Network medicine for disease module identification and drug repurposing with the NeDRex platform.

Traditional drug discovery faces a severe efficacy crisis. Repurposing of registered drugs provides an alternative with lower costs and faster drug development timelines. However, the data necessary for the identification of disease modules, i.

Structural effects of meso-halogenation on porphyrins.

The use of halogens in the crystal engineering of supramolecular porphyrin assemblies has been a topic of strong interest over the past decades. With this in mind we have characterized a series of direct meso-halogenated porphyrins using single crystal X-ray crystallography. This is accompanied by a detailed conformational analysis of all deposited meso-halogenated porphyrins in the CSD.

An Insight into Non-Covalent Interactions on the Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane Scaffold.

Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane (BCP) is studied extensively as a bioisosteric component of drugs.

Dipyrrinato-Iridium(III) Complexes for Application in Photodynamic Therapy and Antimicrobial Photodynamic Inactivation.

The generation of bio-targetable photosensitizers is of utmost importance to the emerging field of photodynamic therapy and antimicrobial (photo-)therapy. A synthetic strategy is presented in which chelating dipyrrin moieties are used to enhance the known photoactivity of iridium(III) metal complexes. Formed complexes can thus be functionalized in a facile manner with a range of targeting groups at their chemically active reaction sites.

Weak Interactions and Conformational Changes in Core-Protonated A- and A-Type Porphyrin Dications.

Individual chemical motifs are known to introduce structural distortions to the porphyrin macrocycle, be it in the core or at the periphery of the macrocycle. The interplay when introducing two or more of these known structural motifs has been scarcely explored and is not necessarily simply additive; these structural distortions have a chance to compound or negate to introduce new structural types. To this end, a series of compounds with complementary peripheral (5,15-disubstitution) and core (acidification) substitution patterns were investigated.

Short-Chained Anthracene Strapped Porphyrins and their Endoperoxides.

The syntheses of short-chained anthracene-strapped porphyrins and their Zn(II)complexes are reported. The key synthetic step is a [2+2] condensation between a dipyrromethane and an anthracene bisaldehyde, 2,2'-((anthracene-9,10-diylbis(methylene))bis(oxy))dibenzaldehyde. Following exposure to white light, self-sensitized singlet oxygen and the anthracene moieties underwent [4+2] cycloaddition reactions to yield the corresponding endoperoxides.

Targeted Synthesis of Regioisomerically Pure Dodecasubstituted Type I Porphyrins through the Exploitation of Peri-interactions.

A targeted synthesis of dodecasubstituted type I porphyrins that utilizes the reaction of unsymmetrical 3,4-difunctionalized pyrroles and sterically demanding aldehydes was developed. This way, type I porphyrins could be obtained as the only type isomers, likely due to a minimization of the steric strain arising from peri-interactions. Uniquely, this method does not depend on lengthy precursor syntheses, the separation of isomers, or impractical limitations of the scale.

Towards triptycene functionalization and triptycene-linked porphyrin arrays.

Herein, 9,10-diethynyltriptycene is investigated for its use as a rigid isolating unit in the synthesis of multichromophoric arrays. Sonogashira cross-coupling conditions are utilized to attach various porphyrins and boron dipyrromethenes (BODIPYs) to the triptycene scaffold. While there are previous examples of triptycene porphyrin complexes, this work reports the first example of a linearly connected porphyrin dimer, linked through the bridgehead carbons of triptycene.

Exploring the relationship between structure and activity in BODIPYs designed for antimicrobial phototherapy.

A synthetic strategy to BODIPY dyes is presented giving access to a range of new compounds relevant in the context of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT). BODIPYs with the 8-(4-fluoro-3-nitrophenyl) and the 8-pentafluorophenyl substituents were used for the synthesis of new mono- and dibrominated BODIPYs. The para-fluorine atoms in these electron-withdrawing groups facilitate functional modification via nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) with a number of amines and thio-carbohydrates.

Crystal structures of 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octa-bromo-5,10,15,20-tetra-kis-(penta-fluoro-phen-yl)porphyrin as the chloro-form monosolvate and tetra-hydro-furan monosolvate.

The crystal structures of the title compounds, two solvates (CHCl and THF) of a symmetric and highly substituted porphyrin, CHBrFN or OBrTPFPP, are described. These structures each feature a non-planar porphyrin ring, exhibiting a similar conformation of the strained ring independent of solvent identity. These distorted porphyrins are able to form hydrogen bonds and sub-van der Waals halogen inter-actions with enclathrated solvent; supra-molecular inter-actions of proximal macrocycles are additionally affected by solvent choice.

Targeting Receptor Tyrosine Kinase VEGFR-2 in Hepatocellular Cancer: Rational Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 1,2-Disubstituted Benzimidazoles.

In this study, a novel series of 1,2-disubstituted benzo[d]imidazoles was rationally designed as VEGFR-2 inhibitors targeting hepatocellular carcinoma. Our design strategy is two-fold; it aimed first at studying the effect of replacing the 5-methylfuryl moiety of the well-known antiangiogenic 2-furylbenzimidazoles with an isopropyl moiety on the VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity and the cytotoxic activity. Our second objective was to further optimize the structures of the benzimidazole derivatives through elongation of the side chains at their one-position for the design of more potent type II-like VEGFR-2 inhibitors.

Synthesis, crystal structure, and ADME prediction studies of novel imidazopyrimidines as antibacterial and cytotoxic agents.

In the present study, a novel series of polyfunctionalized imidazopyrimidines 6a-u and 9a-d were efficiently constructed by a domino reaction between 2-imino-6-substituted-2,3-dihydropyrimidin-4(1H)-ones 4a-d or 8a-c and 2-bromoacetophenones 5a-i under mild basic conditions. The synthesized series were screened for their antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis as Gram-positive (+) bacteria, as well as against Gram-negative (-) bacteria Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhi. Most of the synthesized derivatives of imidazopyrimidines 6 and 9 showed remarkable selectivity against Gram(-) bacteria over the Gram(+) ones.

Investigating the Impact of Conformational Molecular Engineering on the Crystal Packing of Cavity Forming Porphyrins.

Herein we report the synthesis of 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-(X)-substituted-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrins (OETArXPs) and a structural investigation of their solid-state properties via small molecule X-ray diffraction. A series of halogen (fluorine to iodine), nitrogenous (azido, cyano), alkyl (TMS-acetylene and acetylene), and chained (benzyloxy) porphyrins were chosen as the initial target molecules. Following this, a selection of tetravalent metal complexes [Cu(II), Ni(II), and Pd(II)] based on these porphyrins were synthesized to allow for an investigation of the effects of metal complexes on the structural properties of these highly substituted porphyrins.

Bridging and Conformational Control of Porphyrin Units through Non-Traditional Rigid Scaffolds.

Connecting two porphyrin units in a rigid linear fashion, without any undesired electron delocalization or communication between the chromophores, remains a synthetic challenge. Herein, a broad library of functionally diverse multi-porphyrin arrays that incorporate the non-traditional rigid linker groups cubane and bicyclo[1.1.

Conformational Re-engineering of Porphyrins as Receptors with Switchable N-H⋅⋅⋅X-Type Binding Modes.

The selectivity and functional variability of porphyrin cofactors are typically based on substrate binding of metalloporphyrins wherein the pyrrole nitrogen units only serve to chelate the metal ions. Yet, using the porphyrin inner core system for other functions is possible through conformational engineering. As a first step towards porphyrin "enzyme-like" active centers, a structural and spectroscopic study of substrate binding to the inner core porphyrin system shows that a highly saddle-distorted porphyrin with peripheral amino receptor groups (1, 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2-aminophenyl)porphyrin) coordinates analytes in a switchable manner dependent on the acidity of the solution.

Functionalization of Deutero- and Protoporphyrin IX Dimethyl Esters via Palladium-Catalyzed Coupling Reactions.

Herein, we report the functionalization of the β-positions of deutero- and protoporphyrin IX dimethyl esters. Initial halogenations were carried out on both deutero- and protoporphyrin IX dimethyl esters. Although previously reported, vastly optimized yields with respect to deuteroporphyrin halogenation were obtained.

Structure and conformation of photosynthetic pigments and related compounds. 15. Conformational analysis of chlorophyll derivatives - implications for hydroporphyrins in vivo.

Chlorophylls are fundamental macrocyclic cofactors in photosynthetic reaction centers and light-harvesting complexes. Their biological function is well understood on the basis of protein structural data and a significant body of information indicates that the conformation of tetrapyrroles plays a large role in controlling their biological activity. While there is no small molecule crystal structure of chlorophyll, the normal-coordinate structural decomposition (NSD) method is a very useful analytical tool for conformational analysis of chlorophylls, using tetrapyrroles that mimic their structure.

Not Your Usual Bioisostere: Solid State Study of 3D Interactions in Cubanes.

Previous studies by Desiraju and co-workers have implicated the acidic hydrogen atoms of cubane as a support network for hydrogen bonding groups. Herein we report a detailed structural analysis of all currently available 1,4-disubstituted cubane structures with an emphasis on how the cubane scaffold interacts in its solid-state environment. In this regard, the interactions between the cubane hydrogen atoms and acids, ester, halogens, ethynyl, nitrogenous groups, and other cubane scaffolds were cataloged.

