Synthesis of Canthin-4-ones and Isocanthin-4-ones via B Ring Construction.

Canthin-4-one is synthesized via a six-step procedure starting from commercially available 3-amino-4-bromopyridine in 26% overall yield. 3-Amino-4-bromopyridine is initially converted to 8-bromo-1,5-naphthyridin-4(1H)-one. O-Methylation, intermolecular Pd-catalyzed C-C coupling, and demethylation afford the key intermediate, 8-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,5-naphthyridin-4(1H)-one, for which intramolecular C-N coupling completes the synthesis of the canthin-4-one skeleton. Ten canthin-4-one analogues were prepared in addition to the parent compound. With minor modifications, the synthesis also applies to the synthesis of two series of isocanthin-4-ones.

Metal-Free Organic Radical Spin Source.

Organic radicals have long been suggested as candidates for organic magnets and components in organic spintronic devices. Herein, we demonstrate spin current emission from an organic radical film via spin pumping at room temperature. We present the synthesis and the thin film preparation of a Blatter-type radical with outstanding stability and low roughness. These features enable the fabrication of a radical/ferromagnet bilayer, in which the spin current emission from the organic radical layer can be reversibly reduced when the ferromagnetic film is brought into simultaneous resonance with the radical. The results provide an experimental demonstration of a metal-free organic radical layer operating as a spin source, opening a new avenue for the development of purely organic spintronic devices and bridging the gap between potential and real applications.

Mechanistic origins of methyl-driven Overhauser DNP.

The Overhauser effect in the dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) of non-conducting solids has drawn much attention due to the potential for efficient high-field DNP as well as a general interest in the underlying principles that enable the Overhauser effect in small molecules. We recently reported the observation of 1H and 2H Overhauser effects in H3C- or D3C-functionalized Blatter radical analogs, which we presumed to be caused by methyl rotation. In this work, we look at the mechanism for methyl-driven Overhauser DNP in greater detail, considering methyl librations and tunneling in addition to classical rotation. We predict the temperature dependence of these mechanisms using density functional theory and spin dynamics simulations. Comparisons with results from ultralow-temperature magic angle spinning-DNP experiments revealed that cross-relaxation at temperatures above 60 K originates from both libration and rotation, while librations dominate at lower temperatures. Due to the zero-point vibrational nature of these motions, they are not quenched by very low temperatures, and methyl-driven Overhauser DNP is expected to increase in efficiency down to 0 K, predominantly due to increases in nuclear relaxation times.

Heterocyclic Iminoquinones and Quinones from the National Cancer Institute (NCI, USA) COMPARE Analysis.

This review uses the National Cancer Institute (NCI) COMPARE program to establish an extensive list of heterocyclic iminoquinones and quinones with similarities in differential growth inhibition patterns across the 60-cell line panel of the NCI Developmental Therapeutics Program (DTP). Many natural products and synthetic analogues are revealed as potential NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) substrates, through correlations to dipyridoimidazo[5,4-f]benzimidazoleiminoquinone (DPIQ), and as potential thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) inhibitors, through correlations to benzo[1,2,4]triazin-7-ones and pleurotin. The strong correlation to NQO1 infers the enzyme has a major influence on the amount of the active compound with benzo[e]perimidines, phenoxazinones, benz[f]pyrido[1,2-a]indole-6,11-quinones, seriniquinones, kalasinamide, indolequinones, and furano[2,3-b]naphthoquinones, hypothesised as prodrugs. Compounds with very strong correlations to known TrxR inhibitors had inverse correlations to the expression of both reductase enzymes, NQO1 and TrxR, including naphtho[2,3-b][1,4]oxazepane-6,11-diones, benzo[a]carbazole-1,4-diones, pyranonaphthoquinones (including kalafungin, nanaomycin A, and analogues of griseusin A), and discorhabdin C. Quinoline-5,8-dione scaffolds based on streptonigrin and lavendamycin can correlate to either reductase. Inhibitors of TrxR are not necessarily (imino)quinones, e.g., parthenolides, while oxidising moieties are essential for correlations to NQO1, as with the mitosenes. Herein, an overview of synthetic methods and biological activity of each family of heterocyclic imino(quinone) is provided.

Synthesis and evaluation of 1,2,3-dithiazole inhibitors of the nucleocapsid protein of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) as a model for HIV infection.

We disclose a series of potent anti-viral 1,2,3-dithiazoles, accessed through a succinct synthetic approach from 4,5-dichloro-1,2,3-dithiazolium chloride (Appel's salt). A series of small libraries of compounds were screened against feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infected cells as a model for HIV. This approach highlighted new structure activity relationship understanding and led to the development of sub-micro molar anti-viral compounds with reduced toxicity. In addition, insight into the mechanistic progress of this system is provided via advanced QM-MM modelling. The 1,2,3-dithiazole represents a versatile scaffold with potential for further development to treat both FIV and HIV.

Synthesis and Chemistry of Benzo[e][1,2,6]thiadiazino[3,4-b][1,4]diazepin-10(11H)-ones and Related Ring Transformations.

2-[(3,5-Dichloro-4H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-4-ylidene)amino]benzamides are cyclized to benzo[e][1,2,6]thiadiazino[3,4-b][1,4]diazepin-10(11H)-ones via (i) treatment with NaH and via (ii) Pd-catalyzed C-N coupling. The behavior of the latter toward nucleophiles and thermal, oxidative, and reductive conditions revealed unexpected transformations to 3,5-dioxo-4,5-dihydro-3H-benzo[e][1,4]diazepine-2-carbonitrile and 2-(4-substituted-1,2,5-thiadiazol-3-yl)quinazolin-4(3H)-ones.

Design and evaluation of 1,2,3-dithiazoles and fused 1,2,4-dithiazines as anti-cancer agents.

Heteroatom rich 1,2,3-dithiazoles are relatively underexplored in medicinal chemistry. We now report screening data on a series of structurally diverse 1,2,3-dithiazoles and electronically related 1,2,4-dithiazines with the aim of identifying interesting starting points for potential future optimisation. The 1,2,3-dithiazoles, were obtained via a number of different syntheses and screened on a series of cancer cell lines. These included breast, bladder, prostate, pancreatic, chordoma and lung cancer cell lines with an additional skin fibroblast cell line as a toxicity control. Several low single digit micromolar compounds with promising therapeutic windows were identified for breast, bladder and prostate cancer. Furthermore, key structural features of 1,2,3-dithiazoles are discussed, that show encouraging scope for future refinement.

Crystal Structure and Solid-State Packing of 4-Chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-one and 4-Chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazole-5-thione.

The crystal structure and solid-state packing of 4-chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-one and two polymorphs of 4-chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazole-5-thione were analyzed and compared to structural data of similar systems. These five-membered S,N-rich heterocycles are planar with considerable bond localization. All three structures demonstrate tight solid-state packing without voids which is attributed to a rich network of short intermolecular electrostatic contacts. These include Sδ+…Nδ-, Sδ+…Oδ-, Sδ+…Clδ- and Sδ+…Sδ- interactions that are well within the sum of their van der Waals radii (∑VDW). B3LYP, BLYP, M06, mPW1PW, PBE and MP2 were employed to calculate their intramolecular geometrical parameters, the Fukui condensed functions to probe their reactivity, the bond order, Bird Index and NICS(1) to establish their aromaticity.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel 1,2,6-Thiadiazinone Kinase Inhibitors as Potent Inhibitors of Solid Tumors.

A focused series of substituted 4H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-4-ones was designed and synthesized to probe the anti-cancer properties of this scaffold. Insights from previous kinase inhibitor programs were used to carefully select several different substitution patterns. Compounds were tested on bladder, prostate, pancreatic, breast, chordoma, and lung cancer cell lines with an additional skin fibroblast cell line as a toxicity control. This resulted in the identification of several low single digit micro molar compounds with promising therapeutic windows, particularly for bladder and prostate cancer. A number of key structural features of the 4H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-4-one scaffold are discussed that show promising scope for future improvement.

Regioselective Fluorination of 7-Oxo-1,2,4-benzotriazines Using Selectfluor.

7-Oxo-1,2,4-benzotriazines (benzo[1,2,4]triazin-7-ones) are reversible thioredoxin reductase inhibitors that exhibit very strong correlations to pleurotin. In this article, we provide the first synthesis of fluorinated derivatives. Fluorination using Selectfluor of benzo[1,2,4]triazin-7-ones occurs regioselectively and in high yield at the enamine-activated position. This electron N-lone pair activation overrides the activation/deactivation effects of some other substituents. The reaction time was significantly reduced with the use of microwave irradiation at 120 °C and 7 bar. The cytotoxicity and cyclic voltammetry measurements for 8-fluoro-1,3-diphenylbenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-7(1H)-one (2) are presented and compared with its synthetic precursor, 1,3-diphenylbenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-7(1H)-one (1a).

Synthesis and Characterization of Isodiphenylfluorindone and Isodiphenylfluorindinone.

Isodiphenylfluorindone 6 and isodiphenylfluorindinone 7 are synthesized. The former reacts with NaOMe to give the 13-methoxyisodiphenylfluorindone 22 (95%), while the latter reacts with 70% perchloric acid to give the bisperchlorate 21 (87%) and with MnO2 dimerizes to give 13,13'-bi(isodiphenylfluorindone) 4 (60%). UV-vis, NMR, CV, and DFT computational studies support the structural assignments of all products. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies are reported for isodiphenylfluorindinone 7.

Redox Active Quinoidal 1,2,4-Benzotriazines.

