1,2,4-Triazole D-ribose derivatives: design, synthesis and antitumoral evaluation.

Herein we report the design, synthesis and characterization of novel 1,2,4-triazole d-ribose derivatives, as well as their synthetic precursors. The antitumoral activity against T cell lymphoma cell line of these products was studied. Structures containing a 1,2,4-triazolic ring linked by sulfur to the carbohydrate moiety showed a moderate antiproliferative activity. The presence of the second heterocyclic ring did not show significant changes in their biological activity. Meanwhile, structures with 3-thiobenzyl-5-substituted-1,2,4-triazole ring linked by nitrogen leads to compounds with a biphasic behavior, stimulating cell proliferation at low concentrations and inhibiting it at higher ones. An increment in the polarity was associated with a decrease in the activity of the evaluated compounds. A preliminary antitumoral screening pointed the 1,2,4-triazolic structures linked to protected sugars as promising leaders for further studies.

Sugar boost: when ribose modifications improve oligonucleotide performance.

Since the first antisense oligonucleotides were described, synthetic oligonucleotides have been used to modulate gene expression for numerous research and therapeutic purposes over the last 30 years. In order to improve the performance of oligonucleotides in therapeutic applications, various chemical modifications of nucleotides have been developed and applied to antisense, antigen, aptamer and short interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics. For example, backbone substitution of phosphodiester bonds to create DNA phosphorothioates and 4'-thio RNA analogs, increases resistance to nuclease degradation. Modifications to improve the activity of oligonucleotides by 2'-O-modification of the ribose sugar, and the systematic approaches used to evaluate the potential of mixed oligonucleotides, are discussed in this review. Although structural data from crystallization studies appear to confirm observed gains in thermodynamic stability with 2'-O-modifications, no simple rules can be drawn to predict the overall effect of individual modifications for the rational design of mixed oligonucleotides.

Nucleophilic substitution at the anomeric position of 1,2-O-isopropylidenefuranose derivatives. A novel stereoselective synthesis of cyclic phosphates analogous to cAMP.

1,2-O-Isopropylidenefuranose derivatives were treated with various nucleophiles in the presence of either BF(3).OEt(2) or trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) leading to substitution products in a regio- and stereoselective manner. In particular, nucleophilic substitution of 1,2-O-isopropylidenefuranose derivatives when treated with allyltrimethylsilane was controlled by steric and electronic factors (similar to Woerpel's stereoelectronic model). On the other hand, when 1,2-O-isopropylidenefuranose derivatives were treated with trimethylsilane, in the presence of bis-O-trimethylsilyl-5-iodouracil or bis-O-trimethylsilyl-thymidine, substitution products were generated in high regio- and stereoselectivities via an unusual nucleophilic substitution with opening of the furanose ring. Based on these results, a stereoselective method for the synthesis of neutral cyclic phosphates analogous to cAMP was developed.

Di-imine copper(II) complexes as redox mediator and modulator in 2-deoxy-D-ribose oxidative damage.

Redox properties of copper complexes are important for their catalytic functions in vitro and in biological systems, and can contribute to their reactivity toward selected targets. In order to evaluate the influence of different ligands on the reactivity of copper ions, comparative studies were carried out with some copper(II) complexes containing a tridentate imine, or a tetradentate di-Schiff base ligand with a mixed pyridine, pyrazine, or imidazole donor set, acting as catalysts in the oxidation of 2-deoxy-D-ribose. Addition of the reducing agent glutathione (gamma-glutamylcysteinylglycine; GSH), which can also act as a good ligand for copper(I), mediated the oxidation of the substrate. For some of these compounds, a reductive activation followed by competition for the metal ion was verified, with formation of copper(I)-glutathione complex monitored by fluorescence measurements. For others, however, the reduction of the metal by the glutathione seems to not occur. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, the oxidative damage is significantly enhanced for all the complexes tested. Redox potential measurements by cyclic voltammetry corroborated partially these results, indicating that the most reactive complexes are those with more positive redox potential. Evidence for site-specific attack to 2-deoxy-D-ribose was also observed, consistent with the intermediary formation of a copper-hydroxyl species, [LCu(II)(*OH)], rather than 'free' hydroxyl radical.

Role of the anion in the alkali halides interaction with D-ribose: a 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy study.

The alkali halides interaction with d-ribose in D2O solutions was studied by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The observed changes in the NMR spectra are interpreted according to a model in which the hydroxyls rich region, from C1 to C4, interacts with the cation while the CH2 group at C5 on the opposite side of the sugar interacts with the anion. It seems, during the salt-sugar interaction, cation and anion preserve, at least partially, their ion-pair character. The cooperative interaction of the sugar hydroxyl groups with the cation leads to a polarization within the sugar molecule, which favors the anion interaction with its most positive region. A correlation between the chemical shift of C5 atom and the atomic number of the anion was observed, which is discussed as a neighboring paramagnetic effect; as higher is the halogen atom more pronounced is the resulting shift of the C5 signal. The anion effect is weak but also observed in the 13C signals of those carbon atoms bound to hydroxyl groups where the interaction is predominant with the cation. The 1H signal of the anomeric protons and the relative population of isomers in the alkali halide solution also show an anion dependence.

Plural origins of molecular homochirality in our biota Part II. The relative stabilities of homochiral and mixed oligoribotides and peptides.

By computer simulations--molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics with the amber force field (Weiner et al, (1986), J. Comp. Chem. 7, 230-252)--we have determined the stabilities of oligoribotide strands built with D- and L-riboses, and of peptide chains with D- and L-amino acid residues. In particular, complementary double-chains of oligoribotides were studied, since they are an important feature of the growing mechanism of modern nucleic acids. Peptide chains on the other hand, grow without need of a template. We found that mixed oligoribotides are less stable than homochiral ones, and that this chiral effect is less noticeable in peptide chains. The results support the interpretation that L-riboses act as terminators to the template-assisted growth of oligo-r-GD (enantiometric cross-inhibition; Joyce et al., (1987), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 4398-4402). Based on this effect, a chemical pathway is proposed which could, under assumed prebiotic conditions, bypass the hindrance of homochiral growth.

The presence of galactofuranose and ribose units in asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of the digenetic trypanosomatid Endotrypanum schaudinni.

It was found that the digenetic trypanosomatid Endotrypanum schaudinni transferred Man7GlcNAc2 in protein N-glycosylation. Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H-sensitive oligosaccharides were identified as Man7GlcNAc2, Man6GlcNAc2, Rib1Man6GlcNAc2 and/or Gal1Man6GlcNAc2, Man5GlcNAc containing two galactose or ribose units or one of each residues, Rib1Man5GlcNAc2 and Gal1Man5GlcNAc2. The galactoses were in the furanose configuration. Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H-resistant glycopeptides that were retained by concanavalin A-Sepharose and eluted with alpha-methylmannoside were found to contain mannose, galactofuranose and ribose units. The presence of galactofuranoses in N-glycoproteins has been reported previously in several monogenetic trypanosomatids but only in one digenetic parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi). This and a recent publication on the structure of Blastocrithidia culicis N-linked oligosaccharides are the first reports on the presence of ribose in eukaryotic glycoconjugates.