Identification of novel indole derivatives acting as inhibitors of the Keap1-Nrf2 interaction.

Nine indole derivatives (9a-i) were tested as potential inhibitors of the Keap1-Nrf2 interaction. This class of compounds increases the intracellular levels of the transcription factor Nrf2 and the consequent expression of enzymes encoded by genes containing the antioxidant response element (ARE). In the ARE-luciferase reporter assay only 9e-g revealed to be remarkably more active than t-butylhydroxyquinone (t-BHQ), with 9g standing out as the best performing compound. While 9e and 9f are weak acids, 9g is an ampholyte prevailing as a zwitterion in neutral aqueous solutions. The ability of 9e-g to significantly increase levels of Nrf2, NADPH:quinone oxidoreductase 1, and transketolase (TKT) gave further support to the hypothesis that these compounds act as inhibitors of the Keap1-Nrf2 interaction. Docking simulations allowed us to elucidate the nature of the putative interactions between 9g and Keap1.

Novel fluorescent triazinobenzimidazole derivatives as probes for labelling human A1 and A2B adenosine receptor subtypes.

The expression levels and the subcellular localization of adenosine receptors (ARs) are affected in several pathological conditions as a consequence of changes in adenosine release and metabolism. In this respect, labelled probes able to monitor the AR expression could be a useful tool to investigate different pathological conditions. Herein, novel ligands for ARs, bearing the fluorescent 7-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD) group linked to the N1 (1,2) or N10 (3,4) nitrogen of a triazinobenzimidazole scaffold, were synthesized. The compounds were biologically evaluated as fluorescent probes for labelling A1 and A2B AR subtypes in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) that express both receptor subtypes. The binding affinity of the synthetized compounds towards the different AR subtypes was determined. The probe 3 revealed a higher affinity to A1 and A2B ARs, showing interesting spectroscopic properties, and it was selected as the most suitable candidate to label both AR subtypes in undifferentiated MSCs. Fluorescence confocal microscopy showed that compound 3 significantly labelled ARs on cell membranes and the fluorescence signal was decreased by the cell pre-incubation with the A1 AR and A2B AR selective agonists, R-PIA and BAY 60-6583, respectively, thus confirming the specificity of the obtained signal. In conclusion, compound 3 could represent a useful tool to investigate the expression pattern of both A1 and A2B ARs in different pathological and physiological processes. Furthermore, these results provide an important basis for the design of new and more selective derivatives able to monitor the expression and localization of each different ARs in several tissues and living cells.

Enantiomeric 4-Acylamino-6-alkyloxy-2 Alkylthiopyrimidines As Potential A3 Adenosine Receptor Antagonists: HPLC Chiral Resolution and Absolute Configuration Assignment by a Full Set of Chiroptical Spectroscopy.

The chiral separation of enantiomeric couples of three potential A3 adenosine receptor antagonists: (R/S)-N-(6-(1-phenylethoxy)-2-(propylthio)pyrimidin-4-yl)acetamide (), (R/S)-N-(2-(1-phenylethylthio)-6-propoxypyrimidin-4-yl)acetamide (), and (R/S)-N-(2-(benzylthio)-6-sec-butoxypyrimidin-4-yl)acetamide () was achieved by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Three types of chiroptical spectroscopies, namely, optical rotatory dispersion (ORD), electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), were applied to enantiomeric compounds. Through comparison with Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, encompassing extensive conformational analysis, full assignment of the absolute configuration (AC) for the three sets of compounds was obtained. Chirality 28:434-440, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Osteoblast differentiation and survival: A role for A2B adenosine receptor allosteric modulators.

The A2B adenosine receptor (A2B AR), activated in response to high levels of endogenous adenosine, is the major AR subtype involved in mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation to osteoblasts and bone formation. For this reason, targeting of A2B AR with selective allosteric modulators may represent a promising pharmacological approach to the treatment of bone diseases. Herein, we report the characterization of a 3-keto-indole derivative, 2-(1-benzyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-2-oxo-N-phenylacetamide (KI-7), as A2B AR positive allosteric modulator in MSCs, demonstrating that this compound is able to potentiate the effects of either adenosine and synthetic orthosteric A2B AR agonists in mediating osteoblast differentiation in vitro. In detail, we observed that MSC treatment with KI-7 determined an increase in the expression of osteoblast-related genes (Runx2 and osterix) and osteoblast marker proteins (phosphatase alkaline and osteocalcin), associated with a stimulation of osteoblast mineralization. In the early phase of differentiation programme, KI-7 significantly potentiated physiological and A2B AR agonist-mediated down-regulation of IL-6 release. Conversely, during the late stage of differentiation, when most of the cells have an osteoblast phenotype, KI-7 caused a sustained raise in IL-6 levels and an improvement in osteoblast viability. These data suggest that a positive allosteric modulation of A2B AR not only favours MSC commitment to osteoblasts, but also ensures a greater survival of mature osteoblasts. Our study paves the way for a therapeutic use of selective positive allosteric modulators of A2B AR in the control of osteoblast differentiation, bone formation and fracture repair.

