Design and synthesis of novel hydantoin-containing melanin-concentrating hormone receptor antagonists

Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Hydantoins: The State of the Art of a Valuable Scaffold

The review highlights the hydantoin syntheses presented from the point of view of the preparation methods. Novel synthetic routes to various hydantoin structures, the advances brought to the classical methods in the aim of producing more sustainable and environmentally friendly procedures for the preparation of these biomolecules, and a critical comparison of the different synthetic approaches developed in the last twelve years are also described. The review is composed of 95 schemes, 8 figures and 528 references for the last 12 years and includes the description of the hydantoin-based marketed drugs and clinical candidates.

A pharmacological organization of G protein-coupled receptors

Protein classification typically uses structural, sequence, or functional similarity. Here we introduce an orthogonal method that organizes proteins by ligand similarity, focusing here on the class A G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) protein family. Comparing a ligand-based dendogram to a sequence-based one, we sought examples of GPCRs that were distantly linked by sequence but neighbors by ligand similarity. Experimental testing of compounds predicted to link three of these new pairs confirmed the predicted association, with potencies ranging from the low-nanomolar to low-micromolar. We then identified hundreds of non-GPCRs closely related to GPCRs by ligand similarity, including the CXCR2 chemokine receptor to Casein kinase I, the cannabinoid receptors to epoxide hydrolase 2, and the α₂ adrenergic receptor to phospholipase D. These, too, were confirmed experimentally. Ligand similarities among these targets may reflect a chemical integration in the time domain of molecular signaling.

The role of melanin-concentrating hormone and its receptors in energy homeostasis

Extensive studies in rodents with melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) have demonstrated that the neuropeptide hormone is a potent orexigen. Acutely, MCH causes an increase in food intake, while chronically it leads to increased weight gain, primarily as an increase in fat mass. Multiple knockout mice models have confirmed the importance of MCH in modulating energy homeostasis. Animals lacking MCH, MCH-containing neurons, or the MCH receptor all are resistant to diet-induced obesity. These genetic and pharmacologic studies have prompted a large effort to identify potent and selective MCH receptor antagonists, initially as tool compounds to probe pharmacology in models of obesity, with an ultimate goal to identify novel anti-obesity drugs. In animal models, MCH antagonists have consistently shown efficacy in reducing food intake acutely and inhibiting body-weight gain when given chronically. Five compounds have proceeded into clinical testing. Although they were reported as well-tolerated, none has advanced to long-term efficacy and safety studies.

Antiobesity effects of melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1 (MCH-R1) antagonists

Despite remarkable progress in the elucidation of energy balance and regulation, the development of new antiobesity drugs is still at the stage of infancy. This review describes the MCH and MCH receptor system with regard to its involvement in energy homeostasis and summarizes the pharmacological profiles of selected small molecule MCH-R1 antagonists that are relevant for their development as antiobesity drugs. Although their clinical value still has to be demonstrated, and challenges with regard to unwanted side effects remain to be resolved, MCH-R1 antagonists may provide an effective pharmacotherapy for the treatment of obesity in the near future.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of the first ferrocenyl-aryl-hydantoin derivatives of the nonsteroidal antiandrogen nilutamide

We present here the first synthesis of organometallic complexes derived from the nonsteroidal antiandrogen nilutamide, bearing a ferrocenyl substituent at position N(1) or at C(5) of the hydantoin ring; for comparison, we also describe the C(5) p-anisyl organic analogue. All of these complexes retain a modest affinity for the androgen receptor. The N-substituted complexes show a weak or moderate antiproliferative effect (IC 50 around 68 microM) on hormone-dependent and -independent prostate cancer cells, while the C(5)-substituted compounds exhibit toxicity levels 10 times higher (IC 50 around 5.4 microM). This strong antiproliferative effect is probably due to a structural effect linked to the aromatic character of the ferrocene rather than to its organometallic feature. In addition, it seems connected to a cytotoxic effect rather than an antihormonal one. These results open the way toward a new family of molecules that are active against both hormone-dependent and hormone-independent prostate cancer cells.

5-(4-Fluoro-phen-yl)-5-methyl-imidazolidine-2,4-dione

In the title compound, C(10)H(9)FN(2)O(2), the dihedral angle between the hydantoin unit and the benzene ring is 65.55 (5)°. The atoms in the hydantoin ring are coplanar, with a mean deviation of 0.015 Å and a maximum deviation of 0.075 (2) Å for one carbonyl O atom. N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules into one-dimensional chains, with one carbonyl group acting as a bifurcated acceptor and the other accepting no hydrogen bonds.