From Glycals to Nitrogen Heterocycles and Carbocycles via "Cleavage-Intramolecular Recombination Strategy".

Glycals (carbohydrate enol-ethers) have enjoyed profound applications in organic synthesis for more than a century. They not only serve as versatile glycosyl donors or as substrates for Ferrier rearrangement, but also find extensive synthetic applications especially as a "chiral pool" for accomplishing the synthesis of a variety of natural and biologically important compounds. As cyclic enol ethers, they demonstrate high reactivity and are among the most and variously transformable monosaccharide derivatives. The uniqueness of the reactivity of glycals is that they can be synthetically tuned to get a library of derivatives through stereo- and regioselective introduction of a variety of functional groups at C1, C2, C3 as well as C4 carbons of the sugar. We have developed a practical approach for stereoselective mono- and diamination of glycals and over the years utilized these scaffolds for the synthesis of a variety of biologically important nitrogen heterocycles and carbocycles through a "Diversity Oriented Approach". Our synthetic strategy in this direction mainly relied on the cleavage of ring O-C bond of the sugar followed by an "intramolecular recombination" reaction. Utilizing this strategy, we have accomplished the synthesis of several biologically important natural products, their analogues and related unnatural derivatives. Examples of such compounds reported from our group include polyhydroxypyrrolidines, DMDP, anisomycin, steviamine, pochonicine, conduramines, bulgecinine, aminocyclitols, azepanes, 4-hydroxy-D-proline, azanucleosides and their analogues. A personal account highlighting these syntheses is presented here.

Supramolecular Architecture through Self-Organization of Janus-Faced Homoazanucleosides.

Design of Janus-faced or double-headed homoazanucleosides with the possibility to undergo self-organization through base pairing has been conceptualized and accomplished. The synthetic strategy demonstrates the unique ability to introduce two similar or complementary nucleobases on opposite arms of a chiral polyhydroxypyrrolidine while also ensuring that their faces are anti to each other to allow only intermolecular interactions between the nucleobases, an essential requisite for self-assembly. Single-crystal X-ray structures were determined for all three types of homoazanucleosides, one possessing two adenine molecules, the other with two thymine moieties, and the third containing both adenine and thymine. The crystal structures of all three display noncovalent interactions, including Watson-Crick base pairing, Hoogsteen H-bonding, and π-π stacking, resulting in unusual supramolecular patterns. The most striking supramolecular motif among them, which emerged from the crystal structure of the homoazanucleoside containing both adenine and thymine, is a left-handed helix formed through Watson-Crick pairing between nucleobases. The present study thus forms a prelude to the design of Janus-faced building blocks to establish helical pillars as well as lateral branches that together define a three-dimensional (3D) lattice. The ready accessibility of these molecules is expected to spur the next generation of discoveries in the design of functional nanomaterials.

Synthesis of novel homoazanucleosides and their peptidyl analogs.

Synthesis of novel homoazanucleosides and their peptidyl analogs as hybrid molecules comprised of amino acids, an iminosugar and natural nucleobases is reported for the first time. A pluripotent amino-substituted chiral polyhydroxypyrrolidine, possessing orthogonally different functional groups on either arm of the pyrrolidine ring, served as an ideal substrate for the synthesis of the proposed peptidyl homoazanucleosides. The acid sensitive primary benzyloxy group, on one arm of the pyrrolidine ring, after selective deprotection, was utilized for the introduction of nucleobases to obtain the homoazanucleosides. The amino group on the other side offered the opportunity to be coupled with amino acids to deliver the desired peptidyl homoazanucleosides. Glycosidase inhibition studies revealed that the acetamido derivatives of homoazanucleosides were found to be sub-millimolar inhibitors of ß-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase.

Correction: Ring closing metathesis (RCM) approach to the synthesis of conduramine B-2, ent-conduramine F-2, aminocyclopentitol and trihydroxyazepane.

Correction for 'Ring closing metathesis (RCM) approach to the synthesis of conduramine B-2, ent-conduramine F-2, aminocyclopentitol and trihydroxyazepane' by Vimal Kant Harit et al., Org. Biomol. Chem., 2019, 17, 5951-5961.

Ring closing metathesis (RCM) approach to the synthesis of conduramine B-2, ent-conduramine F-2, aminocyclopentitol and trihydroxyazepane.

