Experimental and DFT studies on the regioselective methanolysis of 5-azido-9-oxabicyclo[6.1.0]nonan-4-yl 4-nitrobenzoate isomers

• İlknur Polat,
• Selçuk Eşsiz and
• Emine Salamci

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 547–556, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.40

• azidomorphine (4) are utilized as pharmaceuticals (Figure 1) [1][6][7][8][9]. Additionally, recent studies demonstrated that nonglycosyl azides hamper glycan acceptance by carbohydrate-processing enzymes [10][11]. Moreover, azido sugars are used directly in cell biology studies. Therefore, synthetic

Synthesis of a HDAC inhibitor–nanogold probe for cryo-EM visualization in class I HDAC co-repressor complexes

• Wiktoria A. Pytel,
• John W. R. Schwabe and
• James T. Hodgkinson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 480–485, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.35

• domain within the CoREST complex. Keywords: CI-994; co-repressor complex; CoREST; cryo-EM; gold nanoparticle; HDAC; Introduction Histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of acetyl groups from N-acetylated lysine residues in histone proteins. HDACs are also capable of the deacetylation

• of non-histone proteins [1], and the hydrolysis of other acyl functional groups [2]. The human genome encodes 18 histone deacetylases (HDACs), which are divided into two main groups based on their catalytic mechanisms [3]. Eleven HDACs are zinc-dependent enzymes, while the remaining seven, known as

• independently and that their activities and modulation by inhibitors and activators are closely coupled. Both enzymes exist in at least two distinguishable states that differ in their kinetic properties, consistent with the two distinct structural states of the complex observed in the cryo-EM maps [10]. However

Structural reassignment of compound 968, an allosteric glutaminase inhibitor

• Lindsey A. Albertelli,
• Sainabou Jallow,
• Chun Li and
• Scott M. Ulrich

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 455–460, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.33

• ]. Glutamine serves as a nitrogen donor for the biosynthesis of asparagine, amino sugars, and nucleotides. Glutamine is also hydrolyzed to glutamate by glutaminase (GLS) enzymes, which are often overexpressed in cancer cells. The resulting glutamate supports the biosynthesis of glutathione and can be

• the liver. GAC is a highly active splice variant of KGA often expressed in cancer cells [3]. GLS1 and GLS2 enzymes share similar sequences, tetrameric structures, and enzymatic stimulation by phosphate [4][5][6]. The reliance of cancer cells on glutamine to meet the energetic, biosynthetic, and redox

• inhibits glutaminase by covalently labeling the catalytic serine [8]. DON inhibits other glutamine-utilizing enzymes such as asparagine synthetase and has activity against a wide range of cancer cell lines [9][10]. BPTES is a potent allosteric inhibitor of GAC/KGA that binds at the dimer–dimer interface

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 2,5-diaryloxazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidin-7-ylamines as selective cytotoxic agents against HeLa cells

• Maryna V. Kachaeva,
• Agnieszka B. Olejniczak,
• Marta Denel-Bobrowska,
• Victor V. Zhirnov,
• Yevheniia S. Velihina,
• Stepan G. Pilyo and
• Volodymyr S. Brovarets

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 390–398, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.27

• activity. They combine purine-like recognition features with the synthetic flexibility of heterocycles, offering a platform for selective targeting of tumor-related enzymes and receptors. Tumor cells overexpress kinases, DNA/RNA polymerases, and metabolic enzymes that bind purine nucleotides. Cancer cell

• lines such as HepG2 (liver), HeLa (cervix), A549 (lung), and glioblastoma models rely on enhanced nucleotide metabolism to sustain rapid DNA/RNA synthesis. Oxazolopyrimidines can inhibit these overactive enzymes in cancer cells, while normal cells (with lower demand) are less affected. This explains why

Ring contraction and ring expansion reactions in terpenoid biosynthesis and their application to total synthesis

• Nicolas Kratena,
• Nicolas Heinzig and
• Peter Gärtner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 289–343, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.21

• deliver the most common terpene frameworks. In some instances, these enzymes can also effect ring contraction or expansion directly during the initial cyclisation mechanism [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. In many cases though, the ring-altering reaction instead takes place at a later stage of

• terpenoids and highlight the utility of strategically including such a step in a natural product synthesis. To start, an overview of the different classes of enzymes, and thus common mechanisms, of ring-size-altering reactions for terpenes will be presented. In Scheme 1 the four most important manifolds for

• terpenoid modification in nature are depicted. Terpene synthase enzymes are centrally important for determining the carbon skeleton and thus family the terpenoid belongs to. These cyclisation enzymes are divided into Class I (active site cleft contains multiple Mg2+-binding motifs which are responsible for

Spirobarbiturates with a pyrrolizidine moiety: synthesis, structure and biological evaluation

• Arthur A. Puzyrkov,
• Andrew S. Drachuk,
• Ekaterina A. Popova,
• Alexander V. Stepakov and
• Vitali M. Boitsov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 274–288, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.20

• ] and antiviral activities (7,7a-diepialexine) [40]. Some pyrrolizidine derivatives are inhibitors of enzymes such as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) (echimidine) [41] or β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (GlcNAcases) (pochonicine) [42]. Our previous studies have shown that spiro-fused barbiturates containing

Conformational analysis of difluoromethylornithine: factors influencing its gas-phase and bioactive conformations

• Matheus P. Freitas

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 237–243, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.17

• decarboxylase from Leishmania infantum complexed with PLP and DFMO, the bound ligand corresponds instead to human arginase I (PDB code 3GN0). While binding to arginase I is not related to DFMO’s pharmacological activity, both enzymes recognize ornithine-related substrates, allowing DFMO to occupy the arginase

Enantioselective radical chemistry: a bright future ahead

• Anna C. Renner,
• Sagar S. Thorat,
• Hariharaputhiran Subramanian and
• Mukund P. Sibi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2283–2296, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.174

• individually or synergistically with other catalytic systems. Enzymatic catalysis can pose challenges including enzyme engineering, reaction scale-up, etc. but is optimal in terms of the toxicity profile of the reaction conditions. Biomolecules such as enzymes are attractive candidates for efficient and

• , particularly involving photoredox catalysts, have led to the emerging area of photoenzymatic catalysis. Several new modes of activation successfully catalyzed by enzymes have been demonstrated [71][72][73][74]. Notable photoenzymatic reactions involving radical cyclizations have been reported. In one

• , organocatalysts, transition-metal complexes, and enzymes. In many cases, low catalyst loadings have been achieved, especially in transition-metal catalyzed, photoredox, and biocatalytic methods. Photoredox catalysis has had a tremendous impact on the field of organic radical chemistry. In many modern radical

Research towards selective inhibition of the CLK3 kinase

• Vinay Kumar Singh,
• Frédéric Justaud,
• Dabbugoddu Brahmaiah,
• Nangunoori Sampath Kumar,
• Blandine Baratte,
• Thomas Robert,
• Stéphane Bach,
• Chada Raji Reddy,
• Nicolas Levoin and
• René L. Grée

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2250–2259, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.172

• last 25 years and more than 400 orally effective protein kinase inhibitors are in clinical trials worldwide [4][5]. However, and despite this high interest, the function in human biology of approximately one third of the kinase members is poorly understood [6]. These enzymes are classified as “dark

C2 to C6 biobased carbonyl platforms for fine chemistry

• Jingjing Jiang,
• Muhammad Noman Haider Tariq,
• Florence Popowycz,
• Yanlong Gu and
• Yves Queneau

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2103–2172, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.165

• biomass-based molecule and widely used building block in the food industry as flavoring compound. It can be synthesized from diacetyl by reduction using enzymes such as Aerobacter aerogenes [102] or thiamine diphosphate-dependent lyase (ThdP-lyase) [103]. The biotechnological production of chiral acetoin

• acid, fumaric acid and ʟ-aspartic acid by biocatalysis in 91%, 79%, 94%, 97% yield, respectively, in the presence of enzymes such as maleate hydratase, maleate cis–trans isomerase, fumarase, or ʟ-aspartase [155]. C5 biobased carbonyl platforms Furfural Furfural is a versatile biobased C5 platform

Bioinspired total syntheses of natural products: a personal adventure

• Zhengyi Qin,
• Yuting Yang,
• Nuran Yan,
• Xinyu Liang,
• Zhiyu Zhang,
• Yaxuan Duan,
• Huilin Li and
• Xuegong She

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2048–2061, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.160

• functionalities in a complex framework are formidable challenges for mankind since such transformations in nature are precisely induced by enzymes. Bioinspired functionalization of C–H bond in total synthesis is rarely developed and it represents another challenge, despite numerous methodologies have been

• invented. Moreover, bioinspired total synthesis involving visible light and enzymes are new significant trends in this field, and these techniques have demonstrated great power in achieving unprecedented selectivity and reactivity. Since nature still prevails in rapid generating molecular complexity and

α-Ketoglutaric acid in Ugi reactions and Ugi/aza-Wittig tandem reactions

• Vladyslav O. Honcharov,
• Yana I. Sakhno,
• Olena H. Shvets,
• Vyacheslav E. Saraev,
• Svitlana V. Shishkina,
• Tetyana V. Shcherbakova and
• Valentyn A. Chebanov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2021–2029, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.157

• as low toxicity of these substances [42]. Biological activity screening also suggests that quinoxalinone-based compounds can inhibit aldose reductase [43], α-amylase and α-glucosidase [44], as well as key enzymes involved in the processes of saturated fatty acid conversion [45] and glycogenolysis [46

Enantioselective desymmetrization strategy of prochiral 1,3-diols in natural product synthesis

• Lihua Wei,
• Rui Yang,
• Zhifeng Shi and
• Zhiqiang Ma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1932–1963, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.151

• been developed, employing enzymes, metal complexes, or organocatalysts to convert prochiral or meso precursors into chiral motifs. Different from other strategies constructing chiral centers by formation of a new chemical bond at the central carbon, enantioselective desymmetrization is achieved through

• high enantioselectivity. However, since an enzymatic reaction generally produces only one of the two enantiomers, extensive enzyme screening is often required to access the desired enantiomer. Among various types of enzymes, lipases have proven to be efficient for the desymmetrization of 1,3-diols

• includes two enzymes, CAL-A and CAL-B [35][36]. Although a previous report [27] indicated that the desymmetrization of prochiral diol 2 with CAL was ineffective, the Shishido group prepared optically active compound (S)-11 via CAL-catalyzed asymmetric transesterification of the structurally similar diol 10

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

• enhance covalent and/or acid–base catalysis via any combination of non-covalent interactions (hydrogen bonding, π–π stacking, lipophilic interactions, etc) [4][5][6]. Inspired by enzymes, Nature's most efficient catalysts, chemists have long endeavored to synthesize catalytic materials in which multiple

• catalysis have focused on lipophilization to prevent water-based catalyst decomposition, with only a few investigating how lipophilic pores surfaces can increase catalyst efficiency [32][33], despite enzymes employing such a strategy. The lipophilicity of enzyme active sites tends to improve reaction rates

• . This trend suggests that the lipophilic surfaces may destabilize hydrophilic intermediates, promoting faster conversion of HPMM to BMN, similar to the ground-state destabilization of polar substrates observed in enzymes with lipophilic pockets [54][55]. It should be noted that this result is in

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

• or guest molecules are altered upon exposure to specific stimuli, such as light, pH changes, or enzymes. This modification induces the disassembly of the host–guest complex, thereby releasing the encapsulated drugs. Fundamentally, this mechanism relies on controlling the assembly and disassembly

• 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

• release of drugs is one of the most important applications of stimulus-responsive supramolecular systems and contributes to targeted therapy. Drugs are loaded into supramolecular nanosystems formed by self-assembled host–guest systems. Under specific stimuli (light, enzymes, hypoxia, pH values, etc

N-Salicyl-amino acid derivatives with antiparasitic activity from Pseudomonas sp. UIAU-6B

• Joy E. Rajakulendran,
• Emmanuel Tope Oluwabusola,
• Michela Cerone,
• Terry K. Smith,
• Olusoji O. Adebisi,
• Adefolalu Adedotun,
• Gagan Preet,
• Sylvia Soldatou,
• Hai Deng,
• Rainer Ebel and
• Marcel Jaspars

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1388–1396, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.103

• tentative biosynthesis follows that of pseudomonine, a non-ribosomally synthesized isoxazolidone produced by P. fluorescens. The previous studies on the biosynthesis revealed seven genes, three non-ribosomal peptide synthases (Pms D, E, G) and four precursor biosynthetic enzymes (Pms A, B, C, F) [23][24][25

Synthetic approach to borrelidin fragments: focus on key intermediates

• Yudhi Dwi Kurniawan,
• Zetryana Puteri Tachrim,
• Teni Ernawati,
• Faris Hermawan,
• Ima Nurasiyah and
• Muhammad Alfin Sulmantara

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1135–1160, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.91

