The BACH1 inhibitor ASP8731 inhibits inflammation and vaso-occlusion and induces fetal hemoglobin in sickle cell disease.

In sickle cell disease (SCD), heme released during intravascular hemolysis promotes oxidative stress, inflammation, and vaso-occlusion. Conversely, free heme can also activate expression of antioxidant and globin genes. Heme binds to the transcription factor BACH1, which represses NRF2-mediated gene transcription. ASP8731, is a selective small molecule inhibitor of BACH1. We investigated the ability of ASP8731 to modulate pathways involved in SCD pathophysiology. In HepG2 liver cells, ASP8731 increased HMOX1 and FTH1 mRNA. In pulmonary endothelial cells, ASP8731 decreased VCAM1 mRNA in response to TNF-α and blocked a decrease in glutathione in response to hemin. Townes-SS mice were gavaged once per day for 4 weeks with ASP8731, hydroxyurea (HU) or vehicle. Both ASP8731 and HU inhibited heme-mediated microvascular stasis and in combination, ASP8731 significantly reduced microvascular stasis compared to HU alone. In Townes-SS mice, ASP8731 and HU markedly increased heme oxygenase-1 and decreased hepatic ICAM-1, NF-kB phospho-p65 protein expression in the liver, and white blood cell counts. In addition, ASP8731 increased gamma-globin expression and HbF+ cells (F-cells) as compared to vehicle-treated mice. In human erythroid differentiated CD34+ cells, ASP8731 increased HGB mRNA and increased the percentage of F-cells 2-fold in manner similar to HU. ASP8731 and HU when given together induced more HbF+ cells compared to either drug alone. In CD34+ cells from one donor that was non-responsive to HU, ASP8731 induced HbF+ cells ~2-fold. ASP8731 and HU also increased HBG and HBA, but not HBB mRNA in erythroid differentiated CD34+ cells derived from SCD patients. These data indicate that BACH1 may offer a new therapeutic target to treat SCD.

Modulation of mitochondrial dysfunction for treatment of disease.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a causative and/or exacerbating feature of many pathologies. We discuss below approaches to modulate mitochondrial dysfunction that involve (1) increasing their energetic efficiency by targeting gene expression regulators such as PPAR or AMPK, (2) using antioxidant compounds to reduce the toxic reactive oxygen species mitochondria produce under stress, or (3) modulating aspects on the innate mitochondrial quality control system. The latter comprise linked processes of biogenesis, dynamic morphological changes, and elimination of defective mitochondria by mitophagy. We discuss representative compounds in all three classes.

Concise syntheses of the abyssinones and discovery of new inhibitors of prostate cancer and MMP-2 expression.

Hydrogen-bonding catalysis is an emerging field that facilitates rapid access to medicinally relevant enantioenriched small molecules. Here, we report the first asymmetric total syntheses of four members of the abyssinone class of natural products (I, II, III, and IV 4´-OMe) via quinine- or quinidine-derived thiourea-catalyzed intramolecular conjugate additions of ß-keto ester alkylidenes. This concise strategy includes a tandem deprotection/decarboxylation final step that delivers all four natural products and their corresponding antipodes. A preliminary evaluation of all of these small molecules against a metastatic human prostate cancer cell line has identified that these compounds selectively and differentially inhibit cell growth and downregulate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) at non-toxic concentrations.

Solution structures of lithium enolates of cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, acetophenones, and benzyl ketones. Triple ions and higher lithiate complexes.

Multinuclear NMR spectroscopic studies at low temperature (-110 to -150 degrees C) revealed that lithium p-fluorophenolate and the lithium enolates of cyclohexanone, cyclopentanone and 4-fluoroacetophenone have tetrameric structures in THF/Et(2)O and THF/Et(2)O-HMPA by study of the effects of the addition of HMPA. The Z and E isomers of the lithium enolate of 1,3-bis-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-propanone (5F-Li) show divergent behavior. The Z isomer is completely dimeric in pure diethyl ether, and mostly dimeric in 3:2 THF/ether, where monomer could be detected in small amounts. TMTAN and PMDTA convert Z-5F-Li to a monomeric amine complex, and HMPA converts it partially to monomers, and partially to lithiate species (RO)(2)Li(-) and (RO)(3)Li(2-). Better characterized solutions of these lithiates were prepared by addition of phosphazenium enolates (using P4-(t)Bu base) to the lithium enolate in 1:1 ratio to form triple ion (RO)(2)Li(-) P4H(+), or 2:1 ratio to form the higher lithiate (RO)(3)Li(2-) (P4H(+))(2)) (quadruple ions). The E isomer of 5F-Li is also dimeric in 3:2 THF/Et(2)O solution, but is not detectably converted to monomer either by PMDTA or HMPA. In contrast to Z-5F-Li, the E isomer is tetrameric in diethyl ether even in the presence of excess HMPA. Thus for the two isomers of 5F six different enolate structures were characterized: tetramer, dimer, CIP-monomer, SIP-monomer, triple ion, and quadruple ion.

Studies on the reactive species in fluoride-mediated carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions: carbanion formation by desilylation with fluoride and enolates.

The reactive species in fluoride-mediated carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions was investigated. The regio- and diastereoselectivities of silanes reacting with cyclohexenone in the presence of a catalytic amount of fluoride was compared to the reactivity of analogous solvent-separated lithium ion pairs. Closely analogous behavior was observed, showing that carbanions and not siliconate complexes are the reactive species in the fluoride-catalyzed reactions. Spectroscopic investigations unambiguously show that phenylthiobenzyl anion will form by reaction of silane with tris(dimethylamino)sulfonium difluorotrimethylsilicate (TASF) or crypt[2.1.1]-solvated lithium enolates. The catalytic cycle runs smoothly with the crypt[2.1.1] complex of alpha-(phenylthio)benzyllithium as the initiator and enolate as the carrier of the desilylation reaction.

Reaction of metalated nitriles with enones.

[reaction: see text] There have been a number of reports of the kinetic conjugate (1,4) addition of metalated arylacetonitriles to enones. Several proposals have been made to explain this behavior based on nucleophile structure or aggregation state or on the HSAB properties of the reactants. A reexamination of these studies showed that in each case the 1,4 adducts resulted from equilibration of the kinetically formed 1,2 adducts to the more stable 1,4 adducts. Thus, no conclusions about the origins of 1,4 selectivity can be drawn from these experiments. The 1,2 addition, retro-1,2 addition, 1,4 addition, and retro-1,4 addition of lithiophenylacetonitrile to benzylideneacetone were examined, and a free energy level diagram was constructed for the reaction.