Synthesis of optically active phthaloyl D-aminooxy acids from L-amino acids or L-hydroxy acids as building blocks for the preparation of aminooxy peptides

Potent and Selective Oxidatively Labile Ether-Based Prodrugs through Late-Stage Boronate Incorporation

This manuscript describes a new strategy for prodrug synthesis in which a relatively inert ether group is introduced at an early stage in a synthetic sequence and functionalized in the final step to introduce a prodrug-activating group through a chemoselective process. Boryl allyloxy (BAO) ether groups are synthesized through several metal-mediated processes to form entities that are readily cleaved under oxidative conditions commonly found in cancer cells. The high cleavage propensity of the BAO group allows for ether cleavage, making these compounds substantially more hydrolytically stable in comparison to acyl-linked prodrugs while retaining the ability to release alcohols. We report the preparation of prodrug analogues of the natural products camptothecin and pederin from acetal precursors that serve as protecting groups in their synthetic sequences. The BAO acetal groups cleave in the presence of hydrogen peroxide to release the cytotoxic agents. The pederin-based prodrug shows dramatically greater cytotoxicity than negative controls and outstanding selectivity and potency toward cancer cell lines in comparison to non-cancerous cell lines. This late-stage functionalization approach to prodrug synthesis should be applicable to numerous systems that can be accessed through chemoselective processes.

Synthesis and antiproliferative activities of steroidal lactam conjugates bearing a new nitrogen mustard

Alkylating agents are potent anticancer compounds that exert their anticancer properties through the inhibition of cell replication and transcription leading to cell death. Despite the numerous benefits, these agents also have serious drawbacks such as their high toxicity and low specificity towards cancer cells. As previously reported by our group, conjugation of alkylating agents with azasteroids can reduce their systemic toxicity and enhance their anticancer activity. In this work, novel steroidal alkylating agents bearing POPAM-OH were synthesized and their anticancer efficacy was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. All the novel hybrids demonstrated high antiproliferative effects against 5 different cancer cell lines in the low micromolar range. Treatment of SCID mice bearing SKOV-3 or PC-3 tumor xenografts with the most potent hybrid 19 led to significant reduction of tumor size (tumor inhibition TI = 95% in SKOV3 models and TI = 85.2% in PC3 models). Importantly, the acute toxicity of hybrid 19 (LD₁₀ = 36 μΜ, LD₅₀ = 62 μΜ) in CB17 SCID mice exhibited three-fold decrease compared to the acute toxicity of previously reported hybrids of POPAM-NH₂. This is an important finding since systemic cytotoxicity is a critical limitation of alkylating agents. Collectively, the steroidal conjugates of POPAM-OH displayed significant anticancer efficacy and reduced toxicity in vitro and in vivo rendering them as good candidates for cancer therapy.

Deamination of 1-Aminoalkylphosphonic Acids: Reaction Intermediates and Selectivity

Deamination of 1-aminoalkylphosphonic acids in the reaction with HNO₂ (generated "in situ" from NaNO₂) yields a mixture of substitution products (1-hydroxyalkylphosphonic acids), elimination products (vinylphosphonic acid derivatives), rearrangement and substitution products (2-hydroxylkylphosphonic acids) as well as H₃PO₄. The variety of formed reaction products suggests that 1-phosphonoalkylium ions may be intermediates in such deamination reactions.

Hydrothermal water enabling one-pot transformation of amines to alcohols via supported Pd catalysts

The simple, direct conversion of amines to alcohols is quite rare and remains challenging. Here, with the unique catalytic role of hydrothermal water, two green and one-pot strategies were proposed...

Asymmetric syntheses of four stereoisomers of 13-hydroxy-14-methylhexadecanoic acid as potential antibacterial agents

The first total syntheses of four stereoisomers of 13-hydroxy-14-methylhexadecanoic acid have been accomplished. Central to this strategy are asymmetric alkynylation of aldehyde, acid-catalyzed lactonization, the selective protection of primary alcohol and Wittig reaction. The product 1a was obtained in 17 steps in 2% overall yield. Moreover, these synthetic chiral hydroxy fatty acids 1a-1d are valuable for the development of antibacterial agents.

