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In line with recent clinical trials demonstrating that ondansetron, a 5-HT 3 receptor (5-HT 3 R) antagonist, ameliorates cognitive deficits of schizophrenia and the known procognitive effects of 5-HT 6 receptor (5-HT 6 R) antagonists, we applied the hybridization strategy to design dual-acting 5-HT 3 /5-HT 6 R antagonists. We identified the first-in-class compound FPPQ , which behaves as a 5-HT 3 R antagonist and a neutral antagonist 5-HT 6 R of the Gs pathway. FPPQ shows selectivity over 87 targets and decent brain penetration. Likewise, FPPQ inhibits phencyclidine (PCP)-induced hyperactivity and displays procognitive properties in the novel object recognition task. In contrast to FPPQ , neither 5-HT 6 R inverse agonist SB399885 nor neutral 5-HT 6 R antagonist CPPQ reversed (PCP)-induced hyperactivity. Thus, combination of 5-HT 3 R antagonism and 5-HT 6 R antagonism, exemplified by FPPQ , contributes to alleviating the positive-like symptoms. Present findings reveal critical structural features useful in a rational polypharmacological approach to target 5-HT 3 /5-HT 6 receptors and encourage further studies on dual-acting 5-HT 3 /5-HT 6 R antagonists for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.

Serotonin type 6 receptor (5-HT 6 R) has gained particular interest as a promising target for treating cognitive deficits, given the positive effects of its antagonists in a wide range of memory impairment paradigms. Herein, we report on degradation of the 1 H -pyrrolo[3,2- c ]quinoline scaffold to provide the 2-phenyl-1 H -pyrrole-3-carboxamide, which is devoid of canonical indole-like skeleton and retains recognition of 5-HT 6 R. This modification has changed the compound's activity at 5-HT 6 R-operated signaling pathways from neutral antagonism to inverse agonism. The study identified compound 27 that behaves as an inverse agonist of the 5-HT 6 R at the Gs and Cdk5 signaling pathways. Compound 27 showed high selectivity and metabolic stability and was brain penetrant. Finally, 27 reversed scopolamine-induced memory decline in the novel object recognition test and exhibited procognitive properties in the attentional set-shifting task in rats. In light of these findings, 27 might be considered for further evaluation as a new cognition-enhancing agent, while 2-phenyl-1 H -pyrrole-3-carboxamide might be used as a template for designing 5-HT 6 R inverse agonists.

A mechanochemical procedure was developed to obtain PZ-1361 , a potent and selective 5-HT 7 receptor antagonist, with antidepressant properties in rodents. The elaborated protocol offered several advantages over classical batch synthesis, including improvement of the overall yield (from 34% to 64%), reduction of reaction time (from 60 to 5.5 h), limitation of the use of toxic solvents, and the formation of byproducts. This approach represents a rare example of the synthesis of biologically active compounds exclusively performed using mechanochemical reactions.

In light of the multifactorial origin of neurodegenerative disorders and some body of evidence indicating that pharmacological blockade of serotonin 5-HT 6 and dopamine D 3 receptors might be beneficial for cognitive decline, we envisioned ( S )-1-[(3-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-4-(pyrrolidine-3-yl-amino)-1 H -pyrrolo[3,2- c ]quinoline (CPPQ), a neutral antagonist of 5-HT 6 R, as a chemical template for designing dual antagonists of 5-HT 6 /D 3 receptors. As shown by in vitro experiments, supported by quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamic simulations, introducing alkyl substituents at the pyrrolidine nitrogen of CPPQ, fulfilled structural requirements for simultaneous modulation of 5-HT 6 and D 3 receptors. The study identified compound 19 (( S )-1-((3-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl)- N -(1-isobutylpyrrolidin-3-yl)-1 H -pyrrolo[3,2- c ]quinolin-4-amine), which was classified as a dual 5-HT 6 /D 3 R antagonist ( K i(5-HT6) = 27 nM, K i(D3) = 7 nM). Compound 19 behaved as a neutral antagonist at G s signaling and had no influence on receptor-operated, cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5)-dependent neurite growth. In contrast to the well characterized 5-HT 6 R antagonist intepirdine, compound 19 displayed neuroprotective properties against astrocyte damage induced by doxorubicin, as shown using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) staining to assess cell metabolic activity and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release as an index of cell membrane disruption. This feature is of particular importance considering the involvement of loss of homeostatic function of glial cells in the progress of neurodegeneration. Biological results obtained for 19 in in vitro tests, translated into procognitive properties in phencyclidine (PCP)-induced memory decline in the novel object recognition (NOR) task in rats.

