T-BUTYL ERGOLINE DERIVATIVES

Abstract: Ergoline derivatives of general formula I wherein either R₁ represents a hydrogen atom or a methoxy group and R₂ represents a hydrogen atom or R₁ and R₂ taken together represent a chemical bond, and R₃ represents a hydrogen atom, an unsubstituted or substituted nicotinoyl group or a 1-oxo-2-cyclopenten-3-yl group; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof are active at the Central Nervous System level and useful therefore in the treatment of cerebral insufficiency and senile dementia.

Description: The invention relates to ergoline derivatives, to a process for their Preparation and to pharmaceutical compositions containing them. The invention provides ergoline derivatives having the general formula I wherein either R₁ represents a hydrogen atom or a methoxy group and R₂ represents a hydrogen atom or R₁ and R₂ taken together represent a chemical bond, and R₃ represents a hydrogen atom, an unsubstituted or substitute nicotinoyl group or a 1-oxo-2-cyclopenten-3-yl group; and further provides pharmaceutically acceptable salts of such ergoline derivatives. When R₃ represents a substituted nicotinoyl group, the substituent is an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a nitro, cyano, hydroxy, amino or aminomethyl group, or a halogen atom such as a bromine atom. The 1-alkylation of ergolines may be performed by reacting non-alkylated ergolines with alkyl halides in liquid ammonia in the presence of a strong base such as potassium amide (see Troxler F., Hofmann A., Helv. Chim. Acta, 40, 2160 (1957)). The efficiency of this alkylation reaction is good for primary alkyl halides, but much reduced for secondary alkyl halides. Tertiary alkyl halides do not react at all but yield the related olefines by elimination. We have surprisingly found that 1-(t-butyl)-ergoline derivatives of the present invention may be prepared using t-butanol in trifluoroacetic anhydride conditions that should have reasonably led to an electrophilic attachment in position 2 of the ergoline ring or in the aromatic ring. Accordingly, the present invention provides a process for the preparation of an ergoline derivative of formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, which process comprises: (i) reacting lysergol with t-butanol in trifluoroacetic anhydride; (ii) converting, if desired, the resultant compound of the formula I wherein R₁ and R₂ taken together represent a chemical bond into a corresponding compound of the formula I wherein R₂ represents a hydrogen atom and R₁ represents a hydrogen atom or methoxy group; (iii) converting, if desired, a resultant compound of the formula I wherein R₃ represents a hydrogen atom into a corresponding compound of the formula I wherein R₃ represents a said unsubstituted or substituted nicotinoyl group or 1-oxo-2-cyclo-penten-3-yl group; and (iv) converting, if desired, a resultant compound of the formula I into a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. As reported in the following scheme lysergol II is t-butylated in position 1 of the ergoline skeleton by reacting it with t-butanol in trifluoroacetic anhydride, typically at room temperature for a period of from 70 to 90 hours. The t-butyl-lysergol so obtained is useful "per se" or may be either transformed into the 10-methoxy derivative according to the process of GB-A-1 244 145 or reduced to the dihydro derivative by reduction with hydrogen in the presence of a noble metal. Transformation of the t-butyl-lysergol may therefore be achieved by reaction with methanol in the presence of light and of an inorganic acid. Preferably, the source of light is a UV ray lamp and the acid is sulphuric acid. The compounds of the formula I wherein R₃ represents a hydrogen atom may be converted into other compounds of the formula I using normal chemical reactions. For example, the esterification of the C-17 hydroxy group is generally effected by treatment with the anhydride or chloride of unsubstituted nicotinic acid or nicotinic acid substituted as defined above in the optional presence of a tertiary amine such as pyridine, triethylamine and the like, according to the method described in our US-A-3228943. The etherification can be effected by treatment of the tosyl ester of a compound of formula I with a 1,3-dicarbonyl compound in sodium salt form, in particular 1,3-cyclopentandione sodium salt, in hexamethylphosphotriamide as solvent as described in our US-A-4382940. It has been found that the presence of a t-butyl group in position 1 of the ergoline skeleton is advantageous in comparison to the presence of a methyl group (our US-A-3879554) as it is proved by electroencephalographic effects (EEG) which show increased and longer-lasting modifications in terms of cortical activation. These modifications suggest the clinical usefulness of these derivatives for the following conditions: diffuse cerebral arteriosclerosis, transient cerebral isschemica and involution syndromes of pre-senile age, senescence and senility (Buonamici, M, Young, G A and Khazan (1982) Neuropharmacology 21 : 825-829. Effects of acute Δ ⁹-THC administration on EEG and EEG power spectra in the rat). In this test the compounds were administered at doses of 5-10-20 mg/kg po to groups of 8 rats. The oral orientative acute toxicity (LD₅₀) of the compounds of the formula I was higher than 800 mg/kg. The compounds are therefore useful in the treatment of cerebral insufficiency and senile dementia, particularly the early stages thereof. For this use the dosage will, of course, vary