Novel Unsymmetrical Ru(III) and Mixed-valence Ru(III)/Ru(II) Dinuclear Compounds Related to the Antimetastatic Ru(III) Drug NAMI-A.

In this paper we report the stepwise preparation and the characterization of new unsymmetrical monoanionic Ru(III) dinuclear compounds, [NH(4)][{trans-RuCl(4)(Me(2)SO-S)}(mu-L){mer-RuCl(3)(Me(2)SO-S)(Me(2)SO-O)}] (L = pyz (1), pym (2)). By a similar synthetic approach we also prepared new mixed-valence Ru(III)/Ru(II) dinuclear compounds of formula [NH(4)][{trans-RuCl(4)(Me(2)SO-S)}(mu-pyz){cis,cis,cis-RuCl(2)(Me(2)SO-S)(2)(CO)}] (L = pyrazine (pyz, 3), pyrimidine (pym, 4)). Moreover, we describe the chemical behavior of compounds 1-4 in physiological solution, also after complete reduction (with ascorbic acid) to the corresponding Ru(II)/Ru(II) species. Overall, the chemical behavior of 1 and 2 after reduction resembles that of the corresponding dianionic and neutral dinuclear species, [{trans-RuCl(3)(Me(2)SO-S)}(2)(mu-L)](2-)and [{mer-RuCl(3)(Me(2)SO-S)(Me(2)SO-O)}(2) (mu-L)]. On the other hand, the mixed-valence dinuclear compounds 3 and 4, owing to the great inertness of the cis,cis,cis-RuCl(2)(Me(2)SO-S)(2)(CO)(1/2mu-L) fragment, behave substantially like the mononuclear species [trans-RuCl(4)(Me(2)SO-S)(L)](-) in which the terminally bonded L ligand can be considered as bearing a bulky substituent on the other N atom.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of chiral biologically active heterocycles.

The chemoenzymatic approach to the preparation of some chiral biologically active heterocycles is discussed. Synthetic strategies took advantage of enantioselective bioconversion processes carried out on suitable reaction intermediates. Reductions of carbonyl compounds catalyzed by different alcohol dehydogenases (TBADH from Thermoanaerobium brockii, 20 beta-HSDH from Streptomyces hydrogenans, beta-HSDH from Pseudomonas testosteroni) allowed the preparation with high enantiomeric purity of the eutomer of broxaterol (a selective beta 2-adrenergic agonist) and six out of the eight muscarine stereoisomers. On the other hand, hydrolyses, catalyzed by lipase PS (from Pseudomonas cepacia), of racemic butyrates were the key step in the synthesis of both the enantiomers of two muscarinic antagonists. Finally, the preparation of acetyl cycloserine antipodes was attained by means of a highly enantioselective hydrolysis catalyzed by lipase from Chromobacterium viscosum.

Synthesis and pharmacological investigation of new chiral muscarinic antagonists.

The two pairs of enantiomers of isoxazolidin-3-ones 3 and 4 were synthesized by means of Lipase PS-catalyzed hydrolyses of suitable racemic butyrates. The same butyrates were also employed as key intermediates in the preparation of racemic 3 and 4. The antimuscarinic potency of the new compounds was assayed in two in vitro functional tests. The eutomers (-)-3 and (-)-4 share the same stereochemistry (5R) of the most potent enantiomer of "azamuscarone" 2, a structurally related muscarinic agonist. Such a spatial arrangement around the chiral center of 2-4, coupled with the low values of eudismic ratio, represents an anomaly among the chiral muscarinic ligands. This anomaly was accounted for by the absence of a chiral center at C-2, a position whose configuration is crucial in determining the high enantioselectivity of muscarinic agonists and antagonists.

Synthesis and muscarinic activity of the chiral forms of methylenemuscarones.

The synthesis of the two pairs of enantiomers of methylenemuscarones 3 and 4 has been accomplished by using (R)- and (S)-lactic esters as starting materials. Due to the existence of different muscarinic receptor subtypes, the compounds were examined for their ability to bind membranes from cerebral cortex (M1), heart (M2), and salivary glands (M3) and were assayed in "in vitro" functional tests as well. The results of such an investigation put in evidence that, in both binding and functional tests, (-)-3 (2S,5S) and (-)-4 (2R,5S) were the eutomers and shared the stereochemistry of the eutomer of muscarone and allomuscarone respectively. It is worth noting that the distomer of 3 and 4 behaves as a partial agonist in the cardiac tissue and as a full agonist in the other preparations. This peculiarity of the chiral forms of 3 and 4 could account for the remarkable selectivity for the ileum observed in the corresponding racemates.

Peptidolytic monoclonal antibody elicited by a neuropeptide.

We report evidence that a monoclonal antibody raised by immunization with a vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-carrier protein conjugate selectively hydrolyzes VIP and a fluorescence quenched decapeptide (FQ14-22D), representing the region of VIP most susceptible to autoantibody-mediated cleavage (residues 14-22). A high affinity of the antibody for VIP and a lower affinity for FQ14-22D were revealed by kinetic studies and further substantiated by potent inhibition of FQ14-22D cleaving activity by full-length VIP. Sequencing of FQ14-22D hydrolysis products indicated selective cleavage at one peptide bond. These observations suggest that antibodies induced against naturally occurring polypeptide antigens can express peptidolytic activity targeted for specific sequences in the recognition epitope.

Enzymatic synthesis of ampicillin: a chemometric optimization.

Statistical methods of optimization were applied to the enzymatic semisynthesis of ampicillin catalyzed by penicillin acylase. Since the traditional approach fails in determining both the presence of interactions between the variables and their magnitude, the reaction was reconsidered by means of chemometric techniques. In this work we determined the interaction between temperature and pH for the first time.

Chemometric optimization of an asymmetric reduction catalyzed by baker's yeast.

The stereoselective reduction of ethyl acetoacetate to (+)-(S)-ethyl 3-hydroxybutyrate catalyzed by Saccharomyces cerevisiae was optimized by means of chemometric methods. The quantitative effects of temperature, time of incubation, and concentrations of yeast and substrate on the optical purity and on the percent of reduced substrate were investigated using a factorial design at two levels. This approach gave information about the chemical behavior of the catalyst. The variability of the two responses was expressed by means of their corresponding response surfaces. Use of desirability functions allowed the overall optimization of the process, also taking into account the importance of economic factors. The investigation showed that it is possible to reduce the substrate completely obtaining (+)-(S)-ethyl 3-hydroxybutyrate with percent of enantiomeric excess>98% and, at the same time, to operate in more convenient experimental conditions than those previously reported.

E. coli penicillin acylase: purification by affinity chromatography and covalent binding to nylon.

Penicillin acylase (EC 3.5.1.11) from E. coli, both in solution and immobilized on solid supports, has been commercially exploited for the large scale production of 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA), which is an important intermediate for the manufacturing of semisynthetic penicillins. In this paper a very simple procedure of penicillin acylase purification is reported, which employs only one affinity chromatographic step (Sepharose-phenylacetic column). The enzyme was obtained at a high degree of purity and could be used for immobilization on partially hydrolyzed and activated nylon. Since the support is chemically inert and mechanically stable the catalyst can be used several times without any significant loss of activity, making the process of great commercial importance.