Syntheses and Biological Activities of Danicalipin A Derivatives.

Synthesis of three derivatives of danicalipin A, tetrachloride, trisulfate and a fluorescent probe was achieved through Wittig reaction strategy. Toxicity of the derivatives against brine shrimp (Artemia salina) as also investigated to provide useful information for the biological activity; i) less chloride derivative showed similar toxicity to danicalipin A, ii) the amphiphilic property, a characteristic feature of danicalipin A, was crucial because trisulfate considerably decreased the toxicity and iii) fluorescent derivative kept brine shrimp toxicity of danicalipin A.

Scope and limitations of absolute configuration determination of allenic natural products using the CCC stretching VCD signal.

The allene functional group in natural products isolated so far exists in a non-racemic form, but its axial chirality is difficult to elucidate. Allenes exhibit a characteristic antisymmetric CCC stretching mode at around 1950 cm, and their VCD properties have not been studied in detail. This work, for the first time, applied VCD spectroscopy to allenic natural products and allenic molecules with other asymmetric centers focusing on the antisymmetric CCC stretching mode.

Effective Synthesis and Antifouling Activity of Dolastatin 16 Derivatives.

Some derivatives of dolastatin 16, a depsipeptide natural product first obtained from the sea hare , were synthesized through second-generation synthesis of two unusual amino acids, dolaphenvaline and dolamethylleuine. The second-generation synthesis enabled derivatizations such as functionalization of the aromatic ring in dolaphenvaline. The derivatives of fragments and whole structures were evaluated for antifouling activity against the cypris larvae of Small fragments inhibited the settlement of the cypris larvae at potent to moderate concentrations (EC = 0.

Efficient synthesis of α,β-dichlorinated ketones from α,β-dichlorinated Weinreb amides through a simple work-up procedure.

An efficient synthesis of α,β-dichlorinated ketones from α,β-dichlorinated Weinreb amides is described. Quenching with nonaqueous HCl avoided side reactions associated with typical work-up procedures. The amide reacted with various nucleophiles to give the corresponding ketones in high yields.

Assignment of Absolute Configuration of Bromoallenes by Vacuum-Ultraviolet Circular Dichroism (VUVCD).

A new application of vacuum-ultraviolet circular dichroism (VUVCD), which enables the measurement of CD spectra in the vacuum-ultraviolet region (140-200 nm), for the assignment of the absolute configurations of bromoallenes is described. Bromoallene moieties are found in natural products obtained from many marine organisms. To date, the absolute configuration of bromoallenes has been assigned almost exclusively with Lowe's rule, which is based on specific rotation.

Biosurfactants from Marine Cyanobacteria Collected in Sabah, Malaysia.

Chemical investigation of the organic extract from , collected in Sabah, Malaysia, led to the isolation of three new chlorinated fatty acid amides, columbamides F (), G (), and H (). The planar structures of - were established by a combination of mass spectrometric and NMR spectroscopic analyses. The absolute configuration of was determined by Marfey's analysis of its hydrolysate and chiral-phase HPLC analysis after conversion and esterification with Ohrui's acid, (1,2)-2-(anthracene-2,3-dicarboximido)cyclohexanecarboxylic acid.

Neighboring Effect of Intramolecular Chlorine Atoms on Epoxide Opening Reaction by Chloride Anions.

We investigated the diastereoselectivity of ring openings for chloro vinyl epoxides with various chlorination reagents. In the chlorinolysis reactions using vinyl epoxides having an allyl alcohol, inversion:retention ratios varied depending on the chloride sources. In limited cases, the increase in retention ratio was consistent with the intervention of chloronium ions.

A brown algal sex pheromone reverses the sign of phototaxis by cAMP/Ca-dependent signaling in the male gametes of Mutimo cylindricus (Cutleriaceae).

Male gametes of the brown alga Mutimo cylindricus show positive phototaxis soon after spawning in seawater but gradually change the sign of phototaxis with time. This conversion appears to need the decrease of intracellular Ca concentration. In this study, we revealed that the conversion of male gamete phototactic sign, positive to negative, was accelerated by mixing with female gametes.

Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationship of Omaezallene Derivatives.

Omaezallene derivatives (nor-bromoallene, nor-bromodiene, and bromoenynes) were successfully synthesized. Their antifouling activity and toxicity to the cypris larvae of the barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite and ecotoxicity to the marine crustacean Tigriopus japonicus were studied. It was revealed that the two side chains of omaezallene were essential to its antifouling activity because the activities of nor-bromoallene and nor-bromodiene were significantly diminished.

Antioxidants from the Brown Alga .

An investigation of anti-oxidative compounds from the brown alga has led to the isolation and identification of isozonarol, isozonarone, chromazonarol, zonaroic acid and isozonaroic acid. Their structures were identified by comparison of MS and NMR spectra. Full NMR assignment and absolute configuration of isozonaroic acid are described.

Serinolamides and Lyngbyabellins from an Okeania sp. Cyanobacterium Collected from the Red Sea.

NMR- and MS-guided fractionation of an extract of an Okeania sp. marine cyanobacterium, collected from the Red Sea, led to the isolation of four new metabolites, including serinolamides C (1) and D (2) and lyngbyabellins O (3) and P (4), together with the three known substances lyngbyabellins F (5) and G (6) and dolastatin 16 (7). The planar structures of the new compounds were determined using NMR and MS analyses.

Columbamides D and E: Chlorinated Fatty Acid Amides from the Marine Cyanobacterium Moorea bouillonii Collected in Malaysia.

Two new chlorinated fatty acid amides, columbamides D (1) and E (2), along with apratoxins A and C and wewakazole, were isolated from the organic extract of a Moorea bouillonii sample from Sabah, Malaysia. Structure elucidation was accomplished by a combination of MS and NMR analyses. The total synthesis of all four stereoisomers of 1 was completed, and the absolute configuration was determined by chiral-phase HPLC and Marfey's analysis.

Total synthesis of (-)-kainic acid and (+)-allo-kainic acid through SmI-mediated intramolecular coupling between allyl chloride and an α,β-unsaturated ester.

A 3,4-disubstituted pyrrolidine ring was effectively cyclized through SmI-mediated reductive coupling between allyl chloride and an α,β-unsaturated ester, although little has been reported about SmI-promoted C-C bond formation of an allyl chloride with an α,β-unsaturated ester. Selection of either the 3,4-cis- or 3,4-trans-selective cyclization can be accomplished simply by changing the additives from NiI to HMPA during reductive cyclization conducted in HO-THF. Total synthesis of (-)-kainic acid and (+)-allo-kainic acid, which are pyrrolidine alkaloids used in neuroscience and neuropharmacology as useful molecular probes, was successfully achieved by using the stereo-complementary ring closure reactions promoted by SmI for the construction of the 2,3,4-trisubsituted pyrrolidine scaffold of kainoids.

Design, Synthesis, and Antifouling Activity of Glucosamine-Based Isocyanides.

Biofouling, an undesirable accumulation of organisms on sea-immersed structures such as ship hulls and fishing nets, is a serious economic issue whose effects include oil wastage and clogged nets. Organotin compounds were utilized since the 1960s as an antifouling material; however, the use of such compounds was later banned by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) due to their high toxicity toward marine organisms, resulting in masculinization and imposex. Since the ban, there have been extensive efforts to develop environmentally benign antifoulants.

Total synthesis and biological activity of dolastatin 16.

The total synthesis of dolastatin 16, a macrocyclic depsipeptide first isolated from the sea hare Dolabella auricularia as a potential antineoplastic metabolite by Pettit et al., was achieved in a convergent manner. Dolastatin 16 was reported by Tan to exhibit strong antifouling activity, and thus shows promise for inhibiting the attachment of marine benthic organisms such as Amphibalanus amphitrite to ships and submerged artificial structures.

cDNA cloning and characterization of vanadium-dependent bromoperoxidases from the red alga Laurencia nipponica.

The marine red alga genus Laurencia is one of the richest producers of unique brominated compounds in the marine environment. The cDNAs for two Laurencia nipponica vanadium-dependent bromoperoxidases (LnVBPO1 and LnVBPO2) were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Enzyme assays of recombinant LnVBPO1 and LnVBPO2 using monochlorodimedone revealed that they were thermolabile but their Km values for Br(-) were significantly lower than other red algal VBPOs.

