New synthetic approach and iron chelating studies of 1-alkyl-2-methyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-ones.

The major diseases of iron metabolism are iron deficiency anaemia, which could be treated using Fe2+ or Fe3+ salt supplements, and iron overload, which could arise either from an increased gastrointestinal absorption of iron or from recurrent blood transfusions. While the former form of iron overload could be treated by phlebotomy the latter requires the use of a chelator. Desferrioxamine is the only clinically available chelator for the treatment of iron overload but its use worldwide is limited because it is expensive and orally inactive. Several alpha-ketohydroxy heteroaromatic chelators have been synthesised and tested for their iron binding properties at physiological pH. The synthetic route involves the benzylation of the hydroxyl group of maltol using benzyl chloride, the conversion of the benzylated maltol to the 1-alkyl benzylated pyridine derivative by introducing the corresponding alkylamine in alkaline conditions and the cleavage of the benzyl group in acid to form the 1-alkyl-2-methyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-one. All the chelators are water soluble and stable at a wide range of pH, forming stable, water soluble, coloured iron complexes with a molar ratio of approximately 3 chelator: 1 iron at pH 7.4 and lower molar ratio of chelators to iron complexes at acidic pH. When the 1-methyl, 1-ethyl and 1-propyl, -2-methyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-ones were mixed at pH 7.4 with transferrin, ferritin and haemosiderin substantial amounts of iron were released.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)