Letter: Synthesis of new beta-lactam antibiotics

Recent advances in the synthesis of cyclic sulfinic acid derivatives (sultines and cyclic sulfinamides)

The chemistry of cyclic sulfinic acid derivatives (sultines and cyclic sulfinamides) was underdeveloped for a long time due to their inaccessibility. Considering the importance of cyclic sulfinate esters and amides in the fields of chemistry, pharmaceutical science, and material science, synthesis strategies involving cyclic sulfinic acid derivatives have been paid more attention in recent years, and have been widely used in the synthesis of sulfur-containing compounds such as sulfoxides, sulfones, sulfinates and thioethers. Despite the impressive improvements that have been made in last twenty years with the new strategies, to date, no reviews have been published, to the best of our knowledge, dealing with the preparation of cyclic sulfinic acid derivatives. This review summarizes the latest advances in the development of new synthesis methods to access cyclic sulfinic acid derivatives in the last two decades. The synthetic strategies are reviewed by highlighting their product diversity, selectivity and applicability, and the mechanistic rationale is presented where possible. We wish to bring readers a comprehensive understanding of the state-of-play of cyclic sulfinic acid derivative formation and make a contribution to future research.

Design, synthesis, and crystal structures of 6-alkylidene-2'-substituted penicillanic acid sulfones as potent inhibitors of Acinetobacter baumannii OXA-24 carbapenemase

Class D β-lactamases represent a growing and diverse class of penicillin-inactivating enzymes that are usually resistant to commercial β-lactamase inhibitors. As many such enzymes are found in multi-drug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, novel β-lactamase inhibitors are urgently needed. Five unique 6-alkylidene-2'-substituted penicillanic acid sulfones (1-5) were synthesized and tested against OXA-24, a clinically important β-lactamase that inactivates carbapenems and is found in A. baumannii. Based upon the roles Tyr112 and Met223 play in the OXA-24 β-lactamase, we also engineered two variants (Tyr112Ala and Tyr112Ala,Met223Ala) to test the hypothesis that the hydrophobic tunnel formed by these residues influences inhibitor recognition. IC(50) values against OXA-24 and two OXA-24 β-lactamase variants ranged from 10 ± 1 (4 vs WT) to 338 ± 20 nM (5 vs Tyr112Ala, Met223Ala). Compound 4 possessed the lowest K(i) (500 ± 80 nM vs WT), and 1 possessed the highest inactivation efficiency (k(inact)/K(i) = 0.21 ± 0.02 μM(-1)  s(-1)). Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry revealed a single covalent adduct, suggesting the formation of an acyl-enzyme intermediate. X-ray structures of OXA-24 complexed to four inhibitors (2.0-2.6 Å) reveal the formation of stable bicyclic aromatic intermediates with their carbonyl oxygen in the oxyanion hole. These data provide the first structural evidence that 6-alkylidene-2'-substituted penicillin sulfones are effective mechanism-based inactivators of class D β-lactamases. Their unique chemistry makes them developmental candidates. Mechanisms for class D hydrolysis and inhibition are discussed, and a pathway for the evolution of the BlaR1 sensor of Staphylococcus aureus to the class D β-lactamases is proposed.

An Expedient and Practical Method for the Synthesis of a Diverse Series of Cyclopropane α-Amino Acids and Amines

A practical synthesis for the preparation of a diverse series of cyclopropane alpha-amino acids is described. Nitrocyclopropane carboxylates can be readily prepared through treatment of alpha-nitroesters and iodobenzene diacetate or alpha-nitro-alpha-diazoesters with a Rh(II) catalyst and an olefin. Reduction of the nitro group using zinc/HCl in i-PrOH affords substituted cyclopropane alpha-amino esters in modest to high yields (54-99%). A "one-pot" procedure involving sequential cyclopropanation and reduction is described. The method can also be applied to the preparation of arylcyclopropyl amines (three examples).

Synthesis of (3,4) beta-methylenecepham and (3,4) beta-methylene-carbacepham via intramolecular carbene addition to double bond

A series of new (3,4) beta-methylenecepham and carbacepham analogues were synthesised as potential antibacterial agents. The key step of the synthesis included presumed generation of the carbene species from the oxalimide substrate effected by triethylphosphite and its intramolecular addition to the double bond. The stereochemistry of the tricyclic system has been elucidated by NMR and X-ray crystallography. In preliminary screening, two of the synthesised compounds exhibited modest antibacterial activity at 1.5-2.0 mg/mL against a number of bacterial strains.