Nucleophilic ring opening of dl and meso 1,1¢- dicyclohexenyl diepoxides by sodium azide in dioxane and aqueous alcoholic medium give the corresponding azidoalcohols. The obtention of departure diepoxides from diazidoalcohols by the reaction with sodium hydride shows the anti position of OH and N3 groups.

Diepoxides of linolenic acid were found to be chemoattractants. The concentration that produces 50% of maximal chemotaxis was 4.5 10(-7) mol/l for human neutrophils when investigated in a chemotaxis test based on the method of spectrophotometric determination of myeloperoxidase activity with buffers containing bovine serum albumin. Leukotriene B4 was used as positive control. The concentration ...

Canthaxanthin is a carotenoid that lacks pro-vitamin A activity but is known to have antioxidant activity. The products of its oxidation in oxygen were found to be mainly substituted apo-carotenals and apo-carotenones. The product profile resembles that obtained in the oxidation of β-carotene, except that with canthaxanthin these products are the 4-oxo-β-apo-carotenals and 4-oxo-β-apo-carotenon...

The use of diepoxides as cytotoxic alkylating agents was described in 1950 by Ross (8) and by Everett and Kon (3). Epoxypiperazine--1,4bis(~,3-epoxypropyl-piperazine) was synthesized by Johnson and Wright (4) and shown to be active in animal tumors. This was corroborated by Burchenal et al. (1), who tested the efficacy of this agent against a spectrum of mouse leukemias. Krakoff et al. (7) esta...

Candida antarctica lipase B, Cal-B, was (i) chemically modified with various epoxides or (ii) cross-linked with various diepoxides in order to improve enzyme activity and thermal stability. Modification of the enzyme structure was confirmed by kinetic resolution of p-nitrophenyl acetate with methanol and determination of the kinetic parameters. Thermal stability measurements were carried out fo...