Discovery of a CNS penetrant small molecule SMN2 splicing modulator with improved tolerability for spinal muscular atrophy.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a motor neuron disease, typically resulting from loss-of-function mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. Nusinersen/SPINRAZA, a splice-switching oligonucleotide that modulates SMN2 (a paralog of SMN1) splicing and consequently increases SMN protein levels, has a therapeutic effect for SMA. Previously reported small-molecule SMN2 splicing modulators such as risdiplam/EVRYSDI and its analog SMN-C3 modulate not only the splicing of SMN2 but also that of secondary splice targets, including forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1). Through screening SMA patient-derived fibroblasts, a novel small molecule, designated TEC-1, was identified that selectively modulates SMN2 splicing over three secondary splice targets. TEC-1 did not strongly affect the splicing of FOXM1, and unlike risdiplam, did not induce micronucleus formation. In addition, TEC-1 showed higher selectively on galactosylceramidase and huntingtin gene expression compared to previously reported compounds (e.g., SMN-C3) due to off-target effects on cryptic exon inclusion and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Moreover, TEC-1 significantly ameliorated the disease phenotype in an SMA murine model in vivo. Thus, TEC-1 may have promising therapeutic potential for SMA, and our study demonstrates the feasibility of RNA-targeting small-molecule drug development with an improved tolerability profile.

Incidental ethmoidal dural arteriovenous fistula coexisting with a pituitary adenoma exacerbating post-transsphenoidal epistaxis.

A 64 year-old man with pituitary adenoma developed massive epistaxis after an uneventful endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery. Angiography showed extravasation from the sphenopalatine artery, to which embolisation was performed. An incidentally coexisting ethmoidal dural arteriovenous fistula supplied by the ophthalmic artery aberrantly originated from the middle meningeal artery caused increased haemorrhage.

Discovery of 6-[5-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-methyl-pyrazol-4-yl]-benzoxazin-3-one derivatives as novel selective nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists.

In the course of our study on selective nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists, a series of novel benzoxazine derivatives possessing an azole ring as the core scaffold was designed for the purpose of attenuating the partial agonistic activity of the previously reported dihydropyrrol-2-one derivatives. Screening of alternative azole rings identified 1,3-dimethyl pyrazole 6a as a lead compound with reduced partial agonistic activity. Subsequent replacement of the 1-methyl group of the pyrazole ring with larger lipophilic side chains or polar side chains targeting Arg817 and Gln776 increased MR binding activity while maintaining the agonistic response at the lower level. Among these compounds, 6-[1-(2,2-difluoro-3-hydroxypropyl)-5-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-methyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (37a) showed highly potent in vitro activity, high selectivity versus other steroid hormone receptors, and good pharmacokinetic profiles. Oral administration of 37a in deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertensive rats showed a significant blood pressure-lowering effect with no signs of antiandrogenic effects.

Rh(I)-catalyzed CO gas-free cyclohydrocarbonylation of alkynes with formaldehyde to alpha,beta-butenolides.

The rhodium(I)-catalyzed reaction of alkynes with formaldehyde proceeds via the double incorporation of a carbonyl moiety from formaldehyde, resulting in a CO gas-free cyclohydrocarbonylation leading to alpha,beta-butenolides.

Secondary benzylation using benzyl alcohols catalyzed by lanthanoid, scandium, and hafnium triflate.

The combination of a secondary benzyl alcohol and a metal triflate (e.g., La, Yb, Sc, and Hf triflate) in nitromethane was a highly effective secondary-benzylation system. Secondary benzylation of carbon (aromatic compounds, olefins, an enol acetate), nitrogen (amide derivatives), and oxygen (alcohols) nucleophiles was carried out with a secondary benzyl alcohol and 0.01-1 mol % of a metal triflate in the presence of water. Secondary benzyl alcohols and nucleophiles bearing acid-sensitive functional groups (e.g., tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy and acetoxy groups and methyl and benzyl esters) could be used for alkylation. Hf(OTf)4 was the most active catalyst for this alkylation, and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (triflic acid, TfOH) was also a good catalyst. The catalytic activity of metal triflates and TfOH increased in the order La(OTf)3 < Yb(OTf)3 < TfOH < Sc(OTf)3 < Hf(OTf)4. A mechanistic study was also performed. The reaction of 1-phenylethanol (4a) in the presence of Sc(OTf)3 in nitromethane gave an equilibrium mixture of 4a and bis(1-phenylethyl) ether (54). Addition of a carbon nucleophile to the equilibrium mixture gave alkylated product in high yield.

CO-transfer carbonylation reactions. A catalytic Pauson-Khand-type reaction of enynes with aldehydes as a source of carbon monoxide.

The reaction of enynes with aldehydes in the presence of a catalytic amount of [RhCl(cod)](2)/dppp results in the Pauson-Khand-type reaction without the use of gaseous carbon monoxide to give bicyclic cyclopentenones in high yields (14 examples). Aldehydes serve as a source of carbon monoxide, and their carbonyl moiety is transferred to enynes, resulting in the formation of the carbonylated products. This reaction represents the first example of a CO-transfer carbonylation.