Dong-A University (President Lee Haeu) announced on August 8 that Professor Jongwoo Son's research team from the Department of Chemistry has published a paper on the synthesis of new compounds with anti-inflammatory activity in the international journal Organic Letters (IF 5.0, top 6.1%) in the field of organic chemistry.
Professor Jongwoo Son's team at Dong-A University.
The paper, titled "Single-Flask Manganese(I)-Catalyzed Dienylation and Diels-Alder Cascade: Synthesis of Indole-Cyclohexene Hybrids with Anti-Inflammatory Activity," introduces an efficient method for synthesizing indole-cyclohexene hybrid molecules through a single-flask, one-pot reaction using a manganese(I) catalyst.
This research was co-supervised by Professor Jongwoo Son of Dong-A University and Professor Kiwoo Kim of Yonsei University as corresponding authors, with Jinwhan Park, a doctoral student at Dong-A University, and Dayoung Kim, a doctoral student at Yonsei University, as co-first authors. In addition, several undergraduate and graduate students from Dong-A University participated as co-researchers.
The research team successfully introduced a 1,3-diene functional group at the C2 position of indole derivatives using cost-effective and environmentally friendly manganese(I) instead of conventional precious metal catalysts. They then achieved the synthesis of complex fused ring structures in a single process through consecutive Diels-Alder reactions. The indole-cyclohexene hybrids generated through this process were confirmed to have anti-inflammatory activity in joint experiments with the Yonsei University research team, suggesting their potential as drug candidates.
This study is significant in that it secured both economic feasibility and environmental friendliness by utilizing abundant and low-toxicity manganese instead of expensive precious metals such as palladium (Pd) and rhodium (Rh). Additionally, it greatly improved synthetic efficiency by implementing complex multi-step reactions in a single flask.
Professor Jongwoo Son stated, "I am grateful to the students who persevered throughout the research process and to Professor Kiwoo Kim's team for demonstrating the biological value of the synthesized compounds," adding, "I hope to expand this research beyond organic synthesis to practical applications in the future."
Jinwhan Park, the first author and doctoral student, commented, "Through this research, I was able to experience the potential for convergence between organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry," and expressed his desire to continue conducting meaningful research.
This study is expected to contribute to the development of eco-friendly drug candidates and the expansion of medicinal chemistry applications in the future.
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