Regioselective Synthesis of New Bibracchial Lariat Ethers

A practical and regioselective synthetic method for the synthesis of cis‐diastereomers of bibracchial lariat ethers (BiBLEs) bearing ester and amide groups is reported. The novel BiBLEs 3a and 4a–e with neutral side arms were prepared by reaction of the corresponding aza‐crown macrocycles 1a – c with ethylchlroacetate and chloroacetamide. The structures of the new compounds have been confirmed by FTIR, ¹H, ¹³C, DEPT, and MS spectroscopy.     

1,2,3,4,5,6-Hexahydrophosphinine 1-oxides with an exocyclic P-function at position 3: diastereoselective synthesis, stereostructure and conformation

Catalytic hydrogenation of the corresponding tetrahydrophosphinine oxides afforded the title compounds (4-6) as exclusive or major diastereomers the stereostructure and conformation of which were evaluated by stereospecific ³J couplings, as well as HF/6-31G* ab initio calculations.     

Synthesis and Reactions of Some Heterocyclic Candidates Based on 2‐Amino‐4,5,6,7‐tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene Moiety as Anti‐Arrhythmic Agents

In continuation of our previous work, a series of novel thiophene derivatives 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 9a , 9b , 9c , 9d , 9e , 10 , 10a , 10b , 10c , 10d , 10e , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 were synthesized by the reaction of ethyl 2‐amino‐4,5,6,7‐tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene‐3‐carboxylate ( 1 ) or 2‐amino‐4,5,6,7‐tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene‐3‐carbonitrile ( 2 ) with different organic reagents. Fusion of 1 with ethylcyanoacetate or maleic anhydride afforded the corresponding thienooxazinone derivative 4 and N‐thienylmalimide derivative 5 , respectively. Acylation of 1 with chloroacetylchloride afforded the amide 6 , which was cyclized with ammonium thiocyanate to give the corresponding N‐theinylthiazole derivative 8 . On the other hand, reaction of 1 with substituted aroylisothiocyanate derivatives gave the corresponding thiourea derivatives 9a , 9b , 9c , 9d , 9e , which were cyclized by the action of sodium ethoxide to afford the corresponding N‐substituted thiopyrimidine derivatives 10a , 10b , 10c , 10d , 10e . Condensation of 2 with acid anhydrides in refluxing acetic acid afforded the corresponding imide carbonitrile derivatives 11 , 12 , 13 . Similarly, condensation of 1 with the previous acid anhydride yielded the corresponding imide ethyl ester derivatives 14 , 15 , 16 , respectively. The structures of newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS spectral data, and elemental analysis. The detailed synthesis, spectroscopic data, LD₅₀, and pharmacological activities of the synthesized compounds are reported.     

New chlorogenic acid derivatives and triterpenoids from Scorzonera aucheriana

Chromatographic separation ofn-hexane and ethyl acetate fraction of a crude methanol extract obtained from aerial parts of theScorzonera aucherianaDC collected from Sivas province of Turkey yielded nine natural compounds; two new 3-caffeoyl-quinic acid analogs (1-2), one new taraxasterol oleate (3), and six known triterpenoids taraxasterol (4), taraxasterol acetate (5), ptiloepoxide (6), lupeol (7), lupeol acetate (8), andβ-sitosterol (9) were characterized. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated on the basis of NMR (¹H,¹³C, COSY, HMBC, HSQC, and TOCSY), UV, FT-IR and LC-Q-TOF-MS spectrometric data.     

Electroreductive intramolecular coupling of aliphatic cyclic imides with ketones and O-methyloximes

The electroreductive intramolecular coupling of aliphatic cyclic imides with ketones in isopropanol gave five- and six-membered cyclized products. Similarly, the electroreductive intramolecular coupling of aliphatic cyclic imides with O-methyloximes afforded five-, six-, and seven-membered cyclized products. These reactions provide a useful method to synthesize azabicyclo[n.m.0] compounds. The bicyclic products were stereoselectively transformed to the corresponding deoxylated compounds by reduction with NaB(CN)H₃ or Et₃SiH/BF₃·Et₂O.     

