Formation of 3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]non-3-enes: imino amides vs. imino alkenes

Synthesis of Aristoquinoline Enantiomers and Their Evaluation at the α3β4 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

The first synthesis of aristoquinoline (1), a naturally occurring nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonist, was accomplished using two different approaches. Comparison of the synthetic material's spectroscopic data to that of the isolated alkaloid identified a previously misassigned stereogenic center. An evaluation of each enantiomer's activity at the α3β4 nAChR revealed that (+)-1 is significantly more potent than (-)-1. This unexpected finding suggests that naturally occurring 1 possesses the opposite absolute configuration from indole-containing Aristotelia alkaloids.

Recent advances of Ritter reaction and its synthetic applications

This review provides a comprehensive survey of Ritter reactions from 2014 to 2020.

Antiproliferative activities of tricyclic amides derived from β-caryophyllene via the Ritter reaction against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells

A library of novel tricyclic amides has been synthesised via the Ritter reaction from β-caryophyllene 1 and its monoepoxy derivative 4. The compounds were assessed for antiproliferative activities against the aggressive MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. Of the synthesised compounds, eight were active. 3c and 6b were the most potent and inhibited proliferation with IC₅₀ of 9.7 and 8.2 μM, respectively. Mechanistic studies revealed differences in their antiproliferative actions. 6b inhibited cell cycle progression and induced predominantly apoptotic cell death. In contrast, 3c did not affect cell cycle kinetics and favoured necrotic over apoptotic pathways. Screening against mammalian cells (VERO cells) indicates that 3c and 6b were more active towards MDA-MB-231 cells than noncancerous cells. Facile synthesis and biological results suggest that these caryophyllene derived amides are viable lead compounds for further development.

Antiproliferative activities of alkaloid-like compounds

Tricyclic alkaloid-like compounds were synthesised in a few steps, via the bridging Ritter reaction.

Tricyclic alkaloid-like compounds were synthesised in a few steps, via the bridging Ritter reaction. The compounds were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against the MCF-7 and the aggressive MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The anti-cancer activities of 2c were found to be selective towards the aggressive and more challenging to treat triple negative (MDA-MB-231) cell line while exhibiting no antiproliferative activities towards the MCF-7 cells at the highest concentration tested (50 μM). The IC₅₀ of compound 2c was determined to be 7.9 μM for the MDA-MB-231 cell line. Furthermore, 2c arrested cell cycle at the G₂/M phase and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Besides in-house anti-cancer screening, compound 3 was selected for anti-cancer screening by the National Cancer Institute and was found to have broad anti-cancer activity with selectivity against particular leukaemia, colon, melanoma, and breast cancer cell lines. Cytotoxicities of compounds 2c and 3 were also tested against noncancerous mammalian cells (VERO cell line), and found to be selective towards cancerous cells. The facile synthetic route, unique chemical structures and the biological data make these alkaloid-like compounds worthwhile lead compounds for further anti-cancer drug development.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Unexpected (1S,4R,5R,6S)-4-Cyano-2,2,6-trimethyl-3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-6-yl Acetate

The reaction of (–)-β-pinene with KCN under a mild bridged Ritter reaction gave (1S,5R,6S)-2,2,6-trimethyl-3-aza-bicyclo[3.3.1]non-3-en-6-yl acetate that subsequently reacted to provide an unexpected (1S,4R,5R,6S)-4-cyano-2,2,6-trimethyl-3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-6-yl acetate. The structure of the compound was determined by high-resolution mass spectrometry, and IR and NMR spectroscopy and confirmed by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The compound crystallises in the monoclinic P21 space group, with unit cell parameters a 8.6120 (17), b 7.4570 (15), c 11.189 (2) Å, and β 110.16 (3)°.

Crystal structures of two (±)-exo-N-isobornyl-acetamides

The title compounds consist of a 1,7,7-tri­methylbi­cyclo­[2.2.1]heptane (bornane or camphane) skeleton which is decorated with acetamide for (±)-(1) and chloro­acetamide for (±)-(2), functionalities. In the crystals of both compounds, mol­ecules are linked via N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, reinforced by C—H⋯O contacts, forming chains propagating along the a axis.

The title compounds consist of a bornane skeleton with attached acetamide, C₁₂H₂₁NO (±)-(1) {systematic name: (±)-N-[(1RS,2RS,4RS)-1,7,7-tri­methylbi­cyclo­[2.2.1]heptan-2-yl]acetamide}, and chloro­acetamide, C₁₂H₂₀ClNO (±)-(2) {systematic name: (±)-2-chloro-N-[(1RS,2RS,4RS)-1,7,7-tri­methylbi­cyclo­[2.2.1]heptan-2-yl]­acetamide}, functionalities to the 2-exo-position. The crystal structure of the first monoclinic polymorph of (±)-(1) has been reported previously [Ung et al. (2014 ▸). Monatsh. Chem.145, 983–992]. Compound (±)-(1) crystallizes in the space group P2₁/n with two independent mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit, in contrast to the above-mentioned polymorph which crystallized in the space group C2/c with one mol­ecule in the asymmetric unit. In the title compounds, the bicyclic bornane moieties have normal geometries. In the crystals of both compounds, mol­ecules are linked by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, reinforced by C—H⋯O contacts, forming trans-amide chains propagating along the a-axis direction. In the case of compound (±)-(1), neighbouring chains are linked by further C—H⋯O contacts, forming double-chain ribbons along [100].