Synthesis and Preclinical Evaluation of Urea-Based Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen-Targeted Conjugates Labeled with 177Lu.

177Lu-labeled small-molecule prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeted tracers are therapeutic agents for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Optimizing molecular design holds the potential to further enhance the pharmacokinetic properties of PSMA-targeted agents while preserving their potent therapeutic effects. In this study, six novel N-[N-[(S)-1,3-dicarboxypropyl]carbamoyl]-(S)-l-lysine (DCL) urea-based PSMA ligand 2,2',2″,2‴-(1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetrayl)tetraacetic acid conjugates were synthesized. These conjugates feature polypeptide linkers containing the Phe-Phe peptide sequence and an aromatic fragment at the ε-NH-Lys group of the DCL fragment. The synthesis yielded products with satisfactory yields ranging from 60% to 72%, paving the way for their preclinical evaluation. The labeling of the new variants of urea-based PSMA inhibitors provided a radiochemical yield of over 95%. The 177Lu-labeled conjugates demonstrated specific and moderate affinity binding to PSMA-expressing human cancer cells PC3-pip in vitro and specific accumulation in PSMA-expressing xenografts in vivo. Based on the results, both the lipophilicity and the type of substituent in the linker significantly influence the binding properties of the PSMA inhibitor and its biodistribution profile. Specifically, the studied variants containing a bromine substituent or a hydroxyl group introduced into the aromatic fragment of the phenylalanyl residue in DCL exhibit higher affinities to PSMA compared to variants with only a chlorine-substituted aromatic fragment or variants without any substituents. The [177Lu]Lu-13C with the bromine substituent was characterized by the highest activity accumulation in blood, salivary glands, muscle, bone, and gastrointestinal tract and had inasmuch as an unfavorable pharmacokinetic profile. The negative charge of the carboxyl group in the phenyl moiety of the [177Lu]Lu-13A variant has demonstrated a positive effect on reducing the retention of activity in the liver and the kidneys (the ratio of tumor to kidneys was 1.3-fold). Low accumulation in normal tissues in vivo indicates that this novel PSMA-targeting inhibitor is a promising radioligand.

Pseudocyclic Arylbenziodoxaboroles as Water-Triggered Aryne Precursors in Reactions with Organic Sulfides.

Pseudocyclic arylbenziodoxaboroles are unique aryne precursors under neutral aqueous conditions that selectively react with organic sulfides, forming the corresponding sulfonium salts. This reaction is compatible with various substituents (alkyl, halogen, CN, NO2, CHO, and cyclopropyl) in the aromatic ring or alkyl group of the sulfide. Similar reactions of sulfoxides afford o-hydroxy-substituted sulfonium salts. The structures of key products were confirmed by X-ray analysis.

Preparation and X-ray Structural Study of Dibenzobromolium and Dibenzochlorolium Derivatives.

Various five-membered cyclic dibenzobromolium salts (dibenzo[b,d]bromol-5-ium chloride, nitrate, hydrogen sulfate, dihydrogen phosphate, trifluoroacetate, and tetrafluoroborate) were prepared by diazotization-cyclization of 2'-bromo-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2-amine in solution of appropriate acids. The chlorolium analogues (iodide, trifluoroacetate, and tetrafluoroborate) were obtained by a similar procedure. Additional dibenzohalolium derivatives (dibenzo[b,d]bromol-5-ium and dibenzo[b,d]chlorol-5-ium azides, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imidates, thiocyanates, and trifluoromethanesulfonates) were prepared by anion exchange. Structures of ten of these dibenzohalolium derivatives were established by X-ray analysis. Bond distances and angles for the halogen atoms in different dibenzohalolium derivatives were summarized and discussed.

Halogen Bond-Involving Self-Assembly of Iodonium Carboxylates: Adding a Dimension to Supramolecular Architecture.

We designed 0D, 1D, and 2D supramolecular assemblies made of diaryliodonium salts (functioning as double σ-hole donors) and carboxylates (as σ-hole acceptors). The association was based on two charge-supported halogen bonds (XB), which occurred between IIII sites of the iodonium cations and the carboxylate anions. The sequential introduction of the carboxylic groups in the aryl ring of the benzoic acid added a dimension to the 0D supramolecular organization of the benzoate, which furnished 1D-chained and 2D-layered structures when terephthalate and trimesate anions, correspondingly, were applied as XB acceptors. The structure-directing XB were studied using DFT calculations under periodic boundary conditions and were followed by the one-electron-potential analysis and the Bader atoms-in-molecules topological analysis of electron density. These theoretical methods confirmed the existence of the XB and verified the philicities of the interaction partners in the designed solid-state structures.

