Synthesis and evaluation of a novel bleomycin A2 analogue: continuing assessment of the linker domain

Inverse Electron Demand Diels-Alder Reactions of Heterocyclic Azadienes, 1-Aza-1,3-Butadienes, Cyclopropenone Ketals, and Related Systems. A Retrospective

A summary of the investigation and applications of the inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction is provided that have been conducted in our laboratory over a period that now spans more than 35 years. The work, which continues to provide solutions to complex synthetic challenges, is presented in the context of more than 70 natural product total syntheses in which the reactions served as a key strategic step in the approach. The studies include the development and use of the cycloaddition reactions of heterocyclic azadienes (1,2,4,5-tetrazines; 1,2,4-, 1,3,5-, and 1,2,3-triazines; 1,2-diazines; and 1,3,4-oxadiazoles), 1-aza-1,3-butadienes, α-pyrones, and cyclopropenone ketals. Their applications illustrate the power of the methodology, often provided concise and nonobvious total syntheses of the targeted natural products, typically were extended to the synthesis of analogues that contain deep-seated structural changes in more comprehensive studies to explore or optimize their biological properties, and highlight a wealth of opportunities not yet tapped.

The Difference a Single Atom Can Make: Synthesis and Design at the Chemistry-Biology Interface

A Perspective of work in our laboratory on the examination of biologically active compounds, especially natural products, is presented. In the context of individual programs and along with a summary of our work, selected cases are presented that illustrate the impact single atom changes can have on the biological properties of the compounds. The examples were chosen to highlight single heavy atom changes that improve activity, rather than those that involve informative alterations that reduce or abolish activity. The examples were also chosen to illustrate that the impact of such single-atom changes can originate from steric, electronic, conformational, or H-bonding effects, from changes in functional reactivity, from fundamental intermolecular interactions with a biological target, from introduction of a new or altered functionalization site, or from features as simple as improvements in stability or physical properties. Nearly all the examples highlighted represent not only unusual instances of productive deep-seated natural product modifications and were introduced through total synthesis but are also remarkable in that they are derived from only a single heavy atom change in the structure.

Total syntheses of (-)-pyrimidoblamic acid and P-3A

Total syntheses of (-)-pyrimidoblamic acid and P-3A are disclosed. Central to the convergent approach is a powerful inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction between substituted electron-deficient 1,2,3-triazines and a highly functionalized and chiral primary amidine, which forms the pyrimidine cores and introduces all necessary stereochemistry in a single step. Intrinsic in the convergent approach is the potential it provides for the late stage divergent synthesis of modified analogs bearing deep-seated changes in either the pyrimidine cores or the highly functionalized C2 side chain common to both natural products. The examination of the key cycloaddition reaction revealed that the inherent 1,2,3-triazine mode of cycloaddition (C4/N1 vs C5/N2) as well as the amidine regioselectivity were unaffected by introduction of two electron-withdrawing groups (-CO2R) at C4 and C6 of the 1,2,3-triazine even if C5 is unsubstituted (Me or H), highlighting the synthetic potential of the powerful pyrimidine synthesis.

Synthesis and Configurational Assignment of the Amino Alcohol in the Eastern Fragment of the GE2270 Antibiotics by Regio- and Stereoselective Addition of 2-Metalated 4-Bromothiazoles to α-Chiral Electrophiles

A synthesis of the eastern fragment of the thiazole peptide GE2270 A (1) has been developed. The synthetic approach relies on the regioselective functionalization of 2,4-dibromothiazole (5) via metalation and nucleophilic addition (at C2) or palladium-mediated cross-coupling (at C2 or C4). The stereochemistry at the N-bearing stereocenter was established by coupling of 2-metalated 4-bromothiazoles (4) to enantiomerically pure mandelic acid derivatives. Both the erythro (2) and threo (3) configurated amino alcohols were prepared with high diastereoselectivities depending on the electrophile employed. More specifically, the threo-configurated (S,R)-4-bromothiazolyl beta-amino alcohol 6 was synthesized from O-TBS protected (R)-mandelonitrile in 62% yield. Its N-PMB protected (R,S)-enantiomer 20 was obtained from O-TBS protected (S)-mandelic aldehyde in 67% yield. The erythro-configurated (S,S)-4-bromothiazolyl beta-amino alcohol 29 was prepared from O-TBS protected (S)-ethyl mandelate in four steps and 33% overall yield. The bithiazole moiety in the desired products 2 and 3 was finally established by the regioselective Negishi coupling of 2,4-dibromothiazole (5) and the 4-zincated, N-Boc protected thiazole derivatives of the diastereomeric 4-bromothiazolyl beta-amino alcohols 6 and 29.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and DNA binding properties of novel bleomycin analogues

A series of bleomycin analogues was prepared with a facile synthetic method. All the compounds were shown to display significant antitumor activity against HeLa and BGC-823 cell lines in vitro. The binding properties with CT-DNA and cleavage efficiency to pBR322 DNA were investigated, the results indicate that there is a positive relationship between DNA cleavage efficiency and the binding affinity to DNA, and the antitumor activity of the bleomycin analogues is enhanced as the hydrophobicity of the C-terminus substituent side chain increased.

Solid-phase synthesis of deglycobleomycins: a C-terminal tetraamine linker that permits direct evaluation of resin-bound bleomycins

Deglycobleomycin analogues having different length polyamine side chains at the C-terminus were synthesized using a novel solid-phase synthesis strategy that produces fully deprotected deglycobleomycin congeners attached to the resin. Detailed studies of DNA cleavage by these compounds and their resin-bound counterparts using supercoiled plasmid DNAs and DNA restriction fragments as substrates revealed that (i) the length of the polyamine side chain of free deglycoBLM had limited effect on its DNA cleavage potency or sequence selectivity, and (ii) the nature of the linker moiety between the resin and attached deglycobleomycin had a more substantial effect on the potency of DNA cleavage, but no effect on sequence selectivity of resin-bound deglycoBLMs. Resin-bound 4 exhibited efficient DNA cleavage, indicating that its tetraamine linker moiety could be used for the elaboration and direct evaluation of bleomycin congeners attached to resins.