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Alkyl azides showed mutagenicity for S. typhimurium TA100 strain with S9 mix. However, no significant activity was observed for TA98 either with or without S9 mix or for TA100 without S9 mix. On the other hand, 3-azido-1,2-propanediol showed the enantioselective activity regardless of S9 mix. Two aryl azides tested were not mutagenic, and trimethylsilyl azide exhibited potent activity for TA100. Their structure-activity relationships are discussed.
The absorption of glycerol was examined using the closed loop of the rat small intestine in situ to clarify the transport mechanism. The absorption of glycerol, evaluated by its disappearance from the intestinal lumen, was saturable and reduced under the Na(+)-free conditions, suggesting the involvement of an Na(+)-dependent carrier-mediated transport system. Furthermore, glycerol absorption was selectively inhibited by several alcohols, among which 1,3-propanediol caused the greatest inhibition, and also by glycerol-3-phosphate and voglibose, which are alcohol-related compounds analogous to glycerol. Several other compounds that did not inhibit glycerol absorption included D-glucose and L-ascorbate, which are known to be transported by specific carriers. Therefore, the carriers for these two compounds do not seem to be involved in glycerol absorption. It is likely that the carrier-mediated transport system involved in glycerol absorption is specific to glycerol and, possibly, some analogous compounds with hydroxyl groups. Thus, the present study has provided in situ evidence for the presence of an Na(+)-dependent carrier-mediated transport system for glycerol in the rat small intestine. It would be interesting to examine the possibility that the carrier-mediated glycerol transport system could be involved in drug absorption and also that it could be used for oral drug delivery.
It has recently been suggested that an Na(+)-dependent carrier-mediated transport system is involved in intestinal glycerol absorption. Such a transport system is of general interest as a possible pathway of drug delivery and a target of drug development. However, the Na(+)-dependent mechanism of cellular glycerol uptake has not been fully clarified in the small intestine or in any other organ. The purpose of the present study was to examine glycerol uptake in the HCT-15 human colon cancer cell line, which was found to be able to perform Na(+)-dependent glycerol uptake, to determine the transport characteristics and help identify such glycerol transport systems. The uptake of glycerol in HCT-15 cells was highly saturable with a Michaelis constant of 15.0 microM and a maximum uptake rate of 11.9 pmol/min/mg protein, accompanied by minimal unsaturable transport; it was reduced markedly under Na(+)-free conditions, indicating Na+ requirement. Glycerol uptake was also reduced by 2,4-dinitrophenol, a metabolic inhibitor. These results suggest that a carrier-mediated glycerol transport system, which is Na(+)-dependent and secondarily active, is present in HCT-15 cells. The transport system could be specific for glycerol and some analogous compounds with hydroxyl groups, since glycerol uptake was inhibited by some alcohols and compounds related to glycerol, such as 1,2-propanediol and glycerol 3-phosphpate. However, it may represent a high affinity transport system, which is different from the one in the small intestine, because the Michaelis constant of 15.0 microM is about 50-fold lower than that observed in the rat small intestine. In conclusion, this is the first study to demonstrate an Na(+)-dependent carrier-mediated glycerol transport in an established cell line. This will help in identifying a group of Na(+)-dependent glycerol transport systems and elucidating their transport mechanisms, although the one found in HCT-15 cells in this study seems to be different from one previously found in the rat small intestine.
1-Isopropylnaphthalene (1) was administered orally to rabbits and the following eight metabolites, 2-(1-naphthyl)-2-propanol (7), 2-(1-naphthyl)-1-propanol (8: R/S = 83:17), 2-(1-naphthyl)-1,2-propanediol (9:R/S = 40:60), 4-isopropyl-1,2-naphthoquinone (10), 4-isopropyl-1-naphthol (11), 4-isopropyl-2-naphthol (12), 5-isopropyl-2-naphthol (13), and 2-(1-naphthyl)propanoic acid (14') as its methyl ester (14: R/S = 52:48), were isolated from urine. Among them, three metabolites (8, 9, and 14), possessing an asymmetric carbon atom in the molecule, were formed enantioselectively and five metabolites (7, 10, 11, 12, and 13) were formed regioselectively. The presumed metabolic pathways of 1-isopropylnaphthalene (1) in rabbits leading to these metabolites are discussed.
