Mitochondria are double membrane-enveloped organelles that play a central role in cellular metabolism, calcium homeostasis, redox signaling and cell fates. They function as main generators of ATP, metabolites for the construction of macromolecules and reactive oxygen species. In many cancer cells, mitochondria seem dysfunctional, manifested by a shift of energy metabolism from oxidative phosphorylation to active glycolysis and an increase in reactive oxygen species generation. These metabolic changes are often associated with upregulation of NAD(P)H oxidase. Importantly, the metabolic reprogramming in a cancer cell is mechanistically linked to oncogenic signals. Targeting mitochondria as a cancer therapeutic strategy has attracted much attention in the recent years and multiple review articles in this area have been published. This article attempts to provide an update on recent progress in identification of mitochondria-associated molecules as potential anticancer targets and the respective targeting compounds.

Carbazoles have attracted high interest among synthetic chemists due to their unique structural features and potential pharmacological activities. Compared to linear aryliodoniums, cyclic diphenyleneiodoniums are more inert and have not attracted much attention to their application as building blocks. Employing our synthetic strategy, diversified carbazoles can be efficiently obtained from a single cyclic diphenyleneiodonium under mild conditions. The reactions catalyzed by copper(II) acetate have provided a variety of carbazoles in modest to good yields with a broad range of amines including anilines, aliphatic amines and sulfonamides. Moreover, one of the obtained carbazoles has displayed an outstanding ability to protect HT‐22 neuronal cells from the damage induced by neurotoxins glutamate and homocysteic acid.magnified image

Linear iodoniums are widely used as arylating reagents. However, cyclic diaryl idodoniums are ignored despite their potential to initiate dual arylations, atom and step economically. In our current work, a three-component cascade reaction of cyclic diaryliodoniums, sodium azide, and alkynes has been successfully achieved under mild conditions, catalyzed by cheap copper species. The regioselectivity associated with unsymmetrical iodoniums was enhanced by installing two methyls ortho and para to the I(III) center. The reaction enables a rapid access to a variety of complex molecules, triazolophenanthridine derivatives.