Cross-Talk between Transforming Growth Factor-ß and Periostin Can Be Targeted for Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating disease characterized as progressive and irreversible fibrosis in the interstitium of lung tissues. There is still an unmet need to develop a novel therapeutic drug for IPF. We have previously demonstrated that periostin, a matricellular protein, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. However, the underlying mechanism of how periostin causes pulmonary fibrosis remains unclear. In this study, we sought to learn whether the cross-talk between TGF-ß (transforming growth factor-ß), a central mediator in pulmonary fibrosis, and periostin in lung fibroblasts leads to generation of pulmonary fibrosis and whether inhibitors for integrin αVß3, a periostin receptor, can block pulmonary fibrosis in model mice and the TGF-ß signals in fibroblasts from patients with IPF. We found that cross-talk exists between TGF-ß and periostin signals via αVß3/ß5 converging into Smad3. This cross-talk is necessary for the expression of TGF-ß downstream effector molecules important for pulmonary fibrosis. Moreover, we identified several potent integrin low-molecular-weight inhibitors capable of blocking cross-talk with TGF-ß signaling. One of the compounds, CP4715, attenuated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in vivo in mice and the TGF-ß signals in vitro in fibroblasts from patients with IPF. These results suggest that the cross-talk between TGF-ß and periostin can be targeted for pulmonary fibrosis and that CP4715 can be a potential therapeutic agent to block this cross-talk.

Periostin plays a critical role in the cell cycle in lung fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating disease with a median survival of only three to 5 years. Fibroblast proliferation is a hallmark of IPF as is secretion of extracellular matrix proteins from fibroblasts. However, it is still uncertain how IPF fibroblasts acquire the ability to progressively proliferate. Periostin is a matricellular protein highly expressed in the lung tissues of IPF patients, playing a critical role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. However, it remains undetermined whether periostin affects lung fibroblast proliferation. METHODS: In this study, we first aimed at identifying periostin-dependently expressed genes in lung fibroblasts using DNA microarrays. We then examined whether expression of cyclins and CDKs controlling cell cycle progression occur in a periostin-dependent manner. We next examined whether downregulation of cell proliferation-promoting genes by knockdown of periostin or integrin, a periostin receptor, using siRNA, is reflected in the cell proliferation of lung fibroblasts. We then looked at whether lung fibroblasts derived from IPF patients also require periostin for maximum proliferation. We finally investigated whether CP4715, a potent inhibitor against integrin αVß3 (a periostin receptor), which we have recently found blocks TGF-ß signaling, followed by reduced BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice, can block proliferation of lung fibroblasts derived from IPF patients. RESULTS: Many cell-cycle-related genes are involved in the upregulated or downregulated genes by periostin knockdown. We confirmed that in lung fibroblasts, periostin silencing downregulates expression of several cell-cycle-related molecules, including the cyclin, CDK, and, E2F families, as well as transcription factors such as B-MYB and FOXM1. Periostin or integrin silencing slowed proliferation of lung fibroblasts and periostin silencing increased the distribution of the G0/G1 phase, whereas the distribution of the G2/M phase was decreased. Lung fibroblasts derived from IPF patients also required periostin for maximum proliferation. Moreover, CP4715 downregulated proliferation along with expression of cell-cycle-related genes in IPF lung fibroblasts as well as in normal lung fibroblasts. CONCLUSIONS: Periostin plays a critical role in the proliferation of lung fibroblasts and the present results provide us a solid basis for considering inhibitors of the periostin/integrin αVß3 interaction for the treatment of IPF patients.

Characterization of compound A, a novel lincomycin derivative active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of causative bacteria for hospital- and community-acquired infections. In order to overcome MRSA infection, we synthesized compound A, a lincomycin derivative, and evaluated the biological properties. The MIC50 and MIC90 values of compound A against MRSA clinical isolates, which were susceptible to clindamycin, from infected skin in Japan were 0.12 and 0.25 µg ml-1, respectively, and those against hospital-acquired MRSA with clindamycin resistance were 1.0 and 2.0 µg ml-1, respectively. Linezolid non-susceptible MRSA selected in the laboratory had mutations in the 23S rRNA gene and exhibited cross-resistance to compound A. MRSA non-susceptible to compound A selected in laboratory was not cross-resistant to linezolid, implying that the binding site to 23S rRNA partly overlaps with clindamycin and linezolid. The in vivo efficacies of compound A against mouse skin abscess model infected with clindamycin-susceptible and -resistant MRSA were superior to those of clindamycin and linezolid, respectively. The well-known linezolid-induced myelosuppression is caused by its inhibitory effect on mitochondrial function, but inhibition was weaker for compound A than that of linezolid. In short, compound A has broader anti-MRSA activities than clindamycin and linezolid due to additional binding site, and demonstrated preferable safety profile as a potential anti-MRSA drug.

