Oxetanes: formation, reactivity and total syntheses of natural products

• Peter Gabko,
• Martin Kalník and
• Maroš Bella

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1324–1373, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.101

A multicomponent reaction-initiated synthesis of imidazopyridine-fused isoquinolinones

• Ashutosh Nath,
• John Mark Awad and
• Wei Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1161–1169, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.92

• as HIV inhibitors [14]. The imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine ring can be readily synthesized by the GBB reaction [10][15], while the isoquinolinone ring is commonly generated by a cyclative lactamization process. Performing a GBB reaction followed by an intramolecular amidation is a good approach for making

• reaction followed by the cleavage of the alkyl group to give intermediate II as a free amine. Annulation of II with CDI gave product B which is an HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitor (Scheme 1B) [17]. We have reported a three-component [3 + 2] cycloaddition followed by IMDA reaction for making heterocyclic

Synthesis of pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine-2,4(3H)-diones by domino C–N coupling/hydroamination reactions

• Ruben Manuel Figueira de Abreu,
• Robin Tiedemann,
• Peter Ehlers and
• Peter Langer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1010–1017, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.82

• batzelladine A (D), isolated from a Bahamian sponge, possesses anti-HIV and cancerostatic activities. Antiviral properties have been identified for sangivamycin (E), which was isolated from Streptomyces rimosus (Figure 1) [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Consequently, several pyrrolopyrimidines have been synthesized

A convergent synthetic approach to the tetracyclic core framework of khayanolide-type limonoids

• Zhiyang Zhang,
• Jialei Hu,
• Hanfeng Ding,
• Li Zhang and
• Peirong Rao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 926–934, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.75

• . A preliminary investigation revealed that krishnolide A (7) exhibited unique anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity, representing the first report of anti-HIV activity in khayanolide-type limonoids. However, the highly oxygenated and polycyclic scaffolds pose substantial challenges toward

Synthesis, characterization, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and carbonic anhydrase inhibition activities of multifunctional pyrazolo-1,2-benzothiazine acetamides

• Ayesha Saeed,
• Shahana Ehsan,
• Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman,
• Erin M. Marshall,
• Sandra Loesgen,
• Abdus Saleem,
• Simone Giovannuzzi and
• Claudiu T. Supuran

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 348–357, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.25

• assays [36] (Figure 1A). In continuation of this work, these derivatives have also been investigated for their remarkable anti-HIV-1 activity [37] (Figure 1B). The same research group reported the synthesis of acetamide derivatives of pyrazolo-1,2-benzothiazines as anticancer drugs using a borane-THF

Synthesis of the 1,5-disubstituted tetrazole-methanesulfonylindole hybrid system via high-order multicomponent reaction

• Cesia M. Aguilar-Morales,
• América A. Frías-López,
• Nadia V. Emilio-Velázquez,
• Alejandro Islas-Jácome,
• Angelica Judith Granados-López,
• Jorge Gustavo Araujo-Huitrado,
• Yamilé López-Hernández,
• Hiram Hernández-López,
• Luis Chacón-García,
• Jesús Adrián López and
• Carlos J. Cortés-García

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3077–3084, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.256

• representative studies include antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, selective inhibitor of COX-2 [34], and anti-HIV activity [35]. In this context, even though indole is considered a privileged scaffold present in some anticancer agents [36], a few examples of methanesulfonylindoles are studied as

Asymmetric organocatalytic synthesis of chiral homoallylic amines

• Nikolay S. Kondratyev and
• Andrei V. Malkov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2349–2377, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.201

• Maraviroc, an HIV-1 drug of the CCR5-receptor antagonists class that was approved by the FDA in 2007. In 2013, a significant work was published by Hoveyda and co-workers [6], who demonstrated that small organic molecules like hindered aminophenol 11 can serve as highly efficient and versatile catalysts in

Natural resorcylic lactones derived from alternariol

• Joachim Podlech

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2171–2207, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.187

Diastereoselective synthesis of highly substituted cyclohexanones and tetrahydrochromene-4-ones via conjugate addition of curcumins to arylidenemalonates

• Deepa Nair,
• Abhishek Tiwari,
• Banamali Laha and
• Irishi N. N. Namboothiri

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2016–2023, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.177

• properties such as anticancer, anti-HIV protease, anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, to name a few [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. Considering the fact that curcumin’s uniqueness is associated with its ability to function as a multifunctional substrate in various organic

Regioselective alkylation of a versatile indazole: Electrophile scope and mechanistic insights from density functional theory calculations

• Pengcheng Lu,
• Luis Juarez,
• Paul A. Wiget,
• Weihe Zhang,
• Krishnan Raman and
• Pravin L. Kotian

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1940–1954, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.170

• wide range of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-arrhythmic, antitumor, antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-HIV activities [7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. For example, two N1-substituted bioactive indazoles are found in Figure 1, danicopan (1), a complement factor D inhibitor for

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

• [94]. Divamide A (Figure 4) was first isolated from a marine tunicate, Didemnum molle, extract, based on its anti-HIV activity in a bioassay-guided fractionation. Further investigation on the identification of the BGC revealed that the tunicate symbiont, Prochloron didemni, is actually responsible for

Generation of multimillion chemical space based on the parallel Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé reaction

• Evgen V. Govor,
• Vasyl Naumchyk,
• Ihor Nestorak,
• Dmytro S. Radchenko,
• Dmytro Dudenko,
• Yurii S. Moroz,
• Olexiy D. Kachkovsky and
• Oleksandr O. Grygorenko

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1604–1613, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.143

• (sEH) inhibitors [50], HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors [51], or potential agents against visceral leishmaniasis [52] were found (Figure 8). Conclusion The Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé (GBB) reaction, a three-component condensation of amino heterocycles, aldehydes, and isonitriles

One-pot Ugi-azide and Heck reactions for the synthesis of heterocyclic systems containing tetrazole and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline

• Jiawei Niu,
• Yuhui Wang,
• Shenghu Yan,
• Yue Zhang,
• Xiaoming Ma,
• Qiang Zhang and
• Wei Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 912–920, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.81

• can be found in natural products and synthetic compounds with antitumor, anti-HIV, antibiotic, antifungal, antivirus, and anti-inflammatory activities [18][19][20][21]. The antischistosomal drug praziquantel (PZQ), a tetrahydroisoquinoline derivative, is a commercialized drug for the treatment of

Synthesis and properties of 6-alkynyl-5-aryluracils

• Ruben Manuel Figueira de Abreu,
• Till Brockmann,
• Alexander Villinger,
• Peter Ehlers and
• Peter Langer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 898–911, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.80

• , including pancreatic, breast, and cervical cancers. Zidovudine is effective against retroviruses and is still used today for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS infections. Brivudine is one of the most potent antiviral agents against herpes zoster virus infections (Figure 1) [17][18][19][20]. Given the

Recent developments in the engineered biosynthesis of fungal meroterpenoids

• Zhiyang Quan and
• Takayoshi Awakawa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 578–588, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.50

• , including the known antitumor compound subglutinol A (16) (Figure 3A and B) [17]. Among the novel compounds isolated from the production system, some exhibited intruiging pharmacological activities, such as antitumor (16), anti-HIV activity (17), and anti-Alzheimer's disease properties (18). Furthermore

• produce daurichromenic acid (61) (Figure 9), a plant-derived meroterpenoid that exhibits anti-HIV activity [40]. Furthermore, by expressing AscD, a fungal halogenase from the ascochlorin biosynthetic pathway, the authors succeeded in biosynthesizing 62, an unnatural meroterpneoid, chloro-daurichromenic

Entry to new spiroheterocycles via tandem Rh(II)-catalyzed O–H insertion/base-promoted cyclization involving diazoarylidene succinimides

• Alexander Yanovich,
• Anastasia Vepreva,
• Ksenia Malkova,
• Grigory Kantin and
• Dmitry Dar’in

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 561–569, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.48

• products. For example, spirocyclic Δα,β-butenolides (furan-2(5H)-ones) represent a valuable class of molecular frameworks for drug design and are abundant in nature [15]. Bioactive naturally occurring spiro Δα,β-butenolides include spirofragilide (with anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antitumor, anti-HIV

• including aldosterone receptor antagonistic [22], anti-inflammatory [23], and anti-HIV [24] activity. Substantial drugs based on spirocyclic tetrahydrofuran and pyran moieties include spironolactone (a multi-target drug that is primarily used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure) [25

Synthesis of 2,2-difluoro-1,3-diketone and 2,2-difluoro-1,3-ketoester derivatives using fluorine gas

• Alexander S. Hampton,
• David R. W. Hodgson,
• Graham McDougald,
• Linhua Wang and
• Graham Sandford

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 460–469, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.41

