Synthesis of a Side Chain Alkyne Analogue of Sitosterol as a Chemical Probe for Imaging in Plant Cells.

Clickable chemical tools are essential for studying the localization and role of biomolecules in living cells. For this purpose, alkyne-based close analogs of the respective biomolecules are of outstanding interest. Here, in the field of phytosterols, we present the first alkyne derivative of sitosterol, which fulfills the crucial requirements for such a chemical tool as follows: very similar in size and lipophilicity to the plant phytosterols, and correct absolute configuration at C-24. The alkyne sitosterol FB-DJ-1 was synthesized, starting from stigmasterol, which comprised nine steps, utilizing a novel alkyne activation method, a Johnson-Claisen rearrangement for the stereoselective construction of a branched sterol side chain, and a Bestmann-Ohira reaction for the generation of the alkyne moiety.

Biological effects of an oxyphytosterol generated by ß-Sitosterol ozonization.

ß-Sitosterol (ßSito) is the most abundant phytosterol found in vegetable oils, grains such as wheat, beans, and corn, and in many phytosterol-enriched foods. It is prone to oxidation by reactive oxygen species, such as ozone, leading to the formation of oxyphytosterols. A better understanding regarding the biological effects and mechanism of action of oxyphytosterols is required since the beneficial and adverse side effects of these compounds on human health remain highly controversial. In this work, we investigated the biological effects of ß-Secosterol (ßSec), a new oxyphytosterol generated by the reaction of ßSito with ozone. Treatment of HepG2 cells with ßSito or ßSec (0.1-100 µM) for 24, 48, and 72 h induced a dose-dependent reduction of cell viability in the MTT assay, with ßSec showing higher efficacy than ßSito. However, ßSec presented a lower potency than ßSito, showing IC50 = 37.32 µM, higher than ßSito (IC50 = 0.23 µM) at 48 h. Cell cycle analyses by flow cytometry showed a slight decrease of G0/G1 phase with ßSito 0.5 µM, but a significant cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase in the treatment for 48 h with ßSec 20 µM (62.69 ± 2.15%, p < 0.05) and ßSec 40 µM (66.96 ± 5.39%, p < 0.0001) when compared to control (56.97 ± 2.60%). No suggestion of apoptosis was indicated by flow cytometry data. Also, ßSec (20 and 40 µM) reduced the mitotic index. In the laser scanning confocal microscopy analysis no alterations in cell morphology were observed with ßSito (0.5 µM). Nevertheless, round-shaped cells, abnormal nuclear morphology with shrinkage, and formation of microtubules clusters were observed in the treatment with ßSec, indicating a disruption in the microtubules network organization. N-acetyl-l-cysteine was not able to inhibit any of these cellular effects, indicating a lack of involvement of oxidative stress in the mechanism of action of ßSec. Although not further investigated in this study, it was discussed the hypothesis that covalent adduct formation with lysine residues of proteins, could play an important role in the biological effects elicited by ßSec. Elucidation of the primary cellular processes induced by ßSec provides the essential knowledge to be aware of its potential adverse side effects or therapeutic use of this oxyphytosterol.

Enzymatic Synthesis of ß-Sitosterol Laurate by Candida rugosa Lipase AY30 in the Water/AOT/Isooctane Reverse Micelle.

Phytosterols are regarded as compounds able to reduce total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the blood, and their esterified derivatives could help to improve the effectiveness of this function. In the present study, the water/sodium 1,4-bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT)/isooctane reverse micelle (RM) system was set up as a reaction medium for Candida rugosa lipase AY30 (CRL AY30) to synthesize ß-sitosterol laurate (ß-SLE). The product was identified by TLC, FT-IR, and HPLC-APCI-QqQ-MS/MS and quantified by HPLC. Through stepwise optimization, it was found that CRL AY30 had the highest activity in the water/AOT/isooctane RM system where 50 mM PBS with a pH of 7.5 was adopted as water core to carry CRL AY30, and the proportion of [CRL AY30] (mg/mL), [water] (mM), and [AOT] (mM) was set in 3:375:25, respectively, in isooctane. After screened with single-factor experiments, the esterification reaction conditions in the CRL AY30-water/AOT/isooctane RM system were further optimized by the response surface method as follows: the mole ratio of ß-sitosterol to lauric acid of 1:3.5 (25 mM ß-sitosterol), the enzyme load of 18% (w/w total reactants), the reaction temperature of 47 °C, and the reaction time of 48 h. As a result, the maximum esterification rate was up to 88.12 ± 0.79%.

