Total Synthesis of Photoactivatable or Fluorescent Anandamide Probes: Novel Bioactive Compounds with Angiogenic Activity

Comparative Photoaffinity Profiling of Omega-3 Signaling Lipid Probes Reveals Prostaglandin Reductase 1 as a Metabolic Hub in Human Macrophages

The fish oil constituent docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3) is a signaling lipid with anti-inflammatory properties. The molecular mechanisms underlying the biological effect of DHA are poorly understood. Here, we report the design, synthesis, and application of a complementary pair of bio-orthogonal, photoreactive probes based on the polyunsaturated scaffold DHA and its oxidative metabolite 17-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid (17-HDHA). In these probes, an alkyne serves as a handle to introduce a fluorescent reporter group or a biotin-affinity tag via copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. This pair of chemical probes was used to map specific targets of the omega-3 signaling lipids in primary human macrophages. Prostaglandin reductase 1 (PTGR1) was identified as an interaction partner that metabolizes 17-oxo-DHA, an oxidative metabolite of 17-HDHA. 17-oxo-DHA reduced the formation of pro-inflammatory lipids 5-HETE and LTB4 in human macrophages and neutrophils. Our results demonstrate the potential of comparative photoaffinity protein profiling for the discovery of metabolic enzymes of bioactive lipids and highlight the power of chemical proteomics to uncover new biological insights.

Reaction of Alkynyl- and Alkenyltrifluoroborates with Propargyldicobalt Cations: Alkynylation, Alkenylation, and Cyclopropanation Product Pathways

The Lewis acid-mediated Nicholas reactions of propargyl acetate-Co₂(CO)₆ complexes with a series of potassium alkynyltrifluoroborates and potassium alkenyltrifluoroborates are described. Alkynyltrifluoroborates directly alkynylate the intermediate propargyldicobalt cations. In contrast, alkenyltrifluoroborates proceed through one of the three modes of dominant reactivity: C-2-substituted alkenyltrifluorobrates directly alkenylate, predominantly with the retention of stereochemistry. C-1-substituted alkenyltrifluoroborates alkenylate at C-2. Potassium vinyltrifluoroborate incorporates a cyclopropane at the site propargyl to alkynedicobalt. Computational analysis of these systems explains the differential modes of reactivity of alkenyltrifluoroborates and outlines the probable mechanisms for the formation of each product.

Imaging Cannabinoid Receptors: A Brief Collection of Covalent and Fluorescent Probes for CB1 and CB2 Receptors

There has been an expanding public interest towards the notion that modulation of the sophisticated endocannabinoid system can lead to various therapeutic benefits that are yet to be fully explored. In recent years, the drug discovery paradigm in this field has been largely based on the development of selective CB2 receptor agonists, avoiding the unwanted CB1 receptor-mediated psychoactive side effects. Mechanistically, target engagement studies are crucial for confirming the ligand–receptor interaction and the subsequent biological cascades that lead to the observed therapeutic effects. Concurrently, imaging techniques for visualisation of cannabinoid receptors are increasingly reported in the literature. Small molecule imaging tools ranging from phytocannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) to the endocannabinoids as well as the purely synthetic cannabimimetics, have been explored to date with varying degrees of success. This Review will cover currently known photoactivatable, electrophilic, and fluorescent ligands for both the CB1 and CB2 receptors. Structural insights from techniques such as ligand-assisted protein structure (LAPS) and the discovery of novel allosteric modulators are significant additions for better understanding of the endocannabinoid system. There has also been a plethora of fluorescent conjugates that have been assessed for their binding to cannabinoid receptors as well as their potential for cellular imaging. More recently, bifunctional probes containing either fluorophores or electrophilic tags are becoming more prevalent in the literature. Collectively, these molecular tools are invaluable in demonstrating target engagement within the human endocannabinoid system.

