Sebastian Thordal Le Quement

Build/couple/pair strategy combining the Petasis 3-component reaction with Ru-catalyzed ring-closing metathesis and isomerization.

A build/couple/pair pathway for the systematic synthesis of structurally diverse small molecules is presented. The Petasis 3-component reaction was used to synthesize anti-amino alcohols displaying pairwise reactive combinations of alkene moieties. Upon treatment with a ruthenium alkylidene-catalyst, these dienes selectively underwent ring-closing metathesis reactions to form 5- and 7-membered heterocycles and cyclic aminals via a tandem isomerization/N-alkyliminium cyclization sequence.

N‐acyliminium intermediates in solid‐phase synthesis

N‐Acyliminium ions are powerful intermediates in synthetic organic chemistry. Examples of their use are numerous in solution‐phase synthesis, but there are unmerited few reports on these highly reactive electrophiles in solid‐phase synthesis. The present review covers the literature to date and illustrates the methods used to generate N‐acyliminium intermediates on solid support and their further elaboration to a range of pharmacologically interesting peptidomimetics, heterocycles, and other small molecules.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of triazole-containing N-acyl homoserine lactones as quorum sensing modulators

Many bacterial species are capable of assessing their local population densities through a cell-cell signaling mechanism termed quorum sensing (QS). This intercellular communication process is mediated by small molecule or peptide ligands and their cognate protein receptors. Numerous pathogens use QS to initiate virulence once they achieve a threshold cell number on a host. Consequently, approaches to intercept QS have attracted considerable attention as potential anti-infective therapies. Our interest in the development of small molecule tools to modulate QS pathways motivated us to evaluate triazole-containing analogs of natural N-acyl L-homoserine lactone (AHL) signals as non-native QS agonists and antagonists in Gram-negative bacteria. We synthesized 72 triazole derivatives of five broad structure types in high yields and purities using efficient Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne couplings. These compounds were evaluated for their ability to activate or inhibit two QS receptors from two prevalent pathogens - LasR from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and AbaR from Acinetobacter baumannii- using bacterial reporter strains. Several triazole derivatives were identified that were capable of strongly modulating the activity of LasR and AbaR. These compounds represent a new and synthetically accessible class of AHL analogs, and could find utility as chemical tools to study QS and its role in bacterial virulence.

Synthesis of tetrahydro-β-carbolines via isomerization of N-allyltryptamines: a metal-catalyzed variation on the Pictet–Spengler theme

An efficient and broadly applicable alternative to the classical Pictet-Spengler synthesis of tetrahydro-β-carbolines is presented. The method relies on metal-catalyzed isomerization of allylic amines to form reactive iminium intermediates which can be trapped by a tethered indole nucleophile.

Ruthenium Hydride/Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Tandem Isomerization/N-Acyliminium Cyclization Sequence for the Synthesis of Tetrahydro-β-carbolines

This paper describes an efficient tandem sequence for the synthesis of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carbolines (THBCs) relying on a ruthenium hydride/Brønsted acid-catalyzed isomerization of allylic amides to N-acyliminium ion intermediates which are trapped by a tethered indole nucleophile. The methodology provides not only a convenient aldehyde-free alternative to the classical Pictet-Spengler reaction but also attractive possibilities for total synthesis, including rapid generation of molecular complexity and formation of quaternary stereogenic centers. TBHCs can also be accessed by harnessing the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction to the isomerization/N-acyliminium cyclization sequence. Finally, diastereo- and enantioselective versions of the title reaction have been examined using substrate control (with dr >15: 1) and asymmetric catalysis (ee up to 57%), respectively.

Solid-phase synthesis of aryl-substituted thienoindolizines: sequential Pictet-Spengler, bromination and Suzuki cross-coupling reactions of thiophenes.

The solid-phase synthesis of a range of novel heterocyclic scaffolds based on the thiophene ring system, including thienoindolizines and aryl-substituted thiophenes, is presented. Specifically, a sequential methodology for the decoration of thienoindolizine scaffolds has been developed. This method involves a highly efficient and diastereoselective intramolecular Pictet-Spengler reaction, a quantitative and regioselective bromination of the thiophene ring, and a final Suzuki cross-coupling with an arylboronic acid. Crude products were generally obtained in high purities (>90%). In addition, an investigation on the acidic and electronic effects governing the rate of the Pictet-Spengler reactions was performed. Finally, a range of substituted thiophenes was attached to solid supports and subjected to the regioselective bromination and Suzuki cross-coupling reactions, thus providing substituted thiophenes with high purities of crude products.

