Diastereoselective synthesis of hydantoin- and isoxazoline-substituted dispirocyclobutanoids

1,6-Dioxo-2-azaspiro[3.4]oct-2-enes and Related Spirocycles: Heterocycles from [3 + 2] Nitrile Oxide Cycloadditions with 2-Methyleneoxetanes, -Thietanes, and -Azetidines

Isoxazolines and 4-membered heterocycles are significant structural motifs in numerous synthetic intermediates and natural products. [3 + 2] Cycloadditions between enol ethers and nitrile oxides have been well studied; however, nitrile oxide cycloadditions with 4-membered heterocycles to give spiroisoxazolines are unreported. Here, we showcase the regio- and diastereoselective [3 + 2] nitrile oxide cycloadditions of 2-methyleneoxetanes, -azetidines, and -thietanes to give an array of 1,6-dioxo-2-azaspiro[3.4]oct-2-enes and related spirocycles. 2D NMR experiments suggested that most of the observed diastereoselectivities were dictated by steric interactions; however, dipolarophiles with H bonding donors reversed the stereochemical outcome. X-ray crystallography confirmed the structural assignments.

Designed Synthesis of Diversely Substituted Hydantoins and Hydantoin-Based Hybrid Molecules: A Personal Account

Hydantoin and its analogues such as thiohydantoin and iminohydantoin have received substantial attention from both a chemical and a biological point of view. Several compounds of this class have shown useful pharmacological activities such as anticonvulsant, antitumor, antiarrhythmic, and herbicidal properties that have led, in some cases, to clinical applications. Because of these broad-spectrum activities, intensive research efforts have been dedicated in industry and academia to the synthesis and structural modifications of hydantoin and its derivatives. Realizing the importance of hydantoin in organic and medicinal chemistry, we also initiated a research program that successfully designed and developed new routes and methods for the formation of hydantoin, thiohydantoin, and iminohydantoin substituted at various positions, particularly at the N-1 position without following a protection–deprotection strategy. Because combinations of two or more pharmacophoric groups can lead to hybrid molecules that display a mixed mechanism of action on biological targets, we extended our developed strategy to the syntheses of new types of hydantoin-based hybrid molecules by combining hydantoin with a triazole, isoxazoline, or phosphate scaffold as a second pharmacophore to exploit their diverse biological functions.

1 Introduction

2 Chemistry and Properties

2.1 Physical Properties

2.2 Chemical Properties

2.3 Biological Properties

3 General Synthetic Methods

4 Synthesis of Diversely Substituted Hydantoins

5 Synthesis of Diversely Substituted Thiohydantoins

6 Synthesis of Diversely Substituted Iminohydantoins

7 Fused or Bicyclic (Thio)hydantoins

8 Di- or Multivalent (Thio)hydantoins

9 Hydantoin-Based Hybrid Molecules

9.1 Hydantoin–Isooxazoline Hybrids

9.2 Hydantoin–Triazole Hybrids

9.3 Hydantoin–Phosphate Hybrids: Phosphorylated Hydantoins

10 Summary and Outlook

An Old Story in the Parallel Synthesis World: An Approach to Hydantoin Libraries

An approach to the parallel synthesis of hydantoin libraries by reaction of in situ generated 2,2,2-trifluoroethylcarbamates and α-amino esters was developed. To demonstrate utility of the method, a library of 1158 hydantoins designed according to the lead-likeness criteria (MW 200-350, cLogP 1-3) was prepared. The success rate of the method was analyzed as a function of physicochemical parameters of the products, and it was found that the method can be considered as a tool for lead-oriented synthesis. A hydantoin-bearing submicromolar primary hit acting as an Aurora kinase A inhibitor was discovered with a combination of rational design, parallel synthesis using the procedures developed, in silico and in vitro screenings.

Parallel Synthesis of Structurally Diverse Aminobenzimidazole Tethered Sultams and Benzothiazepinones

A solid-phase methodology to construct aminobenzimidazole tethered sultams and benzothiazepinones from commercial amino acids, amines, carboxylic acids and sulfonyl chlorides is described. Coupling of Fmoc-Cys(Trt)-OH to resin-bound aminobenzimidazole scaffold provided an essential precursor for the construction of a variety of seven membered benzofused cyclic sulfonamides and thiazepinones via palladium catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig type intramolecular cyclization.

Structure-activity relationship study of novel necroptosis inhibitors

Necroptosis is a regulated caspase-independent cell death mechanism that results in morphological features resembling necrosis. It can be induced in a FADD-deficient variant of human Jurkat T cells treated with TNF-alpha. 5-(1H-Indol-3-ylmethyl)-2-thiohydantoins and 5-(1H-indol-3-ylmethyl)hydantoins were found to be potent necroptosis inhibitors (called necrostatins). A SAR study revealed that several positions of the indole were intolerant of substitution, while small substituents at the 7-position resulted in increased inhibitory activity. The hydantoin ring was also quite sensitive to structural modifications. A representative member of this compound class demonstrated moderate pharmacokinetic characteristics and readily entered the central nervous system upon intravenous administration.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new amino acids structurally related to the antitumor agent acivicin

A set of racemic conformationally constrained analogues of the antitumor antibiotic acivicin (+)-1 has been prepared through a strategy based on 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of bromonitrile oxide to suitable dipolarophiles. The bromo analogue (2) of acivicin was also synthesized and tested as a reference compound, together with its stereoisomer 3. The antitumor properties of novel amino acids 4-7 were evaluated in vitro against human tumor cell lines. Their efficacy to inhibit glutamate synthase (GltS) from Azospirillum brasilense was also assayed. None of the studied compounds, but 2, showed significant activity.

Synthesis and pharmacology of 3-hydroxy-delta2-isoxazoline-cyclopentane analogues of glutamic acid

The synthesis and pharmacology of two potential glutamic acid receptor ligands are described. Preparation of the bicyclic 3-hydroxy-delta2-isoxazoline-cyclopentane derivatives (+/-)-7 and (+/-)-8 was accomplished via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of bromonitrile oxide to suitably protected 1-amino-cyclopent-3-enecarboxylic acids. Their structure was established using a combination of 1H NMR spectroscopy and molecular mechanics calculations carried out on the intermediate cycloadducts (+/-)-11 and (+/-)-12. Amino acid derivatives (+/-)-7 and (+/-)-8 were assayed at ionotropic and metabotropic glutamic acid receptor subtypes and their activity compared with that of trans-ACPD and cis-ACPD. The results show that the replacement of the omega-carboxylic group of the model compounds with the 3-hydroxy-delta2-isoxazoline moiety abolishes or reduces drastically the activity at the metabotropic glutamate receptors. Conversely, on passing from cis-ACPD to derivative (+/-)-8, the agonist activity at NMDA receptors is almost unaffected.

Stereoselective synthesis of unnatural spiroisoxazolinoproline-based amino acids and derivatives

A route to spiroisoxazolinoproline-based amino acid derivatives is reported in which exo-methyleneprolinate 4 (tert-butyl ester) reacts as a dipolarophile with nitrile oxides to generate spiroisoxazolinoprolinates 7/10/11 in good yields (70-75%) and with ca. 1:4 cis:trans diastereoselectivity. tert-Butyl spiroisoxazolinoprolinates were separable by column chromatography and amenable to scale-up leading to single diastereoisomers of N-Boc and N-Fmoc protected spiroisoxazolinoproline amino acids.

Solid-phase synthesis of novel isoxazolocyclobutanones and isoxazolinocyclobutenones

[reaction: see text] The preparation of novel isoxazolocyclobutanone and isoxazolinocyclobutenone derivatives via a traceless solid-phase sulfone linker strategy is described. Key steps in the solid-phase protocol reported here include (i) sulfinate right arrow sulfone alkylation, (ii) four-member ring formation by sulfone dianion alkylation, (iii) heterocycle formation by nitrile oxide 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, and (iv) traceless product release by cyclobutanol right arrow cyclobutanone oxidation with concomitant linker cleavage by sulfinate elimination.