Photocaging of Carboxylic Acids: A Modular Approach

Low-Power Near-Infrared-Responsive Upconversion Nanovectors

Activating upconversion nanoparticle-based photoresponsive nanovectors (UCPNVs) by upconversion visible light at low-power near-infrared (NIR) excitation can realize deeper biotissue stimulation with a minimized overheating effect and photodamage. Here, we demonstrate a facile strategy to construct new surface-decorated UCPNVs based on Passerini three-component reaction (P-3CR) in highly convenient and effective manners. Such UCPNVs materials have a tailored deprotecting wavelength that overlaps upconversion blue light. By using 3-perylenecarboxaldehyde, Tm³⁺/Yb³⁺ ion-doped UCNP-containing isocyanides, and antitumor agent chlorambucil as the three components, the resulting monodisperse UCPNV exhibits an efficient release of caged chlorambucil under a very low 976 nm power. This approach expands the synthetic toolbox to enable quick development of UCPNVs for UCNP-assisted low-power NIR photochemistry.

On-resin multicomponent protocols for biopolymer assembly and derivatization

Solid-phase synthesis represents the methodological showcase for technological advances such as split-and-pool combinatorial chemistry and the automated synthesis of peptides, nucleic acids and polysaccharides. These strategies involve iterative coupling cycles that do not generate functional diversity besides that incorporated by the amino acids, nucleosides and monosaccharide building blocks. In sharp contrast, multicomponent reactions (MCRs) are traditionally used to generate both skeletal and appendage diversity in short, batchwise procedures. On-resin MCRs have traditionally been employed for the construction of heterocycle and peptidomimetic libraries, but that scenario has changed recently, and today the focus is more on the solid-phase derivatization of peptides and oligonucleotides. This review presents relevant experimental details and addresses the synthetic scope of such on-resin multicomponent protocols employed to accomplish specific biopolymer covalent modifications that are practically inviable by traditional solution-phase methodologies. Recommendations are provided to facilitate the implementation of solid-supported protocols and avoid possible pitfalls associated with the selection of the polymeric resin, the solvent and the order and amount of the reagents employed. We describe procedures comprising the multicomponent lipidation, biotinylation and labeling of both termini and the side chains, as well as the use of MCRs in the traceless on-resin synthesis of ligated and cyclic peptides. Solid-phase protocols for the assembly of α-helical and parallel β-sheet peptides as well as hybrid peptide-peptoid and peptide-peptide nucleic acid architectures are described. Finally, the solid-supported multicomponent derivatization of DNA oligonucleotides is illustrated as part of the DNA-encoded library technology relying on MCR-derived heterocyclic compounds.

A Photocleavable Contrast Agent for Light-Responsive MRI

Thanks to its innocuousness and high spatiotemporal resolution, light is used in several established and emerging applications in biomedicine. Among them is the modulation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents’ relaxivity with the aim to increase the sensitivity, selectivity and amount of functional information obtained from this outstanding whole-body medical imaging technique. This approach requires the development of molecular contrast agents that show high relaxivity and strongly pronounced photo-responsiveness. To this end, we report here the design and synthesis of a light-activated MRI contrast agent, together with its evaluation using UV–vis spectroscopy, Fast Field Cycling (FFC) relaxometry and relaxometric measurements on clinical MRI scanners. The high relaxivity of the reported agent changes substantially upon irradiation with light, showing a 17% decrease in relaxivity at 0.23T upon irradiation with λ = 400 nm (violet) light for 60 min. On clinical MRI scanners (1.5T and 3.0T), irradiation leads to a decrease in relaxivity of 9% and 19% after 3 and 60 min, respectively. The molecular design presents an important blueprint for the development of light-activatable MRI contrast agents.

Approaches for the synthesis of o-nitrobenzyl and coumarin linkers for use in photocleavable biomaterials and bioconjugates and their biomedical applications

Photocleavable biomaterials and bioconjugates are particularly interesting because light sources are easy to obtain and the responsiveness of materials is convenient to control. In recent years, various photocleavable biomaterials and bioconjugates have been synthesized for the control of payload release, regulation of biomolecule activity, 3D cell culture, and investigation of molecular mechanisms. Photocleavable linkers are crucial components of photocleavable biomaterials, which significantly influence the photoresponsive capabilities of materials. Photosensitive molecules, such as o-nitrobenzyls and coumarins, have been extensively developed as photocleavable linkers. In the present review, we provide comprehensive knowledge regarding the synthetic strategies of o-nitrobenzyl and coumarin derived linkers with various functional groups and their applications for the construction of photocleavable biomaterials and bioconjugates. Finally, the biomedical applications of o-nitrobenzyl and coumarin-based photocleavable biomaterials and bioconjugates will be summarized and discussed.

A light-responsive liposomal agent for MRI contrast enhancement and monitoring of cargo delivery

A liposomal MRI-probe changing relaxivity and releasing cargo upon light irradiation was developed for diagnostics and monitoring of drug delivery.

Synthesis of β-Aminoenones via Cross-Coupling of In-Situ-Generated Isocyanides with 1,3-Dicarbonyl Compounds

An efficient and practical strategy for the synthesis of β-aminoenones from a three-component reaction was developed. Ethyl bromodifluoroacetate serves as a C1 source in this strategy, forming isocyanides in situ with primary amines. This reaction represents the first example of utilization of readily available starting materials to generate isocyanides in situ and sequentially fully converted to β-aminoenones, avoiding the generation of byproduct imines and overinsertion products. The mechanism study suggested that this method involves activation of two C(sp³)-F bonds and the formation of isocyanides, which might nourish both isocyanide chemistry and fluorine chemistry.

