Resolution of Racemic α-Hydroxyphosphonates: Bi(OTf)3-Catalyzed Stereoselective Esterification of α-Hydroxyphosphonates with (+)-Dibenzoyl-l-tartaric Anhydride.

A practical and efficient method has been developed for the preparation of optically active α-hydroxyphosphonates through resolution of the racemates. Treatment of racemic diethyl 1-hydroxy-1-phenylmethylphosphonate (1) with (+)-dibenzoyl-L-tartaric anhydride gave two diastereomeric esters 2 and 3 in the presence of bismuth triflate (15 mol %) in an 86:14 ratio. The two diastereomeric esters were separated by simple column chromatography, and the structure for the major diastereomer was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Simple hydrolysis of the isolated major diastereomer in the usual manner afforded (R)-O,O-diethyl-1-[hydroxyl(phenyl)methyl] phosphonate 1. The advantages of the present method are that the operation is simple and easy to handle, along with rapid and good yield preparations of both enantiomers of the racemic α-phosphonates 1. Diastereoselective reactions of various racemic α-hydroxyphosphonates with d-Bz-L-TA in the presence of Bi(OTf)3 are also described.

One-pot synthesis of biologically active 1,2,3-trisubstituted pyrrolo[2,3-b]quinoxalines through a palladium-catalyzed reaction with internal alkyne moieties.

Synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted 1-alkylpyrrolo[2,3-b]quinoxalines was accomplished through the reaction of 3-chloroquinoxalin-2-amines with internal alkynes in the presence of Pd(OAc)[Formula: see text], NaOAc, and KOtBu in DMSO. This method afforded desired pyrrolo[2,3-b]quinoxalines in 65-92% reaction yields. The minimum inhibition concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration determinations against Micrococcus luteus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa revealed that some of the synthesized compounds showed the same values compared to tetracycline. These compounds could be used in the future research for the development of new antibiotics.

Development of Biologically Active Compounds on the Basis of Phosphonic and Phosphinic Acid Functionalities.

Phosphonic and phosphinic acids, especially α-heteroatom-substituted ones, possess unique structural and physical features which enable them to act as hydrotically stable analogs to biological phosphates in biological processes. They also act as mimetics in the transition state of the protease-induced hydrolysis of dipeptides. The first half of this review focuses on selected new synthetic methods developed by our research group for the stereoselective synthesis of α-heteroatom-substituted phosphonic and phosphinic acid derivatives, including modified nucleotide analogs and phosphinyl dipeptide isosteres. In the latter half, this review summarizes the utility of difluoromethylenephosphonic acids and phosphonic acid esters in the development of enzyme inhibitors against protein tyrosine phosphatases, sphingomyelinases, purine nucleoside phosphorylases and thrombin. The enzyme inhibitors developed were used as probes to elucidate signal transductions and the mechanisms of enzyme actions. The findings of the studies are briefly described.

Discovery of non-competitive thrombin inhibitor derived from competitive tryptase inhibitor skeleton: Shift in molecular recognition resulted from skeletal conversion of carboxylate into phosphonate.

A novel series of terminal and internal phosphonate esters based on our previously developed aryl carboxylate-type tryptase selective inhibitor 1 was synthesized. The potency of these synthesized compounds was assessed in vitro with an enzyme inhibition assay using three available serine proteases, that is, tryptase, trypsin, and thrombin. The internal phosphonate derivative 6 showed potent thrombin inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 1.0 µM, whereas it exhibited no or only weak tryptase and trypsin inhibition at 10 µM. The Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis indicates that the inhibition pattern of thrombin with 6 is non-competitive in spite of the fact that the lead carboxylate compound 1 is competitive inhibitor. Therefore, the skeletal conversion of the carboxylate into a phosphonate alters the mode of molecular recognition of these inhibitors by thrombin.

Resolution of enantiomers of novel C2 -symmetric aminobisphosphinic acids via diastereomeric salt formation with quinine.

C2 -symmetric N,N-bis(phosphinomethyl)amines were prepared by the thermal reaction of aromatic aldehydes with ammonia and hypophosphorus acid as previously described. Both enantiomers of C2 -symmetric N,N-bis(phosphinomethyl)amine were obtained in a high enantiomeric purity through the diastereomeric salt formation with (-)-quinine, and subsequent fractional crystallization. X-ray crystallographic analysis of one of the diastereomeric salts clearly revealed that (-)-quinine could be an efficient resolving agent for obtaining the single enantiomer (R,R)-N,N-bis(phosphinomethyl)amine.

