Discovery and SAR Studies of Orally Active Somatostatin Receptor Subtype-2 (SSTR2) Agonists for the Treatment of Acromegaly.

Acromegaly is a disease caused by the oversecretion of growth hormone. It is currently treated by intravenous injection with cyclic peptide drugs that activate somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (SSTR2). Here, novel nonpeptidic, small-molecule, and orally active SSTR2 agonists were identified from a hit compound (13). Pharmacophore studies enabled scaffold hopping to obtain a unique 3,4,5-trisubstituted pyridine motif. Further optimization conferred potent SSTR2 agonistic activity and metabolic stability. Several compounds were evaluated and these showed good oral pharmacokinetic profiles in rats, and one representative compound (25) showed highly potent inhibition of growth hormone secretion induced by growth hormone-releasing hormone in rats. Based on these results, 25 was identified as a promising lead for further optimization. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study and the metabolic stability data for this compound are also described.

Modular Construction of Protected 1,2/1,3-Diols, -Amino Alcohols, and -Diamines via Catalytic Asymmetric Dehydrative Allylation: An Application to Synthesis of Sphingosine.

A new enantioselective catalysis has been developed for the one-step construction of methylene-bridged chiral modules of 1,2- and 1,3-OH and/or NH function(s) from δ- or λ-OH/NHBoc-substituted allylic alcohols and "H2C═O"/"H2C═NBoc". A protonic nucleophile, either in situ-generated CH2OH or CH2NHBoc, is intramolecularly allylated to furnish eight possible 1,2- or 1,3-O,O, -O,N, -N,O, and -N,N chiral modules equipped with an ethenyl group in high yields and enantioselectivities. The utility of this method has been demonstrated in the five-step synthesis of sphingosine.