Potent, low-calcemic, selective inhibitors of CYP24 hydroxylase: 24-sulfone analogs of the hormone 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

The new 24-phenylsulfone 4a, a low-calcemic analog of the natural hormone 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3), is a potent (IC(50) = 28nM) and highly selective inhibitor of the human 24-hydroxylase enzyme CYP24.

Intramolecular cyclization reactions of 5-halo- and 5-nitro-substituted furans.

[reaction: see text] Intramolecular cyclization reactions of 5-halo- and 5-nitro-substituted furanylamides were examined. The 2-alkoxy-5-bromofuran derivative 2 produced the rearranged dihydroquinone 6 (36%), a product from the rearrangement of the intermediate oxabicycle 3. The 5-halo substituted furoyl amide 18 was converted to the polyfunctional oxabicycle 20 in 82% yield and at a much faster rate than the unsubstituted furanyl system 17. The 5-nitro-substituted furfuryl amide 33b underwent an unusual isomerization-cyclization reaction under microwave conditions to provide 1,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[4,5]furo[2,3-c]pyridin-3-one 34.

Halo substituent effects on intramolecular cycloadditions involving furanyl amides.

Intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions involving a series of N-alkenyl-substituted furanyl amides were investigated. Stable functionalized oxanorbornenes were formed in high yield upon heating at 80-110 degrees C. The cycloaddition reactions include several bromo-substituted furanyl amides, and these systems were found to proceed at a much faster rate and in higher yield than without substitution. This effect was observed by incorporating a halogen in the 3- or 5-position of the furan ring and appears to be general. The origin of increased cycloaddition rates for halo-substituted furans has been investigated with quantum mechanical calculations. The success of these reactions is attributed to increases in reaction exothermicities; this both decreases activation enthalpies and increases barriers to retrocycloadditions. Halogen substitution on furan increases reactant energy and stabilizes the product, which is attributed to the preference of electronegative halogens to be attached to a more highly alkylated and therefore more electropositive framework.

Several convenient methods for the synthesis of 2-amido substituted furans.

Several new methods for the synthesis of differently substituted 2-amidofurans are described. The thermolysis of furan-2-carbonyl azide results in a Curtius rearrangement and the resulting furanyl isocyanate was trapped with various organometallic reagents. A second method consists of a C-N cross-coupling reaction of a bromo-substituted furan with various amides, carbamates, and lactams. The CuI-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between furanyl bromides and amides furnished 2- and 3-substituted amidofurans in 45-95% yield. The third protocol used involves the reaction of cyclic carbinol amides with triflic anhydride. The reaction proceeds under very mild conditions to provide alpha-(trifluoromethyl)sulfonamido-substituted furans in high yield. The resulting iminium ion derived from the reaction of the hydroxy pyrrolidinone with Tf(2)O undergoes a facile ring opening as a consequence of the adjacent hydroxyl group to produce an imino triflate intermediate. Subsequent cyclization of this highly electrophilic imine with the oxygen atom of the adjacent carbonyl group leads to an imino dihydrofuran that reacts further with another equivalent of Tf(2)O to give the observed product.

2,2-Disubstituted analogues of the natural hormone 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3): chemistry and biology.

Six new 2,2-disubstituted analogues of the natural hormone calcitriol have been prepared. Chemical novelty includes (1) the first example of an inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder cycloaddition using a pyrone diene and a difluorinated vinyl ether dienophile, leading to difluorinated analogues 7 and (2) a conceptually streamlined approach to dimethylated 19-nor analogues. Analogues 7a and are similar to calcitriol in terms of in vitro antiproliferative activity, but they are different from calcitriol in terms of transcriptional activity: difluorinated analogue 7a is 2-3 times more active transcriptionally than calcitriol, whereas dimethylated analogue is 7.5 times less active transcriptionally. Whereas the in vivo calcemic activity of difluorinated analogue 7a is similar to that of calcitriol, dimethylated analogue is considerably less calcemic than calcitriol. Dimethylated analogue strongly suppresses parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion.