Design and synthesis of cyclic sulfonamides and sulfamates as new calcium sensing receptor agonists

Unveiling sultam in drug discovery: spotlight on the underexplored scaffold

Decades ago, the application of cyclic sulfonamide (sultam) and its derivatives primarily focused on their antibacterial properties. However, recent years have seen a shift in research attention towards exploring their potential as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antiviral agents. Despite this broadening scope, only a few sultam drugs have made it to the commercial market, as much of the research on sultams remains in the discovery phase. This class of compounds holds significant promise and remains pertinent in pharmaceutical research. Due to sultam's relevance and growing importance in drug discovery, this review paper aims to consolidate and examine the biological activities of sultam derivatives ranging from 4 to 8-membered ring structures.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Biphenyl-Bridged ϵ-Sultams by Organocatalytic Mannich Reactions of Cyclic N-Sulfonylimines with Unactivated Ketones

A highly enantioselective Mannich reaction of biphenyl-bridged seven-membered cyclic N-sulfonylimines with methyl alkyl ketones is disclosed in this study. The reaction was performed under organocatalysis by using a quinine-derived primary amine as the catalyst in combination with a Brønsted acid as the co-catalyst. High yields (up to 89 %) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97 % ee) were observed. For methyl alkyl ketones containing a larger alkyl substituent, specific regioselective addition to the C=N bond is favored at the methyl group. On the contrary, ketones containing a smaller alkyl substituent or hydroxyacetone substrates gave major syn selective Mannich products at the methylene group.

Copper(I)-Photocatalyzed Diastereoselective Aziridination of N-Sulfonyl Imines with Vinyl Azides: Application to Benzo[f][1,2,3]oxathiazepines Dioxides and Fused Isoxazolines

An in situ generated photoactive copper(I)-complex-catalyzed aziridination reaction of cyclic N-sulfonyl imines with α-aryl-substituted vinyl azides irradiated by blue-LEDs light is reported for the first time. This novel SET process represents a mild, sustainable, and pragmatic method for accessing synthetically resourceful sulfamidate-fused aziridines in acceptable chemical yields with excellent diastereoselectivities. Delightedly, pharmacologically attractive benzo[f][1,2,3]oxathiazepine dioxides and fused isoxazoline frameworks were achieved through our newly developed metal-free based ring-expansion techniques, highlighting the synthetic value of accessed aziridines. Finally, the possible mechanism for [2+1] aza-cyclization was presented based on the conduction of a series of control experiments.

Synthetic Potential of Regio- and Stereoselective Ring Expansion Reactions of Six-Membered Carbo- and Heterocyclic Ring Systems: A Review

Ring expansion reactions fascinate synthetic chemists owing to their importance in synthesizing biologically active compounds and their efficacy in medicinal chemistry. The present review summarizes a number of synthetic methodologies, including stereoselective and regioselective pathways adopted by scientists, for framing medium- to large-size carbo- and heterocycles involving lactams, lactone, azepine and azulene derivatives via ring expansion of six-membered carbo- and heterocycles that have been reported from 2007–2022. Numerous rearrangement and cycloaddition reactions involving Tiffeneau–Demjanov rearrangement, Aza–Claisen rearrangement, Schmidt rearrangement, Beckmann rearrangement, etc., have been described in this regard.

Ring Expansion Strategies for the Synthesis of Medium Sized Ring and Macrocyclic Sulfonamides

Two new ring expansion strategies are reported for the synthesis of medium sized ring and macrocyclic sulfonamides. Both methods can be performed without using classical protecting groups, with the key ring expansion step initiated by nitro reduction and amine conjugate addition respectively. Each method can be used to make diversely functionalised cyclic sulfonamides in good to excellent yields, in a range of ring sizes. The ring size dependency of the synthetic reactions is in good agreement with the outcomes modelled by Density Functional Theory calculations.

