Hans-Joachim Knölker

Subcellular targeting strategies for drug design and delivery

Many drug targets are localized to particular subcellular compartments, yet current drug design strategies are focused on bioavailability and tissue targeting and rarely address drug delivery to specific intracellular compartments. Insights into how the cell traffics its constituents to these different cellular locations could improve drug design. In this Review, we explore the fundamentals of membrane trafficking and subcellular organization, as well as strategies used by pathogens to appropriate these mechanisms and the implications for drug design and delivery.

Efficient Inhibition of the Alzheimer's Disease β-Secretase by Membrane Targeting

β-Secretase plays a critical role in β-amyloid formation and thus provides a therapeutic target for Alzheimers disease. Inhibitor design has usually focused on active-site binding, neglecting the subcellular localization of active enzyme. We have addressed this issue by synthesizing a membrane-anchored version of a β-secretase transition-state inhibitor by linking it to a sterol moiety. Thus, we targeted the inhibitor to active β-secretase found in endosomes and also reduced the dimensionality of the inhibitor, increasing its local membrane concentration. This inhibitor reduced enzyme activity much more efficiently than did the free inhibitor in cultured cells and in vivo. In addition to effectively targeting β-secretase, this strategy could also be used in designing potent drugs against other membrane protein targets.

Synthesis of Pyrrole and Carbazole Alkaloids

An overview of recent transition metal-catalyzed syntheses of pyrroles and carbazoles is presented. The focus is on methods which have been applied to the preparation of biologically active naturally occurring pyrrole and carbazole alkaloids. For pyrroles, special attention is paid to silver(I)-catalyzed cyclization reactions. For carbazoles, iron(0)-mediated and palladium(0/II)-catalyzed cyclization reactions are highlighted and their broad range of applications is discussed.

Demetalation of Tricarbonyl(cyclopentadienone)iron Complexes Initiated by a Ligand Exchange Reaction with NaOH—X-Ray Analysis of a Complex with Nearly Square-Planar Coordinated Sodium

Asequentialexchange of one carbonyl ligand by a hydrido ligand with NaOH, and then by an iodo ligand with iodopentane and finally treatment with acid transforms tricarbonyl(η4-cyclopentadienone)iron complexes into dicarbonyl(η5-hydroxycyclopentadienyl)iodoiron complexes. These iodo complexes demetalate with high selectivity to the corresponding free ligands on contact with air in daylight. Under basic reaction conditions at the stage of the iodo complex an anionic dicarbonyl(η4-cyclopentadienone)iodoiron complex is generated, which is dimeric in the solid state and has an almost square-planar arrangement of the ligands at the sodium counterion.

Indoloquinones - 3. Palladium-promoted synthesis of hydroxy-substituted 5-Cyano-5H-benzo[b]carbazole-6, 11-diones

Abstract A short synthesis of hydroxy-substituted benzo[b] carbazoloquinone cyanamides based on a palladium-promoted oxidative coupling as the key step is described. Pyridine hydrochloride has been used for chemoselective cleavage of a methyl ether in the presence of an N-cyano group.

Transition metal complexes in organic synthesis. Part 47.1 Organic synthesis via tricarbonyl(η4-diene)iron complexes

The protection of conjugated dienes by coordination to the tricarbonyliron fragment offers many potential applications of the resulting complexes to organic synthesis. The preparation of tricarbonyl(η4-1,3-diene)iron complexes is readily achieved by a 1-azabutadiene-catalyzed complexation of the free ligands. An asymmetric catalytic complexation of prochiral cyclohexa-1,3-dienes with pentacarbonyl-iron using chiral 1-azabutadienes affords chiral nonracemic complexes. The chiral tricarbonyliron complexes of acyclic butadienes represent versatile starting materials for the synthesis of a broad range of polyunsaturated natural products. Consecutive carbon–carbon and carbon–nitrogen bond formations of the tricarbonyliron–cyclohexa-1,3-diene complexes and arylamines provide many biologically active carbazole alkaloids and a tetracyclic subunit of the discorhabdin alkaloids. The iron-mediated [2+2+1] cycloaddition of trimethylsilylacetylenes and carbon monoxide affords stable 2,5-bis(trimethylsilyl)-substituted cyclopentadienones which are useful substrates for further cycloadditions.

