For the purpose of diminishing the toxicity of 5-fluorouracil (1) and obtaining biologically active derivatives of 1 suitable for oral administration, alkylthiomethyl, alkylsulfinylmethyl, alkylsulfonylmethyl, and acylthiomethyl groups were introduced at the 1- and 3-positions of 1. The antitumor activity of these synthetic compounds was tested against L1210 leukemia in mice. 1-Alkylthiomethyl-5-fluorouracils showed weak antitumor activity at a high dose (300 mg/kg).
Antitumor-active derivatives of 5-fluorouracil were prepared via a new method by introducing an acyloxymethyl group at the 1-, 3-, or 1, 3-position (s). These derivatives were obtained by condensing 1, 3-bis (hydroxymethyl) -5-fluorouracil with various short-/long-chain carboxylic acids or their derivatives, in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and a catalytic amount of N, N-dimethylaminopyridine. Some of the derivatives showed strong antitumor activity against the leukemia L1210 system when administered orally.