The structure of physalin T from Physalis alkekengi var. franchetti.

A new steroidal constituent named physalin T (3) was isolated from the aqueous extract of Physalis alkekengi var. francheti. Based on 1H and 13C NMR spectral studies the structure was assigned as 2,3-dihydrophysalin D, i.e., 5alpha,6beta-dihydroxy-2,3,5,6-tetrahydrophysalin B, which is the first example of a natural physalin possessing a saturated ring A moiety. The structure was confirmed by the chemical transformation from the known physalin D (2) to physalin T.

Optical resolution and absolute configuration of N-benzyloxycarbonyl-alpha-alkoxyglycines

Optical resolution of racemic N-benzyloxycarbonyl-protected alpha-alkoxyglycines, (+/-)-Cbz-Gly(OR)-OH (R = Et and Pr(i)), was achieved by means of fractional crystallization of diastereomeric salts with (+)-(1S,2S)-2-amino-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol or diastereomeric esters of (+)- or (-)-menthol. The D- and L-configurations were assigned to the (+)- and (-)-Cbz-Gly(OR)-OH, respectively, based on L-enantioselective enzymatic hydrolysis of (+/-)-Cbz-Gly(OR)-OR' (R = Me, Et, and Pr(i); R' = CH(2)CF(3) and Me) using porcine pancreatic lipase and papain. Chiroptical properties and HPLC retention times of D- and L-Gly(OR)-residue (R = Me and Pr(i))-containing peptides were compared in relation to their configurational assignments. Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Crystal structures of Boc-D- and L-Iva-L-Pro-OBzl: unturned conformation of Aib-Pro sequence unaffected by replacement of Me with Et in Aib.

The crystal structures of the isovaline (Iva) containing dipeptides, Boc-D-Iva-L-Pro-OBzl and Boc-L-Iva-L-Pro-OBzl, were determined by x-ray diffraction. The diastereomeric peptides were shown to adopt unturned conformations closely similar to each other (phi Iva 52 degrees, psi Iva 46 degrees, phi Pro -65 degrees, and psi Pro 143 degrees for D-Iva-L-Pro sequence and phi Iva 52 degrees, psi Iva 44 degrees, phi Pro -63 degrees, and psi Pro 148 degrees for L-Iva-L-Pro sequence). The Pro ring of each peptide was in C gamma-endo conformation. The unusually large angle CIva-NPro-C delta Pro values (131 degrees in both peptides) were observed, that was due to steric repulsion between the delta-methylene of Pro and the alkyl side chain of Iva residue. These conformations were essentially the same as that of the corresponding alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib)-containing peptide Boc-Aib-L-Pro-OBzl. The result has demonstrated that replacement of either one of the two methyl groups of the Aib residue in Boc-Aib-L-Pro-OBzl with an ethyl group does not cause any significant change in the unturned conformation of the dipeptide.

Preparation and opioid activities of N-methylated analogs of [D-Ala2,Leu5]enkephalin.

Analogs of opioid pentapeptide [D-Ala2,Leu5]enkephalin were prepared using two kinds of N-methylation reactions, namely quaternization and amide-methylation. Quaternization reaction with CH3I-KHCO3 in methanol was applied to the deprotected N-terminal group of the pentapeptide derivatives affording trimethylammonium group-containing analogs. [Me3+Tyr1,D-Ala2,Leu5]enkephalin and its amide were found to show opioid activity on guinea pig ileium assay only slightly lower than the parent unmethylated peptides. Application of amide-methylation reaction using CH3I-Ag2O in DMF to the protected pentapeptide yielded a pentamethyl derivative in which all of the five N atoms were methylated. Deprotection of the derivative gave pentamethyl analogs of [D-Ala2,Leu5]enkephalin, which showed no significant activity on the guinea pig ileum assay and opiate-receptor binding assay.