An enantioselective total synthesis of the apoptosis-inducing natural product, (-)-rasfonin, is described. Camphor lactam-mediated asymmetric alkylation reactions enabled the installation of three stereogenic centers with >95:5 diastereoselectivity. A modified Corey-Peterson olefination was employed in the construction of the (E,E)-diene system. A highly diastereoselective, asymmetric vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol addition was conducted using a chiral cationic oxazaborolidine catalyst. The pyranone core of the natural product was prepared via a DBU-promoted rearrangement of a furanol to its corresponding pyranol with concomitant [1,4]-silyl transfer.
The use of cyclic α,β-unsaturated iminium-ion dienophiles is documented in two highly diastereoselective Diels-Alder (DA) reactions. The dienophilic counterion was found to have a significant effect on reactivity.
Elevated levels of human lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) are associated with cardiovascular disease and dementia. A fragment screen was conducted against Lp-PLA2 in order to identify novel inhibitors. Multiple fragment hits were observed in different regions of the active site, including some hits that bound in a pocket created by movement of a protein side chain (approximately 13 Å from the catalytic residue Ser273). Using structure guided design, we optimized a fragment that bound in this pocket to generate a novel low nanomolar chemotype, which did not interact with the catalytic residues.
Pulmonary edema is a common ailment of heart failure patients and has remained an unmet medical need due to dose-limiting side effects associated with current treatments. Preclinical studies in rodents have suggested that inhibition of transient receptor potential vanilloid-4 (TRPV4) cation channels may offer an alternativeand potentially superiortherapy. Efforts directed toward small-molecule antagonists of the TRPV4 receptor have led to the discovery of a novel sulfone pyrrolidine sulfonamide chemotype exemplified by lead compound 6. Design elements toward the optimization of TRPV4 activity, selectivity, and pharmacokinetic properties are described. Activity of leading exemplars 19 and 27 in an in vivo model suggestive of therapeutic potential is highlighted herein.
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