N-Substituted arylsulfonamide building blocks as alternative submonomers for peptoid synthesis

Bio-instructive materials on-demand - combinatorial chemistry of peptoids, foldamers, and beyond

Combinatorial chemistry allows for the rapid synthesis of large compound libraries for high throughput screenings in biology, medicinal chemistry, or materials science. Especially compounds from a highly modular design are interesting for the proper investigation of structure-to-activity relationships. Permutations of building blocks result in many similar but unique compounds. The influence of certain structural features on the entire structure can then be monitored and serve as a starting point for the rational design of potent molecules for various applications. Peptoids, a highly diverse class of bioinspired oligomers, suit perfectly for combinatorial chemistry. Their straightforward synthesis on a solid support using repetitive reaction steps ensures easy handling and high throughput. Applying this modular approach, peptoids are readily accessible, and their interchangeable side-chains allow for various structures. Thus, peptoids can easily be tuned in their solubility, their spatial structure, and, consequently, their applicability in various fields of research. Since their discovery, peptoids have been applied as antimicrobial agents, artificial membranes, molecular transporters, and much more. Studying their three-dimensional structure, various foldamers with fascinating, unique properties were discovered. This non-comprehensive review will state the most interesting discoveries made over the past years and arouse curiosity about what may come.

Advances in Development of Antimicrobial Peptidomimetics as Potential Drugs

The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens has evolved into a global health problem as current treatment options are failing for infections caused by pan-resistant bacteria. Hence, novel antibiotics are in high demand, and for this reason antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted considerable interest, since they often show broad-spectrum activity, fast killing and high cell selectivity. However, the therapeutic potential of natural AMPs is limited by their short plasma half-life. Antimicrobial peptidomimetics mimic the structure and biological activity of AMPs, but display extended stability in the presence of biological matrices. In the present review, focus is on the developments reported in the last decade with respect to their design, synthesis, antimicrobial activity, cytotoxic side effects as well as their potential applications as anti-infective agents. Specifically, only peptidomimetics with a modular structure of residues connected via amide linkages will be discussed. These comprise the classes of α-peptoids (N-alkylated glycine oligomers), β-peptoids (N-alkylated β-alanine oligomers), β³-peptides, α/β³-peptides, α-peptide/β-peptoid hybrids, α/γ N-acylated N-aminoethylpeptides (AApeptides), and oligoacyllysines (OAKs). Such peptidomimetics are of particular interest due to their potent antimicrobial activity, versatile design, and convenient optimization via assembly by standard solid-phase procedures.

Chirality sensing of bioactive compounds with amino alcohol unit via circular dichroism

The aim of the present work was to test various chiroptical techniques, including in particular the in situ dirhodium methodology, to assign the absolute configuration of 1,2- and 1,3-amino alcohols. As models, we selected mainly compounds that have both an additional strongly absorbing and interfering chromophoric system and application in medicinal chemistry. Determination of the absolute configuration (AC) of the tested molecules such as cinchona alkaloids, Tamiflu, and others was carried out using a combination of electronic and vibrational circular dichroism (ECD, VCD) spectroscopy. It has been demonstrated that both 1,2- and 1,3-aminol moieties are subject to the same sector rule correlating stereostructure of formed Rh₂ -complex with chiroptical properties, and that the changes in the position of the stereogenic center do not affect its proper use.

Mining the Chemical Space: Application of 2/4-Nitrobenzenesulfonamides in Solid-Phase Synthesis

Polymer-supported benzenesulfonamides prepared from various immobilized primary amines and 2/4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride have been used as key intermediates in different chemical transformations, including unusual rearrangements to yield a number of diverse privileged scaffolds. This review summarizes individual strategies in their application to date.