With drug resistance threatening our first line antimalarial treatments, novel chemotherapeutics need to be developed. Ionophores have garnered interest as novel antimalarials due to their theorized ability to target unique systems found in the Plasmodium-infected erythrocyte. In this study, during the bioassay-guided fractionation of the crude extract of Streptomyces strain PR3, a group of cyclodepsipeptides, including valinomycin, and a novel class of cyclic ethers were identified and elucidated. Further study revealed that the ethers were cyclic polypropylene glycol (cPPG) oligomers that had leached into the bacterial culture from an extraction resin. Molecular dynamics analysis suggests that these ethers are able to bind cations such as K+, NH4+ and Na+. Combination studies using the fixed ratio isobologram method revealed that the cPPGs synergistically improved the antiplasmodial activity of valinomycin and reduced its cytotoxicity in vitro. The IC50 of valinomycin against P. falciparum NF54 improved by 4-5-fold when valinomycin was combined with the cPPGs. Precisely, it was improved from 3.75 ± 0.77 ng/mL to 0.90 ± 0.2 ng/mL and 0.75 ± 0.08 ng/mL when dosed in the fixed ratios of 3:2 and 2:3 of valinomycin to cPPGs, respectively. Each fixed ratio combination displayed cytotoxicity (IC50) against the Chinese Hamster Ovary cell line of 57-65 µg/mL, which was lower than that of valinomycin (12.4 µg/mL). These results indicate that combinations with these novel ethers may be useful in repurposing valinomycin into a suitable and effective antimalarial.

A one-pot, two-step approach to prepare 2-tetrahydrofuran and -pyran substituted 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds by PhI=NTs-mediated amination/Brønsted base-catalyzed cross dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reaction of the cyclic ether and 1,3-dicarbonyl derivative under mild conditions is reported. The reaction is compatible with a variety of cyclic ethers and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, affording the corresponding coupled products in moderate to good yields of up to 80% over two steps.

Crown ethers are small, cyclic polyethers that have found wide-spread use in phase-transfer catalysis and, to a certain degree, in protein chemistry. Crown ethers readily bind metallic and organic cations, including positively charged amino acid side chains. We elucidated the crystal structures of several protein-crown ether co-crystals grown in the presence of 18-crown-6. We then employed biophysical methods and molecular dynamics simulations to compare these complexes with the corresponding apoproteins and with similar complexes with ring-shaped low-molecular-weight polyethylene glycols. Our studies show that crown ethers can modify protein surface behavior dramatically by stabilizing either intra- or intermolecular interactions. Consequently, we propose that crown ethers can be used to modulate a wide variety of protein surface behaviors, such as oligomerization, domain-domain interactions, stabilization in organic solvents, and crystallization.

A novel approach to protecting jet fuel against the effects of water contamination is predicated upon the coupling of the rapid hydrolysis reactions of lipophilic cyclic geminal ethers, with the concomitant production of a hydrophilic acyclic hydroxyester with de-icing properties (Fuel Dehydrating Icing Inhibitors - FDII). To this end, a kinetic appraisal of the hydrolysis reactions of representative geminal ethers was undertaken using a convenient surrogate for the fuel-water interface (D2O/CD3CN 1:4). We present here a library of acyclic and five/six-membered cyclic geminal ethers arranged according to their hydroxonium catalytic coefficients for hydrolysis, providing for the first time a framework for the development of FDII. A combination of (1)H NMR, labelling and computational studies was used to assess the effects that may govern the observed relative rates of hydrolyses.

