Copper(I)-Catalyzed Intramolecular Tandem Acylation/-Arylation under Mild Conditions: Synthesis of Benzofuro[3,2-]quinolin-6(5)-ones and G-Quadruplex-Targeting Analogues.

This paper presents a copper(I)-catalyzed intramolecular tandem acylation/-arylation of methyl 2-[2-(2-bromophenyl)acetamido]benzoates for the synthesis of benzofuro[3,2-]quinolin-6(5)-ones under mild conditions. The combination of CuI, 1,10-phenanthroline, and KCO in DMSO was found to be the optimal reaction condition, producing the target products in high yields (84-99%) at 70 °C for 16 h. The tandem reaction was applicable to substrates bearing halo, electron-withdrawing, and electron-donating groups at their phenyl moieties with a broad substrate scope.

Targeting cancer stemness mediated by BMI1 and MCL1 for non-small cell lung cancer treatment.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-associated death, with a global 5-year survival rate <20%. Early metastasis and recurrence remain major challenges for lung cancer treatment. The stemness property of cancer cells has been suggested to play a key role in cancer plasticity, metastasis and drug-resistance, and is a potential target for drug development.

Selective and predicable amine conjugation sites by kinetic characterization under excess reagents.

The site selectivity for lysine conjugation on a native protein is difficult to control and characterize. Here, we applied mass spectrometry to examine the conjugation kinetics of Trastuzumab-IgG (Her-IgG) and α-lactalbumin under excess linker concentration ([L]) based on the modified Michaelis-Menten equation, in which the initial rate constant per amine (k = V/K) was determined by the maximum reaction rate (V) under saturated accessible sites and initial amine-linker affinity (1/K). Reductive amination (RA) displayed 3-4 times greater V and a different panel of conjugation sites than that observed for N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (NHS) chemistry using the same length of polyethylene glycol (PEG) linkers.

Design and synthesis of 4-anilinoquinazolines as Raf kinase inhibitors. Part 1. Selective B-Raf/B-Raf and potent EGFR/VEGFR2 inhibitory 4-(3-hydroxyanilino)-6-(1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)quinazolines.

This paper presents the design and synthesis of 4-(3-hydroxyanilino)-6-(1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)quinazolines of scaffold 9 as selective B-Raf/B-Raf and potent EGFR/VEGFR2 kinase inhibitors. Total 14 compounds of scaffold 9 having different side chains at the triazolyl group with/without fluoro substituents at the anilino group were synthesized and investigated. Among them, 9m with a 2-carbamoylethyl side chain and C-4'/C-6' difluoro substituents was the most potent, which selectively inhibited B-Raf (IC: 57 nM) and B-Raf (IC: 51 nM) over C-Raf (IC: 1.

Copper(I)-Catalyzed Nitrile-Addition/-Arylation Ring-Closure Cascade: Synthesis of 5,11-Dihydro-6-indolo[3,2-]quinolin-6-ones as Potent Topoisomerase-I Inhibitors.

In this paper, we present a copper(I)-catalyzed nitrile-addition/-arylation ring-closure cascade for the synthesis of 5,11-dihydro-6-indolo[3,2-]quinolin-6-ones from 2-(2-bromophenyl)--(2-cyanophenyl)acetamides. Using CuBr and -BuONa in dimethylformamide (DMF) as the optimal reaction conditions, the cascade reaction gave the target products, in high yields, with a good substrate scope. Application of the cascade reaction was demonstrated on the concise total syntheses of alkaloid isocryptolepine.

Discovery of T-1101 tosylate as a first-in-class clinical candidate for Hec1/Nek2 inhibition in cancer therapy.

Highly expressed in cancer 1 (Hec1) plays an essential role in mitosis and is correlated with cancer formation, progression, and survival. Phosphorylation of Hec1 by Nek2 kinase is essential for its mitotic function, thus any disruption of Hec1/Nek2 protein-protein interaction has potential for cancer therapy. We have developed T-1101 tosylate (9j tosylate, 9j formerly known as TAI-95), optimized from 4-aryl-N-pyridinylcarbonyl-2-aminothiazole of scaffold 9 by introducing various C-4' substituents to enhance potency and water solubility, as a first-in-class oral clinical candidate for Hec1 inhibition with potential for cancer therapy.

