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3,4-Hydroxypyridinone (3,4-HOPO) is a vital metal-chelating pharmacophore. However, the efficient synthesis has been a long-standing problem in drug development. In this paper, we report an efficient electrophilic activation of unprotected maltols via reversible covalent bonds between boronic acid and 3-hydroxyl/4-carbonyl. This one-pot reaction proceeded well on a gram scale in water with excellent efficiencies up to 97%. Moreover, taking advantage of the covalent interactions via the transient boronate, most of the previously tough amine donors, including sterically hindered amines, aromatic amines, and amino acids and amino alcohols, were well-tolerated. Importantly, the potential of this strategy in the pharmaceutical industry was highlighted with a successful synthesis of 3,4-HOPOs containing iron-chelating active pharmaceutical ingredients on 10 g and kilogram scales.

A self-[3+2] annulation reaction of pyridinium salts has been developed for the synthesis of N-indolizine-substituted pyridine-2(1H)-ones.

A simple and metal-free strategy for the regioselective synthesis of 1-N-substituted 1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxamide derivatives was developed by employing azides, HFO-1233zd(E) and amines in an aqueous reaction medium.

The development of modular, chemically diverse and regioselective reactions for expanding the cycloaddition reaction toolbox hinges heavily on a strict functional 1,3-dipole and dipolarophile pairing exploration. In this study, we...

A group-assisted-purification (GAP) chemistry strategy-based Ugi four-center three-component reaction (Ugi-4C-3CR) was explored. The reaction proceeded well to deliver the cyclic fused pyridinones selectively. Moreover, the reaction conditions were mild and avoided additional chromatography or recrystallization workup. Also, wide variations in substrates, such as anilines and aliphatic amines as well as amino alcohols and amino acid esters were all tolerated and pyridinones are achieved in good to excellent yields. Importantly, ladder-type cyclic fused pyridinones can be further constructed in excellent yield of 91%.

A domino annulation/oxidation of heterocyclic ketene aminals (HKAs) and 2-aminochalcones has been developed for the selective synthesis of poly-substituted benzo[f]imidazo[2,1-a][2,7]naphthyridines and 3-azaheterocyclic substituted 2-arylquinolines. These reactions proceed well under mild conditions without any additives. Plausible mechanisms for such a polycyclic ring system assembly were also proposed. Moreover, benzo[f]imidazo[2,1-a][2,7]naphthyridine 3g displayed a fluorescence effect, demonstrating the potential applications in organic optical materials.

A novel divergent domino annulation reaction of prop-2-ynylsulfonium salts with sulfonyl-protected β-amino ketones has been developed, affording various epoxide-fused 2-methylenepyrrolidines and S-containing pyrroles in moderate to excellent yields. Prop-2-ynylsulfonium salts act as C2 synthons in the reactions providing a promising epoxide-fused skeleton in a single operation with readily accessible starting materials.

A transition-metal-free, facile and efficient method for the synthesis of 3-alkynylpyrrole-2,4-dicarboxylates from methylene isocyanides and propiolaldehyde with moderate to good yields has been developed. The direct transformation process and good tolerance of various substituents make it an alternative approach to previous protocols, and potential applications of these investigated compounds are expected with or without post-modifications.

Proteasome is vital for intracellular protein homeostasis as it eliminates misfolded and damaged protein. Inhibition of proteasome has been validated as a powerful strategy for anti-cancer therapy, and several drugs have been approved for treatment of multiple myeloma. Recent studies indicate that proteasome has potent therapeutic effects on a variety of diseases besides cancer, including parasite infectious diseases, bacterial/fungal infections diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases. In this review, recent developments of proteasome inhibitors for various diseases and related structure activity relationships are going to be summarized.

A palladium–catalyzed ring-opening reaction of 2H-azirines with hydrazones has been developed. This protocol provides an alternative route for the construction of various polysubstituted pyrazoles with a wide substrate scope. Moreover, a plausible mechanism is proposed for this reaction, which should further enrich the chemical conversion of 2H-azirines.

An efficient, TFA-promoted cascade annulation of sulfur ylides, 2-hydroxy-β-nitrostyrenes and indoles was established. This reaction results in the construction of a diverse set of fluorescent benzofuro[3,2-b]carbazoles with the generation of seven new bonds and two new rings in a one-pot transformation. A plausible mechanism for this reaction was proposed. Moreover, the photo-physical properties of the benzofuro[3,2-b]carbazoles were observed to be simply tuned by changing the electronic nature of the peripheral substituents in the core.

