Extension of furopyrimidine nucleosides with 5-alkynyl substituent: Synthesis, high fluorescence, and antiviral effect in the absence of free ribose hydroxyl groups.

A novel methodology to access alkynyl nucleoside analogues is elaborated. Highly fluorescent 5-alkynylfuropyrimidines were synthesized (97-46%) and their antiviral properties investigated in vitro. Regiochemistry of the functionalization was achieved with the aid of 5-endo-dig electrophilic halocyclization of acetyl 5-p-tolyl- or 5-p-pentylphenyl-2'-deoxyuridine. Structure of one of the resulting nucleosides, 6-p-tolyl-5-iodo-2'-deoxyribofuranosyl-furo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-2-one, was confirmed by X-ray crystallography, and its conformation was compared to related nucleosides. Diverse alkynyl substituents were introduced at the heterobicyclic base C-5 position via Sonogashira coupling of 5-iodo-2'-deoxyribofuranosyl-furo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-2-ones. The resulting compounds had fluorescence emissions of 452-481 nm. High quantum yields of 0.53-0.60 were observed for 9-ethynyl-9-fluorenol and propargyl alcohol/methyl ether-modified furopyrimidines. These modified nucleosides, designed in the form of ribose acetyl esters, are potential tools for fluorescent tagging, studying nucleoside metabolism, 2'-deoxyribonucleoside kinase activity, and antiviral activity. Antiviral assays against a broad spectrum of DNA and RNA viruses showed that in human embryonic lung (HEL) cell cultures some of the compounds posess antiviral activity (EC50 1.3-13.2 µM) against varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The alkynyl furopyrimidine with two p-pentylphenyl substituents emerged as the best compound with reasonable and selective anti-VZV activity, confirming p-pentylphenyl potency as a pharmacophore.

One Way Traffic: Base-to-Backbone Hole Transfer in Nucleoside Phosphorodithioate.

Invited for the cover of this issue are the groups of Roman Dembinski, Mehran Mostafavi, and Amitava Adhikary at the Polish Academy of Sciences, Université Paris-Saclay, and Oakland University. The image depicts a doughnut as a way of illustrating the hole transfer process. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202000247.

One Way Traffic: Base-to-Backbone Hole Transfer in Nucleoside Phosphorodithioate.

The directionality of the hole-transfer processes between DNA backbone and base was investigated by using phosphorodithioate [P(S- )=S] components. ESR spectroscopy in homogeneous frozen aqueous solutions and pulse radiolysis in aqueous solution at ambient temperature confirmed initial formation of G.+ -P(S- )=S. The ionization potential of G-P(S- )=S was calculated to be slightly lower than that of guanine in 5'-dGMP. Subsequent thermally activated hole transfer from G.+ to P(S- )=S led to dithiyl radical (P-2S. ) formation on the µs timescale. In parallel, ESR spectroscopy, pulse radiolysis, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed P-2S. formation in an abasic phosphorodithioate model compound. ESR investigations at low temperatures and higher G-P(S- )=S concentrations showed a bimolecular conversion of P-2S. to the σ2 -σ*1 -bonded dimer anion radical [-P-2S - . 2S-P-]- [ΔG (150 K, DFT)=-7.2 kcal mol-1 ]. However, [-P-2S - . 2S-P-]- formation was not observed by pulse radiolysis [ΔG° (298 K, DFT)=-1.4 kcal mol-1 ]. Neither P-2S. nor [-P-2S - . 2S-P-]- oxidized guanine base; only base-to-backbone hole transfer occurs in phosphorodithioate.

Extension of the 5-alkynyluridine side chain via C-C-bond formation in modified organometallic nucleosides using the Nicholas reaction.

Dicobalt hexacarbonyl nucleoside complexes of propargyl ether or esters of 5-substituted uridines react with diverse C-nucleophiles. Synthetic outcomes confirmed that the Nicholas reaction can be carried out in a nucleoside presence, leading to a divergent synthesis of novel metallo-nucleosides enriched with alkene, arene, arylketo, and heterocyclic functions, in the deoxy and ribo series.

P-stereocontrolled synthesis of oligo(nucleoside N3'→O5' phosphoramidothioate)s - opportunities and limitations.

3'-N-(2-Thio-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane) derivatives of 5'-O-DMT-3'-amino-2',3'-dideoxy-ribonucleosides (NOTP-N), that bear a 4,4-unsubstituted, 4,4-dimethyl, or 4,4-pentamethylene substituted oxathiaphospholane ring, were synthesized. Within these three series, NOTP-N differed by canonical nucleobases (i.e., AdeBz, CytBz, GuaiBu, or Thy). The monomers were chromatographically separated into P-diastereomers, which were further used to prepare NNPSN' dinucleotides (3), as well as short P-stereodefined oligo(deoxyribonucleoside N3'→O5' phosphoramidothioate)s (NPS-) and chimeric NPS/PO- and NPS/PS-oligomers. The condensation reaction for NOTP-N monomers was found to be 5-6 times slower than the analogous OTP derivatives. When the 5'-end nucleoside of a growing oligomer adopts a C3'-endo conformation, a conformational 'clash' with the incoming NOTP-N monomer takes place, which is a main factor decreasing the repetitive yield of chain elongation. Although both isomers of NNPSN' were digested by the HINT1 phosphoramidase enzyme, the isomers hydrolyzed at a faster rate were tentatively assigned the R P absolute configuration. This assignment is supported by X-ray analysis of the protected dinucleotide DMTdGiBu NPSMeTOAc, which is P-stereoequivalent to the hydrolyzed faster P-diastereomer of dGNPST.

Organometallic Nucleosides: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Substituted Dicobalt Hexacarbonyl 2'-Deoxy-5-oxopropynyluridines.

Reactions of dicobalt octacarbonyl [Co2(CO)8] with 2'-deoxy-5-oxopropynyluridines and related compounds gave dicobalt hexacarbonyl nucleoside complexes (83-31 %). The synthetic outcomes were confirmed by X-ray structure determination of dicobalt hexacarbonyl 2'-deoxy-5-(4-hydroxybut-1-yn-1-yl)uridine, which exhibits intermolecular hydrogen bonding between a modified base and ribose. The electronic structure of this compound was characterized by the DFT calculations. The growth inhibition of HeLa and K562 cancer cell lines by organometallic nucleosides was examined and compared to that by alkynyl nucleoside precursors. Coordination of the dicobalt carbonyl moiety to the 2'-deoxy-5-alkynyluridines led to a significant increase in the cytotoxic potency. The cobalt compounds displayed antiproliferative activities with median inhibitory values (IC50) in the range of 20 to 80 µm for the HeLa cell line and 18 to 30 µm for the K562 cell line. Coordination of an acetyl-substituted cobalt nucleoside was expanded by using the 1,1-bis(diphenylphosphino)methane (dppm) ligand, which exhibited cytotoxicity at comparable levels. The formation of reactive oxygen species in the presence of cobalt compounds was determined in K562 cells. The results indicate that the mechanism of action for most antiproliferative cobalt compounds may be related to the induction of oxidative stress.

Phosphorothioate analogs of P1,P3-di(nucleosid-5'-yl) triphosphates: Synthesis, assignment of the absolute configuration at P-atoms and P-stereodependent recognition by Fhit hydrolase.

Di(nucleosid-5'-yl) polyphosphates (NPnN) are involved in various biological processes, and constitute signaling molecules in the intermolecular purinergic systems. They exert tumor suppression function and are substrates for specific hydrolases (e.g., HIT proteins). Their structural analogs may serve as molecular probes and potential therapeutic agents. Three P1,P3-bis-thio-analogs of symmetrical di(nucleosid-5'-yl) triphosphates (NP3N) bearing adenosine, guanosine or ribavirin residues (6, 7 and 8, respectively), were obtained by direct condensation of corresponding base-protected nucleoside-5'-O-(2-thio-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane) with anhydrous phosphoric acid in the presence of DBU. Deprotected products 6 and 8 were separated into individual P-diastereoisomers, whereas 7 was partially separated to yield diastereomerically enriched fractions. The absolute configuration at P-stereogenic centers in the separated diastereoisomers was assigned by RP-HPLC analysis of the products of enzymatic digestion with snake venom phosphodiesterase. The Fhit-assisted hydrolysis rates for 6 and 7 are by 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than that for the reference AP3A, and depend on the configuration of the stereogenic phosphorus atoms, while 8 occurred to be resistant to this cleavage.

The α-thio and/or ß-γ-hypophosphate analogs of ATP as cofactors of T4 DNA ligase.

T4 DNA ligase is one of the most commonly used enzymes for in vitro molecular research and a useful model for testing the ligation mechanism of ATP-dependent DNA ligation. To better understand the influence of phosphate group modifications in the ligation process, a series of ATP analogs were tested as cofactors. P-diastereomers of newly developed ß,γ-hypo-ATPαS (thio) and ß,γ-hypo-ATP (oxo) were synthesized and their activity was compared to ATPαS and their natural precursors. The evaluation of presented ATP analogs revealed the importance of the α-phosphate stereogenic center in ATPαS for the T4 DNA ligase activity and sheds new light on the interaction between ATP-dependent DNA ligases and cofactors.

Stereoselective formation of a P-P bond in the reaction of 2-alkoxy-2-thio-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholanes with O,O-dialkyl H-phosphonates and H-thiophosphonates.

A new method for the formation of organohypophosphates containing a P-P bond under mild conditions, based on the DBU-assisted reaction of 2-alkoxy-2-thio-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholanes with O,O-dialkyl H-phosphonates or H-thiophosphonates, has been elaborated. The resulting triesters of P(1)-thio- and P(1),P(2)-dithiohypophosphoric acids, respectively, having O-methyl or O-ethyl groups, can be selectively dealkylated to form the corresponding di- or monoesters. Appropriately protected 2'-deoxyguanosine-3'-O-(2-thio-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane) was converted into the corresponding P(1)-thio- and P(1),P(2)-dithiohypophosphate esters in a highly stereoselective manner (98%+ and 90%+, respectively).

Is platelet aggregation a more important contributor than platelet adhesion to the overall platelet-related primary haemostasis measured by PFA-100?

BACKGROUND: Platelet-related primary haemostasis (PRPH), measured in PFA-100 as a closure time (CT), reflects platelets' combined ability to adhere and aggregate under higher shear stress. The inputs of platelet aggregation and platelet adhesion into the real values of CT remain unknown, and this poor discrimination results in the complexity of the PFA-100 measurement. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the particular contributions of two physiological phenomena, platelet aggregation and adhesion, and the importance of various membrane receptors underlying platelets' capability of the plug formation in PFA-100 cartridges. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Effects of various blockers antagonizing ligands binding to platelet surface membrane receptors (antagonists of GPIIb-IIIa complex, collagen receptors and purinoreceptors), and aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA), the antagonist of GPIb-von Willebrand factor (vWF) interaction, were monitored in 47 healthy donors with the use of PFA-100 and whole blood electrical aggregometry (WBEA). RESULTS: PFA-100 collagen/ADP CT was the most sensitive in probing the effect of platelet membrane receptor antagonists acting via the blockade of GPIIb-IIIa complex and those antagonizing GPIb-vWF interaction (GR144053F, Integrilin, ATA), whereas the other blockers, acting on collagen receptors or purinoreceptors, remained much less efficient. For the examined GPIIb-IIIa and GPIb antagonists, the overall variability in WBEA explained a very significant part (30-60%) of the overall variability in PFA-100 CT. CONCLUSIONS: GPIIb-IIIa-mediated platelet aggregation and von Willebrand factor interactions with GPIb and/or GPIIb-IIIa seem to be the major determinants of PFA-100 CT. On the contrary, other platelet receptors participating in platelet aggregation and/or platelet adhesion are of secondary importance and minor significance in blood flow at higher shear stress monitored in PFA-100.

Oxathiaphospholane approach to N- and O-phosphorothioylation of amino acids.

A method of highly efficient synthesis of N- and O-phosphorothioylated amino acids was developed. N- and O-(2-Thiono-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholanyl)amino acid methyl esters (3) were prepared in high yields in reaction of amino acid methyl esters with 2-chloro-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane in pyridine in the presence of elemental sulfur. Compounds 3 were converted in high yield into the corresponding methyl or benzyl phosphorothioamides 6 and 7 by DBU-assisted treatment with methanol or benzyl alcohol. When 3-hydroxypropionitrile was used instead of methanol or benzyl alcohol, the corresponding 2-cyanoethylphosphorothioamidates 4 were obtained in high yield, from which the 2-cyanoethyl group was removed with concentrated ammonium hydroxide. The oxathiaphospholane methodology was also applied for the phosphorylation of amino acids. Thus, 2-oxo-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane derivatives 10 were prepared by oxidation of compounds 3 with SeO(2.) Compounds 10 were transformed into the corresponding phosphate diesters or amidoesters upon treatment with 3-hydroxypropionitrile in the presence of DBU. The DBU-assisted oxathiaphospholane ring-opening process in 3 and 10 did not cause any measurable C-racemization of phosphorothioylated/phosphorylated amino acids.