Chiral catalysts dually functionalized with amino acid and Zn2+ complex components for enantioselective direct aldol reactions inspired by natural aldolases: design, synthesis, complexation properties, catalytic activities, and mechanistic study

Design and Synthesis of Poly(2,2'-Bipyridyl) Ligands for Induction of Cell Death in Cancer Cells: Control of Anticancer Activity by Complexation/Decomplexation with Biorelevant Metal Cations

Chelation therapy is a medical procedure for removing toxic metals from human organs and tissues and for the treatment of diseases by using metal-chelating agents. For example, iron chelation therapy is designed not only for the treatment of metal poisoning but also for some diseases that are induced by iron overload, cancer chemotherapy, and related diseases. However, the use of such metal chelators needs to be generally carried out very carefully, because of the side effects possibly due to the non-specific complexation with intracellular metal cations. Herein, we report on the preparation and characterization of some new poly(bpy) ligands (bpy: 2,2'-bipyridyl) that contain one-three bpy ligand moieties and their anticancer activity against Jurkat, MOLT-4, U937, HeLa S3, and A549 cell lines. The results of MTT assays revealed that the tris(bpy) and bis(bpy) ligands exhibit potent activity for inducing the cell death in cancer cells. Mechanistic studies suggest that the main pathway responsible for the cell death by these poly(bpy) ligands is apoptotic cell death. It was also found that the anticancer activity of the poly(bpy) ligands could be controlled by the complexation (anticancer activity is turned OFF) and decomplexation (anticancer activity is turned ON) with biorelevant metal cations. In this paper, these results will be described.

Metal-Mediated Organocatalysis in Water: Serendipitous Discovery of Aldol Reaction Catalyzed by the [Ru(bpy)2(nornicotine)2]2+ Complex

The [Ru(bpy)2(Nor)2]2+ complex (Nor = nornicotine) is an efficient catalyst for the aldol reaction of acetone with activated benzaldehydes in a buffered aqueous solution. The metal plays the role of an activator for the nornicotine organocatalyst ligands. The resulting catalytic activity is potentiated by a factor of about 4.5 as compared to free nornicotine. Similar rate enhancements can be achieved by using Zn(II) cations as the activator. The observations are rationalized with the reduced basicity of the pyrrolidine N in nornicotine due to the enhanced electron withdrawal of the metal-complexed pyridyl moiety.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Boron-Containing Macrocyclic Polyamines and Their Zinc(II) Complexes for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary therapeutic method for cancer treatment based on the use of a combination of a cancer-specific drug containing boron-10 (¹⁰B) and thermal neutron irradiation. For successful BNCT, ¹⁰B-containing molecules need to accumulate specifically in cancer cells, because destructive effect of the generated heavy particles is limited basically to boron-containing cells. Herein, we report on the design and synthesis of boron compounds that are functionalized with 9-, 12-, and 15-membered macrocyclic polyamines and their Zn²⁺ complexes. Their cytotoxicity, intracellular uptake activity into cancer cells and normal cells, and BNCT effect are also reported. The experimental data suggest that mono- and/or diprotonated forms of metal-free [12]aneN₄- and [15]aneN₅-type ligands are uptaken into cancer cells, and their complexes with intracellular metals such as Zn²⁺ would induce cell death upon thermal neutron irradiation, possibly via interactions with DNA.

A Simple and Efficient Protocol for Proline-Catalysed Asymmetric Aldol Reaction

The proline-catalysed asymmetric aldol reaction is usually carried out in highly dipolar aprotic solvents (dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylformamide, acetonitrile) where proline presents an acceptable solubility. Protic solvents are generally characterized by poor stereocontrol (e.g., methanol) or poor reactivity (e.g., water). Here, we report that water/methanol mixtures are exceptionally simple and effective reaction media for the intermolecular organocatalytic aldol reaction using the simple proline as the catalyst.

Asymmetric Reactions Enabled by Cooperative Enantioselective Amino- and Lewis Acid Catalysis

Organocatalysis-the branch of catalysis featuring small organic molecules as the catalysts-has, in the last decade, become of central importance in the field of asymmetric catalysis, so much that it is now comparable to metal catalysis and biocatalysis. Organocatalysis is rationalized and classified by a number of so-called activation modes, based on the formation of a covalent or not-covalent intermediate between the organocatalyst and the organic substrate. Among all the organocatalytic activation modes, enamine and iminium catalysis are widely used for the practical preparation of valuable products and intermediates, both in academic and industrial contexts. In both cases, chiral amines are employed as catalysts. Enamine activation mode is generally employed in the reaction with electrophiles, while nucleophiles require the iminium activation mode. Commonly, in both modes, the reaction occurs through well-organized transitions states. A large variety of partners can react with enamines and iminium ions, due to their sufficient nucleophilicity and electrophilicity, respectively. However, despite the success, organocatalysis still suffers from narrow scopes and applications. Multicatalysis is a possible solution for these drawbacks because the two different catalysts can synergistically activate the substrates, with a simultaneous activation of the two different reaction partners. In particular, in this review we will summarize the reported processes featuring Lewis acid catalysis and organocatalytic activation modes synergically acting and not interfering with each other. We will focus our attention on the description of processes in which good results cannot be achieved independently by organocatalysis or Lewis acid catalysis. In these examples of cooperative dual catalysis, a number of new organic transformations have been developed. The review will focus on the possible strategies, the choice of the Lewis acid and the catalytic cycles involved in the effective reported combination. Additionally, some important key points regarding the rationale for the effective combinations will be also included. π-Activation of organic substrates by Lewis acids, via formation of electrophilic intermediates, and their reaction with enamines will be also discussed in this review.

Catalytic enantioselective aldol reactions

Recent developments in catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions have been summarized.

Bis[(l)prolinate-N,O]Zn: A water-soluble and recycle catalyst for various organic transformations

Under the green chemistry perspective, bis[(l)prolinate-N,O]Zn (also called zinc-proline or Zn[(l)-pro]₂) has proven its competence as a promising alternative in a plethora of applications such as catalyst or promoter. Owing to its biodegradable and non-toxic nature of bis[(l)prolinate-N,O]Zn, it is being actively investigated as a water soluble green catalyst for synthetic chemistry. Bis[(l)prolinate-N,O]Zn are readily utilized under mild conditions and have high selectivity and reactivity with broad range of substrate acceptance to make it better reaction medium for a wide variety of organic transformations. This Review summarizes the till date literature on its synthesis, characterization, and its catalytic role in various organic reactions.

An overview of Zn-catalyzed enantioselective aldol type C–C bond formation

Enantioselective zinc-catalyzed aldol reactions provide an efficient route for the construction of a wide range of carbon–carbon bond-formation, which are described here.

Design and synthesis of chiral Zn2+ complexes mimicking natural aldolases for catalytic C-C bond forming reactions in aqueous solution

Extending carbon frameworks via a series of C-C bond forming reactions is essential for the synthesis of natural products, pharmaceutically active compounds, active agrochemical ingredients, and a variety of functional materials. The application of stereoselective C-C bond forming reactions to the one-pot synthesis of biorelevant compounds is now emerging as a challenging and powerful strategy for improving the efficiency of a chemical reaction, in which some of the reactants are subjected to successive chemical reactions in just one reactor. However, organic reactions are generally conducted in organic solvents, as many organic molecules, reagents, and intermediates are not stable or soluble in water. In contrast, enzymatic reactions in living systems proceed in aqueous solvents, as most of enzymes generally function only within a narrow range of temperature and pH and are not so stable in less polar organic environments, which makes it difficult to conduct chemoenzymatic reactions in organic solvents. In this review, we describe the design and synthesis of chiral metal complexes with Zn2+ ions as a catalytic factor that mimic aldolases in stereoselective C-C bond forming reactions, especially for enantioselective aldol reactions. Their application to chemoenzymatic reactions in aqueous solution is also presented.

One-pot chemoenzymatic synthesis of chiral 1,3-diols using an enantioselective aldol reaction with chiral Zn2+ complex catalysts and enzymatic reduction using oxidoreductases with cofactor regeneration

We previously reported on enantioselective aldol reactions of acetone and some aldehydes catalyzed by chiral Zn(2+) complexes of L-prolyl-pendant [12]aneN(4) (L-ZnL(1)) and L-valyl-pendant [12]aneN(4) (L-ZnL(2)) in aqueous solution. Here, we report on the one-pot chemoenzymatic synthesis of chiral 1,3-diols in an aqueous solvent system at room temperature by a combination of enantioselective aldol reactions catalyzed by Zn(2+) complexes of L- and D-phenylalanyl-pendant [12]aneN(4) (L-ZnL(3) and D-ZnL(3) ) and the successive enantioselective reduction of the aldol products using oxidoreductases with the regeneration of the NADH (reduced form of nicotinamine adenine dinucleotide) cofactor. The findings indicate that all four stereoisomers of 1,3-diols can be produced by appropriate selection of a chiral Zn(2+)-complex and an oxidoreductase commercially available from the "Chiralscreen OH" kit.