Tuning the stereoelectronic properties of 1-sulfanylhex-1-enitols for the sequential stereoselective synthesis of 2-deoxy-2-iodo-ß-D-allopyranosides.

The preparation of challenging 2-deoxy-2-iodo-ß-D-allo precursors of 2-deoxy-ß-D-ribo-hexopyranosyl units and other analogues is reported using a robust olefination-cyclization-glycosylation sequence. Here, we particularly focus on tuning the stereoelectronic properties of the alkenyl sulfides intermediates in order to improve the diastereoselectivity of the cyclization step and, hence, the efficiency of the overall transformation. Phosphine oxides with the general formula Ph2P(O)CH2SR (R = t-Bu, Cy, p-MeOPh, 2,6-di-ClPh, and 2,6-di-MePh) were easily synthesized and subsequently used in the olefination reaction with 2,3,5-tri-O-benzyl-D-ribose and -D-arabinose. The corresponding sugar-derived alkenyl sulfides were submitted to a 6-endo [I(+)]-induced cyclization, and the resulting 2-deoxy-2-iodohexopyranosyl-1-thioglycosides were used as glycosyl donors for the stereoselective synthesis of 2-deoxy-2-iodohexopyranosyl glycosides. Among the different S-groups studied, t-Bu derivative was the best performer for the synthesis of cholesteryl 2-deoxy-2-iodomannopyranosides, whereas for the synthesis of 2-deoxy-2-iodoallopyranosides none of the derivatives here studied proved superior to the phenyl analogue previously described. Glycosylation of cholesterol with different d-allo and d-manno derivatives produced 2-deoxy-2-iodoglycosides with stereoselectivities in the same order in each case, reinforcing the involvement of an oxocarbenium ion as the common intermediate of this crucial glycosylation step.

Identification of new aminoacid amides containing the imidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazol-2-ylphenyl moiety as inhibitors of tumorigenesis by oncogenic Met signaling.

The Met receptor tyrosine kinase is a promising target in anticancer therapies for its role during tumor evolution and resistance to treatment. It is characterized by an unusual structural plasticity as its active site accepts different inhibitor binding modes. Such feature can be exploited to identify distinct agents targeting tumor dependence and/or resistance by oncogenic Met. Here we report the identification of bioactive agents, featuring a new 4-(imidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazol-2-yl)phenyl moiety, targeting cancer cells dependent on oncogenic Met. One of these compounds (7c; Triflorcas) impairs survival, anchorage-independent growth, and in vivo tumorigenesis, without showing side effects. Our medicinal chemistry strategy was based on an in-house Met-focused library of aminoacid-amide derivatives enriched through structure-based computer modeling, taking into account the Met multiple-binding-mode feature. Altogether, our findings show how a rational structure-based drug design approach coupled to cell-based drug evaluation strategies can be applied in medicinal chemistry to identify new agents targeting a given oncogenic-dependency setting.