Identification of novel small molecule inhibitors against the NS3/4A protease of hepatitis C virus genotype 4a.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection poses a considerable threat to the public health. The current standard of care treatment with pegylated interferon-alpha in combination with ribavirin (PEG-IFN- α+RBV) is associated with significant side effects, poorly tolerated, and provides limited efficacy. The development of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) targeting key viral enzymes essential for viral replication represents a significant milestone in the treatment of chronic HCV infection. Given its critical role in the viral polyprotein processing and the evasion of the host innate immunity, the NS3/4A protease has emerged as a promising drug target for the development of anti-HCV therapies. Although several potent NS3/4A protease inhibitors (PIs) have been approved or are in clinical development, the majority of currently available PIs have significant limitations related to untoward adverse events and a lack of pan-genotypic activity, indicating a continuing unmet medical need for the development and optimization of novel PIs with improved efficacy and tolerability, convenient dosing schedules, and shorter treatment durations. METHODS: The inhibitory efficacy of four computer-designed chemically-synthesized compounds was evaluated against in vitro-expressed NS3/4A protease from HCV genotype 4a, the most prevalent genotype in Egypt, using a fluorescence-based enzymatic assay. RESULTS: We successfully identified two non-macrocyclic small molecules, BE113 (7a) and BE114 (7b), which exhibited inhibitory activity against HCV NS3/4A protease from HCV genotype 4a. CONCLUSION: The two compounds presented in this study may be promising inhibitors against NS3/4A protease of HCV genotype 4a and could be novel lead compounds for developing new therapeutics for the treatment of chronic HCV infection.

Recent Advances in the Medicinal Chemistry of Liver X Receptors.

Nuclear hormone receptors represent a large family of ligand-activated transcription factors that include steroid receptors, thyroid/retinoid receptors, and orphan receptors. Among nuclear hormone receptors, the liver X receptors have emerged as very important drug targets. These receptors regulate some of the most important metabolic functions, and they were also identified as anti-inflammatory transcription factors and regulators of the immune system. The development of drugs targeting liver X receptors continues to be a challenge, but advances in our knowledge of receptor structure and function move us forward, toward achieving this goal. This review highlights the latest advances in the development of synthetic LXR modulators in the primary literature from 2013 to 2017. In this review, we place great emphasis on the structure and function of LXRs because of their essential role in the drug design process. The structure-activity relationships of the most active and promising synthetic modulators are discussed.

P450 3A-Catalyzed O-Dealkylation of Lapatinib Induces Mitochondrial Stress and Activates Nrf2.

Lapatinib (LAP), an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, has been associated with idiosyncractic hepatotoxicity. Recent investigations have implicated the importance of P450 3A4/5 enzymes in the formation of an electrophilic quinone imine (LAPQI) metabolite generated through further oxidation of O-dealkylated lapatinib (OD-LAP). In the current study, hepatic stress was observed via mitochondrial impairment. OD-LAP caused a time- and concentration-dependent decrease in oxygen consumption in HepG2 cells, whereas LAP did not alter the oxygen consumption rate. Interestingly, however, HepG2 cells transfected with human P450 3A4 did exhibit mitochondrial dysfunction via P450 3A4-mediated metabolism of LAP to OD-LAP. OD-LAP-induced mitochondrial toxicity was enhanced upon depletion of intracellular GSH levels, demonstrating that cellular GSH levels are important in the protection of mitochondrial function against LAPQI. Given the nature of LAPQI and the importance of GSH levels in LAP-induced mitochondrial stress, the activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) was evaluated, as this transcription factor induces the expression of NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1, glutathione S-transferase, UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, and glutathione synthetase, all of which might be expected to decrease the toxicity of LAP. Using a FRET-based target gene assay in HepG2 cells, OD-LAP was indeed found to activate Nrf2. Follow-up assays showed increased mRNA levels of Nrf2 target genes after a 4 h treatment with OD-LAP but not with LAP. LAP activation of Nrf2 was observed only when HepG2 cells were transduced with P450 3A4. The significance of Nrf2 protection was established in vivo in Nrf2-KO mice. Increased transaminase levels were found after a single LAP dose in both Nrf2-KO and control mice, indicating elevated hepatic necrosis, although transaminase levels reverted to baseline levels in the control mice upon repeat dosing. They continued to rise in Nrf2-KO mice, however, indicating the likelihood that Nrf-2 plays a significant role in combatting the hepatotoxicity triggered by LAP.

Antibacterial activity of diketopiperazines isolated from a marine fungus using t-butoxycarbonyl group as a simple tool for purification.

Nine diketopiperazines were characterized from the culture of marine fungal isolate MR2012 which based on DNA amplification and sequencing of the fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was identified as Aspergillus fumigatus. The isolated fungal metabolites 4-12 were unambiguously identified as a series of simple and re-arranged diketopiperazines by analysis of spectroscopic data. t-Butoxycarbonyl group (BOC) derivatization was used to separate the intractable mixture of 4 and 5. When all compounds were evaluated for antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacteria, the isolated metabolites showed moderate to weak effects, while the semisynthetic derivatives 4a and 5a displayed strong activity comparable to the positive control, tetracycline against gram positive bacteria.

Broad Anti-tumor Activity of a Small Molecule that Selectively Targets the Warburg Effect and Lipogenesis.

Malignant cells exhibit aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect) and become dependent on de novo lipogenesis, which sustains rapid proliferation and resistance to cellular stress. The nuclear receptor liver-X-receptor (LXR) directly regulates expression of key glycolytic and lipogenic genes. To disrupt these oncogenic metabolism pathways, we designed an LXR inverse agonist SR9243 that induces LXR-corepressor interaction. In cancer cells, SR9243 significantly inhibited the Warburg effect and lipogenesis by reducing glycolytic and lipogenic gene expression. SR9243 induced apoptosis in tumors without inducing weight loss, hepatotoxicity, or inflammation. Our results suggest that LXR inverse agonists may be an effective cancer treatment approach.

Pyrrolizines: Promising scaffolds for anticancer drugs.

Pyrrolizine derivatives constitute a class of heterocyclic compounds which can serve as promising scaffolds for anticancer drugs. The unique antitumor properties of mitomycin C inspired chemists to develop different pyrrolizine systems and assess their potential antitumor activities against a wide variety of cancer types. Here we review the different classes of pyrrolizines that possess anticancer potency, with an emphasis on their structure activity relationships, in an effort to pave the way for further development in this promising area of research.

α-Substitution effects on the ease of S→N-acyl transfer in aminothioesters.

In S-acylcysteines and homocysteines, the efficacy and rate of S→N-acyl transfer (5 and 6 cyclic TSs) vary with the size of S-acyl group. Conformational and quantum chemical calculations indicate that the spatial distance, b(N-C), between the terminal amine and the thioester carbon is shortened by α-C(O)X (X = OH, OMe, NH2 ) substituents.

Small molecule amides as potent ROR-γ selective modulators.

The structure-activity relationship study of a diphenylpropanamide series of ROR-γ selective modulators is reported. Compounds were screened using chimeric receptor Gal4 DNA-binding domain (DBD)-NR ligand binding domain cotransfection assay in a two-step format. Three different regions of the scaffold were modified to assess the effects on repression of ROR-γ transcriptional activity and potency. The lead compound 1 exhibits modest mouse pharmacokinetics and an acceptable in vitro profile which makes it a suitable in vivo probe to interrogate the functions of ROR-γ in animal models of disease.

A liver-selective LXR inverse agonist that suppresses hepatic steatosis.

Fatty liver, which often accompanies obesity and type 2 diabetes, frequently leads to a much more debilitating hepatic disease including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Current pharmacological therapies lack conclusive efficacy and thus treatment options are limited. Novel therapeutics that suppress either hepatic lipogenesis and/or hepatic inflammation may be useful. Here, we describe the development of the first selective synthetic LXR inverse agonist (SR9238) and demonstrate that this compound effectively suppresses hepatic lipogenesis, inflammation, and hepatic lipid accumulation in a mouse model of non-alcoholic hepatosteatosis. SR9238 displays high potency for both LXRα and LXRß (40-200 nM IC50) and was designed to display liver specificity so as to avoid potential side effects due to suppression of LXR in the periphery. Unexpectedly, treatment of diet-induced obese mice with SR9238 suppressed plasma cholesterol levels. These data indicate that liver-selective LXR inverse agonists may hold utility in the treatment of liver disease.

