Targeting NOX2 with Bivalent Small-Molecule p47phox-p22phox Inhibitors

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase isoform 2 (NOX2) is an enzymatic complex whose function is the regulated generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). NOX2 activity is central to redox signaling events and antibacterial response, but excessive ROS production by NOX2 leads to oxidative stress and inflammation in a range of diseases. The protein-protein interaction between the NOX2 subunits p47phox and p22phox is essential for NOX2 activation, thus p47phox is a potential drug target. Previously, we identified 2-aminoquinoline as a fragment hit toward p47phoxSH3A-B and converted it to a bivalent small-molecule p47phox-p22phox inhibitor (Ki = 20 μM). Here, we systematically optimized the bivalent compounds by exploring linker types and positioning as well as substituents on the 2-aminoquinoline part and characterized the bivalent binding mode with biophysical methods. We identified several compounds with submicromolar binding affinities and cellular activity and thereby demonstrated that p47phox can be targeted by potent small molecules.

Carbofunctionalization of Terminal Alkynes via Rhodium Catalysis Enabling Formations of Four Different Bonds

Described here is the oxygenative carbofunctionalization of terminal alkynes mediated by combined rhodium catalysis that enables regioselective quadruple formation of C-C, C-H, C-O, and C-heteroatom bonds. Mechanistic studies suggest that a disubstituted rhodium vinylidene complex is generated upon C-C bond formation at the terminal alkyne with tethered electrophiles such as alkyl halides, aldehydes, imines, and Michael acceptors. Subsequent intermolecular transfer oxygenation of the rhodium vinylidene with pyridine N-oxide generates a rhodium-complexed ketene intermediate that reacts with a variety of heteroatom nucleophiles to give rise to cyclic carboxylic acid derivatives.

Regulation, genomics, and clinical characteristics of cuproptosis regulators in pan-cancer

Background

Cuproptosis, a copper-dependent controlled cell death, is a novel form of cell death that differs from known cell death mechanisms; however, its overall regulation in cancer remains elusive.

Methods

Multiple open-source bioinformatic platforms were used to comprehensively elucidate the expression levels, prognostic efficiency, potential biological functions, genomic and epigenetic characteristics, immune microenvironment, and drug sensitivity of cuproptosis regulators (ATP7A, ATP7B, DLAT, DLD, FDX1, GLS, LIAS, LIPT1, MTF1, NLRP3, PDHA1, PDHB, and SLC31A1) in pan-cancer.

Results

Cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) were upregulated in most cancers tested. In KIRC, KIRP, LGG, MESO, and PCPG, most highly expressed CRGs predicted a better prognosis but poorer prognosis in patients with ACC, LIHC, and UCEC. Pathway analysis confirmed that cuproptosis regulators were associated with the metabolism-related pathways. The expression of MTF1, NLRP3, and SLC31A1 was positively related with ImmuneScore, StromalScore, and ESTIMATEScore in almost all types of tumor, whereas ATP7B, DLAT, DLD, LIAS, PDHA1, and PDHB were significantly negatively correlated with the scores. In addition, CRGs were significantly correlated with RNA stemness score, DNA stemness score, microsatellite instability, and tumor mutational burden. The expression of ATP7A, ATP7B, LIAS, and DLAT was significantly positively correlated with the drug sensitivity of Docetaxel. ATP7A, LIAS, and FDX1 were significantly negatively correlated with the drug sensitivity of UNC0638, XMD13−2, YM201636, and KIN001−260.

Conclusions

The altered genomic and clinical characteristics of cuproptosis regulators were comprehensively elucidated, providing a preliminary basis for understanding the functions of cuproptosis in pan-cancer.

Synthesis of 1,2,3-Triazine Derivatives by Deoxygenation of 1,2,3-Triazine 1-Oxides

A convenient, efficient, and inexpensive method has been developed for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazine derivatives via deoxygenation of 1,2,3-triazine 1-oxide using trialkyl phosphites. Triethyl phosphite is more reactive than trimethyl phosphite, and both phosphites form their corresponding phosphates in these reactions. This procedure provides a range of aromatic and aliphatic substituted 1,2,3-triazine-4-carboxylate derivatives cleanly in high yields. Unexpected 1,2,4-triazine derivatives were also obtained as minor products during deoxygenation of 1,2,3-triazine-4-carboxylate 1-oxides having an aliphatic substituent at the 5-position.

