IP Library Patent Application 14025588
Patent Application
App. No. 14/025,588

PROCESSES FOR THE CONVERGENT SYNTHESIS OF CALICHEAMICIN DERIVATIVES

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Patent No.
US None
App. No.
14/025,588
Abstract

This invention describes processes for the convergent synthesis of calicheamicin derivatives, and similar analogs using bifunctional and trifunctional linker intermediates.

Claims (327)

1 - 24 . (canceled)

25 . A compound of Formula (I):

wherein:

Z is selected from the group consisting of

Alk 1 is a branched or unbranched alkylene chain of 2 to 6 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is selected from —S—, —O—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, and —NR′—;

Z 1 is H, or alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms;

Ar is 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-phenylene optionally substituted with one, two, or three groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′ or a 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, 1,8-, 2,3-, 2,6-, or 2,7-naphthylidene optionally substituted with one, two, three, or four groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′;

n is an integer from 0 to 5;

R′ is a straight or branched alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms optionally substituted by one or two groups of —OH, alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms;

Sp is a straight or branched-chain divalent or trivalent alkyl radical of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, divalent or trivalent aryl or heteroaryl radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl of 3 to 18 carbon atoms or heterocycloalkyl radical, divalent or trivalent aryl- or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl- or heterocyclo-alkyl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical or divalent or trivalent unsaturated alkyl radical of 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein heteroaryl is furyl, thienyl, N-methylpyrrolyl, pyridinyl, N-methylimidazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrimidinyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, N-methylcarbazoyl, aminocoumarinyl, or phenazinyl and wherein if Sp is a trivalent radical, it can be additionally substituted by dialkylamino of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, hydroxy, or alkylthio of 1 to 5 carbon atoms groups;

W′ is

R 1 is

or CH 3 ; R 2 is

or H;

R 3 is

or H; R 4 is

or H;

R 6 is H or

R 7 is H or

R 5 is —CH 3 , —C 2 H 5 , or —CH(CH 3 ) 2 ;

X is an iodine or bromine atom;

R 5 ′ is a hydrogen or the group RCO, wherein R is hydrogen, branched or unbranched alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkylene of 2 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl of 6 to 11 carbon atoms, a (C 6 -C 11 ) aryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group, or a heteroaryl or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group wherein heteroaryl is defined as 2- or 3-furyl, 2- or 3-thienyl, 2- or 3-(N-methylpyrrolyl), 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinyl, 2-, 4-, or 5-(N-methylimidazolyl), 2-, 4-, or 5-oxazolyl, 2-, 3-, 5-, or 6-pyrimidinyl, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-quinolyl, or 1-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-isoquinolyl, all aryl and heteroaryl groups optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, amino, carboxy, halo, nitro, (C 1 -C 3 ) alkoxy of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or thioalkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; and

Q is selected from the group consisting of —NNHCO—, —NNHCS—, —NNHCONH—, —NNHCSNH—, and —NO—;

prepared according to the steps of:

a. reacting a carboxylic acid of the formula

with a mercapto compound of the formula

H 2 Q-Sp-SH

in an alcohol solvent in the presence of an alkyl carboxylic acid, alk 2 CO 2 H where alk 2 is 1 to 4 carbon atoms at about 20° to 70° C. for about 1 to 24 hours, wherein Alk 1 , Sp 1 , Ar, Z 1 , Q, and Sp are as defined above, to produce a bilinker-carboxylic acid of the formula, wherein the mercapto compound and carboxylic acid are present in a ratio of about 1.2:1

b. isolating the bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (a);

c. reacting the isolated bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (b) with an at least a 3 fold molar excess of N-hydroxysuccinimide, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenol, pentafluorophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, or N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (EDCI), or N,N′-disuccinimdyl carbonate in an inert solvent containing 0-50% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) to generate a trilinker-activated ester of the formula

where Z is hereinbefore defined;

d. reacting the trilinker-activated ester formed in step c in the presence of a base or an organic base with a methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic CH 3 —S—S—S—W′ in an inert organic solvent to generate an activated ester of the formula below, wherein the trilinker-activated ester in step c and the CH 3 —S—S—S—W′ are in a ratio of 3.3:1 and the temperature of the reaction is ≦5° C.

e. isolating the activated ester of step (d) and purifying to yield antitumor antibiotics of Formula (I)

26 . The compound of claim 25 wherein the purifying of step (e) comprises the use of reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography having a mobile phase of about pH 7.0 to 9.0 followed by normal phase chromatography.

