Monomyristin and Monopalmitin Derivatives: Synthesis and Evaluation as Potential Antibacterial and Antifungal Agents.

In the present work, monoacylglycerol derivatives, i.e., 1-monomyristin, 2-monomyristin, and 2-monopalmitin were successfully prepared from commercially available myristic acid and palmitic acid. The 1-monomyristin compound was prepared through a transesterification reaction between ethyl myristate and 1,2-O-isopropylidene glycerol, which was obtained from the protection of glycerol with acetone, then followed by deprotection using Amberlyst-15. On the other hand, 2-monoacylglycerol derivatives were prepared through enzymatic hydrolysis of triglycerides in the presence of Thermomyces lanuginosa lipase enzymes. The synthesized products were analyzed using fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer, gas or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS or LC-MS), and proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H- and 13C-NMR) spectrometers. It was found that monomyristin showed high antibacterial and antifungal activities, while 2-monopalmitin did not show any activity at all. The 1-monomyristin compound showed higher antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and also higher antifungal activity against Candida albicans compared to the positive control. Meanwhile, 2-monomyristin showed high antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli. The effect of the acyl position and carbon chains towards antibacterial and antifungal activities was discussed.

Synthesis and anti-HIV activities of glutamate and peptide conjugates of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

Mono-, di-, and trinucleoside conjugates of glutamate or peptide scaffolds containing nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors were synthesized. Among dinucleoside glutamate ester derivatives, N-myristoylated derivatives showed significantly higher anti-HIV activity than the corresponding N-acetylated conjugates against cell-free virus. Myristoyl-Glu(3TC)-FLT (46, EC(50) = 0.3-0.6 µM) and myristoyl-Glu(FTC)-FLT (47, EC(50) = 0.1-0.4 µM) derivatives were the most active glutamate-dinucleoside conjugates. A trinucleoside glutamate derivative containing AZT, FLT, and 3TC (34, EC(50) = 0.9-1.4 µM) exhibited higher anti-HIV activity than AZT and 3TC against cell-free virus. Compound 34 also exhibited higher anti-HIV activity against multidrug (IC(50) = 5.9 nM) and NNRTI (IC(50) = 12.9 nM) resistant viruses than parent nucleosides. The physical mixture containing FLT-succinate, AZT, 3TC, and glutamic acid exhibited 115-fold less activity against cell associated virus (EC(50) = 91.9 µM) when compared to 34 (EC(50) = 0.8 µM). Other conjugates showed less or comparable potency to that of the corresponding physical mixtures.

Synthesis and antifungal properties of alpha-methoxy and alpha-hydroxyl substituted 4-thiatetradecanoic acids.

4-thiatetradecanoic acid exhibited weak antifungal activities against Candida albicans (ATCC 60193), Cryptococcus neoformans (ATCC 66031), and Aspergillus niger (ATCC 16404) (MIC=4.8-12.7 mM). It has been demonstrated that alpha-methoxylation efficiently blocks beta-oxidation and significantly improve the antifungal activities of fatty acids. We examined whether antifungal activity of 4-thiatetradecanoic acid can be improved by alpha-substitution. The unprecedented (+/-)-2-hydroxy-4-thiatetradecanoic acid was synthesized in four steps (20% overall yield), while the (+/-)-2-methoxy-4-thiatetradecanoic acid was synthesized in five steps (14% overall yield) starting from 1-decanethiol. The key step in the synthesis was the hydrolysis of a trimethylsilyloxynitrile. In general, the novel (+/-)-2-methoxy-4-thiatetradecanoic acid displayed significantly higher antifungal activities against C. albicans (ATCC 60193), C. neoformans (ATCC 66031), and A. niger (ATCC 16404) (MIC=0.8-1.2 mM), when compared with 4-thiatetradecanoic acid. In the case of C. neoformans the (+/-)-2-hydroxy-4-thiatetradecanoic acid was more fungitoxic (MIC=0.17 mM) than the alpha-methoxylated analog, but not as effective against A. niger (MIC=5.5 mM). The enhanced fungitoxicity of the (+/-)-2-methoxy-4-thiatetradecanoic acid, as compared to decylthiopropionic acid, might be the result of a longer half-life in the cells due to a blocked beta-oxidation pathway which results in more time to exert its toxic effects. Thus, these novel fatty acids may have applications as probes to study fatty acid metabolic routes in human cells.

