A series of A-ring-modified lamellarin N analogues were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as potential noncovalent inhibitors of the EGFR T790M/L858R mutant, a causal factor in the drug-resistant non-small cell lung cancer. Several water-soluble ammonium- or guanidinium-tethered analogues exhibited good kinase inhibitory activities. The most promising analogue, 14f, displayed an excellent inhibitory profile against the T790M/L858R mutant [IC50 (WT) = 31.8 nM; IC50 (T790M/L858R) = 8.9 nM]. The effects of A-ring-substituents on activity were rationalized by docking studies.Download high-res image (196KB)Download full-size image

A modular synthesis of lamellarins via 3,4,5-differentially arylated pyrrole-2-carboxylate intermediates has been developed. The key reactions employed are Br–Li exchange–methoxycarbonylation of 2,5-dibromo-1-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-1H-pyrrole (1) followed by palladium-catalyzed iterative Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of the pyrrole core. The 3,4,5-triarylpyrrole 4 thus synthesized was readily converted to 5,6-saturated lamellarin L (2) and 5,6-unsaturated lamellarin N (3) via lactonization followed by annulation of the pyrrole nitrogen and lateral aromatic ring at C5 using 2-bromoethyl phenyl sulfide or bromoacetaldehyde dimethyl acetal as two-carbon homologation agents. In principle, this strategy allows the production of diverse lamellarins in short steps with high yields using readily accessible arylboronic acids as aromatic modules.

The total synthesis of the optically active (aR)- and (aS)-16-methyllamellarins N (3a and 3b) was achieved via resolution on HPLC chiral stationary phase. The kinase inhibitory activities of both enantiomers were evaluated on eight protein kinases relevant to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases (CDK1/cyclin B, CDK2/cyclin A, CDK5/p25, GSK-3α/β, PIM1, DYRK1A, CLK3, and CK1). Isomer (aR)-3b exhibited potent but nonselective inhibition on all protein kinases except CK1, while (aS)-3a selectively inhibited only GSK-3α/β, PIM1, and DYRK1A. The different inhibition profiles of (aS)-3a and (aR)-3b were elucidated by docking simulation studies. Although parental lamellarin N (2) inhibited the action of topoisomerase I, both (aS)-3a and (aR)-3b showed no inhibition of this enzyme. The phenotypic cytotoxic activities of 2, (aS)-3a, and (aR)-3b on three cancer cell lines (HeLa, SH-SY5Y, and IMR32) changed according to their topoisomerase I and protein kinase inhibitory activities.

Lamellarin α and six different types of lamellarin α 20-sulfate analogues were synthesized and their structure–activity relationships were investigated using a single round HIV-1 vector infection assay. All lamellarin sulfates having pentacyclic lamellarin core exhibited anti-HIV-1 activity at a 10 μM concentration range regardless of the number and position of the sulfate group. On the other hand, non-sulfated lamellarin α and ring-opened lamellarin sulfate analogues did not affect HIV-1 vector infection in similar concentrations. The lamellarin sulfates utilized in this study did not exhibit unfavorable cytotoxic effect under the concentrations tested (IC50 > 100 μM). Confocal laser scanning microscopic analysis indicated that hydrophilic lamellarin sulfates were hardly incorporated in the cell. HIV-1 Env-mediated cell–cell fusion was suppressed by lamellarin sulfates. These results suggested that lamellarin sulfates have a novel anti-HIV-1 activity besides the previously reported integrase activity inhibition, possibly at a viral entry step of HIV-1 replication.

Directed lithiation of N-benzenesulfonyl-3-bromopyrrole (1) with LDA in THF at −78 °C generated C-2 lithio species 3 selectively. Reactions of 3 with reactive electrophiles produced the corresponding 2-functionalized pyrroles 4. On the other hand, quenching with less reactive electrophiles generated the corresponding 5-substituted pyrroles 5. The latter unusual functionalization at C-5 could be rationalized by dynamic equilibrium between C-2 and C-5 lithio species.