Substituted adamantylphthalimides: Synthesis, antiviral and antiproliferative activity.

In this study, three groups of adamantylphthalimides, bearing different substituents at the phthalimide moiety, N-(4'-R2 )phthalimidoadamantanes (1-7), 3-[N-(4'-R2 )phthalimido]-1-adamantanols (8-10), and 3-[N-(4'-R2 )phthalimido]adamantane-1-carboxylic acids (11-15), were synthesized and screened against tumor cells and viruses. The most potent compounds are not substituted at the adamantane and bear an OH or NH2 substituent at the phthalimide (compounds 3 and 5). The antiproliferative activities of compounds 3 and 5 are in the micromolar range, much higher than the one of thalidomide. A minor antiviral activity against cytomegalovirus and varicella-zoster virus was found for compounds 3 and 5, but these compounds lacked selectivity. The results presented are important for the rational design of the next-generation compounds with anticancer and antiviral activities.

Photoelimination of nitrogen from adamantane and pentacycloundecane (PCU) diazirines: a spectroscopic study and supramolecular control.

Photochemical reactivity of pentacycloundecane (PCU) and adamantane diazirines was investigated by preparative irradiation in different solvents, laser flash photolysis (LFP) and quantum chemical computations. In addition, formation of inclusion complexes for diazirines with cucurbit[7]uril, ß- and γ-cyclodextrin (ß- and γ-CD) was investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy, isothermal microcalorimetry and circular dichroism spectroscopy, followed by the investigation of photochemical reactivity of the formed complexes. Diazirines undergo efficient photochemical elimination of nitrogen (ΦR > 0.5) and deliver the corresponding singlet carbenes. Singlet carbenes react in intra- and intermolecular reactions and we found a rare singlet carbene pathway in CH3OH involving protonation and formation of a carbocation, detected due to the specific rearrangement of the pentacycloundecane skeleton. Singlet diazirines undergo intersystem crossing and deliver triplet carbenes that react with oxygen to form ketones which were isolated after irradiation. Our main finding is that the formation of diazirine inclusion complexes with ß-CD and γ-CD changes the relative ratio of singlet vs. triplet pathways, with singlet carbene products being dominant from the chemistry of the irradiated complexes. Our combined theoretical and experimental studies provide new insights into the supramolecular control of carbene reactivity which has possible applications for the control of product distribution by solvent effects and the choice of constrained media.

Ultrafast Adiabatic Photodehydration of 2-Hydroxymethylphenol and the Formation of Quinone Methide.

The photochemical reactivity of 2-hydroxymethylphenol (1) was investigated experimentally by photochemistry under cryogenic conditions, by detecting reactive intermediates by IR spectroscopy, and by using nanosecond and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopic methods in solution at room temperature. In addition, theoretical studies were performed to facilitate the interpretation of the experimental results and also to simulate the reaction pathway to obtain a better understanding of the reaction mechanism. The main finding of this work is that photodehydration of 1 takes place in an ultrafast adiabatic photochemical reaction without any clear intermediate, delivering quinone methide (QM) in the excited state. Upon photoexcitation to a higher vibrational level of the singlet excited state, 1 undergoes vibrational relaxation leading to two photochemical pathways, one by which synchronous elimination of H2 O gives QM 2 in its S1 state and the other by which homolytic cleavage of the phenolic O-H bond produces a phenoxyl radical (S0 ). Both are ultrafast processes that occur within a picosecond. The excited state of QM 2 (S1 ) probably deactivates to S0 through a conical intersection to give QM 2 (S0 ), which subsequently delivers benzoxete 4. Elucidation of the reaction mechanisms for the photodehydration of phenols by which QMs are formed is important to tune the reactivity of QMs with DNA and proteins for the potential application of QMs in medicine as therapeutic agents.

Photocyclization of Tetra- and Pentapeptides Containing Adamantylphthalimide and Phenylalanines: Reaction Efficiency and Diastereoselectivity.

A series of tetrapeptides and pentapeptides was synthesized bearing a phthalimide chromophore at the N-terminus. The C-terminus of the peptides was strategically substituted with an amino acid, Phe, Phe(OMe), or Phe(OMe)2 characterized by different oxidation potentials. The photochemical reactivity of the peptides was investigated by preparative irradiation and isolation of photoproducts, as well as with laser flash photolysis. Upon photoexcitation, the peptides undergo photoinduced electron transfer (PET) and decarboxylation, followed by diastereoselective cyclization with the retention of configuration for tetrapeptides or inversion of configuration for pentapeptides. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and NOE experiments enabled assignment of the stereochemistry of the cyclic peptides. MD simulations of the linear peptides disclosed conformational reasons for the observed diastereoselectivity, being due to the peptide backbone spatial orientation imposed by the Phe amino acids. The photochemical efficiency for the decarboxylation and cyclization is not dependent on the peptide length, but it depends on the oxidation potential of the amino acid at the C-terminus. The results described herein are particularly important for the rational design of efficient photochemical reactions for the preparation of cyclic peptides with the desired selectivity.