First total syntheses of (Z)-15-methyl-10-hexadecenoic acid and the (Z)-13-methyl-8-tetradecenoic acid.

The first total syntheses for the (Z)-15-methyl-10-hexadecenoic acid and the (Z)-13-methyl-8-tetradecenoic acid were accomplished in seven steps and in 31-32% overall yields. The (trimethylsilyl)acetylene was the key reagent in both syntheses. It is proposed that the best synthetic strategy towards monounsaturated iso methyl-branched fatty acids with double bonds close to the omega end of the acyl chain is first acetylide coupling of (trimethylsilyl)acetylene to a long-chain bifunctional bromoalkane followed by a second acetylide coupling to a short-chain iso bromoalkane, since higher yields are thus obtained. Spectral data is also presented for the first time for these two unusual fatty acids with potential as biomarkers and as topoisomerase I inhibitors.

Enantioselective synthesis of four isomers of 3-hydroxy-4-methyltetradecanoic acid, the constituent of antifungal cyclodepsipeptides W493 A and B.

Four possible stereoisomers of 3-hydroxy-4-methyltetradecanoic acid were enantioselectively synthesized by using Sharpless epoxidation and a subsequent epoxide-ring opening reaction with trimethylaluminum as the key steps. The absolute configuration of the beta-oxyacid component of antifungal cyclodepsipeptides W493 A and B was consequently determined as 3S,4R.

Total synthesis and in vitro-antifungal activity of (+/-)-2-methoxytetradecanoic Acid.

The marine fatty acid (+/-)-2-methoxytetradecanoic acid was synthesized in two steps (71% overall yield) starting from commercially available methyl-2-hydroxy-tetradecanoate. The title compound was antifungal against Candida albicans (ATCC 14053) in RPMI medium and Aspergillus niger (ATCC 16404) and Cryptococcus neoformans (ATCC 66031) in SDB medium at the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 100 mM, which compares to the fungitoxicity of a 2-iodotetradecanoic acid against the same fungi. The title compound was also five to ten times more cytotoxic than capric acid to C. albicans and A. niger in the tested medium but comparable in cytotoxicity to either capric acid and its 2-methoxylated analog to C. neoformans. The antifungal activity of (+/-)-2-methoxytetradecanoic acid is explained in terms of inhibition of N-myristoyltransferase.

A process in need is a process indeed: scalable enantioselective synthesis of chiral compounds for the pharmaceutical industry.

This report deals with enantioselective synthesis of viracept 1 (nelfinavir mesylate, AG 1343), a potent HIV protease inhibitor, and 3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid 3, a component of lipid A comprising lipopolysaccharide embedded in the cell surface of Gram-negative bacteria, from both strategic and practical perspectives. As regards the synthesis of 1, the synthetic approaches to its central intermediate 2 possessing the common structural motif of 1,4-differentially substituted-2-amino-3-hydroxylbutane are mainly discussed with emphasis on the molecular symmetry that has helped streamline the synthetic strategy. In the discussion of the synthetic strategies to access a single enantiomer of 3, the chiral methodologies that have been applied so far are assessed for industrial viability; the synthetic alternatives explored include resolution via diastereomeric salt formation, lipase-catalyzed kinetic resolution, asymmetric synthesis, and chiral pool approaches.

Synthesis of gem-dideuterated tetradecanoic acids and their use in investigating the enzymatic transformation of (Z)-11-tetradecenoic acid into (E,E)-10,12-tetradecadienoic acid.

