Synthesis, conformational analysis, and biological activity of C-thioribonucleosides related to tiazofurin

Efficient synthesis of primary and secondary amides via reacting esters with alkali metal amidoboranes

Amides are one of the most important organic compounds that are widely applied in medicine, biochemistry, and materials science. To find an efficient synthetic method of amides is a challenge for organic chemistry. We report here a facile synthesis method of primary and secondary amides through a direct amidation of esters with sodium amidoboranes (NaNHRBH₃, R = H, Me), at room temperature without using catalysts and other reagents. This process is rapid and chemoselective, and features quantitative conversion and wide applicability for esters tolerating different functional groups. The experimental and theoretical studies reveal a reaction mechanism with nucleophilic addition followed by a swift proton transfer-induced elimination reaction.

C-Nucleosides To Be Revisited

Two new C-nucleoside analogues, BCX4430, an imino-C-nucleoside, and GS-6620, a phosphoramidate derivative of 1'-cyano-2'-C-methyl-4-aza-7,9-dideazaadenosine C-nucleoside, have been recently described as effective against filovirus infections (Marburg) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), respectively. The first C-nucleoside analogues were described about half a century ago. The C-nucleoside pseudouridine is a natural component of RNA, and various other C-nucleoside analogues have been reported previously for their antiviral and/or anticancer potential, the most prominent being pyrazofurin, tiazofurin, and selenazofurin. In the meantime, showdomycin, formycin, and various triazole, pyrazine, pyridine, dihydroxyphenyl, thienopyrimidine, pyrazolotriazine, and porphyrin C-nucleoside analogues have been described. It would be worth revisiting these C-nucleosides and derivatives thereof, including their phosphoramidates, for their therapeutic potential in the treatment of virus infections and, where appropriate, cancer as well.

A putative role for inosine 5' monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) in Leishmania amazonensis programmed cell death

Leishmania amazonensis undergoes apoptosis-like programmed cell death (PCD) under heat shock conditions. We identified a potential role for inosine 5' monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) in L. amazonensis PCD. Trypanosomatids do not have a "de novo" purine synthesis pathway, relying on the salvage pathway for survival. IMPDH, a key enzyme in the purine nucleotide pathway, is related to cell growth and apoptosis. Since guanine nucleotide depletion triggers cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in several organisms we analyzed the correlation between IMPDH and apoptosis-like death in L. amazonensis. The L. amazonensis IMPDH inhibition effect on PCD was evaluated through gene expression analysis, mitochondrial depolarization and detection of Annexin-V labeled parasites. We demonstrated a down-regulation of impdh expression under heat shock treatment, which mimics the natural mammalian host infection. Also, IMPDH inhibitors ribavirin and mycophenolic acid (MPA) prevented cell growth and generated an apoptosis-like phenotype in sub-populations of L. amazonensis promastigotes. Our results are in accordance with previous results showing that a subpopulation of parasites undergoes apoptosis-like cell death in the nutrient poor environment of the vector gut. Here, we suggest the involvement of purine metabolism in previously observed apoptosis-like cell death during Leishmania infection.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of (--)-linarinic acid derivatives as neuroprotective agents against OGD-induced cell damage

A series of novel (-)-1,2,3,9-tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-b]quinazoline-1-carboxylic acid derivatives were designed and synthesized. All of the prepared compounds were screened for their neuroprotective effects using an in vitro oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) model of ischemic stroke. Some of the target compounds exhibited moderate to excellent protective potency. In particular, compounds 9d, 9e, 9g, and 9h showed significant protective effects in the SH-SY(5) Y cell line at all three concentrations tested.

A general and efficient synthesis of pyridin-2-yl C-ribonucleosides bearing diverse alkyl, aryl, amino, and carbamoyl groups in position 6

An efficient and practical methodology of preparation of 6-substituted pyridin-2-yl C-ribonucleosides was developed. A one-pot two-step addition of 2-lithio-6-bromopyridine to TBS-protected ribonolactone followed by acetylation gave 1beta-(6-bromopyridin-2-yl)-1-O-acetyl-2,3,5-tri-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-D-ribofuranose in high yield. Its reduction with Et(3)SiH and BF(3) x Et(2)O afforded the desired TBS-protected 6-bromopyridine C-ribonucleoside as pure beta-anomer in good overall yield of 63%. This intermediate was then subjected to a series of palladium catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, aminations and aminocarbonylations to give a series of protected 1beta-(6-alkyl-, 6-aryl-, 6-amino-, and 6-carbamoylpyridin-2-yl)-C-ribonucleosides. Deprotection of silylated nucleosides by Et(3)N x 3HF gave a series of title free C-ribonucleosides (12 examples).

