Ajou's Professor Hyoung Su Kim develops a method of synthesizing lipid metabolism substances for essential fatty acid 

[16.07.19]

A team led by Ajou University Professor Hyoung Su Kim (pictured above) developed a method of synthesizing lipid metabolism substances for essential fatty acid, which can be a significant contributor for pharmaceutical and chemical research. The achievement allows for producing plenty of lipid metabolism substances with high purity within human bodies and is expected to contribute to the development of new medicines. Lipid metabolism substances deliver physiologically important signals or control various physiological functions.

The paper authored by Professor Kim's team was published in The Angewandte Chemie, a renowned journal in chemical research, under the title "Highly Stereoselective Substrate-Controlled Asymmetric Syntheses of both 2,5-cis- and trans-Tetrahydrofuranoid Oxylipids via Stereodivergent Intramolecular Amide Enolate Alkylation." Il Jin Shin and Hong Jun Jang, students in Ajou's Graduate School of Pharmacy, participated in the research as the first authors.

Professor Kim's team developed a method of effectively synthesizing cis-THF (tetrahydrofuran) and trans-THF, the two substances comprising the THF ring that is the essential framework of isofuran.

Isofuran is a metabolome and bioactive substance that is synthesized from Arachidonic Acid, an essential fatty acid. While its roles have yet to be clearly identified, scientists assume that isofuran is a neurotransmitter like prostaglandin and lowers intraocular pressure and contracts the womb, etc. Prostaglandin has already been developed as medicine and is being used in clinical tests. This suggests that isofuran can also be extensively used in developing new medicines for treating glaucoma and inducing delivery, etc.

Professor Kim's team took advantage of the feature of the alcohol protective group: he succeeded in synthesizing cis- and trans-tetrahydrofuran rings with very high yield and selectivity by utilizing the fact that the alcohol protective group forms complex compounds with certain basic metal reagents.

Professor Kim said, "The newly developed synthesis makes it possible to generate plenty of isofuran intermediates with high purity," adding, "It will also help to make various similar substances with ease, because proper functional groups can be introduced to specific locations as researchers wish."

He explained that the development will be able to significantly contribute to pharmaceutical and chemical research that is based on structure activity relationships. The research was conducted with the support of the General Researcher Support Project, which is carried out by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning.