Phytanic acid: production from phytol, its breakdown and role in human disease

Phytanic acid is a branched-chain fatty acid that accumulates in a variety of metabolic disorders. High levels of phytanic acid found in patients can exceed the millimolar range and lead to severe symptoms. Degradation of phytanic acid takes place by α-oxidation inside the peroxisome. A deficiency of its breakdown, leading to elevated levels, can result from either a general peroxisomal dysfunction or from a defect in one of the enzymes involved in α-oxidation. Research on Refsum disease, belonging to the latter group of disorders and characterized by a deficiency of the first enzyme of α-oxidation, has extended our knowledge of phytanic acid metabolism and pathology of the disease greatly over the past few decades. This review will centre on this research on phytanic acid: its origin, the mechanism by which its α-oxidation takes place, its role in human disease and the way it is produced from phytol. Received 4 October 2005; received after revision 24 February 2006; accepted 26 April 2006     

Activation and inactivation of thyroid hormone by deiodinases: Local action with general consequences

The thyroid hormone plays a fundamental role in the development, growth, and metabolic homeostasis in all vertebrates by affecting the expression of different sets of genes. A group of thioredoxin fold-containing selenoproteins known as deiodinases control thyroid hormone action by activating or inactivating the precursor molecule thyroxine that is secreted by the thyroid gland. These pathways ensure regulation of the availability of the biologically active molecule T3, which occurs in a time-and tissue-specific fashion. In addition, because cells and plasma are in equilibrium and deiodination affects central thyroid hormone regulation, these local deiodinase-mediated events can also affect systemic thyroid hormone economy, such as in the case of non-thyroidal illness. Heightened interest in the field has been generated following the discovery that the deiodinases can be a component in both the Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway and the TGR-5 signaling cascade, a G-protein-coupled receptor for bile acids. These new mechanisms involved in deiodinase regulation indicate that local thyroid hormone activation and inactivation play a much broader role than previously thought. Received 29 August 2007; received after revision 11 October 2007; accepted 16 October 2007     

Molecular mechanisms in therapy of acid-related diseases

Inhibition of gastric acid secretion is the mainstay of the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease and peptic ulceration; therapies to inhibit acid are among the best-selling drugs worldwide. Highly effective agents targeting the histamine H2 receptor were first identified in the 1970s. These were followed by the development of irreversible inhibitors of the parietal cell hydrogen-potassium ATPase (the proton pump inhibitors) that inhibit acid secretion much more effectively. Reviewed here are the chemistry, biological targets and pharmacology of these drugs, with reference to their current and evolving clinical utilities. Future directions in the development of acid inhibitory drugs include modifications of current agents and the emergence of a novel class of agents, the acid pump antagonists. Received 30 May 2007; received after revision 15 August 2007; accepted 13 September 2007     

Bile Acids: Chemistry, Pathochemistry, Biology, Pathobiology, and Therapeutics

Bile acids and bile alcohols in the form of their conjugates are amphipathic end products of cholesterol metabolism with multiple physiological functions. The great variety of bile acids and bile alcohols that are present in vertebrates are tabulated. Bile salts have an enterohepatic circulation resulting from efficient vectorial transport of bile salts through the hepatocyte and the ileal enterocyte; such transport leads to the accumulation of a pool of bile salts that cycles between the liver and intestine. Bile salt anions promote lipid absorption, enhance tryptic cleavage of dietary proteins, and have antimicrobial effects. Bile salts are signaling molecules, activating nuclear receptors in the hepatocyte and ileal enterocyte, as well as an increasing number of G-protein coupled receptors. Bile acids are used therapeutically to correct deficiency states, to decrease the cholesterol saturation of bile, or to decrease the cytotoxicity of retained bile acids in cholestatic liver disease.     

