Recent advances in the synthesis and synthetic applications of Betti base (aminoalkylnaphthol) and bis-Betti base derivatives

A [3+3] Aldol-SNAr-Dehydration Approach to 2-Naphthol and 7-Hydroxyquinoline Derivatives

A one-pot [3+3] aldol-SNAr-dehydration annulation sequence was utilized to fuse hindered phenols onto aromatic substrates. The transformation joins doubly activated 1,3-disubstituted acetone derivatives (dinucleophiles) with C5-activated 2-fluorobenzaldehyde SNAr acceptors (dielectrophiles) in the presence of K2CO3 in DMF at 65-70 °C to form polysubstituted 2-naphthols and 7-hydroxyquinolines. The reaction is regioselective in adding the most stable anionic center to the aldehyde followed by SNAr closure of the less stabilized anion to the electron-deficient aromatic ring. Twenty-seven examples are reported, and a probable mechanism is presented. In two cases where SNAr activation on the acceptor ring was lower (a C5 trifluoromethyl group on the aromatic ring or a 2-fluoropyridine), diethyl 1,3-acetonedicarboxylate initiated an interesting Grob-type fragmentation to give cinnamate esters as the products.

Recent advances in the transformation reactions of the Betti base derivatives

Betti bases are the products resulting from the one-pot multicomponent reaction involving 1-naphthol/2-naphthol, aliphatic/aromatic aldehydes, and secondary amines. This chemical process is commonly referred to as the Betti reaction. The significance of Betti bases in medicinal chemistry has grown substantially due to their diverse array of pharmacological applications. Furthermore, their synthetic utility is considerable, given their use as catalysts and ligands in asymmetric synthesis. Moreover, Mannich products, incorporating diverse functional groups such as -OH and -NH, find application in a range of organic reactions. This utilization enables the synthesis of novel C-C bond linkages and diverse heterocycles, including biologically active naphthoxazines, which hold biological applications such as antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer. The focus of this review article is on the application of aminonaphthol derivatives in transformation reactions and the synthesis of organic compounds, with particular emphasis on heterocycles.

Magnetite-supported montmorillonite (K10) (nanocat-Fe-Si-K10): an efficient green catalyst for multicomponent synthesis of amidoalkyl naphthol

Montmorillonite (K₁₀) loaded on magnetite silica-coated nanoparticles was made using simple co-precipitation methods. The prepared nanocat-Fe-Si-K₁₀ was analyzed using some techniques including field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), inductive coupling plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transmission-infrared spectra (FT-IR), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy (WDX). The catalytic activity of the synthesized nanocat-Fe-Si-K₁₀ has been examined in one-pot multicomponent transformations for the synthesis of 1-amidoalkyl 2-naphthol derivatives under solvent-free conditions. Nanocat-Fe-Si-K₁₀ was determined to be very active, having the ability to be reused 15 times without significant loss of catalytic activity. The suggested technique has several advantages, including excellent yield, minimum reaction time, a straightforward workup, and catalyst recycling, all of which are essential green synthetic aspects.

Zn Complex on Tryptophan-Functionalized MCM-41 as an Efficient and Promising Reusable Nanocatalyst in One-Pot Three-Component Synthesis of Amino Benzyl Quinolinols and Naphthols via a Betti Reaction

In this research, a Zn transition metallic complex on functionalized mesopore silica MCM-41 has been designed and utilized as an effective, recoverable, and thermally stable heterogeneous nanocatalyst in the formation of the C-C bond. Also, the synthesis of amino benzyl quinolinols and amino benzyl naphthol derivatives was performed by the three-component reaction of Betti from aromatic aldehydes, type II amines, and 8-hydroxyquinoline and 1-naphthol in the presence of the MCM-41-tryptophan-Zn nanocatalyst under reflux conditions. The short reaction times, high efficiency of the products, the easy separation of catalysts due to their heterogeneity, and their reusability are the advantages of this method. Finally, the nature of catalysts was studied by using some techniques such as the Fourier transform infrared spectrum, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, hot filtration test, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, and N₂ adsorption-desorption (BET). The synthesized heterogeneous catalysts showed perfect catalytic activity and also good recyclability in the Betti reaction. They could be reused at least for five consecutive cycles without significant loss of their catalytic activities.

