Synthetic Approaches toward Monocyclic 3-Amino-β-lactams

Novel (±)-trans-β-lactam ureas: Synthesis, in silico and in vitro biological profiling

A diastereomeric mixture of racemic 3-phthalimido-b-lactam 2a/2b was synthesized by the Staudinger reaction of carboxylic acid activated with 2-chloro-1-methylpyridinium iodide and imine 1. The amino group at the C3 position of the b-lactam ring was used for further structural upgrade. trans-b-lactam ureas 4a-t were prepared by the condensation reaction of the amino group of b-lactam ring with various aromatic and aliphatic isocyanates. Antimicrobial activity of compounds 4a-t was evaluated in vitro and neither antibacterial nor antifungal activity were observed. Several of the newly synthesized trans-b-lactam ureas 4a-c, 4f, 4h, 4n, 4o, 4p, and 4s were evaluated for in vitro antiproliferative activity against liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), ovarian carcinoma (A2780), breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) and untransformed human fibroblasts (HFF1). The b-lactam urea 4o showed the most potent antiproliferative activity against the ovarian carcinoma (A2780) cell line. Compounds 4o and 4p exhibited strong cytotoxic effects against human non-tumor cell line HFF1. The b-lactam ureas 4a-t were estimated to be soluble and membrane permeable, moderately lipophilic molecules (logP 4.6) with a predisposition to be CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein substrates. The tools PASS and SwissTargetPrediction could not predict biological targets for compounds 4a-t with high probability, pointing to the novelty of their structure. Considering low toxicity risk, molecules 4a and 4f can be selected as the most promising candidates for further structure modifications.

Synthesis, Characterisation and Mechanism of Action of Anticancer 3-Fluoroazetidin-2-ones

The stilbene combretastatin A-4 (CA-4) is a potent microtubule-disrupting agent interacting at the colchicine-binding site of tubulin. In the present work, the synthesis, characterisation and mechanism of action of a series of 3-fluoro and 3,3-difluoro substituted β-lactams as analogues of the tubulin-targeting agent CA-4 are described. The synthesis was achieved by a convenient microwave-assisted Reformatsky reaction and is the first report of 3-fluoro and 3,3-difluoro β-lactams as CA-4 analogues. The β-lactam compounds 3-fluoro-4-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxy phenyl)azetidin-2-one 32 and 3-fluoro-4-(3-fluoro-4-methoxyphenyl)-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)azetidin-2-one) 33 exhibited potent activity in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells with IC50 values of 0.075 µM and 0.095 µM, respectively, and demonstrated low toxicity in non-cancerous cells. Compound 32 also demonstrated significant antiproliferative activity at nanomolar concentrations in the triple-negative breast cancer cell line Hs578T (IC50 0.033 μM), together with potency in the invasive isogenic subclone Hs578Ts(i)8 (IC50 = 0.065 μM), while 33 was also effective in MDA-MB-231 cells (IC50 0.620 μM). Mechanistic studies demonstrated that 33 inhibited tubulin polymerisation, induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells, and induced a downregulation in the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl2 and survivin with corresponding upregulation in the expression of pro-apoptotic Bax. In silico studies indicated the interaction of the compounds with the colchicine-binding site, demonstrating the potential for further developing novel cancer therapeutics as microtubule-targeting agents.

Synthesis of 3-Amino-4-substituted Monocyclic ß-Lactams—Important Structural Motifs in Medicinal Chemistry