Design of PSMA ligands with modifications at the inhibitor part: an approach to reduce the salivary gland uptake of radiolabeled PSMA inhibitors?

AIM

To investigate whether modifications of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radiolabeled urea-based inhibitors could reduce salivary gland uptake and thus improve tumor-to-salivary gland ratios, several analogs of a high affinity PSMA ligand were synthesized and evaluated in in vitro and in vivo studies.

METHODS

Binding motifs were synthesized 'on-resin' or, when not practicable, in solution. Peptide chain elongations were performed according to optimized standard protocols via solid-phase peptide synthesis. In vitro experiments were performed using PSMA⁺ LNCaP cells. In vivo studies as well as μSPECT/CT scans were conducted with male LNCaP tumor xenograft-bearing CB17-SCID mice.

RESULTS

PSMA ligands with A) modifications within the central Zn²⁺-binding unit, B) proinhibitor motifs and C) substituents & bioisosteres of the P1'-γ-carboxylic acid were synthesized and evaluated. Modifications within the central Zn²⁺-binding unit of PSMA-10 (Glu-urea-Glu) provided three compounds. Thereof, only ^natLu-carbamate I (^natLu-3) exhibited high affinity (IC₅₀ = 7.1 ± 0.7 nM), but low tumor uptake (5.31 ± 0.94% ID/g, 1 h p.i. and 1.20 ± 0.55% ID/g, 24 h p.i.). All proinhibitor motif-based ligands (three in total) exhibited low binding affinities (> 1 μM), no notable internalization and very low tumor uptake (< 0.50% ID/g). In addition, four compounds with P1'-ɣ-carboxylate substituents were developed and evaluated. Thereof, only tetrazole derivative ^natLu-11 revealed high affinity (IC₅₀ = 16.4 ± 3.8 nM), but also this inhibitor showed low tumor uptake (3.40 ± 0.63% ID/g, 1 h p.i. and 0.68 ± 0.16% ID/g, 24 h p.i.). Salivary gland uptake in mice remained at an equally low level for all compounds (between 0.02 ± 0.00% ID/g and 0.09 ± 0.03% ID/g), wherefore apparent tumor-to-submandibular gland and tumor-to-parotid gland ratios for the modified peptides were distinctly lower (factor 8-45) than for [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-PSMA-10 at 24 h p.i.

CONCLUSIONS

The investigated compounds could not compete with the in vivo characteristics of the EuE-based PSMA inhibitor [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-PSMA-10. Although two derivatives (3 and 11) were found to exhibit high affinities towards LNCaP cells, tumor uptake at 24 h p.i. was considerably low, while uptake in salivary glands remained unaffected. Optimization of the established animal model should be envisaged to enable a clear identification of PSMA-targeting radioligands with improved tumor-to-salivary gland ratios in future studies.

Synthesis of α-aminooxy amides through [3 + 3] cycloaddition and Sc(OTf)3-catalyzed double C-N bond cleavage in a one-pot reaction

Various α-aminooxy amides bearing a quaternary carbon at the α-position were prepared in good to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions from N-vinyl nitrones and α-bromohydroxamates. The N-vinyl nitrones tolerate a wide range of N-vinyl fluorenone nitrones and N-vinyl isatin nitrones. Mechanistic studies show that the reaction initially proceeds through [3 + 3] cycloaddition between N-vinyl nitrones and aza-oxyallyl cations generated from α-bromohydroxamates to afford six-membered N,O-heterocycles, followed by double C-N bond cleavage in the presence of the Sc(OTf)3 catalyst. A selective N-O bond cleavage of the obtained α-aminooxy amides is also realized under Fe/NH4Cl conditions. Furthermore, gram-scalable preparations of α-aminooxy amides are easily achieved.

