Recent advances in targeting leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 as a potential strategy for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. Several single gene mutations involved in PD have been identified such as leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), the most common cause of sporadic and familial PD. Its mutations have attracted much attention to therapeutically targeting this kinase. To date, many compounds including small chemical molecules with diverse scaffolds and RNA agents have been developed with significant amelioration in preclinical PD models. Currently, five candidates, DNL201, DNL151, WXWH0226, NEU-723 and BIIB094, have advanced to clinical trials for PD treatment. In this review, we describe the structure, pathogenic mutations and the mechanism of LRRK2, and summarize the development of LRRK2 inhibitors in preclinical and clinical studies, trying to provide an insight into targeting LRRK2 for PD intervention in future.

Hyaluronic Acid Poly(glyceryl)10-Stearate Derivatives: Novel Emulsifiers for Improving the Gastrointestinal Stability and Bioaccessibility of Coenzyme Q10 Nanoemulsions.

Fish oils are a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which are reported to exhibit therapeutic effects in a variety of human diseases. However, these oils are highly susceptible to degradation due to oxidation, leading to rancidity and the formation of potentially toxic reaction products. The aim of this study was to synthesize a novel emulsifier (HA-PG10-C18) by esterifying hyaluronic acid with poly(glyceryl)10-stearate (PG10-C18). This emulsifier was then used to formulate nanoemulsion-based delivery systems to co-deliver fish oil and coenzyme Q10 (Q10). Q10-loaded fish oil-in-water nanoemulsions were fabricated, and then their physicochemical properties, digestibility, and bioaccessibility were measured. The results indicated that the environmental stability and antioxidant activity of oil droplets coated with HA-PG10-C18 surpassed those coated with PG10-C18 due to the formation of a denser interfacial layer that blocked metal ions, oxygen, and lipase. Meanwhile, the lipid digestibility and Q10 bioaccessibility of nanoemulsions formulated with HA-PG10-C18 (94.9 and 69.2%) were higher than those formulated with PG10-C18 (86.2 and 57.8%), respectively. These results demonstrated that the novel emulsifier synthesized in this study could be used to protect chemically labile fat-soluble substances from oxidative damage, while still retaining their nutritional value.

Therapeutic potential of targeting kynurenine pathway in neurodegenerative diseases.

Kynurenine pathway (KP), the primary pathway of L-tryptophan (Trp) metabolism in mammals, contains several neuroactive metabolites such as kynurenic acid (KA) and quinolinic acid (QA). Its imbalance involved in aging and neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) has attracted much interest in therapeutically targeting KP enzymes and KP metabolite-associated receptors, especially kynurenine monooxygenase (KMO). Currently, many agents have been discovered with significant improvement in animal models but only one aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) agonist 30 (laquinimod) has entered clinical trials for treating Huntington's disease (HD). In this review, we describe neuroactive KP metabolites, discuss the dysregulation of KP in aging and NDs and summarize the development of KP regulators in preclinical and clinical studies, offering an outlook of targeting KP for NDs treatment in future.

Targeting phosphodiesterase 4 as a therapeutic strategy for cognitive improvement.

Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), the largest member of PDE family, is highly expressed in mammalian brain. It selectively hydrolyzes the second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), a correlate of brain functions including learning, memory and cognitive abilities. Its inhibition is beneficial to counteract cognitive deficits. Thus, targeting PDE4 may be a viable strategy for cognitive improvement. Currently, many PDE4 inhibitors have been discovered but with a great hurdle in clinical development due to adverse effects such as emesis. Analysis of PDE4 subtypes and discovery of subtype specific regulators indicate therapeutic benefits with improved safety in preclinical and clinical models. Herein, we summarize PDE4 structure, describe PDE4 mediated signaling pathways, review the role of individual PDE4 subtypes and discuss the development of PDE4 inhibitors for cognitive improvement, trying to give an insight into the strategy for cognitive improvement with PDE4 inhibitors in future.

