Late-Stage Chemo- and Enantioselective Oxidation of Indoles to C3-Monosubstituted Oxindoles.

Catalytic asymmetric preparation of chiral 3-monosubstituted oxindoles represents a significant challenge in synthetic chemistry due to the ease of racemization of the tertiary stereocenter through enolization. Here, we describe a general titanium-catalyzed chemo- and enantioselective indole oxidation to produce a diverse set of chiral 3-monosubstituted oxindoles with up to 96% yield, 99% ee, and with a substrate/catalyst ratio of 10,000 by using the combination of a simple titanium(salan) catalyst with green and atom-economic terminal oxidant H2O2. The mild approach tolerates a broad range of functional groups, enabling late-stage asymmetric diversification of a series of commercial drugs and natural products together with late-stage asymmetric construction of a wide set of enzyme antagonists, all of which are difficult to achieve through existing methods.

Construction of Vicinal Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters Through Diastereo- and Enantioselective Oxidative 1,6-Conjugate Addition.

The asymmetric construction of vicinal quaternary carbon stereocenters with at least one moiety in acyclic systems is a formidable challenge. We disclose a solution involving diastereo- and enantioselective oxidative 1,6-conjugate addition. The practical asymmetric cross-dehydrogenative coupling of 2,2-diarylacetonitriles and diverse α-substituted cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyls proceeds, for vicinal quaternary carbon stereocenters with one center in acyclic systems, in excellent yields and stereoselectivities. The generality of the approach is further demonstrated by the stereoselective creation of vicinal quaternary carbon stereocenters with both centers in acyclic systems using acyclic ß-ketoesters as coupling partners. Computational studies elucidate the origins of both diastereo- and enantioselectivity.

Rational design and synthesis of 6-aryl-6H-benzo[c]chromenes as non-steroidal progesterone receptor antagonists for use against cancers.

Progesterone receptor (PR) antagonists have been found to be effective for treating certain human cancers. However, the steroidal structure of PR antagonists could bind to other hormone receptors, thus leading to serious side effects. On the other hand, non-steroidal PR antagonists have rarely been evaluated for their anti-cancer efficacy. Therefore, identifying novel non-steroidal PR antagonists possessing potent anti-cancer efficacy would be an attractive project to pursue. In this study, we presented a new metal-free oxidative CH arylation method to rapidly synthesize a series of 6-aryl-6H-benzo[c]chromene derivatives. Multiple cancer cell lines were used for their anti-cancer activity screening. An extensive analysis of structure-activity relationships (SAR) of the derivatives revealed that compounds 32 and 34 markedly inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells with IC50 values of 6.32 ± 0.52 µM and 5.71 ± 0.49 µM, respectively. Further investigation indicated that derivatives 32 and 34 could elevate the expression of p21 and decrease the expressions of CDK4 and cyclin D1, leading to cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase. In addition, derivatives 32 and 34 could induce apoptosis of MCF-7 cells in both dose- and time-dependent manners by activation of p53 pathway, i.e., activation of Cleaved Caspase-3, p53 and P-p53 as well as elevation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Docking of derivatives 32 and 34 into a PR homology model exhibited potent PR antagonistic activity indicating the 6-aryl-6H-benzo[c]chromene derivatives are promising PR antagonists. We envisioned that derivatives 32 and 34 might be potential anti-cancer drug candidates as novel therapeutic treatment for breast cancer.

Oxidative Dearomative Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling of Indoles with Diverse C-H Nucleophiles: Efficient Approach to 2,2-Disubstituted Indolin-3-ones.

The oxidative, dearomative cross-dehydrogenative coupling of indoles with various C-H nucleophiles is developed. This process features a broad substrate scope with respect to both indoles and nucleophiles, affording structurally diverse 2,2-disubstituted indolin-3-ones in high yields (up to 99%). The oxidative dimerization and trimerization of indoles has also been demonstrated under the same conditions.

Organocatalytic Asymmetric Dearomative Oxyalkylation of Indoles Enables Access to C2-Quaternary Indolin-3-ones.

A facile and efficient asymmetric dearomative oxyalkylation of indoles with TEMPO oxoammonium salt and a variety of aldehydes and ketones has been described. This metal-free approach provides a straightforward access to C2 quaternary oxindoles in high yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities under very mild conditions. The reaction goes smoothly even with only 0.1% equivalent catalyst. Moreover, 2-alkylindoles have proven to be suitable substrates for the first time.

Direct oxidative dearomatization of indoles: access to structurally diverse 2,2-disubstituted indolin-3-ones.

Described is an efficient oxidative dearomatization of indoles with TEMPO oxoammonium salt and a broad range of nucleophiles. Under very mild conditions, dearomative oxyalkynylation and oxyalkenylation of indoles to structurally diverse 2,2-disubstituted indolin-3-ones were developed for the first time with high atom-economy. In addition, dearomative oxyarylation, oxyallylation, and oxycyanation of indoles were also demonstrated. Mechanism studies indicated that TEMPO oxoammonium salt served as the sole oxidant source through an electron donor-acceptor (EDA) intermediate.

