The first synthesis of [(11)C]SB-216763, a new potential PET agent for imaging of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3)

SB-216763 is a novel, potent and selective glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) inhibitor with an IC₅₀ value of 34 nM. [¹¹C]SB-216763 (3-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-(1-[¹¹C]methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione), a new potential PET agent for imaging of GSK-3, was first designed and synthesized in 20-30% decay corrected radiochemical yield and 370-555 GBq/μmol specific activity at end of bombardment (EOB). The synthetic strategy was to prepare a carbon-11-labeled maleic anhydride intermediate followed by the conversion to maleimide.     

Synthesis of carbon-11-labeled aminoalkylindole derivatives as new candidates of cannabinoid receptor radioligands for PET imaging of alcohol abuse

Carbon-11-labeled aminoalkylindole derivatives (1-butyl-7-[¹¹C]methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)(naphthalene-1-yl)methanone ([¹¹C]3), 1-butyl-7-[¹¹C]methoxy-3-(naphthalene-1-ylmethyl)-1H-indole ([¹¹C]5), and 1-butyl-7-[¹¹C]methoxy-3-(naphthalene-2-yl)-1H-indole ([¹¹C]8) were prepared by O-[¹¹C]methylation of their corresponding precursors with [¹¹C]CH₃OTf under basic condition (2 N NaOH) and isolated by a simplified solid-phase extraction (SPE) method in 50–60% radiochemical yields based on [¹¹C]CO₂ and decay corrected to end of bombardment (EOB). The overall synthesis time from EOB was 23 min, the radiochemical purity was >99%, and the specific activity at end of synthesis (EOS) was 185–555 GBq/μmol.     

Synthesis of carbon-11-labeled 5-HT6R antagonists as new candidate PET radioligands for imaging of Alzheimer’s disease

Carbon-11-labeled serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) 6 receptor (5-HT₆R) antagonists, 1-[(2-bromophenyl)sulfonyl]-5-[¹¹C]methoxy-3-[(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)methyl]-1H-indole (O-[¹¹C]2a) and 1-[(2-bromophenyl)sulfonyl]-5-methoxy-3-[(4-[¹¹C]methyl-1-piperazinyl)methyl]-1H-indole (N-[¹¹C]2a), 5-[¹¹C]methoxy-3-((4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)methyl)-1-(phenylsulfonyl)-1H-indole (O-[¹¹C]2b) and 5-methoxy-3-((4-[¹¹C]methylpiperazin-1-yl)methyl)-1-(phenylsulfonyl)-1H-indole (N-[¹¹C]2b), 1-((4-isopropylphenyl)sulfonyl)-5-[¹¹C]methoxy-3-((4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)methyl)-1H-indole (O-[¹¹C]2c) and 1-((4-isopropylphenyl)sulfonyl)-5-methoxy-3-((4-[¹¹C]methylpiperazin-1-yl)methyl)-1H-indole (N-[¹¹C]2c), 1-((4-fluorophenyl)sulfonyl)-5-[¹¹C]methoxy-3-((4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)methyl)-1H-indole (O-[¹¹C]2d) and 1-((4-fluorophenyl)sulfonyl)-5-methoxy-3-((4-[¹¹C]methylpiperazin-1-yl)methyl)-1H-indole (N-[¹¹C]2d), were prepared from their O- or N-desmethylated precursors with [¹¹C]CH₃OTf through O- or N-[¹¹C]methylation and isolated by HPLC combined with SPE in 40–50% radiochemical yield, based on [¹¹C]CO₂ and decay corrected to end of bombardment (EOB). The radiochemical purity was >99%, and the molar activity (MA) at EOB was 370–740?GBq/μmol with a total synthesis time of ～40-min from EOB.     

