TY - JOUR A1 - Rottmann, Antje A1 - Synstad, Bjoenar A1 - Eijsink, Vincent G. H. A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Synthesis of N-acetylglucosaminyl and diacetylchitobiosyl amides of heterocyclic carboxylic acids as potential chitinase inhibitors Y1 - 1999 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Struszczyk, Marcin Henryk A1 - Loth, Fritz A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Properties of microcrystalline chitosan gel-like dispersion and formed films Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Becker, Thomas W. A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Pool-Zobel, Beatrice L. T1 - Cellular effects of lignans : modulation of growth, oxidative DNA damage and cell metabolism in human colon cancer cells Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yenesew, Abiy A1 - Midiwo, Jacob O. A1 - Heydenreich, Matthias A1 - Schanzenbach, Dirk A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Two Isoflavanones from the Stem Bark of Erythrina sacleuxii N2 - From the stem bark of Erythrina sacleuxii two new isoflavanones, (R)-5,7-dihydroxy-2',4',5'- trimethoxyisoflavanone (trivial name, (R)-2,3-dihydro-7-demethylrobustigenin) and (R)-5-hydroxy- 2',4',5'-trimethoxy-2'',2''- dimethylpyrano[5'',6'':6,7]isoflavanone (trivial name, (R)-saclenone) were isolated. In addition the known compounds shinpterocarpin, 2,3-dehydrokievitone, abyssinone V, abyssinone V-4'-methyl ether, erythrinasinate and 4'-O-methylsigmoidin B were isolated. The structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Struszczyk, Marcin Henryk A1 - Pospieszny, Henryk A1 - Schanzenbach, Dirk A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Biodegradation of various chitosans using Aspergillus fumigatus Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zala, Eva A1 - Struszczyk, Marcin Henryk A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Effects of preparation methods for chitosan films on their properties Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Struszczyk, Marcin Henryk A1 - Loth, Fritz A1 - Pospieszny, Henryk A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Biodegradation of films and paper sheets containing chitosan Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Letzel, Matthias C. A1 - Peter-Katalinic, Jasna A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Mass spectrometry of chitin and chitosan oligosaccharides Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Structures of Chitinases and the Design of Inhibitors Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kamlage, Stefan A1 - Sefkow, Michael A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - A short synthesis of biologically active lignan analogues N2 - beta-Benzyl-gamma-butyrolactones were synthesized in four transition metal catalysed reactions from butynediol, and alkylated to afford new, biologically active lignan analogues. Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Miessner, Merle A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Vincent, Julian F. V. T1 - Preparation of Insect-Cuticle-Like Biomimetic Materials N2 - A model system of tanning of a protein matrix within a fibrous structure, such as most commonly found in insect cuticle, was developed, using the cellulose of paper in place of chitin. The paper was impregnated with a tripeptide, DOPA-Gly-Gly, or a protein (BSA) plus catechol and treated with tyrosinase to oxidize the catechol. The resulting material was waterproof and had very high wet strength. If the material was wetted and dried repeatedly its water retention decreased by a factor of at least two. Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - van Aalten, Daan M. F. A1 - Komander, David A1 - Synstad, Bjoenar A1 - Gaseidnes, Sigrid A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Eijsink, Vincent G. H. T1 - Structural Insights into the catalytic mechanism of a family 18 exochitinase N2 - Chitinase B (ChiB) from Serratia marcescens is a family 18 exochitinase whose catalytic domain has a TIM-barrel fold with a tunnel-shaped active site. We have solved structures of three ChiB complexes that reveal details of substrate binding, substrateassisted catalysis, and product displacement. The structure of an inactive ChiB mutant (E144Q) complexed with a pentameric substrate (binding in subsites 22 to 13) shows closure of the ''roof'' of the active site tunnel. It also shows that the sugar in the 21 position is distorted to a boat conformation, thus providing structural evidence in support of a previously proposed catalytic mechanism. The structures of the active enzyme complexed to Allosamidin (an analogue of a proposed reaction intermediate) and of the active enzyme soaked with pentameric substrate show events after cleavage of the glycosidic bond. The latter structure shows reopening of the roof of the active site tunnel and enzyme-assisted product displacement in the 11 and 12 sites, allowing a water molecule to approach the reaction center. Catalysis is accompanied by correlated structural changes in the core of the TIM barrel that involve conserved polar residues whose functions were hitherto unknown. These changes simultaneously contribute to stabilization of the reaction intermediate and alternation of the pKa of the catalytic acid during the catalytic cycle. Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Houston, Douglas R. A1 - Shiomi, Kazuro A1 - Arai, Noriko A1 - Omura, Satoshi A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Turberg, Andreas A1 - Synstad, Bjoenar A1 - Eijsink, Vincent G. H. A1 - Van Aalten, Daan M. F. T1 - High-resolution structures of a chitinase complexed with natural product cyclopentapeptide inhibitors : mimicry of carbohydrate substrate N2 - Over the past years, family 18 chitinases have been validated as potential targets for the design of drugs against human pathogens that contain or interact with chitin during their normal life cycles. Thus far, only one potent chitinase inhibitor has been described in detail, the pseudotrisaccharide allosamidin. Recently, however, two potent natural-product cyclopentapeptide chitinase inhibitors, argifin and argadin, were reported. Here, we describe high- resoln. crystal structures that reveal the details of the interactions of these cyclopeptides with a family 18 chitinase. The structures are examples of complexes of a carbohydrate-processing enzyme with high-affinity peptide-based inhibitors and show in detail how the peptide backbone and side chains mimic the interactions of the enzyme with chitooligosaccharides. Together with enzymol. characterization, the structures explain why argadin shows an order of magnitude stronger inhibition than allosamidin, whereas argifin shows weaker inhibition. The peptides bind to the chitinase in remarkably different ways, which may explain the differences in inhibition consts. The two complexes provide a basis for structure-based design of potent chitinase inhibitors, accessible by std. peptide chem. Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Germer, Antje A1 - Klod, Sabrina A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Kleinpeter, Erich T1 - NMR spectroscopic and theoretical study of the complexation of the inhibitor allosamidin in the binding pocket of the plant chitinase hevamine N2 - Based on NMR spectroscopic information about the allosamidin-hevamine complex, ab initio MO calcns. of the ring current effect of the arom. moieties of Trp255, Tyr183 and Tyr6 of hevamine were carried out to investigate the role of these amino acid residues in binding interactions with allosamidin in soln. In addn., the intermol. steric compression effect on the 13C chem. shifts of the allosamizoline carbon atoms and the hydrogen bonding to Glu127 was identified. It can be inferred that the binding forces are strongest in the allosamizoline moiety of allosamidin. Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Thiele, Gabriela A1 - Rottmann, Antje A1 - Germer, Antje A1 - Kleinpeter, Erich A1 - Spindler, Klaus-Dieter A1 - Synstad, Bjoenar A1 - Eijsink, Vincent G. H. A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Synthesis and conformational analysis of pseudosugar analogues of chitotriose N2 - In this article, the synthesis of analogs of N,N',N''-triacetylchitotriose in which the central sugar residue was replaced by a succinic acid is presented. Mol. modeling calcns. revealed that the pseudotrisaccharides exist in low energy extended conformations which show similar space filling as N,N',N''-triacetylchitotriose. Of the N,N',N''-triacetylchitotriose pseudosugar analogs tested as chitinase inhibitors, none showed any appreciable competition (numerical data not presented). The conformational anal. along with further synthetic efforts will hopefully lead to more efficient pseudosaccharides as chitinase inhibitors. Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bahrke, Sven A1 - Einarsson, Jon M. A1 - Gislason, Johannes A1 - Haebel, Sophie A1 - Letzel, Matthias C. A1 - Peter-Katalinic, Jasna A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Sequence analysis of chitooligosaccharides by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization postsource decay mass spectrometry N2 - Oligosaccharides composed of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose (GlcNAc) and/or 2-amino-2-deoxy-D- glucopyranose (GlcN) were prepd. by chem. degrdn. of chitin or chitosan and sepd. by gel permeation chromatog. Oligosaccharides obtained after enzymic hydrolysis of chitosan [FA 0.19] with a fungal chitinase were derivatized by reductive amination with 2-aminoacridone and sequenced by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight postsource decay (PSD) mass spectrometry (MS). The sequence of a trimer, D1A2, was established as D-A-A. The compn. of a hexamer D3A3 was .apprx.65% D-A-D-D-A-A and 35% D-D-A-D-A-A. The PSD MS of a nonamer D5A4-amac revealed four isobaric species D-X-Y-D-X-Y-D-A-A, where A is GlcNAc, D is GlcN, and X and Y (X ยน Y) are mutually either D or A. This structure motif was also obsd. in a dodecamer D7A5 which was composed of eight isobaric sequences of the general formula (D-X-Y)3- D-A-A. Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Germer, Antje A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Kleinpeter, Erich T1 - Solution-state conformational study of the hevamine inhibitor allosamidin and six potential inhibitor analogues by NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling N2 - The soln.-state conformations of the hevamine inhibitor allosamidin and six potential inhibitor analogs were studied by various NMR spectroscopic techniques and mol. modeling using force field calcns. Detn. solely of the global energy min. conformation was found to be insufficient for consensus with the NMR results, and agreement between the NMR exptl. data and the theor. calcns. was only reached by assessing the structures as population-weighted av. conformers on the basis of Boltzmann distributions derived from the calcd. relative energies. The conformations of the glycosidic linkages in the compds. were found to be similar when the sugar residues were the same, but differences were markedly evident otherwise and also for the various heterocyclic group linkages. The binding of the compds. to hevamine, which may also complex to chitinases in general, was assessed using HMQC, transfer-NOESY, and both 1-D and 2-D satn. transfer difference NMR expts. Under the conditions employed, only allosamidin was implicated to be bound to hevamine, and then only by HMQC with the dipolar coupling-based expts. failing to substantiate the formation of the complex. However, the results are consistent with the biochem. activities of the compds. whereby only allosamidin has been shown to act as a competitive inhibitor. Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yenesew, Abiy A1 - Midiwo, Jacob O. A1 - Guchu, S. M. A1 - Heydenreich, Matthias A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Three iosoflav-3-enes and a 2-arylbenzofuran from the root bark of Erythrina burttii N2 - From the root bark of Erythrina burttii three new isoflav-3-enes, 7,4'-dihydroxy-2'-methoxy-6- (1'',1''-dimethylallyl)isoflav-3-ene (trivial name, burttinol-A), 4'-hydroxy-2'- methoxy-(2'',2''-dimethylpyrano[5'',6'':8,7]isoflav-3-ene (trivial name, burttinol-B), 7,4'-dihydroxy-2'-methoxy-8-(3'',3''-dimethylallyl)isoflav-3-ene (trivial name, burttinol-C), and a new 2-arylbenzofuran, 6,4'-dihydroxy-2'-methoxy-5- (1'',1''-dimethylallyl)-2-arylbenzofuran (trivial name, burttinol-D) were isolated. In addition, the known compounds, abyssinone V-4'-methyl ether, bidwillol A, calopocarpin, erybraedin A, erythrabyssin II, isobavachalcone, phaseollidin and phaseollin were identified. The structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Chitin and Chitosan from Animal Sources N2 - A review on the chem. and biochem. of chitin and the chem. and application of chitosan. The following topics were discussed: structure of chitin and chitosan; occurrence and physiol. functions of chitin; detection of chitin in animals and anal. of chitin and chitosan; biosynthesis and biodegrdn. of chitin in animals; prodn. of chitin and chitosan; properties of chitin and chitosan; and applications of chitin and chitosan. Y1 - 2002 SN - 3-527-30227-1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Chitin and Chitosan from Fungi Y1 - 2002 SN - 3-527-30227-1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kamlage, Stefan A1 - Sefkow, Michael A1 - Zimmermann, Nicole A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Concise synthesis of (+)-beta-benzyl gamma-butyrolactones from butynediol Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eijsink, Vincent G. H. A1 - Synstad, Bjoenar A1 - Gaseidnes, Sigrid A1 - Komander, David A1 - Houston, Douglas R. A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - van Aalten, Daan M. F. T1 - Structure and function of chitinolytic enzymes N2 - The recent work on a variety of family 18 chitonolytic enzymes has yielded important data concerning the structure, substrate-binding, catalysis, inhibitor-binding and even dynamics. These data have been useful in helping to better understand the roles of various types of chitinases in chitin hydrolysis, to rationally engineer the properties of these enzymes, thus making them more suitable as biocatalysts, and to study and understand the effectiveness of natural and designed chitinase inhibitors, which may be of medical interest. On the other hand, the recent work on ChiB shows that catalysis in family 18 chitinases is a highly complicated process, involving larger parts of the enzyme and dynamics. Thus, despite recent discoveries, there is still a lot more to discover about how these enzyme work. Y1 - 2003 SN - 82-471-5901-5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Germer, Antje A1 - Mugge, Clemens A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Rottmann, Antje A1 - Kleinpeter, Erich T1 - Solution- and bound-state conformational study of N,N',N''-triacetyl chitotriose and other analogous potential inhibitors of hevamine: Application of trNOESY and STD NMR spectroscopy N2 - The soln.