27 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein

alk 1 is 3 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is —O—;

Z 1 is methyl;

Ar is unsubstituted 1,4-phenylene;

Sp is 4 carbon atoms;

R 3 is H;

Q is NNHC(O)—;

R 2 is

R 4 is

R 5 is C 2 H 5 ;

R 5 ′ is —C(O)—R;

R is methyl; and

Z is

28 . An antitumor antibiotic of Formula (I):

wherein:

Z is selected from the group consisting of

Alk 1 is a branched or unbranched alkylene chain of 2 to 6 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is selected from —S—, —O—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, and —NR′—;

Z 1 is H, or alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms;

Ar is 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-phenylene optionally substituted with one, two, or three groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′ or a 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, 1,8-, 2,3-, 2,6-, or 2,7-naphthylidene optionally substituted with one, two, three, or four groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′;

n is an integer from 0 to 5;

R′ is a straight or branched alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms optionally substituted by one or two groups of —OH, alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms;

Sp is a straight or branched-chain divalent or trivalent alkyl radical of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, divalent or trivalent aryl or heteroaryl radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl of 3 to 18 carbon atoms or heterocycloalkyl radical, divalent or trivalent aryl- or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl- or heterocyclo-alkyl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical or divalent or trivalent unsaturated alkyl radical of 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein heteroaryl is furyl, thienyl, N-methylpyrrolyl, pyridinyl, N-methylimidazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrimidinyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, N-methylcarbazoyl, aminocoumarinyl, or phenazinyl and wherein if Sp is a trivalent radical, it can be additionally substituted by dialkylamino of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, hydroxy, or alkylthio of 1 to 5 carbon atoms groups;

W′ is

R 1 is

or CH 3 ; R 2 is

or H;

R 3 is

or H; R 4 is

or H;

R 6 is H or

R 7 is H or

R 5 is —CH 3 , —C 2 H 5 , or —CH(CH 3 ) 2 ;

X is an iodine or bromine atom;

R 5 ′ is a hydrogen or the group RCO, wherein R is hydrogen, branched or unbranched alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkylene of 2 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl of 6 to 11 carbon atoms, a (C 6 -C 11 ) aryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group, or a heteroaryl or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group wherein heteroaryl is defined as 2- or 3-furyl, 2- or 3-thienyl, 2- or 3-(N-methylpyrrolyl), 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinyl, 2-, 4-, or 5-(N-methylimidazolyl), 2-, 4-, or 5-oxazolyl, 2-, 3-, 5-, or 6-pyrimidinyl, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-quinolyl, or 1-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-isoquinolyl, all aryl and heteroaryl groups optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, amino, carboxy, halo, nitro, (C 1 -C 3 ) alkoxy of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or thioalkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; and

Q is selected from the group consisting of —NNHCO—, —NNHCS—, —NNHCONH—, —NNHCSNH—, and —NO—;

prepared according to the steps of:

a. reacting a carboxylic acid of the formula

with a mercapto compound of the formula

H 2 Q-Sp-SH

in an alcohol solvent in the presence of an alkyl carboxylic acid, alk 2 CO 2 H where alk 2 is 1 to 4 carbon atoms at about 20° to 70° C. for about 1 to 24 hours, wherein Alk 1 , Sp 1 , Ar, Z 1 , Q, and Sp are as defined above, to produce a bilinker-carboxylic acid of the formula, wherein the mercapto compound and carboxylic acid are present in a ratio of about 1.2:1

b. isolating the bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (a);

c. reacting the isolated bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (b) with a methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic CH 3 —S—S—S—W′ in the presence of a base or an organic base in an inert organic solvent;

d. reacting the compound of step (c) with an at least a 3 fold molar excess of N-hydroxysuccinimide, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenol, pentafluorophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, or N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (EDCI), or N,N′-disuccinimdyl carbonate in an inert solvent containing 0-50% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and purifying to yield antitumor antibiotics of Formula (I)

29 . The compound of claim 28 wherein the purifying of step (e) comprises the use of a reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography having a mobile phase of about pH 7.0 to 9.0 followed with a normal phase chromatography.