The role of π-π stacking and hydrogen-bonding interactions in the assembly of a series of isostructural group IIB coordination compounds.

The supramolecular chemistry of coordination compounds has become an important research domain of modern inorganic chemistry. Herein, six isostructural group IIB coordination compounds containing a 2-{[(2-methoxyphenyl)imino]methyl}phenol ligand, namely dichloridobis(2-{(E)-[(2-methoxyphenyl)azaniumylidene]methyl}phenolato-κO)zinc(II), [ZnCl(CHNO)], 1, diiodidobis(2-{(E)-[(2-methoxyphenyl)azaniumylidene]methyl}phenolato-κO)zinc(II), [ZnI(CHNO)], 2, dibromidobis(2-{(E)-[(2-methoxyphenyl)azaniumylidene]methyl}phenolato-κO)cadmium(II), [CdBr(CHNO)], 3, diiodidobis(2-{(E)-[(2-methoxyphenyl)azaniumylidene]methyl}phenolato-κO)cadmium(II), [CdI(CHNO)], 4, dichloridobis(2-{(E)-[(2-methoxyphenyl)azaniumylidene]methyl}phenolato-κO)mercury(II), [HgCl(CHNO)], 5, and diiodidobis(2-{(E)-[(2-methoxyphenyl)azaniumylidene]methyl}phenolato-κO)mercury(II), [HgI(CHNO)], 6, were synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography and spectroscopic techniques. All six compounds exhibit an infinite one-dimensional ladder in the solid state governed by the formation of hydrogen-bonding and π-π stacking interactions.

Fluorescent imidazole-based chemosensors for the reversible detection of cyanide and mercury ions.

We report 4-(2-(5-(tert-butyl)-3-formyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazol-1-yl)benzoic acid 1 and 4-(2-(5-(tert-butyl)-3-formyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzoic acid 2 as reversible luminescent sensors for the detection of cyanide and mercury ions. These imidazole derivatives were characterized using spectroscopic techniques and single crystal X-ray crystallography. The compounds showed sensing exclusively towards CN- ions, which resulted in the quenching of fluorescence and a decreased singlet state life time.

Pre-/post-functionalization in dipyrrin metal complexes - antitumor and antibacterial activity of their glycosylated derivatives.

A post-functionalization route to tris(dipyrrinato) metal complexes is presented giving access to a range of new complexes relevant in the context of medicinal inorganic chemistry. A pentafluorophenyl group in the meso-position of the dipyrrin ligand serves as an anchor for the connection with alcohols and thiocarbohydrates. The photochemotherapeutic activity of the complexes has been assessed in cellular assays with tumor cell lines and against the Gram-positive bacterium S.

Control of triplet state generation in heavy atom-free BODIPY-anthracene dyads by media polarity and structural factors.

A family of heavy atom-free BODIPY-anthracene dyads (BADs) exhibiting triplet excited state formation from charge-transfer states is reported. Four types of BODIPY scaffolds, different in the alkyl substitution pattern, and four anthracene derivatives have been used to access BADs. Fluorescence and intersystem crossing (ISC) in these dyads depend on donor-acceptor couplings and can be accurately controlled by substitution or media polarity.

Cubane Cross-Coupling and Cubane-Porphyrin Arrays.

Herein, an improved methodology for aryl-cubane cross-coupling is reported. The peculiarities of the cubane core and its behavior during cross-coupling conditions were analyzed, while the versatility of this adapted Baran cross-coupling methodology was demonstrated by the synthesis of various aryl-cubane systems, including coupling products of cubanes and porphyrins. Furthermore, arm extension of alkynyl-cubanes by Sonogashira reactions is demonstrated, showcasing the first proof of the stability of the cubane core in the presence of palladium catalysts.

Delayed release singlet oxygen sensitizers based on pyridone-appended porphyrins.

A new type of porphyrin photosensitizer capable of generating singlet oxygen upon irradiation, storing it through binding to pyridone subunits, followed by slow release at 20-40 °C, is reported. The timescale of singlet oxygen release can be varied depending on the pyridone group substitution pattern, forming endoperoxides of different stabilities. Modified tetra- and octa-substituted pyridone-porphyrins showed solubility in water, allowing for straightforward delivery into cells.

Synthesis of a Family of Highly Substituted Porphyrin Thioethers via Nitro Displacement in 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-Octaethyl-5,10,15,20-tetranitroporphyrin.

A series of highly substituted porphyrin thioethers was synthesized from 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-5,10,15,20-tetranitroporphyrin (HOETNP). The reactions proceeded via a SAr mechanism with a broad range of aromatic thiols in the presence of a base. This is a rapid way to prepare a large variety of meso-substituted porphyrins from only one precursor.