A Novel Synthesis of Rasagiline via a Chemoenzymatic Dynamic Kinetic Resolution

Vinyl 3-(Dimethylamino)propanoate as an Irreversible Acyl Donor Reagent in a Chromatography-free Lipase-Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of sec-Alcohols

The reported chemoenzymatic strategy involves the employment of vinyl 3-(dimethylamino)propanoate as an irreversible acyl donor in a chromatography-free lipase-catalyzed kinetic resolution (KR) of racemic sec-alcohols. This biotransformation is achieved in a sequential manner using CAL-B to affect the kinetic resolution, followed by a simple acidic extractive work-up furnishing both KR products with excellent enantioselectivity (E>200; up to 98 % ee). The elaborated method eliminates a single-use silica gel chromatographic separation and significantly reduces organic solvent consumption to foster a more environmentally friendly chemical industry.

Parkinson's Disease: Advances in Treatment and the Syntheses of Various Classes of Pharmaceutical Drug Substances

An overview of Parkinson's disease (PD) prevalence, diagnosis, and currently available treatment options is provided. A comprehensive list of different classes of marketed pharmaceutical drug products and the syntheses of various drug substances are summarized based on published literature.

Retention mechanisms of rasagiline and its analogues on superficially porous particle vancomycin- and teicoplanin-based chiral stationary phases

Retention and separation of enantiomers of amine derivatives of indane and tetralin (rasagiline and its analogues) on chiral stationary phases (CSPs) Chiral-T and Chiral-V with teicoplanin and vancomycin antibiotics grafted onto superficially porous silica particles under conditions of reversed-phase and polar organic chromatography were studied. The mobile phases (MP) were water-methanol and acetonitrile-methanol solvents modified with triethylamine-acetic acid buffer. The effects of molecular structure and physical properties of the analytes on enantioselective retention are discussed. The retention mechanism is hypothesized to involve the ion-ion attraction between the positively charged amino group of an analyte and the carboxylate anion of either antibiotic. The binding occurs outside of the antibiotic's aglycon basket that accounts for relatively low enantioselectivity observed. The presence of a large substitute at the analyte's amino group complicates enantiorecognition. The effect of the MP solvent composition on retention and enantioseparation was investigated. It is a complex phenomenon combined of different oppositely directed influences that resulted in different shapes, increasing, decreasing, or U-shaped, of the retention factor vs. composition dependences. A model taking into account the interaction of both solvents of a binary MP with both an analyte and an adsorption site was successfully applied to approximate a majority of the studied systems. Pros and cons of the model are discussed.

One-Pot Synthesis of Dioxime Oxalates

Dioxime oxalates, a type of carbonyl oximes, are well-known as clean sources of iminyl radicals that undergo key organic chemistry transformations. A series of dioxime oxalates is reported in this manuscript, obtained by the reaction of the corresponding oximes with oxalyl chloride and Et3N at room temperature. This one-pot method afforded three novel dioxime oxalates and the crystal structure of cyclopentanone dioxime oxalate analysis is also presented.

The evaluation of N-propargylamine-2-aminotetralin as an inhibitor of monoamine oxidase

Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors are established therapy for Parkinson's disease and act, in part, by blocking the MAO-catalysed metabolism of dopamine in the brain. Two propargylamine-containing MAO-B inhibitors, selegiline [(R)-deprenyl] and rasagiline, are currently used in the clinic for this purpose. These compounds are mechanism-based inactivators and, after oxidative activation, form covalent adducts with the FAD co-factor. An important consideration is that selegiline and rasagiline display specificity for MAO-B over the MAO-A isoform thus reducing the risk of tyramine-induced changes in blood-pressure. In the interest of discovering new propargylamine MAO inhibitors, the present study synthesises racemic N-propargylamine-2-aminotetralin (2-PAT), a compound that may be considered as both a six-membered ring analogue of rasagiline and a semi-rigid N-desmethyl ring-closed analogue of selegiline. The in vitro human MAO inhibition properties of this compound were measured and the results showed that 2-PAT is a 20-fold more potent inhibitor of MAO-A (IC₅₀ = 0.721 µM) compared to MAO-B (IC₅₀ = 14.6 µM). Interestingly, dialysis studies found that 2-PAT is a reversible MAO-A inhibitor, while acting as an inactivator of MAO-B. Since reversible MAO-A inhibitors are much less liable to potentiate tyramine-induced side effects than MAO-A inactivators, it is reasonable to suggest that 2-PAT could be a useful and safe therapeutic agent for disorders such as Parkinson's disease and depression.