Solvent-free and solvent-less slipping-on of the dibenzo-24-crown-8 (DB24C8) over the N -hydroxysuccinimide end of an ammonium-containing thread has been studied and compared to the same reaction operated in solution. Slippage proved to be possible in solvent-free conditions, but the fastest slippage was obtained under heating when preliminary Liquid-Assisted Grinding (LAG) conditions were applied to the reactants followed by aging under an atmosphere of acetonitrile., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Unusual high-cluster (Cu 9 ) cage phenylsilsesquioxanes were obtained via complexation of in situ Cu II ,Na-silsesquioxane species formed with phenanthroline and neocuproine. In the first case, phenanthroline, acting as "a silent ligand" (not participating in the composition of the final product), favors the formation of an unprecedented cagelike phenylsilsesquioxane of Cu 9 Na 6 nuclearity, 1. In the second case, neocuproine ligands withdraws two Cu ions from the metallasilsesquioxane matrix, producing two cationic fragments Cu + (neocuproine) 2 . The remaining metallasilsesquioxane is rearranged into an anionic cage of Cu 9 Na 4 nuclearity, finalizing the formation of a specific ionic complex, 2. The impressive molecular architecture of both types of complexes, e.g., the presence of different (cyclic/acyclic) types of silsesquioxane ligands, was established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Compound 1 was revealed to be highly active in the oxidative amidation of benzylic alcohol and the catalyst loading could be reduced down to 100 ppm of Cu. Catalytic studies of compound 1 demonstrated its high activity in hydroperoxidation of alkanes with H 2 O 2 and oxidation of alcohols to ketones with tert-BuOOH.

A new representative of an unusual family of metallagermaniumsesquioxanes, namely the heterometallic cagelike phenylgermsesquioxane (PhGeO 2 ) 12 Cu 2 Fe 5 (O)OH(PhGe) 2 O 5 (bipy) 2 (2), was synthesized and structurally characterized. Fe(III) ions of the complex are coordinated by oxa ligands: (i) cyclic (PhGeO 2 ) 12 and acyclic (Ph 2 Ge 2 O 5 ) germoxanolates and (ii) O 2- and (iii) HO - moieties. In turn, Cu(II) ions are coordinated by both oxa (germoxanolates) and aza ligands (2,2'-bipyridines). This "hetero-type" of ligation gives in sum an attractive pagoda-like molecular architecture of the complex 2. Product 2 showed a high catalytic activity in the oxidation of alkanes to the corresponding alkyl hydroperoxides (in yields up to 30%) and alcohols (in yields up to 100%) and in the oxidative formation of benzamides from alcohols (catalyst loading down to 0.4 mol % in Cu/Fe).

The synthesis, composition, and catalytic properties of a new family of hexanuclear Cu(II)-based phenylsilsesquioxanes are described here. Structural studies of 17 synthesized compounds revealed the general principle underlying their molecular topology: viz., a central metal oxide layer consisting of two Cu 3 trimers is coordinated by two cyclic [PhSiO 1.5 ] 5 siloxanolate ligands to form a skewed sandwich architecture with the composition [(PhSiO 1.5 ) 10 (CuO) 6 ] 2+ . In addition to this O ligation by the siloxanolate rings, two opposite copper ions are additionally coordinated by the nitrogen atoms of corresponding N ligand(s), such as 2,2'-bipyridine (compounds 1-9), 1,10-phenanthroline (compounds 10-13), mixed 1,10-phenanthroline/2,2'-bipyridine (compound 14), or bathophenanthroline (compounds 15-17). Finally, the charge balance is maintained by two HO - (compounds 1-7, 10-13, and 15-17), two H 3 CO - (compound 8), or two CH 3 COO - (compounds 9 and 14) anions. Complexes 1 and 10 exhibited a high activity in the oxidative amidation oxidation of alcohols. Compounds 1, 10, and 15 are very efficient homogeneous catalysts in the oxidation of alkanes and alcohols with peroxides.

The review highlights the hydantoin syntheses presented from the point of view of the preparation methods. Novel synthetic routes to various hydantoin structures, the advances brought to the classical methods in the aim of producing more sustainable and environmentally friendly procedures for the preparation of these biomolecules, and a critical comparison of the different synthetic approaches developed in the last twelve years are also described. The review is composed of 95 schemes, 8 figures and 528 references for the last 12 years and includes the description of the hydantoin-based marketed drugs and clinical candidates.

