Synthetic studies toward miroestrols: trials for elongation of the methyl group of 5-substituted 2-methyl-2-cyclohexanone to 3-methyl-2-butenyl function

Miroestrol Quantification in Pueraria mirifica Crude Drugs and Products by Single-Reference UPLC/PDA/MS Using Relative Molar Sensitivities to Kwakhurin

Owing to occasional health damages caused by health food products derived from Pueraria mirifica (PM), the Japanese government has designated PM as an "ingredient calling for special attention." Miroestrol is a specific isoflavone isolated from PM and possesses very strong estrogenic activity enough to induce side effects in small amount. Therefore, routine analyses for miroestrol quantification is recommended to control the safety and quality of PM products. However, miroestrol content in PM is quite low, and commercial reagent for its detection is rarely available. In this study, we developed a quantitative analysis method for miroestrol in PM without using its analytical standard by using the relative molar sensitivity (RMS) of miroestrol to kwakhurin, another PM-specific isoflavone, as a reference standard. The RMS value was obtained by an offline combination of ¹H-quantitative NMR spectroscopy and a LC/photo diode array (PDA) and miroestrol content was determined by single-reference LC/PDA using RMS. Furthermore, we investigated miroestrol content in commercially available PM crude drugs and products, and the RMS method was compared with the conventional calibration curve method in terms of performance. The rate of concordance of miroestrol contents determined by two method was 89-101%. The results revealed that our developed LC/PDA/MS method with RMS using kwakhurin as a reference standard was accurate for routine monitoring of miroestrol content in PM crude drugs and products to control their quality.

(3R*,6R*,4′S*,8′R*,3′′R*,6′′R*)-3,3′′-Diisopropyl-6,6′′-dimethyl-2′,6′-diphenyldispiro[cyclohexane-1,4′-(3,7-dioxa-2,6-diazabicyclo[3.3.0]octane)-8′,1′′-cyclohexane]-2,2′′-dione

The two oxazolidine rings (A and B) of the title compound, C₃₄H₄₄N₂O₄, display roughly half-chair conformations, which could be described as twisted on the C—O bond. Together, the fused oxazolidine rings have a butterfly shape, with the H atoms attached to the ring junction C atoms in a cis orientation. The cyclo­hexane rings of both p-menthone fragments display chair conformations. The absolute configuration could not be determined from the X-ray diffraction data, but the relative configuration of the stereocentres could be deduced.