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Some 1-[4-(9-benzyl-2-phenyl-9H-purin-6-ylamino)-phenyl]-3-phenyl-urea derivatives and some 1-[4-(9-benzyl-2-phenyl-9H-8-azapurin-6-ylamino)-phenyl]-3-phenyl-urea derivatives were synthesised and evaluated for their interaction with adenosine receptors. It was found that some of these compounds can act as positive enhancers of agonist and antagonist radioligands for the A(2A) adenosine receptors. This evidence was also strengthened by functional data. Other compounds can act as negative modulators. Furthermore these compounds show inhibitory properties for A(1) and A(3) adenosine receptors.

Synthesis and biological assays of a series of 2-phenylpteridine derivatives are described to compare their affinities to adenosine receptors with those of the corresponding adenines, purposely prepared, and 8-azaadenines previously described. This study demonstrates that the enlargement of the five-membered ring of the adenine nucleus to a six-membered one is a modification that does not allow the molecules to maintain high activity towards adenosine receptors; in fact, pteridine derivatives did not show themselves to be good adenosine receptor ligands. On the contrary, N(6)-cycloalkyl- or N(6)-alkyl-2-phenyladenines showed a very high affinity and selectivity for A(1) adenosine receptors. We demonstrate also that the 9-benzyl substituent is crucial for conferring high affinity for A(3) receptors to molecules having a 2-phenyladenine-like nucleus.

We describe here the synthesis and biological activity of new 8-azaadenines bearing both a phenyl group on C(2) and a 9-benzyl group substituted in the ortho position with a Cl or a F atom or a CF(3) group, to verify the synergistic effect of a combination of these substitution patterns on binding with the A(1) adenosine receptors. In position N(6) aliphatic and cycloaliphatic substituents were chosen which had been shown to bind well with the A(1) receptors. Because of the high lipophilicity of these kinds of molecules, we also introduced a hydroxyalkyl substituent in the same position. The compounds obtained generally showed a very good affinity and selectivity for A(1) receptors. Some of the compounds showed K(i) in the nanomolar range, one even in the subnanomolar range (0.6 M). Molecular docking calculations were performed in order to evaluate the interaction energies between the bovine A(1) receptor model and the selected ligands, and then to correlate these energies with biological activities of the ligands as obtained from the experiments. Molecular docking analysis suggests different binding modes towards A(1) receptors that are plausible for these ligands.

A number of N6-(N-arylcarbamoyl)-2-substituted-9-benzyl-8-azaadenines, obtained by a modification of the synthetic scheme used to prepare selective A1 ligands, by only three or two steps, are described. At first we prepared a series of 2-phenyl-9-benzyl-8-azaadenines having as N6 substituent a variously substituted N-phenylcarbamoyl group. Some of these derivatives demonstrated good affinity towards the A3 subtype but low selectivity. Compounds having p-CF3, p-F and p-OCH3, as substituents on the phenylcarbamoyl group were selected as lead compounds for the second part of this study. Without modifying the N6 substituent, which would assure A3 affinity, we varied the 9 and 2 positions on these molecules to enhance selectivity. Some compounds having a p-methyl group on the 2-phenyl substituent showed a very good affinity and selectivity for the A3 subtype, revealing the first class of A3 adenosine receptor selective antagonists with a bicyclic structure strictly correlated to the adenine nucleus. The molecular modelling work, carried out using the DOCK program, supplied two models which may be useful for a better understanding of the binding modes. Both models highlighted the preferred interacting tautomeric forms of the antagonists for human A1 and A3 receptors.

Several 9-benzyl-N6-cycloalkyl-2-phenyladenines, 9-benzyl-N6-cycloalkyl-2-phenyl-8-azaadenines and 4-cycloalkylamino-1-benzyl-6-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-c]pyridines were prepared and assayed as A1 adenosine receptor ligands. The 1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-c]pyridines were obtained starting from N,N-diethyl-1-benzyl-4-carboxyamido-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole by lithiation in anhydrous tetrahydrofurane in the presence of benzonitrile. The usual work up afforded the isolation of 1-benzyl-6-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-c]pyridin-4-one which was treated with phosphorous oxychloride and cycloalkylamines. Some compounds showed high affinity and selectivity and the trend of Ki values corresponds to the series of 9-benzyl-N6-cycloalkyl-2-phenyladenines and 9-benzyl-N6-cycloalkyl-2-phenyl-8-azaadenines, therefore they can be considered bioisosteres. The affinity data permitted us to ascertain the role and the importance of the N3 in the adenine or 8-azaadenine moiety in the receptor binding and to study the dimension of the receptor lipophilic pocket which is filled by the N6 substituent of adenosine derivatives.

