Synthesis of Charge-Compensated nido-Carboranyl Derivatives of Sulfur-Containing Amino Acids and Biotin.

A new group of charge-compensated nido-carboranyl derivatives of sulfur-containing amino acids and biotin has been synthesized in which the boron atom in position 9 or 10 of carborane is attached to a positively charged sulfur atom. The possibilities of obtaining symmetrical B(10)-substituted and asymmetric B(9)-substituted nido-carboranes were studied. Using the example of (S)-methionine and D-biotin derivatives, water-soluble S-substituted charge-compensated nido-carboranes with free functional groups were prepared. The results obtained open up prospects for the development of potential boron delivery agents for BNCT as well as new bioactive compounds containing a negatively charged nido-carboranyl fragment bearing a positive charge on the sulfur atom associated with the boron cluster.

Synthesis of Novel Carborane-Containing Derivatives of RGD Peptide.

Short peptides containing the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) fragment can selectively bind to integrins on the surface of tumor cells and are attractive transport molecules for the targeted delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents to tumors (for example, glioblastoma). We have demonstrated the possibility of obtaining the N- and C-protected RGD peptide containing 3-amino-closo-carborane and a glutaric acid residue as a linker fragment. The resulting carboranyl derivatives of the protected RGD peptide are of interest as starting compounds in the synthesis of unprotected or selectively protected peptides, as well as building blocks for preparation of boron-containing derivatives of the RGD peptide of a more complex structure.

Synthesis and Cytotoxic Activity of the Derivatives of N-(Purin-6-yl)aminopolymethylene Carboxylic Acids and Related Compounds.

Testing a number of N-[omega-(purin-6-yl)aminoalkanoyl] derivatives of 7,8-difluoro-3,4-dihydro-3-methyl-2H-[1,4]benzoxazine in a panel of nine tumor cell lines has shown that the studied compounds exhibit high cytotoxic activity, especially against 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma, COLO201 human colorectal adenocarcinoma, SNU-1 human gastric carcinoma, and HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Synthesis and study of structural analogs of these compounds made it possible to find that the presence of both a difluorobenzoxazine fragment and a purine residue bound via a linker of a certain length is crucial for the manifestation of the cytotoxic activity of this group of compounds. The study of the effect of the most promising compound on the cell cycle of the human tumor cell lines, the most sensitive and least sensitive to cytotoxic action (MDA-MB-231 breast adenocarcinoma and COLO201 colorectal adenocarcinoma, respectively), allows us to conclude that this compound is an inhibitor of DNA biosynthesis. The found group of purine conjugates may be of interest in the design of new antitumor agents.

Large Subunit of the Human Herpes Simplex Virus Terminase as a Promising Target in Design of Anti-Herpesvirus Agents.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is an extremely widespread pathogen characterized by recurrent infections. HSV-1 most commonly causes painful blisters or sores around the mouth or on the genitals, but it can also cause keratitis or, rarely, encephalitis. First-line and second-line antiviral drugs used to treat HSV infections, acyclovir and related compounds, as well as foscarnet and cidofovir, selectively inhibit herpesvirus DNA polymerase (DNA-pol). It has been previously found that (S)-4-[6-(purin-6-yl)aminohexanoyl]-7,8-difluoro-3,4-dihydro-3-methyl-2H-[1,4]benzoxazine (compound 1) exhibits selective anti-herpesvirus activity against HSV-1 in cell culture, including acyclovir-resistant mutants, so we consider it as a lead compound. In this work, the selection of HSV-1 clones resistant to the lead compound was carried out. High-throughput sequencing of resistant clones and reference HSV-1/L2 parent strain was performed to identify the genetic determinants of the virus's resistance to the lead compound. We identified a candidate mutation presumably associated with resistance to the virus, namely the T321I mutation in the UL15 gene encoding the large terminase subunit. Molecular modeling was used to evaluate the affinity and dynamics of the lead compound binding to the putative terminase binding site. The results obtained suggest that the lead compound, by binding to pUL15, affects the terminase complex. pUL15, which is directly involved in the processing and packaging of viral DNA, is one of the crucial components of the HSV terminase complex. The loss of its functional activity leads to disruption of the formation of mature virions, so it represents a promising drug target. The discovery of anti-herpesvirus agents that affect biotargets other than DNA polymerase will expand our possibilities of targeting HSV infections, including those resistant to baseline drugs.

