Application of 2-Azabicyclo[2.2.1]Hept-5-En-3-One (Vince Lactam) in Synthetic Organic and Medicinal Chemistry.

2-Azabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-3-one (Vince lactam) is known to be a valuable building block in synthetic organic chemistry and drug research. It is an important precursor to access of some blockbuster antiviral drugs such as Carbovir or Abacavir as well as other carbocyclic neuraminidase inhibitors as antiviral agents. The ring C=C bond of the Vince lactam allows versatile chemical manipulations to create not only functionalized γ-lactams, but also γ-amino acid derivatives with a cyclopentane framework. The aim of the current account is to summarize the chemistry of Vince lactam, its synthetic utility and application in organic and medicinal chemistry over the last decade.

Diversity-oriented synthesis yields novel multistage antimalarial inhibitors.

Antimalarial drugs have thus far been chiefly derived from two sources-natural products and synthetic drug-like compounds. Here we investigate whether antimalarial agents with novel mechanisms of action could be discovered using a diverse collection of synthetic compounds that have three-dimensional features reminiscent of natural products and are underrepresented in typical screening collections. We report the identification of such compounds with both previously reported and undescribed mechanisms of action, including a series of bicyclic azetidines that inhibit a new antimalarial target, phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase. These molecules are curative in mice at a single, low dose and show activity against all parasite life stages in multiple in vivo efficacy models. Our findings identify bicyclic azetidines with the potential to both cure and prevent transmission of the disease as well as protect at-risk populations with a single oral dose, highlighting the strength of diversity-oriented synthesis in revealing promising therapeutic targets.

Mn2+ Complexes with Pyclen-Based Derivatives as Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Synthesis and Relaxometry Characterization.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a leading place in medicine as an imaging tool of high resolution for anatomical studies and diagnosis of diseases, in particular for soft tissues that cannot be accessible by other modalities. Many research works are thus focused on improving the images obtained with MRI. This technique has indeed poor sensitivity, which can be compensated by using a contrast agent (CA). Today, the clinically approved CAs on market are solely based on gadolinium complexes that may induce nephrogenic systemic fibrosis for patients with kidney failure, whereas more recent studies on healthy rats also showed Gd retention in the brain. Consequently, researchers try to elaborate other types of safer MRI CAs like manganese-based complexes. In this context, the synthesis of Mn2+ complexes of four 12-membered pyridine-containing macrocyclic ligands based on the pyclen core was accomplished and described herein. Then, the properties of these Mn(II) complexes were studied by two relaxometric methods, 17O NMR spectroscopy and 1H NMR dispersion profiles. The time of residence (τM) and the number of water molecules (q) present in the inner sphere of coordination were determined by these two experiments. The efficacy of the pyclen-based Mn(II) complexes as MRI CAs was evaluated by proton relaxometry at a magnetic field intensity of 1.41 T near those of most medical MRI scanners (1.5 T). Both the 17O NMR and the nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion profiles indicated that the four hexadentate ligands prepared herein left one vacant coordination site to accommodate one water molecule, rapidly exchanging, in around 6 ns. Furthermore, it has been shown that the presence of an additional amide bond formed when the paramagnetic complex is conjugated to a molecule of interest does not alter the inner sphere of coordination of Mn, which remains monohydrated. These complexes exhibit r1 relaxivities, large enough to be used as clinical MRI CAs (1.7-3.4 mM-1·s-1, at 1.41 T and 37 °C).

The Enantioselective Synthesis of Eburnamonine, Eucophylline, and 16'-epi-Leucophyllidine.

A synthetic approach to the heterodimeric bisindole alkaloid leucophyllidine is disclosed herein. An enantioenriched lactam building block, synthesized through palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation, served as the precursor to both hemispheres. The eburnamonine-derived fragment was synthesized through a Bischler-Napieralski/hydrogenation approach, while the eucophylline-derived fragment was synthesized by Friedländer quinoline synthesis and two sequential C-H functionalization steps. A convergent Stille coupling and phenol-directed hydrogenation united the two monomeric fragments to afford 16'-epi-leucophyllidine in 21 steps from commercial material.

Diastereoselective FeCl3·6H2O/NaBH4 Reduction of Oxime Ether for the Synthesis of ß-Lactamase Inhibitor Relebactam.