A series of novel non-covalent peptidomimetic proteasome inhibitors possessing bulky group at the C-terminus and N-alkylation at the N-terminus were designed with the aim to increase metabolic stabilities in vivo. All the target compounds were screened for their inhibitory activities against human 20S proteasome, and most analogs exhibited notable potency compared with the positive control bortezomib with IC

Influenza is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by influenza virus, leading to huge morbidity and mortality in humans worldwide. Despite the availability of antivirals in the clinic, the emergence of resistant strains calls for antivirals with novel mechanisms of action. The PB2 subunit of the influenza A virus polymerase is a promising target because of its vital role in the 'cap-snatching' mechanism. In this review, we summarize the technologies and medicinal chemistry strategies for hit identification, hit-to-lead and lead-to-candidate optimization, and current challenges in PB2 inhibitor development, as well as offering insights for the fight against drug resistance.

Hypoxia is widespread in solid tumors, such as NSCLC, and has become a very attractive target. On the basis of AZD9291 scaffold, novel hypoxia-targeted EGFR inhibitors without the acrylamide warhead but containing hypoxic reductive activation groups were described. Among them, compound JT21 exhibited impressive inhibitory activity (ICsub50/sub = 23 nM) against EGFRsupL858R/T790M/supand displayed about 21-fold inhibitory activity decrease against EGFRsupwt/sup. Under hypoxia, JT21 exhibited more significant proliferation inhibitory activities against H1975 cells (ICsub50/sub = 7.39 ± 2.20 nM) and HCC827 cells (ICsub50/sub = 5.88 ± 0.85 nM) than that of AZD9291, which was about 5 times more effective than normoxia activities. Meanwhile, the weak inhibition effects on A549 and BEAS-2B cells suggested JT21 might be a selective inhibitor for EGFR mutations with low toxicity. Furthermore, JT21 could induce apoptosis of H1975 cells under hypoxia and showed good bio-reductive property.

A novel sequential [3+2] annulation reaction has been developed using prop-2-ynylsulfonium salts and hydrazonyl chlorides, affording a series of pyrazoles with functional motifs that can be post modified in the preparation of various drugs or drug candidates. Further transformation and gram-scale operations could also be achieved efficiently.

An efficient method for the synthesis of polyfunctional imidazoles from vinyl azides and amidine has been developed. Starting from vinyl azide and amidine, this transformation proceeds without any additives and the obtained imidazoles can be decorated with ester functional group that is a promising site for further modification.

An approach for N-formylation of amines was developed using NaBH(OAc)3 as a reductant under an atmospheric pressure of CO2 at 50 °C. The corresponding formylated products of various amines, including aliphatic and aromatic amines, amines with reductive-sensitive nitro groups and alkynyl groups and benzamides were obtained in good to excellent yields, and the possible reaction mechanism was also proposed.

Autofluorescing carboline-fluors were efficiently and rationally developed via a Pictet-Spengler involved one-pot multi-component reaction. The carboline-fluors demonstrate specific targeting towards the endoplasmic reticulum in living cells, and superior sensitivity to commercial ER-Trackers. Importantly, they were also successfully used to visualize changes in the ER during cell apoptosis and ER stress.

Novel divergent domino annulation reactions of sulfur ylides with aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates have been developed, affording various tetra- and trisubstituted pyrazole derivatives in moderate to good yields. Three molecules of sulfur ylides were applied as C1 synthon to construct the complex products with five new chemical bonds formed in these one-pot reactions.

