AbstractDrug modification by a fluorescent label is a common tool for studying its mechanism of action with fluorescence microscopy techniques. However, the attachment of a fluorescent label can significantly alter the polarity, solubility, and biological activity of the investigated drug, and, as a result, the studied mechanism of action can be misrepresented. Therefore, developing efficient drugs, which are inherently fluorescent and can be tracked directly in the cell is highly favorable. Here an easy formation of fluorescent hybrid drugs is presented, generated by a combination of two readily available non‐fluorescent pharmacophores via a non‐cleavable linker using a Ramachary‐Bressy‐Wang organocatalyzed azide‐carbonyl [3+2] cycloaddition (organo‐click) reaction. All newly prepared fluorescent compounds showed strong anti‐HCMV activity (EC50 down to 0.07±0.00 μM), thus presenting a very promising drug developmental basis compared to the approved drug ganciclovir (EC50 2.60±0.50 μM). Remarkably, in vitro fluorescent imaging investigation of new compounds revealed induced changes in mitochondrial structures, which is a phenotypical hallmark of antiviral activity. This approach opens up new vistas for the easy formation of potent fluorescent drugs from readily available non‐fluorescent parent compounds and might facilitate insight into their mode of action in living cells, avoiding the requirement of linkage to external fluorescent markers.
摘要 用荧光标签修饰药物是利用荧光显微技术研究其作用机制的常用工具。然而,荧光标签的附着会极大地改变所研究药物的极性、溶解性和生物活性,从而导致所研究药物的作用机制失真。因此,开发具有固有荧光并能在细胞内直接追踪的高效药物是非常有利的。本文介绍了一种荧光混合药物的简易形成方法,该方法是利用 Ramachary-Bressy-Wang 有机催化的叠氮-羰基 [3+2] 环加成(有机click)反应,将两种现成的非荧光药代体通过非可分解连接体结合在一起生成的。所有新制备的荧光化合物都显示出很强的抗 HCMV 活性(EC50 低至 0.07±0.00 μM),因此与已获批准的药物更昔洛韦(EC50 为 2.60±0.50 μM)相比,具有很好的药物开发基础。值得注意的是,新化合物的体外荧光成像研究显示,线粒体结构发生了诱导性变化,这是抗病毒活性的表型标志。这种方法开辟了从易于获得的非荧光母体化合物中轻松合成强效荧光药物的新视野,并可能有助于深入了解它们在活细胞中的作用模式,避免了与外部荧光标记物连接的要求。