Trans-cinnamic Acid Derivatives Research Articles

The Inability of Metal Coordination to Control the Regioselectivity of Dimerization of Trans-Cinnamic Acid Derivatives

Upon exposure to irradiation, trans-cinnamic acid can dimerize, producing truxinic and truxillic acids, regioisomers distinguished by the relative arrangement of acid and phenyl groups on the formed cyclobutane ring. Solid-state dimerization, governed by Schmidt’s specified conditions, hinges on the initial molecular setup. This study endeavors to manipulate the reaction’s outcome in the solid state. To achieve this, the target molecule was paired with metals (Ag, Cu) to modify molecular orientation in the solid. Investigated derivatives included para-hydroxy-trans-cinnamic acid, ortho-methoxy-trans-cinnamic acid, ortho-ethoxy-trans-cinnamic acid, and ortho-chloro-trans-cinnamic acid. Despite easy synthesis of all complexes, only the complex between Ag and ortho-chloro-trans-cinnamic acid exhibits photoreactivity, mirroring the outcome of the metal-free derivative. Thus, while this approach has the potential to alter the photobehavior of cinnamic acid derivatives, obtaining the desired structure will require extensive screening to identify an appropriate metal complex.

Cinnamoylated chloroquine analogues: A new structural class of antimalarial agents

A novel series of cinnamoylated chloroquine hybrid analogues were synthesized and evaluated as antimalarial agents. The trans cinnamic acid derivatives (3–8) were synthesized by utilizing substituted aldehydes and malanoic acid in DMF catalysed by DABCO. The final cinnamoylated chloroquine analogues (9–14) were synthesized by utilizing DCC coupling reagent. The amido chloroquine (17) was prepared from acid (16) and compound 2 in benzene using SOCl2 as chlorinating agent. The corresponding ester (15) was prepared from 2-hydroxy acetophenone and 2-bromoacetates in actonitrile in presence of K2CO3 as base followed by basic hydrolysis. The preparation of amide based chloroquine-chalcone analogues (18–22), were obtained by the combination of amido chloroquine (17) and aldehydes in 10% aq. KOH in methanol at room temperature. Further we prepared epichlorohydrin based chloroquine-chalcone analogues (25–28), by reacting the epoxide (24a, 24b and 24c) with 2 and methelenedioxy aniline. In vitro antimalarial activity against chloroquine sensitive strain 3D7, chloroquine resistant strain K1 of P. falciparum and in vitro cytotoxicity of compounds using VERO cell line was carried out. The synthesized molecules showed significant in vitro antimalarial activity especially against CQ resistant strain (K1). Among tested compounds, 13, 9 and 10 were found to be the most potent compounds of the series with IC50 value of 44.06, 48.04 and 59.37 nM against chloroquine resistant K1 strain.

Phenylalanine ammonia lyase from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtPAL2): A potent MIO-enzyme for the synthesis of non-canonical aromatic alpha-amino acids: Part I: Comparative characterization to the enzymes from Petroselinum crispum (PcPAL1) and Rhodosporidium toruloides (RtPAL)

Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtPAL2) was comparatively characterized to the well-studied enzyme from parsley (PcPAL1) and Rhodosporidium toruloides (RtPAL) with respect to kinetic parameters for the deamination and the amination reaction, pH- and temperature optima and the substrate range of the amination reaction. Whereas both plant enzymes are specific for phenylalanine, the bifunctional enzyme from Rhodosporidium toruloides shows KM-values for L-Phe and L-Tyr in the same order of magnitude and, compared to both plant enzymes, a 10–15-fold higher activity.At 30°C all enzymes were sufficiently stable with half-lives of 3.4days (PcPAL1), 4.6days (AtPAL2) and 9.7days (RtPAL/TAL). Very good results for the amination of various trans-cinnamic acid derivatives were obtained using E. coli cells as whole cell biocatalysts in ammonium carbonate buffer. Investigation of the substrate ranges gave interesting results for the newly tested enzymes from A. thaliana and R. toruloides. Only the latter accepts besides 4-hydroxy-CA also 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-CA as a substrate, which is an interesting intermediate for the formation of pharmaceutically relevant L-Dopa.AtPAL2 is a very good catalyst for the formation of (S)-3-F-Phe, (S)-4-F-Phe and (S)-2-Cl-Phe. Such non-canonical amino acids are valuable building blocks for the formation of various drug molecules.

