Synthesis of Chroman-2,4-diones via Ring-Opening/Ring-Closing Reaction Involving Palladium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Aryloxycarbonylation

Palladium-catalyzed aminocarbonylation of 3-iodochromone was studied in the presence of primary and secondary amines using atmospheric pressure of carbon monoxide as a carbonyl source. This procedure successfully provided a library of chromone-3-carboxamides and 3-substituted chroman-2,4-diones in 40 to 92% isolated yields. The reaction proceeded via highly chemoselective aminocarbonylation (up to 100%) in the presence of secondary amines by using monodentate or bidentate phosphine ligands. The tendency of 3-iodochromone substrate to undergo ANRORC rearrangement with N-nucleophiles was crucial to shift the reaction toward an unprecedented chemoselective carbonylative transformation, where a late-stage carbonyl insertion is favored concomitantly to the last ring-closure step. The proposed aza-Michael addition/ring-opening/intramolecular aryloxycarbonylation sequence showed compatibility, uniquely, to primary amines when XantPhos was used as a ligand. The solid-state structures of chromone-3-carboxamide (2a) and chroman-2,4-dione (3s) were undoubtedly established by single-crystal XRD analysis. A catalytic cycle was proposed to rationalize the formation of the two types of carbonylated compounds.

A Concise Review of the Recent Structural Explorations of Chromones as MAO-B Inhibitors: Update from 2017 to 2023

Monoamine oxidases (MAOs) are a family of flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent enzymes that catalyze the oxidative deamination of a wide range of endogenous and exogenous amines. Multiple neurological conditions, including Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), are closely correlated with altered biogenic amine concentrations in the brain caused by MAO. Toxic byproducts of this oxidative breakdown, including hydrogen peroxide, reactive oxygen species, and ammonia, can cause oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction in brain cells. Certain MAO-B blockers have been recognized as effective treatment options for managing neurological conditions, including AD and PD. There is still a pressing need to find potent therapeutic molecules to fight these disorders. However, the focus of neurodegeneration studies has recently increased, and certain compounds are now in clinical trials. Chromones are promising structures for developing therapeutic compounds, especially in neuronal degeneration. This review focuses on the MAO-B inhibitory potential of several synthesized chromones and their structural activity relationships. Concerning the discovery of a novel class of effective chromone-based selective MAO-B-inhibiting agents, this review offers readers a better understanding of the most recent additions to the literature.

Selectfluor-triggered fluorination/cyclization of o-hydroxyarylenaminones: A facile access to 3-fluoro-chromones

A fast and efficient Selectfluor-triggered fluorination/cyclization reaction of o-hydroxyarylenaminones has been successfully developed. The reaction successfully provides an expedient method for the synthesis of 3-fluoro-chromones promoted by potassium carbonate, which shows readily available starting materials and is easy to operate. In addition, a plausible mechanism of this tandem cyclization reaction was proposed where 4 H-chromen-4-one, 2-(dimethylamino)-3,3-difluorochroman-4-one, and 3,3-difluoro-2-hydroxychroman-4-one were not found to be the reactive intermediates. Moreover, these novel compounds have been obtained in moderate to good yields, and their structures have been confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and high-resolution mass spectrometry.

The synthesis, crystal structure and Hirshfeld analysis of 4-(3,4-di-methyl-anilino)-N-(3,4-di-methyl-phen-yl)quinoline-3-carboxamide

The structure of the title quinoline carboxamide derivative, C26H25N3O, is described. The quinoline moiety is not planar as a result of a slight puckering of the pyridine ring. The secondary amine has a slightly pyramidal geometry, certainly not planar. Both intra- and inter-molecular hydrogen bonds are present. Hirshfeld surface analysis and lattice energies were used to investigate the inter-molecular inter-actions.

