Cocrystals of 5-fluorocytosine. I. Coformers with fixed hydrogen-bonding sites

Acta Crystallogr B. 2012 Aug;68(Pt 4):431-43. doi: 10.1107/S010876811202561X. Epub 2012 Jul 17.

Abstract

The antifungal drug 5-fluorocytosine (4-amino-5-fluoro-1,2-dihydropyrimidin-2-one) was cocrystallized with five complementary compounds in order to better understand its drug-receptor interaction. The first two compounds, 2-aminopyrimidine (2-amino-1,3-diazine) and N-acetylcreatinine (N-acetyl-2-amino-1-methyl-5H-imidazol-4-one), exhibit donor-acceptor sites for R(2)(2)(8) heterodimer formation with 5-fluorocytosine. Such a heterodimer is observed in the cocrystal with 2-aminopyrimidine (I); in contrast, 5-fluorocytosine and N-acetylcreatinine [which forms homodimers in its crystal structure (II)] are connected only by a single hydrogen bond in (III). The other three compounds 6-aminouracil (6-amino-2,4-pyrimidinediol), 6-aminoisocytosine (2,6-diamino-3H-pyrimidin-4-one) and acyclovir [acycloguanosine or 2-amino-9-[(2-hydroxyethoxy)methyl]-1,9-dihydro-6H-purin-6-one] possess donor-donor-acceptor sites; therefore, they can interact with 5-fluorocytosine to form a heterodimer linked by three hydrogen bonds. In the cocrystals with 6-aminoisocytosine (Va)-(Vd), as well as in the cocrystal with the antiviral drug acyclovir (VII), the desired heterodimers are observed. However, they are not formed in the cocrystal with 6-aminouracil (IV), where the components are connected by two hydrogen bonds. In addition, a solvent-free structure of acyclovir (VI) was obtained. A comparison of the calculated energies released during dimer formation helped to rationalize the preference for hydrogen-bonding interactions in the various cocrystal structures.

MeSH terms

  • Antifungal Agents / chemistry*
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Flucytosine / chemistry*
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Molecular Structure
  • Pyrimidines / chemical synthesis
  • Pyrimidines / chemistry
  • Uracil / analogs & derivatives*
  • Uracil / chemical synthesis
  • Uracil / chemistry

Substances

  • 6-aminouracil (6-amino-2,4-pyrimidinediol)
  • Antifungal Agents
  • Pyrimidines
  • 2-aminopyrimidine
  • Uracil
  • 6-aminouracil
  • Flucytosine