Synthesis of Latia luciferin benzoate analogues and their bioluminescent activity

The bioluminescent system of the univalve shell Latia neritoides exhibits a luciferin-luciferase reaction. We study the enol formate structure of Latia luciferin, which is expected to be important for luminescent activity. The Latia luciferin analogues with an enol substituted benzoate moiety were synthesized and their bioluminescent activity was measured. The Latia luciferin benzoate analogues delay emission for natural luciferin in bioluminescence, indicating that the Latia bioluminescent activity can be controlled by the design of the enol ester.     

Isobactins: O-acyl isopeptide prodrugs of teixobactin and teixobactin derivatives

The antibiotic teixobactin is a promising drug candidate against drug-resistant pathogens, such as MRSA and VRE, but forms insoluble gels that may limit intravenous administration. O-Acyl isopeptide prodrug analogues of teixobactin circumvent the problem of gel formation while retaining antibiotic activity. The teixobactin prodrug analogues contain ester linkages between Ile₆ and Ser₇, Ile₂ and Ser₃, or between both Ile₆ and Ser₇ and Ile₂ and Ser₃. Upon exposure to physiological pH, the prodrug analogues undergo clean conversion to the corresponding amides, with half-lives between 13 and 115 min. Prodrug analogues containing lysine, arginine, or leucine at position 10 exhibit good antibiotic activity against a variety of Gram-positive bacteria while exhibiting little or no cytotoxicity or hemolytic activity. Because O-acyl isopeptide prodrug analogues of teixobactin exhibit clean conversion to the corresponding teixobactin analogues with reduced propensity to form gels, it is anticipated that teixobactin prodrugs will be superior to teixobactin as drug candidates.

O-Acyl isopeptide prodrug analogues of the antibiotic teixobactin are stable and non-gelating at acidic pH but convert to the corresponding active teixobactin analogues at neutral pH, thus overcoming limitations in intravenous dosing of teixobactin.     

Synthesis of febrifuginol analogues and evaluation of their biological activities

A new series of febrifuginol analogues was prepared from l-glutamic acid. An antimalarial activity evaluation against chloroquine-sensitive (T96) and chloroquine-resistant (K1) Plasmodium falciparum indicated that all the tested compounds had very strong inhibitory activity. Compounds 4 and 17b′ were inactive against KB, MCF7, HepG2 and LU1 cell lines even at a concentration of 100 μM, while they exhibited significant inhibition towards P. falciparum. Comparison of the antimalarial activity and the cytotoxic properties revealed that the 2′S isomers were more active than the corresponding 2′R isomers for this series of febrifuginol analogues, indicating that the C-2′ position is critical for the biological activity of this class of compounds.     

Synthesis of disparlure analogues,using resolution on microcrystalline cellulose triacetate-I

The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, uses a chiral epoxide, (+)-(7R,8S)-2-methyl-7,8-epoxyoctadecane, (+)-disparlure, as its main sex attractant. The moths can detect both enantiomers of disparlure and respond differently to each one. In an effort to understand the structure–activity relationships of the gypsy moth olfactory system, we prepared the analogues of (+)- and (−)-disparlure. The key intermediate in route to the analogues was 2-epoxytridecan-1-ol. Herein we report the resolution of 2-epoxytridecan-1-yl esters on microcrystalline cellulose triacetate and the synthesis of 5-oxa and (5Z)-ene analogues of (+)- and (−)-disparlure. An effort to make 5-aza analogues resulted in the formation of anti-5-(1-hydroxy-1-undecyl)-3-(3-methylbutyl)oxazolidin-2-one. The analogues were tested for their electroantennogram responses and for their ability to bind to pheromone-binding protein 1 (PBP1). We found that the 5-oxa analogues gave strong responses and that the antenna and the PBP1 no longer distinguish the enantiomers of the 5-oxa analogues. The analogues all bound the PBP1 with similar affinity to (−)-disparlure.     

