Discovery of acetophenone/piperazin-2-one hybrids as selective anti-TNBC cancer agents by causing DNA damage.

Twenty-five acetophenone/piperazin-2-one (APPA) hybrids were designed and synthesized based on key pharmacophores found in anti-breast cancer drugs Neratinib, Palbociclib, and Olaparib. Compound 1j exhibited good in vitro antiproliferative activity (IC50 = 6.50 µM) and high selectivity (SI = 9.2 vs HER2-positive breast cancer cells SKBr3; SI = 7.3 vs normal breast cells MCF-10A) against triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells MDA-MB-468. In addition, 1j could selectively cause DNA damage, inducing the accumulation of γH2AX and P53 in MDA-MB-468 cells. It also reduced the phosphorylation level of P38 and the expression of HSP70, which further prevented the repair of DNA damage and caused cells S/G2-arrest leading to MDA-MB-468 cells death.

Hydroxymethylation hydroxylation of 1,3-diarylpropene through a catalytic diastereoselective Prins reaction: cyclization logic and access to brazilin core.

A catalytic diastereoselective Prins reaction for hydroxymethylation and hydroxylation of 1,3-diarylpropene was successfully utilized to prepare various 1,3-dioxanes 7 in 14-88% yields. Take advantage of the synthetic intermediate 7h, the key B/C rings in brazilin core could be constructed by the sequential of Friedel-Crafts/Ullmann-Ma rather than Ullmann-Ma/Friedel-Crafts reactions.

Divergent Total Syntheses of Lycorine Alkaloids via a Sequential C-H Functionalization Strategy.

A Pd-catalyzed one-pot sequential C-H functionalization strategy was utilized to prepare four lycorine alkaloids and one pseudo-lycorine alkaloid from the common intermediate 4. By switching the followed oxidative conditions of air, DMSO/H2O/I2, and DMSO/O2, based on the Pd(PPh3)4/K2CO3/toluene catalytic system, three key intermediates 12a, 12b, and 12c with different substitution patterns could be obtained in a well-controlled manner. As a result, four natural products γ-lycorane, hippadine, anhydrolycorinone, and anhydrolycorine as well as a pseudo-lycorine alkaloid Δ(4a,10b)-6-oxodihydrolycorine were successfully synthesized within 10 steps through this divergent route.

Biomimetic Total Synthesis of Bimagnolignan: A Natural Anti-Breast Cancer Agent.

A short scalable biomimetic route to bioactive natural product bimagnolignan (1) was accomplished. Compound 1 was successfully prepared through a three-step metal-free synthesis from honokiol (2). Alternatively, 1 was also synthesized by biomimetic transformations that mimic tyrosinase in four steps. The key reactions feature a regioselective acetylation, a highly efficient C(sp2)-H oxidation, a cascade aerobic oxidative cyclization/coupling, and a Cu-catalyzed direct oxidative coupling. In addition, cell-based assays validate that 1 is a promising natural lead for HER2-positive breast cancer treatment.

A silicon-containing aryl/penta-1,4-dien-3-one/amine hybrid exhibits antiproliferative effects on breast cancer cells by targeting the HSP90 C-terminus without inducing heat-shock response.

A pharmacophore-hybridized strategy based on previously reported HSP90 C-terminal inhibitors was utilized to prepare 32 aryl/penta-1,4-dien-3-one/amine hybrids. Among them, a silicon-containing compound 1z exhibited remarkable broad-spectrum antiproliferative effects on various human breast cancer cell lines. Through fluorescence polarization and AlphaScreen-based assays, we demonstrated that 1z specifically inhibited the HSP90 C-terminus without affecting HSP90 N-terminus. Furthermore, 1z effectively inhibited the HSP90 C-terminus without inducing heat-shock response (HSR), leading to the degradation of its client proteins HER2, pAKT, AKT, and CDK4, causing G1 arrest of MCF-7 and SKBr3 cells, and ultimately contributing to apoptosis of these cells through caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 activation. Additionally, the penta-1,4-dien-3-one linker in the hybrid, a large bulky lipophilic substitution in the aryl fragment at the 3'-site, and the presence of N-methylpiperazine as the amine fragment were identified as crucial factors that significantly contributed to the observed antiproliferative activity through structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis. Lastly, we found that 1z exhibited superior thermostability compared to vibsanin B derivatives and good in vitro metabolic stability in simulated intestinal fluid, representing one of the few reported silicon-containing HSP90 C-terminal inhibitors.