Synthesis and Assessment of Antiplatelet and Antithrombotic Activity of 4-Amino-Substituted 5-Oxoproline Amides and Peptides.

Venous thromboembolism is a serious problem because it significantly increases the risk of developing vascular complications in elderly patients with obesity or immobilization, cancer, and many other diseases. Thus, there is a need to study new therapeutic strategies, including new medicinal agents for the efficient and safe correction of thrombus disorders. In this work, we have synthesized a number of new amides and peptides of 4-amino-5-oxoprolines and studied their antiplatelet and antithrombotic activity in experiments in vitro and in vivo. It has been found that the newly obtained compounds slow down the process of thrombus formation in a model of arterial and venous thrombosis, without affecting plasma hemostasis parameters. (2S,4S)-4-Amino-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-oxoprolyl-(S)-phenylalanine proved to be the most efficient among the studied derivatives. The results obtained indicate the advisability of further studies on 5-oxoproline derivatives in order to design pharmaceutical agents for the prevention and treatment of the consequences of thrombosis.

Pupil dilation and response slowing distinguish deliberate explorative choices in the probabilistic learning task.

This study examined whether pupil size and response time would distinguish directed exploration from random exploration and exploitation. Eighty-nine participants performed the two-choice probabilistic learning task while their pupil size and response time were continuously recorded. Using LMM analysis, we estimated differences in the pupil size and response time between the advantageous and disadvantageous choices as a function of learning success, i.e., whether or not a participant has learned the probabilistic contingency between choices and their outcomes. We proposed that before a true value of each choice became known to a decision-maker, both advantageous and disadvantageous choices represented a random exploration of the two options with an equally uncertain outcome, whereas the same choices after learning manifested exploitation and direct exploration strategies, respectively. We found that disadvantageous choices were associated with increases both in response time and pupil size, but only after the participants had learned the choice-reward contingencies. For the pupil size, this effect was strongly amplified for those disadvantageous choices that immediately followed gains as compared to losses in the preceding choice. Pupil size modulations were evident during the behavioral choice rather than during the pretrial baseline. These findings suggest that occasional disadvantageous choices, which violate the acquired internal utility model, represent directed exploration. This exploratory strategy shifts choice priorities in favor of information seeking and its autonomic and behavioral concomitants are mainly driven by the conflict between the behavioral plan of the intended exploratory choice and its strong alternative, which has already proven to be more rewarding.

N-Aminoacyl-3-amino-nido-carboranes as a Group of Boron-Containing Derivatives of Natural Amino Acids.

A new group of nido-carboranyl derivatives of natural (S)-amino acids containing from 9 to 18 boron atoms was obtained in good yields as a result of acylation of 3-amino-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane followed by deboronation. The proposed approach is convenient and based on the use of readily available reagents and is suitable for the synthesis of enantiopure nido-carboranyl derivatives of amino acids with various side chains, including water-soluble boron-containing amino acids (17 examples).

Acylative kinetic resolution of racemic methyl-substituted cyclic alkylamines with 2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl (R)-2-phenoxypropanoate.

