Uterine leiomyosarcomas harboring MAP2K4 gene amplification are sensitive in vivo to PLX8725, a novel MAP2K4 inhibitor.

INTRODUCTION: Uterine leiomyosarcomas (uLMS) are rare, highly aggressive tumors. Up to 30% of uLMS may harbor gain of function (GOF) in the MAP2K4 gene, important for tumor cell proliferation, differentiation and metastasis. We investigated the in vivo activity of a novel MAP2K4 inhibitor, PLX8725, against uLMS harboring MAP2K4 gene-amplification. METHODS: Two fully characterized uLMS (i.e., LEY-11 and LEY-16) were grafted into female CB-17/SCID mice. Treatments with control vehicle or PLX8725 (50 mg/kg) were given via oral gavage daily on weekdays for up to 60 days. Tumor volume differences were calculated with two-way ANOVA. Pharmacokinetic (PK) and mechanistic studies of PLX8725 in uLMS PDX models were also performed. RESULTS: Both uLMS tumors evaluated demonstrated GOF in MAP2K4 (i.e., 3 CNV in both LEY-11 and LEY-16). Tumor growth inhibition was significantly greater in both PDX LEY-11 and PDX LEY-16 treated with PLX8725 when compared to controls (p < 0.001). Median overall survival was also significantly longer in both PDX LEY-11 (p = 0.0047) and PDX LEY-16 (p = 0.0058) treatment cohorts when compared to controls. PLX8725 oral treatment was well tolerated, and PK studies demonstrated that oral PLX8725 gives extended exposure in mice. Ex vivo tumor samples after PLX8725 exposure decreased phosphorylated-ATR, JNK and p38, and increased expression of apoptotic molecules on western blot. CONCLUSION: PLX8725 demonstrates promising in vivo activity against PDX models of uLMS harboring GOF alterations in the MAP2K4 gene with tolerable toxicity. Phase I trials of PLX8725 in advanced, recurrent, chemotherapy-resistant uLMS patients are warranted.

Discovery of Novel Pyrido-pyridazinone Derivatives as FER Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors with Antitumor Activity.

To obtain a new anticancer drug, we focused on FER tyrosine kinase. Starting with high-throughput screening with our in-house chemical library, compound 1, which has a pyridine moiety, was found. Referring to their X-ray crystal structure with FES proto-oncogene tyrosine kinase, as a surrogate of FER followed by chemical modification including scaffold hopping of the pyridine template, we discovered pyrido-pyridazinone derivatives with potent FER kinase inhibitory activity. Here, we disclose the structure-activity relationship on the scaffold and representative compound 21 (DS21360717), which showed in vivo antitumor efficacy in a subcutaneous tumor model.

Discovery of Novel 7-[(1R,5S)-1-Amino-5-fluoro-3-azabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-3-yl]-6-fluoro-1-[(1R,2S)-2-fluorocyclopropane]-8-(methoxy or methyl)quinolones.

A series of 8-methoxy or 8-methylquinolones bearing novel 3-aminooctahydrocyclopenta[c]pyrrole derivatives at the C-7 position was synthesized, and the pharmacological, physicochemical, and toxicological properties of the individual compounds were evaluated. Novel 8-methylquinolone 7, which includes a 3-amino-7-fluorooctahydrocyclopenta[c]pyrrole moiety at the C-7 position, showed potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and negative pathogens. Compound 7 also demonstrated favorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties and an acceptably safe toxicological profile. Consequently, compound 7 was selected as a clinical candidate.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel 7-[(3 aS,7 aS)-3 a-Aminohexahydropyrano[3,4- c]pyrrol-2(3 H)-yl]-8-methoxyquinolines with Potent Antibacterial Activity against Respiratory Pathogens.

Novel 7-[(3 aS,7 aS)-3 a-aminohexahydropyrano[3,4- c]pyrrol-2(3 H)-yl]-6-fluoro-1-[(1 R,2 S)-2- fluorocyclopropyl]-8-methoxy-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylic acid 5 (DS21412020) was designed and synthesized to obtain potent antibacterial drugs for the treatment of respiratory tract infections. Compound 5 possessing a trans-fused pyranose ring on the pyrrolidine moiety at the C-7 position of the quinolone scaffold exhibited potent in vitro antibacterial activity against respiratory pathogens, including quinolone-resistant and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (QR- MRSA) and quinolone-resistant Escherichia coli (QR- E. coli). Furthermore, compound 5 showed in vivo activity against the experimental murine pneumonia model due to penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae ( PRSP) and favorable profiles in preliminary toxicological and nonclinical pharmacokinetic studies. In particular, the reduced lipophilicity and basicity of compound 5 as compared to those of the previously synthesized carba-type compound 4 resulted in a significant reduction in the human ether-a-go-go (hERG) related gene channel inhibition, which have the potential to prolong the QT interval.

Two distinct EF-Tu epitopes induce immune responses in rice and Arabidopsis.

Plants sense potential pathogens by recognizing conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) that cause PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). We previously reported that rice recognizes flagellin from the rice-incompatible N1141 strain of Acidovorax avenae and subsequently induces immune responses. Cell extracts isolated from flagellin-deficient N1141 (Δfla1141) still induced PTI responses, suggesting that Δfla1141 possesses an additional PAMP distinct from flagellin. Here, we show that elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), one of the most abundant bacterial proteins, acts as a PAMP in rice and causes several PTI responses. In Brassicaceae species, EF-Tu and an N-acetylated peptide comprising the first 18 amino acids of the N-terminus, termed elf18, are fully active as inducers of PTI responses. By contrast, elf18 did not cause any immune responses in rice, whereas an EF-Tu middle region comprising Lys176 to Gly225, termed EFa50, is fully active as a PAMP in rice. In the leaves of rice plants, EF-Tu induced H2O2 generation and callose deposition, and also triggered resistance to coinfection with pathogenic bacteria. Taken together, these data demonstrate that rice recognizes EFa50, which is distinct from elf18, and that this epitope induces PTI responses.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluations of novel 7-[7-amino-7-methyl-5-azaspiro[2.4]heptan-5-yl]-8-methoxyquinolines with potent antibacterial activity against respiratory pathogens.

Novel 7-[7-amino-7-methyl-5-azaspiro[2.4]heptan-5-yl]-6-fluoro-1-[(1R,2S)-2-fluorocyclopropyl]- 8-methoxy-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid 2a and 2b were designed and synthesized to obtain potent antibacterial drugs for the treatment of respiratory tract infections. Among these, compound 2a possessing (S)-configuration for the asymmetrical carbon on the pyrolidine moiety at the C-7 position of the quinolone scaffold exhibited potent in vitro antibacterial activity against respiratory pathogens including gram-positive (Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus), gram-negative (Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxcella catarrhalis), and atypical strains (Chalmydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae), as well as multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and quinolone-resistant and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Furthermore, compound 2a showed excellent in vivo activity against the experimental murine pneumonia model due to multidrug resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (MDRSP) and favorable profiles in preliminary toxicological and nonclinical pharmacokinetic studies.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluations of novel 7-[3-(1-aminocycloalkyl)pyrrolidin-1-yl]-6-desfluoro-8-methoxyquinolones with potent antibacterial activity against multi-drug resistant Gram-positive bacteria.

A series of novel 6-desfluoro [des-F(6)] and 6-fluoro-1-[(1R,2S)-2-fluorocyclopropan-1-yl]-8-methoxyquinolones bearing 3-(1-aminocycloalkyl)pyrrolidin-1-yl substituents at the C-7 position (1-6) was synthesized to obtain potent drugs for nosocomial infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens. The des-F(6) compounds 4-6 exhibited at least four times more potent activity against representative Gram-positive bacteria than ciprofloxacin or moxifloxacin. Among the derivatives, 7-[(3R)-3-(1-aminocyclopropan-1-yl)pyrrolidin-1-yl] derivative 4, which showed favorable profiles in preliminary toxicological and non-clinical pharmacokinetic studies, exhibited potent antibacterial activity against clinically isolated Gram-positive pathogens that had become resistant to one or more antibiotics.

Characterization and optimization of selective, nonpeptidic inhibitors of cathepsin S with an unprecedented binding mode.

The substrate activity screening (SAS) method, a substrate-based fragment identification and optimization method for the development of enzyme inhibitors, was previously applied to cathepsin S to obtain a novel (2-arylphenoxy)acetaldehyde inhibitor, 2, with a 0.49 microM Ki value (Wood, W. J. L.; Patterson, A. W.; Tsuruoka, H.; Jain, R. K.; Ellman, J. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 15521-15527). In this paper we disclose the X-ray structure of a complex between cathepsin S and inhibitor 2 which reveals an unprecedented binding mode. On the basis of this structure, additional 2-biaryloxy substrates with greatly increased cleavage efficiency were designed. Conversion of the optimized substrates to the corresponding aldehyde inhibitors yielded a low molecular weight (304 Daltons) and potent (9.6 nM) cathepsin S inhibitor that showed from 100- to >1000-fold selectivity relative to cathepsins B, L, and K.

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel 6-fluoro-1-[(1R,2S)-2-fluorocyclopropan-1-yl]-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acids bearing cyclopropane-fused 2-amino-8-azabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-8-yl substituents at the C-7 position.

A series of novel 6-fluoro-1-[(1R,2S)-2-fluorocyclopropan-1-yl]-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acids bearing cyclopropane-fused 2-amino-8-azabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-8-yl substituents at the C-7 position were synthesized to obtain potent drugs for the treatment of Gram-positive infections. Some compounds exhibited excellent antibacterial activity, and potent inhibitory activity against bacterial DNA topoisomerase IV. In addition, some of the potent compounds showed reduced inhibitory activity against human DNA topoisomerase II compared with the corresponding noncyclopropane-fused compounds.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of 5-amino-6-fluoro-1-[(1R,2S)-2-fluorocyclopropan-1-yl]-8-methylquinolonecarboxylic acid antibacterials having fluorinated 7-[(3R)-3-(1-aminocyclopropan-1-yl)pyrrolidin-1-yl] substituents.

A series of novel 5-amino-6-fluoro-1-[(1R,2S)-2-fluorocyclopropan-1-yl]-8-methylquinolones bearing fluorinated (3R)-3-(1-aminocyclopropan-1-yl)pyrrolidin-1-yl substituents at the C-7 position (2-4) was synthesized to obtain potent drugs for infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens, which include resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP), and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). These fluorinated compounds 2-4 exhibited potent antibacterial activity comparable with that of a compound bearing a non-fluorinated (3R)-3-(1-aminocyclopropan-1-yl)pyrrolidine moiety at the C-7 position (1) and had at least 4 times more potent activity against representative Gram-positive bacteria than ciprofloxacin (CPFX), gatifloxacin (GFLX), or moxifloxacin (MFLX). Among them, the 7-[(3S,4R)-4-(1-aminocyclopropan-1-yl)-3-fluoropyrrolidin-1-yl] derivative 3 (=DQ-113), which showed favorable profiles in preliminary toxicological and nonclinical pharmcokinetic studies, exhibited potent antibacterial activity against clinically isolated resistant Gram-positive pathogens.