Crystal structures and Hirshfeld surface analyses of (E)-N'-benzyl-idene-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carbo-hydrazide and the disordered hemi-DMSO solvate of (E)-2-oxo-N'-(3,4,5-trimeth-oxybenzyl-idene)-2H-chromene-3-carbohydrazide: lattice energy and inter-molecular inter-action energy calculations for the former

The crystal structures of the disordered hemi-DMSO solvate of (E)-2-oxo-N'-(3,4,5-tri-meth-oxy-benzyl-idene)-2H-chromene-3-carbohydrazide, C20H18N2O6·0.5C2H6OS, and (E)-N'-benzyl-idene-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carbohydrazide, C17H12N2O3 (4: R = C6H5), are discussed. The non-hydrogen atoms in compound [4: R = (3,4,5-MeO)3C6H2)] exhibit a distinct curvature, while those in compound, (4: R = C6H5), are essential coplanar. In (4: R = C6H5), C-H⋯O and π-π intra-molecular inter-actions combine to form a three-dimensional array. A three-dimensional array is also found for the hemi-DMSO solvate of [4: R = (3,4,5-MeO)3C6H2], in which the mol-ecules of coumarin are linked by C-H⋯O and C-H⋯π inter-actions, and form tubes into which the DMSO mol-ecules are cocooned. Hirshfeld surface analyses of both compounds are reported, as are the lattice energy and inter-molecular inter-action energy calculations of compound (4: R = C6H5).

Monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors as potential neurotherapeutic agents: An overview and update

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors have made significant contributions and remain an indispensable approach of molecular and mechanistic diversity for the discovery of antineurodegenerative drugs. However, their usage has been hampered by nonselective and/or irreversible action which resulted in drawbacks like liver toxicity, cheese effect, and so forth. Hence, the search for selective MAO inhibitors (MAOIs) has become a substantial focus in current drug discovery. This review summarizes our current understanding on MAO-A/MAO-B including their structure, catalytic mechanism, and biological functions with emphases on the role of MAO-B as a potential therapeutic target for the development of medications treating neurodegenerative disorders. It also highlights the recent developments in the discovery of potential MAO-B inhibitors (MAO-BIs) belonging to diverse chemical scaffolds, arising from intensive chemical-mechanistic and computational studies documented during past 3 years (2015-2018), with emphases on their potency and selectivity. Importantly, readers will gain knowledge of various newly established MAO-BI scaffolds and their development potentials. The comprehensive information provided herein will hopefully accelerate ideas for designing novel selective MAO-BIs with superior activity profiles and critical discussions will inflict more caution in the decision-making process in the MAOIs discovery.

I2/DMSO-mediated multicomponent reaction of o-hydroxyaryl methyl ketones, rongalite, and DMSO: access to C3-sulfenylated chromones

An efficient I₂–DMSO reagent system-mediated multicomponent reaction strategy for the synthesis of C3-sulfenylated chromones from o-hydroxyaryl methyl ketones, rongalite, and dimethyl sulfoxide has been developed.

Searching for new cytotoxic agents based on chromen-4-one and chromane-2,4-dione scaffolds

Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide and novel anticancer agents for its better management are much needed. Benzopyrone-based compounds, such as chromones, possess several distinctive chemical and biological properties, of which the cytotoxicity against cancer cells seems to be prominent. In this study, two series of compounds based on chromen-4-one (3-10) and chromane-2,4-dione (11-18) scaffolds were synthesized in moderate/high yields and evaluated for cytotoxicity against HL-60, MOLT-4, and MCF-7 cancer cells using MTT assay. In general, the compounds exhibited moderate cytotoxic effects against the cancer cell lines, among which, a superior potency could be observed against MOLT-4 cells. Chroman-2,4-dione (11-18) derivatives had overall higher potencies compared to their chromen-4-one (3-10) counterparts. Compound 13 displayed the lowest IC₅₀ values against HL-60 (IC₅₀, 42.0 ± 2.7 μM) and MOLT-4 cell lines (IC₅₀, 24.4 ± 2.6 μM), while derivative 11 showed the highest activity against MCF-7 cells (IC₅₀, 68.4 ± 3.9 μM). In conclusion, this study provides important information on the cytotoxic effects of chromone derivatives. Benzochroman-2,4-dione has been identified as a promising scaffold, which its potency can be modulated by tailored synthesis with the aim of finding novel and dissimilar anticancer compounds.