Allosteric modulators of human A2B adenosine receptor.

BACKGROUND: Among adenosine receptors (ARs) the A2B subtype exhibits low affinity for the endogenous agonist compared with the A1, A2A, and A3 subtypes and is therefore activated when concentrations of adenosine increase to a large extent following tissue damages (e.g. ischemia, inflammation). For this reason, A2B AR represents an important pharmacological target. METHODS: We evaluated seven 1-benzyl-3-ketoindole derivatives (7-9) for their ability to act as positive or negative allosteric modulators of human A2B AR through binding and functional assays using CHO cells expressing human A1, A2A, A2B, and A3 ARs. RESULTS: The investigated compounds behaved as specific positive or negative allosteric modulators of human A2B AR depending on small differences in their structures. The positive allosteric modulators 7a,b and 8a increased agonist efficacy without any effect on agonist potency. The negative allosteric modulators 8b,c and 9a,b reduced agonist potency and efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: A number of 1-benzyl-3-ketoindole derivatives were pharmacologically characterized as selective positive (7a,b) or negative (8c, 9a,b) allosteric modulators of human A2B AR. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: The 1-benzyl-3-ketoindole derivatives 7-9 acting as positive or negative allosteric modulators of human A2B AR represent new pharmacological tools useful for the development of therapeutic agents to treat pathological conditions related to an altered functionality of A2B AR.

Playing with opening and closing of heterocycles: using the cusmano-ruccia reaction to develop a novel class of oxadiazolothiazinones, active as calcium channel modulators and P-glycoprotein inhibitors.

As a result of the ring-into-ring conversion of nitrosoimidazole derivatives, we obtained a molecular scaffold that, when properly decorated, is able to decrease inotropy by blocking L-type calcium channels. Previously, we used this scaffold to develop a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model, and we used the most potent oxadiazolothiazinone as a template for ligand-based virtual screening. Here, we enlarge the diversity of chemical decorations, present the synthesis and in vitro data for 11 new derivatives, and develop a new 3D-QSAR model with recent in silico techniques. We observed a key role played by the oxadiazolone moiety: given the presence of positively charged calcium ions in the transmembrane channel protein, we hypothesize the formation of a ternary complex between the oxadiazolothiazinone, the Ca2+ ion and the protein. We have supported this hypothesis by means of pharmacophore generation and through the docking of the pharmacophore into a homology model of the protein. We also studied with docking experiments the interaction with a homology model of P-glycoprotein, which is inhibited by this series of molecules, and provided further evidence toward the relevance of this scaffold in biological interactions.

Absolute configuration and biological profile of two thiazinooxadiazol-3-ones with L-type calcium channel activity: a study of the structural effects.

In the framework of our interest in racemic thiazinooxadiazol-3-ones we determined the absolute configuration and the biological activity as L-type calcium channel blockers of two compounds that differ in the length of the acetal chain, which could affect the pharmacological profile. We observed an interesting inversion of the stereoselectivity, with the activity residing on the R-form for a short chain compound (n = 1) and on the S-form for a long chain one (n = 12). The length of the linear acetal chain appears to be able to invert the stereoselectivity of such a class of compounds, and in silico simulations suggested that this different behaviour might be explained by different hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions with the binding site.

ortho-Substituted (aryl)(3-nitrobenzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)amines: study of the electrochemical behavior.

The reduction potentials of the title compounds 4 have been measured by cyclic voltammetry. The effect of the substituents has been evaluated by using a linear free energy relationship treatment, thus evidencing that the present ortho-substituents affect the Epc values basically by electronic effects. A comparison with data previously collected on ortho-substituted (aryl)(2-nitrobenzo[b]thiophen-3-yl)amines 3 has provided some interesting information. Different electrochemical behaviors are observed during the reduction (a reversible process and an irreversible process are operating in 3 and 4, respectively): to elucidate the reasons for this different behavior, the "reversible" reduction potentials of 5 and of 6 have been measured. Moreover, higher susceptibility constants have been calculated for compounds of series 4 with respect to those of series 3 (rho4 = 329 and rho3 = 182, respectively). A rationale for all of these findings has been offered.

The P-glycoprotein inhibitor diltiazem-like 8-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-methyl-8-[(2Z)-pent-2-en-1-yloxy]-8H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[3,4-c][1,4]thiazin-3-one inhibits esterase activity and H3 histone acetylation.

With the aim to reduce multidrug resistance several molecules were synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins, which are responsible for drugs transport out from cells. The compound 8-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-methyl-8-[(2Z)-pent-2-en-1-yloxy]-8H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[3,4-c][1,4]thiazin-3-one namely 2c, is structurally related to the myocardial-calcium-channel-modulator diltiazem and is considered one of the most efficient P-glycoprotein inhibitors, able to induce apoptosis at low concentrations of doxorubicin in multidrug resistant ovarian cells. In this study experiments were carried out to evaluate other biological activities of compound 2c. We verified the ability of 2c to inhibit ABC transporters do not involved in drug resistance and considering the inhibitory effect of diltiazem on recombinant human carboxylesterase, we observed its inhibitory effect on the esterase activity. Our findings demonstrated that 2c exhibits broad-spectrum activity as ABC transporters inhibitor being able to inhibit ABCC6, a protein belonging to the ABC family although poorly involved in drug resistance. 2c also inhibits cell esterase activity, acetylcholine esterase activity in vitro and cell histone H3 acetylation according to its structural homology with some known HAT inhibitors. The results obtained provide new knowledge on the biological activities of 2c and represent useful information when it is used as an inhibitor of drug resistance.

Derivatives of 4-amino-6-hydroxy-2-mercaptopyrimidine as novel, potent, and selective A3 adenosine receptor antagonists.

A number of derivatives of 4-amino-6-hydroxy-2-mercaptopyrimidine ( 5) were synthesized and biologically evaluated as A 3 adenosine receptor (A 3 AR) antagonists. The new compounds were designed as open chain analogues of a triazolopyrimidinone derivative displaying submicromolar affinity for the A 3 AR, which had been previously identified using a 3D database search. Substituents R, R', and R'' attached to the parent compound 5 were chosen according to factorial design and stepwise lead optimization approaches, taking into account the essentially hydrophobic nature of the A 3 AR binding site. As a result, 5m (R = n-C 3H 7, R' = 4-ClC 6H 4CH 2, R'' = CH 3) was identified among the pyrimidine derivatives as the ligand featuring the best combination of potency and selectivity for the target receptor. This compound binds to the A 3 AR with a K i of 3.5 nM and is devoid of appreciable affinity for the A 1, A 2A, and A 2B ARs.

Studies on enantioselectivity of chiral 4-acetylamino-6-alkyloxy-2-alkylthiopyrimidines acting as antagonists of the human A3 adenosine receptor.

Three A3 adenosine receptor (AR) antagonists (1-3) selected from 4-acylamino-6-alkyloxy-2-alkylthiopyrimidines previously investigated by us were modified by inserting a methyl group on their ether or thioether side chains. These compounds gave us the chance to evaluate whether their higher lipophilicity, reduced conformational freedom and chirality might improve the potency towards the A3 AR. Racemic mixtures of 1-3 were resolved using chiral HPLC methods and the absolute configurations of the enantiomers were assigned by chiroptical spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. We measured the affinity for human A1, A2A, A2B and A3 ARs of the racemic mixtures and the pure enantiomers of 1-3 by radioligand competition binding experiments. Cell-based assays of the most potent enantiomers confirmed their A3 AR antagonist profiles. Our research led to the identification of (S)-1 with high potency (0.5 nM) and selectivity as an A3 AR antagonist. Moreover we built a docking-model useful to design new pyrimidine derivatives.

Diltiazem analogues: the last ten years on structure activity relationships.

Cardiovascular diseases as hypertension, angina and/or supraventricular arrhythmias are among the most important death causes in the world. For the treatment of heart pathologies, calcium channel entry blockers are very important drugs, owing to their therapeutic versatility. Although few calcium antagonists described until today are structurally related to diltiazem and to the benzothiazepine class, the still high pharmaceutical interest on diltiazem analogues justifies this review. Diltiazem and its first analogues developed in the early '70s became popular in the '80s, and were pharmacologically characterized for a long time. It is in the '90s that several research groups carried out structural variations identifying novel scaffolds for diltiazem-related compounds, with significant calcium antagonist behaviour. Recently, a series of thiazino-oxadiazolone derivatives were identified as potent and selective antagonists for calcium influx into cardiac cells, and they were subsequently used to search for novel chemotypes by means of virtual screening techniques. The resulting hits could open interesting perspectives for the development of drugs to treat cardiovascular diseases. In the present review, an updated collection of diltiazem analogues is reported over the last ten years. The chemical structure and the structure activity relationships will be given, with additional mention to the potential therapeutic applications.

Novel N-substituted indol-3-ylglyoxylamides probing the LDi and L1/L2 lipophilic regions of the benzodiazepine receptor site in search for subtype-selective ligands.

Novel N-substituted indol-3-ylglyoxylamides (10-37) were synthesized and evaluated as ligands of the benzodiazepine receptor (BzR). In an effort to achieve affinity-based selectivity among BzR subtypes, these compounds were designed to probe the LDi and L2 lipophilic regions. Taking the alpha1-selective benzylindolylglyoxylamides Ia and Ib as leads, we varied the substituent on the benzylamide phenyl ring (compounds 10-23) or replaced the benzyl moiety with alkyl groups (compounds 24-37). The above structural changes gave no shift of selectivity from the alpha1 toward the alpha2 or alpha5 subtypes, thus confirming that a ligand which occupies the LDi region probably exhibits alpha1 selectivity, despite its interactions with other lipophilic areas in the receptor binding cleft. Compound 11 (N-(p-methylbenzyl)-5-nitroindol-3-ylglyoxylamide), which selectively binds with a full agonist efficacy at the alpha1 receptor subtype and displays sedative action, can be regarded as an interesting potential zolpidem-like sedative-hypnotic agent.

New fluorescent 2-phenylindolglyoxylamide derivatives as probes targeting the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor: design, synthesis, and biological evaluation.

Fluorescent ligands for the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) featuring the 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl moiety were synthesized, based on N,N-dialkyl-2-phenylindol-3-ylglyoxylamides, a potent, selective class of PBR ligands previously described by us. All the new ligands are moderately to highly potent at the PBR, with a complete selectivity over the central benzodiazepine receptor. Results from fluorescence microscopy showed that these probes specifically labeled the PBR at the mitochondrial level in C6 glioma cells.

5-amino-2-phenyl[1,2,3]triazolo[1,2-a][1,2,4]benzotriazin-1-one: a versatile scaffold to obtain potent and selective A3 adenosine receptor antagonists.

Binding assays on human A1, A2A, and A3 adenosine receptors (ARs) and functional studies on A2B ARs revealed that various 2-phenyl[1,2,3]triazolo[1,2-a][1,2,4]benzotriazin-1,5(6H)-diones VIII, previously reported as ligands at the central benzodiazepine receptor (BzR), possess nanomolar affinity at the A3 AR. Replacement of the amide of VIII with an amidine moiety gave the 5-amino-2-phenyl[1,2,3]triazolo[1,2-a][1,2,4]benzotriazin-1-ones IX, which maintain a nanomolar potency at the A3 AR with selectivity over the BzR. Insertion of a p-methoxybenzoyl at the 5-amino moiety enhanced A3 AR affinity and selectivity over the A1, A2A, and A2B ARs. The best result of our lead optimization efforts is 9-chloro-5-(4-methoxybenzoyl)amino-2-phenyl[1,2,3]triazolo[1,2-a][1,2,4]benzotriazin-1-one (23), which displayed a Ki of 1.6 nM at the A3 AR and no significant affinity at the other ARs or the BzR. Docking simulations on selected ligands into a model of the A3 AR allowed us to rationalize the structure-activity relationships of phenyltriazolobenzotriazindiones VIII and aminophenyltriazolobenzotriazinones IX at the molecular level.

Calcium channel antagonists discovered by a multidisciplinary approach.

A multidisciplinary project has led to the discovery of novel, structurally diverse, L-type calcium entry blockers (CEBs). The absolute configuration of a recently reported CEB has been determined by vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy, to assign the stereospecificity of the ligand-channel interaction. Thereafter, a virtual screening procedure was performed with the aim of identifying novel chemotypes for CEBs, starting from a database of purchasable compounds; 340,000 molecules were screened in silico in order to prioritize structures of interest for bioscreening. As a result, 20 compounds were tested in vitro, and functional and binding assays revealed several hits with promising behavior as CEBs.

Refinement of the benzodiazepine receptor site topology by structure-activity relationships of new N-(heteroarylmethyl)indol-3-ylglyoxylamides.

