Correction to "Sulfonamides as Selective NaV1.7 Inhibitors: Optimizing Potency and Pharmacokinetics to Enable in Vivo Target Engagement".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.6b00243.].

Sulfonamides as Selective NaV1.7 Inhibitors: Optimizing Potency, Pharmacokinetics, and Metabolic Properties to Obtain Atropisomeric Quinolinone (AM-0466) that Affords Robust in Vivo Activity.

Because of its strong genetic validation, NaV1.7 has attracted significant interest as a target for the treatment of pain. We have previously reported on a number of structurally distinct bicyclic heteroarylsulfonamides as NaV1.7 inhibitors that demonstrate high levels of selectivity over other NaV isoforms. Herein, we report the discovery and optimization of a series of atropisomeric quinolinone sulfonamide inhibitors [ Bicyclic sulfonamide compounds as sodium channel inhibitors and their preparation . WO 2014201206, 2014 ] of NaV1.7, which demonstrate nanomolar inhibition of NaV1.7 and exhibit high levels of selectivity over other sodium channel isoforms. After optimization of metabolic and pharmacokinetic properties, including PXR activation, CYP2C9 inhibition, and CYP3A4 TDI, several compounds were advanced into in vivo target engagement and efficacy models. When tested in mice, compound 39 (AM-0466) demonstrated robust pharmacodynamic activity in a NaV1.7-dependent model of histamine-induced pruritus (itch) and additionally in a capsaicin-induced nociception model of pain without any confounding effect in open-field activity.

Sulfonamides as Selective NaV1.7 Inhibitors: Optimizing Potency and Pharmacokinetics While Mitigating Metabolic Liabilities.

Several reports have recently emerged regarding the identification of heteroarylsulfonamides as NaV1.7 inhibitors that demonstrate high levels of selectivity over other NaV isoforms. The optimization of a series of internal NaV1.7 leads that address a number of metabolic liabilities including bioactivation, PXR activation, as well as CYP3A4 induction and inhibition led to the identification of potent and selective inhibitors that demonstrated favorable pharmacokinetic profiles and were devoid of the aforementioned liabilities. The key to achieving this within a series prone to transporter-mediated clearance was the identification of a small range of optimal cLogD values and the discovery of subtle PXR SAR that was not lipophilicity dependent. This enabled the identification of compound 20, which was advanced into a target engagement pharmacodynamic model where it exhibited robust reversal of histamine-induced scratching bouts in mice.

Sulfonamides as Selective NaV1.7 Inhibitors: Optimizing Potency and Pharmacokinetics to Enable in Vivo Target Engagement.

Human genetic evidence has identified the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7 as an attractive target for the treatment of pain. We initially identified naphthalene sulfonamide 3 as a potent and selective inhibitor of NaV1.7. Optimization to reduce biliary clearance by balancing hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity (Log D) while maintaining NaV1.7 potency led to the identification of quinazoline 16 (AM-2099). Compound 16 demonstrated a favorable pharmacokinetic profile in rat and dog and demonstrated dose-dependent reduction of histamine-induced scratching bouts in a mouse behavioral model following oral dosing.

Design and preparation of a potent series of hydroxyethylamine containing ß-secretase inhibitors that demonstrate robust reduction of central ß-amyloid.

A series of potent hydroxyethyl amine (HEA) derived inhibitors of ß-site APP cleaving enzyme (BACE1) was optimized to address suboptimal pharmacokinetics and poor CNS partitioning. This work identified a series of benzodioxolane analogues that possessed improved metabolic stability and increased oral bioavailability. Subsequent efforts focused on improving CNS exposure by limiting susceptibility to Pgp-mediated efflux and identified an inhibitor which demonstrated robust and sustained reduction of CNS ß-amyloid (Aß) in Sprague-Dawley rats following oral administration.

Design and synthesis of potent, orally efficacious hydroxyethylamine derived ß-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme (BACE1) inhibitors.

We have previously shown that hydroxyethylamines can be potent inhibitors of the BACE1 enzyme and that the generation of BACE1 inhibitors with CYP 3A4 inhibitory activities in this scaffold affords compounds (e.g., 1) with sufficient bioavailability and pharmacokinetic profiles to reduce central amyloid-ß peptide (Aß) levels in wild-type rats following oral dosing. In this article, we describe further modifications of the P1-phenyl ring of the hydroxyethylamine series to afford potent, dual BACE1/CYP 3A4 inhibitors which demonstrate improved penetration into the CNS. Several of these compounds caused robust reduction of Aß levels in rat CSF and brain following oral dosing, and compound 37 exhibited an improved cardiovascular safety profile relative to 1.

A beta-lactone route to chiral gamma-substituted alpha-amino acids: application to the concise synthesis of (S)-alpha-azidobutyro lactone and a natural amino acid.

[reaction: see text] Beta-lactones are useful synthetic intermediates allowing access to a number of functional arrays. In this report, enantiomerically pure 4-trichloromethyl-2-oxetanone is shown to be a versatile amino acid synthon leading to a variety of gamma-substituted alpha-amino acid precursors. The utility of this methodology was demonstrated by the concise synthesis of a protected homoserine equivalent, alpha-azidobutyro lactone, and a naturally occurring alpha-amino acid from the seeds of Blighia unijugata.