Synthesis and antibacterial activity of 2-benzylidene-3-oxobutanamide derivatives against resistant pathogens.

Antibiotic resistance evolves naturally through random mutation. Resistance to antimicrobials is an urgent public health crisis that requires coordinated global action. The ESKAPE bacteria (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) are primarily responsible for the rise in resistant pathogens. There is an immediate requirement to identify a novel molecular scaffold with potent anti-microbial properties. We developed an efficient one-step synthesis of 2-benzylidene-3-oxobutanamide and its derivatives, which allowed the introduction of an α,ß-unsaturated ketone moiety in the quest to identify a new molecular scaffold. Seven compounds exhibited very good antibacterial activity in vitro against WHO priority drug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA) and Acinetobacter baumannii-Multi drug resistant (MDR-AB). In cultured human embryonic kidney cells and hemolysis assays, the potent compounds displayed minimal toxicity. These findings suggest that these small molecules with excellent diversity have the potential to combat antibacterial resistance.

Diastereoselective Construction of Tetrahydro-Dispiro[indolinone-3,2'-pyran-5',4″-pyrazolone] Scaffolds via an Oxa-Michael Cascade [4 + 2] Annulation Reaction.

A straightforward metal-free oxa-Michael cascade [4 + 2] annulation reaction was established between isatin-derived Morita-Baylis-Hillman (Is-MBH) alcohols with alkylidene pyrazolones to access structural diverse tetrahydro-dispiro[indolinone-3,2'-pyran-5',4″-pyrazolone] scaffolds bearing two tertiary and two quaternary stereocenters. The Is-MBH alcohol was utilized as an oxa-Michael donor for the first time as a new approach in highly atom-economical transformations. This method offered a wide range of bioinspired novel tetrahydro-dispirooxindole-pyran-pyrazolone derivatives in excellent yields (up to 96%) and diastereoselectivities (up to >20:1) in a shorter reaction time (15 min).

Catalytic enantioselective Michael addition of 2-substituted benzofuran-3-ones to 2-enoyl pyridines.

An organocatalytic diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of 2,2'-disubstituted benzofuran-3-ones bearing adjacent quaternary and tertiary stereocenters has been achieved through Michael addition of 2-substituted benzofuran-3-ones to 2-enoyl pyridines. Both the enantiomeric forms of the major diastereomer were obtained using l-proline derived squaramide and quinine derived bis squaramide with excellent yield (up to 98%) and stereoselectivities (up to 97 : 3 dr and 98% ee). The control experiment revealed that the presence and position of nitrogen atoms in the 2-enoylpyridine have played a crucial role in the stereochemical outcome of the product.

Stereodivergent Synthesis of 3-Aminooxindole Derivatives Containing Vicinal Tetrasubstituted Stereocenters via the Mannich Reaction.

A highly enantioselective stereodivergent synthesis of 3-aminooxindole derivatives was accomplished via asymmetric Mannich reaction between 2-substituted benzofuran-3-one and isatin-derived ketimines. Both anti and syn-selective chiral 3,3-disubstituted amino oxindoles bearing two adjacent tetrasubstituted stereogenic centers with high yield and excellent enantioselectivities were obtained using readily available cinchona-alkaloid derived organocatalysts. The control experiment revealed that oxygen atom present in the benzofuran ring played an important role in switching diastereodivergence. The obtained Mannich product was further transformed into a biologically important 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran derivative having three contiguous stereocenters with no loss of enantioselectivity.

Polysorbate Surfactants as Drug Carriers: Tween 20-Amphotericin B Conjugates as Anti-Fungal and Anti-Leishmanial Agents.

