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Velutibol A (1), a new 14-residue peptaibol was isolated from the Himalayan cold habitat fungus Trichoderma velutinum . The structural characterization was carried out by 1D and 2D NMR studies, and tandem mass studies, and Marfey's method aided in determining the stereochemistry of the amino acids. The CD analysis revealed folding of the peptide in a 3 10 -helical conformation. The intramolecular H-bonding was determined by an NMR-VT experiment. Cytotoxic evaluation was carried out against a panel of cancer cell lines. The cell cycle assay was carried out on human myeloid leukaemia (HL-60) cells and revealed the formation of apoptotic bodies and DNA damage in a dose-dependent manner. Three other peptaibols namely velutibol B (2), velutibol C (3), and velutibol D (4) were also isolated in trace amounts from the psychotropic fungus and characterized through tandem mass spectroscopy and Marfey's analysis., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

A concise, protection-group free and sequential route has been developed for the synthesis of the nitroimidazole based FDA-approved multi-drug resistant anti-tuberculosis drug, Delamanid and anti-leishmanial lead candidate VL-2098. The synthesis required chiral epoxides (11 and 17) as key intermediates. The chiral epoxide 11 was synthesised by sequential reaction cascades viz. , allylation, selective N -arylation, Mitsunobu etherification, Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation and epoxidation, which do not require any special/dry reaction conditions. The steps involved towards the synthesis of epoxide also worked nicely in gram scales. After the synthesis of epoxide 11, the synthesis of Delamanid was achieved by reaction with 2-bromo-4-nitroimidazole 12 with an overall yield of 27%. Similarly, anti-leishmanial lead candidate VL-2098 was also synthesized in an overall yield of 36%., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Different natural aromatic/heterocyclic l-amino acids were biotransformed into aryl/heteroaryl ethanol metabolites via oxidative deamination, decarboxylation and reduction cascades using live baker's yeast cells producing intracellular human CYP2D6 enzyme. Among the three yeast strains expressing 3 different CYP2D6 variants, CYP2D6(2) ( i.e. CYP2D6 wild-type) provided the best result under neutral pH conditions at RT. We have successfully converted six natural amino acids into their corresponding alcohols, having one carbon atom less, with moderate yields. Some of the downstream products like tryptophol and tyrosol induced the pTrKB (Tropomyosin receptor kinase B) activation pattern similar to that of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), thereby depicting potential antidepressant activity. Control experiments and molecular modelling studies revealed that this tandem bio-transformation probably happens via a pyruvate intermediate. This study establishes that CYP2D6-expressing live yeast cells can be a powerful tool for the enzymatic C-N, C-C bond cleavage of amino-acids., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2020.)

Here, we have developed a simple, room temperature method for the nitration of olefins by using inexpensive sodium nitrite as a source of nitro groups in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and potassium persulfate (K 2 S 2 O 8 ) under an open atmosphere. Styrenes and mono-substituted olefins give stereo-selective corresponding E -nitroolefins under optimized conditions, however, 1,1-bisubstituted olefins give a mixture of E - and Z -nitroolefins. The optimized conditions work well with electron-donating, electron-withdrawing, un-substituted and heterocyclic styrenes and mono-substituted olefins and give corresponding nitroolefins with good to excellent yields., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

A microwave-assisted method has been developed for the synthesis of tri-substituted pyrazoles via direct N-heterocyclization of hydrazines with metal-acetylacetonate and -dibenzylideneacetonate without using any base or additives. Most importantly, the synthesis of 1-aryl-5-phenyl-3-styryl-1 H -pyrazoles was achieved in a single step using hydrochloride salt of various phenylhydrazines and this is the first report for direct construction of these molecules. The reaction medium and microwave conditions play a critical role for their selective product formation during the reaction. The present reaction explored the usage of metal-diketonic complexes as reaction substrates providing acetylacetone and dibenzylideneacetone moieties to directly participate in cyclization with hydrazines to form the corresponding pyrazoles in excellent yields. The present protocol introduces the important N-heterocyclic moieties in the final structures, giving the reaction great applications from a medicinal chemistry perspective, particularly in the late stage modification strategies in drug discovery., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Here, we report a metal-free cross-coupling reaction of diazines and related heteroarenes with organoboron species via C-H functionalization. The optimized conditions represent a metal-free method for the activation of aryl/heteroarylboronic acids, which undergo coupling with diazines and related heteroarenes. Optimized conditions also find application in the synthesis of a pyrimidine-based potent CDK inhibitor, meriolin1.