30 . The compound of claim 28 , wherein:

alk 1 is 3 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is —O—;

Z 1 is methyl;

Ar is unsubstituted 1,4-phenylene;

Sp is 4 carbon atoms;

R 3 is H;

Q is NNHC(O)—;

R 2 is

R 4 is

R 5 is C 2 H 5 ;

R 5 ′ is —C(O)—R;

R is methyl; and

Z is

31 . An antitumor antibiotic of Formula (I):

wherein:

Z is selected from the group consisting of

Alk 1 is a branched or unbranched alkylene chain of 2 to 6 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is selected from —S—, —O—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, and —NR′—;

Z 1 is H, or alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms;

Ar is 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-phenylene optionally substituted with one, two, or three groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′ or a 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, 1,8-, 2,3-, 2,6-, or 2,7-naphthylidene optionally substituted with one, two, three, or four groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′;

n is an integer from 0 to 5;

R′ is a straight or branched alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms optionally substituted by one or two groups of —OH, alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms;

Sp is a straight or branched-chain divalent or trivalent alkyl radical of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, divalent or trivalent aryl or heteroaryl radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl of 3 to 18 carbon atoms or heterocycloalkyl radical, divalent or trivalent aryl- or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl- or heterocyclo-alkyl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical or divalent or trivalent unsaturated alkyl radical of 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein heteroaryl is furyl, thienyl, N-methylpyrrolyl, pyridinyl, N-methylimidazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrimidinyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, N-methylcarbazoyl, aminocoumarinyl, or phenazinyl and wherein if Sp is a trivalent radical, it can be additionally substituted by dialkylamino of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, hydroxy, or alkylthio of 1 to 5 carbon atoms groups;

W′ is

R 1 is

or CH 3 ; R 2 is

or H;

R 3 is

or H; R 4 is

or H;

R 6 is H or

R 7 is H or

R 5 is —CH 3 , —C 2 H 5 , or —CH(CH 3 ) 2 ;

X is an iodine or bromine atom;

R 5 ′ is a hydrogen or the group RCO, wherein R is hydrogen, branched or unbranched alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkylene of 2 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl of 6 to 11 carbon atoms, a (C 6 -C 11 ) aryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group, or a heteroaryl or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group wherein heteroaryl is defined as 2- or 3-furyl, 2- or 3-thienyl, 2- or 3-(N-methylpyrrolyl), 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinyl, 2-, 4-, or 5-(N-methylimidazolyl), 2-, 4-, or 5-oxazolyl, 2-, 3-, 5-, or 6-pyrimidinyl, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-quinolyl, or 1-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-isoquinolyl, all aryl and heteroaryl groups optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, amino, carboxy, halo, nitro, (C 1 -C 3 ) alkoxy of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or thioalkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; and

Q is selected from the group consisting of —NNHCO—, —NNHCS—, —NNHCONH—, —NNHCSNH—, and —NO—;

prepared according to the steps of:

a. reacting a carboxylic acid of the formula

with a mercapto compound of the formula

H 2 Q-Sp-SH

in an alcohol solvent in the presence of an alkyl carboxylic acid, alk 2 CO 2 H where alk 2 is 1 to 4 carbon atoms at about 20° to 70° C. for about 1 to 24 hours, wherein Alk 1 , Sp 1 , Ar, Z 1 , Q, and Sp are as defined above, to produce a bilinker-carboxylic acid of the formula,

b. isolating the bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (a);

c. reacting the isolated bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (b) with an at least of N-hydroxysuccinimide, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenol, pentafluorophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, or N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (EDCI), or N,N′-disuccinimdyl carbonate in an inert solvent containing 0-50% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) to generate a trilinker-activated ester of the formula

where Z is hereinbefore defined;

d. reacting the trilinker-activated ester in step c in the presence of a base or an organic base with a methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic CH 3 —S—S—S—W′ in an inert organic solvent to generate an activated ester of the formula

e. isolating the activated ester of step (d) and purifying to yield antitumor antibiotics of Formula (I)

32 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein

alk 1 is 3 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is —O—;

Z 1 is methyl;

Ar is unsubstituted 1,4-phenylene;

Sp is 4 carbon atoms;

R 3 is H;

Q is NNHC(O)—;

R 2 is

R 4 is

R 5 is C 2 H 5 ;

R 5 ′ is —C(O)—R;

R is methyl; and

Z is

33 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein Alk 1 is an alkylene of 2 to 5 carbon atoms, and Sp 1 is an oxygen atom.

34 . The compound of claim 33 , wherein Alk 1 is an alkylene of 3 carbon atoms.

