Directed ortho metallation of tertiary aromatic amides

Potential applications of antofine and its synthetic derivatives in cancer therapy: structural and molecular insights

Cancer is a major global health challenge, being the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality after cardiovascular disease. The growing economic burden and profound psychosocial impact on patients and their families make it urgent to find innovative and effective anticancer solutions. For this reason, interest in using natural compounds to develop new cancer treatments has grown. In this respect, antofine, an alkaloid class found in Apocynaceae, Lauraceae, and Moraceae family plants, exhibits promising biological properties, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, and antifungal activities. Several molecular mechanisms have been identified underlying antofine anti-cancerous effects, including the inhibition of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways, epigenetic inhibition of protein synthesis, ribosomal targeting, induction of apoptosis, inhibition of DNA synthesis, and cell cycle arrest. This study discusses the molecular structure, sources, photochemistry, and anticancer properties of antofine in relation to its structure-activity relationship and molecular targets. Then, examine in vitro and in vivo studies and analyze the mechanisms of action underpinning antofine efficacy against cancer cells. This review also discusses multidrug resistance in human cancer and the potential of antofine in this context. Safety and toxicity concerns are also addressed as well as current challenges in antofine research, including the need for clinical trials and bioavailability optimization. This review aims to provide comprehensive information for more effective natural compound-based cancer treatments.

Annulation of O-silyl N,O-ketene acetals with alkynes for the synthesis of dihydropyridinones and its application in concise total synthesis of phenanthroindolizidine alkaloids

The formation of N-heterocycles with multiple substituents is important in organic synthesis. Herein, we report a novel method for the construction of functionalized dihydropyridinone rings through the annulation of an amide α-carbon with a tethered alkyne moiety. The reaction of the amide with the alkyne was achieved via O-silyl N,O-ketene acetal formation and silver-mediated addition. Furthermore, the developed method was applied for the total synthesis of phenanthroindolizidine and phenanthroquinolizidine alkaloids. By varying the coupling partners, a concise and collective total synthesis of these alkaloids was achieved.

Facile construction of pyrrolo[1,2-b]isoquinolin-10(5H)-ones via a redox-amination–aromatization–Friedel–Crafts acylation cascade reaction and discovery of novel topoisomerase inhibitors

The new title compounds with uncovered topoisomerase inhibitory activities are efficiently constructed via a redox-amination–aromatization–Friedel–Crafts acylation cascade reaction.

Total synthesis of (+)-antofine and (-)-cryptopleurine

The tylophorine alkaloid anticancer compounds antofine and cryptopleurine have been synthesized in optically active form. Both syntheses employ optically pure α-amino acids as the starting materials, require only seven steps from known 2-ethynylpyrrolidine or 2-ethynylpiperidine derivatives, and are free of protecting groups. Key steps include an alkyne hydration and a chromium carbene complex based net [5+5]-cycloaddition step. Alkyne hydration was accompanied by racemization of the resulting β-aminoketone under most of the conditions examined, and successful minimization of this side reaction was achieved through careful pH control and choice of metal additive. Final ring closure involves a Bischler-Napieralski reaction using a carbamate (antofine) or urea (cryptopleurine) precursor.

Total Synthesis of Antofine Using the Net [5+5]-Cycloaddition of γ,δ-Unsaturated Carbene Complexes and 2-Alkynylphenyl Ketones as a Key Step

A compound containing all of the carbons of the anticancer agent antofine was produced in a single step from the coupling of a gamma,delta-unsaturated carbene complex with a 2-alkynylphenyl ketone derivative. Subsequent conversion to antofine was effected in three steps.

Parham-type cycliacylation with Weinreb amides. Application to the synthesis of fused indolizinone systems

[reaction: see text] Weinreb amides behave as efficient internal electrophiles in Parham-type cycliacylation reactions. Thus, aryl- and heteroaryllithiums generated by lithium-halogen exchange undergo intramolecular cyclization to give fused indolizinone systems as pyrrolo[1,2-b]isoquinolines, thieno[2,3-f]indolizinones, and pyrrolo[1,2-b]acridinones in high yields.

The directed ortho metalation - palladium catalyzed cross coupling connection. A general regiospecific route to 9-phenanthrols and phenanthrenes. Exploratory further metalation

A new general and regiospecific synthesis of 9-phenanthrols (1 +2 [Formula: see text] 3 [Formula: see text] 4, Scheme 1, Table 1) proceeding by a Directed ortho Metalation (DoM), Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling, and a new LDA-mediated Directed remote Metalation sequence is described. The facile Pd-catalyzed hydrogenolysis of the phenanthrols 4 into the corresponding phenanthrenes 5 via their triflates 18 translates the original DoM regioselectivity also into a general synthesis of phenanthrenes (Table 2). Further DoM (19 [Formula: see text]20, 21; 24 [Formula: see text]25), cross coupling (20c [Formula: see text]23), as well as oxidation - ring contraction (4b, 4f [Formula: see text]28a, 28b) chemistry of phenanthrene derivatives is reported.Key words: 9-phenanthrols, directed ortho metalation, Suzuki cross coupling, synthesis.

9-Dihydroxy-2,3,7,11b-tetrahydro-1H-naph[1,2,3-de]isoquinoline: a potent full dopamine D1 agonist containing a rigid-beta-phenyldopamine pharmacophore

The present work reports the synthesis and preliminary pharmacological characterization of 8,9-dihydroxy-2,3,7,11b-tetrahydro-1H-naph[1,2,3-de] isoquinoline (4, dinapsoline). This molecule was designed to conserve the essential elements contained in our D1 agonist pharmacophore model (i.e., position and orientation of the nitrogen, hydroxyls, and phenyl rings). It involved taking the backbone of dihydrexidine [3; (+/-)-trans-10, 11-dihydroxy-5,6,6a,7,8,12b-hexahydrobenzo[a] phenanthridine], the first high-affinity full D1 agonist, and tethering the two phenyl rings of dihydrexidine through a methylene bridge and removing the C(7)-C(8) ethano bridge. Preliminary molecular modeling studies demonstrated that these modifications conserved the essential elements of the hypothesized pharmacopore. Dinapsoline 4 had almost identical affinity (KI = 5.9 nM) to 3 at rat striatal D1 receptors and had a shallow competition curve (nH = 0.66) that suggested agonist properties. Consistent with this, in both rat striatum and C-6-mD1 cells, dinapsoline 4 was a full agonist with an EC50 of ca. 30 nM in stimulating synthesis of cAMP via D1 receptors. The design and synthesis of dinapsoline 4 provide a powerful test of the model of the D1 pharmacophore we have developed and provide another chemical series that can be useful probes for the study of D1 receptors. An interesting property of 3 is that it also has relatively high D2 affinity (K0.5 = 50 nM) despite having an accessory phenyl ring usually though to convey D1 selectivity. Dinapsoline 4 was found to have even higher affinity for the D2 receptor (K0.5 = 31 nM) than 3. Because of the high affinity of 4 for D2 receptors, it and its analogs can be powerful tools for exploring the mechanisms of "functional selectivity" (i.e., that 3 is an agonist at some D2 receptors, but an antagonist at others). Together, these data suggest that 4 and its derivatives may be powerful tools in the study of dopamine receptor function and also have potential clinical utility in Parkinson's disease and other conditions where perturbation of dopamine receptors is useful.