Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: synthesis and inhibition of cytosolic/tumor-associated carbonic anhydrase isozymes I, II, and IX with sulfonamides derived from 4-isothiocyanato-benzolamide

A series of sulfonamides incorporating 4-thioureido-benzolamide moieties have been prepared from aminobenzolamide and thiophosgene followed by the reaction of the thiocyanato intermediate with aliphatic/aromatic amines or hydrazines. The new derivatives have been investigated as inhibitors of the zinc enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1), and more precisely of the cytosolic isozymes hCA I and II, as well as the tumor-associated isozyme hCA IX (all of human origin). The new compounds showed excellent inhibitory properties against all three isozymes with inhibition constants in the range of 0.6–62 nM against hCA I, 0.5–1.7 nM against hCA II and 3.2–23 nM against hCA IX, respectively. These derivatives are interesting candidates for the development of novel therapies targeting hypoxic tumors.