10.1016/j.bmcl.2012.10.110
The research aimed to synthesize and evaluate novel terpenyl heterocycles based on chalcones and their dihydropyrazolidines/pyrazolidines for their potential as antileishmanial agents against Leishmania donovani, a parasite causing leishmaniasis. The study identified compound 4d as a promising candidate with significant in vitro activity against intracellular amastigotes of L. donovani, exhibiting an IC50 value of 7.49 μM and a selectivity index (S.I.) of 29.46, which was more active than the reference drug miltefosine. Compound 4d also showed a significant in vivo response in a hamster model with 81% inhibition of parasite multiplication. The chemicals used in the synthesis process included substituted aromatic aldehydes, b-ionone, and a-ionone for the chalcones, phenyl hydrazine for the formation of dihydropyrazolidine derivatives, and Ag2O for the aromatization of certain compounds. The study concluded that these terpenyl heterocycles could serve as prototypes for the development of more efficacious antileishmanial agents.
10.1016/S0040-4039(02)00663-9
The study presents the synthesis of a C15,C14-ring locked all-trans-β-carotene analog, which is a significant compound due to its role in the production of retinoids, essential for vision and cell differentiation. The synthesis involved the use of various chemicals, including cyclohexenone-3-carboxaldehyde, diethyl(1-cyanoethyl)phosphonate, and β-ionone, which served as starting materials and reagents in the reaction sequences. Key reactions such as Wittig and HWE olefinations were employed to construct the carbon framework, with the final product being synthesized through bis-olefination with a C15 ylide bearing the ionone moiety. This unnatural β-carotene analog preserves molecular connectivity upon oxidative cleavage, which is crucial for isotopic labeling studies to determine the source of oxygen in retinal production. The synthesized compound will be used for enzymatic oxidation studies, furthering understanding of β-carotene-15,15'-dioxygenase (BCDOX), an enzyme vital for retinoid production.