A PEGylated analog of the gut hormone oxyntomodulin with long-lasting antihyperglycemic, insulinotropic and anorexigenic activity.

Peptide agonists of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor (GLP1R) are rapidly gaining favor as antidiabetic agents, since in addition to increasing glucose-dependent insulin secretion, they also cause weight loss. Oxyntomodulin (OXM), a natural peptide with sequence homology to both glucagon and GLP-1, has glucose-lowering activity in rodents and anorectic activity in rodents and humans, but its clinical utility is limited by a short circulatory half-life due to rapid renal clearance and degradation by dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV). Here, we describe the development of a novel DPP-IV-resistant, long-acting GLP1R agonist, based on derivatization of a suitably chosen OXM analog with high molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) ('PEGylation'). PEG-OXM exerts an anti-hyperglycemic effect in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice in a glucose-dependent manner, with a maximally efficacious dose of 0.1mg/kg, and reduces food intake and body weight with a minimally efficacious dose of 1mg/kg. If this pharmacology is recapitulated in patients with type 2 diabetes, these results indicate PEG-OXM as a potential novel once-weekly GLP-1 mimetic with both glucose-lowering activity and weight loss efficacy.

Discovery of aminoheterocycles as potent and brain penetrant prolylcarboxypeptidase inhibitors.

Efforts were dedicated to develop potent and brain penetrant prolylcarboxypeptidase (PrCP) inhibitors by replacing the amide group of original leads 1 and 2 with heterocycles. Aminopyrimidines including compound 32a were identified to display good PrCP inhibitory activity (32a, IC(50)=43 nM) and impressive ability to penetrate brain in mice (brain/plasma ratio: 1.4).

Discovery of benzodihydroisofurans as novel, potent, bioavailable and brain-penetrant prolylcarboxypeptidase inhibitors.

A series of benzodihydroisofurans were discovered as novel, potent, bioavailable and brain-penetrant prolylcarboxypeptidase (PrCP) inhibitors. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) is focused on improving PrCP activity and metabolic stability, and reducing plasma protein binding. In the established diet-induced obese (eDIO) mouse model, compound ent-3a displayed target engagement both in plasma and in brain. However, this compound failed to induce significant body weight loss in eDIO mice in a five-day study.

Discovery of a new class of potent prolylcarboxypeptidase inhibitors derived from alanine.

Efforts to modify the central proline portion of lead compound 4 lead to the discovery of novel prolylcarboxypeptidase (PrCP) inhibitors. Especially, replacement with alanine afforded compound 19 displaying more potent human and mouse PrCP inhibitory activity than 4 and an overall comparable profile.

Discovery of benzimidazole pyrrolidinyl amides as prolylcarboxypeptidase inhibitors.

A series of benzimidazole pyrrolidinyl amides containing a piperidinyl group were discovered as novel prolylcarboxypeptidase (PrCP) inhibitors. Low-nanomolar IC(50)'s were achieved for several analogs, of which compound 9b displayed modest ex vivo target engagement in eDIO mouse plasma. Compound 9b was also studied in vivo for its effect on weight loss and food intake in an eDIO mouse model and the results will be discussed.

DPP-IV-resistant, long-acting oxyntomodulin derivatives.

Obesity is one of the major risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and the development of agents, that can simultaneously achieve glucose control and weight loss, is being actively pursued. Therapies based on peptide mimetics of the gut hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) are rapidly gaining favor, due to their ability to increase insulin secretion in a strictly glucose-dependent manner, with little or no risk of hypoglycemia, and to their additional benefit of causing a modest, but durable weight loss. Oxyntomodulin (OXM), a 37-amino acid peptide hormone of the glucagon (GCG) family with dual agonistic activity on both the GLP-1 (GLP1R) and the GCG (GCGR) receptors, has been shown to reduce food intake and body weight in humans, with a lower incidence of treatment-associated nausea than GLP-1 mimetics. As for other peptide hormones, its clinical application is limited by the short circulatory half-life, a major component of which is cleavage by the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV). SAR studies on OXM, described herein, led to the identification of molecules resistant to DPP-IV degradation, with increased potency as compared to the natural hormone. Analogs derivatized with a cholesterol moiety display increased duration of action in vivo. Moreover, we identified a single substitution which can change the OXM pharmacological profile from a dual GLP1R/GCGR agonist to a selective GLP1R agonist. The latter finding enabled studies, described in detail in a separate study (Pocai A, Carrington PE, Adams JR, Wright M, Eiermann G, Zhu L, Du X, Petrov A, Lassman ME, Jiang G, Liu F, Miller C, Tota LM, Zhou G, Zhang X, Sountis MM, Santoprete A, Capitò E, Chicchi GG, Thornberry N, Bianchi E, Pessi A, Marsh DJ, SinhaRoy R. Glucagon-like peptide 1/glucagon receptor dual agonism reverses obesity in mice. Diabetes 2009; 58: 2258-2266), which highlight the potential of GLP1R/GCGR dual agonists as a potentially superior class of therapeutics over the pure GLP1R agonists currently in clinical use.

Expression, purification and crystallization of human prolylcarboxypeptidase.

Prolylcarboxypeptidase (PrCP) is a lysosomal serine carboxypeptidase that cleaves a variety of C-terminal amino acids adjacent to proline and has been implicated in diseases such as hypertension and obesity. Here, the robust production, purification and crystallization of glycosylated human PrCP from stably transformed CHO cells is described. Purified PrCP yielded crystals belonging to space group R32, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 181.14, c = 240.13 A, that diffracted to better than 2.8 A resolution.

A Long-Acting PYY3-36 Analog Mediates Robust Anorectic Efficacy with Minimal Emesis in Nonhuman Primates.

The gut hormone PYY3-36 reduces food intake in humans and exhibits at least additive efficacy in combination with GLP-1. However, the utility of PYY analogs as anti-obesity agents has been severely limited by emesis and rapid proteolysis, a profile similarly observed with native PYY3-36 in obese rhesus macaques. Here, we found that antibody conjugation of a cyclized PYY3-36 analog achieved high NPY2R selectivity, unprecedented in vivo stability, and gradual infusion-like exposure. These properties permitted profound reduction of food intake when administered to macaques for 23 days without a single emetic event in any animal. Co-administration with the GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide for an additional 5 days further reduced food intake with only one animal experiencing a single bout of emesis. This antibody-conjugated PYY analog therefore may enable the long-sought potential of GLP-1/PYY-based combination treatment to achieve robust, well-tolerated weight reduction in obese patients.

A comparative study of the binding properties, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitory activity and glucose-lowering efficacy of the DPP-4 inhibitors alogliptin, linagliptin, saxagliptin, sitagliptin and vildagliptin in mice.

AIMS: Since 2006, DPP-4 inhibitors have become established therapy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Despite sharing a common mechanism of action, considerable chemical diversity exists amongst members of the DPP-4 inhibitor class, raising the question as to whether structural differences may result in differentiated enzyme inhibition and antihyperglycaemic activity. METHODS: We have compared the binding properties of the most commonly used inhibitors and have investigated the relationship between their inhibitory potency at the level of the enzyme and their acute glucose-lowering efficacy. RESULTS: Firstly, using a combination of published crystal structures and in-house data, we demonstrated that the binding site utilized by all of the DPP-4 inhibitors assessed was the same as that used by neuropeptide Y, supporting the hypothesis that DPP-4 inhibitors are able to competitively inhibit endogenous substrates for the enzyme. Secondly, we ascertained that the enzymatic cleft of DPP-4 is a relatively large cavity which displays conformational flexibility to accommodate structurally diverse inhibitor molecules. Finally, we found that for all inhibitors, irrespective of their chemical structure, the inhibition of plasma DPP-4 enzyme activity correlates directly with acute plasma glucose lowering in mice. CONCLUSION: The common binding site utilized by different DPP-4 inhibitors enables similar competitive inhibition of the cleavage of the endogenous DPP-4 substrates. Furthermore, despite chemical diversity and a range of binding potencies observed amongst the DPP-4 inhibitors, a direct relationship between enzyme inhibition in the plasma and glucose lowering is evident in mice for each member of the classes studied.

The glucagon receptor is involved in mediating the body weight-lowering effects of oxyntomodulin.

Oxyntomodulin (OXM) is a peptide secreted postprandially from the L-cells of the gut that has a weak affinity for both the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP1R) and the glucagon receptor (GCGR). Peripheral administration of OXM in humans and rodents causes weight loss reducing food intake and increasing energy expenditure. It has been suggested that OXM modulates energy intake solely through GLP1R agonism. Because glucagon decreases food intake in rodents and humans, we examined whether activation of the GCGR is involved in the body weight-lowering effects of OXM. We identified an equipotent GLP1R-selective peptide agonist that differs from OXM by only one residue (Q3→E, OXMQ3E), but has no significant GCGR agonist activity in vitro and ~100-fold reduced ability to stimulate liver glycogenolysis. Chronic treatment of obese mice with OXM and OXMQ3E demonstrated that OXM exhibits superior weight loss and lipid-lowering efficacy, and antihyperglycemic activity that is comparable to the corresponding GLP1R-selective agonist. Studies in Glp1r(-/-) mice and coadministration of OXM and a GCGR antagonist revealed that the antiobesity effect of OXM requires activation of both GLP1R and GCGR. Our data provide new insight into the mechanism of action of OXM and suggest that activation of GCGR is involved in the body weight-lowering action of OXM.

Optimization of co-agonism at GLP-1 and glucagon receptors to safely maximize weight reduction in DIO-rodents.

The ratio of GLP-1/glucagon receptor (GLP1R/GCGR) co-agonism that achieves maximal weight loss without evidence of hyperglycemia was determined in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice chronically treated with GLP1R/GCGR co-agonist peptides differing in their relative receptor agonism. Using glucagon-based peptides, a spectrum of receptor selectivity was achieved by a combination of selective incorporation of GLP-1 sequences, C-terminal modification, backbone lactam stapling to stabilize helical structure, and unnatural amino acid substitutions at the N-terminal dipeptide. In addition to α-amino-isobutyric acid (Aib) substitution at position two, we show that α,α'-dimethyl imidazole acetic acid (Dmia) can serve as a potent replacement for the highly conserved histidine at position one. Selective site-specific pegylation was used to further minimize enzymatic degradation and provide uniform, extended in vivo duration of action. Maximal weight loss devoid of any sign of hyperglycemia was achieved with a co-agonist comparably balanced for in vitro potency at murine GLP1R and GCGR. This peptide exhibited superior weight loss and glucose lowering compared to a structurally matched pure GLP1R agonist, and to co-agonists of relatively reduced GCGR tone. Any further enhancement of the relative GCGR agonist potency yielded increased weight loss but at the expense of elevated blood glucose. We conclude that GCGR agonism concomitant with GLP1R agonism constitutes a promising approach to treatment of the metabolic syndrome. However, the relative ratio of GLP1R/GCGR co-agonism needs to be carefully chosen for each species to maximize weight loss efficacy and minimize hyperglycemia.

Glucagon-like peptide 1/glucagon receptor dual agonism reverses obesity in mice.

OBJECTIVE: Oxyntomodulin (OXM) is a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor (GLP1R)/glucagon receptor (GCGR) dual agonist peptide that reduces body weight in obese subjects through increased energy expenditure and decreased energy intake. The metabolic effects of OXM have been attributed primarily to GLP1R agonism. We examined whether a long acting GLP1R/GCGR dual agonist peptide exerts metabolic effects in diet-induced obese mice that are distinct from those obtained with a GLP1R-selective agonist. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We developed a protease-resistant dual GLP1R/GCGR agonist, DualAG, and a corresponding GLP1R-selective agonist, GLPAG, matched for GLP1R agonist potency and pharmacokinetics. The metabolic effects of these two peptides with respect to weight loss, caloric reduction, glucose control, and lipid lowering, were compared upon chronic dosing in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. Acute studies in DIO mice revealed metabolic pathways that were modulated independent of weight loss. Studies in Glp1r(-/-) and Gcgr(-/-) mice enabled delineation of the contribution of GLP1R versus GCGR activation to the pharmacology of DualAG. RESULTS: Peptide DualAG exhibits superior weight loss, lipid-lowering activity, and antihyperglycemic efficacy comparable to GLPAG. Improvements in plasma metabolic parameters including insulin, leptin, and adiponectin were more pronounced upon chronic treatment with DualAG than with GLPAG. Dual receptor agonism also increased fatty acid oxidation and reduced hepatic steatosis in DIO mice. The antiobesity effects of DualAG require activation of both GLP1R and GCGR. CONCLUSIONS: Sustained GLP1R/GCGR dual agonism reverses obesity in DIO mice and is a novel therapeutic approach to the treatment of obesity.