Coumarin-based octopamine phototriggers and their effects on an insect octopamine receptor

We have developed and characterized efficient caged compounds of the neurotransmitter octopamine. For derivatization, we introduced [6-bromo-8-(diethylaminomethyl)-7-hydroxycoumarin-4-yl]methoxycarbonyl (DBHCMOC) and {6-bromo-7-hydroxy-8-[(piperazin-1-yl)methyl]coumarin-4-yl}methoxycarbonyl (PBHCMOC) moieties as novel photo-removable protecting groups. The caged compounds were functionally inactive when applied to heterologously expressed octopamine receptors (AmOctα1R). Upon irradiation with UV-visible or IR light, bioactive octopamine was released and evoked Ca2+ signals in AmOctα1R-expressing cells. The pronounced water solubility of compounds 2-4 in particular holds great promise for these substances as excellent phototriggers of this important neurotransmitter.     

DMACM-caged adenosine nucleotides: ultrafast phototriggers for ATP,ADP, and AMP activated by long-wavelength irradiation

The development of new photocleavable adenosine nucleotides based on the photochemistry of [7-(dimethylamino)coumarin-4-yl]methyl (DMACM) esters is described. The phototriggers liberate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), diphosphate, and monophosphate upon UV/Vis irradiation between 334 and 405 nm. The efficiency of photocleavage at long wavelengths is high as a result of a combination of appropriate quantum yields and intensive absorptivities. By using time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, we determined a lower limit of 1.6 x 10(9) s(-1) for the rate constant of the release of ATP from DMACM-caged ATP. The favorable properties of DMACM-caged ATP were confirmed in physiological studies by confocal laser scanning microscopy. We were able to uncage DMACM-caged ATP in cultures of mouse astrocytes and in brain tissue slices from mice and were also able to measure the effect of photoreleased ATP on the cellular response of astrocytes, namely the ability of the ATP to evoke Ca(2+) ion waves.     

Caged capsaicins: New tools for the examination of TRPV1 channels in somatosensory neurons

The vanilloid capsaicin, N-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-8-methylnon-6-enamide, is the pungent ingredient of chili peppers and is used in pain research as an activating ligand of heat-sensitive transduction channels in nociceptive neurons. Here we describe the synthesis and application of two capsaicin derivatives modified at the hydroxy function of the vanillyl motif: alpha-carboxy-4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl-caged (CDMNB-caged) capsaicin and {7-[bis(carboxymethyl)amino]coumarin-4-yl}methoxycarbonyl-caged (BCMACMOC-caged) capsaicin. These compounds show dramatically reduced pungency, but release active capsaicin upon irradiation with UV light. CDMNB-caged capsaicin can be used to perform concentration-jump experiments, while BCMACMOC-caged capsaicin is membrane-impermeant and can be applied selectively to the intracellular or extracellular sides of a plasma membrane. Both compounds can serve as valuable research tools in pain physiology.     

Synthesis of novel tri- and tetrasubstituted C<Subscript>18</Subscript> furan fatty esters

A methylene-interrupted C₁₈ keto-acetylenic fatty ester (methyl 12-oxo-9-octadecynoate) was obtained from methyl ricinoleate by bromination-dehydrobromination followed by oxidation. Reaction of methyl 12-oxo-9-octadecynoate with bis(benzonitrile) palladium(II) chloride, allyl bromide, or methyl-allyl bromide furnished methyl 8-[5-hexyl-3-allyl-furan-2-yl]-octanoate (1, 56%) or methyl 8-[5-hexyl-3-(2-methyl-allyl)-furan-2-yl]-octanoate (2, 55%). Reaction of methyl 12-oxo-11-chloro-or 11-fluoro-9-octadeyynoate (prepared from methyl santalbate-methyl 11-E-9-octadecynoate, found in sandalwood, Santalum album, seed oil) with bis(benzonitrile) palladium(II) chloride gave methyl 8-(4-fluoro-5-hexyl-furan-2-yl)-octanoate (3, 50%) or methyl 8-(4-fluoro-5-hexyl-furan-2-yl)-octanoate (4, 50%), respectively. And when methyl 12-oxo-11-chloro- or 11-fluoro-9-octadecynoate was treated with a mixture of bis(benzonitrile) palladium(II) chloride, allyl bromide, or methyl-allyl bromide, the reaction yielded tetrasubstituted C₁₈ furan derivatives, viz, methyl 8-(3-allyl-4-chloro-5-hexyl-furan-2-yl)-octanoate (5, 54%), methyl 8-[4-chloro-5-hexyl-3-(2-methyl-allyl)-furan-2-yl)-octanoate (6, 54%), methyl 8-(3-allyl-4-fluoro-5-hexyl-furan-2-yl]-octanoate (7, 10%), and methyl 8-[4-fluoro-5-hexyl-3-(2-methyl-allyl)-furan-2-yl]-octanoate (8, 10%). The presence of a fluorine atom in the furan derivatives 4, 7, and 8 was readily characterized by the appearance of doublets for carbon nuclei, which were coupled to the fluorine atom in the ¹³C NMR spectra. All furan fatty derivatives from this work were characterized by NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric analyses. The yields of compounds 7 and 8 were very low (10%) despite attempts to improve the procedure by increasing the amounts of the reactants and catalyst.     