Stereodivergent Access to [6.7]-Fused N-Heterocycles Bearing 1,3-Nonadjacent Stereogenic Centers by Pd-Catalyzed [4 + 2] Annulations

We describe a highly efficient stereodivergent [4 + 2] annulation reaction of vinyl benzoxazinaones and seven-membered cyclic N-sulfonyl aldimines for the synthesis of a wide array of N-heterocycles with 1,3-nonadjacent stereogenic centers via palladium catalysis. The polarity of solvents was found to play a key role in the switch of diastereoselectivity. Furthermore, good enantioselectivities of these reactions were achieved by the employment of commercially available Wingphos as the chiral ligand.

Swapping Copper-Catalytic Process: Selective Access to Pyrazoles and Conjugated Ketimines from Oxime Acetates and Cyclic Sulfamidate Imines

A powerful CuCl-catalyzed sequential one-pot reaction of aryl methyl ketoxime acetates with cyclic N-sulfonyl imines followed by elimination in the presence of base is reported. This hydrazine-free method conveniently makes C-C and N-N bonds via a radical cleavage of the N-O bond, delivering a special class of C3-hydroxyarylated pyrazoles in good yields. Surprisingly, while employing CuI as a catalyst instead of CuCl, the reaction proceeds through a non-radical pathway which embodies a new tactic for the high-yielding access to value-added conjugated N-unsubstituted ketimines. Moreover, additive-free approach to sulfamidate-fused-pyrazoles was achieved by successfully catalyzing addition and oxidative N-N bond-making reactions by CuI and CuCl, respectively. Significantly, our novel technique could convert the prepared ketimines into the pharmacologically recognized 6H-benzo[c]chromene frameworks.

Silver Catalyzed Site-Selective C(sp3)−H Bond Amination of Secondary over Primary C(sp3)−H Bonds

Sulfamates are widespread in numerous pharmacologically active molecules. In this paper, Silver/Bathophenanthroline catalyzed the intramolecular selective amination of primary C(sp³)−H bonds and secondary C(sp³)−H bonds of sulfamate esters, to produce cyclic sulfamates in good yields and with a high site-selectivity. DFT calculations revealed that the interaction between sulfamates and L10 makes the molecule more firmly attached to the catalyst, benefiting the catalysis reaction. The in vitro anticancer activity of the final products was evaluated in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of medium-sized bridged biaryls

Despite the persistent presence of medium-sized (seven- to nine-membered) scaffolds in natural products and biologically active molecules, their asymmetric syntheses have always been considered a formidable task; therefore, they have remained underdeveloped when compared to the enantioselective synthesis of five- and six-membered ring scaffolds. One important class of such medium-sized ring frameworks includes seven- to nine-membered biaryl bridged carbo- and heterocycles. These medium-ring-sized biaryl frameworks possess more configurational stability than the related smaller ring structures and are common features of valuable natural products, bioactive compounds, chiral catalysts, and molecular motors. Due to these exciting properties and broad applications, over the last few years, the catalytic enantioselective synthesis of medium-sized bridged biaryls has seen an upsurge. This highlight article describes the development of organocatalysed and transition-metal catalysed transformations for procuring seven-, eight-, and nine-membered bridged biaryls bearing a chiral axis/one or more asymmetric carbon centres.

Ni-Catalyzed Divergent Synthesis of 2-Benzazepine Derivatives via Tunable Cyclization and 1,4-Acyl Transfer Triggered by Amide N-C Bond Cleavage

Ligand-directed divergent synthesis can transform common starting materials into distinct molecular scaffolds by simple tuning different ligands. This strategy enables the rapid construction of structurally rich collection of small molecules for biological evaluation and reveals novel modes of catalytic transformation, representing one of the most sought-after challenges in synthetic chemistry. We herein report a Ni-catalyzed ligand-controlled tunable cyclization/cross-couplings for the divergent synthesis of pharmacologically important 2-benzazepine frameworks. The bidentate ligand facilitates the nucleophilic addition of the aryl halides to the amide carbonyl, followed by 1,4-acyl transfer and cross-coupling to obtain 2-benzazepin-5-ones and benzo[c]pyrano[2,3-e]azepines. The tridentate ligand promotes the selective 7-endo cyclization/cross-coupling to access to 2-benzazepin-3-ones. The protocol operates under mild reaction conditions with divergent cyclization patterns that can be easily modulated through the ligand backbone.

Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of Phosphorus-Containing ϵ-Benzosultams by Bifunctional Phosphonium Salt-Promoted Hydrophosphonylation

ϵ-Benzosultam derivatives are potential drug candidates with diverse biological activities. A series of chiral ϵ-benzosultams bearing phosphorus functionalities was synthesized by catalytic asymmetric hydrophosphonylation in the presence of a bifunctional phosphonium salt catalyst. The desired hydrophosphonylation products were obtained in good yields with high enantioselectivities, and scale-up reactions and further derivations were successfully accomplished. Some control experiments were also conducted to elucidate the plausible reaction mechanism of this chemical transformation.

Synthesis of Succinimide Spiro-Fused Sultams from the Reaction of N-(Phenylsulfonyl)acetamides with Maleimides via C(sp2)-H Activation

Presented herein is an effective preparation of succinimide spiro-fused sultams through the coupling reaction of N-(phenylsulfonyl)acetamides with maleimides. It is deduced that this reaction should proceed through a cascade process including Rh(III)-catalyzed C(sp²)-H bond cleavage of N-(phenylsulfonyl)acetamide, maleimide double bond insertion into the C-Rh bond, β-hydride elimination, reductive elimination, and intramolecular aza-Michael addition. Notably, this cascade procedure features simultaneous annulation and spirocyclization through traceless fusion of the directing group into target product by using air as an economical oxidant to assist the regeneration of the active Rh(III) catalyst. This new method has several advantages including readily accessible starting materials with broad scope, significantly reduced synthetic steps, redox-neutral conditions, high atom-economy, and sustainability.

Medicinally Privileged Sultams: Synthesis and Mechanism of Action

To date, more than a thousand research articles have been published detailing various regio-, stereo-, chemo-, and enantioselective specific synthesis of the cyclic sulfonamides (sultams). Although enormous synthetic efforts were made, but bioactivities of sultams have not been widely investigated. Sultams are the sulfur analogs of lactams (cyclic amides) which demonstrate a broad range of medicinal activities and several lactam drugs are commercially available. In contrast, only a few sultam drugs are commercially available, while the presence of two oxygens on sulfur in sultam motifs can serve as a better H-bond acceptor than lactam scaffolds. One of the major objectives of this minireview is to draw appropriate attention from the medicinal/pharmaceutical chemists to conduct indepth research on sultam derivatives targeted to the development of new drugs. This article gives a brief account of the synthesis, potential bioactivity, and mechanisms of therapeutic action of four to seven-membered sultam derivatives. Based on the available literature, this is the first effort to consolidate only the medicinally privileged sultam molecules and drugs under the same umbrella. While every effort was taken to comprise all the relevant reports related to bioactive sultams, any oversight is truly unintentional.

Synthesis and Anti-Proliferative Assessment of Triazolo-Thiadiazepine and Triazolo-Thiadiazine Scaffolds

A series of triazolo-thiadiazepines 4a–k were synthesized with excellent yields using dehydrated PTSA as a catalyst in toluene. Two triazolo-thiadiazines were obtained; 8a was formed directly by reflux in ethanol, whereas, PTSA promoted the formation of 8b. The molecular structure of the formed triazolo-thiadiazepines is identical to the imine-form 4a–k and not the enamine-tautomer 6a–k. The structures of the newly synthesized triazolo-thiadiazepines 4a–k and triazolo-thiadiazines 8a–b were elucidated using NMR (¹H, and ¹³C), 2D NMR, HRMS, and X-ray single crystal. Furthermore, 4a was deduced using X-ray single crystal diffraction analysis. These new thiadiazepine hits represent an optimized series of previously synthesized indole-triazole derivatives for the inhibition of EGFR. The cytotoxicity activity against two cancer cell lines including human liver cancer (HEPG-2) and breast cancer (MCF-7) was promising, with IC₅₀ between 12.9 to 44.6 µg/mL and 14.7 to 48.7 µg/mL for the tested cancer cell lines respectively, compared to doxorubicin (IC₅₀ 4.0 µg/mL). Docking studies revealed that the thiadiazepine scaffold presented a suitable anchor, allowing good interaction of the various binding groups with the enzyme binding regions and sub-pockets.