Various sulfated cerebroside analogs, which are mimicks of cerebroside, have been prepared from per-O-acetylated D-glucose, per-O-acetylated D-galactose, and per-O-acetylated D-lactose with ethyleneglycol dodecyl ether, 3-docosyloxy-1-propanol, 2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-O-dimyristyl-1,3-propanediol, and L-serine diamide derivatives as ceramide moieties. The synthesized sulfated glycolipids showed anti-HIV-1 activities.
Several 2-alkanols (2-propanol, 2-butanol, 2-pentanol, etc.) were examined as substrates for ADP-ribosylation in the NAD/NADase enzymatic system. Even though these secondary alcohols have hydroxy groups that are subject to the steric influence of a methyl group, they were shown to be efficiently ADP-ribosylated. However, in the case of 3-alkanol (3-butanol), only slight ADP-ribosylation was observed. In this enzymatic reaction, 1,2-propanediol provided both 1-O- and 2-O-ADP-ribosylation products in the ratio 1:1 as determined by 1H-NMR spectrometry. On the other hand, an equimolar mixture system of 1- and 2-propanols provided major 1-O- and minor 2-O-ribosylation products in the ratio 4:1. This is the first report of O-ADP-ribosylation of terminal secondary alcohols with the NAD/NADase enzymatic system.
To obtain optically active threo-2-amino-3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanoic acid (1), (2RS,3SR)-2-benzoylamino-3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanoic acid [(2RS,3SR)-2] was first optically resolved using (1S,2S)- and (1R,2R)-2-amino-1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,3-propanediol as the resolving agents to afford (2R,3S)- and (2S,3R)-2 in yields of 73% and 66%, based on half of the starting amount of (2RS,3SR)-2. Next, the racemic structures of ammonium and some organic ammonium salts of (2RS,3SR)-2 were examined based on melting point, solubility, and infrared spectrum, with the aim of optical resolution by preferential crystallization. The benzylammonium salt of (2RS,3SR)-2 was suggested to exist as a conglomerate at room temperature, although it forms a racemic compound at the melting point. The optical resolution by preferential crystallization of the racemic salt afforded the (2R,3S)- and (2S,3R)-salts with optical purities of 90-97%. The (2R,3S)- and (2S,3R)-2 obtained from the purified salts were hydrolyzed by reflux in hydrochloric acid to give (2R,3S)- and (2S,3R)-1.
Three new phenolics, (1S,2R)-1-(4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-3'-methoxyphenyl)-2-(4''-hydroxy-3''-methoxyphenyl)-1,3-propanediol, symplolignanoside A, and 3,4-dimethoxyphenol beta-D-apiofuranosyl(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, along with eight known compounds were isolated from the roots of Symplocos caudata Wall. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods.
Enzyme-catalyzed organic syntheses have enormous potential in the development of environmentally benign processes. In the last two decades, increased efforts have been devoted to making this a reality. However, the utility of the enzymes is generally limited. For example, although the lipases are extensively used for the kinetic resolution or the desymmetrization of alcohols and carboxylic acid derivatives, little is known about their ability to catalyze carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions. In the past several years, we have been engaged in exploiting a next-generation enzymatic synthesis by using the lipases for the construction of carbon skeletons. This review article describes the results. First, the development of a new type of acyl donor, 1-ethoxyvinyl esters (EVEs), that have significant advantages over common acyl donors (e.g., vinyl esters) for lipase-catalyzed esterification reactions. Second, the highly enantioselective desymmetrization of prochiral 1,3-propanediols and meso 1,2-diols using 1-ethoxyvinyl 2-furoate. The application of this technology for the asymmetric syntheses of fredericamycin A analogues and the oxindoles with a chiral, nonracemic quaternary carbon center has been demonstrated. Third, the first lipase-catalyzed domino reaction using EVEs possessing a suitably functionalized acyl moiety is described. The acyl moiety installed during the enzymatic kinetic resolution was used as a part of the constituent structure for the subsequent Diels--Alder reaction to product optically pure tricyclic compounds with five chiral carbon centers via a one-pot operation. The potential influence of the lipase on the Diets--Alder reaction and the domino process accompanied by the dynamic kinetic resolution are also described.
