In the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 276, No. 7,16 February 2001, pp 4588 - 4596, Kelso et al."Selective Targeting of a Redox-active Ubiquinone to Mitochondria within Cells"there is disclosed a utility for mitoquinol as a targeted antioxidant for use in the mitochondria of cells, a method of synthesis of mitoquinol and the oxidative changes of mitoquinol to mitoquinone. See also US Patent 6331532.

The full content of that publication is hereby here included by way of reference.

Mitoquinol has the following structure (Formula IIL4) Its oxidised form is mitoquinone which has the structure (Formula IIIB)

The present invention relates (in a preferred form) to an alternative synthesis of mitoquinol, mitoquinone, or mixtures of mitoquinol and mitoquinone. It also relates more generally to the synthesis of similar carbon chain linked triphenyl phosphonium and quinol and/or quinone compounds.

In one aspect the present invention consists in a method of synthesis of a compound with a moiety or the moiety of the formula (Formula II) (and/or its quinone form) where n is an integer from at least 2 (preferably at least 6) to 40 which comprises or includes the reaction of a compound of the formula (Formula I) (and/or its quinol form) in the presence of Ph3PHX and Ph3P, where X is a halogen atom.

Preferably X is preferably bromine, iodine or chlorine (most preferably bromine).

Whilst n can be from 2 upwards drop for the reaction where n is less than 6 sufficiently to render alternative synthesises more economic.

Preferably n is 6 to 25.

Preferably the reaction is maintained as a temperature below which significant amounts of MePPh3 are not formed by ether cleavage, eg; the mixture is preferably kept below 80°C.

In still another aspect the present invention consists in a method of synthesis of a compound with a moiety or the moiety of the formula (Formula 11) (and/or its quinone form) where n is an integer from 6 to 40 which comprises or includes the preparation or obtaining of a compound of formula (Formula 1) (and/or its quinol form) and its subsequent reaction in the presence of Ph3PHBr and Ph3P.

Preferably n is from 6 to 25.

Preferably the reaction is maintained as a temperature below which significant amounts of MePPh3 are not formed by ether cleavage, eg; the mixture is preferably kept below 80°C.

By a procedure as follows the starting compounds of Formula 1 where n is from 6 to 40 can be prepared as follows: (Formula 1)

Yields are 30-40% for n=5, 10, 15,23 and are based on the readily available starting material (Qo) and the hydroxyacids-which are well described in the literature.

The method is an adaptation of the procedure in JP 08239340 and gives a ready source of the starting materials.

Other approaches to compounds of Formula 1 are by Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction of trimethoxytoluene followed by two reduction steps and quinone formation as described in JP 07223991, EP 0289223. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 33 (10), 4422-31 1985, JP 59039855, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 30 (8), 2797-819 1982.

Idebenone is a compound of Formula 1 but when n = 10.

We have determined that idebenone when reacted with Ph3PHBr will provide the quinol bromide and Ph3PO. Yet when Ph3P is also present in addition the Ph3PHBr a pathway exists directly through to mitoquinol.

The present invention therefore in one aspect is a method of synthesis of mitoquinol, mitoquinone or mixtures of mitoquinol and mitoquinone which comprises or includes the reaction of idebenone in the presence of Ph3PHBr and Ph3P.

Idebenone is disclosed in §4932 in The Merck Index, 12"'Edition.

Preferably the ratio of the idebenone with the Ph3PHBr, the idebenone with the Ph3P and the ratio of the Ph3PHBr with the Ph3P is substantially stoichiometric.

Preferably the reaction is maintained as a temperature below which significant amounts of MePPh3 are not formed by ether cleavage, eg; the mixture is preferably kept below 80°C.

In the preferred form of the present invention the reaction through to substantially pure mitoquinol can be described by the following procedure: (Formula IT,) 0 MeO \,/Me X/>/> OH MeO Idebenone O Ph3PHBr/Ph3P (eg ; see Example 2) OH Me0 Me 0 bu Br leO OH (plus possibly some Mitoquinone) + Ph3PO

ir PURIFICATION (eg ; see Example 3) or by vacuum chromatography and filtration) I r MITOQUINOL (and/or MITOQUINONE) (Formula IIIA andlor IIIB) if REDUCTION (if needed) (eg ; using borohydride) MITOQUINOL (Formula IIIA) Preferably the product that results from the reaction of the idebenone in the presence of the Ph3PHBr and Ph3P is mitoquinol (and possibly some of the oxidised species mitoquinone) as well as Ph3PO.

Preferably that reaction product can be purified to substantially purer mitoquinol and/or mixtures of mitoquinol and mitoquinone. For example by washing off with a solvent for Ph3PO. (eg; Et-OAc) and washing with a solvent (eg; H2O optionally with HBr present) for any phosphonium salts (eg; MePPh3) or by separation by chromatography.

We have found that it is possible to isolate the material by the procedure hereinafter described by reference to both Example 2 and Example 3 and/or 4.

It will be seen that we have found that it is possible with simple EtOAc washing until all of the Ph3PO has been removed and thereafter a simple water wash (with a presence of HBr) to remove the MePPh3 (albeit with some loss of the target material) provides purity levels desired, ie; a minimum of 98% mitoquinol (if any mitoquinone present, it is also considered as mitoquinol).

Alternatively a vacuum chromatography/filtration is possible.

If subsequently needed any mitoquinone present or at least some of the mitoquinone present can be reduced through to the mitoquinol form (eg; using a borohydride).

