Probing the peripheral role of amines in photo- and electrocatalytic H2 production by molecular cobalt complexes

The photo- and electrocatalytic H2 production by the cobaloxime core improves in the presence of a primary amine group in the periphery.

Transglutaminase involvement in the secretion of insulin from electropermeabilised rat islets of langerhans

Ca2+-Induced insulin release from electropermeabilised islets is inhibited by the transglutaminase inhibitors monodansylcadaverine, glycine methylester, methylamine and cystamine but not by the control compounds dimethyl monodansylcadaverine and sarcosine methylester which lack the primary amine group. Neither monodansylcadaverine nor glycine methylester inhibited insulin secretion induced by either cAMP or the phorbol ester PMA at basal levels (10 nM) of Ca2+. These data provide further evidence for the involvement of transglutaminase in Ca2+ induced insulin secretion, they also suggest that insulin secretion induced by either cAMP or PMA may act in part by a mechanism independent of that induced by Ca2+.

New total synthesis of phenanthrene alkaloids

We describe a new synthesis of phenanthrene alkaloids based on the photocyclization of stilbene compounds prepared by a simple, efficient new method. It allows the preparation of phenanthrene compounds with a primary amine group in their side chain. Keywords: alkaloid, phenanthrene, stilbene, photocyclization.