Cyclohumulanoid Sesquiterpenes from the Culture Broth of the Basidiomycetous Fungus Daedaleopsis tricolor

A series of cyclohumulanoids, i.e., tricocerapicanols A–C (1a–1c), tricoprotoilludenes A (2a) and B (3), tricosterpurol (4), and tricoilludins A–C (5–7) were isolated along with known violascensol (2b) and omphadiol (8) from the culture broth of Daedaleopsis tricolor, an inedible but not toxic mushroom. The structures were fully elucidated on the basis of NMR spectroscopic analysis, and the suggested relative structures were confirmed via density functional theory (DFT)-based chemical shift calculations involving a DP4 probability analysis. In the present study, the ¹H chemical shifts were more informative than the ¹³C chemical shifts to distinguish the diastereomers at C-11. The absolute configurations of 1–5 were determined by comparing the experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. For 6 and 7, the same chirality was assigned according to their biosynthetic similarities with the other compounds. The successful assignment of some Cotton effects was achieved by utilizing DFT calculations using simple model compounds. The plausible biosynthesis of 1–7 was also discussed on the basis of the structural commonality and general cyclohumulanoid biosynthesis. Compounds 2a and 5 were found to simultaneously induce hyphal swelling and branching at 5.0 μg/mL against a test fungus Cochliobolus miyabeanus.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Methyl (3)5-(N-Boc-piperidinyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylates

Series of methyl 3- and 5-(N-Boc-piperidinyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylates were developed and regioselectively synthesized as novel heterocyclic amino acids in their N-Boc protected ester form for achiral and chiral building blocks. In the first stage of the synthesis, piperidine-4-carboxylic and (R)- and (S)-piperidine-3-carboxylic acids were converted to the corresponding β-keto esters, which were then treated with N,N-dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal. The subsequent reaction of β-enamine diketones with various N-mono-substituted hydrazines afforded the target 5-(N-Boc-piperidinyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylates as major products, and tautomeric NH-pyrazoles prepared from hydrazine hydrate were further N-alkylated with alkyl halides to give 3-(N-Boc-piperidinyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylates. The structures of the novel heterocyclic compounds were confirmed by ¹H-, ¹³C-, and ¹⁵N-NMR spectroscopy and HRMS investigation.     

Synthesis of imidazolidin-4-one and 1H-imidazo[2,1-a]isoindole-2,5(3H,9bH)-dione derivatives of primaquine: scope and limitations

The synthesis of imidazolidin-4-one derivatives of primaquine as potential antimalarial agents is described. The target compounds were synthesized in three steps: (i) condensation of (±)-primaquine with N^α-protected amino acids, (ii) removal of the N^α-protecting group, and (iii) reaction of the N-acylprimaquine with a carbonyl compound: acetone, three cyclic ketones and veratraldehyde. Using 2-formylbenzoic acid in the third step afforded 1H-imidazo[2,1-a]isoindole-2,5(3H,9bH)-diones. All products were isolated in good to excellent yields. Whereas imidazolidin-4-ones were formed as mixtures of all possible diastereomers in equal amounts, 1H-imidazo[2,1-a]isoindole-2,5(3H,9bH)-diones were produced in a stereoselective fashion. The compounds hydrolyse very slowly (t_1/2 5-30 d) in pH 7.4 buffer to release primaquine. These primaquine derivatives are being submitted to biological assays, and preliminary results of their antimalarial activity are quite encouraging.     

Dihydroisocoumarins and Dihydroisoflavones from the Rhizomes of Dioscorea collettii with Cytotoxic Activity and Structural Revision of 2,2′-Oxybis(1,4-di-tert-butylbenzene)

The investigation of the constituents of the rhizomes of Dioscorea collettii afforded one new dihydroisocoumarin, named (−)-montroumarin (1a), along with five known compounds—montroumarin (1b), 1,1′-oxybis(2,4-di-tert-butylbenzene) (2), (3R)-3′-O-methylviolanone (3a), (3S)-3′-O-methylviolanone (3b), and (RS)-sativanone (4). Their structures were elucidated using extensive spectroscopic methods. To the best of our knowledge, compound 1a is a new enantiomer of compound 1b. The NMR data of compound 2 had been reported but its structure was erroneous. The structure of compound 2 was revised on the basis of a reinterpretation of its NMR data (1D and 2D) and the assignment of the ¹H and ¹³C NMR data was given rightly for the first time. Compounds 3a–4, three dihydroisoflavones, were reported from the Dioscoreaceae family for the first time. The cytotoxic activities of all the compounds were tested against the NCI-H460 cell line. Two dihydroisocoumarins, compounds 1a and 1b, displayed moderate cytotoxic activities, while the other compounds showed no cytotoxicity.     

