Highly Selective C-N and C-S Dual Functionalization of 1,3-Dicarbonyl Derivatives Using TBHP as an Oxidant.

A direct electrosynthesis/photocatalyst-free, atom-economical, and efficient method for the selective synthesis of (E)-3-amino-2-thiocyanato-α,ß-unsaturated carbonyl compounds is described through a given protocol. The present approach features the use of inexpensive ammonium thiocyanate to achieve dual functionalization of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds using TBHP as an oxidant, providing a rapid and practical route to the selective formation of both C-N and C-S bonds via a radical process. This method offers a broad substrate scope with excellent yield and allows for further exploration of the products to construct heterocyclic compounds and other functionalities.

Pd-mediated construction of a cyclopentane ring fused with indoles.

Unprecedented synthesis of functionalized indoles of potential pharmacological interest has been developed via a Pd-mediated cascade reaction involving an intramolecular Heck coupling followed by the construction of a fused cyclopentane ring in a single pot.

Conformationally restricted functionalized heteroaromatics: a direct access to novel indoloindoles via Pd-mediated reaction.

A new, versatile and direct Pd-mediated method involving intramolecular cyclization of N-(2-iodoaryl)-N-(1-alkyl-1H-indol-2-yl)alkane/arene/heteroarene sulfonamide has been developed leading to a diverse and unique class of indolo[2,3-b]indoles for the potential inhibition of sirtuins.

Reaction time dependent formation of Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes of bis(methyl)thiasalen podand.

Thiasalen podand 9 having S2N2 donor set has been synthesized by the condensation of 2-methylthiobenzaldehyde with ethylenediamine. The reaction of the thiasalen podand ligand with Pd(II) afforded two complexes depending on the reaction time. Shorter reaction time (5 min) afforded thioether complex 10; whereas with increase in reaction time (4 h) thioether-thiolate complex 11 was obtained via cleavage of one of the two S-C(Me) bonds of bis(methyl)thiasalen podand upon complexation. The reaction of 9 with Pt(II) afforded only thiolate-thioether complex 12 independent of the reaction time. The cleavage of both the S-C(Me) bonds of bis(methyl)thiasalen to afford bisthiolate complexes has never been observed. The structures of thiasalen podands and all three complexes have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. All three complexes possess a square planar geometry around the metal centres. Weak van der Waals interactions through C-H···F interactions are present in all three complexes leading to the formation of supramolecular synthons and the supramolecular structures are stabilized by aromatic π···π interactions, which leads to the formation of 3D pseudo-double helical network packing. Under similar conditions bis(methyl)salen did not form any complexes with Pd(II) and Pt(II).

Facile assembly of two 6-membered fused N-heterocyclic rings: a rapid access to novel small molecules via Cu-mediated reaction.

A rapid, versatile and one-pot Cu-mediated domino reaction has been developed for facile assembly of two six membered fused N-heterocyclic rings leading to novel small molecules as potential inhibitors of PDE4.

AlCl3 mediated unexpected migration of sulfonyl groups: regioselective synthesis of 7-sulfonyl indoles of potential pharmacological interest.

A conceptually new and straightforward introduction of sulfonyl groups at the C-7 position of an indole ring has been achieved via AlCl(3) mediated unexpected regioselective sulfonyl group migration for N-alkyl/aryl/heteroarylsulfonyl indoles affording potential inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv chorismate mutase.

Novel thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines: their design, synthesis, crystal structure analysis and pharmacological evaluation.

Novel thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines containing a cyclohexane ring fused with a six- or five-membered heterocyclic moiety along with a benzylic nitrile were designed as potential inhibitors of PDE4. Expeditious synthesis of these compounds was carried out via a multi-step sequence consisting of a few key steps such as Gewald reaction, Dieckmann type cyclisation and Krapcho decarboxylation. This newly developed strategy involved construction of the thienopyrimidine ring followed by the cyclohexanone moiety and subsequently the fused heterocyclic ring. A number of thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine based derivatives were synthesized using this method some of which showed promising PDE4B inhibitory properties. One of them was tested for PDE4D inhibition in vitro and dose dependent inhibition of TNF-α. A few selected molecules were docked into the PE4B protein the results of which showed good overall correlations to their observed PDE4B inhibitory properties in vitro. The crystal structure analysis of representative compounds along with hydrogen bonding patterns and molecular arrangement present within the molecule is described.

A new approach to construct a fused 2-ylidene chromene ring: highly regioselective synthesis of novel chromeno quinoxalines.

Regioselective construction of a fused 2-ylidene chromene ring was achieved for the first time by using AlCl(3)-induced C-C bond formation followed by Pd/C-Cu mediate coupling-cyclization strategy. A number of chromeno[4,3-b]quinoxaline derivatives were prepared by using this strategy. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study of a representative compound e.g. 6-(2,2-dimethylpropylidene)-4-methyl-6H-chromeno[4,3-b]quinoxalin-3-ol confirmed the presence of an exocyclic C-C double bond with Z-geometry. The crystal structure analysis and hydrogen bonding patterns of the same compound along with its structure elaboration via propargylation followed by Sonogashira coupling of the resulting terminal alkyne is presented. A probable mechanism for the formation of 2-ylidene chromene ring is discussed. Some of the compounds synthesized showed anticancer properties when tested in vitro.

Solvent effect on copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC): synthesis of novel triazolyl substituted quinolines as potential anticancer agents.

A regioselective route to novel mono triazolyl substituted quinolines has been developed via copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) of 2,4-diazidoquinoline with terminal alkynes in DMF. The reaction provided bis triazolyl substituted quinolines when performed in water in the presence of Et(3)N. A number of the compounds synthesized showed promising anti-proliferative properties when tested in vitro especially against breast cancer cells.

Conformationally restricted novel pyrazole derivatives: synthesis of 1,8-disubstituted 5,5-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-benzo[g]indazoles as a new class of PDE4 inhibitors.

A number of novel 1,8-disubstituted 5,5-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-benzo[g]indazoles based on a conformationally restricted pyrazole framework have been designed as potential inhibitors of PDE4. All these compounds were readily prepared by using simple chemistry strategy. The in vitro PDE4B inhibitory properties and molecular modeling studies of some of the compounds synthesized along with the X-ray single crystal data of a representative compound is presented.

AlCl3 induced (hetero)arylation of 2,3-dichloroquinoxaline: a one-pot synthesis of mono/disubstituted quinoxalines as potential antitubercular agents.

A direct and single-step method has been developed for the synthesis of mono and 2,3-disubstituted quinoxalines by using a AlCl(3) induced (hetero)arylation of 2,3-dichloroquinoxaline. Both symmetrical and unsymmetrical 2,3-disubstituted quinoxalines can be prepared conveniently by using this method under appropriate reaction conditions. The reaction proceeds via C-C bond formation and can be utilized for the preparation of a variety of quinoxaline derivatives from readily available starting materials and reagents. The molecular structure of a representative compound was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction study. Some of the compounds synthesized were tested for chorismate mutase inhibitory properties in vitro and one compound showed promising activity representing one of the few examples of chorismate mutase inhibition by a heteroarene based small molecule.

Cyclopenta[c]selenophene based cooligomers and their polymers: comparative study with thiophene analogues.

Selenophene and thiophene capped cyclopenta[c]selenophenes were synthesized and characterized. Crystal structure determination of some representative compounds revealed that the substitution at 3,4-position in the form of cyclopentane ring of selenophene or thiophene does not make any significant twist in the trimer backbone, making the cooligomer nearly planar. All the cooligomers were electrochemically polymerized and compared with thiophene capped cyclopenta[c]thiophene polymer. DFT calculations predict that the cyclopentane substitution on the third repeating unit (and in general) of one dimensional polymer neither disturb the planarity nor causes any significant twist on the polymeric backbone unlike the 3,4-dialkyl substitution. The electrochemically prepared selenophene based polymers showed low band gap compared to that of thiophene analogues. Cyclopentane substitution on selenophene as well as thiophene makes the resulting polymer oxidatively more stable when compared to more familiar poly-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) or poly-ethylenedioxyselenophene (PEDOS) systems. Alternate polymers of cyclopenta[c]selenophenes (CPS)/cyclopenta[c]thiophene (CPT) and thiophene/selenophene possess the energy of HOMO and LUMO significantly lower than that of homopolymers of CPS and CPT, however, possess higher band gap than PCPS.

Pd-mediated new synthesis of pyrroles: their evaluation as potential inhibitors of phosphodiesterase 4.

A sequential Pd-mediated multi-component reaction followed by Suzuki or Heck or Sonogashira coupling in a single pot has been developed for the synthesis of functionalized pyrroles as potential inhibitors of PDE4.

Synthesis, characterization and coordination properties of bis(alkyl)selenosalen ligands.

New bis (alkyl) selenosalen podand ligands having Se2N2 donor sites have been synthesized by the condensation of unsymmetrical o-formylphenyl alkyl selenide (1-3) with ethylenediamine. The reaction of bis(alkyl)selenosalen podands with Pd(II) and Pt(II) afforded selenoether-selenolate coordination complexes 7-10via cleavage of one of the two Se-C(alkyl) bonds of bis(alkyl)selenosalen podands upon complexation. DFT calculations revealed that the cleavage of Se-C(alkyl) bonds occurred possibly via S(N)2 mechanism instead of a sequence of oxidative addition and reductive elimination reactions. The spectral data and elemental analyses confirmed the formation of selenoether-selenolate complexes. The structures of the podands N,N'-bis[(2-methylseleno)phenylmethylene]-1,2-ethanediamine (4), N,N'-bis[(2-decylseleno)phenylmethylene]-1,2-ethanediamine (5) and the selenoether-selenolate complex 8 have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystal structure of 5 showed SeH interaction with a ladder like 3D supramolecular arrangement via interdigitation of long alkyl chains. Comparison of crystal packing of podands 4 and 5 indicates that the alkyl chain length has significant impact on the crystal packing. The platinum selenolate complex 8 shows a square planar arrangement around the Pt centre, where the Se atoms in the selenolate and the selenoether have nearly equal Pt-Se bond length.

Chalcone-imidazolone conjugates induce apoptosis through DNA damage pathway by affecting telomeres.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in the world and more than one million women are diagnosed leading to 410,000 deaths every year. In our previous studies new chalcone-imidazolone conjugates were prepared and evaluated for their anticancer activity in a panel of 53 human tumor cell lines and the lead compounds identified were 6 and 8. This prompted us to investigate the mechanism of apoptotic event. RESULTS: Involvement of pro-apoptotic protein (Bax), active caspase-9 and cleavage of retinoblastoma protein was studied. Interestingly, the compounds caused upregulation of p21, check point proteins (Chk1, Chk2) and as well as their phosphorylated forms which are known to regulate the DNA damage pathway. Increased p53BP1 foci by immunolocalisation studies and TRF1 suggested the possible involvement of telomere and associated proteins in the apoptotic event. The telomeric protein such as TRF2 which is an important target for anticancer therapy against human breast cancer was extensively studied along with proteins involved in proper functioning of telomeres. CONCLUSIONS: The apoptotic proteins such as Bax, active caspase-9 and cleaved RB are up-regulated in the compound treated cells revealing the apoptotic nature of the compounds. Down regulation of TRF2 and upregulation of the TRF1 as well as telomerase assay indicated the decrease in telomeric length revealing telomeric dysfunction and thereby controlling the rapid rate of cell proliferation. In summary, chalcone-imidazolone conjugates displayed significant DNA damage activity particularly at telomeres and caused both apoptosis and senescence-like growth arrest which suggested that these compounds have potential activity against breast carcinoma.

A new three-component reaction: green synthesis of novel isoindolo[2,1-a]quinazoline derivatives as potent inhibitors of TNF-α.

Concurrent construction of five and six membered fused N-heretocyclic ring was achieved via a conceptually new three-component reaction affording 6,6a-dihydroisoindolo[2,1-a]quinazoline-5,11-diones as novel inhibitors of TNF-αin vitro. This represents one of the few examples of direct TNF-α inhibition by small molecules.