2-Nitro analogues of adenosine and 1-deazaadenosine: synthesis and binding studies at the adenosine A1, A2A and A3 receptor subtypes.

The influence of nitro substituents on the properties of adenosine and 1-deazaadenosine was studied. Combination of a nitro group at the 2-position with several N6 substituents such as cyclopentyl and m-iodobenzyl gave a series of analogues with good adenosine receptor affinity, showing directable selectivity for the A1, A2A and A3 adenosine receptor subtypes.

Interference of linoleic acid fraction in some receptor binding assays.

An extract of a suspension culture of Tabernaemontana pandacaqui Poir. was fractionated by centrifugal partition chromatography. Aliquots were tested in an adenosine A1 receptor binding assay. This led to the isolation and identification of linoleic acid, which proved to be a noncompetitive inhibitor. This "false positive"effect also extended to some other binding assays.

5'-N-substituted carboxamidoadenosines as agonists for adenosine receptors.

Novel as well as known 5'-N-substituted carboxamidoadenosines were prepared via new routes that provided shorter reaction times and good yields. Binding affinities were determined for rat A1 and A2A receptors and human A3 receptors. EC50 values were determined for cyclic AMP production in CHO cells expressing human A2B receptors. On all receptor subtypes relatively small substituents on the carboxamido moiety were optimal. Selectivity for the A3 receptor was found for several analogues (1a, 1d, 1h, and 1k). On A1 receptors a number of compounds, but not 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA, 1b), showed small GTP shifts, which could be indicative of lower intrinsic activities at the A1 receptor. At the A2B receptor, derivatives 1i-k with modified ethyl substituents had reduced activities compared to the A2B reference agonist NECA (1b). Thiocarboxamido derivatives (8b and 8c) displayed considerable although decreased A2B receptor activity. The X-ray structure determination of compound 8b was carried out. Due to intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the carboxamido NH and the purine N3 in the crystal structure, the ribose moiety of this compound is in a syn conformation. However, theoretical calculations support that NECA (1b), and less so 8b, can readily adopt both the syn and the anti conformation, therefore not excluding the proposed anti mode of binding to the receptor.

A functional screening of adenosine analogues at the adenosine A2B receptor: a search for potent agonists.

Various adenosine analogues were tested at the adenosine A2B receptor. Agonist potencies were determined by measuring the cyclic AMP production in Chinese Hamster Ovary cells expressing human A2B receptors. 5'-N-Substituted carboxamidoadenosines were most potent. 5'-N-Ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) was most active with an EC50 value of 3.1 microM. Other ribose modified derivatives displayed low to negligible activity. Potency was reduced by substitution on the exocyclic amino function (N6) of the purine ring system. The most active N6-substituted derivative N6-methyl-NECA was 5 fold less potent than NECA. C8- and most C2-substituted analogues were virtually inactive. 1-Deaza-analogues had a reduced potency, 3- and 7-deazaanalogues were not active.

Derivatives of the triazoloquinazoline adenosine antagonist (CGS 15943) having high potency at the human A2B and A3 receptor subtypes.

The adenosine antagonist 9-chloro-2-(2-furanyl)[1,2,4]triazolo[1, 5-c]quinazolin-5-amine (CGS 15943) binds nonselectively to human A1, A2A, and A3 receptors with high affinity. Acylated derivatives and one alkyl derivative of the 5-amino group and other modifications were prepared in an effort to enhance A2B or A3 subtype potency. In general, distal modifications of the N5-substituent were highly modulatory to potency and selectivity at adenosine receptors, as determined in radioligand binding assays at rat brain A1 and A2A receptors and at recombinant human A3 receptors. In Chinese hamster ovary cells stably transfected with human A2B receptor cDNA, inhibition of agonist-induced cyclic AMP production was measured. An N5-(2-iodophenyl)acetyl derivative was highly selective for A2A receptors. An (R)-N5-alpha-methyl(phenylacetyl) derivative was the most potent derivative at A3 receptors, with a Ki value of 0.36 nM. A bulky N5-diphenylacetyl derivative, 13, displayed a Ki value of 0. 59 nM at human A3 receptors and was moderately selective for that subtype. Thus, a large, nondiscriminating hydrophobic region occurs in the A3 receptor in proximity to the N5-substituent. A series of straight-chain N5-aminoalkylacyl derivatives demonstrated that for A2B receptors the optimal chain length occurs with three methylene groups, i.e., the N5-gamma-aminobutyryl derivative 27 which had a pA2 value of 8.0 but was not selective for A2B receptors. At A1, A2A, and A3 receptors however the optimum occurs with four methylene groups. An N5-pivaloyl derivative, which was less potent than 27 at A1, A2A, and A3 receptors, retained moderate potency at A2B receptors. A molecular model of the 27-A2B receptor complex based on the structure of rhodopsin utilizing a "cross-docking" procedure was developed in order to visualize the environment of the ligand binding site.

