Access to 12-Membered Cyclic ortho,meta-Diarylheptanoids: Total Synthesis of Actinidione via Isomyricanone.

We describe herein the first access to 12-membered cyclic[7,0]ortho,meta-diarylheptanoids. The key features of the synthesis include both a Suzuki-Miyaura coupling and a ring closing metathesis. Actinidione, a promising natural product, along with a bioactive tetracyclic derivative were obtained in 14 steps for the first time from cheap commercially available substrates with an overall yield of 18-21%. Our modus operandi complies with the principles of the synthesis ideality by using notably strategic reactions.

Towards Atropoenantiopure N-C Axially Chiral Compounds via Stereoselective C-N Bond Formation.

N-C axial chirality, although disregarded for decades, is an interesting type of chirality with appealing applications in medicinal chemistry and agrochemistry. However, atroposelective synthesis of optically pure compounds is extremely challenging and only a limited number of synthetic routes have been designed. In particular, asymmetric N-arylation reactions allowing atroposelective N-C bond forming events remain scarce, although great advances have been achieved recently. In this minireview we summarize the synthetic approaches towards synthesis of N-C axially chiral compounds via stereocontrolled N-C bond forming events. Both organo-catalyzed and metal-catalyzed transformations are described, thus illustrating the diversity and specificity of both strategies.

New synthesized polyoxygenated diarylheptanoids suppress lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammation.

In neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis, neuroinflammation induced by the microglial activation plays a crucial role. In effort to develop effective anti-neuroinflammatory compounds, different new linear polyoxygenated diarylheptanoids were synthesized. In LPS-triggered BV-2 microglial cells their ability to reduce the concentration of IL-6 and TNF-α pro-inflammatory cytokines was evaluated. Moreover, their effect on NF-κB and ATP citrate lyase (ACLY), a recently emerged target of metabolic reprogramming in inflammation, was assessed. Finally, we turned our attention to inflammatory mediators derived from the cleavage of citrate catalyzed by ACLY: prostaglandin E2, nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species. All compounds showed null or minimal cytotoxicity; most of them had a great anti-neuroinflammatory activity. Diarylheptanoids 6b and 6c, bearing a halide atom and benzyl ether protective groups, exhibited the best effect since they blocked the secretion of all inflammatory mediators analyzed and reduced NF-κB and ACLY protein levels.

The Affinity of Some Lewis Bases for Hexafluoroisopropanol as a Reference Lewis Acid: An ITC/DFT Study.

To figure out the possible role of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropan-2-ol (HFIP) as well as to provide reference thermochemical data in solution, the formation of Lewis acid-base complexes between HFIP (Lewis acid) and a series of 8 different Lewis bases (3 sulfoxides, 3 Nsp2 pyridine derivatives, 1 aromatic amine, 1 cyclic aliphatic ether) was examined by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments and static density functional theory augmented with Dispersion (DFT-D) calculations. Measured ITC association enthalpy values (ΔHa ) lie between -9.3 and -14 kcal mol-1 . Computations including a PCM implicit solvation model produced similar exothermicity of association of all studied systems compared to the ITC data with ΔHa values ranging from -8.5 to -12.7 kcal mol-1 . An additional set of calculations combining implicit and explicit solvation by chlorobenzene of the reactants, pointed out the relatively low interference of the solvent with the HFIP-base complexation: its main effect is to slightly enhance the Gibbs energy of the HFIP-Lewis base association. It is speculated that the interactions of bulk HFIP with Lewis bases therefore may significantly intervene in catalytic processes not only via the dynamic microstructuring of the medium but also more explicitly by affecting bonds' polarization at the Lewis bases.

Enantioselective Synthesis of N-C Axially Chiral Compounds by Cu-Catalyzed Atroposelective Aryl Amination.

N-C axially chiral compounds have emerged recently as appealing motifs for drug design. However, the enantioselective synthesis of such molecules is still poorly developed and surprisingly no metal-catalyzed atroposelective N-arylations have been described. Herein, we disclose an unprecedented Cu-catalyzed atroposelective N-C coupling that proceeds at room temperature. Such mild reaction conditions, which are a crucial parameter for atropostability of the newly generated products, are operative thanks to the use of hypervalent iodine reagents as a highly reactive coupling partners. A large panel of the N-C axially chiral compounds was afforded with very high enantioselectivity (up to >99 % ee) and good yields (up to 76 %). Post-modifications of thus accessed atropisomeric compounds allows further expansion of the diversity of these appealing compounds.

Access to the Enantiopure Axially Chiral Cyclophane Isoplagiochin†D through Atropo-diastereoselective Heck Coupling.