Novel azalides derived from 16-membered macrolides. III. Azalides modified at the C-15 and 4'' positions: Improved antibacterial activities.

The design and synthesis of 16-membered azalides modified at the C-15 and 4'' positions are described. The compounds we report here are characterized by an arylpropenyl group attached to the C-15 position of macrolactone and a carbamoyl group at the C-4'' position in a neutral sugar. Introduction of alkylcarbamoyl groups to the C-4'' position was regioselectively achieved by unique and convenient methods via acyl migration. As a result of optimization at the C-3 and 15 positions, several compounds were found to have potent activity against mef- and erm-resistant bacterial strains. These results suggest that 16-membered azalides could be promising compounds as clinical candidates.

Novel 16-membered macrolides modified at C-12 and C-13 positions of midecamycin A1 and miokamycin. Part 1: Synthesis and evaluation of 12,13-carbamate and 12-arylalkylamino-13-hydroxy analogues.

Design and synthesis of 16-membered macrolides modified at the C-12 and 13 positions are described. The compounds we report here have an arylalkylamino group attached to the C-12 position of the macrolactone. Both types of derivatives, 12,13-cyclic carbamates and non-carbamate analogues, were synthesized via 12-amino-13-hydroxy intermediates derived from 12,13-epoxide that was prepared by selective epoxidation at the C-12 and C-13 positions. 4'-Hydroxyl analogues were also prepared by acidic hydrolysis of a neutral sugar. These compounds were evaluated for in vitro antibacterial activity against respiratory tract pathogens. Some of these analogues exhibited an improved activity compared with the corresponding parent compound.

Design and synthesis of novel leucomycin analogues modified at the C-3 position. Part II: 3-O-(3-Aryl-2-propenyl)leucomycin analogues.

The design and synthesis of 16-membered macrolides modified at the C-3 position are described. Starting from fully protected intermediate (5), appropriate modifications including Heck reaction were performed to furnish 3-O-(3-aryl-2-propenyl)leucomycin A(7) analogues (9a-9m). These leucomycin A(7) derivatives showed improved in vitro antibacterial activities against clinically important pathogens including erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (ERSP). SAR analysis of derivatives modified at the C-3 and C-3'' positions suggested that single modification at C-3 or C-3'' was effective for in vitro antibacterial activity.

Novel azalides derived from 16-membered macrolides. Part II: Isolation of the linear 9-formylcarboxylic acid and its sequential macrocyclization with an amino alcohol or an azidoamine.

The design and synthesis of novel 14- to 16-membered 11-azalides starting from 16-membered macrolides are reported. A linear 9-formylcarboxylic acid was isolated via a mobile dialdehyde previously reported. Sequential macrocyclization of the formylcarboxylic acid with amino alcohol followed by deprotection afforded corresponding 14- to 16-membered azalides. On the other hand, reductive amination of the formylcarboxylic acid with an azidoamine followed by macrolactam formation with an amine generated from the azide gave 14- to 16-membered azalactams. Among these derivatives, 15-membered azalactams and 16-membered azalides exhibited characteristic in vitro antibacterial activities. Although optimization of 15-membered azalactams including demycarosyl analogues did not provide remarkably promising molecules, SAR studies of 16-membered azalides disclosed that substitution at the 15 position was very important for identification of a clinical candidate.

Computational study on formation of 15-membered azalactone by double reductive amination using molecular mechanics and density functional theory calculations.

Formation of 15-membered azalactone by double reductive amination was analyzed using molecular mechanics and density functional theory calculations for simplified model compounds. As a result, the following aspects were clarified. When methylamine attacks a linear bis-aldehyde in the first step, there are possibilities that two regioisomers are formed. However, one of them exhibited remarkably stable energy level compared with the other. The stable isomer indicated a short distance between a methylamine moiety and an unreacted aldehyde. This short distance, about 2.3 Å, could be explained by hydrogen bonding, which implied relatively easy cyclization in the second step. Moreover, this cyclization process was supposed to be exothermic according to comparison of energy levels before and after cyclization.

Synthesis and SARs of novel lincomycin derivatives Part 5: optimization of lincomycin analogs exhibiting potent antibacterial activities by chemical modification at the 6- and 7-positions.

