Borate esters of the methyl D-glucopyranosides

Methyl alpha- and beta-D-glucopyranoside act as moderate chelators of a boron centre through their O-4/6 binding site whereas the trans/trans arrangement of the O-2/3/4 hydroxy functions is not suited to form a chelate with the small boron central atom. In this work we report the crystal structure of the bisdiolatoborate Na2[B(Me alpha-D-Glcp4,6H(-2))(Me alpha-D-Glcp3,4,6H(-3))].NaOH.8H2O (1) along with a combined 11B and 13C NMR spectroscopic studies of borate-pyranoside solutions at different concentrations and pH. It is shown that crystallisation of a bisdiolatoborate needs both a high pH and a high total concentration.     

Taenia crassiceps: absorption of hexoses and partial characterization of Na + -dependent glucose absorption by larvae

The uptake of ¹⁴C-fructose by T. crassiceps larvae was linear with respect to concentration. Uptake of 0.05 mM¹⁴C-fructose was not inhibited by 5.0 mM unlabeled fructose, tagatose, or sorbose. Fructose appears to enter larvae by diffusion only. The uptake of radioglucose and radiogalactose was not linear with respect to concentration at low substrate concentrations; at high substrate concentrations, the uptake of both hexoses was linear with respect to concentration. Inhibitor studies indicated that both glucose and galactose enter larvae by a combination of diffusion and a mediated process, and that these hexoses are mutually competitive inhibitors of one another. The uptake of glucose and galactose was also inhibited by α-and β-methyl glucoside, fucose, and phlorizin, but not by several amino acids, certain sugar analogs, nor ouabain. Glucose transport is Na⁺ sensitive; K⁺ was demonstrated to be a competitive inhibitor of Na⁺ activation of glucose uptake. After a 90-min incubation in 5 mM unlabeled glucose, larvae accumulated glucose against an apparent concentration difference. Although larvae appear freely permeable to ouabain, this compound had no apparent effect on glucose accumulation. The results of this study are compared with previous studies on Hymenolepis diminuta, Calliobothrium verticillatum, Hydatigera (Taenia) taeniaeformis, and mammalian systems.     

Synthesis of Some New 1,3/ or 1,4-Bis(Glucopyranosyl-1,2,4-Triazol-5-Ylthio)Propanes/ or Butanes as Potential Antimicrobial Agents

Glucosidation of the appropriate 1,3 or 1,4-bis(4-amino or arylideneamino-2,4-dihydro-3-thioxo-3H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylthio)propanes or butanes with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α-d-glucopyranosyl bromide followed by chromatographic separation gave the corresponding N-, S-, and N,S-bis(glucosides). Chemical transformation leading to new functionalities has been achieved. Antimicrobial screening of 10 selected compounds resulted in their activity against Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium italicum, Syncephalastrum racemosum, Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Escherichia coli.     

The production of podophyllotoxin and its 5-methoxy derivative through bioconversion of cyclodextrin-complexed desoxypodophyllotoxin by plant cell cultures

The bioconversion of the lignan desoxypodophyllotoxin by cell suspensions of Linum flavum and of Podophyllum hexandrum was investigated. The apolar substrate could be easily dissolved in the culture medium at a concentration of 2 mM by complexation with dimethyl--cyclodextrin. Growth parameters of the cell suspensions were not affected by either the addition of cyclodextrin itself, or when cyclodextrin-complexed desoxypodophyllotoxin was present in the medium. The complexed lignan disappeared from the medium within 7 days for both cell cultures. Cellularly only small amounts of desoxypodophyllotoxin were found. After feeding of desoxypodophyllotoxin, the cell culture of L. flavum accumulated 5-methoxypodophyllotoxin and 5-methoxypodophyllotoxin--D-glucoside. After 7 days a total maximal content of 2.38% on a dry weight basis of 5-methoxypodophyllotoxin was formed, corresponding with 249 mg l^-1 suspension. The highest bioconversion percentage of 52.3% was found at day 14. The desoxypodophyllotoxin-fed culture of P. hexandrum accumulated podophyllotoxin and its -D-glucoside with a maximal content of 2.87% on a dry weight basis after 9 days, corresponding with 192 mg 1^-1 suspension. The highest bioconversion percentage of 33.2% was also found at day 9.     

A guaianolide alloside and other constituents from Picris kamtschatica

From Picris kamtschatica two new guaianolide glycosides, including a beta-allopyranosyl analogue of ixerin F, were isolated, in addition to ten known sesquiterpene lactones and six phenolic compounds. This is the first time a sesquiterpene lactone alloside has been described from plants. The compounds were characterized based on mass, 1D and 2D NMR spectral data.     

Heat Shock Factor 1 Inducers from the Bark of Eucommia ulmoides as Cytoprotective Agents

The barks of Eucommia ulmoides (Eucommiae Cortex, Eucommiaceae) have been used as a traditional medicine in Korea, Japan, and China to treat hypertension, reinforce the muscles and bones, and recover the damaged liver and kidney functions. Among these traditional uses, to establish the recovery effects on the damaged organs on the basis of phytochemistry, the barks of E. ulmoides have been investigated to afford three known phenolic compounds, coniferaldehyde glucoside ( 1 ), bartsioside ( 2 ), and feretoside ( 3 ), which were found in the family Eucommiaceae for the first time. The compounds 1 – 3 were evaluated for their inducible activities on the heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), and heat shock proteins (HSPs) 27 and 70, along with four compounds, geniposide ( 4 ), geniposidic acid ( 5 ), pinoresinol diglucoside ( 6 ), and liriodendrin ( 7 ), which were previously reported from E. ulmoides. Compounds 1 – 7 increased expression of HSF1 by a factor of 1.214, 1.144, 1.153, 1.114, 1.159, 1.041, and 1.167 at 3 μM , respectively. Coniferaldehyde glucoside ( 1 ) showed the most effective increase of HSF1 and induced successive expressions of HSP27 and HSP70 in a dose‐dependent manner without cellular cytotoxicity, suggesting a possible application as a HSP inducer to act as cytoprotective agent.