TiIV-Catalyzed Asymmetric Sulfenylation of 1,3-Dicarbonyl Compounds

The electrophilic enantioselective sulfenylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with phenylsulfenyl chloride is effectively catalyzed by [Ti(TADDOLato)] complexes. The corresponding products are obtained in moderate to high yields. The highest ee values (up to 97 %) are obtained in toluene at room temperature and with a typical catalyst loading of 5 mol %. Bulky ester groups and sterically undemanding substituents at the alpha-position were found to be crucial structural features of the starting materials in order to assure high enantioselectivity. The absolute configuration of one of the chiral products has been determined. The stereochemical course of the reaction is similar to that of analogous [Ti(TADDOLato)]-catalyzed atom-transfer reactions. A common side-reaction the sulfenylated products undergo is a deacylation leading to racemic alpha-sulfenylated esters.

Synthesis and antitumour activity of new tiazofurin analogues bearing a 2,3-anhydro functionality in the furanose ring

This paper describes a divergent de novo synthesis of 2-(2,3-anhydro-beta-dribofuranosyl)thiazole-4-carboxamide (2',3'-anhydro-tiazofurin) and the corresponding alpha- and beta-homo-C-nucleosides, as well as evaluation of their antitumour activities in vitro.

2-(3-Amino-3-deoxy-β-d-xylofuranosyl)thiazole-4-carboxamide: A new tiazofurin analogue with potent antitumour activity

A new tiazofurin analogue, 2-(3-amino-3-deoxy-beta-d-xylofuranosyl)thiazole-4-carboxamide (3), was synthesized starting from d-glucose and evaluated for its in vitro antiproliferative activity against a panel of human tumour cell lines. Compound 3 exhibited the most powerful cytotoxicity against K562 cells, being approximately 100-fold more potent than tiazofurin. This analogue was also active against Jurkat, HT-29 and HeLa malignant cells, with respective IC(50) values being ca. 2-, 27- and 17-fold lower than those observed for tiazofurin. Remarkably, compound 3 did not exhibit any significant cytotoxicity towards normal foetal lung MRC-5 cell line.

Synthesis and biological activity of some new 5′-O-acyl tiazofurin derivatives

Three new 5'-O-acyl tiazofurin derivatives 2-4 were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against different tumour cell lines as well as for their ability to induce apoptosis in C6 cells in vitro. Apart of the antitumour assays, the cell membrane permeation of 2-4 and their intracellular metabolism in C6 cells in vitro was also studied in order to evaluate their potential as possible tiazofurin bioisosteres or prodrugs.

Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of a Non-Amidine Factor Xa Inhibitor That Incorporates 5-Methyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrothiazolo[5,4-c]pyridine as S4 Binding Element

Our exploratory study was based on the concept that a non-amidine factor Xa (fXa) inhibitor is suitable for an orally available anticoagulant. We synthesized and evaluated a series of N-(6-chloronaphthalen-2-yl)sulfonylpiperazine derivatives incorporating various fused-bicyclic rings containing an aliphatic amine expected to be S4 binding element. Among this series, 5-methyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrothiazolo[5,4-c]pyridine type 61 displayed orally potent anti-fXa activity and evident prolongation of prothrombin time (PT) with the moderate bioavailability in rats. The X-ray crystal analysis afforded an obvious binding mode that 5-methyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrothiazolo[5,4-c]pyridine and 6-chloronaphthalene respectively bound to S4 and S1 subsites. In this X-ray study, we discovered a novel intramolecular S-O close contact. Ab initio energy calculations of model compounds deduced that conformers with the most close S-O proximity were most stable. The Mulliken population analysis proposed that this energy profile was caused by both of electrostatic S-O affinity and N-O repulsion. The results of these calculations and X-ray analysis suggested a possibility that the restricted conformation effected the affinity to S4 subsite of fXa.

Synthesis and properties of spiro nucleosides containing the barbituric acid moiety

The two chiral spiro nucleosides 4 and 5 containing the barbituric acid moiety were efficiently synthesized from optically pure precursors, and their properties were studied. The carbocyclic nucleoside 5 is considerably more stable against ring opening than the deoxyribosyl derivative 4. Both compounds present enhanced hydrogen bonding capacity with diacetyladenosine.

A new C-nucleoside analogue of tiazofurin: synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-beta-D-ribofuranosylimidazole-4-carboxamide (imidazofurin)

2-Beta-D-ribofuranosylimidazole-4-carboxamide, an imidazole analogue of the antitumor agent tiazofurin, was synthesized and evaluated for the growth inhibitory activity of human myelogenous leukemia K562 cells.