Novel inhibitors of potassium ion channels on human T lymphocytes

Antibodies and venom peptides: new modalities for ion channels

Ion channels play fundamental roles in both excitable and non-excitable tissues and therefore constitute attractive drug targets for myriad neurological, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases as well as for cancer and immunomodulation. However, achieving selectivity for specific ion channel subtypes with small-molecule drugs has been challenging, and there currently is a growing trend to target ion channels with biologics. One approach is to improve the pharmacokinetics of existing or novel venom-derived peptides. In parallel, after initial studies with polyclonal antibodies demonstrated the technical feasibility of inhibiting channel function with antibodies, multiple preclinical programmes are now using the full spectrum of available technologies to generate conventional monoclonal and engineered antibodies or nanobodies against extracellular loops of ion channels. After a summary of the current state of ion channel drug discovery, this Review discusses recent developments using the purinergic receptor channel P2X purinoceptor 7 (P2X7), the voltage-gated potassium channel KV1.3 and the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7 as examples of targeting ion channels with biologics.

Brønsted acid-catalyzed, enantioselective synthesis of 1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylates via in situ generated ortho-quinone methide imines

A straightforward approach toward the synthesis of a broad range of 1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylates is described. Under phosphoric acid catalysis in situ-generated ortho-quinone methide imines reacted with β-keto esters to form the nitrogen heterocycles with good chemical yields and enantioselectivities.

Biarylmethane and Fused Heterocyclic Arene Synthesis via in Situ Generated o- and/or p-Naphthoquinone Methides

o- and/or p-naphthoquinone methides (NQMs) can be selectively prepared by the ring opening of 1-(siloxymethyl)-1,4-epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalene derivatives based on a substituent effect at the 4 position of the substrates. The 4-alkyl- or silyl-substituted 1-(siloxymethyl)-1,4-epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalene was transformed to o-NQM (1-naphthoquinone-2-methide), which underwent Friedel-Crafts 1,4-addition of the α,β-unsaturated carbonyl moiety to provide the 2-benzyl-1-naphthol as the biarylmethane and [4 + 2]-cycloaddition with a dienophile to give the fused heterocyclic arene. Meanwhile, the 4-unsubstituted 1-(siloxymethyl)-1,4-epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalene could be converted to the corresponding 4-benzyl-1-naphthol by the Friedel-Crafts 1,6-addition of p-NQM (1-naphthoquinone-4-methide) generated by the site-selective ring opening of the 1,4-epoxy moiety. Furthermore, the 4-(siloxymethyl)-(1,4-bis(siloxymethyl))-1,4-epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalene was transformed into a 2,4-bisbenzyl-1-naphthol or pentacyclic derivative via both the o- and p-NQM intermediates.

Expression and function of a CP339,818-sensitive K⁺ current in a subpopulation of putative nociceptive neurons from adult mouse trigeminal ganglia

Trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons are functionally and morphologically heterogeneous, and the molecular basis of this heterogeneity is still not fully understood. Here we describe experiments showing that a subpopulation of neurons expresses a delayed-rectifying K(+) current (IDRK) with a characteristically high (nanomolar) sensitivity to the dihydroquinoline CP339,818 (CP). Although submicromolar CP has previously been shown to selectively block Kv1.3 and Kv1.4 channels, the CP-sensitive IDRK found in TG neurons could not be associated with either of these two K(+) channels. It could neither be associated with Kv2.1 channels homomeric or heteromerically associated with the Kv9.2, Kv9.3, or Kv6.4 subunits, whose block by CP, tested using two-electrode voltage-clamp recordings from Xenopus oocytes, resulted in the low micromolar range, nor to the Kv7 subfamily, given the lack of blocking efficacy of 3 μM XE991. Within the group of multiple-firing neurons considered in this study, the CP-sensitive IDRK was preferentially expressed in a subpopulation showing several nociceptive markers, such as small membrane capacitance, sensitivity to capsaicin, and slow afterhyperpolarization (AHP); in these neurons the CP-sensitive IDRK controls the membrane resting potential, the firing frequency, and the AHP duration. A biophysical study of the CP-sensitive IDRK indicated the presence of two kinetically distinct components: a fast deactivating component having a relatively depolarized steady-state inactivation (IDRKf) and a slow deactivating component with a more hyperpolarized V1/2 for steady-state inactivation (IDRKs).

