Design and synthesis of antagonists of substance P

Synthesis and bioassay of about 65 analogs of substance P (SP) over five years yielded the antagonist [D-Arg1,D-Trp7,9,Leu11]-SP, which was named Spantide, and which was used by many investigators as a "tool". Spantide served as a reference antagonist for the design of 47 new peptides toward the goal of more potent inhibitors. Designs emphasized analogs with D-Trp7, D-Trp9, D-Trp10, D-pClPhe10, Nle11, Leu11, Ile11 and Met11, etc. Twenty-one/47 antagonists were superior in potency to that of Spantide, the best was [D-Arg1,D-Na1(5), D-Trp7,9,Nle11]-SP which required a 255-fold increase in SP concentration to give 50% of the maximum response at a concentration of 10(-5)M of the antagonist; this potency is ca. 5 times that of Spantide. For certain, but not all pairs of undecapeptides and truncated analogs, the undecapeptides may be significantly more potent than the truncated counterparts.     

Antagonists of substance P from emphasis on position 11

Ten analogs of substance P (SP) were designed and synthesized. The agonist and antagonist activities against SP were assayed on the isolated guinea pig ileum. The prime designs were changes of the important Met11 to include Leu11, Thr11, D-Leu11 and D-Ala11. Step-wise designs of changing D-Arg1 and D-Pro2 to the corresponding L-configurations resulted in decreasing antagonist activity. Changing Leu11 to D-Leu11 and D-Ala11 reduced antagonist activity. [D-Arg1,D-Pro2,D-Trp7,D-Trp9,Leu11]-SP is the most potent antagonist of this group of analogs, and required a 100-fold increase in the concentration of SP to give 50% of the maximal response caused by SP.     

Agonistic and antagonistic activities of neuromedin U-8 analogs substituted with glycine or D-amino acid on contractile activity of chicken crop smooth muscle preparations.

To study the structure-activity relationships of neuromedin U-8 (NMU-8) (H-Tyr-Phe-Leu-Phe-Arg-Pro-Arg-Asn-NH2) and to develop a NMU-8 antagonist, twenty-three NMU-8 analogs substituted with Gly or the corresponding D-amino acid(s) at positions 1-8 were synthesized by solid-phase techniques. On isolated chicken crop preparations, the contractile activity of the synthetic NMU-8 analogs was compared with that of NMU-8 and their antagonistic activity was assayed against NMU-8. The replacement of Phe2, Phe4, Arg5, Pro6, Arg7 or Asn8 with Gly brought about a drastic decrease of the agonistic activities. Substitution of the corresponding D-amino acid residue for Phe2, Phe4, Arg5, Pro6 or Asn8 caused a marked decrease of the agonistic activities, while the replacement of Tyr1 with D-form enhanced the activity. It was further revealed that [D-Pro6]-NMU-8 and [D-Leu3, D-Pro6]-NMU-8 exerted a non-competitive antagonistic activity against NMU-8 with x values of 5.22 +/- 0.12 and 5.34 +/- 0.09, respectively. [D-Phe2, D-Pro6]-NMU-8, [D-Arg5, D-Pro6]-NMU-8 and [D-Pro6, D-Asn8]-NMU-8 showed a very weak antagonism. The results indicated that 1) the side chain of each amino acid at positions 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of NMU-8 is of relative importance for the expression of the contractile activity, and 2) [D-Pro6]-NMU-8 and its four analogs acted as an antagonist against NMU-8.     

Synthesis of substance P analogs and agonistic and antagonistic activities.

Fourteen analogs of substances P (SP), six previously synthesized by a solution method and eight newly synthesized by a solid-phase technique, have been tested for agonistic and antagonistic activities utilizing the isolated guinea pig ileum. The primary objective is to achieve effective inhibitors of SP. These analogs had agonistic activities ranging from negligible to that equivalent to SP. Six of the fourteen analogs had some degree of antagonistic activity [D-Leu8, D-Phe9]-SP is an analog which constitutes a lead to new substitutions, because it had antagonistic activity, but only negligible agonistic activity. One concept for effective antagonistic activity requires negligible or no agonistic activity.     

