Desymmetrization of α-diimines: Synthesis of new 3-(diaziridin-3-yl) oxaziridines

New heterocyclic compounds characterized by the presence of a diaziridine and an oxaziridine ring directly bound were reported. A first desymmetrization reaction of α-diimines using nosyloxycarbamate as aminating agent in a H2O/CH2Cl2 system gives (E)-3-(iminomethyl) diaziridine-1-carboxylates which were further functionalized obtaining the never synthesized before 3-(diaziridin-3-yl)oxaziridines. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Water-controlled chiral inversion of a nitrogen atom during the synthesis of diaziridines from α-branched N,N'-dialkyl α-diimines

Desymmetrization of chiral α-diimines by ethyl nosyloxycarbamate using water as a co-solvent takes place with very high diastereoselectivity, the nucleophilic attack occurring only on the less hindered side of the CN double bond. Interestingly, the presence of water in the reaction medium likely stabilizes the anion intermediate slowing down the successive cyclization reaction and favoring the rotation around the C-N single bond. In fact, as confirmed by ROESY experiments, only the two diastereomeric 3-(iminomethyl) diaziridine-1-carboxylates that differ in the absolute configuration of the alkyl substituted nitrogen atoms were always obtained in equimolar ratios. Finally, all compounds were easily obtained in optically pure form through HPLC separation and can be considered as interesting chiral synthons. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Synthesis of gem-diamino acid derivatives by a Hofmann rearrangement

Starting from commercially available N-protected l-alpha-amino acids, N,N'-protected gem-diaminic units were obtained by a two-step methodology. A Hofmann reaction performed using a primary alcohol as the solvent to trap the isocyanate intermediate represents the key step of the new synthetic procedure. Then, the methodology was applied to alpha-carbamoyl alpha'-carboxyl aziridines, also functionalized with l-alpha-amino esters and stable gem-diaminic units characterized by an aziridine ring and by a retro-peptide modification were obtained. The use of the latter units in the retro-peptide chemistry allows to obtain modified peptides containing an aziridine ring able to behave as an electrophilic site and as a biomimetic structural analog of proline

Stereoselective synthesis of short benzyl malonyl peptides

A Rh-catalyzed addition reaction on non symmetric dehydro alanine retro-peptides is the key step in the reported three-step strategy for the diastereoselective synthesis of differently functionalized benzyl malonyl peptides (74% overall yield)

Chiral bidiaziridines by a two-step domino aziridination of meso-α-diimines

Chiral racemic α-diimines, tested in aziridination reactions with NsONHCO2Et, for the first time led to the synthesis of d,l-bidiaziridines, stereoselectively derived from the corresponding meso (E-s-trans-E)-α-diimines. Moreover, a minor bidiaziridine isomer, probably a meso form that was lost under classical work-up conditions, can be obtained by adding water to the crude mixtures at the end of amination reactions. The results definitively prove that the imine aziridination by carbamates is a two-step domino process. The structures of the compounds were determined using 2D NMR on purified bidiaziridine

The novel TORC1/2 kinase inhibitor PQR620 has anti-tumor activity in lymphomas as a single agent and in combination with venetoclax

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling cascade is an important therapeutic target for lymphomas. Rapamycin-derivates as allosteric mTOR complex 1 (TORC1) inhibitors have shown moderate preclinical and clinical anti-lymphoma activity. Here, we assessed the anti-tumor activity of PQR620, a novel brain penetrant dual TORC1/2 inhibitor, in 56 lymphoma cell lines. We observed anti-tumor activity across 56 lymphoma models with a median IC50 value of 250 nM after 72 h of exposure. PQR620 was largely cytostatic, but the combination with the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax led to cytotoxicity. Both the single agent and the combination data were validated in xenograft models. The data support further evaluation of PQR620 as a single agent or in combination with venetoclax

Antitumor activity of the dual BET and CBP/EP300 inhibitor NEO2734

Bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) proteins, cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein (CBP), and the E1A-binding protein of p300 (EP300) are important players in histone acetylation. Preclinical evidence supports the notion that small molecules targeting these proteins individually or in combination can elicit antitumor activity. Here, we characterize the antitumor activity of the pan BET/CBP/EP300 inhibitor NEO2734 and provide insights into its mechanism of action through bromodomain-binding assays, in vitro and in vivo treatments of cancer cell lines, immunoblotting, and transcriptome analyses. In a panel of 60 models derived from different tumor types, NEO2734 exhibited antiproliferative activity in multiple cell lines, with the most potent activity observed in hematologic and prostate cancers. Focusing on lymphoma cell lines, NEO2374 exhibited a pattern of response and transcriptional changes similar to lymphoma cells exposed to either BET or CBP/EP300 inhibitors alone. However, NEO2734 was more potent than single-agent BET or CBP/EP300 inhibitors alone. In conclusion, NEO2734 is a novel antitumor compound that shows preferential activity in lymphomas, leukemias, and prostate cancers