• impact the outcome. Subsequently, separation of 84 from 85 was explored using various lipases and an esterase. However, preliminary experiments with these enzymes did not yield satisfactory results. The focus then shifted to route B, utilizing methyl 2,4,6-trimethyloctanoate 88 as the starting material

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

• eliminate invading bacteria via the inhibition of metabolic enzymes and DNA destruction. However, overexpression of iNOS results in the overproduction of NO which is associated with septic shock and tissue damage [6]. Therefore, inhibition of iNOS could be considered a potential therapeutic strategy for

• focusing on the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, particularly the CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 isoforms, which are responsible for metabolizing over 75% of the examined compounds [32]. Inhibition of these enzymes can result in elevated drug concentrations within the bloodstream due to reduced metabolism. The data in

New advances in asymmetric organocatalysis II

• Radovan Šebesta

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 766–769, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.60

• commonly defined as a form of catalysis where a small organic molecule, an organocatalyst, accelerates a chemical reaction. Unlike previously regarded traditional catalysts involving metals or enzymes, organocatalysts are composed of nonmetal elements, such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus

Beyond symmetric self-assembly and effective molarity: unlocking functional enzyme mimics with robust organic cages

• Keith G. Andrews

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 421–443, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.30

• , chemists have made use of selectively reactive chemicals by handling them, individually, in unreactive bottles. Meanwhile, Nature has learned to convert mixtures of unreactive chemicals by handling them in selectively reactive bottles (enzymes). Only the latter approach offers the efficiency, rate

• -accelerations (1019) [1], tolerance of contaminants, and selectivity associated with the power of enzymes. It is for this reason that I have sought to introduce supramolecular approaches into my organocatalysis [2]. From thermodynamics, there are two components to catalysis: organization (entropic) and

• nucleophile and electrophile) [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Crucially, enzymes organize their polarization – they achieve both components in tandem. Supramolecular chemists have made significant advances in cavity catalysis [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] – albeit slowly [25] – but have

The effect of neighbouring group participation and possible long range remote group participation in O-glycosylation

• Rituparna Das and
• Balaram Mukhopadhyay

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 369–406, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.27

• , usually proteins or lipids by the process of glycosylation producing glycoproteins or glycolipids, respectively. Nature executes these processes by enzymatic pathways [18] and is often flawless in its desired output. But the scarcity and the cumbersome purification of natural enzymes limit the use of

Synthesis, structure, ionochromic and cytotoxic properties of new 2-(indolin-2-yl)-1,3-tropolones

• Yurii A. Sayapin,
• Eugeny A. Gusakov,
• Inna O. Tupaeva,
• Alexander D. Dubonosov,
• Igor V. Dorogan,
• Valery V. Tkachev,
• Anna S. Goncharova,
• Gennady V. Shilov,
• Natalia S. Kuznetsova,
• Svetlana Y. Filippova,
• Tatyana A. Krasnikova,
• Yanis A. Boumber,
• Alexey Y. Maksimov,
• Sergey M. Aldoshin and
• Vladimir I. Minkin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 358–368, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.26

• equation formalism (IEFPCM) [38]. Biological experiments The MTT colorimetric test for cell viability assessment is based on the reduction by NADPH-H-dependent cellular oxidoreductase enzymes of the tetrazolium dye 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, which has yellow color, into

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

• moiety was beneficial to optimize therapeutic activity of different analogs with lesser adverse effects [32]. Amide linkages are a common drug feature that comprises about 25% of the most prescribed and vended medication [33]. Mimicking biologically relevant structural features of proteins and enzymes

• Martínez-Montiel and colleagues in 2023 [57]. Analyses were carried out in-house using recombinant enzymes as described. Enzyme concentrations (5–12 nM) used in these assays were the same as previously reported [57][61]. An overview of previously synthesized 1,2-benzothiazines [36][37][38][39]. An example

Red light excitation: illuminating photocatalysis in a new spectrum

• Lucas Fortier,
• Corentin Lefebvre and
• Norbert Hoffmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 296–326, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.22

Emerging trends in the optimization of organic synthesis through high-throughput tools and machine learning

• Pablo Quijano Velasco,
• Kedar Hippalgaonkar and
• Balamurugan Ramalingam

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 10–38, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.3

• recommended retrosynthesis provided by the user. The enhancements in RoboRXN assist chemists in predicting the environmental impact of chemical processes, and the new AI model also helps identify more environmentally friendly enzymes for chemical reactions. Although RoboRXN has demonstrated the ability to