Application of the chiral base desymmetrisation of imides to the synthesis of the alkaloid jamtine and the antidepressant paroxetine

The synthesis of the alkaloid jamtine and the antidepressant paroxetine have been addressed by a strategy involving asymmetric desymmetrisation of prochiral imides by a chiral lithium amide base. A short reaction sequence, starting with a cyclohexane fused succinimide, led to the structures originally reported for the alkaloid jamtine and its derived N-oxide. The structures synthesised are shown not to correspond with those originally reported. A second sequence involves desymmetrisation of a 4-arylglutarimide, and provides a short enantioselective synthesis of the drug substance paroxetine.     

Hydrogen bonding in cyclic imides and amide carboxylic acid derivatives from the facile reaction of cis‐cyclohexane‐1,2‐carboxylic anhydride with o‐ and p‐anisidine and m‐ and p‐aminobenzoic acids

The structures of the open‐chain amide carboxylic acid rac‐cis‐2‐[(2‐methoxyphenyl)carbamoyl]cyclohexane‐1‐carboxylic acid, C₁₅H₁₉NO₄, (I), and the cyclic imides rac‐cis‐2‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐3a,4,5,6,7,7a‐hexahydroisoindole‐1,3‐dione, C₁₅H₁₇NO₃, (II), chiral cis‐3‐(1,3‐dioxo‐3a,4,5,6,7,7a‐hexahydroisoindol‐2‐yl)benzoic acid, C₁₅H₁₅NO₄, (III), and rac‐cis‐4‐(1,3‐dioxo‐3a,4,5,6,7,7a‐hexahydroisoindol‐2‐yl)benzoic acid monohydrate, C₁₅H₁₅NO₄·H₂O, (IV), are reported. In the amide acid (I), the phenylcarbamoyl group is essentially planar [maximum deviation from the least‐squares plane = 0.060 (1) Å for the amide O atom] and the molecules form discrete centrosymmetric dimers through intermolecular cyclic carboxy–carboxy O—H...O hydrogen‐bonding interactions [graph‐set notation R₂²(8)]. The cyclic imides (II)–(IV) are conformationally similar, with comparable benzene ring rotations about the imide N—C_ar bond [dihedral angles between the benzene and isoindole rings = 51.55 (7)° in (II), 59.22 (12)° in (III) and 51.99 (14)° in (IV)]. Unlike (II), in which only weak intermolecular C—H...O_imide hydrogen bonding is present, the crystal packing of imides (III) and (IV) shows strong intermolecular carboxylic acid O—H...O hydrogen‐bonding associations. With (III), these involve imide O‐atom acceptors, giving one‐dimensional zigzag chains [graph‐set C(9)], while with the monohydrate (IV), the hydrogen bond involves the partially disordered water molecule which also bridges molecules through both imide and carboxy O‐atom acceptors in a cyclic R₄⁴(12) association, giving a two‐dimensional sheet structure. The structures reported here expand the structural database for compounds of this series formed from the facile reaction of cis‐cyclohexane‐1,2‐dicarboxylic anhydride with substituted anilines, in which there is a much larger incidence of cyclic imides compared to amide carboxylic acids.     

Tri(pentaflurophenyl)borane-catalyzed reduction of cyclic imides with hydrosilanes: Synthesis of pyrrolidines

B(C₆F₅)₃-catalyzed hydrosilylation of cyclic imides afforded an efficient synthetic method of pyrrolidines. In the presence of 5?mol% B(C₆F₅)₃, various aromatic, aliphatic and polycyclic imides were smoothly reduced by PhSiH₃ to generate the corresponding pyrrolidines in high yields. The reaction profiles monitored by ¹H NMR spectroscopy disclosed the reduction process of cyclic imides and the effect of difference structure of the hydrosilanes on the hydrosilylation.     

Synthesis and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of 1-Methylhydantoin Cinnamoyl Imides

In this study, 1-methylhydantoin cinnamic imides were synthesized from 1-methylhydantoin and trans-cinnamic acid, and their anti-inflammatory activity was investigated. The anti-inflammatory activity in vitro was evaluated by measuring the contents of NO, TNF-α and IL-1β in the supernatant of RAW264.7 cells stimulated by LPS. The cytotoxicity of 1-methylhydantoin cinnamoyl imides on RAW264.7 cells was detected using the CCK-8 method. The results showed that compounds 2 and 4 can significantly inhibit the release of NO and reduce the secretion of TNF-α and IL-1β. Compound 3 inhibited the production of TNF-α. The inhibition rate of COX was evaluated in vitro. The in vivo anti-inflammatory activities of the five compounds were evaluated by establishing an animal model of xylene ear swelling. The results showed that 1-methylhydantoin cinnamic imides could alleviate xylene-induced ear edema in mice in a dose-dependent manner. Among them, the effect of compound 5 was the most significant. Under the action of high dosage, its ear swelling inhibition rate was as high as 52.08%.     