Bioluminescence activity of Latia luciferin analogues: replacement of the 2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexene ring onto the methyl-substituted phenyl groups

A series of Latia luciferin analogues having methyl-substituted phenyl groups instead of the natural 2,6,6-trimethylhexene ring was synthesized and their bioluminescence activity were measured. The Latia luciferase was found to be able to moderately recognize the appropriately methyl-substituted phenyl analogues with the same light production kinetics as that of natural luciferin.     

Antiparasite and antimycobacterial activity of passifloricin analogues

Several structural analogues of the polyketide passifloricin lactone were synthesized using asymmetric stereoselective allylations and ring-closing methateses as key reactions. These compounds were active in vitro against intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania panamensis (strain UA140), trophozoites of Plasmodium falciparum (strain NF54), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (strain H₃₇Rv). However, in spite of the significative antiparasitic activity of some synthetic analogues a high cytotoxicity was also observed. Based on these results a lactam derivative was also synthesized. This compound maintained a good level of activity with less toxicity.     

Synthesis of bengamide E analogues and their cytotoxic activity

A series of bengamide E analogues were prepared from the corresponding polyketide chain and amino acids via amide coupling reactions. Opening of the polyketide chain lactone ring with α-aminolactams was successfully achieved under microwave irradiation in the presence of sodium 2-ethyl hexanoate. A cytotoxic activity evaluation against a panel of cancer cell lines (KB, HepG-2, Lu-1, MCF-7, HL-60 and Hela) indicated that the 2′R analogues were generally more cytotoxic than the 2′S analogues. Additionally, several analogues exhibited selective inhibition against various cancer cell lines: compounds 32a and 32b selectively inhibited MCF-7 cells, while 33b and 35b were more sensitive toward Lu-1 and HepG-2, respectively. Notably, some of the synthetic analogues possess cytotoxic activities with IC₅₀ values less than 1 µM.     

Design,synthesis and antiproliferative activity against human cancer cell lines of novel benzo-, benzofuro-, azolo- and thieno-1,3-thiazinone resorcinol hybrids

In this paper we report the design and synthesis of novel derivatives of the 4H-3,1-benzothiazinone type and heterocyclic analogues, i.e. benzofuro-, azolo- and thieno-1,3-thiazin-4-ones possessing 2,4-dihydroxyphenyl substituent. The compounds were obtained by the one-step reaction of aminobenzamides or heterocyclic aminocarboxamides with aryl-modified sulfinylbis[(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)methanethione]. Evaluation of their antiproliferative potency against human cancer cell lines showed that the activity of some analogues was similar to that of cisplatin. The highest activity and low toxicity were found for 6-tert-butyl-2-(5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-4H-thieno[3,2-d][1,3]thiazin-4-one. The structure–activity elucidation reveals that the most active compounds are those with a thienothiazin-4-one and benzofuro[3,2-d][1,3]thiazin-4-one skeleton and the presence of the hydrophobic substituent (Et, Cl) in the benzenediol moiety increases their antiproliferative potency. The ADMET properties of selected compounds including metabolic stability and toxicity profile were estimated in silico.     

Alaninyl variants of the marine natural product halocyamine A and their antibacterial properties

In an effort to explore the antibacterial potential of the marine natural product halocyamine A, a series of analogues including desbromo and alanine-substituted variants were synthesised and evaluated for biological activity against a panel of Gram-positive and –negative bacteria. The analogues were synthesised by a combination of solid-phase peptide synthesis and ruthenium complex/ytterbium triflate catalysed hydroamidation chemistry. Single alanine substitutions ([Ala¹]-halocyamine A and [Ala²]-halocyamine A) gave only modest increases in activity towards Gram-positive bacteria, while di-alaninyl variants exhibited more potent activity with MIC values of 12.5–50?μM towards the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. A lipophilic trityl-protected intermediate of [Ala²]-halocyamine was the most active against the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli.     

