Cruciferous phytoalexins: antiproliferative effects in T-Jurkat leukemic cells.

We tested antiproliferative activity of selected cruciferous phytoalexins including brassinin, 1-methoxybrassinin, (+/-)-spirobrassin, (+/-)-1-methoxyspirobrassinin and (+/-)-1-methoxyspirobrassinol, in leukemic Jurkat cell. The most effective of the tested phytoalexins was 1-methoxybrassinin with IC(50) 10 micromol l(-1). However, significant effect of all phytoalexines was also determined at concentration 1 micromol l(-1). In 1-methoxybrassinin-treated Jurkat cells, we found significant increase in the fraction of cells with a sub-G(0)/G(1) DNA content, which is considered to be a marker of cell death by apoptosis. Apoptosis was also confirmed by the annexin V staining. In summary, 1-methoxybrassinin exerted potent antiproliferative activity probably due to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction.

Measurement of interfluorine distances in solids.

(19)F homonuclear dipolar recoupling methods were used to measure internuclear distances ranging from 5 to 12 A in fluorinated organic compounds in the solid state. Magic-angle-spinning-based high-resolution techniques were utilized. Trifluoromethyl and aromatic fluorine groups were separated by rigid aromatic spacers; these compounds were diluted into nonfluorinated host molecule matrices to give isolated homonuclear spin pairs with known internuclear distances. Radiofrequency-driven recoupling (RFDR) was used to elicit magnetization exchange between the spin pairs in 1D and 2D experiments. Simulation of the exchange was accomplished using a Monte Carlo-type algorithm to search the parameter space. These methods allow the determination of distances with an accuracy of 1 A at shorter distances and 2 A at longer distances, with the assumption of no prior knowledge of T(2)(ZQ).

Synthesis, absolute configuration, and enantiomeric enrichment of a cruciferous oxindole phytoalexin, (S)-(-)-spirobrassinin, and its oxazoline analog.

Stereochemical studies of a cruciferous oxindole phytoalexin, (S)-(-)-spirobrassinin [(-)-4], and its oxazoline analogue, spirooxazoline (11), were carried out. Racemic spirobrassinin [(+/-)-4] was synthesized by SOCl(2)- or MsCl-mediated cyclization of dioxibrassinin [(+/-)-8]. Treatment of (3-hydroxyoxindol-3-yl)methylammonium chloride [(+/-)-9] with CSCl(2) and subsequent methylation of the obtained spirooxazolidinethione (+/-)-10 afforded spirooxazoline [(+/-)-11]. Enantioresolution of (+/-)-4 and (+/-)-11 was achieved by derivatization with (S)-(-)-1-phenylethyl isocyanate (12), chromatographic separation of diastereomeric amides 13, 14 or 15, 16, and their cleavage with CH(3)ONa. Absolute configuration of the stereogenic center in natural (S)-(-)-4 was derived from the exciton, calculated via CD methods, and unequivocally confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analyses of 1-[1'S,4'R-(-)-camphanoyl] derivatives [(-)-19 and (-)-20] of (+)- and (-)-4. Novel enantiomeric enrichment phenomena of 4 and 11 were discovered during their chromatographic separations under achiral HPLC conditions. Screening of antifungal activity against the fungus Bipolaris leersiae revealed no significant dependence of this activity on absolute configuration.

Enantiomeric excess of a cruciferous phytoalexin, spirobrassinin, and its enantiomeric enrichment in an achiral HPLC system.

Enantiomeric purity of a cruciferous phytoalexin, spirobrassinin (1), was determined by chiral HPLC analysis. The enantiomeric excesses of two natural spirobrassinin fractions separated by nonchiral chromatography were considerably different. A significant enantiomeric enrichment was observed during the nonchiral chromatographic separation of an artificial enantiomeric mixture of 1.

Organochlorine compounds from a terrestrial higher plant: structures and origin of chlorinated orcinol derivatives from diseased bulbs of Lilium maximowiczii.

Seven chlorine-containing orcinol derivatives (2-8) and orcinol (9) have been isolated from diseased bulbs of the edible lily Lilium maximowiczii, and their structures have been elucidated. Six of the chlorinated orcinol derivatives (2, 4-8) showed antifungal activity. Because organochlorine compounds are rare in terrestrial higher plants, their biosynthetic origin was examined. These compounds were shown to be induced in intact bulb scales by UV irradiation or by inoculation with the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lilii. Biosynthetic studies suggested that these "natural organochlorine pesticides" are produced by enzymatic chlorination of orcinol (9) with chloroperoxidase and hydrogen peroxide, which are both induced in the plant tissue under stress conditions.

A new approach in exciton-coupled circular dichroism (ECCD)--insertion of an auxiliary stereogenic center.

There are cases in which exciton coupling between two chromophores does not occur because the two electric transition moments which should interact are coplanar. This is seen with cyclohexane-1,4-diols (both ee or ea) and a wide variety of 3-hydroxy carotenoids, 3-hydroxyretinoids, etc. A general approach to deal with such cases is to acylate one of the hydroxyl groups with a chiral allenic acid substituted with a suitable chromophore, e.g., CHROM-CH = C = CH-COOH. The allenic bond introduces a 90 degrees twist at the italicized central carbon so that the allenic CHROM now couples with the second chromophore. This concept of introducing an auxiliary allenic center should be of general applicability in other similar cases.