Schiff base reduction with sodium cyanoborohydride

Glutaraldehyde is the most popular b/s-aldchydc homobifunctional crosslinker in use today. Flowever, a glance at glutaraldehyde s structure is not indicative of the complexity of its possible reaction mechanisms. Reactions with proteins and other amine-containing molecules would be expected to proceed through the formation of Schiff bases. Subsequent reduction with sodium cyanoborohydride or another suitable reductant would yield stable secondary amine... 

Figure 14.21 Aldehyde-particles can be reacted with amine-containing proteins or other molecules to form intermediate Schiff bases, which can be stabilized by reduction with sodium cyanoborohydride.

Although Schiff base formation can be performed with amine groups, the low stability of the bond in aqueous conditions makes hydrazide a better alternative. Hydrazides can be introduced on the sensor surface via reaction of hydrazine or carbohydrazine to carboxylic groups after activation with EDC/NHS (Fig. 11) [32]. The hydrazide-aldehyde bond forms rapidly and is relatively stable in neutral to alkaline conditions, but disintegrates slowly in acidic buffers. If necessary, the bond can be further stabilized by reduction with sodium cyanoborohydride at pH 4. 

Oxidation of Sephadex G-50 or Enzacryl polyacetal using periodate affords aldehydic pol5nners with which the primary amino groups of the amino acid moieties in aminoacyl-tRNA form Schiff bases, and coupling is rendered irreversible by reduction with sodium cyanoborohydride. Hence, only the amino-acylated tRNA molecules in a mixture are retained, and the tRNA may subsequently be released by washing with ammonium bicarbonate buffer, thus affording a convenient method for the separation of isoacceptor tRNA species. ... 

Schiff base interactions between aldehydes and amines typically are not stable enough to form irreversible linkages. These bonds may be reduced with sodium cyanoborohydride or a number of other suitable reductants (Chapter 2, Section 5) to form permanent secondary amine bonds. However, proteins crosslinked by glutaraldehyde without reduction nevertheless show stabilities unexplainable by simple Schiff base formation. The stability of such unreduced glutaraldehyde conjugates has been postulated to be due to the vinyl addition mechanism, which doesn t depend on the creation of Schiff bases. 

Hapten molecules containing aldehyde residues may be crosslinked to carrier molecules by use of reductive animation (Chapter 3, Section 4). At alkaline pH values, the aldehyde groups form intermediate Schiff bases with available amine groups on the carrier. Reduction of the resultant Schiff bases with sodium cyanoborohydride or sodium borohydride creates a stable conjugate held together by secondary amine bonds. 

Thus, glycoproteins such as HRP, GO, or most antibody molecules can be activated for conjugation by brief treatment with periodate. Crosslinking with an amine-containing protein takes place under alkaline pH conditions through the formation of Schiff base intermediates. These relatively labile intermediates can be stabilized by reduction to a secondary amine linkage with sodium cyanoborohydride (Figure 20.8). 

Oxidation of 8-hydroxymethyl-2-isopropyl-l 1 //-pyrido[2,l-b]quinazolin-11-one with pyridinium chlorochromate in methylene chloride gave the 8-carboxaldehyde, which was converted into its 8-aminomethyl derivatives by reacting with amines followed by reduction of the Schiff bases with sodium cyanoborohydride in acetic acid (87JOC2469). 

Aldehyde groups can be converted into terminal amines by a reductive amination process with ammonia or a diamine compound. The reaction proceeds by initial formation of a Schiff base interaction—a dehydration step yielding an imine derivative. Reduction of the Schiff base with sodium cyanoborohydride or sodium bor-ohydride produces the primary amine (in the case of ammonia) or a secondary amine derivative terminating in a primary amine (for a diamine compound) (Fig. 88). 

The absolute configuration of the structurally unique fungal metabolite mycosporins was determined in the laboratory of J.D. White by means of enantioselective total synthesis." In the endgame of the synthetic effort, the Staudinger reaction was used to elaborate the side chain. The cyclic vinyl azide was first converted to a stable vinyl iminophosphorane, which was subsequently reacted with benzyl glyoxylate to afford the corresponding Schiff base. Reduction of the imine was achieved with sodium cyanoborohydride. 

Proteins can be attached to Sephadex or Sepharose or cellulose by reaction with the oxidized polysaccharide (aqueous bromine at pH 7.0) and reduction of the resulting Schiff base with sodium cyanoborohydride. Cytochemical markers for detecting lectins bound to cell surfaces have been prepared by glycosylation of horseradish peroxidase and ferritin. 8-Methoxycarbonyloctyl glycosides have... 

Aldehyde-containing macromolecules will react spontaneously with hydrazide compounds to form hydrazone linkages. The hydrazone bond is a form of Schiff base that is more stable than the Schiff base formed from the interaction of an aldehyde and an amine. The hydrazone, however, may be reduced and further stabilized by the same reductants utilized for reductive amination purposes (Chapter 3, Section 4.8). The addition of sodium cyanoborohydride to a hydrazide-aldehyde reaction drives the equilibrium toward formation of a stable covalent complex. Mallia (1992) found that adipic acid dihydrazide derivatization of periodate-oxidized dextran (containing multiple formyl functionalities) proceeds with much greater yield when sodium cyanoborohydride is present. 

Figure 3.14 Carbonyl groups can react with amine nucleophiles to form reversible Schiff base intermediates. In the presence of a suitable reductant, such as sodium cyanoborohydride, the Schiff base is stabilized to a secondary amine bond.

Aldehyde particles are spontaneously reactive with hydrazine or hydrazide derivatives, forming hydrazone linkages upon Schiff base formation. Reactions with amine-containing molecules, such as proteins, can be done through a reductive amination process using sodium cyanoborohydride (Figure 14.21). 

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