香豆素噻唑烷二酮类化合物的合成

运用拼合原理并根据构效关系研究结果,设计了香豆素噻唑烷二酮类化合物,合成方法是以甲基取代的香豆素为原料,经NBS溴化后,再与5-(4-羟基苄叉)-噻唑烷-2,4-二酮在NaH作用下缩合得到,其中中间体5-(4-羟基苄叉)-噻唑烷-2,4-二酮是由噻唑烷二酮与对羟基苯甲醛在哌啶催化下缩合得到,共合成了5-[4-(香豆素-7-亚甲氧基)苄叉]-噻唑烷-2,4-二酮、5-[4-(4-甲基香豆素-7-亚甲氧基)苄叉]-噻唑烷-2,4-二酮、5-[4-(香豆素-6-亚甲氧基)苄叉]-噻唑烷-2,4-二酮、5-[4-(7-甲氧基香豆素-4-亚甲氧基)苄叉]-噻唑烷-2,4-二酮、5-[4-(3-溴香豆素-7-亚甲氧基)苄叉]-噻唑烷-2,4-二酮、5-[4-(3-溴-4-甲基香豆素-7-亚甲氧基)苄叉]-噻唑烷-2,4-二酮6个香豆素噻唑烷二酮类化合物,结构均经IR1、HNMR、MS确定,两步反应合成目标化合物总产率分别为10.4%、13.1%、7.1%、16.0%、22.0%、18.0%。     

头孢三嗪反式异构体合成研究

以头孢主环(6R,7R)-7-氨基-8-氧代-3-[[(1,2,5,6-四氢-2-甲基-5,6-二氧代-1,2,4-三嗪-3-基)硫代]甲基]-5-硫代-1-氮杂双环[4.2.0]辛-2-烯-2-羧酸(7-ACT)为起始原料,与反式活性酯侧链(E)-2-(2-氨基-4-噻唑基)-2-甲氧亚胺-乙酸-2-苯并噻唑硫酯(E-AE)反应作用生成(6R,7R)-7-[2-(2-氨基-4-噻唑基)-(E)-2-(甲氧亚胺)乙酰氨基]-8-氧代-3-[(1,2,5,6-四氢-2-甲基-5,6-二氧代-1,2,4-三嗪-3-基)硫代〗甲基]-5-硫代-1-氮杂双环[4.2.0]辛-2-烯-2-羧酸,然后在丙酮溶液中与异辛酸钠成盐而制得反式头孢三嗪钠。该产品具有良好的稳定性与高纯度,可作为对照品使用。     

Synthesis of phthalimid-3-yl and -4-yl aminoethylenes and pyrroloquinolines and a study of their fluorescence properties

