ABSTRACT
A number of isoxazole, 1,2,3-triazole, tetrazole, and 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives of [17(20)E]-21-norpregnene comprising 3ß-hydroxy-5-ene and 3-oxo-4-ene fragments were prepared. Among the key steps for the synthesis of isoxazoles, 1,2,3-triazoles, and tetrazoles were (i) 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides or azides to acetylenes or nitriles and ii) dehydration of 17ß-hydroxy-17α-methylene-azoles to [17(20)E]-21-norpregnene derivatives. 1,2,4-Oxadiazoles were prepared through the formation of acetimidamides. Potency of the synthesized compounds to inhibit CYP17A1 and to suppress growth of prostate carcinoma cells was investigated. Among the new azole derivatives, four compounds were found possessing high anti-proliferative activity.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Azoles/pharmacology , Norpregnadienes/pharmacology , Prostatic Neoplasms/drug therapy , Antineoplastic Agents/chemical synthesis , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Azoles/chemical synthesis , Azoles/chemistry , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor , Humans , Male , Molecular Structure , Norpregnadienes/chemical synthesis , Norpregnadienes/therapeutic use , PC-3 Cells , Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology , Tumor Cells, CulturedABSTRACT
Herein, we present a new strategy for the preparation of a broad range of brassinosteroid biosynthetic precursors/metabolites differing by the ring A fragment. The protocol is based on the use of readily available phytohormones of this class bearing a 2α,3α-diol moiety (epibrassinolide or epicastasterone) as starting materials. The required functionalities (Δ2-, 2α,3α- and 2ß,3ß-epoxy-, 2α,3ß-, 2ß,3α-, and 2ß,3ß-dihydroxy-, 3-keto-, 3α- and 3ß-hydroxy-, 2α-hydroxy-3-keto-) were synthesized from 2α,3α-diols in a few simple steps (Corey-Winter reaction, epoxidation, oxidation, hydride reduction, etc.).
ABSTRACT
Palladium-catalyzed C-H acetoxylation has been proposed as a key transformation in the first chemical synthesis of steroids bearing a unique 17ß-hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-18-nor-13-ene D-fragment. This C-H functionalization step was crucial for inverting the configuration at the quaternary stereocenter of a readily available synthetic intermediate. The developed approach was applied to prepare the metandienone metabolite needed as a reference substance in anti-doping analysis to control the abuse of this androgenic anabolic steroid.
