HF acid ionization in water: the first step.

The results of a theoretical study of the first acid-ionization step to produce a contact-ion pair are presented for HF in water. The reaction is found to be an adiabatic quantum proton transfer, and has an activation barrier in a collective solvent reaction coordinate of ca. 3 kcal mol-1.

Structure-activity and structure-selectivity studies on diaminoquinazolines and other inhibitors of Pneumocystis carinii and Toxoplasma gondii dihydrofolate reductase.

Twenty-eight 2,4-diaminopteridines with alkyl and aralkyl groups at the 6- and 7-positions, five 1,3-diamino-7,8,9,10-tetrahydropyrimido [4,5-c]isoquinolines with an alkyl, alkylthio, or aryl group at the 6-position, and nine 4,6-diamino-1,2-dihydro-s-triazines with one or two alkyl groups at the 2-position and a substituted phenyl or naphthyl group at the 1-position were evaluated as inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase enzymes from Pneumocystis carinii, Toxoplasma gondii, and rat liver. Halogen substitution at the 5- or 6-position of 2,4-diaminoquinazoline favored selective binding to the P. carinii enzyme but not the T.

Atraumatic gluteal compartment syndrome.

A case of atraumatic gluteal compartment syndrome complicated by sciatic nerve palsy and acute rhabdomyolysis is presented. A presumed diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis led to a delay in diagnosis. Gluteal compartment syndrome should be considered in the differential diagnosis of the swollen leg.

Inhibition of hog liver folylpolyglutamate synthetase by 5-substituted 5,8-dideaza analogues of folic acid bearing a terminal L-ornithine residue.

Five new N alpha-(5,8-dideazapteroyl)-L-ornithines have been prepared using multistep synthetic sequences. These include N alpha-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-5,8-dideazapteroyl]-L-ornithine, 3, as well as N alpha-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-5,8-dideazaisopteroyl]-L-ornithine, 4, and its 5-fluoro and 5-chloro analogues. Both of the compounds containing a 5-(trifluoromethyl) group (3 and 4) were found to be excellent inhibitors of homogeneous hog liver folylpolyglutamate synthetase, having Ki values in the same range as N alpha-(5-chloro-5,8-dideazapteroyl)-L-ornithine, 2, (approximately 10 nM).

Synthesis and biological evaluation of N alpha-(5-deaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropteroyl)-L-ornithine.

A novel folic acid analogue, N alpha-(5-deaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropteroyl)-L-ornithine, 3, was prepared via a multistep synthetic sequence. The key steps involved the conversion of 5-deazapteroic acid to its N10-formyl derivative followed by catalytic hydrogenation of the pyridine ring and subsequent heating in dilute sodium hydroxide to afford the new 5-deaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropteroic acid. After trifluoroacetylation, this compound was coupled to N delta-(tert-butyl-oxycarbonyl)-L-ornithine using conventional peptide bond forming conditions.

In vitro metabolism of 5,8-dideazafolates and 5,8-dideazaisofolates by mammalian folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthetase.

The in vitro metabolism of a variety of 5,8-dideazafolate and 5,8-dideazaisofolate analogues by pig liver folylpolyglutamate synthetase and the specificity of the enzyme for some polyglutamate derivatives of these analogues have been investigated. All 4-oxo-quinazoline analogues were metabolized to long chain polyglutamate derivatives, primarily the pentaglutamate, whereas 4-amino-quinazolines were metabolized to a lesser extent, with the accumulation of di- and triglutamate derivatives. This pattern of metabolism was consistent with the large drop in Vmax/Km and Vmax values for folylpolyglutamate synthetase observed with diglutamate derivatives of 4-aminofolate analogues.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a fluorescent analogue of folic acid.

A fluorescein derivative of the lysine analogue of folic acid, N alpha-pteroyl-N epilson-(4'-fluoresceinthiocarbamoyl)-L-lysine (PLF), was synthesized as a probe for dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and a membrane folate binding protein (m-FBP). Excitation of PLF at 282 nm and at 497 nm gave a fluorescence emission maximum at 518 nm. Binding of PLF to human DHFR or human placental m-FBP results in approximately a 20-fold enhancement in the magnitude of the fluorescence emission, suggesting that the ligand interacts with a hydrophobic region on these proteins.

