Recent Advances in the Chemistry and Biology of Naturally Occurring Antibiotics

Ever since the world‐shaping discovery of penicillin, nature's molecular diversity has been extensively screened for new medications and lead compounds in drug discovery. The search for agents intended to combat infectious diseases has been of particular interest and has enjoyed a high degree of success. Indeed, the history of antibiotics is marked with impressive discoveries and drug‐development stories, the overwhelming majority of which have their origin in natural products. Chemistry, and in particular chemical synthesis, has played a major role in bringing naturally occurring antibiotics and their derivatives to the clinic, and no doubt these disciplines will continue to be key enabling technologies. In this review article, we highlight a number of recent discoveries and advances in the chemistry, biology, and medicine of naturally occurring antibiotics, with particular emphasis on total synthesis, analogue design, and biological evaluation of molecules with novel mechanisms of action.     

Chemical Basis of the Action of Glyoxalase I,an Anticancer Target Enzyme

Although glyoxalase I was discovered in 1913 the physiological role of this ubiquitous enzyme is still far from clear. It catalyzes the reaction of α-ketoaldehydes and glutathione to produce S-D-lactoylglutathione, from which D-lactate and glutathione are produced by glyoxalase II. Argument raged for many decades about the nature of the natural substrate. Was it methylglyoxal? Was methylglyoxal ever formed metabolically or was it purely artifactual? Some of these questions have been resolved in that a number of metabolic processes which produce α-ketoaldehydes have now been recognized. Equally unsuccessful have been attempts to ascribe a physiological role to glyoxalase. This is clearly an important question since glyoxalase I occurs in cells at all levels of evolution. Time and time again glyoxalase I has been claimed to be linked to cancer, and a number of research groups worldwide are using it as a model for designing potential anticancer drugs. In this review article the mechanism of action of the enzyme is discussed, knowledge of which enables stronger inhibitors to be synthesized. Until roughly ten years ago when powerful NMR techniques were used to study it for the first time, it was assumed that the key step in the mechanism was a hydride ion transfer. Today, the mechanism is envisaged as a proton transfer.     

Chemistry and Molecular Biology in the Search for New LHRH Antagonists

Hormones—and in particular, the sex hormones—were the first growth factors discovered to be involuntary helpers of cancer. Female breast cancer and male prostate cancer are the best known examples of tumors acknowledged to be hormone-dependent. A look at cancer statistics shows that breast cancer is still the most frequent cancer in women; in men, prostate cancer plays a similarly dominant role with increasing age. Shutting down the main production site of the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone either by removing the ovaries or by castration is a well-known and often effective therapy; however, these procedures can be problematic due to the concomittant psychological stress. Modern hormone therapy for advanced breast cancer and prostate cancer attempts to spare the patient such irreversible operative procedures for as long as possible, by using hormone antagonists, such as the LHRH antagonists, which hinder deployment of the hormone itself and thus its growth-promoting activity.     

Chemistry,Biology, and Medicine of the Glycopeptide Antibiotics

The war against infectious bacteria is not over! Although vancomycin and glycopeptide antibiotics have provided a strong last line of defence against many drug-resistant bacteria, their overuse has given rise to more dangerous strains of bacteria. An understanding of the chemistry and biology of these highly complex glycopeptides are destined to play a crucial role in the discovery of new antibiotics.     

Chemistry of Phosphorylcarbenes

Phosphorylcarbenes, which have become known only recently during synthetic experiments in the field of phosphoryldiazoalkanes, have twofold preparative value. In the first place, they can be used to introduce phosphoryl groups into organic compounds, as in the phosphoryl-cyclopropanation of alkenes or arenes and in the phosphorylcyclopropenation of alkynes. Secondly, phosphorylcarbenes readily undergo rearrangements; hydride, alkyl, aryl, or acyl shifts lead to phosphorylated alkenes. The phosphorylcarbene/methylenephosphane oxide rearrangement provides access to the short-lived P analogs of the ketenes. Finally, the vinylcarbene/allene rearrangement was first discovered in this connection; it competes with ring closure to the cyclopropene.     

The Chemistry of Acyl Cyanides

Through improved and novel syntheses, acyl cyanides—especially aliphatic acyl cyanides—have become so readily accessible that numerous synthetic applications present themselves. The present review surveys the development of the chemistry of the acyl cyanides during the last 25 years. The syntheses and most important reaction possibilities of R? CO? CN are outlined in four large schemes: reactions of the CO- and CN-groups—in each case with preservation of the carbon skeletal framework—as well as acylations with cleavage of cyanide ions.     