A Biocatalytic Platform for the Synthesis of Enantiopure Propargylic Alcohols and Amines

Propargylic alcohols and amines are versatile building blocks in organic synthesis. We demonstrate a straightforward enzymatic cascade to synthesize enantiomerically pure propargylic alcohols and amines from readily available racemic starting materials. In the first step, the peroxygenase from Agrocybe aegerita converted the racemic propargylic alcohols into the corresponding ketones, which then were converted into the enantiomerically pure alcohols using the (R)-selective alcohol dehydrogenase from Lactobacillus kefir or the (S)-selective alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobacter brokii. Moreover, an enzymatic Mitsunobu-type conversion of the racemic alcohols into enantiomerically enriched propargylic amines using (R)-selective amine transaminase from Aspergillus terreus or (S)-selective amine transaminase from Chromobacterium violaceum was established. The one-pot two-step cascade reaction yielded a broad range of enantioenriched alcohol and amine products in 70–99% yield.

Understanding flow chemistry for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients

Multi-step organic syntheses of various drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and other pharmaceutically and agriculturally important compounds have already been reported using flow synthesis. Compared to batch, hazardous and reactive reagents can be handled safely in flow. This review discusses the pros and cons of flow chemistry in today’s scenario and recent developments in flow devices. The review majorly emphasizes on the recent developments in the flow synthesis of pharmaceutically important products in last five years including flibanserin, imatinib, buclizine, cinnarizine, cyclizine, meclizine, ribociclib, celecoxib, SC-560 and mavacoxib, efavirenz, fluconazole, melitracen HCl, rasagiline, tamsulosin, valsartan, and hydroxychloroquine. Critical steps and new development in the flow synthesis of selected compounds are also discussed.

A comparative study of thallium(iii) and iodine(iii)-mediated ring contraction reactions for the synthesis of indane

Ring contraction reactions were carried out using HTIB and TTN to compare yields as well as the protection group tolerance.

A Practical Electrophilic Nitrogen Source for the Synthesis of Chiral Primary Amines by Copper-Catalyzed Hydroamination

A mild and practical method for the catalytic installation of the amino group across alkenes and alkynes has long been recognized as a significant challenge in synthetic chemistry. As the direct hydroamination of olefins using ammonia requires harsh conditions, the development of suitable electrophilic aminating reagents for formal hydroamination methods is of importance. Herein, we describe the use of 1,2-benzisoxazole as a practical electrophilic primary amine source. Using this heterocycle as a new amino group delivery agent, a mild and general protocol for the copper-hydride-catalyzed hydroamination of alkenes and alkynes to form primary amines was developed. This method provides access to a broad range of chiral α-branched primary amines and linear primary amines, as demonstrated by the efficient synthesis of the antiretroviral drug maraviroc and the formal synthesis of several other pharmaceutical agents.

A stereoselective, catalytic strategy for the in-flow synthesis of advanced precursors of rasagiline and tamsulosin

The diastereoselective, trichlorosilane-mediate reduction of imines, bearing different and removable chiral auxiliaries, in combination either with achiral bases or catalytic amounts of chiral Lewis bases, was investigated to afford immediate precursors of chiral APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients). The carbon-nitrogen double bond reduction was successfully performed in batch and in flow mode, in high yields and almost complete stereocontrol. By this metal-free approach, the formal synthesis of rasagiline and tamsulosin was successfully accomplished in micro(meso) flow reactors, under continuous flow conditions. The results of these explorative studies represent a new, important step towards the development of automated processes for the preparation of enantiopure biologically active compounds.

Enantioselective bioreduction of benzo-fused cyclic ketones with engineered Candida glabrata ketoreductase 1 – a promising synthetic route to ladostigil (TV3326)

Engineered Candida glabrata ketoreductase 1 variants are applied to the bioreduction of benzo-fused cyclic ketones. Particularly, these biocatalysts showed excellent enantioselectivity towards a key intermediate of Ladostigil.

