Evaluation of Antiradical Activity and Reducing Capacity of Synthesised Bispyridinium Dibromides Obtained by Quaternisation of 4-Pyridyl-1,4-dihydropyridines with Propargyl Bromide

New bispyridinium dibromides based on the 1,4-dihydropyridine (1,4-DHP) cycle were synthesised in the reaction between 4-pyridyl-1,4-DHP derivatives and propargyl bromide. It has been shown that variation of the substituent position on the pyridine as well as small changes in the electronic nature of the 1,4-DHP cycle as a result of the substituent nature at the 3 and 5 positions do not affect the course of the reaction and in all cases the corresponding bispyridinium dibromides 4a–e were formed. The antiradical activity, using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazine as a free radical scavenger, and the reducing capacity using phosphomolybdenum complexes have been evaluated for the newly synthesised compounds 4a–e. It has been shown that all tested 1,4-DHP bispyridinium dibromides 4a–e possess reducing capacity and antiradical properties. Moreover, the reducing capacity results could be explained by the influence of the electronic nature of the substituent at the 3 and 5 positions of the 1,4-DHP cycle.

Effect of acyl chain length and branching on the enantioselectivity of Candida rugosa lipase in the kinetic resolution of 4-(2-difluoromethoxyphenyl)-substituted 1,4-dihydropyridine 3,5-diesters

Since 2,6-dimethyl-4-aryl-1,4-dihydropyridine 3,5-diesters themselves are not hydrolyzed by commercially available hydrolases, derivatives with spacers containing a hydrolyzable group were prepared. Seven acyloxymethyl esters of 5-methyl- and 5-(2-propoxyethyl) 4-[2-(difluoromethoxy)phenyl]-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydro-3,5-pyridinedicarboxylate were synthesized and subjected to Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) catalyzed hydrolysis in wet diisopropyl ether. A methyl ester at the 5-position and a long or branched acyl chain at C3 gave the highest enantiomeric ratio (E values). The most stereoselective reaction (E = 21) was obtained with 3-[(isobutyryloxy)methyl] 5-methyl 4-(2-difluoromethoxyphenyl)-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate, and this compound was used to prepare both enantiomers of 3-methyl 5-(2-propoxyethyl) 4-[2-(difluoromethoxy)phenyl]-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydro-3,5-pyridinedicarboxylate. The absolute configuration of the enzymatically produced carboxylic acid was established to be 4R by X-ray crystallographic analysis of its 1-(R)-phenylethyl amide.