Intramolecular Ring-Opening Decomposition of Aryl Azetidines.

The ring strain present in azetidines can lead to undesired stability issues. Herein, we described a series of N-substituted azetidines which undergo an acid-mediated intramolecular ring-opening decomposition via nucleophilic attack of a pendant amide group. Studies were conducted to understand the decomposition mechanism enabling the design of stable analogues.

Entry of therapeutics into the brain: Influence of exposed polarity calculated in silico and measured in vitro by supercritical fluid chromatography.

The present work proposes a novel application of EPSA (not an acronym but found to be referred to by many as Exposed Polar Surface Area), a supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) polarity readout for assisting in the prediction of the extent of drug permeation through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). For this purpose, EPSA values for 69 structurally unrelated acidic, basic, neutral and amphoteric compounds were determined by a validated SFC method. Additionally, water-accessible surface area (WASA) values for the whole dataset were calculated in silico and compared to experimentally determined EPSA values. All these indexes were used to model the uptake of drugs through the BBB. Highly significant statistical models (r2 (n-1) = 0.81) were achieved by using WASA and/or EPSA values along with other experimentally determined (e.g. phospholipophilicity) and in silico calculated descriptors.

Relationship between Passive Permeability and Molecular Polarity Using Block Relevance Analysis.

EPSA is an experimental descriptor of molecular polarity obtained from chromatographic retention in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) systems, previously shown by Goetz et al. to correlate with passive permeability of cyclic peptides. The present study focuses on EPSA in relation to passive permeability of small molecules. We applied block relevance (BR) analysis to interpret the relative significance of mechanistic forces prevailing in EPSA. The BR analysis is a computational tool that allows the interpretation of the balance of intermolecular interactions governing systems such as the aforementioned chromatographic retention in EPSA. EPSA and passive permeability determined by Ralph Russ canine kidney cells (RRCK) or low efflux Madin Darby canine kidney cells (MDCK-LE) and human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2), studied on a data set of commercial drugs, indicated that EPSA is relevant in describing permeability of hydrophilic drugs (CLogP < 1). We then verified, on a data set of 1699 Rule of 5 compliant Pfizer compounds, that when CLogP < 1, a value of EPSA < 100 significantly increases the likelihood of high permeability.

A Fast Chromatographic Method for Estimating Lipophilicity and Ionization in Nonpolar Membrane-Like Environment.

This study describes the design and implementation of a new chromatographic descriptor called log k'80 PLRP-S that provides information about the lipophilicity of drug molecules in the nonpolar environment, both in their neutral and ionized form. The log k'80 PLRP-S obtained on a polymeric column with acetonitrile/water mobile phase is shown to closely relate to log Ptoluene (toluene dielectric constant ε ∼ 2). The main intermolecular interactions governing log k'80 PLRP-S were deconvoluted using the Block Relevance (BR) analysis. The information provided by this descriptor was compared to ElogD and calclog Ptol, and the differences are highlighted. The "charge-flush" concept is introduced to describe the sensitivity of log k'80 PLRP-S to the ionization state of compounds in the pH range 2 to 12. The ability of log k'80 PLRP-S to indicate the propensity of neutral molecules and monoanions to form Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonds (IMHBs) is proven through a number of examples.

Automated solvent system screening for the preparative countercurrent chromatography of pharmaceutical discovery compounds.

A fully automated countercurrent chromatography system has been constructed to rapidly screen the commonly used heptane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water solvent system series and translate the results to preparative scale separations. The system utilizes "on-demand" preparation of the heptane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water solvent system upper and lower phases. Elution-extrusion countercurrent chromatography was combined with non-dynamic equilibrium injection reducing the screening time for each heptane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water system to 17 min. The result enabled solvent system development to be reduced to under 2 h. The countercurrent chromatography system was interfaced with a mass spectrometer to allow selective detection of target components in crude medicinal chemistry reaction mixtures. Mass-directed preparative countercurrent chromatography purification was demonstrated for the first time using a synthetic tetrazole epoxide derived from a routine medicinal chemistry support workflow.

Chromatographic resolution of atropisomers for toxicity and biotransformation studies in pharmaceutical research.

Atropisomerism can be a complex concept for those who have not encountered it before. This paper discusses the experiments for identification, isolation, thermal stability, toxicity and biotransformation of various species. The identified atropisomers are a series of rotational hindered biaryl, rotational hindered amide, ring flip, and macrocycles atropisomers identified using supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These technologies offered the advantage of separating various atropoenantiomers, atropdiastereomers and mixed atropisomers with other forms of stereoisomers in both analytical and preparative scales. With ultra-performance convergence chromatography (UPC(2)), the detection of N-oxide atropisomer metabolites can be obtained at very low level thus enabling the observation of conversion in human plasma possible. As the resolution of atropisomers are related to the energy barriers on the rotational axis, a calculated computational protocol was developed to predict the formation. A threshold of 10kcal/mol was established for possible detection of the atropisomers' existence with chromatographic technologies at room temperature or above. The atropisomer with higher energy barrier (>20kcal/mol) were isolated via preparative chromatography and the isolates studied in vitro and in vivo for evaluation of their stability in human plasma. The detailed analytical method development to analyze the biotransformation of the atropisomers in human plasma are also discussed in this paper.