Novel strategy for synthesis of substituted benzimidazo[1,2-a]quinolines.

An efficient method for the synthesis of benzimidazo[1,2-a]quinolines under transition-metal-free conditions has been developed through a cascade reaction involving sequential aromatic nucleophilic substitution and intramolecular Knoevenagel condensation reactions. This method is applicable for the synthesis of a wide range of benzimidazo[1,2-a]quinoline derivatives from readily available 2-fluoroarylaldehyde and benzimidazole substrates.

Development of a new cascade reaction for convergent synthesis of pyrazolo[1,5-a]quinoline derivatives under transition-metal-free conditions.

A novel method for the synthesis of pyrazolo[1,5-a]quinolines under the transition-metal-free conditions has been developed. This method involves a novel combination of aromatic nucleophilic substitution and Knoevenagel condensation reactions to give pyrazolo[1,5-a]quinolines.

Small-molecular inhibitors of Ca²âº-induced mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) derived from muscle relaxant dantrolene.

A structure consisting of substituted hydantoin linked to a 5-(halophenyl)furan-2-yl group via an amide bond was identified as a promising scaffold for development of low-molecular-weight therapeutic agents to treat vascular dysfunction, including ischemia/reperfusion injury. Among the compounds synthesized, 5-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-N-{2,4-dioxo-3-[(pyridin-3-yl)methyl]imidazolidin-1-yl}-2-furamide (17) possessed the most potent inhibitory activity against Ca(2+)-induced mitochondrial swelling. The structural development, synthesis and structure-activity relationship of these compounds are described.

Trimeric purine nucleoside phosphorylase: exploring postulated one-third-of-the-sites binding in the transition state.

Transition-state analogue inhibitors, immucillins, were reported to bind to trimeric purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) with the stoichiometry of one molecule per enzyme trimer [Miles, R. W.; Tyler, P. C.; Furneaux, R. H.; Bagdassarian, C. K.; Schramm, V. L. Biochem. 1998, 37, 8615]. In attempts to observe and better understand the nature of this phenomenon we have conducted calorimetric titrations of the recombinant calf PNP complexed with immucillin H. However, by striking contrast to the earlier reports, we have not observed negative cooperativity and we got the stoichiometry of three immucillin molecules per enzyme trimer. Similar results were obtained from fluorimetric titrations, and for other inhibitors bearing features of the transition state. However, we observed apparent cooperativity between enzyme subunits and apparent lower stoichiometry when we used the recombinant enzyme not fully purified from hypoxanthine, which is moped from Escherichia coli cells. Results presented here prove that one-third-of-the-sites binding does not occur for trimeric PNP, and give the highly probable explanation why previous experiments were interpreted in terms of this phenomenon.

One-pot synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles from boronic acids in water using Cu(II)-ß-cyclodextrin complex as a nanocatalyst.

We report here the one-pot synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles of arylboronic acids in water. An efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles via a one-pot reaction of an arylboronic acid with sodium azide in the presence of Cu(2)-ß-CD (CD = Cyclodextrin) as a nanocatalyst in water followed by a click cyclization reaction with an alkyne at room temperature in air without any additives. This method is simple, rapid, and high yielding.

Diastereoselective synthesis of the Leu-Pro type phosphinyl dipeptide isostere.

A diastereoselective synthesis of the Leu-Pro type phosphinyl dipeptide isostere in its protected form was achieved from stereodefined α-amino-H-phosphinate. The methodology involved a cross-coupling reaction with alkenyl triflate and subsequent diastereoselective hydrogenation of the alkene moiety, which capitalized on the phosphorus chirality.

9-Deazaguanine derivatives connected by a linker to difluoromethylene phosphonic acid are slow-binding picomolar inhibitors of trimeric purine nucleoside phosphorylase.

Genetic deficiency of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP; EC 2.4.2.1) activity leads to a severe selective disorder of T-cell function. Therefore, potent inhibitors of mammalian PNP are expected to act as selective immunosuppressive agents against, for example, T-cell cancers and some autoimmune diseases. 9-(5',5'-difluoro-5'-phosphonopentyl)-9-deazaguanine (DFPP-DG) was found to be a slow- and tight-binding inhibitor of mammalian PNP. The inhibition constant at equilibrium (1 mm phosphate concentration) with calf spleen PNP was shown to be = 85 +/- 13 pm (pH 7.0, 25 degrees C), whereas the apparent inhibition constant determined by classical methods was two orders of magnitude higher ( = 4.4 +/- 0.6 nm). The rate constant for formation of the enzyme/inhibitor reversible complex is (8.4 +/- 0.5) x 10(5) m(-1).s(-1), which is a value that is too low to be diffusion-controlled. The picomolar binding of DFPP-DG was confirmed by fluorimetric titration, which led to a dissociation constant of 254 pm (68% confidence interval is 147-389 pm). Stopped-flow experiments, together with the above data, are most consistent with a two-step binding mechanism: E + I <--> (EI) <--> (EI)*. The rate constants for reversible enzyme/inhibitor complex formation (EI), and for the conformational change (EI) <--> (EI)*, are k(on1) = (17.46 +/- 0.05) x 10(5) m(-1).s(-1), k(off1) = (0.021 +/- 0.003) s(-1), k(on2) = (1.22 +/- 0.08) s(-1) and k(off2) = (0.024 +/- 0.005) s(-1), respectively. This leads to inhibition constants for the first (EI) and second (EI)* complexes of K(i) = 12.1 nM (68% confidence interval is 8.7-15.5 nm) and = 237 pm (68% confidence interval is 123-401 pm), respectively. At a concentration of 10(-4) m, DFPP-DG exhibits weak, but statistically significant, inhibition of the growth of cell lines sensible to inhibition of PNP activity, such as human adult T-cell leukaemia and lymphoma (Jurkat, HuT78 and CCRF-CEM). Similar inhibitory activities of the tested compound were noted on the growth of lymphocytes collected from patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease. The observed weak cytotoxicity may be a result of poor membrane permeability.

Structural-based design and synthesis of novel 9-deazaguanine derivatives having a phosphate mimic as multi-substrate analogue inhibitors for mammalian PNPs.

9-(5',5'-Difluoro-5'-phosphonopentyl)-9-deazaguanine (DFPP-DG) was designed as a multi-substrate analogue inhibitor against purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) on the basis of X-ray crystallographic data obtained for a binary complex of 9-(5',5'-difluoro-5'-phosphonopentyl)guanine (DFPP-G) with calf-spleen PNP. DFPP-DG and its analogous compounds were synthesized by the Sonogashira coupling reaction between a 9-deaza-9-iodoguanine derivative and omega-alkynyldifluoromethylene phosphonates as a key reaction. The experimental details focused on the synthetic chemistry along with some insights into the physical and biological properties of newly synthesized DFPP-DG derivatives are disclosed.

Antiproliferative activity of purine nucleoside phosphorylase multisubstrate analogue inhibitors containing difluoromethylene phosphonic acid against leukaemia and lymphoma cells.

Potent inhibitors of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) are expected to act as selective agents against T-cell tumours. Five compounds with guanine, three with hypoxanthine, and five with 9-deazaguanine, all connected by a linker with difluoromethylene phosphonic acid, were studied on their inhibitory potential against human and calf PNPs. Antiproliferative activity of these analogues against lymphocytes as well as lymphoma and leukaemia cells has been also investigated. All tested compounds act as multisubstrate analogue inhibitors of PNP with the apparent inhibition constants in the range 5-100 nm, and also show a slight antiproliferative activity. Analogues with 9-deazaguanine aglycone have better anti-leukaemic and anti-lymphoma activities compared to the guanine and hypoxanthine analogues, and applied in the concentration of 100 mum, caused a statistically significant decrease in the cell viability in all human leukaemia and lymphoma cells used. Despite the high PNP inhibitory potential of tested analogues, no differences were observed between the effects on the growth of tumour cells sensible to the inhibition of PNP, such as human adult T-cell leukaemia and lymphoma cells, and other investigated cells. Obtained poor effects on cell proliferation could be explained probably by a poor ability of tested compounds to penetrate cell membranes.

1.45 A resolution crystal structure of recombinant PNP in complex with a pM multisubstrate analogue inhibitor bearing one feature of the postulated transition state.

Low molecular mass purine nucleoside phosphorylases (PNPs, E.C. 2.4.2.1) are homotrimeric enzymes that are tightly inhibited by immucillins. Due to the positive charge on the ribose like part (iminoribitol moiety) and protonation of the N7 atom of the purine ring, immucillins are believed to act as transition state analogues. Over a wide range of concentrations, immucillins bind with strong negative cooperativity to PNPs, so that only every third binding site of the enzyme is occupied (third-of-the-sites binding). 9-(5',5'-difluoro-5'-phosphonopentyl)-9-deazaguanine (DFPP-DG) shares with immucillins the protonation of the N7, but not the positive charge on the ribose like part of the molecule. We have previously shown that DFPP-DG interacts with PNPs with subnanomolar inhibition constant. Here, we report additional biochemical experiments to demonstrate that the inhibitor can be bound with the same K(d) ( approximately 190pM) to all three substrate binding sites of the trimeric PNP, and a crystal structure of PNP in complex with DFPP-DG at 1.45A resolution, the highest resolution published for PNPs so far. The crystals contain the full PNP homotrimer in the asymmetric unit. DFPP-DG molecules are bound in superimposable manner and with full occupancies to all three PNP subunits. Thus the postulated third-of-the-sites binding of immucillins should be rather attribute to the second feature of the transition state, ribooxocarbenium ion character of the ligand or to the coexistence of both features characteristic for the transition state. The DFPP-DG/PNP complex structure confirms the earlier observations, that the loop from Pro57 to Gly66 covering the phosphate-binding site cannot be stabilized by phosphonate analogues. The loop from Glu250 to Gln266 covering the base-binding site is organized by the interactions of Asn243 with the Hoogsteen edge of the purine base of analogues bearing one feature of the postulated transition state (protonated N7 position).

Overexpressed proteins may act as mops removing their ligands from the host cells: a case study of calf PNP.

Calf purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The basic kinetic parameters of recombinant PNP were found to be similar to the values published previously for non-recombinant PNP from calf spleen. However, upon titration of the recombinant enzyme with the tight-binding multisubstrate analogue inhibitor DFPP-DG, endothermic as well as exothermic signals were obtained. This was not the case for PNP isolated from calf spleen for which only the endothermic process was observed. Further calorimetric titrations of the recombinant and non-recombinant enzyme with its potent and moderate ligands, and studied involving partial inactivation of the enzyme, lead to the conclusion that a part of the recombinant enzyme forms a complex with its product, hypoxanthine, although hypoxanthine was not present at any purification stage except for its natural occurrence in E. coli cells. Binding of hypoxanthine is accompanied with a large negative change of the free enthalpy, and therefore the replacement of this compound by DFPP-DG yields positive heat signal. Our data obtained with calf PNP indicate that similar processes--moping of ligands from the host cells--may take place in the case of other proteins with high overexpression yield.

Diastereoselective synthesis of gamma-amino-delta-hydroxy-alpha,alpha-difluorophosphonates: a vehicle for structure-activity relationship studies on SMA-7, a potent sphingomyelinase inhibitor.

A highly diastereoselective synthesis of 2-amino alcohol derivatives bearing a difluoromethylphosphonothioate group at the 3-position was achieved through LiAlH(O-t-Bu)(3)-mediated reduction of the corresponding alpha-amino ketones. The phosphonothioate moiety of the product was readily converted into the corresponding phosphonate by oxidation with m-CPBA, followed by aqueous workup. The developed methods should be useful for SAR studies of SMA-7, a potent inhibitor of SMases.

Diastereoselective synthesis of alpha,beta'-disubstituted aminomethyl(2-carboxyethyl)phosphinates as phosphinyl dipeptide isosteres.

A new and efficient method has been developed for the diastereoselective synthesis of unnatural dipeptide analogues containing the metabolically stable phosphinic moiety, NH 2XaaPsi[P(O)OHCH 2]XaaOH, which mimics the transition state of tetrahedral geometry of a scissile peptide bond in hydrolysis by protease. The method is based upon stereospecific Michael addition of stereodefined alpha-aminoalkyl- H-phosphinates to acrylates and subsequent diastereoselective alkylation at the beta'-position of the resulting Michael adducts.

9-Deazaguanine derivatives: synthesis and inhibitory properties as multi-substrate analogue inhibitors of mammalian PNPs.

9-(5',5'-Difluoro-5'-phosphonopentyl)-9-deazaguanine (DFPP-DG) and its related analogues were designed as multi-substrate analogue inhibitors of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) on the basis of the X-ray crystallographic data obtained for the binary complex of 9-(5',5'-difluoro-5'-phosphonopentyl)guanine (DFPP-G) with calf spleen PNP. One of these analogues, homo-DFPP-DG was found to be a very potent PNP inhibitor at an intracellular (approximately 1 mM) phosphate concentration.