Synthesis and evaluation of a 125I-labeled iminodihydroquinoline-derived tracer for imaging of voltage-gated sodium channels

In vivo imaging of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) can potentially provide insights into the activation of neuronal pathways and aid the diagnosis of a number of neurological diseases. The iminodihydroquinoline WIN17317-3 is one of the most potent sodium channel blockers reported to date and binds with high affinity to VGSCs throughout the rat brain. We have synthesized a ¹²⁵I-labeled analogue of WIN17317-3 and evaluated the potential of the tracer for imaging of VGSCs with SPECT. Automated patch clamp studies with CHO cells expressing the Na_v1.2 isoform and displacement studies with [³H]BTX yielded comparable results for the non-radioactive iodinated iminodihydroquinoline and WIN17317-3. However, the ¹²⁵I-labeled tracer was rapidly metabolized in vivo, and suffered from low brain uptake and high accumulation of radioactivity in the intestines. The results suggest that iminodihydroquinolines are poorly suited for tracer development.

The Lymphocyte Potassium Channels Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 as Targets for Immunosuppression

The voltage-gated Kv1.3 and the calcium-activated KCa3.1 potassium channel modulate many calcium-dependent cellular processes in immune cells, including T-cell activation and proliferation, and have therefore been proposed as novel therapeutic targets for immunomodulation. Kv1.3 is highly expressed in CCR7(-) effector memory T cells and is emerging as a target for T-cell mediated diseases like multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type-1 diabetes mellitus, allergic contact dermatitis, and psoriasis. KCa3.1 in contrast is expressed in CCR7(+) naïve and central memory T cells, as well as in mast cells, macrophages, dedifferentiated vascular smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, vascular endothelium, and airway epithelium. Given this expression pattern, KCa3.1 is a potential therapeutic target for conditions ranging from inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and asthma to cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis and post-angioplasty restenosis. Results from animal studies have been supportive of the therapeutic potential of both Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 blockers and have also not shown any toxicities associated with pharmacological Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 blockade. To date, two compounds targeting Kv1.3 are in preclinical development but, so far, no Kv1.3 blocker has advanced into clinical trials. KCa3.1 blockers, on the other hand, have been evaluated in clinical trials for sickle cell anemia and exercise-induced asthma, but have so far not shown efficacy. However, the trial results support KCa3.1 as a safe therapeutic target, and will hopefully help enable clinical trials for other medical conditions that might benefit from KCa3.1 blockade.

Spiro azepane-oxazolidinones as Kv1.3 potassium channel blockers: WO2010066840

This article evaluates a patent application from Solvay Pharmaceuticals, which claims spiro azepane-oxazolidinones as novel blockers of the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 for the treatment of diabetes, psoriasis, obesity, transplant rejection and T-cell mediated autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and MS. The patent describes a new chemotype of Kv1.3 blockers and thus illustrates the growing interest of the pharmaceutical industry in Kv1.3 as a target of immunosuppression and metabolic disorders. This article briefly summarizes the chemistry and biological data provided in the patent and then compares the new compounds to Kv1.3 blockers previously disclosed by both academia and pharmaceutical companies.

Kv1.3 potassium channels as a therapeutic target in multiple sclerosis

We discuss the potential use of inhibitors of Kv1.3 potassium channels in T lymphocytes as therapeutics for multiple sclerosis. Current treatment strategies target the immune system in a non-selective manner. The resulting general immunosuppression, toxic side-effects and increased risk of opportunistic infections create the need for more selective therapeutics. Autoreactive effector-memory T (T(EM)) cells, considered to be major mediators of autoimmunity, express large numbers of Kv1.3 channels. Selective blockers of Kv1.3 inhibit calcium signaling, cytokine production and proliferation of T(EM) cells in vitro, and T(EM) cell-motility in vivo. Kv1.3 blockers ameliorate disease in animal models of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes mellitus and contact dermatitis without compromising the protective immune response to acute infections. Kv1.3 blockers have a good safety profile in rodents and primates.