Recent advances in the green synthesis of Betti bases and their applications: a review

Well-known Betti bases are the products obtained by the one-pot multicomponent reaction of 1-naphthol/2-naphthol, aliphatic/aromatic aldehydes, and secondary amines, and this reaction is known as the Betti reaction. During recent years, due to the unveiling of the pharmacological and synthetic potential of Betti bases, a tremendous increase in the studies reporting novel synthetic methods for the efficient synthesis of Betti bases was observed. This review presents the recent key developments in the green synthesis of the Betti bases and accounts for the significant number of the literature reported during 2019-2022. Both catalyst free as well as the catalyst promoted synthesis (nanocatalyst, biocatalyst, transition metal catalyst, etc.) along with the synthetic applications (catalyst, ligands/chiral auxiliaries, and valuable synthons), optoelectronic applications (fluorescence sensors for phosgene gas, Hg²⁺, and Cr³⁺ detection, quasi-reversible redox potential) and biological properties (anticancer agents, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agents, antitubercular agents, pesticidal agents, anti-Alzheimer agents, Topoisomerase I inhibitors, YAP-TEAD interaction inhibitors, and DNA binding and cleavage activity) are discussed. There is a surge of interest for the development of the green and efficient Betti reaction for the construction of C-C and C-N bond in a single-step reaction accessing Betti bases as products. Along with key methodological developments for the green synthesis of Betti bases, their applications in synthetic organic chemistry, optoelectronic sensors, advanced materials synthesis, agrochemicals and pharmaceutically active scaffolds, during the period of 2019-2022, have been considered.

Dual Targeting of MDM4 and FTH1 by MMRi71 for Induced Protein Degradation and p53-Independent Apoptosis in Leukemia Cells

MDM2 and MDM4 are cancer drug targets validated in multiple models for p53-based cancer therapies. The RING domains of MDM2 and non-p53-binder MDM2 splice isoforms form RING domain heterodimer polyubiquitin E3 ligases with MDM4, which regulate p53 stability in vivo and promote tumorigenesis independent of p53. Despite the importance of the MDM2 RING domain in p53 regulation and cancer development, small molecule inhibitors targeting the E3 ligase activity of MDM2-MDM4 are poorly explored. Here, we describe the synthesis and characterization of quinolinol derivatives for the identification of analogs that are capable of targeting the MDM2-MDM4 heterodimer E3 ligase and inducing apoptosis in cells. The structure-activity-relationship (SAR) study identified structural moieties critical for the inhibitory effects toward MDM2-MDM4 E3 ligase, the targeted degradation of MDM4 and FTH1 in cells, and anti-proliferation activity. Lead optimization led to the development of compound MMRi71 with improved activity. In addition to accumulating p53 proteins in wt-p53 bearing cancer cells as expected of any MDM2 inhibitors, MMRi71 effectively kills p53-null leukemia cells, an activity that conventional MDM2-p53 disrupting inhibitors lack. This study provides a prototype structure for developing MDM4/FTH1 dual-targeting inhibitors as potential cancer therapeutics.

Regioselective synthesis, physicochemical properties and anticancer activity of 2-aminomethylated estrone derivatives

The unique estrogen receptor (ER)-independent antiproliferative and apoptotic activity of 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME2) is well known, however, its use has been limited because of its poor oral bioavailability. In this study, novel 2-aminomethylated estrone (E) and estradiol (E2) derivatives structurally related to 2ME2 were synthesized, and their physicochemical properties as well as their in vitro cytotoxic effects were investigated in the hope of finding more selective antiproliferative agents with improved pharmacokinetic profile. The target compounds were synthesized from 2-dimethylaminomethylated E obtained regioselectively by a three-component Mannich reaction. Quaternization with methyl iodide followed by reacting the ammonium salt with various dialkyl and alicyclic secondary amines afforded the desired products in good yields. The reactions proceeded via a 1,4-nucleophilic addition of the applied secondary amines to the ortho-quinone methide (o-QM) intermediates, generated in situ from the salt by base-promoted β-elimination. The compound library has been enlarged with structurally similar E2 analogues obtained by stereoselective reduction and with some 17β-benzylamino derivatives prepared by reductive amination. The potential values of the novel E and E2 derivatives were characterised by means of three different approaches. At the first step compounds were virtually screened using physicochemical parameters. Physicochemical characterization was completed by kinetic solubility and in vitro intestinal-specific permeability measurement. Antiproliferative effects were additionally determined on a panel of malignant and non-cancerous cell lines. The evaluation of the pharmacological profile of the novel E and E2 derivatives was completed with the calculation of lipophilic efficacy (LiPE).

