An unprecedented oxidative trimerization of sesamol catalyzed by laccases

Developments in the Dehydrogenative Electrochemical Synthesis of 3,3',5,5'-Tetramethyl-2,2'-biphenol

The symmetric biphenol 3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethyl‐2,2′‐biphenol is a well‐known ligand building block and is used in transition‐metal catalysis. In the literature, there are several synthetic routes for the preparation of this exceptional molecule. Herein, the focus is on the sustainable electrochemical synthesis of 3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethyl‐2,2′‐biphenol. A brief overview of the developmental history of this inconspicuous molecule, which is of great interest for technical applications, but has many challenges for its synthesis, is provided. The electro‐organic method is a powerful, sustainable, and efficient alternative to conventional synthesis to obtain this symmetric biphenol up to the kilogram scale. Another section of this article is devoted to different process management strategies in batch‐type and flow electrolysis and their respective advantages.

Biocatalysis with Laccases: An Updated Overview

Laccases are multicopper oxidases, which have been widely investigated in recent decades thanks to their ability to oxidize organic substrates to the corresponding radicals while producing water at the expense of molecular oxygen. Besides their successful (bio)technological applications, for example, in textile, petrochemical, and detoxifications/bioremediations industrial processes, their synthetic potentialities for the mild and green preparation or selective modification of fine chemicals are of outstanding value in biocatalyzed organic synthesis. Accordingly, this review is focused on reporting and rationalizing some of the most recent and interesting synthetic exploitations of laccases. Applications of the so-called laccase-mediator system (LMS) for alcohol oxidation are discussed with a focus on carbohydrate chemistry and natural products modification as well as on bio- and chemo-integrated processes. The laccase-catalyzed Csp2-H bonds activation via monoelectronic oxidation is also discussed by reporting examples of enzymatic C-C and C-O radical homo- and hetero-couplings, as well as of aromatic nucleophilic substitutions of hydroquinones or quinoids. Finally, the laccase-initiated domino/cascade synthesis of valuable aromatic (hetero)cycles, elegant strategies widely documented in the literature across more than three decades, is also presented.

Total Synthesis of Pyrolaside B: Phenol Trimerization through Sequenced Oxidative C-C and C-O Coupling

A facile method to oxidatively trimerize phenols using a catalytic aerobic copper system is described. The mechanism of this transformation was probed, yielding insight that enabled cross-coupling trimerizations. With this method, the natural product pyrolaside B was synthesized for the first time. The key strategy used for this novel synthesis is the facile one-step construction of a spiroketal trimer intermediate, which can be selectively reduced to give the natural product framework without recourse to stepwise Ullmann- and Suzuki-type couplings. As a result, pyrolaside B can be obtained expeditiously in five steps and 16 % overall yield. Three other analogues were synthesized, thus highlighting the utility of the method, which provides new accessibility to this area of chemical space. A novel xanthene was also synthesized through controlled Lewis acid promoted rearrangement of a spiroketal trimer.

Identification of Novel Sesamol Dimers with Unusual Methylenedioxy Ring-Opening Skeleton and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities

BACKGROUND

Sesamol is a widely used antioxidant for the food and pharmaceutical industries. The oxidation products of this compound may be accumulated in foods or ingested. Little is known about its effect on human health.

OBJECTIVE

It is of great interest to identify the oxidation products of sesamol that may be beneficial to humans. This study was undertaken to identify the oxidation products of sesamol and investigate their antioxidant and cytotoxic activities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using the ferricyanide oxidation approach, four oxidation products of sesamol (2, 3, 20 & 21) have been identified. Structural elucidation of these compounds was established on the basis of their detailed NMR spectroscopic analysis, mass spectrometry and x-ray crystallography. Additionally, a formation mechanism of compound 20 was proposed based on high-resolution mass spectrometry-fragmentation method. The antioxidant activities of these compounds were determined by the DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays. The in vitro antiproliferative activity of these compounds was evaluated against a panel of human cancer cell lines as well as non-cancerous cells.

RESULTS

Two oxidation products of sesamol were found to contain an unusual methylenedioxy ring-opening skeleton, as evidenced by spectroscopic and x-ray crystallographic data. Among all compounds, 20 displayed impressive antiproliferative activities against a panel of human cancer cell lines yet remained non-toxic to noncancerous cells. The antioxidant activities of compound 20 are significantly weaker than sesamol as determined by the DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays.

CONCLUSION

The oxidation products of sesamol could be a valuable source of bioactive molecules. Compound 20 may be used as a potential lead molecule for cancer studies.

Myricetin, rosmarinic and carnosic acids as superior natural antioxidant alternatives to α-tocopherol for the preservation of omega-3 oils

22 natural polyphenols are compared to 7 synthetic antioxidants including BHT, BHA, TBHQ and PG with regard to their ability to protect omega-3 oils from autoxidation. The antioxidant efficiency of phenols is assessed using the DPPH test and the measurement of oxygen consumption during the autoxidation of oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Also, the bond dissociation enthalpies (BDE) of the Ar-OH bonds are calculated and excellent correlations between thermodynamic, kinetic and oxidation data are obtained. It is shown that kinetic rates of hydrogen transfer, number of radicals scavenged per antioxidant molecule, BDE and formation of antioxidant dimers from the primary radicals play an important role regarding the antioxidant activity of phenols. Based on this, it is finally shown that myricetin, rosmarinic and carnosic acids are more efficient than α-tocopherol and synthetic antioxidants for the preservation of omega-3 oils.

Laccase catalysis for the synthesis of bioactive compounds

The demand for compounds of therapeutic value is increasing mainly because of new applications of bioactive compounds in medicine, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and food industries. This has necessitated the search for cost-effective methods for producing bioactive compounds and therefore the intensification of the search for enzymatic approaches in organic synthesis. Laccase is one of the enzymes that have shown encouraging potential as biocatalysts in the synthesis of bioactive compounds. Laccases are multicopper oxidases with a diverse range of catalytic activities revolving around synthesis and degradative reactions. They have attracted much attention as potential industrial catalysts in organic synthesis mainly because they are essentially green catalysts with a diverse substrate range. Their reaction only requires molecular oxygen and releases water as the only by-product. Laccase catalysis involves the abstraction of a single electron from their substrates to produce reactive radicals. The free radicals subsequently undergo homo- and hetero-coupling to form dimeric, oligomeric, polymeric, or cross-coupling products which have practical implications in organic synthesis. Consequently, there is a growing body of research focused on the synthetic applications of laccases such as organic synthesis, hair and textile dyeing, polymer synthesis, and grafting processes. This paper reviews the major advances in laccase-mediated synthesis of bioactive compounds, the mechanisms of enzymatic coupling, structure-activity relationships of synthesized compounds, and the challenges that might guide future research directions.

Xanthone dimers: a compound family which is both common and privileged

This Review seeks to systematically describe, for the first time, the widely-occurring and highly biologically-active family of dimeric xanthones from nature, encompassing several aspects of their biosynthesis, occurrence, contrasting structural features and wide variety of bioactivities.