Discovery and development of benzo-[1,2,4]-triazolo-[1,4]-oxazepine GPR142 agonists for the treatment of diabetes.

A novel series of benzo-[1,2,4]-triazolo-[1,4]-oxazepine GPR142 agonists are described. The series was designed to address the suboptimal PK (pharmacokinetic) and off-target profile of a class of N-aryl-benzo-[1,4]-oxazepine-4-carboxamides, represented by 1, that were identified from a high-throughput screen of the Merck compound collection for GPR142 agonists. This work led to the discovery of 3-phenoxy-benzo-[1,2,4]-triazolo-[1,4]-oxazepine 47, a potent GPR142 agonist with an off-target and PK profile suitable for in vivo studies. This compound and a related analogue 40 were shown to be active in mouse oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs). Furthermore, a GPR142 knock-out mouse OGTT study with compound 40 provides evidence that its glucose-lowering effect is mediated by GPR142.

Discovery of benzofuran propanoic acid GPR120 agonists: From uHTS hit to mechanism-based pharmacodynamic effects.

The transformation of an aryloxybutanoic acid ultra high-throughput screening (uHTS) hit into a potent and selective series of G-protein coupled receptor 120 (GPR120) agonists is reported. uHTS hit 1 demonstrated an excellent rodent pharmacokinetic profile and selectivity over the related fatty acid receptor GPR40, but only modest GPR120 potency. Optimization of the "left-hand" aryl group led to compound 6, which demonstrated a GPR120 mechanism-based pharmacodynamic effect in a mouse oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT). Further optimization gave rise to the benzofuran propanoic acid series (exemplified by compound 37), which demonstrated acute mechanism-based pharmacodynamic effects. The combination of in vivo efficacy and attractive rodent pharmacodynamic profiles suggests compounds generated from this series may afford attractive candidates for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of aminopyrazine derivatives as inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MK-2).

Several series of novel non-thiourea-containing aminopyrazine derivatives were designed based on the MK-2 inhibitors 1-(2-aminopyrazin-3-yl)methyl-2-thioureas. These compounds were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activity against MK-2 enzyme in vitro. Compounds with low micromolar to sub-micromolar IC50 values were identified, and several compounds were also found to be active in suppressing the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated TNFα production in THP-1 cells with minimum shift compared to their enzyme activity.

Structure Guided Discovery of Novel Pan Metallo-ß-Lactamase Inhibitors with Improved Gram-Negative Bacterial Cell Penetration.

The use of ß-lactam (BL) and ß-lactamase inhibitor combination to overcome BL antibiotic resistance has been validated through clinically approved drug products. However, unmet medical needs still exist for the treatment of infections caused by Gram-negative (GN) bacteria expressing metallo-ß-lactamases. Previously, we reported our effort to discover pan inhibitors of three main families in this class: IMP, VIM, and NDM. Herein, we describe our work to improve the GN coverage spectrum in combination with imipenem and relebactam. This was achieved through structure- and property-based optimization to tackle the GN cell penetration and efflux challenges. A significant discovery was made that inhibition of both VIM alleles, VIM-1 and VIM-2, is essential for broad GN coverage, especially against VIM-producing P. aeruginosa. In addition, pharmacokinetics and nonclinical safety profiles were investigated for select compounds. Key findings from this drug discovery campaign laid the foundation for further lead optimization toward identification of preclinical candidates.

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.

Novel 1-(2-aminopyrazin-3-yl)methyl-2-thioureas as potent inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MK-2).

Novel 1-(2-aminopyrazin-3-yl)methyl-2-thioureas are described as inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MK-2). These compounds demonstrate potent in vitro activity against the enzyme with IC(50) values as low as 15 nM, and suppress expression of TNFalpha in THP-1 cells and in vivo in an acute inflammation model in mice. The synthesis, structure-activity relationship (SAR), and biological evaluation of these compounds are discussed.

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Novel and Selective G-protein Coupled Receptor 120 (GPR120) Spirocyclic Agonists.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an ever increasing worldwide epidemic, and the identification of safe and effective insulin sensitizers, absent of weight gain, has been a long-standing goal of diabetes research. G-protein coupled receptor 120 (GPR120) has recently emerged as a potential therapeutic target for treating T2DM. Natural occurring, and more recently, synthetic agonists have been associated with insulin sensitizing, anti-inflammatory, and fat metabolism effects. Herein we describe the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a novel spirocyclic GPR120 agonist series, which culminated in the discovery of potent and selective agonist 14. Furthermore, compound 14 was evaluated in vivo and demonstrated acute glucose lowering in an oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT), as well as improvements in homeostatic measurement assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR; a surrogate marker for insulin sensitization) and an increase in glucose infusion rate (GIR) during a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice.

Design and synthesis of prolylcarboxypeptidase (PrCP) inhibitors to validate PrCP as a potential target for obesity.

Prolylcarboxypeptidase (PrCP) is a serine protease that may have a role in metabolism regulation. A class of reversible, potent, and selective PrCP inhibitors was developed starting from a mechanism based design for inhibiting this serine protease. Compound 8o inhibits human and mouse PrCP at IC(50) values of 1 and 2 nM and is not active (IC(50) > 25 µM) against a panel of closely related proteases. It has lower serum binding than its close analogues and is bioavailable in mouse. Subchronic dosing of 8o in PrCP(-/-) and WT mice at 100 mg/kg for 5 days resulted in a 5% reduction in body weight in WT mice and a 1% reduction in PrCP KO mice.