Facile Preparation of 4-Substituted Quinazoline Derivatives.

Reported in this paper is a very simple method for direct preparation of 4-substituted quinazoline derivatives from a reaction between substituted 2-aminobenzophenones and thiourea in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). This is a unique complementary reaction system in which thiourea undergoes thermal decomposition to form carbodiimide and hydrogen sulfide, where the former reacts with 2-aminobenzophenone to form 4-phenylquinazolin-2(1H)-imine intermediate, whilst hydrogen sulfide reacts with DMSO to give methanethiol or other sulfur-containing molecule which then functions as a complementary reducing agent to reduce 4-phenylquinazolin-2(1H)-imine intermediate into 4-phenyl-1,2-dihydroquinazolin-2-amine. Subsequently, the elimination of ammonia from 4-phenyl-1,2-dihydroquinazolin-2-amine affords substituted quinazoline derivative. This reaction usually gives quinazoline derivative as a single product arising from 2-aminobenzophenone as monitored by GC/MS analysis, along with small amount of sulfur-containing molecules such as dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, etc. The reaction usually completes in 4-6 hr at 160 ºC in small scale but may last over 24 hr when carried out in large scale. The reaction product can be easily purified by means of washing off DMSO with water followed by column chromatography or thin layer chromatography.

Synthesis and antioxidant properties of (3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)(2,3,4-trihydroxyphenyl)methanone and its derivatives.

(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)(2,3,4-trihydroxyphenyl)methanone (5) and its two derivatives with bromine were synthesized from reactions such as bromination and demethylation of (3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)(2,3,4-trimethoxyphenyl)methanone (6). The Wolf-Kishner reduction product (9) of 6 and its three derivatives with bromine were obtained. 4-(3,4-Dihydroxybenzyl)benzene-1,2,3-triol and its dibromide derivative (16) were also synthesized from 9 and the corresponding dibromide derivative. The in vitro antioxidant activities of nine new compounds synthesized in these reactions were determined by analyzing the radical scavenging activities of bromophenols for 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DMPD), and the superoxide anion radical (O(2)(·-)) and examining the total reducing power through Fe(3+)-Fe(2+) transformation, FRAP and CUPRAC assays and the ferrous ions (Fe(2+)) chelating activities. Moreover, the results of these activities were compared to those of standard antioxidant compounds such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), α-tocopherol, and trolox. The results showed that the synthesized bromophenols had effective antioxidant power. The phenol 5 with two phenolic rings and five phenolic hydroxyl groups was the most potent antioxidant and radical scavenger. In conclusion, the new compounds are promising molecules to be used owing to their potential antioxidant properties.

Evaluation of polyhydroxybenzophenones as α-glucosidase inhibitors.

This experiment was designed to synthesize 18 kinds of polyhydroxybenzophenones by using Friedel-Crafts reaction, and to measure the inhibitory activity on α-glucosidase with p-nitrophenyl-ß-D-galactopyranoside (PNPG) as a substrate. Here, acarbose (IC(50) = 1674.75 µmol L(-1) ) was used as the reference inhibitor. The results demonstrated that most of the target compounds had remarkable inhibitory activities on α-glucosidase. Among all these compounds, 2,4,4',6-butahydroxydiphenylketone (11) was found to be the most potent α-glucosidase inhibitor with an IC(50) value of 10.62 µmol L(-1) . In addition, we found these compounds were competitive inhibitors through the kinetic analysis. The results suggested that such compounds might be utilized for the development of new candidates for diabetes treatment.

Synthesis and anti-inflammatory activity of novel (4-hydroxyphenyl)(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl) methanone derivatives.

In the scope of the research program aiming to perform the synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of novel possible anti-inflammatory compounds, in this manuscript, we report the synthesis of novel carboxamide 9a-d and thioamide 10a-d derivatives from the benzophenone and piperidine nucleus. Variation in the functional group at the N-terminal of piperidine led to two sets of compounds, bearing the carboxamide and thioamide, respectively. The characterization of this new class of compounds was performed with (1)H-NMR, LC-MS, IR, and elemental analysis. The newly synthesized compounds were screened for their anti-inflammatory activity by carrageenan-induced foot pad oedema assay and were compared with a standard drug. All the compounds exhibited anti-inflammatory activity at the dose of 30 mg/kg p.o. with varying degree from 52 to 67% inhibition of oedema. The compounds 9d and 10d with dichloro and fluoro substitution showed more potent activity at 30 mg/kg p.o. than the standard drug.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of benzophenone derivatives as novel acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.

