BACE-1 inhibitors Part 1: Identification of novel hydroxy ethylamines (HEAs)

BACE-1 Inhibitors Targeting Alzheimer's Disease

The accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) is the main event related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. Over the years, several disease-modulating approaches have been reported, but without clinical success. The amyloid cascade hypothesis evolved and proposed essential targets such as tau protein aggregation and modulation of β-secretase (β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 - BACE-1) and γ-secretase proteases. BACE-1 cuts the amyloid precursor protein (APP) to release the C99 fragment, giving rise to several Aβ peptide species during the subsequent γ-secretase cleavage. In this way, BACE-1 has emerged as a clinically validated and attractive target in medicinal chemistry, as it plays a crucial role in the rate of Aβ generation. In this review, we report the main results of candidates in clinical trials such as E2609, MK8931, and AZD-3293, in addition to highlighting the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic-related effects of the inhibitors already reported. The current status of developing new peptidomimetic, non-peptidomimetic, naturally occurring, and other class inhibitors are demonstrated, considering their main limitations and lessons learned. The goal is to provide a broad and complete approach to the subject, exploring new chemical classes and perspectives.

Performance evaluation of molecular docking and free energy calculations protocols using the D3R Grand Challenge 4 dataset

Using the D3R Grand Challenge 4 dataset containing Beta-secretase 1 (BACE) and Cathepsin S (CatS) inhibitors, we have evaluated the performance of our in-house docking workflow that involves in the first step the selection of the most suitable docking software for the system of interest based on structural and functional information available in public databases, followed by the docking of the dataset to predict the binding modes and ranking of ligands. The macrocyclic nature of the BACE ligands brought additional challenges, which were dealt with by a careful preparation of the three-dimensional input structures for ligands. This provided top-performing predictions for BACE, in contrast with CatS, where the predictions in the absence of guiding constraints provided poor results. These results highlight the importance of previous structural knowledge that is needed for correct predictions on some challenging targets. After the end of the challenge, we also carried out free energy calculations (i.e. in a non-blinded manner) for CatS using the pmx software and several force fields (AMBER, Charmm). Using knowledge-based starting pose construction allowed reaching remarkable accuracy for the CatS free energy estimates. Interestingly, we show that the use of a consensus result, by averaging the results from different force fields, increases the prediction accuracy.

Multidisciplinary approaches for targeting the secretase protein family as a therapeutic route for Alzheimer's disease

The continual increase of the aging population worldwide renders Alzheimer's disease (AD) a global prime concern. Several attempts have been focused on understanding the intricate complexity of the disease's development along with the on- andgoing search for novel therapeutic strategies. Incapability of existing AD drugs to effectively modulate the pathogenesis or to delay the progression of the disease leads to a shift in the paradigm of AD drug discovery. Efforts aimed at identifying AD drugs have mostly focused on the development of disease-modifying agents in which effects are believed to be long lasting. Of particular note, the secretase enzymes, a group of proteases responsible for the metabolism of the β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP) and β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides production, have been underlined for their promising therapeutic potential. This review article attempts to comprehensively cover aspects related to the identification and use of drugs targeting the secretase enzymes. Particularly, the roles of secretases in the pathogenesis of AD and their therapeutic modulation are provided herein. Moreover, an overview of the drug development process and the contribution of computational (in silico) approaches for facilitating successful drug discovery are also highlighted along with examples of relevant computational works. Promising chemical scaffolds, inhibitors, and modulators against each class of secretases are also summarized herein. Additionally, multitarget secretase modulators are also taken into consideration in light of the current growing interest in the polypharmacology of complex diseases. Finally, challenging issues and future outlook relevant to the discovery of drugs targeting secretases are also discussed.

