Titanium(IV)-mediated tandem deprotection-cyclodehydration of protected cysteine N-amides: biomimetic syntheses of thiazoline- and thiazole-containing heterocycles

2-cyanopyridine derivatives enable N-terminal cysteine bioconjugation and peptide bond cleavage of glutathione under aqueous and mild conditions

Inspired by the chemical reactivity of apalutamide, we have developed an efficient method for N-terminal cysteine bioconjugation with 2-cyanopyridine derivatives. Systematic investigations of various 2-cyanopyridines revealed that 2-cyanopyridines with electron-withdrawing groups react efficiently with cysteine under aqueous and mild conditions. Moreover, the highly reactive 2-cyanopyridines enable the peptide bond cleavage of glutathione. The utility of our method is demonstrated by its application to the cysteine-selective chemical modification of bioactive peptides.

The 100 facets of the Passerini reaction

This perspective aims at celebrating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Passerini three component reaction. After being nearly neglected for many years, now this reaction has become quite popular, thanks to the achievements of the last 30 years, which have revealed several chances of exploitation in organic synthesis. Though not being comprehensive, this review means to show the various ways that have been used in order to expand the utility of the Passerini reaction. Post-MCR transformations to give heterocycles or peptidomimetics, variants through single component replacement, stereochemical issues, and applications in total syntheses will be especially covered.

Reactivity of (Z)-4-Aryliden-5(4H)-thiazolones: [2 + 2]-Photocycloaddition, Ring-Opening Reactions, and Influence of the Lewis Acid BF3

The irradiation of (Z)-2-phenyl-4-aryliden-5(4H)-thiazolones 2 with blue light (465 nm) in CH₂Cl₂ solution promotes [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition of the exocyclic C=C bonds and the formation of the dispirocyclobutanes 3. This reaction takes place with high stereoselectivity, given that the ε-isomer (1,3 head-to-tail syn coupling) is formed in more than 90% yield in most of the cases. However, irradiation of 5(4H)-thiazolones 2 with blue light (456 nm) in dry MeOH in the presence of BF₃·OEt₂ leads to the monospirocyclobutanes 4 with full stereoselectivity, also affording the ε-isomer. A ring-opening reaction of only one of the thiazolone rings appears to have taken place in 4 upon methanolysis, leading to the corresponding ester and thioamide groups. The treatment of free 4-aryliden-5(4H)-thiazolones 2 with a base in alcohol (NaOR/ROH) also produces a ring-opening reaction of the heterocycle by methanolysis, although, under these reaction conditions, further intramolecular S-attack at the exocyclic C(H)=C bond and cyclization is observed, forming the dihydrothiazoles 5 or 6 as mixtures of cis (RS/SR)- and trans (RR/SS)-isomers with high diastereomeric excess. trans-(RR/SS)-Dihydrothiazoles 6 can be isolated as pure diastereoisomers by column chromatography. Surprisingly, dihydrothiazoles 5 can also be obtained by the treatment of 4-aryliden-5(4H)-thiazolones 2 with BF₃·OEt₂ in methanol in the absence of a base.

Tubulysin Synthesis Featuring Stereoselective Catalysis and Highly Convergent Multicomponent Assembly

A concise and modular total synthesis of the highly potent N14-desacetoxytubulysin H (1) has been accomplished in 18 steps in an overall yield of up to 30%. Our work highlights the complexity-augmenting and route-shortening power of diastereoselective multicomponent reaction (MCR) as well as the role of bulky ligands to perfectly control both the regioselective and diastereoselective synthesis of tubuphenylalanine in just two steps. The total synthesis not only provides an operationally simple and step economy but will also stimulate major advances in the development of new tubulysin analogues.

Tandem Catalysis: Synthesis of Nitrogen-Containing Heterocycles

In this Review, we consider all the publications since the beginning of the century that describe tandem reactions resulting in the formation of five-membered aromatic nitrogen heterocycles (thiazole, imidazole, indole, tetrazole, triazole, and isoxazole). The contents of this review are organized by taxonomy and type of tandem catalysis. It covers orthogonal, auto-, and assisted tandem catalysis, providing an overview of tandem reactions applied tonitrogen heterocycles reported in the literature up to March 2020. We believe that this compilation of data will provide a necessary starting reference to developthe applications of tandem catalysis in medicinal chemistry.

Thiazole Amides, A Novel Class of Algaecides against Freshwater Harmful Algae

Currently, harmful algal blooms are being one of ever-increasing global environmental problems. Much attention has been paid to the use of natural products as the selective algaecides due to their low toxicity, high selectivity and eco-friendly properties. In the present study, the thiazole alkaloid (1), originally isolated from Thermoactino-myces strain TM-64, was shown to exhibit potent algicidal activity against three typically harmful cyanobacterial algae, S. obliqnus, M. aeruginosa, and C. pyrenoidosa. Based on our previous work, a practical, scalable synthesis of alkaloid (1) was developed and reaction could be readily scaled up to more than 100 g. In addition, twenty-six analogues of alkaloid (1) by replacement of tryptamine moiety with different aromatic and aliphatic amines were also prepared. The bioassay results showed that most of these derivatives displayed potent algicidal activity against three harmful algae S. obliqnus, M. aeruginosa, and C. pyrenoidosa with IC50 values in the range of 1.5-5.0 μg/mL. Amongst them, compounds (10) and its hydrochloric salt (10S) were found to reveal powerful growth inhibitory activity against harmful cyanobacterial algae with IC50 values as low as 0.08 μg/mL, comparable to those of commercial algicide CuSO4 and herbicide Diuron.

Cysteine Isocyanide in Multicomponent Reaction: Synthesis of Peptido-Mimetic 1,3-Azoles

An alternative approach toward the simple and robust synthesis of highly substituted peptidic thiazole derivatives using Ugi-multicomponent reaction (U-MCR) is described. Thus, we introduced the enantiopure (R)-2-methyl-2-isocyano-3-(tritylthio)propanoate as a novel class of isocyanide in MCR. This bifunctional isocyanide was found to undergo mild cyclodehydration to afford thiazole containing peptidomimetics in a short synthetic sequence. Several examples of bis-heterocyclic rings were also synthesized through the proper choice of the aldehyde component in the U-4CR. The method opens a wide range of applications toward the synthesis of nonribosomal natural products and other bioactive compounds.

The Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Anithiactin A/Thiasporine C and Analogues

The synthesis of anithiactin A has been achieved in four steps. Several closely related analogues were synthesised and their biological activity against colon and breast cancer cell lines evaluated. Anithiactin A was found not to be cytotoxic even at a high concentration (100 μM); however, two 4-substituted phenyl thiazoles were found to be moderately cytotoxic at 10 μM. Based on these results, 4-substitution on the phenyl group appears to be critical for cytotoxicity. However, the exact electronic and structural requirements are unclear.

Improved total synthesis and biological evaluation of potent apratoxin S4 based anticancer agents with differential stability and further enhanced activity

Apratoxins are cytotoxic natural products originally isolated from marine cyanobacteria that act by preventing cotranslational translocation early in the secretory pathway to downregulate receptor levels and inhibit growth factor secretion, leading to potent antiproliferative activity. Through rational design and total synthesis of an apratoxin A/E hybrid, apratoxin S4 (1a), we have previously improved the antitumor activity and tolerability in vivo. Compound 1a and newly designed analogues apratoxins S7-S9 (1b-d), with various degrees of methylation at C34 (1b,c) or epimeric configuration at C30 (1d), were efficiently synthesized utilizing improved procedures. Optimizations have been applied to the synthesis of key intermediate aldehyde 7 and further include the application of Leighton's silanes and modifications of Kelly's methods to induce thiazoline ring formation in other crucial steps of the apratoxin synthesis. Apratoxin S9 (1d) exhibited increased activity with subnanomolar potency. Apratoxin S8 (1c) lacks the propensity to be deactivated by dehydration and showed efficacy in a human HCT116 xenograft mouse model.

Asymmetric synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted Δ2-thiazolines

Δ²-Thiazolines are interesting heterocycles that display a wide variety of biological characteristics. They are also common in chiral ligands used for asymmetric syntheses and as synthetic intermediates. Herein, we present asymmetric routes to 2,4,5-trisubstituted Δ²-thiazolines. These Δ²-thiazolines were synthesized from readily accessible/commercially available α,β-unsaturated methyl esters through a Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation and an O→N acyl migration reaction as key steps. The final products were obtained in good yields with up to 97% enantiomeric excess.

Copper-catalyzed oxidation of azolines to azoles

We report herein convenient, aerobic conditions for the oxidation of thiazolines to thiazoles and data regarding the oxidation mechanism. These reactions feature operationally simple and environmentally benign conditions and proceed in good yield to afford the corresponding azoles, thus enabling the inexpensive preparation of valuable molecular building blocks. Incorporation of a novel diimine-ligated copper catalyst, [((Mes)DAB(Me))Cu(II)(OH(2))(3)](2+) [(-)OTf](2), provides increased reaction efficiency in many cases. In other cases copper-free conditions involving a stoichiometric quantity of base affords superior results.

Design and synthesis of fluorescent pilicides and curlicides: bioactive tools to study bacterial virulence mechanisms

Pilicides and curlicides are compounds that block the formation of the virulence factors pili and curli, respectively. To facilitate studies of the interaction between these compounds and the pili and curli assembly systems, fluorescent pilicides and curlicides have been synthesized. This was achieved by using a strategy based on structure–activity knowledge, in which key pilicide and curlicide substituents on the ring-fused dihydrothiazolo 2-pyridone central fragment were replaced by fluorophores. Several of the resulting fluorescent compounds had improved activities as measured in pili- and curli-dependent biofilm assays. We created fluorescent pilicides and curlicides by introducing coumarin and 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) fluorophores at two positions on the peptidomimetic pilicide and curlicide central fragment. Fluorescence images of the uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strain UTI89 grown in the presence of these compounds shows that the compounds are strongly associated with the bacteria with a heterogeneous distribution.

Synthesis and biological activity of kalkitoxin and its analogues

Total syntheses of kalkitoxin, isolated from the Caribbean Lyngbya majuscula, and its analogues, 3-epi-, 7-epi-, 8-epi-, 10-epi-, 10-nor-, and 16-nor-kalkitoxin, were achieved via oxazolidinone-based diastereoselective 1,4-addition reaction of a methyl group and efficient TiCl(4)-mediated thiazoline ring formation as the key steps. The biological activities of synthetic kalkitoxin and its analogues were evaluated with brine shrimp.

N,N'-Bis(1,3-thia-zol-2-yl)methyl-ene-diamine

In the title compound, C(7)H(8)N(4)S(2), the dihedral angle between the thia-zoline rings is 71.25 (13)°. In the crystal, inter-molecular N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds connect the mol-ecules into zigzag chains parallel to the ab plane.

2,4-Dichloro-N-(1,3-thia-zol-2-yl)benzamide

In the mol­ecular structure of the title compound, C₁₀H₆Cl₂N₂OS, the dihedral angle between the benzene plane and the plane defined by the amide functionality is 8.6 (1)°, while the thia­zole ring plane is twisted with respect to the amide plane by 68.71 (5)°. In the crystal, pairs of inter­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen-bond inter­actions connect the mol­ecules into inversion dimers. π–π inter­actions are also observed between neighbouring thia­zole and phen­yl rings [centroid–centroid distance = 3.5905 (13) Å] and a weak C—H⋯π interaction also occurs.

N-(Thia-zol-2-yl)acetamide

The title compound, C₅H₆N₂OS, was synthesized from acetyl chloride and 2-amino­thia­zole in dry acetone. The asymmetric unit contains two mol­ecules. The crystal structure is stabilized by N—H⋯N and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

Total synthesis of the cyclodepsipeptide apratoxin A and its analogues and assessment of their biological activities

A novel total synthesis of apratoxin A is described, with key steps including the assembly of its ketide segment through a D-proline-catalyzed direct aldol reaction and Oppolzer's anti aldol reaction and the preparation of its thiazoline unit in a biomimetic synthesis. An oxazoline analogue of apratoxin A has also been elaborated by a similar approach. This compound has a potency against HeLa cell proliferation only slightly lower than that of apratoxin A, whilst a C(40)-demethylated oxazoline analogue of apratoxin A displays a much lower cytotoxicity and the C(37)-epimer and C(37) demethylation product of this new analogue are inactive. These results suggest that the two methyl groups at C(37) and C(40) and the stereochemistry at C(37) are essential for the potent cellular activity of the oxazoline analogue of apratoxin A. Further biological analysis revealed that both synthetic apratoxin A and its oxazoline analogue inhibited cell proliferation by causing cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase.

