Aerobic oxidation of alcohols and the synthesis of benzoxazoles catalyzed by a cuprocupric coordination polymer (Cu(+)-CP) assisted by TEMPO.

A Cu(+)-CP based on the tetranuclear unit {[(HSQPA)2Cu4(bipy)4]·2H2O}n·2nH2O has been constructed through Cu(2+) salt, 2-(sulfonylquinlium-8-yloxy)phthalic acid (H3SQPA), and 4,4'-bipyridine (bipy). This Cu(+)-CP combined with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl as the cocatalyst is an effective catalyst for aerobic oxidation of alcohols and the synthesis of benzoxazoles and can be recycled at least four times without losing its catalytic activity.

Polymer supported synthesis of novel benzoxazole linked benzimidazoles under microwave conditions: in vitro evaluation of VEGFR-3 kinase inhibition activity.

An efficient soluble polymer-supported method has been developed for the parallel synthesis of substituted benzimidazole linked benzoxazoles using focused microwave irradiation. The key step involves the amidation of 4-hydroxy-3-nitrobenzoic acid with polymer-immobilized o-phenylenediamine. Application of mild acidic conditions promoted the ring closure to furnish the benzimidazole ring. After hydrogenation of the nitro-group to amine, the resulted polymer conjugates underwent efficient ring closure with various alkyl, aryl and heteroaryl isothiocyanates to generate the polymer-bound benzimidazolyl benzoxazoles. The polymer-bound compounds were finally cleaved from the support to furnish benzimidazole linked benzoxazole derivatives. The efficacy of the resultant angular bis-heterocyclic library was studied against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR-3). The preliminary screening of these novel compounds exhibits moderate to high inhibition (IC(50) = 0.56-1.42 µM). This protocol provides an easy access to novel angular bis-heterocycles which have potential for the discovery of novel leads for targeted cancer therapeutics.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel ¹8F labeled 2-pyridinylbenzoxazole and 2-pyridinylbenzothiazole derivatives as ligands for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of ß-amyloid plaques.

A series of fluoro-pegylated (FPEG) 2-pyridinylbenzoxazole and 2-pyridinylbenzothiazole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as novel ß-amyloid (Aß) imaging probes for PET. They displayed binding affinities for Aß(1-42) aggregates that varied from 2.7 to 101.6 nM. Seven ligands with high affinity were selected for (18)F labeling. In vitro autoradiography results confirmed the high affinity of these radiotracers. In vivo biodistribution experiments in normal mice indicated that the radiotracers with a short FPEG chain (n = 1) displayed high initial uptake into and rapid washout from the brain. One of the 2-pyridinylbenzoxazole derivatives, [(18)F]-5-(5-(2-fluoroethoxy)benzo[d]oxazol-2-yl)-N-methylpyridin-2-amine ([(18)F]32) (K(i) = 8.0 ± 3.2 nM) displayed a brain(2min)/brain(60min) ratio of 4.66, which is highly desirable for Aß imaging agents. Target specific binding of [(18)F]32 to Aß plaques was validated by ex vivo autoradiographic experiment with transgenic model mouse. Overall, [(18)F]32 is a promising Aß imaging agent for PET and merits further evaluation in human subjects.

Solid-phase synthesis of the 2-aminobenzoxazole library using thioether linkage as the safety-catch linker.

An efficient solid-phase methodology has been developed for the synthesis of 2-aminobenzoxazole derivatives. The key step in this procedure involves preparation of polymer-bound 2-mercaptobenzoxazole resins 3 by reaction of the Merrifield resin with 2-aminophenols and CS(2) in the presence of DIC in MeCN. Oxidation of the resulting resins followed by treatment with amines gives the desired 2-aminobenzoxazole products 5. Further diversification can be introduced to the key resin 11, derived from the nitro group containing resin 3c. This process produces the corresponding amine, which upon reaction with acid chlorides and isocyanates can be used to generate various 6-functionalized 2-aminobenzoxazole analogues 13 and 15.

Effects of size of macrocyclic polyamides on their rate of diffusion in model membranes.

A series of homologous amphiphilic molecules with surface areas in the range of 0.3 nm2 to 3.0 nm2 were prepared and used to investigate the diffusion in model dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine membranes as a function of temperature. The diffusion behavior of smaller molecules can be described by the interfacial viscosity limited free area theory promoted by Vaz and his co-workers, and that of the larger molecules can best be modeled by a recent interpretation of the theoretical description proposed by Evans and Sackmann. The experimental data show that the rate of diffusion is controlled by the size of the molecules at the interface of the lipid membrane, and provide evidence for a view of the membrane as a hydrodynamic triple layer with a low-viscosity central layer encased by two more viscous, yet fluid, layers.