Repurposing strategies on pyridazinone-based series by pharmacophore- and structure-driven screening.

We report here in silico repurposing studies on 52 new pyridazinone-based small-molecules through inverse virtual screening (iVS) methodologies. These analogues were originally designed as formyl peptide receptor (FPR) ligands. As it is sometimes the case in drug discovery programmes, subsequent biological screening demonstrated the inefficacy of the molecules in binding FPRs, failing in the identification of new hits. Through a focussed drug-repurposing approach we have defined a variety of potential targets that are suitable to interact with this library of pyridazinone-based analogues. A two-step approach has been conducted for computational analysis. Specifically, the molecules were initially processed through a pharmacophore-based screening. Secondly, the resulting features of binding were investigated by docking studies and following molecular dynamic simulations, in order to univocally confirm "pyridazinone-based ligand-target protein" interactions. Our findings propose aspartate aminotransferase as the most favourable repurposed target for this small-molecule series, worth of additional medicinal chemistry investigations in the field.

Functionalized pyrazoles and pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyridazinones: Synthesis and evaluation of their phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitory activity.

A series of pyrazoles and pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyridazinones were synthesized and evaluated for their PDE4 inhibitory activity. All the pyrazoles were found devoid of activity, whereas some of the novel pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyridazinones showed good activity as PDE4 inhibitors. The most potent compounds in this series showed an IC(50) in the nanomolar range. The ability to inhibit TNF-alpha release in human PBMCs was determined for two representative compounds, finding values in the sub-micromolar range. SARs studies demonstrated that the best arranged groups around the heterocyclic core are 2-chloro-, 2-methyl- and 3-nitrophenyl at position 2, an ethyl ester at position 4 and a small alkyl group at position 6. Molecular modeling studies performed on a representative compound allowed to define its binding mode to the PDE4B isoform.

Synthetic applications of polystyrene-supported 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine.

Several applications of polystyrene-supported 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine (PS-TMG) in synthetic organic chemistry have been explored. This study evidenced the effectiveness and versatility of this new member of the supported guanidine superbases as an attractive candidate to replace the bases usually employed in organic synthesis during the implementation of environmentally friendly preparative processes.

4-amino-5-substituted-3(2H)-pyridazinones as orally active antinociceptive agents: synthesis and studies on the mechanism of action.

A number of 4-amino-5-vinylpyridazinones and 4-amino-5-heterocyclic-pyridazinones were synthesized and tested for their analgesic activity. Many of these compounds, tested at doses of 3-20 mg kg-1 po, showed good antinociceptive activity, reducing by more than 50% the number of writhes with respect to controls. Compounds 16c, 19a, 20a, and 28 were the most potent of the series because they were able to induce a potent antinociceptive effect at a dose of 3 mg kg-1 po. None of the active compounds at the analgesic dose provoked any visible change in normal behavior, as demonstrated in the rotarod test. Studies on the mechanism of action showed that the analgesia induced by the active compounds was completely prevented by pretreatment with the alpha2-antagonist yohimbine, suggesting an involvement of alpha2-adrenoceptors. Further investigation demonstrated an indirect activation of the noradrenergic system through an amplification of noradrenaline release.

Arylpiperazinylalkylpyridazinones and analogues as potent and orally active antinociceptive agents: synthesis and studies on mechanism of action.

A number of arylpiperazinylalkylpyridazinones structurally related to the previously described lead A (5-{[4-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl]-propyl}-3-methyl-7-phenylisossazolo[4,5-d]pyridazin-4-(5H)-one) were synthesized and tested for their analgesic activity. Many of the tested molecules, at the dose of 20 mg kg-1 p.o., showed high antinociceptive activity, in particular, compounds 5a, 11c, 15a, 21 and 22, which were able to reduce the number of abdominal constrictions by more than 50% in writhing test. The pharmacological investigation of lead A led us to clarify the mechanism of action of this compound, showing that it carries out its analgesic action through the inhibition of reuptake of noradrenaline. The antinociception of some of the most interesting new molecules was completely prevented by pretreatment with alpha2-antagonist yohimbine, suggesting the involvement of alpha2-adrenoceptors, as with prototype A.

Novel pyrazolopyrimidopyridazinones with potent and selective phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitory activity as potential agents for treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Pyrazolo[1',5':1,6]pyrimido[4,5-d]pyridazin-4(3H)-ones and their analogues, potentially useful for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5). Several compounds showed IC50 values in the low nanomolar range, and in particular, compound 5r, displaying high potency toward PDE5 (IC50 = 8.3 nM) and high selectivity versus PDE6 (240-fold) appeared to be a very promising new lead both in comparison with the potent but not selective sildenafil and in comparison with some analogues previously reported by us. SAR studies in this triheterocyclic scaffold led us to conclude that the best arranged groups are a methyl in position 1, a benzyl in position 3, a phenyl in position 9, and a linear four-carbon chain in position 6.

Discovery of 3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones As a Novel Class of Potent and Selective A2B Adenosine Receptor Antagonists.

We describe the discovery and optimization of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones as a novel family of (nonxanthine) A2B receptor antagonists that exhibit an unusually high selectivity profile. The Biginelli-based hit optimization process enabled a thoughtful exploration of the structure-activity and structure-selectivity relationships for this chemotype, enabling the identification of ligands that combine structural simplicity with excellent hA2B AdoR affinity and remarkable selectivity profiles.

Synthesis of pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyridazinones as potent, subtype selective PDE4 inhibitors.

A series of pyrrolo [2,3-d]pyridazinones was synthesized and tested for their inhibitory activity on PDE4 subtypes A, B and D and selectivity toward Rolipram high affinity binding site (HARBS). New agents with interesting profile were reported; in particular compound 9e showed a good PDE4 subtype selectivity, being 8 times more potent (IC50 = 0.32 microM) for PDE4B (anti-inflammatory) than for PDE4D (IC50 = 2.5 microM), generally considered the subtype responsible for emesis. Moreover the ratio HARBS/PDE4B was particularly favourable for 9e (147), suggesting that the best arranged groups around the pyrrolopyridazinone core are an isopropyl at position-1, an ethoxycarbonyl at position-2, together with an ethyl group at position-6. For compounds 8 and 15a the ability to inhibit TNFalpha production in PBMC was evaluated and the results are consistent with their PDE4 inhibitory activity.

4-Amino-5-vinyl-3(2H)-pyridazinones and analogues as potent antinociceptive agents: Synthesis, SARs, and preliminary studies on the mechanism of action.

A series of 4-amino-5-vinyl-3(2H)-pyridazinones and analogues were synthesized and their antinociceptive effect was evaluated in the mouse abdominal constriction model. Several of the novel compounds showed ED(50) values in the range 6-20mg/kg/sc and demonstrated to be able to completely protect all the treated animals from the effect of the noxious stimulus at 30 mg/kg/sc. SAR studies confirmed the essential role played by an amino or substituted amino function at position 4 and by a vinyl group at position 5 of the diazine system.