Facile functionalization at the C4 position of pyrimidine nucleosides via amide group activation with (benzotriazol-1-yloxy)tris(dimethylamino)phosphonium hexafluorophosphate (BOP) and biological evaluations of the products

New Biocides Based on N4-Alkylcytidines: Effects on Microorganisms and Application for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Objects of Painting

The rapid increase in the antibiotic resistance of microorganisms, capable of causing diseases in humans as destroying cultural heritage sites, is a great challenge for modern science. In this regard, it is necessary to develop fundamentally novel and highly active compounds. In this study, a series of N4-alkylcytidines, including 5- and 6-methylcytidine derivatives, with extended alkyl substituents, were obtained in order to develop a new generation of antibacterial and antifungal biocides based on nucleoside derivatives. It has been shown that N4-alkyl 5- or 6-methylcytidines effectively inhibit the growth of molds, isolated from the paintings in the halls of the Ancient Russian Paintings of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Russia, Moscow. The novel compounds showed activity similar to antiseptics commonly used to protect works of art, such as benzalkonium chloride, to which a number of microorganisms have acquired resistance. It was also shown that the activity of N4-alkylcytidines is comparable to that of some antibiotics used in medicine to fight Gram-positive bacteria, including resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium smegmatis. N4-dodecyl-5- and 6-methylcytidines turned out to be the best. This compound seems promising for expanding the palette of antiseptics used in painting, since quite often the destruction of painting materials is caused by joint fungi and bacteria infection.

Two short approaches to the COVID-19 drug β-D-N4-hydroxycytidine and its prodrug molnupiravir

Molnupiravir, the prodrug for β-D-N4-hydroxycytidine (NHC), is marketed by Merck as Lagevrio™ against mild-moderate COVID-19, under FDA emergency use authorization. It is the first oral drug against the disease. This work describes two synthetic approaches to NHC and molnupiravir by amide activation in uridine with a peptide-coupling agent and with a 4-chloropyrimidinone nucleoside intermediate.

Base Modifications of Nucleosides via the Use of Peptide-Coupling Agents, and Beyond

Several naturally occurring purine and pyrimidine nucleosides contain an amide linkage as part of the heterocyclic aglycone. Enolization of the amide and conversion to leaving groups at the amide carbon atom permits base modification by addition-elimination types of processes. Although a number of methods have been developed over the years for accomplishing such conversions, the present Personal Account describes efforts from the Lakshman laboratories. Facile activation of the amido groups in nucleobases can be achieved with peptide-coupling agents. Subsequent reaction with nucleophiles then accomplishes the base modifications. In many cases, the activation and displacement steps can be done as two-step, one-pot processes, whereas in other cases, discrete storable activated nucleosides can be isolated for subsequent displacement reactions. Using such an approach a wide range of nucleoside base modifications is readily achievable. In many instances, mechanistic investigations have been conducted so as to understand the activation process.

Synthesis of Pyrimidine Conjugates with 4-(6-Amino-hexanoyl)-7,8-difluoro-3,4-dihydro-3-methyl-2H-[1,4]benzoxazine and Evaluation of Their Antiviral Activity

A series of pyrimidine conjugates containing a fragment of racemic 7,8-difluoro-3,4-dihydro-3-methyl-2H-[1,4]benzoxazine and its (S)-enantiomer attached via a 6-aminohexanoyl fragment were synthesized by the reaction of nucleophilic substitution of chlorine in various chloropyrimidines. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by ¹H, ¹⁹F, and ¹³C NMR spectral data. Enantiomeric purity of optically active derivatives was confirmed by chiral HPLC. Antiviral evaluation of the synthesized compounds has shown that the replacement of purine with a pyrimidine fragment leads to a decrease in the anti-herpesvirus activity compared to the lead compound, purine conjugate. The studied compounds did not exhibit significant activity against influenza A (H1N1) virus.

An Improved Approach for Practical Synthesis of 5-Hydroxymethyl-2′-deoxycytidine (5hmdC) Phosphoramidite and Triphosphate

5-Hydroxymethyl-2′-deoxycytidine (5hmdC) phosphoramidite and triphosphate are important building blocks in 5hmdC-containing DNA synthesis for epigenetic studies. However, efficient and practical methods for the synthesis of these compounds are still limited. The current research provides an intensively improved synthetic method that enables the preparation of commercially available cyanoethyl-protected 5hmdC phosphoramidite with an overall yield of 39% on 5 g scale. On the basis of facile and efficient accesses to cyanoethyl protected-5hmdU and 5hmdC intermediates, two efficient synthetic routes for 5hmdC triphosphate were also developed.