Photodeamination to quinone methides in cucurbit[n]urils: potential application in drug delivery.

We demonstrate a proof of principle for a new approach in the development of a drug delivery system. A positively charged prodrug (phenol) can form a stable inclusion complex with CB[7], which enables more efficient delivery of the prodrug. After photochemical transformation (photoactivation) inside the complex, an active drug quinone methide (QM) is formed and released from the complex, since it is a neutral molecule and forms a less stable complex with CB[7].

Unraveling the Structure-Affinity Relationship between Cucurbit[n]urils (n = 7, 8) and Cationic Diamondoids.

We report the measurement of the binding constants (Ka) for cucurbit[n]uril (n = 7, 8) toward four series of guests based on 2,6-disubstituted adamantanes, 4,9-disubstituted diamantanes, 1,6-disubstituted diamantanes, and 1-substituted adamantane ammonium ions by direct and competitive 1H NMR spectroscopy. Compared to the affinity of CB[7]·Diam(NMe3)2, the adamantane diammonium ion complexes (e.g., CB[7]·2,6-Ad(NH3)2 and CB[7]·2,6-Ad(NMe3)2) are less effective at realizing the potential 1000-fold enhancement in affinity due to ion-dipole interactions at the second ureidyl C═O portal. Comparative crystallographic investigation of CB[7]·Diam(NMe3)2, CB[7]·DiamNMe3, and CB[7]·1-AdNMe3 revealed that the preferred geometry positions the +NMe3 groups ≈0.32 Å above the C═O portal; the observed 0.80 Å spacing observed for CB[7]·Diam(NMe3)2 reflects the simultaneous geometrical constraints of CH2···O═C close contacts at both portals. Remarkably, the CB[8]·IsoDiam(NHMe2)2 complex displays femtomolar binding affinity, placing it firmly alongside the CB[7]·Diam(NMe3)2 complex. Primary or quaternary ammonium ion looping strategies lead to larger increases in binding affinity for CB[8] than for CB[7], which we attribute to the larger size of the carbonyl portals of CB[8]; this suggests routes to develop CB[8] as the tightest binding host in the CB[n] family. We report that alkyl group fluorination (e.g., CB[7]·1-AdNH2Et versus CB[7]·1-AdNH2CH2CF3) does not result in the expected increase in Ka value. Finally, we discuss the role of solvation in nonempirical quantum mechanical computational methodology, which is used to estimate the relative changes in Gibbs binding free energies.

Photochemical Formation of Anthracene Quinone Methide Derivatives.

Anthrols 2-7 were synthesized and their photochemical reactivity investigated by irradiations in aq CH3OH. Upon excitation with visible light (λ > 400 nm) in methanolic solutions, they undergo photodehydration or photodeamination and deliver methyl ethers, most probably via quinone methides (QMs), with methanolysis quantum efficiencies ΦR = 0.02-0.3. Photophysical properties of 2-7 were determined by steady-state fluorescence and time-correlated single photon counting. Generally, anthrols 2-7 are highly fluorescent in aprotic solvents (ΦF = 0.5-0.9), whereas in aqueous solutions the fluorescence is quenched due to excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) to solvent. The exception is amine 4 that undergoes excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) in neat CH3CN where photodeamination is probably coupled to ESIPT. Photodehydration may take place via ESIPT (or ESPT) that is coupled to dehydration or via a hitherto undisclosed pathway that involves photoionization and deprotonation of radical cation, followed by homolytic cleavage of the alcohol OH group from the phenoxyl radical. QMs were detected by laser flash photolysis and their reactivity with nucleophiles investigated. Biological investigation of 2-5 on human cancer cell lines showed enhancement of antiproliferative effect upon exposure of cells to irradiation by visible light, probably due to formation of electrophilic species such as QMs.

Adamantane in Drug Delivery Systems and Surface Recognition.

The adamantane moiety is widely applied in design and synthesis of new drug delivery systems and in surface recognition studies. This review focuses on liposomes, cyclodextrins, and dendrimers based on or incorporating adamantane derivatives. Our recent concept of adamantane as an anchor in the lipid bilayer of liposomes has promising applications in the field of targeted drug delivery and surface recognition. The results reported here encourage the development of novel adamantane-based structures and self-assembled supramolecular systems for basic chemical investigations as well as for biomedical application.