Metal-Free Cross-Dehydrogenative C-O Coupling of Carbonyl Compounds with N-Hydroxyimides: Unexpected Selective Behavior of Highly Reactive Free Radicals at an Elevated Temperature

Cross-dehydrogenative C-O coupling of N-hydroxyimides with ketones, esters, and carboxylic acids was achieved employing the di-tert-butyl peroxide as a source of free radicals and a dehydrogenating agent. The proposed method is experimentally simple and demonstrates the outstanding efficiency for the challenging CH substrates, such as unactivated esters and carboxylic acids. It was shown that N-hydroxyphthalimide drastically affects the oxidative properties of t-BuOOt-Bu by intercepting the t-BuO^• radicals with the formation of phthalimide-N-oxyl radicals, a species responsible for both hydrogen atom abstraction from the CH reagent and the selective formation of the C-O coupling product by selective radical cross-recombination. The practical applicability of the developed method was exemplified by the single-stage synthesis of commercial reagent (known as Baran aminating reagent precursor) from isobutyric acid and N-hydroxysuccinimide, whereas in the standard synthetic approach, four stages are necessary.

Readily Accessible 1,2-Amino Ether Ligands for Enantioselective Intramolecular Carbolithiation

A new class of chiral 1,2-amino ether ligands, readily accessible from naturally occurring α-amino- or α-hydroxy acids, was found to provide high levels of both conversion and stereocontrol (up to 95:5 er) in intramolecular carbolithiation reactions, outperforming the benchmark ligand (-)-sparteine. The ligand could be used in a substoichiometric amount (0.25 equiv) without significant loss of enantioselectivity.

N–O linkage in carbohydrates and glycoconjugates

The synthesis and chemical and physicochemical properties as well as biological and medical applications of various hydroxylamine-functionalized carbohydrate derivatives are summarized.

Stereospecific Inhibitory Effects of CCG-1423 on the Cellular Events Mediated by Myocardin-Related Transcription Factor A

CCG-1423 suppresses several pathological processes including cancer cell migration, tissue fibrosis, and the development of atherosclerotic lesions. These suppressions are caused by inhibition of myocardin-related transcription factor A (MRTF-A), which is a critical factor for epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). CCG-1423 can therefore be a potent inhibitor for EMT. CCG-1423 and related compounds, CCG-100602 and CCG-203971 possess similar biological activities. Although these compounds are comprised of two stereoisomers, the differences in their biological activities remain to be assessed. To address this issue, we stereoselectively synthesized optically pure isomers of these compounds and validated their biological activities. The S-isomer of CCG-1423 rather than the R-isomer exhibited modestly but significantly higher inhibitory effects on the cellular events triggered by MRTF-A activation including serum response factor-mediated gene expression and cell migration of fibroblasts and B16F10 melanoma cells. Accordingly, the S-isomer of CCG-1423 more potently blocked the serum-induced nuclear import of MRTF-A than the R-isomer. No such difference was observed in cells treated with each of two stereoisomers of CCG-100602 or CCG-203971. We previously reported that the N-terminal basic domain (NB), which functions as a nuclear localization signal of MRTF-A, is a binding site for CCG-1423. Consistent with the biological activities of two stereoisomers of CCG-1423, docking simulation demonstrated that the S-isomer of CCG-1423 was more likely to bind to NB than the R-isomer. This is a first report demonstrating the stereospecific biological activities of CCG-1423.

