Acyl Migration Research Articles

Photo-Fries Rearrangement of Some 3-Acylestrones in Homogeneous Media: Preparative and Mechanistic Studies.

Irradiation of a series of 3-acylestrones under a nitrogen atmosphere in cyclohexane, acetonitrile (MeCN), and methanol (MeOH) was investigated under steady-state conditions. The molecules underwent the photo-Fries rearrangement, with concomitant homolytic fragmentation of the ester group and [1;3]-acyl migration. This pathway afforded the ortho-acyl estrone derivatives, the main photoproducts, together with estrone. During the irradiation of 3-benzoyl estrone, epimerization of estrone through the Norrish type I reaction occurred, providing lumiestrone as the photoproduct. This photoreaction involves the fragmentation of the C-α at the carbonyl group (C-17) of the steroid. On the other hand, epimerization of ortho-regioisomer 2-acetyl estrone occurred during the irradiation of 3-acetyl estrone. Photosensitization with acetone and chemical quenching with N, N, N, N-tetramethyldiazetinedioxide of the photo-Fries reaction confirmed that the photoreaction took place from the singlet excited state while the Norrish type I reaction proceeds efficiently from the triplet excited state. Solvent effects, as well as the nature of the acyl group on the photoreactions, were also studied.

Alkaline Modification of a Metal–Enzyme–Surfactant Nanocomposite to Enhance the Production of L-α-glycerylphosphorylcholine

Microenvironment modification within nanoconfinement can maximize the catalytic activity of enzymes. Phospholipase A1 (PLA1) has been used as the biocatalyst to produce high value L-α-glycerylphosphorylcholine (L-α-GPC) through hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC). We successfully developed a simple co-precipitation method to encapsulate PLA1 in a metal–surfactant nanocomposite (MSNC), then modified it using alkalescent 2-Methylimidazole (2-Melm) to promote catalytic efficiency in biphasic systems. The generated 2-Melm@PLA1/MSNC showed higher catalytic activity than PLA1/MSNC and free PLA1. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed a typical spherical structure of 2-Melm@PLA1/MSNC at about 50 nm, which was smaller than that of 2-Melm@MSNC. Energy disperse spectroscopy, N2 adsorption isotherms, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, and high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy proved that 2-Melm successfully modified PLA1/MSNC. The generated 2-Melm@PLA1/MSNC showed a high catalytic rate per unit enzyme mass of 1.58 μmol mg-1 min-1 for the formation of L-α-GPC. The 2-Melm@PLA1/MSNC also showed high thermal stability, pH stability, and reusability in a water–hexane biphasic system. The integration of alkaline and amphiphilic properties of a nanocomposite encapsulating PLA1 resulted in highly efficient sequenced reactions of acyl migration and enzymatic hydrolysis at the interface of a biphasic system, which cannot be achieved by free enzyme.

Preparation of High-purity 1,3-Diacylglycerol Using Performance-enhanced Lipase Immobilized on Nanosized Magnetite Particles

Early research on the nutritional value of 1,3-diacylglycerols (1,3-DAGs) has resulted in a significant interest in their synthesis. 1,3-DAGs can be produced chemically and biologically. In this work, a regioselective lipase from Rhizopus oryzae was efficiently immobilized on nanosized magnetite particles (NSM) in an oriented way, resulting in significant enhancement of activity. The specific hydrolytic and esterification activities of the immobilized enzyme were 1,660% and 260% of those of the free enzyme, respectively. The immobilized enzyme was then used to catalyze the esterification of oleic acid with glycerol in a solvent-free system for preparation of 1,3-DAG in a 1 L reactor. The catalytic process was studied in detail, the final concentration of 1,3-DAG reached >76% under the optimal condition when the molar ratio of oleic acid to glycerol was 2.8:1. The regioselectivities of free and immobilized enzyme were both >97%. The immobilized enzyme was reused for 55 cycles with only ∼30% activity loss at 30°C. The purity of 1,3-DAG was up to ∼95% (w/w) after a simple purification step with the recovery ratio ∼85%. This is the first report of efficient 1,3-DAG purification by neutralization without acyl migration.

Application of Polyphosphoric Acid‐Mediated Acyl Migration for Regiospecific Synthesis of Diverse 2‐Acylpyrroles from Chalcones

A metal‐free approach for the synthesis of 2‐acylpyrroles is reported in this paper. Synthesis of the target molecule started from chalcones and was carried out in two steps. Initial step involved the conversion of chalcones to corresponding 4‐substituted‐3‐acylpyrroles by reaction with TosMIC. In the subsequent step, target molecules were obtained in modest to good yields by polyphosphoric acid‐mediated acyl rearrangement of 3‐acylpyrroles to their 2‐acyl congeners. The crucial final step was amenable to diverse substitutions on pyrrole ring. Preliminary experiment for the determination of mechanism indicated the involvement of acylium ion.

Isolation, Structure Elucidation and Biological Evaluation of Lagunamide D: A New Cytotoxic Macrocyclic Depsipeptide from Marine Cyanobacteria.

Lagunamide D, a new cytotoxic macrocyclic depsipeptide, was discovered from a collection of marine cyanobacteria from Loggerhead Key in the Dry Tortugas, Florida. An intramolecular ester exchange was observed, where the 26-membered macrocycle could contract to a 24-membered compound via acyl migration at the 1,3-diol unit, and the transformation product was named lagunamide D’. The planar structures of both compounds were elucidated using a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectroscopy (HRMS). The absolute configurations were determined on the basis of enantioselective analysis, modified Mosher’s analysis, Kishi NMR database, and direct comparison with lagunamide A, a structure closely resembling lagunamide D. Lagunamides A and D displayed low-nanomolar antiproliferative activity against A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells, while the structural transformation from the 26-membered lagunamide D macrocycle to the 24-membered ring structure for lagunamide D’ led to a 9.6-fold decrease in activity. Lagunamide D also displayed potent activity in triggering apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further investigation on the mechanism of action of the lagunamide scaffold is needed to fully explore its therapeutic potential as an anticancer agent.

Enantioselective Acyl Migration Reactions of Furanyl Carbonates with Chiral DMAP Derivatives.

An efficient enantioselective acyl migration reaction of furanyl carbonates was developed to construct all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers. In some cases, the reactions required only 0.05 mol % (minimum 500 ppm) of catalyst and showed a high turnover frequency value (TOF; 3640 h-1 ). Multigram-scale reactions (10 grams) also proceeded with high enantioselectivity (>99:1 e.r.) in quantitative yield. The catalyst was robust and easily recovered in 98 % yield. A wide range of functional groups were tolerated (15 examples, >98 % yield, up to >99:1 e.r.), and a variety of optically active 3,3'-disubstituted benzofuranone derivatives, which are useful intermediates for the synthesis of natural products and pharmaceuticals, were efficiently obtained. Control experiments on the catalyst structure (e.g., catalyst 1 a vs. 1 a' and 1 a'') and computational calculations revealed that both the catalytic activity and enantioselectivity should be enhanced by hydrogen bonding between catalyst and substrate. Moreover, this system was applied to the challenging γ-selective acyl migration reaction of furanyl carbonates with high γ-selectivity and high enantioselectivity (α:γ=10:90, 95:5 e.r.).

Lytic reactions of drugs with lipid membranes.

Propranolol is shown to undergo lipidation reactions in three types of lipid membrane: (1) synthetic single-component glycerophospholipid liposomes; (2) liposomes formed from complex lipid mixtures extracted from E. coli or liver cells; and (3) in cellulo in Hep G2 cells. Fourteen different lipidated propranolol homologues were identified in extracts from Hep G2 cells cultured in a medium supplemented with propranolol. This isolation of lipidated drug molecules from liver cells demonstrates a new drug reactivity in living systems. Acyl transfer from lipids to the alcoholic group of propranolol was favoured over transfer to the secondary amine. Migration of acyl groups from the alcohol to the amine was diminished. Other drugs that were examined did not form detectable levels of lipidation products, but many of these drugs did affect the lysolipid levels in model membranes. The propensity for a compound to induce lysolipid formation in a model system was found to be a predictor for phospholipidosis activity in cellulo.

Deciphering the exceptional selectivity of semipinacol rearrangements in cis-fused β-lactam diols using high-level quantum chemical methods

The semipinacol rearrangement mechanism in cis-fused β-lactam diols has been found to kinetically and thermodynamically favor acyl migration. The semipinacol rearrangement was also investigated for trans-fused β-lactam diol, in which the reversed selectivity that favors the alkyl migration was observed.

Cascade cyclization and acyl migration of propargylic esters with isocyanides: rapid access to substituted furans.

A novel rearrangement of ester-activated propargylic acetate with isocyanide has been disclosed. This protocol enables a quick synthesis of polysubstituted furan derivatives. The reaction outcome also reveals that the ester group is employed for the construction of a furan ring and an acyl migration is observed.

New Perspectives on Acyl Glucuronide Risk Assessment in Drug Discovery: Investigation of In vitro Stability, In situ Reactivity, and Bioactivation.

Background: Acyl glucuronides of xenobiotics have been a subject of wide interest from the pharmaceutical industry with respect to biochemical reactivity, hepatic disposition, and enterohepatic cir-culation. The reactivity and lack of stability of an acyl glucuronide for a clinical candidate could pose ma-jor developability concerns. To date, multiple in vitro assays have been published to assess the risk asso-ciated with acyl glucuronides. Despite this fact, the translation of these findings to predicting clinical safe-ty remains poor.Methods: In the present investigation, we aimed to provide simplified in vitro strategy to understand the bioactivation potential of acyl glucuronides of 10 commercial, carboxylic acid containing drugs that have been categorized as “safe,” “warning,” or “withdrawn” with respect to their marketed use. Acyl migration was measured as a function of the number of peaks observed in LC-MSn analysis. In addition, we carried out reactive intermediate trapping studies with glutathione and methoxylamine to identify the key interme-diates in the transacylation bioactivation and glycation pathways, respectively. We also conducted reaction phenotyping with recombinant UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) Supersomes® to investigate if the formation of acyl glucuronides could be linked to specific UGT isoform(s).Results: Our results were in line with reported values in the literature. Our assay could be used in discov-ery research where half-life calculation completely eliminated the need to chemically synthesize the acyl glucuronide standard for risk assessment. We captured our results for risk assessment in a flow chart to simplify the various complex in vitro techniques historically presented.Conclusion: While the compounds tested from “withdrawn” and “warning category” all formed the glu-tathione adduct in buffer, none from “safe” category formed the glutathione adduct. In contrast, none of the compounds tested from any category formed methoxylamine conjugate, a reaction with putative alde-hyde moiety formed via acyl migration. These results, highly favor the nucleophilic displacement as a cause of the reactivity rather than the acyl migration via aldehyde formation. The workflow presented could also be applied in the discovery setting to triage new chemical entities of interest.

Palladium-Catalyzed Cyclization of N-Acyl- o-alkynylanilines with Isocyanides Involving a 1,3-Acyl Migration: Rapid Access to Functionalized 2-Aminoquinolines.

A simple and expedient approach for the synthesis of functionalized 2-aminoquinolines via palladium-catalyzed annulation of N-acyl- o-alkynylanilines with isocyanides has been developed with high atom economy, in which an unconventional 6- endo-dig cyclization process is observed. Further investigations of the mechanism demonstrated that an intramolecular acyl migration of the N-protecting groups was involved in this transformation.

QSPR modelling of in vitro degradation half-life of acyl glucuronides

Acyl glucuronidation is an important Phase II biotransformation, which is an efficient detoxification mechanism for the metabolism of carboxylic acid group-containing drugs. However, the reactivity of acyl glucuronide (AG) metabolites associated with short half-lives may be an indication of idiosyncratic drug toxicity.The degradation half-lives of AGs elucidate several important reactions such as hydrolysis, acyl migration and covalent binding to proteins. Prediction of degradation half-life using computational methods is a promising alternative approach to costly and time-consuming experiments, enabling a priori evaluation of the properties of drug candidates during the drug design process.The main objective of the present study was to develop a linear model for the quantitative prediction of half-lives of acyl glucuronidated drug-like compounds. The proposed model revealed that the number of total quaternary carbons, the complexity of the ring in the compound, Sanderson electronegativities, and dipole moment of the compound are important molecular features in predicting the half-life of an AG.The rigorously validated model can contribute to a better understanding of molecular features of these drugs to predict degradation half-lives.

