Mild and General Synthesis of Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines and Related Polyheterocyclic Frameworks from Pyrrole Precursors Derived from a Mechanochemical Multicomponent Reaction

Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline scaffolds for developing anti-cancer agents

Fused pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines have emerged as compelling molecules with remarkably potent cytotoxic activity and topoisomerase inhibitors. This comprehensive review delves into the intricate world of this family of compounds, analyzing the natural marine lamellarins known for their diverse and complex chemical structures, exploring structure-activity relationships (SARs), and highlighting their remarkable versatility. The review emphasizes their fundamental role as topoisomerase inhibitors and cytotoxic agents, as well as some crucial aspects of the chemistry of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines, exploring synthetic strategies in total synthesis and molecular diversification trends, highlighting their importance in the field of medicinal chemistry and beyond.

Synthesis of Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines through Cu-Catalyzed Condensation/Addition/Oxidation/Cyclization Cascade

We have developed a copper-catalyzed synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines with terminal alkynes, aldehydes, and tetrahydroisoquinolines. A variety of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines have been prepared in 17-69% yield via a condensation/Mannich-type addition/oxidation/cyclization cascade sequence. Modifications through simple chemical transformations provided highly functionalized molecules containing a privileged framework.

Acid-Promoted Redox-Annulation toward 1,2-Disubstituted-5,6-dihydropyrrolo[2,1-α]isoquinolines: Synthesis of the Lamellarin Core

An efficient synthesis of a variety of 1,2-disubstituted-5,6-dihydropyrrolo[2,1-α]isoquinoline derivatives via an acid-promoted cyclization reaction between 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ) and substituted α,β-unsaturated aldehyde derivatives is reported. This cycloaddition allows access to structurally diverse multisubstituted dihydropyrrolo[2,1-α]isoquinolines in moderate to good yields, which was the core scaffold of marine natural alkaloid lamellarins.

Recent progress in the synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines occur frequently in a large number of bioactive natural products and pharmaceutically important molecules. The synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives is an easy and useful way to produce artificial molecules with potential applications. A huge number of excellent methodologies for constructing pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines have been reported in the last decade. This review summarizes the recent advances in this research field covering from 2011 to 2021.

Synthesis Strategies and Medicinal Value of Pyrrole and its Fused Heterocyclic Compounds

For several decades, interest in pyrrole and pyrrolopyrimidine derivatives increases owing to their biological importance, such as anti-tumor, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-histaminic, anti-malarial, anti-Parkinson, antioxidant and anti-viral, specially recently against COVID-19. These tremendous biological features motivated scientists to discover more pyrrole and fused pyrrole derivatives, owing to the great importance of the pyrrole nucleus as a pharmacophore in many drugs, and motivated us to present this article, highlighting on the different synthetic pathways of pyrrole and its fused compounds specially pyrrolopyrimidine, as well as their medicinal value from 2017 till 2021.

Solvent-Free Synthesis of Pyrrolo [2,1-α] Isoquinolines via One-Pot Four- Component Reaction

Abstract:

An efficient four-component reaction to synthesize pyrrolo [2,1-a] isoquinolines from malononitrile, aromatic aldehydes, isoquinoline, and cyclohexyl isocyanide under solvent-free conditions is described. In a convenient, simple, and efficient one-pot procedure, the domino Knoevenagel-nucleophilic cycloaddition reaction affords excellent yields of products in less than 1 h.

Mechanochemical Solvent-Free Synthesis of Indenones from Aromatic Carboxylic Acids and Alkynes

The mechanochemical solvent-free synthesis of indenones from aromatic carboxylic acids and alkynes was achieved through triflic anhydride (Tf₂O)-induced cyclization reaction. A variety of indenones including a bioactive PPARγ agonist were obtained in up to 90% yield at room temperature. The present protocol has the advantages of mild reaction conditions, high reaction efficiency, and feasibility of scalable synthesis, providing a facile and sustainable route to diverse indenones.

Mechanochemical Syntheses of N-Containing Heterocycles with TosMIC

A mechanochemical van Leusen pyrrole synthesis with a base leads to 3,4-disubstitued pyrroles in moderate to excellent yields. The developed protocol is compatible with a range of electron-withdrawing groups and can also be applied to the synthesis of oxazoles. Attempts to mechanochemically convert the resulting pyrroles into porphyrins proved to be difficult.

Unprecedented access to functionalized pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines from the domino reaction of isoquinolinium ylides and electrophilic benzannulated heterocycles

We have come across an unexpected reaction between electrophilic indoles and isoquinolinium methylides for accessing functionalized pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines. The reaction was found in general to yield the products in good yields. We also observed the formation of S-S-bridged bis-pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines from the reaction of 3-nitro benzothiophene and isoquinolinium methylides.

