An indoline-derived compound that markedly reduces mouse body weight.

OBJECTIVE: We describe how a single intraperitoneal injection of an indoline-derived drug (SN 28127) reduced mouse body weight (25-45% loss) and adipose tissue mass (∼75%). METHODS AND RESULTS: The reductions in body weight peaked at ∼21-28 days post drug injection and were maintained throughout the study (160 days). The mice ate as much as vehicle-treated control mice. A more potent SN 28127 analog (SN 29220) reversed high-fat diet-induced obesity and type 2 diabetes in C57BL/6J mice on a high-fat diet. Insulin induced a sustained reduction in blood glucose in fasted SN 29220-treated mice compared with the vehicle-treated mice. All drug-treated mice exhibited a transient increase in water intake from ∼10 days post drug injection that lasted for ∼70 days. Following a single injection of (3)H-labeled SN 29220, radioactivity accumulated within 4 h in the liver, bile duct and ileum with little detected in the brain; within 1-2 days, most of the radioactivity was found in the pancreas, spleen, liver, bile duct, stomach, kidneys and white adipose tissue. High levels of glucose were detected in urine collected from SN 29220 but not vehicle-treated C57BL/6J mice at ∼60 days post injection, while fecal triacylglycerols and cholesterol were not different between SN 29220 and vehicle-treated mice. These data lead us to hypothesize that the hepatic system is the primary drug target. Genes involved in fatty acid synthesis (FASn, SCD1 and PPARγ) and appetite stimulation (AGRP) were upregulated at 160 days post drug treatment, indicative of adaptation to reduced body weight. CONCLUSION: We hypothesize that indoline-derived drug-induced chronic toxicity to the hepatic system leads to a reduction in white adipose tissue mass. The mice adapt to this drug-induced toxicity with reduced steady-state body weight. Understanding molecular mechanisms underlying these responses has potential to identify novel targets for prevention and treatment of obesity.

Hypoxia-selective antitumor agents. 16. Nitroarylmethyl quaternary salts as bioreductive prodrugs of the alkylating agent mechlorethamine.

Nitrobenzyl quaternary salts of nitrogen mustards have been previously reported as hypoxia-selective cytotoxins. In this paper we describe the synthesis and evaluation of a series of heterocyclic analogues, including pyrrole, imidazole, thiophene, and pyrazole examples, chosen to cover a range of one-electron reduction potentials (from -277 to -511 mV) and substitution patterns. All quaternary salt compounds were less toxic in vitro than mechlorethamine, and all were more toxic under hypoxic than aerobic conditions, although the differentials were highly variable within the series. The most promising analogue, imidazole 2, demonstrated DNA cross-linking selectively in hypoxic RIF-1 cells, and was active in vivo in combination with radiation or cisplatin. However, 2 also produced unpredictable toxicity in vivo, suggestive of nonspecific nitrogen mustard release, and this has restricted further development of these compounds as hypoxia-selective cytotoxins.

Cytotoxicity and DNA interaction of the enantiomers of 6-amino-3-(chloromethyl)-1-[(5,6,7-trimethoxyindol-2-yl)carbonyl]indo- line (amino-seco-CI-TMI).

The enantiomers of the previously reported racemic 6-amino-3-(chloromethyl)-1-[(5,6,7-trimethoxyindol-2-yl)carbonyl] indoline (amino-seco-CI-TMI) were prepared via resolution of a precursor by chiral HPLC. The only detectable product isolated from reaction of the racemic compound with calf thymus DNA, followed by thermal cleavage, was shown by mass spectrometry and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy to be the adenine N3 adduct. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis assays with the racemate and with each enantiomer also showed adenine to be the only site of alkylation. While the racemic amino compound exhibited sequence selectivity identical to that of the previously characterized phenol analogue, the enantiomers exhibited distinctly different sequence selectivities, allowing the (+) enantiomer to be assigned the "natural" S configuration. The (+)-(S) enantiomer is 3-fold more cytotoxic than the (-)-(R) enantiomer (IC(50) values of 240 and 700 nM, respectively, in AA8 cells, after exposure for 4 h).

Synthesis of 1-substituted 3-(chloromethyl)-6-aminoindoline (6-amino-seco-CI) DNA minor groove alkylating agents and structure-activity relationships for their cytotoxicity.

A series of racemic 6-amino-seco-cyclopropylindole (seco-CI) compounds was prepared by coupling 1-(tert-butyloxycarbonyl)-3-(chloromethyl)-6-nitroindoline with appropriate acids, followed by nitro group reduction, and evaluated for cytotoxicity in AA8, UV4, EMT6, and SKOV3 cell lines. These compounds are of interest due to their close structural relationship to known AT-specific alkylating agents and cytotoxins and also for the possible construction of stable amine-based prodrugs designed for tumor-specific release. Variations included indole or furan side chains with different substituents, sulfonamide or carboxamide linkers, extension of the minor groove binding side chain to two subunits, and the use of a pyrroylacryloyl unit previously reported to give extremely potent analogues. The parent compound, with a trimethoxyindole side chain, was a moderately potent cytotoxin (IC50 = 0.34 microM in AA8 cells, 4 h exposure). A single 5-methoxy group on the indole minor groove binding unit was sufficient to maintain potency, and a series of dimethylaminoethoxy-substituted analogues retained the cytotoxicity of the parent compound, while providing increased aqueous solubility.

Radiation-activated prodrugs as hypoxia-selective cytotoxins: model studies with nitroarylmethyl quaternary salts.

Bioreductive drugs are designed to be activated by enzymatic reduction in hypoxic regions of tumours, but activation of these drugs is not always fully suppressed by oxygen in normal tissues. A further limitation is that bioreductive drug activation depends on suitable reductases being expressed in the hypoxic zone. This essay proposes an alternative approach in which prodrugs are reduced, and thereby activated, in hypoxic regions by ionizing radiation rather than by enzymes. This strategy is theoretically attractive, but design requirements for such radiation-activated cytotoxins are challenging. In particular, the reducing capacity of radiation at clinically relevant doses is small, which necessitates the development of prodrugs capable of releasing very potent cytotoxins efficiently in hypoxic tissue. It is shown that nitroarylmethyl quaternary (NMQ) salts possess many of the features required of a radiation-activated prodrug. In some heterocyclic NMQ compounds the cytotoxicity of the latent cytotoxic amine effector is suppressed by > 100-fold in the prodrug form, and the effector is released rapidly by fragmentation following reduction by a single electron. Appreciable cytotoxic activation of NMQ prodrugs can be achieved by irradiation at clinically relevant doses in anoxic plasma. Some of the further drug design challenges required to develop a clinical agent based on this approach are outlined.

Reduction of nitroarylmethyl quaternary ammonium prodrugs of mechlorethamine by radiation.

Nitroarylmethyl quaternary ammonium nitrogen mustards are bioreductive drugs designed to release mechlorethamine, when reduced metabolically, via fragmentation of the initial nitro radical anion to a benzylic-type radical. This proposed mechanism (termed Type I) is analogous to the well-known reductive fragmentation of 2-nitrobenzyl halides. The lead nitroarylmethyl quaternary mustard SN 25246 (NSC 656581), which contains a 2-nitrobenzyl electron acceptor, was shown previously to release mechlorethamine in hypoxic cell cultures and to be a highly selective hypoxic cytotoxin. In the present work the mechanism of reductive release of mechlorethamine from nitroarylmethyl quaternary prodrugs was investigated by steady-state radiolysis with product analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography. SN 25246 releases mechlorethamine in high yield upon reduction, but several reducing equivalents are required (Type II mechanisms). Investigation of other nitroarylmethyl units identified two heterocyclic analogues, the 1-methyl-4-nitro-5-imidazolyl derivative SN 25341 and the 1-methyl-5-nitro-2-pyrrolyl derivative SN 26581, which have a reduction stoichiometry of about one reducing equivalent and which release mechlorethamine efficiently. The other products from reduction of SN 25341 are also consistent with Type I fragmentation, via intramolecular electron transfer, to give the 1-methyl-4-nitroimidazole-5-CH2. radical. The sensitivity of the 4-nitroimidazole and 5-nitropyrrole nitroarylmethyl quaternary mustards to Type I reductive fragmentation suggests that these electron acceptor units may be well suited to development of prodrugs which release tertiary amine effectors after metabolic or radiolytic reduction in hypoxic regions of tumors.

