Novel nitric oxide-releasing derivatives of triptolide as antitumor and anti-inflammatory agents: Design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and nitric oxide release studies.

A series of novel triptolide/furoxans hybrids were designed and synthesized as analogues of triptolide, which is a naturally derived compound isolated from the thunder god vine (Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F). Some of these synthesized compounds exhibited antiproliferative activities in the nanomolar range. Among them, compound 33 exhibited both good antiproliferative activity and NO-releasing ability and the acute toxicity of compound 33 decreased more than 160 times (LD50 = 160.9 mg/kg) than triptolide. Moreover, compound 33 significantly inhibited the growth of melanoma at a low dose (0.3 mg/kg) and showed strong anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in vivo. These results indicate that compound 33 could be a promising candidate for further study.

Catalysis-Based Total Syntheses of Pateamine A and DMDA-Pat A.

The marine natural product pateamine A (1) and its somewhat simplified designer analogue DMDA-Pat A (2) (DMDA = desmethyl-desamino) are potently cytotoxic compounds; most notably, 2 had previously been found to exhibit a promising differential in vivo activity in xenograft melanoma models, even though the ubiquitous eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A) constitutes its primary biological target. In addition, 1 had also been identified as a possible lead in the quest for medication against cachexia, an often lethal muscle wasting syndrome affecting many immunocompromised or cancer patients. The short supply of these macrodiolides, however, rendered a more detailed biological assessment difficult. Therefore, a new synthetic approach to 1 and 2 has been devised, which centers on an unorthodox strategy for the formation of the highly isomerization-prone but essential Z, E-configured dienoate substructure embedded into the macrocyclic core. This motif was encoded in the form of a 2-pyrone ring and unveiled only immediately before macrocyclization by an unconventional iron-catalyzed ring opening/cross-coupling reaction, in which the enol ester entity of the pyrone gains the role of a leaving group. Since the required precursor was readily available by gold catalysis, this strategy rendered the overall sequence short, robust, and scalable. A surprisingly easy protecting group management together with a much improved end game for the formation of the trienyl side chain via a modern Stille coupling protocol also helped to make the chosen route practical. Change of a single building block allowed the synthesis to be redirected from the natural lead compound 1 toward its almost equipotent analogue 2. Isolation and reactivity profiling of pyrone tricarbonyliron complexes provide mechanistic information as well as insights into the likely origins of the observed chemoselectivity.

Trans Lipid Library: Synthesis of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Monotrans Isomers and Regioisomer Identification in DHA-Containing Supplements.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a semiessential polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) for eukaryotic cells that is found in natural sources such as fish and algal oils and widely used as an ingredient for omega-3 containing foods or supplements. DHA effects are connected to its natural structure with six cis double bonds, but geometrical monotrans isomers can be formed during distillation or deodorization processes, as an unwanted event that alters molecular characteristics and annihilates health benefits. The characterization of the six monotrans DHA regioisomers is an open issue to address for analytical, biological, and nutraceutical applications. Here we report the preparation, separation, and first identification of each isomer by a dual approach consisting of the following: (i) the direct thiyl radical-catalyzed isomerization of cis-DHA methyl ester and (ii) the two-step synthesis from cis-DHA methyl ester via monoepoxides as intermediates, which are separated and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, followed by elimination for the unequivocal assignment of the double bond position. This monotrans DHA isomer library with NMR and GC analytical characterization was also used to examine the products of thiyl-radical-catalyzed isomerization of a fish oil sample and to evaluate the trans isomer content in omega-3 containing supplements commercially available in Italy and Spain.

Plant Oil-Derived Epoxy Polymers toward Sustainable Biobased Thermosets.

Epoxy polymers (EPs) derived from soybean oil with varied chemical structures are synthesized. These polymers are then cured with anhydrides to yield soybean-oil-derived epoxy thermosets. The curing kinetic, thermal, and mechanical properties are well characterized. Due to the high epoxide functionality per epoxy polymer chain, these thermosets exhibit tensile strength over an order of magnitude higher than a control formulation with epoxidized soybean oil. More importantly, thermosetting materials ranging from soft elastomers to tough thermosets can be obtained simply by using different EPs and/or by controlling feed ratios of EPs to anhydrides.

Flexible Bionanocomposites from Epoxidized Hemp Seed Oil Thermosetting Resin Reinforced with Halloysite Nanotubes.

