Synthesis of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase inhibitors and their biological activities.

Several nucleosides have been prepared as a possible inhibitor of human S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH) hydrolase for the development of anti-viral agents. Recently, SAH hydrolase has been considered as an attractive target for parasite chemotherapy for malaria. We report synthesis of several nucleosides including carbocyclic nucleosides and their inhibitory activities against recombinant malaria and human SAH hydrolases.     

Synthesis and biological activities of novel beta-carbolines as PDE5 inhibitors

A series of N(2)-furoyl and N(2)pyrimidinyl beta-carbolines was discovered to possess potent inhibitory activity against PDE5. During the synthesis we developed a tandem resin quenching protocol, which allowed us to synthesize large number of target compounds in a rapid fashion. Representative compounds exhibit superior selectivity to sildenafil versus other isozymes of PDEs, and demonstrated in vivo efficacy in increasing introcavernosal pressure in dogs.     

Potent, low-calcemic, selective inhibitors of CYP24 hydroxylase: 24-sulfone analogs of the hormone 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3

The new 24-phenylsulfone 4a, a low-calcemic analog of the natural hormone 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3), is a potent (IC(50) = 28nM) and highly selective inhibitor of the human 24-hydroxylase enzyme CYP24.     

Synthesis and biological activities of nucleoside-estradiol conjugates

Nucleosides were coupled to estradiol via a 17alpha-ethynyl spacer group using Pd(II) as a catalyst. The conjugates were evaluated in vitro for estrogen receptor (ER) binding affinity and cytotoxicity against cell lines with and without ER. The highest receptor binding affinities (RBA approximately 3) were observed with conjugates coupled via a relative long spacer group, while none of the conjugates exhibited cytotoxicity against either cell lines.     

Synthesis and biological activities of isogranulatimide analogues

The synthesis of new isogranulatimide analogues, their inhibitory activities toward the Checkpoint 1 kinase (Chk1), and their in vitro cytotoxicities toward four tumor cell lines (one murine L1210 leukemia, and three human cell lines: DU145 prostate carcinoma, A549 non-small cell lung carcinoma, and HT29 colon carcinoma) are described. The affinity for DNA of some representative compounds and their ability to induce DNA cleavage mediated by topoisomerase I have been examined. In some of the newly synthesized compounds, the imidazole heterocycle of isogranulatimide is replaced by a pyrrole and/or the indole unit is replaced by a 7-azaindole. Compounds in which a sugar part is attached to the 7-azaindole moiety have also been prepared. Some of the newly synthesized compounds are more potent Chk1 inhibitors than granulatimide. The selectivity of two potent Chk1 inhibitors 24 and 26 has been evaluated using various kinases. The strongest inhibitory properties are found toward Chk1.     

Synthesis and biological activities of 2-oxocycloalkylsulfonamides

A series of novel 2-oxocycloalkylsulfonamides (4) were synthesized and their structures confirmed by IR, (1)H NMR, and elemental analysis. The bioassay showed that they have fair to excellent fungicidal activities against Botrytis cinerea Pers and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Among them, compounds 4A(10), 4A(11), 4A(12), 4B(2), and 4B(3), the EC(50) values of which were 2.12, 3.66, 3.96, 2.38, and 2.43 microg/mL, respectively, displayed excellent fungicidal activity against B. cinerea Pers, and are comparable with commercial fungicide procymidone (the EC(50) value is 2.45 microg/mL). 3D QSAR against B. cinerea Pers was studied, a statistically significant and chemically meaningful CoMFA model was developed and some compounds which have a high predicted activity were forecasted. In addition, the bioassay also showed that the compounds have good inhibitory activities against human tumor cells HL-60, BGC-823, Bel-7402 and KB. It is interesting to point out that the antitumor activities of compounds 4 are in accordance with their fungicidal activity to a great extent: compounds having relatively best antitumor activities (4A(10), 4A(11), 4A(12), and 4B(3)) also displayed excellent fungicidal activity.     

Synthesis and biological activities of phthalocyanine-estradiol conjugates

Phthalocyanine-based photosensitizers, coupled via a 17alpha-ethynyl group to estradiol using Pd(II) as a catalyst, were synthesized and evaluated for their estrogen receptor binding affinity and in vitro photocytotoxicity. The highest receptor binding affinities (RBA=8-13) were observed with lipophilic conjugates coupled via a relative long spacer group while the sulfonated analogues showed little binding affinities (RBA <2). The highest photocytotoxicity was observed with the sulfonated conjugates, the nature of the spacer group did not have a pronounced effect.     

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modelling studies of novel ACD- and ABD-ring steroidomimetics as inhibitors of CYP17

Two novel classes of non-steroidal substrate mimetics were synthesised and examined for their potency as inhibitors of human CYP17. Selected compounds were tested for inhibition of hepatic CYP enzymes 3A4, 1A2, 2C9 and 2C19. The most promising compound 15 showed a good inhibition of the target enzyme (31% and 66% at 0.2 and 2 microM, respectively), and little inhibition of the most important hepatic enzyme CYP3A4 (6% and 19% inhibition at 0.2 and 2 microM, respectively) and the key enzyme of glucocorticoid biosynthesis CYP11B1 (3% and 23% inhibition at 0.2 and 2 microM, respectively). Docking studies revealed that this compound does not assume the same binding mode as steroidal ligands.     