Relebactam, a potent ß-lactamase inhibitor, in combination with Primaxin is an FDA-approved (Recarbrio) treatment for serious and antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. An efficient synthesis of key chiral piperidine intermediate 1 suitable for large-scale preparation of relebactam is described. The key steps include a unique highly diastereoselective FeCl3·6H2O/NaBH4 reduction of a chiral oxime ether and chemoselective amidation of the resulting unprotected pipecolic acid. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies and density functional theory calculations were carried out on the substrate-Fe(III) complexes, which shed light on diastereoselective reduction.

Synthetic approaches towards avibactam and other diazabicyclooctane ß-lactamase inhibitors.

Avibactam is a non ß-lactam ß-lactamase inhibitor that has recently been approved in association with a ß-lactam antibiotic for the treatment of severe infections caused by otherwise resistant bacteria. Its therapeutic success encouraged the development of many congeners based on its particular diazabicyclooctane scaffold. This review presents a detailed overview of the synthetic strategies that have been implemented to acces these complex bicyclic compounds with a particular focus on those that are currently on the market or in clinical trials.

Composition and Orientation of the Core Region of Novel HIV-1 Entry Inhibitors Influences Metabolic Stability.

Fostemsavir/temsavir is an investigational HIV-1 entry inhibitor currently in late-stage clinical trials. Although it holds promise to be a first-in-class Env-targeted entry inhibitor for the clinic, issues with bioavailability relegate its use to salvage therapies only. As such, the development of a small molecule HIV-1 entry inhibitor that can be used in standard combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) remains a longstanding goal for the field. We previously demonstrated the ability of extending the chemotypes available to this class of inhibitor as the first step towards this overarching goal. In addition to poor solubility, metabolic stability is a crucial determinant of bioavailability. Therefore, in this short communication, we assess the metabolic stabilities of five of our novel chemotype entry inhibitors. We found that changing the piperazine core region of temsavir alters the stability of the compound in human liver microsome assays. Moreover, we identified an entry inhibitor with more than twice the metabolic stability of temsavir and demonstrated that the orientation of the core replacement is critical for this increase. This work further demonstrates the feasibility of our long-term goal-to design an entry inhibitor with improved drug-like qualities-and warrants expanded studies to achieve this.

Synthesis of Avibactam Derivatives and Activity on ß-Lactamases and Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis Enzymes of Mycobacteria.

There is a renewed interest for ß-lactams for treating infections due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. abscessus because their ß-lactamases are inhibited by classical (clavulanate) or new generation (avibactam) inhibitors, respectively. Here, access to an azido derivative of the diazabicyclooctane (DBO) scaffold of avibactam for functionalization by the Huisgen-Sharpless cycloaddition reaction is reported. The amoxicillin-DBO combinations were active, indicating that the triazole ring is compatible with drug penetration (minimal inhibitory concentration of 16 µg mL-1 for both species). Mechanistically, ß-lactamase inhibition was not sufficient to account for the potentiation of amoxicillin by DBOs. Thus, the latter compounds were investigated as inhibitors of l,d-transpeptidases (Ldts), which are the main peptidoglycan polymerases in mycobacteria. The DBOs acted as slow-binding inhibitors of Ldts by S-carbamoylation indicating that optimization of DBOs for Ldt inhibition is an attractive strategy to obtain drugs selectively active on mycobacteria.

Water-Soluble Silver(I) Complexes Featuring the Hemilabile 3,7-Dimethyl-1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane Ligand: Synthesis, Characterization, and Antimicrobial Activity.

This paper describes the preparation and comprehensive characterization of a series of water-soluble cationic silver(I)-centered complexes featuring the hemilabile P, N-ligand known as 3,7-dimethyl-1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (herein abbreviated as PTN(Me)) and differing types of monoanionic counterions including known biologically active sulfadiazine and triclosan. The complexes primarily differed though the number of coordinating PTN(Me) ligands. The bis-substituted Ag(I) complexes revealed P, N bidentate coordination, while the only P-monocoordination of the metal center was observed for the tris-substituted systems. The bis-ligated silver compounds were observed to quickly degrade upon photoexposure or in contact with air. In contrast, the tris-ligated complexes demonstrated greater stability, in particular, a high resistance to photo-decomposition. Calculated geometry optimized models using the density functional theory method (BP86) revealed for the bis-substituted PTN(Me) Ag(I) species that the total enthalpy of the tetrahedral C2-symmetric structure is marginally lower by -0.6 kcal mol-1 compared to the planar C2 h structure, which is analogous for the corresponding [Au(PTN(Me))2]+ complex with Δ H = -0.5 kcal mol-1. Hence both types of complexes feature free rotation of the PTN ligand about the M-P bond axis. This series of Ag(I) and bis-PTN(Me) Au(I) complexes were evaluated using the agar well diffusion test for potential antimicrobial and antifungal activity. The nature of the counterion was found to have a strong correlation with the area of microbiological growth inhibition. Silver(I) complexes bearing the deprotonated triclosan as the counterion demonstrated the greatest activity, with large zones of growth inhibition, with the tris-ligated triclosan complex obtaining of a high clearance of 42 mm against the Gram-negative Escherichia coli. In contrast, the previously reported [Au(PTN(Me))2]Cl complex demonstrated activity only against E. coli, which is lower than that observed for the silver(I) PTN(Me) species.