Synthesis and antimycobacterial activity of agelasine E and analogs

Agelasine E, previously isolated from the marine sponge Agelas nakamurai, has been synthesized for the first time, together with analogs with various terpenoid side chains. Treatment of N6-methoxy-9-methyl-9H-purin-6-amine with allylic bromides gave the desired 7,9-dialkylpurinium salts together with minor amounts of the N6-alkylated isomer. The N6-methoxy group was finally removed reductively. 1H-15N HMBC and 1H-15N HSQC NMR spectroscopy gave additional information on tautomerism and charge delocalization in the purine derivatives studied. The heterocyclic products were screened for activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and agelasine analogs carrying a relatively long terpenoid substituent in the purine 7-position and a methoxy group at N-6 were potent inhibitors of bacterial growth. Since agelasine analogs with the geranylgeranyl chain at N-7 exhibited antimicrobial activity, several strategies for synthesis of geometrically pure (2E,6E,10E)-geranylgeranyl bromide from geranyllinalool were evaluated.     

Synthesis of N1-phenethyl substituted indole derivatives as new melatoninergic agonists and antagonists

The potency of new indolic N1-phenethyl substituted melatoninergic ligands with and without methyl groups in the alpha and beta position of the alkanamidoethyl side chain was examined using the pigment aggregation response in a clonal line of Xenopus laevis melanophores. The non 5-OMe substituted compounds, 8a--e, are all weak antagonists while introduction of the 5-OMe group, 9a--e, increases both agonist and antagonist activity except for 9c (R=C3H7), which is only an agonist and 9e (R=c-C4H7), which is only an antagonist. Introduction of an alpha-methyl group into the 5-OMe derivatives, 14a-e, reduces the agonist potency while introduction of a beta-methyl group has only a small effect on either the agonist or antagonist potency. Double beta-methyl substitution of the 5-OMe derivatives, 20a--e, generally increases the agonist potential (20c, R=C3H7 is the most potent agonist of the compounds described) and decreases the antagonist potency, except for 20a (R=CH3), which is the most potent antagonist of this series of compounds.     

Structure-activity relationships of alpha-human atrial natriuretic peptide (alpha-hANP) analogs: role of charged groups in alpha-hANP.

To determine whether the addition of a methylene unit in the side chain of the Asp or Arg residue in alpha-human atrial natriuretic peptide (alpha-hANP) influences its biological activity, analogs of alpha-hANP, [Glu13]-alpha-hANP (7-28) (1), [Aad13]-alpha-hANP (7-28) (2), and [Harn]-alpha-hANP(7-28) (where n is any possible combination of 11, 14 and 27) (3-9), where the original Asp or Arg residue was replaced by a homo-amino acid, were synthesized by the solid-phase synthesis method. All the analogs were evaluated for their receptor binding, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) accumulation activity in rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), and for vasorelaxant activity employing rat aorta. 1 and 2 were 0.9 and 0.03 times as potent as alpha-hANP (7-28), respectively, in binding. Har-containing analogs (3-9) were as potent as alpha-hANP (7-28) in binding. Among the Har-containing analogs, [Har11,14]-alpha-hANP (7-28) (6) and [Har11,27]-alpha-hANP (7-28) (7) were remarkably vasorelaxant active, being 4.2 and 5.3 times potent than alpha-hANP (7-28), respectively, in spite of relatively lower cGMP accumulation activity in the case of 7. The roles of the chargeable amino acid residues in biological activity are discussed.     

