Biphenyl Scaffold Research Articles

Synthesis of a Conformationally Stable Atropisomeric Pair of Biphenyl Scaffold Containing Additional Stereogenic Centers.

The synthesis of a new CF3-containing stereogenic atropisomeric pair of ortho-disubstituted biphenyl scaffold is presented. The atropisomers are surprisingly conformationally stable for isolation. X-ray structures show that their stability comes from an intramolecular hydrogen bond formation from their two hydroxyl groups and renders the spatial arrangement of their peripheral CF3 and CH3 groups very different. The synthesized stereogenic scaffold proved to be effective in catalyzing the asymmetric N-nitroso aldol reaction of enamine and nitrosobenzene. Compared to similar scaffolds without CF3 groups, one of our atropisomer exhibits an increase in enantioselectivity in this reaction.

Integrating data gap filling techniques: A case study predicting TEFs for neurotoxicity TEQs to facilitate the hazard assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls

The application of toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) or toxic units to estimate toxic potencies for mixtures of chemicals which contribute to a biological effect through a common mechanism is one approach for filling data gaps. Toxic Equivalents (TEQ) have been used to express the toxicity of dioxin-like compounds (i.e., dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)) in terms of the most toxic form of dioxin: 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD). This study sought to integrate two data gap filling techniques, quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSARs) and TEFs, to predict neurotoxicity TEQs for PCBs. Simon et al. (2007) previously derived neurotoxic equivalent (NEQ) values for a dataset of 87 PCB congeners, of which 83 congeners had experimental data. These data were taken from a set of four different studies measuring different effects related to neurotoxicity, each of which tested overlapping subsets of the 83 PCB congeners. The goals of the current study were to: (i) evaluate an alternative neurotoxic equivalent factor (NEF) derivations from an expanded dataset, relative to those derived by Simon et al. and (ii) develop QSAR models to provide NEF estimates for the large number of untested PCB congeners. The models used multiple linear regression, support vector regression, k-nearest neighbor and random forest algorithms within a 5-fold cross validation scheme and position-specific chlorine substitution patterns on the biphenyl scaffold as descriptors. Alternative NEF values were derived but the resulting QSAR models had relatively low predictivity (RMSE ∼0.24). This was mostly driven by the large uncertainties in the underlying data and NEF values. The derived NEFs and the QSAR predicted NEFs to fill data gaps should be applied with caution.

Metal-free Reductive Coupling of Biphenyl Tosylhydrazones with Phenols or Benzyl Alcohols

Background: The 4-benzyl biphenyl scaffold represents an important structural element widely used in optoelectronic materials and bioactive compounds, including a variety of antihypertensive drugs and prostate cancer agents. Therefore, the construction of 4-benzyl groups incorporating this structural feature with cheap and readily available starting materials is of great scientific interest. Methods: In this paper, the reductive coupling of biphenyl-4-carbonyl compounds derived from tosylhydrazones with phenols or benzyl alcohols under metal-free reaction conditions is described. Results: Various 4-benzyl biphenyl ether compounds, representing an important structural element in organic synthesis, could be obtained in moderate to good yields. Conclusion: The catalytic system presented here enables the use of easily accessible starting materials and may be employed on a wide variety of substrates with good functional group tolerance. Keywords: Alcohols, biphenyl, tosylhydrazones, metal-free, reductive coupling, phenols.

Synthesis of Polyoxygenated Biphenyls

Background: Construction of biaryls containing polyoxygenated groups via the palladiumcatalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of aryl halides with organoboronic acids is a very interesting area of research. A number of functionalized polyoxygenated biphenyls have received considerable attention during the past decades, due to their presence as the structural motifs in natural products with diversified biological activities. Due to the particular pharmaceutical interest concerning the specific substitution pattern of a biphenyl scaffold, several synthetic methods have been developed. On the basis of investigation, we developed a novel Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling route for preparing polyoxygenated biphenyls. Keywords: Baeyer-Villiger deformation, Claisen rearrangement, Olefin migration, Oxidative cleavage, Polyoxygenated biphenyls, Suzuki- Miyaura cross-coupling.

Amorphous Hole-Transporting Material based on 2,2'-Bis-substituted 1,1'-Biphenyl Scaffold for Application in Perovskite Solar Cells.

