Ruthenium-Catalyzed α-Regioselective Hydroboration of Allenes.

Hydroboration of allenes is powerful and atom-economic approach to the synthesis of organoboranes, such as the highly versatile allylboranes. However, regarding regiocontrol, existing methods uniformly deliver the boron functionality to the less hindered β- or γ-position, but not the α-position. The latter is particularly challenging for allenes with substantial steric difference between the two terminals and lacking electronic bias (e.

Enantioselective Reductive Cyclization of Alkynyl-Tethered Cyclohexadienones Catalyzed by Rhodium Complexes.

Although various types of asymmetric cyclization reactions of 1,6-enynes have been established, simple asymmetric reductive cyclization remains underdeveloped. In this study, the enantioselective reductive cyclization of alkynyl-tethered cyclohexadienones (1,6-enynes) has been developed via a chiral pincer rhodium catalyst, affording -hydrobenzofurans and -hydroindoles with high enantioselectivities (90-99% ee). Furthermore, several synthetic applications and preliminary inhibitory activity studies against SARS-CoV-2 3CL are presented.

Cobalt-Catalyzed Chemo- and Stereoselective Arylative Carbocyclization of 1,6-Allenynes.

Different from the well-investigated enynes, transition-metal-catalyzed carbocyclization reactions of allenynes are more attractive as a result of the unique structure and versatile reactivity of allenes. Herein, we report the first cobalt-catalyzed highly chemo- and stereoselective arylative carbocyclization of 1,6-allenynes with arylboronic acids, affording five-membered carbocycles and heterocycles with moderate to high yields, broad substrate scope, and wide functional group compatibility. Moreover, several mechanistic experiments were conducted to gain insight into the reaction process.

Granzyme B PET Imaging Stratifies Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Response in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a notoriously difficult cancer to treat. The recent development of immune checkpoint inhibitors has revolutionised HCC therapy; however, successful response is only observed in a small percentage of patients. Biomarkers typically used to predict treatment response in other tumour types are ineffective in HCC, which arises in an immune-suppressive environment.

Ruthenium-Catalyzed Geminal Hydroborative Cyclization of Enynes.

Disclosed here is the first geminal (gem-) hydroborative cyclization of enynes. Different from known hydroborative cyclizations, this process adds hydrogen and boron to the same position, leading to a new reaction mode. With [Cp*RuCl] as catalyst, a range of gem-hydroborated bicyclic products bearing a cyclopropane unit could be rapidly assembled from simple enyne substrates.

Imaging Kv1.3 Expressing Memory T Cells as a Marker of Immunotherapy Response.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown great promise, emerging as a new pillar of treatment for cancer; however, only a relatively small proportion of recipients show a durable response to treatment. Strategies that reliably differentiate durably-responding tumours from non-responsive tumours are a critical unmet need. Persistent and durable immunological responses are associated with the generation of memory T cells.

Granzyme B PET Imaging in Response to In Situ Vaccine Therapy Combined with αPD1 in a Murine Colon Cancer Model.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) block checkpoint receptors that tumours use for immune evasion, allowing immune cells to target and destroy cancer cells. Despite rapid advancements in immunotherapy, durable response rates to ICIs remains low. To address this, combination clinical trials are underway assessing whether adjuvants can enhance responsiveness by increasing tumour immunogenicity.

Diastereo- and enantioselective rhodium(III)-catalyzed reductive cyclization of cyclohexadienone-containing 1,6-dienes.

A diastereo- and enantioselective rhodium(III)-catalyzed reductive cyclization of cyclohexadienone-tethered terminal alkenes and ()-1,2-disubstituted alkenes (1,6-dienes) is reported, providing -bicyclic products bearing three contiguous stereocenters with good yields and high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The kinetic resolution of the racemic precursor is also achieved with good efficiency. Moreover, a subgram-scale experiment, several transformations of the cyclization product, and one-pot preparation of bridged polycyclic frameworks are presented.

Granzyme B PET Imaging of Combined Chemotherapy and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy in Colon Cancer.

Purpose: Chemotherapeutic adjuvants, such as oxaliplatin (OXA) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), that enhance the immune system, are being assessed as strategies to improve durable response rates when used in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy in cancer patients. In this study, we explored granzyme B (GZB), released by tumor-associated immune cells, as a PET imaging-based stratification marker for successful combination therapy using a fluorine-18 (F)-labelled GZB peptide ([F]AlF-mNOTA-GZP).

Methods: Using the immunocompetent CT26 syngeneic mouse model of colon cancer, we assessed the potential for [F]AlF-mNOTA-GZP to stratify OXA/5-FU and ICI combination therapy response via GZB PET.

One-Pot Preparation of Tricyclo[5.2.2.0]undecanes via Cu-Catalyzed Asymmetric Carboboration of Cyclohexadienone-Tethered Allenes.

The Cu-catalyzed asymmetric carboboration of cyclohexadienone-tethered allenes has been achieved through regioselective β-borylation of the allenes and subsequent conjugate addition to cyclohexadienones, affording -bicyclic frameworks with acceptable yields and high to excellent enantioselectivities. Further conjugate borylation of the carboboration products proved to be a favorable kinetic resolution process, which improved the overall enantioselectivity. Finally, one-pot preparation of highly enantioenriched tricyclo[5.

Copper(I)-catalyzed diastereo- and enantio-selective construction of optically pure exocyclic allenes.

Among about 150 identified allenic natural products, the exocyclic allenes constitute a major subclass. Substantial efforts are devoted to the construction of axially chiral allenes, however, the strategies to prepare chiral exocyclic allenes are still rare. Herein, we show an efficient strategy for the asymmetric synthesis of chiral exocyclic allenes with the simultaneous control of axial and central chirality through copper(I)-catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular reductive coupling of 1,3-enynes to cyclohexadienones.

Initial Analysis of the Arylomycin D Antibiotics.

The arylomycins are a class of natural product antibiotics that inhibit bacterial type I signal peptidase and are under development as therapeutics. Four classes of arylomycins are known, arylomycins A-D. Previously, we reported the synthesis and analysis of representatives of the A, B, and C classes and showed that their spectrum of activity has the potential to be much broader than originally assumed.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel potent STAT3 inhibitors based on BBI608 for cancer therapy.

Persistently activated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) plays an important role in the development of multiple cancers, and therefore is a potential therapeutic target for cancer prevention. Herein, we report the rational design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel potent STAT3 inhibitors based on BBI608. Among them, compound A11 exhibited the most potent in vitro tumor cell growth inhibitory activities toward MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468 and HepG2 cells with IC values as low as 0.

One-Pot Preparation of 9,10-Dihydrophenanthrenes Initiated by Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed C-H Activation and Relay Diels-Alder Reaction.

An efficient one-pot synthesis of multisubstituted 9,10-dihydrophenanthrenes from easily available 2-arylazaarenes and cyclohexadienone-tethered terminal alkynes (1,6-enynes) has been successfully achieved. This domino reaction proceeded smoothly through Cp*Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H activation, direct protonation of alkenyl-Rh intermediates, intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, alkene isomerization, subsequent ring-opening aromatization, and acetylation. This strategy was pot-economical and tolerated a wide range of functional groups.

Nickel(II)-Catalyzed Addition of Aryl-, Alkenyl-, and Alkylboronic Acids to Alkenylazaarenes.

A nickel(II)-catalyzed addition of aryl-, alkenyl-, and alkylboronic acids to alkenylazaarenes was presented. This reaction exhibited high efficiency (up to 93% yield), a broad substrate scope (seven types of heterocycles), and good functional group compatibility. The resulting products can be further transformed to many useful building blocks.

Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of Racemic 1,6-Dienes via Asymmetric Borylative Cyclization.

The rhodium(III)-catalyzed kinetic resolution of racemic nonactivated terminal alkene-tethered cyclohexadienones (1,6-dienes) has been developed with high to excellent selectivities ( up to 458) via asymmetric borylative cyclization, providing recovered cyclohexadienones and -hydrobenzofuranones with good to excellent yields and enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). This reaction shows broad functional group tolerance and allows the further conversions of these two-type products to many optically active derivatives bearing multiple functionalities via Rh, Cu, Pd, and Ag catalysis.

Examining Immunotherapy Response Using Multiple Radiotracers.