Aza-amino acid scanning of secondary structure suited for solid-phase peptide synthesis with fmoc chemistry and aza-amino acids with heteroatomic side chains

Aza-peptides, peptide analogues in which the alpha-carbon of one or more of the amino acid residues is replaced with a nitrogen atom, exhibit a propensity for adopting beta-turn conformations. A general Fmoc-protection protocol for the stepwise solid-phase synthesis of aza-peptides has now been developed based on the activation of N'-alkyl fluoren-9-ylmethyl carbazates with phosgene for coupling the aza-amino acid residues. This method has proven effective for introducing aza-amino acid residues with aliphatic (Ala, Leu, Val, and Gly) and aromatic (Phe, Tyr, and Trp) side chains. Acid promoted loss of aromatic side chains was noted with aza-Trp and aza-Tyr residues during peptide cleavage and suppressed by temperature control in the case of the latter. In addition, aza-peptides with heteroatomic side chain residues (Lys, Orn, Arg, and Asp) were conveniently synthesized using this protocol. Partial aza-amino acid scans were performed on three biologically active peptides: the potent tetrapeptide melanocortin receptor agonist, Ac-His-d-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2; the growth hormone secretagogue hexapeptide, GHRP-6, His-d-Trp-Ala-Trp-d-Phe-Lys-NH2; and the human calcitonin gene-related peptide (hCGRP) antagonist, FVPTDVGPFAF-NH2. This practical procedure for aza-amino acid scanning using Fmoc-based solid-phase synthesis should find general utility for probing the existence and importance of beta-turn conformations in bioactive peptides.     

Stable exo-nido-metallacarboranes (M = Os(IV)) that incorporate meta-carborane-based dicarbollide ligands

Reactions of the [K]+ salts of the [nido-7,9-C2B9H12]- anion (2) and its C-phenylated derivative [7-Ph-nido-7,9-C2B9H11]- (4) with [OsCl2(PPh3)3] (3) proceed in benzene at ambient temperature with the formation of 16-electron chlorohydrido-Os(IV) exo-nido complexes, [exo-nido-10,11-{(Ph3P)2OsHCl}-10,11-(mu-H)2-7-R-7,9-C2B9H8] (5: R = H; 6: R = Ph), along with the small amounts of the charge-compensated nido-carboranes [nido-7,9-C2B9H11PPh3] (7) and [7-Ph-nido-7,9-C2B9H10PPh3] (8) as byproducts. However, when carried out under mild heating in ethanol, the reaction of 2 with 3 selectively afforded a 16-electron dihydrido-Os(IV) exo-nido complex [exo-nido-10,11-{(Ph3P)2OsH2}-10,11-(mu-H)2-7,9-C2B9H9] (9). Structures of both complexes 5 and 9 have been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies, which revealed that nido-carboranes in these species function as a bidentate dicarbollide ligands [7-R-nido-7,9-C2B9H10]2- linked to the Os(IV) center via two B-H...Os bonds involving adjacent B-H vertices in the upper CBCBB belt of the carborane cage. Thus, compounds 5 and 9 represent the first structurally characterized exo-nido-metallacarboranes based on meta-dicarbollide-type ligands. Variable-temperature 1H and 31P{1H} NMR experiments indicate that complex 9 is fluxional in solution and shows an unusual exchange between terminal Os-(H)2 and bridging {B-H}2...Os hydrogen atoms. Upon heating in d8-THF at 65 degrees C, complex 9 converts irreversibly to its closo isomer [2,2-(PPh3)2-2,2-H2-closo-2,1,7-OsC2B9H11] (13), which could thus be obtained as a pure crystalline solid. The structure of 13 has been established on the basis of analytical and multinuclear NMR data and a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study.     

