Synthesis, Antiproliferative, and Antiviral Evaluation of Certain Acyclic 6-Substituted Pyrrolo[2,3-D]-pyrimidine Nucleoside Analogs Related to Sangivamycin and Toyocamycin

Antitumor activity of novel pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-ones

Pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine is known to have a broad spectrum of biological activities, including antitumor activity. The cytotoxic properties of six novel pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-ones in vitro were investigated on four different human cancer cell lines. Meanwhile, the role of apoptosis was explored. Malignant cells were cultured in RPMI medium and incubated with different concentrations. Cell viability was quantitated by MTT assay. Apoptotic cells were determined using DAPI (4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) and propidium iodide staining of DNA fragmentation by flow cytometry (sub-G1 peak). We have identified new analogs as a novel class of antiproliferative agents by a cell-based screening method. All compounds inhibited the growth of malignant cells in a dose-dependent manner. The IC₅₀ of compounds 4 and 5 as the two most potent analogs was determined as 122.4 and 106.7 μM in HeLa cells, respectively. Compounds 4 and 5 induced a sub-G1 peak in the flow-cytometry histogram of treated cells, compared to control, indicating that apoptotic cell death is involved in compound 4- and 5-induced toxicity. In conclusion, compounds 4 and 5 exert cytotoxic effects in different cancer cell lines in which apoptosis plays an important role. Thus, compounds 4 and 5 could be considered as potential chemotherapeutic agents.

Acyclonucleosides: Part 2. diseco-Nucleosides

This chapter is the second of a sequence of three chapters that appears in successive volumes of this series dealing with the chemistry of acyclonucleosides. The first chapter appeared in the previous volume [97AHC391] and dealt with seco-nucleosides (one bond disconnection). This chapter deals with diseco-nucleosides (two bond disconnections). The final chapter of this series will deal with tri-, tetra-, and pentaseco-nucleosides, as well as contain an appendix of the literature that appeared after the three chapters were prepared.

Facile Synthesis of 1-Substituted 2-Amino-3-cyanopyrroles: New Synthetic Precursors for 5,6-Unsubstituted Pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines

1-Benzyl-3-cyanopyrrole-2-carbonyl azide (5) underwent a Curtius rearrangement followed by quenching with alcohols to form the corresponding carbamates (6a-c). The carbamates 6a,b were unblocked to give the desired 2-amino-1-benzyl-3-cyanopyrrole (1a). A more facile procedure was subsequently developed for the synthesis of 1-substituted 2-amino-3-cyanopyrroles. N-Substituted aminoacetaldehyde dimethyl acetals (7a-c) were condensed with malononitrile in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate to afford the corresponding 1-substituted 2-amino-3-cyanopyrroles (1a-c).

Nonnucleoside pyrrolopyrimidines with a unique mechanism of action against human cytomegalovirus

Based upon a prior study which evaluated a series of nonnucleoside pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines as inhibitors of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), we have selected three active analogs for detailed study. In an HCMV plaque-reduction assay, compounds 828, 951, and 1028 had 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)s) of 0.4 to 1.0 microM. Similar results were obtained when 828 and 951 were examined by HCMV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IC(50)s = 1.9 and 0.4 microM, respectively) and when 828 was tested in a viral DNA-DNA hybridization assay (IC(50) = 1.3 microM). In yield-reduction assays with a low multiplicity of infection (MOI), all three compounds caused multiple log(10) reductions in virus titer, and the activities of these compounds were comparable to the activity of ganciclovir (GCV; IC(90) = 0.2 microM). In contrast to the reduction of viral titers by GCV, the reduction of viral titers by 828, 951, and 1028 decreased with increasing MOI. Cytotoxicity in human foreskin fibroblasts and KB cells ranged from 32 to >100 microM. In addition, 828 (the only compound tested) was less toxic against human bone marrow progenitor cells than GCV. Time-of-addition and time-of-removal studies established that the three pyrrolopyrimidines inhibited HCMV replication before GCV had an effect on viral DNA synthesis but after viral adsorption. Compound 828 was equally effective against GCV-sensitive and GCV-resistant HCMV clinical isolates. Combination studies with 828 and GCV showed that the effects of the two compounds on HCMV were additive but not synergistic. Taken together, the data indicate that these pyrrolopyrimidines target a viral protein that is required in an MOI-dependent manner and that is expressed early in the HCMV replication cycle.

Glycosidopyrroles. Part 1. Acyclic derivatives: 1-(2-hydroxyethoxy)methylpyrroles as potential anti-viral agents

Acyclic glycosidopyrroles of type 1, synthesized in good overall yields, were evaluated for anti-viral activity. Compound 10i was found to inhibit the HIV-1 replication at concentrations that were very close to those cytotoxic for MT-4 cells. Compounds 10a,f,i inhibited both strains HSV-1 and HSV-2 at concentrations slightly below those cytotoxic for Vero cells. However for this series of glycosidopyrroles some relationship between calculated log P values and the observed cytotoxicity was found.

Synthesis of non-nucleoside analogs of toyocamycin, sangivamycin, and thiosangivamycin: the effect of certain 4- and 4,6-substituents on the antiviral activity of pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines

A number of 4-substituted 7-(ethoxymethyl)- and 7-[(2-methoxyethoxy)methyl]pyrrolo[2,3-d]-pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile and -5-thiocarboxamide derivatives and several 7-substituted 4,6-diaminopyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile, -5-carboxamide, and -5-thiocarboxamide analogs related to the nucleoside antibiotics toyocamycin and sangivamycin were prepared and tested for activity against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Biologically, modifications at the 4-position were not well tolerated in cell culture, and in almost all cases no activity against HCMV or HSV-1 was observed. Furthermore, none of the compounds inhibited the growth of L1210 murine leukemic cells in vitro. In sharp contrast to the 4-substituted compounds, all of the 4,6-diamino 5-nitrile and the 5-thioamide analogs were active against HCMV, whereas the 5-carboxamides were inactive. The corresponding 4-amino 6-methylamino and 6-dimethylamino 5-nitrile analogs were inactive against HCMV, establishing that an amino group at both C-4 and C-6 is a likely requirement for antiviral activity. Overall, our results demonstrate that an amino group at C-4 and a thioamide moiety at C-5 of a 7-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine are essential for activity against HCMV, whereas a 4,6-diamino analog does not necessarily require a thioamide group at C-5 for activity against HCMV.