A novel type of acyclic nucleoside phosphonates derived from 2-(phosphonomethoxy)propanoic acid

A convenient and efficient synthesis of a novel class of acyclic nucleoside phosphonates derived from 2-(phosphonomethoxy)propanoic acid has been developed. The key step of the synthesis is the optimized oxidation of the 3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl (HPMP) analogues to the corresponding 2′-carboxy-PME (CPME) derivatives using the TEMPO/NaClO₂/NaClO oxidizing system. Although (S)-3-(adenin-9-yl)-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propanoic acid ((S)-CPMEA) has been designed as a compound with potential anti-HIV activity, none of the newly prepared CPME analogues exhibited any antiviral activity.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of the osteoblast proliferating cyclic peptides dianthins G and H

The first synthesis and osteoblast proliferative activity of the naturally occurring cyclic peptides dianthins G and H is described. The greater potency of naturally occurring dianthin G over dianthin H at physiological concentrations mirrored the osteoblast proliferative activity observed for synthetic dianthins G and H. Six alanine-scan analogues of the more potent dianthin G were also synthesised and osteoblast assays revealed that four of the six residues can be further modified for improved activity. We also confirmed by variable temperature ¹H NMR spectroscopic analysis that the sets of major and minor signals observed for dianthins G and H in DMSO-d₆ are in fact due to cis–trans rotational isomers of the proline ring.     

Synthesis and evaluation of various heteroaromatic benzamides as analogues of –ylidene-benzamide cannabinoid type 2 receptor agonists

The CB₂ receptor is an attractive target for the treatment of a wide range of diseases and pathological conditions. Compounds that selectively activate the CB₂ receptor are desirable as this avoids CB₁-mediated psychoactive effects. Heteroarylidene-benzamides have demonstrated efficacy as selective CB₂ receptor agonists. We aimed to expand the structure-activity relationship studies of this series of compounds by investigating the heteroaromatic core via the synthesis and in vitro evaluation of a small library of various heteroaromatic benzamide analogues. As heteroaromatic amides are privileged scaffolds in drug design, methods to synthesise them are of interest. Concise and reliable synthetic strategies were developed to access these novel analogues. The –ylidene-benzamide moiety is shown to be essential for CB activity as all amide derivatives exhibit no functional activity at either CB₂ or CB₁ receptors.     

Synthesis of fluorinated analogues of the neurosteroid GABAA receptor antagonist, 17-PA

The steroid 17-PA is a GABA_A receptor antagonist which is finding use as a tool in evaluating agonistic/antagonistic activity at GABA_A receptors. Compounds with improved efficacy over 17-PA would be are advantageous for such studies. Accordingly a series of novel analogues of the neurosteroid 17-PA have been prepared and a convenient two-step route is presented which is amenable to the synthesis of analogues with electron-donating para-aromatic substituents including fluorine. However, for the meta-fluoro analogue then the original four-step route to 17-PA remains more efficient overall. The paper describes these syntheses and discusses the electronic factors which influence this synthetic chemistry.     

Study of the properties of molecularly imprinted polymers by computational and conformational analysis

In this paper, a simplified model was set up to give an insight into the properties of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) at molecular level using MMFF94 force field. Based on our model, the interaction energies (ΔEs) between monomers and template or its analogues were calculated, and the most possible conformations of template or its analogues interacting with monomers in the molar ratio 1/4 were found. The obtained results using the computational and conformational analysis showed that large ΔE meant more activity sites in the cavities in the resultant polymer giving high affinity and good selectivity, leading to a large imprinting factor and when the ΔE differences were small, the imprinting factors were mainly determined by the activity sites. These were well consistent with the experimental results, which confirmed the validity of the model and method proposed that were believed to benefit screening molecularly imprinted systems rapidly in an experiment-free way instead of trial-and-error approach. Considering the affinity and selectivity, 2,6-bisacrylamide pyridine was predicted to be the optimal monomer used to prepare paracetamol MIP for application in quantification of drugs from the ΔE and possible activity sites.     