Ball milling was exploited to prepare a substituted proline building block by mechanochemical nucleophilic substitution. Subsequently, the mechanocoupling of hindered proline amino acid derivatives was developed to provide proline-proline dipeptides under solvent-free conditions. A deprotection-cyclization sequence yielded the corresponding diketopiperazines that were obtained with a high stereoselectivity which could be explained by DFT calculations. Using this method, an enantiopure disubstituted Pro-Pro diketopiperazine was synthesized in 4 steps, making 5 new bonds using a ball mill.

While presenting particularly interesting advantages, peptide synthesis by ball-milling was never compared to the two traditional strategies, namely peptide syntheses in solution and on solid support (solid-phase peptide synthesis, SPPS). In this study, the challenging VVIA tetrapeptide was synthesized by ball-milling, in solution, and on solid support. The three strategies were then compared in terms of yield, purity, reaction time and environmental impact. The results obtained enabled to draw some strengths and weaknesses of each strategy, and to foresee what will have to be implemented to build more efficient and sustainable peptide syntheses in the near future., (Copyright © 2017, Maurin et al.)

Mechanical forces induced by ball-milling agitation enabled the highly efficient and widely applicable synthesis of Cu-carbene complexes from N , N -diaryl-imidazolium salts and metallic copper. The required amount of gaseous dioxygen and insoluble copper could be reduced down to stoichiometric quantities, while reaction rates clearly outperformed those obtained in solution. Utilisation of Cu(0) as the copper source enabled the application of this approach to a wide array of N , N -diaryl-imidazolium salts (Cl - , BF 4 - and PF 6 - ) that transferred their counter anion directly to the organometallic complexes. Cu-NHC complexes could be produced in excellent yields, including utilisation of highly challenging substrates. In addition, five unprecedented organometallic complexes are reported.

Modulators of the serotonin 5-HT6 receptor (5-HT6R) offer a promising strategy for the treatment of the cognitive deficits that are associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Herein, we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of a novel class of 5-HT6R antagonists that is based on the 1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinoline core. The most active compounds exhibited comparable binding affinity to the reference compound, SB-742457, and markedly improved selectivity. Lead optimization led to the identification of (S)-1-[(3-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-4-(pyrrolidine-3-yl-amino)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinoline (14) (Ki = 3 nM and Kb = 0.41 nM). Pharmacological characterization of the 5-HT6R's constitutive activity at Gs signaling revealed that 14 behaved as a neutral antagonist, while SB-742457 was classified as an inverse agonist. Both compounds 14 and SB-742457 reversed phencyclidine-induced memory deficits and displayed distinct procognitive properties in cognitively unimpaired animals (3 mg/kg) in NOR tasks. Compounds 14 and SB-742457 were also active in the Vogel test, yet the anxiolytic effect of 14 was 2-fold higher (MED = 3 mg/kg). Moreover, 14 produced, in a 3-fold higher dose (MED = 10 mg/kg), antidepressant-like effects that were similar to those produced by SB-742457 (MED = 3 mg/kg). Together, these data suggest that the 4-(pyrrolidine-3-yl-amino)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinoline scaffold is an attractive molecular framework for the development of procognitive agents. The results are promising enough to warrant further detailed mechanistic studies on the therapeutic potential of 5-HT6R antagonists and inverse agonists for the treatment of cognitive decline and depression/anxiety symptoms that are comorbidities of Alzheimer's disease.

The asymmetric alkylation of Schiff bases under basic conditions in a ball mill was performed. The starting Schiff bases of glycine were prepared beforehand by milling protected glycine hydrochloride and benzophenone imine, in the absence of solvent. The Schiff base was then reacted with a halogenated derivative in a ball mill in the presence of KOH. By adding a chiral ammonium salt derived from cinchonidine, the reaction proceeded asymmetrically under phase-transfer catalysis conditions, giving excellent yields and enantiomeric excesses up to 75 %. Because an equimolar amount of starting material was used, purification was greatly simplified., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Underwater exploration: The ring-closing metathesis of N,N-diallyltosylamine (DATs) and diallyldiethyl malonate has been studied in aqueous micellar medium, at room temperature, in the presence of four different gemini cationic surfactants and various ruthenium catalysts. For the first time, the adsorption mechanisms and the reaction steps involved in this heterogeneous catalytic process were elucidated., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)