Anti-Cancer Potential of Synthetic Oleanolic Acid Derivatives and Their Conjugates with NSAIDs

Naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid oleanolic acid (OA) serves as a good scaffold for additional modifications to achieve synthetic derivatives. Therefore, a large number of triterpenoids have been synthetically modified in order to increase their bioactivity and their protective or therapeutic effects. Moreover, attempts were performed to conjugate synthetic triterpenoids with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or other functional groups. Among hundreds of synthesized triterpenoids, still the most promising is 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO), which reached clinical trials level of investigations. The new group of synthetic triterpenoids are OA oximes. The most active among them is 3-hydroxyiminoolean-12-en-28-oic acid morpholide, which additionally improves the anti-cancer activity of standard NSAIDs. While targeting the Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathways is the main mechanism of synthetic OA derivatives′ anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity, most of these compounds exhibit multifunctional activity, and affect cross-talk within the cellular signaling network. This short review updates the earlier data and describes the new OA derivatives and their conjugates in the context of modification of signaling pathways involved in inflammation and cell survival and subsequently in cancer development.     

A Novel Allylic Oxidation Using a Combination of Formic Acid and Selenium Dioxide

A combination of formic acid and selenium dioxide in dioxane has been found to be an efficient system for the allylic oxygenation of olefins, in particular for sterically hindered ones, leading to the corresponding allylic alcohols or formates.     

Floccosic Acid,a New Triterpenic Acid from Nepeta floccosa

The isolation and structure elucidation of a new triterpenic acid named floccosic acid ( 1 ) is reported on the basis of the 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR assignments. This secondary metabolite was isolated as a new constituent, along with the known triterpenoids, betulinic acid and β‐amyrin. All these compounds were purified by repeated column chromatography of the MeOH extract of Nepeta floccosa. The structure elucidation of the new compound was accomplished by the combined mass spectrometry (MS), infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectroscopy, one‐ (¹H‐ and ¹³C‐) and two‐dimensional (H? C correlations; HMBC and HSQC) NMR techniques. The known compounds were identified by comparison of their physical and spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature.     

Thiocyanation of Allylic Alcohols Promoted by Trifluoroacetic Acid

A rapid and efficient acid-promoted strategy to access allylic thiocyanates using allylic alcohols as substrates and easily-available NH₄SCN as the thiocyanate source is presented under metal- and oxidant-free conditions. Through screening of various kinds of acids, organic and strong trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was found most effective. Testing of substrates showed that the strategy has remarkable functional group tolerance. A possible mechanism is provided, and the gram-scale experiment demonstrate that this novel protocol has potential industrial application value.     

Enantioselective allylic thioetherification: the effect of phosphoric Acid diester on iridium-catalyzed enantioconvergent transformations

You'll take the high road and I'll take the low road: Enantioenriched allylic thioethers have been synthesized from chiral racemic allylic alcohols. The combination of an Ir-(P,alkene) complex and dibutyl phosphoric acid are required to attain high selectivities. Mechanistic studies uncover an enantioconvergent transformation in which substrate enantiomers react along different pathways to give the same product (see scheme; cod=1,5-cyclooctadiene).     

1,1,3,3‐Tetratriflylpropene (TTP): A Strong,Allylic C–H Acid for Brønsted and Lewis Acid Catalysis

Tetratrifylpropene (TTP) has been developed as a highly acidic, allylic C–H acid for Brønsted and Lewis acid catalysis. It can readily be obtained in two steps and consistently shows exceptional catalytic activities for Mukaiyama aldol, Hosomi–Sakurai, and Friedel–Crafts acylation reactions. X‐ray analyses of TTP and its salts confirm its designed, allylic structure, in which the negative charge is delocalized over four triflyl groups. NMR experiments, acidity measurements, and theoretical investigations provide further insights to rationalize the remarkable reactivity of TTP.     

Selective Benzylic and Allylic Alkylation of Protic Nucleophiles with Sulfonamides through Double Lewis Acid Catalyzed Cleavage of sp3 Carbon–Nitrogen Bonds

The acid‐catalyzed benzylic and allylic alkylation of protic nucleophiles is fundamentally important for the formation of carbon? carbon and carbon? heteroatom bonds, and it is a formidable challenge for benzylic and allylic amine derivatives to be used as the alkylating agents. Herein we report a highly efficient benzylic and allylic alkylation of protic carbon and sulfur nucleophiles with sulfonamides through double Lewis acid catalyzed cleavage of sp³ carbon–nitrogen bonds at room temperature. In the presence of a catalytic amount of inexpensive ZnCl₂‐TMSCl (TMSCl: chlorotrimethylsilane), 1,3‐diketones, β‐keto esters, β‐keto amides, malononitrile, aromatic compounds, thiols, and thioacetic acid can couple with a broad range of tosyl‐activated benzylic and allylic amines to give diversely functionalized products in good to excellent yields and with high regioselectivity. Furthermore, the cross‐coupling reaction of 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds with benzylic propargylic amine derivatives has been successfully applied to the one‐step synthesis of polysubstituted furans and benzofurans.     