Discovery of novel N4-alkylcytidines as promising antimicrobial agents

The emergence of drug-resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms necessitates the creation of new drugs. In order to find new compounds that effectively inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi, we synthesized a set of N⁴-derivatives of cytidine, 2'-deoxycytidine and 5-metyl-2'-deoxycytidine bearing extended N⁴-alkyl and N⁴-phenylalkyl groups. The derivatives demonstrate activity against a number of Gram-positive bacteria, including Mycobacterium smegmatis (MIC = 24-200 μM) and Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 50-200 μM), comparable with the activities of some antibiotics in medical use. The most promising compound appeared to be N⁴-dodecyl-5-metyl-2'-deoxycytidine 4h with activities of 24 and 48 μM against M. smegmatis and S. aureus, respectively, and high inhibitory activity of 0.5 mM against filamentous fungi that can, among other things, damage works of art, such as tempera painting. Noteworthy, some of other synthesized compounds are active against fungal growth with the inhibitory concentration in the range of 0.5-3 mM.

A study of antituberculosis activities and crystal structures of (E)-2-[2-(arylidene)hydrazinyl]pyrimidine and (E)-N 1-(arylidene)pyrimidine-2-carbohydrazide derivatives

A study of the anti-tuberculosis activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis ATTC 27294 and an X-ray structural determination of (E)-2-[2-(arylidene)hydrazinyl]pyrimidine, 1, and (E)-N 1-(arylidene)pyrimidine-2-carbohydazide, 2, derivatives are presented. The effect of the substituents in the aryl moiety on the antituberculosis (anti-TB) activities of 1 and 2 is compared with that of other heteroaryl hydrazonyl and acylhydrazonyl derivatives. The biological activities of 1 do not depend on the coordinating ability of the substituted aryl group: in 2, the most effective aryl group is 5-nitrofuranyl. The structure determinations of (E)-2-((2-(pyrimidin-2-yl)hydrazono)methyl)-phenol, (E)-N′-(2,5-dihydroxybenzylidene)pyrimidine-2-carbohydrazide and of the hydrate of (E)-N′-(2-hydroxy-4-methylbenzylidene)pyrimidine-2-carbohydrazide, and a literature search of related structures in the CCDC data base, allowed an examination of the more important interactions, including the occurrence of X–Y⋯π interactions.

Alkylated benzimidazoles: Design, synthesis, docking, DFT analysis, ADMET property, molecular dynamics and activity against HIV and YFV

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New benzimidazole analogs synthesized as antivirals against HIV-1 and yellow fever virus.

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Molecular dynamics simulation studies indicated a stable ligand-protein complex of compound 3a within NNIBP of HIV-RT.

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DFT analysis confirmed the stability of hydrogen bonding interaction between the TRP 229 residue of HIV-RT and compound 3a.

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Molecules were tested for their anti-HIV and broad spectrum antiviral properties against different DNA and RNA viruses.

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Antiviral properties and cytotoxicity determined using MTT assay.

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Compound 3a showed anti-HIV activity and compound 2b showed excellent inhibition property against yellow fever virus.

A series of alkylated benzimidazole derivatives was synthesized and screened for their anti-HIV, anti-YFV, and broad-spectrum antiviral properties. The physicochemical parameters and drug-like properties of the compounds were assessed first, and then docking studies and MD simulations on HIV-RT allosteric sites were conducted to find the possible mode of their action. DFT analysis was also performed to confirm the nature of the hydrogen bonding interaction of active compounds. The in silico studies indicated that the molecules behaved like possible NNRTIs. The nature – polar or non-polar and position of the substituent present at fifth, sixth, and N-1 positions of the benzimidazole moiety played an important role in determining the antiviral properties of the compounds. Among the various compounds, 2-(5,6-dibromo-2-chloro-1H-benzimidazol-1-yl)ethan-1-ol (3a) showed anti-HIV activity with an appreciably low IC₅₀ value as 0.386 × 10⁻⁵μM. Similarly, compound 2b, 3-(2-chloro-5-nitro-1H-benzimidazol-1-yl) propan-1-ol, showed excellent inhibitory property against the yellow fever virus (YFV) with EC₅₀ value as 0.7824 × 10⁻²μM.