Cytocompatibility of novel extracellular matrix protein analogs of biodegradable polyester polymers derived from α-hydroxy amino acids

One of the challenges in regenerative medicine is the development of novel biodegradable materials to build scaffolds that will support multiple cell types for tissue engineering. Here we describe the preparation, characterization, and cytocompatibility of homo- and hetero-polyesters of α-hydroxy amino acid derivatives with or without lactic acid conjugation. The polymers were prepared by a direct condensation method and characterized using gel permeation chromatography, (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, optical activity, and solubility. The surface charge of the polymers was evaluated using zeta potential measurements. The polymers were coated onto glass cover slips followed by characterization using nano-surface profiler, thin film reflectometry, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Their interaction with endothelial and neuronal cells was assessed using adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation assays. Of the characterized polymers, Poly-HOVal-LA, but not Poly-(D)HOPhe, significantly augmented nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced neuronal differentiation of the PC12 pheochromcytoma cells. In contrast, Poly-HOLeu increased by 20% the adhesion of endothelial cells, but did not affect PC12 cell differentiation. NGF-induced Erk1/2 phosphorylation in PC12 cells grown on the different polymers was similar to the effect observed for cells cultured on collagen type I. While no significant association could be established between charge and the differentiative/proliferative properties of the polymers, AFM analysis indicated augmentation of NGF-induced neuronal differentiation on smooth polymer surfaces. We conclude that overall selective cytocompatibility and bioactivity might render α-hydroxy amino acid polymers useful as extracellular matrix-mimicking materials for tissue engineering.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Cremastrine and an Unnatural Analogue

In this Letter, we describe the first total synthesis of cremastrine, a pyrrolizidine alkaloid from Cremastra appendiculata, with anticholinergic activity as well as an unnatural analogue. The streamlined synthesis proceeds in 9 steps, 7 steps longest linear sequence, in 25.2% overall yield, and features novel methodology to construct the pyrrolizidine core. Biological evaluation of cremastrine and the unnatural analogue indicated that both are pan-mAChR functional antagonists.

Caste-specific tyramides from Myrmicine ants

Analysis of the extracts of male ants of Monomorium minimum and Monomorium ebeninum by GC-MS and GC-FTIR revealed the presence of tyramides 2 and 4c, for which the structures were established by comparison with synthetic samples. These compounds and their analogues 1 and 3 were also found in males of other Monomorium species, males of Myrmicaria opaciventris, and males of several Solenopsis (Diplorhoptrum) species. Vapor-phase FTIR spectra revealed critically important structural clues to two of the tyramides, which had methyl branching in the tyramide acyl moiety. Tyramide 4c exhibited a strong intramolecular amide NH hydrogen bond where an alpha-keto group was deduced to be present in the acyl moiety and also showed the overlap of this ketone group frequency with that of the amide nu(C horizontal lineO). The biological function of these compounds is uncertain; however, their role in ant-mating behavior may be suggested by a large body of evidence.

Identification of furan metabolites derived from cysteine-cis-2-butene-1,4-dial-lysine cross-links

Furan is a rodent hepatotoxicant and carcinogen. Because this compound is an important industrial intermediate and has been detected in heat-processed foods and smoke, humans are likely exposed to this toxic compound. Characterization of urinary metabolites of furan will lead to the development of biomarkers to assess human health risks associated with furan exposure. Previous studies indicate that furan is oxidized to a reactive alpha,beta-unsaturated dialdehyde, cis-2-butene-1,4-dial (BDA), in a reaction catalyzed by cytochrome P450. Five previously characterized metabolites are derived from the reaction of BDA with cellular nucleophiles such as glutathione and protein. They include the monoglutathione reaction product, N-[4-carboxy-4-(3-mercapto-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-1-oxobutyl]-l-cysteinylglycine cyclic sulfide, and its downstream metabolite, S-[1-(1,3-dicarboxypropyl)-1H-pyrrol-3-yl]methylthiol, as well as (R)-2-acetylamino-6-(2,5-dihydro-2-oxo-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-1-hexanoic acid and N-acetyl-S-[1-(5-acetylamino-5-carboxypentyl)-1H-pyrrol-3-yl]-l-cysteine and its sulfoxide. The last two compounds are downstream metabolites of a BDA-derived cysteine-lysine cross-link, S-[1-(5-amino-5-carboxypentyl)-1H-pyrrol-3-yl]-l-cysteine. In this report, we present the characterization of seven additional urinary furan metabolites, all of which are derived from this cross-link. The cysteinyl residue is subject to several biotransformation reactions, including N-acetylation and S-oxidation. Alternatively, it can undergo beta-elimination followed by S-methylation to a methylthiol intermediate that is further oxidized to a sulfoxide. The lysine portion of the cross-link either is N-acetylated or undergoes a transamination reaction to generate an alpha-ketoacid metabolite that undergoes oxidative decarboxylation. Some of these metabolites are among the most abundant furan metabolites present in urine as judged by LC-MS/MS analysis, indicating that the oxidation of furan to BDA and BDA's subsequent reaction with cellular cysteine and lysine residues may represent a significant in vivo pathway of furan biotransformation. Because they are derived from cellular BDA reaction products, these metabolites are markers of furan exposure and bioactivation and could be explored as potential biomarkers in human studies.