Non-glutamate type pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine antifolates. III. Synthesis and biological properties of N(omega)-masked ornithine analogs

The glutamic acid moiety of N-[4-[3-(2,4-diamino-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-5-yl)propyl]benzoyl]-L-g lutamic acid (1b, TNP-351) and the related compound (1a), was replaced with various N(omega)-acyl-, sulfonyl-, carbamoyl- and aryl-2,omega-diaminoalkanoic acids, and the inhibitory effects of the resulting products (9, 11, 14, 18, 21, 23, 25, 30, 36) on dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), the growth of murine fibrosarcoma Meth A cells, and methotrexate-resistant human CCRF-CEM cells, were examined. Compounds (9a-f) acylated with a hemiphthaloyl group were efficiently synthesized by coupling pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine carboxylic acids (7a,b) and N(omega)-phthaloyl 2,omega-diaminoalkanoic acid methyl esters (6a-c) and subsequent hydrolysis. The other N(omega)-acyl- and sulfonyl-ornithine analogs (21, 23, 25) were synthesized by acylation of free amino intermediates (19a,b) derived from tert-butoxycarbonyl-ornithine analogs (17a,b). A free ornithine analog (18) did not strongly inhibit Meth A cell growth, whereas all N(omega)-acyl-, sulfonyl-, carbamoyl- and aryl-ornithine analogs (9, 11, 21, 23, 25, 30, 36) exhibited much more potent inhibitory activities against both DHFR and Meth A cell growth. In particular, compounds 9c, 21k and 36a also showed remarkable growth-inhibitory activities against methotrexate-resistant CCRF-CEM cells. These results demonstrate that the potent inhibitory activities of N(omega)-masked ornithine analogs against the growth of Meth A cells and methotrexate-resistant CCRF-CEM cells, results from effective uptake via reduced folate carrier and their potent DHFR inhibition.     

In vitro leishmanicidal constituents of Millettia pendula

The in vitro leishmanicidal constituents of Millettia pendula were examined. Two new compounds, 1 (millettilone A) and 2 (millettilone B), were isolated from the methanol extract of M. pendula, together with six known compounds: 3R-claussequinone (3), pendulone (4), secundiflorol I (5), 3,8-dihydroxy-9-methoxypterocarpan (6), 3,10-dihydroxy-7,9-dimethoxypterocarpan (7), and formononetin (8). Among these, pendulone showed the most potent leishmanicidal activity. Compound 2 was found to be a purple pigment in this heartwood. Their chemical structures were elucidated using spectral methods.     

Synthesis and biological activities of lipid A analogs: modification of a glycosidically bound group with chemically stable polar acidic groups and lipophilic groups on the disaccharide backbone with tetradecanoyl or N-dodecanoylglycyl groups.

Six novel lipid A analogs were synthesized. The first two analogs, 4 and 5, have an alpha-glycosidically bound carboxymethyl or 1,3-dicarboxyisopropyl group on the disaccharide backbone with four tetradecanoyl groups. The next three analogs, 6, 7 and 8, have two or four N-dodecanoylglycyl groups on the 1-alpha-O-phosphonooxyethylated disaccharide backbone. Analog 6 bears N-dodecanoylglycyl groups on the hydroxyl functions at positions 3 and 3', and tetradecanoyl groups on the amino functions at positions 2 and 2'. Analog 7 is a 2, 3, 2' and 3'-tetrakis(N-dodecanoylglycyl) derivative, and analog 8 resembles compound 6, but the binding of the N-dodecanoylglycyl and tetradecanoyl groups at positions 2, 2' and 3, 3' are reversed. The third analog, 9, has the same acyl group configuration as compound 6, but has a 1,3-dicarboxyisopropyl group at position C-1. Compounds 4 and 5 exhibited definite antitumor activity against Meth A fibrosarcoma, indicating that the phosphate group at the C-1 position in lipid A could be replaced by the carboxylic acid without reducing the antitumor activity. In rabbits, compounds 6 and 9 exhibited potent antitumor activity, but their toxicity was extremely low. On the other hand, compounds 7 and 8 showed no antitumor activity. The levels of antitumor activity of 6 and 9 were similar to those of the natural-type lipid A. The antitumor activities of analogs with a N-dodecanoylglycyl group on the disaccharide backbone depended on the connecting sites of the acyl groups.     