Inhibition of Hec1 as a novel approach for treatment of primary liver cancer.

Purpose: Highly expressed in cancer protein 1 (Hec1) is an oncogene and a promising molecular target for novel anticancer drugs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of a Hec1 inhibitor, TAI-95, as a treatment for primary liver cancer.

Methods: In vitro and in vivo methods were used to test the activity of TAI-95.

Discovery of 4-aryl-N-arylcarbonyl-2-aminothiazoles as Hec1/Nek2 inhibitors. Part I: optimization of in vitro potencies and pharmacokinetic properties.

A series of 4-aryl-N-arylcarbonyl-2-aminothiazoles of scaffold 4 was designed and synthesized as Hec1/Nek2 inhibitors. Structural optimization of 4 led to compound 32 bearing C-4' 4-methoxyphenoxy and 4-(o-fluoropyridyl)carbonyl groups that showed low nanomolar in vitro antiproliferative activity (IC50: 16.3-42.

Activity of a novel Hec1-targeted anticancer compound against breast cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo.

Current cytotoxic chemotherapy produces clinical benefit in patients with breast cancer but the survival impact is modest. To explore novel cytotoxic agents for the treatment of advanced disease, we have characterized a new and pharmacokinetically improved Hec1-targeted compound, TAI-95. Nine of 11 breast cancer cell lines tested were sensitive to nanomolar levels of TAI-95 (GI(50) = 14.

Protective effect of a sesamin derivative, 3-bis (3-methoxybenzyl) butane-1, 4-diol on ischemic and hypoxic neuronal injury.

Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of neuronal death. Sesamin is known for neuroprotection by its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties but it lacks blood-brain barrier (BBB) activity. A panel of sesamin derivatives was screened and 3-bis (3-methoxybenzyl) butane-1,4-diol (BBD) was selected for high BBB activity and tested for its neuroprotective effect.

Characterization of the biological activity of a potent small molecule Hec1 inhibitor TAI-1.

Background: Hec1 (NDC80) is an integral part of the kinetochore and is overexpressed in a variety of human cancers, making it an attractive molecular target for the design of novel anticancer therapeutics. A highly potent first-in-class compound targeting Hec1, TAI-1, was identified and is characterized in this study to determine its potential as an anticancer agent for clinical utility.

Methods: The in vitro potency, cancer cell specificity, synergy activity, and markers for response of TAI-1 were evaluated with cell lines.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship of 3-O-acylated (-)-epigallocatechins as 5α-reductase inhibitors.

A series of 3-O-acylated (-)-epigallocatechins were synthesized and their inhibition of steroid 5α-reductase was studied. They were prepared from the reaction of EGCG with tert-butyldimethylsilyl chloride followed by reductive cleavage of the ester bond. The resultant (-)-epigallocatechins penta-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether was esterified with different fatty acids then desilylated to provide the corresponding products.

Discovery of pyrrole-indoline-2-ones as Aurora kinase inhibitors with a different inhibition profile.

A series of pyrrole-indolin-2-ones were synthesized, and their inhibition profile for Aurora kinases was studied. The potent compound 33 with phenylsulfonamido at the C-5 position and a carboxyethyl group at the C-3' position selectively inhibited Aurora A over Aurora B with IC50 values of 12 and 156 nM, respectively. Replacement of the carboxyl group with an amino group led to compound 47, which retained the activity for Aurora B and lost activity for Aurora A (IC50=2.

Aminyl and iminyl radicals from arylhydrazones in the photo-induced DNA cleavage.

Photolytic cleavage of the nitrogen-nitrogen single bond in benzaldehyde phenylhydrazones produced aminyl (R2N*) and iminyl (R2C=N*) radicals. This photochemical property was utilized in the development of hydrazones as photo-induced DNA-cleaving agents. Irradiation with 350 nm UV light of arylhydrazones bearing substituents of various types in a phosphate buffer solution containing the supercoiled circular phiX174 RFI DNA at pH 6.