Macrocyclization is typically the key step in the syntheses of cyclophane-type natural products. Considering cyclophanes with axially chiral biaryl moieties, the control of atroposelectivity is essential with biological activity and is synthetically challenging. We report an atroposelective approach involving Heck cyclization, which for the first time enables the total synthesis of an enantiopure macrocyclic bis(bibenzyl), namely isoplagiochin D. An enantiopure sulfinyl auxiliary in the ortho position of a biaryl axis (still flexible) was used to induce an atropo-diastereoselective Heck coupling (up to 98 % de). The traceless character of the sulfinyl auxiliary enables the introduction of a hydroxy group to give the target molecule with 98 % ee as well.

Two Stereoinduction Events in One C-H Activation Step: A Route towards Terphenyl Ligands with Two Atropisomeric Axes.

Herein we disclose the synthesis of original chiral scaffolds-ortho-orientated terphenyls presenting two atropisomeric Ar-Ar axes. These unusual structures were built up by using the C-H activation approach, and remarkably, both chiral axes were controlled with excellent stereoselectivity in a single transformation. During the reaction, not only does atroposelective functionalization of a biaryl precursor occur to establish one stereogenic axis, but an unprecedented atropo-stereoselective C-H arylation also takes place to generate the second stereogenic element. These enantiomerically pure ortho-terphenyls show an original tridimensional structure and thus constitute a unique foundation for building up a library of enantiomerically pure bidentate ligands, such as the new ligands S/N-Biax and diphosphine BiaxPhos.

Increased Potency and Selectivity for Group III Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Agonists Binding at Dual sites.

A group III metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptor agonist (PCEP) was identified by virtual HTS. This orthosteric ligand is composed by an l-AP4-derived fragment that mimics glutamate and a chain that binds into a neighboring pocket, offering possibilities to improve affinity and selectivity. Herein we describe a series of derivatives where the distal chain is replaced by an aromatic or heteroaromatic group. Potent agonists were identified, including some with a mGlu4 subtype preference, e.g., 17m (LSP1-2111) and 16g (LSP4-2022). Molecular modeling suggests that aromatic functional groups may bind at either one of the two chloride regulatory sites. These agonists may thus be considered as particular bitopic/dualsteric ligands. 17m was shown to reduce GABAergic synaptic transmission at striatopallidal synapses. We now demonstrate its inhibitory effect at glutamatergic parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapses in the cerebellar cortex. Although these ligands have physicochemical properties that are markedly different from typical CNS drugs, they hold significant therapeutic potential.

Stereoselective Sulfinyl Aniline-Promoted Pd-Catalyzed C-H Arylation and Acetoxylation of Aliphatic Amides.

Stereoselective functionalization of aliphatic C-H bonds presents a great challenge. Following this target, we disclose herein an original strategy towards direct arylation of aliphatic chains at ß-methylene position based on a use of amide-sulfoxide bicoordinating directing group. Although moderate to high chiral induction (up to 9:1 d.r.) is achieved, diastereomerically pure compounds may be afforded by simple separation of diastereomeric products by silica gel chromatography. Accordingly, this reaction allows preparation of a large scope of high-value scaffolds in synthetically useful yields while recyclable character of our chiral auxiliary brings an additional benefit. A potential of this methodology to build up original molecules by sequential diarylation and expedient (two step) synthesis of a biologically active compound are further disclosed. Finally a first example of stereoselective direct acetoxylation of aliphatic chains is reported.

Enantiopure Sulfinyl Aniline as a Removable and Recyclable Chiral Auxiliary for Asymmetric C(sp3 )-H Bond Activation.

An original and recyclable chiral bidentate aniline-sulfoxide-based directing group has been developed. This auxiliary allows challenging stereoselective Pd-catalyzed direct functionalization of small cycloalkanes through C-aryl and C-alkyl bond formation. Although moderate diastereoselectivities are observed, both optically pure enantiomers of the highly functionalized products can be obtained separately by simple silica gel chromatography and cleavage of the chiral auxiliary. This strategy was further applied to the preparation of enantiomerically pure 1,2,3-trisubstituted cyclopropane carboxylic acid derivatives, with three stereogenic centers and bearing both alkyl and aromatic substituents. These molecular scaffolds are not yet reported in the literature. The synthetic utility of this approach is validated by the chiral auxiliary being readily cleaved and recovered posteriori to the C-H activation step, without deterioration of its optical purity. Finally, an unprecedented palladacycle intermediate generated through C-H activation of the cyclopropane moiety has been isolated and fully characterized. Initial DFT calculations shed additional light on the reactivity of this original intermediate.

1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexafluoroisopropanol as a Remarkable Medium for Atroposelective Sulfoxide-Directed Fujiwara-Moritani Reaction with Acrylates and Styrenes.