[n]Cycloparaphenylenes ([n]CPPs, where n is the number of phenylene groups), consisting of 1,4-linked phenylene unit, have attracted much attention due to their cyclic π-conjugated structures and physical properties. However, functionalizing of the benzene rings of smaller [n]CPPs (n < 7) has been a challenge due to ring strain and steric hindrance of the substituents that hampers their synthesis. Here we show successful synthesis of a new [6]CPP derivative with twelve methoxy groups at the 2,5-positions of all benzene rings by utilizing our developed CPP synthesis method via a macrocyclic gold complex. This molecule exhibited a significantly higher oxidation potential caused by the electron-donating ability of the methoxy groups and the tubular molecular conformation, allowing facile oxidation to give dicationic species with in-plane aromaticity. Furthermore, this molecule successfully included with the guest molecules with a flexible alkyl chain in the cavity, enabling the creation of a CPP-based rotaxane, which exploited its mechanically interlocked molecular structure to the first experimental observation that the in-plane aromaticity in the center of the macrocycle.

Alkyl-substituted cyclic ethers are intermediates formed in abundance during the low-temperature oxidation of hydrocarbons and biofuels via a chain-propagating step with ȮH. Subsequent reactions of cyclic ether radicals involve a competition between ring opening and reaction with O2, the latter of which enables pathways mediated by hydroperoxy-substituted carbon-centered radicals (Q̇OOH). Due to the resultant implications of competing unimolecular and bimolecular reactions on overall populations of ȮH, detailed insight into the chemical kinetics of cyclic ethers remains critical to high-fidelity numerical modeling of combustion. Cl-initiated oxidation experiments were conducted on 2-methyloxetane (an intermediate of n-butane oxidation) using multiplexed photoionization mass spectrometry (MPIMS), in tandem with calculations of stationary point energies on potential energy surfaces for unimolecular reactions of 2-methyloxetanyl and 2-methyloxetanylperoxy isomers. The potential energy surfaces were computed using the KinBot algorithm with stationary points calculated at the CCSD(T)-F12/cc-pVDZ-F12 level of theory. The experiments were conducted at 6 Torr and two temperatures (650 K and 800 K) under pseudo-first-order conditions to facilitate Ṙ + O2 reactions. Photoionization spectra were measured from 8.5 eV to 11.0 eV in 50-meV steps, and relative yields were quantified for species consistent with Ṙ → products and Q̇OOH → products. Species detected in the MPIMS experiments are linked to specific radicals of 2-methyloxetane. Species from Ṙ → products include methyl, ethene, formaldehyde, propene, ketene, 1,3-butadiene, and acrolein. Ion signals consistent with products from alkyl radical oxidation were detected, including for Q̇OOH-mediated species, which are also low-lying channels on their respective potential energy surfaces. In addition to species common to alkyl oxidation pathways, ring-opening reactions of Q̇OOH radicals derived from 2-methyloxetane produced ketohydroperoxide species (performic acid and 2-hydroperoxyacetaldehyde), which may impart additional chain-branching potential, and dicarbonyl species (3-oxobutanal and 2-methylpropanedial), which often serve as proxies for modeling reaction rates of ketohydroperoxides. The experimental and computational results underscore that reactions of cyclic ethers are inherently more complex than currently prescribed in chemical kinetic models utilized for combustion.

A new protocol for ring-closing metathesis/isomerization sequence was developed. The reactions of selected dienes were performed in overheated 2-methyltetrahydrofuran at 120 °C and provided a wide range of cyclic vinyl ethers and amides with good yields and selectivities. Computational analysis suggests that the relative yield of products depends on a thermodynamically driven process on the basis of relative stabilities of isomers.

A number of fatty acid (palmitic, myristic and lauric) esters (both 3α- and 3β-isomers) of epibrassinolide has been prepared as reference compounds for metabolic studies. Selective protection of the three of four hydroxyl groups of epibrassinolide was successively performed first as cyclic 22,23-methylboronates and then as 2α-benzyl ethers. α,β-Inversion of C-3 hydroxyl group was achieved through a consecutive oxidation-reduction reactions or by a nucleophilic substitution of the 3α-mesylates. Treatment of the 3α- and 3β-alcohols with palmitic, myristinic or lauric acid chlorides gave the corresponding esters. The hydrolysis of 22,23-methylboronates was performed after their transformation into 2-hydroxy-1,3,2-dioxaborolanes using a cation exchange column with DOWEX 50WX8 in NH4(+) form. Hydrogenolysis of the benzyl ethers catalyzed by palladium yielded the target compounds. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Synthesis and biological testing of steroid derivatives as inhibitors".

