Presence of Antimicrobials in Postrace Samples in Japanese Thoroughbred Racing.

Ever since 'One Health' concept was introduced in early 2000s, judicious use of antimicrobials by veterinarians has become an issue of great concern. Recently, findings of anti-inflammatory effects in certain types of antimicrobials have raised a subject for discussion among racing authorities. Regulatory framework of antimicrobials in racing should be based on best interest of horse welfare and doping control perspective, but basic data on prevalence of antimicrobials are lacking. Analysis of 100 postrace urinary samples collected from 10 Japanese racecourses by targeting 21 antimicrobials using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry resulted in detection of ceftiofur, cefalotin, cefalotin metabolite, dihydrostreptomycin, gentamicin, kanamycin, and oxytetracycline. Detection of antimicrobials critically important for resistance in human medicine was limited to a single sample. Oxytetracycline, which is known to possess anti-inflammatory effects, was detected in three samples. This may suggest the need for establishing a regulatory framework from doping control perspective and further studies to clarify pharmacologically relevant concentration of antimicrobials with such properties.

An In Vitro System Comprising Immortalized Hypothalamic Neuronal Cells (GT1-7 Cells) for Evaluation of the Neuroendocrine Effects of Essential Oils.

Aromatherapy and plant-based essential oils are widely used as complementary and alternative therapies for symptoms including anxiety. Furthermore, it was reportedly effective for the care of several diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and depressive illness. To investigate the pharmacological effects of essential oils, we developed an in vitro assay system using immortalized hypothalamic neuronal cells (GT1-7 cells). In this study, we evaluated the effects of essential oils on neuronal death induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), aluminum, zinc, or the antagonist of estrogen receptor (tamoxifen). Among tests of various essential oils, we found that H2O2-induced neuronal death was attenuated by the essential oils of damask rose, eucalyptus, fennel, geranium, ginger, kabosu, mandarin, myrrh, and neroli. Damask rose oil had protective effects against aluminum-induced neurotoxicity, while geranium and rosemary oil showed protective activity against zinc-induced neurotoxicity. In contrast, geranium oil and ginger oil enhanced the neurotoxicity of tamoxifen. Our in vitro assay system could be useful for the neuropharmacological and endocrine pharmacological studies of essential oils.

Protective activity of carnosine and anserine against zinc-induced neurotoxicity: a possible treatment for vascular dementia.

Carnosine (ß-alanyl-L-histidine) is a small dipeptide with numerous beneficial effects, including the maintenance of the acid-base balance, antioxidant properties, chelating agent, anti-crosslinking, and anti-glycation activities. High levels of carnosine and its analogue anserine (1-methyl carnosine) are found in skeletal muscle and the brain. Zinc (Zn)-induced neurotoxicity plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of vascular dementia (VD), and carnosine inhibits Zn-induced neuronal death. Here, the protective activity of carnosine against Zn-induced neurotoxicity and its molecular mechanisms such as cellular Zn influx and Zn-induced gene expression were investigated using immortalised hypothalamic neurons (GT1-7 cells). Carnosine and anserine protected against Zn-induced neurotoxicity not by preventing increases in intracellular Zn(2+) but by participating in the regulation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway and the activity-regulated cytoskeletal protein (Arc). Accordingly, carnosine and anserine protected against neurotoxicity induced by ER-stress inducers thapsigargin and tunicamycin. Hence, carnosine and anserine are expected to have future therapeutic potential for VD and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Quantification of horse plasma proteins altered by xylazine using the fluorogenic derivatization-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

In the doping tests currently used in horse racing, prohibited substances or their metabolites are usually directly detected in urine or blood samples. However, despite their lasting pharmaceutical effects, some prohibited substances are rapidly eliminated from horse urine and blood, making them difficult to detect. Therefore, new indirect biomarkers for doping, such as plasma proteins that are increased by the prohibited substances, have recently attracted much attention. Here, a fluorogenic derivatization-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (FD-LC-MS/MS) method was adopted for horse plasma proteomics analysis, in order to identify plasma proteins whose concentrations were altered in response to xylazine in Thoroughbred horses. Xylazine, which is rapidly absorbed and eliminated and has possibility of the change in the levels of plasma proteins, was selected as a model drug. Of the ten plasma proteins identified, four proteins, including three acute phase proteins (haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, and α-2-macroglobulin-like), were significantly increased after xylazine administration. Therefore, our present approach might be useful in identifying indirect biomarkers of drug administration.

