Synthesis of 9-Substituted Berberine Derivatives with Microwave Irradiation

Hyperglycemia is frequently accompanying with hyperlipidemia. To explore the potent drugs with dual-activity and dual-site effects that could reduce blood glucose and blood lipid at the same time, fibrate group with lipid-lowering effect on the 9th position of berberine(BBR) was introduced using the drug design combination principle and the multitarget collaborative treatment method. Moreover, the molecular structure of BBR was modified, and six 9-substituted derivatives of BBR were designed and synthesized, among which, five compounds have never been reported before. In addition, the molecular structures of these derivatives were identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS), 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance( 1 H NMR) and 13 C NMR, respectively. Furthermore, the microwave irradiation experimental technique was applied in the synthesis reaction using the novel microwave synthesizer, which accelerated the reaction rate, enhanced the reaction yield, reduced the reaction by-products, and simplified the post-processing steps. In the meantime, the 9-position regioselective demethylation of BBR was explored through quantum chemical calculation during the synthesis of berberrubine. The computations were consistent with the experimental results, which contributed to deducing the mechanism of its selective methylation.