Design, Synthesis, and Development of Pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine Derivatives as a Novel Series of Selective PI3Kδ Inhibitors: Part II-Benzimidazole Derivatives.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is the family of lipid kinases participating in vital cellular processes such as cell proliferation, growth, migration, or cytokines production. Due to the high expression of these proteins in many human cells and their involvement in metabolism regulation, normal embryogenesis, or maintaining glucose homeostasis, the inhibition of PI3K (especially the first class which contains four subunits: α, ß, γ, δ) is considered to be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or multiple sclerosis. In this work, we synthesized a library of benzimidazole derivatives of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine representing a collection of new, potent, active, and selective inhibitors of PI3Kδ, displaying IC50 values ranging from 1.892 to 0.018 µM. Among all compounds obtained, CPL302415 (6) showed the highest activity (IC50 value of 18 nM for PI3Kδ), good selectivity (for PI3Kδ relative to other PI3K isoforms: PI3Kα/δ = 79; PI3Kß/δ = 1415; PI3Kγ/δ = 939), and promising physicochemical properties. As a lead compound synthesized on a relatively large scale, this structure is considered a potential future candidate for clinical trials in SLE treatment.

Design, Synthesis, and Development of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine Derivatives as a Novel Series of Selective PI3Kδ Inhibitors: Part I-Indole Derivatives.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ (PI3Kδ), a member of the class I PI3K family, is an essential signaling biomolecule that regulates the differentiation, proliferation, migration, and survival of immune cells. The overactivity of this protein causes cellular dysfunctions in many human disorders, for example, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this work, we designed and synthesized a new library of small-molecule inhibitors based on indol-4-yl-pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine with IC50 values in the low nanomolar range and high selectivity against the PI3Kδ isoform. CPL302253 (54), the most potent compound of all the structures obtained, with IC50 = 2.8 nM, is a potential future candidate for clinical development as an inhaled drug to prevent asthma.

Novel Strategies in Artificial Organ Development: What Is the Future of Medicine?

The technology of tissue engineering is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field of science that elevates cell-based research from 2D cultures through organoids to whole bionic organs. 3D bioprinting and organ-on-a-chip approaches through generation of three-dimensional cultures at different scales, applied separately or combined, are widely used in basic studies, drug screening and regenerative medicine. They enable analyses of tissue-like conditions that yield much more reliable results than monolayer cell cultures. Annually, millions of animals worldwide are used for preclinical research. Therefore, the rapid assessment of drug efficacy and toxicity in the early stages of preclinical testing can significantly reduce the number of animals, bringing great ethical and financial benefits. In this review, we describe 3D bioprinting techniques and first examples of printed bionic organs. We also present the possibilities of microfluidic systems, based on the latest reports. We demonstrate the pros and cons of both technologies and indicate their use in the future of medicine.

The Influence of the Flow of Detergent and Donor Characteristics on the Extracellular Matrix Composition After Human Pancreas Decellularization.

INTRODUCTION: The extracellular matrix (ECM) consists, among others, of polysaccharides, glycosaminoglycans, and proteins. It is being increasingly used in tissue bioengineering. Obtaining ECM of the highest quality through decellularization is a big challenge because of some differences in organ structure. To deprive organs of the cellular part, chemical, enzymatic, or mechanical methods are used. After decellularization, we get a scaffold made of a variety of proteins, and it is the role of these proteins that can significantly affect the maintenance of the spatial structure and be a suitable environment for cells to rebuild a specific organ. AIM: Estimation of the detergent (Triton X-100) flow parameters and anthropometric donors' decellularization process accuracy on the final ECM composition. MATERIALS: Five human pancreata, rejected from transplantation, were used for decellularization. All organs were harvested from brain-dead donors age 13 to 60 years. METHODS: Decellularization was carried out using the flow method with Triton X-100 as an active agent. The experiment compared 5 different flow values. After decellularization, an assessment of the final DNA concentration and the protein composition was performed. Results were compared to anthropometric data of donors. In addition, a microscopic analysis was also carried out. RESULTS: The best results were obtained using a flow of 120 mL/minute. A higher detergent flow was associated with a lower concentration of residual DNA in scaffold. Analysis of the protein profile with anthropometric data has shown that LAM A2 was increasing with age and LAMA5 was decreasing. Being overweight was associated with a higher proportion of COL1 and 4 and a smaller proportion of COL6.

Activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta by antipsychotic drugs: Preliminary results.

BACKGROUND: Catalytic subunit delta of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, p110δ, encoded by the PIK3CD gene, was recently proposed as a target for pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia. Current antipsychotic drugs were found to decrease the mRNA expression of PIK3CD, but the mechanism of this process is not known. The aim of the study was to elucidate the mechanism by which antipsychotic drugs affect the mRNA expression of PIK3CD. METHODS: The direct effect of haloperidol, clozapine, olanzapine, quetiapine and amisulpride on p110δ enzymatic activity was tested with a kinase assay, and the results were referenced against data on the mRNA expression of PIK3CD. RESULTS: Haloperidol, clozapine, olanzapine and quetiapine, but not amisulpride, at the concentration of 20-80 µM, were found to significantly increase enzymatic activity of p110δ by up to two times in a dose-dependent manner. Linear regression analysis revealed that more than 40% of the variance in antipsychotic drugs-induced changes in the expression of PIK3CD mRNA was explained only by changes in antipsychotic drug-regulated p110δ enzymatic activity (p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Antipsychotic drugs differentially increase the enzymatic activity of p110δ. This effect is associated with that of mRNA expression of the PIK3CD gene. Drug-enzyme interaction may explain the effect of antipsychotic drugs on the expression of PIK3CD mRNA, however, further studies are needed to investigate this hypothesis.

Differences in gene expression and alterations in cell cycle of acute myeloid leukemia cell lines after treatment with JAK inhibitors.

Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are a promising treatment strategy in several hematological malignancies and autoimmune diseases. A number of inhibitors are in clinical development, and two have already reached the market. Unfortunately, all of them are burdened with different toxicity profiles. To check if the JAK inhibitors of different selectivity evoke different responses on JAK2-dependent and independent cells, we have used three acute myeloid leukemia cell lines with confirmed JAK2 mutation status. We have found that JAK inhibitors exert distinct effect on the expression of BCLXL, CCND1 and c-MYC genes, regulated by JAK pathway, in JAK2 wild type cells in comparison to JAK2 V617F-positive cell lines. Moreover, cell cycle analysis showed that inhibitors alter the cycle by arresting cells in different phases. Our results suggest that observed effect of JAK2 inhibitors on transcription and cell cycle level in different cell lines are associated not with activity within JAK family, but presumably with other off-target activities.

Deregulation of the lysyl hydroxylase matrix cross-linking system in experimental and clinical bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common and serious complication of premature birth, characterized by a pronounced arrest of alveolar development. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are poorly understood although perturbations to the maturation and remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are emerging as candidate disease pathomechanisms. In this study, the expression and regulation of three members of the lysyl hydroxylase family of ECM remodeling enzymes (Plod1, Plod2, and Plod3) in clinical BPD, as well as in an experimental animal model of BPD, were addressed. All three enzymes were localized to the septal walls in developing mouse lungs, with Plod1 also expressed in the vessel walls of the developing lung and Plod3 expressed uniquely at the base of developing septa. The expression of plod1, plod2, and plod3 was upregulated in the lungs of mouse pups exposed to 85% O2, an experimental animal model of BPD. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß increased plod2 mRNA levels and activated the plod2 promoter in vitro in lung epithelial cells and in lung fibroblasts. Using in vivo neutralization of TGF-ß signaling in the experimental animal model of BPD, TGF-ß was identified as the regulator of aberrant plod2 expression. PLOD2 mRNA expression was also elevated in human neonates who died with BPD or at risk for BPD, compared with neonates matched for gestational age at birth or chronological age at death. These data point to potential roles for lysyl hydroxylases in normal lung development, as well as in perturbed late lung development associated with BPD.