Chemical and computational methods for the characterization of covalent reactive groups for the prospective design of irreversible inhibitors.

Interest in drugs that covalently modify their target is driven by the desire for enhanced efficacy that can result from the silencing of enzymatic activity until protein resynthesis can occur, along with the potential for increased selectivity by targeting uniquely positioned nucleophilic residues in the protein. However, covalent approaches carry additional risk for toxicities or hypersensitivity reactions that can result from covalent modification of unintended targets. Here we describe methods for measuring the reactivity of covalent reactive groups (CRGs) with a biologically relevant nucleophile, glutathione (GSH), along with kinetic data for a broad array of electrophiles. We also describe a computational method for predicting electrophilic reactivity, which taken together can be applied to the prospective design of thiol-reactive covalent inhibitors.

EPSA: A Novel Supercritical Fluid Chromatography Technique Enabling the Design of Permeable Cyclic Peptides.

Most peptides are generally insufficiently permeable to be used as oral drugs. Designing peptides with improved permeability without reliable permeability monitoring is a challenge. We have developed a supercritical fluid chromatography technique for peptides, termed EPSA, which is shown here to enable improved permeability design. Through assessing the exposed polarity of a peptide, this technique can be used as a permeability surrogate.

High throughput method for the indirect detection of intramolecular hydrogen bonding.

A supercritical fluid chromatography method was developed for the detection of intramolecular hydrogen bonds in pharmaceutically relevant molecules. The identification of compounds likely to form intramolecular hydrogen bonds is an important drug design consideration given the correlation of intramolecular hydrogen bonding with increased membrane permeability. The technique described here correlates chromatographic retention with the exposed polarity of a molecule. Molecules that can form an intramolecular hydrogen bond can hide their polarity and therefore exhibit lower retention than similar compounds that cannot. By use of a pairwise analysis strategy, intramolecular hydrogen bonds are identified within a test set of compounds with diverse topologies. The chromatographic results are confirmed by NMR chemical shift and temperature coefficient studies.

Integrating intramolecular hydrogen bonding (IMHB) considerations in drug discovery using ΔlogP as a tool.

This study demonstrates that ΔlogP(oct-tol) (difference between logP(octanol) and logP(toluene)) describes compounds propensity to form intramolecular hydrogen bonds (IMHB) and may be considered a privileged molecular descriptor for use in drug discovery and for prediction of IMHB in drug candidates. We identified experimental protocols for acquiring reliable ΔlogP(oct-tol) values on a set of compounds representing IMHB motifs most prevalent in medicinal chemistry, mainly molecules capable of forming 6-, 7-member IMHB rings. Furthermore, computational ΔlogP(oct-tol) values obtained with COSMO-RS software provided a good estimate of experimental results and can be used prospectively to assess IMHB. The proposed interpretation method based on ΔlogP(oct-tol) data allowed categorization of the compounds into 2 groups: with high propensity to form IMHB and poor propensity or poor relevance of IMHB. The relative (1)H NMR chemical shift of an exchangeable proton was used to verify presence of IMHB and to validate the IMHB interpretation scheme.

Biaryl-bridged macrocyclic peptides: conformational constraint via carbogenic fusion of natural amino acid side chains.

A general method for constraining peptide conformations via linkage of aromatic sidechains has been developed. Macrocyclization of suitably functionalized tri-, tetra- and pentapeptides via Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling has been used to generate side chain to side chain, biaryl-bridged 14- to 21-membered macrocyclic peptides. Biaryl bridges possessing three different configurations, meta-meta, meta-ortho, and ortho-meta, were systematically explored through regiochemical variation of the aryl halide and aryl boronate coupling partners, allowing fine-tuning of the resultant macrocycle conformation. Suzuki-Miyaura macrocyclizations were successfully achieved both in solution and on solid phase for all three sizes of peptide. This approach constitutes a means of constraining peptide conformation via direct carbogenic fusion of side chains of naturally occurring amino acids such as phenylalanine and tyrosine, and so is complementary to strategies involving non-natural, for example, hydrocarbon, bridges.

Bipiperidinyl carboxylic acid amides as potent, selective, and functionally active CCR4 antagonists.

A cell-based assay for the chemokine G-protein-coupled receptor CCR4 was developed, and used to screen a small-molecule compound collection in a multiplex format. A series of bipiperidinyl carboxylic acid amides amenable to parallel chemistry were derived that were potent and selective antagonists of CCR4. One prototype compound was shown to be active in a functional model of chemotaxis, making it a useful chemical tool to explore the role of CCR4 in asthma, allergy, diabetes, and cancer.

N-(6,7-dichloro-2,3-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxalin-5-yl)-N-alkylsulfonamides as peripherally restricted N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists for the treatment of pain.

It has been hypothesized that peripherally restricted NMDA receptor antagonists may be effective analgesics for osteoarthritis pain. A class of novel quinoxalinedione atropisomers, first discovered for an NMDA receptor antagonist program for the treatment of stroke, was evaluated and further optimized with the goal of finding peripherally restricted NMDA receptor antagonists.