Uniting Amide Synthesis and Activation by PIII/PV-Catalyzed Serial Condensation: Three-Component Assembly of 2-Amidopyridines

An organophosphorus (P^III/P^V redox) catalyzed method for the three-component condensation of amines, carboxylic acids, and pyridine N-oxides to generate 2-amidopyridines via serial dehydration is reported. Whereas amide synthesis and functionalization usually occur under divergent reaction conditions, here a phosphetane catalyst (together with a mild bromenium oxidant and terminal hydrosilane reductant) is shown to drive both steps chemoselectively in an auto-tandem catalytic cascade. The ability to both prepare and functionalize amides under the action of a single organocatalytic reactive intermediate enables new possibilities for the efficient and modular preparation of medicinal targets.

4-(Dimethylamino)pyridine N-Oxide-Catalyzed Macrolactamization Using 2-Methyl-6-nitrobenzoic Anhydride in the Synthesis of the Depsipeptidic Analogue of FE399

A depsipeptidic analogue of FE399 was efficiently synthesized mainly through macrolactamization using 2-methyl-6-nitrobenzoic anhydride (MNBA), and a detailed investigation of the desired 16-membered macrolactam core of FE399 was performed. It was determined that the combination of MNBA and a catalytic amount of 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine N-oxide exhibits much higher activity than that of conventionally used coupling reagents such as hexafluorophosphate azabenzotriazole tetramethyl uronium and benzotriazol-1-yl-oxytripyrrolidinophosphonium hexafluorophosphate.

Rational Design of 2-Substituted DMAP-N-oxides as Acyl Transfer Catalysts: Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Azlactones

A novel concept that conversion of chiral 2-substituted DMAP into its DMAP-N-oxide could significantly enhance the catalytic activity and still be used as an acyl transfer catalyst is presented. A new type of chiral 2-substituted DMAP-N-oxides, derived from l-prolinamides, has been rationally designed, facilely synthesized, and applied in the dynamic kinetic resolution of azlactones. Using simple MeOH as the nucleophile, various l-amino acid derivatives were produced in high yields (up to 98% yield) and enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee). Furthermore, α-deuterium labeled l-phenylalanine derivative was also obtained. Experiments and DFT calculations revealed that in 2-substituted DMAP-N-oxide, the oxygen atom acted as the nucleophilic site and the N-H bond functioned as the H-bond donor. High enantioselectivity of the reaction was governed by steric factors, and the addition of benzoic acid reduced the activation energy by participating in the construction of a H-bond bridge. The theoretical chemical study indicated that only when attack directions of the chiral catalyst were fully considered could the correct calculation results be obtained. This work paves the way for the utilization of the C2 position of the pyridine ring and the development of chiral 2-substituted DMAP-N-oxides as efficient acyl transfer catalysts.

Enantioselective rearrangement of indolyl carbonates catalyzed by chiral DMAP-N-oxides

Bifunctional chiral DMAP-N-oxides, which utilize the oxygen atom as a nucleophilic site, have been reported for the highly enantioselective rearrangement of indolyl carbonates.

Aminosugar-based immunomodulator lipid A: synthetic approaches

The immediate immune response to infection by Gram-negative bacteria depends on the structure of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS, also known as endotoxin), a complex glycolipid constituting the outer leaflet of the bacterial outer membrane. Recognition of picomolar quantities of pathogenic LPS by the germ-line encoded Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) complex triggers the intracellular pro-inflammatory signaling cascade leading to the expression of cytokines, chemokines, prostaglandins and reactive oxygen species which manifest an acute inflammatory response to infection. The "endotoxic principle" of LPS resides in its amphiphilic membrane-bound fragment glycophospholipid lipid A which directly binds to the TLR4·MD-2 receptor complex. The lipid A content of LPS comprises a complex mixture of structural homologs varying in the acylation pattern, the length of the (R)-3-hydroxyacyl- and (R)-3-acyloxyacyl long-chain residues and in the phosphorylation status of the β(1→6)-linked diglucosamine backbone. The structural heterogeneity of the lipid A isolates obtained from bacterial cultures as well as possible contamination with other pro-inflammatory bacterial components makes it difficult to obtain unambiguous immunobiological data correlating specific structural features of lipid A with its endotoxic activity. Advanced understanding of the therapeutic significance of the TLR4-mediated modulation of the innate immune signaling and the central role of lipid A in the recognition of LPS by the innate immune system has led to a demand for well-defined materials for biological studies. Since effective synthetic chemistry is a prerequisite for the availability of homogeneous structurally distinct lipid A, the development of divergent and reproducible approaches for the synthesis of various types of lipid A has become a subject of considerable importance. This review focuses on recent advances in synthetic methodologies toward LPS substructures comprising lipid A and describes the synthesis and immunobiological properties of representative lipid A variants corresponding to different bacterial species. The main criteria for the choice of orthogonal protecting groups for hydroxyl and amino functions of synthetically assembled β(1→6)-linked diglucosamine backbone of lipid A which allows for a stepwise introduction of multiple functional groups into the molecule are discussed. Thorough consideration is also given to the synthesis of 1,1'-glycosyl phosphodiesters comprising partial structures of 4-amino-4-deoxy-β-L-arabinose modified Burkholderia lipid A and galactosamine-modified Francisella lipid A. Particular emphasis is put on the stereoselective construction of binary glycosyl phosphodiester fragments connecting the anomeric centers of two aminosugars as well as on the advanced P(III)-phosphorus chemistry behind the assembly of zwitterionic double glycosyl phosphodiesters.