Design, synthesis and evaluation of wound healing activity for ß-sitosterols derivatives as potent Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitors.

ß-Sitosterols, is a common steroid that can be identified in a variety of plants and their efficacy in promoting wound healing has been demonstrated. Na+/K+-ATPase, more than a pump, its signal transduction function for involvement in cell growth regulation attracts widespread concern. The Na+/K+-ATPase/Src receptor complex can serve as a receptor involved in multiple signaling pathways including promoting wound healing pathways. To finding potent accelerating wound healing small molecular, we choose the high inhibitory activity of Na+/K+-ATPase and non-cardiotoxic natural compound, ß-sitosterol as the substrate. A series of ß-sitosterol derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as potential Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitors. Among them, compounds 31, 47, 49, showed improved inhibitory activity on Na+/K+-ATPase, with IC50 value of 3.0 µM, 3.4 µM, 2.2 µM, which are more potent than ß-sitosterol with IC50 7.6 µM. Especially, compound 49 can induce cell proliferation, migration and soluble collagen production in L929 fibroblasts. Compared to model, compound 49 can accelerate wound healing in SD rats. Further studies indicated that 49 can activate the sarcoma (Src), uptake the protein kinase B (Akt), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) proteins expression in a concentration dependent manner. Finally, binding mode of compound 49 with Na+/K+-ATPase was studied, which provides insights into the determinants of potency and selectivity. These results proved ß-stitosterol derivative 49 can serve as an effective inhibitor of Na+/K+-ATPase and potential candidate for accelerating wound healing agents.

Optimization of lipase-catalyzed synthesis of ß-sitostanol esters by response surface methodology.

The esters of ß-sitostanol and fatty acids are known for their effect as cholesterol-lowering agents. In this work, the efficiency of three lipases as biocatalysts of the esterification of ß-sitostanol and C16 and C18 fatty acids was compared. The sterol esterase of Ophiostoma piceae (OPEr) yielded the highest esterification rates and was selected for further optimization of the reaction. The effects of four parameters (temperature, enzymatic dosage, acyl donor concentration, and reaction time) on ester synthesis were investigated and the process conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The best conditions for esterification for each fatty acid were predicted using a second-order model, and experimentally validated. Very high esterification efficiencies (86-97%) were observed using the predicted values for the four variables. This approach was shown to be suitable for optimizing the enzymatic production of ß-sitostanol esters, which represents a green alternative to the chemical synthesis of these dietary complements.

Beta-sitosterol and its derivatives repress lipopolysaccharide/d-galactosamine-induced acute hepatic injury by inhibiting the oxidation and inflammation in mice.

Beta-sitosterol (Sit) widely exists in natural plants, is classed as phytosterol and known as the "key of life". Most pharmacological studies and clinical applications are limited because of the fact that Sit is difficult to be solved. Therefore, it is viable to enhance pharmacologic activities of Sit by using its derivatives which can be obtained through the modification of Sit. In this study, 4 kinds of new Sit derivatives were obtained by the esterification reaction. Further, the hepatoprotective effects of Sit and its derivatives were investigated against acute liver injury induced by lipopolysaccharide/d-galactosamine (LPS/GalN) in mice and its mechanism was illustrated by western blot analysis and real-time PCR. The results demonstrated that among its derivatives, 2-naphthoyl Sit ester (Sit-N) (50 mg/kg) showed the strongest activities against acute liver injury. Final experimental results showed that Sit-N significantly decreased the serum activity of aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT); Sit-N also markedly reduced tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. Meanwhile, Sit-N drastically improved the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT), and suppressed the expression of malondialdehyde (MDA). Results also displayed that over-expression of Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) induced by LPS/Gal N were inhibited by Sit-N. Meanwhile, the expression of nuclear respiratory factor2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were enhanced. The results all above verified the effectiveness of Sit-N against acute liver injury induced by LPS/GalN mediated by TLR4 and Nrf2 pathways.

An expeditious synthesis of spinasterol and schottenol, two phytosterols present in argan oil and in cactus pear seed oil, and evaluation of their biological activities on cells of the central nervous system.