Hemp seed (Cannabis sativa L.) oil comprises a variety of beneficial unsaturated triglycerides with well-documented nutritional and health benefits. However, it can become rancid over a relatively short time period, leading to increased industrial costs and waste of a valuable product. The development of sustainable polymers is presented as a strategy, where both the presence of unsaturation and peroxide content could be effectively used to alleviate both the waste and financial burden. After the reaction with peroxyacetic acid, the incorporation of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), and the subsequent thermal curing, without the need for organic solvents or interfacial modifiers, flexible transparent materials with a low glass-transition temperature were developed. The improvement in the thermal stability and both the static and dynamic mechanical properties of the bionanocomposites were significantly enhanced with the well-dispersed HNT filler. At an optimum concentration of 0.5 wt % HNTs, a simultaneous increase in stiffness, strength, ductility, and toughness was observed in comparison to the unfilled cured resin. These sustainable food-waste-derived bionanocomposites may provide an interesting alternative to petroleum-based materials, particularly for low-load-bearing applications, such as packaging.

Studies in Cyclization of Aromatic Epoxy-acyclicpolyprenes: Lewis Superacids and Titanocene Chloride.

Two catalytic cascade cyclization methods (radical and 'cationic) to obtain aromatic polycyclic diterpenes hydroxylated at C3 starting from aromatic epoxypolyprenes were developed. The catalytic use of the Lewis superacid bismuth triflate produces a good yield of cyclized 2 from epoxypolyprene 3. This researchmay well direct future efforts to the synthesis of bioactive natural products.

Stereospecific Oxidation of Diacetoxyheterobetulin with Ozone and Dimethyldioxirane.

Stereospecific oxidation of diacetoxyheterobetulin with ozone and dimethyldioxirane led to 3ß,28-diacetoxy-18α,19ßH-urs-20α,21α-epoxide with yields of 79% and 87%, respectively. Oxidation with ozone was not selective and gave two minor products containing 2lα-hydroxy-20(30)-ene and 21a-hydroxy-20ß,28-epoxy-fragments in ring E. The structures of 3ß,28-diacetoxy-18α,19ßH-urs-20α,21α-epoxide and 3ß-diacetoxy-21α-hydroxy-20ß,28-epoxy-18α,19ßH-ursane were confirmed by X-ray analysis for the first time.

Technological Aspects of Chemoenzymatic Epoxidation of Fatty Acids, Fatty Acid Esters and Vegetable Oils: A Review.

The general subject of the review is analysis of the effect of technological parameters on the chemoenzymatic epoxidation processes of vegetable oils, fatty acids and alkyl esters of fatty acids. The technological parameters considered include temperature, concentration, amount of hydrogen peroxide relative to the number of unsaturated bonds, the amounts of enzyme catalysts, presence of solvent and amount of free fatty acids. Also chemical reactions accompanying the technological processes are discussed together with different technological options and significance of the products obtained.

Synthesis of Radiation Curable Palm Oil-Based Epoxy Acrylate: NMR and FTIR Spectroscopic Investigations.

Over the past few decades, there has been an increasing demand for bio-based polymers and resins in industrial applications, due to their potential lower cost and environmental impact compared with petroleum-based counterparts. The present research concerns the synthesis of epoxidized palm oil acrylate (EPOLA) from an epoxidized palm oil product (EPOP) as environmentally friendly material. EPOP was acrylated by acrylic acid via a ring opening reaction. The kinetics of the acrylation reaction were monitored throughout the reaction course and the acid value of the reaction mixture reached 10 mg KOH/g after 16 h, indicating the consumption of the acrylic acid. The obtained epoxy acrylate was investigated intensively by means of FTIR and NMR spectroscopy, and the results revealed that the ring opening reaction was completed successfully with an acrylation yield about 82%. The UV free radical polymerization of EPOLA was carried out using two types of photoinitiators. The radiation curing behavior was determined by following the conversion of the acrylate groups. The cross-linking density and the hardness of the cured EPOLA films were measured to evaluate the effect of the photoinitiator on the solid film characteristics, besides, the thermal and mechanical properties were also evaluated.

Synthetic ω-3 epoxyfatty acids as antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic agents in human breast cancer cells.

ω-3-17,18-Epoxyeicosapentaenoic acid decreases cell proliferation and activates apoptosis, whereas its regioisomers stimulate growth. We evaluated synthetic ω-3 epoxides of saturated fatty acids as antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic agents in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The epoxides, but not their urea, amide, or carbamate isosteres, impaired ATP production, enhanced caspase-3 activity, and activated c-jun-N-terminal-kinase signaling, leading to cyclin D1 down-regulation and cell cycle arrest in G1-phase. Fatty acid ω-3 monoepoxides may represent a novel class of antitumor agents.

Synthesis of epoxy jatropha oil and its evaluation for lubricant properties.

