Direct conversion of cellulose to 1-(furan-2-yl)-2-hydroxyethanone in zinc chloride solution under microwave irradiation

Conversion of cellulose to 1-(furan-2-yl)-2-hydroxyethanone has been demonstrated in concentrated zinc chloride solution under microwave irradiation. Compared with the conventional oil-bath heating mode, microwave irradiation significantly reduced the reaction time and increased the yield of 1-(furan-2-yl)-2-hydroxyethanone. A typical degradation reaction with cellulose produced 1-(furan-2-yl)-2-hydroxyethanone in 12.0% molar yield in ZnCl₂ solution (ZnCl₂–H₂O ratio = 2.25:1, w/w) with microwave irradiation at 600 W for 5 minutes at 135 °C.     

Design,synthesis, and evaluation of novel 4-amino-2-(4-benzylpiperazin-1-yl)methylbenzonitrile compounds as Zika inhibitors

The prevalence of Zika virus (ZIKV) has become widespread in recent years. ZIKV infection is associated with severe congenital CNS malformations in both newborns and adults. However, neither vaccines nor therapeutics are available to control ZIKV infection until now. We started by hit screening our in-house small molecule library, then designed, synthesized, and evaluated a new class of 1, 4-bibenzylsubstituted piperazine derivatives for their cytopathic effect (CPE) protection effect in a ZIKV-infected Vero E6 cellular assay. A preliminary structure–activity relationship study identified five novel 4-amino-2-(4-benzylpiperazin-1-yl)methylbenzonitrile analogs with obvious CPE reduction effects against ZIKV at micromolar concentrations. Moreover, compound 3p exerted a significant antiviral effect on both Zika RNA replication and virus protein expression in a dose-dependent manner at low micromolar concentrations. This study demonstrated the potential of a novel 4-amino-2-(4-benzylpiperazin-1-yl)methylbenzonitrile scaffold for the development of anti-ZIKV candidates.     

4-(3-Alkyl-2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)-N-phenylbenzenesulfonamides as new antimitotic prodrugs activated by cytochrome P450 1A1 in breast cancer cells

The role and the importance of the sulfonate moiety in phenyl 4-(2-oxo-3-alkylimidazolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonates (PAIB-SOs) were assessed using its bioisosteric sulfonamide equivalent leading to new cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1)-activated prodrugs designated as 4-(3-alkyl-2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)-N-phenylbenzenesulfonamides (PAIB-SAs). PAIB-SAs are active in the submicromolar to low micromolar range showing selectivity toward CYP1A1-expressing MCF7 cells as compared to cells devoid of CYP1A1 activity such as MDA-MB-231 and HaCaT cells. The most potent, PAIB-SA 13, bearing a trimethoxyphenyl group on ring B blocks the cell cycle progression in G2/M phase, disrupts the microtubule dynamics and is biotransformed by CYP1A1 into CEU-638, its potent antimicrotuble counterpart. Structure-activity relationships related to PAIB-SOs and PAIB-SAs evidenced that PAIB-SOs and PAIB-SAs are true bioisosteric equivalents fully and selectively activatable by CYP1A-expressing cells into potent antimitotics.     

3-(2-Methoxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)pyrazoles: a novel class of potent, selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors

A series of 3-(2-methoxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)pyrazoles (4–10) was synthesized. The compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity in human whole blood (HWB). The compound, 5-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-3-(2-methoxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-1-p-tolyl-1H-pyrazole 5 showed potent and selective COX-2 inhibition (IC₅₀ for COX-1: >100 μM and COX-2: 1.2 μM).     

2-(2-Aminothiazol-4-yl)pyrrolidine-based tartrate diamides as potent, selective and orally bioavailable TACE inhibitors

TNF-α converting enzyme (TACE) inhibitors are promising agents to treat inflammatory disorders and cancer. We have investigated novel tartrate diamide TACE inhibitors where the tartrate core binds to zinc in a unique tridentate fashion. Incorporating (R)-2-(2-N-alkylaminothiazol-4-yl)pyrrolidines into the left hand side amide of the tartrate scaffold led to the discovery of potent and selective TACE inhibitors, some of which exhibited good rat oral bioavailability.     

