Pleuromutilin derivatives having a purine ring. Part 3: Synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel compounds possessing a piperazine ring spacer

SAR studies on the water-soluble thioether pleuromutilin analogue 6, which has excellent in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities, led to discovery of the novel pleuromutilin derivatives having a piperazine ring spacer. These derivatives displayed potent and well-balanced in vitro antibacterial activity against various drug-susceptible and -resistant Gram-positive bacteria. In particular, the promising pleuromutilin analogues 37 and 40 were found to exhibit strong in vivo efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus Smith.     

Investigation of 4-amino-5-alkynylpyrimidine-2(1H)-ones as anti-mycobacterial agents

In vitro anti-mycobacterial activities of novel 4-amino-5-alkynylpyrimidine-2(1H)-ones were investigated. 4-Amino-5-heptynylpyrimidine-2(1H)-one (3) and 4-amino-5-(2-phenylethynyl)pyrimidine-2(1H)-one (7) displayed potent in vitro activity against Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Compounds 3 and 7 were also assessed for their in vivo activity in BALB/c mice infected with M. tuberculosis (H37Ra). Both compounds showed promising in vivo efficacy at a dose of 25 mg/kg for 2 weeks. Importantly, compounds 3 and 7 interacted synergistically with the front-line anti-tuberculosis drug isoniazid in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that this class of compounds has strong anti-mycobacterial potential.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the separation and characterization of metabolites of the potential cytostatic drug oracine

Oracine (I), a potential cytostatic drug, is enzymically converted to a number of metabolites whose formation has been studied in vitro and in vivo. The metabolites were separated by reversed-phase HPLC and characterized by UV spectra. Preparative TLC served for the isolation of the individual metabolites to allow their identification. Two metabolites were identified by Fourier transform NMR as 11-dihydrooracine (II) and a phenolic product (III). Two further metabolites (IV,V) were characterized. Some minor, presumably 11-dihydro metabolites and an 11-oxo metabolite produced in vitro and in vivo were revealed.     

Pyrazolopyridazine alpha-2-delta-1 ligands for the treatment of neuropathic pain

Optimization of the novel alpha-2-delta-1 ligand 4 provided compounds 37 and 38 which have improved DMPK profiles, good in vivo analgesic activity and in vitro selectivity over alpha-2-delta-2. An in-house P-gp prediction programme and the MetaSite® software package were used to help solve the specific problems of high P-gp efflux and high in vivo clearance.     

Synthesis and antiviral evaluation of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazole/thiadiazole-chalcone conjugates

A series of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazole/thiadiazole–chalcone conjugates were synthesized and their in vitro and in vivo antiviral activities were evaluated via microscale thermophoresis method and half-leaf method, respectively. The in vitro results indicated that compounds 7g, 7l, 8h, and 8l displayed good antiviral activity against TMV, with the binding constant values of 5.93, 6.15, 6.02, and 5.04 μM, respectively, which were comparable to that of Ninnanmycin (6.78 μM) and even better than that of Ribavirin (99.25 μM). The in vivo results demonstrated that compounds 7g, 7l, 8h, and 8l exhibited remarkable anti-TMV activity with the EC₅₀ values of 33.66, 33.97, 33.87 and 30.57 µg/mL, respectively, which were comparable to that of Ningnanmycin (36.85 µg/mL) and superior to that of Ribavirin (88.52 µg/mL). Interestingly, the trend of antiviral activity in vivo was consistent with the in vitro results.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel series of aryl S,N-ketene acetals as antileishmanial agents

A series of aryl S,N-ketene acetals 7(a–f) was synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial activity against Leishmania donovani. All the 6 compounds exhibited significant in vitro activity against intracellular amastigotes of L. donovani with IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.2 to 3.5 μM and were found promising as compared with reference drugs, sodium stibogluconate (SSG) and paromomycin. On the basis of good selectivity indices (SI), they were further tested for their in vivo potential against L. donovani/hamster model. Two compounds 7a and 7b showed significant inhibition of parasite multiplication, 72% and 83%, respectively. These compounds were comparable with SSG and superior to paromomycin. Preliminary in vitro metabolic investigations were also performed to assess the metabolic stability and in vitro hepatic intrinsic clearance (Cl_int) of compound 7b in hamster liver microsomes.     