11C]sorafenib: radiosynthesis and preliminary PET study of brain uptake in P-gp/Bcrp knockout mice

Sorafenib (Nexavar, BAY43-9006, 1) is a second-generation, orally active multikinase inhibitor that is approved for the treatment of some cancers in patients. In this Letter, we developed [¹¹C]1 as a novel positron emission tomography (PET) probe, and evaluated the influence of ABC transporters-mediated efflux on brain uptake using PET with [¹¹C]1 in P-glycoprotein (P-gp)/breast cancer resistance protein (Bcrp) knockout mice versus wild-type mice. [¹¹C]1 was synthesized by the reaction of hydrochloride of aniline 2 with [¹¹C]phosgene ([¹¹C]COCl₂) to give isocyanate [¹¹C]6, followed by reaction with another aniline 3. Small-animal PET study with [¹¹C]1 indicated that the radioactivity level (AUC_0-60 min, SUV × min) in the brains of P-gp/Bcrp knockout mice was about three times higher than in wild-type mice.     

Synthesis of carbon-11-labeled CK1 inhibitors as new potential PET radiotracers for imaging of Alzheimer’s disease

The reference standards methyl 3-((2,2-difluoro-5H-[1,3]dioxolo[4′,5′:4,5]benzo[1,2-d]imidazol-6-yl)carbamoyl)benzoate (5a) and N-(2,2-difluoro-5H-[1,3]dioxolo[4′,5′:4,5]benzo[1,2-d]imidazol-6-yl)-3-methoxybenzamide (5c), and their corresponding desmethylated precursors 3-((2,2-difluoro-5H-[1,3]dioxolo[4′,5′:4,5]benzo[1,2-d]imidazol-6-yl)carbamoyl)benzoic acid (6a) and N-(2,2-difluoro-5H-[1,3]dioxolo[4′,5′:4,5]benzo[1,2-d]imidazol-6-yl)-3-hydroxybenzamide (6b), were synthesized from 5-amino-2,2-difluoro-1,3-benzodioxole and 3-substituted benzoic acids in 5 and 6 steps with 33% and 11%, 30% and 7% overall chemical yield, respectively. Carbon-11-labeled casein kinase 1 (CK1) inhibitors, [¹¹C]methyl 3-((2,2-difluoro-5H-[1,3]dioxolo[4′,5′:4,5]benzo[1,2-d]imidazol-6-yl)carbamoyl)benzoate ([¹¹C]5a) and N-(2,2-difluoro-5H-[1,3]dioxolo[4′,5′:4,5]benzo[1,2-d]imidazol-6-yl)-3-[¹¹C]methoxybenzamide ([¹¹C]5c), were prepared from their O-desmethylated precursor 6a or 6b with [¹¹C]CH₃OTf through O-[¹¹C]methylation and isolated by HPLC combined with SPE in 40–45% radiochemical yield, based on [¹¹C]CO₂ and decay corrected to end of bombardment (EOB). The radiochemical purity was >99%, and the molar activity (MA) at EOB was 370–740?GBq/μmol with a total synthesis time of ～40-min from EOB.     

Synthesis, characterization and X-ray crystal structure of [Re(L4)(CO)3]Br · 2CH3OH (L4 = N,N-bis[(2-diphenylphosphino)ethyl]methoxyethylamine): A model compound for novel cationic Tc(I)-tricarbonyl radiotracers useful for heart imaging

This report describes synthesis and evaluation of cationic complexes, [^99mTc(CO)₃(L)]⁺ (L = N-methoxyethyl-N,N-bis[2-(bis(3-ethoxypropyl)phosphino)ethyl]amine (L1), N-[(15-crown-5)-2-yl]-N,N-bis[2-(bis(3-ethoxypropyl)phosphino)ethyl]amine (L2) and N-[(18-crown-6)-2-yl]-N,N-bis[2-(bis(3-ethoxypropyl)phosphino)ethyl]amine (L3)) as potential radiotracers for heart imaging. Preliminary results from biodistribution studies in female adult BALB-c mice indicated that the cationic ^99mTc(I)-tricarbonyl complex, [^99mTc(CO)₃(L2)]⁺, has a significant localization in the heart at 60 min post-injection. To understand the coordination chemistry of these bisphosphine ligands with the ^99mTc(I)-tricarbonyl core, we prepared [Re(CO)₃(L4)]Br (L4: N,N-bis[(2-diphenylphosphino)ethyl]methoxyethylamine) as a model compound. [Re(CO)₃(L4)]Br has been characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ESI-MS, NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ¹H-¹H COSY, and ¹H-¹³C HMQC) methods, and X-ray crystallography. In solid state, [Re(CO)₃(L4)]⁺ has a distorted octahedron coordination geometry with PNP occupying one facial plane. The chelator backbone adopts a “chair” conformation with phosphine-P atoms at equatorial positions and the amine-N at the apical site. In solution, [Re(CO)₃(L4)]⁺ is able to maintain its cationic nature with no dissociation of carbonyl ligands or any of the three PNP donors.     