Hydroalkoxylation is a useful and efficient reaction which generates C-O bond and produces cyclic ethers, the common structural elements of natural products. The dedicative enzyme which can catalyze enantioselective hydroalkoxylation named PhnH was recently identified in the herqueinone biosynthetic gene from Penicillium herquei. It catalyzes addition of a phenol to the terminal olefin on substrate to produce a dihydrobenzofuran. Here, the crystal structure of PhnH is reported and the putative substrate-binding pocket is illustrated. Through docking experiment, possible substrate-binding poses are displayed and the catalytic mechanism is therefore proposed. Our findings form the basis for further studies of enantioselective hydroalkoxylation enzymes.

In this study approaches for chemical conversions of the renewable compounds 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PD) and 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) that yield the corresponding cyclic ketals and glycol ethers have been investigated experimentally. The characterization of the obtained products as potential green solvents and gasoline components is discussed. Cyclic ketals have been obtained by the direct reaction of the diols with lower aliphatic ketones (1,2-PD + acetone → 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-dioxolane (TMD) and 2,3-BD + butanone-2 → 2-ethyl-2,4,5-trimethyl-1,3-dioxolane (ETMD)), for which the ΔH0r, ΔS0r and ΔG0r values have been estimated experimentally. The monoethers of diols could be obtained through either hydrogenolysis of the pure ketals or from the ketone and the diol via reductive alkylation. In the both reactions, the cyclic ketals (TMD and ETMD) have been hydrogenated in nearly quantitative yields to the corresponding isopropoxypropanols (IPP) and 3-sec-butoxy-2-butanol (SBB) under mild conditions (T = 120-140 °C, p(H2) = 40 bar) with high selectivity (>93%). Four products (TMD, ETMD, IPP and SBB) have been characterized as far as their physical properties are concerned (density, melting/boiling points, viscosity, calorific value, evaporation rate, Antoine equation coefficients), as well as their solvent ones (Kamlet-Taft solvatochromic parameters, miscibility, and polymer solubilization). In the investigation of gasoline blending properties, TMD, ETMD, IPP and SBB have shown remarkable antiknock performance with blending antiknock indices of 95.2, 92.7, 99.2 and 99.7 points, respectively.

Quinazoline is one of the most widespread scaffolds amongst natural and synthetic bioactive compounds. Recently the quinazoline derivatives and in particular the 4-anilinoquinazolines have attracted much attention for their anticancer properties due to their capability to stabilize the kinase activity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). A series of fifteen previously designed and synthesized 4-anilinoquinazoline analogs (4-18) were evaluated for cytotoxic activity on two breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468). Ligand efficiency and binding mode studies were also done and evaluated for their potentially EGFR inhibitory effects in comparison with imatinib and erlotinib as reference drugs. Among the tested 4-anilinoquinazolines, compound 11 , which contains diethoxy at phenyl ring and morpholino pendants at positions 5 and 7 of the quinazoline ring, demonstrated the most potent biological activity on both cell lines. Our new quinazoline derivatives with different substituents such as cyclic or linear ethers and flour groups may be a promising cytotoxic lead compounds for further anti-breast cancer research.

Monensin A is a prototypical natural polyether polyketide antibiotic. It acts by binding a metal cation and facilitating its transport across the cell membrane. Biosynthesis of monensin A involves construction of a polyene polyketide backbone, subsequent epoxidation of the alkenes, and, lastly, formation of cyclic ethers via epoxide-opening cyclization. MonCI, a flavin-dependent monooxygenase, is thought to transform all three alkenes in the intermediate polyketide premonensin A into epoxides. Our crystallographic study has revealed that MonCI's exquisite stereocontrol is due to the preorganization of the active site residues which allows only one specific face of the alkene to approach the reactive C(4a)-hydroperoxyflavin moiety. Furthermore, MonCI has an unusually large substrate-binding cavity that can accommodate premonensin A in an extended or folded conformation which allows any of the three alkenes to be placed next to C(4a)-hydroperoxyflavin. MonCI, with its ability to perform multiple epoxidations on the same substrate in a stereospecific manner, demonstrates the extraordinary versatility of the flavin-dependent monooxygenase family of enzymes.