Synthesis and Evaluations of "1,4-Triazolyl Combretacoumarins" and Desmethoxy Analogues

1,4-Triazolyl combretacoumarins have been prepared by linking the trimethoxyarene unit of combretastatin A4 with coumarins, via a 1,2,3-triazole. For this, 4-azidocoumarins were accessed by a sequential two-step, one-pot reaction of 4-hydroxycoumarins with (benzotriazol-1-yloxy)tris(dimethylamino)phosphonium hexafluorophosphate (BOP), followed by reaction with NaN3. In the reaction with BOP, a coumarin-derived phosphonium ion intermediate seems to form, leading to an O 4-(benzotriazolyl)coumarin derivative. For the CuAAC reaction of azidocoumarins with 5-ethynyl-1,2,3-trimethoxybenzene, catalytic [(MeCN)4Cu]PF6 in CH2Cl2/MeOH with 2,6-lutidine, at 50 °C, was suitable. The 4-azidocoumarins were less reactive as compared to PhN3 and the NBO coefficients of the azido groups were compared by DFT analysis. Compound solubility was a problem in biological assays. On the basis of the biological and solubility data of one 1,4-triazolyl combretacoumarin, four analogues lacking one or two methoxy groups were synthesized. Reactivity differences among the phenylacetylenes were noted and the NBO coefficients of the alkynes were compared by DFT analysis. In antiproliferative assays, 1-phenyl-4-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole showed activity in CEM and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, possibly by apoptosis. The desmethoxy 6-bromo-4-(4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)-2H-chromen-2-one also showed cytotoxicity against the two cell lines, but this did not appear to be consistent with apoptosis. The antiviral activity of the compounds was unremarkable.

Facile Modifications at the C4 Position of Pyrimidine Nucleosides via In Situ Amide Activation with 1H-Benzotriazol-1-yloxy-tris(dimethyl-amino)phosphonium Hexafluorophosphate

Two approaches for C4 modifications of silyl-protected thymidine, 2'-deoxyuridine, and 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine (AZT) are described. In both, nucleoside amide activation with 1H-benzotriazol-1-yloxy-tris(dimethylamino)phosphonium hexafluorophosphate (BOP) and DBU yields O⁴ -(benzotriazol-1-yl) derivatives. These in situ-formed intermediates are reacted with various nucleophiles, resulting in C4 modifications. In the two-step, one-pot approach, the O⁴ -(benzotriazol-1-yl) nucleoside intermediates are initially produced by reactions of the nucleosides with BOP and DBU in THF. This step is fast and typically complete within 30 min. Subsequently, the O⁴ -(benzotriazol-1-yl) derivatives are reacted with nucleophiles, such as aliphatic and aromatic amines, thiols, and alcohols, under appropriate conditions. Workup, isolation, and purification lead to the desired C4-modified pyrimidine nucleosides in good to excellent yields. In the one-step approach, the nucleosides are reacted with BOP and DBU, in the presence of the nucleophile (only aliphatic and aromatic amines, and thiols have been tested). Where comparisons are possible, the one-step approach is generally superior. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Synthesis of stable azide and alkyne functionalized phosphoramidite nucleosides

The use of CuAAC chemistry to crosslink and stabilize oligonucleotides has been limited by the incompatibility of azides with the phosphoramidites used in automated oligonucleotide synthesis. Herein we report optimized reaction conditions to synthesize azide derivatives of thymidine and cytidine phosphoramidites. Investigation of the stability of the novel phosphoramidites using ³¹P NMR at room temperature showed less than 10% degradation after 6 hours. The azide modified thymidine was successfully utilized as an internal modifier in the standard phosphoramidite synthesis of a DNA sequence. The synthesized azide and alkyne derivatives of pyrimidines will allow efficient incorporation of azide and alkyne click pairs into nucleic acids, thus widening the applicability of click chemistry in investigating the chemistry of nucleic acids.