Solid phase chemistry approach to the SAR development of a novel class of active site-directed thrombin inhibitors

Visible-light-induced tandem cyclization of 2-alkynylanilines with disulfides: a convenient method for accessing benzothiophenes under transition-metal-free and photocatalyst-free conditions

An efficient route to benzothiophenes via visible-light induced cyclization of 2-alkynylanilines with disulfides under transition-metal-free and photocatalyst-free conditions was developed.

Benzo[b]thiophene-based histone deacetylase inhibitors

Benzo[b]thienyl hydroxamic acids, a novel class of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, were identified via a targeted screen of small molecule hydroxamic acids. Various substitutions were explored in the C5- and C6-positions of the benzo[b]thiophene core to characterize SAR and develop optimal inhibitors. It was determined that substitution at the C6-position of the benzo[b]thiophene core with a three-atom spacer yielded optimal HDAC1 inhibition and anti-proliferative activity in murine erythroleukemia (SC-9) cells.

Titanium Reagents for the Synthesis of 2-Substituted Benzo[b]thiophenes on the Solid Phase

Titanium(IV) benzylidenes (Schrock carbenes) bearing a masked sulfur nucleophile in the ortho position were generated from thioacetals with use of low-valent titanocene complex Cp(2)Ti[P(OEt)(3)](2) and alkylidenated Merrifield resin-bound esters to give enol ethers. Treatment of the resin-bound enol ethers with a 5:5:90 mixture of TFA, TFAA, and dichloromethane led to cleavage from resin, removal of the tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBDMS) protecting group, and concomitant cyclization to complete the traceless solid-phase synthesis (SPS) of benzothiophenes. Switching the nature of the linker from acid-stable to acid-sensitive ensured good purity.

Solid-phase synthesis of peptidomimetic inhibitors for the hepatitis C virus NS3 protease

The NS3 serine protease enzyme of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is essential for viral replication. Short peptides mimicking the N-terminal substrate cleavage products of the NS3 protease are known to act as weak inhibitors of the enzyme and have been used as templates for the design of peptidomimetic inhibitors. Automated solid-phase synthesis of a small library of compounds based on such a peptidomimetic scaffold has led to the identification of potent and highly selective inhibitors of the NS3 protease enzyme.

1,2-Dibenzamidobenzene inhibitors of human factor Xa

High-throughput screening of a combinatorial library of diamidophenols yielded lead compounds with the ability to inhibit human factor Xa (fXa) at micromolar concentrations (e.g. compound 4, fXa apparent K(ass) = 0.64 x 10(6) L/mol). SAR studies in this novel structural series of fXa inhibitors showed that the phenolic hydroxyl group was not essential for activity. The best activity was found in substituted 1,2-dibenzamidobenzenes in which the phenyl group of one benzoyl group (A-ring) was substituted in the 4-position with relatively small lipophilic or polarizable groups such as methoxy, vinyl, or chloro and the phenyl group of the other benzoyl group (B-ring) was substituted in the 4-position with larger lipophilic groups such as tert-butyl or dimethylamino. The central phenyl ring (C-ring) tolerated a wide variety of substituents, but methoxy, methanesulfonamido, hydroxyl, and carboxyl substitution produced slightly higher levels of activity than other substituents when present in combination with favorable B-ring substitution. Methylation of the amide nitrogen atoms was found to greatly decrease activity. Compound 12 is the highest affinity fXa inhibitor in this group of compounds, having fXa apparent K(ass) = 25.5 x 10(6) L/mol, about 40x more active than the original lead. This lead series does not show potent inhibition of human thrombin. A model for the binding of these ligands to the fXa active site is proposed. The model is consistent with the observed SAR and can serve to guide future SAR studies.

Structure-based design of potent, amidine-derived inhibitors of factor Xa: evaluation of selectivity, anticoagulant activity, and antithrombotic activity

To enhance the potency of 1,2-dibenzamidobenzene-derived inhibitors of factor Xa (fXa), an amidine substituent was incorporated on one of the benzoyl side chains to interact with Asp189 in the S1 specificity pocket. Lead molecule 1 was docked into the active site of fXa to facilitate inhibitor design. Subsequently, iterative SAR studies and molecular modeling led to a 1000-fold increase in fXa affinity and a refined model of the new inhibitors in the fXa active site. Strong support for the computational model was achieved through the acquisition of an X-ray crystal structure using thrombin as a surrogate protein. The amidines in this series show high levels of selectivity for the inhibition of fXa relative to other trypsin-like serine proteases. Furthermore, the fXa affinity of compounds in this series (K(ass) = 50-500 x 10(6) L/mol) translates effectively into both anticoagulant activity in vitro and antithrombotic activity in vivo.