Effects of FTY720 (2-amino-2-(2-[4-octylphenyl]ethyl)-1,3-propanediol HCl), a novel immunosuppressant, were examined on neurons and thymocytes respectively dissociated from rat brains and thymus glands using a flow cytometer to see if FTY720 exerts cytotoxic actions not only on spleen cells as previously reported but also on the other cells. FTY720 at a concentration of 10 microM deteriorated almost all of the thymocytes, while it was not the case for brain neurons. FTY720 increased the intracellular concentration of Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) of thymocytes in both the presence and absence of external Ca2+, although the [Ca2+]i increased by FTY720 in the presence of external Ca2+ was much greater than that in the absence of external Ca2+. Thus, FTY720 may increase the membrane permeability of Ca2+ and release Ca2+ from intracellular Ca2+ stores in thymocytes. Furthermore, the number of thymocytes stained with ethidium, a dye impermeant to intact membranes, time-dependently increased after drug application. Therefore, FTY720 at concentrations of 3 - 10 microM non-specifically increases the membrane permeability of thymocytes, resulting in necrotic cell death, although FTY720 at micromolar concentrations was reported to induce apoptosis of spleen cells.
A new case of alcoholic ketoacidosis (AKA) is presented because of unusual clinical and biochemical features. Although it shares some similarities with typical cases of AKA, it appears as unique because of predominantly neurological, rather than abdominal symptoms, major ketogenesis with normal ketone body ratio, the presence of large amounts of propanediol and the absence of an osmolar gap.
My research awarded includes contributions to cryopreservation and sexing of bovine embryos produced in vitro and in vivo, as follows; (1) In vivo-derived morulae and blastocysts were cryopreserved in the presence of 10% glycerol, and the embryos were transferred into recipients after two-step dilution of glycerol in straw, with a practically acceptable pregnancy rate. (2) The survival rate of 16-cell stage embryos frozen in the medium with ethylene glycol was higher than that with DMSO or 1,2-propanediol. Addition of linoleic acid-albumin to culture medium enhanced the survival rate of post-thaw bovine 16-cell stage in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos. (3) Polarization of cytoplasmic lipid droplets by centrifugation of 2-cell stage embryos was found effective to increase freezing tolerance in 16-cell stage embryos developed from the centrifuged embryos, because blastomeres of 16-cell stage embryos were mostly lipid-free. (4) The usefulness of gel-loading tip (GL-Tip) as a container for ultra-rapid vitrification was demonstrated in IVP embryos from 2-cell to blastocyst stages, with a higher in vitro survival than the conventional two-step freezing. (5) PCR analysis for sexing of in vivo-derived Day-7 embryos indicated that male embryos developed faster and graded higher than female embryos. But such correlation between genetic sex and embryonic development was not found in IVP embryos obtained from individual cows. (6) Addition of 0.1-1.0% deproteinized hemodialysate product from calf blood to culture medium increased the producing efficiency of demi-embryos with good quality. Female embryos rather than male embryos required a longer time to repair after bisection. (7) In vivo-derived bovine embryos after biopsy for sexing by PCR analysis and subsequent vitrification using GL-Tips are available to practical use in the field. (8) Introduction of primer extension preamplification-PCR and purification of DNA product before standard sexing PCR of biopsy samples from Day 3-4 in vitro-derived embryos allowed accurate sex determination, and Day-7 blastocysts developed from Day 3-4 embryos were cryopreserved by GL-Tip vitrification without a loss of their viability. Thus the field application of bovine embryo transfer is in part supported by improvements of technologies in embryo cryopreservation and sex pre-determination.