An efficient synthesis of base-substituted analogues of S-adenosyl-dl-homocysteine

An efficient method for the preparation of base-substituted S-adenosyl-dl-homocysteine analogues as well as of 2-chloro-N⁶-alkylated S-adenosyl-dl-homocysteine analogues is described. The method uses a convergent strategy that employs a common intermediate late in the overall synthesis and allows small libraries of SAH analogues to be prepared in a relatively short period of time.     

Fluorinated Analogues of Lepidilines A and C: Synthesis and Screening of Their Anticancer and Antiviral Activity

Starting with fluorinated benzylamines, a series of 2-unsubstituted imidazole N-oxides was prepared and subsequently deoxygenated in order to prepare the corresponding imidazoles. The latter were treated with benzyl halides yielding imidazolium salts, which are considered fluorinated analogues of naturally occurring imidazolium alkaloids known as lepidilines A and C. A second series of oxa-lepidiline analogues was obtained by O-benzylation of the initially synthetized imidazole N-oxides. Both series of imidazolium salts were tested as anticancer and antiviral agents. The obtained results demonstrated that the introduction of a fluorine atom, fluoroalkyl or fluoroalkoxy substituents (F, CF₃ or OCF₃) amplifies cytotoxic properties, whereas the cytotoxicity of some fluorinated lepidilines is promising in the context of drug discovery. All studied compounds revealed a lack of antiviral activity against the investigated viruses in the nontoxic concentrations.     

Design, synthesis, insecticidal evaluation and molecular docking studies of cis-nitenpyram analogues bearing diglycine esters

Based on the strategies of receptor structure-guided neonicotinoid design, a series of novel cis-nitenpyram analogues bearing diglycine esters were designed and synthesized. Preliminary bioassays indicated that the insecticidal spectra of the target compounds were expanded compared with our previous work, while all the target compounds presented excellent insecticidal activities against Nilaparvata lugens and Aphis medicagini at 100 mg/L. Among these analogues, 6b showed 100% mortality against Nilaparvata lugens (LC 50 = 0.163 mg/L) and 90% against Aphis medicagini at 4 mg/L. SARs suggested that the insecticidal potency of our designed cis-nitenpyram analogues was dual-controlled by the size and species of the ester groups. The molecular docking simulations revealed that the structural uniqueness of these analogues may lead to a unique molecular recognition and binding mode compared with the previously designed compounds. Introduction of the peptide bond gave rise to more significant hydrogen bonds between the nitenpyram analogues bonding with the amino acid residues of insect nAChRs. The docking results explained the SARs observed in vitro, and shed light on the novel insecticidal mechanism of these cis-nitenpyram analogues.     

Synthesis of new analogues of diphenylpyraline

1-Unsubstituted 4-dimethylamino-5,6-dihydropyridine-2(1H)-thiones were converted to isomeric piperidin-4-ols which were separated and N-methylated to 2-substituted 1-methylpiperidin-4-ols. Their 1-phenyl analogues were prepared from 4-dimethylamino-5,6-dihydro-1-phenylpyridine-2(1H)-thiones. After their conversion to dihydro-1-phenylpyridin-4(1H)-ones the hydrogenation gave isomeric 1-phenylpiperidin-4-ols which were separated. O-Alkylation of the 1-substituted piperidin-4-ols by various methods yielded 2-substituted analogues of diphenylpyraline. Their antimycobacterial activity was examined. The configurations and conformations of the piperidine derivatives were investigated by NMR spectroscopy.     

Synthesis of novel nithiazine analogues containing the 1,4-dihydropyridine structure,and their bioactivity as insecticides

A series of novel nithiazine analogues bearing the 1,4-dihydropyridine structure have been designed and synthesized by reaction of nithiazine, malononitrile or ethyl cyanoacetate, and benzaldehyde. The synthesized compounds were identified by ¹H NMR and IR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Preliminary bioassays indicated that most of the compounds had moderate insecticidal activity against Aphis craccivora. The relationship between molecular structure and biological activity is discussed.