35 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein Z 1 is alkyl of 1 to 3 carbon atoms.

36 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein Ar is 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-phenylene, or 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, 1,8-, 2,3-, 2,6-, or 2,7-naphthylidene.

37 . The compound of claim 36 , wherein Ar is 1,4-phenylene.

38 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein Q is —NNHCO—.

39 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein Sp is straight or branched-chain divalent or trivalent alkyl radical of 1 to 12 carbon atoms.

40 . The compound of claim 39 , wherein Sp is straight or branched-chain divalent or trivalent alkyl radical of 1 to 6 carbon atoms.

41 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein the alcohol solvent is methanol.

42 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein the inert solvent is acetonitrile.

43 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein the alkyl carboxylic acid is acetic acid.

44 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein the inert organic solvent is acetonitrile.

45 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein Z is

46 . A trilinker-activated ester of the formula:

wherein:

Z is selected from the group consisting of

Alk 1 is a branched or unbranched alkylene chain of 2 to 6 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is selected from —S—, —O—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, and —NR′—;

Z 1 is H, or alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms;

Ar is 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-phenylene optionally substituted with one, two, or three groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′ or a 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, 1,8-, 2,3-, 2,6-, or 2,7-naphthylidene optionally substituted with one, two, three, or four groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′;

n is an integer from 0 to 5;

R′ is a straight or branched alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms optionally substituted by one or two groups of —OH, alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms;

Sp is a straight or branched-chain divalent or trivalent alkyl radical of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, divalent or trivalent aryl or heteroaryl radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl of 3 to 18 carbon atoms or heterocycloalkyl radical, divalent or trivalent aryl- or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl- or heterocyclo-alkyl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical or divalent or trivalent unsaturated alkyl radical of 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein heteroaryl is furyl, thienyl, N-methylpyrrolyl, pyridinyl, N-methylimidazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrimidinyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, N-methylcarbazoyl, aminocoumarinyl, or phenazinyl and wherein if Sp is a trivalent radical, it can be additionally substituted by dialkylamino of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, hydroxy, or alkylthio of 1 to 5 carbon atoms groups;

W′ is

R 1 is

or CH 3 ; R 2 is

or H;

R 3 is

or H; R 4 is

or H;

R 6 is H or

R 7 is H or

R 5 is —CH 3 , —C 2 H 5 , or —CH(CH 3 ) 2 ;

X is an iodine or bromine atom;

R 5 ′ is a hydrogen or the group RCO, wherein R is hydrogen, branched or unbranched alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkylene of 2 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl of 6 to 11 carbon atoms, a (C 6 -C 11 ) aryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group, or a heteroaryl or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group wherein heteroaryl is defined as 2- or 3-furyl, 2- or 3-thienyl, 2- or 3-(N-methylpyrrolyl), 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinyl, 2-, 4-, or 5-(N-methylimidazolyl), 2-, 4-, or 5-oxazolyl, 2-, 3-, 5-, or 6-pyrimidinyl, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-quinolyl, or 1-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-isoquinolyl, all aryl and heteroaryl groups optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, amino, carboxy, halo, nitro, (C 1 -C 3 ) alkoxy of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or thioalkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; and

Q is selected from the group consisting of —NNHCO—, —NNHCS—, —NHNCONH—, —NNCSNH—, and —NO—;

prepared according to the steps of:

a. reacting a carboxylic acid of the formula

with a mercapto compound of the formula

H 2 Q-Sp-SH

in an alcohol solvent in the presence of an alkyl carboxylic acid, alk 2 CO 2 H where alk 2 is 1 to 4 carbon atoms at about 20° to 70° C. for about 1 to 24 hours, wherein Alk 1 , Sp 1 , Ar, Z 1 , Q, and Sp are as defined above, to produce a bilinker-carboxylic acid of the formula

b. isolating the bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (a);

c. reacting the bilinker-carboxylic acid from step (b) in the presence of a base or an organic base with a methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic CH 3 —S—S—S—W′ in an inert organic solvent to generate a bilinker-methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic of the formula

d. reacting the isolated bilinker-methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic of step (c) with N-hydroxysuccinimide, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenol, pentafluorophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, or N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (EDCI), or N,N′-disuccinimdyl carbonate in an inert solvent containing 0-50% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) to generate a trilinker-activated ester of the formula

47 . The compound of claim 41 , wherein Alk 1 is an alkylene of 2 to 5 carbon atoms, and Sp 1 is an oxygen atom.