Vegetable oils are being investigated as potential source of environmentally favorable lubricants over synthetic products. Jatropha curcas L. oil (JO) identified as a potential raw material for biodiesel was explored for its use as a feedstock for biolubricants. Epoxidized jatropha oil (EJO) was prepared by peroxyformic acid generated in situ by reacting formic acid and hydrogen peroxide in the presence of sulfuric acid as catalyst. Almost complete conversion of unsaturated bonds in the oil into oxirane was achieved with oxirane value 5.0 and iodine value of oil reduced from 92 to 2 mg I2/g. EJO exhibited superior oxidative stability compared to JO. This study employed three antioxidants such as butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT), zinc dimethyl dithiocarbamate (ZDDC), and diphenyl amine (DPA) and found that DPA antioxidant performed better than ZDDC and BHT over EJO compared to JO. The lubricating properties of EJO and epoxy soybean oil (ESBO) are comparable. Hence, EJO can be projected as a potential lubricant basestock for high temperature applications.

Design, synthesis and structure-activity relationships studies on the D ring of the natural product triptolide.

Triptolide is a diterpene triepoxide natural product isolated from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Triptolide has previously been shown to possess antitumor, anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and antifertility activities. Earlier reports suggested that the five-membered unsaturated lactone ring (D ring) is essential for potent cytotoxicity, however, to the best of our knowledge, systematic structure-activity relationship studies have not yet been reported. Here, four types of D ring-modified triptolide analogues were designed, synthesized and evaluated against human ovarian (SKOV-3) and prostate (PC-3) carcinoma cell lines. The results suggest that the D ring is essential to potency, however it can be modified, for example to C18 hydrogen bond acceptor and/or donor furan ring analogues, without complete loss of cytotoxic activity. Interestingly, evaluation of the key series of C19 analogues showed that this site is exquisitely sensitive to polarity. Together, these results will guide further optimization of this natural product lead compound for the development of potent and potentially clinically useful triptolide analogues.

Use of dimethyldioxirane in the epoxidation of the main constituents of the essential oils obtained from Tagetes lucida, Cymbopogon citratus, Lippia alba and Eucalyptus citriodora.

Dimethyldioxirane (DMDO), a widely used oxidant in organic synthesis is considered an environmentally friendly oxygen transfer reagent because acetone is the only byproduct formed in its oxidation reactions. This work describes the isolation of the main constituents (terpenes) in the essential oils obtained from Tagetes lucida, Cymbopogon citratus, Lippia alba and Eucalyptus citriodora, their epoxidation with DMDO in acetone solution and the characterization of the resulting epoxides by GC-MS (EI) and NMR. This is one of the first reports involving the application of dioxirane chemistry to essential oils in order to generate modified compounds with potential uses in several areas of medicine and industry.

High biobased content epoxy-anhydride thermosets from epoxidized sucrose esters of Fatty acids.

Novel highly functional biobased epoxy compounds, epoxidized sucrose esters of fatty acids (ESEFAs), were cross-linked with a liquid cycloaliphatic anhydride to prepare polyester thermosets. The degree of cure or conversion was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the sol content of the thermosets was determined using solvent extraction. The mechanical properties were studied using tensile testing to determine Young's modulus, tensile stress, and elongation at break. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was used to determine glass-transition temperature, storage modulus, and cross-link density. The nanomechanical properties of the surfaces were studied using nanoindentation to determine reduced modulus and indentation hardness. The properties of coatings on steel substrates were studied to determine coating hardness, adhesion, solvent resistance, and mechanical durability. Compared with the control, epoxidized soybean oil, the anhydride-cured ESEFAs have high modulus and are hard and ductile, high-performance thermoset materials while maintaining a high biobased content (71-77% in theory). The exceptional performance of the ESEFAs is attributed to the unique structure of these macromolecules: well-defined compact structures with high epoxide functionality. These biobased thermosets have potential uses in applications such as composites, adhesives, and coatings.

Synthesis and evaluation of substrate analogues as mechanism-based inhibitors of type II isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase.

Type 2 isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase (IDI-2), which catalyzes the interconversion of isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate, contains a tightly bound molecule of FMN. To probe the mechanism of the reaction, cyclopropyl and epoxy substrate analogues, designed to be mechanism-based irreversible inhibitors, were synthesized and evaluated with IDI-2 from Thermus thermophilus. The cyclopropyl analogues were alternative substrates. The epoxy analogue was an irreversible inhibitor, with kI = 0.37 +/- 0.07 min(-1) and KI = 1.4 +/- 0.3 microM. LC-MS studies revealed formation of an epoxide-FMN adduct.