Heterogeneous Route for the One-Pot Synthesis of N-Arylamides from Aldoximes and Aryl Halides Using the CuO/Carbon Material

Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized by porous carbon materials (PCMs) are very promising for catalysis. In this work, monodispersed small and stable copper oxide (CuO) NPs were prepared with an average size of 10-20 nm without using any capping agent and then these NPs were encapsulated into porous carbon. The chemical and structural properties of the CuO/PCM material were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen sorption. The obtained CuO/PCM nanocatalytic system has been used for the synthesis of N-arylamides from the reaction of aldoximes and aryl halides. Generally, copper(II) salt was used for the preparation of amides from aldoximes using some ligands and bases, but harsh reaction condition, stoichiometric amount of metal, and lack of recyclability limit their applications in industry. An alternative method is the use of heterogeneous catalysts. More importantly, these heterogeneous catalysts could be easily recycled and reused, showing potential application in organic synthesis.

A PM7 dynamic residue-ligand interactions energy landscape of the BACE1 inhibitory pathway by hydroxyethylamine compounds. Part I: The flap closure process

BACE1 is an enzyme of scientific interest because it participates in the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Hydroxyethylamines (HEAs) are a family of compounds which exhibit inhibitory activity toward BACE1 at a nanomolar level, favorable pharmacokinetic properties and oral bioavailability. The first step in the inhibition of BACE1 by HEAs consists of their entrance into the protease active site and the resultant conformational change in the protein, from Apo to closed form. These two conformations differ in the position of an antiparallel loop (called the flap) which covers the entrance to the catalytic site. For BACE1, closure of this flap is vital to its catalytic activity and to inhibition of the enzyme due to the new interactions thereby formed with the ligand. In the present study a dynamic energy landscape of residue-ligand interaction energies (ReLIE) measured for 112 amino acids in the BACE1 active site and its immediate vicinity during the closure of the flap induced by 8 HEAs of different inhibitory power is presented. A total of 6.272 million ReLIE calculations, based on the PM7 semiempirical method, provided a deep and quantitative view of the first step in the inhibition of the aspartyl protease. The information suggests that residues Asp93, Asp289, Thr292, Thr293, Asn294 and Arg296 are anchor points for the ligand, accounting for approximately 45% of the total protein-ligand interaction. Additionally, flap closure improved the BACE1-HEA interaction by around 25%. Furthermore, the inhibitory activity of HEAs could be related to the capacity of these ligands to form said anchor point interactions and maintain them over time: the lack of some of these anchor interactions delayed flap closure or impeded it completely, or even caused the flap to reopen. The methodology employed here could be used as a tool to evaluate future structural modifications which lead to improvements in the favorability and stability of BACE1-HEA ReLIEs, aiding in the design of better inhibitors.

A molecular dynamics study of the BACE1 conformational change from Apo to closed form induced by hydroxyethylamine derived compounds

BACE1 is an aspartyl protease which is a therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease (AD) because of its participation in the rate-limiting step in the production of Aβ-peptide, the accumulation of which produces senile plaques and, in turn, the neurodegenerative effects associated with AD. The active site of this protease is composed in part by two aspartic residues (Asp93 and Asp289). Additionally, the catalytic site has been found to be covered by an antiparallel hairpin loop called the flap. The dynamics of this flap are fundamental to the catalytic function of the enzyme. When BACE1 is inactive (Apo), the flap adopts an open conformation, allowing a substrate or inhibitor to access the active site. Subsequent interaction with the ligand induces flap closure and the stabilization of the macromolecular complex. Further, the protonation state of the aspartic dyad is affected by the chemical nature of the species entering the active site, so that appropriate selection of protonation states for the ligand and the catalytic residues will permit the elucidation of the inhibitory pathway for BACE1. In the present study, comparative analysis of different combinations of protonation states for the BACE1-hydroxyethylamine (HEA) system is reported. HEAs are potent inhibitors of BACE1 with favorable pharmacological and kinetic properties, as well as oral bioavailability. The results of Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations and population density calculations using 8 different parameters demonstrate that the LnAsp289 configuration (HEA with a neutral amine and the Asp289 residue protonated) is the only one which permits the expected conformational change in BACE1, from apo to closed form, after flap closure. Additionally, differences in their capacities to establish and maintain interactions with residues such as Asp93, Gly95, Thr133, Asp289, Gly291, and Asn294 during this step allow differentiation among the inhibitory activities of the HEAs. The results and methodology here reported will serve to elucidate the inhibitory pathway of other families of compounds that act as BACE1 inhibitors, as well as the design of better leader compounds for the treatment of AD.

Interaction mechanism exploration of HEA derivatives as BACE1 inhibitors by in silico analysis

The β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) initiates the generation of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides which play a critical early role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and thus it is a prime target for lowering the Aβ levels to treat AD.

Copper(ii) incorporated functionalized polystyrene catalyzed N-arylation of amides under solvent free condition with broad substrate scope

A new polymer supported Cu(ii) catalyst has been reported for N-arylation of various amides with aryl halides under neat reaction conditions.

BACE1 (β-secretase) inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

BACE1 (β-secretase, memapsin 2, Asp2) has emerged as a promising target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. BACE1 is an aspartic protease which functions in the first step of the pathway leading to the production and deposition of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ). Its gene deletion showed only mild phenotypes. BACE1 inhibition has direct implications in the Alzheimer's disease pathology without largely affecting viability. However, inhibiting BACE1 selectively in vivo has presented many challenges to medicinal chemists. Since its identification in 2000, inhibitors covering many different structural classes have been designed and developed. These inhibitors can be largely classified as either peptidomimetic or non-peptidic inhibitors. Progress in these fields resulted in inhibitors that contain many targeted drug-like characteristics. In this review, we describe structure-based design strategies and evolution of a wide range of BACE1 inhibitors including compounds that have been shown to reduce brain Aβ, rescue the cognitive decline in transgenic AD mice and inhibitor drug candidates that are currently in clinical trials.

Application of computational methods for the design of BACE-1 inhibitors: validation of in silico modelling

β-Secretase (BACE-1) constitutes an important target for search of anti-Alzheimer’s drugs. The first inhibitors of this enzyme were peptidic compounds with high molecular weight and low bioavailability. Therefore, the search for new efficient non-peptidic inhibitors has been undertaken by many scientific groups. We started our work from the development of in silico methodology for the design of novel BACE-1 ligands. It was validated on the basis of crystal structures of complexes with inhibitors, redocking, cross-docking and training/test sets of reference ligands. The presented procedure of assessment of the novel compounds as β-secretase inhibitors could be widely used in the design process.

Comprehensive 3D-QSAR and binding mode of BACE-1 inhibitors using R-group search and molecular docking

The β-enzyme (BACE), which takes an active part in the processing of amyloid precursor protein, thereby leads to the production of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain, is a major therapeutic target against Alzheimer's disease. The present study is aimed at studying 3D-QSAR of BACE-1 inhibitors and their binding mode. We build a 3D-QSAR model involving 99 training BACE-1 inhibitors based on Topomer CoMFA, and 26 molecules are employed to validate the external predictive power of the model obtained. The multiple correlation coefficients of fitting modeling, leave one out cross validation, and external validation are 0.966, 0.767 and 0.784, respectively. Topomer search is used as a tool for virtual screening in lead-like compounds of ZINC databases (2012); as a result, we successfully design 30 new molecules with higher activity than that of all training and test inhibitors. Besides, Surflex-dock is employed to explore binding mode of the inhibitors studied when acting with BACE-1 enzyme. The result shows that the inhibitors closely interact with the key sites related to ASP93, THR133, GLN134, ASP289, GLY291, THR292, THR293, ASN294, ARG296 and SER386 of BACE-1.

Advances in the identification of β-secretase inhibitors

INTRODUCTION

Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is characterized by progressive intellectual deterioration, is the most common cause of dementia. β-Secretase (or BACE1) expression is a trigger for amyloid β peptide formation, a cause of AD, and thus is a molecular target for the development of drugs against AD. Many BACE1 inhibitors have been identified by academic and pharmaceutical research groups and a number of advanced technologies in drug discovery have been applied to the drug discovery.