3-Amino- (5) and 4-amino-N-phenylphthalimides (6) were condensed with diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonic diester (EMME) (7a), ethyl ethoxymethylenecyanoacetate (EMCA) (7b) and ethyl ethoxymethyleneacetoacetate (EMAA) (7c) to obtain 1-N-(1-N-phenylphthalimid-3-yl)amino-2-disubstituted ethylenes (8) and 1-N-(1-N-phenylphthalimid-4-yl)amino-2-disubstituted ethylenes (9), respectively. These aminoethylenes containing a 2-ethyl carboxylate substituent (8a-8c) and (9a-9c) were cyclized in Dowtherm A to give the corresponding 3-substituted 4-hydroxy-8-N-phenylpyrrolo[3,4-h] quinoline-7,9-diones (10a-10c) and 3-substituted 4-hydroxy-7-N-phenylpyrrolo[3,4-g] quinoline-6,8-diones (11a-11c), respectively. Compounds 5 and 6 were also condensed with ethyl orthoformate and compounds containing an active methylene or active methyl group such as phenyl acetonitrile (12a), 2-methylbenzimidazole (12b) and benzimidazol-2-yl acetonitrile (12c) to give different aminoethylene derivatives (8) and (9), respectively. The fluorescent properties of the compounds 8-11 were studied and some of these compounds were applied to polyester fibres as fluorescent dyes.     

含受阻胺结构的苯并三唑光稳定剂的合成及表征

以3-(3′-叔丁基-4′-羟基-苯基)丙酸和邻硝基苯胺或邻硝基对氯苯胺为起始原料经重氮化-偶合、还原、酯化,再与甲基哌啶醇酯交换反应合成了4个分子中含受阻胺结构的苯并三唑化合物,2,2,6,6-四甲基哌啶醇-[3′-(2H-苯并三唑)-5′-叔丁基-4′-羟基-苯基]丙酸酯收率为48.3%;1,2,2,6,6-五甲基哌啶醇-[3′-(2H-苯并三唑)-5′-叔丁基-4′-羟基-苯基]丙酸酯收率为47.0%;2,2,6,6-四甲基哌啶醇-[3′-(5-氯-2H-苯并三唑)-5′-叔丁基-4′-羟基-苯基]丙酸酯的收率为45.7%;1,2,2,6,6-五甲基哌啶醇-[3′-(5-氯-2H-苯并三唑)-5′-叔丁基-4′-羟基-苯基]丙酸酯的收率为44.4%;通过1HNMR、MS和IR确定了化合物分子结构。测定了它们紫外吸收光谱,该4个化合物在270～400nm均有较强的吸收峰。所合成的化合物分子中同时含有紫外吸收和捕获自由基两种功能,是一类双功能光稳定剂。     

Reactions with β-ketodianilides. I. New synthesis of Pyrido[3,4-c]pyridine Derivatives

Acetonedicarboxylic acid dianiline reacted with malononitrile, ethyl cyanoacetate or benzoylacetonitrile to give (6-amino-5-cyano-1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-1-phenylpyrid-4-yl)-acetanilide ( 3 ), (3-cyano-2,6-dioxo-1-phenyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyrid-4-yl)acetanilide ( 8 ) or (3-cyano-1,6-dihydro-1,2-diphenyl-6-oxopyrid-4-yl)acetanilide ( 9 ). Compounds 3 and 8 could be cyclised into 8-amino-1,6-diphenyl-1,2,4,5,6,7-hexahydro-7-iminopyrido[3,4-c]pyridine-2,5-dione ( 4 ) and 7-amino-1,2,3,5,6,8-hexahydro-1,6-diphenylpyrido[3,4-c]pyridine-2,5,8-trione ( 10 ) respectively by heating their solutions in dimethylformamide in the presence of triethylamine. Each of 3 and 4 coupled with arenediazonium chlorides to give the corresponding arylhydrazone derivatives ( 5a–d ) and ( 6a–c ), respectively. Condensation of 4 with p-nitrosodimethylaniline yielded 8-amino-4- (p-dimethylaminophenylimino)-1,6-diphenyl-1,2,4,5,6,7-hexahydro-7-iminopyrido[3,4-c]pyridine2,5-dione ( 7 ).     

Synthesis of pyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrazino[2,3-c]pyrazoles and pyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrazino[2,3-d]pyrimidines and their application to polyester fibres

4-Nitroso-1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-aminopyrazole ( 1 ) was condensed with ethylcyanoacetate ( 2 ), malononitrile ( 4a ) and 2-cyanomethylbenzimidazole ( 4b ) to yield 6-hydroxy-5-cyano, 6-amino-5-cyano and 6-amino-5-(benzimidazol-2-yl)-3-methylpyrazolo [3,4-b]pyrazines 3, 5a and 5b , respectively. 5-Cyano-6-chloro derivative 6 obtained from 3 was converted to 3-aminopyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrazino[2,3-c]pyrazoles 8a and 8b by the treatment with hydrazin hydrate ( 7a ) and phenylhydrazine ( 7b ), respectively. Compound 5a was treated with formamide ( 9a ), urea ( 9b ) and thiourea ( 9c ) to give 4-aminopyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrazino[2′3′-d]pyrimidines 10a–10c. With refluxing acetic anhydride compounds 8a, 8b and 10a gave corresponding acetamido derivatives 8c, 8d and 10d. Compound 5a was treated with ethylorthoformate ( 11 ), acetic anhydride ( 12 ) or benzoylchloride ( 13 ) to give fused benzimidazopyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrazino[2′,3′-d]pyrimidines, viz., benzimidazol[1,2-c]pyrazolo[4,3-g]pteridines ( 14a–14c ). Some of the compounds 8, 10 and 14 were applied to polyester as disperse dyes and their fastness properties were studied.     

Synthesis of 7H-Benzo [de] -s-triazolo [5,1-a] isoquinolin-7-one derivatives and study of their fluorescent properties

N-Aminonaphthalimide (4a) and N-amino-5-nitronaphthalimide (4b) prepared from acenaphthene (1a) and 5-nitroacenaphthene (1b) by oxidation, cyclization with acetic anhydride and subsequent treatment with hydrazine sulphate were reacted with a variety ofcarboxylic acid amides such as formamide, acetamide, benzamide, cinnamic amide, coumarin-3-carboxamide and urea using zinc chloride in ethanediol at 150°C to give the 10-substituted and 6-nitro-10-substituted-7H-benzo[de]-s-triazolo[5,1-a]-isoquinolin-7-ones (6a–6f and 6b–6m), respectively. Acetylation of the 10-amino derivative 6f and reductive acetylation of the 6-nitro-10-substituted derivatives 6h–6m gave the 10-acetamido, 6-acetamido-, 6-acetamido-10-methyl, 6-acetamido-10-phenyl, 6-acetamido-10-(2-styryl), 6-acetamido-10-(coumarin-3-yl) and 6,10-bisacetamido derivatives (6g, 7a–7f), respectively. The fluorescent properties of the compounds 6a–6e and 7a–7f were studied. Compounds 6a, 6b and 7e were applied as fluorescent whiteners on polyester fibres and gave satisfactory results.     

Investigation of NPB Analogs That Target Phosphorylation of BAD-Ser99 in Human Mammary Carcinoma Cells

The design and development of a small molecule named NPB [3-{(4(2,3-dichlorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl}{2-hydroxyphenyl)methyl}-N-cyclopentylbenzamide], which specifically inhibited the phosphorylation of BAD at Ser99 in human carcinoma cells has been previously reported. Herein, the synthesis, characterization, and effect on cancer cell viability of NPB analogs, and the single-crystal X-ray crystallographic studies of an example compound (4r), which was grown via slow-solvent evaporation technique is reported. Screening for loss of viability in mammary carcinoma cells revealed that compounds such as 2[(4(2,3-dichlorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl][naphthalen-1-yl]methyl)phenol (4e), 5[(4(2,3-dichlorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl][2-hydroxyphenyl)methyl)uran-2-carbaldehyde (4f), 3[(2-hydroxyphenyl][4(p-tolyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)benzaldehyde (4i), and NPB inhibited the viability of MCF-7 cells with IC₅₀ values of 5.90, 3.11, 7.68, and 6.5 µM, respectively. The loss of cell viability was enhanced by the NPB analogs synthesized by adding newer rings such as naphthalene and furan-2-carbaldehyde in place of N-cyclopentyl-benzamide of NPB. Furthermore, these compounds decreased Ser99 phosphorylation of hBAD. Additional in silico density functional theory calculations suggested possibilities for other analogs of NPB that may be more suitable for further development.     