An efficient metal-free access to 2- and 3-phenylpyridines via oxidative coupling of acetophenones or phenylacetones with 1,3-diaminopropane has been described. The reaction involves shorter reaction time, excellent yields and a broad substrate scope. The reaction proceeds via the formation of imine, which further undergoes oxidative C-N bond cleavage, C-C bond formation and oxidation to give a pyridine skeleton. The quantum chemical calculations identified the transition state for the reaction and helped in tracing the reaction mechanism.

Here we have developed an effective metal-free dehydrogenative coupling method wherein α-oxyalkyl and alkyl radicals were generated from various ethers and alkanes to undergo coupling with a variety of electron-deficient heteroarenes such as un/substituted iso-quinolones, quinolines, pyridines, pyrazines and pyrimidines. The persulfate-acetone-water system was optimized for the dehydrogenative coupling with cyclic ethers which gave moderate to excellent yields of α-oxyalkyl containing heteroarenes. We have also optimized the conditions for coupling with cyclic alkanes and alicyclic ethers and demonstrated by conducting the reactions with a variety of electron-deficient heteroarenes. Further, the present method is also applicable to electron deficient arenes like naphthoquinones and moreover, it didn't require any external acid.

A new and efficient potassium carbonate mediated intramolecular tandem O-arylation followed by C-O bond cleavage of furano-hydroxychalcones is described. The treatment of furano-hydroxychalcones pongamol (1a) and ovalitenone (2a) with potassium carbonate in DMF led to the direct formation of the furanoflavones lanceolatin B (3ab) and pongaglabrone (4ab) in excellent yields. This is the first report on the cyclization of furano-hydroxychalcones via C-O bond cleavage (demethoxylation) to produce furanoflavonoids.

A novel and efficient I2/DMSO mediated metal-free strategy is presented for the direct C-C bond cleavage of aryl-/heteroaryl- or aliphatic α-ketoaldehydes by C2-decarbonylation and C1-carbonyl oxidation to give the corresponding carboxylic acids followed by esterification in one pot, offering excellent yields in both the steps. Here, DMSO acts as the oxygen source/oxidant and this reaction works very well under both conventional heating and microwave irradiation. This is a very simple and convenient protocol.

Copper bromide catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling of 2-aminopyridines with cinnamaldehydes directly led to the formation of 3-formyl-2-phenyl-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines. The quantum chemical calculations were performed to trace the reaction mechanism and get insights into the possible reaction pathway. 2-Aminopyridines on coupling with cinnamaldehyde generate (E)-3-phenyl-3-(pyridin-2-ylamino)acrylaldehyde IV as a key intermediate, which undergoes C-N bond formation reaction to produce 3-formyl-2-phenyl-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines.

Colchicine (1), a nature-derived microtubule polymerization inhibitor, develops multi-drug resistance in tumor cells due to its P-gp substrate and induction activity, which in turn leads to its rapid efflux from tumor cells. This auto-induction of the efflux of colchicine remains a major challenge to medicinal chemists. Based on structure-based molecular modeling, a series of new colchicine derivatives were designed and synthesized with a potential for reduced P-gp induction liability. Screening of the prepared derivatives for P-gp induction activity revealed that a number of derivatives possess remarkably lower P-gp-induction activity (>90% intracellular accumulation of rhodamine 123 in LS-180 cells) compared to the parent natural product colchicine (62% Rh123 accumulation in LS-180 cells). The reduced P-gp-induction activity of new derivatives may be due to their reduced ability to interact and change the conformation of P-gp. The synthesized derivatives were then screened for antiproliferative activity against two colon cancer cell lines including HCT-116 and Colo-205. The derivative 4o showed potent cytotoxicity in HCT-116 cells with IC50 of 0.04 μM with significantly reduced P-gp induction liability. Compound 4o also inhibited microtubule assembly and induced expression of pro-apoptotic protein p21. In an Ehrlich solid tumor mice model, compound 4o showed 38% TGI with no mortality at 2 mg kg(-1) dose (oral). Compound 4o, with potent in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity, significantly reduced P-gp induction activity and its excellent physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties open up new opportunities for the colchicine scaffold.

