Published papers

A serious concern of doxorubicin (DOX) therapy is that it causes severe adverse effects, particularly cardiotoxicity. Carbon monoxide (CO) possesses powerful cytoprotective effects against drug-induced organ injury and is expected to ameliorate DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. In this study, a dual carrier of DOX and CO (CO-HemoAct-DOX) was fabricated based on a haemoglobin-albumin cluster (HemoAct), which is a protein cluster with a haemoglobin core structure wrapped by serum albumin. CO-HemoAct-DOX was synthesised by binding CO to a haemoglobin core and covalently conjugating (6-maleimidocaproyl)hydrazone derivative of DOX to an albumin shell. The average DOX/cluster ratio was about 2.6. In the in vitro cytotoxicity assay against cancer cells, the anti-tumour activity of CO-HemoAct-DOX was 10-fold lower than that of DOX in a 2D-cultured model, whereas CO-HemoAct-DOX suppressed the growth of tumour spheroids to the same extent as DOX in the 3D-cultured model. In colon-26 tumour-bearing mice, CO-HemoAct-DOX achieved DOX delivery to the tumour site and alleviated tumour growth more effectively than DOX. Furthermore, CO-HemoAct attenuated DOX-induced cardiomyocyte atrophy in H9c2 cells and elevated the levels of cardiac biomarkers in mice exposed to DOX. These results suggest that the dual delivery of CO and DOX using HemoAct is a promising strategy as an anti-tumour agent to realise well-tolerated cancer therapy with minimal cardiotoxicity.

We developed an intramolecular cyclization of m-homoprenylphenols and related m-prenylphenols to bicyclic skeletons by hypervalent iodine reagents through an oxidative nucleophilic aromatic substitution using the prenyl group as a carbon nucleophile. The reaction was applicable for the syntheses of 5/6-, 6/6-, and 7/6-fused ring systems.

1,1’,10,10’-Biphenothiazine and its S,S,S’,S’-tetroxide are diaza[5]helicenes with N−N linkages. Kinetic experiments on racemization together with DFT calculations revealed that they undergo inversion through the N−N bond breaking pathway rather than the general conformational pathway. In these diaza[5]helicenes with this inversion mechanism, the reduction of electronic repulsion in the N−N bond by modification of S to SO2 at the outer position of the helix led to a significantly higher inversion barrier, 35.3 kcal/mol, compared to [5]helicene. 1,1’,10,10’-Biphenothiazine S,S,S’,S’-tetroxide was highly resistant to acid-mediated N−N bond breaking and racemization under acidic conditions.

This study demonstrates the C-N coupling of tryptophan with azoles, promoted by an in situ-generated iodine-based oxidant. The protocol was successfully applied to the selective modification of tryptophan in nonprotected polypeptide bearing oxidatively sensitive residues in acidic aqueous media. The present method allows the attachment of reactive handles to polypeptides and the peptide stapling.

The biomimetic two-phase strategy employing polyene cyclization and subsequent oxidation/substitution is an effective approach for divergent syntheses of [6-6-6]-tricyclic diterpenes. However, this strategy requires lengthy sequences for syntheses of oxygenated tricyclic aromatic abietane/podocarpane diterpenes owing to the many linear oxidation/substitution steps after cyclization. Here, we present a new synthetic route based on a convergent reverse two-phase strategy employing a reverse radical cyclization approach, which enabled the unified short syntheses of four aromatic abietane/podocarpane diterpenes and the divergent short syntheses of other related diterpenes. Oxygenated and substituted precursors for cyclization were convergently prepared through Friedel-Crafts acylation and rhodium-catalyzed site-selective iodination. Radical redox cyclization using an iridium photoredox catalyst involving neophyl rearrangement furnished the thermodynamically favored 6-membered ring preferentially. (±)-5,6-Dehydrosugiol, salvinolone, crossogumerin A, and Δ5-nimbidiol were synthesized in only 8 steps. An oxygenated cyclized intermediate was also useful for divergent derivatization to sugiol, ferruginol, saprorthoquinone, cryptomeriololide, and salvinolone.

Photophysical properties of benzil (1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-dione) and its derivatives in the crystal state have recently attracted much attention. However, the study of substituted benzils has mostly been limited to para-substituted derivatives, which did not induce a significant effect on the emission wavelength compared to pristine benzil. The effects of ortho- and meta-substituents on the photophysical properties in the crystal state have not been investigated so far. Our recently developed organocatalytic pinacol coupling of substituted benzaldehydes allowed us to prepare various ortho-, meta-, and para-substituted benzil derivatives and to investigate their luminescence properties. Ortho- and meta-substituents affected the electronic states of benzils in the crystal state, resulting in differences in their luminescence properties. The luminescence wavelength and type, i.e., phosphorescence or fluorescence, were altered by these substituents. Fast self-recovering phosphorescence-to-phosphorescence mechanochromism by the para-CF3 substituent at room temperature was also discovered.

