Quinazolinones, Quinazolinthiones, and Quinazolinimines as Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors: Synthetic Study and Biological Evaluation.

The synthesis of different compounds with a quinazolinone, quinazolinthione, or quinazolinimine skeleton and their in vitro biological evaluation as inhibitors of inducible and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (iNOS and nNOS) isoforms are described. These derivatives were obtained from substituted 2-aminobenzylamines, using diverse cyclization procedures. Furthermore, the diamines were synthesized by two routes: A conventional pathway and an efficient one-pot synthesis in a continuous-flow hydrogenator. The structures of these heterocycles were confirmed by (1) H and (13) C nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectroscopy data. The structure-activity relationships of the target molecules are discussed in terms of the effects of both the R radical and the X heteroatom in the 2-position. In general, the assayed compounds behave as better iNOS than nNOS inhibitors, with the quinazolinone 11e being the most active inhibitor of all tested compounds and the most iNOS/nNOS selective one.