Perovskite solar cells are considered a promising technology for solar-energy conversion, with power conversion efficiencies currently exceeding 20 %. In most of the reported devices, Spiro-OMeTAD is used for positive-charge extraction and transport layer. Although a number of alternative hole-transporting materials with different aromatic or heteroaromatic fragments have already been synthesized, a cheap and well-performing hole-transporting material is still in high demand. In this work, a two-step synthesis of a carbazole-based hole-transporting material is presented. Synthesized compounds exhibited amorphous nature, good solubility and thermal stability. The perovskite solar cells employing the newly synthesized material generated a power conversion efficiency of 16.5 % which is slightly lower than that obtained with Spiro-OMeTAD (17.5 %). The low-cost synthesis and high performance makes our hole-transport material promising for applications in perovskite-based optoelectronic devices.

Different Performance of Two Isomeric Phosphinobiphenyl Amidosulfonates in Pd-Catalyzed Cyanation of Aryl Bromides

A hydrophilic phosphinobiphenyl amidosulfonate, 2′-(dicyclohexylphosphino)-2- {[(sulfonatomethyl)amino]carbonyl}[1,1′-biphenyl], triethylammonium salt (L2), was prepared and, together with its isomer bearing the polar amido-sulfonate tag in the position 4 of the biphenyl scaffold (compound L1), evaluated as a supporting ligand in Pd-catalyzed cyanation of aryl bromides using K4[Fe(CN)6] as the non-toxic cyanide source. The less sterically demanding ligand L1 was found to form more active catalysts than the newly prepared compound L2. A catalyst formed in situ from palladium(II) acetate and L1 efficiently mediated cyanation of aryl bromides bearing electron-donating substituents but failed in the analogous reactions with electron-poor substrates.

5-HT7 receptor modulators: Amino groups attached to biphenyl scaffold determine functional activity

5-HT7 receptor (5-HT7R) agonists and antagonists have been reported to be used for treatment of neuropathic pain and depression, respectively. In this study, as a novel scaffold for 5-HT7R modulators, we designed and prepared a series of biphenyl-3-yl-methanamine derivatives with various amino groups. Evaluation of functional activities as well as binding affinities of the title compounds identified partial agonists (EC50 = 0.55–3.2 μM) and full antagonists (IC50 = 5.57–23.1 μM) depending on the amino substituents. Molecular docking study suggested that the ligand-based switch in functional activity from agonist to antagonist results from the size of the amino groups and thereby different binding modes to 5-HT7R. In particular, interaction of the ligand with Arg367 of 5-HT7R is shown to differentiate agonists and antagonists. In the pharmacophore model study, two distinct pharmacophore models can tell whether a ligand is an agonist or an antagonist. Taken together, this study provides valuable information for designing novel compounds with selective agonistic or antagonistic properties against 5-HT7R.

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of new biphenylic derivatives as CB2 receptor ligands

Targeting type-2 cannabinoid receptor (CB2) is considered a feasible strategy to develop new drugs for the treatment of diseases like neuropathic pain, chronic inflammation, neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. Such drugs are devoid of the undesired central side effects that are typically mediated by the CB1 receptor. In this work we synthesized 18 biphenylic carboxamides as new CB2-selective ligands and evaluated their pharmacological profiles. The functional activity of these compounds is strongly influenced by the nature of the substituent at position 4′ and 5 of the biphenyl scaffold. Position 5 seems to be responsible for the agonist or inverse agonist behaviour independently of the substituent in position 4′, with the exception of the methoxyl group which transforms both full agonists and inverse agonists into neutral antagonists. This study provides a novel complete toolbox of CB2 functional modulators that derive from the same chemical scaffold. Such probes may be useful to investigate the biological role of CB2 receptors in cellular assays.

Discovery of novel pyrrole-based scaffold as potent and orally bioavailable free fatty acid receptor 1 agonists for the treatment of type 2 diabetes

[Display omitted] The free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFA1) has gained significant interest as a novel antidiabetic target. Most of FFA1 agonists reported in the literature bearing a common biphenyl scaffold, which was crucial for toxicity verified by the researchers of Daiichi Sankyo. Herein, we describe the systematic exploration of non-biphenyl scaffold and further chemical modification of the optimal pyrrole scaffold. All of these efforts led to the identification of compound 11 as a potent and orally bioavailable FFA1 agonist without the risk of hypoglycemia. Further molecular modeling studies promoted the understanding of ligand-binding pocket and might help to design more promising FFA1 agonists.

UiO-67-type Metal-Organic Frameworks with Enhanced Water Stability and Methane Adsorption Capacity.