Synthesis and characterization of [Ru(NO)(bpp)Cl · 2H2O] [bpp = N,N′-bis(2-pyridinecarboxamide)-1,3-propane dianion] and [Ru(NO)(bpe)Cl · 2H2O] [bpe = N,N′-bis(2-pyridinecarboxamide)-1,2-ethane dianion]

Two ruthenium nitrosyl bis-pyridyl/biscarboxamido compounds, [Ru(NO)(bpp)Cl · 2H₂O] [bpp = N,N′-bis(2-pyridinecarboxamide)-1,3-propane dianion] and [Ru(NO)(bpe)Cl · 2H₂O] [bpe = N,N′-(bis-2-pyridinecarboxamide)-1,2-ethane dianion] have been characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C{¹H} NMR, and IR spectroscopies, electrospray ionizaton mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography.     

The first radiosynthesis of [11C]AZD8931 as a new potential PET agent for imaging of EGFR,HER2 and HER3 signaling

The reference standard AZD8931{2-(4-((4-((3-chloro-2-fluorophenyl)amino)-7-methoxyquinazolin-6-yl)oxy)piperidin-1-yl)-N-methylacetamide} (11a) was synthesized from methyl 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzoate or ethyl 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzoate and 2-chloro-N-methylacetamide in 11 steps with 2–5% overall chemical yield. The precursor N-desmethyl-AZD8931{2-(4-((4-((3-chloro-2-fluorophenyl)amino)-7-methoxyquinazolin-6-yl)oxy)piperidin-1-yl)acetamide} (11b) was synthesized from methyl 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzoate or ethyl 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzoate and 2-bromoacetamide in 11 steps with 2–4% overall chemical yield. The target tracer [¹¹C]AZD8931 {2-(4-((4-((3-chloro-2-fluorophenyl)amino)-7-methoxyquinazolin-6-yl)oxy)piperidin-1-yl)-N-[¹¹C]methylacetamide} ([¹¹C]11a) was prepared from N-desmethyl-AZD8931 (11b) with [¹¹C]CH₃OTf under basic condition (NaH) through N-[¹¹C]methylation and isolated by HPLC combined with solid-phase extraction (SPE) in 40–50% radiochemical yield based on [¹¹C]CO₂ and decay corrected to end of bombardment (EOB) with 370–1110 GBq/μmol specific activity at EOB.     

Identification of new inhibitors of protein kinase R guided by statistical modeling

We report the identification of new, structurally diverse inhibitors of interferon-induced, double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) using a combined experimental and computational approach. A training set with which to build a predictive statistical model was generated by screening a set of 80 known Ser/Thr kinase inhibitors against recombinant human PKR, resulting in the identification of 28 compounds from 18 chemical classes with <0.1 μM ? IC₅₀ ? 20 μM. The model built with this data was used to screen a database of 5 million commercially available compounds in silico to identify candidate inhibitors. Testing of 128 structurally diverse candidates resulted in the confirmation of 20 new inhibitors from 11 chemical classes with 2 μM ? IC₅₀ ? 20 μM. Testing of 34 analogs in the newly identified pyrimidin-2-amine active series provided initial SAR. One newly identified inhibitor, N-[2-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl]-4-(2-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)pyrimidin-2-amine (compound 51), inhibited intracellular PKR activation in a dose-dependent manner in primary mouse macrophages without evident toxicity at effective concentrations.     

