An asymmetric nitrogen-containing dimer, leiocarpanine A, was isolated from the aerial part of Mercurialis leiocarpa as a new compound. The new generation process of leiocarpanine A was estimated and a concise synthesis of leiocarpanine A could be detailed based on mimicking the generation process through the radical intermediates. In general, a lot of reaction step and organic reagents are required for the synthesis of asymmetric nitrogen-containing dimers. However, our new synthesis method enables a concise synthesis of asymmetric nitrogen-containing dimers through radical intermediates by only liquid-separation. This synthetic method provides a rapid and concise pathway to construct a library of nitrogen-containing dimers that might be useful for drug discovery. In addition, it is useful to elucidate the generation process of leiocarpanine A.

Inhibitors of human β-N-acetyl-D-hexosaminidase (hHEX) A and human O-GlcNAcase (hOGA) reportedly play roles in multiple diseases, suggesting their potential for pharmacological chaperone (PC) therapy of Sandhoff disease (SD) and Tay–Sachs disease (TSD), as lysosomal storage diseases, and Alzheimer’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy, respectively. In particular, hHEXA inhibitors as PCs have been shown to successfully enhance hHEXA levels, leading to the chronic form of SD and TSD. In the diagnosis of enzyme deficiencies in SD and TSD, artificial hHEXA substrates based on 4-methylumbelliferone as a fluorophore are available and generally used; however, they do not have sufficient performance to screen for potential inhibitors for a PC therapy from compound libraries. Further, there are currently few fluorogenic substrates for hHEXA suitable for such requirements and there are no substrates ideal for cell-based inhibitor screening. Here, we clarified the difference in enzyme active site structure between hHEXA and hOGA from their tertiary structures. To develop lysosome-localized hHEXA-specific fluorogenic substrates based on the difference in their active site structures, our developed quinone methide cleavage substrate design platform was applied for the molecular design of substrates. Thereafter, we synthesized via the shortest route and evaluated novel three-color fluorogenic substrates for hHEXA that exhibited excellent specificity and sensitivity in three human cell lines. The designed substrates represent the first-in-a class of new substrates that can be utilized to screen hHEXA inhibitors in adherent human cultured cells.

Hydrophilic polyacrylamide gel-based triazine-type condensing reagents, PAG-Trz-Cl, have been developed. PAG-Trz-Cls were synthesized using a chlorotriazine with an acrylamide moiety, acrylamide, and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide via both precipitation and solution polymerization. Because PAG-Trz-Cls adequately swell in aqueous media, the amidation between polar carboxylic acids and amines afforded the corresponding amides in good yields.

Chemoselective reactions can contribute to streamlining synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and other functional molecules by avoiding use of protecting groups. In this review, copper catalysts were demonstrated useful for developing two types of chemoselective reactions: C–C bond-forming reactions at an anomeric carbon of unprotected aldoses and difunctionalization reaction of C–C multiple bonds. The “soft” nucleophilic copper species exhibit orthogonal reactivity toward “hard” polar functional groups and preferentially react with “soft” functional groups. The catalysis also controls stereoselectivity and/or regioselectivity to provide value-added products from readily available feedstock compounds.

Six new sesquiterpenes, tsukiyols A–C, neoilludin C, and 4-O-methylneoilludins A and B, were isolated from the fruiting body of Omphalotus japonicus (Kawam.) Kirchm. & O. K. Mill. Additionally, six known compounds, illudin S, neoilludins A–B, 5-hydroxydichomitol, ergosterolperoxide, and 3β,5α,9α-trihydroxyergosta-7,22-diene-6-one, were also obtained. Their chemical structures were determined with MS, IR, and NMR spectra and the absolute configurations of neoilludins A–C, 4-O-methylneoilludins A, and B were determined with electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Illudin S and 3β,5α,9α-trihydroxyergosta-7,22-diene-6-one showed cytotoxicity against human acute promyelocytic leukemia HL60 cells. Illudin S, 4-O-methylneoilludin A, B, and tsukiyol C showed growth-restoring activity against mutant yeast via Ca²⁺-signal transduction.

This study reports the synthesis and evaluation of novel indirect AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activators. The series of compounds selectively inhibited cell growth in several human breast cancer cell lines by activating AMPK. We performed back-up medicinal chemistry synthetic research on ASP4132, a previously reported as a compound for clinical development that acts as an indirect AMPK activator. This led to the successful identification of 4-({4-[5-({1-[(5-ethoxypyrazin-2-yl)methyl]-4-fluoropiperidin-4-yl}methoxy)-3-methylpyridine-2-carbonyl]piperazin-1-yl}methyl)benzonitrile succinate (27b), a potent, highly aqueous soluble and metabolically stable compound in human hepatocytes. Compound 27b also showed weaker human Ether-a-go-go Related Gene (hERG) inhibitory activity than that of compound 13 and ASP4132. Therefore, 27b was a promising AMPK activator and a second-generation clinical candidate for treatment for human cancer.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) as attractive targets in many diseases therapies has been studied extensively, and its application in cancer research is the most important. Here, we developed a series of derivatives containing natural 2,5-diketopiperazine (DKP) skeleton. Several compounds exhibited distinct HDAC1 inhibitory activities, in particular 2a (IC₅₀ = 405 nM). The selectivity profile for representative 2a indicated that this series of compounds had a preference for HDAC1–3. Additionally, 2a showed the best growth inhibitory activities against K562 and HL-60 tumor cell line with IC₅₀ values of 4.23 and 4.16 µM, respectively. This work may lay the foundation for developing DKP-based HDAC inhibitors as a potential anticancer agent.

The mechanical strength (stiffness) of liposomes affects their cellular uptake efficiency and drug release in drug delivery processes. We recently developed a tip shape evaluation method for improving the precision of liposome stiffness measurement by quantitative imaging (QI)-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). The present study applied our method to the widely-used AFM instruments equipped for intermittent contact (IC)-mode force curve measurements, and examined instrument-dependent factors that affect the liposome stiffness measurements. We demonstrated that the evaluation of the tip shape for cantilever selection can be applicable to the IC mode as well as the QI mode. With the cantilever selection, the improved precision of the liposome stiffness was obtained when the stiffness of each liposome was determined from the slope in the force-deformation curve by the IC-mode force curve measurement. Further, the stiffness values were found to be similar to that measured by QI-mode measurements. These results indicate that our developed method can be widely used via IC-mode force curve measurements as well as via QI mode. It was also revealed that spatial drift of the cantilever position was instrument-dependent factors which could affect the precision of liposome stiffness measurements in the case of IC-mode force curve measurement. Therefore, in case of stiffness measurement by IC-mode force curve measurement, it is vital to obtain force-deformation curves immediately after imaging a liposome for the precise stiffness measurement of liposomes. These findings will promote the usage of the AFM stiffness measurement method for the characterization of lipid nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems.

Discriminatory drug delivery into target cells is essential to effectively elicit the drug activity and to avoid off-target side effects; however, transporting drugs across the cell membrane is difficult due to factors such as molecular size, hydrophilicity, intercellular adhesiveness, and efflux transporters, particularly, in the brain capillary endothelial cells. Drug delivery into the brain is blocked by the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Thus, developing drugs for the central nervous system (CNS) diseases remains a challenge. The approach based on receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT) can overcome this impassable problem at the BBB. Well-designed molecules for RMT form conjugates with the ligand and drugs via linkers or nanoparticles. Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs), receptor-targeting peptides, and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are often used as ligands. The binding of ligand to the receptor on the endothelial cell surface induces endocytosis. Existing exosomes comprising the conjugates move in the cytoplasm and fuse with the opposite plasma membrane to release them. Subsequently, the transcytosed conjugate-loaded drugs or released drugs from the conjugates elicit activity in the brain. As receptors, transferrin receptor (TfR), low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), and insulin receptor (InsR) have been used to intendedly induce transcytosis. Presently, several clinical trials on CNS drugs for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson disease are hindered due to poor drug distribution into the brain. Therefore, this strategy based on RMT is a promising method for CNS drugs to be transported into the brain. In this review, I introduce the practicality and possibility of drug delivery into brain across the BBB using RMT.