Structure elucidation and NMR spectral assignments of three new lignan glycosides from Akebia trifoliata

Three new lignan glycosides (1-3) were isolated from the stems of Akebia trifoliata. Their structures were elucidated as (7R,8R,7'R,8'R)3,3',5,5'tetramethoxy-4,4'dihydroxy-7,9':7',9-diepoxylignan-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1), (7S,8S,8'R)-4,4',9-trihydroxy-3,3',5,5'-tetramethoxy-7,9'-epoxylignan-7'-one 9-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), (7R,8R,8'S)-4,4',9-trihydroxy3,3',5,5'-tetramethoxy-7,9'-epoxylignan-7'-one 9-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3) by spectral analyses, primarily NMR, MS and CD. The NMR assignments for the compounds were carried out using 1H, 13C, DEPT, COSY, HSQC, HMBC and ROESY NMR experiments.     

A new nonpeptide tachykinin NK1 receptor antagonist isolated from the plants of Compositae

To find new tachykinin NK1 receptor antagonists from natural sources, we examined the tachykinin antagonist activity in the extracts of approximately 200 species of plants by the use of isolated guinea pig ileum. As a result, we discovered a novel and potent NK1 receptor antagonist in the extract of dried flowers of Matricaria chamomilla L. (chamomile). The structure of the antagonist was established as N1,N5,N10,N14-tetrakis[3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propenoyl]-1,5,10,14-tetraazatetradecane (tetracoumaroyl spermine, 1a). The Ki values of 1a, estimated from the inhibitory action on the substance P (SP)-induced contraction of the guinea pig ileum and the inhibition of the binding of [3H][Sar9, Met(O2)11]SP to human NK1 receptors, were 21.9 nM and 3.3 nM, respectively. 1a is the first potent NK1 receptor antagonist from natural sources and it has a unique structure of a polyacylated spermine. 1a was concentrated in pollen of Matricaria chamomilla L. and was also found in the extracts of flowers of other four species of Compositae. In addition, we found N1,N5,N10-tris[3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propenoyl]-1,5,10,14-tetraazatetradecane (2) as a new compound in the extract of flowers of Matricaria chamomilla L., which did not exhibit any tachykinin antagonist activity. A number of related compounds were synthesized, and the structure-activity relationship was studied.     

Studies on the Constituents of Ganoderma Lucidum

The methanolic extract of fruit bodies of cultivated Ganoderma lucidum was separated by silica gel column chromatography and preparative thin-layer chromatography to give ten compounds. On the basis of spectral analysis, chemical procedures and gas chromatography, d-mannitol (1), ergosta-7, 22-dien-3β-yl palmitate (2), ergosterol (3), ergosta-7, 22-dien-3β-ol (4), 5α-lanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-3β,26-diol (5), ergosterol peroxide (6), 24,25,26-trihydroxy-5α-lanosta-7,9(11)-dien-3-one (7), 5α-lanosta-7,9(11)-dien-3β,24,25,26-tetraol (8) and 8,9-epoxyergosta-5,22-dien-3β,15-diol (9) were identified. Among these compounds, 8,9-epoxyergosta-5,22-dien-3β,15-diol was first separated from Ganoderma lucidum.     

放线菌素D新类似物的设计、合成与体外抗肿瘤活性

为了提高临床抗肿瘤药物放线菌素D(AMD)的抗肿瘤效果和治疗指数,在AMD构效关系研究基础上,设计全合成了包括9个新类似物在内的两类共13个AMD类似物.保持环肽2位D-Val不变,环肽5位分别用Sar,D-Me-Leu和Me-Ile等氨基酸替换以改变侧链基团长度,合成了类似物8b～8e;以环肽2位D-Phe替换的低毒性类似物[D-Phe2]2AMD为基础,在环肽5位进行氨基酸替换,改变侧链基团长度和空间指向,并引入芳香族氨基酸等,合成了类似物8f～8m.优化了类似物的合成中的反应条件,提高了五肽环化产率,避免了消旋产物的生成.所有类似物经[α]D,1HNMR和高分辨质谱表征后,采用MTT法进行了体外抗肿瘤活性筛选,结果表明,保留环肽2位D-Val及延长5位氨基酸侧链基团能显著提高类似物的抗肿瘤活性,而2位D-Phe替换后类似物的抗肿瘤活性普遍下降.     

