Paweł Borowiecki

Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Proxyphylline Enantiomers

A novel synthetic route for preparation of proxyphylline enantiomers using a kinetic resolution (KR) procedure as the key step is presented. The reactions were catalyzed by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B in acetonitrile. Three types of reactions were examined: (i) enantioselective transesterification of racemic proxyphylline with vinyl acetate as well as (ii) hydrolysis and (iii) methanolysis of its esters. The influence of reaction conditions on the substrate conversion and enantiomeric purity of the products were investigated. Studies on analytical scale reactions revealed that the titled API enantiomers could be successfully obtained with excellent enantiomeric excess (up to >99% ee). The process was easily conducted on a 5 g scale at 100 g/L. In a preparative-scale reaction, unreacted (S)-(+)-butanoate (97% ee) and (R)-(-)-alcohol (96% ee) were obtained after 2 days in yields of 45% and 46%, respectively. When the reaction time was extended to 6 days, (S)-(+)-butanoate was isolated in >99% ee and acceptable high enantioselectivity (E = 90). Importantly, the KRs products could be conveniently isolated by exploiting varying solubility of the ester/alcohol in acetonitrile at room temperature. In addition, a chiral preference of the CAL-B active site for the R-enantiomer was rationalized by in sillico docking studies.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis and biological evaluation of enantiomerically enriched 1-(β-hydroxypropyl)imidazolium- and triazolium-based ionic liquids

Summary Racemic 1-(β-hydroxypropyl)azoles were prepared by solvent-free direct regioselective ring opening of 1,2-propylene oxide with imidazole or 1,2,4-triazole. Lipase-catalyzed transesterification of alcohols with vinyl acetate resulted in kinetic enantiomers resolution. Separated (S)-enantiomers of (+)-1-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)propan-2-ol and (+)-1-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propan-2-ol were quaternized with alkyl bromides or iodides, yielding novel optically active ionic liquids. Racemic salts were tested against a wide range of microorganisms.

Synthesis of novel chiral TBBt derivatives with hydroxyl moiety. Studies on inhibition of human protein kinase CK2α and cytotoxicity properties

The efficient method for the synthesis of novel 4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzotriazole (TBBt) derivatives bearing a single stereogenic center has been developed. New compounds with a variety of substituents at the meta- and para-position of the phenyl ring are reported. All of the presented compounds were obtained using classical synthetic methods, such as bromination of benzotriazole, and its subsequent alkylation by monotosylated arylpropane-1,3-diols, which in turn have been synthesized through reduction of the corresponding prochiral β-keto esters, and the selective monotosylation of the primary hydroxyl group. The influence of the new and previously reported N-hydroxyalkyl TBBt derivatives on the activity of human protein kinase CK2α catalytic subunit was examined. The most active were derivatives with N-hydroxyalkyl substituents (IC50 in 0.80-7.35 μM range). A binding mode of (R)-1-(4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)butan-3-ol 7b to hCK2α has been proposed based on in silico docking studies. Additionally, MTT-based cytotoxicity tests demonstrated high activities of novel 1-aryl-3-TBBt-propan-1-ol and 3-TBBt-propan-1,2-diol derivatives against human peripheral blood T lymphoblast (CCRF-CEM), and moderate anti-tumor activities against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cell lines.

First chemoenzymatic stereodivergent synthesis of both enantiomers of promethazine and ethopropazine

Summary Enantioenriched promethazine and ethopropazine were synthesized through a simple and straightforward four-step chemoenzymatic route. The central chiral building block, 1-(10H-phenothiazin-10-yl)propan-2-ol, was obtained via a lipase-mediated kinetic resolution protocol, which furnished both enantiomeric forms, with superb enantioselectivity (up to E = 844), from the racemate. Novozym 435 and Lipozyme TL IM have been found as ideal biocatalysts for preparation of highly enantioenriched phenothiazolic alcohols (up to >99% ee), which absolute configurations were assigned by Mosher’s methodology and unambiguously confirmed by XRD analysis. Thus obtained key-intermediates were further transformed into bromide derivatives by means of PBr3, and subsequently reacted with appropriate amine providing desired pharmacologically valuable (R)- and (S)-stereoisomers of title drugs in an ee range of 84–98%, respectively. The modular amination procedure is based on a solvent-dependent stereodivergent transformation of the bromo derivative, which conducted in toluene gives mainly the product of single inversion, whereas carried out in methanol it provides exclusively the product of net retention. Enantiomeric excess of optically active promethazine and ethopropazine were established by HPLC measurements with chiral columns.