2-Alkoxy/thioalkoxy benzo-[d]-imidazole and 2-thione benzo-[d]-imidazole libraries were constructed in solution phase and on solid phase, respectively. The key step in this work is the phase-based chemoselective reaction of the 2-mercaptobenzo-[d]-imidazole intermediate with benzyl chloride (solution phase) and Merrifield resin (solid phase). In the solution-phase case, benzyl chloride reacted with the thiol group of 2-mercaptobenzo-[d]-imidazole, whereas in the solid-phase case, Merrifield resin was introduced at an internal amine group of benzo-[d]-imidazole. To afford the desired 2-alkoxy/thioalkoxy benzo-[d]-imidazole analogues, we used various alkyl halides, alcohols, and thiols in solution phase, and to obtain 2-thione benzo-[d]-imidazole derivatives on solid phase, we used diverse alkyl halides and boronic acids. Finally, to measure the drug potential to be orally active and the molecular diversity in three-dimensional (3D) space, we calculated physicochemical properties and displayed energy-minimized 3D structures. As a result, the libraries from solution phase and solid phase show distinct features in physicochemical properties and skeletal diversities in 3D space.Keywords: benzo[d]imidazole; solid-phase; solution-phase;

•Four DP-DPP derivatives were designed and synthesized along with modification of side chain.•SEM analysis shows dual morphology forming microfibers, square facets and nanorods.•The chromophore 8c with extended conjugation exhibits broader range of absorption.•All compounds exhibited a high degree of thermal stability and decomposition temperature of 322–372 °C.•HOMO energy levels are in the range of −5.68 to −5.95 eV and LUMO in the range −2.90 to −3.34 eV.Microfibers and nanofibers with promising application in optoelectronics are desirable in current material synthesis. Synthetic method has been developed for the preparation of dipyrrolopyrazine derivatives by employing palladium catalysed Buchwald and Sonogashira coupling reactions. A comprehensive study on the synthesis, optical properties, thermal stability and morphology of DP-DPP derivatives 8(a–d) were carried out. Surface morphological analysis showed the formation of microfibers, square facets and nanorods. Electrochemical studies revealed HOMO energy levels in the range of −5.10 to −5.88 eV and LUMO energy levels in the range −2.49 to −3.12 eV. All compounds exhibited a high degree of thermal stability and decomposition temperature of 322–372 °C. The enhanced air durability and thermal stability combined with good morphology makes DPP as a promising candidate for optoelectronic application.Download high-res image (237KB)Download full-size image

Pyrazine is an important molecular scaffold employed in organic optoelectronic materials. Here we report efficient methods for the synthesis of dipyrrolopyrazine, and pyrrolothieno-pyrazine derivatives that involve regio-selective amination reactions of dihalo-pyrrolopyrazines. The developed protocol readily affords either 2-amino- or 3-amino-pyrrolopyrazines from the corresponding 2-bromo-3-chloro-5H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazines. When the amination reactions are carried under metal free under microwave irradiation, 3-amino-pyrrolopyrazines are obtained exclusively. In contrast, Buchwald cross coupling of the 2-bromo-3-chloro-5H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazines affords only 2-amino-pyrrolopyrazine. The pyrrolopyrazine scaffolds were converted to the respective 1,7- and 1,5-dihydrodipyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazines derivatives using Sonogashira reactions. A comprehensive study of the optical properties, thermal properties, and molecular packing of the synthesized compounds was carried out. The results indicate that the 1,7-derivatives may be promising organic materials for optoelectronic applications.

The design, synthesis and utilization of an efficient acetamidomethyl derived resin for the peptide synthesis is presented using established Fmoc and Boc protocols via side chain anchoring. Cleavage of the target peptide from the resin is performed using carboxymethylsulfenyl chloride under mild conditions which gave in situ thiol-sulfenyl protection of the cysteine residues. The utility of the resin is successfully demonstrated through applications to the syntheses of model peptides and natural products Riparin 1.1 and Riparin 1.2.

A 1,3,4-thiadiazole library was constructed by solid-phase organic synthesis. The key step of this solid-phase synthesis involves the preparation of polymer-bound 2-amido-5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole resin by the cyclization of thiosemicarbazide resin using p-TsCl as the desulfurative agent, followed by the functionalization of the resin by alkylation, acylation, alkylation/acylation, and Suzuki coupling reactions. Both the alkylation and acylation reactions chemoselectively occurred at the 2-amide position of 2-amido-5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole resin and the 5-amine position of 2-amido-5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole resin, respectively. Finally, these functionalized 1,3,4-thiadiazole resins were treated with trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane, affording diverse 1,3,4-thiadiazole analogs in high yields and purities. The 1,3,4-thiadiazole analogs show a different distribution of physicochemical and biological properties compared with our previously constructed 1,3,4-oxadiazole and 1,3,4-thiadiazole libraries in a range of orally available drug properties.Keywords: 1,3,4-thiadiazole; BOMBA; solid-phase; thiosemicarbazide

A novel solid-phase synthesis methodology of N-substituted-2-aminothiazolo[4,5-b]pyrazine derivatives was developed. The key step in this synthesis strategy is the tandem reaction of isothiocyanate terminated resin 2 with o-bromo-2-aminopyrazine, affording cyclized 2-aminothiazolo[4,5-b]pyrazine resin 4. To increase the diversity of our library, Suzuki coupling reaction was performed at the position C6. Further functionalization of 2-aminothiazolo[4,5-b]pyrazine core skeleton with various electrophiles such as alkyl halides, acyl chlorides, and sulfonyl chlorides and cleavage from the resin with TFA in DCM generated N-alkyl-, N-acyl-, and N-sulfonyl-2-aminothiazolo[4,5-b]pyrazine derivatives. The physicochemical properties and the polar surface areas of synthesized compounds were evaluated.Keywords: BOMBA resin; solid-phase; tandem reaction; thiazolo[4,5-b]pyrazine;

A 2-amino/amido-1,3,4-oxadiazole and 1,3,4-thiadiazole library has been constructed on solid-phase organic synthesis. The key step on this solid-phase synthesis involves the preparation of polymer-bound 2-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazole and 1,3,4-thiadiazole core skeleton resin by cyclization of thiosemicarbazide with EDC·HCl and p-TsCl, respectively. The resulting core skeleton undergoes functionalization reaction with various electrophiles such as alkyl halides, and acid chlorides to generate N-alkylamino and N-acylamino-1,3,4-oxadiazole, and 1,3,4-thiadiazole resin, respectively. Finally, the 2-amino and 2-amido-1,3,4-oxadiazole and 1,3,4-thiadiazole library was then generated in good yields and high purities by cleavage of the respective resin under trifluoroacetic acid(TFA) in dichloromethane(DCM). The constructed library shows reasonable, oral bioavailability drug properties as determine by using the Lipinski’s Rule and similar parameters.Keywords: 1,3,4-oxadiazole; 1,3,4-thiadiazole; BOMBA; solid-phase; thiosemicarbazide

Fused heterocycles, such as benzo[b]thiophene, thiochroman, benzo[b][1,4]thiazine, and 1,4-benzothiazepine were generated from thio-Ugi adducts containing a thioamide group through copper-catalyzed intramolecular C–S bond formation under microwave irradiation.Keywords: benzothiazepine; benzothiazine; benzothiophene; copper; thio-Ugi; thiochroman

In the process of optimization, we developed a novel core skeleton of thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine viaGK-13. The derivatives synthesized were shown to inhibit TGase 2 activity in cancer cells. Some of the hit compounds such as the arylethynyl group-coupled thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine derivatives were shown to exhibit promising activity for use as potential therapeutic small-molecules in renal cancer by inhibiting TGase 2 activity.

To test whether transglutaminase 2 (TGase 2) inhibitor GK921 alone reverses renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumor growth. RCC is resistant to both radiation and chemotherapy, and the prognosis remains poor. Despite the recent therapeutic success of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibition in RCC, approximately one-third of RCC patients develop metastatic disease. The expression of TGase 2 is markedly increased in most RCC cell lines, as well as in clinical samples.Previously, we introduced the quinoxaline derivative GK13 as a lead compound for TGase 2 inhibitor. The inhibitory effect of GK13 on TGase 2 was improved in GK921 (3-(phenylethynyl)-2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethoxy)pyrido[3,2-b]pyrazine). GK921 efficacy was tested using sulforhodamine in vitro as well as a xenograft tumor models using ACHN and CAKI-1 RCC cells.GK921 showed cytotoxicity to RCC (average GI50 in eight RCC cell lines: 0.905 μM). A single treatment with GK921 almost completely reduced tumor growth by stabilizing p53 in the ACHN and CAKI-1 preclinical xenograft tumor models.TGase 2 inhibitor GK921 abrogates RCC growth in xenograft tumor models, suggesting the possibility of a new therapeutic approach to RCC.

