Abstract:
New steroidal polyamines have the structure of formula I or formula II: ##STR1## wherein R 1  and R 2  are independently N(R&#39;) 3   +   or H in the α- or β- position except both R 1  and R 2  are not H; 
     R 3  is N(R&#39;) 3   +   in the α- position or hydrogen 
     R 4  is OH, N(R&#39;) 3 , or NHC(NH 2 )NH 2   +   
     R&#39; is hydrogen, alkyl of one to four carbons, aralkyl, or combinations thereof.

Description:
The invention was made with government support under National Science Foundation grant number CHE 9006684. The government has certain rights in the invention. 
    
    
     The invention relates to new steroidal polyamines having certain structural effects and DNA binding and their pharmaceutical effects as antibiotics and antineoplastics. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Efforts to understand the interactions of drugs and toxins with DNA as well as the desire for new methods of DNA manipulation have spurred the design and synthesis of small molecules that bind in specific ways to DNA. 
     The biogenic polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, spermine) bind primarily in the minor groove and are thought to hydrogen bond with donor atoms on the edges of the base pairs rather than associating with the phosphate backbone. 1  Studies of simple aliphatic polyamines 2  suggest that the three- to four-carbon spacing between ammonium groups is nearly ideal for matching the spacing of base pairs along the minor groove ladder while ensuring full protonation of the amines at pH 7. 
     The naturally occurring steroidal diamines such as irehdiamine A, malouetine, dipyrandium, and chonemorphine bearing ammonium groups at C3 and C17 (or the adjacent carbon, C20) of the steroid are amphiphilic in nature, presenting a large hydrophobic group between the cationic extremities. 3  Their biophysical features include unwinding of superhelical DNA, increasing the duplex denaturation temperature, and altering of the UV and CD spectra of DNA while such biochemical functions as aiding in membrane permeability, ion transport, and DNA replication and multagenesis are also observed. 4  For dipyrandium, binding to DNA is proposed to occur in the minor groove in conjunction with 5&#39;-d(TA) kinks. 5   
     A lipospermine for gene transfer is marketed in Europe under the name transfectam (Prolabo). 
     The steroidal diamines, as well as the recently reported steroidal spermidine, squalamine, isolated from sharks, are of considerable interest as antibiotics. 6   
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to new synthetic steroidal polyamines in which the number and position of ammonium, amine or guanidinium groups can be varied. 
     The compounds of the invention have formula I or formula II: ##STR2## wherein R 1  and R 2  are independently N(R&#39;) 3   +   or H in the α- or β-position except that both R 1  and R 2  are not H; 
     R 3  is N(R&#39;) 3   +   in the α- position or H; 
     R 4  is OH, N(R&#39;) 3   +   or NHC(NH 2 )NH 2   +  ; 
     R&#39; is hydrogen, alkyl of one to four carbons, aralkyl or combinations thereof. 
     Preferred embodiments of formula I include compounds 1-6 which include the following: 
     1 R 1  =H, R 2  =NH 3   + , R 3  =NH 3   + , R 4  =CH 
     2 R 1  =NH 3   + , R 2  =H, R 3  =NH 3   + , R 4  =OH 
     3 R 1  =H, R 2  =NH 3   + , R 3  =H, R 4  =NH 3   +   
     4 R 1  =NH 3   + , R 2  =H, R 3  =H, R 4  =NH 3   +   
     5 R 1  =NH 3   + , R 2  =H, R 3  =NH 3   + , R 4  =NH 3   +   
     6 R 1  =NH 3   + , R 2  =H, R 3  =H, R 4  =NHC(NH 2 )NH 2   +   
     A preferred embodiment of formula II includes compound 7: ##STR3## 
     Advantageously, the compounds have good water solubility and membrane permeability. In addition, the compounds have the ability to bind DNA by one to three orders of magnitude better than simple aliphatic polyamines. Therefore, the compounds are good anti-sense oligonucleotide carriers. 
     The compounds are suitable for use in pharmacological compositions as antibiotics and antitumor agents and for use in gene transfer. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE 
     FIG. 1 is a graph showing the effect of polyamine binding on T m  of poly d(AT). T m  values were measured by monitoring the 260 nm absorbance using 0.025 SHE buffer (23 mM NaCl, 2 mM HEPES, 0.5 mM EDTA, pH 7.0). Error limits are: ±1°. T m  is melting temperature. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Bile acids such as cholic acid and its derivatives offer a convenient framework for construction of the instant species. 7  Accordingly, we prepared the steroidal diamines 1-4, triamine 5, amino-guanidinium 6, and the steroid dimer 7, a tetraamine, and examined their binding to DNA. 
     The polyamines were synthesized from either deoxycholic acid or lithocholic acid, depending on whether or not functionality was desired at C12. 8  Both acids were first reduced to the corresponding C24 alcohols using BH 3  /THF. 9  Both the 3α-OH and the 12α-OH groups could be converted to α-NH 2  groups by oxidation with pyridinium dichromate, formation of the oxime, and reduction with Na/n-propanol. 10  The 3β-NH 2  group was introduced by conversion of the 3α-OH to the corresponding 3β-azide under Mitsunobu conditions (HN 3  or ZN(N 3 ) 2 , PPh 3 , DEAD) 11  followed by reduction of the azide with either catalytic hydrogenation or LiAlH 4 . This latter procedure was also used to introduce the C24 amine, which could be subsequently converted to a guanidinium group using aminoiminomethanesulfonic acid. 12  Finally, the dimeric steroid 7 was synthesized by a 2:1 coupling of lithocholic acid with 1,4-diaminobutane via the N-hydroxysuccinimide ester, the Mitsunobu method to introduce the amine at C3, and reduction of the amides with BH 3  /THF. Subsequently, all of the free steroidal amines were converted to polyammonium salts by treating with ethereal HCl, and the salts were used in DNA binding studies. Variations on these synthetic procedures were used, including protection and deprotection at various sites depending upon the desired target molecule. 13  All new compounds were purified by column chromatography and successfully characterized by  1  H and  13  C NMR, IR, FAB-MS, and elemental analysis. 
     The compounds can be further reacted by methods known in the art, e.g., by treatment with alkyl or aralkyl halides (such as methyl iodide), to substitute alkyl or aralkyl groups for one, two or three hydrogens on the primary amine moieties yielding secondary, tertiary or quaternary groups. Alkyl includes one to four carbons and is preferably methyl. Aralkyl is preferably benzyl. 
     DNA binding studies were carried out using calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) as well as poly d(AT) and poly d(GC). The experimental method employed was an ethidium displacement assay following previously reported literature. 2 ,14 The C 50  value was determined as the concentration of the steroidal polyamine leading to a 50% reduction in the fluorescence intensity of bound ethidium (excitation at 547 nm, emission at 595 nm) under 0.01 SHE buffer conditions (8 mM NaCl, 2 mM HEPES, 0.05 mM EDTA, (ethidium)=1.26 μM, (DNA base pairs)=1.31 μM, pH 7, 25° C.). Although C 50  values cannot be directly translated into binding constants because the mode and stoichiometry of binding ethidium and by steroidal polyamines is not the same, they nevertheless offer a convenient qualitative means of comparing structural effects of the polyamine on DNA binding. As a point of reference, independent studies estimate a dissociation constant, K d , in the range 0.1-1.0 μM for spermine binding to DNA 15  while studies in our laboratory and others place the C 50  value at about 1 μM. 2a ,14b 
     A comparison of C 50  values for polyamines and DNA is provided in Table 1. 
     
                                           TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________Polyamine binding to poly d(AT), calf thymus DNA and poly d(GC).                          C.sub.50.sup.a (μM)examplepolyamine                 poly d(AT)                                CT-DNA poly d(GC)__________________________________________________________________________1    putrescine                      (1700.sup.b)H.sub.3 N.sup.+ (CH.sub.2).sub.4 NH.sub.3.sup.+2    spermidine                      (27.sup.b)H.sub.3 N.sup.+ (CH.sub.2).sub.4 NH.sub.2.sup.+ (CH.sub.2).sub.3NH.sub.3.sup.+3    spermine                  2.7 (2.8.sup.b)                                1.0 (1.6.sup.b, 1.2.sup.c)                                       1.1 (1.2.sup.b)H.sub.3 N.sup.+ (CH.sub.2).sub.3 NH.sub.2.sup.+ (CH.sub.2).sub.4NH.sub.2.sup.+ (CH.sub.2).sub.3 NH.sub.3.sup.+4    3α,12α-diamine (1)                          280   290    3805    3β,12α-diamine (2)                          34    29     426    3α,24-diamine (3)    8    11     187    3β,24-diamine (4)    10    16     248    3β,12α,24-triamine (5)                          10    14     179    3β-amine,24-guanidine (6)                          2.5   4.7    6.010   3β,3β&#39;,24,24&#39;-tetraamine (7)                          0.16  0.24   0.18__________________________________________________________________________ .sup.a Polyamine concentration necessary to displace 50% of DNAbound ethidium under the conditions: [DNAbp].sub.0 = 1.31 μM, [ethidium].sub.0 = 1.26 μM, 0.01 SHE buffer (8 mM NaCl, 0.05 mM EDTA, mM HEPES, pH 7.0). Values reported are the average of at least 3 independent experiments. .sup.b Reference 2. .sup.c Reference 14b. 
    
     For the series putrescine-spermidine-spermine, it is seen that the successive addition of an ammonium group on a C 3  -C 4  chain provides a 30-60-fold increase in DNA binding (i.e., 30-60-fold decrease in C 50 ). The new steroidal polyamines show the following binding characteristics: (i) All of the steroidal diamines show substantially stronger DNA binding than the simple diamine putrescine. This is likely due to a substantial hydrophobic contribution to binding. (ii) Diamines 1 and 2 (examples 4 and 5) differ only in the configuration of the ammonium group at C3, yet their binding abilities differ by an order of magnitude. The same sensitivity to stereochemistry at C3 is not observed when the second ammonium group is placed on the flexible hydrocarbon chain at C24 rather than in a rigidly defined site such as at C12. (Compare examples 6 and 7). (iii) Binding of the steroidal triamine 5 (example 8) to DNA gives C 50  values that are nearly identical to those of the two related diamines 2 and 4. One interpretation is that the triamine binds via only two out of three of the ammonium groups. Alternatively, the expected gain in binding energy of a third ammonium group may be compromised by the loss of a large hydrophobic area when C12 is aminated in addition to C3 and C24. (iv) Conversion of the 24-amino group of diamine 4 to a guanidinium group results in a 4-fold enhancement in binding (compare examples 7 and 9). This is likely due to the greater hydrogen-bonding ability of guanidinium groups as demonstrated in a number of protein-DNA complexes in which arginine residues play a major role in DNA recognition. 16  (v) Tetraamine 7 binds to DNA about 2 orders of magnitude better than does the triamine, and nearly an order of magnitude better than does spermine. This again supports the notion that inclusion of large hydrophobic regions such as asteroid nucleus aids substantially in DNA binding. 
     Additional insight concerning the role of hydrophobicity was gained from the thermal denaturation studies of poly d(AT) as a function of added polyamine (FIG. 1). Spermidine binding to poly d(AT) results in stabilization of duplex DNA observed as an increase in T m . This effect saturates at a (polyamine): (nucleotide) ratio, r, of about 0.5. Diamine 4, however, initially Stabilizes the duplex and then destabilizes it at higher r values. The same behavior has been observed for other steroidal diamines, notably irehdiamine A. 17  The guanidinium-appended steroid 6 displayed this curvature even more markedly in the T m  vs r study. In contrast, the steroidal triamine 5 behaved much more like the simple triamine, spermidine, in T m  studies suggesting that the binding mode of 5 may be more like the biogenic amines. Interruption of the hydrophobic region of the steroid by introduction of the 12α-amino group midway along the 14-carbon span between C3 and C24 makes 5 resemble spermidine as it binds to DNA. Interestingly, the complementary and opposite effect has already been seen when putrescine binding is compared to that of 1,12-diaminododecane. The chain-lengthened diamine demonstrates higher binding affinity as well as a bell-shaped T m  vs r curve for poly d(AT) binding. 17a  Consistent with this analysis, the dications 4 and 6 caused respectively 9% and 17% hyperchromicity of poly d(AT) at 260 nm whereas 5 as well as spermine and spermidine showed no change in absorbance. 18  Hyperchromicity is often associated with a disruption in base stacking related to partial intercalation. 4a ,17b,c 
     This new series of steroidal polyamines demonstrates that DNA binding can be tailored by the stereo and regiochemistry of appended ammonium groups in addition to the total number of ammoniums and the hydrophobic contribution of the steroid nucleus. At least two different binding modes are observed, one resembling the biogenic amines such as spermidine and the other more characteristic of the natural product steroidal diamines. The bile acid framework offers a convenient entry into such molecules and will aid in correlation of the structure of steroidal polyamines to their biological activity. 