Ruthenium-catalyzed cyclizations of enynes via a ruthenacyclopentene intermediate: development of three novel cyclizations controlled by a substituent on alkyne of enyne.

Three novel ruthenium-catalyzed cyclizations of enynes were developed. In each cyclization, a ruthenacyclopentene derived from enyne and Cp*RuCl(cod) is a common intermediate. When an enyne having an alkyl, an ester, or a formyl group on an alkyne was reacted with Cp*RuCl(cod) under ethylene gas, ethylene was inserted into the ruthenium-sp(2) carbon bond of ruthenacyclopentene to afford ruthenacycloheptene, and ß-hydrogen elimination followed by reductive elimination occurred to give a cyclic compound having a 1,3-diene moiety. When an acyl group was placed on the alkyne, the carbonyl oxygen coordinated to the ruthenium metal of ruthenacyclopentene to produce a ruthenium carbene complex, which reacted with ethylene to give a cyclic compound having a cyclopropane ring on the substituent. On the other hand, when the substituent on the alkyne was pent-4-enyl, insertion of an alkene part into ruthenacyclopentene followed by reductive elimination gave a tricyclic compound by a ruthenium-catalyzed [2+2+2] cyclization of diene and an alkyne.

Cloning and characterization of a Streptomyces single module type non-ribosomal peptide synthetase catalyzing a blue pigment synthesis.

In the present study, we cloned a gene, designated bpsA, which encodes a single module type non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) from a D-cycloserine (DCS)-producing Streptomyces lavendulae ATCC11924. A putative oxidation domain is significantly integrated into the adenylation domain of the NRPS, and the condensation domain is absent from the module. When S. lividans was transformed with a plasmid carrying bpsA, the transformed cells produced a blue pigment, suggesting that bpsA is responsible for the blue pigment synthesis. However, to produce the blue pigment in Escherichia coli, the existence of the 4'-phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPTase) gene from Streptomyces was necessary, in addition to bpsA. The chemical structure of the pigment was determined as 5,5'-diamino-4,4'-dihydroxy-3,3'-diazadiphenoquinone-(2,2'), called indigoidine. The bpsA gene product, designated BPSA, was overproduced in an E. coli host-vector system and purified to homogeneity, demonstrating that the recombinant enzyme prefers L-Gln as a substrate. The in vitro experiment using L-Gln also showed that the blue pigment was formed by the purified BPSA only when the enzyme was phosphopantetheinylated by adding a Streptomyces PPTase purified from E. coli cells. Each site-directed mutagenesis experiment of Lys(598), Tyr(601), Ser(603), and Tyr(608), which are seen in the oxidation domain of BPSA, suggests that these residues are essential for the binding of FMN to the protein and the synthesis of the blue pigment.

Nickel-catalyzed enantioselective three-component coupling of bis-1,3-dienes, aldehydes, and dimethylzinc.

Nickel-catalyzed three-component coupling of bis-1,3-dienes, aldehyde, and dimethylzinc was investigated. In the presence of catalytic amounts of Ni(acac)2 and PPh3, bis-1,3-dienes smoothly react with an aldehyde and dimethylzinc via intramolecular cyclodimerization of bis-1,3-diene moiety. The reaction proceeds through formation of a cyclic bis-allylnickel complex, insertion of an aldehyde, and addition of dimethylzinc to the resulting oxanickellacycle intermediate. An enantioselective coupling was also achieved by the use of a chiral monodentate phosphine ligand, H-MOP.

Development of a novel synthetic method for ring construction using organometallic complexes and its application to the total syntheses of natural products.

