Yotaro Matsumoto

Development of Highly Chemoselective Bulky Zincate Complex, tBu4ZnLi2: Design, Structure, and Practical Applications in Small-/Macromolecular Synthesis

We present full details of the unique reactivities of the newly developed dianion-type bulky zincate, dilithium tetra-tert-butylzincate (tBu(4)ZnLi(2)). With this reagent, halogen-zinc exchange reaction of variously functionalized haloaromatics and anionic polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm)/styrene with excellent chemoselectivity were realized. Halogen-zinc exchange reaction followed by electrophilic trapping with propargyl bromide provided a convenient route to functionalized phenylallenes, particularly those with electrophilic functional groups (such as cyano, amide and halogens). Spectral and computational studies of the structure in the gas and liquid phases indicated extraordinary stabilization of this dianion-type zincate by its bulky ligands.

Evaluation of the impact of gut microbiota on uremic solute accumulation by a CE-TOFMS–based metabolomics approach

Gut microbiota is involved in the metabolism of uremic solutes. However, the precise influence of microbiota to the retention of uremic solutes in CKD is obscure. To clarify this, we compared adenine-induced renal failure and control mice under germ-free or specific pathogen-free (SPF) conditions, examining the metabolite profiles of plasma, feces, and urine using a capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based approach. Mice with renal failure under germ-free conditions demonstrated significant changes in plasma metabolites. Among 183 detected solutes, plasma levels of 11 solutes, including major uremic toxins, were significantly lower in germ-free mice than in SPF mice with renal failure. These 11 solutes were considered microbiota-derived uremic solutes and included indoxyl sulfate, p-cresyl sulfate, phenyl sulfate, cholate, hippurate, dimethylglycine, γ-guanidinobutyrate, glutarate, 2-hydroxypentanoate, trimethylamine N-oxide, and phenaceturate. Metabolome profiling showed that these solutes were classified into three groups depending on their origins: completely derived from microbiota (indoxyl sulfate, p-cresyl sulfate), derived from both host and microbiota (dimethylglycine), and derived from both microbiota and dietary components (trimethylamine N-oxide). Additionally, germ-free renal failure conditions resulted in the disappearance of colonic short-chain fatty acids, decreased utilization of intestinal amino acids, and more severe renal damage compared with SPF mice with renal failure. Microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids and efficient amino acid utilization may have a renoprotective effect, and loss of these factors may exacerbate renal damage in germ-free mice with renal failure. Thus, microbiota contributes substantially to the production of harmful uremic solutes, but conversely, growth without microbiota has harmful effects on CKD progression.

Design and synthesis of silicon-containing tubulin polymerization inhibitors: replacement of the ethylene moiety of combretastatin A-4 with a silicon linker.

Silicon-containing combretastatin analogs were designed, synthesized and evaluated for stability and biological activities. Among them, compound 31 exhibited strong tubulin polymerization-inhibitory activity and very potent tumor cell growth-inhibitory activity (IC50=0.007 μM) in MCF-7 cell proliferation assay. This compound also potently inhibited [(3)H]colchicine binding (90.7% inhibition at 3 μM). These activities were comparable to those of combretastatin A-4 (CA-4) (1). In addition, compound 31 was physico-chemically more stable than 1. These results suggest that a silicon linker can act as a bioisoster of a cis carbon-carbon double bond.

Effect of periodic replacement of the heteroatom on the spectroscopic properties of indole and benzofuran derivatives.

The electronic structures of a homologous series of indole and benzofuran derivatives, in which the nitrogen or oxygen atom is replaced by group 15 and group 16 heavier heteroatoms, have been investigated by means of various spectroscopic techniques coupled with density functional calculations. It was found that the excitation energies of the group 16 benzoheteroles systematically shift to the red in the order of benzofuran (6), benzothiophene (7), benzoselenophene (8), and benzotellurophene (9). In contrast, the electronic absorption spectra of the group 15 benzoheteroles, 1-phenyl derivatives of indole (1b), phosphindole (2b), arsindole (3b), stibindole (4b), and bismuindole (5b), did not exhibit this type of spectral shift. X-ray analysis and density functional theory (DFT) studies revealed that 2b-5b adopt a bent conformation both in the crystalline and in the solution phases. In contrast, planar structures were calculated for the group 16 heterocycles. Using the observed spectroscopic properties and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations, the electronic absorption spectra of the present heterocycles were assigned. A molecular orbital analysis was performed to rationalize the effect of replacement of the heteroatom on the electronic structures. The observed magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) sign patterns of these heterocycles are interpreted according to Michls perimeter model.

Amidocuprates for Directed ortho Cupration: Structural Study, Mechanistic Investigation, and Chemical Requirements†

Organocuprate(I) complexes are immensely valuable reagents for both industrial and research chemistry. During the past few decades, heteroleptic organocuprates bearing alkynyl, cyano, phenylthio, and phosphino groups have secured an important place in organic synthesis. Organo-amidocuprates also represent an important class of heteroleptic cuprates in organic transformations, especially in stereoselective syntheses. In this context, we have recently proposed new uses for amidocuprates, TMPCu-ates ([RCu(TMP)(CN)Li]; R = alkyl, phenyl, and TMP; TMP = 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidido), which promote the highly chemoselective, directed ortho cupration of multifunctionalized aromatic compounds under mild conditions. The aryl cuprate intermediate can be employed not only in the trapping of electrophlies, but also in oxidative ligand coupling to form new C C bonds with alkyl/aryl groups or to introduce a hydroxy group (Scheme 1). Organocuprate(I) chemistry is dominated by two structure types: the Gilman-type and the Lipshutz-type. The basic diorganocuprate(I) unit in each adopts a linear [R-CuR] arrangement. Gilman-type species are known to exhibit homodimeric structures (Scheme 2a). Theoretical predictions of a preference for head-to-tail dimerization of heteroleptic cuprates have been confirmed by the structure of [MesCu(NBn2)Li] (Mes = mesityl, Bn = benzyl), [9]

Development of novel silicon-containing inverse agonists of retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptors.

Retinoic acid receptor (RAR)-related orphan receptors (RORs) regulate a variety of physiological processes, including hepatic gluconeogenesis, lipid metabolism, circadian rhythm and immune function. The RAR agonist: all-trans retinoic acid was reported to be an RORβ inverse agonist, but no information is available regarding ROR activity of its synthetic analogue Am580. Therefore, we screened Am580 and some related tetramethyltetrahydronaphthalene derivatives and carried out structural development studies, including substitution of carbon atoms with silicon, with the aim of creating a potent ROR transcriptional inhibitor. The phenyl amide disila compound 22 showed the most potent ROR-inhibitory activity among the compounds examined. Its activity towards RORα, RORβ and RORγ was increased compared to that of Am580. The IC₅₀ values for RORα, RORβ and RORγ are 1.3, >10 and 4.5 μM, respectively.

An accurate quantitative LC/ESI-MS/MS method for sirolimus in human whole blood.

Sirolimus is a widely used immunosuppressant that requires therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). We optimized a preanalytical procedure that allows for the accurate quantiation of sirolimus in whole blood by LC/ESI-MS/MS with minimal matrix effects. Sirolimus is highly lipophilic, and solvents containing greater than 50% methanol were required to maintain sirolimus recovery. The final pretreatment procedure developed consists of a zinc sulfate protein precipitation, an extraction using octadecyl silyl-silica gel for eliminating water-soluble and hydrophilic compounds, and HybridSPE cartridge treatment to eliminate phospholipids. Using this procedure prior to LC/ESI-MS/MS led to the accurate and reproducible quantitation of sirolimus in human whole blood. The linear range of detection was 0.5-50 ng/mL, a range appropriate for TDM, and the method demonstrated good repeatability and intermediate precision within this quantitative range. In order to investigate the quantitative performance of this method, we compared it to two commercially available sirolimus immunoassays and our previously reported LC/ESI-MS/MS method. The immunoassays gave consistently greater values for the sirolimus concentration, and this may be related to antibody cross-reactivity with sirolimus metabolites and/or other matrix effects. Although our procedure is too long to support real-time TDM for outpatients, it can serve as reference method to assess the performance of other analytical methods that are currently available or may be developed in the future.

Design and synthesis of silicon-containing steroid sulfatase inhibitors possessing pro-estrogen antagonistic character

Steroid sulfatase (STS) is a potential target for treatment of postmenopausal hormone-dependent breast cancer. Several steroidal STS inhibitors have been reported, but steroidal compounds are difficult to optimize and may interact with other targets. On the other hand, we have shown that diphenylmethane (DPM) derivatives act as estrogen receptor (ER) agonists and antagonists. Here, we aimed to design and synthesize non-steroidal DPM-type STS inhibitors that would also serve as pro-estrogen antagonists, releasing a metabolite with ERα-antagonistic activity upon hydrolysis by STS. We synthesized a series of compounds and evaluated their biological activities by means of STS-inhibitory activity assay and ER reporter gene assay. Among them, silicon-containing compound 16a showed strong STS-inhibitory activity (IC50=0.17μM). Further, its putative metabolite (12a) exhibited potent ERα-antagonistic activity (IC50=29.7nM).

19-Norvitamin D analogs for breast cancer therapy.

The active form of vitamin D3, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25(OH)2D3 or calcitriol), is known to inhibit the proliferation and invasiveness of many types of cancer cells, including breast, colon, pancreatic, prostate, and liver cancer cells. These findings support the use of 1α,25(OH)2D3 for the treatment of these types of cancer. However, 1α,25(OH)2D3 can cause hypercalcemia, so analogs of 1α,25(OH)2D3 that are less calcemic but exhibit more potent anti-tumor activity would be good candidates as therapeutic agents. Therefore, a series of 19-norvitamin D analogs, in which the methylidene group on C19 is replaced with 2 hydrogen atoms, have been synthesized by several laboratories. In our laboratory, we have designed and synthesized a series of 2α-functional group substituted 19-norvitamin D3 analogs and examined their anti-proliferative activity. Among them, 2α- and 2β-(3-hydroxypropyl)-1α,25-dihydroxy-19-norvitamin D3 (MART-10 and MART-11) were found to be the most promising. Here, we review the rationale and approaches for the synthesis of different 19-norvitamin D analogs, and the pre-clinical studies using these analogs in breast cancer cells, in particular, we chose MART-10 for its potential application to the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

Design, synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of novel sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) inhibitors with a benzamide skeleton.

Human sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is an attractive target molecule for development of drugs to treat neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, because SIRT2 inhibitors have a protective effect against neurodegeneration and an anti-proliferative effect on cancer stem cells. We designed and synthesized a series of benzamide derivatives as SIRT2 inhibitor candidates. Among them, compound 17k showed the most potent SIRT2-inhibitory activity (IC50=0.60μM), with more than 150-fold selectivity over SIRT1 and SIRT3 isoforms (IC50 >100μM).