A Nexus between Theory and Experiment: Non-Empirical Quantum Mechanical Computational Methodology Applied to Cucurbit[n]uril⋠Guest Binding Interactions.

A training set of eleven X-ray structures determined for biomimetic complexes between cucurbit[n]uril (CB[7 or 8]) hosts and adamantane-/diamantane ammonium/aminium guests were studied with DFT-D3 quantum mechanical computational methods to afford ΔGcalcd binding energies. A novel feature of this work is that the fidelity of the BLYP-D3/def2-TZVPP choice of DFT functional was proven by comparison with more accurate methods. For the first time, the CB[n]⋅guest complex binding energy subcomponents [for example, ΔEdispersion , ΔEelectrostatic , ΔGsolvation , binding entropy (-TΔS), and induced fit Edeformation(host) , Edeformation(guest) ] were calculated. Only a few weeks of computation time per complex were required by using this protocol. The deformation (stiffness) and solvation properties (with emphasis on cavity desolvation) of cucurbit[n]uril (n=5, 6, 7, 8) isolated host molecules were also explored by means of the DFT-D3 method. A high ρ2 =0.84 correlation coefficient between ΔGexptl and ΔGcalcd was achieved without any scaling of the calculated terms (at 298 K). This linear dependence was utilized for ΔGcalcd predictions of new complexes. The nature of binding, including the role of high energy water molecules, was also studied. The utility of introduction of tethered [-(CH2 )n NH3 ]+ amino loops attached to N,N-dimethyl-adamantane-1-amine and N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl diamantane-4,9-diamine skeletons (both from an experimental and a theoretical perspective) is presented here as a promising tool for the achievement of new ultra-high binding guests to CB[7] hosts. Predictions of not yet measured equilibrium constants are presented herein.

Reactivity of Cations and Zwitterions Formed in Photochemical and Acid-Catalyzed Reactions from m-Hydroxycycloalkyl-Substituted Phenol Derivatives.

Three m-substituted phenol derivatives, each with a labile benzylic alcohol group and bearing either protoadamantyl 4, homoadamantyl 5, or a cyclohexyl group 6, were synthesized and their thermal acid-catalyzed and photochemical solvolytic reactivity studied, using preparative irradiations, fluorescence measurements, nanosecond laser flash photolysis, and quantum chemical calculations. The choice of m-hydroxy-substitution was driven by the potential for these phenolic systems to generate m-quinone methides on photolysis, which could ultimately drive the excited-state pathway, as opposed to forming simple benzylic carbocations in the corresponding thermal route. Indeed, thermal acid-catalyzed reactions gave the corresponding cations, which undergo rearrangement and elimination from 4, only elimination from 5, and substitution and elimination from 6. On the other hand, upon photoexcitation of 4-6 to S1 in a polar protic solvent, proton dissociation from the phenol, coupled with elimination of the benzylic OH (as hydroxide ion) gave zwitterions (formal m-quinone methides). The zwitterions exhibit reactivity different from the corresponding cations due to a difference in charge distribution, as shown by DFT calculations. Thus, protoadamantyl zwitterion has a less nonclassical character than the corresponding cation, so it does not undergo 1,2-shift of the carbon atom, as observed in the acid-catalyzed reaction.

Enhancement of antiproliferative activity by phototautomerization of anthrylphenols.

An antiproliferative investigation was conducted on 3 human cancer cell lines, HCT 116 (colon), MCF-7 (breast), and H 460 (lung), on a series of 4 anthrylphenols in the dark and upon exposure to light (350 nm). 9-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)anthracene (1) moderately inhibited proliferation, but irradiation considerably enhanced the effect. The other anthracenes 4­6 exhibited antiproliferative activity in the dark, which was not enhanced upon irradiation. The enhancement of the antiproliferative effect on the irradiation of 1 was rationalized as being due to the formation of quinone methide (QM 2) by excited state proton transfer. QM 2 acts as an electrophilic species capable of reacting with biological molecules. Although QM 2 reacts with nucleotides, the adducts could not be isolated. On the contrary, cysteine adduct 8 was isolated and characterized, whereas the adducts with glycine, serine and tripeptide glutathione were characterized by MS. Non-covalent binding of 1 to DNA and bovine serum albumin was demonstrated by UV-vis, fluorescence and CD spectroscopy. However, a straightforward conclusion regarding the DNA or protein alkylating (damaging) ability of 2 could not be drawn. The results obtained by the irradiation of 1 in the presence of DNA, amino acids and peptides, cell cycle perturbation analysis, and in vitro translation of GFP suggest that the effect is not only due to the damage of DNA but also due to the impact on the cellular proteins. Considering that to date all QM agents were assumed to target DNA dominantly, this is an important finding with an impact on the further development of anticancer agents based on QMs.

