Trifluoromethyl Hydrolysis En Route to Corroles with Increased Druglikeness

Heme-like metal-chelating macrocycles, including expanded and contracted porphyrins, are of everlasting interest as drug candidates for numerous diseases. Still, all reported corrole derivatives (and most other heme analogues) do not fulfill the most basic standards expected for oral drug administration: a combination of low molecular weight and reasonable water solubility. We now disclose a very straightforward synthetic method that relies on surprisingly facile trifluoromethyl hydrolysis for gaining access to a new class of corroles that do satisfy all druglikeness criteria. The relevance is briefly exemplified for the iron corroles by demonstrating the ability to affect their association with plasma proteins and their performance for catalase-like decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.

Automated summary

A new class of corroles that meet drug likeness criteria have been synthesized using a straightforward method based on trifluoromethyl hydrolysis. These corroles demonstrate the ability to affect their association with plasma proteins and show excellent performance for catalase-like decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.