Russian scientists have increased the efficiency of drug synthesis based on quinoline

Russian scientists have developed a new universal method for the synthesis of substances based on quinoline. This was reported by the press service of the RNF.

Quinolines underlie many types of drugs. The most famous and oldest of them is quinine, which was obtained from the bark of the cinchona tree since the 17th century and was used to treat malaria. Today, many antibiotics, antifungal and antiviral agents, as well as drugs against tuberculosis and complications of AIDS are produced from similar compounds. In addition, quinolines are used in the electronics industry, in the production of certain plastics, and in the agro-complex. At the same time, the quinoline molecule itself is a set of two carbon rings, a nitrogen atom and a hydrogen atom, which can be replaced by some other to modify the substance. The raw material for the production of quinoline is coal tar, but the production of various modifications of this substance requires a separate chemical reaction. Many of them have a low product yield,

Chemists from  Moscow State University have developed a method for obtaining quinoline derivatives using just one reaction – regiodivergent synthesis. As starting materials, the authors used substituted anilines and alkynes, the reaction between which was carried out in the presence of one of two catalysts: copper or gold. As a result of the synthesis, quinolines were obtained, in which hydrogen atoms were replaced by fluorine-, phosphorus-containing and acyl groups. The position of these groups in the molecule depended on the type of catalyst and what quinoline derivative was obtained. When conducting experiments, scientists managed to achieve yields of end products up to 90%. The only by-product of the reaction was water, so this method is environmentally friendly.

Fluorine and phosphorus are part of many bioactive compounds. For example, when a phosphoryl group is introduced, quinolines acquire antibacterial activity, while fluorine-containing substances slow down the growth of cancer cells and are promising in the treatment of cancer. Quinolines containing both of these groups and another, acyl group, were obtained by scientists for the first time.

Previously, scientists have created a blood test for the most dangerous type of brain cancer.