Enantioselective synthesis of phosphinyl peptidomimetics via an asymmetric Michael reaction of phosphinic acids with acrylate derivatives

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Phosphinic Dipeptide Isosteres: Domino Chirality Transfer during a Stereocontrolled P-Michael Reaction

A highly diastereoselective P-Michael addition of chiral aminophosphinic acids to achiral acrylates has been developed, leading to phosphinic dipeptide isosteres in high yields and dr of up to >50:1. The method allows for the diastereoselective preparation of target compounds without the need for chiral auxiliaries or P-chiral substrates. A possible mechanistic explanation involves a domino chirality transfer from the aminophosphinic acid to the P center, amplified by a crucial benzhydryl ester group, and then to the α-carbon.

Investigating the phosphinic acid tripeptide mimetic DG013A as a tool compound inhibitor of the M1-aminopeptidase ERAP1

ERAP1 is a zinc-dependent M1-aminopeptidase that trims lipophilic amino acids from the N-terminus of peptides. Owing to its importance in the processing of antigens and regulation of the adaptive immune response, dysregulation of the highly polymorphic ERAP1 has been implicated in autoimmune disease and cancer. To test this hypothesis and establish the role of ERAP1 in these disease areas, high affinity, cell permeable and selective chemical probes are essential. DG013A 1, is a phosphinic acid tripeptide mimetic inhibitor with reported low nanomolar affinity for ERAP1. However, this chemotype is a privileged structure for binding to various metal-dependent peptidases and contains a highly charged phosphinic acid moiety, so it was unclear whether it would display the high selectivity and passive permeability required for a chemical probe. Therefore, we designed a new stereoselective route to synthesize a library of DG013A 1 analogues to determine the suitability of this compound as a cellular chemical probe to validate ERAP1 as a drug discovery target.

Organophosphorus chemistry based on elemental phosphorus: advances and horizons

The results of studies on the application of elemental phosphorus for the synthesis of important organophosphorus compounds are surveyed and summarized. Currently, this trend represents a synthetically, environmentally and technologically attractive alternative to classical organophosphorus chemistry based on toxic and corrosive phosphorus chlorides. Direct phosphination and phosphinylation of organic compounds with elemental phosphorus (discussed in the first part of the review) basically extend the range of available phosphines, phosphine chalcogenides and phosphinic acids and provides further development of their synthetic potential (discussed in the second part of the review). It is shown that the breakthrough in this area is largely due to the discovery of reactions of elemental phosphorus (white and red) with various electrophiles in superbasic suspensions and emulsions derived from alkali metal hydroxides and to the development of electrochemical, electrocatalytic and catalytic activation of white phosphorus.

The bibliography includes 299 references.

Potential chemical transformation of phosphinic acid derivatives and their applications in the synthesis of drugs

The chemical transformation of phosphinic acid is a well-considered mature area of research on account of the historical significant reactions such as Kabachnik-Fields, Mannich, Arbuzov, Michaelis-Becker, etc. Considerable advances have been made over last years especially in metal-catalyzed, free-radical processes and asymmetric synthesis using catalytic enantioselective. As a result, the aim of this synopsis is to make the reader familiar with advances in the approaches of phosphinic acids toward the synthesis of highly functionalized and valuable buildings blocks. Another purpose of this survey is to provide the current status of the applications of phosphinic acids in the synthesis of drugs.

Molecular tools that block maturation of the nuclear lamin A and decelerate cancer cell migration

Lamin A contributes to the structure of nuclei in all mammalian cells and plays an important role in cell division and migration. Mature lamin A is derived from a farnesylated precursor protein, known as prelamin A, which undergoes post-translational cleavage catalyzed by the zinc metalloprotease STE24 (ZPMSTE24). Accumulation of farnesylated prelamin A in the nuclear envelope compromises cell division, impairs mitosis and induces an increased expression of inflammatory gene products. ZMPSTE24 has been proposed as a potential therapeutic target in oncology. A library of peptidomimetic compounds were synthesized and screened for their ability to induce accumulation of prelamin A in cancer cells and block cell migration in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells. The results of this study suggest that inhibitors of lamin A maturation may interfere with cell migration, the biological process required for cancer metastasis.

