Synthesis and functional characterization of imbutamine analogs as histamine H3 and H4 receptor ligands.

Imbutamine (4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)butanamine) is a potent histamine H3 (H3R) and H4 receptor (H4R) agonist (EC50 values: 3 and 66 nM, respectively). Aiming at improved selectivity for the H4R, the imidazole ring in imbutamine was methyl-substituted or replaced by various differently substituted heterocycles (1,2,3-triazoles, 1,2,4-triazoles, pyridines, pyrimidines) as potential bioisosteres. Investigations in [(35)S]GTPγS binding assays using membranes of Sf9 insect cells expressing the respective human histamine receptor subtype revealed only very weak activity of most of the synthesized hetarylalkylamines at both receptors. By contrast, the introduction of substituents at the 4-imidazolyl ring was most effective regarding H4R selectivity. This holds for methyl substitution in position 2 and, especially, in position 5. 5-Methylimbutamine (H4R: EC50 = 59 nM, α = 0.8) was equipotent with imbutamine at the hH4R, but revealed about 16-fold selectivity for the hH4R compared to the hH3R (EC50 980 nM, α = 0.36), whereas imbutamine preferred the hH3R. The functional activities were in agreement with radioligand binding data. The results support the hypothesis that, by analogy with histamine, methyl substitution in histamine homologs offers a way to shift the selectivity in favor of the H4R.

Dimeric argininamide-type neuropeptide Y receptor antagonists: chiral discrimination between Y1 and Y4 receptors.

The structurally related peptides neuropeptide Y (NPY), peptide YY (PYY) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) are endogenous agonists of the NPY receptor (YR) family, which in humans comprises four functionally expressed subtypes, designated Y1R, Y2R, Y4R and Y5R. Nonpeptide antagonists with high affinity and selectivity have been described for the Y1R, Y2R and Y5R, but such compounds are still lacking for the Y4R. In this work, the structures of the high affinity selective (R)-argininamide-type Y1R antagonists BIBP3226 and BIBO3304 were linked via the guanidine or urea moieties to give homo-dimeric argininamides with linker lengths ranging from 31 to 41 atoms. Interestingly, the twin compounds proved to be by far less selective for the Y1R than the R-configured monovalent parent compounds. The decrease in selectivity ratio was most pronounced for Y1R versus Y4R subtype, resulting in comparable affinities of bivalent ligands for Y1R and Y4R (e.g. UR-MK177 ((R,R)-49): Ki=230nM (Y1R) and 290nM (Y4R)). With a Ki value of 130nM and a Kb value of 20nM, UR-MK188 ((R,R)-51) was superior to all Y4R antagonists known to date. The S,S-configured optical antipodes of UR-MK177 and UR-MK188 (UR-MEK381 ((S,S)-49) and UR-MEK388 ((S,S)-51)) were synthesized to investigate the stereochemical discrimination by the different receptor subtypes. Whereas preference for R,R-configured argininamides was characteristic of the Y1R, stereochemical discrimination by the Y4R was not observed. This may pave the way to selective Y4R antagonists.

Replacement of Thr32 and Gln34 in the C-terminal neuropeptide Y fragment 25-36 by cis-cyclobutane and cis-cyclopentane ß-amino acids shifts selectivity toward the Y(4) receptor.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) control central and peripheral processes by activating the G protein coupled receptors YxR (x = 1, 2, 4, 5). We present analogs of the C-terminal fragments 25-36 and 32-36 of NPY and PP containing (1R,2S)-cyclobutane (ßCbu) or (1R,2S)-cyclopentane (ßCpe) ß-amino acids, which display exclusively Y4R affinity. In particular, [ßCpe(34)]-NPY-(25-36) is a Y4R selective partial agonist (EC50 41 ± 6 nM, Emax 71%) that binds Y4R with a Ki of 10 ± 2 nM and a selectivity >100-fold relative to Y1R and Y2R and >50-fold relative to Y5R. Comparably, [Y(32), ßCpe(34)]-NPY(PP)-(32-36) selectively binds and activates Y4R (EC50 94 ± 21 nM, Emax 73%). The NMR structure of [ßCpe(34)]-NPY-(25-36) in dodecylphosphatidylcholine micelles shows a short helix at residues 27-32, while the C-terminal segment R(33)ßCpe(34)R(35)Y(36) is extended. The biological properties of the ßCbu- or ßCpe-containing NPY and PP C-terminal fragments encourage the future application of these ß-amino acids in the synthesis of selective Y4R ligands.