Distribution of classical enterotoxin genes in staphylococci from milk of cows with- and without mastitis and the cowshed environment.

The aim of this study was to analyze by PCR 185 isolates of Staphylococcus from milk of cows with- and without mastitis and from the cowsheds environment for their potential ability to produce five classical staphylococcal enterotoxins. Among S. aureus isolates 8 (32%) carried enterotoxin genes and only 2 of them had more than one gene. The enterotoxin genes were detected in 22 (13.7%) coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) isolates, among them in 9 (11.4%) isolates of S. xylosus, 5 (16.7%) S. sciuri, 3 (10.3%) S. epidermidis and in 5 (22.7%) Staphylococcus spp. In some CNS 2 or 3 genes were detected simultaneously. Among the investigated enterotoxin genes, sec was the most prevalent (70%). The genes encoding enterotoxin B and D were detected in 5 (16.7%) and 6 (20%) isolates, respectively. The lowest number of isolates had sea and see genes. The genes encoding enterotoxins were often identified in staphylococci from milk of cows with mastitis (73.4% of detected genes), while only 6 (20%) isolates from milk of cows without mastitis and 2 (6.6%) isolates from cowshed environment were positive for enterotoxin genes. The results showed that CNS from bovine milk, like S. aureus, carried enterotoxin genes and may pose a risk for public health.

Steric control of alpha- and beta-alkylation of azulenone intermediates in a guanacastepene a synthesis.

The origins of different stereoselectivities observed experimentally in the alkylations of azulenone precursors in the guanacastepene A synthesis have been determined through density functional theory investigations. The optimized transition structures of methylation of two different guanacastepene A precursors show that steric effects, rather than torsional factors that often determine such stereoselectivities, dictate the preferred products observed.

Reaction of arylsulfonylhydrazones of aldehydes with alpha-magnesio sulfones. A novel olefin synthesis.

Reactions of representative tosylhydrazones of aldehydes and ketones with alpha-metalated sulfones were examined in order to develop a practical olefination method. Treatment of aldehyde tosylhydrazone 2 with an excess of alpha-lithiated methyl phenyl or dimethyl sulfones yielded 3a. The reaction of 2 with sterically unhindered lithiated alkyl sulfones gave mixtures of the respective olefination products 3b-d along with the Shapiro fragmentation product 4. Sterically hindered lithiated sulfones afforded Shapiro products exclusively. In contrast, aldehyde tosylhydrazones 2 or 6 in reactions with a variety of alpha-magnesio primary or secondary alkyl sulfones gave olefination products 3a-j and 7a-c in high yields (Tables 1 and 2). beta-Branched alkyl sulfones afforded predominantly (E)-alkenes, whereas unhindered primary sulfones gave mixtures of (E)- and (Z)-alkenes with low selectivity. Reaction of the 2,4,6-triisopropylbenzenesulfonylhydrazone (trisylhydrazone) of cyclodecanone 11c with alpha-magnesio methyl phenyl sulfone afforded the methylidene derivative 12a contaminated with the Shapiro product 13. Tosylhydrazone 2 resisted reaction with i-PrMgCl and gave only a small amount of the addition product in reaction with Bu(2)Mg. Some mechanistic aspects of the reaction of tosylhydrazones with organomagnesium compounds are discussed.

Synthesis and biological activity of the 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 diastereomer with unnatural configuration at the rings C/D side-chain moiety.

1Alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 diastereomer, differing from the parent compound in configuration at four asymmetric carbon atoms in the rings C/D and side chain (C13, C14, C17 and C20), was synthesized and shown to have a significant affinity for the vitamin D receptor.

The lead structure in cardiac glycosides is 5 beta, 14 beta-androstane-3 beta 14-diol.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the lead structure in cardiac glycosides at the receptor level, i.e. the minimal structural requirement for specific and powerful receptor recognition. Accordingly 73 digitalis-like acting steroids were characterized as to the concentration effecting half-maximum inhibition of Na,K-ATPase from human cardiac muscle under standardized turnover conditions. Since the Ki value equaled the apparent KD value, K'D was expressed in terms of the apparent standard Gibbs energy change delta G degrees' of steroid interaction with Na,K-ATPase. This allowed the use of the extrathermodynamic approach as a rational way of correlating in a quantitative manner, the potency and structure of the various steroidal compounds. The results of the present analysis taken in conjunction with relevant findings reported in the literature, favour the following conclusions. Cassaine, canrenone, prednisolone- and progesterone-3,20-bisguanylhydrazone, and chlormadinol acetate are compounds that are not congeneric with digitalis. The butenolide ring of cardenolides or the analogous side-chains at C17 beta of 5 beta, 14 beta-androstane-3 beta, 14-diol are not pharmacophoric substructures, but merely amplifiers of the interaction energy of the steroid lead. All modifications of the structure, geometry and spatial relationship between the steroid nucleus and butenolide side chain of digitoxigenin all at once weaken the close fit interaction with the steroid and butenolide binding subsites of the enzyme in such way that the cardenolide derivatives interact with the receptor binding site area in whatever orientation that will minimize the Gibbs energy of the steroid-receptor-solvent system. The "butenolide carbonyl oxygen distance model" (Ahmed et al. 1983) for the interpretation of the differences in potency of the cardenolide derivatives describes the change in interaction energy through structural modification as a function of the entire molecule. 5 beta, 14 beta-androstane-3 beta, 14-diol, the steroid nucleus of cardiac glycosides of the digitalis type, is the minimum structure for specific receptor recognition and the key structure for inducing protein conformational change and thus Na,K-ATPase inhibition. It is also the structural requirement for maximum contributions of the butenolide substituent at C17 beta and the sugar substituent at C3 beta-OH to the overall interaction energy, i.e. this steroid nucleus is the lead structure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Alpha-methylene-gamma-lactone fused to steroidal ring D as potential antitumor agent.

Steroidal alpha-methylene-gamma-lactone la has been synthesised from 3 beta-hydroxy-5-androsten-17-one 2 and showed to be active against HeLa cells.

Synthesis of pregnenoic acid derivatives possessing structural elements of prostaglandins.

Pregneoic acid derivative V in which the character of functional groups and distances between them (expressed in terms of C-C bonds) resemble those occurring in prostaglandins has been synthetised. 3beta-Hydroxyandrost-5-en-17-one acetate VII was converted to ethyl 3beta-acetoxypregn-5-en-21-oate XIIa via a Reformatsky reaction followed by dehydration of adduct VIIIa and selective hydrogenation of the diene X. Compound XIIa was then transformed into trienone XIII by oxidation of the 3beta-hydroxy-5-ene XIIc with DDQ. The trienone XIII was subsequently epoxidised with alkaline hydrogen peroxide and m-chloroperbenzoic acid to give diepoxide XV which was reduced with aluminum amalgam to the final product V.