Design, synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modeling of N-isobutyl-N-((2-(p-tolyloxymethyl)thiazol-4yl)methyl)benzo[d][1,3] dioxole-5-carboxamides as selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors.

Butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) is recently regarded as a biomarker in progressed Alzheimer's disease (AD). Development of selective BuChE inhibitors has attracted a great deal of interest and may be a viable therapeutic strategy for AD. Recently, we reported the N-isobutyl-N-((2-(p-tolyloxymethyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carboxamide (1) as a selective BuChE inhibitor. Subsequently, 33 analogs were synthesized and assessed by AChE/BuChE activities, indicating an optimal compound 23. Further kinetic tests suggested a competitive manner. Molecular docking and Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation showed that it interacted with several residues in active site gorge of BuChE, possibly contributing to its selectivity and competitive pattern. Moreover, it showed low cytotoxicity and high blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Taken together, 23 was a promising BuChE inhibitor for the treatment of AD.

Therapeutic potential of phosphodiesterase inhibitors for cognitive amelioration in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), one of the greatest threats to human health, is characterized by declined cognition and changed behavior. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) that play an important role in learning and memory are hydrolyzed by phosphodiesterases (PDEs). Most PDE isoforms are highly expressed in the brain, and the inhibition of PDEs is beneficial to counteract AD. Thus, targeting PDEs represents a therapeutic potential for this disease. So far, a variety of PDE inhibitors have been discovered with significant cognitive enhancement effects in animal models and more than ten agents have entered into clinical trials. In this review, we summarize PDE mediated cyclic nucleotide signaling pathways, PDE family members involved in AD and recent advance of PDE inhibitors in preclinical and clinical studies, trying to provide an outlook of PDE inhibitors for the treatment of AD in future.

Therapeutic potential of targeting SHP2 in human developmental disorders and cancers.

Src homology 2 (SH2)-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP2), encoded by PTPN11, regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and survival via releasing intramolecular autoinhibition and modulating various signaling pathways, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Mutations and aberrant expression of SHP2 are implicated in human developmental disorders, leukemias and several solid tumors. As an oncoprotein in some cancers, SHP2 represents a rational target for inhibitors to interfere. Nevertheless, its tumor suppressive effect has also been uncovered, indicating the context-specificity. Even so, two types of SHP2 inhibitors including targeting catalytic pocket and allosteric sites have been developed associated with resolved cocrystal complexes. Herein, we describe its structure, biological function, deregulation in human diseases and summarize recent advance in development of SHP2 inhibitors, trying to give an insight into the therapeutic potential in future.

Small molecule PROTACs in targeted therapy: An emerging strategy to induce protein degradation.

Inhibitors and nucleic acid based techniques were two main approaches to interfere with protein signaling and respective cascade in the past. Until recently, a new class of small molecules named proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) have emerged. Each contains a target warhead, a linker and an E3 ligand. These bifunctional molecules recruit E3 ligases and target specific proteins for degradation via the ubiquitin (Ub) proteasome system (UPS). The degradation provides several advantages over inhibition in potency, selectivity and drug resistance. Thus, a variety of small molecule PROTACs have been discovered so far. In this review, we summarize the biological mechanism, advantages and recent progress of PROTACs, trying to offer an outlook in development of drugs targeting degradation in future.

CDK8 as a therapeutic target for cancers and recent developments in discovery of CDK8 inhibitors.

Cyclin-dependent kinases 8 (CDK8) regulates transcriptional process via associating with the mediator complex or phosphorylating transcription factors (TF). Overexpression of CDK8 has been observed in various cancers. It mediates aberrant activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, which is initially recognized and best studied in colorectal cancer (CRC). CDK8 acts as an oncogene and represents a potential target for developing novel CDK8 inhibitors in cancer therapeutics. However, other study has revealed its contrary role. The function of CDK8 is context dependent. Even so, a variety of potent and selective CDK8 inhibitors have been discovered after crystal structures were resolved in two states (active or inactive). In this review, we summarize co-crystal structures, biological mechanisms, dysregulation in cancers and recent progress in the field of CDK8 inhibitors, trying to offer an outlook of CDK8 inhibitors in cancer therapy in future.

