((Abstract))The marine tetramic acids melophlin P, Q and R were synthesized for the first time in only four steps. Together with the congenerous melophlins A-C, and G they were also tested for antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects. Melophlins B, C, P, Q and R which share a 5-methyl residue showed some antibacterial activity, mainly in Grampositive bacteria. Melophlins B, C and R which have methyl branched 3-acyl side chains in common, inhibited the growth of cells of human KB-3-1 cervix carcinoma, A-498 kidney carcinoma and U-937 leukemia at IC 50 < 10 µM. They were similar in activity to cisplatin. Melophlin Q, also methyl branched, was astoundingly specific in inhibiting A-498 kidney cancer cells while melophlin P inhibited U-937 leukemia cells particularly well. The position of the methyl branch is decisive for the magnitude of the antiproliferative effect of the melophlin couples B/C and R/Q.
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IntroductionThe melophlins 1 are N-methyl-3-acyltetramic acids that differ only in the substituents at C(5) (H or Me) of the pyrrolidine-2,4-dione core and in the chain length (C 12 to C 16 ) and branching of the 3-acyl residue (Fig. 1)
Results and Discussion
ChemistryThe melophlins P (1p), Q (1q) and R (1r) were prepared in four steps as previously described for the congeners B and C (Scheme 1) [11]. N-methylalanine t-butyl ester 2 was reacted with 3, the cumulated ylide Ph 3 P=C=C=O, immobilized on polystyrene [12] to give the tetramate 4 in 92% yield as product of a domino addition / intra-Wittig alkenation process. Since the natural products 1p-r had been shown by oxidative degradation to be 1:1 mixtures of (5R)-and (5S)-stereoisomers [3], racemic 2 was employed. Immobilization of the phosphorus ylide greatly facilitated removal of by-product phosphine oxide. Quantitative cleavage of the ester 4 with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) gave 1,5-dimethylpyrrolidine-2,4-dione 5. This was 3-acylated under Jones' conditions [13] with BF 3 -diethyl etherate and the respective acyl chloride 6, which was racemic in the case of 6r, to furnish the corresponding 5 BF 2 -adducts 7 in a moderate 20-40% yield under classical thermal but in 30-65% yield under microwave irradiation conditions. The BF 2 -chelates 7 were finally converted to melophlins P, Q or R, respectively, by boiling in methanol. The required chlorides 6q and 6r were prepared from 13-methyltetradecanoic acid (13-MTA) [14] and 12-methyltetradecanoic acid (12-MTA), respectively. To assess the influence of metal chelation on the bioactivity we also prepared a stable Ca(II) complex of
Biological evaluationKinases and phosphatases play a pivotal role in the signal transduction of cancer cells. As 3-acyltetramates were frequently reported to inhibit these enzymes, we looked for antiproliferative effects of a representative, structurally diverse subset of melophlins (A-C, G, P-R) in human KB-3-1 cervix, human epithelial A-498 kidney carcinoma, and U-937 leukemia cells as well as L929 mouse fibroblasts (Table 1). In terms of stereochemistry, the compounds were prepared and tes...