Theoretical studies of the anti-tumor drug FR900482.

Hartree-Fock and density functional theory (B3LYP) calculations were applied to the study of the anti-tumor drug FR900482 and some of its analogs. Optimum geometries were obtained and it was found that the most stable conformations feature the N-H bond of the aziridine ring nitrogen "down" and the oxygen bridge and aziridine nitrogen "up". It was also found that the analog containing NH(2) (in place of the -CHO of the natural product) is the most prone to oxidation.

An ab initio study of the guanidinium groups in saxitoxin.

Quantum chemical (Hartree-Fock) calculations were performed on neutral and protonated saxitoxin in order to obtain optimum geometries, rotational energy barriers for the guanidinium ions and proton affinities. For comparison purposes, as model compounds, guanidinium systems in five and six membered rings were also investigated. In addition, DFT (B3LYP) calculations with the 6-31G** basis set were performed and the sodium affinities of the guanidinium groups in saxitoxin were obtained. It was concluded that the inhibition of the sodium channels by the saxitoxin is due to the interaction of the guanidinium group with carboxylate groups from the wall of the channel and not to the binding of the sodium ions.

1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the hindered phencyclone adducts of some smaller branched N-alkyl maleimides: rigorous aryl proton assignments with high-resolution two-dimensional (COSY45) spectroscopy, and anisotropic shielding effects and ab initio geometry optimizations.

Phencyclone, 1, a potent Diels-Alder diene, reacts with a series of N-alkylmaleimides, 2, to form hindered adducts, 3. The 300 MHz 1H and 75 MHz 13C NMR studies of these adducts at ambient temperatures have demonstrated slow rotations on the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) timescales for the unsubstituted bridgehead phenyl groups, and have revealed substantial magnetic anisotropic shielding effects in the 1H spectra of the N-alkyl groups of the adducts. The selected N-alkyl groups for the target compounds emphasized smaller branched alkyls, including C3 (isopropyl, a); C4 (isobutyl, b; and t-butyl, c); C5 (n-pentyl, d; isopentyl [isoamyl], e; 1-ethylpropyl, f; t-amyl, g;) and a related C8 isomer (1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl ["t-octyl"], h). The straight-chain n-pentyl analog was included as a reference. This present work on the branched N-alkylmaleimide adducts appreciably extends our earlier compilation on the N-n-alkylmaleimide adducts. Key methods for proton assignments included "high-resolution" 1H-1H chemical shift correlation spectroscopy, COSY45. 13C NMR of the adducts, 3, verified the expected number of aryl carbons for slow exchange limit (SEL) spectra of the bridgehead phenyl groups. The synthetic routes involved reaction of the corresponding amines, 4, with maleic anhydride to give the N-alkylmaleamic acids, 5, which underwent cyclodehydration to form the maleimides, 2. Magnetic anisotropic shielding magnitudes for alkyl group protons in the adducts were calculated relative to corresponding proton chemical shifts in the maleimides. Geometry optimizations for the above adducts (and for the N-n-butylmaleimide adduct) were performed at the Hartree-Fock level with the 6-31G* basis set. The existence of different contributing conformers for the adducts is discussed with respect to their calculated energies and implications regarding experimentally observed anisotropic shielding magnitudes.

Diels-alder adducts of 3,6-dibromophencyclone with symmetrical 1,4-disubstituted-cis-2-butenes: comparisons with the adduct of phencyclone and N-benzylmaleimide, and one-dimensional and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance studies and ab initio structure calculations.

Hindered Diels-Alder adducts have been prepared from 3,6-dibromophencyclone, 2, with cis-1,4-diacetoxy-2-butene, 3; cis-2-butene-1,4-diol, 4; and N-benzylmaleimide, 5. The adduct from the parent phencyclone, 1, with N-benzylmaleimide was prepared for comparison. One- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) proton and carbon-13 NMR studies (at 7.05 tesla, ambient temperatures), including high-resolution COSY45 and HETCOR (XHCORR) chemical shift correlation spectra, were performed, allowing extensive rigorous assignments for protons and protonated carbons. Substantial anisotropic shielding was seen for the ortho protons of the N-benzyl group in the adducts of 5 with 1 or 2, with these aryl protons resonating at 6.25 ppm (CDCl3) for each adduct. The unsubstituted bridgehead phenyls of all four adducts showed slow exchange limit (SEL) 1H and 13C spectra. Greater shift dispersions for the bridge-head phenyl protons in the adducts from 5 relative to those from 3 or 4 suggested the role of the imide carbonyls for anisotropic contributions or for influences on adduct geometry. Ab initio geometry optimizations were performed at the Hartree-Fock level with the 6-31G* basis set (or the LACVP* basis set for the bromine-containing compounds) for each of the adducts. For the two adducts from benzylmaleimide, separate minima were located corresponding to conformers in which the benzyl group was directed into the adduct cavity (syn) or out of the adduct cavity (anti). Calculated energies and geometric parameters for the adducts are presented, and these suggested a significantly different structure for the dibromo diacetate adduct, in terms of general symmetry and bridgehead phenyl geometries, compared to the other adducts.

Diels-alder adducts of 3,6-dibromophencyclone with short-chain N-n-alkylmaleimides: 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of hindered rotations and magnetic anisotropy, and ab initio calculations for optimized structures.

3,6-Dibromophencyclone, 2, reacted with N-ethylmaleimide, 3a; N-n-propylmaleimide, 3b; and N-n-butylmaleimide, 3c; to form the corresponding Diels-Alder adducts, 4a, 4b, and 4c. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of the adducts were studied at ambient temperatures at 300 MHz for proton and 75 MHz for carbon-13. Full proton assignments were achieved by high-resolution COSY45 spectra for the aryl proton regions. Rigorous assignments for protonated carbons were obtained with the heteronuclear chemical shift correlation spectra (HETCOR). Slow exchange limit (SEL) spectra were observed for both proton and carbon-13 NMR for each adduct, with slow rotation on the NMR timescales for the unsubstituted bridgehead phenyl groups. Endo Diels-Alder adduct stereochemistry was supported by substantial magnetic anisotropic shielding effects in the 1H NMR spectra of the alkyl groups. Proton NMR shifts are compared with those previously reported for the corresponding adducts, 5b and 5c, obtained from 3b and 3c, respectively, with the parent compound, phencyclone, 1. Results of ab initio molecular modeling calculations at the Hartree-Fock level using the LACVP* basis set for conformers of the dibrominated adducts, 4a-4c, are presented, together with HF/6-31G* results for the non-brominated adducts, 5a, 5b, and 5c. Novel aspects of this present work include: (a) attempts to quantitatively evaluate alkyl proton NMR shielding magnitudes in the adducts, relative to maleimide precursors, and (b) use of ab initio Hartree-Fock level calculations to try to reconcile adduct geometries with the observed shielding magnitudes. Our results here complement and extend studies of: (a) adducts of the parent phencyclone with straight-chain N-n-alkylmaleimides, and (b) adducts of 3,6-dibromophencyclone with other symmetrical dienophiles.

The role of salt bridge formation in glucagon: an experimental and theoretical study of glucagon analogs and peptide fragments of glucagon.

BACKGROUND: Glucagon is a 29-residue peptide produced in the alpha cells of the pancreas that interacts with hepatic receptors to stimulate glucose production and release, via a cAMP-mediated pathway. Type 2 diabetes patients may have an excess of glucagon and, as such, glucagon antagonists might serve as diabetes drugs. The antagonists that bind to the glucagon receptor but do not exhibit activity could be analogs of glucagon. The presence of salt bridges between some residues of glucagons (such as aspartic acid) and others (such as lysine) might influence both the binding to the receptor and the activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experimental-The solid phase method with 4-methylbenzilhydrilamine resin (p-MBHA resin) was used for the synthesis of glucagon analogs. Rat liver membranes were prepared from male Sprague-Dawley rats by the Neville procedure. The receptor binding essay was performed in 1% BSA, 1 mM dithiothreitol, 25 mM Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.2. Adenyl cyclase activity was measured in an assay medium containing 1% serum albumin, 25 mM MgCl2, 2 mM dithiothreitol, 0.025 mM GTP, 5 mM ATP, 0.9 mM theophylline, 17.2 mM creatine phosphate, and 1 mg/ml creatine phosphokinase. Theoretical-Quantum chemical calculations using the Titan program with the 6-31G* basis set were performed to calculate the binding energies of salt bridges between aspartic or glutamic acids and lysine. The relative stability of cyclic conformations of glucagon segments versus the extended segments was determined. RESULTS: It was found that the cyclic Glu9-Lys12 amide compound displayed a 20-fold decrease in binding affinity. DesHis1 cyclic compounds Glu20-Lys24 amide and DesHis1Glu9 Glu20-Lys24 amide behave as glucagon antagonists. The calculations show that cyclic conformations of tetrapeptidic and pentapeptidic segments of glucagon are more stable than the extended species. CONCLUSIONS: The biological data and the theoretical calculations show that an intramolecular salt bridge might impart stability to some glucagon antagonists and, when situated at the C-terminus of glucagon, might facilitate induction of an alpha-helix upon initial hormone association with the membrane bilayer. These findings might be a useful tool for the design of new glucagon antagonists.