Naphthalimide-Piperazine Derivatives as Multifunctional "On" and "Off" Fluorescent Switches for pH, Hg2+ and Cu2+ Ions.

Novel 1,8-naphthalimide-based fluorescent probes NI-1 and NI-2 were designed and screened for use as chemosensors for detection of heavy metal ions. Two moieties, methylpyridine (NI-1) and hydroxyphenyl (NI-2), were attached via piperazine at the C-4 position of the napthalimide core resulting in a notable effect on their spectroscopic properties. NI-1 and NI-2 are pH sensitive and show an increase in fluorescence intensity at around 525 nm (switch "on") in the acidic environment, with pKa values at 4.98 and 2.91, respectively. Amongst heavy metal ions only Cu2+ and Hg2+ had a significant effect on the spectroscopic properties. The fluorescence of NI-1 is quenched in the presence of either Cu2+ or Hg2+ which is attributed to the formation of 1:1 metal-ligand complexes with binding constants of 3.6 × 105 and 3.9 × 104, respectively. The NI-1 chemosensor can be used for the quantification of Cu2+ ions in sub-micromolar quantities, with a linear range from 250 nM to 4.0 µM and a detection limit of 1.5 × 10-8 M. The linear range for the determination of Hg2+ is from 2 µM to 10 µM, with a detection limit of 8.8 × 10-8 M. Conversely, NI-2 behaves like a typical photoinduced electron transfer (PET) sensor for Hg2+ ions. Here, the formation of a complex with Hg2+ (binding constant 8.3 × 103) turns the green fluorescence of NI-2 into the "on" state. NI-2 showed remarkable selectivity towards Hg2+ ions, allowing for determination of Hg2+ concentration over a linear range of 1.3 µM to 25 µM and a limit of detection of 4.1 × 10-7 M.

Design, Synthesis, Spectroscopic Characterisation and In Vitro Cytostatic Evaluation of Novel Bis(coumarin-1,2,3-triazolyl)benzenes and Hybrid Coumarin-1,2,3-triazolyl-aryl Derivatives.

In this work, a series of novel 1,2,3-triazolyl-coumarin hybrid systems were designed as potential antitumour agents. The structural modification of the coumarin ring was carried out by Cu(I)-catalysed Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of 7-azido-4-methylcoumarin and terminal aromatic alkynes to obtain 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazolyl-coumarin conjugates 2a-g, bis(1,2,3-triazolyl-coumarin)benzenes 2h-i and coumarin-1,2,3-triazolyl-benzazole hybrids 4a-b. The newly synthesised hybrid molecules were investigated for in vitro antitumour activity against five human cancer cell lines, colon carcinoma HCT116, breast carcinoma MCF-7, lung carcinoma H 460, human T-lymphocyte cells CEM, cervix carcinoma cells HeLa, as well as human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1). Most of these compounds showed moderate to pronounced cytotoxic activity, especially towards MCF-7 cell lines with IC50 = 0.3-32 µM. In addition, compounds 2a-i and 4a-b were studied by UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and their basic photophysical parameters were determined.

C-5 hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl acyclonucleosides as substrates for thymidine kinase of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1 TK): syntheses and biological evaluation.

The efficient syntheses of 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)- and 5-(3-hydroxypropyl)-substituted pyrimidine derivatives bearing 2,3-dihydroxypropyl, acyclovir-, ganciclovir- and penciclovir-like side chains are reported. A synthetic approach that included the alkylation of an N-anionic-5-substituted pyrimidine intermediate (method A) provided the target acyclonucleosides in significantly higher overall yields in comparison to those obtained by method B using sylilation reaction. The phosphorylation assays of novel compounds as potential substrates for thymidine kinase of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1 TK) showed that solely pyrimidine 5-substituted acyclonucleosides with a penciclovir-like side chain acted as a fraudulent substrates of HSV-1 TK. Moreover, the uracil derivative with penciclovir-like side chain with less bulky 2-hydroxyethyl substituent at C-5 proved to be a better substrate than the corresponding one with a 3-hydroxypropyl substituent. Therefore, this acyclonucleoside was selected as a lead compound for the development of a positron emission tomography HSV-1 TK activity imaging agent.

A new N-methyl thymine derivative comprising a dihydroxyisobutenyl unit as ligand for thymidine kinase of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1 TK).

