Regioselective oxidation of β-hydroxyazo compounds to β-hydroxyazoxy compounds and its application to syntheses of maniwamycins A and B

Dihydromaniwamycin E, a Heat-Shock Metabolite from Thermotolerant Streptomyces sp. JA74, Exhibiting Antiviral Activity against Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 Viruses

Dihydromaniwamycin E (1), a new maniwamycin derivative featuring an azoxy moiety, has been isolated from the culture extract of thermotolerant Streptomyces sp. JA74 along with the known analogue maniwamycin E (2). Compound 1 is produced only by cultivation of strain JA74 at 45 °C, and this type of compound has been previously designated a "heat shock metabolite (HSM)" by our research group. Compound 2 is detected as a production-enhanced metabolite at high temperature. Structures of 1 and 2 are elucidated by NMR and MS spectroscopic analyses. The absolute structure of 1 is determined after the total synthesis of four stereoisomers. Though the absolute structure of 2 has been proposed to be the same as the structure of maniwamycin D, the NMR and the optical rotation value of 2 are in agreement with those of maniwamycin E. Therefore, this study proposes a structural revision of maniwamycins D and E. Compounds 1 and 2 show inhibitory activity against the influenza (H1N1) virus infection of MDCK cells, demonstrating IC50 values of 25.7 and 63.2 μM, respectively. Notably, 1 and 2 display antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, when used to infect 293TA and VeroE6T cells, with 1 and 2 showing IC50 values (for infection of 293TA cells) of 19.7 and 9.7 μM, respectively. The two compounds do not exhibit cytotoxicity in these cell lines at those IC50 concentrations.

Synthetic and biosynthetic routes to nitrogen-nitrogen bonds

The nitrogen-nitrogen bond is a core feature of diverse functional groups like hydrazines, nitrosamines, diazos, and pyrazoles. Such functional groups are found in >300 known natural products. Such N-N bond-containing functional groups are also found in significant percentage of clinical drugs. Therefore, there is wide interest in synthetic and enzymatic methods to form nitrogen-nitrogen bonds. In this review, we summarize synthetic and biosynthetic approaches to diverse nitrogen-nitrogen-bond-containing functional groups, with a focus on biosynthetic pathways and enzymes.

Chemistry and Biology of Natural Azoxy Compounds

Azoxy compounds belong to a small yet intriguing group of natural products sharing a common functional group with the general structure RN═N⁺(O^-)R. Their intriguing chemical structures, diverse biological activities, and important industrial applications have received attention from researchers in natural product chemistry, total synthesis, and biosynthesis. This review presents current updates about the structural diversity of natural azoxy compounds isolated from different organisms and highlights the enzymes and biological logic involved in their construction. We assume that the identification of key enzymes will provide efficient tools in biocatalysis to generate new azoxy compounds, while genome mining may result in novel natural azoxy compounds of medical and industrial interest.

Cobalt-catalyzed regioselective hydrohydrazination of epoxides

Using an air-stable cobalt catalyst [Cp*Co(1,2-Ph2PC6H4S)(NCMe)]BF4 (1, Cp* = Me5C5-), we have achieved catalytic regioselective hydrohydrazination of epoxides to 1,1-hydrazinoalcohols in an atom-economical manner. The catalysis involves a cobalt-hydrazine intermediate, in which the NH2 group of the hydrazine binds to the metal center, inhibiting its nucleophilic reactivity and allowing the NH group to participate in the regioselective hydrohydrazination.

Asymmetric organocatalytic synthesis of tertiary azomethyl alcohols: key intermediates towards azoxy compounds and α-hydroxy-β-amino esters

A series of peracylated glycosamine-derived thioureas have been synthesized and their behavior as bifunctional organocatalysts has been tested in the enantioselective nucleophilic addition of formaldehyde tert-butyl hydrazone to aliphatic α-keto esters for the synthesis of tertiary azomethyl alcohols. Using the 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-amino-2-deoxy-β-d-glucosamine derived 3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl thiourea the reaction could be accomplished with high yields (75-98%) and moderate enantioselectivities (50-64% ee). Subsequent high-yielding and racemization-free tranformations of both aromatic- and aliphatic-substituted diazene products in a one pot fashion provide a direct entry to valuable azoxy compounds and α-hydroxy-β-amino esters.

Jietacins, azoxy antibiotics with potent nematocidal activity: Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation against parasitic nematodes

Jietacins, an azoxy antibiotic class of chemicals, were isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces sp. KP-197. They have a unique structural motif, including a vinyl azoxy group and a long acyclic aliphatic chain, which is usually branched but non-branched in the case of jietacin C. During a drug discovery program, we found that jietacins display potent anthelmintic activity against parasitic nematodes and that jietacin A has a moderate or low acute toxicity (LD₅₀ > 300 mg/kg) and no mutagenic potential in a mini Ames screen. This suggests that jietacins have potential for drug discovery research. In order to create a novel anthelmintic agent, we performed design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of jietacin derivatives against parasitic nematodes. Of these derivatives, we found that a fully synthesized simplified derivative exhibited better anthelmintic activity against three parasitic nematodes than natural jietacins. In addition, it had a better efficacy in vivo through oral administration against a mouse nematode. This indicated that the azoxy motif could prove useful as a template for anthelmintic discovery, possibly creating a class of anthelmintic with novel skeletons, a potential new mode of action, and providing further insight for rational drug design.

Total syntheses of polyketide-derived bioactive natural products

Recent progress of total syntheses in our laboratory has been described along with our background and methodologies. The target bioactive polyketides are classified into three categories according to their structures: (i) lactone-fused polycyclic compounds [(+)-cochleamycin A, (+)-tubelactomicin A, and (-)-tetrodecamycin], (ii) aromatic compounds [(-)-tetracycline, (-)-BE-54238B, lymphostin, and (-)-lagunamycin], and (iii) acyclic polyketides [xanthocillin X dimethylether, (+)-trichostatin D, and (+)-actinopyrone A]. Features of the total syntheses are described. Original methodologies have been developed and applied to construct the inherent structures of the target molecules. Most syntheses cited herein are the first total syntheses, and the absolute structures of the target molecules have been determined.

Structure of a fluorinated azoxy compound: fluoro(trifluoromethyl)-diazene-2-oxide, CF3N(O)NF

A gas-phase electron diffraction study of the azoxy compound which was synthesized by the reaction of CF3NO with N2F4 in a Pyrex glass vessel results in a trans CF3N(O)NF structure (F trans to CF3), although quantum chemical calculations (MP2 and B3LYP) predict a greater stability of the cis CF3NN(O)F isomer by about 12 kcal/mol. The CF3 group eclipses the N=N double bond. The following skeletal geometric parameters (r(a) values with 3sigma uncertainties) were obtained: N=N 1.287(15) A; N=O 1.231(6) A; N-F 1.380(6) A; N-C 1.498(6) A; N=N=O 131.2(13) degrees; N=N-F 103.5(13) degrees; N=N-C 114.0(12) degrees. The bond lengths in CF3N(O)NF are compared to those in azo, nitryl, and nitrosyl compounds with fluorine and/or CF3 substituents.