Angela Popescu

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: inhibition of isozymes I, II and IV by sulfamide and sulfamic acid derivatives.

Abstract Sulfamide and sulfamic acid are the simplest compounds containing the SO2NH2 moiety, responsible for binding to the Zn(II) ion within carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) active site, and thus acting as inhibitors of the many CA isozymes presently known. Here we describe two novel classes of CA inhibitors obtained by derivatizations of the lead molecules mentioned above. The new compounds, possessing the general formula RSO2NH-SO2X (X = OH, NH2), were obtained by reaction of sulfamide or sulfamic acid with alkyl/arylsulfonyl halides or aryl-sulfonyl isocyanates. A smaller series of derivatives has been obtained by reaction of aromatic aldehydes with sulfamide, leading to Schiff bases of the type ArCH=NSO2NH2. All the new compounds act as strong inhibitors of isozymes I, II and IV of carbonic anhydrase. Their mechanism of CA inhibition is also discussed based on electronic spectroscopic measurements on adducts with the Co(II)-substituted enzyme. These experiments led to the conclusion that the new inhibitors are directly coordinated (in a monodentate manner) to the metal ion within the enzyme active site, similarly to the classical inhibitors, the aromatic/heterocyclic sulfonamides.

Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors. Schiff Bases of some Aromatic Sulfonamides and Their Metal Complexes: Towards More Selective Inhibitors of Carbonic Anhydrase Isozyme IV

Reaction of three aromatic sulfonamides possessing a primary amino group, i.e., sulfanilamide, homosulfanilamide and p-aminoethyl-benzenesulfonamide with heterocyclic and aromatic aldehydes afforded a series of Schiff bases. Metal complexes of some of these Schiff bases with divalent transition ions such as Zn(II), Cu(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) have also been obtained. The new compounds were assayed as inhibitors of three isozymes of carbonic anhydrase (CA). Several of the new compounds showed a modest selectivity for the membrane-bound (bovine) isozyme CA IV (bCA IV) as compared to the cytosolic human isozymes hCA I and II, in contrast to classical inhibitors which generally possess a 17-33 times lower affinity for bCA IV. This greater selectivity toward bCA IV is due mainly to a slightly decreased potency against hCA II relative to classical inhibitors. However, metal complexes of these Schiff bases possessed an increased affinity for hCA II, being less inhibitory against bCA IV. The first type of compounds reported here (i.e., the Schiff bases of aromatic sulfonamides with heterocyclic aldehydes) might thus lead to the development of low molecular weight isozyme specific CA IV inhibitors. The difference in affinity for the three isozymes of the inhibitors reported by us here is tentatively explained on the basis of recent X-ray crystallographic studies of these isozymes and their adducts with substrates/inhibitors.

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: synthesis of Schiff bases of hydroxybenzaldehydes with aromatic sulfonamides and their reactions with arylsulfonyl isocyanates.

Abstract Reaction of o- or p-hydroxybenzaldehydes with sulfanilamide, homosulfanilamide and p-(2-aminoethyl)- benzene-sulfonamide afforded several new Schiff bases which were subsequently derivatized at the phenolic hydroxy moiety by reaction with arylsulfonylisocyanates. The new arylsulfonylcarbamates obtained in this way possessed interesting inhibitory properties against three carbonic anhydrase (CA) isozymes, hCA I, hCA II and bCA IV (h = human, b = bovine isozyme). All these new derivatives, the simple Schiff bases and the arylsulfonylcarbamates obtained as outlined above, were more inhibitory against all isozymes as compared to the corresponding parent sulfonamide from which they were obtained. Generally, the p-hydroxybenzaldehyde derivatives were more active than the corresponding ortho isomers. An interesting behavior was evidenced for some of the ortho-substituted arylsulfonylcarbamato-sulfonamides, which showed higher affinities for the isozyme hCA I, as compared to hCA II and bCA IV (generally hCA I is 10–1000 less sensitive to “normal” sulfonamide inhibitors, such as acetazolamide, methazolamide or dorzolamide, as compared to hCA II). This make the new derivatives attractive leads for designing isozyme I-specific inhibitors.

Flow vacuum pyrolysis of tetrazoles with annelated dibenzocycloalkane skeletons

Abstract Three new dibenzoannelated tetrazoloazocines 1 – 3 were synthesized from the corresponding ketones 6 – 8 and in situ generated triazidochlorosilane. The new compounds were characterized by IR, 1 H-, 13 C-NMR and MS data. The flow-vacuum pyrolyses of the tetrazoles 1 – 3 , of a recently described tetrazoloazonine 4 and of 1,5-diphenyltetrazole ( 5 ) at 1.33 mbar and temperatures between 400–550°C were studied by GC/MS. The main reaction product of 1 was 6 H -quinindoline whereas the principal products of 2 , 3 and 4 were the corresponding ring contracted N -cyanoderivatives 11 , 12 and 15 , respectively. Diphenyltetrazole 5 afforded diphenylcarbodiimide and 2-phenyl-benzoimidazole. The comparative reaction mechanisms for 1 – 5 are discussed. The N -cyano-derivatives 11 , 12 and 15 structurally are strongly related to recent anti-amnesia drugs.