AREAS COVERED

The purpose of this review is to present and discuss the methodologies used for BACE1 inhibitor drug discovery via substrate- and structure-based design, high-throughput screening and fragment-based drug design. The authors also review the advantages and disadvantages of these methodologies.

EXPERT OPINION

Many BACE1 inhibitors have been designed using X-ray crystal structure-based drug design as well as through in silico screening. Nevertheless, there are serious problems with regards to deciding the best X-ray crystal structure for designing BACE1 inhibitors through computational approaches. There are two prominent configurations of BACE1 but there is still room for improvement. Future developments may make it possible to identify BACE1 inhibitors as potential drug candidates.

The structural evolution of β-secretase inhibitors: a focus on the development of small-molecule inhibitors

Effective treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a critical unmet need in medicine. The lack of useful treatment for AD led to an intense search for novel therapies based on the amyloid hypothesis, which states that amyloid β-42 (Aβ42) plays an early and crucial role in all cases of AD. β-Secretase (also known as BACE-1 β-site APP-cleaving enzyme, Asp-2 or memapsin-2) is an aspartyl protease representing the rate limiting step in the generation of Aβ peptide fragments, therefore it could represent an important target in the steady hunt for a disease-modifying treatment. Generally, β-secretase inhibitors are grouped into two families: peptidomimetic and nonpeptidomimetic inhibitors. However, irrespective of the class, serious challenges with respect to blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration and selectivity still remain. Discovering a small molecule inhibitor of β-secretase represents an unnerving challenge but, due to its significant potential as a therapeutic target, growing efforts in this task are evident from both academic and industrial laboratories. In this frame, the rising availability of crystal structures of β-secretase-inhibitor complexes represents an invaluable opportunity for optimization. Nevertheless, beyond the inhibitory activity, the major issue of the current research approaches is about problems associated with BBB penetration and pharmacokinetic properties. This review follows the structural evolution of the early β-secretase inhibitors and gives a snap-shot of the hottest chemical templates in the literature of the last five years, showing research progress in this field.

Simple structure-based approach for predicting the activity of inhibitors of beta-secretase (BACE1) associated with Alzheimer's disease

Beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1) is a target of interest for treating patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Inhibition of BACE1 may prevent amyloid-ß (Aß) plaque formation and the development or progression of Alzheimer's disease. Known BACE1 inhibitors were analyzed using computational chemistry and cheminformatics techniques to search for quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR). A remarkable relationship was found with only two simple descriptors. The square of the linear correlation coefficient r(2) is 0.75. The main descriptor is the number of hydrophobic contacts in the range 4-5 Å between the atoms of the ligand and active site. The other descriptor is the number of short (<2.8 Å) hydrogen bonds. Our approach uses readily available structural data on protein-inhibitor complexes in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) but would be equally applicable to proprietary structural biology data. The findings can aid structure-based design of improved BACE-1 inhibitors. If an inhibitor has less observed activity than predicted by our correlation, the compound should be retested because the first assay may have underestimated the compound's true activity.

Small-molecule BACE1 inhibitors: a patent literature review (2006 - 2011)

INTRODUCTION

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder for which no disease-modifying therapy exists. The amyloid hypothesis, which implicates Aβ as the toxin initiating a biological cascade leading to neurodegeneration, is the most prominent theory concerning the underlying cause of the disease. BACE1 is one of two aspartyl proteinases that generate Aβ, thus inhibition of BACE1 has the potential to ameliorate the progression of Alzheimer's disease by abating the production of Aβ.

AREAS COVERED

This review chronicles small-molecule BACE1 inhibitors as described in the patent literature between 2006 and 2011 and their potential use as disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease. Over the past half a dozen years, numerous BACE1 inhibitors have been published in the patent applications, but often these contain a paltry amount of pertinent biological data (e.g. potency, selectivity, and efficacy). Fortunately, numerous relevant publications containing important data have appeared in the journal literature during this period. The goal in this effort was to create an amalgam of the two records to add value to this review.