Polysubstituted pyrrole natural products, lamellarins, are known to overcome multi-drug resistance in cancer via the inhibition of p-glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) efflux pumps. Herein, a series of simplified polysubstituted pyrroles, prepared via a one-pot domino protocol, were screened for P-gp inhibition in P-gp overexpressing human adenocarcinoma LS-180 cells using a rhodamine 123 efflux assay. Several compounds showed the significant inhibition of P-gp at 50 μM, as indicated by increase in the intracellular accumulation of Rh123 in LS-180 cells. Furthermore, pyrrole 5i decreased the efflux of digoxin, a FDA approved P-gp substrate in MDCK-MDR1 cells with an IC50 of 11.2 μM. In in vivo studies, following the oral administration of a P-gp substrate drug, rifampicin, along with compound , the Cmax and AUC0-∞ of rifampicin was enhanced by 31% and 46%, respectively. All the compounds were then screened for their ability to potentiate ciprofloxacin activity via the inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus Nor A efflux pump. Pyrrole showed the significant inhibition of S. aureus Nor A efflux pump with 8- and 4-fold reductions in the MIC of ciprofloxacin at 50 and 6.25 μM, respectively. The molecular docking studies of compound with the human P-gp and S. aureus Nor A efflux pump identified its plausible binding site and key interactions. Thus, the results presented herein strongly indicate the potential of this scaffold for its use as multi-drug resistance reversal agent or bioavailability enhancer.

Brain amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques are one of the primary hallmarks associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Efflux pump proteins located at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) have been reported to play an important role in the clearance of brain Aβ, among which the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux transporter pump has been shown to play a crucial role. Thus, P-gp has been considered as a potential therapeutic target for treatment of AD. Colupulone, a prenylated phloroglucinol isolated from Humulus lupulus, is known to activate pregnane-X-receptor (PXR), which is a nuclear receptor controlling P-gp expression. In the present work, we aimed to synthesize and identify analogs of colupulone that are potent P-gp inducer(s) with an ability to enhance Aβ transport across the BBB. A series of colupulone analogs were synthesized by modifications at both prenyl as well as acyl domains. All compounds were screened for P-gp induction activity using a rhodamine 123 based efflux assay in the P-gp overexpressing human adenocarcinoma LS-180 cells, wherein all compounds showed significant P-gp induction activity at 5 μM. In the western blot studies in LS-180 cells, compounds 3k and 5f were able to induce P-gp as well as LRP1 at 1 μM. The effect of compounds on the Aβ uptake and transport was then evaluated. Among all tested compounds, diprenylated acyl phloroglucinol displayed a significant increase (29%) in Aβ transport across bEnd3 cells grown on inserts as a BBB model. The results presented here suggest the potential of this scaffold to enhance clearance of brain Aβ across the BBB and thus its promise for development as a potential anti-Alzheimer agent.

A cobalt acetylacetonate catalyzed oxidative diketonation of alkynes via C(sp)-H bond functionalization has been described. The reaction involves a free-radical mechanism, wherein the phenyl radical formed from phenyl hydrazine couples with Co(II) activated alkyne to produce 1,2-diketones. The reaction proceeds at room temperature in DMF with the use of Ag2O/air as the oxidizing system. The utility of the protocol for the synthesis of a series of imidazoles including a potent platelet aggregation inhibitor trifenagrel has been demonstrated.

3-((Quinolin-4-yl)methylamino)-N-(4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)thiophene-2-carboxamide (OSI-930, 1) is a potent inhibitor of c-kit and VEGFR2, currently under phase I clinical trials in patients with advanced solid tumors. In order to understand the structure-activity relationship, a series of 3-arylamino N-aryl thiophene 2-carboxamides were synthesized by modifications at both quinoline and amide domains of the OSI-930 scaffold. All the synthesized compounds were screened for in vitro cytotoxicity in a panel of cancer cell lines and for VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 inhibition. Thiophene 2-carboxamides substituted with benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl and 2,3-dihydrobenzo[b][1,4]dioxin-6-yl groups 1l and 1m displayed inhibition of VEGFR1 with IC50 values of 2.5 and 1.9 μM, respectively. Compounds 1l and 1m also inhibited the VEGF-induced HUVEC cell migration, indicating its anti-angiogenic activity. OSI-930 along with compounds 1l and 1m showed inhibition of P-gp efflux pumps (MDR1, ABCB1) with EC50 values in the range of 35-74 μM. The combination of these compounds with doxorubicin led to significant enhancement of the anticancer activity of doxorubicin in human colorectal carcinoma LS180 cells, which was evident from the improved IC50 of doxorubicin, the increased activity of caspase-3 and the significant reduction in colony formation ability of LS180 cells after treatment with doxorubicin. Compound 1l showed a 13.8-fold improvement in the IC50 of doxorubicin in LS180 cells. The ability of these compounds to display dual inhibition of VEGFR and P-gp efflux pumps demonstrates the promise of this scaffold for its development as multi-drug resistance-reversal agents.

The nitroimidazole scaffold has attracted great interest in the last decade, which ultimately led to the discovery of the successful drug Delamanid for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Herein, we report medicinal chemistry on a 6-nitro-2,3-dihydroimidazooxazole (NHIO) scaffold with SAR on the novel series of triazolyl- and isoxazolyl-based NHIO compounds. In the present study, 41 novel triazolyl- and isoxazolyl-based NHIO compounds were synthesized and evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) H37Rv. The active compounds with MIC of 0.57-0.13 μM were further screened against dormant, as well as against resistant strains of MTB. Based on the overall in vitro profile, five compounds were studied for in vivo oral pharmacokinetics, wherein two compounds: 1g and 2e showed a good PK profile. In in vivo efficacy studies in the intra-nasal model of acute infection, 1g showed 1.8 and 1 log CFU reduction with respect to the untreated and early control, respectively. The lead compound 1g also showed an additive to synergistic effect in combination studies with first line-TB drugs and no CYP inhibition. From the present studies, the compound 1g represents another alternative lead candidate in this class and needs further detailed investigation.

Cu(II)-catalyzed cross-coupling of various aryl boronic acids with 5 and 6-amino indazoles has resulted in (arylamino)-indazoles. These (arylamino)-indazoles have been utilized in synthesizing medicinally important pyrazole-fused carbazoles via Pd(II)-catalyzed cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC). This combined N-arylation/C-H arylation strategy has been successfully applied to the regioselective synthesis of polyheterocycles 3,6-dihydropyrazolo[3,4-c]carbazoles and 1,6-dihydro pyrazolo[4,3-c]carbazoles. Quantum chemical analysis has been carried out to understand the regioselectivity and to trace the potential energy surface of the entire reaction upon 5-N-aryl-indazole conversion to the corresponding carbazole.

Copper(II)-catalyzed boronic acid promoted C-N bond cross-coupling reactions have been successfully developed for sequential N-arylation of C-amino-NH-azoles. These general protocols are compatible with a variety of aryl/hetero-aryl boronic acids and provided rapid access to a diverse array of diarylaminoazole derivatives in a two-step sequence or in one-pot.

A new simple and efficient method for the synthesis of 2-phenylnaphthalenes from electron-rich 1-styryl-2-methoxybenzenes has been described. The reaction proceeds via TFA catalyzed C-C bond cleavage followed by intermolecular [4+2]-Diels-Alder cycloaddition of an in situ formed styrenyl trifluoroacetate intermediate. The quantum chemical calculations identified the transition state for the cycloaddition reaction and helped in tracing the reaction mechanism. The method has been efficiently utilized for synthesis of the phenanthrene skeleton and a naphthalene-based potent and selective ER-β agonist.

A new method for synthesis of amides and hydroxamic acids from nitroarenes and aldehydes is described. The MnO2 catalyzed thermal deoxygenation of nitrobenzene resulted in formation of a reactive nitroso intermediate which on reaction with aldehydes provided amides and hydroxamic acids. The thermal neat reaction in the presence of 0.01 mmol KOH predominantly led to formation of hydroxamic acid whereas reaction in the presence of 1 mmol acetic acid produced amides as the only product.

An efficient formic acid catalyzed one-pot synthesis of 4-arylquinoline 2-carboxylates in water via three-component coupling of arylamines, glyoxylates and phenylacetylenes has been described. 4-Arylquinoline 2-carboxylates 1o and 1q displayed significant antioxidant activity as indicated by their Fe-reducing power in the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay. The compounds were found to react directly with hydrogen peroxide, which might be one of the mechanisms of their antioxidant effect. Compounds 1o and 1q effectively quenched H2O2 and amyloid-β-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and also displayed significant protection against H2O2-induced neurotoxicity in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Additionally, all compounds exhibited promising P-glycoprotein induction activity in human adenocarcinoma LS-180 cells, indicating their potential to enhance amyloid-β clearance from Alzheimer's brains. Furthermore, all compounds were relatively non-toxic to SH-SY5Y and LS-180 cells (IC50 > 50 μM). The promising antioxidant, ROS quenching, neuroprotective and Pgp-induction activity of these compounds strongly indicate their potential as anti-Alzheimer's agents.