Synthesis and in vitro screening of novel N-benzyl aplysinopsin analogs as potential anticancer agents

A series of novel substituted (Z)-5-((1-benzyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)imidazolidin-2,4-diones (3a-f) and (Z)-5-((1-benzyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)-2-iminothiazolidin-4-ones (3g-o) have been synthesized utilizing microwave irradiation. These analogs were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity against a panel of 60 human tumor cell lines. Compound 3i exhibits potent growth inhibition against melanoma UACC-257 (GI₅₀ = 13.3 nM) and OVCAR-8 ovarian (GI₅₀ = 19.5 nM) cancer cells while possessing significant cytotoxicity (LC₅₀ = 308 nM and LC₅₀ = 851 nM, respectively) against the same cell lines within this series of compounds. A second analog, 3a, had GI₅₀ values of 307 and 557 nM against SK-MEL-2 melanoma and A498 renal cancer cell lines, and exhibited GI₅₀ values ranging from 0.30 to 6 μM against 98% of all cancer cell lines in the 60-cell panel. Thus, (Z)-5-((5-chloro-1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)-2-iminothiazolidin-4-one (3i) and (Z)-methyl 1-(4-cyanobenzyl)-3-((2,5-dioxoimidazolidin-4-ylidene)methyl)-1H-indole-6-carboxylate (3a) can be regarded as useful lead compounds for further structural optimization as antitumor agents.     

Radiosynthesis of [11C]Vandetanib and [11C]chloro-Vandetanib as new potential PET agents for imaging of VEGFR in cancer

Vandetanib (ZD6474) and its chlorine analogue chloro-Vandetanib are potent and selective vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors with low nanomolar IC₅₀ values. [¹¹C]Vandetanib and [¹¹C]chloro-Vandetanib, new potential PET agents for imaging of VEGFR in cancer, were first designed, synthesized and labeled at nitrogen and oxygen positions from their corresponding N- and O-des-methylated precursors, in 40-50% decay corrected radiochemical yield and 370-555 GBq/μmol specific activity at end of bombardment (EOB).     

Facile radiosynthesis of new carbon-11-labeled propanamide derivatives as selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) radioligands for prostate cancer imaging

The androgen receptor (AR) is an attractive target for the treatment and molecular imaging of prostate cancer. New carbon-11-labeled propanamide derivatives were first designed and synthesized as selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) radioligands for prostate cancer imaging using the biomedical imaging technique positron emission tomography (PET). The target tracers, (S)-N-(4-cyano-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2-hydroxy-3-(2-[¹¹C]methoxyphenoxy)-2-methylpropanamide ([¹¹C]8a), (S)-2-hydroxy-3-(2-[¹¹C]methoxyphenoxy)-2-methyl-N-(4-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)propanamide ([¹¹C]8e), (S)-N-(4-cyano-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2-hydroxy-3-(4-[¹¹C]methoxyphenoxy)-2-methylpropanamide ([¹¹C]8c) and (S)-2-hydroxy-3-(4-[¹¹C]methoxyphenoxy)-2-methyl-N-(4-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)propanamide ([¹¹C]8g), were prepared by O-[¹¹C]methylation of their corresponding precursors, (S)-N-(4-cyano-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2-hydroxy-3-(2-hydroxyphenoxy)-2-methylpropanamide (9a), (S)-2-hydroxy-3-(2-hydroxyphenoxy)-2-methyl-N-(4-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)propanamide (9b), (S)-N-(4-cyano-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)-2-methylpropanamide (9c) and (S)-2-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)-2-methyl-N-(4-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)propanamide (9d), with [¹¹C]CH₃OTf under basic conditions and isolated by a simplified C-18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) method in 55 ± 5% (n = 5) radiochemical yields based on [¹¹C]CO₂ and decay corrected to end of bombardment (EOB). The overall synthesis time from EOB was 23 min, the radiochemical purity was >99%, and the specific activity at end of synthesis (EOS) was 277.5 ± 92.5 GBq/μmol (n = 5).     

