Optimization of diastereomeric dihydropyridines as antimalarials.

The increase in research funding for the development of antimalarials since 2000 has led to a surge of new chemotypes with potent antimalarial activity. High-throughput screens have delivered several thousand new active compounds in several hundred series, including the 4,7-diphenyl-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydroquinolines, hereafter termed dihydropyridines (DHPs). We optimized the DHPs for antimalarial activity. Structure-activity relationship studies focusing on the 2-, 3-, 4-, 6-, and 7-positions of the DHP core led to the identification of compounds potent (EC50 < 10 nM) against all strains of P. falciparum tested, including the drug-resistant parasite strains K1, W2, and TM90-C2B. Evaluation of efficacy of several compounds in vivo identified two compounds that reduced parasitemia by >75 % in mice 6 days post-exposure following a single 50 mg/kg oral dose. Resistance acquisition experiments with a selected dihydropyridine led to the identification of a single mutation conveying resistance in the gene encoding for Plasmodium falciparum multi-drug resistance protein 1 (PfMDR1). The same dihydropyridine possessed transmission blocking activity. The DHPs have the potential for the development of novel antimalarial drug candidates.

Going beyond Binary: Rapid Identification of Protein-Protein Interaction Modulators Using a Multifragment Kinetic Target-Guided Synthesis Approach.

Kinetic target-guided synthesis (KTGS) is a powerful screening approach that enables identification of small molecule modulators for biomolecules. While many KTGS variants have emerged, a majority of the examples suffer from limited throughput and a poor signal/noise ratio, hampering reliable hit detection. Herein, we present our optimized multifragment KTGS screening strategy that tackles these limitations. This approach utilizes selected reaction monitoring liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for hit detection, enabling the incubation of 190 fragment combinations per screening well. Consequentially, our fragment library was expanded from 81 possible combinations to 1710, representing the largest KTGS screening library assembled to date. The expanded library was screened against Mcl-1, leading to the discovery of 24 inhibitors. This work unveils the true potential of KTGS with respect to the rapid and reliable identification of hits, further highlighting its utility as a complement to the existing repertoire of screening methods used in drug discovery.

Synthesis, characterization, and cellular localization of a fluorescent probe of the antimalarial 8-aminoquinoline primaquine.

Primaquine (PQ) is the only commercially available drug that clears dormant liver stages of malaria and blocks transmission to mosquito vectors. Although an old drug, much remains to be known about the mechanism(s) of action. Herein we develop a fluorescent tagged PQ to discover cellular localization in the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Successful synthesis and characterization of a primaquine-coumarin fluorescent probe (PQCP) demonstrated potency equivalent to the parent drug and the probe was not cytotoxic to HepG2 carcinoma cells. Cellular localization was found primarily in the cytosol of the asexual erythrocytic and gametocyte stages of parasite development.

Metal-free arylation of ethyl acetoacetate with hypervalent diaryliodonium salts: an immediate access to diverse 3-aryl-4(1H)-quinolones.

A clean arylation protocol of ethyl acetoacetate was developed using hypervalent diaryliodonium salts under mild and metal-free conditions. The scope of the reaction, using symmetric and unsymmetric iodonium salts with varying sterics and electronics, was examined. Further, this method has been applied for the synthesis of antimalarial compound ELQ-300, which is currently in preclinical development.

Sulfo-click reaction via in situ generated thioacids and its application in kinetic target-guided synthesis.

Herein, we describe a practical, one-pot variant of the sulfo-click reaction, in which 9-fluorenylmethyl-protected thioesters are rapidly deprotected and reacted further with sulfonylazides to give N-acyl sulfonamides.

Synthesis, antimalarial activity, and structure-activity relationship of 7-(2-phenoxyethoxy)-4(1H)-quinolones.

ICI 56,780 (5) displayed causal prophylactic and blood schizonticidal activity (ED50=0.05 mg/kg) in rodent malaria models but produced rapid acquisition of parasitological resistance in P. berghei infected mice. Herein we describe the synthesis of analogues of 5 with EC50 as low as 0.15 nM against multidrug resistant P. falciparum. Optimal activity with low cross-resistance indexes (RI) to atovaquone was achieved by introducing ortho-substituted aryl moieties at the 3-position of the 7-(2-phenoxyethoxy)-4(1H)-quinolone core.