Ipso Nitration of Aryl Boronic Acids Using Fuming Nitric Acid.

The ipso nitration of aryl boronic acid derivatives has been developed using fuming nitric acid as the nitrating agent. This facile procedure provides efficient and chemoselective access to a variety of aromatic nitro compounds. While several activating agents and nitro sources have been reported in the literature for this synthetically useful transformation, this report demonstrates that these processes likely generate a common active reagent, anhydrous HNO3. Kinetic and mechanistic studies have revealed that the reaction order in HNO3 is >2 and indicate that the •NO2 radical is the active species.

Development of a Commercial Process To Prepare AMG 232 Using a Green Ozonolysis-Pinnick Tandem Transformation.

A robust process to manufacture AMG 232 was developed to deliver drug substance of high purity. Highlights of the commercial process development efforts include the following: (i) use of a novel bench-stable Vilsmeier reagent, methoxymethylene- N, N-dimethyliminium methyl sulfate, for selective in situ activation of a primary alcohol intermediate; (ii) use of a new crystalline and stable isopropyl calcium sulfinate reagent ensuring robust preparation of a sulfone intermediate; (iii) development of a safe ozonolysis process conducted in an aqueous solvent mixture in either batch or continuous manufacturing mode; and (iv) control of the drug substance purity by crystallization of a salt rejecting impurities effectively. The new process was demonstrated to afford the drug substance (99.9 LC area %) in 49.8% overall yield from starting material DLAC (1).

Dioxododecenoic acid: a lipid hydroperoxide-derived bifunctional electrophile responsible for etheno DNA adduct formation.

It has been proposed that 13(S)-hydroperoxy-9Z,11E-octadecadienoic acid [13(S)-HPODE]-mediated formation of 4-oxo-2(E)-nonenal and 4-hydroxy-2(E)-nonenal arises from a Hock rearrangement. This suggested that a 4-oxo-2(E)-nonenal-related molecule, 9,12-dioxo-10(E)-dodecenoic acid (DODE), could also result from the intermediate formation of 9-hydroperoxy-12-oxo-10(E)-dodecenoic acid. A recent report has described the formation of DODE-derived etheno adducts when 13(S)-HPODE was allowed to decompose in the presence of 2'-deoxynucleosides or DNA. However, the regioselectivity of lipid hydroperoxide-derived DODE addition to 2'-deoxyguanosine (dGuo) or other 2'-deoxynucleosides was not determined. The structure of carboxynonanone-etheno-dGuo formed from vitamin C-mediated 13(S)-HPODE decomposition has now been established by a combination of 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy studies of its bis-methylated derivative. The site of dGuo methylation was first established as being at N-5 rather than at O-9 from NMR analysis of a methyl derivative of the model compound, heptanone-etheno-dGuo. (1)H,(13)C 2D heteronuclear multiple bond correlations were then used to establish unequivocally that the bis-methyl derivative of carboxynonanone-etheno-dGuo was 3-(2'-deoxy-beta-d-erythropentafuranosyl)imidazo-7-(9' '-carboxymethylnona-2' '-one)-9-oxo-5-N-methyl[1,2-a]purine rather than its 6-(9' '-carboxymethylnona-2"-one)-9-oxo-5-N-methyl[1,2-a]purine regioisomer. Therefore, etheno adduct formation occurred by initial nucleophilic attack of the exocyclic N(2) amino group of dGuo at the C-12 aldehyde of DODE to form an unstable carbinolamine intermediate. This was followed by intramolecular Michael addition of the pyrimidine N1 of dGuo to C-11 of the resulting alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone. Subsequent dehydration gave 3-(2'-deoxy-beta-d-erythropentafuranosyl)imidazo-7-(9' '-carboxynona-2' '-one)-9-oxo-[1,2-a]purine (carboxynonanone-etheno-dGuo). An efficient synthesis of DODE was developed starting from readily available 1,8-octanediol using a furan homologation procedure. This synthetic method allowed multigram quantities of DODE to be readily prepared. Synthetic DODE when reacted with dGuo gave carboxynonanone-etheno-dGuo that was identical with that derived from vitamin C-mediated 13(S)-HPODE decomposition in the presence of dGuo.

Unexpected formation of etheno-2'-deoxyguanosine adducts from 5(S)-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid: evidence for a bis-hydroperoxide intermediate.

Analysis of products from the reaction between 5(S)-hydroperoxy-6,8,11,14-(E,Z,Z,Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid and 2'-deoxyguanosine in the presence of FeII, FeIII, or vitamin C by liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/mass spectrometry revealed the presence of four DNA adducts. Surprisingly, adducts I and II had mass spectral characteristics identical to those for 1,N2-etheno-2'-deoxyguanosine and heptanone-1,N2-etheno-2'-deoxyguanosine. These adducts have previously been shown to arise from the homolytic decomposition of 13(S)-hydroperoxy-9,11-(Z,E)-octadecadienoic acid. It appears that under the reaction conditions, 5(S)-hydroperoxy-6,8,11,14-(E,Z,Z,Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid was subjected to a previously unknown peroxidation reaction to give a bis-hydroperoxide intermediate that underwent a Hock rearrangement to produce 3(Z)-nonenal from the omega-terminus. The 3(Z)-nonenal was then converted to 4-hydroperoxy-2-nonenal, a precursor to the formation of 4-oxo-2-nonenal. 4-Oxo-2-nonenal forms heptanone-1,N2-etheno-adducts with 2'-deoxyguanosine, whereas 4-hydroperoxy-2-nonenal forms 1,N2-etheno-2'-deoxyguanosine. Two novel carboxylate adducts were also identified. The structure of the more abundant adduct (III) was characterized as its methyl ester derivative by NMR spectroscopy as 3-(2'-deoxy-beta-D-erythropentafuranosyl)imidazo-7-(5' '-carboxypenta-2' '-one)-9-oxo[1,2-alpha]purine (5-carboxy-2-pentanone-1,N2-etheno-2'-deoxyguanosine). This etheno adduct was formed by the reaction of 2'-deoxyguanosine with 5,8-dioxo-6(E)-octenoic acid. The bifunctional electrophile is proposed to arise from the alpha-terminus during the Hock rearrangement of bis-hydroperoxide derived from 5(S)-hydroperoxy-6,8,11,14-(E,Z,Z,Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid. 5-Carboxy-2-pentanone-1,N2-etheno-2'-deoxyguanosine may serve as a biomarker of 5-lipoxygenase-mediated oxidative stress. The less abundant carboxylate adduct IV arose from a quite different pathway and was tentatively characterized as 6-carboxy-3-hydroxy-1-hexene-1,N2-etheno-2'-deoxyguanosine.

In vitro metabolism of a new oxazolidinedione hypoglycemic agent utilizing liver microsomes and recombinant human cytochrome P450 enzymes.

The compound, 5-{4-[3-(4-cyclohexyl-2-propylphenoxy)propoxy]phenyl}-1,3-oxazolidine-2,4-dione (compound A) is a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) agonist. PPARgamma agonists have proven useful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, which is characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and/or abnormal insulin secretion. The metabolism of this oxazolidinedione (OZD) was investigated in male rat, dog, monkey and human liver microsomes, and recombinant human cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1 and CYP3A4) in the presence of NADPH. Routes of metabolism included monohydroxylation of the cyclohexane ring at multiple positions, monohydroxylation of the n-propyl side chain or the tether linkage, and OZD ring opening, giving rise to the keto amide and alcohol amide entities. Liver microsomes showed subtle qualitative and quantitative metabolic differences among rat, dog, monkey and human preparations. Further, CYP2C8 and CYP2C19 did not display different regioselectivity for hydroxylation on the cyclohexane ring with both of them giving rise to C-3 and C-4 hydroxy metabolites, but they did display different stereoselectivity with CYP2C8 preferring cyclohexane hydroxylation in equatorial positions and CYP2C19 in axial positions.

A novel lipid hydroperoxide-derived modification to arginine.

The guanidine group present in the amino acid arginine was found to react with the lipid hydroperoxide-derived bifunctional electrophile, 4-oxo-2-nonenal. The reaction between N(alpha)-tert-butoxycarbony-l-arginine and 4-oxo-2-nonenal resulted in the formation of an adduct (adduct A) that subsequently dehydrated on heating to adduct B. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to assign the structure of adduct B as (N(delta),N(omega)(')-etheno-2'-heptanon-2' '-one)-N(alpha)-t-Boc-arginine. The reaction proceeded from initial reaction of the primary N(omega)-amino group at the C-1 aldehyde of 4-oxo-2-nonenal. Subsequently, an intramolecular Michael addition of a secondary N(delta)-amino group occurring at C-3 resulted in formation of the cyclic carbinolamine adduct A. Dehydration and rearrangement of the exocyclic imine resulted in the formation of adduct B, which contained a stable imidazole ring. The tetra peptide LRDE reacted with 4-oxo-2-nonenal primarily at arginine rather than at the amino terminus. This suggests that arginine-containing proteins can react with lipid hydroperoxide-derived 4-oxo-2-nonenal to form a novel imidazole modification.

Bioactivation of the 3-amino-6-chloropyrazinone ring in a thrombin inhibitor leads to novel dihydro-imidazole and imidazolidine derivatives: structures and mechanism using 13C-labels, mass spectrometry, and NMR.

Thrombin is a serine protease that plays a key role in the blood coagulation cascade. Compound I [2-[6-chloro-3-[(2,2-difluoro-2-pyridin-2-ylethyl)amino]-2-oxopyrazin-1(2H)-yl]-N-[(3-fluoropyridin-2-yl)methyl]acetamide] is a potent, selective, and orally bioavailable thrombin inhibitor that is being studied as a possible anticoagulant. Biotransformation studies in rats revealed that 84% of an i.v. dose of I was excreted in the form of two metabolites. Both metabolites were formed by metabolic activation of the pyrazinone ring in I and subsequent rearrangement leading to two novel dihydro-imidazole and imidazolidine derivatives. The structures of these metabolites and their mechanism of formation were elucidated by additional use of two 13C single labels in the pyrazinone ring of I in combination with mass spectrometry and NMR techniques. The metabolite structures described here illustrate the rich metabolic chemistry of the amino-pyrazinone heterocycle.

Metabolic activation of a pyrazinone-containing thrombin inhibitor. Evidence for novel biotransformation involving pyrazinone ring oxidation, rearrangement, and covalent binding to proteins.

Compound I, (2-[3-[(2,2-difluoro-2(2-pyridyl)ethyl)amino]-6-methyl-2-oxohydropyrazinyl]-N-[(3-fluoro(2-pyridyl))methyl]acetamide, is a potent competitive inhibitor of thrombin that reacts stoichiometrically with the protease. Compounds of this class possess therapeutic potential as anticoagulation agents. During the metabolic characterization of compound I, evidence was obtained for extensive metabolic activation of the pyrazinone ring system. Following administration of (14)C-labeled I to rats, significant levels of irreversibly bound radioactivity to proteins were detected in rat plasma and liver. LC/MS/MS analysis of metabolites formed in rat and human liver microsomes fortified with glutathione (GSH) revealed the presence of two structurally distinct GSH adducts. It is proposed that the first of these GSH conjugates derives from a two electron oxidation of the 6-methyl-2-oxo-3-aminopyrazinone moiety to afford an electrophilic imine-methide intermediate, while the second is formed by addition of GSH to an epoxide formed by P-450-mediated oxidation of the double bond at the 5-6 position of the pyrazinone ring. The addition of GSH to the proposed epoxide facilitates opening of the pyrazinone ring and a rearrangement to afford a stable, rearranged imidazole-containing metabolite. Elucidation of the metabolic activation pathways of I provides structural guidance for the design of thrombin inhibitors with decreased potential for the generation of chemically reactive intermediates.