We report the preparation of the deuterated tetradecanoic acids [2,2,3,3-(2)H(4)]-, [2,2,3,3,10,10-(2)H(6)]-, and [2,2,3,3,13,13-(2)H(6)]-tetradecanoic acids (1, 2, and 3, respectively) and their use to investigate the mechanism of the enzymatic transformation of (Z)-11-tetradecenoic acid into (E,E)-10,12-tetradecadienoic acid. Probes 2 and 3 were prepared from intermediate ketones 7 and 10, which were transformed into the labeled bromides 17 and 18 by reduction with NaBD(4), tosylation of the resulting alcohol, replacement of the tosyloxy group by deuteride with LiAlD(4), hydrolysis, and reaction with N-bromosuccinimide. The resulting bromides were converted into the alpha-acetylenic esters 21 and 22, respectively, and the additional deuterium labels were introduced by reduction of the conjugated triple bond with Mg in deuterated methanol. The same sequence of reactions starting with 11-bromoundecane afforded 27. Saponification of the labeled esters 23, 24, and 27 gave the deuterated acids 2, 3, and 1, respectively. The results of the biochemical experiments showed that C10-H removal, but not elimination of C13-H, was sensitive to deuterium substitution in the transformation of (Z)-11-tetradecenoic acid into (E,E)-10,12-tetradecadienoic acid, which is consistent with the hypothesis that this desaturase reaction involves a first slow, C10-H bond cleavage, with probable formation of an unstable allylic intermediate, followed by a second fast C13-H bond removal and concomitant rearrangement.

Induction of apoptosis by novel synthesized acylamides of human lymphocytes.

To investigate a pathway to apoptosis which may involve ceramides and to elucidate the minimum structure which leads to apoptosis, we synthesized several novel acylamides. Although the four synthesized compounds were different in structure from C2-ceramide, they caused Jurkat cells to undergo apoptosis. The most effective of them was N-myristoyl-D-alaninol (D-MA), as shown by DNA fragmentation (detected with propidium iodide) and a decrease in the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)) (detected with rhodamine 123). Nevertheless, peripheral blood leukocytes exhibited no change after D-MA exposure, like after C2-ceramide or anti-Fas antibody treatment. The DNA fragmentation and DeltaPsi(m) caused by D-MA were blocked by a caspase-3 specific inhibitor as in the case of anti-Fas antibody stimulation. Quantification of ceramides by metabolic labeling with [(14)C]palmitic acid and HPTLC showed no increases in the ceramide levels on stimulation with D-MA, C2-ceramide or anti-Fas antibodies. Furthermore, D-MA had an apoptosis-inducing effect on an anti-Fas-resistant subline of Jurkat cells. These data suggest that D-MA may cause apoptosis of Jurkat cells without distinct ceramide formation and that this apoptotic pathway is very comparable, i.e. not identical, to that induced by anti-Fas antibodies.

Growth-modulating effects of dichloro myristic and dichloro stearic acid in cell cultures.

Chloro-containing fatty acids are a major fraction of extractable, organically bound chlorine in fish. It has been suggested that dichloro stearic acid (9,10-dichlorooctadecanoic acid) (C18) is metabolized to dichloro myristic acid (5,6-dichlorotetradecanoic acid) (C14) which accumulates in tissues. Hence, the biological effects of the C18 dichloro fatty acid could be due to formation of the C14 dichloro fatty acid. In this study we have compared the effects of dichloro stearic and dichloro myristic acid on growth of three widely differing cell lines. Both fatty acids inhibited cell growth; however, dichloro myristic acid had a weaker growth inhibitory effect than dichloro stearic acid. Dichloro myristic acid had a biphasic effect (i.e. growth was stimulated at low concentrations, followed by inhibition at higher concentrations) on the growth of human hepatoma cells and immortalized human kidney epithelial cells, but no such effect on human microvascular endothelial cells. The order of potency for growth inhibition by dichloro myristic acid was consistently human hepatoma cells>immortalized human kidney epithelial cells >human microvascular endothelial cells, whereas the relative potency of dichloro stearic acid was variable. Albumin alone stimulated cell growth and had a stronger protective effect against growth inhibition by dichloro myristic acid than against that of dichloro stearic acid. It seems unlikely that a major part of the effect of dichloro stearic acid on cell growth is caused by conversion to dichloro myristic acid.

Synthesis and antifungal activities of myristic acid analogs.