Design,synthesis of novel furan appended benzothiazepine derivatives and in vitro biological evaluation as potent VRV-PL-8a and H+/K+ ATPase inhibitors

A series of new of furan derivatised [1,4] benzothiazepine analogues were synthesized starting from 1-(furan-2-yl)ethanone. 1-(Furan-2-yl)ethanone was converted into chalcones by its reaction with various aromatic aldehydes, then were reacted with 2-aminobenzenethiol in acidic conditions to obtain the title compounds in good yields. The synthesized new compounds were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, Mass spectral studies and elemental analyses. All the new compounds were evaluated for their in vitro VRV-PL-8a and H⁺/K⁺ ATPase inhibitor properties. Preliminary studies revealed that, some molecules amongst the designed series showed promising VRV-PL-8a and H⁺/K⁺ ATPase inhibitor properties. Further, rigid body docking studies were performed to understand possible docking sites of the molecules on the target proteins and the mode of binding. This finding presents a promising series of lead molecules that can serve as prototypes for the treatment of inflammatory related disorder that can mitigate the ulcer inducing side effect shown by other NSAIDs.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-(5-methyl-4-phenyl-2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)-acetamide stereoisomers as novel positive allosteric modulators of sigma-1 receptor

Novel positive allosteric modulators of sigma-1 receptor represented by 2-(5-methyl-4-phenyl-2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)-acetamide enantiomers were synthesised using an asymmetric Michael addition of 2-nitroprop-1-enylbenzene to diethyl malonate. Following the chromatographic separation of the methyl erythro- and threo-4-nitro-3R- and 3S-phenylpentanoate diastereoisomers, target compounds were obtained by their reductive cyclisation into 5-methyl-4-phenylpyrrolidin-2-one enantiomers and the attachment of the acetamide group to the heterocyclic nitrogen. Experiments with electrically stimulated rat vas deference contractions induced by the PRE-084, an agonist of sigma-1 receptor, showed that (4R,5S)- and (4R,5R)-2-(5-methyl-4-phenyl-2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)-acetamides with an R-configuration at the C-4 chiral centre in the 2-pyrrolidone ring were more effective positive allosteric modulators of sigma-1 receptor than were their optical antipodes.     

Iodine catalyzed three component synthesis of 1-((2-hydroxy naphthalen-1-yl)(phenyl)(methyl))pyrrolidin-2-one derivatives: Rationale as potent PI3K inhibitors and anticancer agents

A series of 1-((2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)(phenyl)(methyl))pyrrolidin-2-one derivatives by an efficient iodine catalyzed domino reaction involving various aromatic aldehydes, 2-pyrrolidinone and β-naphthol was achieved and the structures were elucidated by FTIR ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and HRMS. Subsequently they were evaluated for cytotoxicity against breast cancer (MCF-7), colon cancer (HCT116) cell lines. In the cytotoxicity, the relative inhibition activity was remarkably found to be high in MCF-7 cell lines as 79% (4c), 83% (4f) and the IC₅₀values were 1.03 µM (4c), 0.98 µM (4f). Compounds 4a, 4e, 4k–m, and 4q were found to be inactive and rest showed a moderate activity. In order to get more insight into the binding mode and inhibitor binding affinity, compounds (4a–q) were docked into the active site phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) (PDB ID: 4JPS) which is a crucial regulator of apoptosis or programmed cell death. Results suggested that the hydrophobic interactions in the binding pockets of PI3K exploited affinity of the most favourable binding ligands (4c and 4f: inhibitory constant (ki) = 66.22 nM and 107.39 nM). The SAR studies demonstrated that the most potent compounds are 4c and 4f and can be developed into precise PI3K inhibitors with the capability to treat various cancers.     

