Total syntheses of highly oxidative Ryania diterpenoids facilitated by innovations in synthetic strategies

• Zhi-Qi Cao,
• Jin-Bao Qiao and
• Yu-Ming Zhao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2553–2570, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.198

• , epoxidation of the C1–C2 double bond, and Li/NH3-promoted reductive cyclization to construct the core E ring, completing the asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-ryanodol (4). The 800-fold greater binding affinity of (+)-ryanodine (1) for cardiac ryanodine receptors (RyRs) compared to its hydrolysis product

Synthesis and characterization of a isothiouronium-calix[4]arene derivative: self-assembly and anticancer activity

• Giuseppe Granata,
• Loredana Ferreri,
• Claudia Giovanna Leotta,
• Giovanni Mario Pitari and
• Grazia Maria Letizia Consoli

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2535–2541, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.195

• . Multiple ligand–receptor interactions can significantly enhance receptor binding affinity and cellular uptake, as well as more effectively modulate signal transduction pathways, for instance when receptor clustering is necessary on the cell membrane [3]. Designing multivalent bioactive compounds thus

Isoorotamide-based peptide nucleic acid nucleobases with extended linkers aimed at distal base recognition of adenosine in double helical RNA

• Grant D. Walby,
• Brandon R. Tessier,
• Tristan L. Mabee,
• Jennah M. Hoke,
• Hallie M. Bleam,
• Angelina Giglio-Tos,
• Emily E. Harding,
• Vladislavs Baskevics,
• Martins Katkevics,
• Eriks Rozners and
• James A. MacKay

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2513–2523, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.193

• M3R) [28] reported by us (Figure 2). Despite significant effort, most known extended nucleobases show only modest selectivity and/or can only be used for a single pyrimidine interruption without significant loss in binding affinity. Given the challenges outlined above, our group has approached the

Conformational effects on iodide binding: a comparative study of flexible and rigid carbazole macrocyclic analogs

• Guang-Wei Zhang,
• Yong Zhang,
• Le Shi,
• Chuang Gao,
• Hong-Yu Li and
• Lei Xue

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2369–2375, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.181

• work represents one of the earliest comparative studies on the anion-binding behaviors of carbazole-based structural analogs, demonstrating that a flexible macrocycle markedly improves iodide binding affinity via an induced-fit mechanism. The flexible analog PBG exhibits a 22.78-fold higher

• selective recognition. Balancing binding affinity and selectivity through precise conformational engineering remains a critical challenge [11]. Previous studies, such as those by Tian et al. [12], demonstrated selective binding in chiral assemblies via crown ether chain-length modulation. The dynamic

• . This experiment supports a 1:1 stoichiometric binding between the guest TBAI and the host PBG in CDCl3. Then, the binding affinity of the two receptors to iodine ions was further studied, and the changes of UV–visible absorption and fluorescence spectra of the two receptors to anions in CHCl3 were

Rotaxanes with integrated photoswitches: design principles, functional behavior, and emerging applications

• Jullyane Emi Matsushima,
• Khushbu,
• Zuliah Abdulsalam,
• Udyogi Navodya Kulathilaka Conthagamage and
• Víctor García-López

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2345–2366, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.179

• macrocycle. By introducing stopper groups to prevent dethreading, the authors demonstrated that the photoisomerization of stiff-stilbene can reversibly modulate the chloride anion binding affinity of the system [95]. Due to its selectivity and light-controlled binding behavior, this system holds potential

Insoluble methylene-bridged glycoluril dimers as sequestrants for dyes

• Suvenika Perera,
• Peter Y. Zavalij and
• Lyle Isaacs

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2302–2314, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.176

• have studied water-soluble acyclic CB[n] based on methylene-bridged glycoluril monomer–tetramer and found that glycoluril tetramer-derived hosts displayed the highest binding affinity toward hydrophobic alicyclic dications due to enhanced ion–dipole interactions [40][41]. Separately, we studied

Discovery of cytotoxic indolo[1,2-c]quinazoline derivatives through scaffold-based design

• Daniil V. Khabarov,
• Valeria A. Litvinova,
• Lyubov G. Dezhenkova,
• Dmitry N. Kaluzhny,
• Alexander S. Tikhomirov and
• Andrey E. Shchekotikhin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2062–2071, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.161

• stoichiometry of one ligand per two base pairs at maximal DNA saturation. While the DNA binding affinity increased by an order of magnitude at low ionic strength, the characteristic decrease in affinity with longer linker lengths was still maintained. A similar trend was observed in the results of MTT assay

Systematic pore lipophilization to enhance the efficiency of an amine-based MOF catalyst in the solvent-free Knoevenagel reaction