De novo biosynthesis of trans-cinnamic acid derivatives in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The production of natural aroma compounds is an expanding field within the branch of white biotechnology. Three aromatic compounds of interest are cinnamaldehyde, the typical cinnamon aroma that has applications in agriculture and medical sciences, as well as cinnamyl alcohol and hydrocinnamyl alcohol, which have applications in the cosmetic industry. Current production methods, which rely on extraction from plant materials or chemical synthesis, are associated with drawbacks regarding scalability, production time, and environmental impact. These considerations make the development of a sustainable microbial-based production highly desirable. Through steps of rational metabolic engineering, we engineered the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a microbial host to produce trans-cinnamic acid derivatives cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol, and hydrocinnamyl alcohol, from externally added trans-cinnamic acid or de novo from glucose as a carbon source. We show that the desired products can be de novo synthesized in S. cerevisiae via the heterologous overexpression of the genes encoding phenylalanine ammonia lyase 2 from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtPAL2), aryl carboxylic acid reductase (acar) from Nocardia sp., and phosphopantetheinyl transferase (entD) from Escherichia coli, together with endogenous alcohol dehydrogenases. This study provides a proof of concept and a strain that can be further optimized for production of high-value aromatic compounds.

A highly efficient transformation of cis- to trans-cinnamic acid derivatives by iodine

Cinnamic acid derivatives (CAs), which have proven to be versatile components, are present in abundance in biologically active natural products, and are widely used as intermediates in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. The presence of cis- and trans-CAs created difficulties for natural product and organic synthetic studies. A highly efficient method that utilized iodine to entirely convert cis- CAs into their trans-forms was developed to solve this problem. The mechanism of study revealed this conversion occurred via an anti-diiodo intermediate.

Multicomponent/Palladium-Catalyzed Cascade Entry to Benzopyrrolizidine Derivatives: Synthesis and Antioxidant Evaluation.

A versatile and efficient protocol for the synthesis of highly substituted benzopyrrolizidines (tetrahydro-3H-pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoindol-3-ones) is reported. The strategy consisted of an Ugi four-component reaction/elimination methodology to afford dehydroalanines containing trans-cinnamic acid derivatives and different substituted 2-bromobenzylamines, followed by a palladium-catalyzed 5-exo-trig/5-exo-trig cascade carbocyclization process. Gratifyingly, benzopyrrolizidines were obtained in moderate to good yields (42-77%) with a Z geometry due to the structural requirements for syn-β-hydride elimination. The prepared heterocyclic scaffolds are decorated with several substituents and incorporate a benzopyrrolizidine-fused system, along with an embedded cinnamic acid derivative, two privileged medicinal chemistry scaffolds. Additionally, since some of the compounds are derived from the well-known antioxidants ferulic and sinapinic acids, they were tested for their in vitro antioxidant capacity. The data suggested that compounds having a p-hydroxyl group showed moderate 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-radical-scavenging activity and were effective antioxidants in preventing lipoperoxidation in a thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay.

Polymorphism in a trans-Cinnamic Acid Derivative Exhibiting Two Distinct β-type Phases: Structural Properties, [2 + 2] Photodimerization Reactions, and Polymorphic Phase Transition Behavior

We report the discovery of a rare case of polymorphism among trans-cinnamic acid derivatives in which both polymorphs are classified as β-type structures based on their solid-state structural properties and their solid-state photoreactivity. Specifically, for 3-fluoro-trans-cinnamic acid, crystallization from many solvent systems leads to formation of one polymorph (denoted β1), although, in a few cases, concomitant crystallization of another polymorph (denoted β2) is also observed. On heating the β1 polymorph, a solid-state phase transition occurs at ca. 119 °C to produce the β2 polymorph. This polymorphic phase transition is irreversible, and the β2 polymorph remains stable on subsequent cooling to ambient temperature. Both the β1 and the β2 polymorphs undergo a topochemical [2 + 2] photodimerization reaction upon UV irradiation to produce 3,3′-difluoro-β-truxinic acid as the photoproduct in almost 100% yield. However, these reactions are associated with complete loss of crystallinity, preventing the structural properties of the directly produced solid photoproduct from being determined by single-crystal or powder X-ray diffraction techniques.

Contribution of CoA Ligases to Benzenoid Biosynthesis in Petunia Flowers

Biosynthesis of benzoic acid from Phe requires shortening of the side chain by two carbons, which can occur via the β-oxidative or nonoxidative pathways. The first step in the β-oxidative pathway is cinnamoyl-CoA formation, likely catalyzed by a member of the 4-coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL) family that converts a range of trans-cinnamic acid derivatives into the corresponding CoA thioesters. Using a functional genomics approach, we identified two potential CoA-ligases from petunia (Petunia hybrida) petal-specific cDNA libraries. The cognate proteins share only 25% amino acid identity and are highly expressed in petunia corollas. Biochemical characterization of the recombinant proteins revealed that one of these proteins (Ph-4CL1) has broad substrate specificity and represents a bona fide 4CL, whereas the other is a cinnamate:CoA ligase (Ph-CNL). RNA interference suppression of Ph-4CL1 did not affect the petunia benzenoid scent profile, whereas downregulation of Ph-CNL resulted in a decrease in emission of benzylbenzoate, phenylethylbenzoate, and methylbenzoate. Green fluorescent protein localization studies revealed that the Ph-4CL1 protein is localized in the cytosol, whereas Ph-CNL is in peroxisomes. Our results indicate that subcellular compartmentalization of enzymes affects their involvement in the benzenoid network and provide evidence that cinnamoyl-CoA formation by Ph-CNL in the peroxisomes is the committed step in the β-oxidative pathway.

Novel inhibitors of β-ketoacyl-ACP reductase from Escherichia coli

Bacterial β-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] (β-ketoacyl-ACP) reductase (FabG) is a highly conserved and ubiquitously expressed enzyme of the fatty-acid biosynthetic pathway of prokaryotic organisms that catalyzes NADPH-dependent reduction of β-ketoacyl-ACP intermediates. Therefore, FabG represents an appealing target for the development of new antimicrobial agents. A number of trans-cinnamic acid derivatives were designed and screened for inhibitory activities against FabG from Escherichia coli. These inhibited FabG enzymatic activity with IC 50 values in the μM range, and were used as templates for the subsequent diversification of the chemotype. Introduction of an electron-withdrawing 4-cyano group to the phenol substituent showed improved inhibition over the non-substituted compound. The benzo-[1,3]-dioxol moiety also appeared to be essential for inhibitory activity of trans-cinnamic acid derivatives against FabG from E. coli. To explain the possible binding position, the best inhibitor from the present study was docked in the active site of FabG. The results for the best scoring conformers chosen by the docking programme revealed that cinnamic acid derivatives can be accommodated in the substrate-binding region of the active site, above the nicotinamide moiety of the NADPH cofactor. Additionally, a phage-displayed library of random linear 15-mer peptides was screened against FabG, to identify ligands with the common PPLTXY motif.

Transient States in [2 + 2] Photodimerization of Cinnamic Acid: Correlation of Solid-State NMR and X-ray Analysis

13C-CPMAS and other solid-state NMR methods have been applied to monitor the solid-state reactions of trans-cinnamic acid derivatives, which are the pioneer and model compounds in the field of topochemistry previously studied by X-ray diffraction, AFM, and vibrational spectroscopy. Single-crystal X-ray analyses of photoirradiated alpha-trans-cinnamic acid where the monomers are arranged in a head-to-tail manner have revealed the formation of a centrosymmetric alpha-truxillic acid photodimer. For a centrosymmetric dimer, however, two cyclobutane carbon signals and one carbonyl carbon signal were expected apart from other aromatic carbon signals. Instead, four cyclobutane and two carbonyl carbon signals were observed suggesting the formation of a non-centrosymmetric photodimer. Removing hydrogen bonds from the system by esterfication of alpha-truxillic acid yield a centrosymmetric photodimer. Careful analysis of the obtained products via solid-state NMR clearly showed that the observed peak splittings in the 13C-CPMAS spectra did not originate from packing effects but rather result from asymmetric hydrogen bonds distorting the local symmetry. Further evidence of this rather dynamic hydrogen-bonding stems from high-temperature X-ray data revealing that only the joint approach of both X-ray analysis and solid-state NMR at similar temperatures allows for the successful characterization of dynamic processes occurring in topochemical reactions, thus, providing detailed insight into the reaction mechanism of organic solid-state transformations.

