Isoxazolo[3,4-d]pyridazinones positively modulate the metabotropic glutamate subtypes 2 and 4.

Isoxazolo[3,4-d] pyridazinones ([3,4-d]s) are selective positive modulators of the metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) subtypes 2 and 4, with no functional cross reactivity at mGluR1a, mGLuR5 or mGluR8. Modest binding for two of the [3,4-d]s is observed at the allosteric fenobam mGluR5 site, but not sufficient to translate into a functional effect. The structure activity relationship (SAR) for mGluR2 and mGluR4 are distinct: the compounds which select for mGluR2 all contain fluorine on the N-6 aryl group. Furthermore, the [3,4-d]s in this study showed no significant binding at inhibitory GABAA, nor excitatory NMDA receptors, and previously we had disclosed that they lack significant activity at the System Xc-Antiporter. A homology model based on Conn's mGluR1 crystal structure was examined, and suggested explanations for a preference for allosteric over orthosteric binding, subtype selectivity, and suggested avenues for optimization of efficacy as a reasonable working hypothesis.

Dimeric isoxazolyl-1,4-dihydropyridines have enhanced binding at the multi-drug resistance transporter.

A series of dimeric isoxazolyl-1,4-dihydropyridines (IDHPs) were prepared by click chemistry and examined for their ability to bind the multi-drug resistance transporter (MDR-1), a member of the ATP-binding cassette superfamily (ABC). Eight compounds in the present study exhibited single digit micromolar binding to this efflux transporter. One monomeric IDHP m-Br-1c, possessed submicromolar binding of 510nM at MDR-1. Three of the dimeric IDHPs possessed <1.5µM activity, and 4b and 4c were observed to have superior binding selectivity compared to their corresponding monomers verses the voltage gated calcium channel (VGCC). The dimer with the best combination of activity and selectivity for MDR-1 was analog 4c containing an m-Br phenyl moiety in the 3-position of the isoxazole, and a tether with five ethyleneoxy units, referred to herein as Isoxaquidar. Two important controls, mono-triazole 5 and pyridine 6, also were examined, indicating that the triazole - incorporated as part of the click assembly as a spacer - contributes to MDR-1 binding. Compounds were also assayed at the allosteric site of the mGluR5 receptor, as a GPCR 7TM control, indicating that the p-Br IDHPs 4d, 4e and 4f with tethers of from n=2 to 5 ethylenedioxy units, had sub-micromolar affinities with 4d being the most efficacious at 193nM at mGluR5. The results are interpreted using a docking study using a human ABC as our current working hypothesis, and suggest that the distinct SARs emerging for these three divergent classes of biomolecular targets may be tunable, and amenable to the development of further selectivity.

Novel di-aryl-substituted isoxazoles act as noncompetitive inhibitors of the system Xc(-) cystine/glutamate exchanger.

The system xc(-) antiporter is a plasma membrane transporter that mediates the exchange of extracellular l-cystine with intracellular l-glutamate. This exchange is significant within the context of the CNS because the import of l-cystine is required for the synthesis of the antioxidant glutathione, while the efflux of l-glutamate has the potential to contribute to either excitatory signaling or excitotoxic pathology. Changes in the activity of the transport system have been linked to the underlying pathological mechanisms of a variety of CNS disorders, one of the most prominent of which is its highly enriched expression in glial brain tumors. In an effort to produce more potent system xc(-) blockers, we have been using amino-3-carboxy-5-methylisoxazole propionic acid (ACPA) as a scaffold for inhibitor development. We previously demonstrated that the addition of lipophilic aryl groups to either the #4 or #5 position on the isoxazole ring markedly increased the inhibitory activity at system xc(-). In the present work a novel series of analogues has been prepared in which aryl groups have been introduced at both the #4 and #5 positions. In contrast to the competitive action of the mono-substituted analogues, kinetic analyses indicate that the di-substituted isoxazoles block system xc(-)-mediated uptake of (3)H-l-glutamate into SNB-19 cells by a noncompetitive mechanism. These new analogues appear to be the first noncompetitive inhibitors identified for this transport system, as well as being among the most potent blockers identified to date. These diaryl-isoxazoles should be of value in assessing the physiological roles and molecular pharmacology of system xc(-).

4-Isoxazolyl-1,4-dihydropyridines exhibit binding at the multidrug-resistance transporter.

The 4-isoxazolyl-dihydropyridines (IDHPs) exhibit inhibition of the multidrug-resistance transporter (MDR-1), and exhibit an SAR distinct from their activity at voltage gated calcium channels (VGCC). Among the four most active IDHPs, three were branched at C-5 of the isoxazole, including the most active analog, 1k.

Improved synthesis of 3-aryl isoxazoles containing fused aromatic rings.

A critical comparison of methods to prepare sterically hindered 3-aryl isoxazoles containing fused aromatic rings using the nitrile oxide cycloaddition (NOC) reveal that modification of the method of Bode, Hachisu, Matsuura, and Suzuki (BHMS), utilizing either triethylamine as base or sodium enolates of the diketone, ketoester, and ketoamide dipolarophiles, respectively, was the method of choice for this transformation.

Synthetic Utility of Epoxides for Chiral Functionalization of Isoxazoles.

The lithio-anion of isoxazole 2 was found to ring open propylene oxide in good yields with complete regioselectivity. Vinylic and benzylic epoxides were utilized as key examples of electrophiles and found to produce a mixture of regioisomeric adducts. Additionally, the use of chiral epoxides was explored, and absolute configuration was determined by X-ray crystallography to prove that nucleophilic attack at the benzylic carbon of (R)-styrene oxide proceeds with 100% inversion at the benzylic carbon to afford the (S)-alcohol (4b).

Isoxazole ionotropic glutamate neurotransmitters.

Analogs of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate are potential medicinal agents for a wide variety of neurological disorders. The isoxazole glutamate derivatives represent an important class of compounds because of their receptor specificity and binding affinity. Since the discovery of (S)-2-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolyl) propionic acid (AMPA) in 1980, numerous analogs built around the isoxazole scaffold have shown remarkable selectivity for specific ionotropic glutamate receptors, but strong side effects in human clinical trials have shown the need for improvement. Trends revealed by structure activity relationship and crystallographic studies indicate the role of stereochemistry may be important in uncovering the prerequisite selectivity, which would give rise to effective therapeutics for neurological dysfunction of the glutamate receptor.

Ethyl 5-methyl-4-(2,5,5-trimethyl-1, 3-dioxan-2-yl)isoxazole-3-carboxylate.

The title compound, C(14)H(21)NO(5), possesses an isoxazolyl group in the axial position of the 1,3-dioxanyl ring. The two rings are rotated about the bond joining them such that the two C(methyl)-C(dioxanyl)-C-C torsion angles are 92.1 (2) and -84.1 (2) degrees. In this conformation, neither the methyl nor ethoxycarbonyl substituents on the isoxazole are presented towards the dioxanyl chair.

Lipophilic 4-isoxazolyl-1,4-dihydropyridines: synthesis and structure-activity relationships.

A series of 4-isoxazolyl-1,4-dihydropyridines bearing lipophilic side chains at the C-5 position of the isoxazole ring have been prepared. The calcium channel antagonistic activity of these compounds has been evaluated. A hypothetical model for binding of these compounds in the calcium channel is proposed, and the validity of this model is evaluated based on the SAR of this series of calcium binding, especially for the two most active derivatives, 1a, g. The solid-state structure for the most active compound, 1a, has also been determined, and its important features are reported.

Structure of an isoxazole amino ester.

2'-(N-Methylamino)-2-methylpropyl 5-methyl-3-phenylisoxazole-4-carboxylate hydroiodide, C16H21N2O3+.I-, Mr = 416.26, orthorhombic, Pna21, a = 23.293 (7), b = 10.276 (3), c = 7.971 (1) A, V = 1908.0 (8) A3, Z = 4, Dx = 1.448 g cm-3, Mo K alpha, lambda = 0.71069 A, mu = 17.1 cm-1, F(000) = 832, T = 293 K, R = 0.0610 for 1846 unique observed reflections with F greater than 3 sigma. In the title compound, the isoxazole ring is distorted only slightly from planarity, with C(3) being 0.045 A out of the mean plane. Steric interactions force the isoxazole ring out of planarity with both the phenyl ring and the ester carbonyl O(2), which show dihedral angles of 34.9 (9) degrees and 47.2 (7) degrees, respectively. The N(2) amino methyl group is oriented approximately anti to the ester carbonyl O(2). The minimum iodide to nitrogen distance is from I to N(2)', 3.46 (2) A.

4-Isoxazolyl-1,4-dihydropyridines: biological, theoretical, and structural studies.