Coordination characteristics of di-O-picolyl derivative of 1,1′-methylene-bis(2-naphthol): First crystal structure of a monomeric Cu(II) complex of bis{2-[(pyridin-2-yl)methoxy] naphthalen-1-yl}methane

Monomeric Cu(II) complex of bis{2-[(pyridin-2-yl)methoxy] naphthalen-1-yl}methane (L) having a composition, {[Cu(L)(H₂O)(ClO₄)](ClO₄)(CH₃OH)₂} (1) has been synthesized and characterized by analytical, spectral and magnetic methods and the structure has been established for the first time based on single crystal XRD. The Cu²⁺ center shows axially elongated octahedron with a bound water and perchlorate moieties, where two of the coordinations were long but within the van der Waals distance. The bound water, perchlorate ions and the methanol of crystallization are primarily responsible for the formation of extended lattice structure resulted from the intra-helical interactions. Complex 1 exhibit catecholase activity as studied using 3,5-di-tert-butyl catechol.     

Discovery of 2-ethoxy-4-(methoxymethyl)benzamide derivatives as potent and selective PTP1B inhibitors

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), a key negative regulator of insulin signaling, is considered as a promising and validated therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. Upon careful study, a series of 2-ethoxy-4-(methoxymethyl)benzamide and 2-ethoxy-5-(methoxymethyl)benzamide analogs designed by the “bioisosteric principle” were discovered, wherein their PTP1B inhibitory potency, type of PTP1B inhibition, selectivity and membrane permeability were evaluated. Among them, compound 10m exhibited high inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 0.07 μM), significant selectivity (32-fold) over T-cell PTPase (TCPTP) as well as good membrane permeability (P_app = 2.41 × 10⁻⁶ cm/s). Further studies on cell viability and cellular activity revealed that compound 10m could enhance insulin-stimulated glucose uptake with no significant cytotoxicity.     

First green synthesis of (R)-2-methyl-1-phenylpropan-1-ol using whole-cell Lactobacillus paracasei BD101 biotransformation

Abstract

Green chemistry includes a novel process in the production of drugs precursors and biological active molecules using biocatalysts, so reducing the threats for human sanitary and ecological pollutions. Asymmetric bioreduction of prochiral ketones by biocatalysts is one of the best prevalent used methods in synthetic organic chemistry due to the production of enantiopure chiral carbinols. This study emphasizes the application biocatalyst L paracasei BD101 for enantioselective bioreduction of 2-methyl-1-phenylpropan-1-one ketone, which contain branched alkyl chain, to (R)-2-methyl-1-phenylpropan-1-ol ((R)-2) in high yields and excellent enantiomeric excess (>99%). The scale-up production was performed, and 4.61?g of (R)-2 in enantiopure form was synthesized. L paracasei BD101 was proved to be a substantial biocatalyst in asymmetric bioreduction of a ketone which contains a branched alkyl chain. There is not any work in the literature similar to our study. Hence, it is important to work on filling this gap. This study is the first example for an enantiopure synthesis of (R)-2 by a biocatalyst. The new green method was developed for bioreduction of bulky ketones, which contains a branched alkyl chain, and it approves the synthesis of novel chiral carbinols in an easy, cheap, and environmentally friendly condition using L paracasei BD101.     

Computational validation of 3-ammonio-3-(4-oxido- 1H-imidazol-1-ium-5-yl) propane-1, 1-bis (olate) as a potent anti-tubercular drug against mt-MetAP

