Isosteric exchange of the acylsulfonamide moiety in Abbott’s Bcl-XL protein interaction antagonist

A multi-component reaction strategy was used for the fast and efficient synthesis of amide isosteres of known Bcl-2 inhibitors capable of disrupting protein–protein interactions. Ugi reaction and a subsequent nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction provide a versatile path to libraries of compounds similar to Abbott’s acylsulfonamides. Modeling arguments are used to explain the inferior activity of the amide as opposed to the sulfonamide series.