Recent advances in the synthesis of indole and quinoline derivatives through cascade reactions

Indoles and quinolines are ubiquitous structural motifs in many natural products and biologically active pharmaceuticals. The pursuit of synthetic efficiency has stimulated the design and development of new synthetic strategies to construct these heterocycles. One of the most effective ways of achieving efficiency is to implement reaction cascades, enabling multiple bond-forming and bond-cleaving events to occur in a single synthetic operation, thus circumventing the waste associated with traditional stepwise synthesis. In general, cascade reactions offer the opportunity to access highly functionalized final products from simple starting materials. For all these reasons, it is not a surprise that most of the recently reported methods for the synthesis of indoles and quinolines are based on the use of cascade reactions. In this Focus Review we discuss some of the most representative and interesting recent reports on the synthesis of indoles and quinolines through cascade reactions.

Potassium Channels in T Lymphocytes

Human peripheral blood T lymphocytes possess two types of K(+) channels: the voltage-gated Kv1.3 and the calcium-activated IKCa1 channels. The use of peptidyl inhibitors of Kv1.3 and IKCa1 indicated that these channels are involved in the maintenance of membrane potential and that they play a crucial role in Ca(2+) signaling during T-cell activation. Thus, in vitro blockade of Kv1.3 and IKCa1 leads to inhibition of cytokine production and lymphocyte proliferation. These observations prompted several groups of investigators in academia and pharmaceutical companies to characterize the expression of Kv1.3 and IKCa1 in different subsets of human T lymphocytes and to evaluate their potential as novel targets for immunosuppression. Recent in vivo studies showed that chronically activated T lymphocytes involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis present unusually high expression of Kv1.3 channels and that the treatment with selective Kv1.3 inhibitors can either prevent or ameliorate the symptoms of the disease. In this model of multiple sclerosis, blockade of IKCa1 channels had no effect alone, but improved the response to Kv1.3 inhibitors. In addition, the expression of Kv1.3 and IKCa1 channels in human cells is very restricted, which makes them attractive targets for a more cell-specific and less harmful action than what is typically obtained with classical immunosuppressants. Studies using high-throughput toxin displacement, (86)Rb-efflux screening or membrane potential assays led to the identification of non-peptidyl small molecules with high affinity for Kv1.3 or IKCa1 channels. Analysis of structure-function relationships in Kv1.3 and IKCa1 channels helped define the binding sites for channel blockers, allowing the design of a new generation of small molecules with selectivity for either Kv1.3 or IKCa1, which could help the development of new drugs for safer treatment of auto-immune diseases.

A high-throughput HERG potassium channel function assay: an old assay with a new look

In this paper, we describe an assay using radioactive rubidium (86Rb) efflux to screen functional human ether-a go-go-related gene (HERG) K+ channels in a high-throughput screening (HTS) format. This assay offers an alternative way to examine junctional interactions between chemical compounds and HERG K+ channels. Follow-up experiments and discussions were carried out to address a variety of factors that affect potency evaluation within the Rb efflux assay. Factors that can affect the assay results, such as assay time, efflux rate, and compound blocking kinetics, are discussed in detail. Our results provide some explanations for the variances of the assay results and offer some guidelines for using the Rb efflux assay to evaluate compound interactions with HERG K+ channels in the pharmaceutical industry.