Ketoreductase Domain-Catalyzed Polyketide Chain Release in Fungal Alkyl Salicylaldehyde Biosynthesis.

Alkyl salicylaldehyde derivatives are polyketide natural products, which are widely distributed in fungi and exhibit great structural diversity. Their biosynthetic mechanisms have recently been intensively studied; however, how the polyketide synthases (PKSs) involved in the fungal alkyl salicylaldehyde biosyntheses release their products remained elusive. In this study, we discovered an orphan biosynthetic gene cluster of salicylaldehyde derivatives in the fungus Stachybotrys sp. g12. Intriguingly, the highly reducing PKS StrA, encoded by the gene cluster, performs a reductive polyketide chain release, although it lacks a C-terminal reductase domain, which is typically required for such a reductive release. Our study revealed that the chain release is achieved by the ketoreductase (KR) domain of StrA, which also conducts cannonical ß-keto reductions during polyketide chain elongation. Furthermore, we found that the cupin domain-containing protein StrC plays a critical role in the aromatization reaction. Collectively, we have provided an unprecedented example of a KR domain-catalyzed polyketide chain release and a clearer image of how the salicylaldehyde scaffold is generated in fungi.

Development of actein derivatives as potent anti-triple negative breast cancer agents.

Actein is a natural triterpenoid glycoside, isolated from the rhizomes of Cimicifuga foetida, which have been demonstrated to be potential in the treatment of breast cancer previously. Herein, we described the design and synthesis of a series of actein derivatives as anti-triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) inhibitors. Of which, the most promising derivative 27 exhibited significant inhibitory activity against human TNBC cell lines HCC1806 and MDA-MB-231, with IC50 values of 2.78 and 9.11 µM, respectively. Structure-activity relationships of actein derivatives were also discussed. Moreover, preliminary mechanism investigation revealed that 27 significantly inhibited cancer cell proliferation via cell cycle arrest at S phase. In addition, western blot analysis showed that the activation of MAPK signaling pathway might contribute to derivative 27 induced cell death. Overall, these results indicate that 27 has the potential to be developed as a lead compound and compounds with the actein scaffold are a promising novel class of inhibitors to treat TNBC.

Chemical Synthesis Enables the Configurational Determination of Myristriol, a Highly Oxygenated Phenylpropanoid from Myristica fragrans Houtt.

A new phenylpropanoid, myristriol (1), along with 11 known ones were isolated from the seed kernel of Myristica fragrans Houtt. Their chemical structures were clearly elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis. In which, the relative configuration of 1 was finally determined as erythro-1 by comparison the NMR data of two synthetic erythro- and threo-diastereoisomers with that of natural 1.

Design, synthesis, and anti-triple negative breast cancer activity of novel Toosendanin derivatives.

Toosendanin (TSN) is a natural anti-cancer compound that is isolated from the traditional Chinese herbal Melia toosendan Sieb et Zucc. However, the research effect of TSN in the treatment of Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is still far from ideal. In this work, we investigated TSN and its derivatives in terms of their actions against MDA-MB-231 and HCC1806 TNBC cell lines. The results indicated that TSN and its derivative 11 showed excellent antitumor activity. Preliminary mechanistic studies showed that both compounds TSN and 11 induced S-phase arrest and G2/M phase cell number decrease in HCC1806 cells. Also, TSN and 11 significantly reduced the protein level of the well-known cancer suppressor gene p53, reduced the phosphorylation of AKT and ERK, and also induced the accumulation of phosphorylated p38 and p21.

α-C(sp3)-H Arylation of Cyclic Carbonyl Compounds.

