Preparation, antibacterial effects and enzymatic degradation of 5-fluorouracil nucleosides

Abstract

Reaction of perbenzoylated aldopentafuranosyl derivatives of uracil with fluorine in acetic acid afforded perbenzoylated 5-fluorouracil nucleosides. Their methanolysis gave the following free nucleosides of 5-fluorouracil: β-D-ribofuranoside (Id), 2-deoxy-β-D-ribofuranoside (IId), their enantiomers VIII and IX, α-D-ribofuranoside (XIII), 2-deoxy-α-D-ribofuranoside (XV), β-D-arabinofuranoside (IV) and its L-enantiomer X, β-D-xylofuranoside (V) and its α-D-anomer XI, α-L-lyxofuranoside (VI) and 2-deoxy-α-L-lyxofuranoside (VII) and the enantiomers of the latter two compounds, XII and XIV, respectively. Analogously were obtained 5-deoxy-β-D-ribofuranoside (III), β-D-ribopyranoside (XVI) and 1-(S)-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-5-fluorouracil (XVIIc). 1-Allyl-5-fluorouracil (XVIII) was prepared by reaction of allyl bromide with 2,4-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)-5-fluoropyrimidine. The cell-free extract from Escherichia coli cleaves all the 5-fluorouracil nucleosides in which the nucleoside carbon atom has the R-configuration and the 3'-hydroxyl of the sugar moiety is in trans-relation to the base. Compounds which have not these structural features are resistant. Besides nucleosides which on enzymatic cleavage afford 5-fluorouracil, also the non-cleavable 1-(2-deoxy-β-L-ribofuranosyl)-5-fluorouracil (IX), 1-(2-deoxy-α-D-ribofuranosyl)-5-fluorouracil (XV) and 1-(2-deoxy-α-D-lyxofuranosyl)-5-fluorouracil (XIV) exhibit an antibacterial effect towards E. coli (ID50 1.0-2.5 . 10-5 M). This effect can be reversed by 2'-deoxyuridine but not by thymidine.