In order to modify lincomycin at the C-6 and C-7 positions, we prepared target molecules, which have substituted pipecolinic acid at the 6-amino group and a para-substituted phenylthio group at the C-7 position, in application of palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling as a key reaction. As the result of structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies at the 6-position, analogs possessing 4'-cis-(cyclopropylmethyl)piperidine showed significantly strong antibacterial activities against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes with an erm gene. On the basis of SAR, we further synthesized novel analogs possessing 4'-cis-(cyclopropylmethyl)piperidine by transformation of a C-7 substituent. Consequently, novel derivatives possessing a para-heteroaromatic-phenylthio group at the C-7 position exhibited significantly strong activities against S. pneumoniae and S. pyogenes with an erm gene even when compared with those of telithromycin. Finally, in vivo efficacy of selected two derivatives was evaluated in a rat pulmonary infection model with resistant S. pneumoniae with erm + mef genes. One of them exhibited strong and constant in vivo efficacy in this model, and both compounds showed strong in vivo efficacy against resistant S. pneumoniae with a mef gene.

Novel azalides derived from sixteen-membered macrolides.

The design and synthesis of novel 15-membered 11-azalides and 16-membered 11,12-diazalide starting from 16-membered macrolides are reported. A mobile linear dialdehyde was isolated via a cyclic tetraol which was prepared by osmium oxidation of a conjugated diene. One-pot macrocyclization of this dialdehyde with an amine or a diamine afforded corresponding 15-membered azalides or 11,12-diazalide. Fundamental SAR studies of 15-membered 11-azalides disclosed their potentiality as a lead molecule for further chemical modifications. For environmental preservation, sustainable chemistry for synthesis of these azalides is also discussed.

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel lincomycin derivatives. III. Optimization of a phenyl thiadiazole moiety.

Lincomycin derivatives that have a 5-(2-nitrophenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl thio moiety at the 7-position were synthesized. 5-Substituted 2-nitrophenyl derivatives showed potent antibacterial activities against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes with erm gene. Antibacterial activities of the 4,5-di-substituted 2-nitrophenyl derivatives were generally comparable to those of telithromycin (TEL) against S. pneumoniae with erm gene and clearly superior to those of TEL against S. pyogenes with erm gene. Compounds 6 and 10c that have a methoxy group at the 5-position of the benzene ring exhibited activities comparable to TEL against Haemophilus influenzae. These results suggest that lincomycin derivatives modified at the 7-position would be promising compounds as a clinical candidate. We would like to dedicate this article to the special issue for late Professor Dr. Hamao Umezawa in The Journal of Antibiotics.The Journal of Antibiotics advance online publication, 5 July 2017; doi:10.1038/ja.2017.59.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of novel lincomycin derivatives. Part 4: synthesis of novel lincomycin analogs modified at the 6- and 7-positions and their potent antibacterial activities.

To modify lincomycin (LCM) at the C-6 and the C-7 positions, we firstly prepared various substituted proline intermediates (7, 11-15 and 17). These proline intermediates were coupled with methyl 1-thio-α-lincosamide and tetrakis-O-trimethylsilylation followed by selective deprotection of the TMS group at the 7-position gave a wide variety of key intermediates (23-27, 47 and 50). Then, we synthesized a variety of novel LCM analogs modified at the 7-position in application of the Mitsunobu reaction, an SN2 reaction, and a Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction. Compounds 34 and 35 (1'-NH derivatives) exhibited enhanced antibacterial activities against resistant pathogens with erm gene compared with the corresponding 1'-N-methyl derivatives (3 and 37). On the basis of reported SAR, we modified the 4'-position of LCM derivatives possessing a 5-(2-nitrophenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl group at the C-7 position. Compound 56 showed significantly potent antibacterial activities against S. pneumoniae and S. pyogenes with erm gene, and its activities against S. pneumoniae with erm gene were improved compared with those of 34 and 57. Although we synthesized novel analogs by transformation of a C-7 substituent focusing on the 1'-demethyl framework to prepare very potent analogs 73 and 75, it was impossible to generate novel derivatives exhibiting stronger antibacterial activities against S. pneumoniae with erm gene compared with 56.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of novel lincomycin derivatives part 3: discovery of the 4-(pyrimidin-5-yl)phenyl group in synthesis of 7(S)-thiolincomycin analogs.

Novel lincomycin derivatives possessing an aryl phenyl group or a heteroaryl phenyl group at the C-7 position via sulfur atom were synthesized by Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of 7(S)-7-deoxy-7-thiolincomycin (5) with various aryl halides. This reaction is the most useful method to synthesize a variety of 7(S)-7-deoxy-7-thiolincomycin derivatives. On the basis of analysis of structure-activity relationships of these novel lincomycin derivatives, we found that (a) the location of basicity in the C-7 side chain was an important factor to enhance antibacterial activities, and (b) compounds 22, 36, 42, 43 and 44 had potent antibacterial activities against a variety of Streptococcus pneumoniae with erm gene, which cause severe respiratory infections, even compared with our C-7-modified lincomycin analogs (1-4) reported previously. Furthermore, 7(S)-configuration was found to be necessary for enhancing antibacterial activities from comparison of configurations at the 7-position of 36 (S-configuration) and 41 (R-configuration).

