Introduction of Heterocycles at the 2-Position of Indoline as Ester Bioisosteres

In this study, we attempted to prepare compounds with heterocyclic replacements for metabolically unstable esters of benzopyranyl indole-2-carboxylic esters, which showed good in vitro and in vivo cardioprotective efficacies possibly through the opening of mito chondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP). Initially, we tried to construct indolin-2-yl-heterocycles using unprotected indoline-2-carboxylic acid, but the cyclization was proceeded with oxidation of the indoline ring to the indole, which didn’t react with benzopyranyl epoxide. Thus we introduced N-Boc group to deplete the electron density of the indoline ring. We successfully prepared various indolin-2-yl-heterocycles by the cyclization of the building blocks including carboxamide, β-hydroxy amide, hydrazide, nitrile starting from N-Boc-indoline-2-carboxylic acid.