Design of CID-cleavable protein cross-linkers: identical mass modifications for simpler sequence analysis

The cross-linking Mass Spectrometry (XL-MS) technique has enormous potential for studying the interactions between proteins, and it can provide detailed structural information about the interaction interfaces in large protein complexes. Such information has been difficult to obtain by conventional structural methods. One of the primary impediments to the wider use of the XL-MS technique is the extreme challenge in sequencing cross-linked peptides because of their complex fragmentation patterns in MS. A recent innovation is the development of MS-cleavable cross-linkers, which allows direct sequencing of component peptides for facile identification. Sulfoxides are an intriguing class of thermally-cleavable compounds that have been shown to fragment selectively during low-energy collisional induced dissociation (CID) analysis. Current CID-cleavable cross-linkers create fragmentation patterns in MS(2) of multiple peaks for each cross-linked peptide. Reducing the complexity of the fragmentation pattern in MS(2) facilitates subsequent MS(3) sequencing of the cross-linked peptides. The first authentic identical mass linker (IML) has now been designed, prepared, and evaluated. Multistage tandem mass spectrometry (MS(n)) analysis has demonstrated that the IML cross-linked peptides indeed yield one peak per peptide constituent in MS(2) as predicted, thus allowing effective and sensitive MS(3) analysis for unambiguous identification. Selective fragmentation for IML cross-linked peptides from the 19S proteasome complex was observed, providing a proof-of-concept demonstration for XL-MS studies on protein complexes.

Aspartic protease inhibitors containing tertiary alcohol transition-state mimics

Aspartic proteases (APs) are a class of enzymes engaged in the proteolytic digestion of peptide substrates. APs play important roles in physiological and infectious pathways, making them plausible drug targets. For instance in the treatment of HIV infections, access to an efficient combination of protease and reverse transcriptase inhibitors have changed a terminal illness to a chronic but manageable disease. However, the benefits have been limited due to the emergence of drug resistant viral strains, poor pharmacokinetic properties of peptidomimetic inhibitors and adverse effects associated with the treatment. In the 1980s, D. Rich and co-workers proposed a novel strategy for the development of AP inhibitors by replacing the secondary hydroxyl group with a tertiary alcohol as part of the transition state (TS) mimicking moiety. This strategy has been extensively explored over the last decade with a common belief that masking of the polar group, e.g. by intramolecular hydrogen bonding, has the potential to enhance transcellular transport. This is the first review presenting the advances of AP inhibitors comprising a tertiary hydroxyl group. The inhibitors have been classified into different tert-hydroxy TS mimics and their design strategies, synthesis, biological activities, structure-activity-relationships and X-ray structures are discussed.

Synthesis and modifications of phosphinic dipeptide analogues

Pseudopeptides containing the phosphinate moiety (-P(O)(OH)CH₂-) have been studied extensively, mainly as transition state analogue inhibitors of metalloproteases. The key synthetic aspect of their chemistry is construction of phosphinic dipeptide derivatives bearing appropriate side-chain substituents. Typically, this synthesis involves a multistep preparation of two individual building blocks, which are combined in the final step. As this methodology does not allow simple variation of the side-chain structure, many efforts have been dedicated to the development of alternative approaches. Recent achievements in this field are summarized in this review. Improved methods for the formation of the phosphinic peptide backbone, including stereoselective and multicomponent reactions, are presented. Parallel modifications leading to the structurally diversified substituents are also described. Finally, selected examples of the biomedical applications of the title compounds are given.

