Photomodulation of G protein-coupled adenosine receptors by a novel light-switchable ligand.

The adenosinergic system operates through G protein-coupled adenosine receptors, which have become promising therapeutic targets for a wide range of pathological conditions. However, the ubiquity of adenosine receptors and the eventual lack of selectivity of adenosine-based drugs have frequently diminished their therapeutic potential. Accordingly, here we aimed to develop a new generation of light-switchable adenosine receptor ligands that change their intrinsic activity upon irradiation, thus allowing the spatiotemporal control of receptor functioning (i.

Antiproliferative 4-(1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)piperidine-1-carboxamides, a new tubulin inhibitor chemotype.

We discovered a new chemical class of antiproliferative agents, 4-(1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)piperidine-1-carboxamides. SAR-guided optimization of the two distinct terminal fragments yielded a compound with 120 nM potency in an antiproliferative assay. Biological activity profile studies (COMPARE analysis) demonstrated that 4-(1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)piperidine-1-carboxamides act as tubulin inhibitors, and this conclusion was confirmed via biochemical assays with pure tubulin and demonstration of increased numbers of mitotic cells following treatment of a leukemia cell line.

Trifluoromethylated heterocycles.

This review is a follow-up to the previous chapter, "Monofluorinated Heterocycles" (Topics in Heterocyclic Chemistry, 2012, 33-63), and presents an overview of synthetic chemistry of heterocycles with only one trifluoromethyl group directly attached to the ring (trifluoromethylated heterocycles). Particular attention is given to the modern direct trifluoromethylation methods, including catalytic reactions, organometallic reagents, carbene and hypervalent chemistry, utilization of ionic nucleophilic and electrophilic trifluoromethylating agents, and to other pertinent trends. One of the emphases of the review is compounds with biomedical potential.

Identification of diaryl 5-amino-1,2,4-oxadiazoles as tubulin inhibitors: the special case of 3-(2-fluorophenyl)-5-(4-methoxyphenyl)amino-1,2,4-oxadiazole.

The combination of experimental (inhibition of colchicine binding) and computational (COMPARE, docking studies) data unequivocally identified diaryl 5-amino-1,2,4-oxadiazoles as potent tubulin inhibitors. Good correlation was observed between tubulin binding and cytostatic properties for all tested compounds with the notable exception of the lead candidate, 3-(3-methoxyphenyl)-5-(4-methoxyphenyl)amino-1,2,4-oxadiazole (DCP 10500078). This compound was found to be substantially more active in our in vitro experiments than the monofluorinated title compound, 3-(2-fluorophenyl)-5-(4-methoxyphenyl)amino-1,2,4-oxadiazole (DCP 10500067/NSC 757486), which in turn demonstrated slightly better tubulin binding activity.

Optimization of adenosine 5'-carboxamide derivatives as adenosine receptor agonists using structure-based ligand design and fragment screening.

Structures of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have a proven utility in the discovery of new antagonists and inverse agonists modulating signaling of this important family of clinical targets. Applicability of active-state GPCR structures to virtual screening and rational optimization of agonists, however, remains to be assessed. In this study of adenosine 5' derivatives, we evaluated the performance of an agonist-bound A(2A) adenosine receptor (AR) structure in retrieval of known agonists and then employed the structure to screen for new fragments optimally fitting the corresponding subpocket.

Trans-, cis-, and dihydro-resveratrol: a comparative study.

Background: Recent studies showed that moderate consumption of red or white wines increased the chances of breast cancer, while similar consumption of red wines, rich in trans-resveratrol (trans-R), decreased the rate of prostate cancer. This prompted us to explore the role of various forms of R in cancer proliferation.

Results: Trans-R was found to be the most potent antiproliferative agent.

Modular Chemical Descriptor Language (MCDL): Stereochemical modules.

Background: In our previous papers we introduced the Modular Chemical Descriptor Language (MCDL) for providing a linear representation of chemical information. A subsequent development was the MCDL Java Chemical Structure Editor which is capable of drawing chemical structures from linear representations and generating MCDL descriptors from structures.

Results: In this paper we present MCDL modules and accompanying software that incorporate unique representation of molecular stereochemistry based on Cahn-Ingold-Prelog and Fischer ideas in constructing stereoisomer descriptors.

Dihydro-resveratrol--a potent dietary polyphenol.

Dihydro-resveratrol (dihydro-R), a prominent polyphenol component of red wine, has a profound proliferative effect on hormone-sensitive tumor cell lines such as breast cancer cell line MCF7. We found a significant increase in MCF7 tumor cells growth rates in the presence of picomolar concentrations of this compound. The proliferative effect of dihydro-R was not observed in cell lines that do not express hormone receptors (MDA-MB-231, BT-474, and К-562).

