Recent advances in the design of choline kinase α inhibitors and the molecular basis of their inhibition.

Upregulated choline metabolism, characterized by an increase in phosphocholine (PCho), is a hallmark of oncogenesis and tumor progression. Choline kinase (ChoK), the enzyme responsible for PCho synthesis, has consequently become a promising drug target for cancer therapy and as such a significant number of ChoK inhibitors have been developed over the last few decades. More recently, due to the role of this enzyme in other pathologies, ChoK inhibitors have also been used in new therapeutic approaches against malaria and rheumatoid arthritis. Here, we review research results in the field of ChoKα inhibitors from their synthesis to the molecular basis of their binding mode. Strategies for the development of inhibitors and their selectivity on ChoKα over ChoKß, the plasticity of the choline-binding site, the discovery of new exploitable binding sites, and the allosteric properties of this enzyme are highlighted. The outcomes summarized in this review will be a useful guide to develop new multifunctional potent drugs for the treatment of various human diseases.

Synthesis, biological evaluation, in silico modeling and crystallization of novel small monocationic molecules with potent antiproliferative activity by dual mechanism.

Seeking for new anticancer drugs with strong antiproliferative activity and simple molecular structure, we designed a novel series of compounds based on our previous reported pharmacophore model composed of five moieties. Antiproliferative assays on four tumoral cell lines and evaluation of Human Choline Kinase CKα1 enzymatic activity was performed for these compounds. Among tested molecules, those ones with biphenyl spacer showed betters enzymatic and antiproliferative activities (n-v). Docking and crystallization studies validate the hypothesis and confirm the results. The most active compound (t) induces a significant arrest of the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase that ultimately lead to apoptosis, following the mitochondrial pathway, as demonstrated for other choline kinase inhibitors. However additional assays reveal that the inhibition of choline uptake could also be involved in the antiproliferative outcome of this class of compounds.

Plasmodium falciparum Choline Kinase Inhibition Leads to a Major Decrease in Phosphatidylethanolamine Causing Parasite Death.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by different species of the protozoan parasite Plasmodium, with P. falciparum being the deadliest. Increasing parasitic resistance to existing antimalarials makes the necessity of novel avenues to treat this disease an urgent priority. The enzymes responsible for the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine are attractive drug targets to treat malaria as their selective inhibition leads to an arrest of the parasite's growth and cures malaria in a mouse model. We present here a detailed study that reveals a mode of action for two P. falciparum choline kinase inhibitors both in vitro and in vivo. The compounds present distinct binding modes to the choline/ethanolamine-binding site of P. falciparum choline kinase, reflecting different types of inhibition. Strikingly, these compounds primarily inhibit the ethanolamine kinase activity of the P. falciparum choline kinase, leading to a severe decrease in the phosphatidylethanolamine levels within P. falciparum, which explains the resulting growth phenotype and the parasites death. These studies provide an understanding of the mode of action, and act as a springboard for continued antimalarial development efforts selectively targeting P. falciparum choline kinase.

Design, synthesis, crystallization and biological evaluation of new symmetrical biscationic compounds as selective inhibitors of human Choline Kinase α1 (ChoKα1).

A novel family of compounds derivative of 1,1'-(((ethane-1,2-diylbis(oxy))bis(4,1-phenylene))bis(methylene))-bispyridinium or -bisquinolinium bromide (10a-l) containing a pair of oxygen atoms in the spacer of the linker between the biscationic moieties, were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of choline kinase against a panel of cancer-cell lines. The most promising compounds in this series were 1,1'-(((ethane-1,2-diylbis(oxy))bis(4,1-phenylene))bis(methylene))bis(4-(dimethylamino)pyridinium) bromide (10a) and 1,1'-(((ethane-1,2-diylbis(oxy))bis(4,1-phenylene))bis(methylene))-bis(7-chloro-4-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)quinolinium) bromide (10l), which inhibit human choline kinase (ChoKα1) with IC50 of 1.0 and 0.92 µM, respectively, in a range similar to that of the previously reported biscationic compounds MN58b and RSM932A. Our compounds show greater antiproliferative activities than do the reference compounds, with unprecedented values of GI50 in the nanomolar range for several of the cancer-cell lines assayed, and more importantly they present low toxicity in non-tumoral cell lines, suggesting a cancer-cell-selective antiproliferative activity. Docking studies predict that the compounds interact with the choline-binding site in agreement with the binding mode of most previously reported biscationic compounds. Moreover, the crystal structure of ChoKα1 with compound 10a reveals that this compound binds to the choline-binding site and mimics HC-3 binding mode as never before.

Pharmacophore-Based Virtual Screening to Discover New Active Compounds for Human Choline Kinase α1.

Choline kinase (CK) catalyses the transfer of the ATP γ-phosphate to choline to generate phosphocholine and ADP in the presence of magnesium leading to the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine. Of the three isoforms of CK described in humans, only the α isoforms (HsCKα) are strongly associated with cancer and have been validated as drug targets to treat this disease. Over the years, a large number of Hemicholinium-3 (HC-3)-based HsCKα biscationic inhibitors have been developed though the relevant common features important for the biological function have not been defined. Here, selecting a large number of previous HC-3-based inhibitors, we discover through computational studies a pharmacophore model formed by five moieties that are included in the 1-benzyl-4-(N-methylaniline)pyridinium fragment. Using a pharmacophore-guided virtual screening, we then identified 6 molecules that showed binding affinities in the low µM range to HsCKα1. Finally, protein crystallization studies suggested that one of these molecules is bound to the choline and ATP-binding sites. In conclusion, we have developed a pharmacophore model that not only allowed us to dissect the structural important features of the previous HC-3 derivatives, but also enabled the identification of novel chemical tools with good ligand efficiencies to investigate the biological functions of HsCKα1.