Synthesis of an Anti-hepatitis B Agent, 2'-Fluoro-6'-methylene-carbocyclic Adenosine (FMCA) and Its Phosphoramidate (FMCAP).

2'-Fluoro-6'-methylene-carbocyclic adenosine (FMCA, 12) and its phosphoramidate prodrug (FMCAP, 14) have been proven as a potential anti-HBV agent against both adefovir-resistant as well as lamivudine-resistant double (rtL180M/rtM204V) mutants. Furthermore, in vitro, these agents have demonstrated significant activity against lamivudine/entecavir triple mutants (L180M + S202G + M204V). These preliminary results encourage us for further biological evaluation of FMCA and FMCAP to develop as a potential clinical candidate as an anti-HBV agent, which may overcome the problem of drug resistance in HBV therapy.

Design, synthesis and anticancer activity of fluorocyclopentenyl-purines and - pyrimidines.

Based on the potent anticancer activity of 6'-fluorocyclopentenyl-cytosine 2b in phase IIa clinical trials for the treatment of gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer, we carried out a systematic structure-activity relationship study of 6'-fluorocyclopentenyl-pyrimidines 3a-i and -purines 3j-o to discover novel anticancer agents. We also synthesized the phosphoramidate prodrug 3p of adenine derivative 1b to determine if the anticancer activity depended on the inhibition of DNA and/or RNA polymerase in cancer cells and/or on the inhibition of S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) hydrolase. All of the synthesized pyrimidine nucleosides exhibited much less potent anticancer activity in vitro than the cytosine derivative 2b, acting as RNA and/or DNA polymerase inhibitor, indicating that they could not be efficiently converted to their triphosphates for anticancer activity.

2'-Fluoro-6'-methylene carbocyclic adenosine and its phosphoramidate prodrug: A novel anti-HBV agent, active against drug-resistant HBV mutants.

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Currently, clinically approved nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) are very efficient in reducing the load of hepatitis B virus (HBV) with minimum side effects. However, the long-term administration of antiviral drugs promotes HBV for potential drug resistance.

Asymmetric Synthesis of (-)-6'-β-Fluoro-aristeromycin via Stereoselective Electrophilic Fluorination.

(-)-6'-β-Fluoro-aristeromycin (2), a potent inhibitor of S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) hydrolase, has been synthesized via stereoselective electrophilic fluorination followed by a purine base build-up approach. Interestingly, purine base condensation using a cyclic sulfate resulted in a synthesis of (+)-5'-β-fluoro-isoaristeromycin (2a). Computational analysis indicates that the fluorine atom controlled the regioselectivity of the purine base substitution.

Design, synthesis, and anticancer activity of C8-substituted-4'-thionucleosides as potential HSP90 inhibitors.

A series of C8-substituted-4'-thioadenosine analogs 3a-3g, 15, and 17 and their truncated derivatives 4a-4j, 23-25, and 27 have been successfully synthesized from d-ribose and d-mannose, respectively, employing Pummerer type or Vorbrüggen condensation reactions and the functionalization at the C8-position of nucleobase via Stille coupling or nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions as key steps. All the synthesized compounds were assayed for their HSP90 inhibitory activity, but they were found to be inactive up to 100μM. However, the 8-iodo derivatives 15, 17, and 27 exhibited potent anticancer activity, indicating that different mechanism of action might be involved in their biological activity.

Structure-Activity Relationships of Neplanocin A Analogues as S-Adenosylhomocysteine Hydrolase Inhibitors and Their Antiviral and Antitumor Activities.

On the basis of the potent inhibitory activity of neplanocin A (1) against S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) hydrolase, we analyzed the comprehensive structure-activity relationships by modifying the adenine and carbasugar moiety of 1 to find the pharmacophore in the active site of the enzyme. The introduction of 7-deazaadenine instead of adenine eliminated the inhibitory activity against the AdoHcy hydrolase, while 3-deazaadenine maintained the inhibitory activity of the enzyme, indicating that N-7 is essential for its role as a hydrogen bonding acceptor. The substitution of hydrogen at the 6'-position with fluorine increased the inhibitory activity of the enzyme.