Biological activity was determined for a series of seven isoxazolyldihydropyridines (IDHPs). The highest biological activity was observed for 5-alkyl-3-phenyl-IDHP (1), for which the O-endo conformation at the ring juncture between the heterocyclic rings is known in the solid state. The 3,5-dialkyl-IDHPs were intermediate in overall activity. A theoretical study of rotation about this ring juncture was performed to estimate the relative energy and barrier to rotation for the different conformers as a function of both the ring juncture between the heterocyclic rings and the esters in the 3- and 5-position of the dihydropyridine. Molecular mechanics predicts the minimum energy conformer to be O-exo-ap,ap, while quantum mechanical calculations predict O-exo-sp,sp as the minimum-energy conformer. Both methods indicate that the barrier to rotation about the heterocyclic ring juncture should be relative low, but both methods appear to overestimate the difficulty of ester rotation. A single-crystal X-ray diffractometry study of the (3,5-dimethylisoxazolyl)dihydropyridine 2 was carried out, and shows the O-endo ring juncture and sp,sp ester conformation. 2D NOESY NMR spectroscopy indicates the presence of both conformations about the ring juncture, at room temperature, as evidenced by correlations for both alkyl groups on the isoxazole with the C-2 methyl on the DHP moiety. The ap ester conformer was also evidenced by NOESY, indicating that ester interconversion must take place.

Theoretical calculations on calcium channel drugs: is electron transfer involved mechanistically?

Theoretical studies were done on calcium channel drugs in order to gain insight into the mode of action. Empirical force field calculations with nifedipine, a calcium channel antagonist, indicate that the E-conformation at the ring juncture is lower in energy than the Z-conformation. This energy difference is only 0.2 kcal/mol when the esters in the 3- and 5-positions of the dihydropyridine (DHP) ring are both synperiplanar (sp, sp). Molecular orbital calculations on the ground and excited states in the Z-conformation with the esters in the (ap, sp) conformation show a low lying excited state with substantial intramolecular electron transfer (ET) character. This excited state is only 1.8 eV higher in energy than the ground state and corresponds to a transfer of approximately 0.3 electron from the DHP ring to the nitrobenzene moiety. We suggest that ET may play an important role in the mechanism of action, either intramolecular or, as previously proposed, intermolecular, along with lipophilicity and steric effects.

Structure of ethyl 2-chloro-4-methyl-6-(1-pyrrolidinyl)benzoate.

C14H18ClNO2, Mr = 267.7, orthorhombic, Pbca, a = 10.571 (3), b = 12.081 (5), c = 21.384 (6) A, V = 2731 A3, Z = 8, Dx = 1.30 g cm-3, Mo K alpha, lambda = 0.71069 A, mu = 3.59 cm-1, F(000) = 1136, T = 293 K, R = 0.0357 for 716 observed reflections. In molecules of the title compound the ester substituent is forced from conjugation with the aromatic ring and nitrogen long pair by steric interaction with the adjacent chlorine.

Cardioactivity and solid-state structure of two 4-isoxazolyldihydropyridines related to the 4-aryldihydropyridine calcium-channel blockers.

Diethyl 2,6-dimethyl-4-(5-ethyl-3-phenylisoxazol-4-yl)-1,4-dihydroyprid ine-3,5- dicarboxylate (5) and diethyl 2,6-dimethyl-4-(5-isopropyl-3-phenylisoxazol-4-yl)-1,4-dihydropyri dine-3,5- dicarboxylate (6) were synthesized, and their molecular structures were determined by X-ray crystallography. In compound 5, which has an ethyl group at the C5 position of the isoxazole ring, the deviation from planarity in the dihydropyridine (DHP) ring is the smallest of all known DHP derivatives. The dihedral angle between the aromatic ring (the isoxazole) and the DHP ring, which is approximately 90 degrees in similar biologically active dihydropyridines, is somewhat smaller (82.7 degrees and 85.2 degrees, respectively) in these two compounds. In both compounds, one of the ester groups is coplanar with the DHP ring while the other one is out of plane by 14.7 degrees (ethyl) and 18.8 degrees (isopropyl). Both 5 and 6 were found to be vasodilators in the Langendorff assay. The potency of 6 on cardiac flow was similar to that of nifedipine; however, that of 5 was considerably attenuated. Since isoxazolyl analogue 6 lacks the significant negative inotropic activity associated with nifedipine, 6 offers promise as an antihypertensive or antianginal agent.