Pyrazolopyridine inhibitors of B-Raf(V600E). Part 3: an increase in aqueous solubility via the disruption of crystal packing.

A single crystal was obtained of a lead B-Raf(V600E) inhibitor with low aqueous solubility. The X-ray crystal structure revealed hydrogen-bonded head-to-tail dimers formed by the pyrazolopyridine and sulfonamide groups of a pair of molecules. This observation suggested a medicinal chemistry strategy to disrupt crystal packing and reduce the high crystal lattice energy of alternative inhibitors. Both a bulkier group at the interface of the dimer and an out-of-plane substituent were required to decrease the compound's melting point and increase aqueous solubility. These substituents were selected based on previously developed structure-activity relationships so as to concurrently maintain good enzymatic and cellular activity against B-Raf(V600E).