Synthesis of 1-(4-trifluoromethoxyphenyl)-2,5-dimethyl-3-(2-R-thiazol-4-yl)-1H-pyrroles via chain heterocyclization.

The title compounds, (4-trifluoromethoxyphenyl)-2,5-dimethyl-3-(2-R-thiazol-4-yl)-1H-pyrroles, were prepared in four steps starting from commercially available 4-trifluoromethoxyaniline. The pyrrole (second ring) was added in one step using the Paal-Knorr method. The thiazole (third ring) was added in three steps using chloroacylation with chloroacetonitrile followed by heterocyclization with thioamides/thioureas.

Discovery and potency optimization of 2-amino-5-arylmethyl-1,3-thiazole derivatives as potential therapeutic agents for prostate cancer.

A new chemical series was identified via high-throughput screening as having antiproliferative activity on DU-145 human prostate carcinoma cell line (hit compound potency - 2.9 microM). Medicinal chemistry optimization of two peripheral diversity vectors of the hit molecule, independently, led to SAR generalizations and identification of the 'best' moieties.

A Java chemical structure editor supporting the Modular Chemical Descriptor Language (MCDL).

A compact Modular Chemical Descriptor Language (MCDL) chemical structure editor (Java applet) is described. The small size (approximately 200 KB) of the applet allows its use to display and edit chemical structures in various Internet applications. The editor supports the MCDL format, in which structures are presented in compact canonical form and is capable of restoring bond orders as well as of managing atom and bond drawing overlap.

Thermodynamic rearrangement synthesis and NMR structures of C1, C3, and T isomers of C60H36.

The structures of three C60H36 isomers, produced by high-temperature transfer hydrogenation of C(60) in a 9,10-dihydroanthracene melt, was accomplished by 2D (1)H-detected NMR experiments, recorded at 800 MHz. The unsymmetrical C(1) isomer is found to be the most abundant one (60-70%), followed by the C(3) isomer (25-30%) and the least abundant T isomer (2-5%). All three isomers are closely related in structure and have three vicinal hydrogens located on each of the 12 pentagons.

Modular Chemical Descriptor Language (MCDL): composition, connectivity, and supplementary modules.

The Modular Chemical Descriptor Language (MCDL) was developed to address the need for linear representation of structural and other chemical information for chemical databases, E-journals, and the Internet. The current paper describes in detail two major modules of the language: the composition and connectivity modules, which provide a representation of chemical structure. These modules are created using simple hierarchical principles based on ASCII codes and are unique except for stereoisomers and a few special cases (e.

Synthetic utilization of polynitroaromatic compounds. 1. S-derivatization of 1-substituted 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenes with thiols.

Reactions of 1-R-2,4,6-trinitrobenenes (R = alkyl, protected aldehyde, aminocarbonyl, cyano groups, or isoxazole ring) with thiol salts were investigated. In most cases, these reactions gave a mixture of minor para and major ortho substitution products. Reactions of N,N-disubstituted 2,4,6-trinitrobenzamides with S-,O-, and N-nucleophiles afforded products of substitution of the p-nitro group exclusively.

Preparation of trifluoromethylpyridine libraries.

S-Alkylation followed by heterocyclization of trifluoromethyl-3-cyano-2(1H)-pyridinethiones was used for preparation of libraries of S-alkyl trifluoromethylpyridines and thieno[2,3-b]pyridines. The S-alkylation (in water--DMF mixtures) was successful for all 18 alkylating agents employed (yields typically > 50%). S-Alkyl derivatives were further converted to corresponding thieno[2,3-b]pyridines via heterocyclization in base conditions (yields > 65%).

Synthetic utilization of polynitroaromatic compounds. 2. Synthesis Of 4,6-dinitro-1,2-benzisothiazol-3-ones and 4,6-dinitro-1, 2-benzisothiazoles from 2-benzylthio-4,6-dinitrobenzamides.

Cyclization of 2-benzylthio-4,6-dinitrobenzamides to 4,6-dinitro-1, 2-benzisothiazol-3-ones was achieved using SO(2)Cl(2) in CH(2)Cl(2) at room temperature. Alkylation of these heterocycles proceeded in a nonregioselective manner to yield a mixture of corresponding O- and N-alkylated products. Oxidation of 4,6-dinitro-1,2-benzisothiazoles (50% H(2)O(2) in AcOH) afforded the corresponding S-oxides and S, S-dioxides, depending on oxidation conditions.