Simon E. Lewis

TRPA1 mediates spinal antinociception induced by acetaminophen and the cannabinoid Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabiorcol

TRPA1 is a unique sensor of noxious stimuli and, hence, a potential drug target for analgesics. Here we show that the antinociceptive effects of spinal and systemic administration of acetaminophen (paracetamol) are lost in Trpa1(-/-) mice. The electrophilic metabolites N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine and p-benzoquinone, but not acetaminophen itself, activate mouse and human TRPA1. These metabolites also activate native TRPA1 and, as a consequence, reduce voltage-gated calcium and sodium currents in primary sensory neurons. The N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine metabolite L-cysteinyl-S-acetaminophen was detected in the mouse spinal cord after systemic acetaminophen administration. In the hot-plate test, intrathecal administration of N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine, p-benzoquinone and the electrophilic TRPA1 activator cinnamaldehyde produced antinociception that was lost in Trpa1(-/-) mice. Intrathecal injection of a non-electrophilic cannabinoid, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabiorcol, also produced TRPA1-dependent antinociception in this test. Our study provides a molecular mechanism for the antinociceptive effect of acetaminophen and discloses spinal TRPA1 activation as a potential pharmacological strategy to alleviate pain.

Photooxygenation of a microbial arene oxidation product and regioselective Kornblum-DeLaMare rearrangement: total synthesis of zeylenols and zeylenones.

We report the enantioselective total syntheses of zeylenol (+)-1, as well as its congeners (-)-7 and 16, and of 3-O-debenzoylzeylenone 28. To this end, a new variant of the Kornblum-DeLaMare rearrangement, which utilises neighbouring-group participation to impart regioselectivity, has been developed. The approach employs photooxygenation of building blocks derived from a microbial arene oxidation product.

Inosaminoacids: novel inositol-amino acid hybrid structures accessed by microbial arene oxidation.

Microbial 1,2-dihydroxylation of sodium benzoate permits the rapid construction of novel inositol-amino acid hybrid structures. Both β- and γ-amino acids are accessible by means of an acylnitroso Diels-Alder cycloaddition.

Total Synthesis of (+)-Grandifloracin by Iron Complexation of a Microbial Arene Oxidation Product

(+)-Grandifloracin was synthesized from sodium benzoate by means of a dearomatizing dihydroxylation that proceeds with unusual regioselectivity. Iron diene complexes formed from the arene oxidation product permit the use of otherwise inaccessible transformations. The synthetic material was shown to be antipodal to the natural product, thus determining the absolute configuration of grandifloracin for the first time.

Azulenesulfonium Salts: Accessible, Stable, and Versatile Reagents for Cross‐Coupling

Abstract Azulenesulfonium salts may be readily prepared from the corresponding azulenes by an SEAr reaction. These azulene sulfonium salts are bench‐stable species that may be employed as pseudohalides for cross‐coupling. Specifically, their application in Suzuki–Miyaura reactions has been demonstrated with a diverse selection of coupling partners. These azulenesulfonium salts possess significant advantages in comparison with the corresponding azulenyl halides, which are known to be unstable and difficult to prepare in pure form.

Expanding the chiral pool: oxidation of meta-bromobenzoic acid by R. eutrophus B9 allows access to new reaction manifolds

Metabolism of meta-bromobenzoic acid by the blocked mutant Ralstonia eutrophus B9 affords an enantiopure dearomatised halodiene-diol which we demonstrate is a versatile chiron for organic synthesis. The presence of the halogen leads to reactivity that is distinct to that observed for the non-halogenated analogue and also serves as a synthetic handle for further functionalisation.

Valuable New Cyclohexadiene Building Blocks from Cationic η5‐Iron–Carbonyl Complexes Derived from a Microbial Arene Oxidation Product

Biooxidation of benzoic acid by Ralstonia eutropha B9 provides an unusual cyclohexadiene carboxy diol that contains a quaternary stereocentre. Tricarbonyliron derivatives of this chiron, on treatment with acid, give two isomeric η(5)-cyclohexadienyl complexes as observed by NMR spectroscopy. Both of these can be subjected to the addition of nucleophiles to provide isomeric cyclohexadiene complexes with new substituent patterns, several of which have been characterised crystallographically. De-metallation of these provides a versatile library of cyclohexadiene building blocks, the utility of which is demonstrated by formal syntheses of oseltamivir. The mechanism of product formation and its stereochemical implications are discussed, as are the procedures undertaken to establish the enantiopurity of a representative cyclohexadiene product.

Transannular, decarboxylative Claisen rearrangement reactions for the synthesis of sulfur-substituted vinylcyclopropanes

Unsaturated epsilon-lactones bearing an alpha-arylsulfonyl or alpha-arylsulfoximinyl substituent undergo stereoselective transannular, decarboxylative Claisen rearrangement to give substituted vinylcyclopropanes.

Benzoate dioxygenase from Ralstonia eutropha B9 – unusual regiochemistry of dihydroxylation permits rapid access to novel chirons

Oxidation of benzoic acid by a microorganism expressing benzoate dioxygenase leads to the formation of an unusual ipso, ortho arene cis-diol in sufficient quantities to be useful for synthesis. This homochiral diol possesses an array of differentiated functionality which can be exploited to access diverse highly oxygenated structures by concise synthetic sequences.

A cobalt complex of a microbial arene oxidation product.

We report the first synthesis of a cobalt Cp diene complex wherein the diene is derived by microbial dearomatising dihydroxylation of an aromatic ring. The complex has been characterised crystallographically and its structure is compared to that of an uncomplexed diene precursor.