title: Extended aromatic furan amidino derivatives as anti-Pneumocystis carinii agents.
abstract: The syntheses of nine new derivatives of 2, 5-bis[4-(N-alkylamidino)phenyl]furans with extended aromatic systems are reported. The interaction of these dicationic furans with poly(dA)poly(dT) and with the duplex oligomers d(CGCGAATTCGCG)2 and d(GCGAATTCGC)2 was determined by Tm measurement, and the effectiveness of these compounds against the immunosuppressed rat model of Pneumocystis carinii was evaluated. At a screening dose of 10 micromol/kg, 4 of the 12 amidino furans described here are more active than the parent compound 1. In general, extension of the aromatic system in the absence of a substitution of the amidino nitrogens resulted in higher affinity for DNA than the parent compound as judged by the larger DeltaTm values and suggests enhanced van der Waals interactions in the amidino furan-DNA complex. Three of the compounds, 3, 5, and 11, yield cysts counts of less than 0.1% of control when administered at a dosage of 10 micromol/kg. Compound 3, which does not have an extended aromatic system, is the most active derivative. Although a direct correlation between anti-P. carinii activity and DNA binding affinity was not observed, all compounds which have significant activity have large DeltaTm values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Center for Biotechnology and Drug Design, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3083, USA.
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Bender
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: McCurdy
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Tidwell
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bajic
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Boykin
mesh_terms: D000578:Amidines / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005663:Furans / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D011067:Poly dA-dT / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D051381:Rats; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: C114814:2,5-bis((N-cyclopentylamidino)phenyl)furan; D000578:Amidines; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D005663:Furans; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011067:Poly dA-dT