A selective small molecule NOP (ORL-1 receptor) partial agonist for the treatment of anxiety.

Small molecule (1) has been identified as a selective partial agonist of Opioid Receptor Like-1 (ORL-1) with potential utility for the treatment of anxiety and other disorders. Nociceptin (orphanin FQ) is an endogenous peptide ligand that binds to ORL-1, however it does not bind the classical δ, µ and κ opioid receptors with high affinity. The synthesis of 1 involved using a molecular diversity approach, to rapidly advance a library of compounds for biological testing. A lead selective potent partial agonist (35-fold ORL-1/Mu) progressed to ORL-1 (NOP or OP4) proof of concept testing in advanced studies. The synthetic approach and biological data for the related chemical series will be presented.

Effect of the MDM2 antagonist RG7112 on the P53 pathway in patients with MDM2-amplified, well-differentiated or dedifferentiated liposarcoma: an exploratory proof-of-mechanism study.

BACKGROUND: We report a proof-of-mechanism study of RG7112, a small-molecule MDM2 antagonist, in patients with chemotherapy-naive primary or relapsed well-differentiated or dedifferentiated MDM2-amplified liposarcoma who were eligible for resection. METHODS: Patients with well-differentiated or dedifferentiated liposarcoma were enrolled at four centres in France. Patients received up to three 28-day neoadjuvant treatment cycles of RG7112 1440 mg/m(2) per day for 10 days. If a patient progressed at any point after the first cycle, the lesion was resected or, if unresectable, an end-of-study biopsy was done. The primary endpoint was to assess markers of RG7112-dependent MDM2 inhibition and P53 pathway activation (P53, P21, MDM2, Ki-67, macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 [MIC-1], and apoptosis). All analyses were per protocol. This trial is registered with EudraCT, number 2009-015522-10. RESULTS: Between June 3, and Dec 14, 2010, 20 patients were enrolled and completed pretreatment and day 8 biopsies. 18 of 20 patients had TP53 wild-type tumours and two carried missense TP53 mutations. 14 of 17 assessed patients had MDM2 gene amplification. Compared with baseline, P53 and P21 concentrations, assessed by immunohistochemistry, had increased by a median of 4·86 times (IQR 4·38-7·97; p=0·0001) and 3·48 times (2·05-4·09; p=0·0001), respectively, at day 8 (give or take 2 days). At the same timepoint, relative MDM2 mRNA expression had increased by a median of 3·03 times (1·23-4·93; p=0·003) that at baseline. The median change from baseline for Ki-67-positive tumour cells was -5·05% (IQR -12·55 to 0·05; p=0·01). Drug exposure correlated with blood concentrations of MIC-1 (p<0·0001) and haematological toxicity. One patient had a confirmed partial response and 14 had stable disease. All patients experienced at least one adverse event, mostly nausea (14 patients), vomiting (11 patients), asthenia (nine patients), diarrhoea (nine patients), and thrombocytopenia (eight patients). There were 12 serious adverse events in eight patients, the most common of which were neutropenia (six patients) and thrombocytopenia (three patients). DISCUSSION: MDM2 inhibition activates the P53 pathway and decreases cell proliferation in MDM2-amplified liposarcoma. This study suggests that it is feasible to undertake neoadjuvant biopsy-driven biomarker studies in liposarcoma. FUNDING: F Hoffmann-La Roche.

Synthesis and evaluation of 2,7-diamino-thiazolo[4,5-d] pyrimidine analogues as anti-tumor epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

2,7-Diamino-thiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine analogues were synthesized as novel epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Representative compounds showed potent and selective EGFR inhibitory activities and inhibited in vitro cellular proliferation in EGFR-overexpressing human tumor cells. The synthesis and preliminary biological, physical, and pharmacokinetic evaluation of these thiazolopyrimidine compounds are reported.

Synthesis, in vitro activities of (2-cyclopropoxyphenyl)piperidine derivatives for alpha 1a and alpha 1d adrenergic receptor inhibitors.