The diastereoselective acylation of a number of racemic methyl-substituted cyclic alkylamines with active esters of 2-phenoxypropanoic acid was studied in detail. The ester of (R)-2-phenoxypropanoic acid and N-hydroxysuccinimide was found to be the most selective agent. The highest stereoselectivity was observed in the kinetic resolution of racemic 2-methylpiperidine in toluene at -40 °C (selectivity factor s = 73) with the predominant formation of (R,R)-amide (93.7% de). To explain the observed stereoselectivity, DFT modelling of the transition states in the reactions of the title acylating agent with 2-methylpiperidine and 2-methylpyrrolidine was performed. The calculated values were in good agreement with experimental data. It has been demonstrated that the acylation proceeds via a concerted mechanism, in which the addition of an amine occurs simultaneously with the elimination of the hydroxysuccinimide fragment. The high stereoselectivity of the (R,R)-amide formation is largely ensured by the lower steric hindrances in the transition states as compared to the formation of (R,S)-amide.

Magnetic-Responsive Doxorubicin-Containing Materials Based on Fe3O4 Nanoparticles with a SiO2/PEG Shell and Study of Their Effects on Cancer Cell Lines.

Novel nanocomposite materials based on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coated with silica and covalently modified by [(3-triethoxysilyl)propyl]succinic acid-polyethylene glycol (PEG 3000) conjugate, which provides a high level of doxorubicin (Dox) loading, were obtained. The efficiency of Dox desorption from the surface of nanomaterials under the action of an alternating magnetic field (AMF) in acidic and neutral media was evaluated. Their high cytotoxicity against tumor cells, as well as the drug release upon application of AMF, which leads to an increase in the cytotoxic effect, was demonstrated.

Carborane-Containing Folic Acid bis-Amides: Synthesis and In Vitro Evaluation of Novel Promising Agents for Boron Delivery to Tumour Cells.

The design of highly selective low-toxic, low-molecular weight agents for boron delivery to tumour cells is of decisive importance for the development of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), a modern efficient combined method for cancer treatment. In this work, we developed a simple method for the preparation of new closo- and nido-carborane-containing folic acid bis-amides containing 18-20 boron atoms per molecule. Folic acid derivatives containing nido-carborane residues were characterised by high water solubility, low cytotoxicity, and demonstrated a good ability to deliver boron to tumour cells in in vitro experiments (up to 7.0 µg B/106 cells in the case of U87 MG human glioblastoma cells). The results obtained demonstrate the high potential of folic acid-nido-carborane conjugates as boron delivery agents to tumour cells for application in BNCT.

Synthesis of Pyrimidine Conjugates with 4-(6-Amino-hexanoyl)-7,8-difluoro-3,4-dihydro-3-methyl-2H-[1,4]benzoxazine and Evaluation of Their Antiviral Activity.

A series of pyrimidine conjugates containing a fragment of racemic 7,8-difluoro-3,4-dihydro-3-methyl-2H-[1,4]benzoxazine and its (S)-enantiomer attached via a 6-aminohexanoyl fragment were synthesized by the reaction of nucleophilic substitution of chlorine in various chloropyrimidines. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by 1H, 19F, and 13C NMR spectral data. Enantiomeric purity of optically active derivatives was confirmed by chiral HPLC. Antiviral evaluation of the synthesized compounds has shown that the replacement of purine with a pyrimidine fragment leads to a decrease in the anti-herpesvirus activity compared to the lead compound, purine conjugate. The studied compounds did not exhibit significant activity against influenza A (H1N1) virus.

Stereochemical aspects in the synthesis of novel N-(purin-6-yl)dipeptides as potential antimycobacterial agents.

