Unique Sulfur-Aromatic Interactions Contribute to the Binding of Potent Imidazothiazole Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Inhibitors.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) inhibitors are speculated to be useful in cancer immunotherapy, but a phase III clinical trial of the most advanced IDO1 inhibitor, epacadostat, did not meet its primary end point and was abandoned. In previous work, we identified the novel IDO1 inhibitor N-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-((5-phenylthiazolo[2,3-c][1,2,4]triazol-3-yl)thio)acetamide 1 through high-throughput screening (HTS). Herein, we report a structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of this compound, which resulted in the potent IDO1 inhibitor 1-(4-cyanophenyl)-3-(3-(cyclopropylethynyl)imidazo[2,1-b]thiazol-5-yl)thiourea 47 (hIDO IC50 = 16.4 nM). X-ray cocrystal structural analysis revealed that the basis for this high potency is a unique sulfur-aromatic interaction network formed by the thiourea moiety of 47 with F163 and F226. This finding is expected to inspire new approaches toward the discovery of potent IDO1 inhibitors in the future.

Development of Stem-Cell-Mobilizing Agents Targeting CXCR4 Receptor for Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation and Beyond.

The function of the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis accounts for many disease indications, including tissue/nerve regeneration, cancer metastasis, and inflammation. Blocking CXCR4 signaling with its antagonists may lead to moving out CXCR4+ cell types from bone marrow to peripheral circulation. We have discovered a novel series of pyrimidine-based CXCR4 antagonists, a representative (i.e., 16) of which was tolerated at a higher dose and showed better HSC-mobilizing ability at the maximal response dose relative to the approved drug 1 (AMD3100), and thus considered a potential drug candidate for PBSCT indication. Docking compound 16 into the X-ray crystal structure of CXCR4 receptor revealed that it adopted a spider-like conformation striding over both major and minor subpockets. This putative binding mode provides a new insight into CXCR4 receptor-ligand interactions for further structural modifications.

Bromomethylthioindole Inspired Carbazole Hybrids as Promising Class of Anti-MRSA Agents.

Series of N-substituted carbazole analogues bearing an indole ring were synthesized as anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) agents from a molecular hybridization approach. The representative compound 19 showed an MIC = 1 µg/mL against a panel of MRSA clinical isolates as it possessed comparable in vitro activities to that of vancomycin. Moreover, compound 19 also exhibited MIC = 1 µg/mL activities against a recent identified Z172 MRSA strain (vancomycin-intermediate and daptomycin-nonsusceptible phenotype) and the vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE) strain. In a mouse model with lethal infection of MRSA (4N216), a 75% survival rate was observed after a single dose of compound 19 was intravenously administered at 20 mg/kg. In light of their equipotent activities against different MRSA isolates and VRE strain, the data underscore the importance of designed hybrid series for the development of new N-substituted carbazoles as potential anti-MRSA agents.

Cobalt(II)-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidation of Terminal-Capped Alkynyl α-Cyano Alkanone Systems. An Oxygen-Mediated Radical Chain Reaction.

A new N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI)/Co(II)-catalyzed protocol, mechanistically involving a sequence of α-hydrogen abstraction, 5-exo-dig cyclization, oxygen capture, hydrogen transfer, and 1,4-dehydration, has been developed to facilitate aerobic oxidation of aryl-, silyl-, and alkyl-capped alkynyl α-cyano alkanone systems to the corresponding highly functionalized products in an effective manner, thus turning this novel chain reaction, originally occurring spontaneously in low yields, into a practical methodology.

Important Hydrogen Bond Networks in Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) Inhibitor Design Revealed by Crystal Structures of Imidazoleisoindole Derivatives with IDO1.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), promoting immune escape of tumors, is a therapeutic target for the cancer immunotherapy. A number of IDO1 inhibitors have been identified, but only limited structural biology studies of IDO1 inhibitors are available to provide insights on the binding mechanism of IDO1. In this study, we present the structure of IDO1 in complex with 24, a NLG919 analogue with potent activity. The complex structure revealed the imidazole nitrogen atom of 24 to coordinate with the heme iron, and the imidazoleisoindole core situated in pocket A with the 1-cyclohexylethanol moiety extended to pocket B to interact with the surrounding residues. Most interestingly, 24 formed an extensive hydrogen bond network with IDO1, which is a distinct feature of IDO1/24 complex structure and is not observed in the other IDO1 complex structures. Further structure-activity relationship, UV spectra, and structural biology studies of several analogues of 24 demonstrated that extensive hydrophobic interactions and the unique hydrogen bonding network contribute to the great potency of imidazoleisoindole derivatives. These results are expected to facilitate the structure-based drug design of new IDO inhibitors.

Stem cell mobilizers targeting chemokine receptor CXCR4: renoprotective application in acute kidney injury.

We have discovered a novel series of quinazoline-based CXCR4 antagonists. Of these, compound 19 mobilized CXCR4(+) cell types, including hematopoietic stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells, more efficiently than the marketed 1 (AMD3100) with subcutaneous administration at the same dose (6 mg/kg) in mice. This series of compounds thus provides a set of valuable tools to study diseases mediated by the CXCR4/SDF-1 axis, including myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and cancer metastasis. More importantly, treatment with compound 19 significantly lowered levels of blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine in rats with renal ischemia-reperfusion injury, providing evidence for its therapeutic potential in preventing ischemic acute kidney injury. CXCR4 antagonists such as 19 might also be useful to increase circulating levels of adult stem cells, thereby exerting beneficial effects on damaged and/or inflamed tissues in diseases that currently are not treated by standard approaches.

Discovery of 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-N-(piperidin-1-yl)-4-((pyrrolidine-1-sulfonamido)methyl)-5-(5-((4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ethynyl)thiophene-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide as a novel peripherally restricted cannabinoid-1 receptor antagonist with significant weight-loss efficacy in diet-induced obese mice.

After extensive synthetic efforts, we found that many structurally diverse bioisosteres could be generated via derivatizing the C-4 alkyl chain on the pyrazole ring of compound 3 (B/P = 1/33) with different electronegative groups. Especially when a sulfonamide or sulfamide moiety was added, resulting compounds exhibited not only potent CB1R activity but also a desired tPSA value over 90 Å(2), a threshold considered to possess a low probability to cross BBB, leading to the identification of compound 4 (B/P = 1/64) as a peripherally restricted CB1R antagonist. Apart from its significant weight-loss efficacy in DIO mice, compound 4 also displays 163 clean off-target profiles and is currently under development for treating obesity and the related metabolic syndrome.

Tandem cyclization of α-cyano α-alkynyl aryl ketones induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide and tetrabutylammonium iodide.

The radical cascade protocol of the α-cyano α-TMS/aryl-capped alkynyl aryl ketones promoted by tert-butyl hydroperoxide under catalysis with tetrabutylammonium iodide in refluxing benzene has been developed, leading to the construction of a variety of highly functionalized [6,6,5] tricyclic frameworks in an efficient manner.

Selective human enterovirus and rhinovirus inhibitors: An overview of capsid-binding and protease-inhibiting molecules.

The absence of effective vaccines for most viral infections highlights an urgent necessity for the design and development of effective antiviral drugs. Due to the advancement in virology since the late 1980s, several key events in the viral life cycle have been well delineated and a number of molecular targets have been validated, culminating in the emergence of many new antiviral drugs in recent years. Inhibitors against enteroviruses and rhinoviruses, responsible for about half of the human common colds, are currently under active investigation. Agents targeted at either viral protein 1 (VP1), a relatively conserved capsid structure mediating viral adsorption/uncoating process, or 3C protease, which is highly conserved among different serotypes and essential for viral replication, are of great potential to become antipicornavirus drugs.