Utilization of the 1,2,3,5-thiatriazolidin-3-one 1,1-dioxide scaffold in the design of potential inhibitors of human neutrophil proteinase 3

The S' subsites of human neutrophil proteinase 3 (Pr 3) were probed by constructing diverse libraries of compounds based on the 1,2,3,5-thiatriazolidin-3-one 1,1-dioxide using combinational and click chemistry methods. The multiple points of diversity embodied in the heterocyclic scaffold render it well-suited to the exploration of the S' subsites of Pr 3. Molecular modeling studies suggest that further exploration of the S' subsites of Pr 3 using the aforementioned heterocyclic scaffold may lead to the identification of highly selective, reversible competitive inhibitors of Pr 3.

The Mitsunobu Reaction: Origin, Mechanism, Improvements, and Applications

The Mitsunobu reaction is a widely used and versatile method for the dehydrative oxidation-reduction condensation of an acid/pronucleophile usually with a primary or secondary alcohol that requires the combination of a reducing phosphine reagent together with an oxidizing azo reagent. The utility of this reaction stems from the fact that it is generally highly stereoselective and occurs with inversion of the stereochemical configuration of the alcohol starting material. Furthermore, as carboxylic acids, phenols, imides, sulfonamides, and other compounds can be used as the acid/pronucleophile, this reaction is useful for the preparation of a wide variety of functional groups. This Focus Review of the Mitsunobu reaction summarizes its origins, the current understanding of its mechanism, and recent improvements and applications.

Pleofungins, Novel Inositol Phosphorylceramide Synthase Inhibitors, from Phoma sp. SANK 13899

Pleofungins (formerly called F-15078) A, B, C and D, novel depsipeptide antifungal antibiotics, were found in a mycelium extract of the producing fungus, Phoma sp. SANK 13899. The structures of pleofungins A, B, C and D were elucidated mainly by various NMR studies. The absolute configurations of the amino acids and N-methyl amino acids of pleofungin A constituents in the hydrolysate were determined by the application of advanced Marfey's method in combination with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of their silylation products with N-methyl-N-(tert-butylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide. Two alpha-hydroxy acid constituents, alpha-hydroxyisocaproic acid and alpha-hydroxyisovaleric acid, were isolated from the hydrolysate and their stereochemistries were determined by their specific rotations.

Backbone-modified amylin derivatives: implications for amyloid inhibitor design and as template for self-assembling bionanomaterials

This report reviews our approach to the design, synthesis and structural/morphological analysis of backbone-modified amylin(20-29) derivatives. Depending on the position in the peptide backbone and the type of amide bond isostere/modification, the amylin(20-29) peptides behave either as inhibitors of amyloid fibril formation, which are able to retard amyloid formation of native amylin(20-29), or as templates for the formation of self-assembled supramolecular structures. Molecular fine-tuning of the hydrogen-bond accepting/donating properties allows the control over the morphology of the supramolecular aggregation motifs such as helical ribbons and tapes, ribbons progressing to closed peptide nanotubes, (twisted) lamellar sheets or amyloid fibrils.

