2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine is a putative human carcinogenic heterocyclic aromatic amine formed from meat and fish during cooking. Although the formation of hazardous PhIP metabolites by mammalian enzymes is well-documented, nothing is known about the PhIP transformation potency of human intestinal bacteria. In this study, the in vitro metabolism of PhIP by human fecal samples was investigated. Following anaerobic incubation of PhIP with stools freshly collected from six healthy volunteers, we found that PhIP was extensively transformed by the human intestinal bacteria. HPLC analysis showed that the six human fecal microbiota transformed PhIP with efficiencies from 47 to 95% after 72 h incubation, resulting in one major derivative. ESI-MS/MS, HRMS, 1D (1H, 13C, DEPT) and 2D (gCOSY, gTOCSY, gHMBC, gHSQC) NMR, and IC analysis elucidated the complete chemical identity of the microbial PhIP metabolite as 7-hydroxy-5-methyl-3-phenyl-6,7,8,9-tetrahydropyrido[3',2':4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidin-5-ium chloride. At present, no information is available about the biological activity of this newly discovered bacterial PhIP metabolite. Our findings however suggest that bacteria derived from the human intestine play a key role in the activation or detoxification of PhIP, a digestive fate ignored so far in risk assessments. Moreover, the variation in transformation efficiency between the human microbiota indicates interindividual differences in the ability to convert PhIP. This may predict individual susceptibility to carcinogenic risk from this suspected dietary carcinogen.

[reaction: see text] Reduction of 4-(haloalkyl)azetidin-2-ones with chloroalane (AlH(2)Cl) afforded new 2-(haloalkyl)azetidines in high yields. The latter compounds proved to be very useful starting materials for rearrangements toward stereospecifically defined five- and six-membered azaheterocycles, such as 3,4-cis-disubstituted pyrrolidines and piperidines. During these reactions, bicyclic azetidinium intermediates were formed which were ring opened by a variety of nucleophiles. Hereby, reactions proceeding via 1-azoniabicyclo[2.2.0]hexanes are reported for the first time.

[reaction: see text] The diastereoselective synthesis of highly functionalized gamma-lactams starting from 4-(1-bromoalkyl)-2-azetidinones via N-acyliminium intermediates is described. The carbenium ions, formed by dissociation of bromide from 4-(1-bromoalkyl)-2-azetidinones in polar medium, are converted via a ring expansion toward N-acyliminium ions, which are susceptible to attack of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon nucleophiles. In this way, a variety of 5-hydroxy-, 5-alkoxy, 5-cyano-, 5-allylamino- and 5-azido-4,4-dimethyl-2-pyrrolidinones were synthesized. It was found that dehydrobromination of 4-(1-bromoalkyl)-2-azetidinones constituted an important side reaction when the title reactions were carried out in DMSO. When THF was used as a solvent, generally no dehydrobromination was observed, implying that higher yields of gamma-lactams were obtained in THF compared to reactions performed in DMSO. Also substituents of the 4-(1-bromoalkyl)-2-azetidinones play an important role concerning the obtained diastereoselectivity and the degree of dehydrobromination.

A new and efficient one‐pot approach towards chiral azetidin‐2‐ones has been developed starting from (2S)‐chloro‐1‐propanol, affording novel β‐lactams in high diastereomeric (80–89 %) and enantiomeric excess (90 %).

A high-yielding, asymmetric synthesis of novel 4-formyl-1-(2- and 3-haloalkyl)azetidin-2-ones was developed as valuable starting materials for the synthesis of different enantiomerically enriched bicyclic azetidin-2-ones, such as piperazine, morpholine, and 1,4-diazepane annulated beta-lactam derivatives. Especially the hydride reduction of 4-imidoyl-1-(2- and 3-haloalkyl)azetidin-2-ones turned out to be an efficient and straightforward method for the preparation 2-substituted piperazines and 1,4-diazepanes.