The advent of Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) necessitated search for new drug targets for the bacterium. It is reported that 3.3% of all new tuberculosis cases had multidrug resistance (MDR-TB) in 2009 and each year, about 0.44 million MDR-TB cases are estimated to emerge and 0.15 million people with MDR-TB die. Keeping such an alarming situation under consideration we wanted to design suitable anti tubercular molecules for new target using computational tools. In the work Methionine aminopeptidase (MetAP) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was considered as target and three non-toxic phenolic=ketonic compounds were considered as ligands. Docking was done with Flex X and AutoDock 4.2 separately. Ten proven inhibitors of MetAP were collected from literature with their IC50 and were correlated using EasyQSAR to generate QSAR model. Activity of ligands in question was predicted from QSAR. Pharmacophore for each docking was generated using Ligandscout 3.0. Toxicity of the ligands in question was predicted on Mobyle@rpbs portal and Actelion property explorer. Molecular docking with target showed that of all three ligands, 3-ammonio-3-(4-oxido-1H-imidazol-1-ium-5-yl) propane-1, 1-bis (olate) has highest affinity (- 37.5096) and lowest IC50 (4.46 µM). We therefore, propose that -3-ammonio-3-(4-oxido-1H-imidazol-1-ium-5-yl) propane-1,1- bis(olate) as a potent MetAP inhibitor may be a new anti-tubercular drug particularly in the context of Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB).     

3-[2-Amino-2-imidazolin-4(5)-yl]alanine (enduracididine) and 2-[2-amino-2-imidazolin-4(5)-yl] acetic acid in seeds of Lonchocarpus sericeus

3-[2-Amino-2-imidazolin-4(5)-yl]alanine (enduracididine) and 2-[2-amino-2-imidazolin-4(5)-yl] acetic acid have been isolated from seeds of Lonchocarpus sericeus. The concentration of each compound was ca 0.5 % of the fresh seed weight.     

Structure-activity relationship studies of novel pyrazole and imidazole carboxamides as cannabinoid-1 (CB1) antagonists

The synthesis and biological evaluation of novel pyrazole and imidazole carboxamides as CB1 antagonists are described. As a part of eastern amide SAR, various chemically diverse motifs were introduced on rimonabant template. The central pyrazole core was also replaced with its conformationally constrained motif and imidazole moieties. In general, a range of modifications were well tolerated. Several molecules with low- and sub-nanomolar potencies were identified as potent CB1 receptor antagonists. The in vivo proof of principle for weight loss is demonstrated with a lead compound in DIO mice model.     

1-(Benzofuran-2-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)aminopentane HCl, 3-F-BPAP,antagonizes the enhancer effect of (-)-BPAP in the shuttle box and leaves the effect of (-)-deprenyl unchanged

The subcutaneous administration of 1 mg/kg tetrabenazine, once daily for 5 days, which depletes the catecholamine stores in the brain, significantly inhibits in rats the acquisition of a two-way conditioned avoidance reflex in the shuttle box. Enhancer substances, the tryptamine-derived selective and highly potent enhancer, R-(-)-1-(benzofuran-2-yl)-2-propylaminopentane HCl [(-)-BPAP] (0.05-10 mg/kg), the beta-phenylethylamine (PEA)-derived enhancer, (-)-deprenyl (1-5 mg/kg) and the (-)-deprenyl analogue, free of MAO-B inhibitory potency, (-)-1-phenyl-2-propylaminopentane HCl [(-)-PPAP], (1-5 mg/kg), antagonize in a dose-dependent manner the inhibition of learning caused by tetrabenazine. 1-(Benzofuran 2 yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)aminopentane HCl [3 F BPAP], a newly synthetized analogue of (-)-BPAP with low specific activity, significantly antagonized the enhancer effect of (-)-BPAP but left the effect of (-)-deprenyl and (-)-PPAP unchanged. This is the first proof for a difference in the mechanism of action between a PEA-derived enhancer substance and its tryptamine-derived peer.     

Effect of anions on cadmium(II) complexes with ligand 2-(pyrazin-2-yl)-1H-benzimidazole