Myristic acid analogs that are putative inhibitors of N-myristoyl-transferase were tested in vitro for activity against yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans) and filamentous fungi (Aspergillus niger). Several (+/-)-2-halotetradecanoic acids including (+/-)-2-bromotetradecanoic acid (14c) exhibited potent activity against C. albicans (MIC = 39 microM), C. neoformans (MIC = 20 microM), S. cerevisiae (MIC = 10 microM), and A. niger (MIC < 42 microM) in RPMI 1640 media. Improved synthetic methods have been developed for the synthesis of 12-fluorododecanoic acid (12a) and 12-chlorododecanoic acid (12c). Three novel fatty acids, 12-chloro-4-oxadodecanoic acid (8a), 12-phenoxydodecanoic acid (12i), and 11-(4-iodophenoxy)-undecanoic acid (13d) were also synthesized and tested.

Synthesis of racemic 2,4-dimethyltetradecanoic acid from Mycobacterium kansasii.

A known intermediate, (3 R, S; 5 R,S)-3,5-dimethyl-6-triphenylmethyloxyhexanal gave, in a Wittig reaction with 1-octyltriphenylphosphonium bromide and n-butyl lithium in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran, a mixture of olefininic compounds. Trityl deprotection and hydrogenation of the double bond afforded the (2 R, S; 4 R,S)-2,4-dimethyltetradecanols. Oxidation of the alcohol functionality using pyridinium dichromate in anhydrous N,N'-dimethylformamide gave racemic, (2 R, S; 4 R,S)-2,4-dimethyltetradecanoic acids, which were converted to their methyl esters. 2,4-Dimethyltetradecanoic acids are constituents of glycolipid antigens from Mycobacterium kansasii.

[A new oxa-analog of myristic acid, suppressing replication of the human immunodeficiency virus]. / Novyi oksaanalog miristinovoi kisloty, podavliaiushchii replikatsiiu virusa immunodefitsita cheloveka.

A series of oxaanalogs of myristic acid were synthesized and tested for antiviral activity in MT4 cells infected with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1). The synthesized acids have no toxic effect on uninfected MT4 cells at a concentration of 100 microM. 14,14,14-Trifluoro-12-oxatetradecanoic acid substantially (by 75%) inhibits the reproduction of HIV-1. Other compounds synthesized, (7Z)-13-, (9Z)-13-, and (7Z)-11-oxatetradecenoic acids, exhibit no antiviral effect.

Functional analysis of protein N-myristoylation: metabolic labeling studies using three oxygen-substituted analogs of myristic acid and cultured mammalian cells provide evidence for protein-sequence-specific incorporation and analog-specific redistribution.

Covalent attachment of myristic acid (C14:0) to the NH2-terminal glycine residue of a number of cellular, viral, and oncogene-encoded proteins is essential for full expression of their biological function. Substitution of oxygen for methylene groups in this fatty acid does not produce a significant change in chain length or stereochemistry but does result in a reduction in hydrophobicity. These heteroatom-containing analogs serve as alternative substrates for mammalian myristoyl-CoA:protein N-myristoyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.97) and offer the opportunity to explore structure/function relationships of myristate in N-myristoyl proteins. We have synthesized three tritiated analogs of myristate with oxygen substituted for methylene groups at C6, C11, and C13. Metabolic labeling studies were performed with these compounds and (i) a murine myocyte cell line (BC3H1), (ii) a rat fibroblast cell that produces p60v-src (3Xsrc), or (iii) NIH 3T3 cells that have been engineered to express a fusion protein consisting of an 11-residue myristoylation signal from the Rasheed sarcoma virus (RaSV) gag protein linked to c-Ha-ras with a Cys----Ser-186 mutation. This latter mutation prevents isoprenylation and palmitoylation of ras. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of membrane and soluble fractions prepared from cell lysates revealed different patterns of incorporation of the analogs into cellular N-myristoyl proteins (i.e., protein-sequence-specific incorporation). In addition, proteins were identified that underwent redistribution from membrane to soluble fractions after incorporating one but not another analog (analog-specific redistribution). Comparable studies using the model RaSV-ras chimeric protein also demonstrated analog-specific differences in incorporation, varying from approximately 25% of the total RaSV-ras chimeric protein with 5-octyloxypentanoate to greater than 50% with 12-methoxydodecanoate. Modification by this latter compound was so extensive that the amount of membrane-associated N-myristoylated protein was decreased. Incorporation of each of the analogs caused a dramatic redistribution to the soluble fraction, comparable to that seen when myristoylation was completely blocked by mutating the protein's site of myristate attachment (glycine) to an alanine residue. The demonstration that these analogs differ in the extent to which they are incorporated and in their ability to cause redistribution of any single protein suggests that they may also have sufficient selectivity to be of potential therapeutic value.

