Dmitry Dar'in

The rare cis-configured trisubstituted lactam products obtained by the Castagnoli–Cushman reaction in N,N-dimethylformamide

Unlike its trans counterpart, the cis-configured scaffold derived from the Castagnoli–Cushman reaction (CCR) is scarce and has not been explored in bioactive compound design. We found that conducting this reaction in DMF (in contrast to conventional toluene or xylene) led to a significantly higher proportion of cis-configured lactams in the diastereomeric product mixture. This allowed us, for the first time, to obtain and thoroughly characterize both stereoisomers of a significant number of lead-like CCR lactams. Simple rules for 1H NMR-based stereochemical assignment have been devised and correlated with the single-crystal X-ray structures obtained for pure cis- and trans-configured lactams.

The first solvent-free synthesis of privileged γ- and δ-lactams via the Castagnoli–Cushman reaction

The first solvent-free protocol for the atom-economical Castagnoli–Cushman reaction is reported. It substantially broadens the reaction scope with respect to achievable substitution patterns around the privileged lactam cores compared to the traditional reaction format employing aromatic hydrocarbon solvents. The convenient product isolation protocol involves the use of aqueous base and acid solutions.

Cyclic Hydroxamic Acid Analogues of Bacterial Siderophores as Iron-Complexing Agents prepared through the Castagnoli–Cushman Reaction of Unprotected Oximes

The first application of multicomponent chemistry (the Castagnoli-Cushman reaction) toward the convenient one-step preparation of cyclic hydroxamic acids is described. Cyclic hydroxamic acids are close analogues of bacterial siderophores (iron-binding compounds) and form stable complexes with Fe3+ ions as confirmed by spectrophotometric measurements. These compounds are potential components for the design of chelating agents for iron overload disease therapy, as well as siderophore-based carrier systems for antibiotic delivery across the bacterial cell wall.

Discovery of polar spirocyclic orally bioavailable urea inhibitors of soluble epoxide hydrolase

Spirocyclic 1-oxa-9-azaspiro[5.5]undecan-4-amine scaffold was explored as a basis for the design of potential inhibitors of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). Synthesis and testing of the initial SAR-probing library followed by biochemical testing against sEH allowed nominating a racemic lead compound (±)-22. The latter showed remarkable (> 0.5 mM) solubility in aqueous phosphate buffer solution, unusually low (for sEH inhibitors) lipophilicity as confirmed by experimentally determined logD7.4 of 0.99, and an excellent oral bioavailability in mice (as well as other pharmacokinetic characteristics). Individual enantiomer profiling revealed that the inhibitory potency primarily resided with the dextrorotatory eutomer (+)-22 (IC50 4.99 ± 0.18 nM). For the latter, a crystal structure of its complex with a C-terminal domain of sEH was obtained and resolved. These data fully validate (+)-22 as a new non-racemic advanced lead compound for further development as a potential therapeutic agent for use in such areas as cardiovascular disease, inflammation and pain.

Design, in silico prioritization and biological profiling of apoptosis-inducing lactams amenable by the Castagnoli-Cushman reaction

Five lactam chemotypes amenable by the Castagnoli-Cushman reaction of imines and cyclic anhydrides have been investigated for their ability to activate p53 tumor suppressing transcription factor thus induce apoptosis in p53+ cancer cells. A virtual library of 1.07 million chemically diverse compounds based on these scaffolds was subjected to in silico screening first. The compounds displaying high docking score were visually prioritized to identify the best-fitting compounds, i. e. the ones which adequately mimic the interactions of clinical candidate inhibitor Nutlin-3a. These 38 compounds were synthesized and tested for apoptosis induction in p53+ H116 cancer cells to identify 9 potent apoptosis-inducers (two of them exceeding the activity of Nutlin-3a) which belonged to four different chemotypes. The activation of p53 involved in the proapoptotic activity observed was supported by effective induction of EGFP expression in human osteocarcinoma U2OS-pLV reporter cell line. Moreover, the two most potent apoptosis inducers displayed antiproliferative profile identical to several known advanced p53 activators: they inhibited the growth of p53+/+ HCT116 cells in much lower concentration range compared to p53-/- HCT116 cells.