The syntheses of conduramine B-2, ent-conduramine F-2, aminocyclopentitol and trihydroxyazepane were accomplished from a common precursor, through a divergent approach using ring closing metathesis (RCM) as the key step. Tri-O-benzyl-d-glucal was converted to 3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-1,2-dideoxy-2-iodo-1-p-toluenesulfonamido-α-d-mannose. Exposure to NaBH4 in MeOH resulted in a facile 1,2-transposition of the -NHTs group with concomitant glycosylation to give methyl 3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-2-p-toluenesulfonamido-ß-d-glucoside, which was converted into methyl 6-deoxy-6-iodo-glucoside in three steps. Zinc-mediated Vasella's rearrangement proceeded smoothly to give the pluripotent formyl-olefin, possessing both electrophilic and nucleophilic sites, which was used as a common precursor in our diversity-oriented approach. Vinylation of the carbonyl group followed by RCM and subsequent deprotection resulted in the successful synthesis of conduramine B-2 and ent-conduramine F-2 for the first time. On the other hand, the Wittig reaction of the formyl-olefin affords the diene that undergoes Grubbs' I catalyzed RCM and deprotection/reduction to provide 3-amino-cyclopentan-1,2-diol. Utilizing the nucleophilic site at the nitrogen of the common precursor, base mediated N-allylation was carried out to obtain the corresponding diene that underwent a smooth RCM to afford trihydroxyazepane.

Design, synthesis and glycosidase inhibition studies of novel triazole fused iminocyclitol-δ-lactams.

Synthesis of novel triazole fused iminocyclitol-δ-lactams is described. The synthetic sequence involves the intermolecular [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of five-membered iminocyclitol derived azides with diethylacetylene dicarboxylate followed by intramolecular lactamisation, decarboxylation/reduction and final deprotection. Compound 3 is found to be a selective inhibitor of α-glucosidase from baker's yeast while two other compounds (2 and 4) that possess an additional hydroxymethyl group in the triazole ring are selective against ß-galactosidase from E. coli. Docking studies suggest the significance of the lactam carbonyl group for effective binding of these inhibitors with the active sites through hydrogen bonding.

A Chiron Approach to Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Aminocyclitols, (-)-Conduramine F-4 and Polyhydroxyaminoazepanes from a Common Precursor.

The total syntheses of aminocyclitols, (-)-conduramine F-4, and polyhydroxyaminoazepanes have been achieved from a common precursor derived from tri-O-benzyl-d-glucal through a 'diversity-oriented' approach. Tri-O-benzyl-d-glucal was converted into a protected 1,6-diol through a sequence of steps that include transformation to a 2-tosylamidoglucose derivative, selective deprotection of primary C-6 benzyloxy group, LiAlH4-mediated one-step reduction of acetate groups, and reductive ring opening of the resulting hemiacetal as the key steps. The 1,6-diol served as a common precursor in our diversity oriented approach toward the target molecules. Mesylation of the diol followed by double nucleophilic substitution reaction with primary amines led to the synthesis of amino-substituted polyhydroxyazepanes. On the other hand, dialdehyde obtained from the oxidation of 1,6-diol was found to be a convenient starting material for the synthesis of aminocyclitols and (-)-conduramine F-4. McMurry coupling of the dialdehyde was successfully employed, for the first time, to construct the carbocyclic framework of aminoyclitols, while bis-Wittig olefination of the dialdehyde followed by Grubb's(II)-catalyzed RCM delivered (-)-conduramine F-4. The stereochemistry of newly created chiral centers in aminocyclitols was established through single crystal X-ray crystallography and detailed NOE studies.

Protecting group directed diversity during Mitsunobu cyclization of a carbohydrate derived diamino triol. Synthesis of novel bridged bicyclic and six-membered iminocyclitols.

A novel protecting group directed diversity leading to the synthesis of bridged bicyclic and six-membered iminocyclitols from a common carbohydrate derived diamino triol under Mitsunobu conditions is reported. When the intramolecular cyclization of benzoyl derivative 16 was carried out under Mitsunobu conditions, an unprecedented one-pot domino intramolecular "cyclization-N→O benzoyl migration-cyclization" reaction sequence occurred resulting in the formation of a chiral 2,6-diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octane-4,8-diol 21 in high yield. The structure of this novel bridged bicyclic compound was established through detailed NMR studies and single crystal X-ray analysis. On the other hand, the tert-butyldimethylsilyl derivative of the same substrate afforded protected 6-amino-1,6-dideoxy-l-gulonojirimycin 32 as the sole product under identical conditions. An attempt has been made to explain this difference in their reactivity through conformational analysis. The glycosidase inhibition studies of new compounds reported in this manuscript revealed that these molecules display moderate but selective inhibition against ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase.