Photolabile Hydrogels Responsive to Broad Spectrum Visible Light for Selective Cell Release

We introduce an efficient method for the preparation of photolabile polymer linkers to be used in the fabrication of bioorthogonal and photodegradable hydrogels. The versatility of this synthesis strategy allows for incorporation of a series of chromophores responsive to addressable wavelengths of UV and broad spectrum visible light. Consequently, selective release of different cell types from composite hydrogels by user-defined timing can be achieved by irradiating the materials with different wavelengths of light.

Rational Design of Polymeric Nanoparticles with Tailorable Biomedical Functions for Cancer Therapy

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) play a key role in nanoscale formulations for bioimaging, cancer treatment, and theranostics. In this work, we designed and synthesized a series of hydrophobic polymers (P1-6) with different pendent groups via one-step multicomponent Passerini reaction. These polymers possessed similar molecular structures and various biomedical functions. Interestingly, they could self-assemble into stable NPs in aqueous media. All formed NPs were redox sensitive because of the existence of disulfide bonds in the backbone. The stability of NPs in aqueous media with or without glutathione was systematically evaluated and compared. The optical performance, including fluorescence resonance energy transfer, was characterized under different conditions for those polymers with fluorescent components. Importantly, all formed NPs showed good cytocompatibility toward HeLa cells and different biological functions, including drug loading and delivery, bioimaging with variable fluorescence, and photodynamic activity, as evidenced by experiments in vitro and in vivo. These results demonstrate the great potential of multicomponent reaction to customize versatile polymeric nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

Palladium-Catalyzed Multicomponent Reaction (MCR) of Propargylic Carbonates with Isocyanides

A palladium-catalyzed multicomponent reaction (MCR) of propargylic carbonates with isocyanides is reported. Remarkably, the orderly insertion of isocyanides affords two types of valuable N-heterocyclic products (Z)-6-imino-4,6-dihydro-1H-furo[3,4-b]pyrrol-2-amines and (E)-5-iminopyrrolones in high yields. Systematic analysis of the reaction conditions indicates that the selectivity of these N-heterocyclic products can be controlled by ligands and temperature.

Diversity oriented synthesis of β-carbolinone and indolo-pyrazinone analogues based on an Ugi four component reaction and subsequent cyclisation of the resulting indole intermediate

One pot two step synthesis of β-carbolinone and indolo-pyrazinone analogues via acid mediated cyclisation of Ugi intermediate has been developed with a wide substrate scope.

Isocyanide-Based Multicomponent Reactions for the Synthesis of Heterocycles

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) are extremely popular owing to their facile execution, high atom-efficiency and the high diversity of products. MCRs can be used to access various heterocycles and highly functionalized scaffolds, and thus have been invaluable tools in total synthesis, drug discovery and bioconjugation. Traditional isocyanide-based MCRs utilize an external nucleophile attacking the reactive nitrilium ion, the key intermediate formed in the reaction of the imine and the isocyanide. However, when reactants with multiple nucleophilic groups (bisfunctional reactants) are used in the MCR, the nitrilium intermediate can be trapped by an intramolecular nucleophilic attack to form various heterocycles. The implications of nitrilium trapping along with widely applied conventional isocyanide-based MCRs in drug design are discussed in this review.

Leuckart-Wallach Route Toward Isocyanides and Some Applications

Isocyanide-based multicomponent reactions (IMCR) are among the most important chemical reactions to efficiently generate molecular diversity and have found widespread use in industry and academia. Generally, isocyanides are synthesized in 1-2 steps starting from primary amines. Here, we provide experimental detail on an alternative approach toward formamides and, thus, isocyanides via the Leuckart-Wallach reaction in an improved variation. The resulting >50 synthesized and characterized formamides are useful starting materials for IMCR, as well as other chemistries. The advantage of using the Leuckart-Wallach pathway to formamides and isocyanides is the lower price, on average, of the starting materials, as well as their differential and complementary structural diversity, as compared to the primary amine pathway.

Silver-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of Isocyanides and Active Methylene Compounds by a Radical Process

Isocyanides are versatile building blocks, and have been extensively exploited in C-H functionalization reactions. However, transition-metal-catalyzed direct C-H functionalization reactions with isocyanides suffer from over-insertion of isocyanides. Reported herein is a radical coupling/isomerization strategy for the cross-coupling of isocyanides with active methylene compounds through silver-catalysis. The method solves the over-insertion issue and affords a variety of otherwise difficult to synthesize β-aminoenones and tricarbonylmethanes under base- and ligand-free conditions. This report presents a new fundamental C-C bond-forming reaction of two basic chemicals.

Efficient isocyanide-less isocyanide-based multicomponent reactions

Isocyanides are the "Jekyll and Hyde" of organic chemistry allowing for extremely interesting transformations that are not only extremely odorous but also noxious. Therefore, an isocyanide-less isocyanide-based multicomponent reaction (IMCR) has been developed, and this protocol is expected to replace many of the old procedures in the future not only in IMCR but in other areas of organic chemistry as well.

Wavelength-selective cleavage of photoprotecting groups: strategies and applications in dynamic systems

Wavelength-selective deprotection is an attractive method to control multiple functions in one system using light.