5'-substituted adenosine analogs as new high-affinity partial agonists for the adenosine A1 receptor.

5'-(Alkylthio)-, 5'-(methylseleno)-, and 5'-(alkylamino)-substituted analogues of N6-cyclopen-tyladenosine (CPA) were synthesized in 30-50% overall yields. The affinities of these compounds for the adenosine A1 and A2A receptors were determined in rat brain membranes. The 5'-substituted CPA analogues proved selective for the adenosine A1 receptors, displaying affinities in the nanomolar range. The compounds were also evaluated for their ability to stimulate [35S]GTP gamma S binding, also in rat brain membranes. The Ki values in receptor binding studies corresponded well to the EC50 values thus obtained. Intrinsic activities of the compounds were tested in vitro by determining the GTP shift in receptor binding studies as well as the maximal binding of [35S]GTP gamma S. It appeared that the 5'-thio and 5'-seleno derivatives in particular behaved as partial agonists.

N6-cyclopentyl-3'-substituted-xylofuranosyladenosines: a new class of non-xanthine adenosine A1 receptor antagonists.

The present study explores the C-3' site of the 3-deoxy-3-xylofuranosyl ring of nucleoside analogues with an adenine or N6-cyclopentyladenine (CPA) base moiety and evaluates the effect on adenosine receptor affinity. Two series of sugar-modified adenosines, i.e., 3'-amido-3'-deoxyadenosines and 3'-amidated 3'-deoxyxylofuranosyladenines, were synthesized and tested for their affinity at A1 and A2a receptors in rat brain cortex and rat striatum, respectively. The modest affinity found in the "xylo series" prompted us to synthesize the corresponding N6-cyclopentyl derivatives, which proved to be well accommodated by the A1 receptors with potencies in the lower nanomolar range. This represents a new perspective in the purinergic field. The absence of a GTP-induced shift, i.e., the ratio between the affinities measured in the presence and absence of 1 mM GTP indicates an antagonistic behavior of this new class of CPA analogues.

Time course of action of three adenosine A1 receptor agonists with differing lipophilicity in rats: comparison of pharmacokinetic, haemodynamic and EEG effects.

In this study we investigated the relationship between the pharmacokinetics and the cardiovascular and electroencephalogram (EEG) effects of three adenosine agonists with differing lipophilicity. Conscious normotensive rats received either 600 microg/kg N6-(p-sulphophenyl) adenosine (SPA), 200 microg/kg N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA) or 600 microg/kg 1-deaza-2-chloro-N6-cyclopentyladenosine (DCCA) in a 5-min intravenous infusion. Changes in haemodynamics and EEG were monitored in conjunction with arterial blood sampling to determine blood concentrations of the compounds. The three adenosine agonists showed large differences in pharmacokinetic properties, resulting in terminal half-lives of 66 +/- 10, 8.2 +/- 0.4 and 24 +/- 1 min (mean +/- SEM) for SPA, CPA, and DCCA respectively. SPA had a significantly lower blood clearance relative to CPA and DCCA, whereas DCCA had the largest volume of distribution and degree of plasma protein binding. The relationship between concentration and heart rate could be described adequately by the sigmoidal Emax model. For SPA, CPA, and DCCA the EC50 values based on free drug concentrations were 423 +/- 92, 1.8 +/- 0.4 and 9.5 +/- 1.1 nM respectively. These in vivo values correlated closely with the affinity of the compounds for the adenosine A1 receptor as determined in radioligand binding studies, with corresponding Ki values of 1410 +/- 220, 4.7 +/- 0.6 and 102 +/- 74 nM (mean +/- SEM) respectively. In the EEG, only CPA produced a small decrease in the amplitude of beta waves. This study demonstrates that the three adenosine analogues have large differences in pharmacokinetics, which complicates comparison of their cardiovascular and central responses simply on the basis of dose. The application of an integrated PK/PD approach permits estimates of potency and activity which are independent of underlying dose and pharmacokinetics.

Site-directed mutagenesis of the human adenosine A2A receptor. Critical involvement of Glu13 in agonist recognition.

A glutamic acid residue in the first transmembrane domain of the human adenosine A2A receptor was mutated to glutamine. Radioligand binding studies on COS-7 cell membranes expressing either the wild-type or the mutant receptor revealed that the affinity of the prototypic agonist CGS21680 (2-[4-[(2-carboxyethyl)phenyl]ethylamino]-5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine ) for the mutant receptor was 15-fold lower than for the wild-type receptor. This was confirmed in functional studies with intact cells. The EC50 values of CGS21680 for the stimulation of cAMP production differed in a similar way. Antagonists of various chemical structure were equally effective on both mutant and wild-type receptors, thus the mutation selectively diminishes agonist affinity. We propose an indirect perturbation of the binding site, perhaps through a proton transfer mechanism as suggested by molecular modelling.

Ribose-modified adenosine analogues as potential partial agonists for the adenosine receptor.

We have adopted a practical three-step route for the synthesis of 2'- and 3'-deoxy analogues of N6-substituted adenosines: protection of the hydroxyl groups, replacement of the N6-amino by a better leaving group, and combined deprotection and N6-amination in the last step. This route was used to synthesize deoxy analogues of CPA, CHA, and R- and S-PIA. The compounds were tested on the adenosine A1 and A2a receptors in our search for partial agonists for these receptors. The GTP shift was used as an in vitro measure for the intrinsic activity of these compounds; the in vivo intrinsic activities of the deoxy analogues of CPA and R-PIA were determined in the rat cardiovascular system. Thus, it was shown that the hydroxyl groups are determinants for the affinity and intrinsic activity of these analogues. Removal of the 2'- and 3'-hydroxyl groups affects affinity and intrinsic activity, whereas removal of the 5'-hydroxyl group decreases only affinity.

8-substituted adenosine and theophylline-7-riboside analogues as potential partial agonists for the adenosine A1 receptor.

A series of 8-substituted adenosine and theophylline-7-riboside analogues (28 and 9 compounds, respectively) was tested on adenosine A1 and A2A receptors as an extensive exploration of the adenosine C8-region. Alkylamino substituents at the 8-position cause an affinity decrease for adenosine analogues, but an affinity increase for theophylline-7-riboside derivatives. The affinity decrease is probably due to a direct steric hindrance between the C8-substituent and the binding site as well as to electronic effects, not to a steric influence on the ribose moiety to adopt the anti conformation. The 8-substituents increase the affinity of theophylline-7-riboside analogues probably by binding to a lipophilic binding site. The intrinsic activity was tested in vitro for some 8-substituted adenosine analogues, by determining the GTP shift in receptor binding studies and the inhibition of adenylate cyclase in a culture of rat thyroid FRTL-5 cells, and in vivo in the rat cardiovascular system for 8-butylaminoadenosine. Thus, it was shown that 8-ethyl-, 8-butyl-, and 8-pentylamino substituted analogues of adenosine may be partial agonists in vitro, and that 8-butylaminoadenosine is a partial agonist for the rat cardiovascular A1 receptor in vivo.

Partial agonism of theophylline-7-riboside on adenosine receptors.

Theophylline-7-riboside was evaluated as a partial agonist for rat adenosine receptors. Radioligand binding experiments were performed on both A1 and A2a adenosine receptors, using several methodologies to discriminate between agonists and antagonists. Mainly from thermodynamic data it was concluded that on A1 receptors theophylline-7-riboside had characteristics intermediate between full agonists, such as N6-cyclopentyladenosine, and full antagonists, such as the xanthines. The partial agonistic behaviour of theophylline-7-riboside was further explored in second messenger studies in intact cells. In FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells theophylline-7-riboside behaved as a partial agonist for A1 receptors, slightly inhibiting forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP levels. The implications of these biochemical findings were further analysed in in vivo pharmacology. The infusion of theophylline-7-riboside in conscious, normotensive rats led to marked changes in cardiovascular parameters, although less outspoken than observed with full agonists for either A1 or A2a receptors. The concomitant determination of the blood concentrations of theophylline-7-riboside and its metabolite theophylline allowed the estimation of in vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters. Thus, the EC50 value of theophylline-7-riboside for lowering the mean arterial pressure was 47 +/- 12 micrograms/ml blood. The short duration of action of theophylline-7-riboside makes it improbable that its metabolite theophylline interferes with its effects. In conclusion, theophylline-7-riboside is one of the first partial agonists for adenosine receptors. It may serve as a tool in further investigations of adenosine receptor partial agonism.