Synthesis and activity of carbazole derivatives against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Infecting one-third of the world’s inhabitants, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is deemed a serious public health concern. Failure to follow the current regimen along with the HIV pandemic have led to the emergence of multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) strains. The pursuit of more efficacious drugs and prophylaxis is warranted. Findings of some naturally occurring carbazole alkaloids (Figure 1), exhibiting antituberculosis activity, have prompted us to explore further carbazole derivatives for structure–activity relationships. Clausine K or clauszoline J, a natural product isolated independently from several sources, was found to have weak antituberculosis activity (MIC of 100 mgmL 1 against the H37Ra strain). Ma et al. isolated micromeline from the stem bark of Micromelum hirsutum along with some known carbazole alkaloids, and found the MIC to be 31.5 mgmL 1 against M. tuberculosis H37Rv (selectivity index >3). [8] Based on these findings, we screened a series of carbazole alkaloids and derivatives for their in vitro anti-TB activity to find out whether the carbazole framework represents a novel antituberculosis scaffold. The intention of the present study was to identify potent anti-TB active carbazoles and to establish preliminary structure–activity relationships (SAR). Compounds 4a–i were purchased from Sigma Aldrich; 4 j–v and 8–15 were prepared using either the iron-mediated or the palladium-catalyzed approach previously developed by our group (Schemes 1 and 2, Table 1). An electrophilic aromatic substitution of the tricarbonyliron-cyclohexadienylium salts 1 and the arylamines 2 affords functionalized tricarbonyliron complexes 3. The oxidative cyclization of the tricarbonyliron complexes 3 furnishes substituted carbazole derivatives 4. In another approach, the palladium(0)-catalyzed amination of aryl

First total synthesis of the 7-oxygenated carbazole alkaloids clauszoline-K, 3-formyl-7-hydroxycarbazole, clausine M, clausine N and the anti-HIV active siamenol using a highly efficient palladium-catalyzed approach

Using a convergent palladium-catalyzed construction of the carbazole framework as the key step we have achieved a short synthesis of the 7-oxygenated carbazole alkaloids clauszoline-K, 3-formyl-7-hydroxycarbazole, clausine C (clauszoline-L), clausine M, clausine N and the anti-HIV active siamenol.

Transition metals in organic synthesis - Part 83#: Synthesis and pharmacological potential of carbazoles

A series of carbazole derivatives with promising pharmacological properties has been prepared using either an iron-mediated or a palladium-catalyzed synthetic approach. The carbazole alkaloids carbazoquinocin C, carbazomadurin A and B, epocarbazolin A and B, neocarazostatin B, and carquinostatin A are antioxidants acting as free-radical scavengers. Thus, they represent potential lead compounds for the development of novel drugs against diseases initiated by oxygen-derived free radicals. Initiated by the first naturally occurring carbazole alkaloids with antituberculosis (anti-TB) activity, clausine K and micromeline, a study on the structure–activity relationships for anti-TB-active carbazole derivatives has been carried out. The 6-oxygenated carbazoles glycozoline and glycozolinine show antibiotic activity towards several microorganisms. The 7-oxygenated carbazole siamenol exhibits anti-HIV activity.

Efficient Construction of Pyrano[3,2-a]carbazoles: Application to a Biomimetic Total Synthesis of Cyclized Monoterpenoid Pyrano[3,2-a]carbazole Alkaloids†

We have developed a highly efficient route to 2-hydroxy-3-methylcarbazole (1) via a palladium-catalyzed construction of the carbazole skeleton. Using 1 as relay compound, different methods for annulations of pyran rings by reaction with terpenoid building blocks have been tested. The Lewis acid promoted reaction of 1 with prenal (21) opened up an efficient route to girinimbine (3) and the corresponding reaction with citral (25) afforded mahanimbine (5). Oxidation of compounds 3 and 5 provided murrayacine (4) and murrayacinine (6). Following the biogenetic proposal, mahanimbine (5) has been exploited for efficient biomimetic syntheses of the cyclized monoterpenoid pyrano[3,2-a]carbazole alkaloids cyclomahanimbine (7), mahanimbidine (8) and bicyclomahanimbine (9). The interconversions of 5, 7, 8 and 9 are described and mechanistic implications are discussed. Structural assignments are unambiguously verified by X-ray crystal structure determinations. Moreover, cyclomahanimbine (7) was transformed into murrayazolinine (10) and exozoline (11).