Serendipitous discovery of light-induced (<Emphasis Type="Italic">In Situ</Emphasis>) formation of an Azo-bridged dimeric sulfonated naphthol as a potent PTP1B inhibitor

Background

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) like dual specificity phosphatase 5 (DUSP5) and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) are drug targets for diseases that include cancer, diabetes, and vascular disorders such as hemangiomas. The PTPs are also known to be notoriously difficult targets for designing inihibitors that become viable drug leads. Therefore, the pipeline for approved drugs in this class is minimal. Furthermore, drug screening for targets like PTPs often produce false positive and false negative results.

Results

Studies presented herein provide important insights into: (a) how to detect such artifacts, (b) the importance of compound re-synthesis and verification, and (c) how in situ chemical reactivity of compounds, when diagnosed and characterized, can actually lead to serendipitous discovery of valuable new lead molecules. Initial docking of compounds from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), followed by experimental testing in enzyme inhibition assays, identified an inhibitor of DUSP5. Subsequent control experiments revealed that this compound demonstrated time-dependent inhibition, and also a time-dependent change in color of the inhibitor that correlated with potency of inhibition. In addition, the compound activity varied depending on vendor source. We hypothesized, and then confirmed by synthesis of the compound, that the actual inhibitor of DUSP5 was a dimeric form of the original inhibitor compound, formed upon exposure to light and oxygen. This compound has an IC₅₀ of 36 μM for DUSP5, and is a competitive inhibitor. Testing against PTP1B, for selectivity, demonstrated the dimeric compound was actually a more potent inhibitor of PTP1B, with an IC₅₀ of 2.1 μM. The compound, an azo-bridged dimer of sulfonated naphthol rings, resembles previously reported PTP inhibitors, but with 18-fold selectivity for PTP1B versus DUSP5.

Conclusion

We report the identification of a potent PTP1B inhibitor that was initially identified in a screen for DUSP5, implying common mechanism of inhibitory action for these scaffolds.

     

Affinity capillary electrophoresis and density functional theory employed for the characterization of hexaarylbenzene-based receptor complexation with alkali metal ions

In this study, affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) and quantum mechanical density functional theory (DFT) calculations were combined to investigate non-covalent binding interactions between the hexaarylbenzene-based receptor (R) and alkali metal ions, Rb(+) and Cs(+) , in methanol. The apparent binding (stability) constants (K(b) ) of the complexes of receptor R with alkali metal ions in the methanolic medium were determined by ACE from the dependence of effective electrophoretic mobility of the receptor R on the concentration of Rb(+) and Cs(+) ions in the BGE using a non-linear regression analysis. The receptor R formed relatively strong complexes both with rubidium (log K(b) =4.04±0.21) and cesium ions (log K(b) =3.72±0.22). The structural characteristics of the above alkali metal ion complexes with the receptor R were described by ab initio density functional theory calculations. These calculations have shown that the studied cations bind to the receptor R because they synergistically interact with the polar ethereal fence and with the central benzene ring via cation-π interaction.     

Experimental and theoretical study of the complexation of the thallium cation with a hexaarylbenzene-based receptor

Abstract  

From extraction experiments in the two-phase water/nitrobenzene system and γ-activity measurements, the stability constant of a hexaarylbenzene-based receptor. Tl⁺ complex species dissolved in nitrobenzene saturated with water was determined. By using the quantum-mechanical density functional level of theory calculations, the most probable structure of this complex was derived.     

Simultaneous Determination of Pioglitazone,Metformin, and Glimepiride in Pharmaceutical Preparations using HPTLC Method

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - A simple, precise, and accurate high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for the simultaneous determination of...     

Synthesis of dicationic ionic liquids and their application in the preparation of hierarchical zeolite Beta

Piperidine- and imidazole-based dicatoinic ionic liquids have been developed for the synthesis of zeolite Beta. Hierarchical Beta has a larger surface area and pore volume than conventional Beta. Beta derived from a dicationic ionic liquid exhibited remarkably higher catalytic activity than the conventional Beta. Experimental evidence and DFT calculations suggest that only a suitable conformation of such dicationic ionic liquids is able to form zeolite Beta (see scheme).     

Comparative study of volatile oil compositions of two Plectranthus species from northern India

The leaf and inflorescence essential oils of Plectranthus rugosus Wall. (syn. Rabdosia rugosa Wall.) and Plectranthus incanus L. (syn. Plectranthus mollis L.), which grow wild in Uttarakhand, India, were analysed and compared by capillary gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The analysis led to the identification of 43 constituents, forming 89.5-93.6% of the total oil compositions. Both leaf and inflorescence oil of P. rugosus were dominated by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (71.8%, 71.7%) represented by β-caryophyllene (36.2%, 29.8%), germacrene D (25.2%, 28.2%) and α-humulene (6.6%, 8.6%) as the major constituents. Conversely, the leaf and inflorescence oil of P. incanus were dominated by monoterpenoids (74.4%, 65.8%) with piperitenone oxide (44.2%, 38.5%), piperitone (8.6%, 12.2%) and terpinolene (14.5%, 10.2%) as major constituents. Piperitenone oxide, piperitone, cis- and trans-piperitols and trans-piperitol acetate were the marker constituents in P. incanus, which were not noted in the essential oil of P. rugosus.     

Modeling the geometric, electronic, and redox properties of iron(III)-containing amphiphiles with asymmetric [NN'O] headgroups

Two iron(III)-containing amphiphiles 1 and 2 have been synthesized with the [NN'O] ligands HL(tBu-ODA) (2-((octadecyl(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)methyl)-4,6-di-tert-butylphenol) and HL(I-ODA) (2-((octadecyl(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)methyl)-4,6-diiodophenol), respectively. Compound 1 is monometallic, whereas EXAFS data suggest that 2 is a mixture of mono- and bimetallic species. The archetypical [Fe(III)(L(NN'O))(2)](+) complexes 3-9 have been isolated and characterized in order to understand the geometric, electronic, and redox properties of the amphiphiles. Preference for a monometallic or bimetallic nuclearity is dependent on (i) the nature of the solvent used for synthesis and (ii) the type of the substituent in the phenol moiety. In methanol, the tert-butyl-, methoxy-, and chloro-substituted 3, 4, and 5 are monometallic species, whereas the bromo- and iodo-substituted 6 and 7 form bimetallic complexes taking advantage of stabilizing methoxo bridges generated by solvent deprotonation. In dichloromethane, the bromo- and iodo-substituted 8 and 9 are monometallic species; however, these species favor meridional coordination in opposition to the facial coordination observed for the tert-butyl- and methoxy-substituted compounds. Molecular structures for species 5, 7, 8, and 9 have been solved by X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, the electronic spectrum of the amphiphile 1 was expected to be similar to those of facial/cis archetypes with similar substituents, but close resemblance was observed with the profile for those meridional/cis species, suggesting a similar coordination mode. This trend is discussed based on DFT calculations, where preference for the meridional/cis coordination mode appears related to the presence of tertiary amine nitrogen on the ligand, as when a long alkyl chain is attached to the [NN'O] headgroup.     

Tetradentate vs pentadentate coordination in copper(II) complexes of pyridylbis(aminophenol) ligands depends on nucleophilicity of phenol donors

The ligand binding preferences of a series of potentially pentadentate pyridylbis(aminophenol) ligands were explored. In addition to the previously reported ligands 2,2'-(2-methyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)propane-1,3-diyl)bis(azanediyl)bis(methylene)diphenol (H(2)L(1)) and 6,6'-(2-methyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)propane-1,3-diyl)bis(azanediyl)bis(methylene)bis(2,4-di-tert-butylphenol) (H(2)L(1-tBu)), four new ligands were synthesized: 6,6'-(2-methyl-2(pyridine-2-yl)propane-1,3-diyl)bis(azanediyl)bis(methylene)bis(2,4-dibromophenol) (H(2)L(1-Br)), 6,6'-(2-methyl-2(pyridine-2-yl)propane-1,3diyl)bis(azanediyl)bis(methylene)bis(2-methoxyphenol) (H(2)L(1-MeO)), 2,2'-(2-methyl-2(pyridine-2-yl)propane-1,3diyl)bis(azanediyl)bis(methylene)bis(4-nitrophenol) (H(2)L(1-NO2)), and 2,2'-(2-phenylpropane-1,3-diyl)bis(azanediyl)bis(methylene)diphenol (H(2)L(2)). These ligands, when combined with copper(II) salts and base, form either tricopper(II) species or monocopper(II) species depending on the nucleophilicity of the phenol groups in the ligands. All copper complexes were characterized by X-ray crystallography, cyclic voltammetry, and spectroscopic methods in solution. The ligands in trimeric complexes [{CuL(1)(CH(3)CN)}(2)Cu](ClO(4))(2) (1), [{CuL(1)Cl}(2)Cu] (1a), and [{CuL(2)(CH(3)CN)}(2)Cu](ClO(4))(2) (1b) and monomeric complex [CuL(1-tBu)(CH(3)OH)] (2) coordinate in a tetradentate mode via the amine N atoms and the phenolato O atoms. The pyridyl groups in 1, 1a, and 2 do not coordinate, but instead are involved in hydrogen bonding. Monomeric complexes [CuL(1-Br)] (3a), [CuL(1-NO2)] (3b), and [CuL(1-MeO)Na(CH(3)OH)(2)]ClO(4) (3c) have their ligands coordinated in a pentadentate mode via the amine N atoms, the phenolato O atoms, and the pyridyl N atom. The differences in tetradentate vs pentadentate coordination preferences of the ligands correlate to the nucleophilicity of the phenolate donor groups, and coincide with the electrochemical trends for these complexes.