Discovery of a Series of Pyrazinone RORγ Antagonists and Identification of the Clinical Candidate BI 730357.

The interleukin (IL)-23/T helper (Th)17 axis plays a critical role in autoimmune diseases, and there is an increasing number of biologic therapies that target IL-23 and IL-17. The transcription factor retinoic acid receptor-related orphan nuclear receptor γt (RORγt) is important for the activation and differentiation of Th17 cells and thus is an attractive pharmacologic target for the treatment of Th17-mediated diseases. A novel series of pyrazinone RORγ antagonists was discovered through hybridization of two distinct screening hits and scaffold hopping. The series offers attractive potency and selectivity in combination with favorable druglike properties, such as metabolic stability and aqueous solubility. Lead optimization identified a clinical candidate, compound (S)-11 (BI 730357), for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Phosphine Oxides from a Medicinal Chemist's Perspective: Physicochemical and in Vitro Parameters Relevant for Drug Discovery.

Phosphine oxides and related phosphorus-containing functional groups such as phosphonates and phosphinates are established structural motifs that are still underrepresented in today's drug discovery projects, and only few examples can be found among approved drugs. In this account, the physicochemical and in vitro properties of phosphine oxides and related phosphorus-containing functional groups are reported and compared to more commonly used structural motifs in drug discovery. Furthermore, the impact on the physicochemical properties of a real drug scaffold is exemplified by a series of phosphorus-containing analogs of imatinib. We demonstrate that phosphine oxides are highly polar functional groups leading to high solubility and metabolic stability but occasionally at the cost of reduced permeability. We conclude that phosphine oxides and related phosphorus-containing functional groups are valuable polar structural elements and that they deserve to be considered as a routine part of every medicinal chemist's toolbox.

Establishing MALDI-TOF as Versatile Drug Discovery Readout to Dissect the PTP1B Enzymatic Reaction.

Label-free, mass spectrometric (MS) detection is an emerging technology in the field of drug discovery. Unbiased deciphering of enzymatic reactions is a proficient advantage over conventional label-based readouts suffering from compound interference and intricate generation of tailored signal mediators. Significant evolvements of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) MS, as well as associated liquid handling instrumentation, triggered extensive efforts in the drug discovery community to integrate the comprehensive MS readout into the high-throughput screening (HTS) portfolio. Providing speed, sensitivity, and accuracy comparable to those of conventional, label-based readouts, combined with merits of MS-based technologies, such as label-free parallelized measurement of multiple physiological components, emphasizes the advantages of MALDI-TOF for HTS approaches. Here we describe the assay development for the identification of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitors. In the context of this precious drug target, MALDI-TOF was integrated into the HTS environment and cross-compared with the well-established AlphaScreen technology. We demonstrate robust and accurate IC50 determination with high accordance to data generated by AlphaScreen. Additionally, a tailored MALDI-TOF assay was developed to monitor compound-dependent, irreversible modification of the active cysteine of PTP1B. Overall, the presented data proves the promising perspective for the integration of MALDI-TOF into drug discovery campaigns.

Asymmetric cross-dehydrogenative coupling enabled by the design and application of chiral triazole-containing phosphoric acids.

This report describes the development of an enantioselective C-N bond-forming reaction to produce 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-derived cyclic aminals catalyzed by chiral phosphate anions. Central to the success of this goal was the design of a library of 3,3'-triazolyl BINOL-derived phosphoric acids capable of forming attractive hydrogen-bonding interactions with the peptide-like substrate. We envision this work will offer an alternative to the conventional strategy of increasing catalyst steric bulk to improve enantioselectivity with BINOL-derived phosphoric acids.

On the regioselectivity of the intramolecular [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition of alk-3-enyl tetronates.

The simple diastereoselectivity and the regioselectivity of the [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition of alk-3-enyl tetronates were studied, depending on the nature of the substituent R in the α-position. Fourteen tetronates were synthesized and their intramolecular photocycloaddition reactions performed. If R was an alkoxycarbonyl group and if the olefin, which underwent the intramolecular addition, was sterically congested, crossed photoproducts prevailed and were formed in yields between 35 and 65%. In all other cases, the straight photoproducts were obtained as the main reaction products in yields ranging from 39 to 84%. The structures of the photochemical products were thoroughly investigated by one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments. In all cases, the diastereoselectivitiy was excellent and only a single diastereoisomer was formed. A mechanistic model is proposed, which explains the regioselectivity of the [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition reaction.

A photocycloaddition/fragmentation approach toward the 3,12-dioxatricyclo[8.2.1.0(6,13)]tridecane skeleton of terpenoid natural products.

Starting from tetronate 1 (R = CH(2)OH), a short photochemical access to the 3,12-dioxatricyclo[8.2.1.0(6,13)]tridecane-skeleton 2 of briarellin and asbestinin diterpenes has been explored. In the course of these studies, a number of surprising observations were made. For example, a two-step reaction pathway to the bicyclic ketolactone 3 was discovered, which is based on tetronate 1 (R = COOMe).

Photochemical reactions as key steps in natural product synthesis.

Photochemical reactions contribute in a significant way to the existing repertoire of carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions by allowing access to exceptional molecular structures that cannot be obtained by conventional means. In this Review, the most important photochemical transformations that have been employed in natural product synthesis are presented. Selected total syntheses are discussed as examples, with particular attention given to the photochemical key step and its stereoselectivity. The structural relationship between the photochemically generated molecule and the natural product is shown, and, where necessary, the consecutive reactions in the synthesis are illustrated and classified.

Reactions of Sn(NMe2)2 with MPHCy: the effects of alkali metal phosphide coupling (Cy=cyclohexyl; M=Li, Na, K, Rb).

The reactions of the SnII base Sn(NMe2)2 with CyPHM (Cy=cyclohexyl) produce a range of products, depending primarily on the alkali metal (M) involved. The 1:3 stoichiometric reaction of Sn(NMe2)2 with CyPHNa in the presence of the Lewis base donor PMDETA (PMDETA=(Me2NCH2CH2)2NMe) gives [(NaPMDETA)2{Sn(mu-PCy)}3] (3), containing the electron-deficient [{Sn(mu-PCy)}3]2- dianion. Natural bond order (NBO) and electron localisation function (ELF) calculations show that this species is described most appropriately by a two-electron, three-centre Sn3 bonding model. Evidence that 3 results from phosphide coupling is provided by the 1:1 reaction of Sn(NMe2)2 with CyPHNa in the presence of PMDETA, which gives 3 and trace amounts of (NaPMDETA)2[{Sn(mu-PCy)}2(mu-PCyPCy)] (4) (containing one PCyPCy2- dianion). Greater extents of phosphide coupling are observed as the size of the Group 1 metal is increased. Thus, the 1:3 reaction of Sn(NMe2)2 with CyPHK in THF gives the co-crystalline product {(K2 THF)2[{Sn(mu-PCyPCy)}2(mu-PCy)]}0.9{(K2 THF)2[{Sn(mu-PCy)}2(mu-PCyPCy)]}0.1 (5) (containing [{Sn(mu-PCyPCy)}2(mu-PCy)]2- and [{Sn(mu-PCy)}2(mu-PCyPCy)]2- dianions), whereas the analogous reaction of Sn(NMe2)2 with RbPHCy gives [RbPMDETA{(CyP)3SnP(H)Cy}] (6) (containing a cyclic {(CyP)3Sn} unit).

Structural, solid-state NMR and theoretical studies of the inverse-coordination of lithium chloride using group 13 phosphide hosts.

The reaction of MeAlCl2 with 'PhPLi2' in THF gives [{MeAl(PPh)3Li(4).3 THF}4(mu4-Cl)]-Li+ (1). The GaIII and InIII analogues, [{MeE(PPh)3Li(4).3 THF}4(mu4-Cl)]-Li+(THF)3 (E=Ga (2), In (3)), are obtained by the in situ reactions of MeECl2 with PhPLi2 in THF. For all of the complexes, the cage anions have an unusual cubic arrangement that is similar to a zeolite, and contain large voids (ca. 17 A). The location of the Li+ counterions in 1-3 and their coordination environment appears to subtly reflect variations in packing and lattice energy. Whereas in 1 highly mobile, loosely coordinated Li+ counterions are present, 2 and 3 contain less mobile THF-solvated counterions within the cavities. X-ray crystallographic and solid-state NMR studies are reported on 1-3, together with model DFT calculations on the selectivity of halide coordination.