Monocyclic ß-lactams (azetidin-2-ones) exhibit a wide range of biological activities, the most important of which are antibacterial, anticancer, and cholesterol absorption inhibitory activities. The synthesis of decorated monocyclic ß-lactams is challenging because their ring is highly constrained and consequently reactive, which is also an important determinant of their biological activity. We present the optimized synthesis of orthogonally protected 3-amino-4-substituted monocyclic ß-lactams. Among several possible synthetic approaches, Staudinger cycloaddition proved to be the most promising method for initial ring formation, yielding monocyclic ß-lactams with different substituents at the C-4 position, a phthalimido-protected 3-amino group, and a (dimethoxy)benzyl protected ring nitrogen. Challenging deprotection methods were then investigated. Oxidative cleavage with cerium ammonium nitrate and ammonia-free Birch reduction was found to be most effective for selective removal of ring nitrogen protection. Hydrazine hydrate was used for deprotection of the phthalimido group, and the procedure had to be modified by the addition of HCl in the case of aromatic substituents at the C-4 position. The presented methods and the synthesized 3-amino-4-substituted monocyclic ß-lactam derivatives are an important step toward new ß-lactams with potential pharmacological activities.

Synthesis and Antiproliferative Evaluation of 3-Chloroazetidin-2-ones with Antimitotic Activity: Heterocyclic Bridged Analogues of Combretastatin A-4

Antimitotic drugs that target tubulin are among the most widely used chemotherapeutic agents; however, the development of multidrug resistance has limited their clinical activity. We report the synthesis and biological properties of a series of novel 3-chloro-β-lactams and 3,3-dichloro-β-lactams (2-azetidinones) that are structurally related to the tubulin polymerisation inhibitor and vascular targeting agent, Combretastatin A-4. These compounds were evaluated as potential tubulin polymerisation inhibitors and for their antiproliferative effects in breast cancer cells. A number of the compounds showed potent activity in MCF-7 breast cancer cells, e.g., compound 10n (3-chloro-4-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-phenyl)-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)azetidin-2-one) and compound 11n (3,3-dichloro-4-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-azetidin-2-one), with IC₅₀ values of 17 and 31 nM, respectively, and displayed comparable cellular effects to those of Combretastatin A-4. Compound 10n demonstrated minimal cytotoxicity against non-tumorigenic HEK-293T cells and inhibited the in vitro polymerisation of tubulin with significant G₂/M phase cell cycle arrest. Immunofluorescence staining of MCF-7 cells confirmed that β-lactam 10n caused a mitotic catastrophe by targeting tubulin. In addition, compound 10n promoted apoptosis by regulating the expression of pro-apoptotic protein BAX and anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Mcl-1. Molecular docking was used to explore the potential molecular interactions between novel 3-chloro-β-lactams and the amino acid residues of the colchicine binding active site cavity of β-tubulin. Collectively, these results suggest that 3-chloro-2-azetidinones, such as compound 10n, could be promising lead compounds for further clinical anti-cancer drug development.

The facile and efficient synthesis of novel monocyclic cis-β-lactam conjugates with a 1-methyl-1H-imidazole-2-thiol nucleus

We developed a facile and efficient synthesis of novel monocyclic cis-β-lactam conjugates with a 1-methyl-1H-imidazole-2-thiol nucleus through a ketene-imine [2+2] cycloaddition reaction of acyl chloride and different Schiff bases.

Monocyclic β-Lactam: A Review on Synthesis and Potential Biological Activities of a Multitarget Core

A monocyclic ring in their structure characterizes monobactams, a subclass of β-lactam antibiotics. Many of these compounds have a bactericidal mechanism of action and acts as penicillin and cephalosporins, interfering with bacterial cell wall biosynthesis. The synthesis of novel β-lactams is an emerging area of organic synthesis research due to the problem of increasing bacterial resistance to existing β -lactam antibiotics, and, in this way, new compounds have been presented with several structural modifications, aiming to improve biological activities. Among the biological activities studied, the most outstanding are antibacterial, antitubercular, anticholesterolemic, anticancer, antiinflammatory, antiviral, and anti-enzymatic, among others. This review explores the vast number of works related to monocyclic β-lactams, compounds of great importance in scientific research.

