Synthesis of anthranylaldoxime derivatives as estrogen receptor ligands and computational prediction of binding modes

N-Me-anthranylaldoximes possess a hydrogen-bonded pseudocyclic A' ring in place of the typical phenolic A-ring that is characteristic of most estrogen receptor (ER) ligands. We have investigated the role played by substituents introduced into either one or both of the peripheral 3- and 4-phenyl rings in modulating ER binding affinity. An efficient synthetic strategy was employed for the preparation of differentially substituted 3- and 4-aryl derivatives that involved exploiting the different reactivity of bromo- versus chloro-aryl groups in palladium-catalyzed cross-couplings. The binding data showed that ERα affinity could be improved by a single p-OH group in the 4-phenyl ring, whereas the same substitution on the 3-phenyl ring caused a dramatic reduction of ERβ affinity. The most ERα-selective compound was the one with two p-OH groups on both phenyl substituents. To rationalize these results, ligand docking followed by molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann/surface area (MM-PBSA) studies were carried out. These analyses suggested a molecular basis for the interaction of these compounds with the ERs and enabled the development of models able to predict the mode of ligand binding.