Structure–Activity Profiles of Novel 6-Substituted Pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine Thienoyl Antifolates with Modified Amino Acids for Cellular Uptake by Folate Receptors α and β and the Proton-Coupled Folate Transporter

Structure-activity relationships for cellular uptake and inhibition of cell proliferation were studied for 2-amino-4-oxo-6-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine thienoyl antifolates in which the terminal l-glutamate of the parent structure (7) was replaced by natural or unnatural amino acids. Compounds 7 and 10-13 were selectively inhibitory toward folate receptor (FR) α-expressing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Antiproliferative effects of compounds 7 and 9-13 toward FRα- and FRβ-expressing CHO cells were only partly reflected in binding affinities to FRα and FRβ or in the docking scores with molecular models of FRα and FRβ. Compounds 7 and 11 were potent inhibitors of glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase in de novo purine biosynthesis in KB human tumor cells. These studies establish for the first time the importance of the α- and γ-carboxylic acid groups, the length of the amino acid, and the conformation of the side chain for transporter binding and biological activity of 6-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine thienoyl antifolates.