Identification of benzothiazole derived monosaccharides as potent, selective, and orally bioavailable inhibitors of human and mouse galectin-3; a rare example of using a S···O binding interaction for drug design.

As a result of our continued efforts to pursue Gal-3 inhibitors that could be used to fully evaluate the potential of Gal-3 as a therapeutic target, two novel series of benzothiazole derived monosaccharides as potent (against both human and mouse Gal-3) and orally bioavailable Gal-3 inhibitors, represented by 4 and 5, respectively, were identified. These discoveries were made based on proposals that the benzothiazole sulfur atom could interact with the carbonyl oxygen of G182/G196 in h/mGal-3, and that the anomeric triazole moiety could be modified into an N-methyl carboxamide functionality. The interaction between the benzothiazole sulfur and the carbonyl oxygen of G196 in mGal-3 was confirmed by an X-ray co-crystal structure of early lead 9, providing a rare example of using a S···O binding interaction for drug design. It was found that for both the series, methylation of 3-OH in the monosaccharides caused no loss in h & mGal-3 potencies but significantly improved permeability of the molecules.

Discovery of Two Novel Antiplatelet Clinical Candidates (BMS-986120 and BMS-986141) That Antagonize Protease-Activated Receptor 4.

Protease-activated receptor 4 (PAR4) is a G-protein coupled receptor that is expressed on human platelets and activated by the coagulation enzyme thrombin. PAR4 plays a key role in blood coagulation, and its importance in pathological thrombosis has been increasingly recognized in recent years. Herein, we describe the optimization of a series of imidazothiadiazole PAR4 antagonists to a first-in-class clinical candidate, BMS-986120 (43), and a backup clinical candidate, BMS-986141 (49). Both compounds demonstrated excellent antithrombotic efficacy and minimal bleeding time prolongation in monkey models relative to the clinically important antiplatelet agent clopidogrel and provide a potential opportunity to improve the standard of care in the treatment of arterial thrombosis.

Discovery of (S)-1-((2',6-Bis(difluoromethyl)-[2,4'-bipyridin]-5-yl)oxy)-2,4-dimethylpentan-2-amine (BMS-986176/LX-9211): A Highly Selective, CNS Penetrable, and Orally Active Adaptor Protein-2 Associated Kinase 1 Inhibitor in Clinical Trials for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain.

Recent mouse knockout studies identified adapter protein-2 associated kinase 1 (AAK1) as a viable target for treating neuropathic pain. Potent small-molecule inhibitors of AAK1 have been identified and show efficacy in various rodent pain models. (S)-1-((2',6-Bis(difluoromethyl)-[2,4'-bipyridin]-5-yl)oxy)-2,4-dimethylpentan-2-amine (BMS-986176/LX-9211) (34) was identified as a highly selective, CNS penetrant, potent AAK1 inhibitor from a novel class of bi(hetero)aryl ethers. BMS-986176/LX9211 (34) showed excellent efficacy in two rodent neuropathic pain models and excellent central nervous system (CNS) penetration and target engagement at the spinal cord with an average brain to plasma ratio of 20 in rat. The compound exhibited favorable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties, had an acceptable preclinical toxicity profile, and was chosen for clinical trials. BMS-986176/LX9211 (34) completed phase I trials with good human pharmacokinetics and minimum adverse events and is currently in phase II clinical trials for diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04455633) and postherpetic neuralgia (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04662281).

Molecular mechanism of interspecies differences in the binding affinity of TD139 to Galectin-3.

Galectin-3 (Gal-3), a ß-galactoside-binding lectin, has been implicated in a plethora of pathological disorders including fibrosis, inflammation, cancer and metabolic diseases. TD139-a thio-digalactoside inhibitor developed by Galecto Biotech as a potential therapeutic for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis-is the most advanced small-molecule Gal-3 inhibitor in clinical studies. It binds to human Gal-3 with high affinity but has lower affinity towards mouse and rat homologs, which is also manifested in the differential inhibition of Gal-3 function. Using biophysical methods and high-resolution X-ray co-crystal structures of TD139 and Gal-3 proteins, we demonstrate that a single amino acid change corresponding to A146 in human Gal-3 is sufficient for the observed reduction in the binding affinity of TD139 in rodents. Site-directed mutagenesis of A146V (in human Gal-3) and V160A (in mouse Gal-3) was sufficient to interchange the affinities, mainly by affecting the off rates of the inhibitor binding. In addition, molecular dynamics simulations of both wild-type and mutant structures revealed the sustained favorable noncovalent interactions between the fluorophenyl ring and the active site A146 (human Gal-3 and mouse V160A) that corroborate the finding from biophysical studies. Current findings have ramifications in the context of optimization of drug candidates against Gal-3.

Solvent-specific, DAST-mediated intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction: access to dibenzoxepine-fused spirooxindoles.