EXPERT OPINION

The pharmaceutical industry has made tremendous progress in the development of small-molecule BACE1 inhibitors that lower Aβ in the central nervous system. Assuming the amyloid hypothesis is veracious, we anticipate a disease-modifying therapy to combat Alzheimer's disease is near.

Developing β-secretase inhibitors for treatment of Alzheimer's disease

β-Secretase (memapsin 2; BACE-1) is the first protease in the processing of amyloid precursor protein leading to the production of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain. It is believed that high levels of brain Aβ are responsible for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, β-secretase is a major therapeutic target for the development of inhibitor drugs. During the past decade, steady progress has been made in the evolution of β-secretase inhibitors toward better drug properties. Recent inhibitors are potent, selective and have been shown to penetrate the blood-brain barrier to inhibit Aβ levels in the brains of experimental animals. Moreover, continuous administration of a β-secretase inhibitor was shown to rescue age-related cognitive decline in transgenic AD mice. A small number of β-secretase inhibitors have also entered early phase clinical trials. These developments offer some optimism for the clinical development of a disease-modifying drug for AD.

Progress in the development of beta-secretase inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease

Since the original identification of BACE in 1999 and until quite recently, BACE was often regarded as a "difficult" drug target, much as renin has proven to be. The reasons for this include the following. First, the long and shallow nature of the substrate binding pocket suggested that it would not be possible to identify small molecule drugs that could have adequate binding affinity. Second, functional groups that typically interact with the active site aspartates are usually highly polarized and, therefore, contribute to reduced CNS localization. Early BACE inhibitors were all designed using knowledge of the peptide substrates and usually contained some variation of a few well-known transition-state isosteres. While these had great impact on fundamental understanding of the enzyme structure and key interaction regions, they were very large, very polar, and had essentially no CNS availability. Continued progress by reducing the peptidic nature of these compounds resulted in incremental advances and has provided compounds that meet, or nearly meet, typical CNS drug-like criteria. The challenges associated with peptidic starting points inspired innovative new approaches to search for different starting points. Several groups employed high concentration screening (ligand concentration 100 microM and higher) to find weak hits after conventional screening (typically at 10 microM) failed to find more potent ones. Fragment-based methods have also been developed to identify even weaker hits (IC50 1 mM and greater). This was accomplished through the evolution and refinement of several detection methodologies including calorimetry, surface plasmon resonance, NMR, and crystallography. Coupled with detailed structural understanding of ligand-enzyme interactions and focus on maintaining ligand efficiency, these developments have resulted in several examples where potency was improved by 10,000-fold to afford compounds with IC50 values < 10 nM and promising drug-like characteristics. Together, all these efforts have afforded a diverse array of chemotypes as BACE inhibitors. Early work focused on improving BACE potency in isolated enzyme assays. However, most of these compounds showed potency reductions in cellular assays. Continued improvements in drug properties and in understanding of the physiologically relevant conditions have resulted in many compounds that show strong potency in both isolated and cellular assays. Several compounds have shown reduction of Abeta using rodent in-vivo models both peripherally and in the brain. Recently, one compound has demonstrated reduction of brain Abeta levels in a non-human primate. Phase I clinical trials were initiated on BACE inhibitor CTS-21166 from CoMentis in July of 2007. This compound derives from the earliest described peptidic inhibitors such as OM99-2 [58] but no details have been reported. In addition to strategies involving small molecule inhibitors of BACE and gamma-secretase to reduce Abeta levels, the application of biological agents has been under investigation since the identification of Abeta. The earliest efforts in this area failed. Despite encouraging results in preclinical models, immunization against Abeta by administration of AN-1792 from Elan led to development of aseptic meningoencephalitis in 6% of the patients receiving the drug. Nevertheless, continued efforts with other biological approaches appear encouraging. Most advanced in clinical trials is bapineuzumab from Elan, which is in Phase III clinical trials. This is a humanized monoclonal antibody against Abeta plaques. A recent monograph is devoted to progress in these areas. Taken together, considerable progress has been made in developing CNS-penetrant agents that reduce AP levels and in providing validation that such agents will be therapeutically beneficial for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Rationalizing fragment based drug discovery for BACE1: insights from FB-QSAR, FB-QSSR, multi objective (MO-QSPR) and MIF studies

