The first druglike selective angiotensin II AT(2) receptor agonist (21) with a K(i) value of 0.4 nM for the AT(2) receptor and a K(i) > 10 microM for the AT(1) receptor is reported. Compound 21, with a bioavailability of 20-30% after oral administration and a half-life estimated to 4 h in rat, induces outgrowth of neurite cells, stimulates p42/p44(mapk), enhances in vivo duodenal alkaline secretion in Sprague-Dawley rats, and lowers the mean arterial blood pressure in anesthetized, spontaneously hypertensive rats. Thus, the peptidomimetic 21 exerts a similar biological response as the endogenous peptide angiotensin II after selective activation of the AT(2) receptor. Compound 21, derived from the prototype nonselective AT(1)/AT(2) receptor agonist L-162,313 will serve as a valuable research tool, enabling studies of the function of the AT(2) receptor in more detail.

Five unique metabolites, xyloketals A (1), B (2), C (3), D (4), and E (5), and the known 6 were isolated from mangrove fungus Xylaria sp. (no. 2508), obtained from the South China Sea. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction experiments. Xyloketal A is a ketal compound with a C(3) symmetry and xyloketals B-E are its analogues. It was found that xytoketal C slowly rearranged to xytoketal B in DMSO-d(6)() solution at room temperature. Xyloketal A exhibited the activity of inhibiting acetylcholine esterase.

Voltage-gated ion channels generate cellular excitability, cause diseases when mutated, and act as drug targets in hyperexcitability diseases, such as epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia and pain. Unfortunately, many patients do not satisfactorily respond to the present-day drugs. We found that the naturally occurring resin acid dehydroabietic acid (DHAA) is a potent opener of a voltage-gated K channel and thereby a potential suppressor of cellular excitability. DHAA acts via a non-traditional mechanism, by electrostatically activating the voltage-sensor domain, rather than directly targeting the ion-conducting pore domain. By systematic iterative modifications of DHAA we synthesized 71 derivatives and found 32 compounds more potent than DHAA. The most potent compound, Compound 77, is 240 times more efficient than DHAA in opening a K channel. This and other potent compounds reduced excitability in dorsal root ganglion neurons, suggesting that resin-acid derivatives can become the first members of a new family of drugs with the potential for treatment of hyperexcitability diseases.

We map a binding site for small-molecule compounds that target voltage-gated K channels at the lipid bilayer–channel interface.

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Fast and direct methods have been developed for the small-scale carbonylative preparation of benzamides from aryl iodides, bromides, and chlorides in pure water. The reactions proceed by palladium catalysis using noninert conditions, solid Mo(CO)6 as the CO source, and controlled microwave superheating. Within 15 min of microwave processing, more than 90 aminocarbonylations were successfully performed in useful to excellent yields employing both primary and secondary amines. Using appropriate ratios of starting amines and aryl halides, the competing hydroxycarbonylation reaction was suppressed and only trace amounts of the corresponding carboxylic acids were detected. Based on this aqueous carbonylation, a facile preparation of a novel HIV-1 protease inhibitor was achieved.

The development of microwave-accelerated protocols for palladium(0)-catalyzed carbonylative cyclization of unsaturated aryl bromides and chlorides is described. By employing o-bromostyryl derivatives lacking substituents on the vinylic bond, molybdenum hexacarbonyl-mediated in situ carbonylation delivered a set of indan-1-one products in high yield after only 20 min of heating. Without the addition of the tri-tert-butylphosphine releasing Fu-salt ((t-Bu)(3)PHBF(4)), only incomplete conversions of sluggish o-styryl bromides and chlorides were realized. Internal and chemoselective palladium(0)-catalyzed Heck arylations of enamides afforded suitable starting materials for subsequent rapid ring-closing reactions. Microwave-heated intramolecular in situ carbonylation of these electron-rich and sterically congested olefins conveniently afforded eight functionalized 3-acylaminoindanone derivatives in a novel synthetic process. Attempted carbonylative annulation of electron-poor o-bromocinnamic acid derivatives furnished only the corresponding lactones via a competing hydroxycarbonylation-Michael addition reaction sequence.

Structural alterations in the 2- and 5-positions of the first drug-like selective angiotensin II AT2 receptor agonist (1) have been performed. The imidazole ring system was proven to be a strong determinant for the AT2 selectivity, and with few exceptions all variations gave good AT2 receptor affinities and with retained high AT2/AT1 selectivities. On the contrary to the findings with AT1 receptor agonists, the impact of structural modifications in the 5-position of the AT2 selective compounds were less pronounced regarding activation of the AT2 receptor. The butyloxyphenyl (56) and the propylthienyl (50) derivatives were found to exert a high agonistic effect as deduced from their capacity to induce neurite elongation in neuronal cells, as does angiotensin II.