A new strategy for enantiospecific construction of the Securinega alkaloids has been developed and applied in total syntheses of (+)-14,15-dihydronorsecurinine (8), (-)-norsecurinine (6), and phyllanthine (2). The B-ring and C7 absolute stereochemistry of these biologically active alkaloids originated from trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline (10), which was converted to ketonitrile 13 via a high-yielding eight-step sequence. Treatment of this ketonitrile with SmI2 afforded the 6-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane B/C-ring system 14, which is a key advanced intermediate for all three synthetic targets. Annulation of the A-ring of (-)-norsecurinine (6) with the required C2 configuration via an N-acyliminium ion alkylation was accomplished using radical-based amide oxidation methodology developed in these laboratories as a key step, providing tricycle 33. Annulation of the D-ring onto alpha-hydroxyketone 33 with the Bestmann ylide 45 at 12 kbar gave (+)-14,15-dihydronorsecurinine (8). In the securinine series, the D-ring was incorporated using an intramolecular Wadsworth-Horner-Emmons olefination of phenylselenylated alpha-hydroxyketone 47. The C14,15 unsaturation was installed late in the synthesis by an oxidative elimination of the selenoxide derived from tetracyclic butenolide 50 to give (-)-norsecurinine (6). The A-ring of phyllanthine (2) was formed from hydroxyketone 14 using a stereoselective Yb(OTf)3-promoted hetero Diels-Alder reaction of the derived imine 34 with Danishefsky's diene, affording adduct 35. Conjugate reduction and stereoselective equatorial ketone reduction of vinylogous amide 35 provided tricyclic intermediate 36, which could then be elaborated in a few steps to stable hydroxyenone 53 via alpha-selenophenylenone intermediate 52. The D-ring was then constructed, again using an intramolecular Wadsworth-Horner-Emmons olefination reaction to give phyllanthine (2).

Caspase-3 is an intracellular cysteine protease, activated as part of the apoptotic response to cell injury.

Carbacephems have been synthesized from D-serine by two routes involving construction first of the six-membered ring followed by cyclization to give the bicyclic β-lactam. In one route, alkylation of a lactim ether was accomplished with Ni(Acac) 2 as a catalyst. The desired R stereochemistry at the carbon corresponding to C-6 of the cephem was obtained by stereospecific hydrogenation of a vinylogous carbamate. The second route involved a stereospecific Michael cyclization to give the same C-6 stereochemistry. Closure of a piperidyl β-amino acid intermediate common to both routes was accomplished using a modified Mukaiyama reagent found to be superior in our system to the traditional reagent. The resulting carbacephem core was stereospecifically substituted at C-7 with an ethyl or amino functionality. The ethylated intermediate was transformed into a stable enol triflate useful for the further elaboration of biologically important carbacephems.

ABSTRACT:Studies on the biotransformation of isoxazole rings have shown that molecules containing a C3-substituted isoxazole or a 1,2-benzisoxazole can undergo a two-electron reductive ring cleavage to form an imine. In the absence of a C3 substituent, the isoxazole ring opens via deprotonation of the C3 proton followed by N-O bond cleavage to yield an ␣-cyanoenol analog. We report the identification of a novel bioactivation pathway of a 3,4-unsubstituted isoxazole in human liver microsomes. After the enzyme-catalyzed cleavage of the 3,4-unsubstituted isoxazole ring of N-((2-isopropyl-7-methyl-1-oxoisoindolin-5-yl)methyl)isoxazole-5-carboxamide (P) in human liver microsomes, the formed ␣-cyanoenol (M1) condenses with formaldehyde to generate an ␣,␤-unsaturated Michael acceptor intermediate (a cyanoacrolein derivative, VII), which further reacts with the cysteinyl thiol of glutathione to yield a GSH adduct of a cyanoacrolein derivative (M3). The same adduct also is formed when M1, generated in 0.1 N NaOH aqueous solution, reacts with formaldehyde and GSH. 13Clabeled methanol was used to confirm that methanol from the drug stock solution was oxidized by liver microsomal enzymes to formaldehyde and the carbon atom from methanol was finally incorporated in the corresponding GSH adduct. The formation of isoxazole ringopened products (M1 and M2) in human liver microsomes is NADPHdependent. M1 and M2 were found in human liver microsomes preincubated with 1-aminobenzotriazole (1 mM) and NADPH (5 mM) at ϳ10% of the levels found in the samples in the absence of 1-aminobenzotriazole, suggesting that this biotransformation pathway is primarily catalyzed by cytochrome P450. The formation of M3 also was inhibited by 1-aminobenzotriazole at a similar level.

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