Studies on the mechanism of antitumor action of 2-desamino-2-methyl-5,8-dideazaisofolic acid.

The new folate analogue, 2-desamino-2-methyl-5,8-dideazaisofolic acid, 2c, was synthesized and evaluated using a variety of biochemical and antitumor assays. For purposes of comparison, its 2-desamino, 2b, and 2-amino, 2a, counterparts, as well as N10-propargly-5,8-dideazafolic acid, 1a, and the corresponding 2-desamino, 1b, and 2-desamino-2-methyl, 1c, modifications were included in these studies. Compound 2c was found to be a potent inhibitor of the growth of L1210 and MCF-7 cells in culture, being only 2-fold and 5-fold less effective than 1c, respectively.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 5-deazaisofolic acid, 5-deaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisofolic acid, and their N9-substituted analogues.

Prompted by recent disclosures concerning the potent antitumor activities of 5-deaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid and 5,10-dideaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid (DDATHF), we have prepared 5-deazaisofolic acid (3a) and 5-deaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisofolic acid (4a). Reductive condensation of 2,6-diamino-3,4-dihydro-4- oxopyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine with di-tert-butyl N-(4-formylbenzoyl)-L-glutamate and subsequent deprotection with trifluoroacetic acid yielded 5-deazaisofolic acid in good yield. Catalytic hydrogenation of this analogue then gave 4a.

Thoracic spinal fractures and aortic rupture: a significant and fatal association.

We analyzed the frequency of occurrence of traumatic aortic rupture (TAR) in patients with and without thoracic spinal fractures. Among 4,676 blunt chest trauma victims admitted to the hospital between 1972 and 1988, 148 (3.2%) suffered one or more thoracic vertebral fractures.

Multiple-sited (heterotopic) pregnancy after in vitro fertilization and gamete intrafallopian transfer.

Pregnancies occurring simultaneously in different body sites (heterotopic pregnancies) are a rare condition thought to occur in 1 of 30,000 spontaneous pregnancies. Individual cases may occur after in vitro fertilization (IVF) or gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT). In the past 4 1/2 years, our unit has performed 6,204 IVF/GIFT or pronuclear stage transfer cycles of treatment.

Tricyclic 2,4-diaminopyrimidines with broad antifolate activity and the ability to inhibit Pneumocystis carinii growth in cultured human lung fibroblasts in the presence of leucovorin.

A selected number of 1,3-diaminobenzo[f]quinazolines and 1,3-diamino-5,6-dihydrobenzo[f]quinazolines, which may be viewed as tricyclic analogues of the lipid-soluble antifolates pyrimethamine (PM), metoprine (DDMP), and etoprine (DDEP), were tested as inhibitors of purified dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) from WI-L2 lymphoblasts, and as inhibitors of the growth of Streptococcus faecium ATCC 8043 and L1210 murine leukemia cells in culture. In addition, these tricyclic compounds were tested for antimalarial activity against Plasmodium berghei in mice, and for the ability to inhibit the growth of Pneumocystis carinii trophozoites in WI-38 human lung fibroblast cultures in the presence of leucovorin (LV). The most potent analogues were those with chlorine substitution in the ring distal to the 2,4-diaminopyrimidine moiety.

Inhibition of mammalian folylpolyglutamate synthetase and human dihydrofolate reductase by 5,8-dideaza analogues of folic acid and aminopterin bearing a terminal L-ornithine.

Six new 5,8-dideaza analogues of folic acid and aminopterin containing a terminal L-ornithine residue were prepared by using multistep synthetic sequences. Each was evaluated as an inhibitor of hog liver folylpolyglutamate synthetase and human dihydrofolate reductase. Structural modifications at positions 2, 4, 5, and 10 were included to help define structure-activity relationships for compounds of this type.

Comparison of the biological effects of selected 5,8-dideazafolate analogues with their 2-desamino counterparts.