Petasis Three-Component Coupling Reactions of Hydrazides for the Synthesis of Oxadiazolones and Oxazolidinones

An application of readily available hydrazides in the Petasis 3-component coupling reaction is presented. An investigation of the substrate scope was performed to establish a general, synthetically useful protocol for the formation of hydrazido alcohols, which were selectively converted to oxazolidinone and oxadiazolone ring systems through triphosgene-mediated cyclization reactions.

Triazole-containing N-acyl homoserine lactones targeting the quorum sensing system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

In an attempt to devise new antimicrobial treatments for biofilm infections, the bacterial cell-cell communication system termed quorum sensing has emerged as an attractive target. It has proven possible to intercept the communication system by synthetic non-native ligands and thereby lower the pathogenesis and antibiotic tolerance of a bacterial biofilm. To identify the structural elements important for antagonistic or agonistic activity against the Pseudomonas aeruginosa LasR protein, we report the synthesis and screening of new triazole-containing mimics of natural N-acyl homoserine lactones. A series of azide- and alkyne-containing homoserine lactone building blocks was used to prepare an expanded set of 123 homoserine lactone analogues through a combination of solution- and solid-phase synthesis methods. The resulting compounds were subjected to cell-based quorum sensing screening assays, thereby revealing several bioactive compounds, including 13 compounds with antagonistic activity and 9 compounds with agonistic activity.

Solid-phase synthesis of smac peptidomimetics incorporating triazoloprolines and biarylalanines.

Apoptotic induction mechanisms are of crucial importance for the general homeostasis of multicellular organisms. In cancer the apoptotic pathways are downregulated, which, at least partly, is due to an abundance of inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) that block the apoptotic cascade by deactivating proteolytic caspases. The Smac protein has an antagonistic effect on IAPs, thus providing structural clues for the synthesis of new pro-apoptotic compounds. Herein, we report a solid-phase approach for the synthesis of Smac-derived tetrapeptide libraries. On the basis of a common (N-Me)AVPF sequence, peptides incorporating triazoloprolines and biarylalanines were synthesized by means of Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition and Pd-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling reactions. Solid-phase procedures were optimized to high efficiency, thus accessing all products in excellent crude purities and yields (both typically above 90%). The peptides were subjected to biological evaluation in a live/dead cellular assay which revealed that structural decorations on the AVPF sequence indeed are highly important for cytotoxicity toward HeLa cells.

Ralph F. Hirschmann award address 2009: Merger of organic chemistry with peptide diversity

A huge unleashed potential lies hidden in the large and diverse pool of encoded and particularly nonencoded chiral α‐, β‐, and γ‐amino acids available today. Although these have been extensively exploited in peptide science, the community of organic chemistry has only used this source of diversity in a quite focused and targeted manner. The properties and behavior of peptides as functional molecules in biology are well documented and based on the ability of peptides to adapt a range of discrete conformers at a minimal entropic penalty and therefore ideally fitting their endogenous targets. The development of new organic reactions and chemistries that in a general and quantitative way transform peptides into new functional molecules, preferably on solid support, is a source of completely new classes of molecules with important and advantageous functional properties. The peptide diversity and the ability to perform chemistry on solid support add tremendously to the combinatorial scope of such reactions in pharmaceutical and materials screening scenario. In recent years, the need for “click” reactions to shape complex molecular architecture has been realized mainly with a basis in the world of peptides and DNA, and in polymer chemistry where connection of highly functionalized biologically active substances or property bearing fragments are assembled as molecular LEGO® using quantitative and orthogonal click chemistries. In this article, three such new reactions originating in the Carlsberg Laboratory over the last decade taking advantage of organic transformations in the peptide framework is presented. Initially, the click reaction between azide and terminal alkynes catalyzed by Cu(1) (CuAAC‐reaction) is described. This CuAAC “click” reaction was observed first at Carlsberg Laboratory in reactions of azido acid chlorides with alkynes on solid support. Second, the Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution Cyclization–Intramolecular Click‐Cascade (EASCy‐ICC) reaction will be presented. This quantitative stereo‐selective cascade reaction provides a highly diverse set of interesting novel scaffolds from peptides. Finally, we describe the preparation of solid phase peptide phosphine‐ and carbene‐based green catalysts (organozymes), which upon complex formation with transition metal perform with high turnovers under aqueous conditions. These catalysts thrive from the peptide folding and diversity, while phosphines and carbenes in the backbone provide for bidental complex formation with transition metals in a format providing an excellent entry into combinatorial catalyst chemistry.