Structure-activity relationship study of betulinic acid, a novel and selective TGR5 agonist, and its synthetic derivatives: potential impact in diabetes

We describe here the biological screening of a collection of natural occurring triterpenoids against the G protein-coupled receptor TGR5, known to be activated by bile acids and which mediates some important cell functions. This work revealed that betulinic (1), oleanolic (2), and ursolic acid (3) exhibited TGR5 agonist activity in a selective manner compared to bile acids, which also activated FXR, the nuclear bile acid receptor. The most potent natural triterpenoid betulinic acid was chosen as a reference compound for an SAR study. Hemisyntheses were performed on the betulinic acid scaffold, and we focused on structural modifications of the C-3 alcohol, the C-17 carboxylic acid, and the C-20 alkene. In particular, structural variations around the C-3 position gave rise to major improvements of potency exemplified with derivatives 18 dia 2 (RG-239) and 19 dia 2. The best derivative was tested in vitro and in vivo, and its biological profile is discussed.

Design and synthesis of 2- and 3-substituted-3-phenylpropyl analogs of 1-[2-[bis(4-fluorophenyl)methoxy]ethyl]-4-(3-phenylpropyl)piperazine and 1-[2-(diphenylmethoxy)ethyl]-4-(3-phenylpropyl)piperazine: role of amino, fluoro, hydroxyl, methoxyl, methyl, methylene, and oxo substituents on affinity for the dopamine and serotonin transporters

Novel derivatives of 1-[2-[bis(4-fluorophenyl)methoxy]ethyl]-4-(3-phenylpropyl)piperazine (GBR 12909, 1) and 1-[2-(diphenylmethoxy)ethyl]-4-(3-phenylpropyl)piperazine (GBR 12935, 2) with various substituents in positions C2 and C3 of the phenylpropyl side chain were synthesized and evaluated for their ability to bind to the dopamine transporter (DAT) and the serotonin transporter (SERT). In the C2 series, the substituent in the S-configuration, with a lone-pair of electrons, significantly enhanced the affinity for DAT, whereas the steric effect of the substituent was detrimental to DAT binding affinity. In the C3 series, neither the lone electron pair nor the steric effect of the substituent seemed to affect DAT binding affinity, while sp (2) hybridized substituents had a detrimental effect on affinity for DAT. In the series, the 2-fluoro-substituted (S)-10 had the highest DAT binding affinity and good DAT selectivity, while the 2-amino-substituted (R)-8 showed essentially the same affinity for DAT and SERT. The oxygenated 16 and 18 possessed the best selectivity for DAT.

Discovery of potent HIV-1 protease inhibitors incorporating sulfoximine functionality

Based on the unique property of sulfoximine and the homodimeric C(2) structural symmetry of HIV-1 protease, a novel class of sulfoximine-based pseudosymmetric HIV-1 protease inhibitors was designed and synthesized. The sulfoximine moiety was demonstrated to be important for HIV-1 protease inhibitor potency. The most active stereoisomer (2S,2'S) displays a potency of 2.5 nM (IC(50)) against HIV-1 protease and an anti-HIV-1 activity of 408 nM (IC(50)). A possible mode of action is proposed.

Asymmetric Synthesis of 2-Alkyl-3-phosphonopropanoic Acids via P−C Bond Formation and Hydrogenation

Allylic acetates, formed by the acetylation of Baylis Hillman adducts, undergo addition of phosphorus nucleophiles to give stereoselectively the Z-unsaturated esters. TFA cleavage of the tert-butyl ester and asymmetric hydrogenation of the unsaturated acid yields the phosphono alkyl propanoic acid moiety, commonly found in phosphonate- and phosphinate-based enzyme inhibitors.

Variations of the P2 group in HIV-1 protease inhibitors containing a tertiary alcohol in the transition-state mimicking scaffold

A short synthetic protocol leading to HIV-1 protease inhibitors with a tertiary alcohol based transition-state mimicking unit and different P2 side chains has been developed.