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Mesylates or tosylates of delta-hydroxy-L-norvaline esters spontaneously afford L-proline esters upon exposure to aqueous buffer in near quantitative yield. This novel reaction has led to the development of a simple route to optically active proline esters.

Mesylates or tosylates of delta-hydroxy-L-norvaline esters spontaneously afford L-proline esters upon exposure to aqueous buffer in near quantitative yield. This novel reaction has led to the development of a simple route to optically active proline esters.

Simple dipeptides incorporating phosphonamidate and phosphonamidate ester isosteres for the scissile peptide bond are modest inhibitors of the HIV-1 protease. Their synthesis and inhibition studies are described.

Methylphosphonic acid (MPA) is the degradation product of many chemical warfare agents. The convenient detection of this substance would aid in field testing to confirm illicit manufacture and use of banned chemical weapons. Efficient functionalization of MPA with an aromatic diazo compound allowed binding by monoclonal antibodies elicited by using an analogous hapten (see scheme). An ELISA assay was rapid, sensitive, and specific.

Two syntheses for 4-nitrocyclohexanol and 4-nitrocyclohexanamine are presented. Both conveniently start from commercially available 4-aminocyclohexanol.

Despite the enormous health risks, people continue to smoke and use tobacco primarily as a result of nicotine addiction. As part of our immunopharmacotherapy research, the effects of active and passive immunizations on acute nicotine-induced locomotor activity in rats were investigated. To this end, rats were immunized with either a NIC-KLH immunoconjugate vaccine designed to elicit an antinicotine immune response, or were administered an antinicotine monoclonal antibody, NIC9D9, prior to a series of nicotine challenges and testing sessions. Vaccinated rats showed a 45% decrease in locomotor activity compared to a 16% decrease in controls. Passive immunization with NIC9D9 resulted in a 66.9% decrease in locomotor activity versus a 3.4% decrease in controls. Consistent with the behavioral data, much less nicotine was found in the brains of immunized rats. The results support the potential clinical value of immunopharmacotherapy for nicotine addiction in the context of tobacco cessation programs.

Vancomycin resistance is currently a major healthcare problem. The development of a catalytic monoclonal antibody (mAb) that hydrolyzes the D-Ala-D-Lac depsipeptide provides a potentially novel antibiotic strategy. A phosphonate hapten design was used to program antibody catalysis. The characteristics of the hapten were shown to be important for obtaining a viable immune response and several catalytic mAbs that cleave a peptidoglycan model substrate. The best mAb afforded a >500-fold rate enhancement over background.

Current treatments for cocaine addiction are not effective. The development of a catalytic monoclonal antibody (mAb) provides a strategy for not only binding, but also degrading cocaine, which offers a broad-based therapy. Hapten design is the central element for programming antibody catalysis. The characteristics of the linker used in classic transition-state analogue phosphonate haptens were shown to be important for obtaining mAbs that hydrolyze the benzoate ester of cocaine.

Two syntheses for 4-nitrocyclohexanol and 4-nitrocyclohexanamine are presented. Both conveniently start from commercially available 4-aminocyclohexanol.