The structure and properties of two new UiO-67-type metal-organic frameworks, along with their linker synthesis and powder and single crystal synthesis, are presented. The new MOFs, UiO-67-Me and UiO-67-BN, are based on 3,3'-dimethylbiphenyl and 1,1'-binaphthyl linker scaffolds, and show a much higher stability to water than the thoroughly investigated UiO-67, which is based on the biphenyl scaffold. On the basis of structure models obtained from single crystal X-ray diffraction, it is seen that these linkers are partly shielding the Zr cluster. The new materials have higher density than UiO-67, but show a higher volumetric adsorption capacity for methane. UiO-67-BN exhibits excellent reversible water sorption properties, and enhanced stability to aqueous solutions over a wide pH range; it is to the best of our knowledge the most stable Zr-MOF that is isostructural to UiO-67 in aqueous solutions.

Adamantyl-tethered-biphenylic compounds induce apoptosis in cancer cells by targeting Bcl homologs.

Bcl homologs prominently contribute to apoptotic resistance in cancer cells and serve as molecular targets in treatment of various cancers. Herein, we report the synthesis of biphenyl-adamantane derivatives by a ligand free palladium on carbon based Suzuki reaction using diisopropylamine as a base for the coupling of adamantane based aryl chloride with a variety of aryl boronic acids. Among the biphenyl derivatives synthesized, compound 3'-(adamantan-1-yl)-4'-methoxy-[1,1'-biphenyl]-3-ol (AMB) displayed cytotoxic activity against hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines without significantly affecting the normal cell lines. Further, AMB caused increased accumulation of the HCC cells in subG1 phase, decreased the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, cyclin D1, caspase-3, survivin and increased the cleavage of PARP in a time-dependent manner. In silico molecular interaction studies between Bcl homologs and AMB showed that the biphenyl scaffold is predicted to form π-π interactions with Phe-101 and Tyr-105 and the adamantyl fragment is predicted to occupy another hydrophobic region in the kink region of the binding groove. In summary, we report on the synthesis and biological characterization of adamantyl-tethered biphenylic compounds that induce apoptosis in tumor cells most likely by targeting Bcl homologs.

4′-O-methylhonokiol increases levels of 2-arachidonoyl glycerol in mouse brain via selective inhibition of its COX-2-mediated oxygenation

Background and purpose4′-O-methylhonokiol (MH) is a natural product showing anti-inflammatory, anti-osteoclastogenic, and neuroprotective effects. MH was reported to modulate cannabinoid CB2 receptors as an inverse agonist for cAMP production and an agonist for intracellular [Ca2+]. It was recently shown that MH inhibits cAMP formation via CB2 receptors. In this study, the exact modulation of MH on CB2 receptor activity was elucidated and its endocannabinoid substrate-specific inhibition (SSI) of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and CNS bioavailability are described for the first time.MethodsCB2 receptor modulation ([35S]GTPγS, cAMP, and β-arrestin) by MH was measured in hCB2-transfected CHO-K1 cells and native conditions (HL60 cells and mouse spleen). The COX-2 SSI was investigated in RAW264.7 cells and in Swiss albino mice by targeted metabolomics using LC-MS/MS.ResultsMH is a CB2 receptor agonist and a potent COX-2 SSI. It induced partial agonism in both the [35S]GTPγS binding and β-arrestin recruitment assays while being a full agonist in the cAMP pathway. MH selectively inhibited PGE2 glycerol ester formation (over PGE2) in RAW264.7 cells and significantly increased the levels of 2-AG in mouse brain in a dose-dependent manner (3 to 20 mg kg−1) without affecting other metabolites. After 7 h from intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection, MH was quantified in significant amounts in the brain (corresponding to 200 to 300 nM).ConclusionsLC-MS/MS quantification shows that MH is bioavailable to the brain and under condition of inflammation exerts significant indirect effects on 2-AG levels. The biphenyl scaffold might serve as valuable source of dual CB2 receptor modulators and COX-2 SSIs as demonstrated by additional MH analogs that show similar effects. The combination of CB2 agonism and COX-2 SSI offers a yet unexplored polypharmacology with expected synergistic effects in neuroinflammatory diseases, thus providing a rationale for the diverse neuroprotective effects reported for MH in animal models.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12974-015-0307-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Biphenyl 4-Hydroxylases Involved in Aucuparin Biosynthesis in Rowan and Apple Are Cytochrome P450 736A Proteins.

