Potential anticancer agents. XXIII. 1. Qualitative structure--activity relationship in the "classical" antifolates area.

In order to obtain "classical" antifolates with improved therapeutic index, 32 new Methotrexate analogues were synthesized and studied. Their structure--activity relationship analysis led to the following conclusions: a) the replacement of glutamyl moiety with other amino acids led to compounds which are powerful inhibitors of DHFR but were devoid of activity against L1210 leukemia, b) the phenylic nucleus substitution with methoxy groups afforded potent inhibitors of DHFR and also effective derivatives against experimental tumors, c) the insertion of an extra amino acid between the phenylic ring and the terminal moiety proved to be an unfavorable event for the activity of such compounds, d) the MTX-analogues with the peptidic side chain grafted at C7 of the pteridine ring were ineffective against both DHFR and L1210 leukemia. From the investigated derivatives p[2,4-diamino-6-pteridinyl)-methyl-N10-methyl] aminobenzoyl-L-leucine 16 is twofold more potent as MTX by respect to DHFR and could be used in MTX-resistant (by impaired transport) cell lines being more hydrophobic.