• Pricilla Matseketsa,
• Margret Kumbirayi Ruwimbo Pagare and
• Tendai Gadzikwa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1854–1863, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.144

• by increasing the binding affinity for the lipophilic reactants and by decreasing the energy required to desolvate acid/base amino acid catalysts [34][35]. Lipophilicity has also been found to be beneficial in condensation reactions as the removed water molecules are repelled by the hydrophobic

Research progress on calixarene/pillararene-based controlled drug release systems

• Liu-Huan Yi,
• Jian Qin,
• Si-Ran Lu,
• Liu-Pan Yang,
• Li-Li Wang and
• Huan Yao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1757–1785, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.139

• in pH, light, and enzyme activity, the binding affinity between the guest and host molecules can be altered, thereby achieving controlled drug release and targeted delivery. (2) Drugs are loaded into self-assembled host–guest systems [29][30][31][32]. The chemical structure or properties of the host

• of supramolecular interactions [33][34]. Different external stimuli, including pH changes, enzymes, light irradiation, hypoxia, and multi-stimuli responses, can alter the supramolecular structure or binding affinity to activate the opening and closing of the nano-valves. In addition to the three

• environment, which significantly enhances the density of π-electrons. This structural feature makes pillar[n]arenes particularly effective at encapsulating guest molecules that are either electron-deficient or neutral. For example, pillar[5]arene (PA5) has a strong binding affinity for neutral guest molecules

Formal synthesis of a selective estrogen receptor modulator with tetrahydrofluorenone structure using [3 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition of yne-vinylcyclopropanes and CO

• Jing Zhang,
• Guanyu Zhang,
• Hongxi Bai and
• Zhi-Xiang Yu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1639–1644, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.127

• bridged tetrahydrofluorenone derivatives, represented by molecules V and VI, showed significant ERβ binding affinity and high selectivity [15][16][17][18][19]. So far, there are only two routes for accessing bridged tetrahydrofluorenone derivative VI. The first one shown in Scheme 2A includes a Robinson

On the aromaticity and photophysics of 1-arylbenzo[a]imidazo[5,1,2-cd]indolizines as bicolor fluorescent molecules for barium tagging in the study of double-beta decay of ¹³⁶Xe

• Eric Iván Velazco-Cabral,
• Fernando Auria-Luna,
• Juan Molina-Canteras,
• Miguel A. Vázquez,
• Iván Rivilla and
• Fernando P. Cossío

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1627–1638, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.126

• validating a fluorescent indicator that would fulfill the following conditions: (i) high discrimination between the free and Ba2+-bound states; (ii) high binding affinity for Ba2+, and low background signal for the chelated state. We reasoned that a bicolor fluorescent indicator [7] (FBI), namely, a

A versatile route towards 6-arylpipecolic acids

• Erich Gebel,
• Cornelia Göcke,
• Carolin Gruner and
• Norbert Sewald

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1104–1115, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.88

• important role as building blocks for peptide synthesis [1][2][3][4][5], as organocatalysts [6][7][8][9][10] and as enzyme inhibitors [4][11][12][13]. The incorporation of such amino acids into peptides can, for example, influence peptide conformation, the binding affinity to receptors [14], as well as

Dicarboxylate recognition based on ultracycle hosts through cooperative hydrogen bonding and anion–π interactions

• Wen-Hui Mi,
• Teng-Yu Huang,
• Xu-Dong Wang,
• Yu-Fei Ao,
• Qi-Qiang Wang and
• De-Xian Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 884–889, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.72

• , which relies on solely anion–π interactions, showed weak binding affinity for C62− (Figure S11 in Supporting Information File 1). This underscores the importance of cooperative hydrogen bonding and anion–π interactions for the efficient dicarboxylate binding. To visualize the proposed synergistic

Unraveling cooperative interactions between complexed ions in dual-host strategy for cesium salt separation

• Zhihua Liu,
• Ya-Zhi Chen,
• Ji Wang,
• Qingling Nie,
• Wei Zhao and
• Biao Wu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 845–853, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.68

• -pairing) could be enhanced along with the charge of the anion and its binding affinity with L (from Cl– to CO32–, and PO43–). Notably, for the first time, direct ion-pairing between receptor-complexed phosphate and 18-crown-6 complexed cesium was observed in the single crystal structure, facilitating

• ]. According to our previous results, the binding affinity of L with chloride, sulfate and phosphate is determined to be 2.2 × 102 M−1, 9.9 × 104 M−1, and 3.8 × 106 M−1, respectively (in DMSO) [31]. Such strong anion binding affinity has led to selective extraction of sulfate and phosphate from basic aqueous