Metabolic activation of 2-substituted derivatives of myristic acid to form potent inhibitors of myristoyl CoA:protein N-myristoyltransferase.

The importance of myristoylation for the proper biological functioning of many acylated proteins has generated interest in the enzymes of the myristoylation pathway and their interactions with substrates and inhibitors. Previous observations that S-(2-oxopentadecyl)-CoA, a nonhydrolyzable methylene-bridged analogue of myristoyl-CoA, was a potent inhibitor of myristoyl-CoA:protein N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) [Paige, L. A., Zheng, G.-q., DeFrees, S. A., Cassady, J. M., & Geahlen, R. L. (1989) J. Med. Chem. 32, 1665] prompted a closer examination of the effect of substituents at the 2-position on the interactions of myristic acid and myristoyl-CoA analogues with NMT. As an initial approach, three myristic acid derivatives bearing different substituents at the 2-position, 2-fluoromyristic acid, 2-bromomyristic acid, and 2-hydroxymyristic acid, were selected for study. Both 2-bromomyristic acid and 2-hydroxymyristic acid were available commercially; 2-fluoromyristic acid was prepared synthetically. All three compounds were found to be only weak inhibitors of NMT in vitro. Of the three, 2-bromomyristic acid was the most potent (Ki = 100 microM). In cultured cells, however, 2-hydroxymyristic acid was by far the more effective inhibitor of protein myristoylation. Neither 2-hydroxymyristic acid nor 2-bromomyristic acid significantly inhibited protein palmitoylation in cultured cells, indicating that inhibition was not occurring at the level of acyl-CoA synthetase. Activation of the 2-substituted myristic acid derivatives to their corresponding acyl-CoA thioesters by acyl-CoA synthetase resulted in inhibitors of greatly increased potency. The 2-substituted acyl-CoA analogues, 2-hydroxymyristoyl-CoA, 2-bromomyristoyl-CoA, and 2-fluoromyristoyl-CoA, were synthesized and shown to be competitive inhibitors of NMT in vitro (Ki's = 45, 450, and 200 nM, respectively). These data suggested that the enhanced inhibitory potency of 2-hydroxymyristic acid seen in cells was most probably a result of its metabolic activation to the CoA thioester. The presence of substituents at the 2-position also affected the ability of the acyl group to be transferred by NMT to a peptide substrate. Of the three acyl-CoA analogues, only 2-fluoromyristoyl-CoA served as a substrate for NMT.

Biosynthesis of lipid A in Escherichia coli: identification of UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-alpha-D-glucosamine as a precursor of UDP-N2,O3-bis[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-alpha-D-glucosamine.

The lipid A disaccharide of the Escherichia coli envelope is synthesized from the two fatty acylated glucosamine derivatives UDP-N2,O3-bis[(R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoyl]-alpha-D- glucosamine (UDP-2,3-diacyl-GlcN) and N2,O3-bis[(R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoyl]-alpha-D-glucosamine 1-phosphate (2,3-diacyl-GlcN-1-P) [Ray, B. L., Painter, G., & Raetz, C. R. H. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 4852-4859]. We have previously shown that UDP-2,3-diacyl-GlcN is generated in extracts of E. coli by fatty acylation of UDP-GlcNAc, giving UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-GlcNAc as the first intermediate, which is rapidly converted to UDP-2,3-diacyl-GlcN [Anderson, M. S., Bulawa, C. E., & Raetz, C. R. H. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 15536-15541; Anderson, M. S., & Raetz, C. R. H. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 5159-5169]. We now demonstrate a novel enzyme in the cytoplasmic fraction of E. coli, capable of deacetylating UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-GlcNAc to form UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]glucosamine. The covalent structure of the previously undescribed UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl] glucosamine intermediate was established by 1H NMR spectroscopy and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. This material can be made to accumulate in E. coli extracts upon incubation of UDP-3-O-[(R)-3- hydroxymyristoyl]-GlcNAc in the absence of the fatty acyl donor [(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-acyl carrier protein. However, addition of the isolated deacetylation product [UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl] glucosamine] back to membrane-free extracts of E. coli in the presence of [(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-acyl carrier protein results in rapid conversion of this compound into the more hydrophobic products UDP-2,3-diacyl-GlcN, 2,3-diacyl-GlcN-1-P, and O-[2-amino-2-deoxy-N2,O3- bis[(R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoyl]-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-(1----6)-2-amino- 2-deoxy-N2,O3-bis[(R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoyl]-alpha-D- glucopyranose 1-phosphate (tetra-acyldisaccharide-1-P), demonstrating its competency as a precursor. In vitro incubations using [acetyl-3H]UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-GlcNAc confirmed release of the acetyl moiety in this system as acetate, not as some other acetyl derivative. The deacetylation reaction was inhibited by 1 mM N-ethylmaleimide, while the subsequent N-acylation reaction was not. Our observations provide strong evidence that UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]glucosamine is a true intermediate in the biosynthesis of UDP-2,3-diacyl-GlcN and lipid A.

