A New Small-Molecule Compound, Q308, Silences Latent HIV-1 Provirus by Suppressing Tat- and FACT-Mediated Transcription.

Eliminating the latent HIV reservoir remains a difficult problem for creating an HIV functional cure or achieving remission. The "block-and-lock" strategy aims to steadily suppress transcription of the viral reservoir and lock the HIV promoter in deep latency using latency-promoting agents (LPAs). However, to date, most of the investigated LPA candidates are not available for clinical trials, and some of them exhibit immune-related adverse reactions. The discovery and development of new, active, and safe LPA candidates for an HIV cure are necessary to eliminate residual HIV-1 viremia through the block-and-lock strategy. In this study, we demonstrated that a new small-molecule compound, Q308, silenced the HIV-1 provirus by inhibiting Tat-mediated gene transcription and selectively downregulating the expression levels of the facilitated chromatin transcription (FACT) complex. Strikingly, Q308 induced the preferential apoptosis in HIV-1 latently infected cells, indicating that Q308 may reduce the size of the viral reservoir and thus further prevent viral rebound. These findings highlight that Q308 is a novel and safe anti-HIV-1 inhibitor candidate for a functional cure.

The BET bromodomain inhibitor apabetalone induces apoptosis of latent HIV-1 reservoir cells following viral reactivation.

The persistence of latent HIV-1 reservoirs throughout combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is a major barrier on the path to achieving a cure for AIDS. It has been shown that bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) inhibitors could reactivate HIV-1 latency, but restrained from clinical application due to their toxicity and side effects. Thus, identifying a new type of BET inhibitor with high degrees of selectivity and safety is urgently needed. Apabetalone is a small-molecule selective BET inhibitor specific for second bromodomains, and has been evaluated in phase III clinical trials that enrolled patients with high-risk cardiovascular disorders, dyslipidemia, and low HDL cholesterol. In the current study, we examined the impact of apabetalone on HIV-1 latency. We showed that apabetalone (10-50 µmol/L) dose-dependently reactivated latent HIV-1 in 4 types of HIV-1 latency cells in vitro and in primary human CD4+ T cells ex vivo. In ACH2 cells, we further demonstrated that apabetalone activated latent HIV-1 through Tat-dependent P-TEFB pathway, i.e., dissociating bromodomain 4 (BDR4) from the HIV-1 promoter and recruiting Tat for stimulating HIV-1 elongation. Furthermore, we showed that apabetalone (10-30 µmol/L) caused dose-dependent cell cycle arrest at the G1/G0 phase in ACH2 cells, and thereby induced the preferential apoptosis of HIV-1 latent cells to promote the death of reactivated reservoir cells. Notably, cardiovascular diseases and low HDL cholesterol are known as the major side effects of cART, which should be prevented by apabetalone. In conclusion, apabetalone should be an ideal bifunctional latency-reversing agent for advancing HIV-1 eradication and reducing the side effects of BET inhibitors.

Catalytic Site-Selective Acylation of Carbohydrates Directed by Cation-n Interaction.

Site-selective functionalization of hydroxyl groups in carbohydrates is one of the long-standing challenges in chemistry. Using a pair of chiral catalysts, we now can differentiate the most prevalent trans-1,2-diols in pyranoses systematically and predictably. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the key determining factor for the selectivity is the presence or absence of a cation-n interaction between the cation in the acylated catalyst and an appropriate lone pair in the substrate. DFT calculations also provided a predictive model for site-selectivity and this model is validated by various substrates.

Rhodium(I)-Catalyzed Benzannulation of Heteroaryl Propargylic Esters: Synthesis of Indoles and Related Heterocycles.

A de novo synthesis of a benzene ring allows for the preparation of a diverse range of heterocycles including indoles, benzofurans, benzothiophenes, carbazoles, and dibenzofurans from simple heteroaryl propargylic esters using a unified carbonylative benzannulation strategy. Multiple substituents can be easily introduced to the C4-C7 positions of indoles and related heterocycles.

Synthesis of Carbazoles and Carbazole-Containing Heterocycles via Rhodium-Catalyzed Tandem Carbonylative Benzannulations.

Polycyclic aromatic compounds are important constituents of pharmaceuticals and other materials. We have developed a series of Rh-catalyzed tandem carbonylative benzannulations for the synthesis of tri-, tetra-, and pentacyclic heterocycles from different types of aryl propargylic alcohols. These tandem reactions provide efficient access to highly substituted carbazoles, furocarbazoles, pyrrolocarbazoles, thiophenocarbazoles, and indolocarbazoles. While tricyclic heterocycles could be derived from vinyl aryl propargylic alcohols, tetra- and pentacyclic heterocycles were synthesized from diaryl propargylic alcohols. The tandem carbonylative benzannulation is initiated by a π-acidic rhodium(I) catalyst-mediated nucleophilic addition to alkyne to generate a key metal-carbene intermediate, which is then trapped by carbon monoxide to form a ketene species for 6π electrocyclization. Overall, three bonds and two rings are formed in all of these tandem carbonylative benzannulation reactions.

Synthesis of Substituted Tropones by Sequential Rh-Catalyzed [5+2] Cycloaddition and Elimination.

Highly substituted tropones are prepared from cycloheptatrienes derived from Rh-catalyzed intermolecular [5+2] cycloaddition of 3-acyloxy-1,4-enynes and propargylic alcohols. The intermolecular [5+2] cycloaddition is highly regioselective for a variety of propargylic alcohols. Elimination of the cycloaddition products afforded various substituted tropones.

Synthesis and potent inhibitory activities of carboxybenzyl-substituted 8-(3-(R)-aminopiperidin-1-yl)-7-(2-chloro/cyanobenzyl)-3-methyl-3,7-dihydro-purine-2,6-diones as dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors.

Fourteen 3-methyl-3,7-dihydro-purine-2,6-dione derivatives 1-14 bearing carboxybenzyl and 2-chloro/cyanobenzyl groups at the N-1 and N-7 positions, respectively, were synthesized as dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors. These compounds were characterized on the basis of NMR ((1)H and (13)C) and ESI MS data. In vitro bioassay indicates that most of these compounds showed moderate to good inhibitory activities against DPP-IV. Among them, compound 13 (IC50=36 nM) exhibited comparable activity with a positive control, Sitagliptin (IC50=16 nM). In addition, the structure-activity relationship of these compounds is also briefly discussed.

Synthesis and blocking activities of isoindolinone- and isobenzofuranone-containing phenoxylalkylamines as potent α(1)-adrenoceptor antagonists.

This paper describes the synthesis and blocking activities of twelve new isoindolinone- and isobenzofuranone-containing phenoxylalkylamines as potent α(1)-Adrenoceptor antagonists. These compounds were synthesized in moderate to good yields starting from 3,4-dimethylphenol, and characterized with (1)H-NMR, MS, IR and elemental analysis. Their blocking activities toward α(1)-Adrenoceptors were evaluated on isolated rat anococcygeus muscles. The results indicated that these compounds were very strong in blocking α(1)-Adrenoceptors, and most of them exhibited activities that were comparable to that of known potent α(1)-Adrenoceptor antagonist 1-(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenylethylamino)propane hydrochloride (DDPH).

Drug metabolism-based design, synthesis, and bioactivities of 1-(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenylethylamino)propane hydrochloride (DDPH) analogs as α1-adrenoceptors antagonists.

1-(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenylethylamino)propane hydrochloride (DDPH) is a potent α1-adrenoceptor antagonist that is currently under Phase II clinic trials. However, the fast metabolism has restricted its further use. In this paper, 11 DDPH analogs were designed according to the probable metabolism pathways of DDPH, and featured the structures of halogen, methyl, and cyano groups at the 3-, or 4-position of aromatic ring A to block the hydroxylation, and one hydroxyl group at the 3-, or 4-position of aromatic ring B to extend the duration time. These compounds were synthesized in moderate to good yields from the reductive amination of substituted phenoxyacetones with substituted phenylethylamines, and fully characterized with ¹H NMR, IR, and HRMS. Biological evaluation indicated that most of the compounds exhibited strong blocking and moderate to good antihypertensive activities. It is clear that the compounds having 4-OH/3-OMe on group B exhibited higher blocking activities and longer duration time than their corresponding analogs having 4-OMe/3-OMe (and also 3-OH/4-OMe). Among them, compound 13 having bromo group at the 4-position of ring A and 4-OH/3-OMe on group B, exhibited the highest blocking activity, whereas compound 17 that had a methyl group at the 4-position of ring A and a hydroxyl group at the 4-position of ring B, was more active than potent DDPH in terms of both blocking and antihypertensive activities. In addition, the possible correlations between the blocking and antihypertensive activities are also briefly discussed.

Synthesis and blocking activities of a new class of α1-adrenoceptor antagonists.

Finding effective chemotherapeutic agents for clinical use is a long-lasting goal in medicinal chemistry. In this study, we report a new class of α1-adrenoceptor (α1-AR) antagonists. Specifically, we describe the synthesis and the blocking activities toward α1-AR of 7-(2-hydroxypropoxy)-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-1(2H)-one 1 and its structurally perturbed analogs 2-11 that were designed according to the principle of bioisosterism. Their structures were identified with IR, (1) H NMR, MS, HRMS and elemental analysis. The blocking activities of compounds 1-11 were evaluated on isolated rat anococcygeus muscles. The results indicated that these compounds showed moderate to good activities. Among them, compound 1 exhibited the highest activity that was comparable to those of known α1-AR antagonists tamsulosin and DDPH (1-(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)-2-(3,4-di- methoxyphenylethylamino)propane hydrochloride) and thus may be exploitable as a lead compound for the discovery of promising α1-AR antagonists.

2-(5-Bromo-pent-yl)-4-chloro-5-[2-(4-meth-oxy-phen-yl)ethyl-amino]-pyridazin-3(2H)-one.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(18)H(23)BrClN(3)O(2), consists of two mol-ecules which exhibit different conformations of the pentyl chains [C-C-C-C torsion angles of -60.4 (4) and 175.8 (3)°]. The crysal packing exhibits a chain structure, generated through the O atom of the pyridazinone forming a hydrogen bond with the N-H group of an adjacent mol-ecule.

4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxy-phenethyl-amino)prop-oxy]-2-methoxy-benzamide.

The title compound, C(21)H(28)N(2)O(5), has two intra-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Inter-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds [graph-set motif R(2) (2)(8)] give rise to a dimer. Weak N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds between neighboring dimers further extend the crystal structure, which exhibits an infinite chain motif.