The synthesis of purine conjugates with natural amino acids is one of the promising directions in search for novel therapeutic agents, including antimycobacterial agents. The purpose of this study was to synthesize N-(purin-6-yl)dipeptides containing the terminal fragment of (S)-glutamic acid. To obtain the target compounds, two synthetic routes were tested. The first of them is based on coupling of N-(purin-6-yl)-(S)-amino acids to dimethyl (S)-glutamate in the presence of carbodiimide coupling agent followed by the removal of ester groups. However, it turned out that this coupling process was accompanied by racemization of the chiral center of N-(purin-6-yl)-α-amino acids and in all cases led to mixtures of (S,S)- and (R,S)-diastereomers (6:4). Individual (S,S)-diastereomers were obtained using an alternative approach based on the nucleophilic substitution of chlorine in 6-chloropurine or 2-amino-6-chloropurine with corresponding dipeptides as nucleophiles. The enantiomeric purity of the target compounds was confirmed by chiral HPLC. To test the assumption that racemization of the chiral center of N-(purin-6-yl)-α-amino acids occurs with the participation of nitrogen atoms of the imidazole ring via the stage of formation of a chirally labile intermediate, we obtained such structural analogs of N-(purin-6-yl)-(S)-alanine as N-(9-benzylpurin-6-yl)-(S)-alanine and N-(7-deazapurin-6-yl)-(S)-alanine. It was found that coupling of these compounds to dimethyl (S)-glutamate was also accompanied by racemization. This indicates that the imidazole fragment does not play a crucial role in this process. When testing the antimycobacterial activity of some of the obtained compounds, conjugates with moderate activity against the laboratory Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain (MIC 3.1-6.25 µg/mL) were identified.

[2 + 1 + 1] Assembly of spiro ß-lactams by Rh(ii)-catalyzed reaction of diazocarbonyl compounds with azirines/isoxazoles.

A domino synthesis of dispiro-fused N-vinyl ß-lactams from diazo-Meldrum's acid and 2H-azirines or 5-alkoxyisoxazoles via the "2-azabuta-1,3-diene formation/Staudinger ketene-imine cycloaddition" sequence is described. The Rh2(Piv)4-catalyzed formation of the 2-azabuta-1,3-diene intermediates in the first stage of the reaction sequence proceeds via addition of the rhodium carbenoid to the azirines/isoxazoles and provides the first example of the generation of iminium-type ylides from diazo-Meldrum's acid. This methodology was extended to monospiro-ß-lactams, which were synthesized in two steps using acyclic α-diazocarbonyl compounds in the stage of the formation of 2-azabuta-1,3-dienes. The method allows for the rapid assemblage of the carbon part of the azetidin-2-one system from diazo compounds only and affords spiro- and dispiro-ß-lactams in moderate yields. A bromine atom in the 2-bromoalkenyl moiety of the synthesized ß-lactams can be easily substituted by hydrogen under catalytic hydrogenation conditions or by 2-pyridyl-substituent via the Stille cross-coupling reaction.

Rh(II)-Catalyzed Transannulation of 1,2,4-Oxadiazole Derivatives with 1-Sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles: Regioselective Synthesis of 5-Sulfonamidoimidazoles.

An effective method for the synthesis of fully substituted 5-sulfonamidoimidazoles by Rh(II)-catalyzed transannulation of 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives with N-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles is reported. The reaction works well with both aromatic 1,2,4-oxadiazoles and 1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-ones providing a flexible approach to N-(alkoxy/amino)carbonyl- and N-alkyl-substituted imidazoles. Both the disclosed reactions are completely regioselective and provide the first examples of a carbenoid-mediated transformation of N,N,O-heterocycles.

Synthesis of 2-(Di/tri/tetraazolyl)-2 H-azirine-2-carboxylates by Halogen Substitution: Evidence for an SN2'-SN2' Cascade Mechanism.

An effective and operationally simple method for the preparation of methyl 2-(di/tri/tetraazol-1-yl)-2 H-azirine-2-carboxylates from accessible methyl 2-halo-2 H-azirine-2-carboxylates and NH-azoles has been developed. The azoles having enhanced NH acidity, react with 2-halo-2 H-azirines in the presence of Et3N in a deprotonated form, while the azoles having highly nucleophilic sp2 nitrogen react in neutral form. According to the DFT calculations, the substitution of the halogen by the azole proceeds via an SN2'-SN2' cascade, with the initial conjugate substitution of the halogen being the rate-determining step. The formation of 2,3-dipyrazolylaziridines in the reaction of pyrazole provides experimental evidence for the cascade mechanism of the reaction.