Construction of the hydroquinoline skeleton of symbioimine by Cu-mediated N-alkenylation or O-alkenylation of an allyl aminoalcohol, in which either chemoselectivity could lead to the target compound, was investigated. O-alkenylation followed by Claisen rearrangement was favored with high selectivity under a ligand-free condition. Subsequent intramolecular condensation furnished the hydroquinoline skeleton of symbioimine.

Metabolically stable C-glycosides are an essential family of compounds in bioactive natural products, therapeutic agents, and biological probes. For their application, development of synthetic methods by connecting glycosides and aglycons with strict stereocontrol at the anomeric carbon, as well as with high functional-group compatibility and environmental compatibility is a pivotal issue. Although Suzuki–Miyaura-type C(sp3)−C(sp2) cross-coupling using glycosyl boronates is a potential candidate for the construction of C-glycosides, neither the cross-coupling itself nor the facile synthesis of the coupling precursor, glycosyl boronates, have been achieved to date. Herein, it was succeeded to develop a copper-catalyzed stereoselective one-step borylation of glycosyl bromides to glycosyl boronates and palladium-catalyzed stereospecific cross-coupling of β-glycosyl borates with aryl bromides to give aryl β-C-glycosides, in which the β-configuration of the anomeric carbon of the glycosyl trifluoroborates is stereoretentively transferred to that of the resulting aryl C-glycosides.

The 1,2-rearrangement of o-quinols has been a long-standing unsolved problem since 1958. Although the rearrangement is expected to be useful for syntheses of catechol derivatives, it is hampered by many competing reactions and has not been developed as a useful methodology. Here, we succeeded in settling this problem by a first systematic thorough investigation, establishing the 1,2-rearrangement as a cascade reaction with a retro Diels-Alder reaction from o-quinol dimers. This is a useful strategy for syntheses of substituted catechols used as synthetic building blocks for bioactive compounds and material molecules. o-Quinol dimers were synthesized by improved oxidative hydroxylation of substituted phenols followed by spontaneous Diels-Alder reaction. The dimers then underwent the retro Diels-Alder reaction to regenerate the o-quinols followed by 1,2-rearrangement under neutral heating conditions at an appropriate temperature depending on the migratory substituent, furnishing substituted catechols in good yields. The competing reactions such as an elimination of a substituent or α-ketol rearrangement were minimized by controlling the reaction temperature.

The 1H-2-benzopyran-5,8-dione structure was synthesized by a cascade reaction through Michael addition, elimination of HBr, and O-alkylation between a dibromobenzoquinone derivative and β-ketoesters under basic conditions. The reaction using potassium carbonate and 18-crown-6 in THF was the best condition, giving 1H-2-benzopyran-5,8-dione derivatives in good yields. The UV-vis absorption spectrum and cyclic voltammogram of the synthesized 1H-2-benzopyran-5,8-dione derivative were measured, clarifying the photophysical and redox properties.

We developed a one-step synthesis of acylborons from both readily available acyl chlorides and bis(pinacolato)diboron through copper(I)-catalyzed borylation. Under the reaction conditions using tBuOLi, polystyrene-supported triphenylphosphine as a copper ligand was found to promote the borylation of acyl chlorides while suppressing alcoholysis. This method enables the facile synthesis of potassium acyltrifluoroborates.

The chemical modification of proteins is an effective technique for manipulating the properties and functions of proteins, and for creating protein-based materials. The N-terminus is a promising target for single-site modification that provides modified proteins with uniform structures and properties. In this paper, a copper(II)-mediated aldol reaction with 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde (2-PC) derivatives is proposed as an operationally simple method to selectively modify the N-terminus of peptides and proteins at room temperature and physiological pH. The copper(II) ion activates the N-terminal amino acids by complexation with an imine of the N-terminal amino acid and 2-PCs, realizing the selective formation of the nucleophilic intermediate at the N-terminus. This results in a stable carbon-carbon bond between the 2-PCs and the α-carbon of various N-terminal amino acids. The reaction is applied to four different proteins, including biopharmaceuticals such as filgrastim and trastuzumab. The modified trastuzumab retains the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 recognition activity.

Flavonoids are a subclass of polyphenols which are attractive, due to possessing various physiological activities, including a radioprotective effect. Tumor suppressor p53 is a primary reg-ulator in the radiation response and is involved in the pathogenesis of radiation injuries. In this study, we revealed that isorhamnetin inhibited radiation cell death, and investigated its action mechanism focusing on DNA damage response. Although isorhamnetin moderated p53 activity, it promoted phosphorylation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and enhanced 53BP1 recruitment in irradiated cells. The radioprotective effect of isorhamnetin was not observed in the presence of ATM inhibitor, indicating that its protective effect was dependent on ATM. Furthermore, iso-rhamnetin-treated mice survived gastrointestinal death caused by a lethal dose of abdominal irra-diation. These findings suggested that isorhamnetin enhances the ATM-dependent DNA repair pro-cess, which is presumably associated with the suppressive effect against GI syndrome.

