Lipase-catalysed acylation of prostanoids

Synthesis of Deoxy Sugar Esters: A Chemoenzymatic Stereoselective Approach Affording Deoxy Sugar Derivatives Also in the Form of Aldehyde

A chemoenzymatic synthesis of deoxy sugar esters is described. The synthesis is based on the O-alkylation of carboxylic acid with 2-bromo-5-acetoxypentanal. The method allows treatment of hydroxy carboxylic acids without protection of alcoholic hydroxyl groups. Several stereoisomeric deoxy sugar esters were resolved (up to ee or de > 98%) using a lipase-catalyzed acetylation of hemiacetals that in certain cases afforded deoxy sugar derivatives in the form of aldehydes. The stereochemistry of the reactions was determined by the NMR spectra of mandelic acid derivatives.

Novel synthetic strategies for the preparation of prostacyclin and prostaglandin analogues ? off the beaten track

The recent increase in activity in the fields of neuroscience and life sciences has been mirrored by the design and synthesis of novel chemically and metabolically stable prostaglandin and prostacyclin analogues. Consequently, convenient and practical access to these important classes of compounds is greatly coveted. Various strategies for the preparation of prostacyclin, prostaglandin and isoprostane analogues are discussed, with particular focus on novel approaches developed in our own laboratories.

The cyclopentenone product of lipid peroxidation, 15-A2t-isoprostane, is efficiently metabolized by HepG2 cells via conjugation with glutathione

Cyclopentenone isoprostanes (IsoPs), A(2)/J(2)-IsoPs, are one class of IsoPs formed via the free radical-initiated peroxidation of arachidonic acid. These compounds, which are structurally similar to cyclooxygenase-derived PGA(2) and PGJ(2), contain highly reactive alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl moieties. A(2)/J(2)-IsoPs are generated in vivo in humans esterified in glycerophospholipids. Unlike other classes of IsoPs, however, cyclopentenone IsoPs cannot be detected in the free form; we postulated that this might be due to their rapid adduction to various thiol-containing biomolecules via Michael addition. Recently, we reported that the A-ring IsoP, 15-A(2t)-IsoP, is efficiently conjugated with glutathione in vitro by certain human and rat glutathione transferases (GSTs), with the isozyme GSTA4-4 displaying the highest activity. Herein, we examined the metabolic disposition of 15-A(2t)-IsoP in HepG2 cells. We report that 15-A(2t)-IsoP is primarily metabolized by these cells via conjugation to glutathione. Within 6 h, approximately 60% of 15-A(2t)-IsoP added to HepG2 cells was present in the form of a water soluble conjugate(s). Structural characterization of the adduct(s) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry revealed four major conjugates. These include the intact 15-A(2t)-IsoP-GSH conjugate, the GSH conjugate in which the carbonyl at C-9 of 15-A(2t)-IsoP is reduced, and the corresponding cysteine conjugates. These studies thus show that the primary pathway of metabolic disposition of endogenously derived cyclopentenone IsoPs occurs via conjugation with thiols.

Short synthesis of novel 9,11-secosterols

Starting from ergosterol two novel 9,11-secosterols with modified side chains (1a) and (1c) were synthesized via eight main transformations.

Detection of the 15-acetate of prostaglandin E2 methyl ester as a prominent component of the prostaglandins in the gorgonian coral Plexaura homomalla

15R-Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) methyl ester 15-acetate (1) was isolated from the R-variety of the Caribbean sea whip coral Plexaura homomalla collected in the Florida Keys. It was present in coral samples from separate collections in 2-10% of the abundance of the major prostaglandin component, PGA2 methyl ester 15-acetate. The structure of 1 was assigned based on one- and two-dimensional 1H NMR, HPLC, and LC-MS analyses. A sample of the S-variety of P. homomalla was found to contain a similar abundance of the corresponding 15S product, prostaglandin E2 methyl ester 15-acetate. The significance of PGE acetylation is discussed in relation to the proposed mechanism of PGA synthesis in the coral.

The origin of 15R-prostaglandins in the Caribbean coral Plexaura homomalla: molecular cloning and expression of a novel cyclooxygenase

The highest concentrations of prostaglandins in nature are found in the Caribbean gorgonian Plexaura homomalla. Depending on its geographical location, this coral contains prostaglandins with typical mammalian stereochemistry (15S-hydroxy) or the unusual 15R-prostaglandins. Their metabolic origin has remained the subject of mechanistic speculations for three decades. Here, we report the structure of a type of cyclooxygenase (COX) that catalyzes transformation of arachidonic acid into 15R-prostaglandins. Using a homology-based reverse transcriptase--PCR strategy, we cloned a cDNA corresponding to a COX protein from the R variety of P. homomalla. The deduced peptide sequence shows 80% identity with the 15S-specific coral COX from the Arctic soft coral Gersemia fruticosa and approximately 50% identity to mammalian COX-1 and COX-2. The predicted tertiary structure shows high homology with mammalian COX isozymes having all of the characteristic structural units and the amino acid residues important in catalysis. Some structural differences are apparent around the peroxidase active site, in the membrane-binding domain, and in the pattern of glycosylation. When expressed in Sf9 cells, the P. homomalla enzyme forms a 15R-prostaglandin endoperoxide together with 11R-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid and 15R-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid as by-products. The endoperoxide gives rise to 15R-prostaglandins and 12R-hydroxyheptadecatrienoic acid, identified by comparison to authentic standards. Evaluation of the structural differences of this 15R-COX isozyme should provide new insights into the substrate binding and stereospecificity of the dioxygenation reaction of arachidonic acid in the cyclooxygenase active site.