The first stereoselective total synthesis of (3S,4R)-dihydroxy-(6S)-undecyl-α-pyranone and total synthesis of (2S,3R,5S)-(−)-2,3-dihydroxytetradecan-5-olide

The first total synthesis of (3S,4R)-dihydroxy-(6S)-undecyl-α-pyranone 1 and total synthesis of (2S,3R,5S)-(−)-2,3-dihydroxytetradecan-5-olide 2 have been achieved in five steps in a highly stereoselective manner using Maruoka allylation, olefin cross-metathesis, and Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation as key steps.     

Synthesis of (3R,4S,5S,9S)-3,5,9-trihydroxy-4-methylundecanoic acid δ-lactone

Radical-mediated opening of a chiral trisubstituted epoxy alcohol using cp₂TiCl furnished the ‘2-methyl-1,3-diol’ moiety with the desired stereochemistry, which led to a total synthesis of (3R,4S,5S,9S)-3,5,9-trihydroxy-4-methylundecanoic acid δ-lactone 1.     

Enantioselective synthesis of (2R,3R)- and (2S,3S)-β-hydroxyornithine

An efficient and short synthesis of (2R,3R)- and (2S,3S)-β-hydroxyornithine 1a-b is described using Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation and regioselective nucleophilic opening of a cyclic sulfite as the key steps.     

Reagent-controlled diastereoselective synthesis of (2S,3R)- and (2R,3R)-2,3-diaminobutanoic acid derivatives using proline-catalyzed α-hydrazination reaction

(2S,3R)- and (2R,3R)-2,3-Diaminobutanoic acid (Dab) derivatives were efficiently synthesized from Cbz-(R)-alanine using the proline-catalyzed diastereoselective α-hydrazination reaction and the SmI₂-promoted reductive cleavage of the N-N bond as the key steps.     

Synthesis of β-chloro α-amino acids: (2S,3R)- and (2S,3S)-3-chloroleucine

The first syntheses of (2S,3R)- and (2S,3S)-3-chloroleucine (3-chloro-d-leucines 1 and 2) have been achieved from d-3-hydroxyleucine and allo-d-3-hydroxyleucine, respectively, through the formation of the corresponding N-Cbz β-lactones, followed by a ring opening promoted by lithium chloride and a debenzylation process.     

Facile and clean synthesis of α-alkenoyl ketene-(S,S)-acetals via the aldol condensation reactions in water

The aldol condensation reactions of α,α-diacetyl ketene-(S,S)-acetals, 1a and 1b, with aromatic aldehydes 2 in the presence of NaOH in water have been investigated. At room temperature, the base-mediated condensations proceed smoothly to afford the corresponding mono-condensed products, α-alkenoyl ketene-(S,S)-acetals 3, in high yields. At reflux temperature, the reactions produce high yields of symmetric double condensed α,α-dialkenoyl ketene-(S,S)-acetals 4 when 2 equiv of aldehyde are employed. Moreover, compounds 3 can condense with a different aldehyde to give unsymmetric double condensed α,α-dialkenoyl ketene-(S,S)-acetals 5.     

Enantioselective epoxidation of α,β-enones promoted by (1R,3S,4S)-2-azanorbornyl-3-methanol as an organocatalyst

(1R,3S,4S)-2-Azanorbornyl-3-methanol was synthesized form (R)-1-phenylethylamine and used as a catalyst for the enantioselective epoxidation of α,β-enones to afford the corresponding epoxides in good yields and high enantioselectivities at room temperature.     

A concise synthesis of (3S,4S,5R)-1-(α-d-galactopyranosyl)-3-tetracosanoylamino-4,5-decanediol, a C-glycoside analogue of immunomodulating α-galactosylceramide OCH

A concise and convergent synthesis of the C-glycoside analogue 2b of immunomodulating α-galactosylceramide OCH 1b starting from readily available 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-d-galactose 3 and l-arabinose 6 is described. The synthesis features the nucleophilic addition of an α-ethynyl sugar 5 to the phytosphingosine-precursor aldehyde 9 and would be applicable to a variety of C-glycoside analogues of interest.     

The efficient synthesis of (3R,4R,5R)-3-amino-4,5-dimethyl-octanoic acid, a chiral β-amino acid with potent affinity for the α2δ protein

A chiral β-amino acid containing three contiguous chiral centers was synthesized efficiently in 11 steps, employing enantio-enriched β-ketoester as a key intermediate, via stereoselective catalytic hydrogenation of the corresponding enamide. Stereoselective 1,4-addition of a methyl group and protonation were key to the preparation of the desired acid 12. Mild and efficient reaction conditions were applied to the enamine formation and protection to avoid epimerization at C-4 of compounds 13 and 14. The final compound was found to display potent affinity for the α₂δ-protein that is a recognized drug target for the treatment of a variety of diseases.     

An efficient synthesis of 3(S)-aminopiperidine-5(R)-carboxylic acid as a cyclic β,γ′-diamino acid

An orthogonally protected β,γ′-diamino acid 6 possessing conformationally-constrained ring system was synthesized as a novel cyclic amino acid analogue. This synthesis involves as key steps chemoselective enzymatic hydrolysis of cis-piperidine-3,5-dicarboxylic ester derivative followed by efficient kinetic resolution of the partially resolved half-acid to afford the C₁-symmetric piperidine-3,5-dicarboxylic acid monoester in high enantiomeric excess (>98% ee). The optically active half-acid was transformed to the cyclic amino acid via Curtius-type rearrangement.     

