New 4-point pharmacophore method for molecular similarity and diversity applications: overview of the method and applications, including a novel approach to the design of combinatorial libraries containing privileged substructures.

A new 4-point pharmacophore method for molecular similarity and diversity that rapidly calculates all potential pharmacophores/pharmacophoric shapes for a molecule or a protein site is described. The method, an extension to the ChemDiverse/Chem-X software (Oxford Molecular, Oxford, England), has also been customized to enable a new internally referenced measure of pharmacophore diversity. The "privileged" substructure concept for the design of high-affinity ligands is presented, and an example of this new method is described for the design of combinatorial libraries for 7-transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptor targets, where "privileged" substructures are used as special features to internally reference the pharmacophoric shapes. Up to 7 features and 15 distance ranges are considered, giving up to 350 million potential 4-point 3D pharmacophores/molecule. The resultant pharmacophore "key" ("fingerprint") serves as a powerful measure for diversity or similarity, calculable for both a ligand and a protein site, and provides a consistent frame of reference for comparing molecules, sets of molecules, and protein sites. Explicit "on-the-fly" conformational sampling is performed for a molecule to enable the calculation of all geometries accessible for all combinations of four features (i.e., 4-point pharmacophores) at any desired sampling resolution. For a protein site, complementary site points to groups displayed in the site are generated and all combinations of four site points are considered. In this paper we report (i) the details of our customized implementation of the method and its modification to systematically measure 4-point pharmacophores relative to a "special" substructure of interest present in the molecules under study; (ii) comparisons of 3- and 4-point pharmacophore methods, highlighting the much increased resolution of the 4-point method; (iii) applications of the 4-point potential pharmacophore descriptors as a new measure of molecular similarity and diversity and for the design of focused/biased combinatorial libraries.

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. (Mercaptoaroyl)amino acids.

A series of (mercaptoaroyl)amino acids and related compounds was synthesized and tested for ability to inhibit angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). The most active compound was N-(3-chloro-2-mercaptobenzoyl)-N-cyclopentylglycine, having an in vitro I50 = 0.28 microM. Substitution of the aromatic 3-position by small polar groups enhanced ACE inhibitory activity, whereas bulky groups diminished it. Alteration of the beta relationship between the mercaptan and amide carbonyl or masking of the thiol by acylation reduced activity. Replacement of the thiol by nitro, hydroxy, or carboxy gave compounds lacking ACE inhibitory activity.

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. 10. Aryl sulfonamide substituted N-[1-carboxy-3-phenylpropyl]-L-alanyl-L-proline derivatives as novel antihypertensives.

Compounds 1a-g consisting of enalaprilat covalently bonded to aryl sulfonamides, including several known thiazide diuretics, were synthesized and tested for ACE inhibitory and diuretic and overall antihypertensive effects. All compounds were potent ACE inhibitors in vitro, with IC50 = 6.5-85 nM. At 10 mg/kg iv or ip in the rat, 1a-g inhibited the AI pressor response by 76-100%; inhibition declined significantly upon oral dosing. Compounds 1a and 1f at 100 mg/kg ip in the sodium-depleted, spontaneously hypertensive rats reduced blood pressure 28-35% and 41-42%, respectively. Compounds 1a and 1f elicited natriuresis and kaliuresis without accompanying volume increases in the rat; 1c at 25 mg/kg iv induced delayed diuresis. Compound 1f has been chosen for further development.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. 9. Novel [[N-(1-carboxy-3-phenylpropyl)amino]acyl]glycine derivatives with diuretic activity.

A series of molecules 1 having sulfonamide diuretic moieties covalently linked to non-sulfhydryl angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) were prepared and tested for both activities. IC50 values for ACEI as low as 7 nM were observed. Discernable diuretic activity was seen for several hydrochlorothiazide-based molecules. Effects of the ACEI and diuretic structures on the respective potencies are discussed.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors: new orally active 1,4-thiazepine-2,5-diones, 1,4-thiazine-2,5-diones, and 1,4-benzothiazepine-2,5-diones possessing antihypertensive activity.

The preparation of a series of 1,4-thiazepine-2,5-diones, 1,4-thiazine-2,5-diones, and 1,4-benzothiazepine-2,5-diones and their ability in inhibiting the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in vitro and in vivo were examined. These compounds are assumed to act as prodrugs since they undergo rapid ring-opening reactions to give the corresponding biologically active free SH compounds when incubated with rat plasma or when treated with aqueous 0.1 N HCl or phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). The thiazepines 23-25 and 30 are potent inhibitors of ACE when administered po to rats and are comparable in potency to captopril (1). The most active thiazines in rats, po, were 42 and 45. Of the benzothiazepines studied, 22a was the most active in inhibiting ACE in the conscious normotensive rat, ID50 = 0.15 mg/kg, po. The acute antihypertensive effects of oral administration of a number of these compounds on mean arterial pressure and heart rate were studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) maintained on a sodium-deficient diet.

Synthesis and diversity analysis of lead discovery piperazine-2-carboxamide libraries.

A Lead Discovery Library of piperazine-2-carboxamide derivatives was produced for general screening. This paper discloses two novel solid phase synthetic routes used to produce 15,000 single compounds via the Irori directed sorting technique. Computational methods such as reagent clustering and library profiling were used to maximize reagent diversity and optimize pharmacokinetic parameters. The results of a four center pharmacophore analysis revealed the added diversity gained by using two independent synthetic routes.