A facile, DAST-mediated intramolecular cyclization of 3-hydroxy-3-(2-((3-methoxybenzyl)oxy)phenyl)indolin-2-one derivatives for the synthesis of spirooxindoles fused with dibenzoxepine moieties is described. The success of this reaction is highly dependent on the choice of solvent (promoted by DCM and 1,2-DCE) and the electronic nature of the pendant aromatic ring, which is favored by the presence of electron-donating substituents. The reaction is believed to proceed through an intramolecular Friedel-Crafts-type reaction. Various dibenzoxepine-fused spirooxindoles were successfully synthesized in up to 98% yield. This methodology provides libraries of structurally diverse and medicinally important small molecules that could aid in the search for new bioactive molecules.

Discovery of BMS-986260, a Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable TGFßR1 Inhibitor as an Immuno-oncology Agent.

Novel imidazole-based TGFßR1 inhibitors were identified and optimized for potency, selectivity, and pharmacokinetic and physicochemical characteristics. Herein, we report the discovery, optimization, and evaluation of a potent, selective, and orally bioavailable TGFßR1 inhibitor, 10 (BMS-986260). This compound demonstrated functional activity in multiple TGFß-dependent cellular assays, excellent kinome selectivity, favorable pharmacokinetic properties, and curative in vivo efficacy in combination with anti-PD-1 antibody in murine colorectal cancer (CRC) models. Since daily dosing of TGFßR1 inhibitors is known to cause class-based cardiovascular (CV) toxicities in preclinical species, a dosing holiday schedule in the anti-PD-1 combination efficacy studies was explored. An intermittent dosing regimen of 3 days on and 4 days off allowed mitigation of CV toxicities in one month dog and rat toxicology studies and also provided similar efficacy as once daily dosing.

Synthesis of Cyclobutane-Fused Tetracyclic Scaffolds via Visible-Light Photocatalysis for Building Molecular Complexity.

We describe the synthesis through visible-light photocatalysis of novel functionalized tetracyclic scaffolds that incorporate a fused azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptan-2-one motif, which are structurally interesting cores with potential in natural product synthesis and drug discovery. The synthetic approach involves an intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition with concomitant dearomatization of the heterocycle via an energy transfer process promoted by an iridium-based photosensitizer, to build a complex molecular architecture with at least three stereogenic centers from relatively simple, achiral precursors. These fused azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptan-2-one-based tetracycles were obtained in high yield (generally >99%) and with excellent diastereoselectivity (>99:1). The late-stage derivatization of a bromine-substituted, tetracyclic indoline derivative with alkyl groups, employing a mild Negishi C-C bond forming protocol as a means of increasing structural diversity, provides additional modularity that will enable the delivery of valuable building blocks for medicinal chemistry. Density functional theory calculations were used to compute the T1-S0 free energy gap of the olefin-tethered precursors and also to predict their reactivities based on triplet state energy transfer and transition state energy feasibility.

Rationally Designed, Conformationally Constrained Inverse Agonists of RORγt-Identification of a Potent, Selective Series with Biologic-Like in Vivo Efficacy.

RORγt is an important nuclear receptor that regulates the production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-17 and IL-22. As a result, RORγt has been identified as a potential target for the treatment of various immunological disorders such as psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Structure and computer-assisted drug design led to the identification of a novel series of tricyclic RORγt inverse agonists with significantly improved in vitro activity in the reporter (Gal4) and human whole blood assays compared to our previous chemotype. Through careful structure activity relationship, several potent and selective RORγt inverse agonists have been identified. Pharmacokinetic studies allowed the identification of the lead molecule 32 with a low peak-to-trough ratio. This molecule showed excellent activity in an IL-2/IL-23-induced mouse pharmacodynamic study and demonstrated biologic-like efficacy in an IL-23-induced preclinical model of psoriasis.

Applications of 2, 2, 2 trifluoroethanol as a versatile co-solvent in supercritical fluid chromatography for purification of unstable boronate esters, enhancing throughput, reducing epimerization, and for additive free purifications.

Analysis and purification of boronic acid pinacol esters by RPLC is very challenging due to their degradation in aqueous and alcoholic solvents. These compounds are difficult to purify by SFC too as they are equally sensitive to traditional co-solvents like methanol, ethanol, and 2-propanol. 2,2,2 trifluoroethanol (TFE), which has been reported for the purification of a few alcohol sensitive compounds, was evaluated as a co-solvent in this study for the purification of chiral and achiral boronate esters by SFC. Examples of twelve compounds were presented in this paper where degradation of boronic acid pinacol esters was successfully controlled by replacing methanol with TFE as the co-solvent in SFC. A separate study showed that TFE can also control the epimerization of the enantiomers of 3 substituted 1,4 benzodiazepine analogues during the purification process. In addition to above benefits, 2,2,2trifloroethanol showed improved selectivity and resolution for most of the compounds. With its stronger solvent strength compared to other alcohols, TFE could also be used to reduce the co-solvent percentage needed for elution and to shorten retention time of highly polar samples which did not elute even in 50% of other co-solvents in SFC. A case study of compound B demonstrated that TFE provided a reduced co-solvent percentage and a shorter cycle time with much improved resolution as compared to methanol, thus resulting in higher loading and throughput with reduction of total solvent consumption.

On-site polymer-coated hollow fiber membrane microextraction and gas chromatography--mass spectrometry of polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

Porous polypropylene hollow fiber membrane coated with a conjugated polymer was used as an on-site sampling device for the extraction of polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated biphenyl ethers from coastal sea water samples. The coated hollow fiber membrane was placed in a vial containing the sample, and the target compounds extracted via manual shaking of the vials at the site of sample collection. For each extraction, two fibers were used. After extraction, the fibers with the adsorbed analytes were brought back to the laboratory for further processing. Care was taken to preserve the integrity of the analytes and to avoid contamination during transport; after extraction, the fibers were carefully removed and placed in air-tight crimper vials which were stored in an ice-box. The analytes were desorbed by solvent in the laboratory and analyses were carried out using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. This method was highly reproducible with relative standard deviations in the range of 1-9%. Recoveries from spiked water samples ranged from 83% to 98%. Low limits of detections between 0.04 and 0.21ngl(-1) were achieved. The extraction efficiency was compared with solid-phase microextraction.

Intramolecular hydrogen-bond-assisted planarization of asymmetrically functionalized alternating phenylene-pyridinylene copolymers.

We report on the synthesis and characterization of a series of asymmetrically functionalized amphiphilic polymers with alternating pi-donor units (e.g., substituted benzene) and pi-acceptor units (e.g., pyridine) along the polymer backbone. The purpose of our present work involves incorporation of functional groups along the main chain to form intrachain hydrogen bonds, which promote planarization of the polymer backbone, and to fine-tune the optical properties. The structure-property relationship of polymers P1-P6 was investigated by means of analytical methods, such as FTIR spectroscopy, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis, cyclic voltammetry, and X-ray powder diffraction. All polymers were soluble in common organic solvents, and the optical and fluorescence spectra of the polymers showed significant changes according to the formation (P4, P5) or absence (P6) of intramolecular hydrogen bonding along the polymer backbone. Moreover, the 2,6- or 3,5-linkage of the pyridine rings in P5 and P6, respectively, reduced the conjugation along the polymer backbone and this is reflected in their optical properties. The optical properties of the polymers were influenced by the addition of acid (P1-P6), base (P4-P6), and metal ions (e.g., Cu2+, Fe3+, Ag+, Ni2+, Pd2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, Mg2+, and Pr3+). Such polymers could be used in various applications, including sensors and stimuli-responsive displays.

Syntheses, structural properties and catecholase activity of copper(II) complexes with reduced Schiff base N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-amino acids.

A number of dicopper(II) complexes of reduced Schiff base ligands, N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-amino acids [Cu2L2(H2O)x].yH2O (L = Sgly (1), D-Sala (2), L-Sala (3), DL-Sala (4), Sab2 (5), Sbal (6), Sab4 (7), Sval (8), Shis (9), Styr (10) and Stryp (11), x= 0-2 & y= 0-2) have been synthesized, and the solid-state structures of, and have been determined. The compounds and are binuclear in which the Cu(II) centres have square-pyramidal geometry with apical sites occupied by aqua ligands. In and one axial site is occupied by water and the other by an oxygen atom of the carboxylate group from the adjacent dimer through oxygen atoms to form 1D helical polymer. Variable temperature magnetic measurements of the dimer and helical polymer showed that they are typical for moderately strong antiferromagnetic coupling. All the complexes show significant catalytic activity on the oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol. The activity measured in terms of Kcat in the range 199-3800 h(-1) has been found to follow the order: 7>6>8>3>5 approximately 2 approximately 1>4 >10 >9 >11. The catalytic activity is found to increase with increasing the length of the methylene side chain of the amino acid in the reduced Schiff base ligands.

Infinite three-dimensional polymeric metalloporphyrin network via six-coordinate Zn(II) and two axial oxygen donors.

[structure: see text]. An X-ray crystallographic study of zinc(II) 5,15-di-(2-methoxymethylphenyl)-porphyrin indicates that it forms a coordination polymer through ligation of the ether oxygen atoms on the porphyrin peripheries to the metal centers of two identical adjacent porphyrins. This gives a novel extensively linked, three-dimensional polymeric structure in which the zinc(II) metal forms a six-coordination center. The uniquely structured network has cavities between 4.81 and 9.27 angstroms, which makes it resemble molecular sieve materials.