Synthesis and Evaluation of α-Methylidene-γ-butyrolactone bearing flavone and xanthone moieties

In a search for inhibitors of platelet aggregation, a number of α-methylidene-γ-butyrolactones 5 and 6 bearing flavone or xanthone moieties, respectively, were synthesized and evaluated for their antiplatelet activity against thrombin(Thr)-, arachidonic-acid(AA)-, collagen(Col)?, and platelet-activating-factor(PAF)-induced aggregation in washed rabbit platelets. These compounds were synthesized from 7-hydroxyflavone ( 1 ) or 3-hydroxyxanthone ( 2 ) via O-alkylation (→ 3 and 4 , resp.) and Reformatsky-type condensation (Scheme). Most of the flavone-containing α-methylidene-γ-butyrolactones 5a – d showed potent antiplatelet effects on AA- and Col-induced aggregation, while xanthone derivatives 6c – e were found to have the same pharmacological profile than aspirin in which only AA-induced aggregation was inhibited (Table 1). However, 6c – e were approximately three to ten times more potent than aspirin (Table 2). For the vasorelaxing effects, 5a was the only compound which exhibited significant inhibitory activity on the high-K⁺ medium, Ca²⁺-induced vasoconstriction (Table3). Both 5a and 6a , with an aliphatic Me substituent at C(γ) of the lactone, were active against norepinephrine-induced phasic and tonic constrictions while their γ-aryl-substituted counterparts 5b – f and 6b – f were inactive.