Fluorine in Pharmaceutical Industry: Fluorine-Containing Drugs Introduced to the Market in the Last Decade (2001–2011)

Recent progress in direct introduction of fluorinated groups on alkenes and alkynes by means of C-H bond functionalization

The direct introduction of fluorine and fluorinated building blocks has recently attracted a lot of attention and particularly the direct functionalization of alkenes and alkynes. This review will highlight the major progress recently made in that field, with a focus on photocatalyzed transformations, base-promoted processes, and transition metal-catalyzed functionalization of alkenes and alkynes. Special attention will be paid to explanations of the reaction mechanisms.

Pd-catalyzed α-arylation of trimethylsilyl enolates of α,α-difluoroacetamides

We report the arylation and heteroarylation of α,α-difluoro-α-(trimethylsilyl)acetamides with aryl and heteroaryl bromides catalyzed by an air- and moisture-stable palladacyclic complex containing P(t-Bu)2Cy as ligand. A broad range of electronically varied aryl and heteroaryl bromides underwent this transformation to afford α-aryl-α,α-difluoroacetamides in high yields. Due to the electrophilicity of the fluorinated amide, this palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction provides a versatile platform to generate a range of α,α-difluoro carbonyl compounds, such as α-aryl-α,α-difluoroketones, -acetaldehydes, -acetates, and acetic acids, and difluoroalkyl derivatives, such as 2-aryl-2,2-difluoroethanols and -ethylamines, under mild conditions.

Chemical probes for the functionalization of polyketide intermediates

A library of functionalized chemical probes capable of reacting with ketosynthase-bound biosynthetic intermediates was prepared and utilized to explore in vivo polyketide diversification. Fermentation of ACP mutants of S. lasaliensis in the presence of the probes generated a range of unnatural polyketide derivatives, including novel putative lasalocid A derivatives characterized by variable aryl ketone moieties and linear polyketide chains (bearing alkyne/azide handles and fluorine) flanking the polyether scaffold. By providing direct information on microorganism tolerance and enzyme processing of unnatural malonyl-ACP analogues, as well as on the amenability of unnatural polyketides to further structural modifications, the chemical probes constitute invaluable tools for the development of novel mutasynthesis and synthetic biology.

A trifluorinated thiazoline scaffold leading to pro-apoptotic agents targeting prohibitins

A new class of small molecules, with an unprecedented trifluorothiazoline scaffold, were synthesized and their pro-apoptotic activity was evaluated. With an EC50 in the low micromolar range, these compounds proved to be potent inducers of apoptosis in a broad spectrum of tumor cell lines, regardless of the functional status of p53. Fast structure-activity relationship studies allowed the preparation of the strongest apoptosis-inducing candidate. Using a high performance affinity purification approach, we identified prohibitins 1 and 2, key proteins involved in the maintenance of cell viability, as the targets for these compounds.

Generalized access to fluorinated β-keto amino compounds through asymmetric additions of α,α-difluoroenolates to CF3-sulfinylimine

CF3-containing chiral imines readily react with α,α-difluoroenolates affording a novel type of β-keto-amino compounds featuring the R-CO-CF2-CH(NH2)-CF3 moiety. The reactions feature exceptional generality allowing preparation of various aromatic, hetero-aromatic and aliphatic derivatives in high yields and diastereoselectivity. The products are configurationally stable and can be transformed to more functionalized complex compounds.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 4-fluoropyrrolidine-2-carbonitrile and octahydrocyclopenta[b]pyrrole-2-carbonitrile derivatives as dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitors

Based on the previous work in our group and the principle of computer-aided drug design, a series of novel β-amino pyrrole-2-carbonitrile derivatives was designed and synthesized. Compounds 8l and 9l were efficacious and selective DPP4 inhibitors resulting in decreased blood glucose in vivo. Compound 8l had moderate DPP4 inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.05 μM) and good oral bioavailability (F = 53.2%). Compound 9l showed excellent DPP4 inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.01 μM), good selectivity (selective ratio: DPP8/DPP4 = 898.00; DPP9/DPP4 = 566.00) against related peptidases, and good efficacy in an oral glucose tolerance tests in ICR mice and moderate PK profiles (F = 22.8%, t1/2 = 2.74 h). Moreover, compound 9l did not block hERG channel and exhibited no inhibition of liver metabolic enzymes such as CYP2C9.