Design, synthesis, and pharmacological evaluation of fluorinated tetrahydrouridine derivatives as inhibitors of cytidine deaminase

J Med Chem. 2014 Mar 27;57(6):2582-8. doi: 10.1021/jm401856k. Epub 2014 Feb 24.

Abstract

Several 2'-fluorinated tetrahydrouridine derivatives were synthesized as inhibitors of cytidine deaminase (CDA). (4R)-2'-Deoxy-2',2'-difluoro-3,4,5,6-tetrahydrouridine (7a) showed enhanced acid stability over tetrahydrouridine (THU) 5 at its N-glycosyl bond. As a result, compound 7a showed an improved oral pharmacokinetic profile with a higher and more reproducible plasma exposure in rhesus monkeys compared to 5. Co-administration of 7a with decitabine, a CDA substrate, boosted the plasma levels of decitabine in rhesus monkeys. These results demonstrate that compound 7a can serve as an acid-stable alternative to 5 as a pharmacoenhancer of drugs subject to CDA-mediated metabolism.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Azacitidine / analogs & derivatives
  • Azacitidine / pharmacology
  • Biological Availability
  • Cytidine Deaminase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Decitabine
  • Drug Design
  • Drug Stability
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemical synthesis*
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacokinetics
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials
  • Fluorine
  • Gastric Juice / chemistry
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Tetrahydrouridine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Tetrahydrouridine / chemical synthesis*
  • Tetrahydrouridine / pharmacology

Substances

  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Tetrahydrouridine
  • Fluorine
  • Decitabine
  • Cytidine Deaminase
  • Azacitidine