Kyushu University · Chemistry
Professor Naoya Shindo's research lab specializes in the development of innovative catalytic methodologies and covalent inhibition strategies for complex molecule synthesis and therapeutic target engagement. The lab focuses on tandem and domino catalysis, particularly auto-tandem and cascade reactions that enable efficient, stereoselective construction of nitrogen-containing heterocycles such as quinolines and axially chiral amidines. A key direction involves designing novel electrophilic warheads—like bicyclo[1.1.0]butane amides and chlorofluoroacetamides—for selective, irreversible inhibition of disease-relevant enzymes, including SARS-CoV-2 main protease. The lab integrates synthetic methodology, mechanistic DFT studies, and medicinal chemistry to advance both fundamental transformation science and drug discovery.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Domino reactions have received great attention as efficient synthetic methodologies for the construction of structurally complex molecules from simple materials in a single operation. Catalysts in domino reactions have also been well studied. In these reactions, a catalyst activates the substrate(s) only once, and the structure of the product is delineated at that time. Recently, the new concept of "tandem catalysis" in domino reactions, in which catalyst(s) sequentially activate more than two m
Expanding the repertoire of electrophiles with unique reactivity features would facilitate the development of covalent inhibitors with desirable reactivity profiles. We herein introduce bicyclo[1.1.0]butane (BCB) carboxylic amide as a new class of thiol-reactive electrophiles for selective and irreversible inhibition of targeted proteins. We first streamlined the synthetic routes to generate a variety of BCB amides. The strain-driven nucleophilic addition to BCB amides proceeded chemoselectively
We demonstrated a catalytic cascade inverse electron demand hetero-Diels-Alder reaction (Povarov reaction) and hydrogen-transfer process. The reaction of electron-rich olefins and excess amount of imines in the presence of acid catalysts under appropriate conditions affords substituted quinolines in a single operation. In the cascade process, the catalysts, such as Tf2NH, TfOH, and Lewis acids, catalyze two mechanistically distinct reactions (auto-tandem catalysis). We also describe the syntheti
The torquoselectivity of the 4π electrocyclic ring-opening reaction of 2-azetines can be controlled by the Brønsted acidity of the catalyst and the polarity of the solvent. DFT calculations provided insight into the mechanism of this remarkable switch. Anti and syn stereoisomers of α,β-unsaturated amidines were selectively synthesized from ynamides and aldimines in the presence of Tf(2)NH and CSA, respectively.
Torquoselective: Enantiomers of axially chiral α,β-unsaturated amidines were prepared by catalytic cascade reactions consisting of [2+2] cycloaddition and thermal cycloreversion. The cascade reaction proceeds in a stereoselective (torquoselective) manner, confirmed by the intermediate depicted. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated the development of antiviral agents against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The main protease (M<sup>pro</sup>) is a promising target for COVID-19 treatment. Here, we report an irreversible SARS-CoV-2 M<sup>pro</sup> inhibitor possessing chlorofluoroacetamide (CFA) as a warhead for the covalent modification of M<sup>pro</sup>. Ugi multicomponent reaction using chlorofluoroacetic acid enabled the rapid
The choice of an appropriate electrophile is crucial in the design of targeted covalent inhibitors (TCIs). In this report, we systematically investigated the glutathione (GSH) reactivity of various haloacetamides and the aqueous stability of their thiol adducts. Our findings revealed that dihaloacetamides cover a broad range of GSH reactivity depending on the combination of the halogen atoms and the structure of the amine scaffold. Among the dihaloacetamides, dichloroacetamide (DCA) exhibited sl
Ynamides reacted with benzophenone imines in the presence of triflic imide as a catalyst. Ynamides bearing a sulfonamide moiety gave the corresponding 2-amino-3,4-dihydroquinolines selectively in good to high yields. In contrast, yne-carbamates gave the corresponding α,β-unsaturated amidines exclusively. These methods permit simple preparation of sterically crowded polysubstituted quinolines and α,β-unsaturated amidines.
Acid-catalyzed cycloadditions utilizing nitrogen-containing building blocks are powerful tools for the synthesis of azaheterocyclic molecules.This review summarizes Tf2NH-catalyzed cycloadditions of imines and other related building blocks with electron-rich alkenes, alkynes, and 1,3-dienes, giving a various type of azaheterocycles and related nitrogen-containing compounds.
Covalent targeting of proteins with small molecule probes is a powerful approach for analyzing and manipulating biological functions. Recent advancements in the design of target selective covalent ligands further expand the scope of accessible proteins in this approach. Here we report β-fluorovinylsulfonamide (FVS) as a versatile electrophile for the design of covalent ligands. FVS irreversibly reacts with cysteine residues in proteins to afford stable vinyl sulfide adducts. The reactivity of FV
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
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