The ability to identify fragments that interact with a biological target is a key step in FBDD. To date, the concept of fragment based drug design (FBDD) is increasingly driven by bio-physical methods. To expand the boundaries of QSAR paradigm, and to rationalize FBDD using In silico approach, we propose a fragment based QSAR methodology referred here in as FB-QSAR. The FB-QSAR methodology was validated on a dataset consisting of 52 Hydroxy ethylamine (HEA) inhibitors, disclosed by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals as potential anti-Alzheimer agents. To address the issue of target selectivity, a major confounding factor in the development of selective BACE1 inhibitors, FB-QSSR models were developed using the reported off target activity values. A heat map constructed, based on the activity and selectivity profile of the individual R-group fragments, and was in turn used to identify superior R-group fragments. Further, simultaneous optimization of multiple properties, an issue encountered in real-world drug discovery scenario, and often overlooked in QSAR approaches, was addressed using a Multi Objective (MO-QSPR) method that balances properties, based on the defined objectives. MO-QSPR was implemented using Derringer and Suich desirability algorithm to identify the optimal level of independent variables (X) that could confer a trade-off between selectivity and activity. The results obtained from FB-QSAR were further substantiated using MIF (Molecular Interaction Fields) studies. To exemplify the potentials of FB-QSAR and MO-QSPR in a pragmatic fashion, the insights gleaned from the MO-QSPR study was reverse engineered using Inverse-QSAR in a combinatorial fashion to enumerate some prospective novel, potent and selective BACE1 inhibitors.

Comparative molecular field analysis and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis of hydroxyethylamine derivatives as selective human BACE-1 inhibitor

Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) models were developed based on comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA), on a series of 43 hydroxyethylamine derivatives, acting as potent inhibitors of beta-site amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleavage enzyme (BACE-1). The crystal structure of the BACE-1 enzyme (PDB ID: 2HM1) with one of the most active compound 28 was available, and we assumed it to be the bioactive conformation of the studied series, for 3D-QSAR analysis. Statistically significant 3D-QSAR model was established on a training set of 34 compounds, which were validated by a test set of 9 compounds. For the best CoMFA model, the statistics are, r2 = 0.998, r2 cv =0.810, n = 34 for the training set and r2 pred = 0.934, n = 9 for the test set. For the best CoMSIA model (combined steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic, and hydrogen bond donor fields), the statistics are r2 = 0.978, r2 cv = 0.754, n = 34 for the training set and r2 pred = 0.750, n = 9 for the test set. The resulting contour maps, produced by the best CoMFA and CoMSIA models, were used to identify the structural features relevant to the biological activity in this series of analogs. The data generated from the present study will further help to design novel, potent, and selective BACE-1 inhibitors.

beta-Secretase as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease

beta-Secretase (memapsin 2, BACE1) is an attractive target for the development of inhibitor drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). Not only does this protease function at the first step in the pathway leading to the production of amyloid-beta (Abeta), its gene deletion produces only mild phenotypes. In addition, beta-secretase is an aspartic protease whose mechanism and inhibition are well known. The development of beta-secretase inhibitors, actively pursued over the last seven years, has been slow, due to the difficulty in combining the required properties in a single inhibitor molecule. Steady progress in this field, however, has brought about inhibitors that contain many targeted characteristics. In this review, we describe the strategy of structure-based inhibitor evolution in the development of beta-secretase inhibitor drug. The current status of the field offers grounds for some optimism, in that beta-secretase inhibitors have been shown to reduce brain Abeta and to rescue the cognitive decline in transgenic AD mice, and an orally available beta-secretase inhibitor drug candidate is in clinical trial. With this knowledge base, it seems reasonable to expect that more drug candidates will be tested in human, and then successful disease-modifying drugs may ultimately emerge from this target.