depending on the compound employed, mode of administration and treatment desired. However, in general, satisfactory results are obtained when administered at a daily dosage of from 0.01 mg to about 50 mg per kg animal body weight, conveniently given in divided doses 2 to 4 times a day or in sustained release form. For the larger mammal, the total daily dosage is in the range of from 1 to about 100 e.g. 10 to 90 mg and dosage forms suitable for oral administration comprise from about 0.2 mg to about 50 mg of the compounds admixed with a solid or liquid pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent. 1-(t-Butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8β-hydroxymethyl-ergoline, 1-(t-butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8β-(5-bromo-3-pyridine-carboxymethyl)-ergoline and 1-(t-butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8β-(1-oxo-2-cyclopenten-3-yloxymethyl)-ergoline are the preferred compounds. The compounds of the invention may be administered in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt. Such salt forms have the same order of activity as the free base forms. The invention accordingly provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising an ergoline derivative I as herein defined or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof in admixture with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent or carrier. Such compositions may be formulated in convention manner so as to be, for example, a solution or a tablet. The compounds of the invention may be used in analogous manner to standard compounds used for the indication mentioned above. The following Examples illustrate the invention. Example 1 1-(t-Butyl)-9,10-didehydro-6-methyl-8β-hydroxymethyl-ergoline To a mixture of 8g of lysergol in 150 ml of t-butanol, 200 ml of trifluoroacetic anhydride were added dropwise with vigorous stirring. After the solution had been left at room temperature for 90 hours, it was evaporated. The residue was dissolved in water, made alkaline with ammonium hydroxide and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate. After removal of the ethyl acetate, the residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography using 1:1 cyclohexane:ethyl acetate for elution to give 6 g of the title compound melting at 181 to 183°C. Example 2 1-(t-Butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8β-hydroxymethyl-ergoline A solution of 6 g of 1-(t-butyl)-9,10-didehydro-6-methyl-8β-hydroxymethyl-ergoline, prepared as described in Example 1, in 500 ml of methanol and 5 ml of sulphuric acid was irradiated at 20°C in a Pyrex flask with a Hanau PL 321 lamp for about 6 hours, until the absorption at 315 mµ completely disappeared. The solution was diluted with iced water, made basic with ammonium hydroxide, evaporated to 100 ml and extracted with ethyl acetate. After evaporation of the solvent the residue was chromatographed in silica gel and on elution with 97:3 dichloromethane:methanol, 5 g of the title compound was isolated, m.p. 172 to 174°C from acetone. Example 3 1-(t-Butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8β-(5-bromo-3-pyridine-carboxymethyl)-ergoline 2.65 g of 5-bromonicotinoyl chloride were added at 25°C to a solution of 3 g of 1-(t-butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8β-hydroxymethyl-ergoline prepared as described in Example 2, in 35 ml of pyridine. After 4 hours the solution was evaporated in vacuo, the residue was taken up in water containing ammonium hydroxide and extracted with dichloromethane. Evaporation of the solvent left a residue that was purified by chromatography over silica gel using cyclohexane with increasing amounts of acetone (from 0 to 30 percent) as the eluant, to give 4 g of the title compound melting at 75 to 77°C. Example 4 1-(t-Butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8β-(1-oxo-2-cyclopenten-3-yloxymethyl)-ergoline a) To a solution of 1.8 of 1-(t-butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8β-hydroxymethyl-ergoline, prepared as described in Example 2, in 20 ml of pyridine, 2.8 g of tosyl chloride in 15 ml of pyridine were slowly added. After the addition had been completed, the mixture was stirred for about six hours and was then poured into cold water and extracted with dichloromethane. The organic layer was evaporated off and the residue was chromatographed over 18 g of silica gel using dichloromethane with increasing amounts of methanol (from 0 to 4 percent) as the eluant. 2 g of 1-(t-butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8β-tosyloxymethyl-ergoline were obtained, melting at about 150 to 152°C. b) A mixture of 2 g of the compound prepared in the first part of this Example and 0.7 g of 1,3-cyclopentandione sodium salt in 15 ml of hexamethyl-phosphotriamide was heated at 80°C for 3 hours. The resulting solution was poured into 200 ml of water and the suspension was extracted with ethyl acetate. After evaporation of the organic solvent the residue was purified by crystallization from diethyl ether to give 1.5 g of the title compound, m.p. 145 to 147°C. Example 5 1-(t-Butyl)-6-methyl-8β-hydroxymethyl-ergoline A solution of 4 g of 1-(t-butyl)-9,10-didehydro-6-methyl-8β-hydroxymethyl-ergoline, prepared as described in Example 1, in 500 ml of methanol was hydrogenated in the presence of 4 g of 10% palladium on carbon catalyst. After removing the catalyst by filtration and the methanol by evaporation, the residue was crystallized from water:methanol to give 3 g of the title compound melting at 162 to 164°C.