A new mechanism for resonance Rayleigh scattering detection of minoxidil based on catalytic oxidation of silver nanoparticles

This work presents a new method for minoxidil detection based on silver nanoparticle (AgNP) oxidation. Minoxidil, which is a pyrimidine N-oxide, can be reduced to its corresponding pyrimidine via a redox reaction. In this system, acetate buffer serves as a proton source. AgNPs act as electron donors that contribute electrons to the reaction, producing Ag⁺. Consequently, the sizes and numbers of AgNPs in the system decrease, which results in a decline in their resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS). By monitoring the RRS intensity at 409 nm, a change in intensity was linearly related to the minoxidil concentration over a concentration range of 0.5 - 5.0 mM. The detection limit was 0.35 mM. This approach is simple and rapid. It is done by directly mixing the drug and AgNPs in an acidic buffer. The reaction was completed within 2 min. This proposed method was successfully utilized for quantification of minoxidil in topical hair-growth formulations.

Electrochemical two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) induced aerobic oxidation of α-diazoesters

Electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a powerful tool for introducing oxygen functional groups in synthetic chemistry. However, compared with the well-developed one-electron oxygen reduction process, the applications of two-electron oxygen reduction in electrochemical synthesis have been seldom studied. We present herein our recent progress in the oxidation of α-diazoesters to α-ketoesters by in situ generated hydrogen peroxide via a two-electron oxygen reduction approach. A diverse collection of valuable α-ketoester products was obtained with moderate to high yields under an exogenous-oxidant-free and metal catalyst-free electrochemical conditions.

Preparation of 4-(Nitromethyl)furan Derivatives and Their Application in the Syntheses of Bis(furan-2-yl)oximes

An efficient method for the preparation of tetrasubstituted furans, which contains a nitromethyl group at the 4-position, has been developed. The applications of 4-(nitromethyl)furans on the synthesis of highly functionalized bis(furyl)oxime were explored for the first time.

Photoinduced Diverse Reactivity of Diazo Compounds with Nitrosoarenes

A diverse reactivity of diazo compounds with nitrosoarene in an oxygen-transfer process and a formal [2 + 2] cycloaddition is reported. Nitosoarene has been exploited as a mild oxygen source to oxidize an in situ generated carbene intermediate under visible-light irradiation. UV-light-mediated in situ generated ketenes react with nitosoarenes to deliver oxazetidine derivatives. These operationally simple processes exemplify a transition-metal-free and catalyst-free protocol to give structurally diverse α-ketoesters or oxazetidines.

Copper on charcoal: Cu0 nanoparticle catalysed aerobic oxidation of α-diazo esters

By using a charcoal supported nano Cu⁰ catalyst (Cu/C), a highly efficient oxidation of α-diazo esters to α-ketoesters with molecular oxygen as the sole oxidant has been developed. In the presence of the Cu/C catalyst, 2-aryl-α-diazo esters with both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups can be oxidized to the corresponding α-ketoesters efficiently. Furthermore, this Cu/C catalyst can catalyse the reaction of aryl α-diazo ester with water to form aryl ketoester, 2-aryl-2-hydroxyl acetate ester and 2-aryl acetate ester. In this case, water is split by α-diazo ester, and the diazo group is displaced by the oxygen or hydrogen atom in water. Mechanistic investigation showed that the reaction of α-diazo ester with oxygen proceeds through a radical pathway. In the presence of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl piperidine nitrogen oxide, the reaction of α-diazo ester with oxygen is dramatically inhibited. Furthermore, the reaction of α-diazo ester with water is investigated by an isotopic tracer method, and GCMS detection showed that a disproportionation reaction occurred between α-diazo ester and water.

Straightforward Construction and Functionalizations of Nitrogen-Containing Heterocycles Through Migratory Insertion of Metal-Carbenes/Nitrenes

Nitrogen-containing heterocycles are widely found in various biologically active substrates, pharmaceuticals, natural products and organic materials. Consequently, the continuous effort has been devoted towards the development of straightforward, economical, environmentally acceptable, efficient and ingenious methods for the synthesis of various N-containing heterocycles and their functionalizations. Arguably, one of the most prominent direct strategy is regioselective C-H bond functionalizations which provide the step and atom economical approaches in the presence of suitable coupling partners. In this context, site-selective migratory insertion of metal carbenes/nitrenes to the desired C-H bonds has proven as a useful tool to access various functionalized nitrogen heterocycles. In this personal account, we highlight some of our contemporary development toward constructing N-containing heterocycles and their direct functionalizations via transition metal catalysed C-H bond functionalizations based on migratory insertion of metal-carbenes and nitrenes.