Formal Total Synthesis of (±)-Strictamine by [2,3]-Sigmatropic Stevens Rearrangements.

To date, more than 100 congeners of the akuammiline alkaloid family have been isolated. Their signature structural element is a methanoquinolizidine moiety, a cage-like scaffold structurally related to adamantane. The structural variations of the family members originate from oxidative processes that mostly trigger rearrangements of the methanoquinolizidine motif. The family of the akuammiline alkaloids is best represented by strictamine. It bears the least functionalized carbon skeleton of all family members without lacking the signature structural motifs. Herein, we report the formal synthesis of strictamine through a Stevens [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement as a key step and the synthetic pitfalls related with its synthesis.

Synthesis of 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane derivatives via palladium-catalyzed cyclopropanation of maleimides with N-tosylhydrazones: practical and facile access to CP-866,087.

A palladium-catalyzed cyclopropanation of internal alkenes with N-tosylhydrazones is presented. This gram-scale cyclopropanation reaction of maleimides provides a wide spectrum of 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane derivatives in high yields and diastereoselectivities. The major diastereoisomers could be easily isolated by chromatography on silica gel. This protocol provides a practical route to the mu opioid receptor antagonist CP-866,087.

Design and synthesis of bicyclic acetals as Beta Secretase (BACE1) inhibitors.

Taking advantage of the structural similarity between aspartic proteases, small-molecule peptidomimetic inhibitors that already showed activity towards Secreted Aspartic Protease 2 as anti-Candida agents and HIV protease inhibitors were exploited as potential BACE1 inhibitors. A focused library of 6,8-dioxa-3-azabicyclo[3.2.1]-octane peptidomimetic scaffolds was synthesized and assayed towards BACE1 enzyme, resulting in the identification of a thiolactam-containing hit compound possessing IC50 in the low micromolar range, and confirming the bicyclic acetal portion as a potential transition state analogue in the interaction with catalytic aspartic acid residues.

Multicomponent synthesis of some new (1S,4S)-2,5-diazabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-dithiocarbamates and their in vitro anti-proliferative activity against CaSki, MDA-MB-231 and SK-Lu-1 tumour cells as apoptosis inducing agents without necrosis.

Identification of a new class of antitumor agent capable to induce apoptosis without triggering necrotic cell death event is challenging. The present communication describes the multicomponent synthesis of seven new (1S,4S)-2,5-diazabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-dithiocarbamates and their in vitro antiproliferative activity on cervical cancer cell line (CaSki), breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB231), lung cancer cell line (SK-Lu-1) and human lymphocytes. Among the synthesized dithiocarbamates, compound 9e displayed significant antiproliferative activity without inducing any necrotic cell death (both on tumour cells and lymphocytes) and induced apoptosis in tumor cells by the caspase dependent apoptotic pathway. The compound 9e also exhibited greater tumor selectivity than human lymphocytes. In silico ADME predictions revealed that compound 9e has the potential to be developed as a drug candidate. Rapid chemical modifications of this lead are thus highly necessary for further investigation as a drug like safer antitumor candidate and also to achieve compounds with better activity profile.

Synthesis and evaluation of (S)-[(18)F]fesetron in the rat brain as a potential PET imaging agent for serotonin 5-HT3 receptors.