Synthesis and evaluation of 6-[1-(2-[(18)F]fluoro-3-pyridyl)-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]quinoline for positron emission tomography imaging of the metabotropic glutamate receptor type 1 in brain

The purpose of this study was to synthesize 6-[1-(2-[¹⁸F]fluoro-3-pyridyl)-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]quinoline ([¹⁸F]FPTQ, [¹⁸F]7a) and to evaluate its potential as a positron emission tomography ligand for imaging metabotropic glutamate receptor type 1 (mGluR1) in the rat brain. Compound [¹⁸F]7a was synthesized by [¹⁸F]fluorination of 6-[1-(2-bromo-3-pyridyl)-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]quinoline (7b) with potassium [¹⁸F]fluoride. At the end of synthesis, 1280-1830 MBq (n = 8) of [¹⁸F]7a was obtained with >98% radiochemical purity and 118-237 GBq/??mol specific activity using 3300-4000 MBq of [¹⁸F]F⁻. In vitro autoradiography showed that [¹⁸F]7a had high specific binding with mGluR1 in the rat brain. Biodistribution study using a dissection method and small-animal PET showed that [¹⁸F]7a had high uptake in the rat brain. The uptake of radioactivity in the cerebellum was reduced by unlabeled 7a and mGluR1-selective ligand JNJ-16259685 (2), indicating that [¹⁸F]7a had in vivo specific binding with mGluR1. Because of a low amount of radiolabeled metabolite present in the brain, [¹⁸F]7a may have a limiting potential for the in vivo imaging of mGluR1 by PET.     

Synthesis and characterization of silver(I) derivatives containing acylpyrazolonate and phosphino ligands: X-ray crystal structures of monomeric [Ag(Q)(PPh3)2] and of dimeric [{Ag(Q)(PiBu3)}2] (Q = 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-tert-butylacetylpyrazolon-5-ato)

New silver(I) acylpyrazolonate derivatives [Ag(Q)], [Ag(Q)(PR₃)]₂ and [Ag(Q)(PR₃)₂] (HQ = 1-R¹-3-methyl-4-R²(CO)pyrazol-5-one, HQ^Bn = R¹ = C₆H₅, R² = CH₂C₆H₅; HQ^CHPh2 = R¹ = C₆H₅, R² = CH(C₆H₅)₂; HQ^nPe = R¹ = C₆H₅, R² = CH₂C(CH₃)₃; HQ^tBu = R¹ = C₆H₅, R² = C(CH₃)₃; HQ^fMe = R¹ = C₆H₄-p-CF₃, R² = CF₃; HQ^fEt = R¹ = C₆H₅, R² = CF₂CF₃; R = Ph or iBu) have been synthesized and characterized in the solid state and solution. The crystal structure of 1-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone, the precursor of proligand HQ^fMe and of derivatives [Ag(Q^nPe)(PPh₃)₂] and [Ag(Q^nPe)(PiBu₃)]₂ have been investigated. [Ag(Q^nPe)(PPh₃)₂] is a mononuclear compound with a silver atom in a tetrahedrally distorted AgO₂P₂ environment, whereas [Ag(Q^nPe)(PiBu₃)]₂ is a dinuclear compound with two O₂N-exotridentate bridging acylpyrazolonate ligands connecting both silver atoms, their coordination environment being completed by a phosphine ligand.     