D:C-friedooleanane-type triterpenoids from Lagenaria siceraria and their cytotoxic activity

Four new D:C-friedooleanane-type triterpenes, 3 beta-O-(E)-feruloyl-D:C-friedooleana-7,9(11)-dien-29-ol (1), 3 beta-O-(E)-coumaroyl-D:C-friedooleana-7,9(11)-dien-29-ol (2), 3 beta-O-(E)-coumaroyl-D:C-friedooleana-7,9(11)-dien-29-oic acid (3), and methyl 2 beta,3 beta-dihydroxy-D:C-friedoolean-8-en-29-oate (6), together with five known triterpenes with the same skeleton, 3-epikarounidiol (4), 3-oxo-D:C-friedoolena-7,9(11)-dien-29-oic acid (5), bryonolol (7), bryononic acid (8), and 20-epibryonolic acid (9), were isolated from the methanol extract of the stems of Lagenaria siceraria. The structures of those compounds were elucidated using spectroscopic methods. Compounds 3 and 9 showed significant cytotoxic activity against the SK-Hep 1 cell line with IC50 values of 4.8 and 2.1 microg/ml, respectively. Based on these initially promising results, the two D:C-friedooleanane triterpenes merit further study as potential anticancer agents.     

Synthesis of Dialkyl 1,4-Dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-(heteroaryl)-pyridine-3,5-dicarboxylates as Calcium Channel Antagonists

The Hantzsch condensation of the heteroarylcarboxaldehydes 3a-c with alkyl acetoacetates 4a-c and alkyl 3-aminocrotonates 5a-b afforded the respective dialkyl 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-(heteroaryl)-pyridine-3,5-dicarboxylates 6a-f possessing a C-4 4-quinolinyl, 8-quinolinyl or 1-oxido-4-pyridinyl substituent Calcium channel antagonist structure-activity relationships acquired indicate that i) the position of the quinolyl nitrogen atom was not a determinant of activity, ii) increasing the size of the C-3 and C-S alkyl ester substituents decreases potency and iii) a C-4 1-oxido-4-pyridinyl substituent abolishes activity. The most active, and equipotent C-4 4-quinolinyl 6a and 8-quinolinyl 6b analogs, were approximately 8-fold less potent calcium channel antagonists than the reference drug nifedipine.     

Synthesis of 1-(2-Carboxyethylbenzyl)-2-benzenesulfonamidobicyclo[2.2.1]heptane: A Novel Potent Thromboxane Antagonist

A potent thromboxane antagonist, 1-[2-(2-carboxyethyl)benzyl)]-2-benzenesulfonamidobicyclo-[2.2.1]heptane was synthesized from norcamphor in 8 steps. It was shown to be a very potent thromboxane antagonist by inhibition of platelet aggregation induced by U46,619 at nanomolar concentration. The key intermediate 3-[2-bromomethylphenyl]propyl tetrahydropyran ether may be useful for the synthesis of other interphenylene containing prostaglandin analogs.     

Polycationic gramicidin s analogues with both high antibiotic activity and very low hemolytic activity

The substitution of each constituent amino acid residue of gramicidin S (GS), cyclo(-Val(1,1')-Orn(2,2')-Leu(3,3')-D-Phe(4,4')-Pro(5,5')-)(2) with Lys residue indicated that each side chain structure of the constituent amino acid residues affect largely the antibiotic activity and hemolytic activity of GS. Further, the substitution of D-Phe(4,4') and Pro(5,5') residues with basic amino acid residues as a Lys residue results the high antibiotic activity and the very low hemolytic activity. Thus, we have found novel positions on the scaffold of GS at D-Phe(4,4') and Pro(5,5') residues whose modification will significantly increase the therapeutic index.