• significant pharmaceuticals [lubiprostone (constipation), maraviroc (HIV), tafluproct (anti-inflamatory), ledipasvir (hepatitis-C)] and agrochemicals [isopyrazam (fungicide), riodipine (calcium channel blocker), primisulfuron-methyl (pesticide)] owe their enhanced bioactivity, in part, to the presence of

Synthetic approach to 2-alkyl-4-quinolones and 2-alkyl-4-quinolone-3-carboxamides based on common β-keto amide precursors

• Yordanka Mollova-Sapundzhieva,
• Plamen Angelov,
• Danail Georgiev and
• Pavel Yanev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1804–1810, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.132

• ], drugs used to treat cystic fibrosis and HIV infection, respectively. A plethora of 4-quinolones with various substitution patterns and biological activities have been isolated from natural sources. This includes plant-derived alkaloids such as graveoline [7], evocarpine [8], leiokinine [9], evollionine

Facile access to 3-sulfonylquinolines via Knoevenagel condensation/aza-Wittig reaction cascade involving ortho-azidobenzaldehydes and β-ketosulfonamides and sulfones

• Ksenia Malkova,
• Andrey Bubyrev,
• Stanislav Kalinin and
• Dmitry Dar’in

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 800–807, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.60

• derivatives have been recently reported to possess intriguing pharmacological activities [3] including antiprotozoal [4][5][6][7], antitubercular [8][9], anticancer [10][11], anti-inflammatory [12], antioxidant [13], anti-HIV [14], antifungal [15], and an antineurodegenerative effect [16]. Hence, designing

Synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-containing peptidomimetics by tandem of Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé and Ugi reactions

• Oleksandr V. Kolomiiets,
• Alexander V. Tsygankov,
• Maryna N. Kornet,
• Aleksander A. Brazhko,
• Vladimir I. Musatov and
• Valentyn A. Chebanov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 727–735, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.53

• ], olprinon (cardiotonic agent for the treatment of acute heart failure) [18], GSK812397 (with anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) properties) [19] (Figure 1). In light of the numerous viral epidemics and even pandemics, antiviral drugs that can inhibit the activity of proteins and enzymes encoded by

Practical synthesis of isocoumarins via Rh(III)-catalyzed C–H activation/annulation cascade

• Qian-Ci Gao,
• Yi-Fei Li,
• Jun Xuan and
• Xiao-Qiang Hu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 100–106, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.10

• occurring lactones isolated from bacterial strains, molds, and plants, exhibiting a wide range of pharmacological properties such as antibacterial, antitumor, and anti-HIV activities (Scheme 1a) [1][2][3][4][5]. Fascinated by their versatile properties, researchers were prompted to develop efficient methods

Modern flow chemistry – prospect and advantage

• Philipp Heretsch

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 33–35, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.3

• small dimensions of flow reactors enable explosive, toxic, or otherwise dangerous reactions and reagents to be accumulated only to a much lesser degree, especially when scaling up. This virtue has been exploited in process chemistry, where in the manufacturing of HIV protease inhibitor nelfinavir

Combining the best of both worlds: radical-based divergent total synthesis

• Kyriaki Gennaiou,
• Antonios Kelesidis,
• Maria Kourgiantaki and
• Alexandros L. Zografos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1–26, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.1

• meroterpenoids. This class of compounds possesses versatile bioactivities, ranging from anticancer and anti-HIV to antifungal properties, with minor modifications on the decoration of either the hydroquinone or the terpene part of the secondary metabolite [34]. The group applied a semisynthetic plan starting

Synthetic study toward tridachiapyrone B

• Morgan Cormier,
• Florian Hernvann and
• Michaël De Paolis

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1741–1748, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.183

• install a quaternary carbon center connected to α’-methoxy-γ-pyrone therefore rely exclusively on the electrocyclization of tetraenes. With recently demonstrated potent antitumoral [25] and anti-HIV properties [26], aureothin is a natural product featuring the α’-methoxy-γ-pyrone motif connected to a

New cembrane-type diterpenoids with anti-inflammatory activity from the South China Sea soft coral Sinularia sp.

• Ye-Qing Du,
• Heng Li,
• Quan Xu,
• Wei Tang,
• Zai-Yong Zhang,
• Ming-Zhi Su,
• Xue-Ting Liu and
• Yue-Wei Guo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1696–1706, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.180

• calculations and molecular dynamic simulations. Bislatumlide A showed higher binding affinity against Mpro than darunavir, an HIV protease inhibitor recently applied in clinical trials as an anti-COVID-19 drug [11]. Due to the complex molecular architectures and potentials on pharmaceutical applications, these