[Synthesis of lipid A analogs. Obtaining conjugates of 6-phosphate 2-desoxy-2-(3-hydroxymyristoyl)amino-D-glucose with polymer carriers and their immunological properties]. / Sintez analogov lipida A. Poluchenie kon'iugatov 6-fosfata 2-dezoksi-2-(3-oksimiristoil) amino-D-gliukozy s polimernymi nositeliami i ikh immunologicheskie svoistva.

The derivatives of 2-acylamino-6-O-(2-aminoethyl) phosphono-3-deoxy-D-glucose acylated with acetic or D,L-3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid were obtained, and their 31P-and 13C-NMR spectra investigated. These haptens were bound with a polysaccharide (Ficoll) or proteins (albumins, bovine gamma-globulin). The protein conjugates were immunogenic in rabbits, specific antibodies against the hapten being revealed by two immunochemical methods. As shown by the enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay, the specific rabbit antiserum reacted with lipid A from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.

The synthesis and evaluation of radioiodinated 14-(iodophenyl)-3-(R,S)methyltetradecanoic acid.

Radiohalogenated fatty acids (FA) labelled with gamma-emitting isotopes have a potentially important application in studies of impaired myocardial perfusion and metabolism. Evaluation of straight-chain fatty acids radiolabelled in different positions on the FA chain has been reported by many groups. In this paper we extended our recent studies using the betamethyl branched-chain fatty acid. The synthesis, labelling and preliminary evaluation of 131I- and 123I-14-(iodophenyl)-3-(R,S)methyltetradecanoic acid (I-PBMTA) are reported. This radiolabel concentrates in the mouse myocardium with 16% injected dose g-1 and 11% injected dose g-1 at 15 and 30 min, respectively. The images of the canine heart postinjection indicate a high myocardial extraction of the label with activity retained over an hour. The rate of washout of the activity from the heart was very low. This analogue is a potential agent for myocardial imaging studies.

Synthesis of carbon-13-labeled tetradecanoic acids.

The synthesis of tetradecanoic acid enriched with 13C at carbons 1, 3, or 6 is described. The label at the carbonyl carbon was introduced by treating 1-bromotridecane with K13CN (90% enriched) to form the 13C-labeled nitrile, which upon hydrolysis yielded the desired acid. The [3-13C]tetradecanoic acid was synthesized by alkylation of diethyl sodio-malonate with [1-13C]1-bromododecane; the acid was obtained upon saponification and decarboxylation. The label at the 6 position was introduced by coupling the appropriately labeled alkylcadmium chloride with the half acid chloride methyl ester of the appropriate dioic acid, giving the corresponding oxo fatty acid ester. Formation of the tosylhydrazone of the oxo-ester followed by reduction with sodium cyanoborohydride gave the labeled methyl tetradecanoate which, upon hydrolysis, yielded the desired tetradecanoic acid. All tetradecanoic acids were identical to unlabeled analogs as evaluated by gas-liquid chromatography and infrared or NMR spectroscopy. These labeled fatty acids were used subsequently to prepare the correspondingly labeled diacyl phosphatidylcholines.