The scope and limitations of the alkylation of [closo-B12(OH)12]2- using a series of fourteen alkyl and aralkyl halides and two p-toluenesulfonic acid esters in the presence of N,N-diisopropylethylamine have been investigated. The dodecaalkoxy-closo-dodecaborate products, [closo-B12(OR)12]2-, and their hypercloso two-electron oxidation products have been explored. The species [closo-B12(OR)12]2- containing 26 cage-bonding electrons may undergo two reversible, sequential, one-electron oxidation processes, producing a 25-electron radical anion and a 24-electron neutral species. Several oxidizing reagents were investigated for the chemical oxidation of [closo-B12(OR)12]2- and [hypercloso-B12(OR)12]- to [hypercloso-B12(OR)12]. Both FeCl3.6H2O and K3Fe(CN)6 in 90/5/5 ethanol/acetonitrile/H2O were found to be the reagents of choice. The reverse reaction leading from the neutral species to the radical anion and subsequently to the dianion was achieved using sodium borohydride in ethanol. A variety of alkoxyl derivatives have been synthesized by heating the reactants for extended periods of time in acetonitrile at the reflux temperature. The use of elevated reaction temperatures attained by employing moderate argon pressure (autoclave) over the reaction mixture led to drastic reductions in reaction times and increased efficiency. X-ray diffraction studies of substituted dodecabenzyl ether derivatives proved that 2(2-) has approximate Ih symmetry while hypercloso-2, -3, -9, -11, -12, and -13 have approximate D3d point group symmetry due to Jahn-Teller distortion from Ih.

Carboranes represent a potentially rich but underutilized class of inorganic and catabolism-inert pharmacophores. The regioselectivity and ease of derivatization of carboranes allows for facile syntheses of a wide variety of novel structures. The steric bulk, rigidity, and ease of B-and C-derivatization and lack ofinteractions associated with hydrophobic carboranes may be exploited to enhance the selectivity of previously identified bioactive molecules. Transthyretin (TTR) is a thyroxine-transport protein found in the blood that has been implicated in a variety of amyloid related diseases. Previous investigations have identified a variety of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and structurally related derivatives that imbue kinetic stabilization to TTR, thus inhibiting its dissociative fragmentation and subsequent aggregation to form putative toxic amyloid fibrils. However, the cyclooxygenase (COX) activity associated with these pharmaceuticals may limit their potential as long-term therapeutic agents for TTR amyloid diseases. Here, we report the synthesis and evaluation of carborane-containing analogs of the promising NSAID pharmaceuticals previously identified. The replacement of a phenyl ring in the NSAIDs with a carborane moiety greatly decreases their COX activity with the retention of similar efficacy as an inhibitor of TTR dissociation. The most promising of these compounds, 1-carboxylic acid-7-[3-fluorophenyl]-1,7-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane, showed effectively no COX-1 or COX-2 inhibition at a concentration more than an order of magnitude larger than the concentration at which TTR dissociation is nearly completely inhibited. This specificity is indicative of the potential for the exploitation of the unique properties of carboranes as potent and selective pharmacophores.amyloid ͉ cyclooxygenase ͉ nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug ͉ fibril T he dicarba-closo-dodecaboranes (carboranes) are icosahedral carbon-containing boron clusters with extraordinary characteristic properties (such as resistance to catabolism, kinetic inertness to reagents, strong hydrophobicity, and wellestablished chemistry) that afford the opportunity for their exploitation as novel hydrophobic pharmacophores. The three isomeric dicarbon carboranes, closo-1,2-C 2 B 10 H 12 , closo-1,7-C 2 B 10 H 12 , and closo-1,12-C 2 B 10 H 12 , commonly known as ortho-, meta-, and para-carborane, respectively, share approximately the same volume as a rotated phenyl ring. This, as well as their structural integrity, ease of substitution, and delocalized bonding, suggests their description as three-dimensional analogs of aromatic hydrocarbons (1), allowing their facile substitution for phenyl rings as rigid scaffolding in pharmacological agents. This rigid scaffolding can be easily and selectively derivatized through deprotonation of the slightly acidic C-H vertices by a strong base (alkyllithium reagents, Grignard reagents, etc.) affording a strongly nucleophilic carboranyl anion capable of reaction with a wide range of electrophiles, inclu...

A mild protocol for the palladium-catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig amidation of icosahedral carboranes is described. Employing 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2'-(N,N-dimethylamino)biphenyl (1) as a ligand and K(3)PO(4) as a base, benzamide, trifluoroacetamide, acetamide, and formamide were coupled to a series of mono- and di-iodo carboranes furnishing the respective carborane derivatives in good to excellent yields. Subsequent base-mediated saponification of the trifluoroacetamide derivatives was shown to provide the free aminocarboranes. The structures of N-(1,7-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-9-yl)benzamide (8a), N-(1,7-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-9-yl)trifluoroacetamide (8b), N-(1,12-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-2-yl)benzamide (10a), N-(1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-9-yl)benzamide (12a), N-(1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-9-yl)acetamide (12c), N-(1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-9-yl)formamide (12d), N-(1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-3-yl)benzamide (13a), N,N'-(1,7-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-9,10-diyl)dibenzamide (15a), and N,N'-(1,7-dicarba-closo-dodecaboran-9,10-diyl)bis(trifluoroacetamide) (15b) have been established through X-ray single-crystal diffraction studies.

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Case reports urine is a major source of amniotic fluid AFP, urethral obstruction alone would result in a low amniotic AFP level, as in disorders associated with renal dysgenesis. The raised amniotic fluid and maternal serum AFP is most probably caused by regurgitation of bile and gastric contents into the amniotic fluid due to intestinal atresia. Transudation of fetal serum as a result of the gross abdominal distension is unlikely. In omphaloceles with exposure of blood vessels, easy transudation of fetal serum will result in increased amniotic fluid AFP (Nevin and Armstrong, 1975; Weiss et al., 1976), but when the exomphalos is covered with skin amniotic fluid AFP is normal.Fortunately, in most instances where a high AFP level has been found in the absence of a neural tube defect, the fetal abnormalities have been so serious as not to compromise the validity of termination of the pregnancy because of the high AFP value.

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A method is here described for the study of RNA methyla tion in short-term lymphocyte cultures. Results from CF heterozygotes and homozygotes as well as normals suggest that undermyethylation of RNA occurs in both heterozygotes and homozygotes for the cystic fibrosis gene, and that this occurrence reflects the basic defect in this disorder.