Myxobacterial natural products: An under-valued source of products for drug discovery for neurological disorders

Age-related disorders impose noticeable financial and emotional burdens on society. This impact is becoming more prevalent with the increasing incidence of neurodegenerative diseases and is causing critical concerns for treatment of patients worldwide. Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and motor neuron disease are the most prevalent and the most expensive to treat neurodegenerative diseases globally. Therefore, exploring effective therapies to overcome these disorders is a necessity. Natural products and their derivatives have increasingly attracted attention in drug discovery programs that have identified microorganisms which produce a large range of metabolites with bioactive properties. Myxobacteria, a group of Gram-negative bacteria with large genome size, produce a wide range of secondary metabolites with significant chemical structures and a variety of biological effects. They are potent natural product producers. In this review paper, we attempt to overview some secondary metabolites synthesized by myxobacteria with neuroprotective activity through known mechanisms including production of polyunsaturated fatty acids, reduction of apoptosis, immunomodulation, stress reduction of endoplasmic reticulum, stabilization of microtubules, enzyme inhibition and serotonin receptor modulation.

Chromone as a Privileged Scaffold in Drug Discovery: Recent Advances

The use of privileged structures in drug discovery has proven to be an effective strategy, allowing the generation of innovative hits/leads and successful optimization processes. Chromone is recognized as a privileged structure and a useful template for the design of novel compounds with potential pharmacological interest, particularly in the field of neurodegenerative, inflammatory, and infectious diseases as well as diabetes and cancer. This perspective provides the reader with an update of an earlier article entitled "Chromone: A Valid Scaffold in Medicinal Chemistry" ( Chem. Rev. 2014 , 114 , 4960 - 4992 ) and is mainly focused on chromones of biological interest, including those isolated from natural sources. Moreover, as drug repurposing is becoming an attractive drug discovery approach, recent repurposing studies of chromone-based drugs are also reported.

Metal- and Solvent-Free Approach to Access 3-Se/S-Chromones from the Cyclization of Enaminones in the Presence of Dichalcogenides Catalyzed by KIO3

Herein, we describe a greener protocol for the one-pot synthesis of 3-Se/S-4H-chromen-4-ones. The desired products were obtained in good to excellent yields using 2-hydroxyphenyl enaminones and half equivalents of various odorless diorganyl dichalcogenides (S/Se) in the presence of glycerol (5 molar equiv) and KIO3 (15 mol %) as the catalyst under solvent-free conditions.

Discovery of New Chemical Entities for Old Targets: Insights on the Lead Optimization of Chromone-Based Monoamine Oxidase B (MAO-B) Inhibitors

The discovery of new chemical entities endowed with potent, selective, and reversible monoamine oxidase B inhibitory activity is a clinically relevant subject. Therefore, a small library of chromone derivatives was synthesized and screened toward human monoamine oxidase isoforms (hMAO-A and hMAO-B). The structure-activity relationships studies strengthen the importance of the amide spacer and the direct linkage of carbonyl group to the γ-pyrone ring, along with the presence of meta and para substituents in the exocyclic ring. The most potent MAO-B inhibitors were N-(3'-chlorophenyl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxamide (20) (IC50 = 403 pM) and N-(3',4'-dimethylphenyl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxamide (27) (IC50 = 669 pM), acting as competitive and noncompetitive reversible inhibitors, respectively. Computational docking studies provided insights into enzyme-inhibitor interactions and a rationale for the observed selectivity and potency. Compound 27 stands out due to its favorable toxicological profile and physicochemical properties, which pointed toward blood-brain barrier permeability, thus being a valid candidate for subsequent animal studies.

Recent developments on the structure–activity relationship studies of MAO inhibitors and their role in different neurological disorders

Development of MAO inhibitors as effective drug candidates for the management and/or treatment of different neurological disorders.

Crystal structures of ethyl 6-(4-methyl-phen-yl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-2-carboxyl-ate and ethyl 6-(4-fluoro-phen-yl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-2-carboxyl-ate