An alpha 1a- and alpha 1d-adrenergic receptor (AR) selective antagonist may be a more efficacious treatment for BPH/LUTS patients and may have fewer side effects than the existing pharmaceuticals. A facile synthesis for a series of (2-cyclopropoxyphenyl)piperidine derivatives has been developed, in which aryl vinyl ether formation and subsequent cyclopropyl formation provide efficient access to key intermediate N-Boc-4-(2-cyclopropoxyphenyl)piperidine. The synthesized (2-cyclopropoxyphenyl)piperidine derivatives display high affinity and selectivity for alpha1a-AR and alpha1d-AR compared to alpha1b-AR and D2 receptor, Ki values for alpha1a-AR are 0.91 nM to 79.0 nM and alpha1d-AR are 2.0 nM to 57 nM; Ki values for alpha1b-AR are 107 nM to 839.8 nM and D2 receptor are 66.2 nM to 187.1 nM. The selectivity ratios of Ki(alpha1b)/Ki(alpha1a) are 11 to 155 fold, Ki(alpha1b)/Ki(alpha1d) are 6 to 171 fold, Ki(D2)/Ki(alpha1a) are 2 to 158 fold, and Ki(D2)/Ki(alpha1d) are 1.2 to 89 fold. Compound 17a shows improved stability in human liver microsome test (t1/2 = 18 minutes).

Cellular and in vivo activity of JNJ-28871063, a nonquinazoline pan-ErbB kinase inhibitor that crosses the blood-brain barrier and displays efficacy against intracranial tumors.

JNJ-28871063 is a potent and highly selective pan-ErbB kinase inhibitor from a novel aminopyrimidine oxime structural class that blocks the proliferation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR; ErbB1)- and ErbB2-overexpressing cells but does not affect the growth of non-ErbB-overexpressing cells. Treatment of human cancer cells with JNJ-28871063 inhibited phosphorylation of functionally important tyrosine residues in both EGFR and ErbB2 and blocked downstream signal transduction pathways responsible for proliferation and survival. A single dose of compound reduced phosphorylation of ErbB2 receptors in tumor-bearing mice, demonstrating target suppression in vivo. Tissue distribution studies show that JNJ-28871063 crosses the blood-brain barrier and penetrates into tumors, where it is able to accumulate to higher levels than those found in the plasma. JNJ-28871063 showed oral antitumor activity in human tumor xenograft models that overexpress EGFR and ErbB2. In an intracranial ErbB2-overexpressing tumor model, JNJ-28871063 extended survival relative to untreated animals. The brain is a primary site of metastasis for EGFR-overexpressing lung cancers and ErbB2-overexpressing breast cancers. Therefore, the ability to penetrate into the brain could be an advantage over existing therapies such as trastuzumab (Herceptin) and cetuximab (Erbitux), which are antibodies and do not cross the blood-brain barrier. These results show that JNJ-28871063 is orally bioavailable, has activity against EGFR and ErbB2-dependent tumor xenografts, and can penetrate into the brain and inhibit ErbB2-overexpressing tumor growth.

(Phenylpiperazinyl)cyclohexylureas: discovery of alpha1a/1d-selective adrenergic receptor antagonists for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH/LUTS).

Benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH/LUTS) can be effectively treated with alpha(1) adrenergic receptor antagonists. Unfortunately, currently marketed alpha(1) blockers produce CV-related side effects that are caused by the subtype non-selective nature of the drugs. To overcome this problem, it was postulated that an alpha(1a/1d) subtype-selective antagonist would bring more benefit for the treatment of BPH/LUTS. As a continuation of our effort to develop selective alpha(1a/1d) ligands, a series of (phenylpiperazinyl)cyclohexylureas was synthesized and evaluated for the ability to bind to three cloned human alpha(1)-adrenergic receptor subtypes. Several trans isomers were shown to have equal affinity for both alpha(1a), and alpha(1d) subtypes, with 14- to 47-fold selectivity versus the alpha(1b) subtype and >15-fold selectivity versus dopamine D(2).

7-[1H-Indol-2-yl]-2,3-dihydro-isoindol-1-ones as dual Aurora-A/VEGF-R2 kinase inhibitors: design, synthesis, and biological activity.

A novel series of 7-[1H-indol-2-yl]-2,3-dihydro-isoindol-1-ones designed to be inhibitors of VEGF-R2 kinase was synthesized and found to potently inhibit VEGF-R2 and Aurora-A kinases. The structure-based design, synthesis, and initial SAR of the series are discussed.

4-Amino-6-arylamino-pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde hydrazones as potent ErbB-2/EGFR dual kinase inhibitors.

Members of a novel class of 4-amino-6-arylamino-pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde hydrazones were identified as potent dual ErbB-2/EGFR kinase inhibitors using concept-guided design approach. These compounds inhibited the growth of ErbB-2 over-expressing human tumor cell lines (BT474, N87, and SK-BR-3) in vitro. Compound 15 emerged as a key lead and showed significant ability to inhibit growth factor-induced receptor phosphorylation in SK-BR-3 cells (IC(50)=54 nM) and cellular proliferation in vitro (IC(50)=14, 58, and 58 nM for BT474, N87, and SK-BR-3 respectively). The X-ray co-crystal structure of EGFR with a close analog (17) was determined and validated our design rationale.

A novel 5-[1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]-N-aryl-4,6-pyrimidine diamine having dual EGFR/HER2 kinase activity: design, synthesis, and biological activity.

A novel 5-[1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]-N-aryl-4,6-pyrimidine diamine was synthesized and found to have potent dual EGFR/HER2 kinase inhibitory activity. The structure-based drug design of this molecule as well as the kinase and cellular inhibition of HER2 kinase dependent cell lines will be discussed.

Discovery of novel 4-amino-6-arylaminopyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde oximes as dual inhibitors of EGFR and ErbB-2 protein tyrosine kinases.

We herein disclose a novel series of 4-aminopyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde oximes that are potent and selective inhibitors of both EGFR and ErbB-2 tyrosine kinases, with IC(50) values in the nanomolar range. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies elucidated a critical role for the 4-amino and C-6 arylamino moieties. The X-ray co-crystal structure of EGFR with 37 was determined and validated our design rationale.

Metastin (KiSS-1) mimetics identified from peptide structure-activity relationship-derived pharmacophores and directed small molecule database screening.

Metastin, also known as KiSS-1, the cognate ligand for the metastin receptor GPR54, is a peptide known to dramatically reduce metastasis in experimental models. Despite this, there is no reported structure for metastin nor any small molecule modulators of metastin function that could be used either clinically or experimentally. Here we report the NMR solution structure of a 13-residue metastin peptide in a membrane-like environment (SDS micelles) and find it to have a relatively stable helix conformation from residues 7 to 13. In assays for metastin receptor binding and calcium flux with receptor-transfected HEK-293 cells, we demonstrate through alanine scanning and amino acid substitutions that the peptide C-terminus shows helix periodicity in an NMR structural model and that Phe9, Arg12, and Phe13 are crucial to the activity of the peptide. These three residues lie on one face of the helix and define a pharmacophore site for metastin. We used these pharmacophore features in small molecule database searches to identify hits with submicromolar affinity for the metastin receptor. We also show here that molecules mimicking key elements of this pharmacophore site bind to the metastin receptor and act as full agonists, albeit with reduced potency compared to that of metastin itself. Together this structure-activity approach may yield pharmacologically useful compounds relevant in defining and modulating metastin receptor function.

The in vitro and in vivo effects of JNJ-7706621: a dual inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases and aurora kinases.

Modulation of aberrant cell cycle regulation is a potential therapeutic strategy applicable to a wide range of tumor types. JNJ-7706621 is a novel cell cycle inhibitor that showed potent inhibition of several cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) and Aurora kinases and selectively blocked proliferation of tumor cells of various origins but was about 10-fold less effective at inhibiting normal human cell growth in vitro. In human cancer cells, treatment with JNJ-7706621 inhibited cell growth independent of p53, retinoblastoma, or P-glycoprotein status; activated apoptosis; and reduced colony formation. At low concentrations, JNJ-7706621 slowed the growth of cells and at higher concentrations induced cytotoxicity. Inhibition of CDK1 kinase activity, altered CDK1 phosphorylation status, and interference with downstream substrates such as retinoblastoma were also shown in human tumor cells following drug treatment. Flow cytometric analysis of DNA content showed that JNJ-7706621 delayed progression through G1 and arrested the cell cycle at the G2-M phase. Additional cellular effects due to inhibition of Aurora kinases included endoreduplication and inhibition of histone H3 phosphorylation. In a human tumor xenograft model, several intermittent dosing schedules were identified that produced significant antitumor activity. There was a direct correlation between total cumulative dose given and antitumor effect regardless of the dosing schedule. These results show the therapeutic potential of this novel cell cycle inhibitor and support clinical evaluation of JNJ-7706621.

Role of the ABCG2 drug transporter in the resistance and oral bioavailability of a potent cyclin-dependent kinase/Aurora kinase inhibitor.

Cell cycle kinase inhibitors have advanced into clinical trials in oncology. One such molecule, JNJ-7706621, is a broad-spectrum inhibitor of the cyclin-dependent kinases and Aurora kinases that mediate G(2)-M arrest and inhibits tumor growth in xenograft models. To determine the putative mechanisms of resistance to JNJ-7706621 that might be encountered in the clinic, the human epithelial cervical carcinoma cell line (HeLa) was exposed to incrementally increasing concentrations of JNJ-7706621. The resulting resistant cell population, designated HeLa-6621, was 16-fold resistant to JNJ-7706621, cross-resistant to mitoxantrone (15-fold) and topotecan (6-fold), and exhibited reduced intracellular drug accumulation of JNJ-7706621. ABCG2 was highly overexpressed at both the mRNA ( approximately 163-fold) and protein levels. The functional role of ABCG2 in mediating resistance to JNJ-7706621 was consistent with the following findings: (a) an ABCG2 inhibitor, fumitremorgin C, restored the sensitivity of HeLa-6621 cells to JNJ-7706621 and to mitoxantrone; (b) human embryonic kidney-293 cells transfected with ABCG2 were resistant to both JNJ-7706621 and mitoxantrone; and (c) resistant cells that were removed from the drug for 12 weeks and reverted to susceptibility to JNJ-7706621 showed near-normal ABCG2 RNA levels. ABCG2 is likely to limit the bioavailability of JNJ-7706621 because oral administration of JNJ-7706621 to Bcrp (the murine homologue of ABCG2) knockout mice resulted in an increase in the plasma concentration of JNJ-7706621 compared with wild-type mice. These findings indicate that ABCG2 mediates the resistance to JNJ-7706621 and alters the absorption of the compound following administration.

Synthesis and identification of [1,3,5]triazine-pyridine biheteroaryl as a novel series of potent cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors.

On the basis of previous studies, we identified pyrazine-pyridine A as a potent vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor and pyrimidine-pyridine B as a moderately potent cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor. A proposed combination of CGP-60474 and compound B led to the discovery of [1,3,5]triazine-pyridine as a new series of potent CDK inhibitors. Palladium-catalyzed C-C bond formation reactions, particularly the Negishi coupling reaction, were used to assemble various triazine-heteroaryl analogues effectively. Among them, compound 20 displayed high inhibitory potency at CDK1 (IC(50) = 0.021 microM), CDK2, and CDK5 and submicromolar potency at CDK4, CDK6, and CDK7. Compound 20 also displayed high potency at GSK-3beta. It demonstrated potent antiproliferative activity on various tumor cell lines, including HeLa, HCT-116, U937, and A375. When 20 was administered intraperitoneally at 150 and 125 mg/kg to nude mice bearing human A375 xenografts, the compound produced a significant survival increase. Molecular docking studies were conducted in an attempt to enhance the understanding of the observed structure-activity relationship.

1-Acyl-1H-[1,2,4]triazole-3,5-diamine analogues as novel and potent anticancer cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors: synthesis and evaluation of biological activities.

