Synthesis and biological evaluation of dialkylsubstituted maleic anhydrides as novel inhibitors of Cdc25 dual specificity phosphatases

An efficient synthesis of dialkylsubstituted maleic anhydrides 1a–j is described. The inhibitory potential of these original anhydride derivatives was tested toward the three human isoforms A, B and C of dual specific phosphatases Cdc25. A micromolar range inhibition of Cdc25s was observed with the maleic anhydrides bearing simple alkyl side chains longer than C9, to reach the optimal activity with a C17 chain length.

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