Cyclophilins are a family of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases that are implicated in a wide range of diseases including hepatitis C. Our aim was to discover through total synthesis an orally bioavailable, non-immunosuppressive cyclophilin (Cyp) inhibitor with potent anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) activity that could serve as part of an all oral antiviral combination therapy. An initial lead 2 derived from the sanglifehrin A macrocycle was optimized using structure based design to produce a potent and orally bioavailable inhibitor 3. The macrocycle ring size was reduced by one atom, and an internal hydrogen bond drove improved permeability and drug-like properties. 3 demonstrates potent Cyp inhibition ( K = 5 nM), potent anti-HCV 2a activity (EC = 98 nM), and high oral bioavailability in rat (100%) and dog (55%). The synthetic accessibility and properties of 3 support its potential as an anti-HCV agent and for interrogating the role of Cyp inhibition in a variety of diseases.

Cyclophilin inhibition has been a target for the treatment of hepatitis C and other diseases, but the generation of potent, drug-like molecules through chemical synthesis has been challenging. In this study, a set of macrocyclic cyclophilin inhibitors was synthesized based on the core structure of the natural product sanglifehrin A. Initial compound optimization identified the valine-m-tyrosine-piperazic acid tripeptide (Val-m-Tyr-Pip) in the sanglifehrin core, stereocenters at C14 and C15, and the hydroxyl group of the m-tyrosine (m-Tyr) residue as key contributors to compound potency. Replacing the C18-C21 diene unit of sanglifehrin with a styryl group led to potent compounds that displayed a novel binding mode in which the styrene moiety engaged in a π-stacking interaction with Arg55 of cyclophilin A (Cyp A), and the m-Tyr residue was displaced into solvent. This observation allowed further simplifications of the scaffold to generate new lead compounds in the search for orally bioavailable cyclophilin inhibitors.

A flexible and modular approach was used in the convergent and highly stereocontrolled synthesis of the antimitotic agent dictyostatin. This first total synthesis establishes its full stereochemistry and should be amenable to producing useful quantities and designed analogues of this molecule, whose conformation closely resembles that of discodermolide (see overlayed structures).

The first enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-phakellstatin and (+)-dibromophakellstatin was achieved. Key steps in the synthesis were a desymmetrization of the diketopiperazine (S,S)-cyclo (Pro, Pro) via a diastereoselective acylation, an intramolecular Mitsunobu reaction to introduce the C6 aminal, and a tandem Hofmann rearrangement/cyclization to simultaneously introduce the C10 quaternary aminal center and deliver the cyclic urea. The synthesis also demonstrates the unusual stability of pyrrolo aminals. Importantly, this strategy has the potential for producing phakellstatin derivatives, derived from (R,R)-cyclo (Pro, Pro), necessary for biological studies. A similar annulation protocol is also expected to be applicable to the synthesis of palau'amine.

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