Rational design and synthesis of novel triazole- and tetrazole-fused iminosugars as potential inhibitors of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) linked SOD1 aggregation.

In this manuscript we report the first example of an iminosugar that inhibits superoxide dismutase fibrillation associated with the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The present work involves synthesis of novel triazole and tetrazole embedded iminosugars, synthesized in 11-13 high yielding steps starting from readily available tri-O-benzyl-D-glucal and proceeding through a concomitant azidation - thermal intramolecular [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction as the key step. One of these pre-designed iminosugars was found to inhibit fibrillation of SOD1 and also has shown propensity to break pre-formed fibrils. Docking and MD simulation studies suggest that the most probable interaction of this compound is a hydrogen bonding with Arg69, a loop IV residue of SOD1, which has a crucial role in stabilizing the native conformation of SOD1.

Design and divergent synthesis of aza nucleosides from a chiral imino sugar.

Several novel nucleoside analogues as potential inhibitors of glycosidases and purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) have been synthesized via selective coupling of an appropriate nucleobase at different positions of an orthogonally protected imino sugar as a common precursor. This synthetic strategy offers a straightforward protocol for the assembly of imino sugar containing nucleosides, establishing a new repertoire of molecules as potential therapeutics.

An expeditious synthesis of novel DNA nucleobase mimics of (+)-anisomycin.

A glycal based expeditious synthesis of novel nucleoside analogues of (+)-anisomycin is reported. Readily available tri-O-benzyl-D-glucal was converted to a partially protected trihydroxypyrrolidine that is used as a common scaffold for the introduction of various nucleobases at the primary hydroxyl centre. Nucleoside analogues possessing all four DNA bases have been synthesized. Selective acetylation at C3 position was carried out with two of these unnatural nucleosides in order to mimic the structure of (+)-anisomycin. Cytotoxicity studies of some of these nucleosides showed that they display weaker activity on HeLa cells than Ara-C.

Design and synthesis of new amino-modified iminocyclitols: selective inhibitors of alpha-galactosidase.

A new and short synthesis of hitherto unreported stereo analogue of amino-modified five-membered iminocyclitols from readily available tri-O-benzyl-D-glucal is described. Significantly, glycosidase inhibition studies of alkylamino substituted iminocyclitols display a high degree of selectivity towards alpha-galactosidase.

A common strategy towards the synthesis of 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-l-xylitol, deacetyl (+)-anisomycin and amino-substituted piperidine iminosugars.

A strategy towards the synthesis of three different target molecules, namely 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-l-xylitol, deacetyl (+)-anisomycin and amino-substituted piperidine iminosugars, molecules of potential biological and medicinal significance, is reported from a common amino-vicinal diol intermediate derived from tri-O-benzyl-d-glucal. Construction of the key pyrrolidine ring present in 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-l-xylitol and (+)-anisomycin was a consequence of thermodynamically driven concomitant intramolecular nucleophilic addition reaction of the amino group to the resultant aldehyde obtained by oxidative cleavage of the amino-vicinal diol. Alternatively, double nucleophilic substitution on an amino-diol, after mesylation, with various amines delivered amino-substituted piperidine iminosugars in good yields.

A glycal based approach to the synthesis of (+)-bulgecinine, 3-hydroxy-2,5-dihydroxymethylpyrrolidine and 2-oxapyrrolizidin-3-one.

A glycal based synthesis of (+)-bulgecinine, 3-hydroxy-2,5-dihydroxymethylpyrrolidine and 2-oxapyrrolizidin-3-ones proceeding through a common intermediate is reported. The key step in the work presented here is a two-step conversion of 4,6-di-O-benzyl-d-glucal to 2,3-dideoxy-2-tosylamido-d-glucose. This manuscript reports the first carbohydrate based approach to the synthesis of (+)-bulgecinine and the whole sequence has been accomplished with complete stereochemical integrity without the formation of mixture of products in any of these steps.

Iodine catalyzed one-pot diamination of glycals with chloramine-T: a new approach to 2-amino-beta-glycosylamines for applications in N-glycopeptide synthesis.