Upon pathogen attack, fruit trees such as apple (Malus spp.) and pear (Pyrus spp.) accumulate biphenyl and dibenzofuran phytoalexins, with aucuparin as a major biphenyl compound. 4-Hydroxylation of the biphenyl scaffold, formed by biphenyl synthase (BIS), is catalyzed by a cytochrome P450 (CYP). The biphenyl 4-hydroxylase (B4H) coding sequence of rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) was isolated and functionally expressed in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). SaB4H was named CYP736A107. No catalytic function of CYP736 was known previously. SaB4H exhibited absolute specificity for 3-hydroxy-5-methoxybiphenyl. In rowan cell cultures treated with elicitor from the scab fungus, transient increases in the SaB4H, SaBIS, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase transcript levels preceded phytoalexin accumulation. Transient expression of a carboxyl-terminal reporter gene construct directed SaB4H to the endoplasmic reticulum. A construct lacking the amino-terminal leader and transmembrane domain caused cytoplasmic localization. Functional B4H coding sequences were also isolated from two apple (Malus × domestica) cultivars. The MdB4Hs were named CYP736A163. When stems of cv Golden Delicious were infected with the fire blight bacterium, highest MdB4H transcript levels were observed in the transition zone. In a phylogenetic tree, the three B4Hs were closest to coniferaldehyde 5-hydroxylases involved in lignin biosynthesis, suggesting a common ancestor. Coniferaldehyde and related compounds were not converted by SaB4H.

Novel taspine derivative 12k inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in lung cell carcinoma

Taspine is an active compound in anticancer agent development. 12k was synthesized with taspine as lead compound bearing biphenyl scaffold and showed potent anticancer activity. Here, we investigated the effect of taspine derivative 12k on A549 lung cells. We showed that 12k not only decreased significantly A549 cell viability, A549 cell colony formation but also impaired A549 cell migration. Moreover, 12k treatment blocked cell cycle progression by increasing cell number in S phase to 42.80% for 6μmol/L vs. 28.86% for control while decreasing cell number in G1 phase. Accordingly, this was associated with an increase protein expression of cyclin E and a decrease protein expression of cyclin D1, cyclin B1 and its associated CDK1 (cdc2). Meanwhile, we found that 12k induced A549 cell apoptosis, which was closely associated with the effect of the Bcl-2 family. Increase of Bad, Bak and Bax expression levels, decrease of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 expression levels were observed. SiRNA knockdown of c-myc in A549 cells significantly attenuated tumor inhibition effects of 12k. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that 12k has an inhibitory effect on growth of A549 cell by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.

Triazole Containing Novobiocin and Biphenyl Amides as Hsp90 C-Terminal Inhibitors.

Hsp90 C-terminal inhibitors are advantageous for the development of new cancer chemotherapeutics due to their ability to segregate client protein degradation from induction of the prosurvival heat shock response, which is a major detriment associated with Hsp90 N-terminal inhibitors under clinical investigation. Based upon prior SAR trends, a 1,2,3-triazole side chain was placed in lieu of the aryl side chain and attached to both the coumarin and biphenyl scaffold. Antiproliferative studies against SKBr3 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines demonstrated these triazole-containing compounds to exhibit improved activity. These compounds were shown to manifest Hsp90 inhibitory activity through Western blot analysis and represent a new scaffold upon which more potent inhibitors can be pursued.

Biosynthesis of the biphenyl phytoalexin aucuparin in Sorbus aucuparia cell cultures treated with Venturia inaequalis

Aucuparin is the most widely distributed biphenyl phytoalexin in the rosaceous subtribe Pyrinae, which includes the economically important fruit trees apple and pear. The biphenyl scaffold is formed by biphenyl synthase, which catalyzes biosynthesis of 3,5-dihydroxybiphenyl. Conversion of this precursor to aucuparin (3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxybiphenyl) was studied in cell cultures of Sorbus aucuparia after treatment with an elicitor preparation from the scab-causing fungus Venturia inaequalis. The sequence of the biosynthetic steps detected was O-methylation - 4-hydroxylation - O-methylation. The two alkylation reactions were catalyzed by distinct methyltransferases, which differed in pH and temperature optima as well as stability. Biphenyl 4-hydroxylase was a microsomal cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, whose activity was appreciably decreased by the addition of established P450 inhibitors. When fed to V. inaequalis-treated S. aucuparia cell cultures, radioactively labeled 3,5-dihydroxybiphenyl was not only incorporated into aucuparin but also into the dibenzofuran eriobofuran, the accumulation of which paralleled that of aucuparin. However, biphenyl 2'-hydroxylase activity proposed to be involved in dibenzofuran formation was detected in neither microsomes nor cell-free extracts in the presence of NADPH and 2-oxoglutarate, respectively. Nevertheless, a basis for studying biphenyl biosynthesis at the gene level is provided.