The organic composition of produced waters (flowback and formation waters) from the middle member of the Bakken Formation and the Three Forks Formation in the Williston Basin, North Dakota were examined to aid in the remediation of surface contamination and help develop treatment methods for produced-water recycling. Twelve produced water samples were collected from the Bakken and Three Forks Formations and analyzed for non-purgeable dissolved organic carbon (NPDOC), acetate, and extractable hydrocarbons. NPDOC and acetate concentrations from sampled wells from ranged from 33-190 mg per liter (mg/L) and 16-40 mg/L, respectively. Concentrations of individual extractable hydrocarbon compounds ranged from less than 1 to greater than 400 μg per liter (μg/L), and included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenolic compounds, glycol ethers, and cyclic ketones. While the limited number of samples, varying well production age, and lack of knowledge of on-going well treatments complicate conclusions, this report adds to the limited knowledge of organics in produced waters from the Bakken and Three Forks Formations.

Arylboronic acids are commonly used in modern organic chemistry to form new C-C and C-heteroatom bonds. These activated organic synthons show reactivity with heteroatoms in a range of substrates under ambient oxidative conditions. This broad reactivity has limited their use in protic, renewable solvents like water, ethanol, and methanol. Here, we report our efforts to study and optimize the activation of arylboronic acids by a copper(II) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex in aqueous solution and in a range of alcohols to generate phenol and aryl ethers, respectively. The optimized reactivity showcases the ability to make targeted C-O bonds, but also identifies conditions where water and alcohol activation could be limiting for C-C and C-heteroatom bond-forming reactions. This copper(II) complex shows strong reactivity toward arylboronic acid activation in aqueous medium at ambient temperature. The relationship between product formation and temperature and catalyst loading are described. Additionally, the effects of buffer, pH, base, and co-solvent are explored with respect to phenol and ether generation reactions. Characterization of the new copper(II) NCN-pincer complex by X-ray crystallography, HR-MS, cyclic voltammetry, FT-IR and UV-Vis spectral studies is reported.

Polyether antibiotics such as monensin are biosynthesised via a cascade of directed ring expansions operating on a putative polyepoxide precursor. The resulting structures containing fused cyclic ethers and a lipophilic backbone can form strong ionophoric complexes with certain metal cations. In this work, we demonstrate for monensin biosynthesis that, as well as ether formation, a late-stage hydroxylation step is crucial for the correct formation of the sodium monensin complex. We have investigated the last two steps in monensin biosynthesis, namely hydroxylation catalysed by the P450 monooxygenase MonD and O-methylation catalysed by the methyl-transferase MonE. The corresponding genes were deleted in-frame in a monensin-overproducing strain of Streptomyces cinnamonensis. The mutants produced the expected monensin derivatives in excellent yields (ΔmonD: 1.13 g L(-1) dehydroxymonensin; ΔmonE: 0.50 g L(-1) demethylmonensin; and double mutant ΔmonDΔmonE: 0.34 g L(-1) dehydroxydemethylmonensin). Single crystals were obtained from purified fractions of dehydroxymonensin and demethylmonensin. X-ray structure analysis revealed that the conformation of sodium dimethylmonensin is very similar to that of sodium monensin. In contrast, the coordination of the sodium ion is significantly different in the sodium dehydroxymonensin complex. This shows that the final constitution of the sodium monensin complex requires this tailoring step as well as polyether formation.

Organosilicon compounds have numerous applications in consumer products. After entering the environment most of them are resistant against microbial degradation and they persist in the environment. Accordingly, they are ubiquitously present in the environment. Therefore, better environmentally degradable organosilicon compounds are urgently needed. A systematic investigation of environmental degradability of organosilicon compounds allows to derive some general design principles, which in turn would enable chemists to reduce or better avoid environmental persistence of organosilicon compounds in the environment. Therefore, in this study, all organosilicon substances registered in the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) database were evaluated for their environmental biodegradability. Results of own experiments with different organosilicon substances were added to extend the data basis. A dataset was generated. An assessment of all data was done and invalid data were excluded. The remaining 182 substances were grouped regarding their structure to derive general rules for the environmental biodegradability of organosilicon compounds. Non-biodegradable at all were for example cyclic, linear and branched siloxanes. Groups like ethers, esters, oximes, amines, and amides were prone to hydrolysis, which can result in readily biodegradable intermediates if they do not contain silicon functional groups anymore. This knowledge could be used for the design of better degradable organosilicon compounds as non-degradable substances should be avoided if they enter the environment after their usage.

The low-dose mixture hypothesis of carcinogenesis proposes that exposure to an environmental chemical that is not individually oncogenic may nonetheless be capable of enabling carcinogenesis when it acts in concert with other factors. A class of ubiquitous environmental chemicals that are hypothesized to potentially function in this low-dose capacity are synthesized polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). PBDEs can affect correlates of carcinogenesis that include genomic instability and inflammation. However, the effect of low-dose PBDE exposure on such correlates in mammary tissue has not been examined. In the present study, low-dose long-term (16 weeks) administration of PBDE to mice modulated transcriptomic indicators of genomic integrity and innate immunity in normal mammary tissue. PBDE increased transcriptome signatures for the Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2 Like 2 (NFE2L2) response to oxidative stress and decreased signatures for non-homologous end joining DNA repair (NHEJ). PBDE also decreased transcriptome signatures for the cyclic GMP-AMP Synthase - Stimulator of Interferon Genes (cGAS-STING) response, decreased indication of Interferon Stimulated Gene Factor 3 (ISGF3) and Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF-κB) transcription factor activity, and increased digital cytometry estimates of immature dendritic cells (DCs) in mammary tissue. Replication of the PBDE exposure protocol in mice susceptible to mammary carcinogenesis resulted in greater tumor development. The results support the notion that ongoing exposure to low levels of PBDE can disrupt facets of genomic integrity and innate immunity in mammary tissue. Such effects affirm that synthesized PBDEs are a class of environmental chemicals that reasonably fit the low-dose mixture hypothesis.

Amphiphiles and, in particular, PEGylated lipids or alkyl ethers represent an important class of non-ionic surfactants and have become key ingredients for long-circulating ("stealth") liposomes. While poly-(ethylene glycol) (PEG) can be considered the gold standard for stealth-like materials, it is known to be neither a bio-based nor biodegradable material. In contrast to PEG, polysarcosine (PSar) is based on the endogenous amino acid sarcosine (N-methylated glycine), but has also demonstrated stealth-like properties in vitro, as well as in vivo. In this respect, we report on the synthesis and characterization of polysarcosine based lipids with C14 and C18 hydrocarbon chains and their end group functionalization. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis reveals that lipopeptoids with a degree of polymerization between 10 and 100, dispersity indices around 1.1, and the absence of detectable side products are directly accessible by nucleophilic ring opening polymerization (ROP). The values for the critical micelle concentration for these lipopolymers are between 27 and 1181 mg/L for the ones with C18 hydrocarbon chain or even higher for the C14 counterparts. The lipopolypeptoid based micelles have hydrodynamic diameters between 10 and 25 nm, in which the size scales with the length of the PSar block. In addition, C18PSar50 can be incorporated in 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) monolayers up to a polymer content of 3%. Cyclic compression and expansion of the monolayer showed no significant loss of polymer, indicating a stable monolayer. Therefore, lipopolypeptoids can not only be synthesized under living conditions, but my also provide a platform to substitute PEG-based lipopolymers as excipients and/or in lipid formulations.