Starting from a structure-based drug design, new acetylcholinesterase inhibitors were designed and synthesized as analogues of donepezil. The compounds were composed by an aromatic function and a tertiary amino moiety connected by a suitable spacer. In particular, the benzophenone nucleus and the N,N-benzylmethylamine function were selected. The easily accessible three-step synthesis of these compounds resulted to be significantly less difficult and expensive than that of donepezil. Several compounds possess anti-cholinesterase activity in the order of micro and sub-micromolar. Particularly, compounds 1 and 10 were the most potent inhibitors of the series.

Synthesis and antioxidant potential of novel synthetic benzophenone analogues.

Considering that oxidative stress is strongly implicated in the toxicity of chemotherapy, much effort is focused on the research of diverse antioxidants as protective agents. An efficient synthesis of three novel benzophenones containing 1,3-thiazol moiety (6a-c) is described. Their antioxidant power was evaluated in vitro and in three cell lines (the cancerous MCF7 and the non-cancerous hTERT-HME1 mammary cells, and the H9c2 cardiomyoblastic cells). One analogue 5-(2,5-dihydroxybenzoyl)-2(3H)-benzothiazolone (6c), displayed an important antioxidant activity, a low cytotoxicity, and could decrease reactive oxygen species production generated by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) in all three cell lines. Interestingly, 6c was able to protect the non-cancerous cells against tBHP-induced death. Further studies are underway to determine its relevance as an adjuvant in oxidative stress inducing chemotherapy.

Development of benzophenone-based farnesyltransferase inhibitors as novel antimalarials.

The development of farnesyltransferase inhibitors directed against Plasmodium falciparum is a strategy towards new drugs against malaria. Previously, we described benzophenone-based farnesyltransferase inhibitors with high in vitro antimalarial activity but no in vivo activity. Through the introduction of a methylpiperazinyl moiety, farnesyltransferase inhibitors with in vivo antimalarial activity were obtained. Subsequently, a structure-based design approach was chosen to further improve the antimalarial activity of this type of inhibitor. As no crystal structure of the farnesyltransferase of the target organism is available, homology modeling was used to reveal differences between the active sites of the rat/human and the P. falciparum farnesyltransferase. Based on flexible docking data, the piperazinyl moiety was replaced by a N,N,N'-trimethylethylenediamine moiety. This resulted in an inhibitor with significantly improved in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity. Furthermore, this inhibitor displayed a notable increase in selectivity towards malaria parasites relative to human cells.

The use of a photoactivatable kaempferol analogue to probe the role of flavonol 3-O-galactosyltransferase in pollen germination.

Flavonol induced pollen germination in petunia is rapid, specific, and achieved at low concentrations of kaempferol or quercetin. To determine the macromolecules that interact with the flavonol signal we have synthesized affinity-tagged kaempferol analogues. The first generation molecules are based on a benzophenone photophore. We find that 2-(3-benzoylphenyl)-3,5,7-trihydroxychromen-4-one (BPKae) antagonizes flavonol-induced pollen germination in a concentration-dependent manner. Further, BPKae acts as an irreversible inhibitor of flavonol 3-O-galactosyltransferase (F3GalTase), the gametophyte-specific enzyme that controls the accumulation of glycosylated flavonols in pollen. The effects of BPKae are mediated by UV-A light treatment. The binding characteristics of BPKae to F3GalTase suggest that it can be used to identify the residues required for flavonol-binding and catalysis.

Natural and synthetic benzophenones: interaction with the cytosolic binding domain of P-glycoprotein.

A benzophenone glycoside has been isolated from Davallia solida. Its structure was elucidated by chemical and spectral means as 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-2,6,4'-trihydroxybenzophenone. It bound with moderate affinity to the purified C-terminal cytosolic domain of P-glycoprotein, but the binding affinity was 6- to 10-fold increased for its aglycone derivative and other related benzophenones.

A pinacol rearrangement/oxidation synthetic route to hydroxyphenstatin.

In an attempt to develop biologically active compounds from the inactive trans isomer (3a) of stilbene 1a, after asymmetric dihydroxylation to optically pure (R,R)-diol 8 the unexpected racemic diphenylacetaldehyde (9) was generated via a Pinacol rearrangement. Several derivatives of diphenylacetaldehyde 9 were synthesized (11-15) and reported. Further reaction of aldehyde 9 during desilylation through autoxidative decarbonylation afforded benzophenone 2b, designated hydroxyphenstatin, a potent antitumor and antimitotic agent. Hydroxyphenstatin showed potent inhibition of the tubulin assembly (IC(50) 0.82 microM) and exhibited an ED(50) of 2.5 microg/mL against the P388 lymphocytic leukemia cell line.