The interaction of digitonin with membrane cholesterol was studied by using various digitonin analogs, and radioactive desglucodigitonin. The following results were obtained concerning the effect of digitonin on erythrocytes, granulocytes and liposomes. Digitonin and its analogs showed activity to induce hemolysis, granulocyte activation and liposomal membrane damage. The activity was affected by change of the carbohydrate residue of the molecule; the order of hemolytic activity was digitonin greater than or equal to desglucodigitonin much greater than glucosyl-galactosyl-digitogenin greater than galactosyl-digitogenin, digitogenin. The relative activities of these compounds to induce granulocyte activation and liposomal membrane damage were similar to those observed in the hemolysis. [3H]Desglucodigitonin could bind to cholesterol in liposomes. The binding was stoichiometric and the ratio of desglucodigitonin bound to liposomes/cholesterol in liposomes was close to 1, irrespective of the cholesterol content in liposome. Damage to liposomes was, however, induced by desglucodigitonin only when they contained more than 0.2 molar ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid. Addition of digitonin as well as desglucodigitonin to preformed liposomes deprived of cholesterol affected the anisotropic molecular motion of spin-labeled phosphatidylcholine incorporated into the liposomes, suggesting that the molecules could be inserted into the lipid bilayer free of cholesterol. Molecules of desglucodigitonin in the lipid phase may, however, be equilibrated with those in the aqueous phase, unless they form a complex with cholesterol, since no appreciable amount of [3H]desglucodigitonin could be detected in the liposome fraction after separation by column chromatography. Digitonin decreased the order parameter of spin-labeled phosphatidylcholine when liposomes contained equimolar cholesterol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A series of analogues of N-(cyclohexylcarbonyl)-D-phenylalanine (5) have been synthesized and evaluated for their hypoglycemic activity. Relationships were studied between the activity and the three-dimensional structure of the acyl moiety, which was characterized by high-resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy and MNDO calculations. The role of the carboxyl group of the phenylalanine moiety was also studied by comparing the activities of the enantiomers, the decarboxyl derivative, the esters, and the amides of the phenylalanine derivatives. Thus, the structural requirements for possessing hypoglycemic activity was elucidated and a highly active compound, N-[(trans-4-isopropylcyclohexyl)carbonyl]-D-phenylalanine (13) was obtained, which showed a 20% blood glucose decrease at an oral dose of 1.6 mg/kg in fasted normal mice.
With the intention that annulation of carbo‐ or heteroaromatic rings at the 1,2‐positions can activate 3‐cyanoindolizines as 1,3‐dipolar species, 6‐cyanobenz[a]indolizines, pyridazino[4,5‐a]indolizines and 5‐cyano‐1,3‐diphenylthiopheno[3,4‐a]indolizine were prepared. 6‐Cyanobenz[a]indolizines smoothly ‐underwent 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition on to dibenzoylacetylene and diacetylacetylene to afford the corresponding indolizino[3,4,5‐ab]isoindoles, whereas 5‐cyano‐1,4‐diphenylpyridazino[4,5‐a]indolizine reacted with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate to give the 1:2 adduct. Only a 3% yield of 5‐cyano‐1,3‐diphenylthiopheno[3,4‐a]indolizine formed upon phosphorus pentasulfide treatment of 1,2‐dibenzoyl‐3‐cyanoindolizine.
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