Limiting the Number of Potential Binding Modes by Introducing Symmetry into Ligands: Structure‐Based Design of Inhibitors for Trypsin‐Like Serine Proteases

In the absence of X‐ray data, the exploration of compound binding modes continues to be a challenging task. For structure‐based design, specific features of active sites in different targets play a major role in rationalizing ligand binding characteristics. For example, dibasic compounds have been reported as potent inhibitors of various trypsin‐like serine proteases, the active sites of which contain several binding pockets that can be targeted by cationic moieties. This results in several possible orientations within the active site, complicating the binding mode prediction of such compounds by docking tools. Therefore, we introduced symmetry in bi‐ and tribasic compounds to reduce conformational space in docking calculations and to simplify binding mode selection by limiting the number of possible pocket occupations. Asymmetric bisbenzamidines were used as starting points for a multistage and structure‐guided optimization. A series of 24 final compounds with either two or three benzamidine substructures was ultimately synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of five serine proteases, leading to potent symmetric inhibitors for the pharmaceutical drug targets matriptase, matriptase‐2, thrombin and factor Xa. This study underlines the relevance of ligand symmetry for chemical biology.     

Measurement of the branching ratio of the double Dalitz decayK L →e+e−e+e− and the CP parity of theK L -meson

Data from the NA31 experiment at CERN have been used to measure the branching ratio of the double Dalitz decay of the long-lived neutral kaon. Eight events have been found with negligible background. The measured distribution of the angle between the planes of the two e⁺e^?-pairs favours aCP=?1 state for the long-lived neutral kaon.     

Total synthesis of (-)-bafilomycin A(1)

A highly stereoselective total synthesis of (-)-bafilomycin A(1), the naturally occurring enantiomer of this potent vacuolar ATPase inhibitor, is described. The synthesis features the highly stereoselective aldol reaction of methyl ketone 8b and aldehyde 60c and a Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of the highly functionalized advanced intermediates 12 and 39. Vinyl iodide 12 was synthesized by a 14-step sequence starting from the readily available beta-alkoxy aldehyde 14, while the vinylboronic acid component 39 was synthesized by a nine-step sequence from beta-hydroxy-alpha-methyl butyrate 44 via a sequence involving the alpha-methoxypropargylation of chiral aldehyde 49 with the alpha-methoxypropargylstannane reagent 54. Syntheses of fragments 12 and 39 also feature diastereoselective double asymmetric crotylboration reactions to set several of the critical stereocenters. The Suzuki cross-coupling of 12 and 39 provided seco ester 40, which following conversion to the seco acid underwent smooth macrolactonization to give 41. The success of the macrocyclization required that C(7)-OH be unprotected. The Mukaiyama aldol reaction between aldehyde 60c and the TMS enol ether generated from 8b provided aldol 65 with high diastereoselectivity. Finally, all silicon protecting groups were removed by treatment of the penultimate intermediate 65 with TAS-F (tris(dimethylamino)sulfonium difluorotrimethylsilicate), thereby completing the total synthesis of (-)-bafilomycin A(1).     

Stereoselective synthesis of tetrahydropyran-4-ones from dioxinones catalyzed by scandium(III) triflate

[reaction: see text] A scandium triflate catalyzed, diastereoselective cyclization between aldehydes and beta-hydroxy dioxinones has been discovered. This process capitalizes on the untapped nucleophilicity of the embedded enol ether within the dioxinone core. The bicyclic compounds from the resulting cyclization can be isolated, or alternatively, alkoxide nucleophiles can be directly added. This in situ addition fragments the dioxinone rings and delivers the 3-carboxy-substituted tetrahydropyran-4-ones in good yields with high levels of diastereoselectivity.     

A Nearly Linear Single Hydroxo Bridge. Synthesis, Structure, and Magnetic Susceptibility of (&mgr;-Hydroxo)bis((tetraphenylporphinato)manganese(III)) Perchlorate

The synthesis, X-ray structure, and magnetic susceptibility characterization of a hydroxo-bridged complex, (&mgr;-hydroxo)bis((tetraphenylporphinato)manganese(III)) perchlorate, {[Mn-(TPP)](2)(OH)}ClO(4), are described. The complex is readily prepared by a controlled hydrolysis of monomeric diaquo(tetraphenylporphinato)manganese(III) perchlorate. Interestingly, the bridging hydroxo complex appears to be more stable than the putative &mgr;-oxo complex in halocarbon solvents. The X-ray structure determination shows a complex in which two five-coordinate manganese(III) ions are bridged by a single hydroxo ligand with an average Mn-O distance of 2.026(1) ? and a Mn-O(H)-Mn bridge angle of 160.4(8) degrees. The two porphyrin planes are nearly coplanar, and the two metal ions are separated by 3.993 ?. The average Mn-N(P) distance is 2.008(7) ?. The two manganese ions are displaced by 0.19 and 0.20 ? from their respective 24-atom mean planes. Both of the two porphyrin rings are moderately S(4) ruffled and have a near-staggered orientation (the N-Mn-Mn'-N' dihedral angle is 29.9 degrees ). The four inter-ring pairs of meso-phenyl groups of the binuclear cation are extremely crowded, with a nearly perpendicular orientation for each pair. The solid-state magnetic susceptibility was measured over the temperature range 2-300 K. The observed behavior is typical of an exchange-coupled binuclear complex. The data were fit to the total spin Hamiltonian (H(tot) = H(1) + H(2) - 2J&Svector;(1).&Svector;(2)) of a zero-field-split, high-spin d(4)-d(4) dimer in its actual crystallographic geometry, using numerical techniques. The hydroxide bridge supports a relatively strong antiferromagnetic coupling (2J = -74.0 cm(-1)) between two zero-field-split (D = -10.8 cm(-1)) manganese(III) ions. Crystal data: a = 16.807(7) ?, b = 17.061(6) ?, c = 17.191(5) ?, alpha = 85.64(3) degrees, beta = 79.75(3) degrees, gamma = 61.95(2) degrees, triclinic, space group P&onemacr;, V = 4281(3) ?(3), Z = 2, R(1) = 0.0707 for 14 802 observed data based on F(o) >/= 4.0sigma(F(o)), R(2w) = 0.2007 for 21 696 total unique data, least-squares refinement on F(2) using all data.