Vinpocetine is widely used to treat cerebrovascular diseases. However, the effect of vinpocetine to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been investigated. In this study, we revealed that vinpocetine was associated with antiproliferative activity in HCC cells, but induced cytoprotective autophagy, which restricted its antitumor activity. Autophagy inhibitors improved the antiproliferative activity of vinpocetine in HCC cells. Sorafenib is effective to treat advanced HCC, but the effect of autophagy induced by sorafenib is indistinct. We demonstrated vinpocetine plus sorafenib suppressed the cytoprotective autophagy activated by vinpocetine in HCC cells and significantly induced apoptosis and suppressed cell proliferation in HCC cells. In addition, vinpocetine plus sorafenib activates glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) and subsequently inhibits cytoprotective autophagy induced by vinpocetine in HCC cells. Meanwhile, overexpression of GSK-3β was efficient to increase the apoptosis induced by vinpocetine plus sorafenib in HCC cells. Our study revealed that vinpocetine plus sorafenib could suppress the cytoprotective autophagy induced by vinpocetine and subsequently show synergistically anti-HCC activity via activating GSK-3β and the combination of vinpocetine and sorafenib might reverse sorafenib resistance via the PI3K/protein kinase B/GSK-3β signaling axis. Thus, vinpocetine may be a potential candidate for sorafenib sensitization and HCC treatment, and our results may help to elucidate more effective therapeutic options for HCC patients with sorafenib resistance.

A domino annulation/oxidation of heterocyclic ketene aminals (HKAs) and 2-aminochalcones has been developed for the selective synthesis of poly-substituted benzo[

Proteasome is vital for intracellular protein homeostasis as it eliminates misfolded and damaged protein. Inhibition of proteasome has been validated as a powerful strategy for anti-cancer therapy, and several drugs have been approved for treatment of multiple myeloma. Recent studies indicate that proteasome has potent therapeutic effects on a variety of diseases besides cancer, including parasite infectious diseases, bacterial/fungal infections diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases. In this review, recent developments of proteasome inhibitors for various diseases and related structure activity relationships are going to be summarized.

The covalent binding nature of irreversible kinase inhibitors potentially increases the severity of "off-target" toxicity. Based on our continual strategy of chemically tuning the Michael addition acceptors, herein, we further explore the relationship among the electronic nature of Michael addition acceptors and EGFR

Substrate-controlled reactions have been developed for the synthesis of spirocyclopropylpyrazolones and bicyclic 4,5-dihydropyrazoles from 1,2-diaza-1,3-dienes and sulfur ylides. These protocols were carried out under mild reaction conditions without any additives in generally moderate to good yields. Plausible mechanisms for the transformations were proposed.

A tandem reaction of heterocyclic ketene aminals and 1,2-diaza-1,3-dienes was developed for the expedient synthesis of pyrimidopyrrolopyridazine derivatives. This process involved an intramolecular conjugate addition followed by CuCl2-catalyzed hydrazone formation.

A highly efficient approach to polysubstituted 2-amino­pyrroles containing a coumarin derivative unit at the 5-position of the pyrrole ring was developed via a novel multicomponent domino reaction of glyoxal monohydrate derivatives, anilines, coumarin derivatives, and malononitrile. This transformation proceeded via an α-amino­ketone as the key intermediate.

A one-pot, catalyst-free, three-component sequential double-annulation from amine alcohols, glyoxal monohydrates and KSCN underwent imine formation/intramolecular cyclization/[3 + 2] cycloaddition. This tandem and green reaction offered [1,3] oxazine N-fused imidazole-2-thiones in a mild condition, with a very short reaction time, wide variation in functional groups, high efficacy on the gram-large scale and followed group-assisted purification chemistry work-up.

A multi-component synthesis of N-substituted 2-amino-3-cyano pyrroles from nitroepoxides, amines and malononitrile has been demonstrated. The reaction proceeded well for a wide range of nitroepoxides and amines under mild conditions without transition metal catalysis via the formation of three new bonds.

Transition metal-free oxidative coupling of vinyl azides with sulfonyl hydrazines is described. This radical process realized oxidative multi-functionalization of vinyl azides in the presence of potassium iodide and t-butyl hydroperoxide, selectively yielding β-keto sulfones and α-halo-β-keto sulfones in good to excellent yields with a wide tolerance of functional groups.

A novel and facile domino reaction has been developed to synthesize a variety of new derivatives from hydromorphone, amines and paraformaldehyde in good yields in a catalyst-free fashion with high atom efficiency. The products show a mixed MOR/DOR biological characteristic which makes them valuable for further study as opioid analgesics.

