The 3,3'-pyrrolidinyl-spirooxindole unit is a privileged heterocyclic motif that forms the core of a large family of alkaloid natural products with strong bioactivity profiles and interesting structural properties. Significant recent advances in the synthesis of this fused heterocyclic system have led to intense interest in the development of related compounds as potential medicinal agents or biological probes.

Most cancer drugs are designed to interfere with one or more events in cell proliferation or survival. As healthy cells may also need to proliferate and avoid apoptosis, anticancer agents can be toxic to such cells. To minimize these toxicities, strategies have been developed wherein the therapeutic agent is targeted to tumour cells through conjugation to a tumour-cell-specific small-molecule ligand, thereby reducing delivery to normal cells and the associated collateral toxicity. This Review describes the major principles in the design of ligand-targeted drugs and provides an overview of ligand-drug conjugates and ligand-imaging-agent conjugates that are currently in development.

Das 3,3′‐Pyrrolidinylspirooxindol‐System ist ein privilegiertes heterocyclisches Strukturmotiv, das die zentrale Einheit bei einer großen Familie von natürlichen Alkaloiden mit starken Bioaktivitätsprofilen und interessanten Struktureigenschaften bildet. Neue bedeutende Fortschritte bei der Synthese dieses kondensierten heterocyclischen Systems haben ein starkes Interesse an der Entwicklung verwandter Verbindungen als mögliche Wirkstoffe oder biologische Sonden hervorgerufen.

Dirhodium(II) salts efficiently catalyze the three-component assembly reaction of an imine, diazoacetonitrile (DAN), and an activated alkynyl coupling partner to form substituted 1,2-diarylpyrroles in moderate to good yields. The transition-metal-catalyzed decomposition of the diazo compound in the presence of the imine presumably generates a transient azomethine ylide that undergoes cycloaddition with dipolarophiles in a highly convergent manner.

The synthesis of beta-hydroxy carbonyl compounds is an important goal due to their prevalence in bioactive molecules. A novel approach to construct these structural motifs involves the multicomponent reaction of acylsilanes, amides, and electrophiles. The addition of amide enolates to acylsilanes generates beta-silyloxy homoenolate reactivity by undergoing a 1,2-Brook rearrangement. These unique nucleophiles formed in situ can then undergo addition to alkyl halides, aldehydes, ketones, and imines. The gamma-amino-beta-hydroxy amide products derived from the addition of these homoenolates to N-diphenylphosphinyl imines are generated with excellent diastereoselectivity (> or = 20:1) and can be efficiently converted to highly valuable gamma-lactams. Finally, the use of optically active amide enolates delivers beta-hydroxy amide products with high levels of diastereoselectivity (> or = 10:1).