Synthesis, characterisation and anti-protozoal activity of carbamate-derived polyazamacrocycles

A short, highly efficient approach for the synthesis of a novel class of polyazamacrocycles containing N-functionalised carbamate side-chains has been developed. The key steps involved a phase-transfer mediated macrocyclisation to form the ring system as well as a tin-catalysed reaction with isocyanates to introduce the carbamate side-chains. X-Ray crystallography confirmed successful formation of the 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane ring and N-functionalisation of all the amine centres. Preliminary testing of the biological activity of the compounds revealed significant anti-parasitic activity against bloodstream form African trypanosomes.     

Discovery of novel promising targets for anti-AIDS drug developments by computer modeling: application to the HIV-1 gp120 V3 loop

The V3 loop on gp120 from HIV-1 is a focus of many research groups involved in anti-AIDS drug studies, because this region of the protein determines the preference of the virus for T-lymphocytes or primary macrophages. Although the V3 loop governs cell tropism and, for this reason, exhibits one of the most attractive targets for anti-HIV-1 drug developments, its high sequence variability is a major complicating factor. Nevertheless, the data on the spatial arrangement of V3 obtained here for different HIV-1 subtypes by computer modeling clearly show that, despite a wide range of 3D folds, this functionally important site of gp120 forms at least three structurally invariant segments, which contain residues critical for cell tropism. It is evident that these conserved V3 segments represent potential HIV-1 vulnerable spots and, therefore, provide a blueprint for the design of novel, potent and broad antiviral agents able to stop the HIV's spread.     

Synthesis and fungicidal activity study of novel daphneolone analogs with 2,6-dimethylmorpholine

A series of novel daphneolone analogs was designed and synthesized on the basis of natural product 1,5-diphenyl-2-penten-1-one(I) from Stellera chamaejasme L. as lead compound, whereby 2,6-dimethylmorpholine moiety was introduced to replace 1-phenyl group. Their structures were confirmed by IR,1H NMR, and HRMS(ESI) or elemental analysis,13 C NMR for some representative compounds. The two isomers of target compounds were separated and identified by NOESY technique and chemical method.All of the synthesized compounds have been evaluated for anti-plant pathogenic fungi activities. The results showed that some compounds exhibited moderate to good antifungal activities against tested fungi at the concentration of 50 mg/L. Among them, compound 7d, with a 4-bromine-substituted phenyl group and cis-2,6-dimethylmorpholine moiety, displayed best activity with an EC50 of 23.87 mmol/L against Valsa mali, superior to lead compound I. In addition, preliminary structure–activity relationship analysis indicated that, between two isomers of target compounds, the antifungal activities of the isomer with cis-2,6-dimethylmorpholine were better than the trans-isomer.     

Design,synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel 1-oxacephem analogs

A series of l-oxacephem analogs were synthesized and their antibacterial properties against five strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were evaluated in vitro while ceftazidine was selected as control. Some of the tested compounds, compound 2c in narticular,showed more active aeainst three selected strains than the standard.     

Synthesis of a novel cyclodextrin dimer linked by a macrocyclic polyamine

The first example of cyclodextrin dimer appending a macrocyclic polyamine spacer on the primary faces was synthesized via two approaches: 1,a direct reaction of l,7-bis(2'-aminoethyl)-4,10-dimethyl-l,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (1) with an excess of 6-deoxy-6-O-tosyl-β-cyclodextrin; 2,a condensation of 1 with two equivalents of 6-deoxy-6-formyl-β-cyclodextrin,which was followed by a reduction with NaBH4.     

Synthesis and biological activity of novel benzoazoles,benzoazines and other analogs functionalized by 2,4-dihydroxyphenyl moiety

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Novel benzoazoles, benzoazines, benzothiazoles, benzothiazines and other related compounds possessing a 2,4-dihydroxyphenyl moiety were prepared. The compounds...     

Discovery of the potential neuraminidase inhibitors from Polygonum cuspidatum by ultrafiltration combined with mass spectrometry guided by molecular docking