α-C(sp3)-H arylation is an important type of C-H functionalization. Various biologically significant natural products, chemical intermediates, and drugs have been effectively prepared via C-H functionalization. Cyclic carbonyl compounds comprise of cyclic ketones, enones, lactones, and lactams. The α-C(sp3)-H arylation of these compounds have been exhibited high efficiency in forming C(sp3)-C(sp2) bonds, played a crucial role in organic synthesis, and attracted majority of interests from organic and medicinal communities. This review focused on the most significant advances including methods, mechanism, and applications in total synthesis of natural products in the field of α-C(sp3)-H arylations of cyclic carbonyl compounds in recent years.

Aerobic Copper-Catalyzed Intramolecular Cascade Oxidative Isomerization/[4+4] Cyclization of 2,2'-Disubstituted Stilbenes.

An aerobic copper-catalyzed cascade oxidative isomerization/[4+4] cyclization of 2,2'-disubstituted stilbenes is described. Under the mild CuCl/DBED/air catalytic system, various 5,10-heteroatom-containing tetrahydroindeno[2,1-a]indenes were efficiently prepared through the difunctionalizations of alkenes in a highly atom economic manner. Mechanistic investigations suggested the bicyclic product was likely formed through a sequence of rapid single-electron oxidation/[4+4] cyclization from 2,2'-disubstituted stilbene. The antarafacial manner of the thermally allowed [4+4] cyclization was further proven by series of control experiments and density functional theory calculations. Our findings provide an important addition to the aerobic copper-catalyzed oxidative cyclization.

Acylphloroglucinols with acetylcholinesterase inhibitory effects from the fruits of Eucalyptus robusta.

Eleven new acylphloroglucinols, including six new formylated phloroglucinol-monoterpene meroterpenoids, eucalyprobusals A-F (1-6), one monomeric acylphloroglucinol, eucalyprobusone B (7), and four dimeric acylphloroglucinols, eucalyprobusones C-F (8-11) were purified from the fruits of Eucalyptus robusta. The establishment of the structures of 1-11 was achieved by a combination of NMR and HRESIMS data analyses, electron circular dichroism (ECD), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds 6, 8, and an inseparable mixture of 10 and 11 were found to be potent AChE inhibitors with IC50 values of 3.22 ± 0.36, 3.82 ± 0.22, and 2.55 ± 0.28 µΜ, respectively. Possible interaction sites of 6, 8, 10, and 11 with AChE were investigated by means of molecular docking studies, and the results revealed that AChE residues Asn87, Ser125, Thr83, Tyr133, Tyr124, Tyr337, and Tyr341 played crucial roles in the observed activity of the aforementioned compounds.

Electrodeposited NiSe on a forest of carbon nanotubes as a free-standing electrode for hybrid supercapacitors and overall water splitting.

NiSe nanoparticles are electrodeposited over a forest of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to form an intertwined and porous network. The assynthesized composite (denoted as CNT@NiSe/SS) is used as a free-standing and multifunctional electrode for bothsupercapacitorsand overallwater splitting applications. For a supercapacitor application, CNT@NiSe/SS exhibits higher specific capacity and improved rate capability compared with individual NiSe and CNTs. A hybrid supercapacitor device consisting of battery-like CNT@NiSe/SS and EDLC-like graphene delivers a maximum energy density of 32.1 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 823 W kg-1 and has excellent stability after a floating test of 50 h. On the other hand, CNT@NiSe/SS also serves as a bifunctional electrocatalyst with high activity for overall water splitting. The CNT@NiSe/SS electrode displays excellent hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction performance with the lowest overpotential of 174 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and 267 mV at 50 mA cm-2, respectively. The symmetrical two-electrode system requires an operating potential of 1.71 V to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm-2. Furthermore, this electrolyzer shows a negligible increment in potential after 24 hof continuouswater splitting. The outstanding performances of CNT@NiSe/SS can be attributed to the synergistic effect of NiSe and CNTs.

Bioactive triterpenoids from Sambucus javanica Blume.