New recombinant cyclohexylamine oxidase variants for deracemization of secondary amines by orthogonally assaying designed mutants with structurally diverse substrates

To further expand the substrate range of the cyclohexylamine oxidase (CHAO) from Brevibacterium oxydans, a library of diverse mutants was created and assayed toward a group of structurally diverse substrates. Among them, mutants T198A and M226A exhibited enhanced activity relative to wt CHAO for most (S)-enantiomers of primary amines and some secondary amines. While mutants T198I, L199I, L199F, M226I and M226T were more active than wt CHAO toward the primary amines, mutants T198F, L199T, Y321A, Y321T, Y321I and Y321F enhanced the enzyme activity toward the secondary amines. In particular, mutant Y321I displayed an enhanced catalytic efficiency toward 1-(4-methoxybenzyl)-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8-octahydroisoquinoline (13). Whereas a double mutant, Y321I/M226T, acted on (S)-N-(prop-2-yn-1-yl)-2, 3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-amine [(S)-8]. Since (R)-8 is an irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase and (S)-13 is an intermediate of dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant drug, deracemizations of 8 and 13 were carried out with crude enzyme extracts of the respective mutants. This resulted in 51% and 78% isolated yields of (R)-8 and (S)-13, respectively, each with high enantiomeric excess (93% and 99% ee). The results demonstrated the application potential of the evolved CHAO mutants in drug synthesis requiring chiral secondary amines.

Aerobic biosynthesis of hydrocinnamic acids in Escherichia coli with a strictly oxygen-sensitive enoate reductase

3-Phenylpropionic acid (3PPA) and 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid (HPPA) are important commodity aromatic acids widely used in food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Currently, 3PPA and HPPA are mainly manufactured through chemical synthesis, which contains multiple steps involving toxic solvents and catalysts harmful to environment. Therefore, replacement of such existing petroleum-derived approaches with simple and environmentally friendly biological processes is highly desirable for manufacture of these chemicals. Here, for the first time we demonstrated the de novo biosynthesis of 3PPA and HPPA using simple carbon sources in E. coli by extending the cinnamic acids biosynthesis pathways through biological hydrogenation. We first screened 11 2-enoate reductases (ER) from nine microorganisms, leading to efficient conversion of cinnamic acid and p-coumaric acid to 3PPA and HPPA, respectively. Surprisingly, we found a strictly oxygen-sensitive Clostridia ER capable of functioning efficiently in E. coli even under aerobic conditions. On this basis, reconstitution of the full pathways led to the de novo production of 3PPA and HPPA and the accumulation of the intermediates (cinnamic acid and p-coumaric acid) with cell toxicity. To address this problem, different expression strategies were attempted to optimize individual enzyme׳s expression level and minimize intermediates accumulation. Finally, the titers of 3PPA and HPPA reached 366.77mg/L and 225.10mg/L in shake flasks, respectively. This study not only demonstrated the potential of microbial approach as an alternative to chemical process, but also proved the possibility of using oxygen-sensitive enzymes under aerobic conditions.

Enantioselective Hydrosilylation of Imines Catalyzed by Chiral Zinc Acetate Complexes

A series of zinc acetate complexes with optically pure diphenylethanediamine (DPEDA)-derived ligands have been employed as enantioselective catalyst for the hydrosilylation of various imines. High control of stereoselectivity (up to 97% ee) and excellent yields (up to 96%) were gained for a broad range of N-phosphinoylimines by using (R,R)-N,N'-dibenzyl-1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diamine. This is the first successful application of an air-stable and environmentally friendly chiral Zn(OAc)2 complex instead of the previously used harmful diethylzinc in the asymmetric reduction of the C═N double bond.

Exploiting sequential lipase-catalyzed reactions to achieve enantiomerically pure chiral primary alcohols

The lipase-catalyzed enantioselective acetylation of benzofused cycloalkane-containing primary alcohols with vinyl acetate was performed and allowed the isolation of enantiopure alcohols.