Synthesis and biological evaluation of 5-(alkyn-1-yl)-1-(<i>p</i>-toluenesulfonyl)uracil derivatives

Sonogashira coupling of 5-iodouracil (2) and trimethylsilylacetylene gave 5-(trimethylsilylethynyl)uracil (3), which was deprotected to give 5-ethynyluracil (4). Copper(I)-catalyzed cyclization of 4 gave furo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-2(3H)-one (5). Tosylation of 2 and 4 gave the 1-(p-toluenesulfonyl) derivatives 6 and 7, respectively. The tosylated compound 6 and trimethylsilylacetylene did not undergo Sonogashira coupling, and copper(I)-catalyzed cyclization of 7 did not occur. Coupling of 2 with several terminal alkynes gave 5-(alkyn-1-yl)uracil derivatives (9), which underwent tosylation to produce the targeted 5-(alkyn-1-yl)-1-(p-toluenesulfonyl)uracil compounds (11). Copper(I)-catalyzed cyclization of 9 gave the respective furopyrimidines (10) in low yields. Again, cyclization did not occur with the tosyl derivatives (11). Activity against varicella-zoster virus (VZV) was observed with longer-chain analogues of 9 and 11, and compound 7 showed activity against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) at near cytotoxic levels.Key words: antiviral screening, furo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-2(3H)-one derivatives, Sonogashira coupling, 1-(p-toluenesulfonyl)pyrimidine derivatives.