• Retini M., Mari M., Piersanti G., Bottegoni G., Zito E. et al....Pyrazolone-based ERO1 inhibitors in ERO1-driven Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and SEPN1-Related Myopathy: Structure–activity relationship and therapeutic potential Pharmacological Research 2025, 222, 108037 LINK Open Access

• Regni A, Bartoccini F, Piersanti G. A Concise and Divergent Approach to the Naturally Occurring Tetracyclic Clavine Alkaloids (+)-Lysergol, (+)-Lysergine, and (+)-Isolysergine. J. Org. Chem. 2025, 90, 44, 15861–15866; LINK Open Access

• Fraternale A,..., Piersanti G. et al Redox modulation by a synthetic thiol compound reduces LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in macrophages via AP-1/NLRP3 axis and influences the crosstalk with endothelial cells Free Radical Research 2025 LINK Open Access

• Fraternale A,..., Piersanti G. et al Redox modulation via a synthetic thiol compound reshapes energy metabolism in endothelial cells and ameliorates angiogenic expression in a co-culture study with activated macrophages Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects 2025, 1869, 6, 130803. LINK Open Access

• Varone, E, Retini M, Guidarelli A, Mari M, Piersanti G, Bottegoni G, Cantoni O, Zito et al....  Small molecule-mediated inhibition of the oxidoreductase ERO1A restrains aggressive breast cancer by impairing VEGF and PD-L1 in the tumor microenvironment Cell death & disease, 2025, 16 (1), 105 LINK Open Access

• Paderni D, Retini M, De Cata N, Piersanti G. et al.... A New Bis‐Urea Based Cage Receptor for Anions: Synthesis, Solid State Structures and Binding Studies Chem. Asian J. 2025, 20 (2), e202401258. LINK Open Access 

• Retini M, Piersanti G. et al....  Giese-type alkylation of dehydroalanine derivatives via silane-mediated alkyl bromide activation Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3274–3280. LINK   Open Access 

• Retini M, Bartoccini F, Piersanti G. et al Asymmetric Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Both Enantiomers of 5- and 6-Boronotryptophan as Potential Boron Delivery Agents for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2024, 15, 12, 2121–2128  LINK Open Access

• Pecchini P,  Fochi M., Bartoccini F., Piersanti G., Bernardi L. Enantioselective organocatalytic strategies to noncanonical α‐amino acids Chemical Science 2024, 15, 5832-5868 LINK   Open Access

Selected in the most popular 2024 catalysis articles

• Retini M,  Sisti A,  Olivieri D,  Mari M,  Bartoccini F, Piersanti G. Practical and Selective Syntheses of S-Acyl and N-Acyl Glutathiones with N-Acyl Imidazoles in Water Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2024, 27, 22, e202400255 LINK   Open Access

SYNFACTS HIGHLIGHT

• Leoni G, Bartoccini F, Piersanti G. General Access to Clavine Alkaloids via a Rhodium(I)-Catalyzed Diastereoselective Hayashi-Miyaura Reaction Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis  2024, 366, 6, 1397-1404. LINK    Open Access

• Diotallevi F, Bartoccini F, Piersanti G. A Short Synthesis of (−)-6,7-Secoagroclavine via Metal-Free Reductive Coupling Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2024, 27, 13, e202400035 LINK    Open Access

• Regni A, Bartoccini F, Piersanti G. Photoredox catalysis enabling decarboxylative radical cyclization of γ,γ-dimethylallyltryptophan (DMAT) derivatives: formal synthesis of 6,7-secoagroclavine Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry  2023, 19, 918-927. Open Access https://doi.org/10.3762/bjoc.19.70   

• Bartolucci S, Retini M, Fanini F, Paderni D, Piersanti G. Synthesis and Fluorescence Properties of 4-Cyano and 4-Formyl Melatonin as Putative Melatoninergic Ligands. ACS Omega 2023, 8, 24, 22190–22194. Open Access https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.3c02518

• Fraternale A,..., Bartoccini F, Retini M, Piersanti G. et al Targeting SARS‐CoV‐2 by synthetic dual‐acting thiol compounds that inhibit Spike/ACE2 interaction and viral protein production. The FASEB Journal. 2023; 37, e22741. Open Access  https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202201157RR 

One of the most downloaded (within 10%) during its first 12 months from pubblication

• Retini M, Bartolucci S, Bartoccini F, Piersanti G. Asymmetric Alkylation of Cyclic Ketones with Dehydroalanine via H‐Bond‐Directing Enamine Catalysis: Straightforward Access to Enantiopure Unnatural α‐Amino Acids. Chem. Eur. J. 2022, 28, e202201994 Open Access https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202201994

Selected as Hot Topics of organocatalysis in Wiley Journals      SYNFACTS HIGHLIGHT      Featured in Org. Chem. Highlights

• Bartoccini F, Retini M, Crinelli R, Menotta M, Fraternale A, Piersanti G. Dithiol Based on L-Cysteine and Cysteamine as a Disulfide-Reducing Agent. J. Org. Chem. 2022, 87 (15), 10073–10079. Open Access https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.2c01050. 

• Bartoccini F, Regni A, Retini M, Piersanti G. Asymmetric Total Synthesis of All Rugulovasine Stereoisomers and Preliminary Evaluation of Their Biological Properties. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2022 (17), e202200315. Open Access https://doi.org/10.1002/ejoc.202200315

Highlighted in ChemistryViews

• Bartoccini F, Regni A, Retini M, Piersanti G. Concise catalytic asymmetric synthesis of (R)-4-amino Uhle's ketone. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 2021, 19, 2932-2940. DOI: 10.1039/D1OB00353D

• Bartoccini F, Piersanti G. Synthesis and Reactivity of Uhle’s Ketone and Its Derivatives. Synthesis, 2021, 53, 1396-1408. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1340-3423.