A Scaffold-Diversity Synthesis of Biologically Intriguing Cyclic Sulfonamides

A "branching-folding" synthetic strategy that affords a range of diverse cyclic benzo-sulfonamide scaffolds is presented. Whereas different annulation reactions on common ketimine substrates build the branching phase of the scaffold synthesis, a common hydrogenative ring-expansion method, facilitated by an increase of the ring-strain during the branching phase, led to sulfonamides bearing medium-sized rings in a folding pathway. Cell painting assay was successfully employed to identify tubulin targeting sulfonamides as novel mitotic inhibitors.

Facile synthesis of chiral ε-sultams via an organocatalytic aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction

Chiral ε-sultams, with their unique strain cyclic structure, are a type of molecule with important biological activities. A facile enantioselective aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction of seven-membered cyclic N-sulfonylimines with naphthols was developed with a cinchona alkaloid-based bifunctional organocatalyst, giving chiral ε-sultams with an enantiomeric excess of up to 92%.

Pharmaceutical and medicinal significance of sulfur (SVI)-Containing motifs for drug discovery: A critical review

Sulfur (S^VI) based moieties, especially, the sulfonyl or sulfonamide based analogues have showed a variety of pharmacological properties, and its derivatives propose a high degree of structural diversity that has established useful for the finding of new therapeutic agents. The developments of new less toxic, low cost and highly active sulfonamides containing analogues are hot research topics in medicinal chemistry. Currently, more than 150 FDA approved Sulfur (S^VI)-based drugs are available in the market, and they are widely used to treat various types of diseases with therapeutic power. This comprehensive review highlights the recent developments of sulfonyl or sulfonamides based compounds in huge range of therapeutic applications such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticonvulsant, antitubercular, antidiabetic, antileishmanial, carbonic anhydrase, antimalarial, anticancer and other medicinal agents. We believe that, this review article is useful to inspire new ideas for structural design and developments of less toxic and powerful Sulfur (S^VI) based drugs against the numerous death-causing diseases.

Synthesis of chiral seven-membered cyclic sulfonamides through palladium-catalyzed arylation of cyclic imines

An enantioselective palladium-catalyzed addition of arylboronic acids to seven-membered cyclic N-sulfonyl aldimines and ketimines has been developed, giving the chiral cyclic sulfonamides with excellent yields and up to 99% ee.

Ni(II)-catalyzed asymmetric alkenylations of ketimines

Chiral allylic amines are not only present in many bioactive compounds, but can also be readily transformed to other chiral amines. Therefore, the asymmetric synthesis of chiral allylic amines is highly desired. Herein, we report two types of Ni(II)-catalyzed asymmetric alkenylation of cyclic ketimines for the preparation of chiral allylic amines. When ketimines bear alkyl or alkoxycarbonyl groups, the alkenylation gives five- and six-membered cyclic α-tertiary allylic amine products with excellent yields and enantioselectivities under mild reaction conditions. A variety of ketimines can be used and the method tolerates some variation in alkenylboronic acid scope. Furthermore, with alkenyl five-membered ketimine substrates, an alkenylation/rearrangement reaction occurs, providing seven-membered chiral sulfamide products bearing a conjugated diene skeleton with excellent yields and enantioselectivities. Mechanistic studies reveal that the ring expansion step is a stereospecific site-selective process, which can be catalyzed by acid (Lewis acid or Brønsted acid).

Chiral allylic amines are often encountered in bioactive compounds and can be conveniently transformed into other chiral amines. Here, the authors report nickel-catalyzed enantioselective addition and addition/ring-expansion of alkenylboronic acids to ketimines providing a range of valuable chiral azaheterocycles.

Enantioselective synthesis of cyclic quaternary α-amino acid derivatives by chiral phosphoric acid catalysis

A highly enantioselective aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction of N-sulfonyl cyclic ketimines with indoles catalyzed by chiral phosphoric acids has been developed. This methodology provides an efficient and facile route to indole-containing chiral cyclic α-amino acid derivatives bearing a quaternary stereocenter in high yields and up to 98% enantioselectivity.

