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Biological applications of phosphorescent probes for sensing molecular oxygen (O

The synthesis of guanine α-carboxy nucleoside phosphonate (G-α-CNP) is described. Two routes provide access to racemic G-α-CNP 9, one via base construction and the other utilizing Tsuji-Trost allylic substitution. The latter methodology was also applied to the enantiopure synthesis of both antipodes of G-α-CNP, each of which showing interesting antiviral DNA polymerase activity. Additionally, we report an improved multigram scale preparation of the cyclopentene building block 10, starting material for the preferred Tsuji-Trost route to 9.

Cocrystallization studies on Naringenin with 27 coformers have led to the formation of five new solid forms: a piperazinium salt (PIP+-NR-) and four cocrystals with the coformers flavone (FLV), 4-hydroxypyridine (4-HP), anthranilamide (ATA), and 4,4′-bipyridine (Bipy). Structural characterization reveals that the hydrogen bonded head to tail dimer motif in naringenin is maintained only in the cocrystal with flavone (NR-FLV). All four neutral cocrystals maintain the S(6) OH···O=C intramolecular hydrogen bond seen in naringenin with this carbonyl oxygen atom bifurcated. The piperazinium salt is the only structure in which the ether oxygen is involved in hydrogen bonding. Some of the structures display disorder in the chiral center of naringenin, making them anomalous racemic solid solutions. The solubility study revealed that the salt formation has significantly enhanced the solubility of naringenin, for example the piperazinium salt has enhanced solubility of >3,000 times that of the neutral parent compound.

Acyclic nucleoside phosphonates represent a well-defined class of clinically used nucleoside analogs. All acyclic nucleoside phosphonates need intracellular phosphorylation before they can bind viral DNA polymerases. Recently, a novel class of alpha-carboxynucleoside phosphonates have been designed to mimic the natural 2′-deoxynucleotide 5′-triphosphate substrates of DNA polymerases. They contain a carboxyl group in the phosphonate moiety linked to the nucleobase through a cyclic or acyclic bridge. Alpha-carboxynucleoside phosphonates act as viral DNA polymerase inhibitors without any prior requirement of metabolic conversion. Selective inhibitory activity against retroviral reverse transcriptase and herpesvirus DNA polymerases have been demonstrated. These compounds have a unique mechanism of inhibition of viral DNA polymerases, and provide possibilities for further modifications to optimize and fine tune their antiviral DNA polymerase spectrum.

Polymerases have a structurally highly conserved negatively charged amino acid motif that is strictly required for Mg(2+) cation-dependent catalytic incorporation of (d)NTP nucleotides into nucleic acids. Based on these characteristics, a nucleoside monophosphonate scaffold, α-carboxy nucleoside phosphonate (α-CNP), was designed that is recognized by a variety of polymerases. Kinetic, biochemical, and crystallographic studies with HIV-1 reverse transcriptase revealed that α-CNPs mimic the dNTP binding through a carboxylate oxygen, two phosphonate oxygens, and base-pairing with the template. In particular, the carboxyl oxygen of the α-CNP acts as the potential equivalent of the α-phosphate oxygen of dNTPs and two oxygens of the phosphonate group of the α-CNP chelate Mg(2+), mimicking the chelation by the β- and γ-phosphate oxygens of dNTPs. α-CNPs (i) do not require metabolic activation (phosphorylation), (ii) bind directly to the substrate-binding site, (iii) chelate one of the two active site Mg(2+) ions, and (iv) reversibly inhibit the polymerase catalytic activity without being incorporated into nucleic acids. In addition, α-CNPs were also found to selectively interact with regulatory (i.e., allosteric) Mg(2+)-dNTP-binding sites of nucleos(t)ide-metabolizing enzymes susceptible to metabolic regulation. α-CNPs represent an entirely novel and broad technological platform for the development of specific substrate active- or regulatory-site inhibitors with therapeutic potential. ispartof: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol:112 issue:11 pages:3475-3480 ispartof: location:United States status: published

The synthesis of the first series of a new class of nucleoside phosphonate analogues is described. Addition of a carboxyl group at the α position of carbocyclic nucleoside phosphonate analogues leads to a novel class of potent HIV reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors, α-carboxy nucleoside phosphonates (α-CNPs). Key steps in the synthesis of the compounds are Rh-catalyzed O–H insertion and Pd-catalyzed allylation reactions. In cell-free assays, the final products are markedly inhibitory against HIV RT and do not require phosphorylation to exhibit anti-RT activity, which indicates that the α-carboxyphosphonate function is efficiently recognized by HIV RT as a triphosphate entity, an unprecedented property of nucleoside monophosph(on)ates.

α-Carboxy nucleoside phosphonates (α-CNPs) are modified nucleotides that represent a novel class of nucleotide-competing reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors (NcRTIs). They were designed to act directly against HIV-1 RT without the need for prior activation (phosphorylation). In this respect, they differ from the nucleoside or nucleotide RTIs [N(t)RTIs] that require conversion to their triphosphate forms before being inhibitory to HIV-1 RT. The guanine derivative (G-α-CNP) has now been synthesized and investigated for the first time. The (L)-(+)-enantiomer of G-α-CNP directly and competitively inhibits HIV-1 RT by interacting with the substrate active site of the enzyme. The (D)-(-)-enantiomer proved inactive against HIV-1 RT. In contrast, the (+)- and (-)-enantiomers of G-α-CNP inhibited herpes (i.e. HSV-1, HCMV) DNA polymerases in a non- or uncompetitive manner, strongly indicating interaction of the (L)-(+)- and the (D)-(-)-G-α-CNPs at a location different from the polymerase substrate active site of the herpes enzymes. Such entirely different inhibition profile of viral polymerases is unprecedented for a single antiviral drug molecule. Moreover, within the class of α-CNPs, subtle differences in their sensitivity to mutant HIV-1 RT enzymes were observed depending on the nature of the nucleobase in the α-CNP molecules. The unique properties of the α-CNPs make this class of compounds, including G-α-CNP, direct acting inhibitors of multiple viral DNA polymerases. ispartof: Biochemical Pharmacology vol:136 pages:51-61 ispartof: location:England status: published

As α-carboxy nucleoside phosphonates (α-CNPs) have demonstrated a novel mode of action of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibition, structurally related derivatives were synthesized, namely the malonate 2, the unsaturated and saturated bisphosphonates 3 and 4, respectively and the amide 5. These compounds were evaluated for inhibition of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase in cell-free assays. The importance of the α-carboxy phosphonoacetic acid moiety for achieving reverse transcriptase inhibition, without the need for prior phosphorylation, was confirmed. The malonate derivative 2 was less active by two orders of magnitude than the original α-CNPs, while displaying the same pattern of kinetic behavior; interestingly the activity resides in the “L”-enantiomer of 2, as seen with the earlier series of α-CNPs. A crystal structure with an RT/DNA complex at 2.95 A resolution revealed the binding of the “L”-enantiomer of 2, at the polymerase active site with a weaker metal ion chelation environment compared to 1a (T-α-CNP) which may explain the lower inhibitory activity of 2.

A novel 1:1 cocrystal between p-toluenesulfonamide and triphenylphosphine oxide has been prepared and structurally characterized. This 1:1 cocrystal was observed to form during solid state grinding experiments, with subsequent formation of a known 3:2 cocrystal in the presence of excess sulfonamide. Both cocrystals are stable in the solid state. The ternary phase diagram for the two coformers was constructed in two different solvents: acetonitrile and dichloromethane. Examination of these diagrams clarified solution crystallization of both the newly discovered 1:1 cocrystal and the previously reported 3:2 cocrystal, and identified regions of stability for each cocrystal in each solvent. The choice of solvent was found to have a significant effect on the position of the solid state regions within a cocrystal system.

The preparation of enantiopure cyanohydrin acetates via enzymatic hydrolysis has been investigated by screening a range of biocatalysts and reaction conditions. Enzymatic resolution has been optimised through variation of the hydrolase biocatalyst and reaction conditions leading to synthetically useful routes to enantiopure cyanohydrin acetates.

3-Bromopropylamine hydrobromide reacts with N -hydroxyphthalimide in the presence of DBU to give, not the expected N -(3-aminopropyloxy)phthalimide, but N -(3-aminooxypropyl)-phthalimide, 6 , formed by an unusual intramolecular rearrangement. Coupling of the pentamethyl-chroman-6-sulphonyl (Pmc) derivatives of 9 and 13 with N -Bpoc-aminopropanol affords a differentially protected 6-oxaspermidine 10 and 6,9-dioxaspermine 14 respectively from which the protecting groups are removed independently.

In order to investigate their biological function on cellular polyamine content, cell growth and proliferation, three novel polyamine oxa-analogues, 5-(4-methoxy-2,3,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonyl)-6-oxa-spermidine (MTR-OSPD); 6,9-dioxa-5,10-di-(2,2,5,7,8-pentamethylchroman-6-sulfonyl)spermine (DIP-SPN) and 3-aminopropyl N -(3-phthalimidopropyloxy)trifluoroacetimidate (APPO-TFA) were tested for their ability to stop or slow down the growth of Swiss 3T3 cells. Cells at 50–60% confluency were grown for 24 or 48 hr in the presence of a wide range of polyamine oxa-analogue concentrations and the number of cells counted. To determine whether the drugs were cytotoxic or cytostatic, the analogue-containing medium in some vials was replaced with fresh culture medium after 48 hr and the cells incubated for a further 24 hr. Cellular protein, RNA, DNA, polyamine contents and the activities of ornithine decarboxylase, S -adenosyl- l -methionine decarboxylase and spermidine/spermine N 1 -acetyltransferase were also determined at the lowest effective analogue concentration. All three inhibitors stopped cell proliferation at concentrations over 100 μM. Both MTR-OSPD and DIP-SPN were cytotoxic, since the cells could not be revived by removing the inhibitor from the medium, whereas APPO-TFA was only cytostatic. At the lowest effective concentration the analogues had little effect on protein, RNA and DNA content of the cells, but had varying effects on polyamine metabolism. The most interesting analogue was APPO-TFA. This drug showed concentration-dependent growth inhibition between concentrations of 5 nM and 5 μM. These novel analogues may be of value in elucidating the precise functions of polyamines in cellular metabolism. Their exact mode of action is now under investigation.