Synthesis of Tubercidin, 6-Chlorotubercidin and Related Nucleosides

Glycosylation of Pyrrolo[2,3- d]pyrimidines with 1- O-Acetyl-2,3,5-tri- O-benzoyl-β-d-ribofuranose: Substituents and Protecting Groups Effecting the Synthesis of 7-Deazapurine Ribonucleosides

Glycosylation of nonfunctionalized 6-chloro-7-deazapurine with commercially available 1- O-acetyl-2,3,5-tri- O-benzoyl-β-d-ribofuranose (45%) followed by amination and deprotection gave tubercidin in only two steps. Similar conditions applied for the synthesis of 7-deazaguanosine employing pivaloylated 2-amino-6-chloro-7-deazapurine gave 18% glycosylation yield. The less bulky isobutyryl or acetyl protected amino group directed the glycosylation toward the exocyclic amino substituent. 7-Halogenated intermediates were glycosylated followed by dehalogenation to overcome the low glycosylation yield in the synthesis of 7-deazaguanosine.

Studies on the glycosylation of pyrrolo[2,3-d] pyrimidines with 1-O-acetyl-2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-beta-D-ribofuranose: the formation of regioisomers during toyocamycin and 7-deazainosine syntheses

Glycosylation of silylated 4-amino-6-bromo-5-cyano-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine (9) with 1-O-acetyl-2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-beta-D-ribofuranose (10) under "one-pot" glycosylation conditions (MeCN, TMSOTf) yielded the N-7 isomer 11 together with the N-1 compound 13 (ratio = 2:1). When the same conditions were applied to 4-hydroxy-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine (21) the N-3 isomer 22 was the only glycosylation product formed in almost quantitative yield.

Guanosine analog in the pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine ring system as a potential toll-like receptor agonist

The synthesis of a guanosine analog in the pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine ring system has been accomplished by glycosylation of the preformed aromatic heterocyclic base, which was prepared in 2 steps by condensation of methyl acrylate with guanidine carbonate and methyl cyanoacetate in the presence of sodium methoxide, followed by dehydrogenation. The analog was evaluated in vitro for its ability to modulate the innate immune response by acting as an agonist or as an antagonist of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling by measuring cytokine induction or inhibition of induction, respectively, in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages. Despite its structural similarity to 7-thia-8-oxoguanosine, a known TLR7 agonist, the analog was found to antagonize TLR7-induced cytokine induction in this cell-based assay.

Practical synthesis of a potent hepatitis C virus RNA replication inhibitor

A practical, efficient synthesis of 1, a hepatitis C virus RNA replication inhibitor, is described. Starting with the inexpensive diacetone glucose, the 12-step synthesis features a novel stereoselective rearrangement to prepare the key crystalline furanose diol intermediate. This is followed by a highly selective glycosidation to couple the C-2 branched furanose epoxide with deazapurine.

Synthesis and biological activity of 5-fluorotubercidin

The electrophilic fluorination of 4-chloropyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine (1) was studied culminating a 59% conversion of compound 1 to 4-chloro-5-fluoropyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine (2) using Selectfluor. This transformation proceeded via the 4-chloro-5,6-dihydro-5-fluoro-6-hydroxypyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine (3) in a 9:1 trans:cis ratio. The trans isomer of compound 3 was studied by 1H NMR and 19F NMR, and the 5-H tautomer (4) was observed as another intermediate. A modified Vorbruggen procedure of compound 2 and tetra-O-acetylribose gave 4-chloro-5-fluoro-7-(2,3,5,-tri-O-benzoyl-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine (6) in a 65% yield. Treatment of compound 6 with ammonia (l) in dioxane gave 5-fluorotubercidin (7). No antibacterial activity was observed. An MTT assay (Promega) against Huh-7 liver cells, normal mouse spleen cells stimulated with Con A (a T-cell mitogen), and normal mouse spleen stimulated with LPS (a B-cell mitogen) showed no significant toxicity. Increased activity of 7 over tubercidin was observed against L-1210 cells and toxicity in fibroblast cells was reduced.

Study on the synthesis and PKA-I binding activities of 5-alkynyl tubercidin analogues

5-alkynyl tubercidin analogues were synthesized and their biological activities were evaluated. It was found that protein kinase A could be activated by 5-alkynyl tubercidin (9a) and cAMP-binding ability to PKA-I was selectively inhibited by it. Molecular modeling showed that the interaction of 9a and PKA-I was associated with the existence of hydrophobic alkynyl group. During the synthesis of tubercidin analogues, a pair of 2'-carbonyl participating abnormal coupling products (11a, 11b) was obtained, the structure was identified by X-ray crystalline diffraction.

Adenosine kinase inhibitors. 2. Synthesis, enzyme inhibition, and antiseizure activity of diaryltubercidin analogues

In the preceding article (Ugarkar et al. J. Med. Chem. 2000, 43) we reported that analogues of tubercidin are potent adenosine kinase (AK) inhibitors with antiseizure activity in the rat maximum electroshock (MES) model. Despite the discovery of several highly potent AK inhibitors (AKIs), e.g., 5'-amino-5'-deoxy- 5-iodotubercidin (1c) (IC50 = 0.0006 microM), no compounds were identified that exhibited a safety, efficacy, and side effect profile suitable for further development. In this article, we demonstrate that substitution of the tubercidin molecule with aromatic rings at the N4- and the C5-positions not only retains AKI potency but also improves in vivo activity. Synthesis of such compounds entailed transformation of 4-arylamino-5-iodotubercidin analogues to their corresponding 5-aryl derivatives via the Suzuki reaction. Alternatively, 4-N-arylamino-5-arylpyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine bases were constructed and then glycosylated with appropriately protected alpha-ribofuranosyl chlorides using a phase-transfer catalyst. Several compounds exhibited potent activity in the rat MES seizure assay with ED50s < or = 2.0 mg/kg, ip, and showed relatively mild side effects.