     Accordingly, new steroidal polyamines containing ammonium groups at the 3α, 12α-, 3β, 12α-, 3α, 24-, 3β, 24-, and 3β, 12α, 24- positions, as well as one containing a 3β-ammonium and 24-guanidinium and another consisting of 2 units of the 3β, 24-diammonium linked by a C 4  chain have been synthesized from deoxycholanol and lithocholanol. 
     These compounds are 
     1. 3α,12α-diamino-5β-cholan-24-ol dihydrohalide 
     2. 3β,12α-diamino-5β-cholan-24-ol dihydrohalide 
     3. 5β-cholane-3α,24-diamine dihydrohalide 
     4. 5β-cholane-3β,24-diamine dihydrohalide 
     5. 5β-cholane-3β,12α,24-triamine trihydrohalide 
     6. 3β-amino-24-guanidino-5β-cholane dihydrohalide 
     7. N,N-bis(3β-amino-5β-cholan-24-yl)1,4-diaminobutane tetrahydrohalide or salts thereof. 
     DNA binding studies using calf thymus DNA, poly d(GC) and poly d(AT) confirm that the DNA affinities of the polyamines are most dependent upon charge, and secondarily dependent upon the stereochemical disposition of the ammonium groups. A direct comparison of an ammonium group and a guanidinium group on the steroid showed a slight preference for guanidinium binding to DNA. Consistently stronger binding to poly d(AT) compared to poly d(GC) was observed. 
     We were able to control solubility by the number of ammonium and hydroxyl groups on the steroid. At the same time, the steroid framework provides good membrane permeability. 
     While it is not intended to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that steroidal polyamine conjugates with antisense oligonucleotides show improved cellular uptake because of the charge neutralization by the polyammonium group and the membrane affinity of the steroid group. 
     The compounds have structural similarity and biological activity similarity to naturally occurring biogenic polyamines irehdiamine A, dipyrandium and squalamine. In addition, the compounds may be used for coupling to anti-sense oligonucleotides or other drugs for enhanced membrane permeability. 
     The compounds of the invention have been found to possess valuable pharmacological properties, e.g., as antibiotics and antineoplastics. They can be used as antibacterials, antifungals, antiseptics, and antitumor agents in human and veterinary medicine. The pharmaceutic effects can be demonstrated by known screening methods used in the pharmaceutical industry. Antitumor effects are described by R. T. Blickenstaff, Antitumor Steroids, Academic Press, San Diego 1992. Antibiotic steroid effects are described, e.g., by K. S. Moore et al., &#34;Squalamine: An Aminosterol Antibiotic From the Shark&#34;, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90, 1354-1358, 1993. 
     The compounds can be employed in admixture with conventional excipients, i.e., pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and other active or inactive pharmaceutical ingredients. &#34;Acceptable&#34; means compatible with the other ingredients of the formulation and non-injurious to the subject or material being treated. These carriers include those well known in the art as suitable for oral, rectal, nasal, topical, buccal, sublinguinal, vaginal, transdermal, subcutaneous, intradermal, intramuscular, intravenous or other parenteral administration, and in controlled, sustained or direct release form. 
     In general, a suitable dose for mammals, including humans is in the range of about 5 μg to 500 mg per day. Although higher and lower amounts may be used depending on the severity of the infection. 
     It will be appreciated that the actual preferred amounts of active compound in a specific case will vary according to the specific compound being utilized, the particular compositions formulated, the mode of application, the particular sites and the organism being treated. Dosages for a given host can be determined using conventional considerations, e.g., by customary comparison of the different activities of the subject compounds and of a known agent, e.g., by means of an appropriate conventional pharmacological protocol. 
     Advantageously for use in physiological systems, the compounds are water soluble, active and non-toxic at concentrations sufficient for effective killing or inhibition of the microorganisms or tumor cells. 
     Example 11: The compounds were screened for antibiotic activity and good antibiotic activity was found against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria and fungi. 
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