Synthesis, 123I-Radiolabeling Optimization, and Initial Preclinical Evaluation of Novel Urea-Based PSMA Inhibitors with a Tributylstannyl Prosthetic Group in Their Structures.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has been identified as a target for the development of theranostic agents. In our current work, we describe the design and synthesis of novel N-[N-[(S)-1,3-dicarboxypropyl]carbamoyl]-(S)-L-lysine (DCL) urea-based PSMA inhibitors with a chlorine-substituted aromatic fragment at the lysine ε-nitrogen atom, a dipeptide including two phenylalanine residues in the L-configuration as the peptide fragment of the linker, and 3- or 4-(tributylstannyl)benzoic acid as a prosthetic group in their structures for radiolabeling. The standard compounds [127I]PSMA-m-IB and [127I]PSMA-p-IB for comparative and characterization studies were first synthesized using two alternative synthetic approaches. An important advantage of the alternative synthetic approach, in which the prosthetic group (NHS-activated esters of compounds) is first conjugated with the polypeptide sequence followed by replacement of the Sn(Bu)3 group with radioiodine, is that the radionuclide is introduced in the final step of synthesis, thereby minimizing operating time with iodine-123 during the radiolabeling process. The obtained DCL urea-based PSMA inhibitors were radiolabeled with iodine-123. The radiolabeling optimization results showed that the radiochemical yield of [123I]PSMA-p-IB was higher than that of [123I]PSMA-m-IB, which were 74.9 ± 1.0% and 49.4 ± 1.2%, respectively. The radiochemical purity of [123I]PSMA-p-IB after purification was greater than 99.50%. The initial preclinical evaluation of [123I]PSMA-p-IB demonstrated a considerable affinity and specific binding to PC-3 PIP (PSMA-expressing cells) in vitro. The in vivo biodistribution of this new radioligand [123I]PSMA-p-IB showed less accumulation than [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 in several normal organs (liver, kidney, and bone). These results warrant further preclinical development, including toxicology evaluation and experiments in tumor-bearing mice.

Metal-free and atom-efficient protocol for diarylation of selenocyanate by diaryliodonium salts.

We developed an atom- and reaction mass efficient strategy for the preparation of diarylselenides using iodonium salts as reactants. The developed approach allows the obtaining of diarylselenides from the corresponding trimethoxyphenyl-substituted iodonium salts via a two-step one-pot reaction sequence. The proposed metal-free methodology is based on the involvement of both iodonium aryl groups for diarylation.

Aryl-, Akynyl-, and Alkenylbenziodoxoles: Synthesis and Synthetic Applications.

Hypervalent iodine reagents are in high current demand due to their exceptional reactivity in oxidative transformations, as well as in diverse umpolung functionalization reactions. Cyclic hypervalent iodine compounds, known under the general name of benziodoxoles, possess improved thermal stability and synthetic versatility in comparison with their acyclic analogs. Aryl-, alkenyl-, and alkynylbenziodoxoles have recently received wide synthetic applications as efficient reagents for direct arylation, alkenylation, and alkynylation under mild reaction conditions, including transition metal-free conditions as well as photoredox and transition metal catalysis. Using these reagents, a plethora of valuable, hard-to-reach, and structurally diverse complex products can be synthesized by convenient procedures. The review covers the main aspects of the chemistry of benziodoxole-based aryl-, alkynyl-, and alkenyl- transfer reagents, including preparation and synthetic applications.

Ligand-free Ullmann-type arylation of oxazolidinones by diaryliodonium salts.

The arylation of azaheterocycles can be considered as one of the most important processes for the preparation of various biologically active compounds. In the present work, we describe a method for the copper-catalyzed N-arylation of hindered oxazolidinones using diaryliodonium salts. The method succeeds in good to excellent yields for the arylation of 4-alkyloxazolidinones, including sterically hindered isopropyl- and tert-butyl-substituted. The efficiency of the method was demonstrated for a wide range of diaryliodonium salts - symmetric and unsymmetric as well as ortho-substituted derivatives. The developed approach will provide an important contribution in the development and preparation of novel drugs and bioactive molecules containing oxazolidinone moieties.

Synthesis of Radioiodinated Compounds. Classical Approaches and Achievements of Recent Years.

This review demonstrates the progress in the synthesis of radioiodinated compounds over the past decade. The possibilities and limitations of radiopharmaceuticals with different iodine isotopes, as well as the synthesis of low and high molecular weight compounds containing radioiodine, are discussed. An analysis of synthesis strategies, substrate frameworks, isolation methods, and metabolic stability, and the possibility of industrial production of radioiodinated organic derivatives which can find applications in the synthesis of drugs and diagnostics are presented.

