Transglycosidases have potential to catalyze the synthesis of high-value compounds from biomass-derived feedstocks. Cheminformatics can help design more active and versatile catalysts and discover new substrates.

The retaining β-glucosidase acid/base mutant TxGH116D593A catalyzed the production of 1-azido-β-d-glucose for synthesis of 15 1,2,3-triazole β-glucosyl derivatives.

In the present study, we derivatized several hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids to phenolic amides (PAMs) via one step BOP mediated amide coupling reactions. Fifteen PAMs were synthesized in >40% yields and were screened for their cytotoxic activities against four cancer cell lines: THP-1 (leukemia), HeLa (cervical), HepG2 (liver), and MCF-7 (breast), in comparison to 5-flurouracil (5-FU). Four amides showed IC50 ranging from 5 to 55 µM against all four cell lines. In contrast, tetradecyl-gallic-amide (13) affected only THP-1 leukemia cells with IC50 of 3.08 µM. The activities of these compounds support the promise of phenolic amides as anticancer agents.