Discovery of benzoheterocyclic-substituted amide derivatives as apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) inhibitors.

Three series of benzoheterocyclic-substituted amide derivatives were designed and synthesized as potent ASK1 inhibitors in this work. After undergoing continuous structural optimization, compound 17a was discovered to be a novel inhibitor of ASK1 with good potency (kinase, IC50 = 26 nM), noteworthy liver microsomal stability (human, T1/2 = 340.4 min), good pharmacokinetic parameters (rat, T1/2 p.o. = 2.11 h, AUClast p.o. = 10 900 h ng mL-1) and high oral bioavailability (rat, F = 97.9%), while also being inactive towards hERG (IC50 > 10 µM).

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of N,N-3-phenyl-3-benzylaminopropanamide derivatives as novel cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor.

A series of N,N-3-phenyl-3-benzylaminopropanamide derivatives were identified as novel CETP (cholesteryl ester transfer protein) inhibitors. In our previous study, lead compound L10 was discovered by pharmacophore-based virtual screening (Dong-Mei Zhao et al., 2014). Based on L10 (IC50 8.06 µM), compound HL6 (IC50 10.7 µM) was discovered following systematic structure variation and biological tests. Further optimization of the structure-activity relationship (SAR) resulted in N,N-3-phenyl-3-benzylaminopro panamides derivatives as novel CETP inhibitors. They were synthesized and evaluated against CETP by BODIPY-CE fluorescence assay. Among them, HL16 (IC50 0.69 µM) was a highly potent CETP inhibitor in vitro. In addition, HL16 exhibited favorable HDL-C enhancement and LDL-C reduction in vivo by hamster. The molecular docking of HL16 into the CETP was performed. The binding mode demonstrated that HL16 occupied the CETP binding site and formed interactions with the key amino acid residues.

Discovery of novel N,N-3-phenyl-3-benzylaminopropionanilides as potent inhibitors of cholesteryl ester transfer protein in vivo.

Epidemiological studies have identified that the risk of cardiovascular events increases due to the decreased levels of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and the elevated levels of low density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Herein, we report a novel series of N,N-3-phenyl-3-benzylaminopropionanilide derivatives, which were identified as potent cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor. The initial lead compound L10 (IC50 8.06 µM) was found by pharmacophore-based virtual screening (Dong-Mei Zhao et al., Chin. Chem. Lett.2014, 25, 299). After systematic structure variation and biological testing against CETP, two different series were identified as scaffolds for potent CETP inhibitors. One is N,N-3-phenyl-3-benzylaminopropanamide derivatives, which were investigated in our previous paper (Bioorg. Med. Chem.2015, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2015.12.010). The most potent compound HL16 in that series has the IC50 of 0.69 µM. The other series is N,N-3-phenyl-3-benzylaminopropionanilide derivatives, which was investigated in current study. Further optimization of the structure-activity relationship (SAR) resulted in H16 (IC50 0.15 µM), which was discovered as a potent CETP inhibitor in vitro by BODIPY-CE fluorescence assay. In addition, the results of pharmacodynamics studies showed that H16 exhibited both favorable HDL-C enhancement and LDL-C reduction in vivo by hamster. It also has an excellent stability in rat liver microsomal.

Regulation of adhesion molecules expression in TNF-α-stimulated brain microvascular endothelial cells by tanshinone IIA: involvement of NF-κB and ROS generation.

Pro-inflammatory cytokine-mediated expression of cell surface adhesion molecules plays a key role in endothelial cell injury, leading to vascular inflammation and the development of many cerebrovascular diseases. Thus, antiinflammatory agents targeting these adhesion molecules may represent potential drugs for the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases. The present study explored the effects of tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA), an active ingredient present in the Salvia miltiorrhiza root, on the expression of cellular adhesion molecules in TNF-α-stimulated brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVECs). Treatment with Tan IIA was found to suppress the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), resulting in inhibition of TNF-α-induced adhesion of neutrophils to BMVECs in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, Tan IIA significantly inhibited TNF-α-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which was accompanied by decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Treatment with Tan IIA also inhibited nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation. Together, these results suggest that Tan IIA regulates TNF-α-induced expression of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 through inhibition of NF-κB activation and ROS generation in BMVECs.

The effects of Tanshinone IIA on blood-brain barrier and brain edema after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats.

Disruption of blood-brain barrier (BBB) and edema formation play a key role in the development of neurological dysfunction after cerebral ischemia. In this study, the effects of Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA), one of the active ingredients of Salvia miltiorrhiza root, on the BBB and brain edema after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats were examined. Our study demonstrated that Tan IIA reduced brain infarct area, water content in the ischemic hemisphere. Furthermore, Tan IIA significantly decreased BBB permeability to Evans blue, suppressed the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), inhibited the degradation of tight junction proteins zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and Occludin. These results demonstrated that Tan IIA was effective for attenuating the extent of brain edema formation in response to ischemia injury in rats, partly by Tan IIA's protective effect on the BBB. Our results may have implications in the treatment of brain edema in cerebral ischemia.