Folate Analogues. 25. Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of N¹⁰-Propargylfolic Acid and Its Reduced Derivatives

N¹⁰-Propargylfolic acid (2), which is the closest pteridine analogue of the thymidylate synthase inhibitor N¹⁰-propargyl-5, 8-dideazafolic acid (PDDF), was synthesized starting from diethyl [p-(N-propargylamino)benzoyl]-L-glutamate (5) and N-(3-bromo-2-oxopropyl)phthalimide (8). The 7, 8-dihydro derivative of propargylfolic acid served as a synthetic substrate of Lactobacillus casei dihydrofolate reductase. Propargylfolic acid and its reduced derivatives were weak inhibitors of L. casei thymidylate synthase compared to PDDF. All derivatives of propargylfolate were active against the growth of Streptococcus faecium, but with the exception of 7, 8-dihydropropargylfolic acid, all were inactive against L. casei. Although less potent than PDDF, marked inhibition of thymidylate synthase by 2 was observed in permeabilized L1210 cells.