Synthesis, DNA binding and cytotoxicity of 1-[[omega-(9-acridinyl)amino]alkyl]carbonyl -3-(chloromethyl)-6-hydroxyindolines, a new class of DNA-targeted alkylating agents.

We report the first synthesis of examples of the seco-CI DNA alkylating moiety 3-(chloromethyl)-6-hydroxyindoline linked to a 9-aminoacridine DNA-intercalating unit (compounds 1a-1c). The sequence-specificity of DNA alkylation by these compounds was studied by the gel electrophoresis cleavage assay. In contrast to the known trimethoxyindole-linked compound (1d), which alkylates exclusively at N3 of adenines in the minor groove, the acridine-linked analogues (1a-1c) alkylate predominantly at the N7 of guanines in the major groove (the first CI analogues reported to do so), although DNase I footprinting experiments show that the initial non-covalent binding of 1a-1c is not base sequence selective. DNA unwinding experiments show that the acridine moiety of 1a-1c remains intercalated after alkylation.

Hypoxia-selective antitumor agents. 12. Nitrobenzyl quaternary salts as bioreductive prodrugs of the alkylating agent mechlorethamine.

A series of benzene-substituted analogues of the novel hypoxia-selective cytotoxin N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)-N-methyl-N-(2-nitrobenzyl)ammonium chloride (3a), together with three corresponding tetrahydroisoquinolinium "cyclic" analogues 21a-23a and two naphthalene derivatives (19a and 20a), have been prepared and evaluated for cytotoxicity in cultured mammalian tumor cells under aerobic and hypoxic conditions. The parent compound 3a has a one-electron reduction potential of -358 mV and undergoes reductively-induced fragmentation to release the nitrogen mustard mechlorethamine. The compounds were prepared by halogenation (SOCl2) of the corresponding quaternary diols, which in turn were synthesized from N-methyldiethalnolamine and substituted nitrobenzyl chlorides. The reduction potentials of the benzene-substituted compounds were generally well-predicted by Hammett substituent relationships. All of the compounds were much more toxic toward repair-deficient UV4 cells than the corresponding wild-type AA8 cells, as expected if the active cytotoxic species as a DNA alkylating agent. They were also more toxic toward the human cell lines EMT6 and FME compared to AA8, but the reasons for this are not known. Analogues of 3a substituted in the phenyl ring with electron-donating substituents provided compounds with widely differing selectivities for hypoxic AA8 cells, ranging from no selectivity for the 3-Me compound 9a to 3000-fold (at least as great as that of the parent 3a) for the 4-OMe compound 14a. The naphthalene derivatives 19a and 20a and the tetrahydroisoquinolinium compounds 21a-23a showed no hypoxic selectivity. Selective chemical reduction of 22a and 23a with nickel boride resulted in isolation of the corresponding stable amino derivatives, indicating that reduction of these compounds does not result in fragmentation. The reason(s) for the marked differences in hypoxic selectivity of the nitrobenzyl quaternary mustards is unknown, but may reflect differences in radical chemistry, cell uptake, or sensitivity to enzymatic reduction.

Hypoxia-selective antitumor agents. 11. Chlorambucil N-oxide: a reappraisal of its synthesis, stability, and selective toxicity for hypoxic cells.