A novel solid-phase methodology has been developed for the synthesis of N-alkyl, N-acyl, and N-sulfonyl-2-aminobenzo[d]thiazole derivatives. The key step in this procedure involves the preparation of polymer-bound 2-aminobenzo[d]thiazole resins 5 by cyclization reaction of 2-iodophenyl thiourea resin 3. The resin-bound 2-iodophenyl thiourea 3 is produced by addition of 2-iodophenyl isothiocyanate 2 to the amine-terminated linker amide resin 1. These core skeleton 2-aminobenzo[d]thiazole resins 5 undergo functionalization reactions with various electrophiles, such as alkyl halides, acid chlorides, and sulfonyl chlorides to generate N-alkyl, N-acyl, and N-sulfonyl-2-aminobenzo[d]thiazole resins 6, 7, and 8, respectively. Finally, N-alkyl, N-acyl, and N-sulfonyl-2-aminobenzo[d]thiazole derivatives 9, 10, and 11 are then generated in good yields and purities by cleavage of the respective resins 6, 7, and 8 using trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in dichloromethane (DCM).Keywords: 2-5 aminobenzothiazole-based libraries; 2-aminobenzo[d]thiazole resins; solid-phase synthesis; Suzuki coupling reaction

A regioselective, reagent-based method for the cyclization reaction of 2-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazole and 2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole core skeletons is described. The thiosemicarbazide intermediate 3 was reacted with EDC·HCl in DMSO or p-TsCl, triethylamine in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone to give the corresponding 2-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazoles 4 and 2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazoles 5 through regioselcective cyclization processes. The regioselectivity was affected by both R1 and R2 in p-TsCl mediated cyclization. It is shown in select sets of thiosemicarbazide 3 with R1(benzyl) and R2(phenyl). 2-Amino-1,3,4-oxadiazole 4 was also shown in the reaction of p-TsCl mediated cyclization. The resulting 2-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazole and 2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole core skeleton are functionalized with various electrophiles such as alkyl halide, acid halides, and sulfornyl chloride in high yields.

Transglutaminase 2 (TGase 2), a cross-linking enzyme, plays an important role in both pro-survival and anti-apoptosis during oncogenesis. For instance, TGase 2 induces NF-κB activation through I-κBα polymerization, which leads to the increase of pro-survival factors such as BCl-2. TGase 2 also suppresses apoptosis via depletion of caspase 3 and cathepsin D. Therefore, a specific TGase 2 inhibitor may become a very useful treatment for cancer showing high levels of TGase 2 expression.By small-molecule library screening, we managed to locate a competitive TGase 2 inhibiting quinoxaline compound (GK13) from 50 other quinoxaline derivatives. The 50 compounds that were screened represent a thousand structurally diverse, potentially pharmaceutical heterocyclic compound libraries, including benzopyrans, oxadiazoles, thiadiazoles, and quinoxalines. By measuring GI50, TGI, and LC50 using SRB assay, GK13 was selected.In vitro enzyme kinetics using guinea pig liver TGase 2 showed that IC50 value was about 16.4 E−6 M. GK13 inhibits TGase 2-mediated I-κBα polymerization in a dose-dependent manner. LC50 of GK13 showed greater efficacy as 4.3E−4 M than LC50 of doxorubicin that showed efficacy as 3.87E−3 M in NCC72 composing 11 tissue origins and 72 cancer cell lines.GK13 showed a possibility that quinoxaline derivatives may be effective for anti-cancer activity via TGase 2 inhibition.

