Synthesis and biological evaluation of DL-4,4-difluoroglutamic acid and DL-gamma,gamma-difluoromethotrexate.

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Tsukamoto T, Kitazume T, McGuire JJ, Coward JK

Synthesis and biological evaluation of DL-4,4-difluoroglutamic acid and DL-gamma,gamma-difluoromethotrexate.

J Med Chem. 1996 Jan 5;39(1):66-72.

PubMed ID

8568828 [ View in PubMed

]

Abstract

DL-4,4-Difluoroglutamic acid (DL-4,4-F2Glu) and its methotrexate analogue, DL-gamma,gamma-difluoromethotrexate (DL-gamma,gamma-F2MTX), were synthesized and evaluated as alternate substrates or inhibitors of folate-dependent enzymes. Synthesis of DL-4,4-F2Glu involved the nitroaldol reaction of ethyl nitroacetate with a difluorinated aldehyde ethyl hemiacetal as a key step. Attempted ligation of DL-4,4-F2Glu to methotrexate (MTX), catalyzed by human folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthetase (FPGS), revealed that DL-4,4-F2Glu is a poor alternate substrate. DL-gamma,gamma-F2MTX was synthesized by a route proceeding through N-[4-(methylamino)benzoyl]-4,4-difluoroglutamic acid di-tert-butyl ester followed by alkylation with 6-(bromomethyl)-2,4-pteridinediamine hydrobromide. DL-gamma,gamma-F2MTX was found to be neither a substrate nor an inhibitor of human FPGS. The fluorinated analogue of MTX, however, inhibits DHFR and cell growth with the same potency as MTX.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Binding Properties

Drug	Target	Property	Measurement	pH	Temperature (°C)
Methotrexate	Dihydrofolate reductase	IC 50 (nM)	720	N/A	N/A	Details