Anti-Neuroinflammatory Components from Clausena lenis Drake

Clausena lenis Drake (C. lenis) is a folk medicinal herb to treat influenza, colds, bronchitis, and malaria. The 95% and 50% ethanol extract of C. lenis showed significant nitric oxide (NO) inhibition activity in BV-2 microglial cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Bio-guided isolation of the active extract afforded five new compounds, including a chlorine-containing furoquinoline racemate, (±)-claulenine A (1), an amide alkaloid, claulenine B (2), a prenylated coumarin, claulenin A (3), a furocoumarin glucoside, clauleside A (4), and a multi-prenylated p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, claulenin B (5), along with 33 known ones. Their structures were determined via spectroscopic methods, and the absolute configurations of new compounds were assigned via the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 2, 23, 27, 28, 33, and 34 showed potent anti-neuroinflammatory effects on LPS-induced NO production in BV-2 microglial cells, with IC₅₀ values in the range of 17.6–40.9 μM. The possible mechanism was deduced to interact with iNOS through molecular docking.     

Conventional vs. Microwave- or Mechanically-Assisted Synthesis of Dihomooxacalix[4]arene Phthalimides: NMR,X-ray and Photophysical Analysis §

Direct O-alkylation of p-tert-butyldihomooxacalix[4]arene (1) with N-(bromopropyl)- or N-(bromoethyl)phthalimides and K₂CO₃ in acetonitrile was conducted under conventional heating (reflux) and using microwave irradiation and ball milling methodologies. The reactions afforded mono- and mainly distal di-substituted derivatives in the cone conformation, in a total of eight compounds. They were isolated by column chromatography, and their conformations and the substitution patterns were established by NMR spectroscopy (¹H, ¹³C, COSY and NOESY experiments). The X-ray structures of four dihomooxacalix[4]arene phthalimide derivatives (2a, 3a, 3b and 5a) are reported, as well as their photophysical properties. The microwave (MW)-assisted alkylations drastically reduced the reaction times (from days to less than 45 min) and produced higher yields of both 1,3-di-substituted phthalimides (3a and 6a) with higher selectivity. Ball milling did not reveal to be a good method for this kind of reaction.     

Synthesis and properties of novel macrocyclic compounds bearing thiourea moieties by use of chemical feature of hypervalent sulfur

Macrocyclic compounds 5a‐i bearing two tetraazathiapentalene frameworks were synthesized by the reaction of 10‐S‐3 tetraazathiapentalene derivatives 3a‐f with compounds having various diisothiocyanate functions 4a‐e. The reduction of the macrocyclic compounds with NaBH₄ afforded the ring‐opened macrocyclic compounds 11a‐b and 11e‐h by elimination of the hypervalent sulfur. The structures of these compounds were established by their spectral data and also by the X‐ray crystallographic analysis of lla. The other ring‐opened macrocyclic compounds 14a and 14e‐h that bear four thiourea groups were synthesized by alkaline hydrolysis of 5a and 5e‐h in that elimination of the C=S^IV moiety in the tetraazathiapentalene rings occurred.     

Semi-Synthesis of N-Aryl Amide Analogs of Piperine from Piper nigrum and Evaluation of Their Antitrypanosomal,Antimalarial, and Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Activities

Piper nigrum, or black pepper, produces piperine, an alkaloid that has diverse pharmacological activities. In this study, N-aryl amide piperine analogs were prepared by semi-synthesis involving the saponification of piperine (1) to yield piperic acid (2) followed by esterification to obtain compounds 3, 4, and 5. The compounds were examined for their antitrypanosomal, antimalarial, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 main protease activities. The new 2,5-dimethoxy-substituted phenyl piperamide 5 exhibited the most robust biological activities with no cytotoxicity against mammalian cell lines, Vero and Vero E6, as compared to the other compounds in this series. Its half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) for antitrypanosomal activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense was 15.46 ± 3.09 μM, and its antimalarial activity against the 3D7 strain of Plasmodium falciparum was 24.55 ± 1.91 μM, which were fourfold and fivefold more potent, respectively, than the activities of piperine. Interestingly, compound 5 inhibited the activity of 3C-like main protease (3CL^Pro) toward anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity at the IC₅₀ of 106.9 ± 1.2 μM, which was threefold more potent than the activity of rutin. Docking and molecular dynamic simulation indicated that the potential binding of 5 in the 3CL^pro active site had the improved binding interaction and stability. Therefore, new aryl amide analogs of piperine 5 should be investigated further as a promising anti-infective agent against human African trypanosomiasis, malaria, and COVID-19.     

Synthesis of Biologically Active[4-(4-Bromophenyl)-2-thiazolyl]hydrazones and their D-Galactose Derivatives

Benzaldehyde [4‐(4‐bromophenyl)thiazol‐2‐yl]hydrazones 5a – 5d were prepared by reacting the thiosemicarbazones 2a – 2d with 2,4′‐dibromoacetophenone ( 1 ) in absolute ethanol. Acetylation of 5a and 5b with Ac₂O/Py at room temperature gave the N‐acetyl derivatives 6a and 6b . 4‐Methyl‐2‐pentanone/cyclopentanone [4‐(4‐bromo‐phenyl)thiazol‐2‐yl]hydrazones ( 8a ) and ( 8b ) were similarly obtained from the reaction of 1 with the thiosemicarbazones 7a and 7b , respectively. Cyclization of D‐galactose thiosemicarbazone ( 9 ) and its tautomers 10 and 11 with 1 afforded an equilibrium mixture of the acyclic 2‐thiazolylhydrazone 12 , together with its respective cyclic galactosyl derivatives 13 and 14 , whose structures were studied by using ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra. The antimicrobial activity of the synthesized thiazole derivatives was evaluated in vitro by using an agar diffusion technique, and some of these compounds showed potential activity against Candida albicans.     

Synthesis and Antioxidant Activity of Some Novel Nicotinonitrile Derivatives Bearing a Furan Moiety

As a part of ongoing studies in developing new potent antioxidant agents, 2‐amino‐4‐(furan‐2‐yl)‐5,6‐dimethylnicotinonitrile 4 was utilized as a key intermediate for the synthesis of some new pyrimidines 5 and 11 , form (acet)amide 6 , 7 , urea and thiourea 9 , 10 , 1,8‐naphthyridines 12 , 13 , and 14 . Moreover, condensation of 4 with 5,5‐dimethyl‐1,3‐cyclohexanedione and cyclohexanone in ethanol furnished the pyridine derivatives 16 and 17 , respectively. Furthermore, refluxing of 4 with ethylenediamine in carbon disulfide afforded the 4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐imidazol‐2‐yl pyridine derivative 19 . In addition, refluxing of 4 with carbon disulfide and concentrated sulfuric acid furnished the pyridine derivatives 20 and 21 , respectively. The reaction of 4 with phenacyl chloride and ethyl chloroacetate in dimethylformamide in the presence of catalytic amount of triethylamine afforded the pyridine derivatives 22 and 23 , respectively. Finally, heating of 4 with 1‐phenyl‐3‐(piperidin‐1‐yl)propan‐1‐one hydrochloride in glacial acetic acid afforded phenylpropylamino pyridine derivative 24 . The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H‐NMR, and mass spectral data. Representative compounds of the synthesized products were evaluated as antioxidant agents. Compounds 8 , 19 , and 22 are promising compounds.     

Synthesis,Antimicrobial Activity and Molecular Modeling of Some Novel 5‐Aminopyrazole,Pyrazolo[1,5‐a]pyrimidine,Bispyrazole and Bispyridone Derivatives Containing Antipyrinyl Moiety

2‐Cyano‐N‐(antipyrin‐4‐yl)‐3‐(ethylthio)‐3‐(naphthalen‐1‐ylamino)acryl‐amide 4 was achieved via a one‐pot, three‐component reactions of cyanoacetamide derivative 2 , 2‐naphthyl isothiocyanate, and diethyl‐sulphate. The cyano acrylamide derivative 4 was hydrazinolysis to furnish 5‐aminopyrazole 5 ; many pyrazolo[1,5‐a ]pyrimidines 10a,b, 14, 15, 16, 18, and 20 have been synthesized via treatment of 5 with some electrophilic reagents. Also, ternary condensation of cyanoacetamide derivative 2 , terephthalaldehyde, and active methylene derivatives afforded bispyridone derivatives 21a,b . The structures of the new compounds were confirmed on the basis of elemental analysis and spectral data. Representative compounds of the synthesized products were tested and evaluated as antimicrobial. In general, the novel‐synthesized compounds showed a good antimicrobial activity against Gram‐positive bacteria, Gram‐negative bacteria, and antifungal activity against Azithromycin and Ketoconazole . The molecular modeling of the 21a and 21b as representative examples of the synthesized compounds has been drawn, and their molecular parameters were calculated.