Design, synthesis and pharmacological characterization of coumarin-based fluorescent analogs of excitatory amino acid transporter subtype 1 selective inhibitors, UCPH-101 and UCPH-102

Catalyst-free electrochemical trifluoromethylation of coumarins using CF3SO2NHNHBoc as the CF3 source

An efficient electrochemical trifluoromethylation of coumarins using CF₃SO₂NHNHBoc as the source of the trifluoromethyl group was developed. Under catalyst-free and external oxidant-free electrolysis conditions, a range of 3-trifluoromethyl coumarins were obtained in moderate to good yields. The method could be easily scaled up with moderate efficiency.

Visible-Light-Induced Tandem Radical Brominative Addition/Cyclization of Activated Alkynes with CBr4 for the Synthesis of 3-Bromocoumarins

A visible-light-induced tandem radical brominative addition/spiro-cyclization/1,2-ester migration of activated alkynes with CBr₄ is developed. This protocol features good functional group tolerance, operational simplicity, and mild reaction conditions without the use of catalysts and external additives, providing easy access to valuable 3-bromocoumarins in generally high yields.

New Role for Photoexcited Na2 Eosin Y via the Direct Hydrogen Atom Transfer Process in Photochemical Visible-Light-Induced Synthesis of 2-Amino-4H-Chromene Scaffolds Under Air Atmosphere

The Knoevenagel-Michael cyclocondensation of malononitrile, aryl aldehydes, and resorcinol was used as a multicomponent green tandem strategy for the metal-free synthesis of 2-amino-4H-chromene scaffolds. Through a visible-light-induced process, the photo-excited state functions derived from Na₂ eosin Y were used as direct hydrogen atom transfer catalysts in aqueous ethanol at ambient temperature. The purpose of this study was to examine the further use of an organic dye that does not contain metal and is inexpensive and commercially available. Na₂ eosin Y is synthesized by photochemical means using the least amount of catalyst, which results in excellent yields, energy efficiency, and environmental friendliness, high atom economy, time-saving features, and ease of operation. As a result, some properties of green and sustainable chemistry are met. This kind of cyclization can be performed on a gram scale, indicating the potential utility of this reaction in industry.

Synthesis and pharmacological properties of polysubstituted 2-amino-4H-pyran-3-carbonitrile derivatives

2-Amino-3-cyano-4H-chromenes are structural core motifs that received increasing attention in the last years due to their interesting potential pharmacological properties. In this review, the synthetic methods for these compounds are classified based on the type of catalyst in the pertinent reactions. In addition, the wide range of pharmacological properties of these compounds is covered in a separate section.

Amino acid transporters revisited: New views in health and disease

Amino acid transporters (AATs) are membrane-bound transport proteins that mediate transfer of amino acids into and out of cells or cellular organelles. AATs have diverse functional roles ranging from neurotransmission to acid-base balance, intracellular energy metabolism, and anabolic and catabolic reactions. In cancer cells and diabetes, dysregulation of AATs leads to metabolic reprogramming, which changes intracellular amino acid levels, contributing to the pathogenesis of cancer, obesity and diabetes. Indeed, the neutral amino acid transporters (NATs) SLC7A5/LAT1 and SLC1A5/ASCT2 are likely involved in several human malignancies. However, a clinical therapy that directly targets AATs has not yet been developed. The purpose of this review is to highlight the structural and functional diversity of AATs, their diverse physiological roles in different tissues and organs, their wide-ranging implications in human diseases and the emerging strategies and tools that will be necessary to target AATs therapeutically.

Selective and sensitive fluorescent sensor for Pd2+ using coumarin 460 for real-time and biological applications

The efficient fluorescent property of coumarin 460 (C460) is utilized to sense the Pd²⁺ selectively and sensitively. Fabrication of a sensor strip using commercial adhesive tape is achieved and the detection of Pd²⁺ is attempted using a handy UV torch. The naked eye detection in solution state using UV chamber is also attempted. The calculated high binding constant values support the strong stable complex formation of Pd²⁺ with C460. The detection limit up to 2.5 × 10^-7 M is achieved using fluorescence spectrometer, which is considerably low from the WHO's recommendation. The response of coumarin 460 with various cations also studied. The quenching is further studied by the lifetime measurements. The binding mechanism is clearly explained by the ¹H NMR titration. The sensing mechanism is established as ICT. C460 strip's Pd²⁺ quenching detection is further confirmed by solid-state PL study. The in-vitro response of Pd²⁺ in a living cell is also studied using fluorescent imaging studies by means of HeLa cell lines and this probe is very compatible with biological environments. It could be applicable to sense trace amounts of a Pd²⁺ ion from various industries. Compared with previous reports, this one is very cheap, sensitive, selective and suitable for biological systems.

Metal-free C-H thioarylation of arenes using sulfoxides: a direct, general diaryl sulfide synthesis

Metal-free C-H thioarylation of arenes and heteroarenes using methyl sulfoxides constitutes a general protocol for the synthesis of high value diaryl sulfides. The coupling of arenes and heteroarenes with in situ activated sulfoxides is regioselective, uses readily available starting materials, is operationally simple, and tolerates a wide range of functional groups.