Neuraminidase is an important target in the treatment of the influenza A virus. Screening natural neuraminidase inhibitors from medicinal plants is crucial for drug research. This study proposed a rapid strategy for identifying neuraminidase inhibitors from different crude extracts (Polygonum cuspidatum, Cortex Fraxini, and Herba Siegesbeckiae) using ultrafiltration combined with mass spectrometry guided by molecular docking. Firstly, the main component library of the three herbs was established, followed by molecular docking between the components and neuraminidase. Only the crude extracts with numbers of potential neuraminidase inhibitors identified by molecular docking were selected for ultrafiltration. This guided approach reduced experimental blindness and improved efficiency. The results of molecular docking indicated that the compounds in Polygonum cuspidatum demonstrated good binding affinity with neuraminidase. Subsequently, ultrafiltration-mass spectrometry was employed to screen for neuraminidase inhibitors in Polygonum cuspidatum. A total of five compounds were fished out, and they were identified as trans-polydatin, cis-polydatin, emodin-1-O-β-D-glucoside, emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside, and emodin. The enzyme inhibitory assay showed that they all had neuraminidase inhibitory effects. In addition, the key residues of the interaction between neuraminidase and fished compounds were predicted. In all, this study could provide a strategy for the rapid screening of the potential enzyme inhibitors from medicinal herbs.     

Synthesis and biological activity of novel mitomycin C analogs derived from mitomycin A

A variety of mitomycin C analogs were synthesized from mitomycin A and their biological activities were studied. Mitomycin A ( 1 ) underwent nucleophilic displacement reactions involving intramolecular hydrogen migrations upon treatment with nitrogen nucleophiles bearing mobile hydrogens, but the mode of hydrogen migration depended on the nature of the nucleophiles. The reaction with alkoxyamines gave compounds 6 and 7 which have the 5H-6-alkoxyimino-4,7-dione structure in ring A of 1 . However, the reaction with hydroxylamine and benzoylhydrazine afforded compounds 11 and 13 which have the 4-hydroxy-6-hydroxyimino-7-one structure and the 4-hydroxy-6-hydrazono-7-one structure, respectively, in ring A of 1 . These products were converted into various types of mitomycin C derivatives by methylation with methyl iodide or dimethyl sulfate. The mechanistic features of these reactions are discussed. The in vitro and in vivo biological activities were tested by using P388 leukemia and Sarcoma 180 tumor cells. Several of the synthesized compounds exhibited better activity than that of mitomycin C.     

Discovery of novel human acrosin inhibitors by virtual screening

Human acrosin is an attractive target for the discovery of male contraceptive drugs. For the first time, structure-based drug design was applied to discover structurally diverse human acrosin inhibitors. A parallel virtual screening strategy in combination with pharmacophore-based and docking-based techniques was used to screen the SPECS database. From 16 compounds selected by virtual screening, a total of 10 compounds were found to be human acrosin inhibitors. Compound 2 was found to be the most potent hit (IC₅₀ = 14 μM) and its binding mode was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. The hit interacted with human acrosin mainly through hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding interactions, which provided a good starting structure for further optimization studies.     

Characterization of novel nucleoside analogs by electrospray ionization mass spectra

In this paper, we synthesized a novel nucleoside analog by coupling thymine with dimethyl dicarboxylate biphenyl (DDB). The structure of the target compound was determined using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). The fragmentation pathways were studied in details through ESI-MS/MS. By comparing with unsubstituted nucleosides, such as AZT, MCI, d4T and DDI, it was found that the nucleoside analog coupled with DDB would not yield the daughter ions corresponding to the fragments of the nucleoside base and arabinofuranose analogs, but would lose a neutral molecule HF and DDB easily. However, the unsubstituted nucleosides could lightly yield the fragment ions of the nucleoside base and sugar ring. Hence, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry combined with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) provides a convenient method to recognize the substituted and unsubstituted nucleosides.     

Design and synthesis of novel coumarin analogs and their nematicidal activity against five phytonematodes

The presence of hydroxyl groups at the C4 and C7 positions in coumarin backbone has been proposed as a potential modification site for providing excellent bioactivity according to previous studies. A series of novel coumarin derivatives were rationally designed and synthesized by use of a complex catalytic system for a targeted modification at the above sites. These derivatives were assayed for nematicidal activity. As predicted, the derivatization enhanced the activity of the coumarins against five nematodes.Compounds 7b, 9a, 10 c and 11 c showed significant strong nematicidal broad spectrum activity against all tested nematodes. Compound 10 c was the most effective with the lowest LC50 values against Meloidogyne incognita(5.1 mmol/L), Ditylenchus destructor(3.7 mmol/L), Bursaphelenchus mucronatus(6.4 mmol/L), Bursaphelenchus B. xylophilus(2.5 mmol/L) and Aphelenchoides besseyi(3.1 mmol/L),respectively. A brief investigation on the structure–activity relationships(SAR) revealed that the targeted modification by a C7 hydroxyl was optimum compared with that of a C4 hydroxyl and that the coupling chain length was crucial for the nematicidal activity.     