Three new supramolecular complexes based on a 2-(pyrazin-2-yl)-1H-benzimidazole (Hpbi) and a series of Cd(II) salts have been solvothermally synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Reaction of CdCl₂·2.5H₂O with Hpbi afforded a one-dimensional chain [Cd(Hpbi)Cl₂] (1), which exhibits a three-dimensional (3-D) supramolecular architecture through intermolecular X-H···Cl (X = N and C) hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking interactions. When using CdBr₂·4H₂O instead of CdCl₂·2.5H₂O under similar reaction conditions, a bisnuclear complex [Cd(Hpbi)₂Br₂] (2) is obtained, which obviously exhibits intermolecular X-H···Br (X = N and C) hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking interactions. When CdI₂ take place of CdCl₂·2.5H₂O, a mononuclear complex, [Cd(Hpbi)₂I₂] (3), is isolated, which shows a 3D supramolecule framework formed by intermolecule hydrogen bonds and π-π packing interactions. Interestingly, the Hpbi ligand exhibits the same coordination modes in complexes 1-3. It is noteworthy that the radius of anions plays an important role in affecting the structures and luminescent intensity of the final products. The TGA for 1-3 have been investigated and discussed in detail.     

Design and synthesis of novel 1-phenyl-3-(5-(pyrimidin-4-ylthio)-1,3,4-thiadiazol- 2-yl)urea derivatives with potent anti-CML activity throughout PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

In this investigation, a series of 1-phenyl-3-(5-(pyrimidin-4-ylthio)-1,3,4- thiadiazol-2-yl)urea receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors were synthesized by a simple and efficient structure-based design. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis of these compounds based on cellular assays led to the discovery of a number of compounds that showed potent activity against human chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cell line K562, but very weak or no cellular toxicity through monitoring the growth kinetics of K562 cell during a period of 72 h using the real-time live-cell imaging. Among these compounds, 1-(5-((6-((3-morpholinopropyl) amino)pyrimidin-4-yl)thio)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (7) exhibited the least cellular toxicity and better biological activity in cellular assays (K562, IC₅₀: 0.038 μM). Compound 7 also displayed very good induced-apoptosis effect for human CML cell line K562 and exerted its effect via a significantly reduced protein phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt signal pathway by Human phospho-kinase array analysis. In vitro results indicate that 1-phenyl-3-(5-(pyrimidin-4-ylthio)-1,3,4- thiadiazol-2-yl)urea derivatives are lead molecules for further development as treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia and cancer.     

Synthesis of (1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-acrylamide derivatives as potential antitumor agents against acute leukemia cells

A lead compound with the (1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-acrylamide scaffold was discovered to have significant cytotoxicity on several tumor cell lines in an in-house cell-based screening. A total of 60 derivative compounds were then synthesized and tested in a CCK-8 cell viability assay. Some of them exhibited improved cytotoxic activities. The most potent compounds had IC₅₀ values of 1–5 μM on two acute leukemia tumor cell lines, i.e. RS4;11 and HL-60. Flow cytometry analysis of several active compounds and detection of caspase activation indicated that they induced caspase-dependent apoptosis. It was also encouraging to observe that these compounds did not have obvious cytotoxicity on normal cells, i.e. IC₅₀ > 50 μM on HEK-293T cells. Although the molecular targets of this class of compound are yet to be revealed, our current results suggest that this class of compound represents a new possibility for developing drug candidates against acute leukemia.     

Discovery and optimization of 3-(4-aryl/heteroarylsulfonyl)piperazin-1-yl)-6-(piperidin-1-yl)pyridazines as novel,CNS penetrant pan-muscarinic antagonists

This letter describes the synthesis and structure activity relationship (SAR) studies of structurally novel M₄ antagonists, based on a 3-(4-aryl/heteroarylsulfonyl)piperazin-1-yl)-6-(piperidin-1-yl)pyridazine core, identified from a high-throughput screening campaign. A multi-dimensional optimization effort enhanced potency at human M₄ (hM₄ IC₅₀s < 200 nM), with only moderate species differences noted, and with enantioselective inhibition. Moreover, CNS penetration proved attractive for this series (rat brain:plasma K_p = 2.1, K_p,uu = 1.1). Despite the absence of the prototypical mAChR antagonist basic or quaternary amine moiety, this series displayed pan-muscarinic antagonist activity across M_1-5 (with 9- to 16-fold functional selectivity at best). This series further expands the chemical diversity of mAChR antagonists.