Relative Reactivity of Benzothiophene-Fused Enediynes in the Bergman Cyclization.

To find promising analogues of naturally occurring enediyne antibiotics with a sufficient reactivity in the Bergman cyclization and moderately stable under isolation and storage, a scale of relative enediynes reactivity was created on the basis of calculated free activation energies for the Bergman cyclization within 12 known and new benozothiophene, benzene, and cinnoline annulated 9- and 10-membered enediynes. To verify the predicted reactivity/stability balance, three new carbocyclic enediynes fused to a benzothiophene core bearing 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzene, fluoroisopropyl, and isopropenyl substituents were synthesized using the Nicholas-type macrocyclization. It was confirmed that annulation of a 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzene moiety to a 10-membered enediyne macrocycle imparts high reactivity to an enediyne while also conferring instability under ambient temperature. Fluoroisopropyl-substituted 10-membered enediyne from the opposite end of the scale was found to be stable while moderately reactive in the Bergman cyclization. Along with the experimentally confirmed moderate reactivity (DSC kinetic studies), (fluoroisopropyl)enediyne showed a significant DNA damaging activity in plasmid cleavage assays comparable with the known anticancer drug Zeocin.

Fe(II)-Catalyzed Isomerization of 5-Chloroisoxazoles to 2 H-Azirine-2-carbonyl Chlorides as a Key Stage in the Synthesis of Pyrazole-Nitrogen Heterocycle Dyads.

2-(1 H-Pyrazol-1-ylcarbonyl)-2 H-azirines were synthesized by in situ trapping of 2 H-azirine-2-carbonyl chlorides, generated by Fe(II)-catalyzed isomerization of 5-chloroisoxazoles, with pyrazoles. According to DFT calculations, the selectivity of nucleophilic substitution at the carbonyl group of 2 H-azirine-2-carbonyl chloride by a pyrazole nucleophile, which is a mixture of two tautomers, is controlled by thermodynamic factors. 2-(1 H-Pyrazol-1-ylcarbonyl)-2 H-azirines are excellent precursors for the preparation of two other pyrazole-nitrogen heterocycle dyads: 5-(1 H-pyrazol-1-yl)oxazoles by photolysis and 1-(1 H-pyrrol-2-ylcarbonyl)-1 H-pyrazoles by a Ni(II)-catalyzed reaction with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. 5-(1 H-Pyrazol-1-yl)oxazoles show strong emission in acetonitrile at 360-410 nm with high quantum yields.

Metalated Ir(III) Complexes Based on the Luminescent Diimine Ligands: Synthesis and Photophysical Study.

A series of novel diimine (N∧N) ligands containing developed aromatic [2,1- a]pyrrolo[3,2- c]isoquinoline system have been prepared and used in the synthesis of Ir(III) luminescent complexes. In organic solvents, the ligands display fluorescence which depends strongly on the nature of solvents to give moderate to strong orange emission in aprotic solvents and shows a considerable blue shift and substantial increase in emission intensity in methanol. Insertion of electron-withdrawing and -donating substituents into peripheral phenyl fragment has nearly no effect onto emission parameters. The ligands were successfully used to prepare the metalated [Ir(N∧C)2(N∧N)]+ complexes (where N∧C = phenylpyridine (N∧C-1), p-tolylpyridine (N∧C-2), 2-(benzo[ b]thiophen-2-yl)pyridine (N∧C-3), 2-benzo[ b]thiophen-3-yl)pyridine (N∧C-4), and methyl 2-phenylquinoline-4-carboxylate (N∧C-5)) using standard synthetic procedures. The complexes obtained display moderate to strong phosphorescence in organic solvents; the emission characteristics is determined by the nature of emissive triplet state, which varies substantially with the variations in the structure and donor properties of the C- and N-coordinating functions in metalating ligands. TD-DFT calculations show that for complexes 1, 2, and 4 the emission originates from the mixed 3MLCT/3LLCT excited states with the major contribution from the aromatic moiety of the diimine ligand, whereas in 3 the emissive triplet manifold is mainly located at the N∧C ligand to give structured emission band typical for the ligand centered (LC) excited state. In the case of 5, the phosphorescence may be also assigned to the mixed 3MLCT/3LLCT excited state; however, the major contribution is attributed to the aromatic moiety of the metalating N∧C ligand.