Optimization of arylindenopyrimidines as potent adenosine A2A/A1 antagonists

Two reactive metabolites were identified in vivo for the dual A_2A/A₁ receptor antagonist 1. Two strategies were implemented to successfully mitigate the metabolic liabilities associated with 1. Optimization of the arylindenopyrimidines led to a number of amide, ether, and amino analogs having comparable in vitro and in vivo activity.     

Discovery of novel pyrrole derivatives as potent agonists for the niacin receptor GPR109A

Novel pyrrole derivatives were discovered as potent agonists of the niacin receptor, GPR109A. During the derivatization, compound 16 was found to be effective both in vitro and in vivo. The compound 16 exhibited a significant reduction of the non-esterified fatty acid in human GPR109A transgenic rats, and the duration of its in vivo efficacy was much longer than niacin.     

Discovery of a novel chimeric ubenimex–gemcitabine with potent oral antitumor activity

Herein, a novel mutual prodrug BC-A1 was discovered by integrating ubenimex and gemcitabine into one molecule. Biological characterization revealed that compound BC-A1 could maintain both the anti-CD13 activity of ubenimex and the cytotoxic activity of gemcitabine in vitro. Further characterization also demonstrated that compound BC-A1 exhibited significant anti-invasion and anti-angiogenesis effects in vitro. The preliminary stability test of BC-A1 revealed that it could release gemcitabine in vitro. The in vivo anti-tumor results in liver cancer showed that at the same dosage, oral administration of BC-A1 was as potent as intraperitoneal administration of gemcitabine. This warranted the further research and development of the orally active prodrug BC-A1 because gemcitabine can not be orally administrated in clinic.     

7-(4-Alkylidenylpiperidinyl)-quinolone bacterial topoisomerase inhibitors

Novel antibacterial fluoroquinolone agents bearing a 4-alkylidenylpiperidine 7-position substituent are active against quinolone-susceptible and quinolone-resistant gram-positive bacteria, including Streptococcus pneumoniae and MRSA. Analogs 22b, 23c, and 24 demonstrated superior in vitro and in vivo efficacy to ciprofloxacin against these cocci.     

Tetracyclic sulfones as potent γ-secretase inhibitors: Synthesis and structure–activity relationship studies

Complex tetracyclic sulfones were designed as γ-secretase inhibitors and a stereoselective synthesis was achieved. γ-Secretase activity was seen predominately in the (?) enantiomeric series. Compounds such as 2a and 2b showed remarkable in vitro and in vivo potency.     

Novel carbamate cholinesterase inhibitors that release biologically active amines following enzyme inhibition

Conjugation of the phenol derived from rivastigmine with amphetamines gave access to novel carbamate cholinesterase inhibitors. All compounds possessed increased affinity and selectivity for AChE compared to rivastigmine and were orally bioavailable. Compound 4a, incorporating d-amphetamine, caused significant inhibition of cholinesterase in vivo at doses that were well tolerated. Release of amphetamine from 4a was demonstrated following in vitro and in vivo inhibition of cholinesterase. Compound 4a was also effective in alleviating scopolamine induced amnesia in a rat passive avoidance model.     

Benzimidazole-based DGAT1 inhibitors with a [3.1.0] bicyclohexane carboxylic acid moiety

Previously disclosed benzimidazole-based DGAT1 inhibitors containing a cyclohexane carboxylic acid moiety suffer from isomerization at the alpha position of the carboxylic acid group, generating active metabolites which exhibit DGAT1 inhibition comparable to the corresponding parent compounds. In this report, we describe the design, synthesis and profiling of benzimidazole-based DGAT1 inhibitors with a [3.1.0] bicyclohexane carboxylic acid moiety. Our results show that single isomer 3A maintains in vitro and in vivo inhibition against DGAT1. In contrast to previous lead compounds, 3A does not undergo isomerization during in vitro hepatocyte incubation study or in vivo mouse study.     

Lead optimization of a pyridine-carboxamide series as DGAT-1 inhibitors

The structure–activity relationship studies of a novel series of carboxylic acid derivatives of pyridine-carboxamides as DGAT-1 inhibitors is described. The optimization of the initial lead compound 6 based on in vitro and in vivo activity led to the discovery of key compounds 10j and 17h.     