A new triterpene, javablumine A (1) along with six known ones were isolated from the aerial parts of Sambucus javanica Blume. They were identified as 3ß,23-dihydroxy-11α,12α-epoxy-urs-20(30)-en-28,13ß-olide (1), ursolic acid (2), pomolic acid (3), oleanic acid (4), 2α-hydroxy-oleanolic acid (5), α-amyrin (6), and lupeol palmitate (7), respectively. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited inhibitory effect against nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 macrophage cell lines with IC50 values of 17.4 and 26.2 µM, respectively.

Buxaustroines A-N, a Series of 17(13→18)abeo-Cycloartenol Triterpenoidal Alkaloids from Buxus austro-yunnanensis and Their Cardioprotective Activities.

Buxaustroines A-N (1-14), a series of triterpenoidal alkaloids featuring a novel 17(13→18)abeo motif, were obtained from the extract of Buxus austro-yunnanensis. Their structures were assigned based on NMR data analysis and X-ray diffraction crystallography. A putative biosynthetic pathway for one of the alkaloids from a co-isolate 15 is proposed. In the assessment of their bioactivities, some of the compounds displayed protective effects against doxorubicin-induced injury of myocardial cells. Preliminary structure-activity relationship studies of 1-14, which are based on the same skeleton, were conducted.

Horisfieldones A and B, Two Aromatic Ring-Contracted Dimeric Diarylpropanes with Human DOPA Decarboxylase Inhibitory Activity from Horsfieldia kingii.

Horisfieldones A (1) and B (2), two dimeric diarylpropanes featuring an unprecedentedly aromatic ring-contracted framework, were isolated from Horsfieldia kingii. Their structures and absolute configurations were determined by the inspection of extensive spectroscopic data and electronic circular dichroism calculations. Molecular modeling analysis, in vitro enzyme-based bioassays, and structure-activity relationship analysis of these isolates revealed that (+)-1 (IC50 = 35.1 ± 3.9 µM, SI > 11.4) could present a new class of human DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor.

Isolation, Structural Assignment of Isoselagintamarlin A from Selaginella tamariscina and Its Biomimetic Synthesis.

Isoselagintamarlin A (1), a selaginellin analogue featured a rare benzofuran unit, was isolated from Selaginella tamariscina. Its complete structural assignment was established through a combination of high-field NMR technique and biomimetic synthesis. Notably, isoselagintamarlin A (1) was successfully synthesized via sequential oxidations and intramolecular cyclization.

PIDA/I2-Mediated α- and ß-C(sp3)-H Bond Dual Functionalization of Tertiary Amines.

The α,ß-C(sp3)-H bond dual functionalization of tertiary amines is still a challenging task for both organic and medicinal chemists. Herein a direct, mild, metal-free, and site-specific method mediated by PIDA/I2 was developed for α,ß-C(sp3)-H bond dual functionalization of tertiary amines, and this method can provide facile access to α-keto lactams or rarely studied α,α-diiodo lactams. Moreover, this method was used for the effective syntheses of three natural products [obscurumine C (13), obscurumine O (17), and strychnocarpine (18)] and direct preparation of mimics of the in vivo metabolites of two FDA-approved drugs (imatinib and donepezil) in 36-60% overall yield. The method represents a promising protocol for the late-stage α,ß-C(sp3)-H bond oxidative dual functionalization of tertiary amine-containing drugs and complex natural products.

Pepluanols C-D, Two Diterpenoids with Two Skeletons from Euphorbia peplus.

Pepluanols C and D (1 and 2), featuring unprecedented 5/5/10 with out,out-[7.2.1]bicylcododecane core and 6/6/7/3 fused-ring skeletons, respectively, were isolated from Euphorbia peplus. Their chemical structures and absolute configurations were determined by a series of extensive spectroscopic methods, and X-ray diffraction analysis. In addition, pepluanols C and D showed 31.6 ± 8.3% and 30.5 ± 2.8% peak current inhibition on the Kv1.3 potassium channel at 30 µM.