Functionality map analysis of the active site cleft of human thrombin

Summary The Multiple Copy Simultaneous Search methodology has been used to construct functionality maps for an extended region of human thrombin, including the active site. This method allows the determination of energetically favorable positions and orientations for functional groups defined by the user on the three-dimensional surface of a protein. The positions of 10 functional group sites are compared with those of corresponding groups of four thrombin-inhibitor complexes. Many, but not all features, of known thrombin inhibitors are reproduced by the method. The results indicate that certain aspects of the binding modes of these inhibitors are not optimal. In addition, suggestions are made for improving binding by interaction with functional group sites on the thrombin surface that are not used by the thrombin inhibitors. Abbreviations: MCSS, multiple copy simultaneous search; PPACK, d-phenylalanyl-l-propyl-l-arginine chloromethane; NAPAP, N -(2-naphthylsulfonylglycyl)-d-para-amidinophenylalanylpiperidine; argatroban, (2R,4R)-4-methyl-1-[N -(3-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-8-quinolinylsulfonyl)-l-arginyl]-2-piperidine carboxylic acid; rms, root mean square. The thrombin residues are numbered according to the chymotrypsin-based numbering by Bode et al. [8]. P1, P2, P3, etc., denote the peptide inhibitor residues on the amino-terminal side of the scissile peptide bond, and S1, S2, S3, etc., the corresponding subsites of thrombin     

Nonclassical 5-substituted tetrahydroquinazolines as potential inhibitors of thymidylate synthase

Classical inhibitors of thymidylate synthase such as N^l0-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid (1), N-(5-[N-(3,4-dihydro-2-methyl-4-oxoquinazolin-6-ylmethyl)-N-methylamino]-2-thenoyl)-L-glutamic acid (ZD1694, 2) and N-[2-amino-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro(pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrintidin-5-yl)ethylbenzoyl]-L-glutamic acid (LY231514, 3) while potent, suffer from a number of potential disadvantages, such as impaired uptake due to an alteration of the active transport system required for their cellular uptake, as well as formation of long acting, non-effluxing polyglutamates via the action of folylpolyglutamate synthetase, which are responsible for toxicity. To overcome some of the disadvantages of classical inhibitors, there has been considerable interest in the synthesis and evaluation of nonclassical thymidylate synthase inhibitors, which could enter cells via passive diffusion. In an attempt to elucidate the role of saturation of the B-ring of non-classical, quinazoline antifolate inhibitors of thymidylate synthase, analogues 7-17 were designed. Analogues 13-17 which contain a methyl group at the 7-position, were synthesized in an attempt to align the methyl group in an orientation which allows interaction with tryptophan-80 in the active site of thymidylate synthase. The synthesis of these analogues was achieved via the reaction of guanidine with the appropriately substituted cyclohexanone-ketoester. These ketoesters were in turn synthesized via a Michael addition of the appropriate thiophenol with 2-carbethoxycyclohexen-1-one or 5-methyl-2-carbethoxycyclo-hexen-1-one to afford a mixture of diastereomers. The most inhibitory compound was the 3,4-dichloro, 7-methyl derivative 17 which inhibited the Escherichia coli and Pneumocystis carinii thymidylate syntheses 50% at 5 × 10⁵ M. Our results confirm the importance of the 7-CH₃ group and electron withdrawing groups on the aromatic side chain for thymidylate synthase inhibition.     

2,3,4,9-Tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indoles. II. Reversible transformation of 1-alkyl-2-(4,9-dihydro-3H-pyrido[3,4-b]indol-1-yl)cyclohexanol into 1-alkylidene-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indoles

Treatment of 2-(4,9-dihydro-3H-pyrido[3,4-b]indol-1-yl)-1-methylcyclohexanol ( 2a ) with acetic anhydride or methyl isocyanate gave 2-acetyl-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1-(6-oxoheptylidene)-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole ( 3 ) or 1,3,4,9-tetrahydro-N-methyl-1-(6-oxoheptylidene)-2H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole-2-carboxamide ( 4 ), respectively. Simpler analogues, 1-alkyl-4,9-dihydro-3H-pyrido[3,4-b]indoles, 7 , subjected to identical reaction conditions, gave 2-acetyl-1-alkylidene-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indoles 8 and 1,3,4,9-tetrahydro-N-methyl-1-alkyli-dene-2H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole-2-carboxamides 9 , respectively. A limited lanthanide shift reagent study to determine stereochemical assignments was also performed.     

