ABSTRACT
Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) catalyzes the rate-limiting step of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) salvage pathway. Because NAD+ plays a pivotal role in energy metabolism and boosting NAD+ has positive effects on metabolic regulation, activation of NAMPT is an attractive therapeutic approach for the treatment of various diseases, including type 2 diabetes and obesity. Herein we report the discovery of 1-(2-phenyl-1,3-benzoxazol-6-yl)-3-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)urea 12c (DS68702229), which was identified as a potent NAMPT activator. Compound 12c activated NAMPT, increased cellular NAD+ levels, and exhibited an excellent pharmacokinetic profile in mice after oral administration. Oral administration of compound 12c to high-fat diet-induced obese mice decreased body weight. These observations indicate that compound 12c is a promising anti-obesity drug candidate.
Subject(s)
Anti-Obesity Agents/chemical synthesis , Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase/metabolism , Small Molecule Libraries/chemical synthesis , Urea/chemical synthesis , Animals , Anti-Obesity Agents/administration & dosage , Anti-Obesity Agents/pharmacokinetics , Body Weight/drug effects , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/metabolism , Humans , Male , Mice, Obese , NAD/metabolism , Obesity/metabolism , Small Molecule Libraries/administration & dosage , Small Molecule Libraries/pharmacokinetics , Structure-Activity Relationship , Urea/administration & dosage , Urea/pharmacokineticsABSTRACT
NAD+ is a crucial cellular factor that plays multifaceted roles in wide ranging biological processes. Low levels of NAD+ have been linked to numerous diseases including metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, and muscle wasting disorders. A novel strategy to boost NAD+ is to activate nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), the putative rate-limiting step in the NAD+ salvage pathway. We previously showed that NAMPT activators increase NAD+ levels in vitro and in vivo. Herein we describe the optimization of our NAMPT activator prototype (SBI-0797812) leading to the identification of 1-(4-((4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl)phenyl)-3-(oxazol-5-ylmethyl)urea (34) that showed far more potent NAMPT activation and improved oral bioavailability.
Subject(s)
Cytokines/metabolism , Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase/metabolism , Urea/pharmacology , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Humans , Molecular Structure , Structure-Activity Relationship , Urea/analogs & derivatives , Urea/chemistryABSTRACT
Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) catalyzes the rate-limiting step of the NAD+ salvage pathway. Since NAD+ plays a pivotal role in many biological processes including metabolism and aging, activation of NAMPT is an attractive therapeutic target for treatment of diverse array of diseases. Herein, we report the continued optimization of novel urea-containing derivatives which were identified as potent NAMPT activators. Early optimization of HTS hits afforded compound 12, with a triazolopyridine core, as a lead compound. CYP direct inhibition (DI) was identified as an issue of concern, and was resolved through modulation of lipophilicity to culminate in 1-[2-(1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-6-yl]-3-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)urea (21), which showed potent NAMPT activity accompanied with attenuated CYP DI towards multiple CYP isoforms.
Subject(s)
Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System/metabolism , Cytokines/metabolism , Drug Discovery , Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology , Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase/metabolism , Urea/pharmacology , Animals , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Enzyme Inhibitors/chemical synthesis , Enzyme Inhibitors/chemistry , Humans , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Molecular Structure , Structure-Activity Relationship , Urea/analogs & derivatives , Urea/chemistryABSTRACT
Novel compounds based on 1a were synthesized with the focus of obtaining agonists acting upon peripheral BRS-3. To identify potent anti-obesity compounds without adverse effects on the central nervous system (CNS), a carboxylic acid moiety and a labile carboxylic ester with an antedrug functionality were introduced. Through the extensive synthetic exploration and the pharmacokinetic studies of intravenous administration in mice, the ester 2b was selected owing to its most suitable pharmacological profile. In the evaluation of food intake suppression in C57BL/6N mice, 2b showed significant in vivo efficacy and no clear adverse effects on blood pressure change in dogs administered the compound by intravenous infusion.