Omaezallene from red alga Laurencia sp.: structure elucidation, total synthesis, and antifouling activity.

Natural antifouling products have been the subject of considerable attention. We screened marine algae for antifouling activity and discovered omaezallenes, the new bromoallene-containing natural products isolated from the red alga Laurencia sp. Described is the isolation, structure elucidation, and total syntheses of omaezallenes.

Confirmation of the configuration of 10-isothiocyanato-4-cadinene diastereomers through synthesis.

The marine sponge metabolite 10-isothiocyanato-4-cadinene (1) was first isolated by Garson et al. from Acanthella cavernosa in 2000. The same structure 1 was later reported by Wright et al.

Thrombin inhibitors from the freshwater cyanobacterium Anabaena compacta.

Bioassay-guided investigation of the cyanobacterium Anabaena compacta extracts afforded spumigin J (1) and the known thrombin inhibitor spumigin A (2). The absolute configuration of 1 was analyzed by advanced Marfey's methodology. Compounds 1 and 2 inhibited thrombin with EC(50) values of 4.

Novel one-pot three-component coupling reaction with trimethylsilylmethyl-phosphonate, acyl fluoride, and aldehyde through the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction.

A novel three-component coupling between trimethylsilylmethylphosphonate, acyl fluoride, and aldehyde has been developed. A sequential nucleophilic addition of lithio-trimethylsilylmethylphosphonate to the acyl fluoride and Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction of an aldehyde with the lithio-β-ketophosphonate generated in situ by desilylation at the α-position of the α-silyl-β-ketophosphonate by fluoride took place cleanly in a one-pot operation. Various E- and Z-enones were obtained in high yields with high stereoselectivities by this one-pot procedure.

Synthesis and biological activity of kalkitoxin and its analogues.

Total syntheses of kalkitoxin, isolated from the Caribbean Lyngbya majuscula, and its analogues, 3-epi-, 7-epi-, 8-epi-, 10-epi-, 10-nor-, and 16-nor-kalkitoxin, were achieved via oxazolidinone-based diastereoselective 1,4-addition reaction of a methyl group and efficient TiCl(4)-mediated thiazoline ring formation as the key steps. The biological activities of synthetic kalkitoxin and its analogues were evaluated with brine shrimp.

Total synthesis of 10-isocyano-4-cadinene and its stereoisomers and evaluations of antifouling activities.

The first enantioselective total synthesis of 10-isocyano-4-cadinene, a marine sesquiterpene isolated from nudibranchs of the family Phyllidiidae, and determination of its absolute stereochemistry were achieved. 10-Isocyano-4-cadinene is expected to be a novel nontoxic antifouling agent. In the synthesis, intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction and samarium diiodide induced Barbier-type cyclization were employed as key steps.

Asymmetric total synthesis of danicalipin A and evaluation of biological activity.

Asymmetric total synthesis of danicalipin A was achieved. The synthesis was characterized by diastereoselective introduction of chlorine atoms. Biological activities with synthetic danicalipin A, its enantiomer, and racemate were also evaluated toward brine shrimp.

Total synthesis of 10-isocyano-4-cadinene and determination of its absolute configuration.

The first enantioselective total synthesis of 10-isocyano-4-cadinene, a marine sesquiterpene isolated from nudibranchs of the family Phyllidiidae, was achieved. The cadinene is expected to be a novel nontoxic antifouling agent. In the synthesis, an intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction and a SmI(2)-induced Barbier-type reaction were employed as key steps.

Acetoxyl group directed cyclization promoted by SmI2: directing group determined stereocomplementarity.

Complete reversal of diastereoselectivity was observed in the SmI(2)-promoted ketyl-olefin coupling cyclizations of the hydroxy ketone or aldehyde and its acetate. For example, the stereodivergent synthesis of the epimeric five-membered-ring alcohols 2 and 4 has been accomplished through the SmI(2)-induced ketyl-olefin coupling cyclizations of the delta-hydroxy ketone 1 and delta-acetoxy ketone 3.