Diversity Oriented Synthesis: Concise Entry to Novel Derivatives of Yohimbine and Corynanthe Alkaloids

Phytochemistry and biological activities of corynanthe alkaloids

Medicinal plants constitute a source for designing clinically useful drugs targeting diseases through various mechanisms. Plant secondary metabolites can be used as lead compounds of drugs. Corynanthe alkaloids are highly abundant natural bioactive substances of various core structures possessing important properties such as nerve excitation and antimalarial and analgesic effects. In this review, we summarize and review the state-of-the-art corynanthe-type alkaloid research focusing on phytochemistry, pharmacology, and structural chemistry. Approximately 120 articles reporting 231 alkaloids classified into simple corynanthe, yohimbine, oxindole corynanthe, mavacurane, sarpagine, akuammiline, strychnos, and ajmaline-type groups were compiled. Relevant biological properties discussed include antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, muscle-relaxant, vasorelaxant, and analgesic activities and activities affecting the main nervous and cardiac systems, as well as NF-κB inhibitory and Na⁺-glucose cotransporter inhibitory properties. This review provides insights and a reference for future studies, thus paving the way for the discovery of drugs based on corynanthe alkaloids.

[Synthesis of Cyclic Compounds Containing Aminobenzenesulfonamide]

This review, based on my research work, introduces and summarizes the synthesis and characterization of novel cyclic compounds containing aminobenzenesulfonamide. The review discusses the (1) development of sequential Nicholas and Pauson-Khand reactions for the synthesis of unique polyheterocyclic compounds, (2) production of 2-aminobenzenesulfonamide-containing cyclononyne (ABSACN) as a multifunctional click cycloalkyne agent, and (3) improvement of the intramolecular Pauson-Khand reaction of the nitroarene-enyne substrate for the synthesis of cyclopenta[c]piperidine alkaloids. This research work will facilitate the discovery of sulfonamide or sultam-based functional molecules and pharmaceuticals. Thus, I believe that aminobenzenesulfonamide derivatives are versatile and valuable chemical moieties not only in organic syntheses but also in the pharmaceutical industry. If you are interested in the details of this topic, please refer to the original papers.

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Novel Anti-Trypanosomal Compounds

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a deadly neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei. During the course of screening a collection of diverse nitrogenous heterocycles, we discovered two novel compounds that contain the tetracyclic core of the Yohimbine and Corynanthe alkaloids, were potent inhibitors of T. brucei proliferation and T. brucei methionyl-tRNA synthetase (TbMetRS) activity. Inspired by these key findings, we prepared several novel series of hydroxyalkyl δ-lactam, δ-lactam, and piperidine analogs and tested their anti-trypanosomal activity. A number of inhibitors are more potent against T. brucei than these initial hits with one hydroxyalkyl δ-lactam derivative being 25-fold more effective in our assay. Surprisingly, most of these active compounds failed to inhibit TbMetRS. This work underscores the importance of verifying, irrespective of close structural similarities, that new compounds designed from a lead with a known biological target engage the putative binding site.

Natural Products and Their Mimics as Targets of Opportunity for Discovery

Diverse structural types of natural products and their mimics have served as targets of opportunity in our laboratory to inspire the discovery and development of new methods and strategies to assemble polyfunctional and polycyclic molecular architectures. Furthermore, our efforts toward identifying novel compounds having useful biological properties led to the creation of new targets, many of which posed synthetic challenges that required the invention of new methodology. In this Perspective, selected examples of how we have exploited a diverse range of natural products and their mimics to create, explore, and solve a variety of problems in chemistry and biology will be discussed. The journey was not without its twists and turns, but the unexpected often led to new revelations and insights. Indeed, in our recent excursion into applications of synthetic organic chemistry to neuroscience, avoiding the more-traveled paths was richly rewarding.

Applications of Ring Closing Metathesis. Total Synthesis of (±)-Pseudotabersonine

A novel approach to the Aspidosperma family of alkaloids was developed and applied to a concise total synthesis of (±)-pseudotabersonine that was accomplished in 11 steps. Key transformations include a stepwise variant of a Mannich-like multicomponent assembly process, a double ring-closing metathesis sequence, and a one-pot deprotection/cyclization reaction.

Evolution of a strategy for preparing bioactive small molecules by sequential multicomponent assembly processes, cyclizations, and diversification

A strategy for generating diverse collections of small molecules has been developed that features a multicomponent assembly process (MCAP) to efficiently construct a variety of intermediates possessing an aryl aminomethyl subunit. These key compounds are then transformed via selective ring-forming reactions into heterocyclic scaffolds, each of which possesses suitable functional handles for further derivatizations and palladium-catalyzed cross coupling reactions. The modular nature of this approach enables the facile construction of libraries of polycyclic compounds bearing a broad range of substituents and substitution patterns for biological evaluation. Screening of several compound libraries thus produced has revealed a large subset of compounds that exhibit a broad spectrum of medicinally-relevant activities.

Multicomponent, Mannich-type assembly process for generating novel, biologically-active 2-arylpiperidines and derivatives

A multicomponent, Mannich-type assembly process commencing with commercially available bromobenzaldehydes was sequenced with [3+2] dipolar cycloaddition reactions involving nitrones and azomethine ylides to generate collections of fused, bicyclic scaffolds based on the 2-arylpiperidine subunit. Use of the 4-pentenoyl group, which served both as an activator in the Mannich-type reaction and a readily-cleaved amine protecting group, allowed sub-libraries to be prepared through piperidine N-functionalization and cross-coupling of the aryl bromide. A number of these derivatives displayed biological activities that had not previously been associated with this substructure. Methods were also developed that allowed rapid conversion of these scaffolds to novel, polycyclic dihydroquinazolin-2-ones, 2-imino-1,3-benzothiazinanes, dihydroisoquinolin-3-ones and bridged tetrahydroquinolines.

Multicomponent assembly processes for the synthesis of diverse yohimbine and corynanthe alkaloid analogues

A strategy involving a Mannich-type multicomponent assembly process followed by a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition has been developed for the rapid and efficient construction of parent heterocyclic scaffolds bearing indole and isoxazolidine rings. These key intermediates were then readily elaborated using well-established protocols for refunctionalization and cross-coupling to access a diverse 180-member library of novel pentacyclic and tetracyclic compounds related to the Yohimbine and Corynanthe alkaloids. Several other new multicomponent assembly processes were developed to access dihydro-β-carboline-fused benzodiazepines, pyrimidinediones, and rutaecarpine derivatives.