Development of hydroxy-based sphingosine kinase inhibitors and anti-inflammation in dextran sodium sulfate induced colitis in mice.

Sphingosine kinase (SphK)-catalyzed production of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) regulates cell growth, survival and proliferation as well as inflammatory status in animals. In recent study we reported the N'-(3-(benzyloxy)benzylidene)-3,4,5-trihydroxybenzohydrazide scaffold as a potent SphK inhibitor. As a continuation of these efforts, 51 derivatives were synthesized and evaluated by SphK1/2 inhibitory activities for structure-activity relationship (SAR) study. Among them, 33 was identified as the most potent SphK inhibitor. Potency of 33 was also observed to efficiently decrease SphK1/2 expression in human colorectal cancer cells (HCT116) and significantly inhibit dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis as well as the decreased expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in mouse models. Collectively, 33 was validated as an effective SphK inhibitor, which can be served as anti-inflammatory agent to probably treat inflammatory bowel diseases in human.

N'-[(3-[benzyloxy]benzylidene]-3,4,5-trihydroxybenzohydrazide (1) protects mice against colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium through inhibiting NFκB/IL-6/STAT3 pathway.

IBD has attracted much attention for its negative influence on the quality of life and increased risk of colorectal cancer. In this study, we discovered the inhibitory activity of the polyphenol compound (1) in DSS induced colitis in mice by targeting NFκB/IL-6/STAT3 pathway. This compound effectively protected against body weight loss and colon length shortening induced by DSS. Additionally, 1 inhibited DSS induced damage in colon, notably decreasing the severity of inflammation, the extent of inflammation, crypt damage and percent involvement. The production of inflammatory mediators of IL-6 and COX-2 was also significantly attenuated when treated with 1. It may be attributed to inhibiting NFκB signaling. Moreover, this polyphenol suppressed p-STAT3 production as well as its downstream proteins response for apoptosis, such as Bcl-2 and Bax. In summary, the study not only afforded our understanding involved in colitis, but also provided the possible therapy for human with IBD.

Synthesis, identification, and biological activity of metabolites of two novel selective S1P1 agonists.

SYL927 and SYL930 are selective S1P1 agonists under preclinical development. However, during their pharmacokinetic studies we detected two metabolites in rat blood that were tentatively identified as monohydroxylated metabolites of SYL927 and SYL930 based on LC-MS/MS data. In this study, we designed and synthesized possible monohydroxylated products 6a-e and used them as references to confirm the structures of the two metabolites detected by LC-MS/MS. We also evaluated the in vitro and in vivo biological activities of these two metabolites.

Assessing the ligand selectivity of sphingosine kinases using molecular dynamics and MM-PBSA binding free energy calculations.

The dynamic balance of sphingolipids plays a crucial role in diverse biological processes such as mitogenesis, cell migration and angiogenesis. Sphingosine kinases (SKs) including SK1 and SK2 phosphorylate sphingosine to sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), and control the critical balance. SK1 overexpression was reported to increase cell survival and proliferation. Although several SK1 selective inhibitors have been reported, detailed analysis toward their selectivity to understand the molecular mechanism has not been performed to our knowledge. Herein, the crystal structure of SK1 and a homology model of SK2 were used to dock five inhibitors (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). Protein-ligand complexes were then subjected to a molecular dynamics study and MM-PBSA binding free energy calculations. By analyzing the binding model of these inhibitors, we found that residues ILE170, PHE188 and THR192 in SK1 significantly contribute a favorable binding energy to the selectivity.

Discovery and Modification of in Vivo Active Nrf2 Activators with 1,2,4-Oxadiazole Core: Hits Identification and Structure-Activity Relationship Study.

