RESUMO
The A-type Aurora kinase is upregulated in many human cancers, and it stabilizes MYC-family oncoproteins, which have long been considered an undruggable target. Here, we describe the design and synthesis of a series of pyrimidine-based derivatives able to inhibit Aurora A kinase activity and reduce levels of cMYC and MYCN. Through structure-based drug design of a small molecule that induces the DFG-out conformation of Aurora A kinase, lead compound 13 was identified, which potently (IC50 < 200 nM) inhibited the proliferation of high-MYC expressing small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines. Pharmacokinetic optimization of 13 by prodrug strategies resulted in orally bioavailable 25, which demonstrated an 8-fold higher oral AUC (F = 62.3%). Pharmacodynamic studies of 25 showed it to effectively reduce cMYC protein levels, leading to >80% tumor regression of NCI-H446 SCLC xenograft tumors in mice. These results support the potential of 25 for the treatment of MYC-amplified cancers including SCLC.
Assuntos
Aurora Quinase A/antagonistas & inibidores , Desenho de Fármacos , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/síntese química , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-myc/metabolismo , Pirimidinas/química , Animais , Aurora Quinase A/metabolismo , Aurora Quinase B/antagonistas & inibidores , Aurora Quinase B/metabolismo , Sítios de Ligação , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Regulação para Baixo/efeitos dos fármacos , Avaliação Pré-Clínica de Medicamentos , Humanos , Neoplasias Pulmonares/tratamento farmacológico , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos ICR , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/metabolismo , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/uso terapêutico , Pirimidinas/metabolismo , Pirimidinas/farmacologia , Pirimidinas/uso terapêutico , Carcinoma de Pequenas Células do Pulmão/tratamento farmacológico , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Ensaios Antitumorais Modelo de XenoenxertoRESUMO
A structure-based virtual screening strategy, comprising homology modeling, ligand-support binding site optimization, virtual screening, and structure clustering analysis, was developed and used to identify novel tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) inhibitors. Compound 1 (IC50 = 711 nM), selected by virtual screening, showed inhibitory activity toward TDO and was subjected to structural modifications and molecular docking studies. This resulted in the identification of a potent TDO selective inhibitor (11e, IC50 = 30 nM), making it a potential compound for further investigation as a cancer therapeutic and other TDO-related targeted therapy.