Zwitterionic iodonium species afford halogen bond-based porous organic frameworks.

Porous architectures characterized by parallel channels arranged in honeycomb or rectangular patterns are identified in two polymorphic crystals of a zwitterionic 4-(aryliodonio)-benzenesulfonate. The channels are filled with disordered water molecules which can be reversibly removed on heating. Consistent with the remarkable strength and directionality of the halogen bonds (XBs) driving the crystal packing formation, the porous structure is stable and fully preserved on almost quantitative removal and readsorption of water. The porous systems described here are the first reported cases of one-component 3D organic frameworks whose assembly is driven by XB only (XOFs). These systems are a proof of concept for the ability of zwitterionic aryliodonium tectons in affording robust one-component 3D XOFs. The high directionality and strength of the XBs formed by these zwitterions and the geometrical constraints resulting from the tendency of their hypervalent iodine atoms to act as bidentate XB donors might be key factors in determining this ability.

Efficient Catalytic Synthesis of Condensed Isoxazole Derivatives via Intramolecular Oxidative Cycloaddition of Aldoximes.

The intramolecular oxidative cycloaddition reaction of alkyne- or alkene-tethered aldoximes was catalyzed efficiently by hypervalent iodine(III) species to afford the corresponding polycyclic isoxazole derivatives in up to a 94% yield. The structure of the prepared products was confirmed by various methods, including X-ray crystallography. Mechanistic study demonstrated the crucial role of hydroxy(aryl)iodonium tosylate as a precatalyst, which is generated from 2-iodobenzoic acid and m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid in the presence of a catalytic amount of p-toluenesulfonic acid.

Convenient Synthesis of Benziodazolone: New Reagents for Direct Esterification of Alcohols and Amidation of Amines.

Hypervalent iodine heterocycles represent one of the important classes of hypervalent iodine reagents with many applications in organic synthesis. This paper reports a simple and convenient synthesis of benziodazolones by the reaction of readily available iodobenzamides with m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid in acetonitrile at room temperature. The structure of one of these new iodine heterocycles was confirmed by X-ray analysis. In combination with PPh3 and pyridine, these benziodazolones can smoothly react with alcohols or amines to produce the corresponding esters or amides of 3-chlorobenzoic acid, respectively. It was found that the novel benziodazolone reagent reacts more efficiently than the analogous benziodoxolone reagent in this esterification.

Preparation and Synthetic Applicability of Imidazole-Containing Cyclic Iodonium Salts.

A novel approach to the preparation of imidazole-substituted cyclic iodonium salts has been developed via the oxidative cyclization of 1-phenyl-5-iodoimidazole using a cheap and available Oxone/H2SO4 oxidative system. The structure of the new polycyclic heteroarenes has been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffractometry, revealing the characteristic structure features for cyclic iodonium salts. The newly produced imidazole-flanked cyclic iodonium compounds were found to readily engage in a heterocyclization reaction with elemental sulfur, affording benzo[5,1-b]imidazothiazoles in good yields.

New artificial network model to estimate biological activity of peat humic acids.

PURPOSE: This article focuses on new method to estimate biological activity of peat humic acids (HAs) using artificial neural network (ANN) to process spectroscopic measurements in infrared and visible ranges. Conventional approaches generally rely on biological models and direct detection of chemical substances related to bioactivity. These methods proved to be accurate and reliable, but at the expense of speed and simplicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Recently, a conception of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) has been introduced and successfully implemented to predict effects of HAs on toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Our research stems from this conception, but employs multilayer perceptron (MLP) model to improve overall performance. The developed MLP model allowed us to estimate biological activity of the complete vertical peat cores collected from oligotrophic peat bog, located in southern taiga zone of West Siberia (north-eastern spurs of the Great Vasyugan Mire, 56°58' N 82о36' E). In total, 42 samples taken from the cores were collected. The protocol included spectroscopy (in infrared and visible ranges) and biological model with peritoneal activated macrophages as a reference method to directly measure biological activity of HAs. RESULTS: and discussion. Numerical experiments confirmed consistency of the measured and estimated bioactivity, coefficient of determination R2 = 0.97. These experiments also showed that the MLP model significantly outperforms conventional linear multiple regression models, mainly due to essential nonlinearity of structure-activity relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Our research demonstrates that biological activity of HAs extracted from peat samples can be estimated using an artificial neural network model trained on infrared and visible spectra.

