Reaction of caesium 4-chlorophenate and chlorohydrins from threonines: synthesis of clofibrate analogues

Clofibrate is a well-known peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-a (PPARa) agonist, used in the treatment of hyperlipaemias and atherosclerosis and to prevent heart failure. Herein, the preparation of the four enantiomerically pure stereoisomers of ethyl 2-(4-chlorophenoxy)-3-hydroxybutanoate as clofibrate analogues is described. Biological evaluation of these new compounds was performed by a transactivation assay in a transiently transfected monkey kidney fibroblast cell line. All four diastereomers were inactive even at 300 lM, where clofibrate showed an evident activity, suggesting that the designed clofibrate molecular structural modifications in the analogues caused the loss of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-a (PPARa) activity.