Bioavailability Studies and in vitro Profiling of the Selective Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter Subtype 1 (EAAT1) Inhibitor UCPH-102

Although the selective excitatory amino acid transporter subtype 1 (EAAT1) inhibitor UCPH-101 has become a standard pharmacological tool compound for in vitro and ex vivo studies in the EAAT research field, its inability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier makes it unsuitable for in vivo studies. In the present study, per os (p.o.) administration (40 mg kg(-1) ) of the closely related analogue UCPH-102 in rats yielded respective plasma and brain concentrations of 10.5 and 6.67 μm after 1 h. Three analogue series were designed and synthesized to improve the bioavailability profile of UCPH-102, but none displayed substantially improved properties in this respect. In vitro profiling of UCPH-102 (10 μm) at 51 central nervous system targets in radioligand binding assays strongly suggests that the compound is completely selective for EAAT1. Finally, in a rodent locomotor model, p.o. administration of UCPH-102 (20 mg kg(-1) ) did not induce acute effects or any visible changes in behavior.

Tandem oxidative radical brominative addition of activated alkynes and spirocyclization: switchable synthesis of 3-bromocoumarins and 3-bromo spiro-[4,5] trienone

A K₂S₂O₈-mediated tandem radical brominative addition of alkynoates, oxidative spiro-cyclization, and 1,2-migration of esters is reported for the synthesis of 3-bromocoumarins with high efficiency.

A mild and fast continuous-flow trifluoromethylation of coumarins with the CF3 radical derived from CF3SO2Na and TBHP

A mild and fast Cu(I)-catalyzed trifluoromethylation of coumarins with CF3SO2Na and TBHP in a continuous-flow reactor has been developed. This method is experimentally simple and carried out under mild conditions, affording the corresponding products in moderate to good yields, and showing wide substrate tolerance. The scale-up flow process results in an isolated yield of 68% and a productivity of 305 mg h(-1) of 3-trifluoromethyl-7-diethylamino-4-methyl coumarin when the concentration was increased five-fold. Given these features and the widespread applications of coumarins, this method may find use from laboratory to manufacturing.

Structure-activity-relationship study of N-acyl-N-phenylpiperazines as potential inhibitors of the Excitatory Amino Acid Transporters (EAATs): improving the potency of a micromolar screening Hit is not truism

The excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) are transmembrane proteins responsible for the uptake of (S)-glutamate from the synaptic cleft. To date, five subtypes EAAT1-5 have been identified for which selective inhibitors have been discovered for EAAT1 and EAAT2. By screening of a commercially available compound library consisting of 4,000 compounds, N-acyl-N-phenylpiperazine analog (±)- exo -1 was identified to be a non-selective inhibitor at EAAT1-3 displaying IC50 values in the mid-micromolar range (10 μ M, 40 μ M and 30 μ M at EAAT1, 2 and 3, respectively). Subsequently, we designed and synthesized a series of analogs to explore the structure-activity-relationship of this scaffold in the search for analogs characterized by increased inhibitory potency and/or EAAT subtype selectivity. Despite extensive efforts, all analogs of (±)- exo -1 proved to be either inactive or to have least 3-fold lower inhibitory potency than the lead, and furthermore none of the active analogs displayed selectivity for a particular subtype amongst the EAAT1-3. On the basis of our findings, we speculate that (±)- exo -1 binds to a recess (deepening) on the EAAT proteins than a well-defined pocket.

Allosteric modulation of an excitatory amino acid transporter: the subtype-selective inhibitor UCPH-101 exerts sustained inhibition of EAAT1 through an intramonomeric site in the trimerization domain

In the present study, the mechanism of action and molecular basis for the activity of the first class of selective inhibitors of the human excitatory amino acid transporter subtype 1 (EAAT1) and its rodent ortholog GLAST are elucidated. The previously reported specificity of UCPH-101 and UCPH-102 for EAAT1 over EAAT2 and EAAT3 is demonstrated to extend to the EAAT4 and EAAT5 subtypes as well. Interestingly, brief exposure to UCPH-101 induces a long-lasting inactive state of EAAT1, whereas the inhibition exerted by closely related analogs is substantially more reversible in nature. In agreement with this, the kinetic properties of UCPH-101 unblocking of the transporter are considerably slower than those of UCPH-102. UCPH-101 exhibits noncompetitive inhibition of EAAT1, and its binding site in GLAST has been delineated in an elaborate mutagenesis study. Substitutions of several residues in TM3, TM4c, and TM7a of GLAST have detrimental effects on the inhibitory potency and/or efficacy of UCPH-101 while not affecting the pharmacological properties of (S)-glutamate or the competitive EAAT inhibitor TBOA significantly. Hence, UCPH-101 is proposed to target a predominantly hydrophobic crevice in the "trimerization domain" of the GLAST monomer, and the inhibitor is demonstrated to inhibit the uptake through the monomer that it binds to exclusively and not to affect substrate translocation through the other monomers in the GLAST trimer. The allosteric mode of UCPH-101 inhibition underlines the functional importance of the trimerization domain of the EAAT and demonstrates the feasibility of modulating transporter function through ligand binding to regions distant from its "transport domain."