Design and synthesis of (R)-1-arylsulfonylpiperidine-2-carboxamides as 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 inhibitors.

R adamantly beats S: 11ß-HSD1 is a target for treating metabolic syndrome. The R isomer 5 was selected as a starting point for optimization and SAR studies. Inhibitor 8 w emerged after several rounds of optimization, showing cross-species inhibition of human and mouse 11ß-HSD1. It also displays a good DMPK profile in vitro, and was advanced to PK/PD evaluations in vivo. The results confirmed its dose-dependent activity in mice.