Receptor Interacting Ser/Thr-Protein Kinase 2 as a New Therapeutic Target.

Receptor interacting serine/threonine protein kinase 2 (RIPK2) is a downstream signaling molecule essential for the activation of several innate immune receptors, including the NOD-like receptors (NOD1 and NOD2). Recognition of pathogen-associated molecular pattern proteins by NOD1/2 leads to their interaction with RIPK2, which induces release of pro-inflammatory cytokines through the activation of NF-κB and MAPK pathways, among others. Thus, RIPK2 has emerged as a key mediator of intracellular signal transduction and represents a new potential therapeutic target for the treatment of various conditions, including inflammatory diseases and cancer. In this Perspective, first, an overview of the mechanisms that underlie RIPK2 function will be presented along with its role in several diseases. Then, the existing inhibitors that target RIPK2 and different therapeutic strategies will be reviewed, followed by a discussion on current challenges and outlook.

Novel PD-L1-Targeted Phenyl-Pyrazolone Derivatives with Antioxidant Properties.

Orally-active anticancer small molecules targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint are actively searched. Phenyl-pyrazolone derivatives with a high affinity for PD-L1 have been designed and characterized. In addition, the phenyl-pyrazolone unit acts as a scavenger of oxygen free radicals, providing antioxidant effects. The mechanism is known for the drug edaravone (1) which is also an aldehyde-reactive molecule. The present study reports the synthesis and functional characterization of new molecules (2-5) with an improved anti-PD-L1 activity. The leading fluorinated molecule 5 emerges as a potent checkpoint inhibitor, avidly binding to PD-L1, inducing its dimerization, blocking PD-1/PD-L1 signaling mediated by phosphatase SHP-2 and reactivating the proliferation of CTLL-2 cells in the presence of PD-L1. In parallel, the compound maintains a significant antioxidant activity, characterized using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)-based free radical scavenging assays with the probes DPPH and DMPO. The aldehyde reactivity of the molecules was investigated using 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), which is a major lipid peroxidation product. The formation of drug-HNE adducts, monitored by high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), was clearly identified and compared for each compound. The study leads to the selection of compound 5 and the dichlorophenyl-pyrazolone unit as a scaffold for the design of small molecule PD-L1 inhibitors endowed with antioxidant properties.

Antioxidant Properties and Aldehyde Reactivity of PD-L1 Targeted Aryl-Pyrazolone Anticancer Agents.

Small molecules targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint are actively searched to complement the anticancer arsenal. Different molecular scaffolds have been reported, including phenyl-pyrazolone derivatives which potently inhibit binding of PD-L1 to PD-1. These molecules are structurally close to antioxidant drug edaravone (EDA) used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. For this reason, we investigated the capacity of five PD-L1-binding phenyl-pyrazolone compounds (1-5) to scavenge the formation of oxygen free radicals using electron spin resonance spectroscopy with DPPH/DMPO probes. In addition, the reactivity of the compounds toward the oxidized base 5-formyluracil (5fU) was assessed using chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and photodiode array detectors. The data revealed that the phenyl-pyrazolone derivatives display antioxidant properties and exhibit a variable reactivity toward 5fU. Compound 2 with a N-dichlorophenyl-pyrazolone moiety cumulates the three properties, being a potent PD-L1 binder, a robust antioxidant and an aldehyde-reactive compound. On the opposite, the adamantane derivative 5 is a potent PD-L1 binding with a reduced antioxidant potential and no aldehyde reactivity. The nature of the substituent on the phenyl-pyrazolone core modulates the antioxidant capacity and reactivity toward aromatic aldehydes. The molecular signature of the compound can be adapted at will, to confer additional properties to these PD-L1 binders.

Pyrazolones as inhibitors of immune checkpoint blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction.

Immuno-therapy has become a leading strategy to fight cancer. Over the past few years, immuno-therapies using checkpoint inhibitor monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) have demonstrated improved survival compared with chemotherapy. We describe the microwave-assisted synthesis and the characterization of an innovative series of synthetic compounds endowed with nanomolar activity against PD-L1. The properties of the compounds were characterized using several biophysical techniques including microscale thermophoresis (MST) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements. A few small molecules demonstrated a high affinity for human PD-L1, potently disrupted the PD-L1:PD-1 interaction and inhibited Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase (SHP2) recruitment to PD-1. More than 30 molecules from the pyrazolone family have been synthesized and 5 highly potent "PD-L1 silencing compounds" have been identified, based on in vitro measurements. Structure-activity relationships have been defined and ADME properties were evaluated. The phenyl-pyrazolone unit offers novel perspectives to design PD-L1-targeting agents, potentially useful to combat cancer and other pathologies implicating the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint.

A small-molecule P2RX7 activator promotes anti-tumor immune responses and sensitizes lung tumor to immunotherapy.

Only a subpopulation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients responds to immunotherapies, highlighting the urgent need to develop therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcome. We develop a chemical positive modulator (HEI3090) of the purinergic P2RX7 receptor that potentiates αPD-1 treatment to effectively control the growth of lung tumors in transplantable and oncogene-induced mouse models and triggers long lasting antitumor immune responses. Mechanistically, the molecule stimulates dendritic P2RX7-expressing cells to generate IL-18 which leads to the production of IFN-γ by Natural Killer and CD4+ T cells within tumors. Combined with immune checkpoint inhibitor, the molecule induces a complete tumor regression in 80% of LLC tumor-bearing mice. Cured mice are also protected against tumor re-challenge due to a CD8-dependent protective response. Hence, combination treatment of small-molecule P2RX7 activator followed by immune checkpoint inhibitor represents a strategy that may be active against NSCLC.

Pyroglutamide-Based P2X7 Receptor Antagonists Targeting Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

This report deals with the design, the synthesis, and the pharmacological evaluation of pyroglutamide-based P2X7 antagonists. A dozen were shown to possess improved properties, among which inhibition of YO-PRO-1/TO-PRO-3 uptake and IL1ß release upon BzATP activation of the receptor and dampening signs of DSS-induced colitis on mice, in comparison with reference antagonist GSK1370319A. Docking study and biological evaluation of synthesized compounds has highlighted new SAR, and low toxicity profiles of pyroglutamides herein described are clues for the finding of a usable h-P2X7 antagonist drug. Such a drug would raise the hope for a cure to many P2X7-dependent pathologies, including inflammatory, neurological, and immune diseases.

Benzo[d]thiazol-2(3H)-ones as new potent selective CB2 agonists with anti-inflammatory properties.

The high distribution of CB2 receptors in immune cells suggests their important role in the control of inflammation. Growing evidence offers this receptor as an attractive therapeutic target: selective CB2 agonists are able to modulate inflammation without triggering psychotropic effects. In this work, we report a new series of selective CB2 agonists based on a benzo[d]thiazol-2(3H)-one scaffold. This drug design project led to the discovery of compound 9, as a very potent CB2 agonist (Ki = 13.5 nM) with a good selectivity versus CB1. This compound showed no cytotoxicity, acceptable ADME-Tox parameters and demonstrates the ability to counteract colon inflammatory process in vivo.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of ferrocene-based cannabinoid receptor 2 ligands.

Ferrocene analogs of known fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitors and CB2 ligands have been synthesized and characterized spectroscopically and crystallographically. The resulting bio-organometallic isoxazoles were assayed for their effects on CB1 and CB2 receptors as well as on fatty acid amide hydrolase. None had any fatty acid amide hydrolase activity but compound 3, 5-(2-(pentyloxy)phenyl)-N-ferrocenylisoxazole-3-carboxamide, was found to be a potent CB2 ligand (Ki = 32.5 nM).

Development of novel oxazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidines as competitive CB2 neutral antagonists based on scaffold hopping.

A series of novel oxazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidines was designed via a scaffold hopping strategy and synthesized through a newly developed approach. All these compounds were evaluated for their biological activity toward CB1/CB2 cannabinoid receptors, their metabolic stability in mice liver microsomes and their cytotoxicity against several cell lines. Eight compounds have been identified as CB2 ligands with Ki values less than 1 µM. It is noteworthy that 2-(2-chlorophenyl)-5-methyl-7-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl) oxazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidine 47 and 2-(2-chlorophenyl)-7-(4-ethylpiperazin-1-yl)- 5-methyloxazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidine 48 showed CB2 binding affinity in the nanomolar range and significant selectivity over CB1 receptors. Interestingly, functionality studies imply that they behave as competitive neutral antagonists. Moreover, all tested compounds are devoid of cytotoxicity toward several cell lines, including Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) and human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells HT29.

One- or Two-Step Synthesis of C-8 and N-9 Substituted Purines.

A novel and original strategy to obtain rapidly a large diversity of C-8 and N-9 substituted purines was developed. The present procedure describes annulation reactions in one or two steps starting from 5-aminoimidazole-4-carbonitriles 1-8 in moderate to good yields. 8,9-Disubstituted-6,9-dihydro-1H-purin-6-ones 9-14, 6-amino-8,9-disubstituted-3,9-dihydro-2H-purin-2-ones 15-20, 8,9-disubstituted-3,9-dihydro-2H-purin-2,6-diamines 21-24 and 6-imino-1-phenyl-8,9-disubstituted-6,9-dihydro-1H-purin-2-(3H)-ones 25-26 were synthesized in one step using formic acid, urea, guanidine carbonate, and phenylisocyanate, respectively, whereas 8,9-disubstituted-9H-purin-6-amines 27-31 and 6-imino-8,9-disubstituted-6,9-dihydro-1H-purin-1-amines 32-33 were obtained in two steps using formamide and hydrazine, respectively.

Small scale separation of isoxazole structurally related analogues by chiral supercritical fluid chromatography.

Chromatographic preparative enantioseparation is now the preferred method to obtain milligram amounts of pure enantiomers in the first step of the development of a therapeutic molecule. Supercritical fluid chromatography has many advantages over liquid chromatography and was therefore chosen for the small scale enantioseparation of four original 3-carboxamido-5-aryl isoxazole molecules, ligands of the CB2 cannabinoid receptors. The preparation of about 10mg of each of the eight enantiomers was achieved successfully on a Chiralpak® AD-H (tris-3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate of amylose) polysaccharide based stationary phase with various percentages of ethanol as a co-solvent, through mixed-stream injections and touching-band approach. For the all compounds, no peak distortion is observed during the volume overloading, in spite of the injection mode. Production rate (mgmin-1), productivity (kilogram of racemate separated per kilogram of CSP per day (kkd)) and solvent usage were found higher and environmental factors (E Factor) were found lower for compounds 1 and 3. The yields of each purified enantiomer were comprised between 60 and 94%. In order to improve the limit of detection calculated with the diode array detector, the hyphenation with an evaporating light scattering detector was explored and a factor of ten was won. Lastely, the enantiomeric excess and achiral purity of each of the eight individual enantiomer generated was determined and found higher than 98%.

Therapeutic Potential of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase, Monoacylglycerol Lipase, and N-Acylethanolamine Acid Amidase Inhibitors.

Fatty acid ethanolamides (FAEs) and endocannabinoids (ECs) have been shown to alleviate pain and inflammation, regulate motility and appetite, and produce anticancer, anxiolytic, and neuroprotective efficacies via cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) or type 2 (CB2) or via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPAR-α) stimulation. FAEs and ECs are synthesized by a series of endogenous enzymes, including N-acylphosphatidylethanolaminephospholipase D (NAPE-PLD), diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL), or phospholipase C (PLC), and their metabolism is mediated by several metabolic enzymes, including fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), N-acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA), or cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2). Over the past decades, increasing the concentration of FAEs and ECs through the inhibition of degrading enzymes has been considered to be a viable therapeutic approach to enhance their antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as to protect the nervous system.

Exploring chiral separation of 3-carboxamido-5-aryl isoxazole derivatives by supercritical fluid chromatography on amylose and cellulose tris dimethyl- and chloromethyl phenylcarbamate polysaccharide based stationary phases.

Four polysaccharide based chiral stationary phases were chosen, two chlorinated: Lux™ Amylose-2 (tris-5-chloro-2-methylphenylcarbamate of amylose) and Lux™ Cellulose-2 (tris-3-chloro-4-methylphenylcarbamate of cellulose) and two methylated: Chiralpak® AD-H (tris-3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate of amylose) and Chiralcel® OD-H (tris-3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate of cellulose) to separate four 3-carboxamido-5-aryl isoxazole derivatives by supercritical fluid chromatography. The effect of chiral stationary phase, co-solvent nature (MeOH, EtOH, 2-PrOH and ACN) and percentage (10-20%), temperature (20-45°C) and chemical structure of the compounds on retention, resolution and elution order were thoroughly studied. In addition, thermodynamic parameters were determined from the linear portion of the Van't Hoff plots. For all the derivatives, the Lux™ Cellulose-2 and Chiralpak® AD-H provided excellent resolutions (Rs=9.78) in short run time (under 6min). The preparation of about 10mg of each of the eight enantiomers was achieved successfully on a Chiralpak® AD-H with various percentages of ethanol as a co-solvent. Lastly, the enantiomeric purity of each of the eight individual enantiomer generated was determined and found higher than 98%.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of potent FAAH inhibitors.

A new series of 3-carboxamido-5-aryl-isoxazoles was designed, synthesized and evaluated for their biological activity. Different pharmacomodulations have been explored and the lipophilicity of these compounds was assessed. Investigation of the in vitro biological activity led to the identification of 5 compounds as potent FAAH inhibitors, their good FAAH inhibition capacity is probably correlated with their suitable lipophilicity. Specifically, compound 25 showed similar inhibition potency against FAAH in comparison with URB597, one of the most potent FAAH inhibitor known to date.

Evaluation and comparison of three different separation techniques for analysis of retroamide enantiomers and their biological evaluation against h-P2X7 receptor.

The P2X receptors are seven-transmembrane domain G protein-coupled receptors and the 7 subtypes of P2X receptors identified in humans, and named P2X1 to P2X7, are channel receptors whose endogenous ligand is ATP. New antagonists of the P2X7 receptor were developed, since this purinergic receptor was highlighted to be involved in many diseases such as different types of pain, cancer, ischemia, neurodegenerative diseases (including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases) characterized by inflammatory processes. With the aim of evaluate the impact of chirality on the pharmacological activity of a new P2X7R antagonist, a semi-preparative method was developed in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). Among four polysaccharide based chiral stationary phases: Chiralcel OD-H and OJ-H and Chiralpak AS-H and AD-H, the last one namely amylose tris (3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) with a mobile phase consisted of carbon dioxide-ethanol (80:20, v/v), led to the successful separation of the enantiomers in short run time and with good resolution. Limits of detection and quantification were calculated and were found equal for compound 1, to 1.37 µM and 4.57 µM respectively, for peak 1 and were equal to 1.60 µM and 5.30 µM respectively, for peak 2 at λ=210 nm. Before carrying out the pharmacological evaluation of each enantiomer, two complementary methodologies, e.g. liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis were performed in parallel to improve the limits of detection and quantification to assess the enantiomeric purity. HPLC using a Chiralpak AD stationary phase led to four times lower limits of detection and quantification with regard to SFC. In the same time, capillary electrophoresis involving dual cyclodextrins system constituted of a SBE-ß-CD and a MM-ß-CD mixture enhanced the signal-to-noise ratio and led to similar limits of detection and quantification with regard to SFC. No trace of the other enantiomer was found in the isolated one. Biological activities of individual enantiomers were then evaluated and revealed no cytotoxicity against cell lines and a significant difference in terms of their IC50 values with respect to the investigated racemate (6.43 µM): 3.49 µM for the (R)-enantiomer and >10(-4)µM for the (S)-enantiomer, for compound 1, showing that, this antagonist activity is stereospecific.

Conformational Restriction Leading to a Selective CB2 Cannabinoid Receptor Agonist Orally Active Against Colitis.