Three new 5,8-dideaza analogues of folic acid devoid of an amino group at position 2 have been prepared by using synthetic routes patterned after earlier methodologies. They were 2-desamino-5,8-dideazaisofolic acid, 2b, 2-desamino-10-thia-5,8-dideazafolic acid, 2c, and 2-desamino-10-oxa-5,8-dideazafolic acid, 2d. These compounds were found to be 4-6-fold more cytoxic toward L1210 leukemia cells than their 2-NH2 counterparts and to be poor inhibitors of mammalian thymidylate synthase.

Synergy between 5,10-dideaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid and methotrexate in mice bearing L1210 tumors.

In vivo studies with 5,10-dideaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid (DDATHF), an inhibitor of glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase, indicate that at doses ranging from 2.5 to 10 mg/kg, it prolongs the survival of mice implanted with L1210 tumors. Lower doses of this agent have no effect.

Substrate specificity of mammalian folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthetase for 5,8-dideazafolates and 5,8-dideaza analogues of aminopterin.

The substrate specificity of pig liver folylpolyglutamate synthetase (tetrahydrofolate:L-glutamate gamma-ligase (ADP-forming), EC 6.3.2.

Inhibition of murine thymidylate synthase and human dihydrofolate reductase by 5,8-dideaza analogues of folic acid and aminopterin.

A series of 5,8-dideaza analogues of folic acid, isofolic acid, aminopterin, and isoaminopterin were evaluated for inhibition of thymidylate synthase, TS, from mouse L1210 leukemia cells with 10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid, CB3717, 4a, as the reference inhibitor. These compounds were also tested as inhibitors of human dihydrofolate reductase, DHFR, obtained from WIL2 cells. None of the analogues studied were as potent as 4a toward TS; however, 9-methyl-5,8-dideazaisoaminopterin, 6d, was only 2.

Inhibition of chicken liver 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide transformylase by 5,8-dideaza analogues of folic acid.

A series of fourteen 5,8-dideaza analogues of folic and pteroic acids was evaluated for inhibition of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide transformylase (AICAR TFase) from chicken liver. Of the 5,8-dideaza folate derivatives studies, 10-oxa-5,8-dideazafolic acid was the most potent inhibitor. The addition of one L-glutamate moiety to the gamma-carboxyl group caused a 6- to 7-fold reduction in Ki in three instances.

Mechanism of action of 5,8-dideazaisofolic acid and other quinazoline antifols in human colon carcinoma cells.

The clonal cytotoxic effects and mechanism of action of a new series of 2-amino-4-hydroxyquinazoline folate analogues (5,8-dideazafolates) have been assessed using the human colon tumor cell line HCT-8. Of these compounds only 5-methyl-5,8-dideazafolate was potentially more effective than a compound previously identified, 5,8-dideazaisofolate (H-338, NSC 289517). HCT-8 sublines resistant to methotrexate, 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, and H-338 were either minimally or not cross-resistant to the other agents.

Synthesis of 5-chloro-5,8-dideaza analogues of folic acid and aminopterin targeted for colon adenocarcinoma.

Several classical quinazoline analogues of folic acid bearing chloro or methyl substituents at position 5 were evaluated as inhibitors of the growth of four human gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma cell lines in vitro. The preparation of two of these, 5-chloro-5,8-dideazaisofolic acid, 1e, and 5-chloro-5,8-dideazaisoaminopterin, 2a, is reported for the first time. In addition, a new synthetic route to 5-chloro-5,8-dideazaaminopterin, 2b, is described.

Purification and characterization of dihydrofolate reductase from soybean seedlings.

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR; EC 1.5.1.

Folate analogues as inhibitors of thymidylate synthase.

Recent demonstrations that deazafolate analogues may act as potent inhibitors of thymidylate synthase (TS) provided a firm rationale for the synthesis of N10-propargyl derivatives of 8-deazafolate and 8-deazaaminopterin (4). A complete assignment of the 1H NMR spectra of these compounds was made possible through application of 2D (COSY) techniques at 200 MHz. Data describing the inhibition of TS derived from human leukemia (K562) cells are presented.