Platinum-catalysed intermolecular addition of carbonyl compounds to 1,6-enynes: investigation of a new reaction pathway.

A novel intermolecular addition of aldehydes to 1,6-enynes via a Pt-carbene intermediate provides the diastereoselective formation of valuable tricyclic compounds.

Platinum(II)-phosphole complexes: synthesis and evaluation as enyne cycloisomerisation catalysts.

A series of platinum(II)-monophosphole complexes has been synthesized and used in enyne cycloisomerisations in order to study the effect of the ligand on the catalytic activity and selectivity. Reactions were performed on various N- or C-tethered 1,6-enynes and in the absence or in the presence of nucleophiles. For the most efficient cationic Pt(II)-complexes, it was also evidenced that the counterion and/or the solvent could have an influence on both the efficiency and the selectivity in the competition between the 5-exo-dig and the 6-endo-dig processes.

Effects of antimalarial molecules on the gametocyte stage of Plasmodium falciparum: the debate.

Although the illness malaria is caused by the asexual blood stages, the presence of gametocytes is directly responsible for the infection of the vector Anopheles, thus perpetuating the plasmodial cycle. Fight against malaria is more than ever a current problem, and the solution will probably go through the development of efficient molecules against gametocytes. Knowledge of the pharmacological properties of antiplasmodials is helpful in term of using relevant molecules to treat malaria and to eradicate this dramatic public health problem.

Predicting the substrate specificity of a glycosyltransferase implicated in the production of phenolic volatiles in tomato fruit.

The volatile compounds that constitute the fruit aroma of ripe tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) are often sequestered in glycosylated form. A homology-based screen was used to identify the gene SlUGT5, which is a member of UDP-glycosyltransferase 72 family and shows specificity towards a range of substrates, including flavonoid, flavanols, hydroquinone, xenobiotics and chlorinated pollutants. SlUGT5 was shown to be expressed primarily in ripening fruit and flowers, and mapped to chromosome I in a region containing a QTL that affected the content of guaiacol and eugenol in tomato crosses.

Probing the stereo-electronic properties of cationic rhodium complexes bearing chiral diphosphine ligands by 103Rh NMR.

(103)Rh NMR represents a powerful tool to assess the global electronic and steric contribution of diphosphine ligands on [Rh(COD)(diphosphine)](+) complexes. In the case of DIOP, BINAP and MeDUPHOS, this approach proved to be more informative than classical CO-stretching frequency measurements. After validation, this method has been extended to a set of seven diphosphines.

Modifications of the chemical structure of terpenes in antiplasmodial and antifungal drug research.

Pure natural monoterpenes were evaluated in vitro for their antiplasmodial activities against Plasmodium falciparum. Chemically modified terpenes were also tested to see whether the introduction of an alkyne, a cyclopropane, a diene, or a cyclopentenone moiety had an influence on the biological activity. The IC(50) obtained on a chloroquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium (FcM29-Cameroon) showed moderate activity, but with the alkyne and the cyclopentenone derivatives showing a promising enhancement of activity compared with the parent molecules.

Trioxaquines are new antimalarial agents active on all erythrocytic forms, including gametocytes.

Malaria is the third most significant cause of infectious disease in the world. The search for new antimalarial chemotherapy has become increasingly urgent due to parasite resistance to classical drugs. Trioxaquines are synthetic hybrid molecules containing a trioxane motif (which is responsible for the antimalarial activity of artemisinin) linked to an aminoquinoline entity (which is responsible for the antiplasmodial properties of chloroquine).

Synthesis and antimalarial activity of trioxaquine derivatives.

Trioxaquines are dual molecules that contain a trioxane motif linked to an aminoquinoline entity. Among the different compounds of this series, trioxaquine cis-15 (DU1302 c), prepared from alpha-terpinene, a cheap natural product, showed efficient antimalarial activity in vitro on both sensitive and resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum (IC(50)=5-19 nM). A stereochemical description of this stable, nontoxic, and non-genotoxic antimalarial agent is detailed.

From mechanistic studies on artemisinin derivatives to new modular antimalarial drugs.

In the first part of this account, the antimalarial drug artemisinin is presented, and the current hypotheses on the mechanism of action of this endoperoxide-based drug are reviewed. The alkylating ability of artemisinin and synthetic analogues toward heme related to their antimalarial efficacy are underlined. Some possible ways for discovery of new drugs, especially the design of trioxaquines, new active molecules recently patented that have been prepared by covalent attachment of a trioxane residue having alkylating ability to a quinoline moiety known to easily penetrate within infected erythrocytes, are presented.