Iodine catalyzes a facile one-pot direct diamination of glycals with chloramine-T to afford stereoselectively 2-amino-beta-glycosylamine derivatives that serve as convenient precursors for the synthesis of N-linked glycopeptides.

Molecular basis for the affinity and specificity in the binding of five-membered iminocyclitols with glycosidases: an experimental and theoretical synergy.

An unusual substituent dictated complementarity in the inhibition of amino-modified five-membered iminocyclitols toward various glycosidases was reported by us. These intriguing results encouraged us to seek a molecular level explanation for the observation that may facilitate the design of specific iminocyclitol inhibitors against glycosidases of choice. We present here a detailed theoretical account that is substantiated with some new experimental investigations on the molecular origins of the differential affinities of iminocyclitols with various glycosidases. The studies involve docking/scoring, molecular dynamics simulations followed by syntheses of a few novel five-membered iminocyclitols and their in vitro binding assays. Directional hydrogen bonds and snug fit of the ligands are implicated as contributory to the observed selectivities. The observed synergy between the computations and experiment is likely to spur further research in the design of novel iminocyclitols with specific inhibitory activities.

Enantioselective Synthesis of 4-Acetylaminocyclopent-2-en-1-ols from Tricyclo[5.2.1.0(2,6)]decenyl Enaminones. Precursors for 5'-Norcarbocyclic Nucleosides and Related Antiviral Compounds.

An efficient synthesis of both (1S,4R) and (1R,4S)-4-N-acetylamino-1-benzoylcyclopent-2-enes 33 has been accomplished starting from enantiopure 5-(1'-phenylethylamino)-endo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0(2,6)]deca-4,8-dien-3-ones 14 and 15. N-Acetylation of both 15 and 14 followed by single electron-transfer reduction using lithium in liquid ammonia afforded diastereomeric mixtures of beta-amino ketones 26 and 27 and of ent-26 and ent-27 in high yields and with high diastereoselectivity. In this reduction process, the enaminone double bond is reduced with the concomitant removal of the alpha-methylbenzyl group as the chiral auxiliary. Thermolysis of the respective diastereomic mixtures of 26 and 27 in the gas phase (FVT) or in solution afforded 4-N-acetylaminocyclopent-2-ene-1-ones 30 in high optical and chemical yields. Acidic hydrolysis of (+)-30 gave (R)-(+)-4-aminocyclopentenone 31 as its hydrochloride. Stereoselective reduction of 30 using sodium borohydride and cerium chloride heptahydrate furnished amido alcohol 32, which was isolated and characterized as its benzoyl derivative 33.

A versatile strategy for the synthesis of N-linked glycoamino acids from glycals.

A versatile route for the synthesis of N-linked glycoamino acids from readily available glycals is reported. A variety of glycals possessing different carbohydrate templates (mono-, di- and trisaccharide glycals) were shown to undergo a novel iodine catalyzed stereoselective diamination reaction with chloramine-T. Taking advantage of the difference in the reactivity between the anomeric and C2 sulfonamido groups of these diamines 7, 13, 15, 17 and 19, they could be protected differentially at the C2 and anomeric nitrogen atoms. Thus, chemoselective acetylation of these diamines installed the C2 acetamido group, an essential functionality that plays a crucial role in inducing a beta-turn in N-linked glycoproteins. Subsequent protection of the anomeric nitrogens of 20a,b,e as their Alloc (allyloxycarbonyl) derivatives followed by SmI(2) mediated facile didetosylation afforded 24a-c. Deprotection of the Alloc group of 24a and 24c and coupling of the liberated free amine with a variety of protected amino acids provided N-linked glycoamino acids 25 and 27 in high yields. An illustrative synthesis of an N-linked glycopeptide 29 is also reported.

Enhancing the synthetic utility of aldolase antibody 38C2.

Three-phase partitioning (TPP) treated aldolase antibody 38C2 was evaluated for aldol reaction between p-nitrobenzaldehyde and acetone to give 4-(4'-nitrophenyl)-4-hydroxy-2-butanone. While TPP-treated 38C2 transformed 65% of p-nitrobenzaldehyde, the untreated 38C2 gave only 24% transformation in 18 h at 25 degrees C. However, since TPP-treated 38C2 also gave an additional (unidentified) product, its synthetic utility was limited. Crosslinked aggregate of 38C2, however, gave the biocatalyst which gave a single product and could be reused at 40 degrees C five times without loss of activity.