The N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed [3 + 3] annulation of indolin-2-imines and bromoenals was developed to give dihydropyridinone-fused indoles in good to high yields, which were transformed to α-carbolines with different 2-subsituents by a process of dehydrogenation, tosylation, and palladium catalyzed C–C or C–N coupling reaction.

PRMT5 plays important roles in diverse cellular processes and is upregulated in several human malignancies. Besides, PRMT5 has been validated as an anticancer target in mantle cell lymphoma. In this study, we found a potent and selective PRMT5 inhibitor by performing structure-based virtual screening and hit optimization. The identified compound 17 (IC50 = 0.33 μM) exhibited a broad selectivity against a panel of other methyltransferases. The direct binding of 17 to PRMT5 was validated by surface plasmon resonance experiments, with a Kd of 0.987 μM. Kinetic experiments indicated that 17 was a SAM competitive inhibitor other than the substrate. In addition, 17 showed selective antiproliferative effects against MV4-11 cells, and further studies indicated that the mechanism of cellular antitumor activity was due to the inhibition of PRMT5 mediated SmD3 methylation. 17 may represent a promising lead compound to understand more about PRMT5 and potentially assist the development of treatments for leukemia indications.

The N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed oxidative [3 + 2] annulation of dioxindole and enals was developed, giving the corresponding spirocyclic oxindole-γ-lactones in good yields with high to excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The challenging aliphatic enals worked effectively using this strategy. The oxidative cross coupling of homoenolate and enolate via single electron transfer was proposed as the key step for the reaction.

The chiral N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [3 + 2] annulation of α-bromoenals and 3-aminooxindoles was developed, giving the corresponding spirocyclic oxindolo-γ-lactams in good yields with high diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities.

The chiral N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [4 + 2] cyclization of α-chloroaldehydes and arylidene indanediones was developed, giving the corresponding indenopyrones in good yields with high diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities.

•Two series of trifluorobutenyl derivatives of heterocyclic with synthesis methods have been reported for the first time.•The thirty-seven compounds were evaluated for the antitumor activity on three cancer cell lines (SH-SY5Y, MCF-7 and HepG2).•The compounds 3c, 3h, 4c, 8, 9, 10 and 11 showed good antitumor activity, with IC50 values ranging within 0.4 μM and 41.5 μM.Two series of novel trifluorobutenyl derivatives of heterocyclic with convenient and efficient synthesis methods and their antitumor activity on three cell lines have been reported for the first time. The derivatives were synthesized by the nucleophilic substitution between 4-bromo-1,1,2-trifluorobutene-1-ene and commercially available nitrogen-containing heterocycles with sulfydryl or monosubstituted malononitrile. The twenty-four new compounds were characterized by 1HNMR, 13CNMR and HR-MS. Totally, thirty-seven compounds were evaluated for the antitumor activity on three cancer cell lines (SH-SY5Y, MCF-7 and HepG2) using conventional MTT assay. The pharmacological results indicated that the compounds 3c, 3h, 4c, 8, 9, 10 and 11 showed potent to moderate antitumor activity against three cancer cell lines, with IC50 values ranging between 0.4 μM and 41.5 μM. Even though they had less active than the reference compound taxol against MCF-7 and HepG2 lines, but they were better than the reference compound noscapine against SH-SY5Y cells, especially the compound 3h with a IC50 value of 0.4 μM.

Study of safeners has been seldom reported in literature. In this work, a series of novel acylsulfamoylbenzamide analogues was designed and synthesized with newly developed safener cyprosulfamide (CSA) as the leading compound. The activity assay against the herbicide thiencarbazone-methyl (TCM) on maize revealed that fifteen compounds showed better protective effect than CSA on the fresh weight of aerial parts, twelve compounds exhibited better activity on the dry weight of aerial parts. Remarkably, two compounds (6Ih, 7II) had protective effect on the four aspects of TCM treated maize. Further antifungal assay showed their excellent activity against Physollospora piricola. The structure–activity relationships of CSA analogues as safeners and fungicides were discussed and it might be valuable for further molecular modification of new CSA analogues.

The enantioselective N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [4 + 2] cyclocondensation of α-chloroaldehydes and trifluoromethyl N-Boc azadienes was developed, giving the corresponding 3,4-disubstituted-6-trifluoromethyldihydropyridin-2(1H)-ones in good yields with exclusive cis-selectivities and excellent enantioselectivities.

The lepidopteran pests such as diamondback moth are the regularly harmful pests of crops in the world, which brings enormous losses in crop production. Chlorantraniliprole is an anthranilic diamide insecticide registered for the control of lepidopteran pests with high insecticidal activity, however with uncertain binding site action target of chlorantraniliprole on ryanodine receptor, a series of new chlorantraniliprole derivatives were synthesized and the insecticidal activities of these compounds against diamondback moth were evaluated with chlorantraniliprole and indoxacarb as control. All compounds except 8h, 8p and 8t exhibited varying degree of activities against diamondback moth. Especially, compounds 8c, 8i, 8k and 8l displayed good insecticidal activities against diamondback moth and the activities are even better than that of indoxacarb during 72 h period. The Ki values of all synthesized compounds were calculated through autodocking program respectively. The relationship between calculation value of molecular docking and results of insecticidal activities indicated that the proposed specific receptor, the membrane-spanning domain protein of diamondback moth ryanodine receptor in our study might have chlorantraniliprole binding sites.Twenty novel chlorantraniliprole derivatives were synthesized and their insecticidal activities against diamondback moth were evaluated with chlorantraniliprole and indoxacarb as control. All compounds except 8h, 8p and 8t exhibited varying degree of activities against diamondback moth. Especially, compounds 8c, 8i, 8k and 8l displayed good insecticidal activities with similar to, even better than that of indoxacarb. Molecular docking was used for the first time to estimate our proposed receptor and the result indicated the selected protein might have specific binding site of chlorantraniliprole on ryanodine receptor.

A series of chiral praziquantel analogues were synthesized and evaluated against Schistosoma japonicum both in vitro and in vivo. All compounds exhibited low to considerable good activity in vivo. Remarkably, worm reduction rate of R-3 was 60.0% at a single oral dose of 200 mg/kg against juvenile stage of Schistosoma japonicum. The target compounds displayed in vivo antischistosomal activity against both Schistosoma japonicum and Schistosoma mansoni. Furthermore, all R-isomers displayed stronger antischistosomal activity than S-isomers in vivo, indicating R-isomers were the active enantiomers, while S-isomers were less active ones. This structure activity relationship (SAR) could have important implications in further drug development for schistosomiasis.

The chiral N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [4 + 2] cyclization of α-chloroaldehydes and arylidene indanediones was developed, giving the corresponding indenopyrones in good yields with high diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities.

The N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed oxidative [3 + 2] annulation of dioxindole and enals was developed, giving the corresponding spirocyclic oxindole-γ-lactones in good yields with high to excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The challenging aliphatic enals worked effectively using this strategy. The oxidative cross coupling of homoenolate and enolate via single electron transfer was proposed as the key step for the reaction.

The chiral N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [3 + 2] annulation of α-bromoenals and 3-aminooxindoles was developed, giving the corresponding spirocyclic oxindolo-γ-lactams in good yields with high diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities.