Antiproliferative and Antimigration Activities of Fluoro-Neplanocin A via Inhibition of Histone H3 Methylation in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is among the most aggressive and potentially metastatic malignancies. Most affected patients have poor clinical outcomes due to the lack of specific molecular targets on tumor cells. The upregulated expression of disruptor of telomeric silencing 1-like (DOT1L), a histone methyltransferase specific for the histone H3 lysine 79 residue (H3K79), is strongly correlated with TNBC cell aggressiveness. Therefore, DOT1L is considered a potential molecular target in TNBC. Fluoro-neplanocin A (F-NepA), an inhibitor of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase, exhibited potent antiproliferative activity against various types of cancer cells, including breast cancers. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the anticancer activity of F-NepA in TNBC cells remains to be elucidated. We determined that F-NepA exhibited a higher growth-inhibitory activity against TNBC cells relative to non-TNBC breast cancer and normal breast epithelial cells. Moreover, F-NepA effectively downregulated the level of H3K79me2 in MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells by inhibiting DOT1L activity. F-NepA also significantly inhibited TNBC cell migration and invasion. These activities of F-NepA might be associated with the upregulation of E-cadherin and downregulation of N-cadherin and Vimentin in TNBC cells. Taken together, these data highlight F-NepA as a strong potential candidate for the targeted treatment of high-DOT1L-expressing TNBC.

Synthesis of Carbocyclic Nucleosides (+)-Neplanocin A, (+)-Aristeromycin and 4'-epi-(+)-Aristeromycin from D-Fructose

D-Fructose is used as the chiral pool starting material for the stereoselective total synthesis of (+)-neplanocin A. Zinc mediated fragmentation, ring-closing metathesis and oxidative rearrangement of cyclic tertiary allylic alcohol are used as the key steps in achieving the synthesis of key carbocylic intermediate. Further, stereoselective total synthesis of 4'-epi-(+)-aristeromycin and the conversion of (+)-neplanocin A to a mixture of (+)-aristeromycin and 4'-epi-(+)-aristeromycin are described.

Phosphonate reagents and building blocks in the synthesis of bioactive compounds, natural products and medicines

This account outlines the results obtained in the author’s laboratory on the application of phosphonates in the synthesis of various classes of biologically active cyclopentenones and cyclopentanones. In the first place two general methods for the synthesis of mono-, 1,2- and 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds are presented. The first is based on the use of α-phosphoryl sulfides in conjunction with the Horner reaction while in the second method the oxygenation reaction of α-phosphonate carbanion is a key step. The utility of these two approaches to 1,4-diketones as precursors of cyclopentenones was exemplified by the synthesis of dihydrojasmone and (Z)-jasmone. The use of simple phosphonates, α-phosphoryl sulfides and β- and γ-ketophosphonates as starting reagents in the synthesis of cyclopentanoid antibiotics (methylenomycin B, racemic desepoxy-4,5-didehydromethylenomycin, enantiomeric sarkomycins) is presented. The synthesis and reactivity of achiral 3-(phosphorylmethyl)cyclopent-2-enone and chiral diastereoisomeric camphor protected 3-(phosphorylmethyl)-4,5-dihydroxycyclopent-2-enones as building blocks is discussed as a platform for developing a new access to a variety of bioactive cyclopentenones. The utility and value of achiral phosphonate building block is demonstrated by the synthesis of racemic and enantiopure prostaglandin B1 methyl esters and enantiomeric phytoprostanes B1 type I and II. The range of biologically active compounds prepared from chiral diastereoisomeric cyclopentenone phosphonates is wider. Herein the total syntheses of the following target compounds are presented: enantiomeric isoterreins, natural (−)-neplanocin A and its unnatural (+)-enantiomer, anticancer prostaglandin analogues (enantiomers of TEI-9826, NEPP-11, iso-NEPP-11). The design and synthesis of racemic and four enantiopure stereoisomers of an antiulcer drug rosaprostol is also described.

An efficient synthesis of fluoro-neplanocin A analogs using electrophilic fluorination and palladium-catalyzed dehydrosilylation

An alternative and efficient approach to neplanocin A analogs 1b and 1d has been developed using electrophilic fluorination and Pd-catalyzed dehydrosilylation.