Physicochemical characteristics of fat blend from hydrogenated coconut oil and acyl migrated palm mid-fraction

Palm mid-fraction (PMF), which has a high content of symmetric POP, was converted to asymmetric PPO (APMF) via acyl migration. After solvent fractionation, the liquid phase of acyl migrated PMF (APMF-L) was obtained and blended with hydrogenated coconut oil (HCO, 50:50, w/w) to produce a fat blend (namely, an alternative fat blend) which had reduced saturated fatty acid content while having similar melting behavior to HCO. In an alternative fat blend, the major fatty acids were lauric (27.94), palmitic (26.93) and oleic (15.75 mol%) acid. The solid fat index was quite similar to that of HCO, especially at 28–44 °C. Nevertheless, an alternative fat blend had lower saturated fatty acid content, by 18%, compared to HCO. The content of highly atherogenic myristic acid was reduced by approximately 40%. The alternative fat blend in this study could be used as a raw material for non-dairy cream with low saturated fat content.

The usefulness of BALB/c strain mice in the LLNA: BrdU-ELISA

GPR119 receptor has been proposed as a metabolic regulator playing a pivotal role in the modulation of glucose homeostasis in type 2 diabetes. GPR119 was identified on pancreatic β cells and its ligands have the ability to enhance glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) was shown to potentiate GSIS and our present studies indicate that 2-methoxy-lysophosphatidylcholine (2-OMe-LPC) analogues, unable to undergo 1 → 2 acyl migration, stimulate GSIS from murine βTC-3 pancreatic cells even more efficiently. Moreover, biological assays in engineered Tango™ GPR119-bla U2OS cells were carried out to ascertain the agonist activity of 2-OMe-LPC at GPR119. 2-OMe-LPC possessing in sn-1 position the residues of myristic, palmitic, stearic and oleic acid were also evaluated as factors regulating [Ca2 +]i mobilization and cAMP levels. Extension of these studies to R- and S-enantiomers of 14:0 2-OMe-LPC revealed that the overall impact on GSIS does not depend on chirality, however, the intracellular calcium mobilization data show that the R enantiomer is significantly more active than S one. Taking into account differences in chemical structure between various native LPCs and their 2-methoxy counterparts the possible binding mode of 2-OMe-LPC to the GPR119 receptor was determined using molecular modeling approach.

Selective Formation of Monoacylated Diols through a Mild Passerini Reaction

The synthesis of both regioisomers of monoacylated diols has been achieved in one simple step using a Passerini reaction. We examined various substrates and reaction conditions, and the results show that the regioselectivity of the reaction is governed by a choice between five‐ and six‐membered‐ring transition states, and by different rates of acyl migration under different reaction conditions.

K2S2O8/TEMPO-Induced Cascade Oxidative Cyclization/1,2-Migration of Electron-Deficient Groups: Strategy for the Construction of 1 H-Pyrrol-2(3 H)-ones.

A K2S2O8/TEMPO-induced oxidative cyclization of N-unprotected enaminoesters and enaminones that gave 1 H-pyrrol-2(3 H)-ones in good yields with broad functional group compatibility is reported. This method provides easy access to 1,2-carbon migration of ester or acyl group under transition-metal-free conditions.

Coupling of an Acyl Migration Prodrug Strategy with Bio-activation To Improve Oral Delivery of the HIV-1 Protease Inhibitor Atazanavir.

HIV-1 protease inhibitors (PIs), which include atazanavir (ATV, 1), remain important medicines to treat HIV-1 infection. However, they are characterized by poor oral bioavailability and a need for boosting with a pharmacokinetic enhancer, which results in additional drug-drug interactions that are sometimes difficult to manage. We investigated a chemo-activated, acyl migration-based prodrug design approach to improve the pharmacokinetic profile of 1 but failed to obtain improved oral bioavailability over dosing the parent drug in rats. This strategy was refined by conjugating the amine with a promoiety designed to undergo bio-activation, as a means of modulating the subsequent chemo-activation. This culminated in a lead prodrug that (1) yielded substantially better oral drug delivery of 1 when compared to the parent itself, the simple acyl migration-based prodrug, and the corresponding simple l-Val prodrug, (2) acted as a depot which resulted in a sustained release of the parent drug in vivo, and (3) offered the benefit of mitigating the pH-dependent absorption associated with 1, thereby potentially reducing the risk of decreased bioavailability with concurrent use of stomach-acid-reducing drugs.

