Discovery of novel triazine derivatives as potent retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) inverse agonists

An overview of small-molecule agents for the treatment of psoriasis

Psoriasis is a prevalent, chronic inflammatory disease characterized by abnormal skin plaques. To date, physical therapy, topical therapy, systemic therapy and biologic drugs are the most commonly employed strategies for treating psoriasis. Recently, many agents have advanced to clinical trials, and some anti-psoriasis drugs have been approved, including antibody drugs and small-molecule drugs. Many antibody drugs targeting cytokines and receptors, such as interleukin (IL-17 and IL-23) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), have been approved for the treatment of psoriasis. And numerous small-molecule agents have displayed promising activities in the treatment of psoriasis. The targets of anti-psoriasis drugs encompass phosphodiesterase IV (PDE4), Janus kinase (JAK), tyrosine kinase (TYK), retinoic acid-related orphan receptors (ROR), vitamin D receptor (VDR), Interleukin (IL), Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK), chemoattractant-like receptor 1 (ChemR23), Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor (S1P), A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR), Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), The Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCK), The bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET), FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3), Tumor Necrosis Factor α Converting Enzyme (TACE), Toll-like receptors (TLR), NF-κB inducing kinase (NIK), DNA topoisomerase I (Topo I), among others. Herein, this review mainly recapitulates the advancements in the structure and enzyme activity of small-molecule anti-psoriasis agents over the last ten years, and their binding modes were also explored. Hopefully, this review will facilitate the development of novel small-molecule agents as potential anti-psoriasis drugs.

Novel trifluoromethyl ketone derivatives as oral cPLA2/COX-2 dual inhibitors for resolution of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis

Thirty-five trifluoromethyl hydrazones and seventeen trifluoromethyl oxime esters were designed and synthesized via molecular hybridization. All the target compounds were initially screened for in vitro anti-inflammatory activity by assessing their inhibitory effect on NO release in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, and the optimal compound was finally identified as 2-(3-Methoxyphenyl)-N'-((6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)-1,1,1-trifluorohenicosa-6,9,12,15-tetraen-2-ylidene)acetohydrazide (F26, IC50 = 4.55 ± 0.92 μM) with no cytotoxicity. Moreover, F26 potently reduced the production of PGE2 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells compared to indomethacin. The interaction of F26 with COX-2 and cPLA2 was directly verified by the CETSA technique. F26 was found to modulate the phosphorylation levels of p38 MAPK and NF-κB p65, as well as the protein expression of IκB, cPLA2, COX-2, and iNOS in LPS-stimulated rat peritoneal macrophages. Additionally, F26 was observed to prevent the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 in LPS-stimulated rat peritoneal macrophages by immunofluorescence localization. Therefore, the aforementioned in vitro experiments demonstrated that F26 blocked the p38 MAPK and NF-κB pathways by binding to COX-2 and cPLA2. In the adjuvant-induced arthritis model, F26 demonstrated a significant effect in preventing arthritis symptoms and inflammatory status in rats, exerting an immunomodulatory role by regulating the homeostasis between Th17 and Treg through inhibition of the p38 MAPK/cPLA2/COX-2/PGE2 and NF-κB pathways. Encouragingly, F26 caused less acute ulcerogenicity in rats at a dose of 50 mg/kg compared to indomethacin. Overall, F26 is a promising candidate worthy of further investigation for treating inflammation and associated pain with lesser gastrointestinal irritation, as well as other symptoms in which cPLA2 and COX-2 are implicated in the pathophysiology.

Discovery of novel NSAID hybrids as cPLA2/COX-2 dual inhibitors alleviating rheumatoid arthritis via inhibiting p38 MAPK pathway

A series of NSAIDs hybrid molecules were synthesized and characterized, and their ability to inhibit NO release in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages was evaluated. Most of the compounds showed significant anti-inflammatory activity in vitro, of which (2E,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)-1,1,1-trifluorohenicosa-2,6,9,12,15-pentaen-2-yl 2-(4-benzoylphenyl) propanoate (VI-60) was the most optimal (IC50 = 3.85 ± 0.25 μΜ) and had no cytotoxicity. In addition, VI-60 notably reduced the production of PGE2 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells compared to ketoprofen. Futhur more, VI-60 significantly inhibited the expression of iNOS, cPLA2, and COX-2 and the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The binding of VI-60 to cPLA2 and COX-2 was directly verified by the CETSA technique. In vivo studies illustrated that VI-60 exerted an excellent therapeutic effect on adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats by regulating the balance between Th17 and Treg through inhibiting the p38 MAPK/cPLA2/COX-2/PGE2 pathway. Encouragingly, VI-60 showed a lower ulcerative potential in rats at a dose of 50 mg/kg compared to ketoprofen. In conclusion, the hybrid molecules of NSAIDs and trifluoromethyl enols are promising candidates worthy of further investigation for the treatment of inflammation, pain, and other symptoms in which cPLA2 and COX-2 play a role in their etiology.

Discovery of Biaryl Amide Derivatives as Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable RORγt Agonists for Cancer Immunotherapy

The master transcription factor receptor retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) regulates the differentiation of T-helper 17 (Th17) cells and the production of interleukin-17 (IL-17). Activation of RORγt+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment promotes immune infiltration to more effectively inhibit tumor growth. Therefore, RORγt agonists provide a reachable approach to cancer immunotherapy. Herein, a series of biaryl amide derivatives as novel RORγt agonists were designed, synthesized, and evaluated. Starting from the reported RORγt inverse agonist GSK805 (1), "functionality switching" and structure-based drug optimization led to the discovery of a promising RORγt agonist lead compound 14, which displayed potent and selective RORγt agonist activity and significantly improved metabolic stability. With excellent in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles, compound 14 demonstrated robust efficacy in preclinical tumor models of mouse B16F10 melanoma and LLC lung adenocarcinoma. Taken together, current studies indicate that 14 deserves further investigation as a potential lead RORγt agonist for cancer immunotherapy.