Synthesis of some 1, 8- and 2, 8-disubstituted derivatives of adenosine cyclic 3', 5'-phosphate and their interaction with some enzymes of cAMP metabolism.

1, 8-Disubstituted derivatives of adenosine cyclic 3', 5'-phosphate (cAMP) were synthesized by N-oxidation or N-methylation of previously reported 8-substituted cAMP derivatives to yield 8-bromoadenosine cyclic 3', 5'-phosphate 1-oxide and 8-(benzylthio)-1-methyladenosine cyclic 3', 5'-phosphate. Substituents were introduced into the 8 position of 2-methyladenosine cyclic 3', 5'-phosphate and 2-butyladenosine cyclic 3', 5'-phosphate by bromination, followed by treatment with sodium benzylmercaptide, sodium p-chlorothiophenolate, or, in the former case, sodium azide. Each of the 1,8- and 2,8-disubstituted derivatives of cAMP was tested as activators of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and as substrates for the inhibitors of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases. Depending on the substitutions, examples were found where the disubstituted derivatives were either more active, equally as active or less active than the monosubstituted parent compounds as protein kinase activators. For the compounds reported, 8-substitution completely or substantially eliminated the ability of 1- or 2-substituted derivatives of cAMP to serve as substrates for phosphodiesterase and diminished the ability of these latter derivatives to inhibit cAMP hydrolysis.