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Recent results have shown that indole-3-carbinol (I3C) inhibits the cellular growth of human cancer cell lines. In some cruciferous vegetables, another indole, N-methoxyindole-3-carbinol (NI3C), is found beside I3C. Knowledge about the biological effects of NI3C is limited. The aim of the present study was to show the effect of NI3C on cell growth of two human colon cancer cell lines, DLD-1 and HCT-116. For the first time it is shown that NI3C inhibits cellular growth of DLD-1 and HCT-116 and that NI3C is a more potent inhibitor of cell proliferation than I3C. In addition to the inhibition of cellular proliferation, NI3C caused an accumulation of HCT-116 cells in the G2/M phase, in contrast to I3C, which led to an accumulation of the colon cells in G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, NI3C delays the G1-S phase transition of synchronized HCT-116 cells. The indole-mediated cell-cycle arrest may be related to the increased levels of the CDK-inhibitors p21 and p27 (only induced by NI3C). Only an initial increase of cdc2 protein was observed, whereas prolonged treatment with NI3C or I3C downregulates the mRNA and proteins of cyclin-dependent kinases and cyclins. These results indicate that both NI3C and I3C inhibit the proliferation of human colon cells but via different mechanisms.

Essential oil allylbenzenes from have been converted quickly and efficiently into the corresponding benzaldehydes in good yields by a two-step “green” reaction pathway based on a solventless alkene group isomerization by KF/Al2O3 to form the corresponding 1-arylpropene and a subsequent solventless oxidation of the latter to the corresponding benzaldehyde by KMnO4/CuSO4 5H2O. The assistance by microwave irradiation results in very short reaction times (<15 minutes). The green conversion of eugenol (4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol) into vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) has been carried out in a similar way, requiring however two additional microwave-assisted synthetic steps for acetylation of the hydroxy group prior to the oxidation reaction, and for the final deacetylation of vanillin acetate (4-acetoxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) by KF/Al2O3 under solvent-free conditions, respectively.

A series of intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded enamines, enols and enethiols with ester carbonylic, ketonic carbonylic, thioester carbonylic, nitro and sulphoxide acceptors were investigated to obtain "C chemical shifts and deuterium isotope effects. Results from 33 new compounds and six remeasurements are compared with already existing data. An important aim was to show that isotope effects on chemical shifts are useful descriptors of hydrogenbonded systems and not only a parameter proportional to the ''C chemical shifts. Substituent effects were studied and the donors and acceptors ranked according to their abilities to support hydrogen bonding. Steric effects strengthen the hydrogen bonding in cyclic five-membered wketones. Plots of two-bond [ zAC(OD)] vs. four-bond isotope effects 1'AC(OD)] show that 'AC(0D) increases with increasing hydrogen bond strength and that large deviations from this relationship can be an indicator of tautomerism.KEY WORDS NMR; 13C NMR; isotope effects on 13C chemical shifts; deuterium isotope effects; intramolecular hydrogen bonding; hydrogen bond strength; olefins; 8-sulphinylenamines; nitroenamines; 8-diketones (five-membered ring)

Thioacetylacetone and its variously deuterated isotopomers have been investigated using electronic and vibrational spectroscopy combined with quantum chemical calculations. Thioacetylacetone is known for its photochromic properties, but the structures of the initial and final forms have been the subject of a long debate. Analysis of the IR spectra recorded in low-temperature argon and xenon matrices, room-temperature solutions, and in the gas phase has allowed us to establish the nature of the photochromic species and of its precursor. Similar to the case of another beta-thioxoketone, monothiodibenzoylmethane, the photo-product has been assigned to the nonchelated SH exo-rotamer of the (Z)-enethiol tautomeric form, whereas the dominant ground-state species corresponds to the chelated (Z)-enol tautomeric form. Detailed vibrational assignments have been proposed for both forms based on quantum chemical calculations and polarization experiments. In the case of the chelated (Z)-enol species prevailing in the ground state, a second-order perturbative anharmonic analysis at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level indicated strong anharmonic effects associated with the intramolecular hydrogen bond, leading to a shift of more than 600 cm-1 of the wavenumber of the OH-stretching vibration. A small fraction of the SH endo-rotameric chelated (Z)-enethiol form was also detected under unperturbed conditions. The (Z)-enethiol form can be converted into the (Z)-enol form by irradiation at 290 nm.

A new class of compounds, the 2-hydroxythioacetophenones, and related compounds have recently been synthesized. The hydrogen-bond system has been characterized by NMR chemical shifts and deuterium isotope effects on these as well as by DFT calculations. Use of solid-state (13)C NMR has enabled measurements of the intrinsic deuterium isotope effects of the most abundant tautomer of beta-thioxoketones. The compounds show very interesting long-range deuterium isotope effects on the thiocarbonyl carbon. The intramolecular hydrogen bonds of o-hydroxythioacetophenones are found to be slightly stronger than those of the corresponding acetophenones. The reactivity and stability of the compounds can be related to hydrogen bonding and to the presence of electron donating substituents.