Reaction of sulfene and dichloroketene with open-chain N,N-disubstituted α-aminomethyleneketones. Synthesis of N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-3,4-dihydro-(5-methyl-6-phenyl)(5,6-diphenyl)-1,2-oxathiin 2,2-dioxides and of 4-amino-3-chloro-5-methyl-6-phenyl-2H-pyran-2-ones

Cycloaddition of sulfene to N,N-disubstituted 3-amino-2-methyl-1-phenyl-2-propen-1-ones (I) and 3-amino-1,2-diphenyl-2-propen-1-ones (II) occurred in good to moderate yield only in the case of aliphatic N-substitution to give 4-dialkylamino-3,4-dihydro-(5-methyl-6-phenyl)(5,6-diphenyl)-1,2-oxathiin 2,2-dioxides. Polar 1,4-cycloaddition of dichloroketene to I and II occurred only in the former case, giving in good to moderate yield N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-3,3-dichloro-3,4-dihydro-5-methyl-6-phenyl-2H-pyran-2-ones which were dehydrochlorinated with DBN to N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-3-chloro-5-methyl-6-phenyl-2H-pyran-2-ones. In the reaction of 2-methyl-1-phenyl-3-diphenylamino-2-propen-1-one with dichloroketene, a product was isolated which was proven by uv, ir, nmr and chemical evidence to be the dipolar ion VI, the supposed intermediate of the polar 1,4-cycloaddition of dichloroketene to N,N-disubstituted enaminones.     

Synthesis of Novel N-Acylhydrazones and Their C-N/N-N Bond Conformational Characterization by NMR Spectroscopy

In this article, a synthesis of N’-(benzylidene)-2-(6-methyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinolin-1-yl)acetohydrazides and their structural interpretation by NMR experiments is described in an attempt to explain the duplication of some peaks in their ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectra. Twenty new 6-methyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline substituted N-acylhydrazones 6(a–t) were synthesized from 2-chloro-6-methylquinoline-3-carbaldehyde (1) in four steps. 2-Chloro-6-methylquinoline-3-carbaldehyde (1) afforded 6-methyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline (2), which upon N-alkylation yielded 2-(6-methyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinolin-1-yl)acetate (3). The hydrazinolysis of 3 followed by the condensation of resulting 2-(6-methyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinolin-1-yl)acetohydrazide (4) with aromatic aldehydes gave N-acylhydrazones 6(a–t). Structures of the synthesized compounds were established by readily available techniques such as FT-IR, NMR and mass spectral studies. The stereochemical behavior of 6(a–t) was studied in dimethyl sulfoxide-d₆ solvent by means of ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR techniques at room temperature. NMR spectra revealed the presence of N’-(benzylidene)-2-(6-methyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinolin-1-yl)acetohydrazides as a mixture of two conformers, i.e., E_(C=N)(N-N) synperiplanar and E_(C=N)(N-N) antiperiplanar at room temperature in DMSO-d₆. The ratio of both conformers was also calculated and E_{(C=N) (N-N)} syn-periplanar conformer was established to be in higher percentage in equilibrium with the E_{(C=N) (N-N)} anti-periplanar form.     

Studies on the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. Part IV. Further investigation of the pschorr reaction with some pyrazole derivatives

Thermal decomposition of the diazonium sulfate derived from N-methyl-(1-phenyl-3-methylpyrazol-5-yl)-2-aminobenzamide afforded products formulated as 1-phenyl-3-methyl[2]benzopyrano[4,3-c]pyrazol-5-one (yield 10%), 1,4-dimethyl-3-phenylpyrazolo[3,4-c]isoquinolin-5-one (yield 10%), N-methyl-(1-phenyl-3-methylpyrazol-5-yl)-2-hydroxybenzamide (yield 8%) and 4′-hydroxy-2,3′-dimethyl-1′-phenylspiro[isoindoline-1,5′-[2]-pyrazolin]-3-one (yield 20%). Decomposition of the diazonium sulfate derived from N-methyl-(1,3-diphenylpyrazol-5-yl)-2-aminobenzamide gave products formulated as 7,9-dimethyldibenzo[e,g]pyrazolo[1,5-a][1,3]-diazocin-10-(9H)one (yield 8%), 4-methyl-1,3-diphenylpyrazolo[3,4-c]isoquinolin-5-one (yield 7%) and 4′-hydroxy-2-methyl-1′,3′-diphenylspiro[isoindoline-1,5′-[2]pyrazolin]3-one (yield 10%). The spiro compounds 6a,b underwent thermal and acid-catalysed conversion into the hitherto unknown 2-benzopyrano[4,3-c]pyrazole ring system 7a,b in good yield. Analytical and spectral data are presented which supported the structures proposed.     

Separation ofN-carbamoyl aspartate andl-dihydroorotate from serum by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatographic method, with 9-anthryldiazomethane as derivatizing agent, has been developed for the simultaneous determination ofN-carbamoyl aspartate andl-dihydroorotate in serum. Sample preparation for 1 mL serum was by simple liquid-liquid extraction and then derivatization. The compounds were separated on a Luna C18(2) column by use of a gradient prepared from acetonitrile and 10 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH 6.0, and fluorimetric detection was performed at excitation and emission wavelengths of 365 nm and 412 nm, respectively. The response was found to be linearly dependent on concentration between 0.8 and 60 μg mL⁻¹ forl-dihydrooratate and between 0.9 and 90 μg mL⁻¹ forN-carbamoyl aspartate; the mean recovery rates were 50 and 51%, respectively. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.33 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.6 μg mL⁻¹, respectively, forl-dihydroorotate and 0.4 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.7 μg mL⁻¹ forN-carbamoyl aspartate. This method can be used to assess accumulation ofN-carbamoyl aspartate andl-dihydroorotate in body fluids in situations where cellular pyrimidine de novo synthesis is impaired.     

Determination of D-fagomine in buckwheat and mulberry by cation exchange HPLC/ESI-Q-MS

d-Fagomine is an iminosugar first found in buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) which if used as a dietary supplement or functional food component may reduce the risks of developing insulin resistance, becoming overweight and suffering from an excess of potentially pathogenic bacteria. As d-fagomine may become increasingly important to the food industry, a reliable analytical method for its determination in natural plant sources and foodstuffs is desirable. We have devised a method to separate d-fagomine from its diastereomers 3-epi-fagomine and 3,4-di-epi-fagomine in a single run by cation exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with detection and quantification by mass spectrometry using electrospray ionisation and a simple quadrupole analyser (ESI–Q-MS). The method is validated and applied to the determination of d-fagomine in buckwheat groats (6.7–44 mg kg⁻¹), leaves, bran and flour. We show that buckwheat contains 3,4-di-epi-fagomine (1.0–43 mg kg⁻¹), which has not previously been reported in this source. The procedure is also applied to mulberry (Morus alba) leaves, which contain d-fagomine and 3-epi-fagomine as minor components. The new method provides a means for convenient and accurate determination of d-fagomine in plant samples and foodstuffs.     

Determination of the Enantiomeric Purity of l-Carnitine and Acetyl-l-Carnitine by Chiral Liquid Chromatography

A chiral liquid chromatographic method for determination of the enantiomeric purity of both l-carnitine and acetyl-l-carnitine is described. Separation of the enantiomers of dl-carnitine and acetyl-dl-carnitine was achieved on a commercial chiral column (Chiralcel OD-R) after derivatization with (alpha-bromo)methyl phenyl ketone. Introduction of this lipophilic UV chromophoric group to the carnitine and acetylcarnitine molecules improved their retention, resolution, and UV detection. The mobile phase was 74:26 (v/v) 0.5 mol L^-1 sodium perchlorate–acetonitrile, pH 3.8, and the flow rate was 0.4 mL min^-1. Detection was performed at 235 nm. The method is selective and reliable for determination of the enantiomeric purity of bulk drug substances l-carnitine and acetyl-l-carnitine.     

Preparation and regiochemical assignments of new pyrazolo[3,4-c] [2,1]benzodiazepines

The preparation of new pyrazolo[3,4-c][2,1]benzothiazepines substituted at the nitrogen atoms of the pyrazole moiety is described. It was carried out by reaction of the 4,9-dihydro-9-methyl-4,10,10-trioxo-1(2)H-pyrazolo[3,4-c][2,1]benzothiazepine ( 1 ) with several alkylating agents under both classical and phase-transfer catalysis (PTC) conditions. Assignments of the N-alkyl regioisomers obtained were performed by study of their ¹H nmr spectra and NOE experiments.     

Synthesis of pyrrolidine and tetrahydroazonine derivatives from <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-[bis(ethoxycarbonyl)methyl]tetrahydropyridinium bromide and methyl acetylenedicarboxylate

The reaction of N-methyl-N-(diethoxycarbonyl)methyltetrahydropyridinium bromide with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate in the presence of triethylamine at room temperature afforded 1,2-dimethyl 1-ethyl 2-[(3-vinyl-1-methyl-3-phenyl-2-ethoxycarbonyl)pyrrolidin-2-yl]-ethene-1,1,2-tricarboxylate in 25% yield. Its structure was proved by XRD analysis. At cooling to −20°C the pyrrolidine yield signifi cantly decreased and 3,4-dimethyl 2,2-diethyl 1-methyl-7-phenyl-1,5,8,9-tetrahydro-2H-azonine-2,2,3,4-tetratcarboxylate was obtained in 31% yield.     

Efficient reactions for the synthesis of pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine and pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole derivatives from N-methyl-1-(methylthio)-2-nitroethen-1-amine

The efficient and novel method for the synthesis of pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine and pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole derivatives from the multicomponent reaction of aromatic aldehydes (isatins), N-methyl-1-(methylthio)-2-nitroethen-1-amine, and 3-aminopyrazole or methyl 3-hydroxy-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxylate under normal laboratory conditions was reported in this research. The advantages of this research are wide range of substrates, high yields, and simple operation.     

Synthesis of 1-{4a,6-dimethyl-4a,9a-dihydropyrano-[3,4-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]indol-9(1<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>)-yl}ethanone

Heating of the bromination product of 4-methyl-3,6-dihydro-2H-pyran with 4-toluidine or 2-bromo-4-methylamiline in triethylamine gave 4-methyl-N-(4-methylphenyl)- and N-(2-bromo-4-methylphenyl)-4-methyl-3,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-3-amines which were converted into the corresponding amides by reaction with bromo- or chloroacetyl chloride. 1-{4a,6-Dimethyl-4a,9a-dihydropyrano[3,4-b]indol-9(1H)-yl} ethanone was synthesized in good yield by heating N-(2-bromo-4-methylphenyl)-N-(4-methyl-3,6-dihydro-2Hpyran-3-yl)acetamide in boiling toluene in the presence of palladium(II) acetate, triphenylphosphine, copper(II) acetate, triethylamine, and potassium carbonate.     

Synthesis and carbon-13 NMR study of 2-benzyl, 2-methyl, 2-aryloctahydropyrrolo [3,4-c] pyrroles and the 1,2,3,5-tetrahydropyrrolo [3,4-c] pyrrole ring system

2-Benzyl, 2-phenyl, 2- (3-methoxyphenyl) and 2-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl) octahydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole ( 9a, 9b, 9c , and 9d , respectively) were prepared in five steps from 1-benzylpyrrole-3,4-dicarboxylic acid ( 2 ). 2-Methyloctahydropyrrolo [3,4-c]pyrrole ( 9′a ) was prepared analogously in six steps from 1-methylpyrrole-3,4-dicarboxylic acid ( 3 ). Diborane reduction of 1-benzyl-N-methyl-1H-pyrrole-3,4-dicarboximide ( 7′a ) and 1, N-dibenzyl-1H-pyrrole-3,4-dicarboximide ( 7a ) gave 5-benzyl-2-methyl and 2, 5-dibenzyl-1,2,3,5-tetrahydropyrrolo [3,4-c]pyrrole ( 19 ′ and 19 , respectively); the first reported members of the 1,2,3,5-tetrahydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole ring system. A detailed study of the carbon-13 nmr shifts permitted a complete assignment for all compounds. Mono and disubstituted products produce a systematic effect on the shifts for the bicyclic ring systems which can be readily interpreted in terms of substituent chemical shifts. The effect of protonation at nitrogen is also shown to produce a series of well defined chemical shifts for the octahydropyrrolo [3,4-c] pyrrole ring system.     

Simultaneous analysis of sarin, pyridostigmine bromide and their metabolites in rat plasma and urine using HPLC

Summary A method was developed for the separation and quantification of the warfare nerve agent sarin (O-isopropylmethylphosphonoflouridate), its metabolite methylphosphonic acid, the anti nerve agent drug pyridostigmine bromide (PB;3-dimethylaminocarbonyloxy-N-methyl pyridinium bromide) and its metaboliteN-methyl-3-hydroxypyridinium bromide in rat plasma and urine. The method involved using solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with reversed phase C₁₈ column, and UV detection at 280 nm. The compounds were separated using gradient of 1% to 55% acetonitrile in 0.1% triflouroacetic acid water solution (pH 3.20) at flow rate of 0.9 ml/min in a period of 15 min. The retention times ranged from 4.4–12.1 min. The limits of detection were 50 ng mL⁻¹ for PB andN-methyl-3-hydroxypyridinium bromide, and 10 μg mL⁻¹ for sarin and methylphosphonic acid, while limits of quantitation were between 100 ng mL⁻¹–12 μg mL⁻¹. Average percentage recovery of five spiked samples from plasma were 84.6±8.4, 86.5±9.0, 76.4±8.5, 81.3±8.2, and from urine 78.5±7.9, 76.4±7.8, 74.4±8.4, 80.6±6.8 for sarin, methylphosphonic acid, pyridostigmine bromide andN-methyl-3-hydroxypyridinium bromide, respectively. This method was applied to analyze the above chemicals and metabolites following combined administration in rats.     

Reaction of sulfene and dichloroketene with open-chain N,N-disubstituted α-aminomethyleneketones. Synthesis of 4-dialkylamino-3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-5-phenyl-1,2-oxathiin 2,2-dioxides and of N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-3-chloro-(6-methyl-5-phenyl)(6-benzyl)-2H-pyran-2-ones

Cycloaddition of sulfene to N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-3-phenyl-3-buten-2-ones (III) occurred in good yield only in the case of aliphatic N-substitution to give 4-dialkylamino-3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-5-phenyl-1,2-oxathiin 2,2-dioxides, whereas N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-1-phenyl-3-buten-2-ones (IV) did not react at all. Polar 1,4-cycloaddition of dichloroketene to III and IV occurred partly in the case of aromatic N-substitution, with the exception of the morpholino derivative IVd, giving in low yield N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-3,3-dichloro-3,4-dihydro-(6-methyl-5-phenyl)(6-benzyl)-2H-pyran-2-ones, which were dehydrochlorinated with DBN to the corresponding 4-amino-3-chloro-(6-methyl-5-phenyl)(6-benzyl)-2H-pyran-2-ones (VII) in good yield. In some cases of aliphatic N,N-disubstitution of III and IV, cycloaddition led directly to N,N-dialkyl derivatives VII in low yield.     

Transformations of 2-(3-Hydroxy-3-methyl-1-butynyl)adamantan-2-ol >Catalyzed by Acids

Reaction of 2-(3-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-butynyl)adamantan-2-ol with acetonitrile under Ritter reaction conditions is accompanied by isomerization and partial hydration where the water addition to the triple bond occurs nonselectively. As a result of reaction carried out in the presence of 8 equiv of sulfuric acid a mixture was obtained of N ²-[4-(1-acetylamino-2-adamantyl)-2-methyl-3-butyn-2-yl]acetamide, N ³-[1-(1-acetylamino-2-adamantyl)-3-methyl-2-oxo-3-butyl]-acetamide, and N ³-[1-(1-acetylamino-2-adamantyl)-3-methyl-1-oxo-3-butyl]acetamide in ~10:3:2 ratio. In the presence of 2 equiv of the acid the mixture obtained consisted of N ²-[4-(1-acetylamino-2-adamantyl)-2-methyl-3-butyn-2-yl]acetamide, N ³-[1-(1-acetylamino-2-adamantyl)-3-methyl-2-oxo-3-butyl]acetamide, and 1-(1-acetylamino-2-adamantyl)-3-methyl-2-buten-1-one in the same ratio. In Rupe reaction conditions we obtained instead of the expected ,-unsaturated ketones a mixture of 1-(1-hydroxy-2-adamantyl)-3-hydroxy-3-methylbutan-1-one and 1-(1-hydroxy-2-adamantyl)-3-hydroxy-3-methylbutan-2-one in a 5:3 ratio.     

Bridged cyanine dyes. Part 2 . 1-(N-methyl-2-benzothiazolylinio)-3-(N-methyl-2-benzothiazolylene) and 1-(N-methyl-4-pyridinio)-3-(N-methyl-4-pyridylene)cyclopenta-1,4-dienes with fused rings

1,3-Bis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)- and 1,3-bis(N-methyl-2-benzothiazolyl)-propane diiodides react with 1,2-cyclohexanedione, tetrachloro-1,2- and -1,4-benzoquinone, 2,3-dichloronaphthoquinone, 3,4-dichloromaleimide and 2,3-dichloroquinoxaline to give novel fused ring bridged cyanine dyes.     

Synthesis and assessment of molecular recognizability by RP-HPLC of an N-alkyl-β-Ala-L-Phe-derived organic phase with self-assembling ability

An N-alky-β-Ala-L-Phe derivative, N'-octadecyl-N ^α -[(N-acryloyl)-β-alanyl]-L-phenylalanineamide (1), with a polymerizable head group has been synthesized and telomerized with the silane coupling agent 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS). SEM and DSC observations indicated that both 1 and its telomer (T-1) could self-assemble into fibrillar forms with highly ordered structures in organic media such as benzene through complementary hydrogen bonding between the amide moieties. T-1 was grafted onto porous silica gels through the terminal trimethoxysilyl group and then packed into a stainless steel column. RP-HPLC results for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) demonstrated that significantly higher molecular shape recognition could be achieved by silica-supported T-1 (Sil-T-1). In this paper, the mechanism of the selectivity enhancement in HPLC by Sil-T-1 is discussed on the basis of comparing with the corresponding L-Phe derivative N'-octadecyl-N ^α -(acryloyl)-L-phenylalanineamide (2) without β -Ala and the stationary phase (Sil-T-2) obtained from it. The HPLC column materials Sil-T-1 and Sil-T-2 were characterized by DSC, TGA, DRIFT-IR, and ¹³C and ²⁹Si CP-MAS NMR spectroscopic measurements. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

The synthesis of indolo- and pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

The synthesis of fused isoquinolines from N-benzyl protected indoles and pyrroles is described. For example, treatment of t-butyl-2-(2-formyl-3,4-dihydro-1-naphthalenyl)-3-methyl-1H-indole-1-carboxylate with KOBu^t in DMF provided 14-methyl-8-phenylbenzo[h]indolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline in good yield. Analogous N-benzylpyrrole precursors could similarly be cyclized to give pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines.