Activation of the dienophilicity of indoles in normal electron demand [4 + 2] cycloadditions under high pressure

[reaction: see Text] Activation by either high pressure or a combination of Lewis acid catalysis and high pressure allows indole derivatives to behave as dienophiles in [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions under mild conditions. The biactivation mode has the highest impact on the stereoselectivity of the reaction. The cycloadducts resulting from these reactions are characterized by boat-shape conformations that bear well-defined orthogonal planes.

Sulfanyl- and selanyldifluoromethylphosphonates as a source of phosphonodifluoromethyl radicals and their addition onto alkenes

[figure: see text] Two different strategies are shown to produce sulfanyl and selanyldifluoromethylphosphonates. Thus, treatment of sulfanyldichloromethylphosphonates by 3HF.NEt3 in the presence of zinc bromide produces the corresponding sulfanyldifluoromethylphosphonates. In addition, lithiation of difluoromethylphosphonates followed by quenching with phenylsulfanyl chloride, phenylselanyl chloride, or diphenyl diselenide yields the corresponding sulfanyl- and selanyldifluorophosphonates. Generation of phosphonodifluoromethyl radicals from such precursors in the presence of alkenes produces the expected adducts.

Inhibition of myo-inositol monophosphatase isoforms by aromatic phosphonates

alpha-Hydroxyphosphonates are moderately potent (Ki = 6-600 microM) inhibitors of the enzyme myo-inositol monophosphatase (McLeod et al., Med. Chem. Res. 1992, 2, 96). Hydroxy-[4-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphtyl-1-oxy)phenyl]methyl phosphonate (3) was resynthesized and its inhibitory potency towards the recombinant bovine brain enzyme confirmed (Ki = 20 microM). Similar aromatic difluoro-, keto-, and ketodifluorophosphonates (5, 7, 9) were inactive. Compound 3 was 15-fold less active on the human as compared to the bovine enzyme. Molecular modeling suggested that the hydrophobic part of the inhibitor interacts with amino acid side chains that are located at the interface between the enzyme subunits in an area (amino acids 175-185) with low similarity between the two isozymes. Phe-183 in the human enzyme was replaced with leucine, the corresponding residue in the bovine isoform. The three isozymes (human wild-type, bovine wild-type and human F183L) had similar kinetic properties, except that the bovine enzyme was less effectively inhibited by high concentrations of the activator Mg2+. The F183L mutant enzyme had a twofold increased affinity for compound 3 as compared to the human wild-type form. We conclude that residue 183 contributes to the binding of aromatic hydroxyphosphonates to IMPase, but it is not the only determining factor for inhibitor specificity with respect to different isozymes.

Monoaryl- and bisaryldihydroxytropolones as potent inhibitors of inositol monophosphatase

The first successful preparation of mono- and disubstituted 3,7-dihydroxytropolone involves a four-step synthetic scheme. Thus, bromination of 3,7-dihydroxytropolone (8) followed by permethylation of the resultant products furnished gram quantities of intermediates 13-18. Single or double Suzuki coupling reactions between these permethylated monobromo- and dibromodihydroxytropolone derivatives and a variety of boronic acids delivered the expected products whose deprotection yielded the desired compounds 1a-u and 26a-n, usually in fair to good yields. Tropolones 1 and 26 were found to be potent inhibitors of inositol monophosphatase with IC50 values in the low-micromolar range. The results are discussed in the context of the recently described novel mode of inhibition of the enzyme by 3,7-dihydroxytropolones.