The potential hypoxia-selective cytotoxin 4-[4'-[N,N-bis(2"-chloroethyl)amino]phenyl]butanoic acid N-oxide (chlorambucil N-oxide, 4) was synthesized and characterized as its hydrochloride salt. This compound was shown to be unstable, decomposing in some organic solvents to the hydroxylamine 4-[4'-[N-(2"-chloroethoxy)-N-(2"-chloroethyl)amino]phenyl]butanoic acid (11) by a mechanism previously demonstrated for aliphatic mustard N-oxides and under aqueous conditions to a more complex mixture, of which the predominant components were the monochloroethyl derivative 7 and formaldehyde. Comparison of NMR spectra showed that a recent published synthesis of 4 in fact resulted in the rearrangement product 11, indicating that recent reported investigations of the hypoxia-selective cytotoxicity and metabolism of chlorambucil N-oxide have examined this rearrangement product rather than 4. In a clonogenic assay, 4 was less cytotoxic against AA8 cells than was chlorambucil, but the effect of oxygen on cytotoxicity was no greater than for chlorambucil itself.

Nitrobenzyl mustard quaternary salts: a new class of hypoxia-selective cytotoxins capable of releasing diffusible cytotoxins on bioreduction.

PURPOSE: To explore the utility of a new class of compounds, nitrobenzyl mustard quaternary salts, as hypoxia-selective prodrugs of diffusible cytotoxins. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The parent compound N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)-N-methyl-N-(2-nitrobenzyl)ammonium chloride (SN 25246) was prepared by reaction of 2-nitrobenzyl chloride with N-methyldiethanolamine, and reaction of the resulting quaternary diol with thionyl chloride at room temperature. The rate of release of mechlorethamine from this compound in the presence of cells under aerobic and hypoxic conditions was determined by trapping with diethyldithiocarbamate. Cytotoxicity was assessed by clonogenic assay of stirred suspension cultures of EMT6 cells, and also in intact and dissociated EMT6 spheroids. In vivo activity was evaluated in mice bearing SC KHT tumors. RESULTS: The parent compound is a stable, water-soluble compound with an E(1) of -369 mV. It releases mechlorethamine, and shows selective toxicity towards hypoxic EMT6 cells in culture, increasing with time to several 1000-fold after 4 h. It is much more active against intact than dissociated EMT6 spheroids, and shows low but statistically significant activity against KHT tumors in vivo. CONCLUSION: Nitrobenzyl mustard quaternary salts are a new class of hypoxia-selective cytotoxin. The parent compound shows very high selectivity for hypoxic cells in vitro, and undergoes reduction in hypoxic cells, releasing mechlorethamine which can back-diffuse to kill surrounding oxygenated cells.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors. 1. Structure-activity relationships for inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase activity by 2,3-dihydro-2-thioxo-1H-indole-3-alkanoic acids and 2,2'-dithiobis(1H-indole-3-alkanoic acids).

A series of 2,3-dihydro-2-thioxo-1H-indole-3-alkanoic acids, and their methyl esters were prepared, the majority by oxidation of 1H-indole-3-alkanoic acids (DMSO/HCl), followed by thiation of the corresponding 2,3-dihydro-2-oxo-1H-indole-3-alkanoic acid esters. The monomeric thiones undergo facile and reversible oxidation to the corresponding 2,2'-dithiobis(1H-indole-3-alkanoic acids). The compounds were evaluated for their abilities to inhibit the tyrosine kinase activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor using a native complex contained in plasma membrane vesicles shed from cultured A431 cells, and to inhibit the growth of Swiss 3T3 mouse fibroblast in culture. Enzyme inhibitory activity is dependent on the length of the side chain, with propanoic acid derivatives showing the highest activity. The acids are generally significantly more potent than the corresponding esters, and the disulfides more active than the corresponding monomers. An ability to undergo the thione-thiol tautomerism necessary for dimerization is essential, with 3,3-disubstituted compounds being inactive. Overall, the data suggest that the disulfide is the more active form, with much of the activity of the monomeric thiones being due to varying degrees of conversion to the disulfide during the assay. In the growth inhibition assay, the methyl esters are more potent than their corresponding carboxylic acids, and the dimers are generally more potent than the monomers. The data show these compounds to be a novel and potent class of inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase activity.