Erythrina Alkaloid Analogues as nAChR Antagonists-A Flexible Platform for Leads in Drug Discovery.

Erythrina alkaloids and their central nervous system effects have been studied for over a century, mainly due to their potent antagonistic actions at ß2-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). In the present work, we report a synthetic approach giving access to a diverse set of Erythrina natural product analogues and present the enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-Cocculine and (+)-Cocculidine, both found to be potent antagonists of the ß2-containing nAChRs.

Concise total syntheses of (-)-jorunnamycin A and (-)-jorumycin enabled by asymmetric catalysis.

The bis-tetrahydroisoquinoline (bis-THIQ) natural products have been studied intensively over the past four decades for their exceptionally potent anticancer activity, in addition to strong Gram-positive and Gram-negative antibiotic character. Synthetic strategies toward these complex polycyclic compounds have relied heavily on electrophilic aromatic chemistry, such as the Pictet-Spengler reaction, that mimics their biosynthetic pathways. Herein, we report an approach to two bis-THIQ natural products, jorunnamycin A and jorumycin, that instead harnesses the power of modern transition-metal catalysis for the three major bond-forming events and proceeds with high efficiency (15 and 16 steps, respectively). By breaking from biomimicry, this strategy allows for the preparation of a more diverse set of nonnatural analogs.

Synthesis of α-D-GalpN3-(1-3)-D-GalpN3: α- and 3-O-selectivity using 3,4-diol acceptors.

The motif α-D-GalpNAc-(1-3)-D-GalpNAc is very common in Nature and hence its synthesis highly relevant. The synthesis of its azido precursor has been studied and optimized in terms of steps, yields and selectivity. It has been found that glycosylation of the 3,4-diol acceptor is an advantage over the use of a 4-O-protected acceptor and that both regio- and anomeric selectivity is enhanced by bulky 6-O-protective groups. The acceptors and donors are made from common building blocks, limiting protective manipulations, and in this context, unavoidable side reactions.

A strategic approach to [6,6]-bicyclic lactones: application towards the CD fragment of DHßE.

We report an effective synthetic protocol to access [6,6]-bicyclic lactone moieties through a regio- and stereoselective intramolecular Mizoroki-Heck cross-coupling reaction followed by a 6π-electrocyclization. This method enabled the first synthesis of the elusive CD fragment of the Erythrina alkaloid DHßE. Preliminary pharmacological evaluations support the notion that the key pharmacophores of DHßE are located in the A and B rings.

Scalable Synthesis of Anomerically Pure Orthogonal-Protected GlcN3 and GalN3 from d-Glucosamine.

An improved and scalable synthesis of orthogonally protected d-glucosamine and d-galactosamine building blocks from inexpensive d-glucosamine has been developed. The key reaction is an inversion/migration step providing access to a fully orthogonal protecting group pattern, which is required for microbial oligosaccharide synthesis. The method can be carried out on a multigram scale as several of the reactions can be purified by crystallization to give anomerically pure products.

A comprehensive study of extended tetrathiafulvalene cruciform molecules for molecular electronics: synthesis and electrical transport measurements.

Cruciform-like molecules with two orthogonally placed π-conjugated systems have in recent years attracted significant interest for their potential use as molecular wires in molecular electronics. Here we present synthetic protocols for a large selection of cruciform molecules based on oligo(phenyleneethynylene) (OPE) and tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) scaffolds, end-capped with acetyl-protected thiolates as electrode anchoring groups. The molecules were subjected to a comprehensive study of their conducting properties as well as their photophysical and electrochemical properties in solution. The complex nature of the molecules and their possible binding in different configurations in junctions called for different techniques of conductance measurements: (1) conducting-probe atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM) measurements on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), (2) mechanically controlled break-junction (MCBJ) measurements, and (3) scanning tunneling microscopy break-junction (STM-BJ) measurements. The CP-AFM measurements showed structure-property relationships from SAMs of series of OPE3 and OPE5 cruciform molecules; the conductance of the SAM increased with the number of dithiafulvene (DTF) units (0, 1, 2) along the wire, and it increased when substituting two arylethynyl end groups of the OPE3 backbone with two DTF units. The MCBJ and STM-BJ studies on single molecules both showed that DTFs decreased the junction formation probability, but, in contrast, no significant influence on the single-molecule conductance was observed. We suggest that the origins of the difference between SAM and single-molecule measurements lie in the nature of the molecule-electrode interface as well as in effects arising from molecular packing in the SAMs. This comprehensive study shows that for complex molecules care should be taken when directly comparing single-molecule measurements and measurements of SAMs and solid-state devices thereof.

Synthesis and Pharmacological Evaluation of DHßE Analogues as Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Antagonists.

Dihydro-ß-erythroidine (DHßE) is a member of the Erythrina family of alkaloids and a potent competitive antagonist of the α4ß2-subtype of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Guided by an X-ray structure of DHßE in complex with an ACh binding protein, we detail the design, synthesis, and pharmacological characterization of a series of DHßE analogues in which two of the four rings in the natural product has been excluded. We found that the direct analogue of DHßE maintains affinity for the α4ß2-subtype, but further modifications of the simplified analogues were detrimental to their activities on the nAChRs.