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A controlled cascade: A divergent, diastereoselective and efficient one-pot synthesis of allocolchicinoids via a cascade Suzuki-Michael addition-Carbocyclization sequence is described. The utility of the compounds as possible inhibitors of insulin aggregation is also presented., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Structural and functional characteristics of the yeast red pigment (product of polymerization of N1-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-5-aminoimadazole), isolated from adel 1 mutant cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, its deribosylated derivatives (obtained by acid hydrolysis) and its synthetic pigment analogue (product of polymerization of N1-methyl-5-aminoimadazole in vitro) has been obtained. Products of in vitro polymerization were identified using mass spectrometry. The ability of these pigments to inhibit amyloid formation using insulin fibrils was compared. The entire compounds studied were able to interact with amyloids and inhibit their growth. Electron and atomic force microscopy revealed a common feature inherent in the insulin fibrils formed in presence of these compounds--they were merged into conglomerates that were more stable and resistant to the effects of ultrasound in comparison with insulin aggregates grown without pigments. We speculate that all these compounds can cause coalescence of fibrils, partially block their loose ends and, thereby, inhibit the attachment of new monomers to growing fibrils.

Ring-opened analogues of dihydrobenzopyran potassium channel openers (PCOs) were prepared and evaluated as putative PCOs on rat aorta rings (myorelaxant effect) and rat pancreatic beta-cells (inhibition of insulin secretion). These derivatives are characterized by the presence of a sulfonylurea, a urea or an amide function. Some compounds bearing an arylurea moiety provoked vasorelaxant effects and a marked inhibition of insulin release. Derivatives bearing a sulfonylurea or an amide function were, however, poorly active on both tissues. Structure-activity relationships and apparent tissue selectivity are discussed.

Phenylcyanoguanidines substituted with lipophilic electron-withdrawing functional groups, e.g. N-cyano-N'-[3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-N' '-(cyclopentyl)guanidine (10) and N-cyano-N'-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-N' '-(3-methylbutyl)guanidine (12) were synthesized and investigated for their ability to inhibit insulin release from beta cells, to repolarize beta cell membrane potential, and to relax precontracted rat aorta rings. Structural modifications gave compounds, which selectively inhibit insulin release from betaTC6 cells (e.g. compound 10: IC(50) = 5.45 +/- 1.9 microM) and which repolarize betaTC3 beta cells (10: IC(50) = 4.7 +/- 0.5 microM) without relaxation of precontracted aorta rings (10: IC(50) > 300 microM). Inhibition of insulin release from rat islets was observed in the same concentration level as for betaTC6 cells (10: IC(50) = 1.24 +/- 0.1 microM, 12: IC(50) = 3.8 +/- 0.4 microM). Compound 10 (10 microM) inhibits calcium outflow and insulin release from perifused rat pancreatic islets. The mechanisms of action of 10 and 12 were further investigated. The compounds depolarize mitochondrial membrane from smooth muscle cells and beta cell and stimulate glucose utilization and mitochondrial respiration in isolated liver cells. Furthermore, 10 was studied in a patch clamp experiment and was found to activate Kir6.2/SUR1 and inhibit Kir6.2/SUR2B type of K(ATP) channels. These studies indicate that the observed effects of the compounds on beta cells result from activation of K(ATP) channels of the cell membrane in combination with a depolarization of mitochondrial membranes. It also highlights that small structural changes can dramatically shift the efficacy of the cyanoguanidine type of selective activators of Kir6.2/SUR2 potassium channels.

An efficient synthesis of tri-, tetra-, and pentasaccharide cyclic phosphates 1-5, structurally related to natural inositol phosphate glycans, is reported. The title compounds were assembled by PhSeOTf-promoted glycosylation of the known glucosamine precursor, t-butyldimethylsilyl 2-azido-3,6-di-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside (8) with protected 1-methylthio mono-, di-, and trimannosides 7a-c, and, after conversion into glycosyl fluorides, Cp2ZrCl2- AgOTf-promoted glycosylation of differentially protected optically pure 1D-myo-inositol 11. The syntheses were completed by installing the cyclic phosphate moieties with methylpyridinium dichlorophosphate and finally, removal of all protecting groups by dissolving-metal reduction.

A series of 4H-1,2,4-pyridothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides and 2, 3-dihydro-4H-1,2,4-pyridothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides bearing various alkyl and aryl substituents on the 2-, 3-, and 4-positions was synthesized and tested as possible positive allosteric modulators of the (R/S)-2-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazol-4-yl)propionic acid (AMPA) receptors. Many compounds were found to be more potent than the reference compounds diazoxide and aniracetam as potentiators of the AMPA current in rat cortex mRNA-injected Xenopus oocytes. The most active compound, 4-ethyl-2,3-dihydro-4H-pyrido[3,2-e]-1,2, 4-thiadiazine 1,1-dioxide (31b), revealed an in vitro activity on Xenopus oocytes not far from that of cyclothiazide, the most potent allosteric modulator of AMPA receptors reported to date. Moreover, 31b, but not cyclothiazide, was found to potentiate the duration and the amplitude of the excitatory postsynaptic field potentials induced by electric stimulation in rat hippocampal slices. Such an effect could indicate, for 31b, but not for cyclothiazide, a possible interaction with postsynaptic AMPA receptor binding sites located on hippocampal CA1 neurons. Structure-activity relationships indicated that the structural requirements responsible for a biological activity on AMPA receptors are different from those responsible for an inhibitory activity on the insulin releasing process (putative ATP-sensitive K+-channel openers). For instance, 31b and other related dihydropyridothiadiazines were found to be ineffective as inhibitors of insulin release from rat pancreatic B-cells, in contrast to diazoxide and known pyridothiadiazines reported as ATP-sensitive K+-channel openers. Conversely, the pyridothiadiazines active on B-cells were found to be ineffective as potentiators of the AMPA currents in Xenopus oocytes. Thus, 31b appeared to be more specific than diazoxide as an AMPA receptor modulator. This compound may be considered as a new pharmacological tool, different from diazoxide and cyclothiazide, for studying AMPA receptors. Moreover, 31b can also constitute a new therapeutic agent for the treatment of cognitive disorders.