• hours, all the solids were dissolved indicating the completion of solid–liquid extraction of Cs2SO4. In contrast, by changing the solvent from chloroform to acetonitrile, the Cs2SO4 solids were barely dissolved, consistent with weak Cs+ binding affinity with 18-crown-6 and negligible cooperative

4-(1-Methylamino)ethylidene-1,5-disubstituted pyrrolidine-2,3-diones: synthesis, anti-inflammatory effect and in silico approaches

• Nguyen Tran Nguyen,
• Vo Viet Dai,
• Luc Van Meervelt,
• Do Thi Thao and
• Nguyen Minh Thong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 817–829, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.65

• interactions also contribute to the stabilization of the ligand–iNOS complexes. In particular, 4-(1-methylamino)ethylidene-5-phenyl-1-(3-nitrophenyl)pyrrolidine-2,3-dione (5e) exhibited the strongest binding affinity (−9.51 kcal/mol) and demonstrated significant inhibitory activity against nitric oxide (NO

• reactivity of compounds. This trend aligns with the increasing reactivity order: 5d < 5a ≈ 5b < 5e < 5c. Molecular docking simulations provided insights into the binding interactions of these compounds with the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) enzyme. Compound 5e exhibited the strongest binding

• affinity, with a docking score of −9.51 kcal/mol, outperforming the reference compound dexamethasone (iNOS–DEX, −8.55 kcal/mol). Key hydrogen bonds with residues Cys200 and Ser242, together with extensive van der Waals interactions involving Thr190, Trp194, Gly202, Pro350, Phe369, and Tyr489, further

Acyclic cucurbit[n]uril bearing alkyl sulfate ionic groups

• Christian Akakpo,
• Peter Y. Zavalij and
• Lyle Isaacs

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 717–726, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.55

• ][66][67]. Previously, we have studied the influence of the length of the O(CH2)nSO3Na sidearm (n = 0, 2, 3, 4) and found that the M0 host – where the hydrophobic linker (CH2)n was completely removed – displayed higher binding affinity than M1 which we attributed to the location of the ionic group

• spectroscopy and quantitative investigation by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Finally, we discuss the trends in binding affinity observed for C1·guest and M1·guest complexation. Design, synthesis and characterization of C1 In order to disentangle the effects of the ionic group (sulfonate versus

Origami with small molecules: exploiting the C–F bond as a conformational tool

• Patrick Ryan,
• Ramsha Iftikhar and
• Luke Hunter

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 680–716, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.54

• *C1–O5 hyperconjugation. Therefore, if the anomeric oxygen is replaced with CH2 (e.g., 78, Figure 10), the anomeric bonds are able to rotate more freely, and this manifests in a reduced binding affinity for the protein target by 78 compared to 77. However, upon progressing to a CHF linkage (e.g., 79

• and 80, Figure 10), the molecule becomes more rigid again, this time due to dual σC–H → σ*C–F hyperconjugation. Notably, different conformations are preferred by the epimeric fluorinated analogues 79 and 80: analogue 79 is a good match for the parent disaccharide and retains its protein-binding

• affinity, whereas 80 loses some affinity [142]. A related class of compounds are the phosophosugars (e.g., 81, Figure 10). Phosphosugars play important roles in a variety of metabolic processes, as well as constituting the backbone of oligonucleotides. Sugar phosphonates (i.e., with a CH2 linkage between

Semisynthetic derivatives of massarilactone D with cytotoxic and nematicidal activities

• Rémy B. Teponno,
• Sara R. Noumeur and
• Marc Stadler

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 607–615, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.48

• cytotoxic activity of natural products by increasing the hydrophobicity, enhancing cell membrane permeability and binding affinity with intracellular targets [26]. Structure–activity relationships analysis of both hemisynthetic products 2 and 3 revealed a shared conjugated methylene olefinic function that

Binding of tryptophan and tryptophan-containing peptides in water by a glucose naphtho crown ether

• Gianpaolo Gallo and
• Bartosz Lewandowski

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 541–546, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.42

• , Table 1). Pleasingly, phenylalanine, which alike Trp contains an aromatic side chain is also bound by 1 with a more than two-fold lower affinity (entry 3, Table 1). Glu with an anionic side chain, is bound by 1 almost three-fold weaker than Trp. The binding affinity of 1 towards Lys with a cationic side

• , Table 2). The binding affinity of 1 towards peptide 4 is around 1.5 times higher than for the free amino acid (entry 3, Table 2). The acetylated analogues of peptides 2 and 3 – compounds 5 and 6, are bound by 1 notably weaker, with 1.8× and 1.3× lower affinities respectively (entries 4 and 5, Table 2