Modifying the para-quinonimine 1,3-diphenyl-1,2,4-benzotriazin-7(1 H)-one (2a) ( E1/2-1/0 -1.20 V), by replacing the N1-phenyl by pentafluorophenyl, the C3-phenyl by trifluoromethyl, or the C7 carbonyl by ylidenemalononitrile, led to improved electron affinities as determined by cyclic voltammetry and computational studies. Combining structural changes further improved electron accepting abilities: the most electron deficient analogues ( E1/2-1/0 ∼ -0.65 V) involved combining the ylidenemalononitrile groups at C7 with the trifluoromethyl groups at C3. 1,2,5-Thiadiazolo fusion at C5-C6 did not affect the redox behavior but did enhance the UV-vis absorption profile. During the synthesis of the thiadiazolo analogues, 1,4-thiazino-fused analogues 6 were obtained in low yield, which thermally ring contract to the triazafluoranthenones 7. Compounds are fully characterized, and X-ray data are provided for selected analogues.

Anti-Cancer Activity of Phenyl and Pyrid-2-yl 1,3-Substituted Benzo[1,2,4]triazin-7-ones and Stable Free Radical Precursors.

Cell viability studies for benzo[1,2,4]triazin-7-ones and 1,2,4-benzotriazinyl (Blatter-type) radical precursors are described with comparisons made with 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO). All of the stable free radicals were several orders of magnitude less cytotoxic than the benzo[1,2,4]triazin-7-ones. The synthesis and evaluation of two new pyrid-2-yl benzo[1,2,4]triazin-7-ones are described, where altering the 1,3-substitution from phenyl to pyrid-2-yl increased cytotoxicity against most cancer cell lines, as indicated using National Cancer Institute (NCI) one-dose testing. COMPARE analysis of five-dose testing data from the NCI showed very strong correlations to the naturally occurring anti-cancer compound pleurotin. COMPARE is program, which analyzes similarities in cytotoxicity data of compounds, and enables quantitative expression as Pearson correlation coefficients. Compounds were also evaluated using the independent MTT assay, which was compared with SRB assay data generated at the NCI.

The Conversion of 5,5'-Bi(1,2,3-dithiazolylidenes) into Isothiazolo[5,4-d]isothiazoles.

Thermolysis of 4,4'-dichloro-, 4,4'-diaryl-, and 4,4'-di(thien-2-yl)-5,5'-bi(1,2,3-dithiazol-ylidenes) affords the respective 3,6-dichloro-, 3,6-diaryl- and 3,6-di(thien-2-yl)isothiazolo[5,4-d]-isothiazoles in low to high yields. The transformation of the 4,4'-diaryl- and 4,4'-di(thien-2-yl)-5,5'-bi(1,2,3-dithiazolylidenes) occurs at lower temperatures in the presence of the thiophiles triphenylphosphine or tetraethylammonium iodide. Optimized reaction conditions and a mechanistic rationale for the thiophile-mediated ring transformation are presented.

1,2,6-Thiadiazinones as Novel Narrow Spectrum Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Kinase 2 (CaMKK2) Inhibitors.

We demonstrate for the first time that 4H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-4-one (TDZ) can function as a chemotype for the design of ATP-competitive kinase inhibitors. Using insights from a co-crystal structure of a 3,5-bis(arylamino)-4H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-4-one bound to calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2), several analogues were identified with micromolar activity through targeted displacement of bound water molecules in the active site. Since the TDZ analogues showed reduced promiscuity compared to their 2,4-dianilinopyrimidine counter parts, they represent starting points for development of highly selective kinase inhibitors.

Preparation of Blatter Radicals via Aza-Wittig Chemistry: The Reaction of N-Aryliminophosphoranes with 1-(Het)aroyl-2-aryldiazenes.

Reacting N-aryliminophosphoranes with 1-(het)aroyl-2-aryldiazenes in preheated diphenyl ether at ca. 150-250 °C for 5-25 min affords in most cases the 1,3-diaryl-1,4-dihydrobenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-4-yls (aka Blatter radicals) in moderate to good yields. All new compounds are fully characterized, including EPR and CV studies for the radicals. Single-crystal X-ray structures of 1-benzoyl-2-(perfluorophenyl)diazene and 1-(perfluorophenyl)-3-phenyl-1,4-dihydrobenzo[e][1,2,4]triazinyl are also presented.

The Reaction of DABCO with 4-Chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazoles: Synthesis and Chemistry of 4-[N-(2-Chloroethyl)piperazin-1-yl]-5H-1,2,3-dithiazoles.

N-(4-Chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-ylidene)anilines react with DABCO in hot PhCl to give N-{4-[N-(2-chloroethyl)piperazin-1-yl]-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-ylidene}anilines in high yields (70-92%). The reaction also works with 4-chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-one and -thione, giving the corresponding products in 85% and 76% yields, respectively. While the reaction of several (4-chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-ylidene)methanes with DABCO failed to give {4-[N-(2-chloroethyl)piperazin-1-yl]-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-ylidene}methanes, these can be prepared in moderate yields via classical cycloaddition-retrocycloaddition strategies from 4-[N-(2-chloroethyl)piperazin-1-yl]-5H-1,2,3-dithiazole-5-thione. The 2-chloroethyl moiety on selected dithiazoles was also modified without cleavage of the 1,2,3-dithiazole by reaction with various nucleophiles, giving access to 4-[N-(2-substituted)piperazin-1-yl]-5H-1,2,3-dithiazoles in moderate to high yields.