Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to V E Marquez.
The syntheses of several novel carbocyclic nucleosides which incorporate the cyclopentene moiety of neplanocin A will be presented. These include modified pyrimidine derivatives of the very potent antitumor agent cyclopentenyl cytosine and carbocyclic analogues of the ketohexose nucleosides psicofuranine and psicofuranosyl cytosine.
In this report, we have compared the uptake, metabolism, and relevant enzymology of a novel anti-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome drug, 2'-fluoro-2',3'-dideoxyarabinosyladenine (2'-F-dd-ara-A) with the corresponding properties of its parent compound 2',3'-dideoxyadenosine (2',3'-ddAdo) in three human T cell lines, MOLT-4, ATH8, and CEM. In previous communications, we have reported that the primary route of metabolism of 2',3'-ddAdo in human T lymphoblasts is catabolic, i.e., deamination to 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (2',3'-ddlno). At this point, the metabolic pathway diverges, to result in either cleavage and inactivation of 2',3'-ddlno by purine nucleoside phosphorylase or in 5'-phosphorylation by a phosphotransferase, a reaction that generates 2',3'-inosine monophosphate and ultimately the putative active metabolite 2',3'-dideoxy-ATP. Studies with kinase-deficient mutant CEM lines indicate, however, that 2'-F-dd-ara-A favors a more direct anabolic route toward formation of 2'-fluoro-dideoxynucleotides, catalyzed initially by 2'-deoxycytidine kinase. In MOLT-4 cells, amounts of 2'-fluoro-dideoxyarabinosyladenine di- and triphosphate formed were approximately 20-fold and 5-fold greater than the respective accumulation of 2',3'-dideoxy-ADP and 2',3'-dideoxy-ATP over the same time of exposure. This metabolic profile was supported by enzymological studies, which revealed that 2'-F-dd-ara-A is deaminated 10 times less rapidly than ddAdo and that the resulting deaminated product is resistant to hydrolysis by purine nucleoside phosphorylase. Under similar conditions, ddAdo was rapidly degraded through cleavage of its deamination product ddlno. Like ddAdo, 2'-F-dd-ara-A was found to be transported by passive diffusion and does not enter cells via the purine nucleoside transport carrier system. However, the rate of entry of 2'-F-dd-ara-A was about half that of ddAdo (9.7 pmol/10(6) cells/min for 2'-F-dd-ara-A versus 18.4 pmol/10(6) cells/min for ddAdo). This investigation, therefore, demonstrates that, under the conditions studied, 2'-F-dd-ara-A and its deamination product 2'-fluoro-2',3'-dideoxyarabinosylhypoxanthine have metabolic properties that differ significantly from those of their parent compounds ddAdo and ddlno. These properties, combined with the previously reported resistance of the fluorinated nucleosides to acid degradation, make these compounds interesting candidates for further study as orally administered agents for the inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus replication in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
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Cytidine deaminase, purified to homogeneity from constitutive mutants of Escherichia coli, was found to bind the competitive inhibitors pyrimidin-2-one ribonucleoside (apparent Ki = 3.6 x 10(-7) M) and 5-fluoropyrimidin-2-one ribonucleoside (apparent Ki = 3.5 x 10(-8) M). Enzyme binding resulted in a change of the lambda max of pyrimidin-2-one ribonucleoside from 303 nm for the free species to 239 nm for the bound species. The value for the bound species was identical with that of an oxygen adduct formed by combination of hydroxide ion with 1,3-dimethyl-2-oxopyrimidinium (239 nm), but lower than that of a sulfur adduct formed by combination of the thiolate anion of N-acetylcysteamine with 1,3-dimethyl-2-oxopyrimidinium (259 nm). The results suggest that pyrimidin-2-one ribonucleoside is bound by cytidine deaminase as an oxygen adduct, probably the covalent hydrate 3,4-dihydrouridine, rather than intact or as an adduct involving a thiol group of the enzyme. In dilute solution at 25 degrees C, the equilibrium constant for formation of a single diastereomer of 3,4-dihydrouridine from pyrimidin-2-one ribonucleoside was estimated as approximately 4.7 x 10(-6), from equilibria of dissociation of water, protonation of 1-methylpyrimidin-2-one, and