48 . A trifunctional linker intermediate, of the formula

wherein:

Alk 1 is a branched or unbranched alkylene chain of 2 to 6 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is selected from —S—, —O—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, and —NR′—;

Z 1 is H, or alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms;

Ar is 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-phenylene optionally substituted with one, two, or three groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′ or a 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, 1,8-, 2,3-, 2,6-, or 2,7-naphthylidene optionally substituted with one, two, three, or four groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′;

n is an integer from 0 to 5;

R′ is a straight or branched alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms optionally substituted by one or two groups of —OH, alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms;

Sp is a straight or branched-chain divalent or trivalent alkyl radical of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, divalent or trivalent aryl or heteroaryl radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl of 3 to 18 carbon atoms or heterocycloalkyl radical, divalent or trivalent aryl- or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl- or heterocyclo-alkyl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical or divalent or trivalent unsaturated alkyl radical of 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein heteroaryl is furyl, thienyl, N-methylpyrrolyl, pyridinyl, N-methylimidazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrimidinyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, N-methylcarbazoyl, aminocoumarinyl, or phenazinyl and wherein if Sp is a trivalent radical, it can be additionally substituted by dialkylamino of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, hydroxy, or alkylthio of 1 to 5 carbon atoms groups;

Q is selected from the group consisting of —NNHCO—, —NNHCS—, and —NNHCONH—;

Z is selected from the group consisting of

prepared according to the steps of:

a. reacting a carboxylic acid of the formula

with a mercapto compound of the formula

H 2 Q-Sp-SH

in an alcohol solvent in the presence of an alkyl carboxylic acid, alk 2 CO 2 H, where alk 2 is 1 to 4 carbon atoms at about 20° to 70° C. for about 1 to 24 hours, wherein Alk 1 , Sp 1 , Ar, Z 1 , Q, and Sp are as defined above, to produce a bilinker-carboxylic acid of the formula

b. isolating the bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (a); and

c. reacting the isolated bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (b) with N-hydroxysuccinimide, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenol, pentafluorophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, or N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (EDCI), or N,N′-disuccinimdyl carbonate in an inert solvent containing 0-50% DMF to generate trifunctional linker intermediates, of the formula

49 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein step c. comprises reacting the isolated bilinker-carboxylic acid with N-hydroxysuccinimide in the presence of DCC at ambient temperature in dioxane.

50 . The compound of claim 25 , wherein the methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic CH 3 —S—S—S—W′ comprises N-acetyl-LL-E33288 γ 1 I .

51 . A compound of Formula (I):

wherein:

Z is selected from the group consisting of

Alk 1 is a branched or unbranched alkylene chain of 2 to 6 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is selected from —S—, —O—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, and —NR′—;

Z 1 is H, or alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms;

Ar is 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-phenylene optionally substituted with one, two, or three groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′ or a 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, 1,8-, 2,3-, 2,6-, or 2,7-naphthylidene optionally substituted with one, two, three, or four groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′;

n is an integer from 0 to 5;

R′ is a straight or branched alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms optionally substituted by one or two groups of —OH, alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms;

Sp is a straight or branched-chain divalent or trivalent alkyl radical of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, divalent or trivalent aryl or heteroaryl radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl of 3 to 18 carbon atoms or heterocycloalkyl radical, divalent or trivalent aryl- or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl- or heterocyclo-alkyl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical or divalent or trivalent unsaturated alkyl radical of 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein heteroaryl is furyl, thienyl, N-methylpyrrolyl, pyridinyl, N-methylimidazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrimidinyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, N-methylcarbazoyl, aminocoumarinyl, or phenazinyl and wherein if Sp is a trivalent radical, it can be additionally substituted by dialkylamino of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, hydroxy, or alkylthio of 1 to 5 carbon atoms groups;

W′ is

R 1 is

or CH 3 ; R 2 is

or H;

R 3 is H;

R 4 is

or H;

R 5 is —CH 3 , —C 2 H 5 , or —CH(CH 3 ) 2 ;

X is an iodine or bromine atom;