Inhibition of histone-deacetylase activity by short-chain fatty acids and some polyphenol metabolites formed in the colon

Colorectal cancer is the most abundant cause of cancer mortality in the Western world. Nutrition and the microbial flora are considered to have a marked influence on the risk of colorectal cancer, the formation of butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) possibly playing a major role as chemopreventive products of microbial fermentation in the colon. In this study, we investigated the effects of butyrate, other SCFAs, and of a number of phenolic SCFA and trans-cinnamic acid derivatives formed during the intestinal degradation of polyphenolic constituents of fruits and vegetables on global histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity in nuclear extracts from colon carcinoma cell cultures using tert-butoxycarbonyl-lysine (acetylated)-4-amino-7-methylcoumarin (Boc-Lys(Ac)-AMC) as substrate. Inhibition of HDAC activity, e.g., by butyrate, is related to a suppression of malignant transformation and a stimulation of apoptosis of precancerous colonic cells. In nuclear extracts from HT-29 human colon carcinoma cells, butyrate was found to be the most potent HDAC inhibitor (IC 50=0.09 mM), while other SCFAs such as propionate were less potent. In the same assay, p-coumaric acid (IC 50=0.19 mM), 3-(4-OH-phenyl)-propionate (IC 50=0.62 mM) and caffeic acid (IC 50=0.85 mM) were the most potent HDAC inhibitors among the polyphenol metabolites tested. Interestingly, butyrate was also the most potent HDAC inhibitor in a whole-cell HeLa Mad 38-based reporter gene assay, while all polyphenol metabolites and all other SCFAs tested were much less potent; some were completely inactive. The findings suggest that butyrate plays an outstanding role as endogenous HDAC inhibitor in the colon, and that other SCFAs and HDAC-inhibitory polyphenol metabolites present in the colon seem to play a much smaller role, probably because of their limited levels, their marked cytotoxicity and/or their limited intracellular availability.

Synthesis and antimycobacterial evaluation of new trans-cinnamic acid hydrazide derivatives

In this work, we report the synthesis and the antimycobacterial evaluation of new trans-cinnamic acid derivatives of isonicotinic acid series ( 5) and benzoic acid series ( 6), designed by exploring the molecular hybridization approach between isoniazid ( 1) and trans-cinnamic acid derivative ( 3). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the compounds 5a– d and 6c exhibited activity between 3.12 and 12.5 μg/mL and could be a good start point to find new lead compounds against multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.

Determination of absolute configuration using vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy: phenyl glycidic acid derivatives obtained via asymmetric epoxidation using oxone and a keto bile acid

The (+)-enantiomers of the o-Br, m-F and p-CH 3 derivatives of trans phenyl glycidic acid have been obtained from the corresponding trans cinnamic acid derivatives using Oxone and the tri-keto bile acid dehydrocholic acid. Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy of their methyl esters has been used to determine their absolute configurations. In each case, the absolute configurations of both methyl ester and parent acid were shown to be (2 S,3 R)-(+)/(2 R,3 S)-(−).

Structure–activity relationships of trans-cinnamic acid derivatives on α-glucosidase inhibition

trans-Cinnamic acid and its derivatives were investigated for the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. 4-Methoxy- trans-cinnamic acid and 4-methoxy- trans-cinnamic acid ethyl ester showed the highest potent inhibitory activity among those of trans-cinnamic acid derivatives. The presence of substituents at 4-position in trans-cinnamic acid altered the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Increasing of bulkiness and the chain length of 4-alkoxy substituents as well as the increasing of the electron withdrawing group have been shown to decrease the inhibitory activity. 4-Methoxy- trans-cinnamic acid was a noncompetitive inhibitor for α-glucosidase, whereas, 4-methoxy- trans-cinnamic acid ethyl ester was a competitive inhibitor. These results indicated that trans-cinnamic acid derivatives could be classified as a new group of α-glucosidase inhibitors.

Polymorphic Phase Transformation in the 3-Bromo-trans-cinnamic Acid System

3-Bromo-trans-cinnamic acid (3-BrCA) exists as two crystalline polymorphic forms (designated as β and γ phases). A polymorphic phase transformation from the γ phase to the β phase has been investigated using ex situ powder X-ray diffraction, in situ high-temperature optical microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The transformation occurs at an observable rate at temperatures above about 100°C. A reverse transformation on subsequently cooling the β phase is not observed. Thermodynamic aspects of the polymorphic 3-BrCA system are discussed, together with kinetic aspects of the transformation from the γ phase to the β phase. The structural properties of the β phase (reported previously) and the γ phase (determined in this work from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data) are in accord with the α/β/γ structural classification of trans-cinnamic acid derivatives.

