Synthesis of a series ofcis-diamminedichloro-platinum (II) complexes linked to uracil and uridine as candidate antitumor agents

The search for platinum (II)-based compounds with improved therapeutic properties was prompted to design and synthesize a new family of water-soluble, third generation cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) complexes linked to uracil and uridine. Six heretofore undescribed uracil and uridine-platinum (II) complexes are; N-(2-aminoethyl)uracil-5-carboxamide]dichloroplatinum (II) (3a), N-(2-aminoethyl)uracil-6-carboxamide]dichloroplatinum (II) (3b), 5-(2-aminoethyl)carbamoyl-2′,3′,5′,-tri-O-acetyluridine] dichloroplatinum (II) (6b), 5-(2-aminoethyl) carbamoylu-carbamoyl-2′,3′,5′,-tri-O-acetyluridine] dichloroplatinum (II) (6b), 5-(2-aminoethyl)carbamoyluridine]dichloroplatinum (II) (7a), 6-(2-aminoethyl)carbamoyluridine]dichloroplatinum (II) (7b). These analogues were prepared from the key starting materials, 5-carboxyuracil (1a) and 6-carboxyuracil (1b) which were reacted with ethylenediamine to afford the respective N-(2-aminoethyl)uracil-5-carboxamide (2a) and N-(2-aminoethyl)uracil-6-carboxamide (2b). The cisplatin complexes3a and3b were obtained through the reaction of the respective2a and2b with potassium tetrachloroplatinate (II). The heterocyclic nucleic acid bases1a and1b were efficiently introduced on the β-D-ribose ring via a Vorbruggen-type nucleoside coupling procedure with hexamethyldisilazane, trimethylchlorosilane and stannicchloride under anhydrous acetonitrile to yield the stereospecific β-anomeric 5-carboxy-2′,3′,5′-tri-0-acetyluridine (4a) and 6-carboxy-2′,3′,5′-tri-0-acetyluridine (4b), respectively. The nucleosides4a and4b were coupled with ethylenediamine to provide the respective 5-(2-aminoethyl)carbamoyl-2′,3′,5′-tri-0-acetyluridine (5a) and 6-(2-aminoethyl)carbamoyl-2′,3′,5′-tri-0-acetyluridine (5b). The diamino-uridines5a and5b were reacted with potassium tetrachloroplatinate (II) to give the novel nucleoside complexes,6a and6b, respectively which were deacetylated into the free nucleosides,7a and7b by the treatment with CH₃ONa. The antitumor activities were evaluated against three cell lines (K-562, FM-3A and P-388).