Photochemistry in Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology.

Photochemistry has emerged as a transformative force in organic chemistry, significantly expanding the chemical space accessible for medicinal chemistry. Light-induced reactions enable the efficient synthesis of intricate organic structures and have found applications throughout the different stages of the drug discovery and development processes. Moreover, photochemical techniques provide innovative solutions in chemical biology, allowing precise spatiotemporal drug activation and targeted delivery. In this Perspective, we highlight the already numerous remarkable applications and the even more promising future of photochemistry in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology.

Discovery of a Small Molecule Activator of Slack (Kcnt1) Potassium Channels That Significantly Reduces Scratching in Mouse Models of Histamine-Independent and Chronic Itch.

Various disorders are accompanied by histamine-independent itching, which is often resistant to the currently available therapies. Here, it is reported that the pharmacological activation of Slack (Kcnt1, KNa1.1), a potassium channel highly expressed in itch-sensitive sensory neurons, has therapeutic potential for the treatment of itching. Based on the Slack-activating antipsychotic drug, loxapine, a series of new derivatives with improved pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles is designed that enables to validate Slack as a pharmacological target in vivo. One of these new Slack activators, compound 6, exhibits negligible dopamine D2 and D3 receptor binding, unlike loxapine. Notably, compound 6 displays potent on-target antipruritic activity in multiple mouse models of acute histamine-independent and chronic itch without motor side effects. These properties make compound 6 a lead molecule for the development of new antipruritic therapies targeting Slack.

Photosensitization enables Pauson-Khand-type reactions with nitrenes.

The Pauson-Khand reaction has in the past 50 years become one of the most common cycloaddition reactions in chemistry. Coupling two unsaturated bonds with carbon monoxide, the transformation remains limited to CO as a C1 building block. Herein we report analogous cycloaddition reactions with nitrenes as an N1 unit. The reaction of a nonconjugated diene with a nitrene precursor produces bicyclic bioisosteres of common saturated heterocycles such as piperidine, morpholine, and piperazine. Experimental and computational mechanistic studies support relaying of the diradical nature of triplet nitrene into the π-system. We showcase the reaction's utility in late-stage functionalization of drug compounds and discovery of soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors.

Phenolate-Induced N-O Bond Formation versus TiemannType Rearrangement for the Synthesis of 3-Aminobenzisoxazoles and 2-Aminobenzoxazoles.

A novel oxadiazolone-based method for the synthesis of 3-aminobenzisoxazoles by N-O bond formation and of 2-aminobenzoxazoles through a Tiemann-type rearrangement has been developed. The synthesis of these two pharmaceutically relevant heterocycles was realized by an unexplored retrosynthetic disconnection using a cyclic nitrenoid precursor-based strategy. The selective formation of the two isomers was significantly influenced by steric and electronic effects of substituents. However, tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBACl) efficiently promoted the Tiemann-type rearrangement over N-O bond formation. Control experiments indicate that deprotonation of the phenol induces both rearrangements.

Cascade Synthesis of Kinase-Privileged 3-Aminoindazoles via Intramolecular N-N Bond Formation.

3-Aminoindazoles are privileged scaffolds for bioactive drug-like molecules. In this study, a microwave-assisted cascade reaction for the synthesis of N-1 substituted 3-aminoindazoles with yields up to 81% has been developed. Starting from 3-(2-bromoaryl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5(4H)-ones, the reaction exhibits a broad substrate scope including anilines, aliphatic amines, and sulfonamides and bypasses selectivity issues between N-1 and 3-amino group. Furthermore, the Differential Scanning Fluorimetry screen of a kinase panel demonstrated the value of targeting N-1 substituted 3-aminoindazoles as kinase-biased fragments.

Computer-Aided Fragment Growing Strategies to Design Dual Inhibitors of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase and LTA4 Hydrolase.

Multitarget ligands are interesting candidates for drug discovery and development due to improved safety and efficacy. However, rational design and optimization of multitarget ligands is tedious because affinity optimization for two or more targets has to be performed simultaneously. In this study, we demonstrate that, given a molecular fragment, which binds to two targets of interest, computer-aided fragment growing can be applied to optimize compound potency, relying on either ligand- or structure-derived information. This methodology is applied to the design of dual inhibitors of soluble epoxide hydrolase and leukotriene A4 hydrolase.