combination of the 1,3-dimethylpyrimidinium cation with the hydroxide ion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cyclopentenylcytosine (CPEC) is phosphorylated in L1210 cells with CPEC triphosphate as the major metabolite. Partially purified uridine-cytidine kinase catalyzes the initial phosphorylation of cyclopentenylcytosine with an apparent Km of 196 +/- 9 microM, and cyclopentenylcytosine is a competitive inhibitor of cytidine phosphorylation by this enzyme with a Ki value of 144 +/- 14 microM. Examination of the CTP synthetase activity in extracts of L1210 cells revealed a dose-dependent decrease on exposure of cells to CPEC. Synthesis of CPEC triphosphate by an enzymatic method permitted direct examination of the inhibition of partially purified CTP synthetase. CPEC triphosphate inhibited bovine CTP synthetase with a median inhibitory concentration of 6 microM, whereas CPEC mono- and diphosphates were ineffective. CTP synthetase showed a classical Michaelis-Menten hyperbolic plot of velocity and UTP concentration in the presence of saturating concentrations of ATP and glutamine, but CPEC triphosphate induced sigmoidal kinetic plots. The Hill coefficient was calculated to be 3.2.
The neplanocin A analogue 3-deazaneplanocin A (2b) has been synthesized. A direct SN2 displacement on the cyclopentenyl mesylate 3 by the sodium salt of 6-chloro-3-deazapurine afforded the desired regioisomer 4 as the major product. After deprotection, this material was converted to 3-deazaneplanocin A in two steps. X-ray crystallographic analysis confirmed the assigned structure. Consistent with its potent inhibition of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase, 3-deazaneplanocin A displayed excellent antiviral activity in cell culture against vesicular stomatitis, parainfluenza type 3, yellow fever, and vaccinia viruses. Antiviral activity was also displayed in vivo against vaccinia virus by using a mouse tailpox assay. The significantly lower cytotoxicity of 3-deazaneplanocin A, relative to its parent compound neplanocin A, may be due to its lack of conversion to 5'-triphosphate and S-adenosylmethionine metabolites.
The neplanocin A analogs, 3-deazaneplanocin A, 9-(trans-2',trans-3'-dihydroxycyclopent-4'-enyl)adenine (DHCA), and 9-(trans-2',trans-3'-dihydroxycyclopent-4'-enyl)-3-deazaadenine (DHCDA), all potent inhibitors of S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) hydrolase, were studied for their broad-spectrum antiviral potential. 3-Deazaneplanocin A, DHCA, and DHCDA proved specifically effective against vesicular stomatitis virus, vaccinia virus, parainfluenza virus, reovirus, and rotavirus. Their selectivity was greater than that of neplanocin A, particularly against vesicular stomatitis virus and rotavirus. As could be expected from adenosine analogs that are directly targeted at AdoHcy hydrolase, 3-deazaneplanocin A, DHCA, and DHCDA were fully active in adenosine kinase-deficient cells, implying that their activity did not depend on phosphorylation by adenosine kinase. None of the AdoHcy hydrolase inhibitors showed selective activity against human immunodeficiency virus (type 1). 3-Deazaneplanocin A at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg per day conferred marked protection against a lethal infection of newborn mice with vesicular stomatitis virus.
Cyclopentenylcytosine (CPE-C, 2), a pyrimidine analogue of the fermentation derived carbocyclic nucleoside neplanocin A, has been synthesized from the optically active cyclopentenylamine 3b by two synthetic routes. CPE-C demonstrates significant antitumor activity against both the sensitive and ara-C resistant lines of L1210 leukemia in vivo. Multiple long term survivors are produced in both tumor models. The compound also gives 100% growth inhibition of the solid human A549 lung and MX-1 mammary tumor xenografts grown in athymic mice. Good activity is also observed against a third human tumor xenograft model, metastatic LOX melanoma. CPE-C has significant activity against both DNA and RNA viruses in vitro. Potent activity is observed against HSV-1 (TK+ and TK-), HSV-2, vaccinia, cytomegalovirus, and varicella-zoster virus. Good activity is also found against a strain of influenza virus (Hong Kong flu), vesicular stomatitis virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and Punta Toro virus.
