Solid-phase parallel synthesis of 4-beta-D-ribofuranosylpyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidine nucleosides.

The synthesis of pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidine nucleoside library using solid-phase parallel synthesis methodology is described. Glycosylation of the trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivative of 1- and 2-(methyl)-1H and 2H-pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidine-5,7-(4H, 6H)-dione (5) with 1-O-acetyl-2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-D-ribofuranose in the presence of TMS triflate provided two novel protected nucleosides 6 and 7. The structures of 6 and 7 were assigned by 1H and 2D NMR experiments. Nucleosides 6 and 7 were then transformed to the key intermediates 12 and 15 respectively. Reaction of 12 and 15 with MMTCl resin in the presence of 2,6-lutidine afforded the necessary scaffolds B and C. Different amines (96) were introduced selectively by nucleophilic substitution on scaffolds B and C using solid-phase parallel semi-automated synthesizer. Cleavage of the products from the solid support with 30% HFIP in a parallel fashion yielded nucleoside libraries simultaneously, and they were analyzed and characterized by high-throughput LC-MS.

Synthesis of nucleoside libraries on solid support. I. N2,N6-disubstituted diaminopurine nucleosides.

Starting with 2-iodo-6-chloro-9-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)purine, a library of more than 1,300 N2,N6-polysubstituted diaminopurine nucleosides was created. The starting material was condensed with a polystyrene monomethoxytrityl resin and a pool of primary and secondary amines was used to displace the 6-chloro atom with high regioselectivity. The 2-iodo was subsequently displaced by various primary amines. Nucleosides were cleaved from the resin with hexafluoroisopropanol solutions. A majority of compounds reached a purity of more than 80% without the need for any type of purification.

Synthesis of nucleoside libraries on solid support. II. 2,6,8-Trisubstituted purine nucleosides using 8-bromoguanosine as precursor.

A series of 2,6,8-trisubstituted purine nucleoside libraries was prepared by parallel solid-phase synthesis using 8-bromoguanosine as a common synthetic precursor. Polystyrene-methoxytrityl chloride resin was linked to the N2 or O5' position of the guanosine analogues. 8-Bromoguanosine was derivatized at the C8 position via carbon-carbon bond formation. Nucleophilic aromatic substitution at C2 and/or C6 positions with various amines produced two series of purine nucleoside libraries with very diverse substitution.

Identification of novel, selective and potent Chk2 inhibitors.

A series of isothiazole carboxamidine compounds were synthesized and discovered as novel and selective inhibitors for Chk2. They are not active against the related Chk1 kinase. The structure-activity relationship studies were performed on the scaffold, and enzymatic kinetic analysis showed they are simple ATP competitive inhibitors with K(i) values as low as 11 nM for Chk2. Computer modeling studies were employed to comprehend the mechanism of action and SAR of these compounds.

Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of quinoxalines as novel HCV NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitors.

From chemical compound library screening using an HCV NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase enzymatic assay, we identified a substituted quinoxaline hit with an IC(50) of 5.5 microM. A series of substituted quinoxaline amide derivatives were synthesized based on the hit's pharmacophore, and a good structure-activity relationship was observed. Computer modeling analysis was employed to help comprehend the SAR.

6-Hydrazinopurine 2'-methyl ribonucleosides and their 5'-monophosphate prodrugs as potent hepatitis C virus inhibitors.

A series of 6-hydrazinopurine 2'-methyl ribonucleosides was synthesized and tested for its inhibitory activity against the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The lack of antiviral activity of these nucleosides was associated with a poor affinity for adenosine kinase, which prompted us to synthesize several of their 5'-monophosphate prodrugs. Some of these prodrugs exhibited more than 1000-fold improvement in anti-HCV activity when compared to their parent nucleosides (EC(50) of 24 nM vs 92 microM for the parent).

Isothiazoles as active-site inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase.

Isothiazole analogs were discovered as a novel class of active-site inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase. The best compound has an IC(50) of 200 nM and EC(50) of 100 nM, which is a significant improvement over the starting inhibitor (1). The X-ray complex structure of 1 with HCV NS5B was obtained at a resolution of 2.2A, revealing that the inhibitor is covalently linked with Cys 366 of the 'primer-grip'. Furthermore, it makes considerable contacts with the C-terminus, beta-loop, and more importantly, to the active-site of the enzyme. The uniqueness of this binding mode offers a new insight for the rational design of novel inhibitors for HCV NS5B polymerase.