New highly active taxoids from 9beta-dihydrobaccatin-9,10-acetals. Part 3

Geminal Diheteroatomic Motifs: Some Applications of Acetals, Ketals, and Their Sulfur and Nitrogen Homologues in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design

Acetals and ketals and their nitrogen and sulfur homologues are often considered to be unconventional and potentially problematic scaffolding elements or pharmacophores for the design of orally bioavailable drugs. This opinion is largely a function of the perception that such motifs might be chemically unstable under the acidic conditions of the stomach and upper gastrointestinal tract. However, even simple acetals and ketals, including acyclic molecules, can be sufficiently robust under acidic conditions to be fashioned into orally bioavailable drugs, and these structural elements are embedded in many effective therapeutic agents. The chemical stability of molecules incorporating geminal diheteroatomic motifs can be modulated by physicochemical design principles that include the judicious deployment of proximal electron-withdrawing substituents and conformational restriction. In this Perspective, we exemplify geminal diheteroatomic motifs that have been utilized in the discovery of orally bioavailable drugs or drug candidates against the backdrop of understanding their potential for chemical lability.

Formaldehyde tert-butyl hydrazone as a formyl anion equivalent: asymmetric addition to carbonyl compounds

The asymmetric 1,2-addition of formyl anion equivalents to carbonyl compounds is a powerful synthetic tool that ideally provide access to highly functionalizable α-hydroxy aldehydes in an enantioselective fashion. In this context, the nucleophilic character of formaldehyde hydrazones, together with their remarkable stability as monomeric species, has been exploited for the functionalization of diverse carbonyl compounds, using initially auxiliary-based methodologies and, more recently, catalytic enantioselective versions. This feature article highlights our research progress employing formaldehyde tert-butyl hydrazone as a versatile formyl anion equivalent, in combination with bifunctional H-bonding organocatalysis. The design and optimization of different catalytic systems, focusing on a dual activation of both reagents, is reviewed, as well as the racemization free unmasking of the formyl group and representative product transformations for the construction of valuable, densely functionalyzed chiral building blocks.

Asymmetric organocatalytic synthesis of tertiary azomethyl alcohols: key intermediates towards azoxy compounds and α-hydroxy-β-amino esters

A series of peracylated glycosamine-derived thioureas have been synthesized and their behavior as bifunctional organocatalysts has been tested in the enantioselective nucleophilic addition of formaldehyde tert-butyl hydrazone to aliphatic α-keto esters for the synthesis of tertiary azomethyl alcohols. Using the 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-amino-2-deoxy-β-d-glucosamine derived 3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl thiourea the reaction could be accomplished with high yields (75-98%) and moderate enantioselectivities (50-64% ee). Subsequent high-yielding and racemization-free tranformations of both aromatic- and aliphatic-substituted diazene products in a one pot fashion provide a direct entry to valuable azoxy compounds and α-hydroxy-β-amino esters.

In vitro assessment of cytochrome P450 inhibition and induction potential of felotaxel (SHR110008)

The purpose of this study was to assess the potential inhibitory and inductive effects of felotaxel on cytochrome P450 isozymes in vitro. The inhibitory effects of felotaxel on various CYP isozymes were determined in human liver microsomes. In addition, the ability of felotaxel to induce CYP enzymes in cultured human hepatocytes was evaluated. Results showed that felotaxel did not inhibit CYP1A2-, CYP2C9-, CYP2C19-, CYP2E1-, CYP2D6-, CYP2B6-, CYP2C8-, and mediated activities in human liver microsomes up to a concentration of 100 μM, while the inhibition (<30% inhibition) of CYP3A4 activities was observed at 100 μM felotaxel. In vitro felotaxel did not induce CYP1A2, CYP2C19, or CYP3A4/5 activities in cultured human hepatocytes. In present study, felotaxel has been identified as a potent inhibitor of metabolic activity of CYP3A4. Therefore, clinically relevant pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions are likely to occur between felotaxel and co-administered substrates of these CYP3A4 isozymes. These findings provided some useful information for safe and effective use of felotaxel in clinical practice.