Tiazofurin (2-beta-D-ribofuranosylthiazole-4-carboxamide, NSC 286193) is a C-glycosyl thiazole nucleoside with antitumor activity. Crystal structures of tiazofurin and its alpha,2'-deoxy and xylo analogues all show close contacts between the thiazole sulfur (S) and the furanose ring oxygen (O1'). These contacts have been interpreted in terms of an attractive intramolecular S-O interaction in the thiazole nucleosides. Ara-tiazofurin (2-beta-D-arabinofuranosylthiazole-4-carboxamide, ara-T) is the inactive arabinose analogue of tiazofurin. The crystal structure of ara-T is reported. This structure provides evidence for an attractive S-O interaction not seen in the other thiazole nucleosides. The conformation about the C-glycosyl bond in ara-T is such that close contacts are formed between the thiazole sulfur and both O1' and the 2'-hydroxyl oxygen O2'. This conformation is interpreted in terms of an additional attractive interaction between S and O2'. This interpretation is supported by comparison of the conformation of ara-T with those of other ara-nucleosides. These findings provide further evidence for an attractive S-O interaction in the thiazole nucleosides. Ara-T also demonstrates a second conformational feature found in these compounds: the carboxamide nitrogen remains cis to the thiazole nitrogen. Implications of these potentially constrained conformational features are discussed in terms of the mechanism of activity of tiazofurin.
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The synthesis and characterization of DL-2-amino-7-bis[(2-chloroethyl)amino]-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-naphthoic acid and DL-2-amino-5-bis[(2-chloroethyl)amino]-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-napthoic+ ++ acid were accomplished. The correct assignment of the site of attachment of the bis(2-chloroethyl)amino side chain was ascertained by selective proton decoupling of the 13C NMR spectra performed on the corresponding nitrospirohydantoin precursors 2 and 3, which were obtained from the nitration of beta-tetralone hydantoin. The two target compounds 6 and 7 were designed as tumor-specific agents capable of being selectively transported into tumor cells by the leucine-preferring transport system (system L). Inhibition analysis of the initial rate of transport of the system L specific substrate 2-amino-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid (BCH) by 6 and 7 indicated that the 7-substituted isomer 6 was an extremely potent competitive inhibitor of that transport system in murine L1210 leukemic cells (Ki = 0.2 microM). Evaluation of the selectivity of this compound indicated that it possessed enhanced in vitro antitumor activity and reduced myelosuppressive activity when compared to its prototype amino acid nitrogen mustard, L-phenylalanine mustard (L-PAM). In addition to being more selectively toxic to tumor cells, this compound differs from L-PAM in having a 2-3-fold shorter half-life (t1/2).
5-Substituted 2',3'-dideoxycytidine analogues have been synthesized and evaluated in vitro for their capabilities to protect T4+ lymphocytes from the cytopathic effects of the HTLV-III/LAV (HIV) virus, the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). These analogues were designed to be more lipophilic than 2',3'-dideoxycytidine (ddC) in order to enhance central nervous system penetration. Earlier reports had shown that ddC is a potent protective agent. When ddC is substituted at the 5-position with either methyl or bromo substituents, activity is completely abolished. However, when the substitution is fluoro (5-F-ddC), both activity and potency are retained. 2',3'-Dideoxy-5-azacytidine is also protective but more toxic than ddC or 5-F-ddC. In a different approach, an attempt was made to utilize ddCMP, ddTMP, and ddAMP as preformed nucleotides in order to circumvent the generally low level of phosphorylation achieved with dideoxynucleosides which function as relatively poor substrates for the cellular kinases. Only ddAMP is as active as its nucleoside precursor. Because ddAMP is not more active than ddA at low concentrations, it is possible that the active agent is ddA which is generated from ddAMP prior to cell entry.