空气液相催化氧化法制备2,6-萘二甲酸

为制备高分子单体2,6-萘二甲酸,以自制的2-甲基6-丙酰基萘为原料,在自建的一套氧化反应装置中,以钴锰溴类物质为催化剂,经空气液相催化氧化得到了2,6-萘二甲酸.并对氧化反应的产物进行了FT-IR和HLPC-MS表征;对氧化反应的工艺条件进行了研究.结果表明,氧化反应的较佳条件为:反应时间30 min,物料的溶剂质量比为15∶1,反应温度210℃,反应压力2.2 MPa,催化剂中钴的质量分数为0.1%,合适的催化剂质量配比1∶2∶3.产物的收率可达68%,产物的纯度大于95%.     

MA/AA水相聚合及性能评价

合成了马来酸一丙烯酸共聚物阻垢剂,对引发剂用量、溶剂水量、催化剂用量以及反应温度等影响反应结果的主要因素,通过实验进行优选。结果表明:在马来酸酐50份、丙烯酸11份固定的条件下。采用引发剂25份、溶剂水15份、催化剂0.03份、反应温度100℃、反应时间4h,合成的共聚物阻垢效果最佳。静态阻垢性能测试结果(按照Q/SYDQ0833-2002标准进行评价),阻垢率达82.5%。其效果优于马来酸单聚物,且成本低于1:1摩尔比的马丙共聚物。     

强化光催化氧化苯甲酸研究

 研究了不同浓度TiO2、O3、H2O2光催化氧化苯甲酸的过程．结果表明：苯甲酸在光催化臭氧-过氧化氢氧化（UV/TiO2/O3/H2O2）和光催化臭氧氧化（UV/TiO2/O3）过程的浓度去除率比单独光氧化（UV）、光催化氧化（UV/TiO2）、光催化过氧化氢氧化（UV/H2O2）过程明显增高．TiO2的最佳投加量为4.0 g/L,苯甲酸降解速度随着O3浓度增加而增大,低浓度的H2O2能促进苯甲酸氧化．动力学研究表明,苯甲酸降解过程遵循一级反应,苯甲酸在UV/TiO2/O3/H2O2作用下降解的速率常数是UV/TiO2/O3过程的1.47～6.29倍,是UV/TiO2过程的3.39～5.21倍．     

基于杯[4]芳烃的选择性识别有机酸的荧光传感器

以杯[4]芳烃为平台、氨基吡啶基团为识别位点、萘环为荧光基团,合成了一类新型荧光化学传感器.采用红外光谱、质谱、核磁共振和元素分析方法对产物进行了表征,并对产物的性能及荧光分子识别有机酸的机理进行了研究.结果表明,所合成的荧光分子在乙腈溶液中能选择性识别芳香族有机酸,表现出荧光淬灭现象,其与有机酸络合能力的大小依次为:对氰基苯甲酸>对氯苯甲酸>对甲氧基苯甲酸>苯甲酸.     

离子强度对牛磺酸离子交换平衡的影响

采用静态吸附法研究离子强度对牛磺酸/OH-体系在阴离子树脂D290上离子交换平衡的影响,测定了不同离子强度下牛磺酸在碱式阴离子交换树脂上的交换平衡等温线.研究结果表明:(1)随着溶液离子强度的升高,阴离子树脂对牛磺酸的平衡交换吸附容量逐渐降低,牛磺酸在树脂上的分配系数λTau逐渐下降;(2)随着溶液离子强度增大,达到平衡时液相的pH值升高,溶液中牛磺酸阴离子Tau±含量迅速增加,而牛磺酸两性离子Tau±含量迅速降低;(3)在一定的牛磺酸浓度范围内,溶液离子强度增大,有利于提高离子交换树脂对牛磺酸的选择性.     

气相内标-标准曲线法测定DLPC中亚油酸

通过大豆醇溶性磷脂与亚油酸在1,3-特异脂肪酶TLIM催化下的酸解反应,制备二亚油酰磷脂酰胆碱(DLPC),衍生化处理后,气相色谱定量分析.为满足实际需求,建立了气相色谱准确定量分析DLPC中亚油酸含量的方法——内标标准曲线法.方法的相对标准偏差(RSD)2.15%,平均回收率在92.7%～105%之间,线性相关系数0.9991,线性范围在2～40mg/mL之间.