Enantioselective Rhodium-Catalyzed Coupling of Arylboronic Acids, 1,3-Enynes, and Imines by Alkenyl-to-Allyl 1,4-Rhodium(I) Migration

A chiral rhodium complex catalyzes the highly enantioselective coupling of arylboronic acids, 1,3-enynes, and imines to give homoallylic sulfamates. The key step is the generation of allylrhodium(I) species by alkenyl-to-allyl 1,4-rhodium(I) migration.

Design, Sustainable Synthesis, and Programmed Reactions of Templated N-Heteroaryl-Fused Vinyl Sultams

A de novo design and synthesis of N-heteroaryl-fused vinyl sultams as templates for programming chemical reactions on vinyl sultam periphery or (hetero)aryl ring is described. The key features include rational designing and sustainable synthesis of the template, customized reactions of vinyl sultams at C═C bond or involving N-S bond cleavage, and reactions on the periphery of the heteroaryl ring for late-stage diversification. The simple, easy access to the template coupled with opportunities for the synthesis of diversely functionalized heterocyles from a single template constitutes a rare study in contemporary organic synthesis.

Synthesis of polycyclic sultams via a palladium-catalyzed reaction of 1-bromo-2-(cyclopropylidenemethyl)benzenes with 2-alkynylbenzenesulfonamides

Polycyclic sultams are efficiently synthesized through a palladium-catalyzed tandem reaction of 1-bromo-2-(cyclopropylidenemethyl)benzenes with 2-alkynylbenzenesulfonamides via double carbometallation.

Synthesis of chiral sultams via palladium-catalyzed intramolecular asymmetric reductive amination

A palladium-catalyzed intramolecular reductive amination of ketones with weakly nucleophilic sulfonamides has been developed, providing facile access to a range of chiral sultams with up to 99% enantioselectivity.

Intramolecular Radical Aziridination of Allylic Sulfamoyl Azides by Cobalt(II)-Based Metalloradical Catalysis: Effective Construction of Strained Heterobicyclic Structures

Cobalt(II)-based metalloradical catalysis (MRC) has been successfully applied for effective construction of the highly strained 2-sulfonyl-1,3-diazabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane structures in high yields through intramolecular radical aziridination of allylic sulfamoyl azides. The resulting [3.1.0] bicyclic aziridines prove to be versatile synthons for the preparation of a diverse range of 1,2- and 1,3-diamine derivatives by selective ring-opening reactions. As a demonstration of its application for target synthesis, the metalloradical intramolecular aziridination reaction has been incorporated as a key step for efficient synthesis of a potent neurokinin 1 (NK1 ) antagonist in 60 % overall yield.

A palladium-catalyzed tandem reaction of 2-alkynylbenzenesulfonamides with 2-(2-bromoarylidene)cyclobutanones

The core of benzo[f][1,2]thiazonin-5(4H)-one 3,3-dioxide is efficiently assembled through a palladium-catalyzed tandem reaction of 2-alkynylbenzenesulfonamides with 2-(2-bromobenzylidene)cyclobutanones via double carbometallation. A range of polycycles with a nine-membered sultam ring are generated in moderate to good yields.

Room Temperature Activation of Aryloxysulfonyl Azides by [Co(II)(TPP)] for Selective Radical Aziridination of Alkenes via Metalloradical Catalysis

Aryloxysulfonyl azides can be effectively activated by commercially available cobalt(II) complex of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin ([Co(TPP)]) at room temperature under neutral and nonoxidative conditions for selective radical aziridination of alkenes via metalloradical catalysis. The [Co(TPP)]-catalyzed radical aziridination system is suitable for different combinations of olefin substrates and aryloxysulfonyl azides, producing various N-aryloxysulfonyl aziridine derivatives in good to excellent yields. In addition to generating the environmentally benign N₂ as the only byproduct, this Co(II)-based metalloradical aziridination process features mild reaction conditions and operational simplicity.

Benzothiazepines: chemistry of a privileged scaffold

Benzothiazepines being an integral part of the major cardiovascular drugs in market ascertain their biological importance. This review presents a comprehensive vision of the various synthetic tactics adopted till now to afford these frameworks.