484mg／L）提高了150％,经初步优化后发酵液中ADD最高达到1430mg／L,发酵液中ADD质量占ADD、AD两产物质量总和的比例由70％提高到99．1％。     

Aromatase inactivation by 2-substituted derivatives of the suicide substrate androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione

To gain the structure–activity relationship of Δ¹-androstenediones (Δ¹-ADs) as mechanism-based inactivator of aromatase, series of 2-alkyl- and 2-alkoxy-substitiuted Δ¹-ADs (6 and 9) as well as 2-bromo-Δ¹-AD (14) were synthesized and tested. All of the inhibitors examined blocked aromatase in human placental microsomes in a competitive manner. In a series of 2-alkyl-Δ¹-ADs (6), n-hexyl compound 6f was the most powerful inhibitor with an apparent K_i value of 31 nM. The inhibitory activities of 2-alkoxy steroids 9 decreased in relation to length of the alkyl chain up to n-hexyloxy group (K_i: 95 nM for methoxy 9a). All of the alkyl steroids 6 along with the alkoxy steroid 9, except for the ethyl and n-propyl compounds 6b and 6c, caused a time-dependent inactivation of aromatase. The inactivation rates (k_inact: 0.020–0.084 min⁻¹) were comparable to that of the parent compound Δ¹-AD. The inactivation was prevented by the substrate AD, and no significant effect of l-cysteine on the inactivation was observed in each case. The results indicate that the 2-hexyl compound 6f act as the most powerful mechanism-based inactivator of aromatase among Δ¹-AD analogs and may be submitted to the preclinical study in estrogen-dependent breast cancer.     

Studies directed towards a mechanistic evaluation of inactivation of aromatase by the suicide substrates androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-diones and its 6-ene derivatives aromatase inactivation by the 19-substituted derivatives and their enzymic aromatization

To gain insight into the mechanistic features for aromatase inactivation by the typical suicide substrates, androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione (ADD, 1) and its 6-ene derivative 2, we synthesized 19-substituted (methyl and halogeno) ADD and 1,4,6-triene derivatives 8 and 10 along with 4,6-diene derivatives 9 and tested for their ability to inhibit aromatase in human placental microsomes as well as their ability to serve as a substrate for the enzyme. 19-Methyl-substituted steroids were the most powerful competitive inhibitors of aromatase (K_i: 8.2–40 nM) in each series. Among the 19-substituted inhibitors examined, 19-chloro-ADD and its 6-ene derivatives (7b and 9b) inactivated aromatase in a time-dependent manner in the presence of NADPH in air while the other ones did not. The time-dependent inactivation was blocked by the substrate AD and required NADPH. Only the time-dependent inactivators 7b and 9b in series of 1,4-diene and 1,4,6-triene steroids as well as all of 4,6-diene steroids 9, except for the methyl compound 9a, served as a substrate for aromatase to yield estradiol and/or its 6-ene estradiol with lower conversion rates compared to the corresponding parent steroids 1,4-diene, 1,4,6-triene and 4,6-diene derivatives. The present findings strongly suggest that the aromatase reaction, 19-oxygenation, at least in part, would be involved in the time-dependent inactivation of aromatase by the suicide substrates 1 and 2, where the 19-substitutent would play a critical role in the aromatase reaction probably though steric and electronic reasons.     

Studies on the microbial transformation of androst-1,4-dien-3,17-dione with Acremonium strictum

The strain of Acremonium strictum PTCC 5282 was applied to investigate the biotransformation of androst-1,4-dien-3,17-dione (I; ADD). Microbial products obtained were purified by preparative TLC and the pure metabolites were characterized on the basis of their spectroscopic features (¹³C NMR, ¹H NMR, FTIR, MS) and physical constants (melting points and optical rotations). The 15α-Hydroxyandrost-1,4-dien-3,17-dione (II), 17β-hydroxyandrost-1,4-dien-3-one (III), androst-4-en-3,17-dione (IV; AD), 15α-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3,17-dione (V), 15α,17β-dihydroxyandrost-1,4-dien-3-one (VI) and testosterone (VII) were produced during this fermentation. Formation of the 15α,17β-dihydroxy derivative of ADD is reported for the first time during steroid biotransformation. The bioconversion reactions observed were 1,2-hydrogenation, 15α-hydroxylation and 17-ketone reduction. From the time course profile of this biotransformation, ketone reduction and 1,2-hydrogenation were observed from the first day of fermentation while 15α-hydroxylation occurred from the third day. Optimum concentration of the substrate, which gave the maximum bioconversion efficiency, was 0.5 mg ml⁻¹ in one batch. The highest yield of the microbial products recorded in this work was achieved within the pH range 6.5–7.3 and at the temperature of 27 °C.     