N-(heteroarylmethyl)indol-3-ylglyoxylamides (1-26) were synthesized and evaluated as ligands of the benzodiazepine receptor (BzR) to probe the hydrogen bonding properties of the so-called S(1) site of the BzR by means of suitable heterocyclic side chains. SARs were developed in light of our hypothesis of binding modes A and B. Pyrrole and furan derivatives adopting mode A (2, 8, 10, 20, 22) turned out to be more potent (K(i) values < 35 nM) than their analogues lacking hydrogen bonding heterocyclic side chains. These data suggest that the most potent indoles interact with a hydrogen bond acceptor/donor (HBA/D) group located within the S(1) site of the BzR. Compounds 1, 2, 8, 19, 20, and 22, tested at recombinant rat alpha(1)beta(2)gamma(2), alpha(2)beta(2)gamma(2), and alpha(5)beta(3)gamma(2) BzRs, elicited selectivity for the alpha(1)beta(2)gamma(2) isoform. On the basis of published mutagenesis studies and the present SARs, we speculate that the S(1) HBA/D group might be identified as the hydroxyl of alpha(1)-Tyr209 or of other neighboring amino acids.

4-amino-6-alkyloxy-2-alkylthiopyrimidine derivatives as novel non-nucleoside agonists for the adenosine A1 receptor.

Three 4-amino-6-alkyloxy-2-alkylthiopyrimidine derivatives (4-6) were investigated as potential non-nucleoside agonists at human adenosine receptors (ARs). When tested in competition binding experiments, these compounds exhibited low micromolar affinity (Ki values comprised between 1.2 and 1.9 µm) for the A1 AR and no appreciable affinity for the A2A and A3 ARs. Evaluation of their efficacy profiles by measurement of intracellular cAMP levels revealed that 4 and 5 behave as non-nucleoside agonists of the A1 AR with EC50 values of 0.47 and 0.87 µm, respectively. No clear concentration-response curves could be instead obtained for 6, probably because this compound modulates one or more additional targets, thus masking the putative effects exerted by its activation of A1 AR. The three compounds were not able to modulate A2B AR-mediated cAMP accumulation induced by the non-selective AR agonist NECA, thus demonstrating no affinity toward this receptor.

TSPO-ligands prevent oxidative damage and inflammatory response in C6 glioma cells by neurosteroid synthesis.

Translocator protein 18kDa (TSPO) is predominantly located in the mitochondrial outer membrane, playing an important role in steroidogenesis, inflammation, cell survival and proliferation. Its expression in central nervous system, mainly in glial cells, has been found to be upregulated in neuropathology, and brain injury. In this study, we investigated the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of a group of TSPO ligands from the N,N-dialkyl-2-phenylindol-3-ylglyoxylamide class (PIGAs), highlighting the involvement of neurosteroids in their pharmacological effects. To this aim we used a well-known in vitro model of neurosteroidogenesis: the astrocytic C6 glioma cell line, where TSPO expression and localization, as well as cell response to TSPO ligand treatment, have been established. All PIGAs reduced l-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO)-driven cell cytotoxicity and lipid peroxidation. Moreover, an anti-inflammatory effect was observed due to the reduction of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 induction in LPS/IFNγ challenged cells. Both effects were blunted by aminoglutethimide (AMG), an inhibitor of pregnenolone synthesis, suggesting neurosteroids' involvement in PIGA protective mechanism. Finally, pregnenolone evaluation in PIGA exposed cells revealed an increase in its synthesis, which was prevented by AMG pre-treatment. These findings indicate that these TSPO ligands reduce oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory enzymes in glial cells through the de novo synthesis of neurosteroids, suggesting that these compounds could be potential new therapeutic tools for the treatment of inflammatory-based neuropathologies with beneficial effects possibly comparable to steroids, but potentially avoiding the negative side effects of long-term therapies with steroid hormones.

Understanding Oxadiazolothiazinone Biological Properties: Negative Inotropic Activity versus Cytochrome P450-Mediated Metabolism.

We present a series of oxadiazolothiazinones, selective inotropic agents on isolated cardiac tissues, devoid of chronotropy and vasorelaxant activity. Functional and binding data for the precursor of the series (compound 1) let us hypothesize LTCC blocking activity and the existence of a recognition site specific for this scaffold. We synthesized and tested 22 new derivatives: introducing a para-methoxyphenyl at C-8 led to compound 12 (EC50 = 0.022 µM), twice as potent as its para-bromo analogue (1). For 10 analogues, we extended the characterization of the biological properties by including the assessment of metabolic stability in human liver microsomes and cytochrome P450 inhibition potential. We observed that the methoxy group led to active compounds with low metabolic stability and high CYP inhibition, whereas the protective effect of bromine resulted in enhanced metabolic stability and reduced CYP inhibition. Thus, we identified two para-bromo benzothiazino-analogues as candidates for further studies.