Halides Held by Bifurcated Chalcogen-Hydrogen Bonds. Effect of µ(S,N-H)Cl Contacts on Dimerization of Cl(carbene)PdII Species.

The reaction of cis-[PdCl2(CNCy)2] (1) with thiazol-2-amines (2-10) leads to the C,N-chelated diaminocarbene-like complexes [PdCl{ C(N(H)4,5-R2-thiazol-2-yl)NHCy}(CNCy)] (11-14; 82-91%) in the case of 4,5-R2-thiazol-2-amines (R, R = H, H (2), Me, Me (3), -(CH2)4- (4)) and benzothiazol-2-amine (5) or gives the diaminocarbene species cis-[PdCl2{C(N(H)Cy)N(H)4-R-thiazol-2-yl}(CNCy)] (15-19; 73-93%) for the reaction with 4-aryl-substituted thiazol-2-amines (R = Ph (6), 4-MeC6H4 (7), 4-FC6H4 (8), 4-ClC6H4 (9), 3,4-F2C6H3 (10)). Inspection of the single-crystal X-ray diffraction data for 15-17 and 19 suggests that the structures of all these species exhibit previously unrecognized bifurcated chalcogen-hydrogen bonding µ(S,N-H)Cl and also PdII···PdII metallophilic interactions. These noncovalent interactions collectively connect two symmetrically located molecules of 15-17 and 19, resulting in their solid-state dimerization. The existence of the µ(S,N-H)Cl system and its strength (6-9 kcal/mol) were additionally verified/estimated by a Hirshfeld surface analysis and DFT calculations combined with a topological analysis of the electron density distribution within the formalism of Bader's theory (AIM method) and NBO analysis. The observed noncovalent interactions are jointly responsible for the dimerization of 15-19 not only in the solid phase but also in CHCl3 solutions, as predicted theoretically by DFT calculations and confirmed experimentally by FTIR, HRESI-MS, 1H NMR, and diffusion coefficient NMR measurements. Available CCDC data were processed under the new moiety angle, and the observed µ(S,E-H)Cl systems were classified accordingly to E (E = N, O, C) type atoms.

Synthesis of 1,2-Dihydropyrimidine-2-carboxylates via Regioselective Addition of Rhodium(II) Carbenoids to 2H-Azirine-2-carbaldimines.

An efficient two-step procedure "imine formation/azirine-carbenoid coupling" has been developed for the preparation of 1,2-dihydropyrimidines from azirine-2-carbaldehydes, primary amines, and diazo carbonyl compounds under Rh(II) catalysis. The formation of 1,2-dihydropyrimidines involves 100% regioselective addition of the rhodium carbenoid to endocyclic nitrogen atom of the 2H-azirine-2-carbaldimine. According to the DFT calculations the reaction proceeds via dissociation of the metal-bound complex of the azirinium ylide to metal-free azirinium ylide, ring-opening of the latter to give a 1,5-diazahexa-1,3,5-triene, followed by 1,6-cyclization. The 1,2-dihydropyrimidines with two different electron-withdrawing substituents at the C2 position can undergo in solution inversion of configuration of the stereogenic center at C2 via "the N1-C2 bond cleavage/rotation around the N-C single bond/1,6-cyclization" sequence.