Spinasterol and schottenol, two phytosterols present in argan oil and in cactus pear seed oil, were synthesized from commercially available stigmasterol by a four steps reactions. In addition, the effects of these phytosterols on cell growth and mitochondrial activity were evaluated on 158N murine oligodendrocytes, C6 rat glioma cells, and SK-N-BE human neuronal cells with the crystal violet test and the MTT test, respectively. The effects of spinasterol and schottenol were compared with 7-ketocholesterol (7KC) and ferulic acid, which is also present in argan and cactus pear seed oil. Whatever the cells considered, dose dependent cytotoxic effects of 7KC were observed whereas no or slight effects of ferulic acid were found. With spinasterol and schottenol, no or slight effects on cell growth were detected. With spinasterol, reduced mitochondrial activities (30-50%) were found on 158N and C6 cells; no effect was found on SK-N-BE. With schottenol, reduced mitochondrial activity were revealed on 158N (50%) and C6 (10-20%) cells; no effect was found on SK-N-BE. Altogether, these data suggest that spinasterol and schottenol can modulate mitochondrial activity and might therefore influence cell metabolism.

"Nok": a phytosterol-based amphiphile enabling transition-metal-catalyzed couplings in water at room temperature.

The third-generation designer amphiphile/surfactant, "Nok" (i.e., SPGS-550-M; ß-sitosterol methoxypolyethyleneglycol succinate), soon to be commercially available from Aldrich, can be prepared in two steps using an abundant plant feedstock and ß-sitosterol, together with succinic anhydride and PEG-550-M. Upon dissolution in water, it forms nanomicelles that serve as nanoreactors, which can be characterized by both cryo-TEM and dynamic light scattering analyses. Several transition-metal-catalyzed reactions have been run under micellar conditions to evaluate this surfactant relative to results obtained in nanoparticles composed of TPGS-750-M (i.e., a second-generation surfactant). It is shown that Nok usually affords yields that are, in general, as good or better than those typically obtained with TPGS-750-M, and yet is far less costly.

A concise synthesis of beta-sitosterol and other phytosterols.

A convenient synthesis of sidechain-modified phytosterols is achieved via a temporary masking of the stigmasterol 5,6-alkene as an epoxide. Following performance of the desired modification, the alkene is regenerated through a mild deoxygenation. The approach is applied to the syntheses of beta-sitosterol and campesterol acetate, and suggests a facile route to the (Z)-isomers of Delta(22-23) phytosterols.

Synthesis of highly pure oxyphytosterols and (oxy)phytosterol esters. Part II. (Oxy)-sitosterol esters derived from oleic acid and from 9,10-dihydroxystearic acid [1].

Several efficient synthetic routes giving readily access to (oxy)-sitosterol esters and (oxy)-cholesterol esters derived respectively from oleic acid and from 9,10-dihydroxystearic acid were developed for the first time. This approach allowed that sufficient amounts of the latter were available in order to carry out further biological studies.

[22,23-epoxides of sitosterol and related 7-oxygenated delta5-sterols].

(22S,23S)-22,23-Epoxysitosterol, (22R,23R)-22,23-epoxysitosterol, (22S,23S)-22,23-epoxy-7-ketositosterol, (22R,23R)-22,23-epoxy-7-ketositosterol, (22S,23S)-22,23-epoxy-7alpha-hydroxysitosterol, (22R,23R)-22,23-epoxy-7alpha-hydroxysitosterol, (22S,23S)-22,23-epoxy-7beta-hydroxysitosterol, and (22R,23R)-22,23-epoxy-7beta-hydroxysitosterol were synthesized. Their 1H and 13C NMR and the mass spectra of their trimethylsilyl derivatives were studied.

Synthesis, isolation and characterisation of beta-sitosterol and beta-sitosterol oxide derivatives.

Beta-sitosterol is the most prevalent plant cholesterol derivative (phytosterol) and can undergo similar oxidation to cholesterol, leading to beta-sitosterol oxides. The biological impact of phytosterol oxides has only been evaluated in a phytosterol blend (usually of beta-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and dihydrobrassicasterol). The lack of pure phytosterols, including beta-sitosterol, hinders the collection of significant toxicity data on the individual beta-sitosterol oxides. An efficient synthetic route to multi-gram quantities of pure beta-sitosterol is described here, together with the first syntheses and characterisation of pure beta-sitosterol oxides.

A novel method of producing a microcrystalline beta-sitosterol suspension in oil.