The monoterpenoids citral and geraniol are moderate inhibitors of CYP2B6 hydroxylase activity

Monoterpenes are found in the volatile essence of flowers, plants oils, and herbal medicines. Some are commonly used as food additives and fragrance components, and many are found in cosmetics, soaps, cleaning products, disinfectants, preservatives, and medicines. We have recently discovered a moderate inhibitory effect of borneol and isoborneol toward CYP2B6-catalyzed bupropion hydroxylase activity. Based on that result, we expanded our study to evaluate the inhibitory effects of 22 monoterpenoids on CYP2B6 activity in vitro. Among the monoterpenoids screened, borneol, camphor, cineole, isoborneol, menthol, and perillaldehyde showed slight inhibition of CYP2B6-catalyzed bupropion hydroxylation, displaying greater than 50% inhibition at 50muM. Citral and geraniol strongly inhibited CYP2B6 hydroxylase activity in a competitive manner, with K(i) values of 6.8 and 10.3muM, respectively, which are higher than the K(i) (1.8muM) of the well-known CYP2B6-selective inhibitor thio-TEPA. These in vitro data indicate that high amounts of these two monoterpenoids might interact with drugs that are metabolized by CYP2B6. The in vivo pharmacokinetics of these compounds should be examined to determine whether the inhibition of CYP2B6 activity by monoterpenoids has clinical relevance.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of peptide-derived TSLP inhibitors

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a type II cytokine which is associated with most inflammatory allergic disorders in humans. It is produced mainly by epithelial cells with important role in the development of chronic inflammatory diseases by activating T-helper cell type-2 (T_H2) pathways. In this study, a total of 16 peptides were prepared by solid phase peptide synthesis based on amino acid sequences of the interface between TSLP and TSLP receptor. Their TSLP inhibition activities were determined by ELISA assay. Among them, three peptides (6?8) exhibited >50% inhibition at concentration of 0.3 mM. They can be used as hit compounds for developing peptide-based TSLP inhibitors.     

Synthesis of dioxane-based antiviral agents and evaluation of their biological activities as inhibitors of Sindbis virus replication

The crystal structure of the Sindbis virus capsid protein contains one or two solvent-derived dioxane molecules in the hydrophobic binding pocket. A bis-dioxane antiviral agent was designed by linking the two dioxane molecules with a three-carbon chain having R,R connecting stereochemistry, and a stereospecific synthesis was performed. This resulted in an effective antiviral agent that inhibited Sindbis virus replication with an EC(50) of 14 microM. The synthesis proceeded through an intermediate (R)-2-hydroxymethyl-[1,4]dioxane, which unexpectedly proved to be a more effecting antiviral agent than the target compound, as evidenced by its EC(50) of 3.4 microM as an inhibitor of Sindbis virus replication. Both compounds were not cytotoxic in uninfected BHK cells at concentrations of 1mM.     

Synthesis and biological activities of novel pyrazolomatrine derivatives

In continuation of our program aimed at the development of new natural product-based pesticides, a series of novel pyrazolomatrine derivatives were prepared by structural modifications of matrine, isolated as a quinolizidine alkaloid from the roots of Sophora flave. Their structures were confirmed by ¹H NMR, HRMS, etc. Moreover, the steric structures of three compounds were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Among all derivatives, 19-(naphthyl-2-oyl)pyrazolomatrine (5y) showed 3.13-fold more potent acaricidal activity than its precusor matrine against Tetranychus cinnabarinus; 19-(4-methylbenzoyl)pyrazolomatrine (5j) and 19-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)pyrazolomatrine (5k) displayed the promising aphicidal activity against Aphis citricola van der. Their structure-activity relationships were also observed.     

Synthesis and biological activities of new hydrazide derivatives

The synthesis of a new series of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid arylidene-hydrazides is described. The chemical structures of the compounds were elucidated by IR, (1)H-NMR, FAB(+)-MS spectral data. Their biological activity against various bacteria, fungi species, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis was investigated. Antibacterial activity was measured against Escherichia coli (NRRL B-3704), Staphylococcus aureus (NRRL B-767), Salmonella typhimurium (NRRL B-4420), Proteus vulgaris (NRLL B-123), Enterococcus faecalis (isolated obtained from Faculty of Medicine Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (NRRL B-23 27853), Klebsiella spp. (isolated obtained from Faculty of Medicine Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey), while antifungal activity was evaluated against Candida albicans (isolates obtained from Osmangazi Uni. Fac.of Medicine), Candida glabrata (isolates obtained from Osmangazi Uni. Fac.of Medicine). Compounds were also evaluated for antituberculosis activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H(37)Rv using the BACTEC 460 radiometric system and BACTEC 12B medium. The compounds showed moderate inhibitor effects against human pathogenic microorganisms., whereas the preliminary results indicated that all of the tested compounds were inactive against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H(37)Rv.     

