Picomolar inhibitor of reverse transcriptase featuring significantly improved metabolic stability

Structure-guided design of novel biphenyl-quinazoline derivatives as potent non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors featuring improved anti-resistance, selectivity, and solubility

In pursuit of enhancing the anti-resistance efficacy and solubility of our previously identified NNRTI 1, a series of biphenyl-quinazoline derivatives were synthesized employing a structure-based drug design strategy. Noteworthy advancements in anti-resistance efficacy were discerned among some of these analogs, prominently exemplified by compound 7ag, which exhibited a remarkable 1.37 to 602.41-fold increase in potency against mutant strains (Y181C, L100I, Y188L, F227L + V106A, and K103N + Y181C) in comparison to compound 1. Compound 7ag also demonstrated comparable anti-HIV activity against both WT HIV and K103N, albeit with a marginal reduction in activity against E138K. Of significance, this analog showed augmented selectivity index (SI > 5368) relative to compound 1 (SI > 37764), Nevirapine (SI > 158), Efavirenz (SI > 269), and Etravirine (SI > 1519). Moreover, it displayed a significant enhancement in water solubility, surpassing that of compound 1, Etravirine, and Rilpivirine. To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms, molecular docking studies were undertaken to probe the critical interactions between 7ag and both WT and mutant strains of HIV-1 RT. These findings furnish invaluable insights driving further advancements in the development of DAPYs for HIV therapy.

Lead Optimization of Butyrolactone I as an Orally Bioavailable Antiallergic Agent Targeting FcγRIIB

Food allergy (FA) poses a growing global food safety concern, yet no effective cure exists in clinics. Previously, we discovered a potent antifood allergy compound, butyrolactone I (BTL-I, 1), from the deep sea. Unfortunately, it has a very low exposure and poor pharmacokinetic (PK) profile in rats. Therefore, a series of structural optimizations toward the metabolic pathways of BTL-I were conducted to provide 18 derives (2-19). Among them, BTL-MK (19) showed superior antiallergic activity and favorable pharmacokinetics compared to BTL-I, being twice as potent with a clearance (CL) rate of only 0.5% that of BTL-I. By oral administration, Cmax and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC0-∞) were 565 and 204 times higher than those of BTL-I, respectively. These findings suggest that butyrolactone methyl ketone (BTL-BK) could serve as a drug candidate for the treatment of FAs and offer valuable insights into optimizing the druggability of lead compounds.

Synthetic approaches and application of clinically approved small-molecule Anti-HIV drugs: An update

Application of chemotherapeutic agents to inhibit the HIV replication process has brought about a significant metamorphosis in the landscape of AIDS. Substantial declines in morbidity and mortality rates have been attained, accompanied by notable decreases in healthcare resource utilization. However, treatment modalities do not uniformly inhibit HIV replication in every patient, while the emergence of drug-resistant viral strains poses a substantial obstacle to subsequent therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, chronic administration of therapy may lead to the manifestation of toxicities. These challenges necessitate the exploration of novel pharmacological agents and innovative therapeutic approaches aimed at effectively managing the persistent viral replication characteristic of chronic infection. This review examines the role of clinically approved small-molecule drugs in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, which provides an in-depth analysis of the major classes of small-molecule drugs, including nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), protease inhibitors (PIs), integrase inhibitors, entry inhibitors, and pharmacokinetic enhancers. The review mainly discusses the application, synthetic routes, and mechanisms of action of small-molecule drugs employed in the treatment of HIV, as well as their use in combination with antiretroviral therapy, presenting viewpoints on forthcoming avenues in the development of novel anti-HIV drugs.

Structure-based design of novel heterocycle-substituted ATDP analogs as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors with improved selectivity and solubility

Following on our recently developed biphenyl-ATDP non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor ZLM-66 (SI = 2019.80, S = 1.9 μg/mL), a series of novel heterocycle-substituted ATDP derivatives with significantly improved selectivity and solubility were identified by replacement of the biphenyl moiety of ZLM-66 with heterocyclic group with lower lipophilicity. Evidently, the representative analog 7w in this series exhibited dramatically enhanced selectivity and solubility (SI = 12,497.73, S = 4472 μg/mL) in comparison with ZLM-66 (SI = 2019.80, S = 1.9 μg/mL). This new NNRTI conferred low nanomolar inhibition of wild-type HIV-1 strain and tested mutant strains (K103N, L100I, Y181C, E138K, and K103N + Y181C). The analog also demonstrated favorable safety and pharmacokinetic profiles, as evidenced by its insensitivity to CYP and hERG, lack of mortality and pathological damage, and good oral bioavailability in rats (F = 27.1%). Further development of 7w for HIV therapy will be facilitated by this valuable information.

Improving the anti-HIV-1 activity and solubility of poorly water-soluble DAPYs by heteroaromatic replacement strategy: From naphthalene-DAPYs to quinoline-DAPYs

To enhance the anti-HIV-1 efficacy and solubility of our previously documented NNRTI 1, a collection of innovative quinoline-substituted DAPY derivatives were devised using heteroaromatic replacement strategy. The results of biological evaluation revealed that the representative compound 5h possessed the highest inhibitory activity against wild-type HIV-1 and selectivity index (EC50 = 0.0018 μM, SI > 166667), which were obviously better than that of 1 (EC50 = 0.00978 μM, SI > 37764), NVP (EC50 = 0.059 μM, SI > 158), EFV (EC50 = 0.028 μM, SI > 269), and ETR (EC50 = 0.0029 μM, SI > 1519). The water solubility of compound 5h was remarkably improved, surpassing that of 1, ETR and RPV. Additionally, this compound exerted significantly enhanced anti-resistance potency, compared to 1, and displayed comparable activity to ETR against WT RT of HIV-1 (IC50 = 0.011 μM). To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms, molecular docking studies were conducted to investigate the crucial interactions between 5h and WT/mutant strains of HIV-1. These findings provide valuable insights and drive further advancements in the development of DAPYs for HIV therapy.