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel lincomycin derivatives. II. Exploring (7S)-7-(5-aryl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl-thio)-7-deoxylincomycin derivatives.

The synthesis and antibacterial activity of (7S)-7-(5-aryl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl-thio)-7-deoxylincomycin derivatives are described. These derivatives were mainly prepared by the Mitsunobu reaction of 2,3,4-tris-O-(trimethylsilyl)lincomycin and the corresponding thiols. Exploring structure-activity relationships of the substituent at the 5 position of a thiadiazole ring revealed that compounds with the ortho substituted phenyl group showed improved antibacterial activities against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes with erm gene compared with the reported compound (1) that had an unsubstituted benzene ring.

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel lincomycin derivatives. IV. Optimization of an N-6 substituent.

The design and synthesis of lincomycin derivatives modified at the C-6 and C-7 positions are described. A substituent at the C-7 position is a 5-aryl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl-thio group that generates antibacterial activities against macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes carrying an erm gene. An additional modification at the C-6 position was explored in application of information regarding pirlimycin and other related compounds. These dual modifications were accomplished by using methyl α-thiolincosaminide as a starting material. As a result of these dual modifications, the antibacterial activities were improved compared with those of compounds with a single modification at the C-7 position. The antibacterial activities of selected compounds in this report against macrolide-resistant S. pneumoniae and S. pyogenes with an erm gene were superior to those of telithromycin.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of novel lincomycin derivatives. Part 1. Newly generated antibacterial activities against Gram-positive bacteria with erm gene by C-7 modification.

We synthesized 7(S)-7-deoxy-7-arylthiolincomycin derivatives possessing a heterocyclic ring at the C-7 position via sulfur atom by either Mitsunobu reaction of 2,3,4-tris-O-(trimethylsiliyl)lincomycin or SN2 reaction of 7-O-methanesulfonyl-2,3,4-tri-O-trimethylsiliyllincomycin. As a result, 7(S)-7-deoxy-7-arylthiolincomycin derivatives 16, 21 and 27 exhibited antibacterial activities against respiratory infection-related Gram-positive bacteria with erm gene, although clindamycin did not have any activities against those pathogens. Furthermore, 7(S)-configuration of lincomycin derivatives was found to be necessary for enhancing antibacterial activities from the comparison results of configurations of 16 (S-configuration) and 30 (R-configuration) at the 7-position.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of novel lincomycin derivatives. Part 2. Synthesis of 7(S)-7-deoxy-7-(4-morpholinocarbonylphenylthio)lincomycin and its 3-dimensional analysis with rRNA.

Lincomycin derivatives, which possess a hetero ring at the C-7 position via sulfur atom, were synthesized by three types of reactions: (1) Mitsunobu reaction of 2,3,4-tris-O-(trimethylsiliyl)lincomycin (1) with the corresponding thiol, (2) SN2 reaction of 7-O-methanesulfonyl-2,3,4-tris-O-(trimethylsiliyl)lincomycin (2) with the corresponding thiol and (3) Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of 7-deoxy-7-epi-7-mercaptolincomycin (35) with the corresponding aryl halides. As a result, compound 28 had potent antibacterial activities against major pathogens, which caused respiratory infections, even compared with clindamycin. On the other hand, compound 38 showed most potent activities against a variety of Streptococcus pneumoniae with erm gene.

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel lincomycin derivatives. I. Enhancement of antibacterial activities by introduction of substituted azetidines.

The synthesis and antibacterial activity of (7S)-7-sulfur-azetidin-3-yl lincomycin derivatives are described. Modification was achieved by a simple reaction of (7R)-7-O-methanesulfonyllincomycin and the corresponding substituted azetidine-2-thiol. Several compounds first showed moderate antibacterial activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes with erm gene as lincomycin derivatives.

Direct electrophilic radiofluorination of a cyclic RGD peptide for in vivo alpha(v)beta3 integrin related tumor imaging.

The association of the alpha(v)beta(3) integrin with tumor metastasis and tumor related angiogenesis has been suggested. Therefore, by imaging the alpha(v)beta(3) receptor with PET, information concerning the tumor status could be obtained. Cyclic peptides including the RGD sequence, were radiolabeled by direct electrophilic fluorination with [(18)F]AcOF. In tumor-bearing mice, the labeled peptides accumulated at the tumor with a high tumor to blood ratio. These findings suggest that an assessment of tumor characteristics may be obtained by using these (18)F-labeled peptides.