-state conformations of N,N',N''-triacetyl chitotriose (1) and other potential chitinase inhibitors 2-4 were studied using a combination of NMR spectroscopy (NOESY) and mol. mechanics calcns. Detn. solely of the global energy min. conformation was found to be insufficient for an agreement with the NMR results. An appropriate consistency between the NMR exptl. data and theor. calcns. was only reached by assessing the structures as population-weighted av. conformers based on Boltzmann distributions derived from the calcd. relative energies. Analogies, but also particular differences, between the synthetic compds. 2-4 and the naturally-occurring N,N',N''-triacetyl chitotriose were found. Furthermore, the conformation of compds. 1 and 2 when bound to hevamine was also studied using transferred NOESY expts. and the binding process was found to impart a level of conformational restriction on the ligands. The preferred conformation as detd. for 1 in the bound state to hevamine belonged to one of the conformational families found for the compd. when free in soln., although full characterization of the bound-state conformations was impeded due to severe signal overlap. Satn. transfer difference NMR expts. were also employed to analyze the binding epitopes of the bound compds. We thus detd. that it is mainly the acetyl amido groups of the trisaccharide and the heterocyclic moiety which are in close contact with hevamine. Y1 - 2003 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yenesew, Abiy A1 - Irungu, Beatrice A1 - Derese, Solomon A1 - Midiwo, Jacob O. A1 - Heydenreich, Matthias A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Two prenylated flavonoids from the stem bark of Erythrina burttii N2 - From the stem bark of Erythrina burttii, a new isoflavone, 5,2',4'-trihydroxy-7-methoxy-6-(3- methylbut-2-enyl)isoflavone (trivial name, 7-O-methylluteone) and a new flavanone, 5,7-dihydroxy-4'-methoxy- 3'-(3-methylbutadienyl)-5'-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)flavanone (trivial name, burttinonedehydrate) along with three known isoflavonoids (8-prenylluteone, 3-O-methylcalopocarpin and genistein) were isolated. The structures were detd. on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Y1 - 2003 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yenesew, Abiy A1 - Induli, M. A1 - Derese, Solomon A1 - Midiwo, Jacob O. A1 - Heydenreich, Matthias A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Akala, Hoseah M. A1 - Wangui, Julia A1 - Liyala, Pamela A1 - Waters, Norman C. T1 - Anti-plasmodial flavonoids from the stem bark of Erythrina abyssinica N2 - The ethyl acetate extract of the stem bark of Erythrina abyssinica showed anti-plasmodial activity against the chloroquine-sensitive (D6) and chloroquine-resistant (W2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum with IC50 values of 7.9 +/- 1.1 and 5.3 +/- 0.7 mug/ml, respectively. From this extract, a new chalcone, 2,3,4,4'-tetrahydroxy-5- prenylchalcone (trivial name 5-prenylbutein) and a new flavanone, 4',7-dihydroxy-3'-methoxy-5'- prenylflavanone (trivial name, 5-deoxyabyssinin II) along with known flavonoids have been isolated as the anti- plasmodial principles. The structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved Y1 - 2004 SN - 0031-9422 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vaaje-Kolstad, G. A1 - Vasella, A. A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Netter, C. A1 - Houston, Douglas R. A1 - Westereng, B. A1 - Synstad, Bjoenar A1 - Eijsink, Vincent G. H. A1 - van Aalten, Daan M. F. T1 - Interactions of a family 18 chitinase with the designed inhibitor HM508 and its degradation product, chitobiono- delta-lactone N2 - We describe enzymological and structural analyses of the interaction between the family 18 chitinase ChiB from Serratia marcescens and the designed inhibitor N,N'-diacetylchitobionoxime-N-phenylcarbamate (HM508). HM508 acts as a competitive inhibitor of this enzyme with a K-i in the 50 muM range. Active site mutants of ChiB show K-i values ranging from 1 to 200 muM, providing insight into some of the interactions that determine inhibitor affinity. Interestingly, the wild type enzyme slowly degrades HM508, but the inhibitor is essentially stable in the presence of the moderately active D142N mutant of ChiB. The crystal structure of the D142N-HM508 complex revealed that the two sugar