• as well indicated by the lower binding affinity of 1 to the acetylated analogues of peptides 2 and 3. In the case of peptide 4, acetylation of its N-terminus did not affect the stability of the complex with receptor 1. This suggests that 1 interacts with the N-terminal ammonium in 4 to a much lesser

Quantifying the ability of the CF₂H group as a hydrogen bond donor

• Matthew E. Paolella,
• Daniel S. Honeycutt,
• Bradley M. Lipka,
• Jacob M. Goldberg and
• Fang Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 189–199, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.11

• inconsistent with the corresponding A values (Table 1), which typically provide reliable measurements of the HB donation ability of neutral compounds. We attribute the inconsistency to several factors. First, because the binding affinity is determined solely by the absorbance change of Reichardt's dye, the

• provide information about binding affinity or energy, particularly between HB donors and acceptors as molecular entities rather than as a collection of separate functional groups. In contrast, NMR titration experiments quantify the binding affinities and energies between CF2H-containing molecules and n

• –vis spectroscopic titrations with Reichardt’s dye, and (iii) 1H NMR titrations using n-Bu3PO as a reference HB acceptor. Our studies revealed that the 1H NMR titrations, although tedious, offered reliable binding affinity data for HB complexes involving neutral and cationic donor molecules. This

Deciphering the mechanism of γ-cyclodextrin’s hydrophobic cavity hydration: an integrated experimental and theoretical study

• Stiliyana Pereva,
• Stefan Dobrev,
• Tsveta Sarafska,
• Valya Nikolova,
• Silvia Angelova,
• Tony Spassov and
• Todor Dudev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2635–2643, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.221

• (Figure 1B and C). Hydrated γ-CD Hydration and interaction with water (sequential binding of water molecules to the CD cavity) The γ-CD cavity was scanned for spots/sites with enhanced binding affinity for the incoming water molecules: γ-CD hydrates containing one to seven water molecules bound at various

Computational toolbox for the analysis of protein–glycan interactions

• Ferran Nieto-Fabregat,
• Maria Pia Lenza,
• Angela Marseglia,
• Cristina Di Carluccio,
• Antonio Molinaro,
• Alba Silipo and
• Roberta Marchetti

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2084–2107, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.180

• /building the protein and the ligand in their optimal conformation (as discussed above), ii) predicting the protein binding site; iii) modelling the ligand into the protein binding site, iv) assessing binding affinity through sampling and scoring, as discussed in the following paragraphs [103]. Prediction

Syntheses and medicinal chemistry of spiro heterocyclic steroids

• Laura L. Romero-Hernández,
• Ana Isabel Ahuja-Casarín,
• Penélope Merino-Montiel,
• Sara Montiel-Smith,
• José Luis Vega-Báez and
• Jesús Sandoval-Ramírez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1713–1745, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.152

• of a new chiral centre. Advances in understanding ligand–receptor interactions have facilitated the determination of optimal molecular conformations to enhance binding affinity, which can be achieved, in part, by introducing a spiro annelated ring to impart rigidity to the molecule. From a medicinal

• . Chromatographic purification was not required post-reaction. Some spiro products exhibited high binding affinity towards DNA, while others showed good cytotoxicity against different cancer cells (A545, MCF-7, HeLa, HL-60, SW480, HepG2, HT-29, and A549) with IC50 values within the micromolar range (2.18–18.54 µM

Methyltransferases from RiPP pathways: shaping the landscape of natural product chemistry

• Maria-Paula Schröder,
• Isabel P.-M. Pfeiffer and
• Silja Mordhorst

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1652–1670, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.147

• of RiPPs have a molecular weight between 1,000 and 5,000 Da. Peptide natural products exhibit high specificity and binding affinity to their corresponding targets [9][10]. The inhibition of protein–protein interactions is an emerging strategy in the development of novel therapeutics [11]. Binding to

Supramolecular assemblies of amphiphilic donor–acceptor Stenhouse adducts as macroscopic soft scaffolds

• Ka-Lung Hung,
• Leong-Hung Cheung,
• Yikun Ren,
• Ming-Hin Chau,
• Yan-Yi Lam,
• Takashi Kajitani and
• Franco King-Chi Leung

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1590–1603, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.142

• applying the shear-flow method, negatively charged nanofibers of DA11 were assembled into a macroscopic soft scaffold when the solution was ejected into a shallow pool of calcium chloride solution (150 mM, Figure 4a). The high binding affinity between calcium ions and carboxylate groups enabled charge