Design, synthesis, and antihypertensive activity of new pyrimidine derivatives endowing new pharmacophores

A new series of achiral pyrimidine derivatives based on nifedipine-like structure was designed and synthesized. These pyrimidyl derivatives contained hydrazine, hydrazones, acetohydrazide, differently substituted benzylidene functionalities, benzosulfohydrazine, various heterocycles such as pyrazole, pyrazolidinedione, thiazoline, and thiazolidinone rings, and fused ring systems such as triazolopyrimidine and pyrimidotriazine rings. Compounds 5a, 5b, 11b, 8b, 9b–d , and 15b showed a decrease in mean arterial rabbit blood pressure (MABP) ranging from 51.4 to 78.2 mmHg in rabbits in comparison with nifedipine-treated rabbits. Among these derivatives, compounds 5a, 5b, 9b , and 9c were found to exhibit calcium channel blockade activity on preparations of rabbit aortae. They exhibited relaxation in the range of 89.2% to 74.4% in comparison to nifedipine (57.6%) as well as a decrease in heart rate. Histopathological effect of compounds 5a,b on the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was also e xamined on rat aorta. An intense expression of eNOS immune staining in aortic endothelium was seen for compound 5b indicating that it lowered blood pressure via activation of eNOS expression in aorta.