1,2,3-Triazole β-lactam conjugates as antimicrobial agents

A convenient and efficient synthesis of new triazole β-lactam conjugates using click chemistry is described. β-lactam 15 and 16 were prepared using cycloaddition strategy and propargylated at N-1 to afford compounds 17 and 18. Cu-catalyzed click reaction of these β-lactams 17 and 18 with different aryl azides provided 1,2,3-triazole conjugates 6 and 7, respectively. The products were fully characterized spectroscopically and tested against Gram-(+) and Gram-(-) bacteria. Compound 7a and 7c were found to be most active.

Concise Synthesis and Antimicrobial Evaluation of the Guanidinium Alkaloid Batzelladine D: Development of a Stereodivergent Strategy

Herein, we describe a stereodivergent route to (±)-batzelladine D (2), (+)-batzelladine D (2), (-)-batzelladine D (2), and a series of stereochemical analogues and explore their antimicrobial activity for the first time. The concise synthetic approach enables access to the natural products in a sequence of 8-12 steps from readily available building blocks. Highlights of the synthetic strategy include gram-scale preparation of a late stage intermediate, pinpoint stereocontrol around the tricyclic skeleton, and a modular strategy that enables analogue generation. A key bicyclic β-lactam intermediate not only serves as the key controlling element for pyrrolidine stereochemistry but also serves as a preactivated coupling partner to install the ester side chain. The stereocontrolled synthesis allowed for the investigation of the antimicrobial activity of batzelladine D, demonstrating promising activity that is more potent for non-natural stereoisomers.

An Unexpected Reaction of Isodehydracetic Acid with Amines in the Presence of 1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) Carbodiimide Hydrochloride Yields a New Type of β-Enaminones

The reaction of isodehydracetic acid with amines was serendipitously found to afford β-enaminones in the presence of the coupling agent 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). Under the optimal reaction condition, 23 examples of α-aminomethylene glutaconic anhydride were obtained at approximately 30−80% yields. This is a concise, operationally simple method to expediently synthesize a new type of β-enaminone-containing compound.

CuFe2O4 nanoparticles catalyze the reaction of alkynes and nitrones for the synthesis of 2-azetidinones

The reaction of alkynes and nitrones (Kinugasa reaction) in the presence of magnetically recoverable CuFe₂O₄ nanoparticles as a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst under a mild condition for the synthesis of various 2-azetidinones was reported.

Synthesis, in vitro biological evaluation and in silico molecular docking studies of novel β-lactam-anthraquinone hybrids

Schiff bases from 2-aminoanthraquinone have been prepared by reaction with aldehydes and used to prepare novel β-lactam-anthraquinone hybrids via [2+2] ketene-imine cycloaddition (Staudinger reaction) reaction. In vitro antibacterial studies of all synthesized compound were carried out against three gram-positive strains Staphylococcus aureus (Methicillin-resistant strain), Enterococcus faecium (Vancomycin-resistant strain) and Bacillus subtilis, and two gram-negative strains Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These compounds were further evaluated for their in vitro antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Hybrid compounds showed moderate to excellent antibacterial and antifungal activities. Surprisingly, among the tested compounds, some of them revealed equal antibacterial and antifungal properties and even better than standards. In addition, results demonstrated that the new hybrids are very promising antibacterial agents against resistant strains. Also molecular docking studies were carried out by Autodoc software. Penicillin-binding protein 2a (PDB ID: 1VQQ) from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain used as a target which good binding interactions were observed.

Direct Access to Substituted 4-CF3 β-Lactams at the C-3 Position

Mono- and disubstituted 4-CF₃ β-lactams at the C-3 position have been obtained stereoselectively under basic conditions. A wide range of function such as alcohols, alkyls, aryls, esters, and double and triple bonds have been introduced.

Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Functionalized Azaheterocycles from Carbocycles through Oxidative Ring Opening/Reductive Ring Closing Protocols

Fluorine-containing organic scaffolds are of significant interest in medicinal chemistry. The incorporation of fluorine into biomolecules can lead to remarkable changes in their physical, chemical, and biological properties. There are already many drugs on the market, which contain at least one fluorine atom. Saturated functionalized azaheterocycles as bioactive substances have gained increasing attention in pharmaceutical chemistry. Due to the high biorelevance of organofluorine molecules and the importance of N-heterocyclic compounds, selective stereocontrolled procedures to the access of new fluorine-containing saturated N-heterocycles are considered to be a hot research topic. This account summarizes the synthesis of functionalized and fluorine-containing saturated azaheterocycles starting from functionalized cycloalkenes and based on oxidative ring cleavage of diol intermediates followed by ring expansion with reductive amination.

Synthesis of Exclusively 4-Substituted β-Lactams through the Kinugasa Reaction Utilizing Calcium Carbide

A new Kinugasa reaction protocol has been elaborated for the one-pot synthesis of 4-substituted β-lactams utilizing calcium carbide and nitrone derivatives. Calcium carbide is thereby activated by TBAF·3H₂O in the presence of CuCl/NMI. The ease of synthesis and use of inexpensive chemicals provides rapid access of practical quantities of β-lactams exclusively substituted at position 4.

Application of the N-Dibenzyl Protective Group in the Preparation of β-Lactam Pseudopeptides

Despite the great importance of β-lactam antibiotics, there is still a limited number of synthetic approaches for the formation of β-lactam⁻containing dipeptides. In this study, we report upon the stereoselective preparation of β-lactam⁻containing pseudopeptides, where different reaction conditions and NH₂ protective groups were tested to obtain compounds that contain 3-amino-azetidin-2-one. We demonstrate that the protective group is essential for the outcome of the reaction. Successful implementation of dibenzyl-protected serine-containing dipeptides through the Mitsunobu reaction can provide the desired products at high yields and stereoselectivity.

Application of magnetic Fe3O4nanoparticles as a reusable heterogeneous catalyst in the synthesis of β-lactams containing amino groups

The catalytic activity of magnetic Fe₃O₄nanoparticles to promote the reduction of β-lactams containing nitroaryl groups to β-lactams containing aminoaryl groups in ethanol was reported. This methodology is convenient and green.

In Silico Design and Enantioselective Synthesis of Functionalized Monocyclic 3-Amino-1-carboxymethyl-β-lactams as Inhibitors of Penicillin-Binding Proteins of Resistant Bacteria

As a complement to the renowned bicyclic β-lactam antibiotics, monocyclic analogues provide a breath of fresh air in the battle against resistant bacteria. In that framework, the present study discloses the in silico design and unprecedented ten-step synthesis of eleven nocardicin-like enantiomerically pure 2-{3-[2-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)-2-(methoxyimino)acetamido]-2-oxoazetidin-1-yl}acetic acids starting from serine as a readily accessible precursor. The capability of this novel class of monocyclic 3-amino-β-lactams to inhibit penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) of various (resistant) bacteria was assessed, revealing the potential of α-benzylidenecarboxylates as interesting leads in the pursuit of novel PBP inhibitors. No deactivation by representative enzymes belonging to the four β-lactamase classes was observed, while weak inhibition of class C β-lactamase P99 was demonstrated.

Synthetic Approaches toward Monocyclic 3-Amino-β-lactams

Due to the emerging resistance against classical β-lactam-based antibiotics, a growing number of bacterial infections has become harder to treat. This alarming tendency necessitates continued research on novel antibacterial agents. Many classes of β-lactam antibiotics are characterized by the presence of the 3-aminoazetidin-2-one core, which resembles the natural substrate of the target penicillin-binding proteins. In that respect, this Review summarizes the different synthetic pathways toward this key structure for the development of new antibacterial agents. The most extensively applied methods for 3-amino-β-lactam ring formation are discussed, in addition to a few less common strategies. Moreover, approaches to introduce the 3-amino substituent after ring formation are also covered.