Background NSCLC is the major type of lung cancer and the survival rates of NSCLC patients remain low. AZD9291 is a third-generation EGFR-TKI and approved to treat NSCLC patients harboring EGFR T790M mutation and common targetable activating EGFR mutations, but it has a limited effect for wtEGFR NSCLC. Purpose The current study investigated whether shikonin could enhance the antitumor effect of AZD9291 in wtEGFR NSCLC cells. Methods SRB and colony formation assay were used to detect the proliferation of NSCLC cells, propidium iodide staining was performed to detect the apoptosis, ROS was analyzed using DCFH-DA staining, and western blot was used to detect the expression of indicated proteins. Results We demonstrated that shikonin, a natural ROS inducer, could enhance the antitumor effect of AZD9291 in wtEGFR NSCLC cells. In addition, shikonin increased AZD9291-induced apoptosis accompanying with the generation of ROS and activation of ER stress. Furthermore, ROS inhibition by NAC or GSH reversed the apoptosis induced by shikonin plus AZD9291, and recovered the ER stress activated by combination treatment, indicating that ROS mediated ER stress played a vital role in this combination therapy. Moreover, shikonin increased the anticancer activity of AZD9291 in primary wtEGFR NSCLC cells through ROS-mediated ER stress. Conclusion Our study suggests that combining shikonin with AZD9291 is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating wtEGFR NSCLC patients.

A novel access to highly functionalized 2-aminonicotinonitriles via efficient annulations of α-keto vinyl azides and α,α-dicyanoalkenes is described. This annulation was achieved via base-mediated ring-openings and intramolecular rearrangements. A possible mechanism is also proposed.

A divergent cascade annulation has been developed using readily available vinyl azides and carbazates with a wide range of substituents. Vinyl azides were successfully applied as bifunctional partners to prepare aza-pyrimidinones via 6-ring closure with carbazates as well as to construct polyfunctionalized imidazoles via 5-ring closure with N-substituted carbazates. The aza-heterocycles were obtained with high levels of chemoselectivity and excellent yields.

A novel series of endomorphin-1 (EM-1) and endomorphin-2 (EM-2) analogues was synthesized, incorporating chiral α-hydroxy-β-phenylalanine (AHPBA), and/or Dmt(1)-Tic(2) at different positions. Pharmacological activity and metabolic stability of the series was assessed. Consistent with earlier studies of β-amino acid substitution into endomorphins, multiple analogues incorporation AHPBA displayed high affinity for μ and δ opioid receptors (MOR and DOR, respectively) in radioligand competition binding assays, and an increased stability in rat brain membrane homogenates, notably Dmt-Tic-(2R,3S)AHPBA-Phe-NH2 (compound 26). Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of 26 produced antinociception (ED50 value (and 95% confidence interval) = 1.98 (0.79-4.15) nmol, i.c.v.) in the mouse 55 °C warm-water tail-withdrawal assay, equivalent to morphine (2.35 (1.13-5.03) nmol, i.c.v.), but demonstrated DOR-selective antagonism in addition to non-selective opioid agonism. The antinociception of 26 was without locomotor activity or acute antinociceptive tolerance. This novel class of peptides adds to the potentially therapeutically relevant collection of previously reported EM analogues.

An efficient annulation of vinyl azides with activated imines has been developed for the synthesis of poly-functionalized imidazole derivatives. This reaction includes thermal decomposition of vinyl azides to 2H-azirines, nucleophilic attack of 2H-azirines with activated imines and subsequent cyclization to desired imidazoles.

This paper reports the successful modification of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films to permanently enhance their hydrophilic properties for potential flexible packing applications. This protocol consists of three sequential processes: (1) an on-line dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma pretreatment, (2) a polyvinyl alcohol/silk fibroin/polyethylene glycol (PVA/SF/PEG) coating, and (3) ethanol solution finishing. The optimal modification conditions included: DBD plasma pretreatment for 10 seconds, coating with aqueous PVA/SF/PEG (3%/3%/1%) solution, and finally, 8 minutes of treatment with 60% ethanol solution. The fully modified BOPP films exhibited approximately a 16° static contact angle (SCA), a near zero haze value, and an effectively 100% transmittance value under visible light (400–700 nm). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of the surface morphology of the modified BOPP films showed that the surface roughness increased from 3.79 nm (untreated) to 21.10 nm (fully treated). The Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) results showed that polar functional CO groups were grafted onto the BOPP film that was pretreated with the DBD plasma. Further modification of the pretreated BOPP film with the PVA/SF/PEG coating significantly enhanced the density of the C–O and N–H groups. The gravure printing images indicated that the adhesive property of the BOPP film for water-based ink improved substantially after the hydrophilic modifications.