Improving pregnancy rates associated with the use of cryopreserved human oocytes would be an important advance in human assisted reproductive technology (ART). Vitrification allows glasslike solidification of a solution without ice crystal formation in the living cells. We have attempted to improve the survival rates of oocytes by a vitrification technique using bovine models. In vitro matured oocytes with or without cumulus cells were vitrified with either 15.0% (v/v) ethylene glycol (EG) + 15% (v/v) dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) + 0.5 M sucrose or 15% (v/v) EG + 15% (v/v) 1,2-propanediol (PROH) + 0.5 M sucrose, using 'Cryotop' or 'thin plastic sticker', respectively. The oocyte survival rates after vitrifying-warming, and the capacity for fertilization and embryonic development were examined in vitro. The rate of embryonic development to blastocyst was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the oocytes vitrified with 15% (v/v) EG + 15% (v/v) PROH + 0.5 M sucrose than in the oocytes vitrified with 15% (v/v) EG + 15% (v/v) DMSO + 0.5 M sucrose (7.4% +/- 4.1 vs. 1.7% +/- 3.0, respectively). Oocytes vitrified without cumulus cells had a higher survival rate after thawing and a superior embryonic developmental capacity compared with oocytes vitrified with cumulus cells. Prolonged pre-incubation time after thawing adversely affected the rates of embryonic cleavage and development. These results indicate that in vitro matured bovine oocytes can be vitrified successfully with the mixture of the cryoprotectants, EG + PROH, the absence of cumulus cells for vitrification does not affect oocyte survival rate after warming, and vitrified and warmed oocytes do not require pre-incubation before in vitro fertilization.
In 1981, in Spain, the ingestion of an oil fraudulently sold as olive oil caused an outbreak of a previously unrecorded condition, later known as toxic oil syndrome (TOS), clinically characterized by intense incapacitating myalgias, marked peripheral eosinophilia, and pulmonary infiltrates. Of the 20,000 persons affected, approximately 300 died shortly after the onset of the disease and a larger number developed chronic disease. For more than 15 years, a scientific committee supported by the World Health Organization's Regional Office for Europe and by the Institute of Health Carlos III in Madrid has guided investigation intended to identify the causal agent(s), to assess toxicity and mode of action, to establish the pathogenesis of the disease, and to detect late consequences. This report summarizes advances in research on this front. No late mortality excess has been detected. Among survivors, the prevalence of some chronic conditions (e.g., sclerodermia, neurologic changes) is high. Attempts to reproduce the condition in laboratory animals have been unsuccessful, and no condition similar to TOS has been reported in the scientific literature. Laboratory findings suggest an autoimmune mechanism for TOS, such as high levels of seric soluble interleukin-2 receptor. Epidemiologic studies integrated with chemical analyses of case-related oils have shown that the disease is strongly associated with the consumption of oils containing fatty acid esters of 3-(N-phenylamino)-1,2-propanediol (PAP). These chemicals have also been found in oils synthesized under conditions simulating those hypothesized to have occurred when the toxic oil was produced in 1981. Whether PAP esters are simply markers of toxicity of oils or have the capability to induce the disease remains to be elucidated.
Hypophosphatasia (HOPS) is a clinically heterogeneous heritable disorder characterized by defective skeletal mineralization, deficiency of tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) activity, and premature loss of deciduous teeth. The gene for TNSALP is located on chromosome 1p34-36.1 and consists of 12 exons and 11 introns. In our previous study, we found the novel point mutations (G1144A and T979C) from the genomic TNSALP gene of a patient with childhood HOPS. In this study, we have characterized the protein translated from the mutant G1144A gene. Wild-type and G1144A mutant-type TNSALP cDNA expression vector pcDNA3 have been constructed and transfected to COS-1 cells by lipofectin technique. After 48-h or 72-h transfection, cells were collected and homogenized using polytron homogenizer. After centrifugation at 10,000 g for 10 minutes, the supernatant was assayed. ALP activity was determined with 10 mM of p-nitrophenylphosphate as a substrate in 100 mM of 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol-HCl buffer containing 5 mM of MgCl2. ALP activity of cells transfected with the mutant cDNA (G1144A) plasmid after 48-h or 72-h transfection exhibited 0.063 +/- 0.012 U/mg and 0.054 +/- 0.012 U/mg, respectively. As the enzymatic activity of the wild type was taken as 100%, the value of the mutant was estimated as 2.7% and 1.7%, respectively. These values were not significantly different from those found with mock-transfected cells, that is, 2.5% and 1.5%, respectively. This study indicated that the mutation (G1144A) produced the inactive ALP enzyme and would be a disease-causing mutation of the childhood-type HOPS.