Design,Sonosynthesis, Quantum‐Chemical Calculations,and Evaluation of New Mono‐ and Bis‐pyridine Dicarbonitriles as Antiproliferative Agents

A highly efficient, simple, and clean single‐step sonosynthetic procedure has been sophisticated for assembling new series of mono‐ and bis‐pyridine dicarbonitriles from ketones, HCl, and tetracyanoethylene. The presented protocol is applicable for the preparation of a broad range of uniquely substituted pyridine dicarbonitriles and seems to be superior in comparison with other previously reported methods. The antiproliferative impact of the newly synthesized derivatives was screened towards three representative cancer cell lines (MCF‐7, A549, and HCT116). Most of the evaluated derivatives showed a moderate to excellent anti‐proliferative activity towards the selected cell lines. Of these, compounds 4h , 4k , 10 , 12a , and 12b showed both potent anticancer activity (IC₅₀<10 μM) and lower cytotoxic effect (IC₅₀ > 58 μM) on non‐tumorigenic cells (MCF‐10A and NCM460), suggesting their promising potential to be lead molecules for future antitumor drug discovery. The structure‐activity relationships have been also discussed. Moreover, quantum chemical studies based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) of the synthesized compounds were investigated and found to be consistent with the in vitro inhibitory activities.     

Chemistry of and with Highly Reactive Metals

Today, the synthetic chemist has a large repertoire of metal activation methods at his disposal. After a first breakthrough was made at the beginning of the seventies with the introduction of the Rieke metals, a series of further, in part more efficient methods were describes, based on which not only classical metal-induced reactions could be substantially improved but also completely new reactions could be discovered. In this article the individual activation methods are discussed and compared as far as is possible using the currently available data. Especially noteworthy are the metal–graphite combinations because of their unsurpassed reactivity and concomitant easy preparation and manipulation. As shown by numerous applications of these reagents on polyfunctional substrates, particularly natural products, high reactivity of the metal and excellent selectivity are by no means precluded. Besides the purely preparative aspects also insights gained so far into the general principles and limits of metal activation are outlined, and attempts at determining the morphology of highly dispersed systems are reported.     

The First Specific TiIV–Protein Complex: Potential Relevance to Anticancer Activity of Titanocenes

The transfer of titanium ions from titanium citrate and titanocene dichloride to the blood plasma protein transferrin was proven unequivocally by UV/Vis and NMR spectroscopy. The results may provide insight intoan important step in the mechanism of action of titanium anticancer drugs.     

Total Synthesis of Pradimicinone,the Common Aglycon of the Pradimicin–Benanomicin Antibiotics

A benzo[ a ]naphthacenequinone core, an amino acid, and a disaccharide are the constituents of pradimicin–benanomicin antibiotics 1 (R¹=disaccharide), a class of natural products with significant antifungal and anti-HIV activities. The first total synthesis of pradimicinone (benanomicinone, 1 ; R¹=H), the common aglycon of this class of natural products, has now been achieved based on the transmission of chirality during the pinacol cyclization of 2,2′-biaryldicarbaldehydes.     

Sequence‐Specific DNA Alkylation by Hybrid Molecules between Segment A of Duocarmycin A and Pyrrole/Imidazole Diamide

In the absence of distamycin A (Dist), hybrids 1 (X=N, CH) selectively alkylate the 3′ end of adenine in AT‐rich DNA sequences. However, these hybrids can form a heterodimer with Dist to alkylate G residues of predetermined DNA sequences efficiently and with high selectivity.     

The Role of Chemistry in the Development of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy of Cancer

A therapeutic method that selectively destroys malignant cells in the presence of normal cells is a highly valued goal of oncologists and the possible salvation of cancer patients afflicted with some incurable forms of the disease. Selective cell destruction is, in principle, possible with a binary therapeutic strategy based upon the neutron capture reaction observed with the ¹⁰B nucleus and a neutron of low kinetic energy (thermal neutron). This nuclear fission reaction produces both ⁴He and ⁷Li⁺ nuclei along with about 2.4 MeV of kinetic energy and weak γ-radiation. Since the energetic and cytotoxic product ions travel only about one cell diameter in tissue one may specify the cell type to be destroyed by placing innocent ¹⁰B nuclei on or within only the doomed cells. This article describes the current status of chemical research aimed at the eventual adoption of this therapeutic method (boron neutron capture therapy or BNCT). The multidisciplinary nature of this research effort involves chemistry, biology, nuclear physics, medicine, and related specialties. Methods devised for bringing ¹⁰B nuclei to tumor cells in therapeutic amounts are correlated with the structure of a generalized cell and the various cellular compartments available for boron localization. The synthesis methods employed for the creation of boron-containing biomolecules and drugs are presented along with representative data concerning their efficacy in tumor localization. The outlook for BNCT is especially bright at this time because of rapid developments in the fields of bioorganometallic chemistry, microbiology, immunology, and nuclear science, to name but a few. Very effective boron delivery vehicles have been demonstrated, and through the interaction of chemistry and biology these species are undergoing further improvement and evaluation of their suitability for BNCT.     