From Palladium to Brønsted Acid Catalysis: Highly Enantioselective Regiodivergent Addition of Alkoxyallenes to Pyrazolones

A highly enantioselective regiodivergent addition of alkoxyallenes to pyrazolones was developed to afford multiply functionalized alkylated products bearing a quaternary carbon stereocenter in high yields with excellent stereoselectivities. One approach is enabled by palladium catalysis, thus leading to branched allylic pyrazol‐5‐ones under mild reaction conditions. The other is catalyzed by a chiral Brønsted acid to give linear products exclusively. Moreover, the usefulness of this new method was highlighted by converting the allylic products into other interesting multifunctionalized pyrazolone derivatives which would be of great potential for the exploitation of pharmaceutically important molecules.     

Preparation of Allylic Fatty Acid Amides in High Yield by Condensation of Fatty Acids with Allylisothiocyanate

We describe a new synthetic method for preparation in high yield of allylic fatty acid amides by heterogeneously catalyzed condensation of allylisothiocyanate with fatty acids in a concentrated mixture.     

A Simple One-Pot Preparation of Mikanecic Acid Derivatives via Allylic Carbamates

Mikanecic acid derivatives can be prepared in high yield from α-hydroxyalkyl acrylates via an allylic carbamate intermediate.     

New Synthesis of Substituted Cyclopropanephosphonic Acid Esters

Abstract

Aminocyclopropane phosphonic acids are considered to be “transition state analogues” of aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acids and they may serve as enzyme inhibitors¹. We attempted to synthesise aminocyclopropane derivatives by a new route². Phosphonoacetic acid allylic esters were subjected to an intramolecular, radical cyclisation in the presence of iodine, solid potassium carbonate and phase transfer catalyst.     

Enantioselective Dearomatization of Naphthol Derivatives with Allylic Alcohols by Cooperative Iridium and Brønsted Acid Catalysis

The combination of a transition‐metal catalyst and organocatalyst was designed to achieve a highly enantioselective system for the allylic dearomatization reaction of naphthols with racemic secondary allylic alcohols. The desired β‐naphthalenones, bearing an all‐carbon quaternary center, were obtained in good yields with high chemo‐ and enantioselectivities. The cooperative catalytic system, involving a chiral iridium complex and phosphoric acid, provided measurable improvements in yields, and chemo‐ and enantioselectivities relative to single‐catalyst systems. Control experiments indicated that the chiral iridium complex functions as a key species in the control of the absolute configuration, thus enabling the formation of both β‐naphthalenone enantiomers by simply employing opposite enantiomeric ligands.     

(±)-脱落酸的合成

以β-紫罗兰酮为起始原料,经环氧化、开环、烯丙位氧化、Wittig反应、碱性水解5步反应,以39％的总收率合成了植物激素3-甲基-5-(1-羟基-4-氧代-2,6,6-三甲基-2-环己烯基)-2,4-戊二烯酸(脱落酸),用IR、¹H NMR、MS及元素分析等测试技术表征了产物的结构。     

Addition Reactions of Benzenesulfinic Acid with Glycals and 1,2-Dibromosugars

The addition of benzenesulfinic acid to glycals was investigated under various conditions, and optimized yields of the glycosyl phenylsulfone products were obtained in the presence of tin tetrachloride as a catalyst. Double bond shift (Ferrier rearrangement) occurred in all cases except amicetal, which lacks a substituent at the allylic carbon. Glycosylation of benzenesulfinic acid with 1,2-dibromides was carried out using silver triflate as the promoter, and gave sulfinate esters as products by reaction at oxygen rather than at sulfur. The sulfinate esters were obtained as mixtures of stereoisomers at the stereogenic sulfur atom. Trapping of the sulfinates with carboxylate nucleophiles was observed during attempted oxidation with MCPBA.     