Interaction assessments of the first S-adenosylmethionine competitive inhibitor and the essential interacting partner methylosome protein 50 with protein arginine methyltransferase 5 by combined computational methods.

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is the most promising anticancer target in PRMT family. In this study, based on the first S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) competitive small molecule inhibitor (17, compound number is from original paper) of PRMT5 reported in our recent paper, we determined the molecular mechanism of 17 interacting with PRMT5 by computational methods. Previously reported CMP5 was also thought of as a SAM competitive inhibitor of PRMT5, but the direct inhibition activity against PRMT5 at enzymatic level was not provided. Therefore, we tested the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of CMP5 against PRMT5 at enzymatic level for the purpose of summarizing the interaction characteristics of SAM binding site inhibitors with PRMT5. Additionally, as the essential interacting partner of PRMT5, the binding attributes of the WD-repeat-containing protein MEP50 (methylosome protein 50) was investigated, and nine key residues that contribute most to PRMT5:MEP50 interaction were identified. These results could be helpful in discovering new potent and specific inhibitors of PRMT5, as well as in designing mutant residue assay to modulate the catalytic activity of PRMT5.

Design and synthesis of pregnenolone/2-cyanoacryloyl conjugates with dual NF-κB inhibitory and anti-proliferative activities.

Twenty-five novel pregnenolone/2-cyanoacryloyl conjugates (6-30) were designed and prepared, with the aim of developing novel anticancer drugs with dual NF-κB inhibitory and anti-proliferative activities. Compounds 22 and 27-30 showed inhibition against TNF-α-induced NF-κB activation in luciferase assay, which was confirmed by Western blotting. Among them, compound 30 showed potent NF-κB inhibitory activity (IC50=2.5µM) and anti-proliferative against MCF-7, A549, H157, and HL-60 cell lines (IC50=6.5-36.2µM). The present study indicated that pregnenolone/2-cyanoacryloyl conjugate I can server asa novel scaffold for developing NF-κB inhibitors and anti-proliferative agents in cancer chemotherapy.

Copper-Catalyzed Aerobic Enantioselective Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling of N-Aryl Glycine Esters with Terminal Alkynes.

A copper-catalyzed enantioselective cross-coupling of a Csp3-H moiety (N-aryl glycine ester) with a Csp-H component (terminal alkyne) using molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant is described for the first time. The sustainable method provides an efficient and environmentally friendly approach to rapidly prepare a diverse array of optically active non-natural α-amino acids.

Organocatalytic asymmetric C-H vinylation and arylation of N-acyl tetrahydroisoquinolines.

The first organocatalytic enantioselective oxidative C-H functionalization of N-acyl tetrahydroisoquinolines with vinyl and aryl boronates promoted by a chiral Brønsted acid is described. This metal-free process tolerates a wide range of electronically varied N-acyl tetrahydroisoquinolines and structurally diverse boronates with good to excellent enantioselectivities.

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Oxidative C-H Alkenylation and Arylation of N-Carbamoyl Tetrahydropyridines and Tetrahydro-ß-carbolines.

The first organocatalytic enantioselective C-H alkenylation and arylation reactions of N-carbamoyl tetrahydropyridines and tetrahydro-ß-carbolines (THCs) are described. The metal-free processes represent an efficient and straightforward approach to a variety of structurally and electronically diverse α-substituted tetrahydropyridines and THCs in good yields with excellent regio- and enantioselectivities. Preliminary control experiments provide important insights into the reaction mechanism.

Manganese dioxide-methanesulfonic acid promoted direct dehydrogenative alkylation of sp3 C-H bonds adjacent to a heteroatom.

A manganese dioxide (MnO2)-methanesulfonic acid (CH3SO3H) oxidation system has been developed to efficiently promote direct coupling of benzylic ethers and carbamates with simple ketones via oxidative C-H bond activation. The alkylation proceeds smoothly under air atmosphere to afford the corresponding products in good to excellent yields (53-87%). The employment of the combination of MnO2 and CH3SO3H is attractive on the basis of economical and environmental issues.

Synthesis of macrocyclic bisbibenzyl derivatives and their anticancer effects as anti-tubulin agents.

Based on the core skeleton of the total synthesized bisbibenzyl marchantin C, riccardin D and plagiochin E, a series of brominated and aminomethylated derivatives of above three bisbibenzyls have been synthesized and their cytotoxic activity against KB, MCF-7 and PC3 cell lines has been preliminary evaluated. The bio-test results revealed that the brominated derivatives 21, 22, 24, 25 and 28 exhibited excellent antiproliferative activity, with IC(50) value lower than their parent compounds. As a most potent microtubule depolymerization agent, compound 28 was found to arrest cells at the G(2)/M phase of the cell cycle as determined by the flow cytometry assay in PC3 cell line. The remarkable biological profile and novel structure of these bisbibenzyl derivatives make them possible as promising candidates for clinical development as chemotherapeutic agents.