Silica gel and microwave-promoted synthesis of dihydropyrrolizines and tetrahydroindolizines from enaminones.

A wide range of N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)enaminones, prepared by the Eschenmoser sulfide contraction between N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)pyrrolidine-2-thione and various bromomethyl aryl and heteroaryl ketones, underwent cyclization in the presence of silica gel to give ethyl 6-(hetero)aryl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolizine-5-carboxylates within minutes upon microwave heating in xylene at 150 °C. Instead of functioning as a nucleophile, the enaminone acted as an electrophile at its carbonyl group during the cyclization. Yields of the bicyclic products were generally above 75%. The analogous microwave-assisted reaction to produce ethyl 2-aryl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroindolizine-3-carboxylates from (E)-ethyl 2-[2-(2-oxo-2-arylethylidene)piperidin-1-yl]acetates failed in nonpolar solvents, but occurred in ethanol at lower temperature and microwave power, although requiring much longer time. A possible mechanism for the cyclization is presented, and further functionalization of the newly created pyrrole ring in the dihydropyrrolizine core is described.

Carbon-14 radiolabelling and tissue distribution evaluation of a potential anti-TB compound.

This paper describes a five-step synthesis of a carbon-14-labelled pyrazole compound (11). A total of 2.96 MBq of 11 was obtained with the specific activity of 2242.4 MBq/mmol. The radiochemical purity was >99%, and the overall radiochemical yield was 60% based on the [(14) C6 ] 4-bromoaniline starting material. Biodistribution results showed that the radiotracer (administrated orally) has a high accumulation in the small intestine, large intestine and liver of both non-infected and tuberculosis (TB)-infected mice. Therefore, this suggests that compound 11 undergoes hepatobiliary clearance. The compound under investigation has been found to be slowly released from the liver between 2 and 8 h. The study revealed that 11 has no affinity for TB cells.

Novel Amino-pyrazole Ureas with Potent In Vitro and In Vivo Antileishmanial Activity.

Visceral leishmaniasis is a severe parasitic disease that is one of the most neglected tropical diseases. Treatment options are limited, and there is an urgent need for new therapeutic agents. Following an HTS campaign and hit optimization, a novel series of amino-pyrazole ureas has been identified with potent in vitro antileishmanial activity. Furthermore, compound 26 shows high levels of in vivo efficacy (>90%) against Leishmania infantum, thus demonstrating proof of concept for this series.

Aminopyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines as potential inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Structure activity relationships and ADME characterization.

Whole-cell high-throughput screening of a diverse SoftFocus library against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) generated a novel aminopyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine hit series. The synthesis and structure activity relationship studies identified compounds with potent antimycobacterial activity. The SAR of over 140 compounds shows that the 2-pyridylmethylamine moiety at the C-7 position of the pyrazolopyrimidine scaffold was important for Mtb activity, whereas the C-3 position offered a higher degree of flexibility. The series was also profiled for in vitro cytotoxicity and microsomal metabolic stability as well as physicochemical properties. Consequently liabilities to be addressed in a future lead optimization campaign have been identified.

Enantioselective synthesis of the carbocyclic nucleoside (-)-abacavir.

An enantiopure ß-lactam with a suitably disposed electron withdrawing group on nitrogen, participated in a π-allylpalladium mediated reaction with 2,6-dichloropurine tetrabutylammonium salt to afford an advanced cis-1,4-substituted cyclopentenoid with both high regio- and stereoselectivity. This advanced intermediate was successfully manipulated to the total synthesis of (-)-Abacavir.

(2E)-1-Phenyl-2-[1-(2-phenyl-prop-2-en-1-yl)pyrrolidin-2-yl-idene]ethanone.

The title compound, C21H21NO, is a vinyl-ogous amide (enaminone) produced by reaction of 1-(2-phenyl-prop-2-en-1-yl)pyrrolidine-2-thione with phenacyl bromide. In the mol-ecule, the phenyl rings are twisted from the mean plane of the pyrrolidine ring by 11.2 (1) and 67.3 (1)°. In the crystal, weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules related by translation along the b axis into chains.

Identification and In-Vitro ADME Assessment of a Series of Novel Anti-Malarial Agents Suitable for Hit-to-Lead Chemistry.

Triage of a set of antimalaria hit compounds, identified through high throughput screening against the Chloroquine sensitive (3D7) and resistant (Dd2) parasite Plasmodium falciparum strains identified several novel chemotypes suitable for hit-to-lead chemistry investigation. The set was further refined through investigation of their in vitro ADME properties, which identified templates with good potential to be developed further as antimalarial agents. One example was profiled in an in vivo murine Plasmodium berghei model of malaria infection.