Synthesis, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of 3-arylisoquinolinamines as potent antitumor agents

Alkaline-Metal-Promoted Divergent Synthesis of 1-Aminoisoquinolines and Isoquinolines

Alkaline-metal-promoted divergent syntheses of 1-aminoisoquinolines and isoquinolines have been reported involving 2-methylaryl aldehydes, nitriles, and LiN(SiMe3)2 as reactants. In addition, the three-component reaction of 2-methylaryl nitriles, aldehydes, and LiN(SiMe3)2 has been developed to furnish 1-aminoisoquinolines. This protocol features readily available starting materials, excellent chemoselectivity, broad substrate scope, and satisfactory yields.

A novel irinotecan derivative ZBH-1207 with different anti-tumor mechanism from CPT-11 against colon cancer cells

PURPOSE

Irinotecan (CPT-11) is a camptothecin derivative whose potent anti-tumor activity depends on the rapid formation of an in vivo active metabolite, SN38 (7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin). CPT-11 combine with other agents are often the treatment of choice for patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). This study evaluates the cytotoxic mechanism of a novel CPT-11 derivative, ZBH-1207 in CRC cells in vitro.

METHODS

The anti-proliferation effect of ZBH-1207 on tumor cells was assessed by MTT assay. The inhibition of TOP1, the alteration of cell cycle and apoptosis, and the expression of caspase-3 and PARP in CRC cells induced by ZBH-1207 were detected by DNA relaxation assay, flow cytometry, and Western blot, respectively.

RESULTS

ZBH-1207 significantly inhibits the proliferation of seven tumor cell lines and retains the activity of TOP1 as compared with CPT-11. Treatment with ZBH-1207 results in more apparent cell cycle arrests and apoptosis of CRC cells than that of CPT-11 and SN38. Accordingly, up-regulation of active caspase-3 and PARP expression were relatively higher in ZBH-1207 group than that in CPT-11 and SN38 group.

CONCLUSION

ZBH-1207 has higher cytotoxicity than CPT-11/SN38 in CRC cells. Its molecular mechanism involves apoptosis signaling pathway.

Me3Al-mediated domino nucleophilic addition/intramolecular cyclisation of 2-(2-oxo-2-phenylethyl)benzonitriles with amines; a convenient approach for the synthesis of substituted 1-aminoisoquinolines

A simple and efficient protocol for the construction of 1-aminoisoquinolines was achieved by treating 2-(2-oxo-2-phenylethyl)benzonitriles with amines in the presence of Me₃Al. The reaction proceeds via a domino nucleophilic addition with subsequent intramolecular cyclisation. This method provides a wide variety of substituted 1-aminoisoquinolines with good functional group tolerance. Furthermore, the synthetic utility of this protocol was demonstrated in the successful synthesis of the antitumor agent CWJ-a-5 in gram scale.

Antiviral Activity of Isoquinolone Derivatives against Influenza Viruses and Their Cytotoxicity

Influenza viruses are one of the major causative agents for human respiratory infections. Currently, vaccines and antivirals approved for preventing and treating viral infections are available. However, limited protection efficacy and frequent emergence of drug-resistant viruses stand for a need for the development of antivirals with different chemical skeletons from existing drugs. Screening of a chemical library identified an isoquinolone compound (1) as a hit with 50% effective concentrations (EC₅₀s) between 0.2 and 0.6 µM against the influenza A and B viruses. However, it exhibited severe cytotoxic effects with a 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC₅₀) of 39.0 µM in canine kidney epithelial cells. To address this cytotoxic issue, we synthesized an additional 22 chemical derivatives. Through structure-activity, as well as structure-cytotoxicity relationship studies, we discovered compound 21 that has higher EC₅₀ values ranging from 9.9 to 18.5 µM, but greatly alleviated cytotoxicity with a CC₅₀ value over 300 µM. Mode-of-action and cell type-dependent antiviral experiments indicated that it targets viral polymerase activity and functions also in human cells. Here, we present a new class of viral polymerase inhibitors with a core skeleton of isoquinolone, of which antiviral activity could be better improved through following design and synthesis of its derivatives for drug development.

