William A. Denny

Acridine derivatives as chemotherapeutic agents.

Acridine derivatives are one of the oldest classes of bioactives, widely used as antibacterial and antiprotozoal agents. Some work in these areas continues, but recent research has focused mainly on their use as anticancer drugs, because of the ability of the acridine chromophore to intercalate DNA and inhibit topoisomerase enzymes.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Stable Bidentate Transition Metal Complexes of 1-(Chloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-3-(5,6,7-trimethoxyindol-2-ylcarbonyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-f]quinoline (seco-6-azaCBI-TMI) as Hypoxia Selective Cytotoxins

A series of metal complexes were prepared as potential prodrugs of the extremely toxic DNA minor groove alkylator 1-(chloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-3-[(5,6,7-trimethoxyindol-2-yl)carbonyl]-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-f]quinoline (seco-6-azaCBI-TMI) and close analogues. The pyrrolo[3,2-f]quinoline cytotoxins were prepared from 2-methoxy-4-nitroaniline in a nine-step synthesis involving a Skraup construction of a quinoline intermediate, its appropriate functionalization, and a final radical cyclization. The metal complexes were prepared from these and the labile metal complex synthons [Co(cyclen)(OTf)(2)](+), [Cr(acac)(2)(H(2)O)(2)](+), and [Co(2)(Me(2)dtc)(5)](+). The cobalt complexes were considerably more stable than the free effectors and showed significant attenuation of the cytotoxicity of the latter, with IC(50) ratios (complex/effector) of 50- to 150-fold, and substantial hypoxic cell selectivity, with IC(50) ratios (oxic/hypoxic cells) of 20- to 40-fold. The cobalt complexes were also efficiently activated by ionizing radiation, with G values for loss of the compound close to the theoretical value for one-electron reduction of 0.68 micromol/J. This work extends earlier observations that cobalt cyclen complexes are suitable for both the bioreductive and radiolytic release of potent pyrrolo[3,2-f]quinoline effectors.

Hypoxia-Activated Prodrugs: Substituent Effects on the Properties of Nitro seco-1,2,9,9a-Tetrahydrocyclopropa[c]benz[e]indol-4-one (nitroCBI) Prodrugs of DNA Minor Groove Alkylating Agents

Nitrochloromethylbenzindolines (nitroCBIs) are a new class of hypoxia-activated prodrugs for antitumor therapy. The recently reported prototypes undergo hypoxia-selective metabolism to form potent DNA minor groove alkylating agents and are selectively toxic to some but not all hypoxic tumor cell lines. Here we report a series of 31 analogues that bear an extra electron-withdrawing substituent that serves to raise the one-electron reduction potential of the nitroCBI. We identify a subset of compounds, those with a basic side chain and sulfonamide or carboxamide substituent, that have consistently high hypoxic selectivity. The best of these, with a 7-sulfonamide substituent, displays hypoxic cytotoxicity ratios of 275 and 330 in Skov3 and HT29 human tumor cell lines, respectively. This compound (28) is efficiently and selectively metabolized to the corresponding aminoCBI, is selectively cytotoxic under hypoxia in all 11 cell lines examined, and demonstrates activity against hypoxic tumor cells in a human tumor xenograft in vivo.

Phosphoinositide-3-kinases (PI3Ks): Combined comparative modeling and 3D-QSAR to rationalize the inhibition of p110α

The p110alpha isoform of the class IA PI3Ks was recently genetically validated as a promising target for anticancer therapy. However, up to now, only one compound (PIK75 = 1) has been reported as a very potent and selective inhibitor of this isoform. The lack of a 3D structure for this enzyme has clearly hindered the discovery of new p110alpha selective compounds. In view of this, we combined target-based (homology modeling) and ligand-based (3D-QSAR) approaches in an attempt to define an integrated interaction model for p110alpha inhibition. Twenty-five analogues of 1 were docked within the putative p110alpha binding site, and the molecular alignment generated was subsequently used to derive QSAR models based on scoring function, free energy of binding, CoMFA. and CoMSIA. The predictive power of these models was then analyzed using a challenging test set of 5 compounds. CoMSIA, and particularly CoMFA, models were found to outperform the other methods, predicting accurately the potency of 100% of the compounds in the test set, thereby validating our p110alpha homology model for use in further drug development.

DNA minor groove alkylating agents

Agents that alkylate DNA in the minor groove are potent cytotoxins. Together with their potential sequence selectivity of interaction with DNA, they are therefore of great interest as potential anticancer drugs. Work with nitrogen mustards has shown that attachment of the mustard unit to carrier molecules targeted at the minor groove can drastically alter normal patterns of both regio- and sequence-selectivity of alkylation, from reaction primarily at most guanine N7 sites in the major groove (chlorambucil) to a few adenine N3 sites at the 3’-end of poly(A/T) sequences in the minor groove (tallimustine). Similar targeting of pyrrolizidine alkylators has also been reported. However, most recent (1997 - 1999) patent applications in this area have been focused on the cyclopropaindolone class of natural products which alkylate at the N-3 of adenines in runs of adenines.