Small molecules interacting with α-synuclein: antiaggregating and cytoprotective properties

Curcumin, a dietary polyphenol, has shown a potential to act on the symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, as a consequence of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-protein aggregation properties. Unfortunately, curcumin undergoes rapid degradation at physiological pH into ferulic acid, vanillin and dehydrozingerone, making it an unlikely drug candidate. Here, we evaluated the ability of some curcumin by-products: dehydrozingerone (1), its O-methyl derivative (2), zingerone (3), and their biphenyl analogues (4-6) to interact with α-synuclein (AS), using CD and fluorescence spectroscopy. In addition, the antioxidant properties and the cytoprotective effects in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells prior to intoxication with H2O2, MPP+ and MnCl2 were examined while the Congo red assay was used to evaluate the ability of these compounds to prevent aggregation of AS. We found that the biphenyl zingerone analogue (6) interacts with high affinity with AS and also displays the best antioxidant properties while the biphenyl analogues of dehydrozingerone (4) and of O-methyl-dehydrozingerone (5) are able to partially inhibit the aggregation process of AS, suggesting the potential role of a hydroxylated biphenyl scaffold in the design of AS aggregation inhibitors.

Subtle “supramolecular buttressing effects” in Cucurbit[7]uril/guest assemblies

Biphenyl derivatives bearing a dimethylsulfonium group at position 3 and three different substituents at position 4 (H, F and CH3) have been prepared as probes to test the validity of the "supramolecular buttressing" concept. We define the latter as the alteration, by a neighboring unit, of a substituent effect on intermolecular recognition. In this case, the 4-substituents exert some pressure on the 3-dimethylsulfonium groups and control the ratio of their syn and anti conformations. As free species, biphenyls bearing 4-H and 4-F substituents are present as approximately equimolar mixtures of syn and anti-conformers, while the biphenyl scaffold with a 4-CH3 group adopts the anti-conformation exclusively. The 3-dimethylsulfonium substituents then interact with one of the carbonylated portals of Cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]), and their conformations affect the position of the guests inside the cavity of the macrocycle, thereby validating our "supramolecular buttressing" model. Surprisingly however, binding affinities towards CB[7] are barely affected by the nature of the 4-substituents and the conformations of the neighboring sulfonium groups, despite very different electronic densities presented to the CB[7] portal in their syn or anti conformations. Solvation was found to dramatically smoothen host-guest Columbic interactions, although the latter remain important in the recognition process. Replacing the positively charged 3-dimethylsulfonium unit with an isopropyl substituent decreases the affinity of the biphenyl guest by 1000-fold.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of biphenyl urea derivatives as novel VEGFR-2 inhibitors

VEGFR-2 plays a critical role in vasculogenesis and VEGFR-2 inhibitors have been widely used in the treatment of cancer. In our continued efforts to search for potent and novel VEGFR-2 inhibitors as antitumor agents, we have identified a potent lead compound (HMQ-16) bearing a biphenyl scaffold. Rearrangement and replacement of arylcarbamoyl in HMQ-16 with a urea moiety generated a series of novel VEGFR-2 inhibitors. In order to enhance the affinity with VEGFR-2, the 4′-acetyl group was converted to an oxime group. Fourteen biphenyl urea derivatives were designed and synthesized as potent VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Six of them (T2, T5, T7, T9, T11, T14) exhibited potent VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity comparable to that of sorafenib. Compound T7 was the most potent with an IC50 value of 1.08 nM. The enzymatic and cellular assays suggested that T7 has potential as a valuable lead compound for further optimization.

Porphyrin dyads linked by a rotatable 3,3′-biphenyl scaffold: a new binding motif for small ditopic molecules

Synthetic access to a set of metallo- and free base bis-porphyrins has been provided by a stepwise approach involving sequential peptide and Suzuki couplings. Linking these porphyrins through a 3,3'-biphenyl bridge enables cooperative binding to ditopic ligands such as the bipyridyls. Association constants and binding stoichiometry has been determined by spectroscopic/spectrophotometric means and the differences in the binding affinities of a small series of diaza ligands is discussed in the context of structural fit and microscopic association constants.