Metal-free visible-light-induced aerobic oxidation of α-diazoesters leading to α-ketoesters in air

A metal-free and visible-light-induced strategy has been established for the construction of α-ketoesters via aerobic oxidation of α-diazoesters with dioxygen in air at room temperature.

Highly chemoselective deoxygenation of N-heterocyclic N-oxides under transition metal-free conditions

Because their site-selective C-H functionalizations are now considered one of the most useful tools for synthesizing various N-heterocyclic compounds, the highly chemoselective deoxygenation of densely functionalized N-heterocyclic N-oxides has received much attention from the synthetic chemistry community. Here, we provide a protocol for the highly chemoselective deoxygenation of various functionalized N-oxides under visible light-mediated photoredox conditions with Na2-eosin Y as an organophotocatalyst. Mechanistic studies imply that the excited state of the organophotocatalyst is reductively quenched by Hantzsch esters. This operationally simple technique tolerates a wide range of functional groups and allows high-yield, multigram-scale deoxygenation.

Enamides and dienamides in phosphoric acid-catalysed enantioselective cycloadditions for the synthesis of chiral amines

This feature article describes how enamides and dienamides can participate in chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed enantioselective cycloadditions to prepare a wide range of cyclic amines.

Syntheses of 2-Iminoindolin-3-ones and 2-Alknyl-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones from 3-Diazoindolin-2-imines

3-Diazoindolin-2-imines reacted with nitrones to furnish 2-iminoindolin-3-ones through a Au(I)-catalyzed cascade oxygen transfer/imine exchange process. The prepared 2-iminoindolin-3-ones could be further transformed into 2-alknyl-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones through a Ag(I)-catalyzed reaction with terminal alkynes. A MeOH-triggered ring expansion mechanism involving cyclic iminium formation and nucleophilic addition is proposed for this novel alkynylation reaction. This two-step procedure provides a general and convenient approach to 2-alknyl-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones, which are privileged structures in medicinal chemistry.

Copper(I)-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidation of α-Diazoesters

A practical Cu-catalyzed oxidation of α-diazoesters to α-ketoesters using molecular oxygen as an oxidant has been developed. Both electron-poor and electron-rich aryl α-diazoesters are suitable substrates and provide the α-ketoesters in good yields. In this oxidative system, α-diazo-β-ketoesters are also compatible as substrates but unexpectedly furnish α-ketoesters via C-C bond cleavage, rather than the vicinal tricarbonyl products.

Application of Silicon-Initiated Water Splitting for the Reduction of Organic Substrates

The use of water as a donor for hydrogen suitable for the reduction of several important classes of organic compounds is described. It is found that the reductive water splitting can be promoted by several metalloids among which silicon shows the best efficiency. The developed methodologies were applied for the reduction of nitro compounds, N-oxides, sulfoxides, alkenes, alkynes, hydrodehalogenation as well as for the gram-scale synthesis of several substrates of industrial importance.

Disilanes as oxygen scavengers and surrogates of hydrosilanes suitable for selective reduction of nitroarenes, phosphine oxides and other valuable substrates

In this report, we demonstrate that the reaction of nitroarenes with hexamethyldisilane under various conditions affords a different range of compounds with excellent selectivity.

Dienamine-Catalyzed Nitrone Formation via Redox Reaction

The first catalytic method to directly introduce nitrone functionality onto aldehyde substrates is described. This reaction proceeds by an unprecedented organocatalytic redox mechanism in which an enal is oxidized to the γ-nitrone via dienamine catalysis, thereby reducing an equivalent of nitrosobenzene. This reaction is a unique example of divergent reactivity of an enal, which represents a novel strategy for rapidly accessing small libraries of N,O-heterocycles. Alternatively, divergent reactivity can be suppressed simply by changing solvents.

Synthesis of α-diazo-β-keto esters, phosphonates and sulfones via acylbenzotriazole-mediated acylation of a diazomethyl anion

The N-o-amino-acylbenzotriazoles exhibited an unprecedented transphosphorylation reaction leading to diazoacetyl phenylphosphoramidates.