General Access to Concave-Substituted cis-Dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octanones: Enantioselective Total Syntheses of Macfarlandin C and Dendrillolide A.

The evolution of a strategy to access the family of rearranged spongian diterpenoids harboring a concave-substituted cis-2,8-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-3-one fragment is described. The approach involves late-stage fragment coupling of a tertiary-carbon radical and an electron-deficient double bond to form vicinal quaternary and tertiary stereocenters with high fidelity. A stereoselective Mukaiyama hydration is the key step in the subsequent elaboration of the cis-2,8-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-3-one moiety. This strategy was utilized in enantioselective total syntheses of (-)-macfarlandin C and (+)-dendrillolide A. An efficient construction of enantiopure tetramethyloctahydronaphthalenes was developed during the construction of (-)-macfarlandin C.

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Macfarlandin C, a Spongian Diterpenoid Harboring a Concave-Substituted cis-Dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octanone Fragment.

The enantioselective total synthesis of the rearranged spongian diterpenoid (-)-macfarlandin C is reported. This is the first synthesis of a rearranged spongian diterpenoid in which the bulky hydrocarbon fragment is joined via a quaternary carbon to the highly hindered concave face of the cis-2,8-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-3-one moiety. The strategy involves a late-stage fragment coupling between a tertiary carbon radical and an electrophilic butenolide resulting in the stereoselective formation of vicinal quaternary and tertiary stereocenters. A stereoselective Mukaiyama hydration that orients a pendant carboxymethyl side chain cis to the bulky octahydronapthalene substituent was pivotal in fashioning the challenging concave-substituted cis-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octanone fragment.

H3K9me3 Inhibition Improves Memory, Promotes Spine Formation, and Increases BDNF Levels in the Aged Hippocampus.

An increasing number of studies show that an altered epigenetic landscape may cause impairments in regulation of learning and memory-related genes within the aged hippocampus, eventually resulting in cognitive deficits in the aged brain. One such epigenetic repressive mark is trimethylation of H3K9 (H3K9me3), which is typically implicated in gene silencing. Here, we identify, for the first time, an essential role for H3K9me3 and its histone methyl transferase (SUV39H1) in mediating hippocampal memory functions. Pharmacological inhibition of SUV39H1 using a novel and selective inhibitor decreased levels of H3K9me3 in the hippocampus of aged mice, and improved performance in the objection location memory and fear conditioning tasks and in a complex spatial environment learning task. The inhibition of SUV39H1 induced an increase in spine density of thin and stubby but not mushroom spines in the hippocampus of aged animals and increased surface GluR1 levels in hippocampal synaptosomes, a key index of spine plasticity. Furthermore, there were changes at BDNF exon I gene promoter, in concert with overall BDNF levels in the hippocampus of drug-treated animals compared with control animals. Together, these data demonstrate that SUV39H1 inhibition and the concomitant H3K9me3 downregulation mediate gene transcription in the hippocampus and reverse age-dependent deficits in hippocampal memory. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Cognitive decline is a debilitating condition associated with not only neurodegenerative diseases but also aging in general. However, effective treatments have been slow to emerge so far. In this study, we demonstrate that epigenetic regulation of key synaptic proteins may be an underlying, yet reversible, cause of this decline. Our findings suggest that histone 3 trimethylation is a probable target for pharmacological intervention that can counteract cognitive decline in the aging brain. Finally, we provide support to the hypothesis that, by manipulating the enzyme that regulates H3K9me3 (using a newly developed specific inhibitor of SUV39H1), it is possible to alter the chromatin state of subjects and restore memory and synaptic function in the aging brain.

Short Enantioselective Total Syntheses of trans-Clerodane Diterpenoids: Convergent Fragment Coupling Using a trans-Decalin Tertiary Radical Generated from a Tertiary Alcohol Precursor.

The evolution of a convergent fragment-coupling strategy for the enantioselective total synthesis of trans-clerodane diterpenoids is described. The key bond construction is accomplished by 1,6-addition of a trans-decalin tertiary radical with 4-vinylfuran-2-one. The tertiary radical is optimally generated from the hemioxalate salt of the corresponding tertiary alcohol upon activation by visible light and an Ir(III) photoredox catalyst. The enantioselective total synthesis of trans-clerodane diterpenoid 1 reported here was accomplished in seven steps from 3-methyl-2-cyclohexenone. The synthetic strategy described in this report allows a number of trans-clerodane diterpenoids to be synthesized in enantioselective fashion by synthetic sequences of 10 steps or less. This study illustrates a powerful tactic in organic synthesis in which a structurally complex target structure is disconnected at a quaternary carbon stereocenter to fragments of comparable complexity, which are united in the synthetic pathway by conjugate addition of a nucleophilic tertiary radical to a fragment harboring an electron-deficient C-C double bond.

Constructing quaternary stereogenic centers using tertiary organocuprates and tertiary radicals. Total synthesis of trans-clerodane natural products.

