Folate antagonists. 13. 2,4-Diamino-6-](alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoro-m-tolyl)thio]quinazoline and related 2,4-diamino-6-[(phenyl- and naphthyl)thio]quinazolines, a unique class of antimetabolites with extraordinary antimalarial and antibacterial effects.

An array of nonclassical thioquinazoline analogues (VIII) of methotrexate was prepared by cyclization of the requisite 2-amino-5-(arylthio)benzonitrile with chloroformamidine hydrochloride (28--79%). The aminonitrile precursors were obtained by SnCl2-HCl reduction (28--99%) of the corresponding 2-nitro-5-(arylthio)benzonitriles, which were synthesized by the condensation of the appropriate 5-chloro-2-nitrobenzonitriles with various arylthiols (36--83%). Many of the thioquinazolines (VIII) showed suppressive antimalarial activity comparable with or superior to chloroquine, cycloguanil, and pyrimethamine against drug-sensitive lines of Plasmodium berghei in mice and Plasmodium gallinaceum in chicks, and several displayed potent prophylactic activity with P. gallinaceum. Moreover, the thioquinazolines retained potent antimalarial effects against chloroquine-, cycloguanil-, pyrimethamine- and DDS-resistant lines of P. berghei in mice and against chloroquine- and pyrimethamine-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum in owl monkeys. The most active compound, namely, 2,4-diamino-6-[alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoro-m-tolyl)thio]quinazoline, was designated for preclinical toxicological studies. Numerous substances exhibited in vitro activity against a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacteria at concentrations of less than 0.25 microgram/mL. The thioquinazolines also prove to be potent folate antagonists, causing 50% inhibition of Streptococcus faecalis R (ATCC 8043) at drug concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 2.0 ng/mL. Structure--activity relationships are discussed.