Digitaloid pregnanes promote potassium-sparing diuresis in the guinea pig

Isolation of a C-21 Norpregnane Precursor from Hoya Parasitica

A novel norpregnane, foligenin (1), was isolated, along with the pregnane calogenin, from Hoya parasitica. The structure of 1 was elucidated as 3β-hydroxy-21-norpregna-5-ene by spectroscopic methods.

The reaction of digitoxin and digoxin with cyanoacetic acid hydrazide: synthesis of coumarin, thiazole, thiophene and pyridine derivatives with potential biological activities

The reaction of either Digitoxin or Digoxin with cyanoacetic acid hydrazide gave the hydrazone derivatives 3a and 3b respectively. The reactivity of the latter products towards chemical reagents was studied to give heterocyclic derivatives with potential biological activities.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of 17beta-substituted 14beta-hydroxysteroid 3-(alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside)s: steroids that bind to the digitalis receptor

The preparation of 17beta-substituted 14beta-hydroxysteroid C-3 alpha-L-rhamnopyranosides is described. These derivatives have a 14beta,20-ether, 14beta,20-lactone, or 17beta-CH2CH2OH, -CH2CH2NH2, -CH=CHNO2(E), -CH=CHCOOH(E), -CH(OH)CH2NO2(R), -CH(OMe)CH2NO2(R), -CH2-CH2COOH, or -CH(OH)CH2NH2(R) group. Derivatives were assayed in a radioligand binding assay for [3H]ouabain in membranes from canine heart muscle. The digitalis "receptor" comprises isoenzymes of the ion-pumping enzyme, Na+,K+-ATPase. The 17beta-CH=CHNO2(E), 17beta-CH=CHCOOH(E), and 17beta-CH(OMe)CH2NO2(R) derivatives were the most potent and equivalent to ouabain with low-nanomolar IC50 values. The very potent binding affinity of the disubstituted compound 17beta-CH(OMe)CH2NO2(R) further demonstrates that 17beta-unsaturated substitution is not required for potent binding affinity. This observation may be of value in the separation of cardiotonic and cardiotoxic effects. Tosylation of the 17beta-CH2OH, prepared from the 17beta-CHO by lithium aluminum hydride reduction, yielded the 14beta,17beta-ether. Synthesis of the 17beta-CH2COOH gave the epimeric 14alpha,17alpha- and 14beta,17beta-lactones. Structures have been established by NMR analysis.

A new endogenous natriuretic factor: LLU-alpha

For over three decades, renal physiology has sought a putative natriuretic hormone (third factor) that might control the body's pool of extracellular fluid, an important determinant in hypertension, congestive heart failure, and cirrhosis. In our search for this hormone, we have isolated several pure natriuretic factors from human uremic urine that would appear, alone or in combination, to mark a cluster of phenomena previously presumed to be that of a single "natriuretic hormone." This paper reports the purification, chemical structure, and total synthesis of the first of these compounds, LLU-alpha, which proved to be 2,7,8-trimethyl-2-(beta-carboxyethyl)-6-hydroxychroman, presumably a metabolite of gamma-tocopherol. Both natural LLU-alpha and synthetic material are identical (except for optical activity) with respect to structure and biological activity. It appears that the natriuretic activity of LLU-alpha is mediated by inhibition of the 70 pS K+ channel in the apical membrane of the thick ascending limb of the kidney.

Endogenous natriuretic factors 3: isolation and characterization of human natriuretic factors LLU-alpha, LLU-beta 1, and LLU-gamma

A low molecular weight endogenous substance believed to be responsible for extracellular fluid homeostasis in mammals has been sought for many years. Our goal is to isolate and structurally characterize this putative "natriuretic hormone." We have developed an assay using the conscious rat to measure prolonged natriuresis (Benaksas et al (1993) Life Sciences, 52, 1045-1054), the activity originally described for this putative substance. Using this assay we have identified a number of natriuretic compounds isolated from human uremic urine. The collected urine is processed by ultrafiltration (< or = 3 kDa), gel filtration chromatography (G-25) and extraction with isopropanol and diethyl ether. The organic soluble material is then subjected to sequential high-performance liquid chromatography. We report here the initial characterization of two pure isolates (LLU-alpha and LLU-gamma) obtained by this method, and the structural elucidation of a third pure compound, LLU-beta 1, a natriuretic and previously unreported metabolite of the drug diltiazem.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of 14 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnanes: pregnanes that bind to the cardiac glycoside receptor

5 alpha-pregnane-3 beta,14 beta,20 beta-triol 3-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside (8) and 3 beta-(alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyloxy)-5 alpha-pregn-14-en-20-one (14) were prepared from uzarigenin by ozonolysis followed by zinc and acetic acid reduction and glycosidation. During the glycosidation reaction leading to (8) the corresponding ortho ester (9) was also obtained. Uzarigenin alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside (15) also was prepared. Synthesis of 5 alpha-pregnane-3 beta,14 beta,20 beta-triol (20) is described. Structures were established by analysis of their NMR spectra. The binding affinity of 5 alpha and 5 beta cardenolide and pregnane derivatives as measured in a radioligand binding assay was determined and their structure-activity relationships compared. The receptor binding affinity of the 5 alpha derivatives is less than that of the corresponding 5 beta derivatives.