Rhodium(III)- and iridium(III)-catalyzed C-H activation of oximes and coupling with propargyl alcohols is discussed. Depending on the catalyst, the reaction pathway switched between [3 + 2] and [4 + 2] annulations, thus giving divergent access to indenamines and isoquinolines in a one-pot and atom-economical manner. The hydroxyl group in the tertiary propargyl alcohol substrate was found to be crucial in controlling chemoselectivity. Five-membered rhodacycle and iridacycle intermediates have also been identified for mechanism hypotheses.

An efficient, mild and redox‐neutral iridium(III)‐catalyzed C−H annulation of N‐phenoxyacetamides for the regioselective synthesis of benzofurans has been developed by employing tertiary propargyl alcohols as the versatile coupling partners. The computed results together with the experimental data revealed that the hydroxyl group of tertiary propargyl alcohols acts as the key factor in controlling the regioselectivity and tuning the reactivity.magnified image

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The orphan nuclear receptor COUP-TFII is expressed at a low level in adult tissues, but its expression is increased and shown to promote progression of multiple diseases, including prostate cancer, heart failure, and muscular dystrophy. Suppression of COUP-TFII slows disease progression, making it an intriguing therapeutic target. Here, we identified a potent and specific COUP-TFII inhibitor through high-throughput screening. The inhibitor specifically suppressed COUP-TFII activity to regulate its target genes. Mechanistically, the inhibitor directly bound to the COUP-TFII ligand-binding domain and disrupted COUP-TFII interaction with transcription regulators, including FOXA1, thus repressing COUP-TFII activity on target gene regulation. Through blocking COUP-TFII’s oncogenic activity in prostate cancer, the inhibitor efficiently exerted a potent antitumor effect in xenograft mouse models and patient-derived xenograft models. Our study identified a potent and specific COUP-TFII inhibitor that may be useful for the treatment of prostate cancer and possibly other diseases.

An IrIII‐catalyzed cascade reaction consisting of C–H activation/annulation of benzimidates with hydroxylisopropylalkynes is reported. A broad range of isoquinolines has been prepared in one step with good functiona‐group tolerance and high efficiency.

The PPh3/CBr4-catalyzed isomerization of 2-aromatic allylic alcohols into the corresponding saturated aldehydes or ketones has been achieved at room temperature in good to excellent yields under mild and metal-free conditions. This new methodology has been applied successfully to the synthesis of ibuprofen in four steps.

Small-molecule irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitors as high potent agents have led to improvements in disease-free and overall survival in patients with HER2-amplified cancer. The approved irreversible HER2 inhibitors, neratinib and pyrotinib, both lack HER2 selectivity, leading to off-target adverse events in patients. The development of HER2 mutation during treatment also hampers the progress of the treatment. We used a molecular hybridization strategy for structural optimizations, in conjunction with in vitro and in vivo drug-like property screening, to obtain a clinical candidate SPH5030. Overall, SPH5030 showed excellent activities against four frequent kinds of HER2 mutants and high relative HER2 selectivity compared with neratinib and pyrotinib, good pharmacokinetic characteristics with desirable bioavailabilities, and significant in vivo antitumor efficacy in xenograft mouse models, especially in a HER2 mutation A775_G776insYVMA xenograft mouse model with its potency much higher than those of neratinib and pyrotinib.

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