Two new carboacyclic nucleoside analogues, 9-[4-hydroxy-3-(hydroxymethyl)-2-butenyl]adenine (6) and 9-[4-hydroxy-3-(hydroxymethyl)-2-butenyl]guanine (5), modeled on the unsaturated carbocyclic nucleoside analogue neplanocin A (2), have been synthesized and tested for antiviral activity against HSV-2 and, in the case of 6, for activity against influenza and in vitro inhibition of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase. The synthesis was accomplished through the coupling of either adenine or the guanine precursor 2-amino-6-chloropurine (15) to the key intermediate 1-(benzyloxy)-2-[(benzyloxy)methyl]-4-chloro-2-butene (13). Debenzylation of the N-9 adenine adduct gave 6 directly, while the product of the debenzylation of the N-9 adduct of 15 when treated with sodium hydroxide gave the guanine analogue 5. The carboacyclic guanine analogue (5) exhibited significant antiviral activity against HSV-2 (VR = 1.5, MIC50 = 65.6 micrograms/mL), a level of activity that is superior to that of ara-A but inferior to that of acyclovir. The adenine analogue 6 was active against HSV-2 only at a very high dose; it was devoid of antiviral activity against influenza type A2, and it lacked inhibitory activity against S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase.
The mechanism of action of the cyclopentenyl analogue of 3-deazaadenosine (3-deazaneplanocin A or c3Nep) was investigated in the human colon carcinoma cell line HT-29. Upon exposure of cells for 24 hr to 3-deazaneplanocin A (c3Nep), neplanocin A (Nep) or 3-deazaaristeromycin (c3Ari), significant toxicity was noted only for Nep, wherein an 87% reduction in viability was produced at a 100 microM concentration. c3Nep and c3Ari at 100 microM reduced viability by 34 and 21%, respectively. Intracellular levels of S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) were elevated by a 24-hr exposure to 100 microM c3Nep, Nep and c3Ari and were 120, 75 and 25 pmoles/10(6) cells respectively. Only Nep was metabolized to an S-adenosylmethionine-like metabolite, and its formation was dose-related to its cytotoxicity. The t1/2 for the disappearance of elevated levels of AdoHcy following drug removal was 1.6 to 2.5 hr for all drugs. rRNA and tRNA methylation was inhibited significantly by Nep, but c3Nep and c3Ari inhibited tRNA methylation but not rRNA methylation to a lesser degree. These results demonstrate that c3Nep is a potent inhibitor of AdoHcy synthesis with a low degree of cytotoxicity.
In order to exert its antitumor effects, the C-nucleoside tiazofurin (2-beta-D-ribofuranosylthiazole-4-carboxamide) is converted to the dinucleotide TAD (thiazole-4-carboxamide adenine dinucleotide), an inhibitor of IMP dehydrogenase (IMPD). With few exceptions, sensitive tumors (such as the P388 leukemia) have been found to accumulate substantially more of this inhibitory dinucleotide than resistant strains (exemplified by the colon 38 carcinoma). Previous studies have attributed this difference to a depressed capacity to synthesize TAD on the part of tumors refractory to tiazofurin. In the present study, a second contributory factor has been identified, viz. an enhanced ability to degrade preformed TAD. This degradation has been traced to a soluble phosphodiesterase present at high levels in tumors naturally resistant to tiazofurin. Using standard techniques, this TAD-phosphodiesterase has been purified 200-fold from the colon 38 carcinoma. The activity so purified readily hydrolyzed TAD and ADP-ribose, but exhibited a comparatively weak activity toward NAD and thymidine-5'-monophosphate-nitrophenyl ester. ADP-Ribose was also an excellent inhibitor of the hydrolysis of TAD. It is concluded, on the basis of these results, that TAD-phosphodiesterase plays an important role in the expression of the oncolytic activity of tiazofurin. The suggestion is also made that ADP-ribose may be the natural substrate for this enzyme.
