Microwave-assisted traceless synthesis of thiohydantoin

An efficient, microwave-assisted method for the liquid-phase combinatorial synthesis of 3,5-disubstituted-thiohydantoin has been developed. Fmoc-protected amino acids were coupled with HO-PEG-OH and after deprotection, reacted with various isothiocyanates in microwave cavity. The PEG bound thiourea compounds underwent base mediated cyclization/cleavage step by microwave flash heating. The desired products were then liberated from the soluble matrix in good yield and purity under microwave exposure.     

Microwave-enhanced liquid-phase synthesis of thiohydantoins and thioxotetrahydropyrimidinones

An efficient, microwave-assisted method for the liquid-phase combinatorial synthesis of 3,5-disubstituted thiohydantoins and 3,5-disubstituted 2-thioxotetrahydropyrimidin-4-ones has been developed. In synthesizing thiohydantoins, Fmoc-protected amino acids were coupled with polymer support and then deprotected to give primary amines. While in synthesizing thioxotetrahydropyrimidinones, 3-chloropropionyl chloride was immobilized to the support and subsequently reacted with various amines to form secondary amines. The PEG bound primary/secondary amines then were incorporated with various isothiocyanates to give thiourea intermediates and concomitant cyclization/cleavage steps occurred under mild basic condition. The desired products were then liberated from the soluble matrix in good yield and purity. All reactions described here were performed under microwave irradiation.     

Traceless liquid phase synthesis of piperazinediones

Liquid phase combinatorial synthesis (LPCS) of piperazinediones by the use of soluble polymer support is explored to generate libraries. Proline anchored polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (PEG) underwent dipeptide formation with different Fmoc-amino acids in the presence of dicyclohexyl carbodiimide (DCC). Deprotection of Fmoc accompanied with the cleavage from polymer support with cyclization of dipeptide to piperazinediones offers a facile and effective way to prepare diverse combinatorial libraries. Excellent yields and purities were achieved by simple wash and precipitation method.     

Concise syntheses of N-aryl-5,6,7-trimethoxyindoles as antimitotic and vascular disrupting agents: application of the copper-mediated Ullmann-type arylation

In an attempt to mimic the 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl-Z-stilbene moiety of combretastatin A-4, a series of N-aryl-5,6,7-trimethoxyindoles were synthesized via copper-catalyzed Ullmann-type N-arylation through the corresponding 5,6,7-trimethoxyindole and aryl halides. These synthesized compounds demonstrated potent antiproliferative activity providing a novel skeleton for potent tubulin polymerization inhibitors.     

Fluorous and traceless synthesis of substituted indole alkaloids

The fluorous traceless synthesis of substituted indole alkaloids is carried out first by attaching the 3-(perfluorooctyl)propanol with Boc protected L-tryptophan. The reaction of perfluoroalkyl (Rfh)-tagged tryptophan esters with various aldehydes undergoes Pictet-Spengler reaction to give cis and trans stereoisomers of tetrahydro-beta-carbolines. The nucleophilic addition of the piperidine nitrogen across various isocyanates is followed by the cyclization of ureas and simultaneous rupture of the fluorous tag to afford the hydantoin ring fused tetrahydro-beta-carbolines. All the fluorous-tag compounds are purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) through Fluoro Flash cartridges.     

Combinatorial synthesis of biheterocyclic benzimidazoles by microwave irradiation

Liquid phasel synthesis of biheterocyclic benzimidazoles by controlled microwave irradiation was investigated. Polymer immobilized o-phenylenediamines was synthesized under microwave irradiation. The resulting PEG bound diamines was N-acylated with 4-fluoro-3-nitrobenzoic acid selectively in primary aromatic amino moiety. Nucleophilic aromatic substitution of amide was performed with various amines then cyclized to form the first benzimidazole scaffold in acidic condition. Successive reduction, cyclization with isothiocyanates yielded 5-(benzimidazol-2-yl)benzimidazoles. The desired products were released from the polymer support to afford the tri-substituted bis-benzimidazoles in good yields and purity.     

The HDAC/HSP90 Inhibitor G570 Attenuated Blue Light-Induced Cell Migration in RPE Cells and Neovascularization in Mice through Decreased VEGF Production

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) occurs due to an abnormality of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells that leads to gradual degeneration of the macula. Currently, AMD drug pipelines are endowed with limited options, and anti-VEGF agents stand as the dominantly employed therapy. Despite the proven efficacy of such agents, the evidenced side effects associated with their use underscore the need to elucidate other mechanisms involved and identify additional molecular targets for the sake of therapy improvement. The previous literature provided us with a solid rationale to preliminarily explore the potential of selective HDAC6 and HSP90 inhibitors to treat wet AMD. Rather than furnishing single-target agents (either HDAC6 or HSP90 inhibitor), this study recruited scaffolds endowed with the ability to concomitantly modulate both targets (HDAC6 and HSP90) for exploration. This plan was anticipated to accomplish the important goal of extracting amplified benefits via dual inhibition (HDAC6/HSP90) in wet AMD. As a result, G570 (indoline-based hydroxamate), a dual selective HDAC6-HSP90 inhibitor exerting its effects at micromolar concentrations, was pinpointed in the present endeavor to attenuate blue light-induced cell migration and retinal neovascularization by inhibiting VEGF production. In addition to the identification of a potential chemical tool (G570), the outcome of this study validates the candidate HDAC6-HSP90 as a compelling target for the development of futuristic therapeutics for wet AMD.