QSAR and mode of action studies of insecticidal ecdysone agonists†

A series of our SAR and QSAR studies of synthetic moulting hormone agonists, dibenzoylhydrazines (DBH), exhibiting insecticidal/larvicidal activity are reviewed in this article. We prepared a number of analogues where various substituents are introduced into the two benzene rings of DBH and measured their biological activity using various biological systems. Larvicidal activity was against larvae of the rice stem borer Chilo suppressalis and the moulting hormone activity was in terms of the stimulation of N-acetylglucosamine incorporation in a cultured integument system of the same insect species. Binding affinity to the ecdysone receptor was assayed with intact Sf-9 cell lines in which the ADME processes are negligible as well as using receptor proteins obtained by in vitro translation of the responsible cDNA cloned from cell-free preparation of integumentary tissue of C. suppressalis. Variations in the biological activity indices were either correlated between two types of activity or correlated using physicochemical molecular and substituent parameters in terms of the classical QSAR. Comparisons among correlations and with recently revealed X-ray crystallographic findings clearly indicate the physicochemical meaning of parameters significant in the correlation equations to help understanding molecular mechanism of the moulting hormonal action.     

Synthesis of Neoglycolipid Analogues of the Oligosaccharide Portion of Ganglioside GM3

In order to elucidate the molecular specificity of the antimelanoma response induce by GM3 included in proteoliposome preparation, we designed syntheses of a series of neoglycolipids containing the trisaccharide portion of GM3 or its fragment. In the present paper, we synthesized two neoglicolipids containing as a lipid, a racemic glycerol unit substituted by two aliphatic octadecyl ether chains. The di‐ and trisaccharide derivatives were prepared as glycosides of the spacer by a sequence of isopropilidenation‐benzylation‐hydrolysis followed by sialylation. The condensation between the oligosaccharides and the lipid was performed by an amidation reaction.     

Design, synthesis, evaluation, and structure of vitamin D analogues with furan side chains

Based on the crystal structures of human vitamin D receptor (hVDR) bound to 1α,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D(3) (1,25 D) and superagonist ligands, we previously designed new superagonist ligands with a tetrahydrofuran ring at the side chain that optimize the aliphatic side-chain conformation through an entropy benefit. Following a similar strategy, four novel vitamin D analogues with aromatic furan side chains (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) have now been developed. The triene system has been constructed by an efficient stereoselective intramolecular cyclization of an enol triflate (A-ring precursor) followed by a Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of the resulting intermediate with an alkenyl boronic ester (CD-side chain, upper fragment). The furan side chains have been constructed by gold chemistry. These analogues exhibit significant pro-differentiation effects and transactivation potency. The crystal structure of 3a in a complex with the ligand-binding domain of hVDR revealed that the side-chain furanic ring adopts two conformations.     

Synthesis and Antioxidant Activity of New Thiazole Analogues Possessing Urea,Thiourea, and Selenourea Functionality

A new series of urea, thiourea, and selenourea derivatives with thiazole moieties were synthesized by the nucleophilic addition reaction of (2-amino-4-(3-chlorophenyl)thiazol-5-yl)(2-chlorophenyl)methanone with various substituted isocyanates/ isothiocyanates/isoselenocynates in acetone having a catalytic amount of sodium hydroxide at room temperature with good yields. All the synthesized compounds were fully characterized by spectroscopic data and screened for their in vitro antioxidant activity using 1,1-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO), and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) radical scavenging methods. A preliminary study of the structure–activity relationship revealed that the compounds containing selenourea functionality along with halogen group have exhibited potent activity (IC₅₀ ≤ 0.0309 µmol/mL) compared to the standards (IC₅₀ ≤ 0.0814 µmol/mL). Thus the title compounds are a new class of potent antioxidant agents and worthy of further investigation.     

Efficient Synthesis of New Nucleoside Analogues with a Methylenecyclobutane Unit

Synthesis of eight nucleoside analogues 4–11 with a methylenecyclobutane unit is described. Wittig reaction with 2‐hydroxymethylcyclobutanone 12 gave a mixture of Z (13) and E (14) derivatives, which was separated before functional modifications. The heterocyclic moieties were introduced via a Mitsunobu reaction either on the saturated chain or on the unsaturated chain. When adenine was used in this reaction, only the N‐9 substitution products were obtained. Removal of the protecting groups provided the target products.     

The Antiepileptic Lamotrigine and Its Analogues: Comparative Theoretical Electronic Properties

Electronic properties of lamotrigine (LTG) and two analogues (A1 and A2) are compared through MOPAC-AM1 calculations. Two stable conformers of LTG are calculated to exist in agreement with X-ray crystallography. In the three compounds and the two conformers for each of them, the more favorable protonation sites are N₂ and N₄; these should then be the sites appropriate for interaction with a receptor, and group valence reinforces the supposition. The molecular electrostatic potentials show that a region between the two chlorine atoms in LTG could be the site for an electrostatic interaction with a corresponding site in the receptor. The fluorine atom in A1 would play an equivalent role. A simple model for LTG-receptor interaction is proposed.