Synthesis,anti-inflammatory,analgesic, COX-1/2 inhibition activities and molecular docking study of pyrazoline derivatives

Design, synthesis and pharmacological activities of a group of 1,3,5-trisubstituted pyrazolines were reported. The chemical structures of the synthesized compounds have been assigned on the basis of IR, MS, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectral analyses. The synthesized 1,3,5-trisubstituted pyrazoline derivatives were evaluated in vivo for anti-inflammatory, analgesic activities and in vitro for COX-1/2 inhibition assay. Among the tested compounds, derivatives 4h, 6e, 7a, 7e, and 9 showed more potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities than the reference drug celecoxib. On the basis of their higher activities in the in vivo studies compared with celecoxib, the five compounds 4h, 6e, 7a, 7e and 9 were selected to test their inhibitory activities against ovine COX-1/2 using an in vitro cyclooxygenase inhibition assay. Docking study of compounds 7a, 7e and 9 into the COX-2 binding site revealed a similar binding mode to SC-558, a selective COX-2 inhibitor.     

Anilinotriazoles as potent gamma secretase modulators

The design and synthesis of a novel series of potent gamma secretase modulators is described. Exploration of various spacer groups between the triazole ring and the aromatic appendix in 2 has led to anilinotriazole 28, which combined high in vitro and in vivo potency with an acceptable drug-like profile.     

Synthesis,characterization, antitumor activity and safety testing of novel polyphosphoesters bearing anthracene-derived aminophosphonate units

Novel polyphosphoesters containing anthracene-derived aminophosphonate units, poly(oxyethylene aminophosphonate)s (4 and 5) and poly[oxyethylene(aminophosphonate-co-H-phosphonate)]s (6 and 7), were synthesized via an addition of poly(oxyethylene H-phosphonate)s to 9-anthrylidene-p-toluidine. The IR, NMR (¹H, ¹³C and ³¹P) and fluorescence emission spectral data of the polymers are presented. The copolymers 6 and 7 were tested for in vitro antitumor activity on a panel of seven human epithelial cancer cell lines. Safety testing was performed both in vitro (3T3 NRU test) and in vivo on ICR mice for genotoxicity and antiproliferative activity. The copolymer 7 showed excellent antiproliferative activity to HBL-100, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines. However, the in vitro safety testing revealed significant toxicity to Balb/c 3T3 mouse embryo cells. In contrast, the copolymer 6 showed complete absence of cytotoxicity to Balb/c 3T3 cells, but inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells, cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa) and hepatocellular carcinoma cell cultures after prolonged (72 h) exposure. The polymers (4–6) exhibited low (4 and 6) to moderate (5) clastogenicity in vivo and slightly inhibited bone marrow cell division, compared to Mitomycin C. The subcellular distribution of the copolymers 6 and 7 were studied in model cell culture systems. The tested polyphosphoesters are expected to act in vivo as prodrugs of aminophosphonates and could be valuable as a new class of biodegradable polymer drug carriers.     

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel water-soluble nocathiacin analogs

Semi-synthetic water-soluble analogs were synthesized from nocathiacin I through the formation of a versatile intermediate nocathiacin amine 5, and subsequent transformation via reductive amination, acylation or urea formation. Several of the novel analogs displayed much improved aqueous solubility over 1, while retained antibacterial activity. Compound 15 and 16 from the amide series, demonstrated excellent in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity.     

New potent calcimimetics: I. Discovery of a series of novel trisubstituted ureas

Starting from Fendiline and R-568, we identified a novel series of urea compounds as positive allosteric modulators of the calcium sensing receptor (CaSR), as part of a program to identify novel therapeutics for secondary hyperparathyroidism. Initially identified disubstituted ureas were converted to trisubstituted urea lead 20e, which was further modified to increase in vivo potency. Replacing a carbomethoxy substituent by various bioisosteres led to compound 46 which exhibited potent in vitro and in vivo activity after oral administration.     

Synthesis and in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity of novel 3-methyl-5H-isoxazolo[5′,4′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-b]indoles

A series of novel isoxazolo[5′,4′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-b]indoles 7a–h were synthesized and tested for their in vitro and in vivo anticancer activities. The analogs 7d and 7g have shown potential anticancer activity as compared with the reference compound Cisplatin.