PADAM reactions of α-aminoaldehydes: Identity of major and minor diastereomers from the Passerini reaction

The Passerini reaction was conducted using N-Boc-L-phenylalaninal and a variety of achiral or chiral acids and isocyanides to prepare a library of 27 Passerini products. Reaction diastereoselectivity varied between 1.7:1 and 2.5:1 and in most cases isolation of the individual diastereomers was possible. Passerini products were subjected to a deprotection and acyl migration sequence to give a library of peptidomimetic α-hydroxy-β-acylaminoamides in generally excellent yield. Single crystal X-ray analysis of two of the final products enabled identification of the major diastereomer as having an (R) configuration at the newly-formed stereogenic centre, which corresponds to anti-Felkin-Anh addition of the isocyanide to the aldehyde.

Synthesis of CLA‐Rich Lysophosphatidylcholine by Immobilized MAS1‐H108A‐Catalyzed Esterification: Effects of the Parameters and Monitoring of the Reaction Process

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)‐rich lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) with many proven beneficial effects is successfully synthesized by an immobilized mutant lipase (MAS1‐H108A)‐catalyzed esterification of glycerophosphorylcholine (GPC) and CLA‐rich FAs. Under the optimized conditions (temperature of 55 °C, substrate molar ratio of CLA‐rich FAs to GPC of 40:1, and enzyme loading of 300 U g−1), LPC content as high as 89.10 mol.% is achieved, which is exceptionally higher than any ever‐reported value. By monitoring the esterification process, it is found that sn1‐LPC is easy to synthesize and is the predominant product, while sn2‐LPC and phosphatidylcholine (PC) are difficult to synthesize and are with lower content in the final product. The formed sn2‐LPC during esterification may mainly attribute to the acyl migration of sn1‐LPC and the ratio of sn1‐LPC to sn2‐LPC finally plateaus at approximately 7. Besides, our results also demonstrate that sn2‐LPC is the main template for the synthesis of PC. Finally, a complete reaction scheme for the synthesis of LPC by immobilized MAS1‐H108A‐catalyzed esterification of GPC and fatty acids is mapped out. Overall, the highest LPC content can be obtained by immobilized MAS1‐H108A‐catalyzed esterification and there is the first study for systematical studying the reaction process of CLA‐rich LPC synthesis.Practical Applications: Previous studies have demonstrated that Novozym 435 is the most suitable catalyst for the synthesis of CLA‐rich LPC. However, the LPC content obtained by Novozym 435 is only 70 mol.% and the reaction process for the synthesis of CLA‐rich LPC has not been studied systematically, which restricts the commercial production of CLA‐rich LPC in some extent. Therefore, further exploration of alternative enzyme resources for highly efficient synthesis of CLA‐rich LPC and trying to clarify the reaction process of CLA‐rich LPC synthesis are of significant importance for the future commercially industrial production of CLA‐rich LPC.A complete reaction scheme for the synthesis of LPC using GPC and FAs as substrates by immobilized MAS1‐H108A‐catalyzed esterification. CLA‐rich FAs are used as model FAs in this study. Reaction parameters, such as temperature, CLA‐rich FAs/GPC ratio, and enzyme loading are selected to study their effects on the esterification. Concurrently, the reaction process is monitored. LPC content as high as 89.10 mol.% is obtained, which is the highest reported value thus far for the synthesis of CLA‐rich LPC. Finally, the reaction scheme for the synthesis of LPC by immobilized MAS1‐H108A‐catalyzed esterification is mapped out.

Substrate engineering: Effects of different N-protecting groups in the CAL-B-catalysed asymmetric O-acylation of 1-hydroxymethyl-tetrahydro-β-carbolines

In the frame of substrate engineering, the steric effect of different N-protecting groups on the enantioselectivity and reaction rate of CAL-B-catalysed (S)-selective O-acylation of N-protected 1-hydroxymethyl-tetrahydro-β-carbolines was investigated. Excellent enantioselectivities (E > 200) were observed when the acylation of N-Boc [(±)-1], N-Cbz [(±)-3], and N-Fmoc-protected [(±)-4] substrates was performed with the use of CAL-B and acetic anhydride in toluene at 60 °C. The resolution of N-acetyl-protected substrate (±)-2 showed excellent E (>200) after 30 min, but as the reaction progressed, E started decreasing after 2 days, because of N→O and O→N acyl migrations. Preparative resolutions of (±)-3 and (±)-4 resulted in unreacted amino alcohols (R)-3 and (R)-4 and esters (S)-7a and (S)-8a with good enantiomeric excesses (≥88%) and high yields (≥44%).