Influence of hydrophobic residues on the binding of CB[7] toward diammonium ions of common ammonium···ammonium distance.

We report the binding constants of CB[7] toward a series of naphthalene diammonium and 4,4'-dipiperidinium derivatives and compare the results with those obtained previously for CB[7]·3b by (1)H NMR and X-ray crystallography. The nature of binding in the host·guest complexes was investigated using quantum mechanical tools.

Near-visible light generation of a quinone methide from 3-hydroxymethyl-2-anthrol.

Excitation of 2-hydroxy-3-(diphenylhydroxymethyl)anthracene (7) to S1 initiates photodehydration, giving the corresponding quinone methide (QM) that was detected by laser flash photolysis (LFP) in 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (λ = 580 nm, τ = 690 ± 10 ns). The QM decays by protonation, giving a cation (λ = 520 nm, τ = 84 ± 3 µs), which subsequently reacts with nucleophiles. The rate constants in the reactions with nucleophiles were determined by LFP, whereas the adducts were isolated via preparative photolyses. The photogeneration of QMs in the anthrol series is important for potential use in biological systems since the chromophore absorbs at wavelengths > 400 nm. Antiproliferative investigations conducted with 2-anthrol derivative 7 on three human cancer cell lines showed higher activity for irradiated cells.

Syntheses and characterization of liposome-incorporated adamantyl aminoguanidines.

A series of mono and bis-aminoguanidinium adamantane derivatives has been synthesized and incorporated into liposomes. They combine two biomedically significant molecules, the adamantane moiety and the guanidinium group. The adamantane moiety possesses the membrane compatible features while the cationic guanidinium subunit was recognized as a favourable structural feature for binding to complementary molecules comprising phosphate groups. The liposome formulations of adamantyl aminoguanidines were characterized and it was shown that the entrapment efficiency of the examined compounds is significant. In addition, it was demonstrated that liposomes with incorporated adamantyl aminoguanidines effectively recognized the complementary liposomes via the phosphate group. These results indicate that adamantane derivatives bearing guanidinium groups might be versatile tools for biomedical application, from studies of molecular recognition processes to usage in drug formulation and cell targeting.

Antiproliferative and antiviral activity of three libraries of adamantane derivatives.

Three libraries of adamantane derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for antiviral and antiproliferative activities against a broad variety of DNA and RNA viruses. Whereas none of the compounds exhibit antiviral activity at subtoxic concentrations, antiproliferative activity was found against murine leukemia cells (L1210), human T-lymphocyte cells (CEM), and cervix carcinoma cells (HeLa) for 4, 8, and 10.

Cucurbit[7]uril⋠guest pair with an attomolar dissociation constant.

Host⋅guest complexes between cucurbit[7] (CB[7]) or CB[8] and diamantane diammonium ion guests 3 or 6 were studied by (1) H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. (1) H NMR competition experiments revealed that CB[7]⋅6 is among the tightest monovalent non-covalent complexes ever reported in water with Ka =7.2×10(17) M(-1) in pure D2 O and 1.9×10(15) M(-1) in D2 O buffered with NaO2 CCD3 (50 mM). The crystal structure of CB[7]⋅6 allowed us to identify some of the structural features responsible for the ultratight binding, including the distance between the NMe3 (+) groups of 6 (7.78 Å), which allows it to establish 14 optimal ion-dipole interactions with CB[7], the complementarity of the convex van der Waals surface contours of 6 with the corresponding concave surfaces of CB[7], desolvation of the CO portals within the CB[7]⋅6 complex, and the co-linearity of the C7  axis of CB[7] with the N(+) ⋅⋅⋅N(+) line in 6. This work further blurs the lines of distinction between natural and synthetic receptors.

Excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) from phenol to carbon in selected phenylnaphthols and naphthylphenols.