Self-Assembly of Amylin(20–29) Amide-Bond Derivatives into Helical Ribbons and Peptide Nanotubes rather than Fibrils

Uncontrolled aggregation of proteins or polypeptides can be detrimental for normal cellular processes in healthy organisms. Proteins or polypeptides that form these amyloid deposits differ in their primary sequence but share a common structural motif: the (anti)parallel beta sheet. A well-accepted approach for interfering with beta-sheet formation is the design of soluble beta-sheet peptides to disrupt the hydrogen-bonding network; this ultimately leads to the disassembly of the aggregates or fibrils. Here, we describe the synthesis, spectroscopic analysis, and aggregation behavior, imaged by electron microscopy, of several backbone-modified amylin(20-29) derivatives. It was found that these amylin derivatives were not able to form fibrils and to some extent were able to inhibit fibril growth of native amylin(20-29). However, two of the amylin peptides were able to form large supramolecular assemblies, like helical ribbons and peptide nanotubes, in which beta-sheet formation was clearly absent. This was quite unexpected since these peptides have been designed as soluble beta-sheet breakers for disrupting the characteristic hydrogen-bonding network of (anti)parallel beta sheets. The increased hydrophobicity and the presence of essential amino acid side chains in the newly designed amylin(20-29) derivatives were found to be the driving force for self-assembly into helical ribbons and peptide nanotubes. This example of controlled and desired peptide aggregation may be a strong impetus for research on bionanomaterials in which special shapes and assemblies are the focus of interest.

Efficient Synthesis of β2-Amino Acid by Homologation of α-Amino Acids Involving the Reformatsky Reaction and Mannich-Type Imminium Electrophile

Development of new methods for the synthesis of beta-amino acids is important as polymers of these compounds are promising peptidomimetic candidates in medicinal chemistry. We report here our findings on a new and highly efficient general strategy for the synthesis of beta2-amino acids by homologation of alpha-amino acids, involving the Reformatsky reaction and Mannich-type imminium electrophile.

Peptides of aminoxy acids as foldamers

This Feature Article summarizes our efforts in developing a new family of foldamers from alpha-, beta- and gamma-aminoxy acids. From a series of conformational studies, we demonstrate that peptides consisting of aminoxy acids adopt several well-defined secondary structures, such as alpha N-O turns (which feature an eight-membered-ring hydrogen bond), beta N-O turns (a nine-membered-ring hydrogen bond), gamma N-O turns (a ten-membered-ring hydrogen bond), 1.8(8) helices (consecutive homochiral alpha N-O turns), 7/8 helices (alternating alpha N-O turns and gamma-turns), 1.7(9) helices (consecutive beta N-O turns), reverse turns (consecutive heterochiral alpha N-O turns) and sheet-like structures.

A solid-phase approach to DDB derivatives

Since the discovery of 2,2'-dimethoxycarbonyl-4,4-dimethoxy-5,6,5',6'-biomethylenedioxy-biphenyl (DDB) as a potent anti-HBV agent, we have studied the structure-activity relationships of 4,4'-dimethoxy-5,6,5',6'-dimethenedioxy-2-alkyloxycarbonyl-2'-(4-substituted benzyl piperazin-1-yl)carbonyl-biphenyl as anti-HBV agents. Therefore, it is rational to extend this study to the 3,3'-disustituted-4,4'-dimethoxy-5,6,5',6'-dimethenedioxy-2-alkyloxycarbonyl-2'-Serine derivatives. Thus, in an attempt to develop an efficient method for the preparation of a large number of DDB derivatives, the reaction between a DDB acid chloride and serine derivatives on solid support was studied. The structure of resulted compounds was confirmed by LC-MS and (1)H NMR analysis. Compounds 2a, 2d, 2f, 2j showed in vitro anti-HBV activity without significant toxicity up to 100 microM.

Synthesis and CB1 receptor activities of novel arachidonyl alcohol derivatives

Novel derivatives of arachidonyl alcohol were synthesized and evaluated for their CB1 receptor activity by [(35)S]GTP(gamma)S assay using rat cerebellar membranes.