Akella V. S. Sarma

Versatile intramolecular aza-Prins and Prins cyclization of aryl epoxides: a facile synthesis of diaza-, oxa-aza-, and dioxa-bicycles.

Aryl epoxides undergo coupling smoothly with (E)-hex-3-ene-1,6-ditosylamide in the presence of 10 mol % p-TSA in 1,2-dichloroethane at 75 degrees C to produce the corresponding 1,5-ditosyl-octahydro-1H-pyrrolidino[3,2-c]pyridines in good yields with high trans-selectivity, whereas the coupling of (Z)-hex-3-ene-1,6-ditosylamide gave cis-fused octahydro-1H-pyrrolidino[3,2-c]pyridines predominantly. The use of readily available p-TSA makes this method simple, convenient, and practical.

Synthesis of new cis-fused tetrahydrochromeno[4,3-b]quinolines and their antiproliferative activity studies against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines

New cis-fused tetrahydrochromeno[4,3-b]quinolines have been synthesized by intramolecular [4+2] imino-Diels-Alder reactions of 2-azadienes derived in situ from aromatic amines and 7-O-prenyl derivatives of 8-formyl-2,3-disubstituted chromenones in the presence of 20mol% Yb(OTf)(3) in acetonitrile under reflux conditions in good to excellent yields. The structures were established by spectroscopic data and further confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. These compounds were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The results showed that compounds 3e, 3f, and 3k exhibit significant antiproliferative activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells and low inhibitory activity against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Compound 3h displayed activity as comparable to tamoxifen on both the cell lines.

Three-component reaction of aldose sugars, aryl amines, and 1,3-diones: a novel synthesis of annulated pyrroles.

Aldose sugars undergo smooth coupling with enamines, generated in situ from aryl amines and 1,3-diketones, in the presence of 10 mol % of InCl3 in water at 80 degrees C to furnish annulated pyrrole derivatives in relatively good to high yields. The use of InCl3, in combination with water, makes this procedure quite simple, more convenient, and environmentally friendly.

Synthesis of rebaudioside-A by enzymatic transglycosylation of stevioside present in the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni.

Rebaudioside-A is the second most abundant sweet diterpene glycoside (1-3%) present in the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, and is now being considered as a possible sucrose substitute due to its pleasant organoleptic properties and associated health benefits. In the present study, a novel in situ enzymatic transglycosylation of stevioside has been developed by pre-treating the stevia leaves with cellulase and adding soluble starch as the glucosyl donor. The results confirm that the transglycosylation of stevioside led to an enrichment in the rebaudioside-A content from 4% to 66%. This was further purified by multiple column chromatography to obtain 95% pure rebaudioside-A. The isolated rebaudioside-A showed concentration-dependent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC50=35.01 μg/ml. Thus the study highlights the biotransformation of stevioside present in stevia leaves to rebaudioside-A by a simple, inexpensive and eco-friendly process that has commercial potential.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of Schizandrin derivatives as potential anti-cancer agents

A new series of Schizandrin (1) derivatives were synthesized utilizing the C-9 position of the Schizandrin core and evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against HeLa (cervical cancer), A549 (lung cancer), MCF-7 (breast cancer) and DU-145 (prostate cancer) cell lines. Among the synthesized series, 4e, 4f, 4g and 5 showed potent activities against tested cell lines. More significantly, compound 5 exhibited most potent cytotoxic activity against DU-145 with an IC50 value of 1.38 μM which is comparable to the standard agent, doxorubicin. Further, flow cytometry analysis indicated that 5 arrested cells in G2/M phase and consequently leading to apoptosis. Molecular docking analysis showed that 5 occupied the colchicine binding pocket of tubulin. Overall, the present study demonstrates that 5, as a mitotic-agent.