Iwona E. Wrona

Synthesis of a 35-member stereoisomer library of bistramide A: evaluation of effects on actin state, cell cycle and tumor cell growth.

Synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of a 35-member library of bistramide A stereoisomers are reported. All eight stereoisomers of the C1-C13 tetrahydropyran fragment of the molecule were prepared utilizing crotylsilane reagents 9 and 10 in our [4+2]-annulation methodology. In addition, the four isomers of the C14-C18 gamma-amino acid unit were accessed via a Lewis acid mediated crotylation reaction with use of both enantiomers of organosilane 11. The spiroketal subunit of bistramide A was modified at the C39-alcohol to give another point of stereochemical diversification. The fragments were coupled by using a standard peptide coupling protocol to provide 35 stereoisomers of the natural product. These stereochemical analogues were screened for their effects on cellular actin and cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines (UO-31 renal and SF-295 CNS). The results of these assays identified one analogue, 1.21, with enhanced potency relative to the natural product, bistramide A.

Synthesis of reblastatin, autolytimycin, and non-benzoquinone analogues: potent inhibitors of heat shock protein 90.

A full account of an asymmetric synthesis of reblastatin (1) and the first total synthesis of autolytimycin (2) and related structural compounds is described. The syntheses expand the utility of a highly regio- and diastereoselective hydrometalation aldehyde addition sequence to assemble the fully functionalized ansa chain of the natural products. Also documented is an intramolecular copper-mediated amidation reaction to close the 19-membered macrolactams. The amidation reaction was also employed for the generation of structural derivatives (6-9) of phenolic ansamycins. Ansamycin natural products and selected structural analogues were evaluated in a competitive binding assay to breast cancer cell lysate and a cytotoxicity assay. Both reblastatin (1) and autolytimycin (2) were shown to bind the heat shock protein 90 with enhanced binding activity (approximately 25 nM) than 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG, 4), a geldanamycin (3) derivative currently under evaluation for treatment of cancer (approximately 100 nM).

Preparation, characterization, and structural analysis of d8 palladium and platinum compounds containing amino acid ester derivatized diimine ligands. Observation of liquid crystal behavior

Abstract Eight new compounds, M(pyca(CH2)xCOOR)Cl2, M = Pd, Pt; R = Me, Et; x = 2, 3, 5, 11, were prepared. The resulting new complexes were characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and each was also structurally elucidated by X-ray crystallography. The compounds share general structural features, but there are differences in the alignment of the alkyl chain; as the chain lengthens, the chain straightens relative to the plane of the metal complex. For the dodecanoic ester derivatives, a nearly linear alkyl chain was observed. These longer alkyl derivatives show mesogenic behavior.