Combining the Ugi-azide multicomponent reaction and rhodium(III)-catalyzed annulation for the synthesis of tetrazole-isoquinolone/pyridone hybrids

Multicomponent Reaction-Assisted Drug Discovery: A Time- and Cost-Effective Green Approach Speeding Up Identification and Optimization of Anticancer Drugs

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) have emerged as a powerful strategy in synthetic organic chemistry due to their widespread applications in drug discovery and development. MCRs are flexible transformations in which three or more substrates react to form structurally complex products with high atomic efficiency. They are being increasingly appreciated as a highly exploratory and evolutionary tool by the medicinal chemistry community, opening the door to more sustainable, cost-effective and rapid synthesis of biologically active molecules. In recent years, MCR-based synthetic strategies have found extensive application in the field of drug discovery, and several anticancer drugs have been synthesized through MCRs. In this review, we present an overview of representative and recent literature examples documenting different approaches and applications of MCRs in the development of new anticancer drugs.

Synthesis of 4-Tetrazolyl-Substituted 3,4-Dihydroquinazoline Derivatives with Anticancer Activity via a One-Pot Sequential Ugi-Azide/Palladium-Catalyzed Azide-Isocyanide Cross-Coupling/Cyclization Reaction

A new one-pot preparation of 4-tetrazolyl-3,4-dihydroquinazolines has been reported. The Ugi-azide reactions of 2-azidobenzaldehydes, amines, trimethylsilyl azide, and isocyanides produced azide intermediates without separation, which were treated with isocyanides to give 4-tetrazolyl-3,4-dihydroquinazoline derivatives through a sequential Palladium-catalyzed azide-isocyanide cross-coupling/cyclization reaction in moderate to good yields. The biological evaluation demonstrated that compound 6c inhibited breast cancer cells well and displayed broad applications for synthesis and medicinal chemistry.

A One-Pot Six-Component Reaction for the Synthesis of 1,5-Disubstituted Tetrazol-1,2,3-Triazole Hybrids and Their Cytotoxic Activity against the MCF-7 Cell Line

A high-order multicomponent reaction involving a six-component reaction to obtain the novel linked 1,5-disubstituted tetrazole-1,2,3-triazole hybrids in low to moderate yield is described. This one-pot reaction is carried out under a cascade process consisting of three sequential reactions: Ugi-azide, bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (SN2), and copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide reaction (CuAAC), with high atom and step-economy due the formation of six new bonds (one C-C, four C-N, and one N-N). Thus, the protocol developed offers operational simplicity, mild reaction conditions, and structural diversity. Finally, to evaluate the antitumoral potential of the synthetized molecules, a proliferation study was performed in the breast cancer (BC) derived cell line MCF-7. The hybrid compounds showed several degrees of cell proliferation inhibition with a remarkable effect in those compounds with cyclohexane and halogens in their structures. These compounds represent potential drug candidates for breast cancer treatment. However, additionally assays are needed to elucidate their complete effect over the cellular hallmarks of cancer.

Salicylaldehyde-Promoted Cobalt-Catalyzed C-H/N-H Annulation of Indolyl Amides with Alkynes: Direct Synthesis of a 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonist Analogue

A cobalt-catalyzed annulation of the C(sp²)-H/N-H bond of indoloamides with alkynes assisted by 8-aminoquinoline is reported for the synthesis of six-membered indololactams. The use of salicylaldehyde as the ligand is crucial for this transformation. The protocol has a broad scope for both alkynes and indoles. Preparing an active Co complex illustrates that salicylaldehyde plays a key role in the C-H activation step. The synthetic applications are proven by the gram-scale reaction and one-step construction of the multicyclic 5-HT3 receptor antagonist.