Boronic acid-DMAPO cooperative catalysis for dehydrative condensation between carboxylic acids and amines

Arylboronic acid and DMAPO cooperatively catalyse the dehydrative condensation reaction between carboxylic acids and amines to give the corresponding amides under azeotropic reflux conditions. This cooperative use is much more effective than their individual use as catalysts.

Arylboronic acid and 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)pyridine N-oxide (DMAPO) cooperatively catalyse the dehydrative condensation reaction between carboxylic acids and amines to give the corresponding amides under azeotropic reflux conditions. This cooperative use is much more effective than their individual use as catalysts, and chemoselectively promotes the amide condensation of (poly)conjugated carboxylic acids. The present method is practical and scalable, and has been applied to the synthesis of sitagliptin and a drug candidate.

Total synthesis of AMF-26, an antitumor agent for inhibition of the Golgi system, targeting ADP-ribosylation factor 1

An effective method for the total synthesis of 1 (AMF-26), a potentially promising new anticancer drug that disrupts the Golgi system by inhibiting the ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (Arf1) activation, has been developed for the first time. The construction of the chiral linear precursor (a key to the synthesis) was achieved by the asymmetric aldol reaction followed by the computer-assisted predictive stereoselective intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction. The global antitumor activity of the totally synthetic 1 against a variety of human cancer cells was assessed using a panel of 39 human cancer cell lines (JFCR39), and it was shown that the synthetic 1 strongly inhibited the growth of several cancer cell lines at concentrations of less than 0.04 μM. Biological assays of novel derivatives, 26 and 31, which have different side-chains at the C-4 positions in the Δ¹,²-octalin backbone, disclosed the importance of the suitable structure of the side-chain containing conjugated multidouble bonds.

Chemical synthesis of Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide partial structures and their selective proinflammatory responses

Helicobacter pylori is a common cause of gastroduodenal inflammatory diseases such as chronic gastritis and peptic ulcers and also an important factor in gastric carcinogenesis. Recent reports have demonstrated that bacterial inflammatory processes, such as stimulation with H. pylori lipopolysaccharide (LPS), initiate atherosclerosis. To establish the structures responsible for the inflammatory response of H. pylori LPS, we synthesized various kinds of lipid A structures (i.e., triacylated lipid A and Kdo-lipid A compounds), with or without the ethanolamine group at the 1-phosphate moiety, by a new divergent synthetic route. Stereoselective α-glycosylation of Kdo N-phenyltrifluoroacetimidate was achieved by use of microfluidic methods. None of the lipid A and Kdo-lipid A compounds were a strong inducer of IL-1β, IL-6, or IL-8, suggesting that H. pylori LPS is unable to induce acute inflammation. In fact, the lipid A and Kdo-lipid A compounds showed antagonistic activity against cytokine induction by E. coli LPS, except for the lipid A compound with the ethanolamine group, which showed very weak agonistic activity. On the other hand, these H. pylori LPS partial structures showed potent IL-18- and IL-12-inducing activities. IL-18 has been shown to correlate with chronic inflammation, so H. pylori LPS might be implicated in the chronic inflammatory responses induced by H. pylori. These results also indicated that H. pylori LPS can modulate the immune response: NF-κB activation through hTLR4/MD-2 was suppressed, whereas production of IL-18 and IL-12 was promoted.