Synthesis and vasodilator activity of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones bearing urea, thiourea, and sulfonylurea moieties

A series of novel 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones bearing urea, thiourea, and sulfonylurea moieties were synthesized and pharmacologically evaluated as vasodilator agents. The most interesting vasodilators were the thiourea derivatives 6a and 6b and the urea derivatives 6f–6i and 7f–7h, although the ureas were relatively more active than thioureas. Twenty-fold more active than diazoxide, the urea 6g was the most potent vasodilator (EC50 = 0.983 ± 0.061 μmol/L) and proved to act as a voltage-gated calcium channel blocker. The lack of activity of sulfonylureas, 6k and 7j, could be attributed to their partial ionization at the physiological pH because of their acidic character. It should be interesting to investigate a larger number of compounds, including N-methylated sulfonylureas, to increase the vasodilator activity and to explore other biological models.