Bogdan I. Iorga

Total Synthesis of Pinnatoxins A and G and Revision of the Mode of Action of Pinnatoxin A

Pinnatoxins belong to an emerging class of potent marine toxins of the cyclic imine group. Detailed studies of their biological effects have been impeded by unavailability of the complex natural product from natural sources. This work describes the development of a robust, scalable synthetic sequence relying on a convergent strategy that delivered a sufficient amount of the toxin for detailed biological studies and its commercialization for use by other research groups and regulatory agencies. A central transformation in the synthesis is the highly diastereoselective Ireland-Claisen rearrangement of a complex α,α-disubstituted allylic ester based on a unique mode for stereoselective enolization through a chirality match between the substrate and the lithium amide base. With synthetic pinnatoxin A, a detailed study has been performed that provides conclusive evidence for its mode of action as a potent inhibitor of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors selective for the human neuronal α7 subtype. The comprehensive electrophysiological, biochemical, and computational studies support the view that the spiroimine subunit of pinnatoxins is critical for blocking nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes, as evidenced by analyzing the effect of a synthetic analogue of pinnatoxin A containing an open form of the imine ring. Our studies have paved the way for the production of certified standards to be used for mass-spectrometric determination of these toxins in marine matrices and for the development of tests to detect these toxins in contaminated shellfish.

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors - Part 53?. Synthesis of substituted-pyridinium derivatives of aromatic sulfonamides: The first non-polymeric membrane-impermeable inhibitors with selectivity for isozyme IV

Abstract Reaction of three aromatic sulfonamides containing a free amino group, i.e., sulfanilamide, homosulfanilamide and 4-(2-aminoethyl)-benzenesulfonamide with di-, tri- or tetra-substituted pyrylium salts afforded three series of cationic sulfonamides, containing a large variety of moieties substituting the pyridinium ring. The new derivatives were assayed as inhibitors of three carbonic anhydrase (CA) isozymes, CA I, II (cytosolic forms) and IV (membrane-bound form). Efficient inhibition was observed against all three isozymes, but due to the cationic nature of these inhibitors, in vivo and ex vivo experiments showed that only CA IV is selectively inhibited to a high degree, without affecting the cytosolic isozymes, present in appreciable concentrations in the experimental model used. This is the first example of selective in vivo inhibition of only one physiologically relevant CA isozyme with non-polymeric inhibitors and might lead to more selective drugs from this class of pharmacological agents.

Controlled monohalogenation of phosphonates: A new route to pure α-monohalogenated diethyl benzylphosphonates

Abstract Starting from diethyl benzylphosphonates, a wide variety of diethyl α-monofluoro, chloro, bromo and iodobenzylphosphonates have been obtained in pure form by a one-pot procedure. This high yielding method implies the intermediate protection of the benzyl anion with TMSCl followed by halogenation with an electrophilic halogenating reagent.

Dialkyl 1-Alkynylphosphonates: a Range of Promising Reagents

This review covers the preparations of 1-alkynylphosphonates by Michaelis–Arbuzov and Michaelis–Becker reactions, by nucleophilic substitutions at phosphorus (SNPV), and by elimination from 1-alkenylphosphonates. The reactivity and versatility of 1-alkynylphosphonates have made them valuable precursors for other phosphonates, and particularly for the synthesis of heterocycles by [2+2], [3+2], and [4+2] cycloaddition reactions.

Diastereoselective Total Synthesis of (±)‐Codeine

Codeine 1 and morphine 2, the principal constituents of opium, continue to attract the attention of organic chemists thanks to both their biological activities and their unique structure. Their complex pentacyclic skeleton, which includes a quaternary carbon center, has stimulated extensive efforts. To date there have been more than 20 total syntheses of codeine (1), morphine (2), and thebaine (3). We were interested in the synthesis of codeine for two reasons: first, codeine was found to be an allosteric potentiating ligand of nicotinic receptors, and second we have a general program underway in the laboratory in which we have shown that tricyclic spirocyclohexadienones are valuable intermediates for the synthesis of natural products in the Amaryllidacea galanthamine-type, maritidine-type, and Aspidosperma alkaloids.

Regio-, Diastereo-, and Enantioselective Nitroso-Diels–Alder Reaction of 1,3-Diene-1-carbamates Catalyzed by Chiral Phosphoric Acids

Chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric nitroso-Diels-Alder reaction of nitrosoarenes with carbamate-dienes afforded cis-3,6-disubstituted dihydro-1,2-oxazines in high yields with excellent regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivities. Interestingly, we observed that the catalyst is able not only to control the enantioselectivity but also to reverse the regioselectivity of the noncatalyzed nitroso-Diels-Alder reaction. The regiochemistry reversal and asynchronous concerted mechanism were confirmed by DFT calculations.

Bivalent sequential binding of docetaxel to methyl-β-cyclodextrin.

New docetaxel (Dtx) and cyclodextrin (CD) inclusion complexes having improved apparent water solubility (up to 9.98mgmL(-1)) were obtained from phase solubility diagrams. γ-CD and SBE-β-CD offered only poor solubility enhancements while considerable increases in apparent solubility were obtained with Me-β-CD (20%, w/w) and HP-β-CD (40%, w/w) (9.98mgmL(-1) and 7.43mgmL(-1), respectively). The complexation mechanism between Dtx and Me-β-CD was investigated by circular dichroism spectrometry, two-dimensional (1)H NMR (NOESY) in D(2)O, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and molecular docking calculations. Circular dichroism and NOESY confirmed the existence of non-covalent interactions between Dtx and Me-β-CD and suggested that the tert-butyl group (C(6)-C(9)) and two aromatic groups (C(24)-C(29) and C(30)-C(35)) of Dtx interacted with the Me-β-CD molecules. The combination of ITC results to molecular docking calculations led to the identification of an unconventional sequential binding mechanism between Me-β-CD and Dtx. In this sequential binding, a Me-β-CD molecule first interacted with both tert-butyl and C(30)-C(35) aromatic groups (K(1): 744M(-1)). Then a second Me-β-CD molecule interacted with the C(24)-C(29) aromatic group (K(2): 202M(-1)). The entropy of the first interaction was positive, whereas a negative value of entropy was found for the second interaction. The opposite behavior observed for these two sites was explained by differences in the hydrophobic contact surface and functional group flexibility.

Carbonic anhydrase activators: synthesis of high affinity isozymes I, II and IV activators, derivatives of 4-(4-tosylureido-amino acyl)ethyl-1H-imidazole (histamine derivatives).

Reaction of histamine (Hst) with tetrabromophthalic anhydride and protection of its imidazole moiety with tritylsulfenyl chloride, followed by hydrazinolysis, afforded N-1-tritylsulfenyl histamine, a key intermediate which was further derivatized at its aminoethyl moiety. Reaction of the key intermediate with 4-tosylureido amino acids/dipeptides (ts-AA) in the presence of car-bodiimides, afforded after deprotection of the imidazole moiety, a series of compounds with the general formula ts-AA-Hst (ts = 4-MeC6H4SO2NHCO). Some structurally related dipeptide derivatives with the general formula ts-AA l-AA2-Hst, were also prepared, by in a similar way to the amino acyl compounds mentioned above. The new derivatives were examined as activators of three carbonic anhydrase (CA) isozymes, hCA I, hCA II (cytosolic forms) and bCA IV (membrane-bound form). Efficient activation was observed against all three isozymes, but especially against hCA I and bCA IV, with affinities in the 1-10 nanomolar range for the best compounds. hCA II was on the other hand activatable with affinities around 20-50 nM. This new class of CA activators might lead to the development of drugs/diagnostic agents for the CA deficiency syndrome, a genetic disease of bone, brain and kidneys.

Kinetic Mechanism of the Ca2+-Dependent Switch-On and Switch-Off of Cardiac Troponin in Myofibrils ☆ ☆☆

The kinetics of Ca2+-dependent conformational changes of human cardiac troponin (cTn) were studied on isolated cTn and within the sarcomeric environment of myofibrils. Human cTnC was selectively labeled on cysteine 84 with N-((2-(iodoacetoxy)ethyl)-N-methyl)amino-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole and reconstituted with cTnI and cTnT to the cTn complex, which was incorporated into guinea pig cardiac myofibrils. These exchanged myofibrils, or the isolated cTn, were rapidly mixed in a stopped-flow apparatus with different [Ca2+] or the Ca2+-buffer 1,2-Bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid to determine the kinetics of the switch-on or switch-off, respectively, of cTn. Activation of myofibrils with high [Ca2+] (pCa 4.6) induced a biphasic fluorescence increase with rate constants of >2000 s−1 and ∼330 s−1, respectively. At low [Ca2+] (pCa 6.6), the slower rate was reduced to ∼25 s−1, but was still ∼50-fold higher than the rate constant of Ca2+-induced myofibrillar force development measured in a mechanical setup. Decreasing [Ca2+] from pCa 5.0–7.9 induced a fluorescence decay with a rate constant of 39 s−1, which was approximately fivefold faster than force relaxation. Modeling the data indicates two sequentially coupled conformational changes of cTnC in myofibrils: 1), rapid Ca2+-binding (kB ≈ 120 μM−1 s−1) and dissociation (kD ≈ 550 s−1); and 2), slower switch-on (kon = 390s−1) and switch-off (koff = 36s−1) kinetics. At high [Ca2+], ∼90% of cTnC is switched on. Both switch-on and switch-off kinetics of incorporated cTn were around fourfold faster than those of isolated cTn. In conclusion, the switch kinetics of cTn are sensitively changed by its structural integration in the sarcomere and directly rate-limit neither cardiac myofibrillar contraction nor relaxation.

Structural and Functional Aspects of Class A Carbapenemases.

The fight against infectious diseases is probably one of the greatest public health challenges faced by our society, especially with the emergence of carbapenem-resistant gram-negatives that are in some cases pan-drug resistant. Currently, β-lactamase-mediated resistance does not spare even the newest and most powerful β-lactams (carbapenems), whose activity is challenged by carbapenemases. The worldwide dissemination of carbapenemases in gram-negative organisms threatens to take medicine back into the pre-antibiotic era since the mortality associated with infections caused by these “superbugs” is very high, due to limited treatment options. Clinically-relevant carbapenemases belong either to metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) of Ambler class B or to serine-β-lactamases (SBLs) of Ambler class A and D enzymes. Class A carbapenemases may be chromosomally-encoded (SME, NmcA, SFC-1, BIC-1, PenA, FPH-1, SHV-38), plasmid-encoded (KPC, GES, FRI-1) or both (IMI). The plasmid-encoded enzymes are often associated with mobile elements responsible for their mobilization. These enzymes, even though weakly related in terms of sequence identities, share structural features and a common mechanism of action. They variably hydrolyse penicillins, cephalosporins, monobactams, carbapenems, and are inhibited by clavulanate and tazobactam. Three-dimensional structures of class A carbapenemases, in the apo form or in complex with substrates/inhibitors, together with site-directed mutagenesis studies, provide essential input for identifying the structural factors and subtle conformational changes that influence the hydrolytic profile and inhibition of these enzymes. Overall, these data represent the building blocks for understanding the structure-function relationships that define the phenotypes of class A carbapenemases and can guide the design of new molecules of therapeutic interest.