Discovery of Hydroxyamidine Derivatives as Highly Potent, Selective Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 Inhibitors.

In this study, a series of novel hydroxyamidine derivatives were identified as potent and selective IDO1 inhibitors by structure-based drug design. Among them, compounds 13-15 and 18 exhibited favorable enzymatic and cellular activities. Compound 18 showed improved bioavailability in mouse, rat, and dog (F% = 44%, 58.8%, 102.1%, respectively). With reasonable in vivo pharmacokinetic properties, compound 18 was further evaluated in a transgenic MC38 xenograft mouse model. The combination of compound 18 with PD-1 monoclonal antibody showed a synergistic antitumor effect. These data indicated that compound 18 as a potential cancer immunotherapy agent should warrant further investigation.

Discovery of Imidazoisoindole Derivatives as Highly Potent and Orally Active Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase Inhibitors.

A novel series of imidazoisoindoles were identified as potent indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) inhibitors. Lead optimization toward improving potency and eliminating CYP inhibition resulted in the discovery of lead compound 25, a highly potent IDO inhibitor with favorable pharmacokinetic properties. In the MC38 xenograft model in hPD-1 transgenic mice, 25 in combination with the anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody (SHR-1210) achieved a synergistic antitumor effect superior to each single agent.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of cyclopentyl-triazolol-pyrimidine (CPTP) based P2Y12 antagonists.

In this Letter we describe SAR investigation on the cyclopentyl-triazolol-pyrimidine scaffold in pursuit of new oral P2Y12 inhibitors. Different synthetic routes were developed for variations at the cyclopentyl core. Optimization finally led to compound 2d which was advanced into preclinical development based on better potency and safety profile in comparison to ticagrelor.

Discovery of novel orally bioavailable GPR40 agonists.

The GPR40 (FFA1) has emerged as an attractive target for a novel insulin secretagogue with glucose dependency. A series of novel orally bioavailable GPR40 agonists was discovered. SAR study and structural optimization led to identification of compounds 28a and 30a as potent GPR40 agonists with superior physiochemical properties and robust in vivo efficacy in rhesus monkeys.

On the structure of the Phytophthora α1 mating hormone: synthesis and comparison of four candidate stereoisomers.

Two two-compound mixtures of candidate structures for the Phytophthora α1 mating hormone have been synthesized. The mixtures were designed to have differing configurations at C3, but proved to be identical. This suggests that epimerization occurred at C3, and comparison with the data for the natural samples suggest that this is also a mixture of isomers.

Structure assignment of lagunapyrone B by fluorous mixture synthesis of four candidate stereoisomers.

Techniques of fluorous mixture synthesis have been used to make four candidate stereoisomers for the natural product lagunapyrone B. A quasiracemic mixture of vinyl iodides whose component configurations at C19-21 were encoded by fluorous silyl groups was fused to a central fragment by a Negishi coupling. A separate quasiracemic mixture of pyrone fragments whose component configurations at C6,7 were also encoded by fluorous silyl groups was synthesized and demixed. Stille coupling of the resulting pure quasienantiomers with the quasiracemic mixture provided two quasi-diastereomeric samples, which were demixed and detagged to provide all four lagunapyrone B stereoisomers. Lagunapyrone was assigned the 6R,7S,19S,20S,21R configuration by comparison of optical rotations.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of purealin and analogues as cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain inhibitors.

Cytoplasmic dynein plays important roles in membrane transport, mitosis, and other cellular processes. A few small-molecule inhibitors of cytoplasmic dynein have been identified. We report here the first synthesis of purealin, a natural product isolated from the sea sponge Psammaplysilla purea, which is known to inhibit axonemal dynein. Also described are the first syntheses, by modular amide coupling reactions, of the natural product purealidin A (a component of purealin) and a small library of analogues. The library was examined for inhibition of cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain and cell growth. The compounds showed effective antiproliferative activity against a mouse leukemia cell line but selective activities against human carcinoma cell lines. Purealin and some of the analogues inhibited the microtubule-stimulated ATPase activity of recombinant cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain motor domain. The inhibitory effect of purealin was concentration dependent and uncompetitive, supporting the hypothesis that it does not compete with the binding of ATP.

Relative rates and approximate rate constants for inter- and intramolecular hydrogen transfer reactions of polymer-bound radicals.

Measurements of relative rates and rate constants for inter- and intramolecular hydrogen transfer reactions of polymer-bound radicals are reported. The relative rate of reaction of resin-bound primary alkyl radical with tributyltin hydride is about 2 times slower than that of the benchmark reaction in solution. The data do not reveal whether this is due to a reduced rate constant or a lower concentration of tin hydride in the resin phase. Yet the difference between solid and solution reactions is small enough to be neglected, and it appears that rate constants measured in solution can be applied directly to resin-bound radicals. A resin-bound aryl radical abstracts a hydrogen atom rapidly (k = 3 x 10(6) s(-1)) from its own polymer backbone and linker, and a simplified view of the resin as a "solvent" is suggested for predicting such effects with other polymers and linkers. Rapid cyclizations of resin-bound aryl radicals will be possible, but slower cyclizations and most bimolecular reactions will be difficult due to the competing polymer/linker hydrogen transfer.