A new concise construction of trans-clerodane diterpenoids is reported in which oxacyclic and trans-hydronaphthalene fragments are coupled, and the critical C9-quaternary carbon stereocenter formed stereoselectively, by 1,6-addition of a tertiary cuprate or a tertiary carbon radical to ß-vinylbutenolide. This strategy is specifically illustrated by total syntheses of (-)-solidagolactone (4), (-)-16-hydroxycleroda-3,13-dien-15,16-olide (5, PL3), and (-)-annonene (6).

A chiral sulfoxide-ligated ruthenium complex for asymmetric catalysis: enantio- and regioselective allylic substitution.

The design and synthesis of a novel chiral sulfoxide-ligated cyclopentadienyl ruthenium complex is described. Its utility as an asymmetric variant of [CpRu(MeCN)3]PF6 is demonstrated through its ability to function in the branched-selective asymmetric allylic alkylation of phenols and carboxylic acids. Water has also been shown to act as a competent nucleophile in this reaction to generate branched allyl alcohols with good regio- and enantioselectivities.

Fe-catalyzed allylic C-C-bond activation: vinylcyclopropanes as versatile a1,a3,d5-synthons in traceless allylic substitutions and [3 + 2]-cycloadditions.

The low-valent iron complex Bu(4)N[Fe(CO)(3)(NO)] (TBAFe) catalyzes the allylic C-C-bond activation of electron-poor vinyl cyclopropanes to generate synthetically useful a1,a3,d5-synthons which are prone to undergo multiple consecutive reactions. The versatility of this approach is demonstrated by a traceless allylic substitution and a formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition to give either functionalized acyclic products or densely substituted cyclopentanes and pyrrolidines in high yields and regioselectivities.

Fe-catalyzed multicomponent reactions: the regioselective alkoxy allylation of activated olefins and its application in sequential Fe catalysis.

We present herein a versatile and broadly applicable Fe-catalyzed regioselective alkoxy allylation of activated double bonds. Substituted allylic carbonates are converted into the corresponding σ-enyl Fe complexes by reaction with Bu(4)N[Fe(CO)(3)(NO)] (TBAFe) at 30 °C. The liberated alkoxide adds to an activated double bond with the generation of a C-nucleophile, which is trapped by the σ-enyl Fe complex in a regioselective manner. Alternatively, the alkoxide acts as a base in deprotonating an external pronucleophile, which undergoes Michael addition. The method is characterized by a broad functional group tolerance, mild reaction conditions, low catalyst loadings, and high regioselectivities in favor of the ipso-substitution product.

BAY-7081: A Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable Cyanopyridone-Based PDE9A Inhibitor.

Despite advances in the treatment of heart failure in recent years, options for patients are still limited and the disease is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Modulating cyclic guanosine monophosphate levels within the natriuretic peptide signaling pathway by inhibiting PDE9A has been associated with beneficial effects in preclinical heart failure models. We herein report the identification of BAY-7081, a potent, selective, and orally bioavailable PDE9A inhibitor with very good aqueous solubility starting from a high-throughput screening hit. Key aspect of the optimization was a switch in metabolism of our lead structures from glucuronidation to oxidation. The switch proved being essential for the identification of compounds with improved pharmacokinetic profiles. By studying a tool compound in a transverse aortic constriction mouse model, we were able to substantiate the relevance of PDE9A inhibition in heart diseases.

Tricyclic Analogues of Epidithiodioxopiperazine Alkaloids with Promising In Vitro and In Vivo Antitumor Activity.

Epipolythiodioxopiperazine (ETP) alkaloids are structurally elaborate alkaloids that show potent antitumor activity. However, their high toxicity and demonstrated interactions with various biological receptors compromises their therapeutic potential. In an effort to mitigate these disadvantages, a short stereocontrolled construction of tricyclic analogues of epidithiodioxopiperazine alkaloids was developed. Evaluation of a small library of such structures against two invasive cancer cell lines defined initial structure-activity relationships (SAR), which identified 1,4-dioxohexahydro-6H-3,8a-epidithiopyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine 3c and related structures as particularly promising antitumor agents. ETP alkaloid analogue 3c exhibits low nanomolar activity against both solid and blood tumors in vitro. In addition, 3c significantly suppresses tumor growth in mouse xenograft models of melanoma and lung cancer, without obvious signs of toxicity, following either intraperitoneal (IP) or oral administration. The short synthesis of molecules in this series will enable future mechanistic and translational studies of these structurally novel and highly promising clinical antitumor candidates.

A mild ligand-free iron-catalyzed liberation of alcohols from allylcarbonates.

Different from most carbonates the allyloxy carbonyl protecting group can be cleaved under neutral conditions using metal catalysis. However, most of the catalysts employed to date are based upon precious metals. Herein we present two protocols for the mild Fe-catalyzed liberation of alcohols from allylcarbonates that are characterized by broad functional group tolerance and exclusive chemoselectivity.