Purpose: Cancer immunotherapy has shown huge potential in the fight against cancer, but only a small proportion of patients respond successfully to treatment. Non-invasive methods to stratify responders from non-responders are critically important as immune therapies are often associated with immune-related side effects. Currently, conventional clinical imaging modalities do not provide a useful measure of immune therapy efficacy.

Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Borylative Cyclization of Cyclohexadienone-Containing 1,6-Dienes: An Experimental and DFT Study.

Because of the inherent difficulty in differentiating two olefins, the development of metal-catalyzed asymmetric cyclization of 1,6-dienes remains challenging. Herein, we describe the first rhodium(III)-catalyzed asymmetric borylative cyclization of cyclohexadienone-tethered mono-, 1,1-di-, and ()-1,2-disubstituted alkenes (1,6-dienes), affording optically pure -bicyclic skeletons bearing three or four contiguous stereocenters with high yields (25-93%), and excellent diastereoselectivities (>20:1 dr) and enantioselectivities (90-99% ee). This mild catalytic approach is generally compatible with a wide range of functional groups, which allows several facile conversions of the cyclization products.

Highly Enantioselective Rhodium-Catalyzed Cross-Addition of Silylacetylenes to Cyclohexadienone-Tethered Internal Alkynes.

The first highly enantioselective rhodium-catalyzed cross-addition of silylacetylenes to cyclohexadienone-tethered internal alkynes has been achieved via a tandem process: regioselective alkynylation of the internal alkynes and subsequent intramolecular conjugate addition to the cyclohexadienones, affording the cis-hydrobenzofuran frameworks with good yields (up to 88% yield) and excellent enantioselectivities (90%-96% ee). This mild reaction showed perfect atom economy and broad functional group tolerance. Furthermore, a gram-scale experiment and diverse further conversions of the cyclization products were also presented.

Arylation/Intramolecular Conjugate Addition of 1,6-Enynes Enabled by Manganese(I)-Catalyzed C-H Bond Activation.

An arylation/intramolecular conjugate addition of cyclohexadienone-containing 1,6-enynes has been established through initiation by manganese(I)-catalyzed C-H bond activation. This tandem reaction involved unusual E/ Z-isomerized alkenyl-Mn intermediates and proceeded smoothly with high chemoselectivities and perfect atom economy. The cyclization products could be further transformed to various structures.

CuH-Catalyzed Asymmetric Intramolecular Reductive Coupling of Allenes to Enones.

The CuH-catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular reductive coupling of allenes to enones is successfully realized, providing cis-hydrobenzofurans with promising yields and excellent enantioselectivities. Such brilliant enantioselectivities are partially contributed by CuH-catalyzed favorable kinetic resolution of the cyclization products. This protocol tolerates a broad range of functional groups, allowing for further construction of tricyclic and bridged-ring structures.

Conformational Heterogeneity and DNA Recognition by the Morphogen Bicoid.

The morphogenic activity of the Drosophila transcription factor bicoid (Bcd), the first morphogenic protein identified, is controlled by its DNA binding homeodomain. Homeodomains mediate developmental processes in all multicellular organisms, but the Bcd homeodomain appears to be unique as it can bind multiple DNA sequences and even RNA. All homeodomain proteins adopt a three-helix fold, with residues of the third helix mediating recognition of the nucleic acid target via interactions with the major groove.

Synthesis of neplanocin A and its 3'-epimer via an intramolecular Baylis-Hillman reaction.

The key cyclopentenyl intermediate 11b was synthesized in 4 steps from d-ribose in 41% overall yield via an efficient intramolecular Baylis-Hillman reaction. This novel key intermediate can be modified easily and transformed to neplanocin A (1a) and its 3'-epimer (1b).

Biodegradable thermogelling poly(ester urethane)s consisting of poly(lactic acid)--thermodynamics of micellization and hydrolytic degradation.

Multiblock poly(ether ester urethane)s comprising of poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) segments were synthesized, and their aqueous solutions exhibited thermogelling behavior at critical gelation concentrations (CGC) ranging from 7 to 9 wt%. The chemical structures and molecular characteristics of the copolymers were studied by GPC, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and FTIR. The thermal stability of the poly(PEG/PPG/PLA urethane)s was studied by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and the PLA contents were calculated based on the thermal degradation profile.