CuBr/NHPI co-catalyzed aerobic oxidative [3 + 2] cycloaddition-aromatization to access 5,6-dihydro-pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

An efficient and enviromentally friendly CuBr/NHPI co-catalyzed aerobic oxidative [3 + 2] cycloaddition-aromatization cascade was realized with N-substituted tetrahydroisoquinolines and electron-deficient olefins. Under the mild conditions, the reaction proceeded smoothly and displayed excellent functional group tolerance, affording 5,6-dihydro-pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines in good to high yields. This protocol exhibits a broad substrate scope to both N-alkyl tetrahydroisoquinolines and dipolarophile substrates.

Ultrasound-promoted Green Synthesis of pyrido[2,1-a]isoquinoline Derivatives and Studies on their Antioxidant Activity

Aims & Objective: An efficient procedure for the synthesis of pyrido[2,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives in excellent yields was investigated using catalyst-free multicomponent reaction of phthaladehyde, methylamine, activated acetylenic compounds, alkyl bromides and triphenylphosphine in water under ultrasonic irradiation at room temperature. In addition, Diels- Alder reactions of pyrido[2,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives with activated acetylenic compounds under ultrasonic irradiation are investigated in two procedures. The advantages of this procedure compared to report methods are short time of reaction, high yields of product, easy separation of product, clean mixture of reaction and green media for performing reaction. In addition, because of having isoquinoline core in synthesized compounds, in this research antioxidant activity of some synthesized compounds was studied.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To a stirred mixture of phthalaldehyde 1 (2 mmol) and methylamine 2 (2 mmol) in water (3 mL) under ultrasonic irradiation was added to activated acetylenic compounds 4 after 20 min. Alkyl bromide 3 and triphenylphosphine 5 react in another pot in water (3 mL) under ultrasonic irradiation for 15 min. After this time, this mixture was added to the first pot. After completion of the reaction, the solid residue was separated by filtration and washed with Et2O to afforded pure title compound 6.

RESULTS

In this work, generation of pyrido[2,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives 6 are performed using phthalaldehyde 1, methylamine 2, α-halo substituted carbonyls 3, activated acetylenic compounds 4 and triphenylphosphine 5 in water under ultrasonic irradiation condition at room temperature in excellent yield at short time.

CONCLUSION

In summary, multicomponent reaction of phthaladehyde, methylamine, activated acetylenic compounds, alkyl bromides and triphenylphosphine in water under ultrasonic irradiation at room temperature produced pyrido[2,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives in excellent yields. Also, Diels-Alder reaction of pyrido[2,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives with activated acetylenic compounds and triphenylphosphine under ultrasonic irradiation is investigated in two procedures. Also, the antioxidant activities of 6a, 6c, 6g and 6i were evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging and ferric reducing power analyzes. The compounds 6a exhibit excellent DPPH radical scavenging activity and FRAP compared to synthetic antioxidants BHT and TBHQ. The chief benefits of our method are high atom economy, green reaction conditions, higher yield, shorter reaction times, and easy work-up, which agree with some principles of green chemistry.

Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline scaffold in drug discovery: advances in synthesis and medicinal chemistry

Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline (PIq) is a nitrogen heterocyclic scaffold of diverse alkaloids endowed with several biological activities, including antiretroviral and antitumor activities. Several 5,6-dihydro-PIq (DHPIq) alkaloids, belonging to the lamellarins' family, have proved to be cytotoxic to tumor cells, as well as reversers of multidrug resistance. In this review, we provide an overview of the main achievements over the last decade in the synthetic approaches to access libraries of PIq compounds along with a survey, as comprehensive as possible, of bioactivity, mechanism of action, pharmacophore and structure-activity relationships of synthetic analogs of DHPIq-based alkaloids. The focus is mainly on the potential exploitation of the (DH)PIq scaffold in design and development of novel antitumor drugs.

A novel multicomponent quadruple/double quadruple domino reaction: highly efficient synthesis of polyheterocyclic architectures

A novel multicomponent quadruple domino reaction (MCQDR) for the assembly of structurally complex molecular architectures via the formation of three rings and three contiguous stereogenic centers has been accomplished with high regio- and diastereoselectivity. Solvents, catalysts and work-up were not required to obtain the target molecules. In addition, this new protocol is also extended for the multicomponent double quadruple domino reaction (MCDQDR) to create novel polyheterocyclic architectures in an orthogonal manner.