Comparative in vitro metabolism of the ‘designer’ steroid estra-4,9-diene-3,17-dione between the equine, canine and human: Identification of target metabolites for use in sports doping control

Effective detection of the abuse of androgenic-anabolic steroids in human and animal sports often requires knowledge of the drug's metabolism in order to target appropriate urinary metabolites. ‘Designer’ steroids are problematic since it is difficult to obtain ethical approval for in vivo metabolism studies due to a lack of a toxicological profile.In this study, the in vitro metabolism of estra-4,9-diene-3,17-dione is reported for the first time. This is also the first study comparing the metabolism of a designer steroid in the three major species subject to sport's doping control; namely the equine, canine and human. In order to allow the retrospective analysis of sample testing data, the use of a high-resolution (HR) accurate-mass Thermo LTQ-Orbitrap LC-MS instrument was employed for metabolite identification of underivatised sample extracts. The full scan HR-LC-MS Orbitrap data was complimented by several further experiments targeted at elucidating more detailed structural information for the most abundant metabolites. These included; HR-LC-MS/MS of the underivatised metabolites, functional group selective chemical derivatisation followed by full scan HR-LC-MS, enzyme inhibition experiments and full scan electron ionization GC-MS analysis of methoxyamine-trimethylsilyl derivatives.The major metabolite detected in all species, and therefore the most suitable candidate for screening of estra-4,9-diene-3,17-dione abuse, was proposed to be an isomer of 17-hydroxy-estra-4,9-dien-3-one. Less significant metabolic pathways in all species included hydroxylation and reduction followed by hydroxylation. Reductive metabolism in the canine was less significant than in the other two species, while the equine was unique in producing a di-reduced metabolite (proposed to be an isomer of estra-4,9-diene-3,17-diol) and also relatively large quantities of d-ring hydroxy and hydroxy-reduced metabolites.     

Synthesis and chemiluminescence of copolymers of 5-amino-8-vinyl-phthalazine-1, 4(2H,3H)-dione with methyl methacrylate or styrene,and of α, ω-bis[5-amino-phthalazine-1,4 (2H,3H)-dion-]8-yl alkanes [=α, ω-bis(6-luminyl) alkanes]: Investigations on an intramolecular ‘distance effect’

Oligomers of 5-amino-8-vinyl-phthalazine-1,4(2H,3H)-dione exhibit about 0.05% of the chemiluminescence quantum yield of the corresponding ‘monomer unit’, i.e. 5-amino-8-ethyl-phthalazine-1,4(2H,3H)-dione which has a similar quantum yield to luminol. The quantum yields of copolymers of 5-amino-8-vinyl-phthalazine-1,4(2H,3H)-dione (1a) with methyl methacrylate or with styrene increase up to 1000-fold, relative to the quantum yield of oligomers of (1a). Thus the monomer units of methyl methacrylate or styrene appear to act as ‘spacers’ between the lumigenic groups. α,ω-Bis[(5-amino-phthalazine-1,4(2H,3H)-dion-)8-yl] alkanes show an analogue ‘distance’ effect: the chemiluminescence quantum yield increases with increasing alkane chain length. As the fluorescence of the corresponding amino phthalates (which are intermediates in the synthesis of the phthalazine diones) is only slightly influenced by the distance between the lumigenic groups it is suggested that a mainly chemical ‘distance effect’ is working here: the smaller the intramolecular distance between the hydrazide groups the more inhibition exists in respect of the oxidative reaction producing the luminol-type chemiluminescence.