Stephen Scully

Synthesis and biological evaluation of ABCD ring fragments of the kibdelones.

The kibdelones A-C (1-3) and their isomeric metabolites (cf. isokibdelone C 4) are hexacyclic tetrahydroxanthone natural products recently isolated by Capon and coworkers from the rare Australian actinomycete Kibdelosporangium sp. (Figure 1).[1] An interesting property is the facile equilibration of kibdelones B 2, and C 3 to a mixture of 1-3via keto/enol tautomerizations followed by quinone/hydroquinone redox reactions.[1] Related natural products include simaomicin α 5 which has been shown to sensitize cancer cells to cytotoxic agents including bleomycin at nanomolar concentrations and to exhibit potent antimalarial and anticoccidial activities. [2] Evaluation of the kibdelones in the NCI 60-cell panel of human cancer cell lines revealed that they are active at low nanomolar concentrations against a number of human tumor cell lines. For example, kibdelone A has a GI50 of 1.2 nm against a SR (leukemia) tumor cell line and <1 nm (GI50) against SN12C (renal) cell carcinoma.[1] In addition, the kibdelones were shown to display novel COMPARE analysis profiles for cancer cell growth inhibition.

Asymmetric total synthesis of the epoxykinamycin FL-120 B'.

Turn up the heat: An asymmetric total synthesis of the epoxykinamycin FL-120B’ is reported. The synthesis establishes a route to epoxide-containing diazobenzofluorenes which could potentially serve as monomers to the dimeric lomaiviticins. Key steps include Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation, Stille coupling, and intramolecular Friedel-Crafts acylation of atropisomeric carboxylic acids at elevated temperatures to construct the FL-120B’ core structure.

THE NATURE OF THE GODS IN EARLY GREEK POETIC THOUGHT

In addressing the question of nature in the ancient Greek world, I thought that I would turn to the gods because they so complicate conventional distinctions between nature and culture.1 At one end of the spectrum, they embody elements of nature and indeed personify natural forces — Zeus, the Indo-European Sky God, cloud gatherer and hurler of thunderbolts, and at the other end they represent ideals of civilization and moral order: Zeus Polieus, Zeus Euboulos (“the Good Counsellor”), Zeus Xenios (“Protector of Hospitality”); or consider anarchic Aphrodite, the joyous and dangerous goddess of sexual intercourse, often flanked by two winged youths Eros and Himeros, abstract nouns for sexual desire and yearning, as contrasted with Aphrodite, defender of cities and warlike Bringer of Victory (Nikephoros), portrayed in sculpture with a diadem of towers on her head.