Asymmetric Total Synthesis of 19,20-Epoxydocosapentaenoic Acid, a Bioactive Metabolite of Docosahexaenoic Acid

In this study, we report the first asymmetric total synthesis of 19,20-epoxydocosapentaenoic acid (19,20-EDP), a naturally occurring bioactive cytochrome P450 metabolite of docosahexaenoic acid, a major constituent of fish oil. Our strategy involves direct asymmetric epoxidation to produce an enantiopure β-epoxyaldehyde that can be appended to the rest of the skipped polyene core by Wittig condensation. Our route is step-economical and late divergent and could be an appealing method by which to synthesize EDP analogues for biological studies.

Synthesis and Functional Assessment of a Novel Fatty Acid Probe, ω-Ethynyl Eicosapentaenoic Acid Analog, to Analyze the in Vivo Behavior of Eicosapentaenoic Acid

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid that plays various beneficial roles in organisms from bacteria to humans. Although its beneficial physiological functions are well-recognized, a molecular probe that enables the monitoring of its in vivo behavior without abolishing its native functions has not yet been developed. Here, we designed and synthesized an ω-ethynyl EPA analog (eEPA) as a tool for analyzing the in vivo behavior and function of EPA. eEPA has an ω-ethynyl group tag in place of the ω-methyl group of EPA. An ethynyl group has a characteristic Raman signal and can be visualized by Raman scattering microscopy. Moreover, this group can specifically react in situ with azide compounds, such as those with fluorescent group, via click chemistry. In this study, we first synthesized eEPA efficiently based on the following well-known strategies. To introduce four C-C double bonds, a coupling reaction between terminal acetylene and propargylic halide or tosylate was employed, and then, by simultaneous and stereoselective partial hydrogenation with P-2 nickel, the triple bonds were converted to cis double bonds. One double bond and an ω-terminal C-C triple bond were introduced by Wittig reaction with a phosphonium salt harboring an ethynyl group. Then, we evaluated the in vivo function of the resulting probe by using an EPA-producing bacterium, Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10. This cold-adapted bacterium inducibly produces EPA at low temperatures, and the EPA-deficient mutant (ΔEPA) shows growth retardation and abnormal morphology at low temperatures. When eEPA was exogenously supplemented to ΔEPA, eEPA was incorporated into the membrane phospholipids as an acyl chain, and the amount of eEPA was about 5% of the total fatty acids in the membrane, which is comparable to the amount of EPA in the membrane of the parent strain. Notably, by supplementation with eEPA, the growth retardation and abnormal morphology of ΔEPA were almost completely suppressed. These results indicated that eEPA mimics EPA well and is useful for analyzing the in vivo behavior of EPA.

Chemical synthesis and biological evaluation of ω-hydroxy polyunsaturated fatty acids

ω-Hydroxy polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), natural metabolites from arachidonic acid (ARA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were prepared via convergent synthesis approach using two key steps: Cu-mediated CC bond formation to construct methylene skipped poly-ynes and a partial alkyne hydrogenation where the presence of excess 2-methyl-2-butene as an additive that is proven to be critical for the success of partial reduction of the poly-ynes to the corresponding cis-alkenes without over-hydrogenation. The potential biological function of ω-hydroxy PUFAs in pain was evaluated in naive rats. Following intraplantar injection, 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE, ω-hydroxy ARA) generated an acute decrease in paw withdrawal thresholds in a mechanical nociceptive assay indicating pain, but no change was observed from rats which received either 20-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (20-HEPE, ω-hydroxy EPA) or 22-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid (22-HDoHE, ω-hydroxy DHA). We also found that both 20-HEPE and 22-HDoHE are more potent than 20-HETE to activate murine transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor1 (mTRPV1).

Diazirine based photoaffinity labeling

Diazirines are among the smallest photoreactive groups that form a reactive carbene upon light irradiation. This feature has been widely utilized in photoaffinity labeling to study ligand-receptor, ligand-enzyme and protein-protein interactions, and in the isolation and identification of unknown proteins. This review summarizes recent advances in the use of diazirines in photoaffinity labeling.