Enantioselective Total Synthesis of CannabinoidsA Route for Analogue Development

A practical synthetic approach to Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (<b>1</b>) and cannabidiol (<b>2</b>) that provides scalable access to these natural products and should enable the generation of novel synthetic analogues is reported

Identification of a Hit Series of Antileishmanial Compounds through the Use of Mixture-Based Libraries

From a screening campaign that included mixture-based libraries containing more than 6 million compounds, a lead series of bis-cyclic guanidines was identified as the most promising. Lead optimization resulted in the identification of potent (IC₅₀ < 500 nM) and selective compounds within this series as well as potent and selective monoguanidines

Synthesis and Activity of a New Series of Antileishmanial Agents

We have determined that tetrahydroindazoles such as <b>1</b> show potent activity against <i>Leishmania donovani</i>, the causative agent of leishmaniasis. While the Hsp90 activity and anticancer properties of <b>1</b> have previously been explored, we present here our efforts to optimize their activity against <i>L. donovani</i> via the synthesis of novel analogues designed to probe the hydrophobic pocket of the protozoan Hsp90 orthologue, specifically through the auspices of functionalization of an amine embedded into the scaffold

Shotgun Kinetic Target-Guided Synthesis Approach Enables the Discovery of Small-Molecule Inhibitors against Pathogenic Free-Living Amoeba Glucokinases

Pathogenic free-living amoebae (pFLA) can cause life-threatening central nervous system (CNS) infections and warrant the investigation of new chemical agents to combat the rise of infection from these pathogens. Naegleria fowleri glucokinase (NfGlck), a key metabolic enzyme involved in generating glucose-6-phosphate, was previously identified as a potential target due to its limited sequence similarity with human Glck (HsGlck). Herein, we used our previously demonstrated multifragment kinetic target-guided synthesis (KTGS) screening strategy to identify inhibitors against pFLA glucokinases. Unlike the majority of previous KTGS reports, our current study implements a “shotgun” approach, where fragments were not biased by predetermined binding potentials. The study resulted in the identification of 12 inhibitors against 3 pFLA glucokinase enzymesNfGlck, Balamuthia mandrillaris Glck (BmGlck), and Acanthamoeba castellanii Glck (AcGlck). This work demonstrates the utility of KTGS to identify small-molecule binders for biological targets where resolved X-ray crystal structures are not readily accessible

Shotgun Kinetic Target-Guided Synthesis Approach Enables the Discovery of Small-Molecule Inhibitors against Pathogenic Free-Living Amoeba Glucokinases

Pathogenic free-living amoebae (pFLA) can cause life-threatening central nervous system (CNS) infections and warrant the investigation of new chemical agents to combat the rise of infection from these pathogens. Naegleria fowleri glucokinase (NfGlck), a key metabolic enzyme involved in generating glucose-6-phosphate, was previously identified as a potential target due to its limited sequence similarity with human Glck (HsGlck). Herein, we used our previously demonstrated multifragment kinetic target-guided synthesis (KTGS) screening strategy to identify inhibitors against pFLA glucokinases. Unlike the majority of previous KTGS reports, our current study implements a “shotgun” approach, where fragments were not biased by predetermined binding potentials. The study resulted in the identification of 12 inhibitors against 3 pFLA glucokinase enzymesNfGlck, Balamuthia mandrillaris Glck (BmGlck), and Acanthamoeba castellanii Glck (AcGlck). This work demonstrates the utility of KTGS to identify small-molecule binders for biological targets where resolved X-ray crystal structures are not readily accessible