Carbon Suboxide in Preparative Organic Chemistry. New synthetic methods (1)

Although it has been known for nearly 70 years, carbon suboxide was used almost exclusively for the preparation of simple malonic acid derivatives until about 1960. Since then, however, the significance of this unusual “bisketene” has steadily increased in synthetic chemistry (especially that of heterocyclic compounds). This progress report surveys the possible applications of C₃O₂ in preparative organic chemistry, including photochemical reactions.     

The Chemistry of Vicinal Diamines

Especially in the field of enantioselective synthesis , vicinal diamines (1,2-diamines) 1 and compounds easily prepared from them—such as 1,2-bisimines, 1,2-diamides, or imidazolidin-2-ones—are widely used by organic chemists. Various strategies have been developed to produce these compounds selectively. Many natural products and medicinal agents also contain a 1,2-diamino unit.     

Phase-Transfer Catalyzed Two-Phase Reactions in Preparative Organic Chemistry

Quaternary ammonium and phosphonium salts catalyze reactions between substances located partly in an aqueous and partly in an organic phase. Use of such phase-transfer catalysts simplifies and accelerates numerous reactions traditionally conducted in nonaqueous media. These reactions include carbene reactions, nucleophilic substitutions, alkylations of ketones and nitriles, Wittig and Darzens reactions, formation of ethers and esters. Other reactions such as hydrolysis and oxidation can be accelerated.     

Chemical Biology of Epothilones

Only a few months after the disclosure of the absolute configuration of epothilones A (R=H, see picture on the right) and B (R=Me) the first total syntheses of these natural products were reported. Interest intensified with the realization of their potential as anticancer agents with a taxol-like mechanism of action. In addition to describing the most important total syntheses and biological properties of the naturally occurring epothilones A–E, this review also provides a systematic overview of numerous epothilone analogues that have been modified in the A – D regions in order to obtain information about structure–activity relationships.     

Enzymes as Catalysts in Synthetic Organic Chemistry [New Synthetic Methods (53)]

Enzymes have great potential as catalysts for use in synthetic organic chemistry. Applications of enzymes in synthesis have so far been limited to a relatively small number of largescale hydrolytic processes used in industry, and to a large number of small-scale syntheses of materials used in analytical procedures and in research. Changes in the technology for production of enzymes (in part attributable to improved methods from classical microbiology, and in part to the promise of genetic engineering) and for their stabilization and manipulation now make these catalysts practical for wider use in large-scale synthetic organic chemistry. This paper reviews the status of the rapidly developing field of enzyme-catalyzed organic synthesis, and outlines both present opportunities and probable future developments in this field.     

Total Synthesis of Vancomycin Aglycon—Part 1: Synthesis of Amino Acids 4–7 and Construction of the AB-COD Ring Skeleton

A triazene-based synthetic strategy for the construction of the complex biaryl ethers and a Suzuki coupling reaction were the key steps in the synthesis of precursor 1 of the aglycon of vancomycin, which already contains the complete skeleton of the target compound. The cleavage of the triazene unit from the D ring and the removal of the other protecting groups led to the aglycon of vancomycin. These strategies should be particularly valuable for the synthesis of other naturally occurring glycopeptide antibiotics and offer opportunities for the synthesis of combinatorial libraries of compounds of the vancomycin family for chemical biology studies.     

Total Synthesis of Vancomycin Aglycon—Part 2: Synthesis of Amino Acids 1–3 and Construction of the AB-COD-DOE Ring Skeleton

A triazene-based synthetic strategy for the construction of the complex biaryl ethers and a Suzuki coupling reaction were the key steps in the synthesis of precursor 1 of the aglycon of vancomycin, which already contains the complete skeleton of the target compound. The cleavage of the triazene unit from the D ring and the removal of the other protecting groups led to the aglycon of vancomycin. These strategies should be particularly valuable for the synthesis of other naturally occurring glycopeptide antibiotics and offer opportunities for the synthesis of combinatorial libraries of compounds of the vancomycin family for chemical biology studies.     

Medicinal Organometallic Chemistry: Designing Metal Arene Complexes as Anticancer Agents

The field of medicinal inorganic chemistry is rapidly advancing. In particular organometallic complexes have much potential as therapeutic and diagnostic agents. The carbon‐bound and other ligands allow the thermodynamic and kinetic reactivity of the metal ion to be controlled and also provide a scaffold for functionalization. The establishment of structure–activity relationships and elucidation of the speciation of complexes under conditions relevant to drug testing and formulation are crucial for the further development of promising medicinal applications of organometallic complexes. Specific examples involving the design of ruthenium and osmium arene complexes as anticancer agents are discussed.