ESIPT and solvent-assisted ESPT in isomeric phenyl naphthols and naphthyl phenols 5-8 were investigated by preparative photolyses in CH3CN-D2O, fluorescence spectroscopy, LFP, and ab initio calculations. ESIPT takes place only in 5 (D-exchange Φ = 0.3), whereas 6-8 undergo solvent-assisted PT with much lower efficiencies. The efficiency of the ESIPT and solvent-assisted PT is mainly determined by different populations of the reactive conformers in the ground state and the NEER principle. The D-exchange experiments and calculations using RI-CC2/cc-pVDZ show that 5 in S1 deactivates by direct ESIPT from the OH to the naphthalene position 1 through a conical intersection with S0, delivering QM 14 that was detected by LFP (τ = 26 ± 3 ns). ESIPT to position 3 in 5 is possible but it proceeds from a less-populated conformer and involves an energy barrier on S1. In solvent-assisted PT to naphthalene position 4 in 5, zwitterion 17 is formed, which cyclizes to stable naphthofuran photoproducts 9-12. The regiochemistry of the deuteration in solvent-assisted PT was correlated with the NBO charges of the corresponding phenolates/naphtholates 5(-)-8(-). Combined experimental and theoretical data indicate that solvent-assisted PT takes place via a sequential mechanism involving first deprotonation of the phenol/naphthol, followed by the protonation by H2O in the S1 state of phenolate/naphtholate. The site of protonation by H2O is mostly at the naphthalene α-position.

Photosolvolysis of bulky (4-hydroxyphenyl)naphthalene derivatives.

Six new naphthylphenols , bearing bulky hydroxymethyl substituents on the naphthalene, were synthesized and their photoreactivity was investigated by preparative irradiation, fluorescence measurements, and laser flash photolysis. All derivatives (in S1) undergo deprotonation of the phenolic OH in the aqueous solution. Also, fluorescence quenching with HClO4 in the pH range 2-4 indicates that can be protonated in S1. Formation of QMs most probably takes place sequentially, triggered by the phenol deprotonation. However, with the present data, a mechanism that involves simultaneous deprotonation and the loss of OH(-) cannot be ruled out. Photodehydration takes place only for , , and , delivering the corresponding QMs which react with nucleophilic solvents giving the corresponding photosolvolysis products. The other less likely option for the formation of the observed solvolysis products from , , and may involve some radical species. Photodehydration of and was not observed which may be due to the anticipated high energy of the corresponding sterically-congested and . The most efficient photosolvolyses were observed for the 2,6-substituted naphthalenes.

Neighboring effect in fragmentation pathways of cage guanylhydrazones in the gas phase.

ESI-MS/MS investigation of the mono- and bis(guanylhydrazone) derivatives 1-5 based on adamantane and pentacycloundecane (PCU) skeleton was described. Elimination of neutral guanidine is the most abundant reaction channel in the case of 2,4-adamantyl and PCU derivatives 4 and 5, while the elimination of CH2N2 fragment is preferred for other compounds. This was attributed to the cage opening of adamantane or PCU skeletons in the former case leading to the formation of the cyclohexyl- or cyclopropylcarbinyl carbocation stabilized by the conjugation with the guanylhydrazone subunit. The main fragmentation pathways observed experimentally were analyzed by using DFT calculations. All investigated bis(guanylhydrazone)s formed dications and their abundances were found to be proportional to the interguanidine distance in the considered ions. Calculation of the first and the second proton affinities supported qualitative interpretation of the dication abundance. Close contact of two guanidine subunits is thus confirmed to be crucial in determining preferential fragmentation pathway and to suppress formation of the dication.

Synthesis of novel adamantyl and homoadamantyl-substituted ß-hydroxybutyric acids.

Several new adamantyl and homoadamantyl-substituted [Formula: see text]-hydroxybutyric acids, 2-[2-(1-adamantyl)ethyl]-3-hydroxybutyric acid (2), 2-(3-homoadamantyl)-3-hydroxybutyric acid (3), and 2-(1-homoadamantyl)-3-hydroxybutyric acid (4), analogues of the 2-(1-adamantyl)-3-hydroxybutyric acid (1), have been prepared as mixtures of diastereoisomers using selective reduction of corresponding [Formula: see text]-keto esters or aldol condensation of the corresponding carboxylic acid and acetaldehyde. The rearrangement of adamantylmethyl and 3-homoadamantyl groups provided entry to both 3-homoadamantyl and 1-homoadamantyl-substituted hydroxy acids 3 and 4, respectively. The relative configurations of diastereoisomers 3 and 4 have been determined by NMR spectroscopy comparing the values of coupling constants. Adamantyl-substituted [Formula: see text]-hydroxybutyric acid 2 has also been prepared in enantiomerically pure form by Evan's asymmetric synthesis and the absolute configuration has been determined by X-ray crystallography. Contrary to the long-chain acid 2, the attempt to prepare short-chain hydroxy acids 1 and 4 by the same method failed indicating pronounced sensitivity of the used method to the vicinity of the bulky cage group.