Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) studies on the transacylation reactivity of model 1beta-O-acyl glucuronides. II: QSAR modelling of the reaction using both computational and experimental NMR parameters.

In a previously reported study, a number of 4-substituted benzoic acid acyl glucuronides were synthesized and their degradation rates determined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. It was shown that this reaction was strongly influenced by the nature of the substituent at the 4-position of the benzoyl moiety. The overall degradation reaction rates for this series of compounds have been modelled successfully using Hammett substituent constants, computational chemistry-derived partial atomic charges and the experimentally determined carbonyl carbon 13C-NMR chemical shifts of the benzoic acids and their ethyl and glucuronide esters. The primary contribution to reactivity is the scale of the electron-donating or -withdrawing effect of the substituent; however, additional contributions such as steric parameters must also be considered when modelling reactions outside a single chemical series. The derived property-reactivity relationships should find utility in medicinal chemistry efforts for optimizing chemical series in pharmaceutical discovery programmes.