In this paper we describe synthesis and biological assays of some A(1) ligands more water-soluble than the effective, but very lipophilic, 8-azaadenines and adenines discovered in the past and obtained introducing on N(6) or N(9) substituent a hydroxy group. Five of the new N(6)-hydroxyalkyl- and N(6)-hydroxycycloalkyl-2-phenyl-9-benzyl-8-azaadenines showed very high affinity (Ki<40 nM) and selectivity for A(1) adenosine receptors. Among the 2-phenyl-9-(2-hydroxy-3-alkyl)-8-azaadenines or adenines prepared, the compounds with the higher A(1) affinity and selectivity resulted 2-phenyl-9-(2-hydroxy-3-propyl)-N(6)-cyclopentyl- and cyclohexyl-8-azaadenine with Ki 2.2+/-0.2 nM and 2.8+/-0.3 nM respectively. From the point of view of water-solubility, 2-phenyl-9-(2-hydroxy-3-propyl)-8-azaadenine was the most interesting compound, having a CLogP of 1.066991 and a water-solubility of 1.2 mg mL(-1).

erythro-2-Phenyl-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine and its 8-aza analog were prepared and showed a very high inhibitory activity towards adenosine deaminase (ADA), with Ki 0.55 and 1.67 nM, respectively, and high affinity for A1 adenosine receptors, with Ki 28 and 2.8 nM, respectively. To increase affinity for A1 receptors we introduced a substituent on the N6 position such as alkyl or cycloalkyl groups, which are present in effective agonists or antagonists. Furthermore, for some compounds, we prepared the two diastereoisomers erythro and threo to verify whether the binding with A1 receptors is stereoselective, as in ADA. Results show that some of the synthesised compounds are good inhibitors for ADA and good ligands for A1, and the erythro diastereoisomers are more active than the threo ones. The experimental evidence allows us to hypothesise some similarity in the three dimensional structures of the binding site of the two proteins, ADA and A1 adenosine receptor, in spite of lacking any homologies in the amino acid sequences.

Synthesis of a series of new 2-phenyl-9-benzyl-8-azaadenines bearing on N6 an alkyl or aralkyl chain having a carbonyloxymethyl group on the carbon bound to N6 were reported. The ester group could assure to the molecule a better water-solubility than the 8-azaadenines 2, 6 and 9 substituted with lipophilic groups synthesised in the past. Compounds synthesised demonstrated only little capability of binding A1 adenosine receptors.

The synthesis and the assay of title compounds were accomplished. Biological results indicated the general lack of activity among the tested disubstituted compounds bearing the benzyl group on N(6) and confirmed the activity of those with this group on N(9).

The A1 activities shown respectively by N(6) or N(9) substituted 8-azaadenines were compared. At least in some cases, the biological results indicated the ability of the receptor to accept the exogenous molecule in various arrangements, and an attempt to rationalizing these arrangements was made by means of a model with two different molecular orientations.

Comparison of the affinity towards adenosine receptors of 2-phenyl-8-azaadenosines, bearing a lipophilic substituent on N(6), with the corresponding 2-phenyl-8-azaadenines was carried out. The compounds have good A1 affinity and high A1 selectivity. The obtained Ki(rib)/Ki(benz) ratios for A1 receptors, which showed variable values depending on the structure of the N(6) substituent, confirmed that 2-phenyl-8-azaadenines are characterized by greater freedom inside A1 receptors. This situation may be a favourable test of the hypothesized double disposition of these exogenous molecules within A1 receptors.

The title compounds were prepared to evaluate their affinity towards adenosine A1 and A2 receptors. Some 2-phenyl-N(6)-substituted-8-azadenines showed good binding properties and good A1 selectivity. The biological results allow us to confirm the presence in A1 receptors of a third lipophilic pocket, able to receive the substituent on N(9), and to evince increased affinity when a phenyl group on C(2) substitutes an n-butyl group. These affinity differences between analogous 2-n-butyl and 2-phenyl derivatives indicate that they arrange themselves within A1 receptors in a similar manner and suggest that this receptor is able to arrange 8-azaadenines, bearing three lipophilic substituents, in two different ways.

Several title compounds were assayed to determine their relative affinity towards the adenosine receptors. Selectivity ratios (SR) showed a prevalent A1 affinity. The comparison with the selectivity ratios of the corresponding 9-benzyl-8-azaadenines and the comparison between the affinity constant values (K1) for each receptor of the two series, were performed. The results led us to conclude that A1 receptors are characterized by more different arrangements which regard especially to 9-benzyl-8-azaadenines.

This paper describes the synthesis of three new 9-aryl-8-azaadenine derivatives (Ic, d, e) and of some related compounds, using the appropriate 1-substituted-5-amino triazoles (IV) as starting material. The new azaadenines were subjected to pharmacological screening and the carboxylic compound (I c) showed an interesting antiallergic activity, depending on the presence of the free acid function.