A Diels–Alder approach to biaryls (DAB): synthesis of the western portion of TMC-95

Design and testing of selective inactivators against an antifungal enzyme target

Systemic infections from fungal organisms are becoming increasingly difficult to treat as drug resistance continues to emerge. To substantially expand the antifungal drug landscape new compounds must be identified and developed with novel modes of action against previously untested drug targets. Most drugs block the activity of their targets through reversible, noncovalent interactions. However, a significant number of drugs form irreversible, covalent bonds with their selected targets. While more challenging to develop, these irreversible inactivators offer some significant advantages as novel antifungal agents. Vinyl sulfones contain a potentially reactive functional group that could function as a selective enzyme inactivator, and members of this class of compounds are now being developed as inactivators against an antifungal drug target. The enzyme aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (ASADH) catalyzes a key step in an essential microbial pathway and is essential for the survival of every microorganism examined. A series of vinyl sulfones have been designed, guided by molecular modeling and docking studies to enhance their affinity for fungal ASADHs. These newly synthesized compounds have been examined against this target enzyme from the pathogenic fungal organism Candida albicans. Vinyl sulfones containing complementary structural elements inhibit this enzyme with inhibition constants in the low-micromolar range. These inhibitors have also led to the rapid and irreversible inactivation of this enzyme, and show some initial selectivity when compared to the inactivation of a bacterial ASADH. The best inactivators will serve as lead compounds for the development of potent and selective antifungal agents.

Synthesis of the spiroiminal moiety and approaches to the synthesis of marineosins A and B

A short and efficient synthesis of model spiroiminals that have the same stereochemistry as marineosins A and B, but different conformations, was carried out in six or seven steps from 6-methyltetrahydropyran-2-one. These spiroiminals were also prepared biomimetically by reduction of an enol ether. A more highly substituted spiroiminal with the same stereochemistry and conformation as marineosin A was prepared in 11 steps from parasorbic acid. A macrocyclic pyrrole lactone was prepared stereospecifically in 10 steps. A five-step sequence converted the lactone to a late hemi-iminal intermediate that has resisted the methylation and spiroiminal formation that would lead to marineosin A.

Transition-metal-free direct arylation: synthesis of halogenated 2-amino-2'-hydroxy-1,1'-biaryls and mechanism by DFT calculations

A transition-metal-free, regioselective direct aryl-aryl bond-forming process for the synthesis of halogenated 2-amino-2'-hydroxy-1,1'-biaryls that are currently either inaccessible or challenging to prepare using conventional methods is disclosed. The addition of ArMgX to an o-halonitrobenzene at low temperature generates a transient N,O-biarylhydroxylamine that rapidly undergoes either [3,3]- or [5,5]-sigmatropic rearrangement in one-pot to form a 2-amino-2'-hydroxy-1,1'-biaryl or 1-amino-1'-hydroxy-4,4'-biaryl, respectively. The periselectivity is controlled by the choice of solvent and temperature. This direct arylation process is also readily scalable (1-10 mmol). DFT calculations suggest that from the N,O-biarylhydroxylamine intermediate there is a low-energy stepwise pathway that involves initial Mg-mediated N-O bond cleavage followed by pathway branching toward either [3,3]- or [5,5]-rearrangement products via C-C bond formation and rearomatization.

Synthesis and computational analysis of densely functionalized triazoles using o-nitrophenylalkynes

Dipolar cylcoadditions with azides using a series of o-nitrophenylethynes and disubstituted alkynes were studied experimentally and computationally. Density functional theory computations reveal the steric and electronic parameters that control the regioselectivity of these cycloadditions. Several new substrates were predicted that would either give enhanced regiocontrol or invert the regiochemical preference. Experimentally, the alkynes were screened in the [3 + 2] cycloaddition with benzyl azide. Of the 11 alkynes screened experimentally, the acetylenes containing halogen substitution directly on the alkyne provided the highest levels of regioselectivity. These haloalkynes were also shown to tolerate variation of the azide moiety with continued good levels of regioselectivity in most cases. Diverse functional groups can be incorporated through the cycloaddition process and their subsequent orthogonal modification was demonstrated.