Synthesis of first generation non-hydrolysable C-phosphonate GPI analogs, viz., 6-O-(2-amino-2-deoxy-α-d-glucopyranosyl)-d-myo-inositol-1-O-(sn-3,4-bis(palmitoyloxy)butyl-1-phosphonate) and 6-O-(2-amino-2-deoxy-α-d-glucopyranosyl)-d-myo-inositol-1-O-(sn-2,3-bis(palmitoyloxy)propyl-1-phosphonate) 23b, is reported. The target compounds were synthesized by the coupling of α-pseudodisaccharide 21 with phosphonic acids 18a and 18b respectively in quantitative yield followed by de-protection. These synthetic C-phosphonate GPI-probes were resistant to phosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) and also showed moderate inhibition of the enzyme activity.

An efficient one-pot multi-component synthesis of flavans using perchloric acid supported on silica as a recyclable heterogeneous catalyst has been described. This is the first report of direct one-step construction of a flavan skeleton from a phenolic precursor. The method involves a Knoevenagel-type condensation leading to in situ formation of transient O-quinone methide which further undergoes [4 + 2]-Diels-Alder cycloaddition with styrene to yield a flavan skeleton. The method provides easy access to a wide range of bio-active natural products viz. flavonoids, anthocyanins and catechins.

We report a new and efficient iron oxide catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between organometallic species such as alkyl/arylmagnesium halides or organolithium species and α-hydrogen bearing cyclic unbranched and branched aliphatic ethers via activation of C(sp(3))-H. In the presence of 1 mol% of iron oxide, five and six membered unbranched cyclic ethers such as tetrahydrofuran and tetrahydropyran gave good to excellent yields of cross-coupled products. Whereas, in case of branched ether such as 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, it was observed that the arylation occurred at both the sides and gave moderate yields of a mixture of regioisomers. Among the organometallic species used, alkyl organometallic reagents gave less yields as compared to aryl organometallics.

We report a new and efficient iron oxide catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between organometallic species such as alkyl/arylmagnesium halides or organolithium species and α-hydrogen bearing cyclic aliphatic ethers via activation of C(sp(3))-H. This is the first example of iron oxide mediated direct C-C bond formation without expensive or toxic ligands., (© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011)

Glycerophospholipid flip-flop across biogenic membranes such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a fundamental feature of membrane biogenesis. Flip-flop requires the activity of specific membrane proteins called flippases. These proteins have yet to be identified in biogenic membranes and the molecular basis of their action is unknown. It is generally believed that flippase-facilitated glycerophospholipid flip-flop across the ER is governed by the stereochemistry of the glycerolipid, but this important issue has not been resolved. Here we investigate whether the ER flippase stereochemically recognizes the glycerophospholipids that it transports. To address this question we selected phosphatidylinositol (PI), a biologically important molecule with chiral centres in both its myo-inositol headgroup and its glycerol-lipid tail. The flip-flop of PI across the ER has not been previously reported. We synthesized fluorescence-labeled forms of all four diastereoisomers of PI and evaluated their flipping in rat liver ER vesicles, as well as in flippase-containing proteoliposomes reconstituted from a detergent extract of ER. Our results show that the flippase is able to translocate all four PI isomers and that both glycerol isomers of PI flip-flop across the ER membrane at rates similar to that measured for fluorescence-labeled phosphatidylcholine. Our data have important implications for recent hypotheses concerning the evolution of distinct homochiral glycerophospholipid membranes during the speciation of archaea and bacteria/eukarya from a common cellular ancestor.

New iminosugars (1-oxabicyclic beta-lactam disaccharides) have been synthesized as inhibitors of elongating alpha-D-mannosyl phosphate transferase (eMPT), a key enzyme involved in the iterative biosynthesis of cell-surface phosphoglycans of the Leishmania parasite. The design is based on a transition-state model for this remarkable enzyme that transfers intact alpha-D-mannosyl-phosphate from GDP-Man. Since these phosphoglycans are unique to Leishmania and are essential for its infectivity and survival, their biosynthetic pathway has emerged as a novel target for anti-leishmanial drug and vaccine design.

A new [2 + 2 + 2] approach to construct GPI molecules through the efficient synthesis of glucosamine-inositol and tetramannose intermediates led to a total synthesis of a GPI-anchor of Trypanosoma cruzi, and also afforded a key intermediate for the synthesis of valuable [4-deoxy-Man-III]-GPI analogues.

The transbilayer flip-flop of early intermediates in the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) biosynthetic pathway has been demonstrated using novel fluorescent GPI probes and a biochemical reconstitution approach.

Antigenic phosphoglycan repeats of the Leishmania parasite can be assembled in a flexible and efficient manner without involving any glycosidation steps, and the chain can be extended either towards the non-reducing (6'-OH) or reducing (1-OH) end suitable for synthesis of lipophosphoglycan, proteophosphoglycan and analogues.