Synthesis of 7-Fluoro-2,4-methylene-17,20-dimethylprostacyclins. Novel stable prostacyclin analogs as potent anti-anginal agents

Introduction of fluorine and fluorine-containing functional groups

Over the past decade, the most significant, conceptual advances in the field of fluorination were enabled most prominently by organo- and transition-metal catalysis. The most challenging transformation remains the formation of the parent C-F bond, primarily as a consequence of the high hydration energy of fluoride, strong metal-fluorine bonds, and highly polarized bonds to fluorine. Most fluorination reactions still lack generality, predictability, and cost-efficiency. Despite all current limitations, modern fluorination methods have made fluorinated molecules more readily available than ever before and have begun to have an impact on research areas that do not require large amounts of material, such as drug discovery and positron emission tomography. This Review gives a brief summary of conventional fluorination reactions, including those reactions that introduce fluorinated functional groups, and focuses on modern developments in the field.

Synthesis and evaluation of the first cis-cyclobutane-containing receptor for lipid A

The first example of a designed receptor containing a cis-1,3-disubstituted cyclobutane ring has been synthesized. This molecule binds diphosphoryl lipid A (a conserved portion of the Gram-(-) bacterial cell membrane, and the causative agent of septic shock) with an affinity comparable to previously described ter-cycloalkane based lipid A-binding compounds.

Synthesis of propargylic fluorides from allenylsilanes

Allenylsilanes reacted at room temperature in acetonitrile with Selectfluor, an electrophilic fluorinating reagent, to give secondary propargylic fluorides in moderate to good yields; mechanistically, a side-product resulting from a 1,2-silyl shift testifies to the presence of a cationic intermediate.

7,7-Difluoroprostacyclin derivative, AFP-07, a highly selective and potent agonist for the prostacyclin receptor

Recently, we cloned cDNAs for the prostacyclin receptor (IP) and the four mouse PGE receptor subtypes, EP1, EP2, EP3, and EP4, and established Chinese hamster ovary cells that stably express each receptor. We examined the agonist potency and selectivity of AFP-07, a 7,7-difluoroprostacyclin derivative, compared with widely used stable prostacyclin analogue, iloprost, using the cells expressing each cloned receptor. AFP-07 strongly displaced the [3H] iloprost binding to the IP receptor-expressing cell membranes, the half maximal concentration for the displacement being 3 nM, which was one order lower than that of iloprost. AFP-07 concentration-dependently stimulated cAMP formation in the IP-expressing cells, the half-maximal concentration for the stimulation being 10 pM, which was one order lower than that of iloprost. On the other hand, AFP-07 showed lower affinity for EP1, EP2, EP3, and EP4 than PGE2, but iloprost had the same affinity as PGE2 for the EP1, These results demonstrate that AFP-07 is a potent and highly selective agonist for the IP receptor.