Retro-Diels-Alder reaction: possible involvement in the metabolic activation of 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2(3),5(6)-diene-2,3-dicarboxylates and a phosphonate analog.

A discontinuous structure-activity relationship signaled a change in mode of action and led to the discovery of a possible novel metabolic activation mechanism. The toxicity of the herbicide endothal (exo,exo-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-dicarboxylic acid) to mice (ip LD50 = 14 mg/kg) is attributed to the inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) at the cantharidin binding site. The potency is reduced by the introduction of a 2,3- or 5,6-double bond. Surprisingly, high toxicity (ip LD50's = 15-50 mg/kg) is restored in oxabicyclohepta-2(3),5(6)-dienes substituted in the 2- and 3-positions with bis(methyl carboxylate), bis(ethyl carboxylate), and diethyl phosphonate/ethyl carboxylate, whereas the dicarboxylic acid, bis(tert-butyl carboxylate), and bis(dimethyl phosphonate) are inactive. The diene adducts do not inhibit the cantharidin binding site of PP2A. Two observations provided an alternative working hypothesis that the active but not the inactive diene adducts are protoxicants: GC analyses revealed that selected bicyclic dienes readily undergo thermal dissociation by retro-Diels-Alder reactions to liberate disubstituted acetylenes; the liberated acetylenes have mouse ip LD50's of 8-25 mg/kg. Apparent exceptions to this hypothesis are that bicyclic dienes with bis(tert-butyl carboxylate) and bis(dimethyl phosphonate) substituents are not toxic, yet their corresponding acetylenes are quite toxic. These apparent anomalies are resolved by finding that only the toxic bicyclic dienes readily react with albumin and 4-nitrobenzenethiol and that their low-toxicity analogs are much less reactive. Albumin can be replaced by hemoglobin but not by myoglobin or chymotrypsin in reaction with a bicyclic diene indicating the importance of the free thiol group. Diethyl oxabicycloheptadienedicarboxylate readily reacts with GSH to give two products, which are also formed from the corresponding acetylene, identified as the cis and trans isomers of the GSH-acetylene conjugate. This is the first proposal, to our knowledge, that a retro-Diels-Alder-type reaction is involved in the metabolic activation of a toxicant.