Synthesis of IB-01211, a Cyclic Peptide Containing 2,4-Concatenated Thia- and Oxazoles, via Hantzsch Macrocyclization

[structure: see text] An efficient and versatile convergent synthesis of IB-01211 based on a combination of peptide and heterocyclic chemistry is described. The key step in the synthesis is macrocyclization through intramolecular Hantzsch formation of the thiazole ring. Dehydration of a free primary alcohol to furnish the exocyclic methylidene present in the natural product was applied during the macrocyclization.

Molybdenum Oxides as Highly Effective Dehydrative Cyclization Catalysts for the Synthesis of Oxazolines and Thiazolines

In the presence of molybdenum oxide the dehydrative cyclization of N-acylserines, N-acylthreonines, and N-acylcysteines can be carried out under Dean-Stark conditions in toluene to give oxazolines and thiazolines. The ammonium salts (NH(4))(6)Mo(7)O(24).4H(2)O and (NH(4))(2)MoO(4) have excellent catalytic activities for the dehydrative cyclization of serine and threonine derivatives, and the acetylacetonate complex MoO(2)(acac)(2) has a remarkable catalytic activity for the dehydrative cyclization of cysteine derivatives. In addition, polyaniline-supported MoO(2)(acac)(2) can easily be recovered and reused.

Potent, novel in vitro inhibitors of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa deacetylase LpxC

Deacetylation of uridyldiphospho-3-O-(R-hydroxydecanoyl)-N-acetylglucosamine by LpxC is the first committed step in the Pseudomonas aeruginosa biosynthetic pathway to lipid A; homologous enzymes are found widely among Gram-negative bacteria. As an essential enzyme for which no inhibitors have yet been reported, the P. aeruginosa LpxC represents a highly attractive target for a novel antibacterial drug. We synthesized several focused small-molecule libraries, each composed of a variable aromatic ring, one of four heterocyclic/spacer moieties, and a hydroxamic acid and evaluated the LpxC inhibition of these compounds against purified P. aeruginosa enzyme. To ensure that the in vitro assay would be as physiologically relevant as possible, we synthesized a tritiated form of the specific P. aeruginosa glycolipid substrate and measured directly the enzymatically released acetate. Several of our novel compounds, predominantly those having fluorinated substituents on the aromatic ring and an oxazoline as the heterocyclic moiety, demonstrated in vitro IC(50) values less than 1 microM. We now report the synthesis and in vitro evaluation of these P. aeruginosa LpxC inhibitors.

Synthesis of thiazolines linked to a difluoromethylphosphonate diester via dithioester chemistry

[reaction: see text] A two-step, high-yielding synthesis of delta(2)-thiazolines containing a difluoromethylphosphonate diester moiety has been devised using a building block approach. Racemic or chiral beta-amino alcohols and diols were coupled with methyl difluoro(diethoxyphosphono)dithioacetate to give predominantly the corresponding beta-hydroxythioamides, which were then cyclized to provide a series of novel substituted delta(2)-thiazolines.

An enantioselective ketene-imine cycloaddition method for synthesis of substituted ring-fused 2-pyridinones

Previously, a method for the stereoselective synthesis of beta-lactams, starting from 2H-Delta(2)-thiazolines and Meldrum's acid derivatives, has been reported from our laboratory. We now report a new method for the synthesis of optically active, highly substituted ring-fused 2-pyridinones. This was discovered when 2-alkyl-Delta(2)-thiazolines and Meldrum's acid derivatives were treated with HCl(g) in benzene at 5 --> 78 degrees C. Further refinement of the synthetic protocol revealed that use of 1,2-dichloroethane as solvent at 0 --> 64 degrees C led to the desired 2-pyridinones in good yields and with excellent enantioselectivity. Use of these conditions allowed preparation of 2-pyridinones from several different Delta(2)-thiazolines and Meldrum's acid derivatives and may be a general route to 2-pyridinones.