Can Plasmon Change Reaction Path? Decomposition of Unsymmetrical Iodonium Salts as an Organic Probe.

Plasmon-assisted transformations of organic compounds represent a novel opportunity for conversion of light to chemical energy at room temperature. However, the mechanistic insights of interaction between plasmon energy and organic molecules is still under debate. Herein, we proposed a comprehensive study of the plasmon-assisted reaction mechanism using unsymmetric iodonium salts (ISs) as an organic probe. The experimental and theoretical analysis allow us to exclude the possible thermal effect or hot electron transfer. We found that plasmon interaction with unsymmetrical ISs led to the intramolecular excitation of electron followed by the regioselective cleavage of C-I bond with the formation of electron-rich radical species, which cannot be explained by the hot electron excitation or thermal effects. The high regioselectivity is explained by the direct excitation of electron to LUMO with the formation of a dissociative excited state according to quantum-chemical modeling, which provides novel opportunities for the fine control of reactivity using plasmon energy.

Thermal stability of N-heterocycle-stabilized iodanes - a systematic investigation.

The thermal stability of pseudocyclic and cyclic N-heterocycle-stabilized (hydroxy)aryl- and mesityl(aryl)-λ3-iodanes (NHIs) through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is investigated. Peak decomposition temperatures (T peak) were observed within a wide range between 120 and 270 °C. Decomposition enthalpies (ΔH dec) varied from -29.81 to 141.13 kJ/mol. A direct comparison between pseudocyclic and cyclic NHIs revealed high T peak but also higher ΔH dec values for the latter ones. NHIs bearing N-heterocycles with a high N/C-ratio such as triazoles show among the lowest T peak and the highest ΔH dec values. A comparison of NHIs with known (pseudo)cyclic benziodoxolones is made and we further correlated their thermal stability with reactivity in a model oxygenation.

2-Iodoxybenzoic acid ditriflate: the most powerful hypervalent iodine(v) oxidant.

A ditriflate derivative of 2-iodoxybenzoic acid (IBX) was prepared by the reaction of IBX with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid and characterized by single crystal X-ray crystallography. IBX-ditriflate is the most powerful oxidant in a series of structurally similar IBX derivatives which is best illustrated by its ability to readily oxidize hydrocarbons and the oxidation resistant polyfluoroalcohols.

Sulfonylimino Group Transfer Reaction Using Imino-λ³-iodanes with I2 as Catalyst Under Metal-free Conditions.

A new practical procedure of imination for sulfide has been developed. The treatment of (N-tosylimino)-phenyl-λ³-iodane, PhINTs, with various sulfides in the presence of a catalytic amount of I2 under metal-free conditions affords the corresponding N-tosylsulfilimine compounds with moderate to good yields. This facile transfer procedure of the sulfonylimino group can also be applied to triphenylphosphine to produce the respective iminotriphenylphosphoranes in high yields. According to the reaction mechanism studies, the process of imination from (N-tosylimino)-phenyl-λ³-iodane to sulfide under the conditions may involve radical steps within the reaction mechanism.

Synthesis of Five-Membered Iodine-Nitrogen Heterocycles from Benzimidazole-Based Iodonium Salts.

Pseudocyclic 2-benzimidazolyl-substituted diaryliodonium salts were obtained by the reaction of the corresponding [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]arenes with arenes in the presence of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid. X-ray structural analysis of these iodonium salts confirmed their pseudocyclic structure with a short (2.57-2.58 Å) noncovalent I···N interaction. Treatment of 2-benzimidazolyl-substituted diaryliodonium triflates with a base afforded novel five-membered iodine-nitrogen heterocycles.

Preparation and X-ray structure of 2-iodoxybenzenesulfonic acid (IBS) - a powerful hypervalent iodine(V) oxidant.

The selective preparation of 2-iodoxybenzenesulfonic acid (IBS, as potassium or sodium salts) by oxidation of sodium 2-iodobenzenesulfonate with Oxone or sodium periodate in water is reported. The single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals a complex polymeric structure consisting of three units of IBS as potassium salt and one unit of 2-iodoxybenzenesulfonic acid linked together by relatively strong I=O···I intermolecular interactions. Furthermore, a new method for the preparation of the reduced form of IBS, 2-iodosylbenzenesulfonic acid, by using periodic acid as an oxidant, has been developed. It has been demonstrated that the oxidation of free 2-iodobenzenesulfonic acid under acidic conditions affords an iodine(III) heterocycle (2-iodosylbenzenesulfonic acid), while the oxidation of sodium 2-iodobenzenesulfonate in neutral aqueous solution gives the iodine(V) products.