The CB2 cannabinoid receptor has been implicated in the regulation of intestinal inflammation. Following on from the promising activity of a series of 4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxamide, we developed constrained analogues based on a 2H-pyrazolo[4,3-c]quinolin-3(5H)-one scaffold, with improved affinity for the hCB2 receptor and had very high selectivity over the hCB1 receptor. Importantly, the lead of this series (26, hCB2: K i = 0.39 nM, hCB1: K i > 3000 nM) was found to protect mice against experimental colitis after oral administration.

Involvement of the P2X7 purinergic receptor in inflammation: an update of antagonists series since 2009 and their promising therapeutic potential.

The purinergic receptor P2X7 is highly expressed in immune peripheral and central cells suggesting its important role in numerous diseases characterized by inflammatory processes like cancer, or neurodegenerative pathologies in relation with modulation of the immune system. Thereby, antagonization of this receptor may be a hopeful therapeutic strategy to treat a large range of diseases. Indeed, selective P2X7 antagonists display beneficial anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and in some cases, anticancer properties. This article will review the involvement of P2X7 in the immune system, the update of P2X7 antagonists series since 2009 and their promising therapeutic potential for the treatment of several immune- related diseases.

Enantioseparation of pyroglutamide derivatives on polysaccharide based chiral stationary phases by high-performance liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography: a comparative study.

Analytical enantioseparation of three pyroglutamide derivatives with pharmacological activity against the purinergic receptor P2X7, was run in both high-performance liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography. Four polysaccharide based chiral stationary phases, namely amylose and cellulose tris (3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate), amylose tris ((S)-α-methylbenzylcarbamate) and cellulose tris (4-methylbenzoate) with various mobile phases consisted of either heptane/alcohol (ethanol and 2-propanol) or carbon dioxide/alcohol (methanol or ethanol) mixtures, were investigated. After analytical screenings, the best conditions were transposed, for compound 1, to semi-preparative scale. Each approach was fully validated to meet the International Conference on Harmonisation requirements and compared. Whereas the limits of detection and quantification were near six-fold better in HPLC than in SFC (respectively 0.20 and 0.66 µM versus 1.11 and 3.53 µM for one of the enantiomers), in terms of low solvent consumption (7.2 mL of EtOH versus 3.2 mL of EtOH plus 28.8 mL of toxic and inflammable heptane per injection in SFC and HPLC, respectively), time effective cost (9 min versus 40 min per injection in SFC and HPLC, respectively) and yields (98% versus 71% in SFC and HPLC, respectively), the latter method proved its ecological superiority.

Antagonists of the P2X7 receptor: mechanism of enantioselective recognition using highly sulfated and sulfobutylether cyclodextrins by capillary electrokinetic chromatography.

This work concerns the successful enantiomeric separation of pyroglutamic acid derivatives, known to be P2X7 receptor antagonists, achieved by electrokinetic chromatography. After a broad screening, two negatively charged cyclodextrins, sulfobutylether-ß-cyclodextrin (SBE-ß-CD), and highly sulfated-γ-cyclodextrin (HS-γ-CD) were chosen as stereoselective agents to cooperate with the BGE for complexation. A fused silica capillary coated with polyethylene oxide, filled with a phosphate buffer (25 mM, pH 2.5) containing various concentrations of CD, was used. Assuming a 1:1 stoichiometry, calculations of the binding constants, employing the three different linearization plots, were performed from the corrected electrophoretic mobilities values of the enantiomers, at different concentrations of SBE-ß-CD and HS-γ-CD in the BGE. The highest complexation was found with the SBE-ß-CD. Among the three equations, results showed better linearity (R(2) > 0.99) using the y-reciprocal fit. This plotting method was then performed to determine the binding constants of each enantiomer at different temperature for compounds 1 and 2 with SBE-ß-CD and HS-γ-CD in order to access to the thermodynamic parameters of the eight complexes. The linearity of the Van't Hoff plot, in the range of 288-303 K leading to negative enthalpy values, showed that the complexation phenomenon is enthalpically controlled and thermodynamically favored.