Molecular modeling and phosphorylation assay in vitro were employed to select a novel unsaturated 1,3-dihydroxyisobutenyl thymine derivative 6 as ligand for HSV-1 TK which may be of interest as lead for the development of an positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent. Compound 6 was successfully prepared using modified approaches. A significant improvement over the syntheses involving pathways A and B (1% and 3% overall yield, respectively), was observed using synthetic route C (14% overall yield).

Methoxymethyl (MOM) group nitrogen protection of pyrimidines bearing C-6 acyclic side-chains.

Novel N-methoxymethylated (MOM) pyrimidine (4-13) and pyrimidine-2,4-diones (15-17) nucleoside mimetics in which an isobutyl side-chain is attached at the C-6 position of the pyrimidine moiety were synthesized. Synthetic methods via O-persilylated or N-anionic uracil derivatives have been evaluated for the synthesis of N-1- and/or N-3-MOM pyrimidine derivatives with C-6 acyclic side-chains. A synthetic approach using an activated N-anionic pyrimidine derivative afforded the desired N,N-1,3-diMOM and N-1-MOM pyrimidines 4 and 5 in good yield. Introduction of fluorine into the side-chain was performed with DAST as the fluorinating reagent to give a N,N-1,3-diMOM pyrimidine 13 with a 1-fluoro-3-hydroxyisobutyl moiety at C-6. Conformational study of the monotritylated N-1-MOM pyrimidine 12 by the use of the NOE experiments revealed the predominant conformation of the compound to be one where the hydroxymethyl group in the C-6 side-chain is close to the N-1-MOM moiety, while the OMTr is in proximity to the CH(3)-5 group. Contrary to this no NOE enhancements between the N-1-MOM group and hydroxymethyl or fluoromethyl protons in 13 were observed, which suggested a nonrestricted rotation along the C-6 side-chain. Fluorinated N,N-1,3-diMOM pyrimidine 13 emerged as a model compound for development of tracer molecules for non-invasive imaging of gene expression using positron emission tomography (PET).

Synthesis, X-ray crystal structure study and antitumoral evaluations of 5,6-disubstituted pyrimidine derivatives.

5,6-Disubstituted pyrimidine derivatives (3-20) were prepared by intramolecular cyclization reaction of alpha-(1-carbamyliminomethylene)-gamma-butyrolactone (2) with sodium ethoxide and subsequent chemical transformation of 2-hydroxy group in C-5 side chain as well as lithiation reaction for introduction of acyclic side chain at C-6. All compounds were characterized by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR and mass spectra. Structures of compounds 4, 7 and 14 were unambiguously confirmed by X-ray crystal structural analysis. Supramolecular structures of these three compounds differ significantly. Two N-H...O and one C-H...O hydrogen bonds in 4 form three-dimensional network. One O-H...N hydrogen bond and one pi...pi interaction self-assemble the molecules of 7 into sheets. In supramolecular aggregation of 14, only pi...pi stacking interactions participate, so forming chains. The compounds were evaluated for their cytostatic activities against human malignant cell lines. Of all tested compounds, 2,4-dimethoxy-5-methoxytritylethylpyrimidine (9) and 2,4-dichloro-5-chloroethylpyrimidine (14) exhibited the most prominent inhibitory effects. Furthermore, compound 14 showed marked activity against human colon carcinoma (IC(50)=0.4microM).

Synthesis, structural studies and antitumoral evaluation of C-6 alkyl and alkenyl side chain pyrimidine derivatives.

The synthetic route for introduction of fluorophenylalkyl (compounds 5, 7, 14 and 15) and fluorophenylalkenyl (compounds 4E and 13) side chains at C-6 of the pyrimidine nucleus involved the lithiation of the pyrimidine derivatives 1, 2 and 11 and subsequent nucleophilic addition or substitution reactions of the organolithium intermediate thus obtained with 2-fluorophenylacetone, 4-fluoroacetophenone or ethyl 4-fluorobenzoate as electrophiles. The structures of novel compounds were confirmed by (1)H-, (19)F- and (13)C-NMR and MS. Compounds 8 and 10 containing unsaturated fluorophenylalkyl side chains showed better inhibitory effect than their saturated fluorophenylalkylated pyrimidine counterparts 7 and 9. A conformational study based on NOE enhancements showed the importance of the double bond and substitution in the side chain for the conformational preferences in relation to inhibitory activity. Among all tested compounds, C-5 furyl (12) and phenyl (13 and 15) substituted pyrimidine derivatives showed significant cytostatic activities against all tested tumor cell lines.

