Nonbonded and torsional parameters for carboxylate esters, nitriles, and nitro compounds have been developed for the OPLS-AA force field. In addition, torsional parameters for alkanes have been updated. These parameters were fit to reproduce ab initio gas-phase structures and conformational energetics, experimental condensed-phase structural and thermodynamic properties, and experimental free energies of hydration. The computed densities, heats of vaporization, and heat capacities for fifteen liquids are in excellent agreement with experimental values. The new parameters permit accurate molecular modeling of compounds containing a wider variety of functional groups, which are common in organic molecules and drugs.

A series of novel, multisubstrate, bicyclic pyrimidine nucleoside inhibitors of human thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is described. Thymidine phosphorylase has been implicated in angiogenesis and plays a significant role in tumor progression and metastasis. The presence and orientation of the phosphonate moiety (acting as a phosphate mimic) in these derivatives were critical for inhibitory activity. The most active compounds possessed a phosphonate group in an endo orientation. This was consistent with molecular modeling results that showed the endo isomer protein-ligand complex to be lower in energy than the exo complex.