Synthesis of carbon-11-labeled casimiroin analogues as new potential PET agents for imaging of quinone reductase 2 and aromatase expression in breast cancer

Carbon-11-labeled casimiroin analogues were first designed and synthesized as new potential PET agents for imaging of quinone reductase (QR) 2 and aromatase expression in breast cancer. [¹¹C]casimiroin (6-[¹¹C]methoxy-9-methyl-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-h]quinolin-8(9H)-one, [¹¹C]11) and its carbon-11-labeled analogues 5,6,8-trimethoxy-1-[¹¹C]methyl-4-methylquinolin-2(1H)-one ([¹¹C]17), 8-methoxy-1-[¹¹C]methyl-4-methylquinolin-2(1H)-one ([¹¹C]21a), 6,8-dimethoxy-1-[¹¹C]methyl-4-methylquinolin-2(1H)-one ([¹¹C]21b), and 5,8-dimethoxy-1-[¹¹C]methyl-4-methylquinolin-2(1H)-one ([¹¹C]21c), were prepared from their corresponding precursors with [¹¹C]methyl triflate ([¹¹C]CH₃OTf) under basic conditions (NaH) through either O- or N-[¹¹C]methylation and isolated by semi-preparative HPLC method in 40-50% radiochemical yields decay corrected to end of bombardment (EOB), based on [¹¹C]CO₂, and 111-185 GBq/μmol specific activity at the end of synthesis (EOS).     

[H,N] NMR studies of the aquation of cis-diamine platinum(II) complexes

Two ¹⁵N-labelled cis-Pt(II) diamine complexes with dimethylamine (¹⁵N-dma) and isopropylamine (¹⁵N-ipa) ligands have been prepared and characterised. [¹H,¹⁵N] HSQC NMR spectroscopy is used to obtain the rate and equilibrium constants for the aquation of cis-[PtCl₂(¹⁵N-dma)₂] at 298 K in 0.1 M NaClO₄ and to determine the pK_a values of cis-[PtCl(H₂O)(¹⁵N-dma)₂]⁺ (6.37) and cis-[Pt(H₂O)₂(¹⁵N-dma)₂]²⁺ (pK_a1 = 5.17, pK_a2 = 6.47). The rate constants for the first and second aquation steps (k₁ = (2.12 ± 0.01) × 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹, k₂ = (8.7 ± 0.7) × 10⁻⁶ s⁻¹) and anation steps (k₋₁ = (6.7 ± 0.8) × 10⁻³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹, k₋₂ = 0.043 ± 0.004 M⁻¹ s⁻¹) are very similar to those reported for cisplatin under similar conditions, and a minor difference is that slow formation of the hydroxo-bridged dimer is observed. Aquation studies of cis-[PtCl₂(¹⁵N-ipa)₂] were precluded by the close proximity of the NH proton signal to the ¹H₂O resonance.     

Syntheses and characterization of five d coordination polymers derived from phenanthroline derivative and dicarboxylate mixed ligands

Five structurally diverse complexes, [Cd₂(pyip)₂(suc)₂]_n·1.5nH₂O (1), [Zn(pyip)(glu)]_n (2), [Cd(pyip)(glu)]_n (3), [Zn(pyip)₂(adip)₂]_n·2.5nH₂O (4), [Cd₃(pyip)₂(adip)₃]_n (5) (pyip = 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenan-throline, H₂suc = succinic acid, H₂glu = glutaric acid, H₂adip = adipic acid), have been hydrothermally synthesized. Complexes 1 and 4 are ribbon-like chains, in which pyip ligands attach to the both sides of the chain in pairs. Complex 2 is a one dimensional (1D) wave-like chain, while the pyip ligands attach to only one side of the chain. Complexes 3 and 5 are both two dimensional (2D) networks, in which the dicarboxylate ligands connect the dinuclear or trinuclear Cd^II units into layers with (4, 4) topological network. The structural differences among these complexes show that the organic acids have important influences on the final structures.     

Syntheses and spectroscopic and structural characterization of silver(I) complexes containing tris(isobutyl)phosphine and poly(azol-1-yl)borates