Revisiting the Synthesis of Betti Bases: Facile, One-pot, and Efficient Synthesis of Betti Bases Promoted by FeCl3•6H2O

BACKGROUND

Betti bases are pharmaceutically and synthetically important scaffolds due to their diverse range of biological activities and applications in key synthetic transformations in organic synthesis.

OBJECTIVE

This work has been sought to contribute to the development, design, and implementation of an improved green methodology with higher atom economy and lower E-factor values for the synthesis of Betti bases.

METHOD

To realize our objectives, we screened out different catalysts and reaction conditions using one-pot multicomponent modified Mannich reaction/Betti reaction by employing 2-naphthol, benzaldehyde and pyrrolidine as model substrates.

RESULTS

The developed methodology afforded functionalized Betti bases via FeCl3•6H2O catalyzed one-pot multicomponent Betti reaction under neat conditions at 110 °C (5-15 min) to afford functionalized Betti bases by using several aromatic aldehydes and secondary amines in 60-100% yields.

CONCLUSION

A facile synthetic methodology with higher atom economy and lower E-factor values to synthesize Betti bases via FeCl3•6H2O catalyzed one-pot multicomponent Betti reaction of 2-naphthol, aromatic aldehydes, and secondary amines under neat conditions at 110 °C has been reported. The developed methodology offers various advantages such as excellent yields (60-100%), short reaction time (5-15 min), wide substrate scope (12 examples), green reaction conditions, readily available catalyst, and easy purification (without column chromatography).

New insights into the reactivity of aminomethylene derivatives of resorc[4]arene: amine group transfer, conformational analysis, reaction mechanism

Using the example of aminomethylene derivatives of resorc[4]arene and their Michael reaction with 4-hydroxycoumarin, the possibility of transferring an amine molecule from substrate to product is demonstrated. The conformation of the aminocoumarin derivatives of resorc[4]arene formed is controlled by the polarity of the solvent. For one of the products, conformational analysis was performed by kinetic sampling using metadynamics (MTD). The energies of the final set of conformers were calculated by DFT (r2scan-3c). A reaction mechanism based on multiscale (ONIOM) Nudged Elastic Band (NEB-TS) reaction profile calculations is discussed.

Using the example of aminomethylene derivatives of resorc[4]arene and their Michael reaction with 4-hydroxycoumarin, the possibility of transferring an amine molecule from substrate to product is demonstrated.

Construction of chiral Betti base precursors containing a congested quaternary stereogenic center via chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed arylation of isoindolinone-derived ketimines

Synthesis of enantioenriched Betti base precursors containing a congested quaternary stereocenter.

Zn(OAc)2•2H2O-Catalyzed Betti Base Synthesis under Solvent-free Conditions

:

Zn(OAc)2•2H2O-catalyzed one-pot multicomponent reaction of Betti bases using β- naphthol, aldehydes, and amines, under neat conditions in moderate to excellent yields (68- 96%) is reported in this study. This synthetic protocol offers several advantages, such as operational simplicity, shorter reaction period, high yields, and easy work-up procedures.

Cu-decorated cellulose through a three-component Betti reaction: An efficient catalytic system for the synthesis of 1,3,4-oxadiazoles via imine CH functionalization of N-acylhydrazones

Materials functionalization through multicomponent reactions (MCRs) has recently attracted great attention due to the generation of outstanding features in materials. Herein, an efficient novel heterogeneous catalytic system was designed and synthesized via the MCRs functionalization of the most abundant biopolymer in nature, cellulose. In this regard, cellulose was oxidized using periodate as an oxidant agent, and then the resulted carbonyl functional groups participated in the three-component Betti reaction. The ICP-OES analysis was revealed that the functionalization of cellulose via this three-component reaction effectively improved the complexing ability of functionalized cellulose with Cu(II). The synthesized biocatalyst was characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, XRD, SEM, EDS, ICP, and TGA techniques. The efficiency of the designed biocatalyst was investigated in the CH functionalization reaction of N-acylhydrazones to synthesize 1,3,4-oxadiazoles. This biocatalyst's outstanding advantages are high yields, non-hazardous catalyst, mild reaction conditions, operational simplicity, and reusability.

Unravelling KDM4 histone demethylase inhibitors for cancer therapy

Epigenetic enzyme-targeted therapy is a promising new development in the field of drug discovery. To date, histone deacetylases and DNA methyltransferases have been investigated as druggable epigenetic enzyme targets in cancer therapeutics. Histone methyltransferases and lysine demethylase inhibitors are the latest groups of epi-drugs being actively studied in clinical trials. KDM4s are JmjC domain-containing histone H3 lysine 9/36 demethylase enzymes, belonging to the 2-OG-dependent oxygenases, which are upregulated in multiple malignancies. In the recent years, these enzymes have captured much attention as a novel target in cancer therapy. Herein, we traverse the discovery path and current challenges in designing potent KDM4 inhibitors as potential anticancer agents. We discuss the considerable efforts and proposed future strategies to develop selective small molecule inhibitors of KDM4s, highlighting scaffold candidates and cyclic skeletons for which activity data, selectivity profiles and structure-activity relationships (SARs) have been studied.

Engaging Isatins in Multicomponent Reactions (MCRs) - Easy Access to Structural Diversity

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) are a valuable tool in diversity-oriented synthesis. Its application to privileged structures is gaining relevance in the fields of organic and medicinal chemistry. Isatin, due to its unique reactivity, can undergo different MCRs, affording multiple interesting scaffolds, namely oxindole-derivatives (including spirooxindoles, bis-oxindoles and 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles) and even, under certain conditions, ring-opening reactions occur that leads to other heterocyclic compounds. Over the past few years, new methodologies have been described for the application of this important and easily available starting material in MCRs. In this review, we explore these novelties, displaying them according to the structure of the final products obtained.

Organocatalytic Synthesis of α-Triphenylmethylamines from Diarylketimines and Phenols

A formal Betti reaction between variously substituted phenols and benzophenone-derived imines to afford α-triphenylmethylamines is reported. The key to the success of this transformation is the in situ generation of the reactive benzophenone iminium species under organocatalytic conditions. Different phenols reacted smoothly, enabling the synthesis of an array of α-triphenylmethylamines, which are highly valued structural motifs in bioactive molecules and chemical sensors.

Characterization of Aminobenzylphenols as Protein Disulfide Isomerase Inhibitors in Glioblastoma Cell Lines

Disulfide bond formation is a critical post-translational modification of newly synthesized polypeptides in the oxidizing environment of the endoplasmic reticulum and is mediated by protein disulfide isomerase (PDIA1). In this study, we report a series of α-aminobenzylphenol analogues as potent PDI inhibitors. The lead compound, AS15, is a covalent nanomolar inhibitor of PDI, and the combination of AS15 analogues with glutathione synthesis inhibitor buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) leads to synergistic cell growth inhibition. Using nascent RNA sequencing, we show that an AS15 analogue triggers the unfolded protein response in glioblastoma cells. A BODIPY-labeled analogue binds proteins including PDIA1, suggesting that the compounds are cell-permeable and reach the intended target. Taken together, these findings demonstrate an extensive biochemical characterization of a novel series of highly potent reactive small molecules that covalently bind to PDI.

Estrone derived 2-naphthol analogue in the diastereoselective one-pot Betti-condensation

The utility of deoxy-isoequilenine synthesized from estrone as valuable 2-naphthol analogue is demonstrated in the three components Betti-condensation. A simple, efficient and green procedure for the synthesis of aminobenzylnaphthol analogues (so-called Betti bases) has been realized highly diastereoselectively by using (S)-phenylethylamine and 1- or 2-naphthaldehyde. The absolute configuration of the new chiral compounds obtained has been determined by means of NMR experiments and confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The chiral steroidal aminobenzylnaphthols have been evaluated as pre-catalysts for the addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes with enantioselectivities of up to 98% ee.