Dioxane-involving reaction for the synthesis of 3-aryl-1-(2-(vinyloxy)ethoxy)isoquinolines catalyzed by AgOTf

Dioxane was found to be involved in the reaction of 2-(arylethynyl)benzaldehydes and 3-aminopyrazine-2-carbohydrazide, and underwent a ring-opening reaction catalyzed by AgOTf. This domino type procedure provided an efficient method for the synthesis of 3-aryl-1-(2-(vinyloxy)ethoxy)isoquinolines in good yields via the loss of a molecule of 3-aminopyrazine-2-carboxamide.

Highly effectual synthesis of 4,6-diarylpyrimidin-2(1H)-ones using N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediaminium-N,N′-disulfonic acid hydrogen sulfate as a dual-functional catalyst

The highly effectual synthesis of 4,6-diarylpyrimidin-2(1H)-ones via the one-pot multicomponent reaction of acetophenones with arylaldehydes and urea in the presence of trimethylsilyl chloride and a catalytic amount of the ionic liquid N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediaminium-N,N′-disulfonic acid hydrogen sulfate ([TMEDSA][HSO4]2) under solvent-free conditions has been described. The reaction results and conditions of the catalytic system have been compared with previously reported catalysts. [TMEDSA][HSO4]2 afforded better results in comparison with the reported catalysts in terms of one or more of these factors: yield, temperature, the reaction media, time, and generality. Moreover, a plausible reaction mechanism based on dual functionality of the catalyst has been proposed.

One-Pot Multicomponent Mechanosynthesis of Polysubstituted trans-2,3-Dihydropyrroles and Pyrroles from Amines, Alkyne Esters, and Chalcones

An efficient and practical one-pot multicomponent reaction of amines with alkyne esters and chalcones promoted by I₂/PhI(OAc)₂ has been developed under solvent-free ball-milling conditions to afford a variety of polysubstituted trans-2,3-dihydropyrroles in moderate to good yields. The present method features a short reaction time, mild reaction conditions, broad substrate scope, and feasibility of large-scale synthesis. Intriguingly, this protocol can also furnish the corresponding synthetically more attractive pyrroles with the addition of an oxidant in a one-pot way.

ACI/EG eutectic mixture mediated synthesis, characterization and in vitro osteoblast differentiation assessment of spiropyrrolo[1,2-b]isoquinoline analogues

An eco-friendly acetylcholine iodide-ethylene glycol (ACI/EG) deep eutectic mixture mediated green protocol has been developed for the synthesis of hitherto unexplored multi-functionalized linear tricyclic spiropyrrolo[1,2-b]isoquinoline analogues. The effects of the synthesized compounds on the osteoblast differentiation of hBMSC-TERT cell lines were investigated and promising results were observed with significant IC50 values. In addition, molecular modeling simulations were also performed with the 3D structure of BMP-2 to reveal binding interactions and orientations of highly potent spiropyrrolo[1,2-b]isoquinoline analogues.

Multicomponent mechanochemical synthesis

Historically, the use of mechanochemical methods in synthesis has been almost negligible, but their perception by the synthetic community has changed in recent years and they are on their way to becoming mainstream. However, the hybridization of mechanochemical synthesis with methodologies designed to increase synthetic efficiency by allowing the generation of several bonds in a single operation has taken off only recently, but it already constitutes a very promising approach to sustainable chemistry. In this context, we provide in this Perspective a critical summary and discussion of the main known synthetic methods based on mechanochemical multicomponent reactions.

Solvent-free N-iodosuccinimide-promoted synthesis of spiroimidazolines from alkenes and amidines under ball-milling conditions

An environmentally benign and N-iodosuccinimide-promoted intermolecular cyclization between alkenes and amidines has been demonstrated under solvent-free ball-milling conditions, affording a variety of spiroimidazolines with remarkable functional group tolerance and good to excellent yields.

One-Pot Synthesis of Functionalized Carbazoles via a CAN-Catalyzed Multicomponent Process Comprising a C-H Activation Step

The microwave-promoted three-component reaction between o-nitrochalcones, primary amines and β-dicarbonyl compounds in the presence of Ce(IV) ammonium nitrate constitutes the first example of a multicomponent carbazole synthesis. This reaction furnishes highly substituted and functionalized carbazole derivatives via a double annulation process that generates two C-C and two C-N bonds, with water as the only side product. Mechanistically, this transformation has some unusual features that include an intramolecular coupled hydrogenation-dehydrogenation process, the functionalization of a C-H group by direct attack onto a nitrogen function and a CAN-catalyzed reduction via hydride transfer from ethanol. The mechanisms of these reactions were studied with the aid of computational techniques.

Catalyst-free [3 + 2] cyclization of imines and Morita–Baylis–Hillman carbonates: a general route to tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines and dihydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

A mild and efficient catalyst-free [3 + 2] cyclization of isoquinoline imines and Morita–Baylis–Hillman carbonates has been developed.