Synthetic analogues of vitamin D₃ with an oxygen atom in the side chain skeleton A trial of the development of vitamin D compounds which exhibit potent differentiation‐inducing activity without inducing hypercalcemia

Abstract

Four analogues of vitamin D3 with an oxygen atom in the side chain skeleton were synthesized to determine whether their differentiation-inducing activity could be separated structurally from their activity to induce hypercalcemia. The order of the in vitro potency to reduce nitroblue tetrazolium in human myeloid leukemia cells (HL-60) was 22-oxa-1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3 greater than 1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3 greater than 20-oxa-1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3 not equal to 22-oxa-1 alpha-(OH)D3 greater than 1 alpha-(OH)D3 greater than 20-oxa-1 alpha-(OH)D3. 22-Oxa-1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3 was also about 10-times more potent than 1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3 in suppressing proliferation and inducing differentiation of mouse myelomonocytic leukemia cells (WEHI-3), but the former was much weaker than the latter in inducing the release of 45Ca from prelabeled fetal mouse calvaria. These results suggest that the differentiation-inducing activity of vitamin D compounds can be separated structurally from their activity to induce hypercalcemia.