• Retini M, Bartoccini F, Zappia G, Piersanti G. Novel, Chiral, and Enantiopure C 2 ‐Symmetric Thioureas Promote Asymmetric Protio‐Pictet‐Spengler Reactions by Anion‐Binding Catalysis. European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2021, 825-829. DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202001501

• Bartoccini F, Fanini F, Retini M, Piersanti G. General synthesis of unnatural 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-bromo-D-tryptophans by means of a regioselective indole alkylation. Tetrahedron Letters, 2020, 151923. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tetlet.2020.151923

• Bartoccini F, Retini M, Piersanti G. C3-Alkylation of indoles and oxindoles by alcohols by means of borrowing hydrogen methodology. Tetrahedron Letters, 2020, 151875. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tetlet.2020.151875

• Bartoccini F, Mari M, Retini M, Galarini R, Bartolucci S, Piersanti G. Single‐Step Synthesis of Dehydroalanine Derivatives via a Brønsted Acid‐Catalyzed Multicomponent Reaction. ChemistrySelect 2020, 5, 3330-3336. https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202000898

• Bartoccini F, Retini M, Piersanti G. et al Identification of a 2, 4-diaminopyrimidine scaffold targeting Trypanosoma brucei pteridine reductase 1 from the LIBRA compound library screening campaign. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2020, 189, 112047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112047 

• Bartoccini F, Venturi S, Retini M, Mari M, Piersanti G. Total Synthesis of (-)-Clavicipitic Acid via γ, γ-Dimethylallyltryptophan (DMAT) and Chemoselective C− H Hydroxylation. J. Org. Chem. 2019, 84, 8027−8034. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.9b00879 

• Bartoccini F, Mari M, Retini M, Bartolucci S, Piersanti G. Organocatalytic Aza-Friedel–Crafts/Lactonization Domino Reaction of Naphthols and Phenols with 2-Acetamidoacrylate to Naphtho- and Benzofuranones Bearing a Quaternary Center at the C3 Positio. J. Org. Chem. 2018, 83 (19), 12275-12283. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.8b01774 

• Di Gregorio G, Mari M, Bartoccini F, Piersanti G. Iron-Catalyzed Direct C3-Benzylation of Indoles with Benzyl Alcohols through Borrowing Hydrogen. J. Org. Chem. 2017, 82 (16), 8769-8775. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.7b01603 

• Bartoccini F, Cannas DM, Fini F, Piersanti G. Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling (CDC) of N-Phthaloyl Dehydroalanine Esters with Simple Arenes: Stereoselective Synthesis of Z-Dehydrophenylalanine Derivative. Org. Lett.  2016, 18 (11), 2762-2765. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.orglett.6b01255 

• Bartolucci S, Mari M, Bedini A, Piersanti G, Spadoni G.  Iridium-Catalyzed Direct Synthesis of Tryptamine Derivatives from Indoles: Exploiting N-Protected beta-Amino Alcohols as Alkylating Agents. J. Org. Chem. 2015, 80 (6), 3217–3222. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.5b00195 

• Bartoccini F, Casoli M, Mari M, Piersanti G. Synthesis of (+/-)-cis-Clavicipitic Acid by a Rh (I)-Catalyzed Intramolecular Imine Hydroarylation Reaction. J. Org. Chem.  2014, 79 (7), 3255–3259. https://doi.org/10.1021/jo500245s 

• Mari M, Bartoccini F, Piersanti G. Synthesis of (−)-Epi-Indolactam V by an Intramolecular Buchwald–Hartwig C–N Coupling Cyclization Reaction. J. Org. Chem.   2013, 78 (15), 7727-7734 . https://doi.org/10.1021/jo4013767 

• Bartolucci S,  Bartoccini F,  Righi M, Piersanti G. Direct, Regioselective, and Chemoselective Preparation of Novel Boronated Tryptophans by Friedel–Crafts Alkylation. Org. Lett.  2012,14 (2), 600–603. https://doi.org/10.1021/ol203216h 

• Righi M, Bartoccini F, Lucarini S, Piersanti G Organocatalytic synthesis of α- quaternary amino acid derivatives via aza-Friedel–Crafts alkylation of indoles with simple α- amidoacrylates Tetrahedron 2011, 67 (41), 7923-7928.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tet.2011.08.039 

• Lucarini S, Bartoccini F, Battistoni F, Diamanmtini G, Piersanti G., Righi M, Spadoni G . A Novel One-Pot Approach Of Hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]Indole Nucleus By A Cascade Addition/Cyclization Strategy: Synthesis Of (¬±)-Esermethole. Org. Lett.  2010, 12 (17), 3844-3847. https://doi.org/10.1021/ol101527j 

• Piersanti G, Remi F, Fusi V, Formica M, Giorgi L, Zappia G. Direct Preparation of Unsymmetrical Difunctionalized Cyclen Derivatives by an Ugi Multicomponent Reaction. Org. Lett.  2009, 11 (2), 417-420.  https://doi.org/10.1021/ol802674r 

• Angelini E, Balsamini C, Bartoccini F, Lucarini S, Piersanti G. Switchable reactivity of acylated alpha, beta-dehydroamino ester in the Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles by changing the Lewis acid. J. Org. Chem.  2008, 73 (14), 5654-5657. https://doi.org/10.1021/jo800881u