Progress toward the Total Synthesis of Lucentamycin A: Total Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 8-epi-Lucentamycin A

Bioinspired Palladium-Catalyzed Intramolecular C(sp3 )-H Activation for the Collective Synthesis of Proline Natural Products

Bioinspired palladium-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of amino acid derivatives containing a vinyl iodide moiety by C-H activation enabled rapid access to a wide range of functionalized proline derivatives with an exocyclic olefin. To demonstrate the practicality of this methodology, the functionalized prolines were used as intermediates for the synthesis of several natural products: lucentamycin A, oxotomaymycin, oxoprothracarcin, and barmumycin.

Covalent Inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum Glyceraldehyde 3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase with Antimalarial Activity in Vitro

Covalent inhibitors of PfGAPDH characterized by a 3-bromoisoxazoline warhead were developed, and their mode of interaction with the target enzyme was interpreted by means of molecular modeling studies: some of them displayed a submicromolar antiplasmodial activity against both chloroquine sensitive and resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum, with good selectivity indices.

Comprehensive Synthesis of Amino Acid-Derived Thiazole Peptidomimetic Analogues to Understand the Enigmatic Drug/Substrate-Binding Site of P-Glycoprotein

A novel set of 64 analogues based on our lead compound 1 was designed and synthesized with an initial objective of understanding the structural requirements of ligands binding to a highly perplexing substrate-binding site of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and their effect on modulating the ATPase function of the efflux pump. Compound 1, a stimulator of P-gp ATPase activity, was transformed to ATPase inhibitory compounds 39, 53, and 109. The ATPase inhibition by these compounds was predominantly contributed by the presence of a cyclohexyl group in lieu of the 2-aminobenzophenone moiety of 1. The 4,4-difluorocyclohexyl analogues, 53 and 109, inhibited the photolabeling by [¹²⁵I]-IAAP, with IC₅₀ values of 0.1 and 0.76 μM, respectively. Selected compounds were shown to reverse paclitaxel resistance in HEK293 cells overexpressing P-gp and were selective toward P-gp over CYP3A4. Induced-fit docking highlighted a plausible binding pattern of inhibitory compounds in the putative-binding pocket of P-gp. The current study underscores the stringent requirement by P-gp to bind to chemically similar molecules.

Total synthesis and structural revision of lucentamycin A

Lucentamycin A is a marine-derived peptide natural product harboring a unique 4-ethylidene-3-methylproline (Emp) subunit. The proposed structure of lucentamycin A and the core Emp residue have recently been called into question through synthesis. Here, we report the first total synthesis of lucentamycin A, which confirms that the ethylidene substituent in Emp bears an E geometry, in contrast to the originally assigned Z configuration. Synthesis of the desired (E)-Emp subunit required the implementation of a novel strategy starting from Garner's aldehyde.

Structure assignment of lucentamycin E and revision of the olefin geometries of the marine-derived lucentamycins

A new lucentamycin analogue, lucentamycin E (5), was isolated from the culture broth of the marine-derived actinomycete Nocardiopsis lucentensis, strain CNR-712. The absolute stereostructure of 5 was assigned by comprehensive analyses of NMR data and by application of the advanced Marfey's method. The planar structure of 5 was analogous to lucentamycins A-D, whereas the olefin geometry of the 3-methyl-4-ethylideneproline moiety was found to be E, opposite of that previously reported. Consequently, a reinvestigation of the olefin geometries of the 3-methyl-4-ethylideneproline residues of lucentamycins A-D showed that the olefin geometries of the substituted proline functionalities must be revised to (2S,3R,E)-3-methyl-4-ethylideneproline.

Mechanism-based inactivation by aromatization of the transaminase BioA involved in biotin biosynthesis in Mycobaterium tuberculosis

BioA catalyzes the second step of biotin biosynthesis, and this enzyme represents a potential target to develop new antitubercular agents. Herein we report the design, synthesis, and biochemical characterization of a mechanism-based inhibitor (1) featuring a 3,6-dihydropyrid-2-one heterocycle that covalently modifies the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) cofactor of BioA through aromatization. The structure of the PLP adduct was confirmed by MS/MS and X-ray crystallography at 1.94 Å resolution. Inactivation of BioA by 1 was time- and concentration-dependent and protected by substrate. We used a conditional knock-down mutant of M. tuberculosis to demonstrate the antitubercular activity of 1 correlated with BioA expression, and these results provide support for the designed mechanism of action.

Total Synthesis (+)-7-Bromotrypargine and Unnatural Analogs: Biological Evaluation Uncovers Activity at CNS Targets of Therapeutic Relevance

The first total synthesis of (+)-7-bromotrypargine, a β-carboline alkaloid from Ancornia sp. is reported. The synthesis proceeds in 9 steps, 8 steps longest linear sequence, in 36.9% overall yield. Biological characterization found that (+)-7-bromotrypargine is an H(3) antagonist, and a selective inhibitor of DAT and NET, without inhibiting SERT. Moreover, unlike electron rich congeners, (+)-7-bromotrypargine is not cytotoxic, and thus represents an attractive starting point for chemical optimization; therefore, we piloted a number of chemistries for the synthesis of unnatural analogs.

The 2-(Triphenylsilyl)ethoxycarbonyl-(“Tpseoc”-) Group: A New Silicon-Based, Fluoride Cleavable Oxycarbonyl Protecting Group Highly Orthogonal to the Boc-, Fmoc- and Cbz-Groups

Starting from 2-(triphenylsilyl)ethanol a new oxycarbonyl protecting group cleavable by fluoride ion induced Peterson-elimination has been developed. Known 2-(triphenylsilyl)ethanol has been prepared from commercially available triphenylvinyl-silane by a hydroboration-oxidation sequence using the sterically hindered borane reagent 9-BBN. The silyl alcohol was subsequently transformed into its chloroformate, imidazolylcarboxylic acid ester and p-nitrophenyl carbonate and used in standard protocols for the formation of carbamates and carbonates. The Tpseoc group proved to be highly resistant against acidic conditions applied in removal of tert-butyl esters and the t-Boc-group. It also withstood catalytic hydrogenation, treatment with morpholine, methylhydrazine and Pd-reagents/allyl-scavanger combinations, conditions required to cleave Cbz-, Fmoc-, phthalimide- and Alloc-groups. The Tpseoc-group is cleaved upon treatment with TBAF/CsF at 0 °C or r.t. with cleavage times reaching from <10 min. to 24 h. Its orthogonality, ease of cleavage and UV-detectability makes the Tpseoc-group a promising alternative to other widely used silicon based amine protecting groups like the Teoc- and SES-groups.