A Bifunctional Alkylating Nitrogen Mustard Agent that Utilizes Barbituric Acid as Carrier Drug with the Potential for Crossing the Brain-Blood Barrier

Abstract

Barbituric acid is the parent compound of a large family of hypnotic barbiturates. A nitrogen mustard (N-mustard) group (-CH2CH2N[CH2CH2Cl]2) was placed onto the two nitrogen atoms at positions 1 and 3 of the pyrimidine ring. This N-mustard agent is a solid at 25 degrees C, stable at -10 degrees C for >10 weeks, and soluble in aqueous solvent at 37 degrees C and 25 degrees C. The partition coefficients miLog P and CLog P were calculated to be -0.93 and -1.441 for barbituric acid. The miLog P and CLog P for the N-mustard agent were 1.82 and 2.707, respectively. The N-mustard substituents significantly increased solubility in lipid by-layers. The N-mustard agent alkylated a nucleophilic primary amine (p-chloroaniline) at physiological conditions of pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C. Aliquots of reaction mixtures were withdrawn at known time periods to react with fluorescamine for determination of unreacted p-chloroaniline and calculation of rate constants. The alkylation of the primary amine was second order with rate = k2[Nu]2, (Nu is nucleophile) and rate constant k2 = 0.01358 L/(mole.min). The molecular dipole of barbituric acid and the N-mustard agent was calculated by SPARTAN software (wavefunction, Irvine, CA) to be 0.681 and 2.153 Debye, respectively. The brain/blood partition coefficient (Log BB) of the N-mustard agent was -0.399. Values of molecular polar surface area (TPSA) for barbituric acid and the N-mustard agent was 75.27 and 64.17, respectively. TPSA values indicate an expected intestinal absorbance to be 79% and 90%, respectively. The N-mustard agent showed zero violations of the Rule of 5, indicating good bioavailability.

Evaluation of Pyridine-3-Carboxylic Acid as a Drug Carrier by Utilizing Multivariate Methods, Structure Property Correlations, and Pattern Recognition Techniques

“…Nicotinic acid has been shown to be an effective drug carrier for antineoplastic nitrogen mustard groups (Bartzatt 2004). Barbituric acid is the parent structure of hypnotic barbiturates and has been determined to be an effective carrier of nitrogen mustard functional groups (Bartzatt 2003). Derivatives of barbituric acid have no impenetrable barrier in vivo and will distribute to all tissues and fluids (Goodman and Gilman 1970).…”