Oxides, from endoperoxides

The acene could still be detected in solutions that were exposed to air for 41 h [56], The oxidation of the heptacene results in a change of color of the solution from brown to orange. Based on UVAis, H-NMR, and FAB-MS data, the authors suggested that the products of oxidation are endoperoxides, resulting from addition to the 6,17 or 8,15 positions (Fig. 23). These are the most reactive sites next to the 7,16 positions that are protected by the silylethynyl groups. Remarkably, dimerization of heptacene 44 was not observed [56], This indicates that the four additional phenyl rings are sufficiently bulky to prevent dimerization. Thus, a combination of... 

Erden, L, Drummond, J., Alstad, R., and Xu, E, Chemistry of singlet oxygen isolation and characterisation of a stable allene oxide from a fulvene endoperoxide. Tetrahedron Lett., 34,1255,1993. 

All prostaglandins are cyclopentanoic acids derived from arachidonic acid. The biosynthesis of prostaglandins is initiated by an enzyme associated with the endoplasmic reticulum, called prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase, also known as cyclooxygenase. The enzyme catalyzes simultaneous oxidation and cyclization of arachidonic acid. The enzyme is viewed as having two distinct activities, cyclooxygenase and peroxidase, as shown in Figure 25.28. 

Other degradation products of the cytosine moiety were isolated and characterized. These include 5-hydroxy-2 -deoxycytidine (5-OHdCyd) (22) and 5-hydroxy-2 -deoxyuridine (5-OHdUrd) (23) that are produced from dehydration reactions of 5,6-dihydroxy-5,6-dihydro-2 -deoxycytidine (20) and 5,6-dihydroxy-5,6-dihydro-2 -deoxyuridine (21), respectively. MQ-photosen-sitized oxidation of dCyd also results in the formation of six minor nucleoside photoproducts, which include the two trans diastereomers of AT-(2-de-oxy-/j-D-eryf/iro-pentofuranosyl)-l-carbamoyl-4 5-dihydroxy-imidazolidin-2-one, h/1-(2-deoxy-J8-D-crythro-pentofuranosyl)-N4-ureidocarboxylic acid and the a and [5 anomers of N-(2-deoxy-D-eryfhro-pentosyl)-biuret [32, 53]. In contrast, formation of the latter compounds predominates in OH radical-mediated oxidation of the pyrimidine ring of dCyd, which involves preferential addition of OH radicals at C-5 followed by intramolecular cyclization of 6-hydroperoxy-5-hydroxy-5,6-dihydro-2 -deoxycytidine and subsequent generation of the 4,6-endoperoxides [53]. 

The product distribution resulting from P-carotene oxidization by 02 was studied by Stratton et al. (1993) using reverse-phase HPLC, UV-vis spectrophotometry, and mass spectrometry. The oxidation products were identified as [3-ionone, P-apo-14 -carotenal, (i-apo-IO -carotenal, P-apo-8 -carotenal, and P-carotene-5,8-endoperoxide. The formation of 5,8-endoperoxide derivative by a [4+2] Diels-Alder addition mechanism was also reported in the 02-mediated oxidation of P-carotene in reverse micelles (Montenegro et al. 2002), P-ionone (Borsarelli et al. 2007), and of the A1E retinoid derivative (Jockusch et al. 2004). 

The keto endoperoxide 90 has been synthesised from 1,4-cyclohexadiene through its photooxygenation, reduction of the resulting diastereoisomeric mixture of endoperoxides 89 and subsequent oxidation (Scheme 60). Some chemistry of 90 is described . 

Lipid hydroperoxides are also generated in singlet molecular oxygen mediated oxidations and by the action of enzymes such as lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenases. Chemiluminescence (CL) arising from lipid peroxidation has been used as a sensitive detector of oxidative stress both in vitro and in vivo . Several authors have attributed ultra-weak CL associated with lipid peroxidation to the radiative deactivation of O2 and to triplet-excited carbonyls (63, 72) (equations 35 and 36) " . It has been proposed that the latter emitters arise from the thermolysis of dioxetane intermediates (61, 62) (equation 35), endoperoxide (73) (equation 37) and annihilation of aUtoxyl, as well as peroxyl radicals ... 

Isotopically labeled DHPN Oa was also used as a source of [ Oa] to provide further support for the proposed structure. It was thus confirmed that Oa-mediated oxidation of melatonin yields AFMK through the intermediary of a transient endoperoxide as inferred from the fragmentation pattern of the [ 0]-labeled oxidation product. The deformyla-tion product of AFMK, namely A -acetyl-5-methoxykynuramine, was also shown to be produced. 

Thus, the long-lived hydroperoxide 128 derived from Tyr endoperoxide in Gly-Tyr-Gly upon O2 oxidation is formed and decays only slightly after a several-month incubation period at room temperature, leading to the corresponding alcohol 129 (equation 63). 

Artemisinin is a natural endoperoxide-containing sesquiterpene, isolated from a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine. Acetalic artemisinin derivatives (arte-mether, artesunate) are very active against chemo-resistant forms of Plasmodium falciparum, and are clinically used for the treatment. However, they suffer from an unfavourable pharmacological profile. They are quickly metabolised by fast oxidative metabolism, hydrolytic cleavage and glucuronidation. 

The arachidonic acid cascade is a biological free radical oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids leading to formation of the prostaglandins (equation 102). Cyclization of a peroxy radical intermediate 66 leading to endoperoxide 67 was proposed as a pathway for this process, and this was demonstrated in chemical model systems, in which the peroxyl radical 66 was generated by hydrogen abstraction from the hydroperoxide corresponding to 66. 

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