Synthesis and biological activities of fluorinated chalcone derivatives

We have designed and synthesized new 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors, fluorinated 3,4-dihydroxychalcones, and evaluated their biological activities with respect to antiperoxidation activity and in vitro antitumor activities. All fluorinated chalcones tested showed 5-lipoxygenase inhibition on rat basophilic leukemia-1 (RBL-1) cells and inhibitory action on Fe(3+)-ADP induced NADPH-dependent lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomes. The potencies were comparable or better to that of the lead 3,4-dihydroxychalcone. 6-Fluoro-3,4-dihydroxy-2',4'-dimethoxy chalcone (7) was the most effective compound in the in vitro assay using a human cancer cell line panel (HCC panel) consisting of 39 systems.     

Synthesis and biological activities of novel pyridazine derivatives

A series of pyridazine derivatives was synthesized and some of them showed a growth stimulatory activity during preliminary screening. Their effects on germination, morphogenesis, peroxidase activity and lignan content were tested on common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) plants. 2-[4-(6-ethoxy-pyridazin-3-ylsulfanyl)-6-ethylamino-[1,3,5]triazin-2-ylsulfanyl]-acetamide (C8) accelerated flowering and fruit production. In these plants, total lignan amount in the leaves correlated with the corresponding peroxidase activities. This compound can be recommended against the lodging of crops. Like IAA, 2-(6-ethoxy-pyridazin-3-yl)-isothiourea hydrochloride (C3) stimulated adventitious root growth with necrotic transformation of the bottom stem node. It promoted growth of leaves, the early reproductive development and pod formation. Preparations C3 and C8 can be recommended for the shortening of the juvenile time. In plants treated with each of these compounds, the highest content of lignans was recorded possibly relating to type I “non-host”—like plants resistance. 2-(6-chloro-pyridazin-3-yl)-isothiourea hydrochloride (C2) exerted a stimulatory effect on the growth of vegetative organs.     

Synthesis and biological activity of vitamin D3-sulfate

Vitamin D3-3 beta-sulfate has been synthesized using pyridine sulfur trioxide as the sulfate donor. It has been shown to be pure by high performance liquid chromatography and spectral methods. Unlike previous reports, the product has been identified unambiguously as the 3 beta-sulfate ester of vitamin D3 by its ultraviolet, nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared, and mass spectra. The biological activity of vitamin D3-sulfate was then determined in vitamin D-deficient rats. Vitamin D3-sulfate has less than 5% of the activity of vitamin D3 to mobilize calcium from bone and approximately 1% of the ability of vitamin D3 to stimulate calcium transport, elevate serum phosphorus, or support bone calcification. These results disprove previous claims that vitamin D3-sulfate has potent biological activity, and they further do not support the contention that vitamin D-sulfate represents a potent water-soluble form of vitamin D in milk.     

Synthesis and biological activities of neurokinin alpha and beta

Two novel neuropeptides, neurokinin alpha and beta isolated from porcine spinal cord, were announced. We have synthesized neurokinin alpha as Asp-Met-His-Asp-Phe-Phe-Val-Gly-Leu-Met-NH2, which were 98-99% pure by HPLC. Assays on the isolated guinea pig ilium showed neurokinin alpha to have 81% and neurokinin beta to have 65% of the activity of Substance P. Knowledge of these three related peptides having a common activity opens new considerations of their intrinsic physiological roles in neurotransmission versus pharmacological activities, and reappraisal of the diverse activities of Substance P including that in the inflammatory response of the eye.     

Synthesis and biological activity of selective azasugar-based TACE inhibitors

A series of azasugar-based hydroxamic acid derivatives bearing 2R,3R,4R,5R-configuration is described. Compound 4c with 4,5-O-acetonide group showed excellent in vitro potency against TACE, with high selectivity over MMP-1 and moderate selectivity over MMP-3 and MMP-9.     

Role of distal upstream sequence in vitamin D-induced expression of human CYP24 gene

The level of CYP24 mRNA in cultured human fibroblasts increases up to 20,000-fold in response to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3). Two vitamin D-responsive elements (VDREs) located immediately upstream of the CYP24 gene are primarily responsible for the induction. We studied roles of other regions in the 5'-flanking sequence of this gene. A series of deletion constructs between nucleotides -1918 and +209 of the gene were examined for their promoter activities employing the luciferase reporter assay. We found that the VDREs were not sufficient to account for the extent of induction. The sequence between nucleotides -548 and -294, which is located immediately upstream of the VDREs and includes three potential Sp1 sites, acted synergistically with the VDREs for the induction. Further upstream sequence and the 5'-untranslated region did not appear to play a major role in the vitamin D response.