Analogs of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 with high potency in induction of osteoclastogenesis and prevention of dendritic cell differentiation: Synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-substituted 19-norvitamin D analogs

In our previous papers, we found that introduction of a substituent at C(2) into 1α,25-dihydroxy-19-norvitamin D3 (2a) caused dramatic changes in binding affinity for the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and in transcriptional activity compared with the parent compound. To investigate the broad biological activity of 2-substituted 19-norvitamin D analogs, we synthesized two new (20S)-2-hydroxyethylidene-19-norvitamin D derivatives (3b and 4b) and a total of 16 A-ring-modified analogs including 3b and 4b were tested for the following in vitro and in vivo biological activities: (1) affinity for the VDR, (2) transcriptional activity, (3) osteoclast formation, (4) bone calcium mobilization in rats, and (5) effects on differentiation of dendritic cells (DCs). The biological effects of the analogs were compared with those of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1a) and 2MD, which is being developed for the treatment of osteoporosis. The efficacy of the (20S)-19-norvitamin D analogs with 2-hydroxyethylidene, 2-hydroxyethoxy, and 2-methyl moieties (3b, 5b, 6b, and 9b) was more than 10-fold stronger than that of 1a with respect to transcriptional activity, ability to induce osteoclast formation, and ability to inhibit CD86 expression, a marker of mature DCs, and was similar to that of 2MD. The (20S)-2β-hydroxyethoxy derivative 6b was 2 orders of magnitude more active than 1a and approximately twice as potent as 2MD in preventing CD86 production. The 2-epoxy derivatives 7 and 8 were relatively poor ligands for the VDR and exhibited activity lower than that of the natural hormone 1a.