Herein, we describe a novel synthetic method for 2,5-disubstituted tetrazoles from 5-substituted tetrazoles using cobalt-catalyzed intermolecular hydroamination reaction of nonactivated olefins. Owing to its mild conditions, the method enabled the use of substrates having acid-labile functional groups, such as silyloxy and methoxymethyloxy groups. By using optically active cobalt complexes, asymmetric intermolecular hydroamination of nonactivated olefins, a longstanding challenge in synthetic organic chemistry, was developed to produce optically active disubstituted tetrazoles.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common causes of lower respiratory tract infections and a significant pathogen for both adults and children. Although two drugs have been approved for the treatment of RSV infections, the low therapeutic index of these drugs have led pharmaceutical companies to develop safe and effective small-molecule anti-RSV drugs. The pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine series of compounds containing a piperidine ring at the 2-position of the pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine scaffold are known as candidate RSV fusion (F) protein inhibitor drugs, such as presatovir and P3. The piperidine ring has been revealed to facilitate the formation of an appropriate dihedral angle between the pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine scaffold and the plane of the amide bond for exertion of anti-RSV activity. A molecular-dynamic study on newly designed compounds with an acyclic chain instead of the piperidine ring proposed and demonstrated a new series of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derivatives, such as 9c with a 1-methyaminopropyl moiety, showing similar dihedral angle distributions to those in presatovir. Compound 9c exhibited potent anti-RSV activity with an EC₅₀ value of below 1 nM, which was similar to that of presatovir. A subsequent optimization study on the benzene ring of 9c led to the potent RSV F protein inhibitor 14f with an EC₅₀ value of 0.15 nM. The possibility of improving the biological properties of anti-RSV agents by modification at the 7-position of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine is also discussed.

The cryptolactones A₁, A_2, B₁, and B₂ isolated from a Cryptomyzus sp. aphid were synthesized via the Mukaiyama aldol reaction and olefin metathesis. Their antipodes and derivatives were also synthesized by the same strategy to investigate structure–activity relationships. These compounds exhibited cytotoxic activity against human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells with IC₅₀ values of 2.1–42 µM.

Various aromatic lactones have been synthesized and their regioselectivity (1,2-addition vs. 1,4- or 1,6-addition) investigated in reactions with organolithium species, particularly n-BuLi and sec-BuLi. The regioselectivity varied greatly depending on various factors, such as the bulkiness of both substrates and organolithium species, and types of solvent and cosolvent. In particular, 1,4-addition with dearomatization occurred preferentially using sec-BuLi as the nucleophile in tetrahydrofuran (THF) with hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA) or N,N′-dimethylpropyleneurea (DMPU) as cosolvent. For sec-BuLi, the reaction was estimated to proceed through a single-electron transfer mechanism.

Oxo-octadecadienoic acids (OxoODEs) act as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists biologically, and are known to be produced in the lipoxygenase/linoleate system. OxoODEs seem to originate from the linoleate alkoxyl radicals that are generated from (E/Z)-hydroperoxy octadecadienoic acids ((E/Z)-HpODEs) by a pseudoperoxidase reaction that is catalyzed by ferrous lipoxygenase. However, the mechanism underlying the conversion of alkoxyl radical into OxoODE remains obscure. In the present study, we confirmed that OxoODEs are produced in the lipoxygenase/linoleate system in an oxygen-dependent manner. Interestingly, we revealed a correlation between the (E/Z)-OxoODEs content and the (E/E)-HpODEs content in the system. (E/E)-HpODEs could have been derived from (E/E)-linoleate peroxyl radicals, which are generated by the reaction between a free linoleate allyl radical and an oxygen molecule. Notably, the ferrous lipoxygenase-linoleate allyl radical (LOx(Fe²⁺)-L·) complex, which is an intermediate in the lipoxygenase/linoleate system, tends to dissociate into LOx(Fe²⁺) and a linoleate allyl radical. Subsequently, LOx(Fe²⁺) converts (E/Z)-HpODEs to an (E/Z)-linoleate alkoxyl radical through one-electron reduction. Taken together, we propose that (E/Z)-OxoODEs and (E/E)-HpODEs are produced through radical–radical dismutation between (E/Z)-linoleate alkoxyl radical and (E/E)-linoleate peroxyl radical. Furthermore, the production of (E/Z)-OxoODEs and (E/E)-HpODEs was remarkably inhibited by a hydrophobic radical scavenger, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (TEMPO). On the contrary, water-miscible radical scavengers, 4-hydroxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (OH-TEMPO) and 3-carbamoyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3-pyrroline-N-oxyl (CmΔP) only modestly or sparingly inhibited the production of (E/Z)-OxoODEs and (E/E)-HpODEs. These facts indicate that the radical–radical dismutation between linoleate alkoxyl radical and linoleate peroxyl radical proceeds in the interior of micelles.

In optogenetics, red-shifted channelrhodopsins (ChRs) are eagerly sought. We prepared six kinds of new chromophores with one double bond inserted into the polyene side chain of retinal (A1) or 3,4-didehydroretinal (A2), and examined their binding efficiency with opsins (ReaChR and ChrimsonR). All analogs bound with opsins to afford new ChRs. Among them, A2-10ex (an extra double bond is inserted at the C10–C11 position of A2) showed the greatest red-shift in the absorption spectrum of ChrimsonR, with a maximum absorbance at 654 nm (67 nm red-shifted from that of A1-ChrimsonR). Moreover, a long-wavelength spectral boundary of A2-10ex-ChrimsonR was extended to 756 nm, which reached into the far-red region (710–850 nm).

Phytochemical analysis of the whole Helleborus foetidus plants identified 28 steroidal glycosides (1–28), including 20 novel spirostanol glycosides (1–20) and a novel furostanol glycoside (21). The structures of the newly identified compounds were elucidated by two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and hydrolytic cleavage. Compounds 12, 13, and 15 were determined to be spirostanol trisdesmosides bearing sugar moieties at the C-1, -21, and -24 hydroxy groups of the aglycone unit. The isolated compounds were subsequently evaluated for cytotoxic activity against HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells and A549 human lung carcinoma cells. In particular, 7 showed cytotoxic activity against the HL-60 and A549 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 5.9 and 6.6 µM, respectively, whereas 19 was selectively cytotoxic to A549 cells with an IC₅₀ value of 5.5 µM.

The merits of biogenetic considerations in the chemical syntheses of natural products have been emphasized by describing the total syntheses of Lycopodium alkaloids; lycodine, flabellidine, lycopodine, and flabelliformine, as well as monoterpenoid indole alkaloids; C-mavacurine, kopsiyunnanine K, koumine, and 11-methoxy-19R-hydroxygelselegine.

The total syntheses of dimeric indole alkaloids, haplophytine, and T988s are described. These dimeric compounds comprising two structurally different indole units are ubiquitous in nature, and many possess pharmaceutically important activities. To realize an efficient chemical synthesis of these dimeric indole alkaloids, the establishment of convergent synthetic strategies and development of new coupling methods are indispensable. The linkage of two highly functionalized units at a late stage of the synthesis frequently induces synthetic problems such as chemoselectivity and steric repulsion. Moreover, although transition metal-catalyzed reactions are usually an effective method for the cross-coupling of two units, the application of these cross-coupling reactions to bond formation involving a sterically hindered C(sp³) is often difficult. Thus, even with precise modern synthetic methods, it is currently difficult to realize convergent syntheses of dimeric indole alkaloids possessing a quaternary carbon linking two units. To combat these synthetic problems, we developed a synthetic method to link two indole units using an Ag-mediated nucleophilic substitution reaction. In this review, we provide a detailed discussion of convergent synthetic strategies and coupling methods for dimeric indole alkaloids.

Efficient methods for delivery of antisense DNA or small interfering RNA (siRNA) are highly needed. Cationic materials, which are conventionally used for anionic oligonucleotide delivery, have several drawbacks, including aggregate formation, cytotoxicity and a low endosome escape efficiency. In this report a bio-reactive mask (i.e., disulfide unit) for cationic amino groups was introduced, and the mask was designed such that it was removed at the target cell surface. Insolubility and severe cellular toxicity caused by exposed cationic groups are avoided when using the mask. Moreover, the disulfide unit used to mask the cationic group enabled direct delivery of oligonucleotides to the cell cytosol. The molecular design reported is a promising approach for therapeutic applications.