Benzoquinazoline inhibitors of thymidylate synthase: Enzyme inhibitory activity and cytotoxicity of some 3-amino- and 3-methylbenzo[f]quinazolin- 1(2H)-ones

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jm00068a004

The synthesis and thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibitory activity of a series of simple benzo[f]-quinazolin-1(2H)-ones are described. Fully aromatic 3-amino compounds with compact lipophilic substituents in the 9-position were found to have I₅₀ values as low as 20 nM on the isolated enzyme, and represent the first examples of potent, folate-based TS inhibitors that completely lack any structural feature corresponding to the (p- aminobenzoyl)glutamate moiety of the cofactor. A number of the compounds also showed moderate growth inhibitory activity against a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (SW480), with IC₅₀ values as low as 2 μM.