Aromatic and heteroaromatic amines (ArNH(2)) represent a class of potential mutagens that after being metabolically activated covalently modify DNA. Activation of ArNH(2) in many cases starts with N-hydroxylation by P450 enzymes, primarily CYP1A2. Poor understanding of structure-mutagenicity relationships of ArNH(2) limits their use in drug discovery programs. Key factors that facilitate activation of ArNH(2) are revealed by exploring their reaction intermediates in CYP1A2 using DFT calculations. On the basis of these calculations and extensive analysis of structure-mutagenicity data, we suggest that mutagenic metabolites are generated by ferric peroxo intermediate, (CYP1A2)Fe(III)-OO(-), in a three-step heterolytic mechanism. First, the distal oxygen of the oxidant abstracts proton from H-bonded ArNH(2). The subsequent proximal protonation of the resulting (CYP1A2)Fe(III)-OOH weakens both the O-O and the O-H bonds of the oxidant. Heterolytic cleavage of the O-O bond leads to N-hydroxylation of ArNH(-) via S(N)2 mechanism, whereas cleavage of the O-H bond results in release of hydroperoxy radical. Thus, our proposed reaction offers a mechanistic explanation for previous observations that metabolism of aromatic amines could cause oxidative stress. The primary drivers for mutagenic potency of ArNH(2) are (i) binding affinity of ArNH(2) in the productive binding mode within the CYP1A2 substrate cavity, (ii) resonance stabilization of the anionic forms of ArNH(2), and (iii) exothermicity of proton-assisted heterolytic cleavage of N-O bonds of hydroxylamines and their bioconjugates. This leads to a strategy for designing mutagenicity free ArNH(2): Structural alterations in ArNH(2), which disrupt geometric compatibility with CYP1A2, hinder proton abstraction, or strongly destabilize the nitrenium ion, in this order of priority, prevent genotoxicity.

Synthetic glucocorticoids (GC) are essential for the treatment of a broad range of inflammatory diseases. However, their use is limited by target related adverse effects on, e.g., glucose homeostasis and bone metabolism. Starting from a nonsteroidal GR ligand (4) that is a full agonist in reporter gene assays, we exploited key functional triggers within the receptor, generating a range of structurally diverse partial agonists. Of these, only a narrow subset exhibited full anti-inflammatory efficacy and a significantly reduced impact on adverse effect markers in human cell assays compared to prednisolone. This led to the discovery of AZD9567 (15) with excellent in vivo efficacy when dosed orally in a rat model of joint inflammation. Compound 15 is currently being evaluated in clinical trials comparing the efficacy and side effect markers with those of prednisolone.

N-Formyl-3,3‘,4,4‘-tetrahydrospiro[naphthalene-1(2H),2‘(1‘H)-pyridine] (2) and N-Formyl-3‘,4‘-dihydrospiro[indan-1,2‘(1‘H)-pyridine] (3) were resolved into enantiomers, compound 3 partly and compound 2 completely, by chromatography on triacetylcellulose. The CD spectra were recorded and compared with theoretical spectra calculated by a semiempirical method, using geometries from empirical force-field calculations. In the observed CD spectra, the carbonyl n → π* transitions did not give rise to visible bands, but their signs and energies were found by analysis of CD spectra in solvents of different polarity. The theoretical spectra of 2 and 3 showed complete agreement with the observed spectra in sign and qualitatively in intensity, for the five transitions observed between 190 and 280 nm, which permitted a safe assignment of the absolute configurations. The enantiomers of 2 and 3 with the aryl rings located on the same side of the tetrahydropyridine ring showed CD spectra, which were nearly mirror images, thus demonstrating the risk of deducing absolute configurations by a direct comparison of CD spectra.

Primary aromatic and heteroaromatic amines are notoriously known as potential mutagens and carcinogens. The major event of the mechanism of their mutagenicity is N-hydroxylation by P450 enzymes, primarily P450 1A2 (CYP1A2), which leads to the formation of nitrenium ions that covalently modify nucleobases of DNA. Energy profiles of the NH bond activation steps of two possible mechanisms of N-hydroxylation of a number of aromatic amines by CYP1A2, radicaloid and anionic, are studied by dispersion-corrected DFT calculations. The classical radicaloid mechanism is mediated by H-atom transfer to the electrophilic ferryl-oxo intermediate of the P450 catalytic cycle (called Compound I or Cpd I), whereas the alternative anionic mechanism involves proton transfer to the preceding nucleophilic ferrous-peroxo species. The key structural features of the catalytic site of human CYP1A2 revealed by X-ray crystallography are maintained in calculations. The obtained DFT reaction profiles and additional calculations that account for nondynamical electron correlation suggest that Cpd I has higher thermodynamic drive to activate aromatic amines than the ferrous-peroxo species. Nevertheless, the anionic mechanism is demonstrated to be consistent with a variety of experimental observations. Thus, energy of the proton transfer from aromatic amines to the ferrous-peroxo dianion splits aromatic amines into two classes with different mutagenicity mechanisms. Favorable or slightly unfavorable barrier-free proton transfer is inherent in compounds that undergo nitrenium ion mediated mutagenicity. Monocyclic electron-rich aromatic amines that do not follow this mutagenicity mechanism show significantly unfavorable proton transfer. Feasibility of the entire anionic mechanism is demonstrated by favorable Gibbs energy profiles of both chemical steps, NH bond activation, and NO bond formation. Taken together, results suggest that the N-hydroxylation of aromatic amines in CYP1A2 undergoes the anionic mechanism. Possible reasons for the apparent inability of Cpd I to activate aromatic amines in CYP1A2 are discussed.

Palladium-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of N-formyl-6-[3-(2-iodophenyl)propyl]-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridine (1a) and N-formyl-6-[2-(2-iodophenyl)ethyl]-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridine (1b) in the presence of AsPh(3) resulted in formation of the spiro compounds N-formyl-3,3',4,4'-tetrahydrospiro[naphthalene-1(2H),2'(1'H)-pyridine] (2a) and N-formyl-3',4'-dihydrospiro[indan-1,2'(1'H)-pyridine] (2b), respectively, and in the presence of PPh(3) and TlOAc in the spiro compounds N-formyl-3,4,5',6'-tetrahydrospiro[naphthalene-1(2H),2'(1'H)-pyridine] (3a) and N-formyl-5',6'-dihydrospiro[indan-1,2'(1'H)-pyridine] (3b), respectively. Cyclization of N-formyl-6-(3-{2-[(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)oxy]phenyl}propyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridine (7) in presence of a chiral (phosphinoaryl)oxazoline ((S)-8) resulted in formation of (R)-3a and (R)-N-formyl-1',3,4,6'-tetrahydrospiro[naphthalene-1(2H),2'(3'H)-pyridine] ((R)-6a) in high enantiomeric excesses, 87% and >99%, respectively, and in good yield. The oxazoline ligand (S)-8 furnished higher enantiomeric excesses and improved regioselectivities than (R)-BINAP.