The human enteropathogen, Yersinia enterocolitica, is a significant link in the range of Yersinia pathologies extending from mild gastroenteritis to bubonic plague. Comparison at the genomic level is a key step in our understanding of the genetic basis for this pathogenicity spectrum. Here we report the genome of Y. enterocolitica strain 8081 (serotype 0:8; biotype 1B) and extensive microarray data relating to the genetic diversity of the Y. enterocolitica species. Our analysis reveals that the genome of Y. enterocolitica strain 8081 is a patchwork of horizontally acquired genetic loci, including a plasticity zone of 199 kb containing an extraordinarily high density of virulence genes. Microarray analysis has provided insights into species-specific Y. enterocolitica gene functions and the intraspecies differences between the high, low, and nonpathogenic Y. enterocolitica biotypes. Through comparative genome sequence analysis we provide new information on the evolution of the Yersinia. We identify numerous loci that represent ancestral clusters of genes potentially important in enteric survival and pathogenesis, which have been lost or are in the process of being lost, in the other sequenced Yersinia lineages. Our analysis also highlights large metabolic operons in Y. enterocolitica that are absent in the related enteropathogen, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, indicating major differences in niche and nutrients used within the mammalian gut. These include clusters directing, the production of hydrogenases, tetrathionate respiration, cobalamin synthesis, and propanediol utilisation. Along with ancestral gene clusters, the genome of Y. enterocolitica has revealed species-specific and enteropathogen-specific loci. This has provided important insights into the pathology of this bacterium and, more broadly, into the evolution of the genus. Moreover, wider investigations looking at the patterns of gene loss and gain in the Yersinia have highlighted common themes in the genome evolution of other human enteropathogens.
STUDY OBJECTIVES: Benzodiazepines are commonly administered to medical ICU (MICU) patients. Propylene glycol (1,2-propanediol) is the solvent used to deliver lorazepam and diazepam IV. Although propylene glycol toxicity is increasingly recognized and reported, its incidence is unknown. Herein, we describe five MICU patients who acquired severe propylene glycol toxicity due to IV lorazepam or diazepam administration. Additionally, we evaluate the incidence of propylene glycol toxicity in MICU patients receiving IV lorazepam or diazepam. DESIGN: Case series and prospective, observational study. SETTING: Eighteen-bed MICU in a 550-bed urban academic hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: MICU patients administered IV benzodiazepines during a 3-month period were enrolled. Patients were categorized according to the IV benzodiazepine that they received. Laboratory data and highlights of their clinical course were recorded daily. The incidence of propylene glycol toxicity was determined and the groups compared. RESULTS: Forty-four patients were enrolled. Twenty-one patients received a benzodiazepine delivered in propylene glycol (lorazepam or diazepam), and 23 patients received a benzodiazepine delivered in an alternative solvent (midazolam). We found that four patients (19%) who received IV lorazepam or diazepam had metabolic evidence of propylene glycol toxicity. None of the patients had clinical deterioration. Neither metabolic abnormality nor clinical deterioration suggestive of propylene glycol toxicity were identified in subjects receiving IV midazolam. CONCLUSION: Propylene glycol toxicity is a potentially life-threatening iatrogenic complication that is common and preventable. It should be considered whenever a patient has an unexplained anion gap, unexplained metabolic acidosis, hyperosmolality, and/or clinical deterioration. Close monitoring of all patients receiving IV lorazepam or diazepam for early evidence of propylene glycol toxicity is warranted.
Immobilized penicillin acylase is a moderately priced versatile enzyme, that is able to catalyze the synthesis of derived penicillins and cephalosporins from the corresponding beta-lactam nuclei and proper side-chain precursors. Kinetically controlled synthesis is a better strategy when product yield is a key issue. Yield should increase at reduced water activity by depressing the competing hydrolytic reactions in favor of synthesis; therefore, organic cosolvents can be a suitable reaction media for synthesis. Using response surface methodology and product yield as objective function, temperature and pH were optimized in the kinetically controlled synthesis of ampicillin using previously screened cosolvents and reaction conditions. Optimum pH was 6.0 for ethylene glycol (EG) and glycerol (GL) and 6.6 for 1-2 propanediol (PD); optimum temperature was 30 degrees C for GL and for EG and PD was in the lower extreme of the range studied, optimum lying below 26 degrees C. Maximum molar yields predicted by the model were 58,51, and 46% for EG, GL, and PD, respectively, which were experimentally validated. Highest yield in aqueous buffer was always <40%. Molar yields about 60% compare favorably with values reported for the kinetically and thermodynamically controlled synthesis of ampicillin and other derived penicillins.