Organometallic complexes are useful tools in synthetic organic chemistry. We investigated a novel synthetic method for ring construction using organometallic complexes and synthesized natural products and biologically active substances using these methods. Metalacycles formed from an early transition metal and diene, enyne, and diyne are stable under the reaction conditions and they are easily converted into compounds with functional groups by the addition of various agents. We have developed a novel synthetic method of heterocycles from enyne and diene using Cp2ZrBu2. The total syntheses of (-)-dendrobine, (+/-)-mecembrane, and (+/-)-mecembrine were achieved using this procedure. To synthesize these natural products as a chiral form, a novel palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic amination was developed, and chiral 2-arylcyclohexenylamine derivatives were synthesized. From these compounds, the total syntheses of (-)-mesembrane, (-)-mesembrine, (+)-crinamine, (-)-haemanthidine, and (+)-pretazetine were achieved. By further development of this procedure, a chiral 2-siloxymethylcyclohexenylamine derivative could be synthesized and the novel synthesis of indole derivatives was developed from this compound. From this indole derivative, (-)-tsubifoline and (-)-strychnine were synthesized.

Synthesis of isoquinoline derivatives using ROM-RCM of cyclobutene-yne.

Isoquinoline derivatives were synthesized from cyclobutenylmethylamine derivatives having an alkyne moiety in a tether using a second-generation ruthenium carbene complex under ethylene gas in good yields.

Nickel-catalyzed regioselective synthesis of tetrasubstituted alkene using alkylative carboxylation of disubstituted alkyne.

[Reaction: see text] Syntheses of alpha-silyl-beta,beta'-dialkyl alpha,beta-unsaturated carboxylic acids were achieved from silylated alkyne, carbon dioxide, and a zinc reagent using a catalytic amount of nickel complex in the presence of an excess amount of DBU. The regioselectivity of the introduction of CO2 into disubstituted alkyne is dependent on the electronic property of the substituent R on the alkyne because the thermodynamic stability of oxanickelacycle IV or V should be affected by conjugation of the substituent R with the carboxyl group in IV or V.

[Development of new synthetic method using organometallic complexes and an application toward natural product synthesis].

Recently, many organometallic complexes, such as palladium, nickel, ruthenium, titanium complexes and others, were used for synthetic organic chemistry. We have developed many novel synthetic methods using these organometallic complexes for synthetic organic chemistry. As the organometallic complexes, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, ruthenium, zirconium, titanium, and palladium complexes, were used. Furthermore, bimetallic complexes having silicon-tin and silicon-zirconium bonds were investigated. On the other hand, utilization of gases in synthetic organic chemistry has been also developed. 1 atm pressure of gases such as CO, CO(2), N(2), ethylene and acetylene, could be used and the reaction procedure is very simple, that a balloon filled with a gas is connected on the top of the flask. Using our novel synthetic methods, we have synthesized many natural products and biologically active substances, such as cephalotaxin, mesembrine, tubifoline, strychnine, stemoamide, lycopodine, pumiliotoxin C, beta-lactam, carbapenam and benzodiazepinone derivatives.

Intramolecular cyclization of ene-imine using dibutylzirconocene.

The reaction of ene-imine with Cp(2)ZrBu(2) was carried out. When a crude imine, which was prepared from ene-aldehyde and primary amine in the presence of MgSO(4), was treated with Cp(2)ZrBu(2) at room temperature overnight, cyclopentane derivative having trans-substituents was obtained in high yield along with a small amount of cyclopentane derivative having cis-substituents. Presumably, cis-zirconacycle is a thermodynamic product. Reactions using various ene-imines were carried out. In the case of ene-imine prepared from ene-aldehyde and (t)BuNH(2), only cyclopentane having cis-substituents was produced. In this reaction, chiral amine was used, and diastereoselective cyclization of ene-imine was carried out. As a result, cyclopentane derivative having cis-substituents was obtained in an optically active form after hydrogenolysis of the cyclized compound.

Highly enantioselective catalytic carbon dioxide incorporation reaction: nickel-catalyzed asymmetric carboxylative cyclization of bis-1,3-dienes.

A method for nickel-catalyzed asymmetric carbon dioxide (CO2) incorporation via carbon-carbon bond formation was developed. In the presence of a catalytic amount of Ni(acac)2 and MeO-MOP, various bis-1,3-dienes reacted with CO2 (1 atm) and a diorganozinc reagent (Me2Zn or Ph2Zn) to afford cyclic carboxylic acids in good yields (71-100%) and with high enantioselectivities (90-96% ee).

Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution of 2-arylcyclohexenol derivatives: asymmetric total syntheses of (+)-crinamine, (-)-haemanthidine, and (+)-pretazettine.

Much interest has been shown in Amaryllidaceae alkaloids as synthetic targets due to their wide range of biological activities. Over 100 alkaloids have been isolated from members of the Amaryllidaceae family; most of them can be classified into eight skeletally homogeneous groups. We have succeeded in the first asymmetric total syntheses of the crinane-type alkaloids (+)-crinamine (1), (-)-haemanthidine (2), and (+)-pretazettine (3). The starting cyclohexenylamine 14 was obtained from allyl phosphonate 11c by palladium-catalyzed asymmetric amination in 82% yield and with 74% ee. The product was recrystallized from MeOH. Interestingly, (-)-14 with 99% ee was obtained from the mother liquor (74% recovery). Intramolecular carbonyl-ene reaction of (-)-10 proceeds in a highly stereoselective manner to give hexahydroindole derivative 9 as the sole product. In the Lewis-acid-catalyzed carbonyl-ene reaction, an interesting rearrangement product, 20, was isolated in high yield. From 9, (+)-crinamine was synthesized. Thus, the asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-crinamine was achieved in 10 steps from 11c, and the overall yield is 19%. The total synthesis of (-)-haemanthidine was also achieved from 9 by a short sequence of steps.

Ligand-controlled highly stereoselective syntheses of e- and z-allylsilanes from dienes and aldehydes using nickel complex.

Synthetic methods of highly stereocontrolled E- and Z-allylsilanes were developed. When a toluene solution of diene having a silicon moiety and aldehyde was refluxed in the presence of silane using a catalytic amount of Ni(cod)(2) bearing PPh(3), E-allylsilane was obtained in high yield. On the other hand, when the reaction was carried out in THF upon heating in the presence of Ni(cod)(2), imidazolium salt, Cs(2)CO(3), and PPh(3), Z-allylsilane was formed as a sole product.

Novel synthesis of conjugated dienes attached to a quaternary carbon center via Pd(0)-catalyzed deconjugative allylation of alkenylidenemalonates.

Palladium(0)-catalyzed deconjugative allylation of alkenylidenemalonates and alkylidenemalonates was achieved for the first time. Reactions of dimethyl 2-((E)-but-2-enylidene)malonate with various allylic acetates using LHMDS as a base in DMF in the presence of Pd(2)dba(3) (2.5 mol %) and PPh(3) (10 mol %) proceeded at room temperature to give the corresponding alpha-allylation products in good yields in a regio- and stereoselective manner. This reaction can also be used for allylation of dimethyl ethylidenemalonate or dimethyl 2-((E)-pent-2-enylidene)malonate and give the desired alpha-allylation products in good yields.

Novel synthesis of carbapenam by intramolecular attack of lactam nitrogen toward eta1-allenyl and eta3-propargylpalladium complex.

When a THF solution of beta-lactam having propargyl phosphate was warmed in the presence of 5 mol % of Pd(2)(dba)(3) x CHCl(3), 20 mol % of a bidentate ligand, and sodium acetate (1.5 equiv) at 40 degrees C for 22 h, carbapenam was produced in high yield. In this reaction, the lactam nitrogen attacked the central carbon of a eta(3)-propargylpalladium complex, which was formed from propargyl phosphate and Pd(0).

A novel and general synthetic pathway to strychnos indole alkaloids: total syntheses of (-)-tubifoline, (-)-dehydrotubifoline, and (-)-strychnine using palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution.

A method of palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution for synthesizing 2-substituted cyclohexenylamine derivatives was established. Treatment of a 2-silyloxymethylcyclohexenol derivative with ortho-bromo-N-tosylaniline in the presence of Pd(2)dba(3).CHCl(3) and (S)-BINAPO in THF afforded a cyclohexenylamine derivative with 84% ee in 80% yield. The Heck reaction was carried out to produce an indolenine derivative in good yield. Using this method, we synthesized indolenine derivative 7, which was recrystallized from EtOH to give an optically pure compound. From this compound, tetracyclic ketone 13, which should be a useful intermediate for the synthesis of indole alkaloids, could be synthesized. The total syntheses of (-)-dehydrotubifoline, (-)-tubifoline, and (-)-strychnine were achieved from 13. All ring constructions for the syntheses of these natural products were achieved using a palladium catalyst.