Revisiting Pyrazolo[3,4- d]pyrimidine Nucleosides as Anti- Trypanosoma cruzi and Antileishmanial Agents

J Med Chem. 2021 Apr 8;64(7):4206-4238. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00135. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Abstract

Chagas disease and visceral leishmaniasis are two neglected tropical diseases responsible for numerous deaths around the world. For both, current treatments are largely inadequate, resulting in a continued need for new drug discovery. As both kinetoplastid parasites are incapable of de novo purine synthesis, they depend on purine salvage pathways that allow them to acquire and process purines from the host to meet their demands. Purine nucleoside analogues therefore constitute a logical source of potential antiparasitic agents. Earlier optimization efforts of the natural product tubercidin (7-deazaadenosine) involving modifications to the nucleobase 7-position and the ribofuranose 3'-position led to analogues with potent anti-Trypanosoma brucei and anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activities. In this work, we report the design and synthesis of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine nucleosides with 3'- and 7-modifications and assess their potential as anti-Trypanosoma cruzi and antileishmanial agents. One compound was selected for in vivo evaluation in an acute Chagas disease mouse model.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chagas Disease / drug therapy
  • Drug Design
  • Drug Stability
  • Humans
  • Leishmania infantum / drug effects
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Microsomes, Liver / metabolism
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nucleosides / chemical synthesis
  • Nucleosides / pharmacology
  • Nucleosides / therapeutic use*
  • Pyrazoles / chemical synthesis
  • Pyrazoles / pharmacology
  • Pyrazoles / therapeutic use*
  • Pyrimidines / chemical synthesis
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology
  • Pyrimidines / therapeutic use*
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Trypanocidal Agents / chemical synthesis
  • Trypanocidal Agents / pharmacology
  • Trypanocidal Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Trypanosoma cruzi / drug effects*

Substances

  • Nucleosides
  • Pyrazoles
  • Pyrimidines
  • Trypanocidal Agents