Neuroprotective effects of anti-aging oriental medicine Lycium barbarum against beta-amyloid peptide neurotoxicity.

As aged population dramatically increases in these decades, efforts should be made on the intervention for curing age-associated neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Natural plant extracts of Lycium barbarum are well-known to exhibit anti-aging effects. We therefore hypothesized that they exhibit neuroprotective effects against toxins in aging-related neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether extracts from L. barbarum have neuroprotective effects against toxicity of fibrillar Abeta(1-42) and Abeta(25-35) fragments. Primary rat cortical neurons exposed to Abeta peptides resulted in apoptosis and necrosis. Pre-treatment with extract isolated from L. barbarum significantly reduced the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). In addition, it attenuated Abeta peptide-activated caspases-3-like activity. The extract elicited a typical dose-dependent neuroprotective effect. Effective dosage of this extract was wider than that of a well-known western neuroprotective medicine lithium chloride (LiCl). We have further examined the underlying mechanisms of the neuroprotective effects. In agreement with other laboratories, Abeta peptides induce a rapid activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) by phosphorylation. Pre-treatment of aqueous extract markedly reduced the phosphorylation of JNK-1 (Thr183/Tyr185) and its substrates c-Jun-I (Ser 73) and c-Jun-II (Ser 63). Taken together, we have proved our hypothesis by showing neuroprotective effects of the extract from L. barbarum. Study on anti-aging herbal medicine like L. barbarum may open a new therapeutic window for the prevention of AD.

Tuning the reactivity of dioxoruthenium(VI) porphyrins toward an arylimine by altering porphyrin substituents.

Reaction of dioxoruthenium(VI) porphyrins [Ru(VI)(Por)O2] with arylimine HN=CPh2 in dichloromethane afforded bis(methyleneamido)ruthenium(IV) porphyrins [Ru(IV)(Por)(N=CPh2)2] for Por = 4-Cl-TPP and TMP; (methyleneamido)hydroxoruthenium(IV) porphyrins [Ru(IV)(Por)(N=CPh2)(OH)] for Por = TPP and TTP; and bis(arylimine)ruthenium(II) porphyrins [Ru(II)(Por)(HN=CPh2)2] for Por = 3,5-Cl2TPP and 3,5-(CF3)2TPP. In dichloromethane solution exposed to air, complex [Ru(II)(3,5-Cl2TPP)(HN=CPh2)2] underwent oxidative deprotonation to form [Ru(IV)(3,5-Cl2TPP)(N=CPh2)2]. The new ruthenium porphyrins were identified by 1H NMR, UV-vis, IR, and mass spectroscopy, along with elemental analysis. X-ray crystal structure determinations of [Ru(IV)(4-Cl-TPP)(N=CPh2)2], [Ru(IV)(TPP)(N=CPh2)(OH)], and [Ru(II)(3,5-(CF3)2TPP)(HN=CPh2)2] revealed the Ru-N(methyleneamido) or Ru-N(arylimine) distances of 1.897(5) A (average), 1.808(4) A, and 2.044(2) A (average), respectively.

Imido transfer from bis(imido)ruthenium(VI) porphyrins to hydrocarbons: effect of imido substituents, C-H bond dissociation energies, and Ru(VI/V) reduction potentials.