A simple and direct synthesis of functionalized imidazoles from α-nitro-epoxides and amidines was developed. This reaction could proceed smoothly in a highly efficient and eco-friendly manner in moderate to excellent yields. A plausible mechanism has also been proposed.

Gatekeeper T790 M mutation in EGFR is the most prevalent factor underlying acquired resistance. Acrylamide-bearing quinazoline derivatives are powerful irreversible inhibitors for overcoming resistance. Nevertheless, concerns about the risk of nonspecific covalent modification have motivated the development of novel cysteine-targeting inhibitors. In this paper, we demonstrate that fluoro-substituted olefins can be tuned to alter Michael addition reactivity. Incorporation of these olefins into the quinazoline templates produced potent EGFR inhibitors with improved safety and pharmacokinetic properties. A lead compound 5a was validated against EGFR(WT), EGFR(T790M) as well as A431 and H1975 cancer cell lines. Additionally, compound 5a displayed a weaker inhibition against the EGFR-independent cancer cell line SW620 when compared with afatinib. Oral administration of 5a at a dose of 30 mg/kg induced tumor regression in a murine-EGFR(L858R/T790M) driven H1975 xenograft model. Also, 5a exhibited improved oral bioavailability and safety as well as favorable tissue distribution properties and enhanced brain uptake. These findings provide the basis of a promising strategy toward the treatment of NSCLC patients with drug resistance.

A simple and direct synthesis of 2-aminoimidazoles from vinyl azides and cyanamide was developed. An attractive feature of this protocol is that the desired products are generated in a highly efficient and eco-friendly manner without the use of a catalyst. A plausible mechanism has been proposed.

Simple and eco-friendly synthesis of polyfunctionalized 2-aminopyrroles from vinyl azides and α-cyano derivatives has been accomplished with a good to excellent yield. The reaction was performed in ethanol/water co-solvent system without catalyst and the workup was facile. A plausible mechanism has been proposed.

A novel and traceless strategy has been devised that allows a coupling of thioacids and dithiocarbamate-terminal amines. This strategy had been assumed to be dependent on the attachment of a functional equivalent of a cysteine side chain in earlier native chemical ligation approaches. This approach enables the traceless removal of CS2 to directly generate the desired amide bond and is compatible with a range of unprotected side chains of amino acid. The ability to produce amide or peptides by a traceless removal of the auxiliary is a significant virtue of the method. Meanwhile, the application of this new peptide-bond-forming reaction to the synthesis of novel endomorphin (EM) derivatives with various binding potencies was realized.

A novel access to highly functionalized 2-aminonicotinonitriles via efficient annulations of α-keto vinyl azides and α,α-dicyanoalkenes is described. This annulation was achieved via base-mediated ring-openings and intramolecular rearrangements. A possible mechanism is also proposed.

Despite the remarkable benefits of gefitinib, the clinical efficacy is eventually diminished due to the acquired point mutations in the EGFR (T790M). To address this unmet medical need, we demonstrated a strategy to prepare a hybrid analogue consisting of the oxooxazolidine ring and the quinazoline scaffold and provided alternative noncovalent inhibitors targeting mutant forms of EGFR. Most of the derivatives displayed moderate to good anti-proliferative activity against gefitinib-resistant NCI-H1975. Some of them exhibited potent EGFR kinase inhibitory activities, especially on EGFR(T790M) and EGFR(L858R) kinases. SAR studies led to the identification of a hit 9a that can target both of the most common EGFR mutants: L858R and T790M. Also, 9a displayed weaker inhibitory against cancer cell lines with low level of EGFR expression and good chemical stability under different pH conditions. The work presented herein showed the potential for developing noncovalent inhibitors targeting EGFR mutants.

A divergent cascade annulation has been developed using readily available vinyl azides and carbazates with a wide range of substituents. Vinyl azides were successfully applied as bifunctional partners to prepare aza-pyrimidinones via 6-ring closure with carbazates as well as to construct polyfunctionalized imidazoles via 5-ring closure with N-substituted carbazates. The aza-heterocycles were obtained with high levels of chemoselectivity and excellent yields.