NMR study of the tautomeric behavior of N-(α-aminoalkyl)tetrazoles.

N-(α-Aminoalkyl)tetrazoles exist in solution as equilibrium mixtures of N1 and N2 tautomers. The position of equilibrium depends significantly on the polarity of the solvent and the substituents in the tetrazole ring. Interconversion between individual tautomers is shown to proceed via tight ion-pair intermediates in which intramolecular recombination is faster than the intermolecular crossover since the latter probably requires solvent separation of ion-pair intermediates.

Conformational equilibria and barriers to rotation in some novel nitroso derivatives of indolizines and 3- and 5-azaindolizines - an NMR and molecular modeling study.

Conformational equilibria in novel C-nitroso derivatives of indolizines and 3- and 5-azaindolizines have been studied by NMR. (13)C chemical shifts of the carbon alpha to the nitroso group confirmed that these compounds are present in solution as monomers. The conformers arising from restricted rotation about the C-NO bond in monomers were identified by the chemical shifts of the carbon beta to the nitroso group. Barriers to rotation in these compounds were unusually high, particularly for substituents in position 3 of indolizine. Ethyl 2-(methylamino)-1-nitrosoindolizine-3-carboxylate displayed conformers arising from the restricted rotation about the C-COOR bond. Molecular modelling demonstrated that in 1-nitrosoindolizines, the position of the conformational equilibrium is due to steric effects, while for 3-nitrosoindolizines electronic effects prevail.

Tautomerism in drug discovery.

The influence of tautomerism on the precise structure of drugs and thus of their potential to interact with biological systems is discussed from thermodynamic and kinetic aspects. The types of tautomerism encountered in the structure of drugs in current use are surveyed together with the effect of pH, solvent polarity, and temperature.

1H, 13C, and 15N NMR spectra of some pyridazine derivatives.

(1)H, (13)C, and (15)N NMR chemical shifts for pyridazines 4-22 were measured using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic methods including (1)H-(1)H gDQCOSY, (1)H-(13)C gHMQC, (1)H-(13)C gHMBC, and (1)H-(15)N CIGAR-HMBC experiments.

Tautomerism of guanidines studied by (15)N NMR: 2-hydrazono-3-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-ones and related compounds.

2-Hydrazono-3-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-ones 11a-i are shown by (15)N NMR to exist in DMSO solution predominantly as the imino tautomers B and not the amino tautomers A. 2-Hydrazino-benzimidazole derivative 12 and 2-hydrazino-4,6-dimethylpyrimidine derivative 13 were found to exist predominantly as the amino tautomers.

Selective synthesis and structural elucidation of S-acyl- and N-acylcysteines.

N-(Acyl)-1H-benzotriazoles 6a-f react with l-cysteine 5 at 20 degrees C to give exclusively (i) N-acyl-l-cysteines 8a-e in the presence of triethylamine in CH(3)CN-H(2)O (3:1), but (ii) S-acyl-l-cysteines 7a-e in CH(3)CN-H(2)O (5:1) in the absence of base. Structures 7b, 7d and 8b, 8d are supported by 2D NMR spectroscopic methods including gDQCOSY, gHMQC, gHMBC, and (1)H-(15)N CIGAR-gHMBC experiments. The structure of compound 8d was also supported by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

(Alpha-aminoacyl)amino-substituted heterocycles and related compounds.

N-Protected-(aminoacyl)benzotriazoles 1a-e, g, i, j, 1a'-c' convert heterocyclic amines of the following series: thiazoles (3a and 3a'), benzothiazoles (3b and 3b'), benzimidazoles (3c and 3c'), thiadiazoles (3d), pyrimidones (9a, b, a'), pyrazoles (11a, b), and pyridines (13a-g, 13d') under microwave irradiation, into N-substituted amides in yields of 40-98% (average 76%). N-Protected peptidoylbenzotriazoles 6a, b similarly afforded C-terminal N-protected dipeptidoyl amides 7a, b (52-60%).