Induction of phase II antioxidant enzymes by activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway has been recognized as a promising strategy for the regulation of oxidative stress-related diseases. Herein we report our effort on the discovery and optimization of Nrf2 activators with 1,2,4-oxadiazole core. Screening of an in-house collection containing 7500 compounds by ARE-luciferase reporter assay revealed a moderate Nrf2 activator, 1. Aimed at obtaining more derivatives efficiently, molecular similarity search by the combination of 2D fingerprint-based and 3D shape-based search was applied to virtually screening the Chemdiv collection. Three derivatives with the same core were identified to have better inductivity of Nrf2 than 1. The best hit 4 was selected as starting point for structurally optimization, leading to a much more potent derivative 32. It in vitro upregulated gene and protein level of Nrf2 as well as its downstream markers such as NQO1, GCLM, and HO-1. It remarkably suppressed inflammation in the in vivo LPS-challenged mouse model. Our results provide a new chemotype as Nrf2-ARE activators which deserve further optimization with the aim to obtain active anti-inflammatory agents through Nrf2-ARE pathway.

Discovery of potent Keap1-Nrf2 protein-protein interaction inhibitor based on molecular binding determinants analysis.

Keap1 is known to mediate the ubiquitination of Nrf2, a master regulator of the antioxidant response. Directly interrupting the Keap1-Nrf2 interaction has been emerged as a promising strategy to develop novel class of antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and anticancer agents. On the basis of the molecular binding determinants analysis of Keap1, we successfully designed and characterized the most potent protein-protein interaction (PPI) inhibitor of Keap1-Nrf2, compound 2, with K(D) value of 3.59 nM binding to Keap1 for the first time to single-digit nanomolar. Compound 2 can effectively disrupt the Nrf2-Keap1 interaction with an EC50 of 28.6 nM in the fluorescence polarization assay. It can also activate the Nrf2 transcription activity in the cell-based ARE-luciferase reporter assay in a dose-dependent manner. The qRT-PCR results of Nrf2 transcription targets gave the consistent results. These results confirm direct and highly efficient interruption of the Keap1-Nrf2 PPI can be fully achieved by small molecules.

Effective screening strategy using ensembled pharmacophore models combined with cascade docking: application to p53-MDM2 interaction inhibitors.

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play a crucial role in cellular function and form the backbone of almost all biochemical processes. In recent years, protein-protein interaction inhibitors (PPIIs) have represented a treasure trove of potential new drug targets. Unfortunately, there are few successful drugs of PPIIs on the market. Structure-based pharmacophore (SBP) combined with docking has been demonstrated as a useful Virtual Screening (VS) strategy in drug development projects. However, the combination of target complexity and poor binding affinity prediction has thwarted the application of this strategy in the discovery of PPIIs. Here we report an effective VS strategy on p53-MDM2 PPI. First, we built a SBP model based on p53-MDM2 complex cocrystal structures. The model was then simplified by using a Receptor-Ligand complex-based pharmacophore model considering the critical binding features between MDM2 and its small molecular inhibitors. Cascade docking was subsequently applied to improve the hit rate. Based on this strategy, we performed VS on NCI and SPECS databases and successfully discovered 6 novel compounds from 15 hits with the best, compound 1 (NSC 5359), K(i) = 180 ± 50 nM. These compounds can serve as lead compounds for further optimization.

3-aroylmethylene-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-pyrazino[2,1-a]isoquinolin-4(11bH)-ones as potent Nrf2/ARE inducers in human cancer cells and AOM-DSS treated mice.

Nrf2-mediated activation of ARE regulates expression of cytoprotective enzymes against oxidative stress, inflammation, and carcinogenesis. We have discovered a novel structure (1) as an ARE inducer via luciferase reporter assay to screen the in-house database of our laboratory. The potency of 1 was evaluated by the expression of NQO-1, HO-1, and nuclear translocation of Nrf2 in HCT116 cells. In vivo potency of 1 was studied using AOM-DSS models, showing that the development of colorectal adenomas was significantly inhibited. Administration with 1 lowered the expression of IL-6, IL-1ß, and promoted Nrf2 nuclear translocation. These results indicated that 1 is a potent Nrf2/ARE activator, both in vitro and in vivo. Forty-one derivatives were synthesized for SAR study, and a more potent compound 17 was identified. To our knowledge, this is a potent ARE activator. Besides, its novel structure makes it promising for further optimization.