Serotonin 5-HT3 receptors are involved in various brain functions including as an emesis target during cancer chemotherapy. We report here the development of (S)-2,3-dimethoxy-5-(3'-[(18)F]fluoropropyl)-N-(1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-3-yl)benzamide ([(18)F]fesetron) as a potential PET imaging agent for serotonin 5-HT3 receptors. By radiolabeling((S)-2,3-dimethoxy-5-(3'-tosyloxypropyl)-N-(1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-3-yl)benzamide) with fluorine-18, (S)-[(18)F]fesetron was obtained in 5 to 10% decay-corrected yields and with specific activities >74GBq/µmol at the end of radiosynthesis. PET imaging in rats showed low uptake of [(18)F]fesetron in the brain with retention of binding in the striatal and cerebellar regions. Using colliculi as a reference region, ratios were 3.4 for striata and 2.5 for cerebellum. Ex vivo brain PET analysis displayed binding of [(18)F]fesetron in the hippocampus, striatum and cerebellar regions. Cerebellar regions corresponded to area postrema and nucleus tract solitaris known to contain 5-HT3 receptors. Dorsal hippocampus showed the highest uptake with ratio of >17 with respect to colliculi, while area postrema and striata had ratios of >10. Thus, [(18)F]fesetron exhibited a unique binding profile to rat brain regions known to contain significant amounts of serotonin 5-HT3 receptors. However, the very low brain uptake limits its usefulness as a PET radiotracer in this animal model.

New potent αvß3 integrin ligands based on azabicycloalkane (γ,α)-dipeptide mimics.

We have designed a new synthetic strategy for the preparation of a new class of cyclic RGD integrin ligands in which the azabicycloalkane scaffold can be envisaged as a (γ,α) dipeptide mimic. The synthesis and in vitro biological evaluation of these RGD derivatives, as well as the computational study of their conformational properties and binding modes to αVß3 integrin are described. Compound has shown to be a promising candidate as αVß3 integrin antagonist able to interfere with both cell adhesion and movement on vitronectin with no evidence of cytotoxic effects.

Synthesis and evaluation of 6-pyrazoylamido-3N-substituted azabicyclo[3,1,0]hexane derivatives as T-type calcium channel inhibitors for treatment of neuropathic pain.

A new series of aryls, including benzo[d]imidazole/isoxazole/pyrazole, conjugated to 3N-substituted-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane derivatives were designed and synthesized as inhibitors of T-type calcium channels. Among the synthesized compounds, 3N-R-substituted azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane carboxamide derivatives containing 5-isobutyl-1-phenyl-pyrazole ring exhibited potent and selective T-channel inhibition and good metabolic stability without CYP450 inhibition. Compounds 10d and 10e contained hydrophobic substituents at the 3N-position and exhibited potent in vitro efficacy, as well as neuropathic pain alleviation in rats.

Construction of Azabicyclo[6.4.0]dodecatrienes Based on Rhodium(I)-Catalyzed Intramolecular [6+2] Cycloaddition between Azetidine, Allene, and Alkynes.

Treatment of the allenylazetidine-alkynes with a catalytic amount of [RhCl(CO)dppp]2 (dppp: 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) effected the intramolecular hetero-[6+2]-type ring-closing reaction via the C-C bond cleavage of the azetidine ring to produce azabicyclo[6.4.0]dodecatriene derivatives in good to excellent yields. The formation of the oxa analogue could also be achieved.

SmI2-mediated radical coupling strategy to Securinega alkaloids: total synthesis of (-)-14,15-dihydrosecurinine and formal total synthesis of (-)-securinine.

The asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-14,15-dihydrosecurinine and the formal total synthesis of (-)-securinine were accomplished starting from an easily available malimide. A concise SmI2-mediated radical coupling strategy has been developed to construct the bridged α-hydroxy 6-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octanone in four steps with high diastereoselectivity.

Discovery of the oxazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivatives as potent and orally active GPR119 agonists.

The design and synthesis of two conformationally restricted oxazabicyclo octane derivatives as GRP119 agonists is described. Derivatives of scaffold C, with syn configuration, have the best overall profiles with respect to solubility and in vivo efficacy. Compound 25a was found to have extremely potent agonistic activity and was orally active in lowering blood glucose levels in a mouse oral glucose tolerance test at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg.

Discovery and crystallography of bicyclic arylaminoazines as potent inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

Non-nucleoside inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-RT) are reported that incorporate a 7-indolizinylamino or 2-naphthylamino substituent on a pyrimidine or 1,3,5-triazine core. The most potent compounds show below 10 nanomolar activity towards wild-type HIV-1 and variants bearing Tyr181Cys and Lys103Asn/Tyr181Cys resistance mutations. The compounds also feature good aqueous solubility. Crystal structures for two complexes enhance the analysis of the structure-activity data.