R 5 ′ is a hydrogen or the group RCO, wherein R is hydrogen, branched or unbranched alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkylene of 2 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl of 6 to 11 carbon atoms, a (C 6 -C 11 ) aryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group, or a heteroaryl or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group wherein heteroaryl is defined as 2- or 3-furyl, 2- or 3-thienyl, 2- or 3-(N-methylpyrrolyl), 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinyl, 2-, 4-, or 5-(N-methylimidazolyl), 2-, 4-, or 5-oxazolyl, 2-, 3-, 5-, or 6-pyrimidinyl, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-quinolyl, or 1-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-isoquinolyl, all aryl and heteroaryl groups optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, amino, carboxy, halo, nitro, (C 1 -C 3 ) alkoxy of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or thioalkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; and

Q is selected from the group consisting of —NNHCO—, —NNHCS—, —NNHCONH—, —NNHCSNH—, and —NO—;

prepared according to the steps of:

a. reacting a carboxylic acid of the formula

with a mercapto compound of the formula

H 2 Q-Sp-SH

in an alcohol solvent in the presence of an alkyl carboxylic acid, alk 2 CO 2 H where alk 2 is 1 to 4 carbon atoms at about 20° to 70° C. for about 1 to 24 hours, wherein Alk 1 , Sp 1 , Ar, Z 1 , Q, and Sp are as defined above, to produce a bilinker-carboxylic acid of the formula, wherein the mercapto compound and carboxylic acid are present in a ratio of about 1.2:1

b. isolating the bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (a);

c. reacting the isolated bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (b) with an at least a 3 fold molar excess of N-hydroxysuccinimide, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenol, pentafluorophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, or N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (EDCI), or N,N′-disuccinimdyl carbonate in an inert solvent containing 0-50% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) to generate a trilinker-activated ester of the formula

where Z is hereinbefore defined;

d. reacting the trilinker-activated ester formed in step c in the presence of a base or an organic base with a methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic CH 3 —S—S—S—W′ in an inert organic solvent to generate an activated ester of the formula below, wherein the trilinker-activated ester in step c and the CH 3 —S—S—S—W′ are in a ratio of 3.3:1 and the temperature of the reaction is 5° C.

e. isolating the activated ester of step (d) and purifying to yield antitumor antibiotics of Formula (I)

52 . An antitumor antibiotic of Formula (I):

wherein:

Z is selected from the group consisting of

Alk 1 is a branched or unbranched alkylene chain of 2 to 6 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is selected from —S—, —O—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, and —NR′—;

Z 1 is H, or alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms;

Ar is 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-phenylene optionally substituted with one, two, or three groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′ or a 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, 1,8-, 2,3-, 2,6-, or 2,7-naphthylidene optionally substituted with one, two, three, or four groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′;

n is an integer from 0 to 5;

R′ is a straight or branched alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms optionally substituted by one or two groups of —OH, alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms;

Sp is a straight or branched-chain divalent or trivalent alkyl radical of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, divalent or trivalent aryl or heteroaryl radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl of 3 to 18 carbon atoms or heterocycloalkyl radical, divalent or trivalent aryl- or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl- or heterocyclo-alkyl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical or divalent or trivalent unsaturated alkyl radical of 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein heteroaryl is furyl, thienyl, N-methylpyrrolyl, pyridinyl, N-methylimidazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrimidinyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, N-methylcarbazoyl, aminocoumarinyl, or phenazinyl and wherein if Sp is a trivalent radical, it can be additionally substituted by dialkylamino of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, hydroxy, or alkylthio of 1 to 5 carbon atoms groups;

W′ is

R 1 is

or CH 3 ; R 2 is

or H;

R 3 is H;

R 4 is

or H;

R 5 is —CH 3 , —C 2 H 5 , or —CH(CH 3 ) 2 ;

X is an iodine or bromine atom;

R 5 ′ is a hydrogen or the group RCO, wherein R is hydrogen, branched or unbranched alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkylene of 2 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl of 6 to 11 carbon atoms, a (C 6 -C 11 ) aryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group, or a heteroaryl or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group wherein heteroaryl is defined as 2- or 3-furyl, 2- or 3-thienyl, 2- or 3-(N-methylpyrrolyl), 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinyl, 2-, 4-, or 5-(N-methylimidazolyl), 2-, 4-, or 5-oxazolyl, 2-, 3-, 5-, or 6-pyrimidinyl, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-quinolyl, or 1-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-isoquinolyl, all aryl and heteroaryl groups optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, amino, carboxy, halo, nitro, (C 1 -C 3 ) alkoxy of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or thioalkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; and

Q is selected from the group consisting of —NNHCO—, —NNHCS—, —NNHCONH—, —NNHCSNH—, and —NO—;

prepared according to the steps of:

a. reacting a carboxylic acid of the formula

with a mercapto compound of the formula

H 2 Q-Sp-SH

in an alcohol solvent in the presence of an alkyl carboxylic acid, alk 2 CO 2 H where alk 2 is 1 to 4 carbon atoms at about 20° to 70° C. for about 1 to 24 hours, wherein Alk 1 , Sp 1 , Ar, Z 1 , Q, and Sp are as defined above, to produce a bilinker-carboxylic acid of the formula, wherein the mercapto compound and carboxylic acid are present in a ratio of about 1.2:1

b. isolating the bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (a);

c. reacting the isolated bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (b) with a methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic CH 3 —S—S—S—W′ in the presence of a base or an organic base in an inert organic solvent;

d. reacting the compound of step (c) with an at least a 3 fold molar excess of N-hydroxysuccinimide, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenol, pentafluorophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, or N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (EDCI), or N,N′-disuccinimdyl carbonate in an inert solvent containing 0-50% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and purifying to yield antitumor antibiotics of Formula (I)

53 . An antitumor antibiotic of Formula (I):

wherein:

Z is selected from the group consisting of

Alk 1 is a branched or unbranched alkylene chain of 2 to 6 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is selected from —S—, —O—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, and —NR′—;

Z 1 is H, or alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms;

Ar is 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-phenylene optionally substituted with one, two, or three groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′ or a 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, 1,8-, 2,3-, 2,6-, or 2,7-naphthylidene optionally substituted with one, two, three, or four groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′;

n is an integer from 0 to 5;

R′ is a straight or branched alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms optionally substituted by one or two groups of —OH, alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms;

Sp is a straight or branched-chain divalent or trivalent alkyl radical of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, divalent or trivalent aryl or heteroaryl radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl of 3 to 18 carbon atoms or heterocycloalkyl radical, divalent or trivalent aryl- or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl- or heterocyclo-alkyl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical or divalent or trivalent unsaturated alkyl radical of 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein heteroaryl is furyl, thienyl, N-methylpyrrolyl, pyridinyl, N-methylimidazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrimidinyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, N-methylcarbazoyl, aminocoumarinyl, or phenazinyl and wherein if Sp is a trivalent radical, it can be additionally substituted by dialkylamino of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, hydroxy, or alkylthio of 1 to 5 carbon atoms groups;

W′ is

R 1 is

or CH 3 ; R 2 is

or H;

R 3 is H;

R 4 is

or H;

R 5 is —CH 3 , —C 2 H 5 , or —CH(CH 3 ) 2 ;

X is an iodine or bromine atom;

R 5 ′ is a hydrogen or the group RCO, wherein R is hydrogen, branched or unbranched alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkylene of 2 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl of 6 to 11 carbon atoms, a (C 6 -C 11 ) aryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group, or a heteroaryl or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group wherein heteroaryl is defined as 2- or 3-furyl, 2- or 3-thienyl, 2- or 3-(N-methylpyrrolyl), 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinyl, 2-, 4-, or 5-(N-methylimidazolyl), 2-, 4-, or 5-oxazolyl, 2-, 3-, 5-, or 6-pyrimidinyl, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-quinolyl, or 1-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-isoquinolyl, all aryl and heteroaryl groups optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, amino, carboxy, halo, nitro, (C 1 -C 3 ) alkoxy of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or thioalkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; and

Q is selected from the group consisting of —NNHCO—, —NNHCS—, —NNHCONH—, —NNHCSNH—, and —NO—;

prepared according to the steps of:

a. reacting a carboxylic acid of the formula

with a mercapto compound of the formula

H 2 Q-Sp-SH

in an alcohol solvent in the presence of an alkyl carboxylic acid, alk 2 CO 2 H where alk 2 is 1 to 4 carbon atoms at about 20° to 70° C. for about 1 to 24 hours, wherein Alk 1 , Sp 1 , Ar, Z 1 , Q, and Sp are as defined above, to produce a bilinker-carboxylic acid of the formula,

b. isolating the bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (a);

c. reacting the isolated bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (b) with an at least of N-hydroxysuccinimide, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenol, pentafluorophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, or N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (EDCI), or N,N′-disuccinimdyl carbonate in an inert solvent containing 0-50% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) to generate a trilinker-activated ester of the formula

where Z is hereinbefore defined;

d. reacting the trilinker-activated ester in step c in the presence of a base or an organic base with a methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic CH 3 —S—S—S—W′ in an inert organic solvent to generate an activated ester of the formula

e. isolating the activated ester of step (d) and purifying to yield antitumor antibiotics of Formula (I)