This paper describes a novel method of producing a microcrystalline oral suspension containing beta-sitosterol in oil for the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia. beta-Sitosterol pseudopolymorphs with different water contents were crystallized from acetone and acetone-water solutions. Structural analyses of the crystals were performed by Karl-Fisher titration, thermogravimetric analyses, X-ray diffraction and near infrared spectroscopy. The suspensions studied were composed of different concentrations of beta-sitosterol, oil and water. Suspensions were prepared by crystallization of hot concentrated solution of beta-sitosterol in oil by cooling with simultaneous agitation and water addition. The structural analyses of the suspensions were performed by X-ray diffraction, near infrared spectroscopy and optical microscopy. The viscosity of the suspensions was analysed as a function of shear stress. beta-Sitosterol was observed to exist in three different forms: anhydrous, hemihydrated and monohydrated crystals. By changing both the beta-sitosterol and the water concentration of the suspension, the crystal size and shape could be controlled. Addition of water resulted in the formation of monohydrated needle-shaped crystals instead of platy-like anhydrous crystals. Needle-shaped particles formed structured suspensions with shear thinning behaviour. By increasing the volume fraction of solid particles in suspension by increasing the water and/or sterol concentration, the viscosity increased. A high sterol concentration resulted in high supersaturation and thus formation of small crystals.

Improved method for the synthesis of trans-feruloyl-beta-sitostanol.

Phytosterols and phytostanols are known to lower low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in humans by up to 15%, and at least two products, Benecol and Take Control, are now on the market as naturally derived fatty acid esters of phytostanols (stanol esters) and phytosterols (sterol esters), respectively. A synthetic process was developed to synthesize gram quantities of trans-feruloyl-beta-sitostanol from ferulic acid and beta-sitostanol, with high purity and yields of approximately 60%. The process involves (a) condensation of trans-4-O-acetylferulic acid with the appropriate phytostanol or phytostanol mixture in the presence of N,N-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine, (b) separation of the trans-4-O-acetylferuloyl products by preparative liquid chromatography, (c) selective deacetylation of the feruloyl acetate, and (d) chromatographic purification of the feruloylated phytostanols. The process was successfully applied to synthesize stanol trans-feruloyl esters from "Vegetable Stanols", a mixture of approximately 70:30 beta-sitostanol and beta-campestanol, in comparable purity and yield.

Antilipidemic agents, III: Synthesis of some heterocyclic derivatives of beta-sitosterol.

Four novel series of heterocyclic derivatives of beta-sitosterol were prepared by the reaction of 3-beta-sitosterol hemisuccinate with SOCl2 then with thiols, amines or phenols. These series are: 3 beta-[(3-substituted-4(3H)-quinazolinon-2- yl)thiocarbonylproprionyloxy]stigmast-5-ene; 3 beta- ([4-substituted-5-(4-pyridyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl] thiocarbonylpropionyloxy)stigmast-5-ene; 3 beta- [(5-substituted-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)carbamoylpropionyloxy] stigmast-5-ene and 3 beta-(substituted carbamoyl or oxycarbonylpropionyloxy)stigmast-5-ene. The antilipidemic activity of representative compounds was studied.

A facile synthesis of [3 alpha-3 H]beta -sitosterol.

Direct oxidation of the parent sterol using CrO3 provided (24R)-24-ethyl-5-cholesten-3-one which on treatment with NaBT4 gave [3 alpha-3 H] (24R)-24-ethyl-5-cholesten-3 beta-ol. Purification at each stage afforded samples which were compared spectrally with the corresponding cholesterol series compounds.

Synthesis of iodine-131 labeled 6 beta-iodomethyl-19-norsitost-5(10)-en-3 beta-ol and 19-iodositost-5-en-3 beta-ol for adrenal imaging.

6 BETA-Iodomethyl-19-norsitost-5(10)-en-3 beta-ol (V) was synthesized by homoallylic rearrangement of 19-iodositost-5-en-3 beta-ol (IV), which was obtained by the hydrolysis of 19-iodositost-5-en-3 beta-ol acetate (III) derived from the displacement of sitost-5-ene-3 beta, 19-diol 3-acetate 19-p-toluenesulfonate (I) with sodium iodide in isopropanol. The radioiodinated IV and V were prepared by isotope exchange with sodium iodide-I-131.