A series of 1-acyl-1H-[1,2,4]triazole-3,5-diamine analogues were synthesized as cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors. These compounds showed potent and selective CDK1 and CDK2 inhibitory activities and inhibited in vitro cellular proliferation in various human tumor cells. Representative compound 3b demonstrated in vivo efficacy in a human melanoma A375 xenograft model in nude mice.

Synthesis and discovery of pyrazine-pyridine biheteroaryl as a novel series of potent vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 inhibitors.

Pathological angiogenesis is associated with disease states such as cancer, diabetic retinopathy, rheumatoid arthritis, endometriosis, and psoriasis. There is much evidence that direct inhibition of the kinase activity of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) will result in the reduction of angiogenesis and the suppression of tumor growth. Attempts to optimize a cyclin-dependent kinase-1 (CDK1) inhibitor by using palladium-catalyzed C-C bond, C-N bond formation reactions to assemble diverse biheteroaryl molecules led to the unexpected discovery of a pyrazine-pyridine biheteroaryl as a novel series of potent VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Compound 15, which had IC(50) = 0.084 microM at VEGFR-2, showed very modest selectivity against fibroblast growth factor receptor-2 (IC(50) = 0.21 microM), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (IC(50) = 0.36 microM), and glycogen synthase kinase-3 (IC(50) = 0.478 microM), while it exhibited more than 10-fold selectivity against epidermal growth factor receptor (IC(50) = 1.36 microM) and insulin-R kinase (IC(50) = 1.69 microM). On the other hand, compound 15 exhibited more than 100-fold selectivity against calmodulin kinase 2; casein kinase-1 and -2; CDK1 and -4; mitogen-activated protein kinase; and protein kinase A, Cbeta2, and Cgamma (IC(50) >10 microM). Compound 15 also displayed high inhibitory potency on VEGF-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation (IC(50) = 0.005 microM) and good selectivity against cell lines such as HUVEC, human aortic smooth muscle cells, and MRC5 lung fibroblasts. Molecular docking studies were conducted in an attempt to rationalize the unexpected high VEGFR-2 selectivity of 15.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of pyrazine-pyridine biheteroaryls as novel, potent, and selective vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 inhibitors.

There is much evidence that direct inhibition of the kinase activity of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) will result in the reduction of angiogenesis and the suppression of tumor growth. Palladium-catalyzed C-C bond, C-N bond formation reactions were used to assemble various pyrazine-pyridine biheteroaryls as potent VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Among them, 4-{5-[6-(3-chloro-phenylamino)-pyrazin-2-yl]-pyridin-3-ylamino}-butan-1-ol (39) and N-{5-[6-(3-chloro-phenylamino)-pyrazin-2-yl]-pyridin-3-yl}-N',N'-dimethyl-ethane-1,2-diamine (41) exhibited the highest kinase selectivity against fibroblast growth factor receptor kinase, platelet-derived growth factor receptor kinase, and glycogen synthase kinase-3. All of these compounds showed good cellular potency to inhibit VEGF-stimulated proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) but with modest effects on the unstimulated growth of HUVEC. The low inhibition of these compounds to the growth of tumor cell lines, such as HeLa, HCT-116, and A375 further confirms that these VEGFR-2 inhibitors are not cytotoxic agents. The in vivo antitumor activity of 39 and 41 were demonstrated in the A375 human melanoma xenograft nude mice model. Molecular modeling (QSAR analysis) was conducted in an attempt to rationalize the observed structure-activity relationship.

(6,7-Dimethoxy-2,4-dihydroindeno[1,2-c]pyrazol-3-yl)phenylamines: platelet-derived growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors with broad antiproliferative activity against tumor cells.

A series of (6,7-dimethoxy-2,4-dihydroindeno[1,2-c]pyrazol-3-yl)phenylamines has been optimized to preserve both potent kinase inhibition activity against the angiogenesis target, the receptor tyrosine kinase of Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-BB (PDGF-BB), and to improve the broad tumor cell antiproliferative activity of these compounds. This series culminates in the discovery of 17 (JNJ-10198409), a compound with anti-PDGFR-beta kinase activity (IC(50)=0.0042 microM) and potent antiproliferative activity in six of eight human tumor cell lines (IC(50) < 0.033 microM).