Lucia R. Lampariello

The Magic Velvet Bean of Mucuna pruriens

Mucuna pruriens (Fabaceae) is an established herbal drug used for the management of male infertility, nervous disorders, and also as an aphrodisiac. It has been shown that its seeds are potentially of substantial medicinal importance. The ancient Indian medical system, Ayurveda, traditionally used M. pruriens, even to treat such things as Parkinsons disease. M. pruriens has been shown to have anti-parkinson and neuroprotective effects, which may be related to its anti-oxidant activity. In addition, anti-oxidant activity of M. pruriens has been also demonstrated in vitro by its ability to scavenge DPPH radicals and reactive oxygen species. In this review the medicinal properties of M. pruriens are summarized, taking in consideration the studies that have used the seeds extracts and the leaves extracts.

A new route to highly substituted 1H-pyrrol-3(2H)-ones

Abstract Reaction of 3,4-diacetyl-3-hexen-2,5-dione, 1, with alkyl or aryl primary amines, 2a–g, led to highly substituted 1H-Pyrrol-3(2H)-ones, 3a–g. The structure was established from a single crystal X-ray analysis of compound 3c.

Selectivity in cycloadditions: Crystal and molecular structure of (1a,4β,5a)-1,5-diacetyl-4-hydroxy-4-methylbicyclo[3.1.0]Hexan-2-one

Abstract The stereochemistry of (1a,4β,5a)-1,5-diacetyl-4-hydroxy-4-methylbicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-one, the main cycloadduct of 2,3-diacetyl-4-hydroxy-4-methylcyclopent-2-en-1-one and diazomethane, was unambiguously established from a single crystal X-ray analysis.

Lanthanoid-induced shifts as a configurational tool for some bicyclo[3.1.0] hexane derivatives

The 1H n.m.r. spectra of 1,5-diacetyl-4-hydroxy-4-methylbicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-ones (2) and (3) and diethyl 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxobicyclo[3.1.0]hexane-1,5-dicarboxylate (6) were determined in the presence of the shift reagent Eu(fod)3. The observed induced shifts provide evidence for the relative configuration of the asymmetric centres of these compounds.