Benzimidazole acrylonitriles as multifunctional push-pull chromophores: Spectral characterisation, protonation equilibria and nanoaggregation in aqueous solutions.

Heterocyclic donor-π-acceptor molecular systems based on an N,N-dimethylamino phenylacrylonitrile benzimidazole skeleton have been characterised and are proposed for potential use in sensing applications. The benzimidazole moiety introduces a broad spectrum of useful multifunctional properties to the system including electron accepting ability, pH sensitivity and compatibility with biomolecules. The photophysical characterisation of the prototropic forms of these chromophores has been carried out in both solution and on immobilisation in polymer films. The experimental results are further supported by computational determination of pKa values. It is noticed that compound 3 forms nanoaggregates in aqueous solutions with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) at 600nm. All the systems demonstrate spectral pH sensitivity in acidic media which shifts towards near-neutral values upon immobilisation in polymer films or upon aggregation in an aqueous environment (compound 3). The structure-property relationships of these functional chromophores, involving their spectral characteristics, acid-base equilibria, pKa values and aggregation effects have been determined. Potential applications of the molecules as pH and biomolecular sensors are proposed based on their pH sensitivity and AIE properties.

Synthesis and evaluation of a C-6 alkylated pyrimidine derivative for the in vivo imaging of HSV1-TK gene expression.

INTRODUCTION: We report on the synthesis, radiolabeling, in vitro and in vivo characterization of N-Me-[(18)F]FHBT (6-(3-[(18)F]fluoro-2-(hydroxymethyl)propyl)-1,5-dimethylpyrimidin-2,4(1H,3H)-dione), a C-6-substituted N-1-methylated pyrimidine derivative as a reporter probe for imaging herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-TK) expression. METHODS: N-Me-[(18)F]FHBT was synthesized via a standard nucleophilic substitution reaction followed by acidic cleavage of the methoxytrityl protecting group. Cell uptake was studied in vitro with control HEK293 (human embryonic kidney cells) and HEK293 cells stably transfected with nonmutant HSV1-tk (HEK293TK+ cells). Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and biodistribution studies of N-Me-[(18)F]FHBT or [(18)F]FHBG were performed in nude mice bearing xenografts of HEK293 control and TK+ cells. RESULTS: N-Me-[(18)F]FHBT was obtained in a two-step reaction in an overall maximal radiochemical yield (decay-corrected) of 5% and a radiochemical purity >96%. The tracer uptake in HSV1-TK containing HEK293TK+ cells was 14.5 times (at 30 min) and 55.4 times (at 240 min) higher than in control HEK293 cells. In mice, N-Me-[(18)F]FHBT and [(18)F]FHBG accumulated significantly and exhibited similar radioactivity levels in the HEK293TK+ xenografts; however, standardized uptake values ratios between HEK293TK+ and HEK293 control xenografts were higher for [(18)F]FHBG than for N-Me-[(18)F]FHBT. Both tracers showed high gall bladder and abdominal activity. CONCLUSION: The biological evaluations demonstrated the feasibility of using N-methylated C-6-substituted pyrimidine derivative N-Me-[(18)F]FHBT as a PET radiotracer for monitoring HSV1-TK expression in vivo.

Synthesis, crystal structure, and in vitro biological evaluation of C-6 pyrimidine derivatives: new lead structures for monitoring gene expression in vivo.

Novel C-6 substituted pyrimidine derivatives are good substrates of herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-TK). Enzyme kinetic experiments showed that our lead compound, N-methyl DHBT (N-methyl-6-(1,3-dihydroxyisobutyl) thymine; N-Me DHBT), is phosphorylated at a similar rate compared to "gold standard" 9-[4-fluoro-3-(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine, FHBG, (K(m) = 10 ± 0.3 µM; k(cat) = 0.036 ± 0.015 sec(-1)). Additionally, it does not show cytotoxic properties on B16F1 cells up to a concentration of 10 mM. The x-ray analysis of the crystal structures of HSV1-TK with N-Me DHBT and of HSV1-TK with the fluorinated derivative N-Me FHBT confirmed the binding mode predicted by docking studies and their substrate characteristics. Moreover, the crystal structure of HSV1-TK with N-Me DHBT revealed an additional water-mediated H-bond interesting for the design of further analogues.