Synthesis of sugar enones and their use as powerful synthetic precursors of thiodisaccharides

Monosaccharide derivatives having a double bond conjugated to a carbonyl (sugar enones or enuloses) are relevant synthetic tools. They are also suitable starting materials, or versatile intermediates, for the synthesis of a wide variety of natural or synthetic compounds with a broad spectrum of biological and pharmacological activities. The preparation of enones is mainly focused on the search for more efficient and diastereoselective synthetic methodologies. The usefulness of enuloses relies on the diverse reaction possibilities offered by alkene and carbonyl double bonds, which are prone to undergo varied reactions such as halogenation, nitration, epoxidation, reduction, addition, etc. The addition of thiol groups that led to sulfur glycomimetics, such as thiooligosaccharides, is particularly relevant. Therefore, the synthesis of enuloses and the Michael addition of sulfur nucleophiles to give thiosugars or thiodisaccharides are discussed here. Chemical modifications of the conjugate addition products to afford biologically active compounds are also reported.

Combining Enantioselective Rh-Catalyzed Conjugate Addition and Ir-Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation in Stereodivergent, Multicomponent Coupling Reactions to Form Three Stereocenters

Stereodivergent dual catalysis has emerged as a powerful tool to selectively prepare all four stereoisomers in molecules containing two chiral centers from common starting materials. Most processes involve the use of two substrates, and it remains challenging to use dual catalyst approaches to generate molecules having three newly formed stereocenters with high diastereo- and enantioselectivity. Here we report a multicomponent, stereodivergent method for the synthesis of targets containing three contiguous stereocenters by the combination of enantioselective Rh-catalyzed conjugate addition and Ir-catalyzed allylic alkylation methodologies. Both cyclic and acyclic α,β-unsaturated ketones undergo β-arylation using aryl boron reagents to form an enolate nucleophile that can be subsequently allylated at the α-position. The reactions proceed often with >95% ee and with >90:10 dr. Epimerization at the α-carbonyl center enables the preparation of any of the eight possible stereoisomers from common starting materials, as demonstrated for cyclohexanone products.

Construction of Oxygen- and Nitrogen-based Heterocycles from p-Quinone Methides

In the last few years, there has been an explosive growth in the area of para-quinone methide (p-QM) chemistry. This boom is actually due to the unique reactivity pattern of p-QMs, and also their remarkable synthetic applications. In fact, p-QMs serve as synthons for unsymmetrical diaryl- and triarylmethanes, and also for the construction of diverse range of carbocycles and heterocycles. In the last few years, a wide range of structurally complex heterocyclic frameworks could be accessed through the synthetic transformations of structurally modified stable p-QMs. Therefore, the main focus of this review article is to cover the recent advancements in the transition-metal, Lewis acid and base-catalyzed/mediated synthetic transformations of the stable p-quinone methides (p-QMs) to oxygen- and nitrogen-containing heterocycles.

Total Synthesis of Panaginsene

The total synthesis of panaginsene has been accomplished in 11 linear steps starting from methyl 3,3-dimethyl-5-oxocyclopent-1-ene-1-carboxylate. The key steps are a Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation and Ti(III)-mediated reductive epoxide opening-radical cyclization to construct the chiral quaternary carbon stereocenter followed by a very challenging HWE olefination reaction on an 1,3-keto aldehyde and a late stage McMurry olefination using low valent titanium to construct the highly constrained angular tetrasubstituted olefin in a five-membered ring.

Synthesis of enamino-2-oxindoles via conjugate addition between α-azido ketones and 3-alkenyl oxindoles: Cytotoxicity evaluation and apoptosis inducing studies

A facile method for the construction of double bond between 3-ylidene oxindoles and α-azido ketones has been successfully accomplished with a mild base. This method features azido reduction with concomitant double bond formation to provide the new class of bioactive enamino-2-oxindoles. These new compounds were screened for their in vitro cytotoxic potential on selected human cancer cell lines such as colon, lung, breast, and cervical cancer cells. Among them, representative compounds 3a, 3h, 3k, 3p, 3w and 3x showed notable cytotoxicity profile with IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.40 ± 0.10 to 28.7 ± 0.36 µM. Compound 3k displayed most potent cytotoxicity against lung cancer (NCI-H460) cells with an IC₅₀ value of 1.40 ± 0.10 µM. 3k also arrested the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and induced distinctive apoptotic features on lung cancer cells. The apoptosis induction is supported by various cellular assays such as AO/EB, DAPI, and DCFDA staining studies including clonogenic assay. Extent of apoptosis was also analyzed by Annexin binding and JC-1 staining. Moreover, this method is amenable for the generation of a library of new class of stable bioactive enamino-2-oxindoles.

Rapid access to the core skeleton of the [3 + 2]-type dimeric pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids by triplet ketone-mediated C-H functionalization

The ability of triplet ketones to abstract a hydrogen atom from hydrocarbons is reminiscent of that of the high-spin metal-oxo complexes in C-H oxidation enzymes. In practice, the reactivity of triplet ketones is easier to control and applicable to promoting a wider range of reactions. We demonstrate herein the synthetic utility of triplet ketone-mediated C-addition of methanol to cyclopentenone derivatives with an expedient synthesis of the core skeleton of the [3+2]-type dimeric pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids. Remarkably, this photochemical C-H functionalization reaction is highly regioselective and can tolerate a good range of functional groups.

Synthesis of diverse β-quaternary ketones via palladium-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to cyclic enones

The development and optimization of a palladium-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to cyclic enone conjugate acceptors is described. These reactions employ air-stable and readily-available reagents in an operationally simple and robust transformation that yields β-quaternary ketones in high yields and enantioselectivities. Notably, the reaction itself is highly tolerant of atmospheric oxygen and moisture and therefore does not require the use of dry or deoxygenated solvents, specially purified reagents, or an inert atmosphere. The ring size and β-substituent of the enone are highly variable, and a wide variety of β-quaternary ketones can be synthesized. More recently, the use of NH4PF6 has further expanded the substrate scope to include heteroatom-containing arylboronic acids and β-acyl enone substrates.

Design of a hydrogen peroxide-activatable agent that specifically targets cancer cells

Some cancers, like acute myeloid leukemia (AML), use reactive oxygen species to endogenously activate cell proliferation and angiogenic signaling cascades. Thus many cancers display increases in reactive oxygen like hydrogen peroxide concentrations. To translate this finding into a therapeutic strategy we designed new hydrogen peroxide-activated agents with two key molecular pharmacophores. The first pharmacophore is a peroxide-acceptor and the second is a pendant amine. The acceptor is an N-(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)acetamide susceptible to hydrogen peroxide oxidation. We hypothesized that selectivity between AML and normal cells could be achieved by tuning the pendant amine. Synthesis and testing of fourteen compounds that differed at the pendent amine led to the identification of an agent (14) with 2μM activity against AML cancer cells and an eleven fold-lower activity in healthy CD34+ blood stem cells. Interestingly, analysis shows that upon oxidation the pendant amine cyclizes, ejecting water, with the acceptor to give a bicyclic compound capable of reacting with nucleophiles. Preliminary mechanistic investigations show that AML cells made from addition of two oncogenes (NrasG12D and MLL-AF9) increase the ROS-status, is initially an anti-oxidant as hydrogen peroxide is consumed to activate the pro-drug, and cells respond by upregulating electrophilic defense as visualized by Western blotting of KEAP1. Thus, using this chemical approach we have obtained a simple, potent, and selective ROS-activated anti-AML agent.

A simple and effective coumarin-based fluorescent probe for cysteine

Acrylic acid 3-acetyl-2-oxo-2 H-chromen-7-yl ester (ACA) was rationally designed and synthesized as a simple and effective fluorescent probe for sensing cysteine with high selectivity and naked-eye detection. The probe can detect cysteine by fluorescence spectrometry with a detection limit of 0.657 μM and can be used with calf serum and in live cell imaging. The conjugate addition/cyclization sequence mechanism of the reaction between ACA and cysteine was confirmed by ESI-MS and fluorescence spectra.

Expedient synthesis of 17α,21-dihydroxy-9β,11β-epoxy-16α-methylpregna-1,4-diene-3,20-dione 21-acetate from prednisolone utilising a novel Mattox rearrangement

A six step transformation of prednisolone to 17α,21-dihydroxy-9β,11β-epoxy-16α-amethylpregna-1,4-diene-3,20-dione 21-acetate has been achieved in 13% unoptimised yield. Novel conditions for effecting a Mattox rearrangement and double dehydration of prednisolone were identified. Enhanced knowledge on the oxidation of silyl Δ(19,20)-enol ethers and structural factors that impact the success of the oxidation are also presented.

Total synthesis of (-)-dihydroprotolichesterenic acid via diastereoselective conjugate addition to chiral fumarates

A diastereoselective conjugate addition of a variety of monoorganocuprates, Li[RCuI], to chiral fumarates to provide funtionalized succinates has been developed. The utility of this reaction is demonstrated in a concise total synthesis of (-)-dihydroprotolichesterenic acid that required only four steps and proceeded in an overall 31% yield.