The effects of the cyclopentenyl (cCyd) and cyclopentyl (carbodine) analogues of cytidine on differentiation, and nucleic acid and nucleotide biosynthesis, were examined in the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60. Continuous exposure for 5 days to 10(-8) to 10(-6) M cCyd or 10(-6) to 10(-5) M carbodine produced progressive inhibition of cell growth. During this exposure interval, pronounced differentiation to mature myeloid cells occurred wherein 95% of the cell population reduced nitroblue tetrazolium 4 days after exposure to 10(-7) M cCyd or 10(-5) M carbodine. Preceding differentiation was the inhibition of DNA synthesis which reached 10% of control levels 24 hr after exposure to 10(-7) M cCyd or 10(-5) M carbodine, while RNA synthesis was inhibited to a lesser extent. The induction of mature myeloid cells by cCyd was preceded by the inhibition of c-myc mRNA levels which was more pronounced than the reduction in total cellular RNA synthesis. During the interval of cCyd treatment, there was a rapid and pronounced inhibition in the level of CTP, but not of UTP, ATP or GTP, where the half-life for the disappearance of CTP was 1.5 to 2 hr. Following drug removal, cells treated with cCyd showed a sustained reduction in CTP levels, whereas cells treated with carbodine showed almost complete recovery of CTP levels within 48 hr. These results indicate that the reduction in CTP levels leads to rapid inhibition of DNA synthesis and reduction in c-myc mRNA levels which precede the appearance of differentiated cells.
3-Deazaneplanocin, a new carbocyclic analog of adenosine, was synthesized as an inhibitor of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase. The Ki of 3-deazaneplanocin for a purified hamster liver preparation of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase was 5 X 10(-11) M, making this inhibitor 250-fold more potent than the previously known most potent inhibitor of this enzyme, 3-deazaaristeromycin. Inhibition was competitive with the substrate adenosine. Human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells treated with 10(-5) M 3-deazaneplanocin showed a pronounced elevation in S-adenosylhomocysteine which was 4-fold greater than that produced by an equimolar concentration of 3-deazaaristeromycim. This effect preceded a moderate reduction in cell growth and viability following continuous exposure for 6 days. Cellular differentiation as monitored by the reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium was not markedly affected except after 4 days exposure to 10(-5) M 3-deazaneplanocin where 60% of the viable cells were positive. These results indicate that 3-deazaneplanocin may have therapeutic potential as an anticancer or antiviral drug.
One of the problems encountered in the use of tetrahydrouridine (THU, 2) and saturated 2-oxo-1,3-diazepine nucleosides as orally administered cytidine deaminase (CDA) inhibitors is their acid instability. Under acid conditions these compounds are rapidly converted into inactive ribopyranoside forms. A solution this problem was sought by functionalizing the acid-stable but less potent CDA inhibitor 1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (1) with the hope of increasing its potency to the level achieved with THU. The selection of the hydroxymethyl substituent at C-4, which led to the synthesis of 4-(hydroxymethyl)-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (10), 3,4-dihydro-4-(hydroxymethyl)-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (7), and 3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-4-(dihydroxymethyl)-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-2(1H)-p yrimidinone (28) was based on the transition-state (TS) concept. The key intermediate precursor, 4-[(benzoyloxy)methyl]-1-(2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-2(H) -pyrimidinone (24), was obtained via the classical Hilbert-Johnson reaction between 2-methoxy-4-[(benzoyloxy)methyl]pyrimidine (20) and 2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-1-D-ribofuranosyl bromide (21). Deprotection of 24 afforded compound 10, while its sodium borohydride reduction products afforded compounds 7 and 28 after removal of the blocking groups. Syntheses of 3,4-dihydro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (9) and 3,6-dihydro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (8), which lack the hydroxymethyl substituent, was accomplished in a similar fashion. The new compounds bearing the hydroxymethyl substituent were more acid stable than THU, and their CDA inhibitory potency, expressed in terms of Ki values, spanned from 10(-4) to 10(-7) M in a manner consistent with the TS theory. Compound 7, in particular, was superior to its parent 1 and equipotent to THU (Ki = 4 X 10(-7) M) when examined against mouse kidney CDA. The superior acid stability of this compound coupled to its potent inhibitory properties against CDA should provide a means of testing oral combinations of rapidly deaminated drugs, viz. ara-C, without the complications associated with the acid instability of THU.