Carbonation of epoxy methyl soyate at atmospheric pressure.

Vegetable oils are important substrates for the development of biobased products that may replace products derived from petroleum. Carbonated methyl soyates were prepared at atmospheric pressures from epoxy methyl soyate by the introduction of carbon dioxide at the oxirane position. Carbonation was performed by sparging carbon dioxide gas through the neat epoxy esters at atmospheric pressure in the presence of tetrabutylammonium bromide catalyst. Analysis of reaction mixtures showed that 42% of the epoxide groups were carbonated after 18 h at 80 degrees C with 1 wt% catalyst compared to 63% using liquid carbon dioxide at 54 atm pressure.

Identification of novel epoxide inhibitors of hepatitis C virus replication using a high-throughput screen.

Using our high-throughput hepatitis C replicon assay to screen a library of over 8,000 novel diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) compounds, we identified several novel compounds that regulate hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication, including two libraries of epoxides that inhibit HCV replication (best 50% effective concentration, < 0.5 microM). We then synthesized an analog of these compounds with optimized activity.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of in vivo potency and selectivity of epoxysuccinyl-based inhibitors of papain-family cysteine proteases.

The papain-family cathepsins are cysteine proteases that are emerging as promising therapeutic targets for a number of human disease conditions ranging from osteoporosis to cancer. Relatively few selective inhibitors for this family exist, and the in vivo selectivity of most existing compounds is unclear. We present here the synthesis of focused libraries of epoxysuccinyl-based inhibitors and their screening in crude tissue extracts. We identified a number of potent inhibitors that display selectivity for endogenous cathepsin targets both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, the selectivity patterns observed in crude extracts were generally retained in vivo, as assessed by active-site labeling of tissues from treated animals. Overall, this study identifies several important compound classes and highlights the use of activity-based probes to assess pharmacodynamic properties of small-molecule inhibitors in vivo.

Synthesis, characterization, antibacterial and corrosion protective properties of epoxies, epoxy-polyols and epoxy-polyurethane coatings from linseed and Pongamia glabra seed oils.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the structures and properties of epoxidized linseed and Pongamia glabra oils (LOE/POE), their derived products-epoxy-polyols (HLOE/HPOE), epoxy-polyurethanes (EU=LOPU/POPU) and EU coatings. Changes in epoxy equivalent, iodine value, hydroxyl value and percent saturation of oil backbone in due course of epoxidation and hydroxylation reactions, were plotted as a function of time. Spectral (IR, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR), physico-chemical and thermal (TGA and DSC) analyses of aforementioned resins were performed by standard methods. Physico-mechanical and chemical resistance tests reveal that coatings of LOPUs perform better than those of POPUs. It was found that properties of oil epoxy-polyurethane coatings are mainly governed by: (i) fatty acid composition and nature of starting oils, (ii) extent of epoxidation, (iii) number and location of hydroxyls and residual double bonds in the final product and (iv) the presence of long dangling chains. PO, HLOE and LOPUs exhibit good antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli at very small MIC. These EU systems can be safely employed unto 220 degrees C.

A new polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle system increases cytotoxicity of doxorubicin against multidrug-resistant human breast cancer cells.

PURPOSE: This work is intended to develop and evaluate a new polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle system that can efficiently load and release water-soluble anticancer drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (Dox) and enhance Dox toxicity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cells. METHODS: Cationic Dox was complexed with a new soybean-oil-based anionic polymer and dispersed together with a lipid in water to form Dox-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (Dox-SLNs). Drug loading and release properties were measured spectrophotometrically. The in vitro cytotoxicity of Dox-SLN and the excipients in an MDR human breast cancer cell line (MDA435/LCC6/MDR1) and its wild-type line were evaluated by trypan blue exclusion and clonogenic assays. Cellular uptake and retention of Dox were determined with a microplate fluorometer. RESULTS: Dox-SLNs were prepared with a drug encapsulation efficiency of 60-80% and a particle size range of 80-350 nm. About 50% of the loaded drug was released in the first few hours and an additional 10-20% in 2 weeks. Treatment of the MDR cells with Dox-SLN resulted in over 8-fold increase in cell kill when compared to Dox solution treatment at equivalent doses. The blank SLN and the excipients exhibited little cytotoxicity. The biological activity of the released Dox remained unchanged from fresh, free Dox. Cellular Dox uptake and retention by the MDR cells were both significantly enhanced (p < 0.05) when Dox was delivered in Dox-SLN form. CONCLUSIONS: The new polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle system is effective for delivery of Dox and enhances its efficacy against MDR breast cancer cells.