Novel functionalized monomers based on kojic acid: snythesis,characterization, polymerization and evalution of antimicrobial activity

Two novel acrylate monomers, [5-(benzyloxy)-4-oxo-4H-pyran-2-yl]methyl acrylate and {1-[(5-(benzyloxy)-4-oxo-4H-pyran-2-yl)methyl]-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl}methyl acrylate were synthesized by the reaction of 5-benzyloxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4H-pyran-4-one and 5-(benzyloxy)-2-{[4-(hydroxymethyl)-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]methyl}-4H-pyran-4-one with acryloyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine, respectively. These monomers were polymerized using 2,2^′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator in N,N-dimethylformamide:14-dioxane (10:1) solution. The thermal behavior of the polymers was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial and antifungal activites aganist bacteria and fungi using the disk diffusion method. The results indicated that some of these compounds demonstrated moderate to good antibacterial and antifungal activities.     

The synthesis of fused and pendant pyrazole heterocyclic compounds from 5-amino-3-methyl-1-phenylpyrazole and their evaluation as fluorescent brightening agents

5-Amino-3-methyl-1-phenylpyrazole ( 1 ) has been condensed with EMME ( 2 a) and EMCA ( 2 b) and the resulting ethyl 5-aminoacrylates ( 3 a–b) cyclized to pyrazolo[3,4,-b]pyridines ( 4 a–b). 3-Methyl-1-phenylpyrazol-5-yl diazonium salt ( 7 ), prepared from ( 1 ) was coupled with tobias acid ( 8 ) and 2-methoxy-6-aminoquinoxaline ( 9 ) to get the corresponding O-aminoarylazo and heterylazo dyes ( 10 ) which were oxidatively cyclized to 2-N-(3-methyl-1-N-phenylpyrazol-5-yl)-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-a] naphthalene and [4,5-f] quinoxaline derivative ( 11 ). The spectral properties of the compounds ( 4 a–b, 5 , 6 , 11 a–b) were studied.     

可分解型磺酸盐阴离子表面活性剂的合成研究

0 .3mol脂肪醛与 0 .4mol原甲酸三乙酯在 1g硝酸铵催化下于 8～ 10℃反应 8h得到脂肪醛缩二乙醇 (Ⅰ) (收率 >5 0 % ) ;Ⅰ在磺基水杨酸的催化下于 110℃与丙三醇反应〔n(丙三醇 )∶n(Ⅰ) =3∶1〕并蒸馏除去生成的乙醇 ,得到 2 烷基 4 羟甲基 1,3 二氧杂环戊烷 (Ⅱ) (收率 >80 % ) ;最后等物质的量的Ⅱ、1,3 丙基磺酸内酯和氢氧化钠于 60～ 65℃反应 8h ,得到系列可分解磺酸盐阴离子表面活性剂 [3 (2 烷基 1,3 二氧杂环戊烷基 4 甲氧基 )丙磺酸钠 ](Ⅲ) ,收率 >90 %。     

Synthesis and Characterization of Cell‐Permeable Caged Phosphates that Can Be Photolyzed by Visible Light or 800 nm Two‐Photon Photolysis

We report the synthesis and photolytic properties of caged inorganic phosphates (Pi compounds) based on the 2‐(4′‐{bis[2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethyl]amino}‐4‐nitro‐[1,1′‐biphenyl]‐3‐yl)propan‐1‐ol (EANBP) and 7‐(diethylamino)coumarin‐4‐yl]methyl (DEACM) protecting groups. The EANBP‐Pi showed unprecedented photolysis efficiency at 405 nm, with 95 % release of free phosphate and a quantum yield of 0.28. Thanks to the high two‐photon sensitivity of the EANBP chromophore, Pi release through two‐photon photolysis is also possible, with an action cross section of 20.5 GM at 800 nm. Two bioactivatable acetoxymethyl protection groups were added to the “caged‐Pi” compounds. The resulting triesters of phosphoric acid were able to diffuse through the cellular membranes of plant cells. Once inside a cell, the cleavage of these biocleavable motifs by intracellular esterases allows intracellular accumulation of EANBP‐Pi. Bis(AM)‐EANBP‐Pi therefore represents a very attractive tool for study of the Pi signal transduction cascade in living cells.     

hERG Optimization of Benzofuro−Pyridine and Pyrazino−Indole Derivatives as MCHR1 Antagonists