A practical synthesis of the PPARα agonist, (R)-K-13675, starting from (S)-2-hydroxybutyrolactone

A practical synthesis of optically pure PPARα agonist, (R)-K-13675, is described. This process is based on the use of (S)-2-hydroxybutyrolactone, which can be transformed into the requisite n-butyl (S)-2-hydroxybutanoate in an efficient manner. A key reaction is the etherification between the phenol and n-butyl (S)-2-trifluoromethanesulfonyloxybutanoate to give the phenyl ether in excellent yield without loss of optical purity.     

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of (4S,5R)-5-hydroxy-γ-decalactone

Reduction of ethyl 2-hydroxy-3-oxooctanoate with immobilised baker's yeast at pH 4.0 yields anti-2R,3R-dihydroxy ester with high diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity (de 70%, ee 80%) which is conveniently converted to (4S,5R)-5-hydroxy-γ-decalactone.     

Improved synthesis of (S)-7-amino-5H,7H-dibenzo[b,d]azepin-6-one, a building block for γ-secretase inhibitors

An improved synthesis of (S)-7-amino-5H,7H-dibenzo[b,d]azepin-6-one (1), involving a selective crystallization of epimeric menthylcarbamates for the resolution step followed by simultaneous cleavage of the carbamate and the lactam protecting group is described. Epimerization conditions of the undesired epimer have also been determined.     

A facile and efficient synthesis of fully substituted pyridin-2(1H)-ones from α-oxoketene-S,S-acetals

A facile and efficient synthesis of fully substituted pyridin-2(1H)-ones has been developed by the reaction of readily available α-oxoketene-S,S-acetals with malononitrile in the presence of sodium methoxide in methanol under reflux.     

The first asymmetric total synthesis of (R)-tuberolactone, (S)-jasmine lactone and (R)-δ-decalactone

A general synthetic approach has been developed for the first asymmetric total synthesis of tuberolactone 1, jasmine lactone 2 and δ-decalactone 3. The key step is the selective hydrogenation of triple and endocyclic double bonds in the key intermediate 4.     

The rearrangement of 1H,1′H-spiro[quinoline-4,2′-quinoxaline]-2,3′ (3H,4′H)-diones – a new and efficient method for the synthesis of 4-(benzimidazol-2-yl)quinolin-2(1H)-ones

A new and highly efficient method for the synthesis of 4-(benzimidazol-2-yl)quinolin-2(1H)-ones via the rearrangement of spiroquinoxalinones in moderate-to-excellent yields has been developed. The rearrangement represents a facile approach to medicinally important biheterocyclic compounds. Compared to other methods, the present protocol has a number of advantages such as – cost-effectiveness, avoidance of difficult of access quinolin-2-one and benzimidazole derivatives as reaction partners, and easy accessibility of starting materials, making it a highly practical approach to access various 4-(benzimidazol-2-yl)quinolin-2(1H)-ones.     

Studies on ZnBr2-mediated synthesis of axially chiral aryl-substituted allenes from terminal alkynes,aromatic aldehydes and (S)-α,α-diphenylprolinol

The studies on the ZnBr₂-mediated synthesis of axially chiral aryl-substituted allenes from terminal alkynes, aromatic aldehydes, and commercially available chiral amine (S)-α,α-diphenylprolinol were conducted. Axially chiral aryl-substituted allenes can be obtained in moderate yields with up to 96% ee.     

Conformationally restricted analogues of both (S)-β-homoserine and (S)-aspartic acid from chiral 3-acylamino pyrrolidin-2-ones

Starting from chiral 3,4-trans-disubstituted pyrrolidin-2-ones 11a and 11b, obtained from a Baylis-Hillman adduct, conformationally restricted analogues of both (S)-β-homoserine, 17, and (S)-aspartic acid, 21, were synthesized, respectively, and these compounds are suitable either for introduction in peptidomimetics or for synthesis of novel β-foldamers.     

Honokiol ameliorates endothelial dysfunction through suppression of PTX3 expression,a key mediator of IKK/IκB/NF-κB,in atherosclerotic cell model

Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) was identified as a marker of the inflammatory response and overexpressed in various tissues and cells related to cardiovascular disease. Honokiol, an active component isolated from the Chinese medicinal herb Magnolia officinalis, was shown to have a variety of pharmacological activities. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of honokiol on palmitic acid (PA)-induced dysfunction of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and to elucidate potential regulatory mechanisms in this atherosclerotic cell model. Our results showed that PA significantly accelerated the expression of PTX3 in HUVECs through the IκB kinase (IKK)/IκB/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway, reduced cell viability, induced cell apoptosis and triggered the inflammatory response. Knockdown of PTX3 supported cell growth and prevented apoptosis by blocking PA-inducted nitric oxide (NO) overproduction. Honokiol significantly suppressed the overexpression of PTX3 in PA-inducted HUVECs by inhibiting IκB phosphorylation and the expression of two NF-κB subunits (p50 and p65) in the IKK/IκB/NF-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, honokiol reduced endothelial cell injury and apoptosis by regulating the expression of inducible NO synthase and endothelial NO synthase, as well as the generation of NO. Honokiol showed an anti-inflammatory effect in PA-inducted HUVECs by significantly inhibiting the generation of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. In summary, honokiol repaired endothelial dysfunction by suppressing PTX3 overexpression in an atherosclerotic cell model. PTX3 may be a potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.