Insight into the intermolecular recognition mechanism between Keap1 and IKKß combining homology modelling, protein-protein docking, molecular dynamics simulations and virtual alanine mutation.

Degradation of certain proteins through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is a common strategy taken by the key modulators responsible for stress responses. Kelch-like ECH-associated protein-1(Keap1), a substrate adaptor component of the Cullin3 (Cul3)-based ubiquitin E3 ligase complex, mediates the ubiquitination of two key modulators, NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and IκB kinase ß (IKKß), which are involved in the redox control of gene transcription. However, compared to the Keap1-Nrf2 protein-protein interaction (PPI), the intermolecular recognition mechanism of Keap1 and IKKß has been poorly investigated. In order to explore the binding pattern between Keap1 and IKKß, the PPI model of Keap1 and IKKß was investigated. The structure of human IKKß was constructed by means of the homology modeling method and using reported crystal structure of Xenopus laevis IKKß as the template. A protein-protein docking method was applied to develop the Keap1-IKKß complex model. After the refinement and visual analysis of docked proteins, the chosen pose was further optimized through molecular dynamics simulations. The resulting structure was utilized to conduct the virtual alanine mutation for the exploration of hot-spots significant for the intermolecular interaction. Overall, our results provided structural insights into the PPI model of Keap1-IKKß and suggest that the substrate specificity of Keap1 depend on the interaction with the key tyrosines, namely Tyr525, Tyr574 and Tyr334. The study presented in the current project may be useful to design molecules that selectively modulate Keap1. The selective recognition mechanism of Keap1 with IKKß or Nrf2 will be helpful to further know the crosstalk between NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling.

Synthesis and bioevaluation of a series of α-pyrone derivatives as potent activators of Nrf2/ARE pathway (part I).

When exposed to electrophiles, human colorectal cancer cells (HCT116) counteract oxidative stress through activating NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway. To identify new activators, luciferase reporter gene assay was used to screen in-house database of our laboratory, leading to a novel α-pyrone compound 1 as a hit. 2 with 2-fluoro phenyl group exhibited the strongest ARE inductive activity in the first round structure-activity relationship (SAR) study. Biological studies showed the compound induced nuclear translocation of Nrf2 preceded by phosphorylation of ERK1/2. The data encouraged us to use 2 as lead and 20 derivatives were synthesized to discuss a more detailed SAR, leading to a more potent compound 9, which can be the starting compound for further modification.

Synthesis, SAR and biological evaluation of natural and non-natural hydroxylated and prenylated xanthones as antitumor agents.

In order to explore the detailed structure-activity relationship (SAR) around xanthone scaffold bearing hydroxyl and prenyl moieties, twenty-nine natural and non-natural hydroxylated and prenylated xanthones have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anti-proliferative activities against five human cancer cell lines, including HepG2 (hepatocelluar carcinoma), HCT-116 (colon carcinoma), A549 (lung carcinoma), BGC823 (gastric carcinoma) and MDAMB- 231 (breast carcinoma). The SAR analysis revealed that the anti-proliferative activity of the xanthones is substantially influenced by the position and number of attached hydroxyl and prenyl groups, and the presence of hydroxyl group ortho to the carbonyl function of xanthone scaffold contributes significantly to their cytotoxicity. The new prenylated xanthone 20 with a relatively simple structure, namely 1,3,8-trihydroxy-2-prenylxanthone, was found to exhibit potent antitumor activities comparable to α-mangostin against all the five cancer cell lines. Further mechanistic studies suggested that compound 20 induces apoptosis and causes cell cycle arrest at S phase in HepG2 cells. These results have highlighted compound 20 as a new potential lead candidate for future development of novel potent broad-spectrum antitumor agents.