Axially chiral biaryls are ubiquitous structural motifs of biologically active molecules and privileged ligands for asymmetric catalysis. Their properties are due to their configurationally stable axis, and therefore, the control of their absolute configuration is essential. Efficient access to atropo-enantioenriched biaryl moieties through asymmetric direct C-H activation, by using enantiopure sulfoxide as both the directing group (DG) and chiral auxiliary, is reported. The stereoselective oxidative Heck reactions are performed in high yields and with excellent atropo-stereoselectivities. The pivotal role of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropanol (HFIP) solvent, which enables a drastic increase in yield and stereoselectivity of this transformation, is evidenced and investigated. Finally, the synthetic usefulness of the herein disclosed transformation is showcased because the traceless character of the sulfoxide DG allows straightforward conversions of the newly accessed, atropopure sulfoxide-biaryls into several differently substituted axially chiral scaffolds.

Determination of the absolute configuration of phosphinic analogues of glutamate.

A series of phosphinic glutamate derivatives (e.g.LSP1-2111) have been proven to be potent agonists of metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors and shown promising in vivo activity. However, so far all were synthesized and tested as a mixture of two diastereomers whose absolute and relative configurations are not known. In this study, the stereomers were separated on a Crownpack CR(+) column and their absolute configuration was assessed by means of a diastereoselective synthesis. Both separated L-stereomers activated the mGlu4 receptor with EC50's of 0.72 and 4.4 µM for (1S,1'S)-and (1S,1'R)-LSP1-2111, respectively.

Synthesis of axially chiral biaryls through sulfoxide-directed asymmetric mild C-H activation and dynamic kinetic resolution.

A mild and robust direct C-H functionalization strategy has been applied to the synthesis of axially chiral biaryls. Such an efficient and stereoselective transformation occurs through an original dynamic kinetic resolution pathway enabling the conversion of diastereomeric mixtures of non-prefunctionalized substrates into atropisomerically pure, highly substituted biaryl scaffolds. The main feature of this transformation is the use of an enantiopure sulfoxide as both chiral auxiliary and traceless directing group. The potential of newly synthesized biaryls as valuable building blocks is further illustrated.

Isolation, structural determination and synthetic approaches toward amphidinol 3.

This review highlights the isolation and the structural determination of amphidinol 3 (AM3), as well as the synthetic efforts to its preparation. The mechanism of action of AM3 will not be developed herein.

Diastereoselective synthesis of the C14­C29 fragment of amphidinol.

An efficient stereoselective synthesis of the C14­C29 fragment highlighting a coupling reaction between a 1,3-dithiane derivative and an α-branched aldehyde was realized. This highly convergent synthesis involved two chiral pools, L-malic acid and (+)-camphorsulfonic acid, which are the starting compounds to control the six stereogenic centers present in the C14­C29 fragment of amphidinol 3.

Asymmetric C(sp(2) )-H activation.

A "niche" topic in the past decade, the asymmetric C-H bond activation has been attracting growing interest over the last few years. Particularly significant advances have been achieved in the field of direct, stereoselective transformations of C(sp(2) )-H bonds. This Concept article intends to showcase different types of asymmetric C(sp(2) )-H bond activation reactions, emphasising both the nature of the stereo-discriminating step and the variability of valuable scaffolds that could be rapidly constructed by means of such strategies.

Palladium-catalyzed intramolecular direct arylation of 2-bromo-diaryl sulfoxides via C-H bond activation.

Efficient access to dibenzothiophene-S-oxides from differently substituted 2-bromo-diarylsulfinyl moieties using ligandless Pd(OAc)2 as the catalyst and KOAc as the base in dimethylacetamide at 130 °C is reported. Various dibenzothiophene-S-oxides were obtained in excellent yields.

Recent advances in the diastereoselective Reformatsky-type reaction.

The classical Reformatsky reaction introduced for the first time in 1887 has been recognized as one among the most useful methods for C-C bond formation. Diastereoselective versions based on the use of chiral auxiliaries as well as enantioselective protocols using chiral ligands have been successfully developed during the last few years. This tutorial review highlights the main recent achievements (since 2004) in the diastereoselective Reformatsky reaction; diastereochemical control has been efficiently achieved using a large variety of chiral auxiliaries to perform the synthesis of specific cyclic and acyclic chiral moieties. The diastereoselective Reformatsky reactions employed in the total synthesis of natural products are also described.

Diastereoselective synthesis of the C17-C30 fragment of amphidinol 3.

The diastereoselective synthesis of the C17-C30 fragment of amphidinol 3 (AM3) 1 was achieved from the enantio-enriched aldehyde 20, Weinreb amide 14 and 2-bromo-3-(trimethylsilyl)propene, which was used as a bifunctional conjunctive reagent. The absolute configuration of the stereogenic centers, in both aldehyde 20 and Weinreb amide 14, were efficiently controlled by using (+)-(R)-methyl-p-tolylsulfoxide as the unique source of chirality.