Reaction Outcome Critically Dependent on the Method of Workup: An Example from the Synthesis of 1-Isoquinolones

A striking dependence on the method of workup has been found for annulation of benzonitriles ArC≡N to N-methyl 2-toluamide (1), facilitated by n-BuLi (2 equiv): quenching the reaction by a slow addition of water produced the expected 1-isoquinolones 2; by contrast, slow pouring of the reaction mixture into water afforded the cyclic aminals 5 (retaining the NMe group of the original toluamide). The mechanism of the two processes is discussed in terms of the actual H⁺ concentration in the workup. Both 2 and 5 were then converted into the corresponding 1-chloroisoquinolines 3, coupling of which, mediated by (Ph₃P)₂NiCl₂/Zn, afforded bis-isoquinolines 4.

Analysis of 1-aminoisoquinoline using the signal amplification by reversible exchange hyperpolarization technique

Signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE), a parahydrogen-based hyperpolarization technique, is valuable in detecting low concentrations of chemical compounds, which facilitates the understanding of their functions at the molecular level as well as their applicability in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). SABRE of 1-aminoisoquinoline (1-AIQ) is significant because isoquinoline derivatives are the fundamental structures in compounds with notable biological activity and are basic organic building blocks. Through this study, we explain how SABRE is applied to hyperpolarize 1-AIQ for diverse solvent systems such as deuterated and non-deuterated solvents. We observed the amplification of individual protons of 1-AIQ at various magnetic fields. Further, we describe the polarization transfer mechanism of 1-AIQ compared to pyridine using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This hyperpolarization technique, including the polarization transfer mechanism investigation on 1-AIQ, will provide a firm basis for the future application of the hyperpolarization study on various bio-friendly materials.

Cu-catalyzed C–N bond cleavage of 3-aminoindazoles for the C–H arylation of enamines

We have presented a novel Cu-catalyzed stereoselective C–H arylation of enamines by using 3-aminoindazoles arylating agents via oxidative cleavage of two C–N bonds.

Pd-Catalyzed One-Pot Stepwise Synthesis of Benzo[b][1,6]naphthyridines from 2-Chloroquinoline-3-carbonitriles Using Sulfur and Amines As Nucleophiles

A palladium-catalyzed one-pot stepwise coupling-annulation reaction of 2-chloroqunoline-3-carbonitriles enabled the direct synthesis of sulfur-substituted benzo[b][1,6]naphthyridines via multiple bond formation. The reaction provided an unusual mode for cyclization as sodium sulfide, a soft nucleophile, preferred to attack on the carbon of the nitrile group rather than on the C-C triple bond. The developed chemistry was extended with the secondary amines as nucleophiles to afford nitrogen-substituted benzo[b][1,6]naphythyridines while primary amines afforded hydroamination products . The hydromination products were transformed to benzo[b][1,6]naphthyridones via a base-mediated cyclization reaction. The  developed protocol features inexpensive and easily synthesizable starting materials, easy operations, and a high efficiency and tolerance to a broad range of substrates.

Palladium-catalyzed C(sp2)–H aminoimidoylation of isocyano-containing arenes: synthesis of amino substituted N-heterocycles

An efficient access to amino substituted phenanthridine and isoquinoline derivatives, through palladium-catalyzed C(sp²)–H aminoimidoylation, has been developed.

Silver triflate and triflic anhydride-promoted expedient synthesis of acylated 1-aminoisoquinolines

A practical and convergent synthesis of biologically active 1-(N-acyl)-1-aminoisoquinolines from the reaction of 2-alkynylbenzaldoximes with amides has been realized. The readily available amides could be activated with triflic anhydride (Tf2O) and could efficiently participate in the domino reaction of 2-alkynylbenzaldoximes when catalyzed by AgOTf, thus providing various acylated 1-aminoisoquinolines with up to 98% yields.

An efficient route to 1-aminoisoquinolines via AgOTf-catalyzed reaction of 2-alkynylbenzaldoxime with amine

2-Alkynylbenzaldoxime reacts with amine catalyzed by silver triflate under mild conditions, leading to 1-aminoisoquinolines in good yield. This reaction proceeds efficiently with good functional group tolerance.

N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [4 + 1] annulation of phthalaldehyde and imines

The diastereoselective synthesis of cis-2-amino-3-hydroxyindanones was realized by the N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [4 + 1] annulation of phthalaldehyde and imines, which may involve a tandem aza-benzoin reaction and aldol reaction.