54 . A trilinker-activated ester of the formula:

wherein:

Z is selected from the group consisting of

Alk 1 is a branched or unbranched alkylene chain of 2 to 6 carbon atoms;

Sp 1 is selected from —S—, —O—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, and —NR′—;

Z 1 is H, or alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms;

Ar is 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-phenylene optionally substituted with one, two, or three groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′ or a 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, 1,8-, 2,3-, 2,6-, or 2,7-naphthylidene optionally substituted with one, two, three, or four groups independently selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, nitro, —COOR′, —CONHR′, —O(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —S(CH 2 ) n COOR′, —O(CH 2 ) n CONHR′, and —S(CH 2 ) n CONHR′;

n is an integer from 0 to 5;

R′ is a straight or branched alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms optionally substituted by one or two groups of —OH, alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, thioalkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms;

Sp is a straight or branched-chain divalent or trivalent alkyl radical of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, divalent or trivalent aryl or heteroaryl radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl of 3 to 18 carbon atoms or heterocycloalkyl radical, divalent or trivalent aryl- or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical, divalent or trivalent cycloalkyl- or heterocyclo-alkyl-alkyl (C 1 -C 18 ) radical or divalent or trivalent unsaturated alkyl radical of 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein heteroaryl is furyl, thienyl, N-methylpyrrolyl, pyridinyl, N-methylimidazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrimidinyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, N-methylcarbazoyl, aminocoumarinyl, or phenazinyl and wherein if Sp is a trivalent radical, it can be additionally substituted by dialkylamino of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, hydroxy, or alkylthio of 1 to 5 carbon atoms groups;

W′ is

R 1 is

or CH 3 ; R 2 is

or H;

R 3 is H;

R 4 is

or H;

R 5 is —CH 3 , —C 2 H 5 , or —CH(CH 3 ) 2 ;

X is an iodine or bromine atom;

R 5 ′ is a hydrogen or the group RCO, wherein R is hydrogen, branched or unbranched alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkylene of 2 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl of 6 to 11 carbon atoms, a (C 6 -C 11 ) aryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group, or a heteroaryl or heteroaryl-alkyl (C 1 -C 5 ) group wherein heteroaryl is defined as 2- or 3-furyl, 2- or 3-thienyl, 2- or 3-(N-methylpyrrolyl), 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinyl, 2-, 4-, or 5-(N-methylimidazolyl), 2-, 4-, or 5-oxazolyl, 2-, 3-, 5-, or 6-pyrimidinyl, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-quinolyl, or 1-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-isoquinolyl, all aryl and heteroaryl groups optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, amino, carboxy, halo, nitro, (C 1 -C 3 ) alkoxy of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or thioalkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; and

Q is selected from the group consisting of —NNHCO—, —NNHCS—, —NHNCONH—, —NNCSNH—, and —NO—;

prepared according to the steps of:

a. reacting a carboxylic acid of the formula

with a mercapto compound of the formula

H 2 Q-Sp-SH

in an alcohol solvent in the presence of an alkyl carboxylic acid, alk 2 CO 2 H where alk 2 is 1 to 4 carbon atoms at about 20° to 70° C. for about 1 to 24 hours, wherein Alk 1 , Sp 1 , Ar, Z 1 , Q, and Sp are as defined above, to produce a bilinker-carboxylic acid of the formula

b. isolating the bilinker-carboxylic acid of step (a);

c. reacting the bilinker-carboxylic acid from step (b) in the presence of a base or an organic base with a methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic CH 3 —S—S—S—W′ in an inert organic solvent to generate a bilinker-methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic of the formula

d. reacting the isolated bilinker-methyltrithio antitumor antibiotic of step (c) with N-hydroxysuccinimide, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenol, pentafluorophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, or N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (EDCI), or N,N′-disuccinimdyl carbonate in an inert solvent containing 0-50% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) to generate a trilinker-activated ester of the formula

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 7, 2014
From: WYETH
To: WYETH LLC
Reel/Frame 032174/0960 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 5, 2014
From: MORAN, JUSTIN KEITH; GU, JIANXIN
To: WYETH
Reel/Frame 032147/0939 →