Obesity is a global epidemic associated with multiple severe diseases. Several pharmacotherapies have been investigated including the antagonists of melanin concentrating hormone receptor 1 (MCHR1). The design, synthesis, and biological studies of novel MCHR1 antagonists based on benzofuro−pyridine and pyrazino−indole scaffold was performed. We confirmed that fine-tuning lipophilicity and basic pK_a by modifying the benzyl group and introducing different substituents on the aliphatic nitrogen sidechain decreases both hERG inhibition and metabolic clearance. We have succeeded to develop excellent in vitro parameters in the case of compounds 17 (4-[(5-chloropyridin-2-yl)methoxy]-1-[4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-8-oxa-4-azatricyclo[7.4.0.0²,⁷]trideca-1(13),2(7),9,11-tetraen-11-yl]-1,2-dihydropyridin-2-one monohydrochloride) and 23 g (4-[(5-chloropyridin-2-yl)methoxy]-1-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrazino[1,2-a]indol-8-yl)pyridin-2(1H)-one monohydrochloride), which can be considered as valuable tools for further pharmacological investigation.     

RNA cleavage without hydrolysis. Splitting the catalytic activities of binase with Asn101 and Thr101 mutations

Members of the microbial guanyl-specific ribonuclease family catalyse the endonucleolytic cleavage of single-stranded RNA in a two-step reaction involving transesterification to form a 2',3'-cyclic phosphate and its subsequent hydrolysis to yield the respective 3'-phosphate. The extracellular ribonuclease from Bacillus intermedius (binase, RNase Bi) shares a common mechanism for RNA hydrolysis with mammalian RNases. Two catalytic residues in the active site of binase, Glu72 and His101, are thought to be involved in general acid-general base catalysis of RNA cleavage. Using site-directed mutagenesis, binase mutants were produced containing amino acid substitutions H101N and H101T and their catalytic properties towards RNA, poly(I), poly(A), GpC and guanosine 2',3'- cyclic phosphate (cGMP) substrates were studied. The engineered mutant proteins are active in the transesterification step which produces the 2',3'-cyclic phosphate species but they have lost the ability to catalyse hydrolysis of the cyclic phosphate to give the 3' monophosphate product.      

An exploration of corrosion inhibition of mild steel in sulphuric acid solution through experimental study and Monte Carlo simulations

Abstract

4-[4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]methylbenzophenone (ITBP) and 4[4-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]methylbenzophenone (TTBP) are synthesized as new heterocyclic compounds of the triazole derivative family and tested successfully as potential inhibitors for MS in 1?M H₂SO₄ corrosive medium by using gravimetric analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Polarization curves show that the tested inhibitors are mixed-type inhibitors. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) affirmed the existence of an adsorbed film on the steel surface. Monte Carlo simulations were in excellent agreement with the experimental tests.

Abbreviation: PDP: Potentiodynamic Polarization; EIS: Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; DFT: Density functional theory; MC: Monte Carlo     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of adenosines with heterobicyclic and polycyclic N(6)-substituents as adenosine A(1) receptor agonists

A concise synthesis of a series of N(6)-substituted adenosines with bicyclo[3.2.1]octan-6-yl and polycyclic N(6)-substituents has been developed. The adenosine A(1) receptor (A(1)R) affinity and potency of these compounds was initially assessed using competitive binding assays and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation assays in DDT(1) MF-2 cells. The potency and receptor subtype selectivity of selected examples was further evaluated by measuring their effects on cAMP accumulation at all human adenosine receptor subtypes expressed in CHO cells. The results of these assays indicated that all of the synthesised N(6)-substituted adenosines are full agonists at A(1) R and activate this receptor selectively over the other adenosine receptor subtypes. The two standout compounds in terms of potency were N(6)-(3-thiabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-6-yl)adenosine and N(6)-(cubanylmethyl)adenosine with EC(50) values at human A(1)R of 2.3 nM and 1.1 nM, respectively. The cubanylmethyl derivative in particular proved to be highly receptor subtype selective. These two compounds were further evaluated in a simulated ischaemia model in cultured cardiomyoblasts, where they were found to impart protective effects under hypoxic conditions that resulted in a significant reduction in cell death.