Silver(I) derivatives [Ag(L)(PⁱBu₃)] (L = H₂B(tz)₂ (dihydrobis(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)borate), HB(tz)₃ (hydrotris(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)borate), Tp (hydrotris(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)borate), Tp∗ (hydrotris(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)borate), Tp^Me (hydrotris(3-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)borate), Tp^CF3 (hydrotris(3-trifluoromethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)borate), Tp^4Br (hydrotris(4-bromo-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)borate), HB(btz)₃ (hydrotris(1H-1,2,4-benzotriazol-1-yl)borate), Tm (hydrotris(3-methy-1-imidazolyl-2-thione)borate), pzTp (tetrakis(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)borate), pz⁰Tp^Me (tetrakis(3-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)borate) have been synthesized from the reaction of [Ag(NO₃)(PⁱBu₃)₂] with ML (M = Na or K) and characterized both in solution (¹H- and ³¹P{¹H} NMR, ESI MS spectroscopy, conductivity) and in the solid state (IR, single crystal X-ray structure analysis). These complexes are air-stable and light-sensitive and non-electrolytes in CH₂Cl₂ and acetone in which they slowly decompose, even with the strict exclusion of oxygen and light, yielding metallic silver and/or azolate (Az) species of formula [Ag(Az)(PⁱBu₃)_x] upon breaking of the bridging B-N_(azole) bond. The solid state structures of [Ag(Tp)(PⁱBu₃)], [Ag(Tp^Me)(PⁱBu₃)], [Ag(Tp^CF3)(PⁱBu₃)], [Ag{HB(btz)₃}(PⁱBu₃)], and [Ag(Tm)(PⁱBu₃)] show that the silver atom adopts a distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry. [Ag(L)(PPh₃)] can be easily obtained from the reaction of [Ag(L)(PⁱBu₃)] with excess PPh₃, whereas from the reverse reaction of [Ag(L)(PPh₃)] with PⁱBu₃a mixture of [Ag(L)(PⁱBu₃)] and [Ag(L)]₂ and [Ag(L)(PPh₃)] was recovered. ³¹P{¹H} NMR variable temperature NMR studies showed that in the pz⁰Tp^x derivatives the scorpionate ligand acts as a bidentate donor, whereas tridentate coordination is found for all tris(azolyl)borate derivatives, both in solution and in the solid state. ESI MS data suggest the existence in solution of species such as [Ag(PⁱBu₃)₂]⁺ upon dissociation of the L ligand, and also the formation of dimeric species of the form [Ag₂(L)(PⁱBu₃)₂]⁺.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of indole-chalcone derivatives as β-amyloid imaging probe

A series of chaclone derivatives containing an indole moiety were evaluated in competitive binding assays with Aβ_1-42 aggregates versus [¹²⁵I]IMPY. The affinity of these compounds ranged from 4.46 to >1008 nM, depending on the substitution on the phenyl ring. Fluorescent staining in vitro showed that one compound with a N,N-dimethylamino group intensely stained Aβ plaques within brain sections of AD transgenic mice. The radioiodinated probe [¹²⁵I]-(E)-3-(1H-indol-5-yl)-1-(4-iodophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one, [¹²⁵I]4, was prepared and autoradiography in sections of brain tissue from an animal model of AD showed that it labeled Aβ plaques specifically. However, experiments with normal mice indicated that [¹²⁵I]4 exhibited a low uptake into the brain in vivo (0.41% ID/g at 2 min). Additional chemical modifications of this indole-chalcone structure may lead to more useful imaging agents for detecting β-amyloid plaques in the brains of AD patients.     

Kinetic and structural analysis of the irreversible inhibition of human monoamine oxidases by ASS234, a multi-target compound designed for use in Alzheimer's disease

Monoamine oxidases (MAO) and cholinesterases are validated targets in the design of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The multi-target compound N-((5-(3-(1-benzylpiperidin-4-yl)propoxy)-1-methyl-1H-indol-2-yl)methyl)-N-methylprop-2-yn-1-amine (ASS234), bearing the MAO-inhibiting propargyl group attached to a donepezil moiety that inhibits cholinesterases, retained activity against human acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterases. The inhibition of MAO A and MAO B by ASS234 was characterized and compared to other known MAO inhibitors. ASS234 was almost as effective as clorgyline (k_inact/K_I = 3 × 10⁶ min^− 1 M^− 1) and was shown by structural studies to form the same N5 covalent adduct with the FAD cofactor.