Discovery and pharmacological profile of new 1H-indazole-3-carboxamide and 2H-pyrrolo[3,4-c]quinoline derivatives as selective serotonin 4 receptor ligands.

Since the discovery of the serotonin 4 receptor (5-HT(4)R), a large number of receptor ligands have been studied. The safety concerns and the lack of market success of these ligands have mainly been attributed to their lack of selectivity. In this study we describe the discovery of N-[(4-piperidinyl)methyl]-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide and 4-[(4-piperidinyl)methoxy]-2H-pyrrolo[3,4-c]quinoline derivatives as new 5-HT(4)R ligands endowed with high selectivity over the serotonin 2A receptor and human ether-a-go-go-related gene potassium ion channel. Within these series, two molecules (11 ab and 12 g) were identified as potent and selective 5-HT(4)R antagonists with good in vitro pharmacokinetic properties. These compounds were evaluated for their antinociceptive action in two analgesia animal models. 12 g showed a significant antinociceptive effect in both models and is proposed as an interesting lead compound as a 5-HT(4)R antagonist with analgesic action.

Novel quinolinonyl diketo acid derivatives as HIV-1 integrase inhibitors: design, synthesis, and biological activities.

Novel quinolinonyl diketo acids were designed to obtain integrase (IN) inhibitors selectively active against the strand transfer (ST) step of the HIV integration process. Those new compounds are characterized by a single aryl diketo acid (DKA) chain in comparison to 4, a bifunctional diketo acid reported by our group as an anti-IN agent highly potent against both the 3'-processing and ST steps. Compound 6d was the most potent derivative in IN enzyme assays, while 6i showed the highest potency against HIV-1 in acutely infected cells. The selective inhibition of ST suggested the newly designed monofunctional DKAs bind the IN-DNA acceptor site without affecting the DNA donor site.

Cinnamoyl compounds as simple molecules that inhibit p300 histone acetyltransferase.

Cinnamoly compounds 1a-c and 2a-d were designed, synthesized, and in vitro tested as p300 inhibitors. At different degrees, all tested compounds were proven to inactivate p300, particularly, derivative 2c was the most active inhibitor, also showing high specificity for p300 as compared to other histone acetyltransferases. Most notably, 2c showed anti-acetylase activity in mammalian cells. These compounds represent a new class of synthetic inhibitors of p300, characterized by simple chemical structures.

Arylthiopyrrole (AThP) derivatives as non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors: synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and docking studies (part 1).

Novel arylthio isopropyl pyridinylmethylpyrrolemethanol (AThP) derivatives 3-5, which are related to capravirine (S-1153), were synthesized and tested for their ability to block the replication cycle of HIV-1 in infected cells. The newly synthesized AThPs are active in the concentration range of 0.008-53 microM. Even if compounds 3-5 are generally less potent than S-1153, their SI values are in some cases similar to that of the reference drug. In fact, the cytotoxicities of AThPs are generally lower than that of S-1153. Compound 4e was the most active derivative of this series in cell-based assays; its potency is similar to that of S-1153 (EC(50)=8 and 3 nM, respectively), as is its selectivity index (SI=6250 and 7000, respectively). AThP derivatives were proven to target HIV-1 RT. In fact, compounds 3-5 generally inhibited the viral enzyme at concentrations similar to those observed in cell-based assays. A selected number of AThPs (4k and 5a,e) were tested against clinically relevant drug-resistant forms of recombinant reverse transcriptase (rRT) carrying the K103N and Y181I mutations. Carbamate 5e showed an approximate 240-fold decrease in activity against Y181I, but only a 10-fold loss in potency against the K103N rRT form. Docking calculations were also performed to investigate the binding mode of compounds 2, 4e, 4j, 4k and 5e into the non-nucleoside binding site of HIV-1 RT and to rationalize some structure-activity relationships and resistance data.

Arylthiopyrrole (AThP) derivatives as non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors: synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and docking studies (part 2).

Arylthio isopropyl pyridinylmethylpyrrolemethanols (AThPs) have been recently reported as a new class of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors acting at the non-nucleoside binding site (NNBS) of this enzyme. Docking experiments of the potent inhibitors 4k (IC(50) = 0.24 microM, SI = 167) and 5e (IC(50) = 0.11 microM, SI > 1667) of wild-type RT prompted the synthesis and biological evaluation of novel AThP derivatives featuring a number of polar groups in position 3 of the pyrrole ring and larger and more hydrophobic alicyclic substituents in place of the isopropyl group at position 4. Among the compounds synthesized and tested in cell-based assays against HIV-1 infected cells, 19b was the most active, with EC(50) = 0.007 microM, CC(50) = 114.5 microm, and SI = 16357. This compound and its precursor 18b retained interesting activities against clinically relevant drug-resistant RT forms carrying K103N, Y181I, and L100I mutations. Docking calculations of 10, 14, 18b, and 19b were also performed to investigate their binding mode into the RT NNBS and to rationalize both structure-activity relationship and resistance data.