The metal-free thermal organocatalytic pinacol coupling of arylaldehydes has been developed. The intermolecular coupling of arylaldehydes catalyzed by t-butyl isonicotinate with bis(pinacolato)diboron as the co-reducing agent afforded 1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diols. This reaction was also applicable to the intramolecular coupling of 1,10-biphenyl-2,20-dicarbaldehydes to afford 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene-9,10-diols. Various functional groups were tolerated under this coupling condition.

Herein, we report a C−S cross-coupling reaction between alkyl thiols or aryl thiols and ortho-substituted arylboronic acids that proceeds in the presence of an inexpensive and ligand-free NiCl2 ⋅ 6H2O salt and N-methylmorpholine, a weak base, at 25 °C in air. The presence of coordinating and electron-withdrawing groups at the ortho-position of the arylboronic acids played a crucial role in determining the efficiency of the reaction. X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that the [NiCl2(DMF)2(H2O)2] complex was formed in-situ. The complex is an excellent precursor of the active nickel species. The reaction offers an extremely mild and operationally convenient method to access a wide variety of alkyl aryl sulfides and diaryl sulfides without using expensive transition metals, such as palladium, gold, and rhodium, and specialized and expensive ligands.

The total synthesis of dehydroantofine was achieved by employing a novel, regioselective, azahetero Diels–Alder reaction of easily accessible 3,5-dichloro-2H-1,4-oxazin-2-one with 14 a as a key step. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that dehydroantofine is a promising candidate as a new antimalarial agent in a biological assay with chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd A formal total synthesis of (−)-hamigeran B was achieved in 17 steps from commercially available ethyl 2-oxocyclopentanecarboxylate. Carbonyl reductase-catalyzed asymmetric reduction and the subsequent chemical transformations furnished an enantiomerically pure synthetic intermediate, (R)-5-formyl-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclopent-1-en-1-yl trifluoromethylsulfonate. Suzuki-Miyaura coupling with Gao's arylboronate [2-(2-formyl-3-methoxy-5-methylphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolane], under PdCl2(dppf)•CH2Cl2 catalysis, and the subsequent cyclization by way of intramolecular reductive SmI2-mediated 1,2-diol formation provided a tricyclic skeleton with a tetrasubstituted double bond between C-1 and C-9b. Upon hydrogenation of this double bond, the proper stereochemistry of the remaining chiral centers was established. Exclusive addition of the hydrogen atom from the β-face occurred, owing to the shielding of the α-face with a bulky TBS protective group on the C-4 alcohol. The hydrogenation products were transformed into Clive's synthetic precursor for (−)-hamigeran B.

© 2018, The Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy and Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature. Menisdaurin (1), a cyano glucoside, was first isolated in 1978 from Menispermum dauricum (Menispermaceae) and named after the plant. It has been also isolated from several plant sources. The stereochemistry of the aglycone part was first reported as (Z,4R,6S)-enantiomer of (4,6-dihydroxy-2-cyclohexen-1-ylidene)acetonitrile based on the CD spectrum of menisdaurilide (2), the α,β-unsaturated γ-lactone obtained by an acid hydrolysis of menisdaurin. Later, the absolute stereochemistry was revised as (Z,4S,6R) by X-ray crystal analysis of 1 isolated from Saniculiphyllum guangxiens. The aglycone part of menisdaurin (1) has not been obtained from 1, because an acid hydrolysis of 1 gave menisdaurilide (2), and enzymatic hydrolysis with emulsin did not give the aglycone. On the other hand, a compound named coculauril (3) was isolated from Cocculus lauriforius. This compound has the same planner structure corresponding to the aglycone of 1, but the stereochemistry was reported to be (E,4R,6S). Here, we confirmed the absolute stereochemistry of 1 by Mosher’s method to be (Z,4S,6R), and prepared the aglycone of 1, i.e., menisdaurigenin (4) by an enzymatic hydrolysis of 1. We also revealed that 4 is a different compound from 3 and unstable in water and MeOH.

© 2018 Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry Trilobatin [4-(β-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-2,4”,6-trihydroxydihydrochalcone] was synthesized from commercially available naringin in three steps with an overall yield of 30%. The key step was the acid-catalyzed site-selective hydrolysis of terminal α-rhamnopyranosidic linkage in neohesperidose involved in naringin under controlled conditions, by applying a high-pressure steam sterilizer.