Application of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion studies of felotaxel (SHR110008) in tumor-bearing mice

Felotaxel (SHR110008), currently under clinical investigation in phase I trial, is a new effective taxane with greater anticancer activity and less toxicity than docetaxel. Pharmacokinetic studies in animal models are the important components in clinical development of this agent. In this study, a rapid and sensitive analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been developed for the determination of felotaxel in tumor-bearing mice plasma, urine, feces and tissues (brain, heart, liver, lung and kidney and tumor). For all matrices, sample preparation involved liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. Calibration curves (1/x² weighted) offered satisfactory linearity (r² ≥ 0.995) within the test range. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) for all matrices was 10 ng/ml except that for mouse plasma and brain LLOQ was 1 ng/ml. The accuracy and precision ranged from 86.1 to 107.2% and 1.1 to 9.2%, respectively. Recoveries (73.9-96.1%) and matrix effects (76.4-97.2%) were satisfactory in all the biological matrices examined. Stability studies (85.1-101.5%) showed that felotaxel was stable both during the assay procedure and long-term storage. The assay was successfully applied to plasma pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion study of mice. The pharmacokinetic parameters, such as half-life, mean residence time, maximum concentration were determined. The preclinical data are useful for the design of clinical trials of felotaxel.

Overcoming Tumor Drug Resistance with High-Affinity Taxanes: A SAR Study of C2-Modified 7-Acyl-10-Deacetyl Cephalomannines

A series of C2-modified 10-deacetyl-7-propionyl cephalomannine derivatives was designed, prepared, and biologically evaluated. Some C2 meta-substituted benzoate analogues showed potent activity against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tumor cells in which resistance is mediated through either P-gp overexpression or beta-tubulin mutation mechanisms. The taxoid 15 b and related compounds are of particular interest, as they are much more cytotoxic than paclitaxel, especially against drug-resistant tumor cells; they are able to kill both drug-resistant and drug-sensitive cells (low R/S ratio), and they have high affinity for beta-tubulin. Our research results led to an important hypothesis, that is, a taxane with very high binding affinity for beta-tubulin is able to counteract drug resistance, which may assist in future taxane-based drug-discovery efforts.

New highly active taxoids from 9β-dihydrobaccatin-9,10-acetals. Part 5

To improve the metabolic stability of 3, which exhibited both in vitro antitumor activity and in vivo efficacy by both iv and po administration, we designed and synthesized new taxane analogues. Most of the synthetic compounds maintained excellent antitumor activity and were scarcely metabolized by human liver microsomes. And some compounds exhibited potent antitumor effects against B16 melanoma BL6 in vivo by both iv and po administration similarly to 3.

New highly active taxoids from 9beta-dihydrobaccatin-9,10-acetals. Part 4

It was shown that a new taxane analogue 3, which exhibited both in vitro antitumor activity and in vivo efficacy by both i.v. and p.o. administration, was prone to be metabolized by human liver microsomes. We identified a major metabolite, M-1, generated by human liver microsomes as 20a, a hydroxylated compound at the pyridine ring of 3. To improve the metabolic stability of 3, we designed and synthesized new taxane analogues based on the structure of M-1, and obtained some compounds that maintained excellent antitumor activity and were scarcely metabolized by human liver microsomes.

DJ-927, a novel oral taxane, overcomes P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance in vitro and in vivo

DJ-927 is a novel taxane, which was selected for high solubility, non-neurotoxicity, oral bioavailability, and potent antitumor activity. In this study, we compared the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of DJ-927 with those of paclitaxel and docetaxel. DJ-927 exhibited stronger cytotoxicity than paclitaxel and docetaxel in various tumor cell lines, especially against P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-expressing cells. The cytotoxicity of DJ-927, unlike those of other taxanes, was not affected by the P-gp expression level in tumor cells, or by the co-presence of a P-gp modulator. When intracellular accumulation of the three compounds was compared, intracellular amounts of DJ-927 were much higher than those of paclitaxel or docetaxel, particularly in P-gp-positive cells. In vivo, DJ-927 showed potent antitumor effects against two human solid tumors in male BALB/c-nu/nu mice, and yielded significant life-prolongation in a murine liver metastasis model with male C57BL/6 mice, in which neither paclitaxel nor docetaxel was effective. The results demonstrate the superior efficacy of orally administered DJ-927 over intravenously administered paclitaxel or docetaxel against P-gp-expressing tumors, probably due to higher intracellular accumulation. A phase I clinical trials of DJ-927 is currently ongoing in the US.