Claims: Claims for the following Contracting States : BE, CH, DE, FR, GB, IT, LI, LU, NL, SE An ergoline derivative having the formula I wherein either R₁ represents a hydrogen atom or a methoxy group and R₂ represents a hydrogen atom or R₁ and R₂ taken together represent a chemical bond, and R₃ represents a hydrogen atom, a 1-oxo-2-cyclopenten-3-yl group or a nicotinoyl group which is unsubstituted or substituted by an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a nitro, cyano, hydroxy, amino or aminomethyl group, or a halogen atom, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. An ergoline derivative according to claim 1, which is 1-(t-butyl)-9,10-didehydro-6-methyl-8ß-hydroxymethyl-ergoline. An ergoline derivative according to claim 1, which is 1-(t-butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8ß-hydroxymethyl-ergoline. An ergoline derivative according to claim 1, which is 1-(t-butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8ß-(5-bromo-3-pyridine-carboxymethyl)-ergoline. An ergoline derivative according to claim 1, which is 1-(t-butyl)-10-methoxy-6-methyl-8ß-(1-oxo-2-cyclopenten-3-yloxymethyl)-ergoline. An ergoline derivative according to claim 1, which is 1-(t-butyl)-6-methyl-8ß-hydroxymethyl-ergoline. A pharmaceutical composition comprising an ergoline derivative according to claim 1 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof in admixture with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent or carrier. A process for the preparation of an ergoline derivative according to claim 1 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, which process comprises: (i) reacting lysergol with t-butanol in trifluoroacetic anhydride; (ii) converting, if desired, the resultant compound of the formula I wherein R₁ and R₂ taken together represent a chemical bond into a corresponding compound of the formula I wherein R₂ represents a hydrogen atom and R₁ represents a hydrogen atom or methoxy group; (iii) converting, if desired, a resultant compound of the formula I wherein R₃ represents a hydrogen atom into a corresponding compound of the formula I wherein R₃ represents a said unsubstituted or substituted nicotinoyl group or 1-oxo-2-cyclopenten-3-yl group; and (iv) converting, if desired, a resultant compound of the formula I into a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. A process according to claim 8, wherein step (i) is carried out at room temperature for a period of from 70 to 90 hours. Claims for the following Contracting States : AT, ES, GR A process for the preparation of an ergoline derivative having the formula I wherein either R₁ represents a hydrogen atom or a methoxy group and R₂ represents a hydrogen atom or R₁ and R₂ taken together represent a chemical bond, and R₃ represents a hydrogen atom, a 1-oxo-2-cyclopenten-3-yl group, or a nicotinoyl group which is unsubstituted or substituted by an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a nitro, cyano, hydroxy, amino or aminomethyl group or a halogen atom, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; which process comprises: (i) reacting lysergol with t-butanol in trifluoroacetic anhydride; (ii) converting, if desired, the resultant compound of the formula I wherein R₁ and R₂ taken together represent a chemical bond into a corresponding compound of the formula I wherein R₂ represent a hydrogen atom and R₁ represents a hydrogen atom or methoxy group; (iii) converting, if desired, a resultant compound of the formula I wherein R₃ represents a hydrogen atom into a corresponding compound of the formula I wherein R₃ represents a said unsubstituted or substituted nicotinoyl group or 1-oxo-2-cyclopenten-3-yl group; and (iv) converting, if desired, a resultant compound of the formula I into a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. A process according to claim 1, wherein step (i) is carried out at room temperature for a period of from 70 to 90 hours. A process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in step (ii) the compound of formula I wherein R₁ and R₂ taken together represent a chemical bond is reacted with methanol in the presence of light from a UV ray lamp and of sulphuric acid to form the corresponding compound of formula I wherein R₁ represents a methoxy group and R₂ represents a hydrogen atom. A process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in step (ii) the compound of formula I wherein R₁ and R₂ taken together represent a chemical bond is reduced with hydrogen in the presence of a noble metal to form the corresponding compound of formula I wherein R₁ and R₂ each represents a hydrogen atom. A process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in step (iii) the compound of formula I wherein R₃ represents a hydrogen atom is reacted with the anhydride or chloride of unsubstituted nicotinic acid or nicotinic acid substituted as defined in claim 1 optionally in the presence of pyridine or triethylamine to form the corresponding compound of formula I wherein R₃ represents a said unsubstituted or substituted nicotinoyl group. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in step (iii) the compound of formula I wherein R₃ represents a hydrogen atom is converted into the corresponding tosyl ester which is reacted with 1,3-cyclopentandione sodium salt in hexamethylphosphotriamide to form the corresponding compound of formula I wherein R₃ represents a 1-oxo-2-cyclopenten-3-yl group.

Inventors: BRAMBILLA, ENZO, CERVINI, MARIA ANTONIETTA, GOBBINI, MAURO, TEMPERILLI, ALDEMIO
Applicants: FARMITALIA CARLO ERBA S.R.L.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: C07D457
IPC codes: A61P25, A61K31, C07D457