The crystal structures of two chromone derivatives, viz. ethyl 6-(4-methyl-phen-yl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-2-carboxyl-ate, C19H16O4, (1), and ethyl 6-(4-fluoro-phen-yl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-2-carboxyl-ate C18H13FO4, (2), have been determined: (1) crystallizes with two mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit. A comparison of the dihedral angles beween the mean planes of the central chromone core with those of the substituents, an ethyl ester moiety at the 2-position and a para-substituted phenyl ring at the 6-position shows that each mol-ecule differs significantly from the others, even the two independent mol-ecules (a and b) of (1). In all three mol-ecules, the carbonyl groups of the chromone and the carboxyl-ate are trans-related. The supra-molecular structure of (1) involves only weak C-H⋯π inter-actions between H atoms of the substituent phenyl group and the phenyl group, which link mol-ecules into a chain of alternating mol-ecules a and b, and weak π-π stacking inter-actions between the chromone units. The packing in (2) involves C-H⋯O inter-actions, which form a network of two inter-secting ladders involving the carbonyl atom of the carboxyl-ate group as the acceptor for H atoms at the 7-position of the chromone ring and from an ortho-H atom of the exocyclic benzene ring. The carbonyl atom of the chromone acts as an acceptor from a meta-H atom of the exocyclic benzene ring. π-π inter-actions stack the mol-ecules by unit translation along the a axis.

Discovery of the first A1 adenosine receptor ligand based on the chromone scaffold

The first potent and selective hA₁AR ligand based on the chromone scaffold is reported in this work.

A comparison of the structures of some 2- and 3-substituted chromone derivatives: a structural study on the importance of the secondary carboxamide backbone for the inhibitory activity of MAO-B

The crystal structures of the 3-substituted tertiary chromone carboxamide derivative, C17H13NO3, N-methyl-4-oxo-N-phenyl-4H-chromene-3-carboxamide (1), and the chromone carbonyl pyrrolidine derivatives, C14H13NO3, 3-(pyrrolidine-1-carbon-yl)-4H-chromen-4-one (3) and 2-(pyrrolidine-1-carbon-yl)-4H-chromen-4-one (4) have been determined. Their structural features are discussed and compared with similar compounds namely with respect to their MAO-B inhibitory activities. The chromone carboxamide presents a -syn conformation with the aromatic rings twisted with respect to each other [the dihedral angle between the mean planes of the chromone system and the exocyclic phenyl ring is 58.48 (8)°]. The pyrrolidine derivatives also display a significant twist: the dihedral angles between the chromone system and the best plane formed by the pyrrolidine atoms are 48.9 (2) and 23.97 (12)° in (3) and (4), respectively. Compound (3) shows a short C-H⋯O intra-molecular contact forming an S(7) ring. The supra-molecular structures for each compound are defined by weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, which link the mol-ecules into chains and sheets. The Cambridge Structural Database gave 45 hits for compounds with a pyrrolidinecarbonyl group. A simple statistical analysis of their geometric parameters is made in order to compare them with those of the mol-ecules determined in the present work.

New insights in the discovery of novel h-MAO-B inhibitors: structural characterization of a series of N-phenyl-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxamide derivatives

Six N-substituted-phenyl 4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxamides, namely N-(2-nitro-phen-yl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxamide, C16H10N2O5 (2b), N-(3-meth-oxy-phen-yl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxamide, C17H13NO4, (3a), N-(3-bromo-phen-yl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxamide, C16H10BrNO3, (3b), N-(4-methoxy-phen-yl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxamide, C17H13NO4, (4a), N-(4-methyl-phen-yl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxamide, C17H13NO3, (4d), and N-(4-hy-droxy-phen-yl)-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxamide, C16H11NO4, (4e), have been structurally characterized. All compounds exhibit an anti conformation with respect to the C-N rotamer of the amide and a trans-related conformation with the carbonyl groups of the chromone ring of the amide. These structures present an intra-molecular hydrogen-bonded network comprising an N-H⋯O hydrogen bond between the amide N atom and the O atom of the carbonyl group of the pyrone ring, forming an S(6) ring, and a weak Car-H⋯O hydrogen bond in which the carbonyl group of the amide acts as acceptor for the H atom of an ortho-C atom of the exocyclic phenyl ring, which results in another S(6) ring. The N-H⋯O intra-molecular hydrogen bond constrains the carboxamide moiety such that it is virtually coplanar with the chromone ring.

Navigating in chromone chemical space: discovery of novel and distinct A3 adenosine receptor ligands

One of the major hurdles in the development of effective drugs targeting GPCRs is finding ligands selective for a specific receptor subtype. Here we describe a potent and selective hormone-based hA₃ AR ligand (K_i of 167 nM) with a remarkable selectivity.