A Mild Procedure for the Stereospecific Transformation of trans Cinnamic Acid Derivatives to cis β-Bromostyrenes

A new mild procedure has been developed for the synthesis of cis β-bromostyrene analogs with complete Z/E selectivity and good to excellent yields (58.4 - 90.9%). The process involves carboxyl-halo-elimination of cinnamic acid dibromides by using triethylamine in N,N-dimethylformamide at room temperature. A one-pot procedure has also been described for the direct transformation of cinnamic acids to β-bromostyrenes.

Synthesis and pharmacology of site-specific cocaine abuse treatment agents: 2-(aminomethyl)-3-phenylbicyclo[2.2.2]- and -[2.2.1]alkane dopamine uptake inhibitors.

As part of a program to develop site-specific medications for cocaine abuse, a series of 2-(aminomethyl)-3-phenylbicyclo[2.2.2]- and -[2.2.1]alkane derivatives was synthesized and tested for inhibitory potency in [3H]WIN 35,428 binding and [3H]dopamine uptake assays using rat striatal tissue. Selected compounds were tested for their ability to substitute for cocaine in rat drug discrimination tests. Synthesis was accomplished by a series of Diels-Alder reactions, using cis- and trans-cinnamic acid derivatives (nitrile, acid, acid chloride) with cyclohexadiene and cyclopentadiene. Standard manipulations produced the aminomethyl side chain. Many of the compounds bound with high affinity (median IC50 = 223 nM) to the cocaine binding site as marked by [3H]WIN 35,428. Potency in the binding assay was strongly enhanced by chlorine atoms in the 3- and/or 4-position on the aromatic ring and was little affected by corresponding methoxy groups. In the [2.2.2] series there was little difference in potency between cis and trans compounds or between N, N-dimethylamines and primary amines. In the [2.2.1] series the trans exo compounds tended to be least potent against binding, whereas the cis exo compounds were the most potent (4-Cl cis exo: IC50 = 7.7 nM, 27-fold more potent than 4-Cl trans-exo). Although the potencies of the bicyclic derivatives in the binding and uptake assays were highly correlated, some of the compounds were 5-7-fold less potent at inhibiting [3H]dopamine uptake than [3H]WIN 35,428 binding (for comparison, cocaine has a lower discrimination ratio (DR) of 2.5). The DR values were higher for almost all primary amines and for the trans-[2.2.2] series as compared to the cis-[2.2.2]. Most of the compounds had Hill coefficients approaching unity, except for the [2. 2.2] 3,4-dichloro derivatives, which all had nH values of about 2.0. Two of the compounds were shown to fully substitute for cocaine in drug discrimination tests in rats, and one had a very long duration of action.

Growth-Inhibitory Activities of Benzofuran and Chromene Derivatives toward Tenebrio molitor

Growth-inhibitory activities of selected natural benzofurans (4-9), trans-cinnamic acid derivatives (10-13), chromene compounds (14 and 16), and some semisynthetic derivatives were determined in last instar larvae of Tenebrio molitor via topical administration in Me2CO. The most inhibitory of the tested compounds were 3-gamma, gamma-dimethylallyl-p-coumaric acid (10) and the benzofuran derivative 12-(p-cumaroyloxy)-tremetone (5), the former compound acting on the pupae and the latter on the last instar larvae. Several developmental deficiencies were observed, and some structure-activity relationships are discussed.

The rôle of powder diffraction in establishing structure–property relationships for crystalline solids: a new structural assignment of the photoreactive and photostable phases of p-formyl-trans-cinnamic acid

It has been reported previously that the photoreactive β phase of p-formyl-trans-cinnamic acid represents an exception to the well-established correlation between structural and photochemical properties of crystalline trans-cinnamic acid derivatives. However, it is shown in this paper that the crystal structure reported previously to be the β phase of p-formyl-trans-cinnamic acid is actually the photostable γ phase. In a wider context, the work reported here highlights the necessity of carrying out powder diffraction investigations in the determination of structure–property relationships for crystalline solids.