moieties bind to the -2 and -1 subsites, whereas the phenyl group interacts with aromatic side chains that line the +1 and +2 subsites. Enzymatic degradation of HM508, as well as a Trp-->Ala mutation in the +2 subsite of ChiB, led to reduced affinity for the inhibitor, showing that interactions between the phenyl group and the enzyme contribute to binding. Interestingly, a complex of enzymatically degraded HM508 with the wild type enzyme showed a chitobiono-delta- lactone bound in the -2 and -1 subsites, despite the fact that the equilibrium between the lactone and the hydroxy acid forms in solution lies far toward the latter. This shows that the active site preferentially binds the E-4 conformation of the -1 sugar, which resembles the proposed transition state of the reaction Y1 - 2004 SN - 0021-9258 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Berth, Gisela A1 - Dautzenberg, Herbert A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Physica-chemical characterization of chitosans in dilute solution Y1 - 1998 SN - 2-907922-57-2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fotie, J. A1 - Nkengfack, A. E. A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Heydenreich, Matthias A1 - Fomum, Z. T. T1 - Chemical constituents of the ethyl acetate extracts of the stem bark and fruits of Dichrostachys cinerea and the roots of Parkia bicolor N2 - The antibacterial activities of ethyl acetate, methanol and aqueous extracts of the stem bark of Dichrostachys cinerea and the roots of Parkia bicolor have been evaluated. Ethyl acetate extracts have been investigated, studies that led to a series of known compounds, amongst which many are reported here for the very first time from both the species Y1 - 2004 SN - 1011-3924 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yenesew, Abiy A1 - Mushibe, E. K. A1 - Induli, M. A1 - Derese, Solomon A1 - Midiwo, Jacob O. A1 - Kabaru, Jacques M. A1 - Heydenreich, Matthias A1 - Koch, Andreas A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - 7a-O-methyldeguelol, a modified rotenoid with an open ring-C, from the roots of Derris trifoloata N2 - From the acetone extract of the roots of Derris trifoliata an isollavonoid derivative, named 7a-O- methyldeguelol, a modified rotenoid with an open ring-C, representing a new sub-class of isollavonoids (the sub-class is here named as rotenoloid), was isolated and characterised. In addition, the known rotenoids, rotenone, deguelin and alpha-toxicarol, were identified. The structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Rotenone and deguelin were identified as the larvicidal principles of the acetone extract of the roots of Derris trifoliata. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved Y1 - 2005 SN - 0031-9422 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yenesew, Abiy A1 - Derese, Solomon A1 - Midiwo, Jacob O. A1 - Bii, Christine C. A1 - Heydenreich, Matthias A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Antimicrobial flavonoids from the stem bark of Erythrina burttii N2 - The chloroform extract of the stem bark of Erythrina burttii showed antifungal and antibacterial activities using the disk diffusion method. Flavonoids were identified as the active principles. Activities were observed against fungi and Gram(+) bacteria, but the Gram(-) bacteria Escherichia coli was resistant. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved Y1 - 2005 SN - 0367-326X ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wanjohi, John M. A1 - Yenesew, Abiy A1 - Midiwo, Jacob O. A1 - Heydenreich, Matthias A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Dreyer, M. A1 - Reichert, M. A1 - Bringmann, Gerhard T1 - Three dimeric anthracene derivatives from the fruits of Bulbine abyssinica N2 - From the fruits of Bulbine abyssinica three new dimeric anthracene derivatives, (P)-8,9,1',8'- tetrahydroxy-3,3'-dimethyl[10,7'-bianthracene]-1,4,9',10'- tetraone (trivial name abyquinone A), (10R)-1,4,8,1',8-pentahydroxy-3,3'-dimethyl-[10,7'-bianthracene]9,9',10' (10H)-trione (trivial name abyquinone B), and (10R)-3,4'-dihydro-1,4,8,3',8',9'-hexahydroxy-3,3'- dimethyl-[10,7'-biant hracene]9,1'(10H,2'H)-dione (trivial name abyquinone Q were isolated. Despite their structural differences, these three compounds are connected to each other by the apparently biomimetic conversion of abyquinone C (a preanthraquinonylanthrone with two stereogenic centers) into B (an anthraquinonylanthrone with one stereogenic center) and finally into A (an axially chiral bianthraquinone) under mild conditions, involving a highly efficient center-to-axis chirality transfer. In addition, the known anthraquinones islandicin and chrysophanol were identified. The structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopical evidences, chemical transformations, and quantum chemical CD calculations. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved Y1 - 2005 SN - 0040-4020 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rusu, Viorel Marin A1 - Ng, C. H. A1 - Wilke, Max A1 - Tiersch, Brigitte A1 - Fratzl, Peter A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Size-controlled hydroxyapatite nanoparticles as self-organized organic-in organic composite materials N2 - This paper presents some results concerning the size-controlled hydroxyapatite nanoparticles obtained in aqueous media in a biopolymer matrix from soluble precursors salts. Taking the inspiration from nature, where composite materials made of a polymer matrix and inorganic fillers are often found, e.g. bone, shell of crustaceans, shell of eggs, etc., the feasibility on making composite materials containing chitosan and nanosized hydroxyapatite was investigated. A stepwise co-precipitation approach was used to obtain different types of composites by means of different ratio between components. The synthesis of hydroxyapatite was carried out in the chitosan matrix from calcium chloride and sodium dihydrogenphosphate in alkaline solutions at moderate pH of 10-11 for 24 h. Our research is focused on studying and understanding the structure of this class of composites, aiming at the development of novel materials, controlled at the nanolevel scale. The X-ray diffraction technique was employed in order to study the kinetic of hydroxyapatite formation in the chitosan matrix as well as to determine the HAp crystallite sizes in the composite samples. The hydroxyapatite synthesized using this route was found to be nano-sized (15-50nm). Moreover, applying an original approach to analyze the (002) XRD diffraction peak profile of hydroxyapatite by using a sum of two Gauss functions, the bimodal distribution of nanosized hydroxyapatite within the chitosan matrix was revealed. Two types of size distribution domains such as cluster-like (between 200 and 400 nm), which are the habitat of "small" hydroxyapatite nanocrystallites and scattered-like, which are the habitat of "large" hydroxyapatite nanocrystallites was probed by TEM and CSLM. The structural features of composites suggest that self-assembly processes might be involved. The composites contain nanosized hydroxyapatite with structural features close to those of biological apatites that make them attractive for bone tissue engineering applications. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved Y1 - 2005 SN - 0142-9612 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Alarcon, Julio A1 - Alderete, Joel B. A1 - Aguila, Sergio A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Regio and stereoselective hydroxylation of alpha-agarofuran by biotransformation of rhizopus nigricans N2 - A new synthesis of 9 alpha-hydroxy-alpha-agarofuran (6 alpha) is described, using a microbiological hydroxylation alpha-agarofuran (5) as the key reaction. The stereochemistry of the biohydroxylation was determined on the basis of a NOESY-experiment and GIAO calculations at the B3LYP/cc-pVDZ level. A strong gamma-effect was observed at C15 of the agarofuran ring which was correctly predicted by the GIAO-B3LYP calculations Y1 - 2005 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Peikow, Dirk A1 - Matern, Christa-Maria A1 - Peter, Martin G. A1 - Schilde, Uwe T1 - Crystal structure of (1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxacyclopentadecane-O,O ',O '',O ''')(trifluoromethanesulfonato-O,O ')sodium, Na(C10H20O5)(CF3SO3) N2 - C11H20F3NaO8S, monoclinic, P121/nil (no. 11), a = 7.947(1) angstrom, b = 12.056(1) angstrom, c = 9.083(1) angstrom, P = 106.01 (1)degrees, V = 836.4 angstrom(3), Z = 2, R-gt(F) = 0.043, wR(ref)(F-2) = 0.120, T = 210 K. Y1 - 2005 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yenesew, Abiy A1 - Kiplagat, John T. A1 - Derese, Solomon A1 - Midiwo, Jacob O. A1 - Kabaru, Jacques M. A1 - Heydenreich, Matthias A1 - Peter, Martin G. T1 - Two unusual rotenoid derivatives, 7a-O-methyl-12a-hydroxydeguelol and spiro-13-homo-13-oxaelliptone, from the seeds of Derris trifoliata N2 - The crude methanol extract of the seeds of Derris trifoliata showed potent and dose dependent larvicidal activity against the 2nd instar larvae of Aedes aegypti. From this extract two unusual rotenoid derivatives, a rotenoloid (named 7a-O-methyl-12a-hydroxydeguelol) and a spirohomooxarotenoid (named spiro-13-homo-13-oxaelliptone), were isolated and characterised. In addition a rare natural chromanone (6,7-dimethoxy-4-chromanone) and the known rotenoids rotenone, tephrosin and dehydrodeguelin were identified. The structures were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. The larvicidal activity of the crude extract is mainly due to rotenone. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved Y1 - 2006 UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031942206000045 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2006.01.002 ER -