BACKGROUND: Amphotericin B (AmB), a polyene antibiotic used for the treatment of fungal and leishmanial infections is virtually insoluble in water and exhibits severe toxicity. AmB has been conjugated to various soluble polymers for improving its solubility and reducing its toxicity. Conjugating AmB to a polysorbate surfactant such as polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20), was examined to improve its solubility and reduce its toxicity. METHODS: AmB was coupled to Tween 20 via carbamate linkage at 15 and 30 wt% concentrations in high yield by activating the hydroxyl groups of the surfactant using p- nitrophenyl chloroformate. The conjugates were characterized by using 1H NMR, IR, UV and HPLC analysis and were examined for their toxicity, and anti-fungal and anti-leishmanial activities in vitro. RESULTS: Tween-AmB conjugates were soluble to the extent of 10 mg/mL in water, showed improved critical micelle concentration in comparison with AmB, exhibited negligible hemolytic potential even at a concentration of 1000 µM and were not toxic against human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK293T) at similar concentrations. The conjugates showed potent anti-fungal activity against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis and Cryptococcus neoformans and anti-leishmanial activity against intramacrophage amastigotes of Leishmania donovani. CONCLUSIONS: Tween 20 is a surfactant approved by the US FDA as an additive in food and pharmaceutical preparations. Synthesis of drug conjugates with surfactants such as Tween-20 could open up new opportunities to improve the solubility of many drugs, reduce their toxicity and could possibly target the brain as polysorbates known to facilitate nanoparticulate systems to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Diastereo- and Enantioselective Synthesis of 2,2-Disubstituted Benzofuran-3-one Bearing Adjacent Quaternary and Tertiary Stereocenters.

The first highly diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of armeniaspirol analogues was achieved using L-proline derived bifunctional squaramide which outperformed commonly used organocatalysts. Excellent yield (up to 99%) with diastereoselectivity (up to 99:1) and enantioselectivity (up to 99%) were obtained for a wide range of substrates.

An efficient construction of N,N-bicyclic pyrazolidinones comprising enaminonitriles via asymmetric [3+2] cycloaddition.

The first thiourea catalysed asymmetric [3+2] cycloaddition reaction between azomethine imines and malanonitriles was developed. Using this novel synthetic strategy, hybrid molecules containing N,N-bicyclic pyrazolidinones fused with enaminonitriles were synthesized in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee).

Enantioselective Synthesis of Dihydrospiro[indoline-3,4'-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole] Derivatives via Michael/Hemiketalization Reaction.

A new bifunctional squaramide organocatalyst derived from L-proline mediated the first enantioselective synthesis of dihydrospiro[indoline-3,4'-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole] derivatives in excellent enantioselectivity by reacting pyrazolones with isatylidine ß,γ-unsaturated α-ketoester. This new catalyst outperformed widely used thioureas and squaramides in inducing enantioselectivity.

Palladium catalyzed asymmetric allylation of 3-OBoc-oxindoles: an efficient synthesis of 3-allyl-3-hydroxyoxindoles.

3-Allyl-3-hydroxyoxindoles were synthesized in very good enantio- (up to 97% ee) and diastereoselectivities (dr up to 7.6:1) with contiguous quaternary and tertiary stereogenic centers by employing tartrate derived bi(oxazoline) in Pd-catalyzed allylation of 3-OBoc-oxindole. Synthetic utility of 3-allyl-3-hydroxyoxindole was demonstrated by synthesizing a highly substituted spiro(oxindole-3,2'-tetrahydrofuran) derivative in good yield and stereoselectivity.

Highly stable triple helix formation by homopyrimidine (L)-acyclic threoninol nucleic acids with single stranded DNA and RNA.

Acyclic (L)-threoninol nucleic acid (aTNA) containing thymine, cytosine and adenine nucleobases were synthesized and shown to form surprisingly stable triplexes with complementary single stranded homopurine DNA or RNA targets. The triplex structures consist of two (L)-aTNA strands and one DNA or RNA, and these triplexes are significantly stronger than the corresponding DNA or RNA duplexes as shown in competition experiments. As a unique property the (L)-aTNAs exclusively form triplex structures with DNA and RNA and no duplex structures are observed by gel electrophoresis. The results were compared to the known enantiomer (D)-aTNA, which forms much weaker triplexes depending upon temperature and time. It was demonstrated that (L)-aTNA triplexes are able to stop primer extension on a DNA template, showing the potential of (L)-aTNA for antisense applications.

Copper(I) bromide catalyzed arylation of cyclic enamides and naphthyl-1-acetamides using diaryliodonium salts.

Copper(I) bromide catalyzed direct C-H arylation of cyclic enamides was achieved using diaryliodonium salts in the absence of base/additive at ambient temperature with high yields. A biologically active dihydro[a]benzocarbazole scaffold was synthesized using the established protocol. The scope of the current methodology was further extended for the synthesis of C4-, C7-aryl-substituted 1-naphthyl acetamides in good yields.

Organocatalytic asymmetric decarboxylative cyanomethylation of isatins using L-proline derived bifunctional thiourea.

First asymmetric decarboxylative cyanomethylation of isatins is reported herewith using bifunctional thiourea derived from l-proline in good yields and enantioselectivities. This strategy enables the construction of various 3-cyanomethylene substituted 3-hydroxyoxindoles in enantioselective manner. Enantioselective synthesis of CPC-1 alkaloid has been accomplished in fewer steps.

Design, synthesis, biophysical and primer extension studies of novel acyclic butyl nucleic acid (BuNA).

A novel nucleic acid analogue called acyclic (S)-butyl nucleic acid (BuNA) composed of an acyclic backbone containing a phosphodiester linkage and bearing natural nucleobases was synthesized. Next, (S)-BuNA nucleotides were incorporated in DNA strands and their effect on duplex stability and changes in structural conformation were investigated. Circular dichroism (CD), UV-melting and non-denatured gel electrophoresis (native PAGE) studies revealed that (S)-BuNA is capable of making duplexes with its complementary strands and integration of (S)-BuNA nucleotides into DNA duplex does not alter the B-type-helical structure of the duplex. Furthermore, (S)-BuNA oligonucleotides and (S)-BuNA substituted DNA strands were studied as primer extensions by DNA polymerases. This study revealed that the acyclic scaffold is tolerated by enzymes and is therefore to some extent biocompatible.

Highly enantioselective synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazolinones through intramolecular amidation of imines.

Enantioselective synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazolinones (DHQZs) was accomplished using readily available Sc(III)-inda-pybox as the catalyst. This is the first report on the metal catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular amidation of imines to synthesize DHQZs.

Therapeutic silencing of an endogenous gene by systemic administration of modified siRNAs.

RNA interference (RNAi) holds considerable promise as a therapeutic approach to silence disease-causing genes, particularly those that encode so-called 'non-druggable' targets that are not amenable to conventional therapeutics such as small molecules, proteins, or monoclonal antibodies. The main obstacle to achieving in vivo gene silencing by RNAi technologies is delivery. Here we show that chemically modified short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can silence an endogenous gene encoding apolipoprotein B (apoB) after intravenous injection in mice. Administration of chemically modified siRNAs resulted in silencing of the apoB messenger RNA in liver and jejunum, decreased plasma levels of apoB protein, and reduced total cholesterol. We also show that these siRNAs can silence human apoB in a transgenic mouse model. In our in vivo study, the mechanism of action for the siRNAs was proven to occur through RNAi-mediated mRNA degradation, and we determined that cleavage of the apoB mRNA occurred specifically at the predicted site. These findings demonstrate the therapeutic potential of siRNAs for the treatment of disease.

A new class of RNA-binding oligomers: peptoid amide and ester analogues.

Replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) requires specific interactions of Tat protein with the trans-activation responsive region (TAR) RNA, a 59-base stem-loop structure located at the 5'-end of all HIV mRNAs. Here we report the design, synthesis and in vitro activities of oligopeptoid amide and ester analogues which bind TAR RNA with high affinities. These results show that we have identified a new class of unnatural oligomers for RNA targeting.

A Highly beta-Stereoselective Catalytic Epoxidation of Delta(5)-Unsaturated Steroids with a Novel Ruthenium(II) Complex under Aerobic Conditions.

Catalytic beta-stereoselective epoxidation of Delta(5)-unsaturated steroid derivatives has been effected by a novel ruthenium(II) bioxazoline complex under aerobic conditions. The reactions are regio- and stereoselective. The reaction conditions provide the corresponding 5beta,6beta-epoxides with high degree of stereoselectivity (88-96%) in very good yields, while oxidation of steroid derivatives with peracids leads to 5alpha,6alpha-epoxides as the major products. The overall conformation of the steroid nucleus is nearly planar in the cholesteryl ester, while it is bent at the junction between the rings A and B in the 5beta,6beta-epoxide. This change from pseudo-trans- to cis-stereochemistry of the A-B ring junction provides more room for the catalyst to approach from the beta-face of the steroidal skeleton.