Discovery of novel dyes with absorption maxima at 1.1 microm

During the process of developing organic molecules that match the wavelengths used in optical communications, we have discovered a new class of dyes, with absorption maxima at 1.1 mum, and clarified their molecular structures. The synthesis of this class of dyes was supposed to involve unexpected intramolecular tandem reactions, and the effect of alkyl substituents on such a synthesis was investigated. As a result, an effective alkyl-substituent structure for realizing a high synthetic yield and good solubility in organic solvents was found. Furthermore, thin films made of such a highly soluble dye were fabricated by solution-coating, and they exhibited a red-shifted absorption band with a maximum at approximately 1.3 mum, indicating the formation of J-like aggregates. The third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility chi(3) of these thin films at 1.3 mum, which is the wavelength used in optical communications, was measured by the Z-scan technique. The magnitude of chi(3) reaches approximately 10-7 esu. These results suggest that the solution-coated thin films of this type of dye are potential materials for optical switching at 1.3 mum and for other nonlinear optical applications.     

Discovery of novel targets with high throughput RNA interference screening

High throughput technologies have the potential to affect all aspects of drug discovery. Considerable attention is paid to high throughput screening (HTS) for small molecule lead compounds. The identification of the targets that enter those HTS campaigns had been driven by basic research until the advent of genomics level data acquisition such as sequencing and gene expression microarrays. Large-scale profiling approaches (e.g., microarrays, protein analysis by mass spectrometry, and metabolite profiling) can yield vast quantities of data and important information. However, these approaches usually require painstaking in silico analysis and low-throughput basic wet-lab research to identify the function of a gene and validate the gene product as a potential therapeutic drug target. Functional genomic screening offers the promise of direct identification of genes involved in phenotypes of interest. In this review, RNA interference (RNAi) mediated loss-of-function screens will be discussed and as well as their utility in target identification. Some of the genes identified in these screens should produce similar phenotypes if their gene products are antagonized with drugs. With a carefully chosen phenotype, an understanding of the biology of RNAi and appreciation of the limitations of RNAi screening, there is great potential for the discovery of new drug targets.     

Syntheses of novel acarviosin analogs with anhydro or unsaturated sugar moieties

A new class of pseudoacarviosins with 2,3-anhydro or unsaturated sugar moieties were synthesized efficiently. The designed target disaccharides were constructed by the glycosylation reactions using 2,3-anhydromonosaccharides as glycosyl donors. The glycosylation reactions were carried out in a highly stereoselective manner in most cases, especially when the preactivation protocol was used. The anhydrosugar units of disaccharides were kept intact during the deprotection operations of protective groups. Furthermore, the disaccharides containing anhydrosugar moieties were smoothly converted to the unsaturated disaccharides via the base-promoted rearrangement of sugar epoxides.     

Discovery of novel cathepsin S inhibitors by pharmacophore-based virtual high-throughput screening

The cysteine protease cathepsin S (CatS) is involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders, atherosclerosis, and obesity. Therefore, it represents a promising pharmacological target for drug development. We generated ligand-based and structure-based pharmacophore models for noncovalent and covalent CatS inhibitors to perform virtual high-throughput screening of chemical databases in order to discover novel scaffolds for CatS inhibitors. An in vitro evaluation of the resulting 15 structures revealed seven CatS inhibitors with kinetic constants in the low micromolar range. These compounds can be subjected to further chemical modifications to obtain drugs for the treatment of autoimmune disorders and atherosclerosis.     

Synthesis of novel iodo derived bicalutamide analogs

A series of optically active nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulators with structures analogous to bicalutamide was prepared by replacing the trifluoromethyl group with iodine and the sulfonyl linker by oxygen.     

Design and synthesis of novel dinucleotide analogs

Syntheses of dinucleotide analogs, (S,R) cis-(4-((4-amino-2-oxopyrimidin-1(2H)-yl)methyl)-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl)methyl (2R,3R,5R)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-5-(5-methyl-2,4-dioxo-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-1(2H)-yl)-tetrahydrofuran-3-yl hydrogen phosphate (5a) and (S,R) cis-(5-((4-amino-2-oxopyrimidin-1(2H)-yl)methyl)-1,3-oxathiolan-2-yl)methyl (2R,3R,5R)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-5-(5-methyl-2,4-dioxo-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-1(2H)-yl)-tetrahydrofuran-3-yl hydrogen phosphate (5b), were accomplished by the use of a new strategy. The use of phenyldichlorophosphate (Method A) as the coupling reagent was shown to possess superiority relative to the reported use of di(1H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-1-yl)phenyl phosphonate (Method B).