New methods of modification of α-cyclodextrin.

While being some of the oldest supramolecular hosts, cyclodextrins remain very popular as molecular binders in materials, devices, artificial enzymes and more. The popularity is undoubtedly connected to the ready availability, carbohydrate biomass origin, biodegradability and water solubility of the cyclodextrins. Many of these applications require synthetic modification of the cyclodextrin - at the simplest the attachment of a linker - but also often attachment of several functional groups, lids, bridges etc. Here we review state of the art methods of modifying α-cyclodextrin, which include direct modications of unprotected α-cyclodextrin and protection/deprotection method to partially modified cyclodextrins.

Total Synthesis of Strigolactones via Palladium-Catalyzed Cascade Carbonylative Carbocyclization of Enallenes.

Here we report an efficient route for synthesizing strigolactones (SLs) and their derivatives. Our method relies on a palladium-catalyzed oxidative carbonylation/carbocyclization/carbonylation/alkoxylation cascade reaction, which involves the formation of three new C-C bonds and a new C-O bond while cleaving one C(sp3)-H bond in a single step. With our versatile synthetic strategy, both naturally occurring and artificial SLs were prepared.

Environmentally Friendly Synthesis of Highly Substituted Phenols Using Enallenoates and Grignard Reagents.

We developed an efficient and environmentally friendly methodology for selectively synthesizing highly substituted phenols using readily available enallenoates and Grignard reagents. This method consistently yields good to excellent results across over 60 examples, demonstrating the substrate scope and the exploration of phenol product derivatization, further extending the method's utility.

Palladium-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Carbonylative Esterification of Allenoic Acids for the Synthesis of γ-Butyrolactone Derivatives.

A highly efficient dehydrogenative carbonylative esterification of allenoic acids using Pd-catalysis was developed, providing a novel approach to synthesizing esterified γ-butyrolactone derivatives with consistently good to excellent results demonstrated across over 50 examples. Additionally, we used a heterogeneous catalyst known as Pd-AmP-MCF and harnessed biomimetic-aerobic-oxidation conditions to facilitate the practical execution of this reaction. Furthermore, our detailed study of γ-butyrolactone products highlighted their potential in synthesizing bioactive compounds.

Synthesis, structural characterization, molecular docking study, biological activity of carbon monoxide release molecules as potent antitumor agents.

In this study, two series of novel carbon monoxide-releasing molecules (CO-RMs) containing Co were designed and synthesized. The synthesized complexes were characterized by IR, ESI-MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopies. The antitumor activity of all complexes on HepG2 cells, Hela cells and MDA-MB-231 cells were assayed by MTT. IC50 values of complexes 1-13 were 4.7-548.6 µM. Among these complexes, complex 1 was presented with a high selectivity to HepG2 cells (IC50 = 4.7 ± 0.76 µM). Compared with iCORM (inactive CORM), CORM (complex 1) showed a remarkable activity against tumor cells owing to co-effect of CO and the ligand of COX-2 inhibitor. In addition, complex 1 increased ROS in mitochondria and caused a decrease of dose-dependent mitochondrial membrane potential against HepG2 cells. Complex 1 down-regulated the expression of COX-2 protein in western blot analysis. The molecular docking study suggested that the complex 1 formed a hydrogen bond with amino acid R120 in the active site of the Human cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Therefore, the complex 1 could induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells through targeting COX-2 and mitochondria pathways, and it maybe a potential therapeutic agent for cancer.