[Ru(VI)(TMP)(NSO2R)2] (SO2R = Ms, Ts, Bs, Cs, Ns; R = p-C6H4OMe, p-C6H4Me, C6H5, p-C6H4Cl, p-C6H4NO2, respectively) and [Ru(VI)(Por)(NTs)2] (Por = 2,6-Cl2TPP, F20-TPP) were prepared by the reactions of [Ru(II)(Por)(CO)] with PhI=NSO2R in CH2Cl2. These complexes exhibit reversible Ru(VI/V) couple with E(1/2) = -0.41 to -0.12 V vs Cp2Fe(+/0) and undergo imido transfer reactions with styrenes, norbornene, cis-cyclooctene, indene, ethylbenzenes, cumene, 9,10-dihydroanthracene, xanthene, cyclohexene, toluene, and tetrahydrofuran to afford aziridines or amides in up to 85% yields. The second-order rate constants (k2) of the aziridination/amidation reactions at 298 K were determined to be (2.6 +/- 0.1) x 10(-5) to 14.4 +/- 0.6 dm3 mol(-1) s(-1), which generally increase with increasing Ru(VI/V) reduction potential of the imido complexes and decreasing C-H bond dissociation energy (BDE) of the hydrocarbons. A linear correlation was observed between log k' (k' is the k2 value divided by the number of reactive hydrogens) and BDE and between log k2 and E(1/2)(Ru(VI/V)); the linearity in the former case supports a H-atom abstraction mechanism. The amidation by [Ru(VI)(TMP)(NNs)2] reverses the thermodynamic reactivity order cumene > ethylbenzene/toluene, with k'(tertiary C-H)/k'(secondary C-H) = 0.2 and k'(tertiary C-H)/k'(primary C-H) = 0.8.

Unexpected reactivities of Cu2(diphosphine)2 complexes in alcohol: isolation, x-ray crystal structure, and photoluminescent properties of a remarkably stable [Cu3(diphosphine)3(mu3-H)]2+ hydride complex.

Treatment of [Cu2(dcpm)2]Y2 (dcpm = bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)methane, Y = ClO4-, BF4-, PF6-, CF3SO3-) with refluxing MeOH in the presence of KOH afforded hydride complexes [Cu3(dcpm)3(mu3-H)]Y2 (1) in about 85% yield. Refluxing [Cu2(dcpm)2](PF6)2 with MeOH in the presence of NH3.H2O and air gave a carboxylate complex [Cu2(dcpm)2(O2CCH2OH)]PF6 (2) in 40% yield. All of the complexes 1 and 2 have been characterized by X-ray crystallography. The Cu3 cores in 1 are almost perfectly shielded by the dcpm ligands. Intense photoluminescence was observed for 1 both in the solid state and in solution.

Reactivity of dioxoosmium(VI) porphyrins toward arylhydrazine. Isolation of hydrazidoosmium and amidoosmium porphyrins.

Reactions of dioxoosmium(VI) porphyrins [Os(VI)(Por)O(2)] with excess 1,1-diphenylhydrazine in tetrahydrofuran at ca. 55 degrees C for 15 min afforded bis(hydrazido(1-))osmium(IV) porphyrins [Os(IV)(Por)(NHNPh(2))(2)] (1a, Por = TPP (meso-tetraphenylporphyrinato dianion); 1b, Por = TTP (meso-tetrakis(p-tolyl)porphyrinato dianion)), hydroxo(amido)osmium(IV) porphyrins [Os(IV)(Por)(NPh(2))(OH)] (2a, Por = TPP; 2b, Por = TTP), and bis(hydrazido(2-))osmium(VI) porphyrin [Os(VI)(Por)(NNPh(2))(2)] (3c, Por = TMP (meso-tetramesitylporphyrinato dianion)). The same reaction under harsher conditions (in refluxing tetrahydrofuran for ca. 1 h) gave a nitridoosmium(VI) porphyrin, [Os(VI)(Por)(N)(OH)] (4b, Por = TTP). Oxidation of 1a,b with bromine in dichloromethane afforded bis(hydrazido(2-)) complexes [Os(VI)(TPP)(NNPh(2))(2)] (3a) and [Os(VI)(TTP)(NNPh(2))(2)] (3b), respectively. All the new osmium porphyrins were identified by (1)H NMR, IR, and UV-vis spectroscopy and mass spectrometry; the structure of 2b was determined by X-ray crystallography (Os-NPh(2) = 1.944(6) A, Os-OH = 1.952(5) A).