The present invention also consists in mitoquinol and/or mitoquinone synthesised by any part of a procedure as hereindescribed (including as a precursor or as part of such synthesis of Ph3PHBr preparation typified by Example 1).

We have determined we can carry out the following reaction for n being 6 and above (eg; to 40): Yields were low however (eg; for n = 3, n = 5) when n was below 6.

The present invention will now be further described by reference to the following Examples: EXAMPLE 1 : Ph3PHBr PREPARATION Ph3P (39.3g, 0.15 mol) was added to 48% aq. HBr (105 mL). The solution was stirred at 70°C for 5 minutes, cooled and extracted with CHC1 (3 45 ml).

The combined organic phase was dried over Na2SO4, filtered and the solvent was removed in vacuo.

The residue was washed with warm EtOAc (90 ml); yield: 36.6 g (71 %). (Hercouet, A. , Le Corre, M. Synthesis, 157 (1988)) EXAMPLE 2: MITOQUINOL PREPARATION Idebenone (0.678 g, 2 mmol, Sequoia Research Products # SRP00400i), Ph3P (0.524 g, 2 mmol) and Ph3PHBr (0. 686 g, 2 mmol) were placed in a 120x 16mm KIMAX tube fitted with a screw cap together with a small TEFLONTM coated spin bar. The tube was flushed with nitrogen, sealed and the bottom 2 cm was placed in a 70°C oil bath on a magnetic stirrer/hotplate with stirring of the mixture. The solids melted quickly to give an easily stirred orange liquid. As the reaction proceeded the mixture became very viscous and turned dark red/brown.

Progress of the reaction was monitored by removing a small sample and recording the 3'P NMR in CDC13 : PPh3/PHPh3Br-4. 7 ppm, PPh3=O 30.2 ppm, PPh3Me 23.0 ppm and the product had a peak at 25.6 ppm.

After 16 hours some of the starting materials were still evident but after 22 hours the reaction was complete.

The mixture was then cooled to give a black, glass-like solid which was dissolved in CH2Cl2 (4 mL), transferred to a RB flask and the solvent evaporated in vacuo to give a dark red oil (2.446g).

EXAMPLE 3: PURIFICATION OF MITOQUINOL The residue from the mitoQuinol preparation of Example 2 (2.446g) was mixed with EtOAc (20 ml) and held at 70°C for 5 minutes then cooled and the solvents decanted. This process was repeated twice more, by which time 3'P NMR showed no Ph3PO remained in the solid residue (1. 120g).

The residue (1. 120g) was then washed with a solution of H2O (20 ml) and 48% HBr (3 drops) at 60°C for 10 minutes. Any remaining solvent was removed from the residue by evaporation in vacuo (0. 5mm) to give an orange foam (0.763 g, 57 %). 'H NMR (299.9 MHz)

7.6-7. 9 (m, 15H,-P+Ph3), 3.88 (s, 6H, 2'-OCH3), 3.8-3. 9 (m, 2H,-CH2-P+Ph3), 2.5-2. 6 (t, 2H, ubiquinol-CH2-), 2.14 (s, 3H, CH3). 3'P NMR (121.4 MHz) 25.7 ppm.

EXAMPLE 4: PURIFICATION OF MITOQUINOL The residue (216 g, 0.326 mol) from the EtOAc washing of the crude reaction material (64%-ol, 20%-one, 16% MePPh3Br) as in the first part of Example 3 was dried in vacuo then dissolved in methanol (700 mL). A solution of 30% aqueous H202 (70 mL, 0.618 mol) and pyridine (134 mL) were added and the mixture was stirred 21 hrs at room temperature. The methanol was then evaporated in vacuo and the crude mixture was dissolved in dichloromethane (1.6 L) and extracted with 2% aqueous HBr (4 x 700 mL). The organic layer was dried over MgSO4 and added directly to a silica gel bed (1.2 kg (Merck type 9385) dry packed, 65mm deep by 245/230 mm wide in a sintered glass funnel). The silica gel was washed using a slight vacuum with dichloromethane (1.0 L), then 5% rectified spirits in dichloromethane (10.0 L) and 10% rectified spirits in dichloromethane (3.0 L).

Evaporation of the 5% rectified spirits in dichloromethane solution gave of pure mitoQuinone (166.2 g, 76.9%).'H NMR (299.9 MHz) 7.7-7. 9 (m, 15H,-P+Ph3), 3.98 (s, 6H, 2x-OCH3), 3.85-3. 95 (m, 2H,-CH2-P+Ph3), 2.40 (t, J=7.8Hz, 2H, ubiquinone-CH2-), 2.00 (s, 3H, CH3). 3'P NMR (121.4 MHz) 25.7 ppm.

Evaporation of the 10% rectified spirits in dichloromethane solution gave a 29: 71 mixture of mitoQuinone and methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (19.2 g).

MitoQuinone (0.31 g, 0.47 mmol) was dissolved in methanol (10 ml) and stirred under argon at room temperature. Sodium borohydride (0.1 g) was added to the stirred solution which went light yellow and the mixture was stirred for 30 minutes. A solution of 48 % HBr was then added dropwise until gas evolution finished and the methanol was then evaporated in vacuo. The residue was dissolved in a mixture of dichloromethane (5 ml) and H20 (5 ml) and the organic layer was collected. The aqueous phase was extracted with a further portion of dichloromethane (5 ml). The combined organic fractions were dried over Na2SO4 and the <BR> <BR> solvents evaporated in vacuo to give a yellow foam (0.305 g, 97 %). 'H NMR showed no evidence for a peak at 2.045 ppm indicating <3% residual mitoQuinone impurity.