Choline has been recognized as an essential nutrient involved in various physiological functions critical to human health. Adequate daily intake of choline has been established by the US National Academy of Medicine in 1998, considering choline requirements for different ages, sex differences and physiological states (e.g., pregnancy). By serving as a precursor for acetylcholine and phospholipids, choline is important for cholinergic transmission and the structural integrity of cell membranes. In addition, choline is involved in lipid and cholesterol transport and serves as a methyl donor after oxidation to betaine. Extracellular choline is transported across the cell membrane via various transport systems (high-affinity and low-affinity choline transporters) with distinct features and roles. An adequate dietary intake of choline during pregnancy supports proper fetal development, and throughout life supports brain, liver, and muscle functions, while choline deficiency is linked to disease states like fatty liver. Choline has important roles in neurodevelopment, cognition, liver function, lipid metabolism, and cardiovascular health. While its signaling role has been considered mostly indirect via acetylcholine and phosphatidylcholine which are synthesized from choline, emerging evidence supports a role for choline as an intracellular messenger acting on Sigma-1R, a non-opioid intracellular receptor. These new findings expand the cell signaling repertoire and increase the current understanding of the role of choline while warranting more research to uncover the molecular mechanisms and significance in the context of GPCR signaling, the relevance for physiology and disease states.

Dedicated to Professors Charles J. Kelley and Scott D. Rychnovsky Palladium-catalyzed oxidative cyclization of terminal-olefin-tethered phenols was achieved in good yields (61–90% yields). The reaction was optimized and White catalyst {[1,2-bis-(phenylsulfinyl)ethane]palladium(II)acetate} provided the best yield in the presence of benzoquinone as an oxidant. The reaction tolerated both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents on the substrates, and the structure of the tetracyclic flavonoids was confirmed using single-crystal X-ray analysis. The study represents the first example of successful allylic C–H activation/ C–O bond formation using terminal-olefin-tethered phenols.

Many pharmacy students begin medicinal chemistry with limited experience in chemical structure interpretation and reactivity patterns, making it difficult to connect foundational concepts to real-world drug behavior. We introduced a low-stakes functional group analysis activity that included peer discussion and a follow-up quiz to improve learning and reduce student anxiety. We studied the impact of this activity by comparing Exam 1 scores across three cohorts: one before the activity (2022) and two after implementation (2023 and 2024). The average Exam 1 scores improved in the post-intervention years, and while the overall difference across cohorts did not reach statistical significance, post hoc analysis revealed a significant improvement between the 2022 and 2024 cohorts. The students who engaged more deeply, especially those who performed well on the quiz, consistently earned higher exam scores, with strong positive correlations observed in both years. These results suggest that simple, low-stakes activities that focus on core concepts can promote engagement and support student success, even in challenging, content-heavy courses like medicinal chemistry.

We report an Rh(III)-catalyzed hydroarylation of oxa- and azabenzonorbornadienes directed by enaminones through C–H activation. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions with broad substrate scope and excellent regioselectivity. Diverse polycyclic products are obtained in high yields. A representative structure was confirmed by X-ray analysis.