由醋酸去氢表雄酮合成熊去氧胆酸

探索了用植物源商业原料合成熊去氧胆酸的新方法. 以醋酸去氢表雄酮为原料, 以区域选择性烯丙位氧化、 Mistunbu反应和Luche还原为关键步骤, 通过9步反应, 以38.6%的总收率合成了熊去氧胆酸. 其中, 关键中间体4由化合物3经改进的烯丙位氧化反应以较高产率获得. 对关键的烯丙基氧化反应的条件进行了优化, 包括溶剂、 氧化剂和反应温度. 该方法原料易得、 产率较高, 并且有效地避免了动物源性原料的风险, 易于实现规模化合成, 因而具有较高的应用价值.     

Chemical Fingerprint and Determination of Triterpenoids in Cultured Cyclocarya paliurus Cells by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Cyclocarya paliurus is a medicinal plant containing various bioactive components with significant health benefits. Cell cultures of C. paliurus have been used to produce these bioactive metabolites. A chemical fingerprint was obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to monitor the synthesis of major triterpenoids in cultured C. paliurus cells and provide a reliable quality assessment for the cell strain screening. The determination of five triterpenoids, namely, maslinic acid, corosolic acid, betulinic acid, oleanic acid, and ursolic acid, was also performed. The HPLC method for the determination of triterpenoids in the cultured cells was accurate, stable, and reliable, and therefore suitable for chemical fingerprint analysis. Sixteen C. paliurus cell strains varied dramatically in their triterpenoid accumulations. The concentrations of the triterpenoids were 0.45–2.19 (maslinic acid), 0.92–5.34 (corosolic acid), 2.58–4.70 (betulinic acid), 4.07–12.47 (oleanic acid), and 12.64–40.98 (ursolic acid) mg/g. A high yield cell strain had a total triterpenoid concentration of 66.34?mg/g. Ten peaks in the HPLC chromatogram with reasonable height and high resolution were assigned as characteristic for fingerprint and analysis. A reference fingerprint was also obtained for cell strain assessment.     

Kinetic Resolution of Tertiary 2‐Alkoxycarboxamido‐Substituted Allylic Alcohols by Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Intramolecular Transesterification

A highly enantioselective kinetic resolution of tertiary 2‐alkoxycarboxamido allylic alcohols has been achieved through a chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed intramolecular transesterification reaction. Both alkyl,aryl‐ and dialkyl‐substituted tertiary allylic alcohols were resolved with excellent efficiencies, affording both the recovered tertiary alcohols and the carbamate products with high enantioselectivities (with s factors up to 164.6). A gram‐scale reaction with 1 mol % catalyst loading and the facile conversion of the enantioenriched products into useful chiral building blocks, such as chiral oxazolidinones and β‐amino alcohols, demonstrate the value of this reaction.     

Brønsted Acid Enabled Nickel‐Catalyzed Hydroalkenylation of Aldehydes with Styrene and its Derivatives

A Brønsted acid enabled nickel‐catalyzed hydroalkenylation of aldehydes and styrene derivatives has been developed. The Brønsted acid acts as a proton shuttle to transfer a proton from the alkene to the aldehyde, thereby leading to an economical and byproduct‐free coupling. A series of synthetically useful allylic alcohols were obtained through one‐step reactions from readily available styrene derivatives and aliphatic aldehydes in up to 88 % yield and with high linear selectivity.     

Cooperative Catalysis by Palladium and a Chiral Phosphoric Acid: Enantioselective Amination of Racemic Allylic Alcohols

Cooperative catalysis by [Pd(dba)₂] and the chiral phosphoric acid BA1 in combination with the phosphoramidite ligand L8 enabled the efficient enantioselective amination of racemic allylic alcohols with a variety of functionalized amines. This catalytic protocol is highly regio‐ and stereoselective (up to e.r. 96:4) and furnishes valuable chiral amines in almost quantitative yield.     

Self‐assembly of Renewable Nano‐sized Triterpenoids

Studies on plant metabolites have gained renewed interest in recent years because these can serve as renewable chemicals for the development of a sustainable society. Among various plant secondary metabolites, terpenoids constitute the major component and triterpenoids are the 30C subset of it. In recent years, triterpenoids have drawn the attention of scientific community due to many of its potential and realized applications in medicine, drug delivery, thermochromic materials, pollutant capture, catalysis, liquid crystals, etc. In this personal review, we have discussed our computational results carried out on sixty representative naturally occurring triterpenoids demonstrating that all the triterpenoids are renewable functional nano‐entities. Study of the self‐assembly of several triterpenoids such as betulin, betulinic acid, oleanolic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid and arjunolic acid and their derivatives in different liquids have also been discussed. Moreover, the utilization of the resulting supramolecular architectures such as vesicles, spheres, flowers and fibrillar networks of nano‐ to micrometer dimensions and gels have also been discussed in the perspective of green, renewable and nanos.