Ludovic T. Maillard

Solid-Phase Synthesis of Isocoumarins: A Traceless Halocyclization Approach

A straightforward and traceless solid-phase methodology was developed for the synthesis of isocoumarins. This two-step process involves a Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction between polymer-bound 2-bromobenzoates and terminal alkynes, followed by an electrophile-induced halocyclization of the resulting 2-(alk-1-ynyl)benzoates through activation of the triple bond with the subsequent release of the 3-substituted 4-haloisocoumarins. This polymer-bound parallel synthetic approach allowed us to achieve large diversity in good to excellent yields and purities.

Helical Oligomers of Thiazole‐Based γ‐Amino Acids: Synthesis and Structural Studies

9-Helix: 4-Amino(methyl)-1,3-thiazole-5-carboxylic acids (ATCs) were synthesized as new γ-amino acid building blocks. The structures of various ATC oligomers were analyzed in solution by CD and NMR spectroscopy and in the solid state by X-ray crystallography. The ATC sequences adopted a well-defined 9-helix structure in the solid state and in aprotic and protic organic solvents as well as in aqueous solution.

Thiazole-Based γ-Building Blocks as Reverse-Turn Mimetic to Design a Gramicidin S Analogue: Conformational and Biological Evaluation

This paper describes the ability of a new class of heterocyclic γ-amino acids named ATCs (4-amino(methyl)-1,3-thiazole-5-carboxylic acids) to induce turns when included in a tetrapeptide template. Both hybrid Ac-Val-(R or S)-ATC-Ile-Ala-NH2 sequences were synthesized and their conformations were studied by circular dichroism, NMR spectroscopy, MD simulations, and DFT calculations. It was demonstrated that the ATCs induced highly stable C9 pseudocycles in both compounds promoting a twist turn and a reverse turn conformation depending on their absolute configurations. As a proof of concept, a bioactive analogue of gramicidin S was successfully designed using an ATC building block as a turn inducer. The NMR solution structure of the analogue adopted an antiparallel β-pleated sheet conformation similar to that of the natural compound. The hybrid α,γ-cyclopeptide exhibited significant reduced haemotoxicity compared to gramicidin S, while maintaining strong antibacterial activity.

Synthesis and anti-Candida activity of novel 2-hydrazino-1,3-thiazole derivatives

Eighteen new hydrazino-1,3-thiazole derivatives were evaluated against 8 strains of multi-resistant Candida spp. Introduction of an indolyl moiety linked to the hydrazone function enhanced the in vitro anti-Candida activity, with an activity spectrum towards Candida albicans strains. Introduction of a (S)-2-aminoethyl chain on the thiazole nucleus largely enhanced the in vitro antifungal activity, with a selectivity oriented towards non-C. albicans species.

Imidazopyridine-fused [1,3]-diazepinones: synthesis and antiproliferative activity.

A series of 15 pyrido-imidazo-1,3-diazepin-5-ones and pyrido-1,3-diazepine-2,5-diones were synthesized and their anticancer activities were evaluated. Among tested compounds on a cell lines panel, compound 6a presents the best growth inhibition activity on 21 cell lines with a cytotoxic effect on MDA-MB-435 melanoma cells. This compound led to deep cell morphological changes and revealed to be an inhibitor of the Hepatocyte progenitor kinase-like kinase (HGK), which is known to be implicated in the migration, adhesion and invasion of various tumor cells.

Fluorous Tagged N-Hydroxy Phthalimide for the Parallel Synthesis of O-Aryloxyamines

The parallel synthesis of O-aryloxyamines remains an unfulfilled need in the field of medicinal chemistry and fragment-based approaches. To fill this gap a solution-phase two-step process based on (1) a copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl boronic acids with a fluorous tagged N-hydroxyphthalimide, and (2) a supported aminolysis was designed and optimized using Taguchis method. A library of O-aryloxyamines was synthesized in high yields with high purity and diversity.

C9/12 Ribbon-Like Structures in Hybrid Peptides Alternating α- and Thiazole-Based γ-Amino Acids

According to their restricted conformational freedom, heterocyclic γ-amino acids are usually considered to be related to Z-vinylogous γ-amino acids. In this context, oligomers alternating α-amino acids and thiazole-based γ-amino acids (ATCs) were expected to fold into a canonical 12-helical shape as described for α/γ-hybrid peptides composed of cis-α/β-unsaturated γ-amino acids. However, through a combination of X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, FTIR experiments, and DFT calculations, it was determined that the folding behavior of ATC-containing hybrid peptides is much more complex. The homochiral α/(S)-ATC sequences were unable to adopt a stable conformation, whereas the heterochiral α/(R)-ATC peptides displayed novel ribbon structures stabilized by unusual C9/12 -bifurcated hydrogen bonds. These ribbon structures could be considered as a succession of pre-organized γ/α dipeptides and may provide the basis for designing original α-helix mimics.

Can Heterocyclic γ-Peptides Provide Polyfunctional Platforms for Synthetic Glycocluster Construction?

Sugars play key roles in many molecular and cellular communication processes involving a family of proteins named lectins. The low affinity associated with sugar recognition is generally counterbalanced by the multivalent nature of the interaction. While many polyglycosylated architectures have been described, only a few studies focused on the impact of topology variations of the multivalent structures on the interaction with lectin proteins. One major interest of our group concerns the design of new highly predictable and stable molecular pseudo-peptide architectures for therapeutic applications. In such a context, we described a class of constrained heterocyclic γ-amino acids built around a thiazole ring, named ATCs. ATC oligomers are helical molecules resulting from the formation of a highly stable C9 hydrogen-bonding pattern. Following our program, we herein address the potential of ATC oligomers as tunable scaffolds for the development of original multivalent glycoclusters.