The Design of Drugs that Target Tumour Hypoxia

The occurrence of hypoxia in solid tumours is increasingly recognized as a limiting factor in the success of both radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment, but at the same time offers a tumour-specific phenomenon for the activation of prodrugs. However, the design of clinically useful prodrugs that can be selectively activated in hypoxic cells has proved elusive. Specific reasons (activation by oxygen-insensitive two-electron reductases) have been proposed for the failure of quinone-based prodrugs, but a more general contributing factor may be inappropriate clinical trial design, and the failure to understand the critical importance of drug properties, such as efficient extra-vascular diffusion of the prodrug and back-diffusion of the activated drug in the tumour. Activation of prodrugs by therapeutic radiation and the use of hypoxia-selective gene therapy vectors, such as Clostridia, are exciting new mechanisms for prodrug research to explore, but are in much earlier stages of evaluation.

Structures of two minor-groove-binding quinolinium quaternary salts complexed with d(CGCGAATTCGCG)2 at 1.6 and 1.8 Å resolution

The structures of the complexes formed between two anticancer minor-groove-binding quinolinium quaternary salts and the dodecamer d(CGCGAATTCGCG)(2) have been refined to resolutions of 1.6 and 1.8 Angstrom. The complexes crystallized in space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and the structures are isomorphous with previously solved dodecamer structures. The ligands both bind in the central AT region of the minor groove and although the crystallization conditions and structures of the ligands are very similar, they bind in opposing orientations. The structures are compared with two previously published structures of quinolinium quaternary salts, refined at 2.5 Angstrom resolution, complexed with d(CGCGAATTCGCG)(2) and an e(6)G-modified DNA.

α1-Adrenoceptor and serotonin 5-HT1A receptor affinity of homobivalent 4-aminoquinoline compounds: An investigation of the effect of linker length

α₁-adrenoceptor (α₁-AR) subtype-selective ligands lacking off-target affinity for the 5-HT(1A) receptor (5-HT(1A)-R) will provide therapeutic benefits in the treatment of urogenital conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia. In this study we determined the affinity of 4-aminoquinoline and eleven homobivalent 4-aminoquinoline ligands (diquinolines) with alkane linkers of 2-12 atoms (C2-C12) for α(1A), α(1B) and α(1D)-ARs and the 5-HT(1A)-R. These ligands are α(1A)-AR antagonists with nanomolar affinity for α(1A) and α(1B)-ARs. They display linker-length dependent selectivity for α(1A/B)-ARs over α(1D)-AR and the 5-HT(1A)-R. The C2 diquinoline has the highest affinity for α1A-AR (pKi 7.60±0.26) and greater than 30-fold and 600-fold selectivity for α(1A)-AR over α(1D)-AR and 5-HT(1A)-R respectively. A decrease in affinity for α₁-ARs is observed as the linker length increases, reaching a nadir at 5 (α(1A/1B)-ARs) or 6 (α(1D)-AR) atoms; after which affinity increases as the linker is lengthened, peaking at 9 (α(1A/1B/1D)-ARs) or 8 (5-HT(1A)-R) atoms. Docking studies suggest that 4-aminoquinoline and C2 bind within the orthosteric binding site, while for C9 one end is situated within the orthosteric binding pocket, while the other 4-aminoquinoline moiety interacts with the extracellular surface. The limited α(1D)-AR and 5-HT(1A)-R affinity of these compounds makes them promising leads for future drug development of α(1A)-AR selective ligands without α(1D)-AR and the 5-HT(1A)-R off-target activity.

A large-scale synthesis of the bioreductive drug 1,4-bis{[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amino}-5,8-dihydroxyanthracene-9,10-dione bis-N-oxide (AQ4N)

A large-scale synthesis of the bis-bioreductive drug 1,4-bis{[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amino}-5,8-dihydroxyanthracene-9,10-dione bis-N-oxide (AQ4N) has been developed. This six-step synthesis provides AQ4N in 20% overall yield from readily available tetrachlorophthalic anhydride. The key step was a KF–NaF-mediated conversion of 3,6-dichlorophthalic anhydride to 3,6-difluorophthalic anhydride, which could be achieved in 77% yield on a 100 g scale. A trace impurity in AQ4N was determined (by LC-MS and independent synthesis) to be the mono-N-oxide 1-amino-4-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amino-5,8-dihydroxyanthracene-9,10-dione N-oxide. This is formed spontaneously from AQ4N under a number of conditions, including during HPLC on reversed-phase columns.