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Lactones derived from hydroxy fatty acids have many applications. Compared to conventional chemical synthesis, lipases catalyzed synthesis of lactones is simple, mild and highly productive. The effects of hydroxy fatty acid chain length, solvents, lipase type and steric factor on the yield and on the distribution of the produced lactones were investigated.
By random assignment a total of 176 eligible patients with advanced nonmeasurable pancreatic carcinoma were treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) either alone or in combination with a nitrosourea (streptozotocin), in combination with a "lactone" (spironolactone), or in combination with both. By random assignment a total of 179 patients with advanced nonmeasurable gastric carcinoma were treated with 5-FU either alone or in combination with a nitrosourea (methyl CCNU), in combination with a lactone (testolactone), or in combination with both. The median survival period for all pancreatic carcinoma patients was 17 weeks, and for all gastric carcinoma patients 30 weeks. The addition of the nitrosoureas or the lactones or a combination of both produced no improvement in length of patient survival for either primary carcinoma when compared to treatment with 5-FU alone.
Antiarrhythmic activity of macrocyclic crown-lactone I as well as its effect on biological and model membranes were studied. Crown-lactone displaces the potential dependence of stationary inactivation of TTX-sensible sodium neurons currents towards more negative potentials reducing the modification of those characteristics by aconitine. Proceeding from the comparison between crown-lactone and known antiarrhythmic agents effect on sodium currents a conclusion is made that crown-ethers antiarrhythmic activity cannot be explained by the rhythmoinotropic effect.
In vitro synthesis of L-gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase [L-gulono-gamma-lactone:oxygen 2-oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.3.8], one of the microsomal flavin enzymes, was performed with poly(A)+ RNA of rat liver using the rabbit reticulocyte lysate system in order to study the biosynthesis of the enzyme. The apparent molecular weight of the synthesized enzyme protein was almost the same as that of the purified L-gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase from rat liver. It was demonstrated that the enzyme protein was not detectable when guinea pig poly(A)+ RNA was used for the translation, indicating that the mRNA for the enzyme is absent in the guinea pig or, if it exists, is not translatable.
23S,25R,26-Trihydroxyvitamin D3 and (23S,25R)-25-hydroxyvitamin D3 26,23-lactol were chemically synthesized, and the metabolism of the two compounds to (23S,25R)-25-hydroxyvitamin D3 26,23-lactone in chick kidney homogenates was studied. 23S,25R,26-trihydroxyvitamin D3 was efficiently metabolized to the lactone in kidney homogenates from vitamin D-supplemented chicks, but not from vitamin D-deficient chicks. In contrast, the (23S,25R)-25-hydroxyvitamin D3 26,23-lactol was converted to the lactone in kidney homogenates regardless of the vitamin D status of the animals used. A new metabolite was isolated in pure form from the incubation mixture of 23S,25R,26-trihydroxyvitamin D3 with kidney homogenates prepared from vitamin D-supplemented chicks. The metabolite was identified as (23S,25R)-25-hydroxyvitamin D3 26,23-lactol by its ultraviolet and mass spectra and by derivatization. The structure was confirmed by direct comparison with an authentic sample on high pressure liquid chromatography. The evidence suggests that the stereochemistries of the isolated lactol at the 23- and 25-positions are S and R, respectively.
BACKGROUND: Compositae dermatitis involves workers such as gardeners, florists, and farmers, and less commonly people not employed in occupations at risk. OBJECTIVE: To report a case of contact sensitization caused by Compositae, the source of sensitization being both pesticides and plants. METHODS: A 65-year-old man, whose hobby was gardening, was affected by a chronic eczema of the face and the hands for 6 months that reoccurred after using fertilizers and handling plants. Patch tests with the International Contact Dermatitis Research Group standard series, the plants series and pesticides series (Hermal Trolab) were performed. RESULTS: We found the following positive reactions at day 2 and day 3: sesquiterpene lactone mix, 0.1% in petrolatum; arnica tincture, 20% in petrolatum; pyrethrum, 2% in petrolatum; captafol, 0.1% in petrolatum. CONCLUSION: Pyrethrum and its derivatives are made from Compositae plants; the arnica tincture is obtained from Arnica montana, which is also a member of the Compositae family. In our patient, the clinical manifestations were certainly caused by the exposure to sesquiterpene lactones, confirmed by the positive patch test to sesquiterpene lactone mix.
Thirteen costus-sensitive patients were patch tested with 38 sesquiterpene lactones of five different classes over a two-year period. Cross-reacting agents fell into two chemical categories: (1) those that resembled the primary sensitizer, and (2) those belonging to different skeletal classes. An exocyclic methylene group conjugated to a gamma-lactone was present in both chemicals that cross-reacted and those that did not. The difference between these two groups is that cross-reacting chemicals are not highly substituted, tending to be lipophilic, while those giving negative responses all are highly substituted at the C-8/C-6 position. This functional group may hinder binding of exocyclic methylene with skin protein or the actual antigenic site with an immune receptor cell.
The synthesis of the alpha-chrysanthemylmethylen-gamma- and delta-lactones 7-9, 11, 12 from the lactones 1-3, 5 and that of 10 from 2-oxo-chroman (4) and the aldehyd 6 is described. The compounds 7-9 and 11, 12 show cytostatic activity.
Simple (non-tandem) electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS) can detect acyl homoserine lactones (AHL) in bacteriological media in picomole amounts. The chemical reactivity of AHLs and their extraction behaviour into ethyl acetate, coupled with detection in the ESMS, has shown that these lactones can be detected as the protonated pseudomolecular ions themselves as well as solvent and ammonium adducts, and as dimers. ESMS detects and identifies these molecules, utilizing simple chemical properties of AHLs.
Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo) is one of most frequently used botanical dietary supplements. The bioactive constituents include the terpenoid lactones consisting of bilobalide and the ginkgolides A, B, C and J. A new assay based on high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed for the measurement of the terpenoid lactones in ginkgo products such as leaf powder and extracts. Initially, the MS/MS fragmentation pathways of ginkgolides were investigated to identify abundant fragment ions that might be useful for the sensitive and selective detection of ginkgolides and bilobalide during LC/MS/MS. Then, sample preparation and clean-up procedures were streamlined to maximize throughput by taking advantage of the selectivity of LC/MS/MS detection. Analyte recoveries exceeded 90%, the intra-assay and inter-assay relative standard deviations were <5%, the relative error was <8% and the limits of detection and quantification were 3.6-120 and 11-350 fmol, depending on the analyte that was injected on to the LC column. Therefore, this LC/MS/MS assay facilitated the rapid quantitative analysis of ginkgolides A, B, C and J and bilobalide in ginkgo dietary supplements with excellent recovery, reproducibity, accuracy and sensitivity.
A new complex of cyclic peptide lactone antibiotics from Bacillus subtilis, which we named maltacines, has recently been described. The structure elucidation of four of them is reported in this paper. The amino acid sequences and structures of the peptides were found by MSn of the ring-opened linear peptides that gave uninterrupted sequences of Bn and Y''n ions. The identities of three unknown residues in the sequences were solved by a combination of derivatization with phenyl isothiocyanate (PITC), high-resolution mass spectrometry and H/D exchange. The nature and position of the cyclic structure were revealed by a chemoselective ring opening with Na18OH and was found to be a lactone formed between a hydroxyl of residue number 4 and the C-terminal amino acid number 12. For verification of the structure of the B2+ ion, peptides with different combinations of P/Q and P/K at the N-terminus were synthesized. The structures of the four peptides were found to be as follows: B1a/B2a, cyclo-4,12(P-Q-Y-HNLeu-A-E-T-Y-Orn-103-Y-I-OH); and B1b/B2b, cyclo-4,12(P-Q-Y-HNLeu-A-E-T-Y-K-103-Y-I-OH).
A new complex of cyclic peptide lactone antibiotics from Bacillus subtilis, which we named Maltacines, has recently been described. The structure elucidation of four of them is reported in this paper. The amino acid sequences and structures of the peptides were found by MS(n) of the ring-opened linear peptides, which gave uninterrupted sequences of Bn and Y''n ions. The identities of three unknown residues in the sequences were solved by a combination of derivatisation with phenylisothiocyanate (PITC), high-resolution mass spectrometry and H/D exchange. The nature and position of the cyclic structure was disclosed by a chemo-selective ring opening with Na18OH and was found to be a lactone formed between a hydroxyl of residue number 4 and the C-terminal amino acid number 12. For verification of the structure of the B2+ ion, peptides with different combinations of P/Q and P/K at the N-terminus were synthesised. The structure of the four peptides were found to be: C1a and C2a: cyclo-4,12(P-Q-Y-Adip-V-E-T-Y-Orn-103-Y-I-OH) and C1b/C2b: cyclo-4,12(P-Q-Y-Adip-V-E-T-Y-K-103-Y-I-OH). Adip = aminodihydroxy pentanoic acid.
A new complex of cyclic peptide lactone antibiotics from Bacillus subtilis, which we named Maltacines has recently been described. The structure elucidation of three of them is reported in this paper. The amino acid sequences and structures of the peptides were found by MS(n) of the ring-opened linear peptides that gave uninterrupted sequences of Bn and Y''n ions. The identities of four unknown residues in the sequences were solved by a combination of derivatisation with phenylisothiocyanate (PITC), high-resolution mass spectrometry and H/D exchange. The nature and position of the cyclic structure was disclosed by a chemo-selective ring opening with Na18OH and was found to be a lactone formed between a hydroxyl of residue number 4 and the C-terminal amino acid number 12. For verification of the structure of the B2 + ion, peptides with different combinations of P/Q and P/K at the N-terminus were synthesized. The structures of the four peptides is tentatively suggested to be: D1a: cyclo(4,12)-P-Q-Y-Adip-A-E-T-Y-Orn-HGly-Y-I-OH, D1b: cyclo(4,12)-P-Q-Y-Adip-A-E-T-Y-Orn-S-Y-I-OH and D1c: cyclo(4,12)-P-Q-Y-Adip-A-E-T-Y-K-S-Y-I-OH. Adip = aminodihydroxy pentanoic acid and HGly = hydroxyglycine.
The effect of hydrolyzing lactone functional groups on the surfaces of different activated carbons upon the specific and nonspecific interactions between phenobarbital and activated carbon surfaces was studied. The effect of temperature on both specific and nonspecific interactions was also studied. The increase in OH groups on the surfaces of activated carbons, as a result of hydrolyzing surface lactone groups, caused an increase in the specific adsorption capacity (K(2)) for phenobarbital without having a significant effect on the hydrophobic bonding capacity (K(HB)). Increasing the temperature at which the adsorption experiment was carried out, on the other hand, resulted in a decrease in K(HB) without having a significant effect on K(2). The decrease in K(HB) per unit temperature increase was the same regardless of the activated carbon. These results are in very good agreement with the modified-Langmuir-like equation (M-LLE).
Various alkyl and aralkyl esters of pilocarpic acid were synthesized and evaluated as prodrug forms for pilocarpine with the purpose of improving the ocular bioavailability of pilocarpine through increased corneal membrane permeability. The esters were found to undergo a quantitative cyclization to pilocarpine in aqueous solution of pH 3.5-10, the rate of cyclization being a function of the polar and steric effects within the alcohol portion of the esters. The rates of lactonization increased proportionally with the hydroxide ion activity over the pH range studied which is in accord with a reaction mechanism involving intramolecular nucleophilic attack of alkoxide ion on the ester carbonyl moiety. At pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C, half-times of lactonization ranging from 30 min (p-chlorobenzyl ester) to 1105 min (n-hexyl ester) were observed for the various esters. The esters are markedly more lipophilic than pilocarpine. The results suggested that the pilocarpic acid esters may be potentially useful prodrugs, especially when further derivatized to give in vitro stable pilocarpic acid diesters.
An HPLC method has been developed for the analysis of sesquiterpene lactones of the neurotoxic plant Centaurea solstitialis (Asteraceae). The presence of sesquiterpene lactone chlorohydrins in extracts was investigated by means of liquid chromatography-thermospray mass spectrometry. In contrast to earlier reports of a series of mono- and dichlorohydrins from this plant, traces only of two monochlorohydrins could be detected in lipophilic extracts. Model studies carried out with extracts and with the genuine sesquiterpene diepoxide repin and its epimer subluteolide showed that (i) monochlorohydrins can be formed in CHCl3 under usual laboratory conditions; (ii) the epoxide moiety at C-4 of the sesquiterpenes is extremely labile, reacting immediately and quantitatively with traces of HCl to the corresponding monohydrins; (iii) epoxide ring opening at the acyl side chain occurs only at higher HCl concentrations. Confirmation of the peak identity was obtained by the isotope ratio of chlorinated compounds and comparison with authentic samples. The structures of the mono- and dichlorohydrins were established by NMR spectroscopy.
The sesquiterpene lactone fraction of Saussurea lappa roots was evaluated for its effect on the transudative, exudative and proliferative phases of inflammation using the cotton pellet granuloma assay in rats. The fraction (25-100 mg/kg, p.o.) showed significant dose-dependent inhibition of the increase in wet weight of the cotton pellet at 3 h (transudative phase), leakage of dye from the bloodstream around granuloma at 24 h (exudative phase) and increase in dry weight of the cotton pellet on day 6 (proliferative phase). It significantly lowered the elevated biochemical parameters such as alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase and significantly elevated the lowered albumin concentration in serum. The studies suggest that the antiinflammatory activity of the sesquiterpene lactone fraction of S. lappa may, in part, be due to stabilization of lysosomal membranes and an antiproliferative effect.
The aerial parts of Centaurothamnus maximus yielded three cytotoxic guaianolides, chlorojanerin (1), cynaropicrin (2) and janerin (3). The structure elucidation of 1-3 was based on (1)H and (13)C NMR data, mainly 2D-NMR (1)H-(1)H COSY and (1)H-(13)C HETCOR experiments. Compounds 1-3 showed in vitro cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell lines of malignant melanoma (SK-MEL), epidermoid (KB), ductal (BT-549) and ovarian (SK-OV-3) carcinomas with IC(50) values of 2-6 microgram/mL. In addition, 12 sesquiterpene lactones (4-15), isolated previously from the aerial parts of Vicoa pentanema, were evaluated for cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities. 2alpha- Acetoxy-3beta-hydroxyalantolactone (10) and 8beta-hydroxyparthenolide (14) were found to be the main cytotoxic agents (IC(50) values of 2-6 microgram/mL against SK-MEL, BT-549 and SK-OV-3), while lactones 4, 5, 11 and 15 selectively inhibited the growth of human malignant melanoma (IC(50) value of 3.6-7.3 microgram/mL). Cell aggregation and cell adhesion assays, using HL-60 and HeLa cell lines, evaluated the effect of cytotoxic constituents 1-3, 10 and 14 on immune response and inflammation.