Novel aminophenyl benzamide-type histone deacetylase inhibitors with enhanced potency and selectivity.

Significant effort is being made to understand the role of HDAC isotypes in human cancer and to develop antitumor agents with better therapeutic windows. A part of this endeavor was the exploration of the 14 A internal cavity adjacent to the enzyme catalytic site, which led to the design and synthesis of compound 4 with the unusual bis(aryl)-type pharmacophore. SAR studies around this lead resulted in optimization to potent, selective, nonhydroxamic acid HDAC inhibitors.

Aryl annulation of cyclic ketones via a magnesium carbometalation-6-pi- electrocyclization protocol.

A new strategy for the aryl annulation of cyclic ketones is described. Palladium(0) coupling of a propargyl alcohol with the enol triflate of a ketone and addition of vinylmagnesium chloride generates a triene as a magnesium chelate that may be quenched with an electrophile. In some cases, the triene cyclizes under the reaction conditions.

(Z)-tamoxifen and tetrasubstituted alkenes and dienes via a regio- and stereospecific three-component magnesium carbometalation palladium(0) cross-coupling strategy.

[reaction: see text] The synthesis of various tetrasubstituted alkenes and dienes in a regio- and stereocontrolled manner is described. This three-component coupling strategy involves the addition of Grignard reagents to propargyl alcohols followed by palladium(0)-mediated cross-coupling with aryl or vinyl halides. This protocol has been applied to the synthesis of (Z)-Tamoxifen and related mimics.