Based on the anticancer activity of novel quinoxalinyl-piperazine compounds, 1-[(5 or 6-substituted alkoxyquinoxalinyl)aminocarbonyl]-4-(hetero)arylpiperazine derivatives published in Bioorg. Med. Chem.2010, 18, 7966, we further explored the synthesis of 7 or 8-substituted quinoxalinyl piperazine derivatives. From in vitro studies of the newly synthesized compounds using human cancer cell lines, we identified some of the 8-substituted compounds, for example 6p, 6q and 6r, which inhibited the proliferation of various human cancer cells at nanomolar concentrations. Compound 6r, in particular, showed the lowest IC50 values, ranging from 6.1 to 17 nM, in inhibition of the growth of cancer cells, which is better than compound 6k (compound 25 in the reference cited above). In order to select and develop a leading compound among the quinoxaline compounds with substitutions on positions 5, 6, 7 or 8, the compounds comparable to compound 6k in in vitro cancer cell growth inhibition were chosen and their pharmacokinetic properties were evaluated in rats. In these studies, compound 6k showed the highest oral bioavailability of 83.4%, and compounds 6j and 6q followed, with 77.8% and 57.6%, respectively. From the results of in vitro growth inhibitory activities and the pharmacokinetic study, compound 6k is suggested for further development as an orally deliverable anticancer drug.A series of novel 7 or 8-substituted compounds on the quinoxaline ring of 1-[(2-alkoxyquinoxalin-3-yl)aminocarbonyl-4-(hetero)arylpiperazine derivatives were newly synthesized and tested as a prominent anticancer agent in various types of human cancer cell lines. Among representative compounds substituted on the quinoxaline ring, in vitro cell line and pharmacokinetic studies suggest that compound 6k has a strong anticancer efficacy and desirable pharmacokinetic properties. These data support further development of compound 6k to achieve an orally available anticancer drug.

We developed Wnt/β-catenin inhibitors by identifying 13 number of 3-arylethynyl-substituted pyrido[2,3,-b]pyrazine derivatives that were able to inhibit the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway and cancer cell proliferation. In the optimization process, a series of 2,3,6-trisubstituted pyrido[2,3,-b]pyrazine core skeletons showed were shown to higher activity than 2,3,6-trisubstituted quinoxaline’s and thus hold promise for use as potential small-molecule inhibitors of the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway in non-small-cell lung cancer cell (NSCLC) lines. And we have studied the pharmacophore mapping for compound 954, which presented the highest activity with a fit value of 2.81. The pharmacophore mapping for the compounds including 954, pyrido[2,3,-b]pyrazine core had hydrogen-bond acceptor site and hydrophobic center roles.One hundred pyrido[2,3,-b]pyrazine derivatives were synthesized that were able to inhibit the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway and a novel lead compound 954 (<0.2 μM) was identified by cell proliferation screening.

A series of novel quinoxalinyl-piperazine compounds, 1-[(5 or 6-substituted alkoxyquinoxalinyl)aminocarbonyl]-4-(hetero)arylpiperazine derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as an anticancer agent. From screening of quinoxalinyl-piperazine compound library, we identified that many compounds inhibited proliferation of various human cancer cells at nanomolar concentrations. Among them, one of the fluoro quinoxalinyl-piperazine derivatives showed its IC50 values ranging from 11 to 21 nΜ in the growth inhibition of cancer cells. This compound also displayed a more potent effect than paclitaxel against paclitaxel resistant HCT-15 colorectal carcinoma cells. The potency of this novel compound was further confirmed with the synergistic cytotoxic effect with several known cancer drugs such as paclitaxel, doxorubicin, cisplatin, gemcitabine or 5-fluorouracil in cancer cells. This strong cell killing effect was derived from the induction of apoptosis. Mechanistic studies have shown that this quinoxalinyl-piperazine compound is a G2/M-specific cell cycle inhibitor and inhibits anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein with p21 induction. Thus the results suggest that our compound has potential use in the growth inhibition of drug resistant cancer cells and the combination therapy with other clinically approved anticancer agents as well.

We screened 1434 small heterocyclic molecules and identified thirteen 2,3,6-trisubstituted quinoxaline derivatives that were able to inhibit the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway and cell proliferation. In the screen, some of the hit compounds such as the ethylene group-coupled quinoxaline derivatives were shown to hold promise for use as potential small-molecule inhibitors of the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway in non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines.The 1434 small molecules were screened and identified 13 number of the 2,3,6-trisubstituted quinoxaline derivatives(>1 μM) that were able to inhibit the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway and cell proliferation.

In the process of optimization, we developed a novel core skeleton of thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine viaGK-13. The derivatives synthesized were shown to inhibit TGase 2 activity in cancer cells. Some of the hit compounds such as the arylethynyl group-coupled thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine derivatives were shown to exhibit promising activity for use as potential therapeutic small-molecules in renal cancer by inhibiting TGase 2 activity.