Pharmacological evaluation of novel (6-aminopyridin-3-yl)(4-(pyridin-2-yl)piperazin-1-yl) methanone derivatives as TRPV4 antagonists for the treatment of pain.

A novel series of (6-aminopyridin-3-yl)(4-(pyridin-2-yl)piperazin-1-yl) methanone derivatives were identified as selective transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel antagonist and showed analgesic effect in Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA) induced mechanical hyperalgesia model in guinea pig and rat. Modification of right part based on the compound 16d which was disclosed in our previous communication led to the identification of compound 26i as a flagship compound. In this paper, we described the details about design, synthesis and structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis at right and left part of these derivatives (Fig. 1).

Discovery of novel 2',4'-dimethyl-[4,5'-bithiazol]-2-yl amino derivatives as orally bioavailable TRPV4 antagonists for the treatment of pain: Part 2.

A series of 2',4'-dimethyl-[4,5'-bithiazol]-2-yl amino derivatives have been identified as selective TRPV4 antagonists that display inhibition potencies against 4α-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (4αPDD), well known as a TRPV4 selective agonist and/or a hypotonicity. In particular, 9-(6-((2',4'-dimethyl-[4,5'-bithiazol]-2-yl)amino)nicotinoyl)-3-oxa-9-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-7-one showed an analgesic effect in Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA) induced mechanical hyperalgesia model in guinea pig (reported in Part 1). However, there are some concerns such as species differences and the need for higher plasma exposure to achieve target efficacy for evaluation by an in vivo pain model. In this Letter, we report the resolution of some of the problems by further optimizing the chemical scaffold.

Discovery of novel 2',4'-dimethyl-[4,5'-bithiazol]-2-yl amino derivatives as orally bioavailable TRPV4 antagonists for the treatment of pain: Part 1.

A novel series of 2',4'-dimethyl-[4,5'-bithiazol]-2-yl amino derivatives were found by high throughput screening of the TRPV4 receptor, at which these compounds showed competitive antagonist potential against 4α-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (4αPDD) as the selective TRPV4 agonist and showed excellent selectivity for TRPV1, N-type and L-type calcium ion channels, but poor ADME profile. In our SAR strategy, we found that the lead molecule 1 also having the unique 3-oxa-9-azabicyclo [3.3.1] nonan-7-one on the right part showed potent TRPV4 antagonist activity, good solubility at pH 6.8, good microsomal stability for human and better ADME profile including oral bioavailability. Moreover, compound 1 had an analgesic effect in Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA) induced mechanical hyperalgesia model in guinea pig. In this letter, we report a lead optimization process to identify the lead compound 1 (Fig. 1).

Selective blockade of transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 reduces cyclophosphamide-induced bladder pain in mice.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a non-selective cation channel activated by various physical stimuli such as cell swelling and shear stress. TRPV4 is expressed in bladder sensory nerves and epithelium, and its activation produces urinary dysfunction in rodents. However, there have been few reports regarding its involvement in bladder pain. Therefore, we investigated whether TRPV4 is involved in bladder pain in mouse cystitis model. Intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (CYP; 300 mg/kg) produced mechanical hypersensitivity in the lower abdomen associated with a severe inflammatory bladder in mice. The mechanical threshold was reversed significantly in Trpv4-knockout (KO) mice. Repeated injections of CYP (150 mg/kg) daily for 4 days provoked mild bladder inflammation and persistent mechanical hypersensitivity in mice. Trpv4-KO mice prevented a reduction of the mechanical threshold without an alteration in bladder inflammation. A selective TRPV4 antagonist also reversed the mechanical threshold in chronic cystitis mice. Although expression of Trpv4 was unchanged in the bladders of chronic cystitis mice, the level of phosphorylated TRPV4 was increased significantly. These results suggest involvement of TRPV4 in bladder pain of cystitis mice. A TRPV4 antagonist might be useful for patients with irritable bladder pain such as those with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.

Structure-activity relationship studies and discovery of a potent transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV1) antagonist 4-[3-chloro-5-[(1S)-1,2-dihydroxyethyl]-2-pyridyl]-N-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridyl]-3,6-dihydro-2H-pyridine-1-carboxamide (V116517) as a clinical candidate for pain management.

A series of novel tetrahydropyridinecarboxamide TRPV1 antagonists were prepared and evaluated in an effort to optimize properties of previously described lead compounds from piperazinecarboxamide series. The compounds were evaluated for their ability to block capsaicin and acid-induced calcium influx in CHO cells expressing human TRPV1. The most potent of these TRPV1 antagonists were further characterized in pharmacokinetic, efficacy, and body temperature studies. On the basis of its pharmacokinetic, in vivo efficacy, safety, and toxicological properties, compound 37 was selected for further evaluation in human clinical trials.