The recent impact of solid-phase synthesis on medicinally relevant benzoannelated nitrogen heterocycles

Benzoannelated heterocycles such as benzodiazepines and indoles can be prepared efficiently through cyclization on solid supports, although no single approach is currently universal for the preparation of all benzoannelated N-heterocycle chemistries. In this review, a number of synthetic strategies for the generation of benzoannelated nitrogen heterocycles using resin-bound substrates have been described. Classical heterocycle forming reactions such as the Fischer indole, the Bischler-Napieralski tetrahydroisoquinoline, the Pictet-Spengler tetrahydro-beta-carboline, the Tsuge, the Nenitzescu and the Richter cinnoline reaction are presented. In addition, the Heck, Sonogashira, Wittig, Diels-Alder, and olefin metathesis reactions have been also used. Multicomponent reactions such as the Grieco three-component assembly have been exploited for the synthesis of heterocycles. Cyclative cleavage from the solid support is particularly suitable for the synthesis of heterocycles while particular emphasis has been focused on the synthesis of libraries and the use of combinatorial chemistry techniques. In addition, the most relevant pharmacological properties of benzoannelated nitrogen heterocycles are included.

WIN 17317-3 blocks Ca2+-activated K+ channels and enhances motility of guinea-pig detrusor muscle

Patch-clamp experiments in both clonal GH3 cells and guinea-pig bladder myocytes reveal that 1-benzyl-7-chloro-4-(n-pentylimino)-1,4-dihydroquinoline hydrochloride (WIN 17317-3), a potent blocker of Kv1.3 channels and potential immunomodulator, reduces, in a reversible manner and at low micromolar concentrations, K+ currents through Ca2+-activated high conductance K+ channels (BK channels). Blockade of BK channels is thought to account for the stimulatory effect of WIN 17317-3 on the contractility of guinea-pig bladder. This effect is not modified by tetrodotoxin (1 microM), but is abolished by nifedipine (0.1 microM). In conclusion. WIN 17317-3 lacks selectivity for the Kv1.3 channels, its postulated target for immunosuppression.

Molecular properties and physiological roles of ion channels in the immune system

The discovery of a diverse and unique set of ion channels in T lymphocytes has led to a rapidly growing body of knowledge about their functional roles in the immune system. Here we review the biophysical and molecular characterization of K+, Ca2+, and Cl- channels in T lymphocytes. Potent and specific blockers, especially of K+ channels, have provided molecular tools to elucidate the involvement of voltage- and calcium-activated potassium channels in T-cell activation and cell-volume regulation. Their unique and differential expression makes lymphocyte K+ channels excellent pharmaceutical targets for modulating immune system function. This review surveys recent progress at the biophysical, molecular, and functional roles of the ion channels found in T lymphocytes.

K(+) channel-blocking alkoxypsoralens inhibit the immune response of encephalitogenic T line cells and lymphocytes from Lewis rats challenged for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Alkoxypsoralens, known as DNA photomodifying agents, have been shown to block voltage-dependent K(+) channels (Kv) as well as to alleviate functional deficits in certain multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in a manner similar to 4-aminopyridine. Since Kv channel blockers are known to inhibit T cell-mediated immune responses both in vitro and in vivo, we investigated the effects of three alkoxypsoralens, 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP), 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), and 5,8-diethoxypsoralen (H37), on the following parameters: (1) whole-cell K(+) currents of encephalitogenic, myelin basic protein-specific memory T cell line cells (MBP-TCLC) derived from Lewis rats as measured by patch-clamp technique, (2) proliferation of MBP-TCLC and lymph node cells (LNC) from Lewis rats challenged for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) by immunisation with spinal cord homogenate as measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation, (3) interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) secretion of MBP-TCLC as measured by ELISA, and (4) IFN-gamma gene expression of LNC as measured by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with ELISA-detection. The examined alkoxypsoralens exhibited suppressive effects on the measured parameters with the same sequence of efficacy: H37>5-MOP>8-MOP. We, therefore, conclude that Kv channel-blocking alkoxypsoralens interfere with voltage-controlled signal transduction in lymphocytes and might thereby suppress immune responses in autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system and most likely also in other autoimmune disorders. Thus, alkoxypsoralens, especially the non-phototoxic substance H37, are new candidates for further studies on K(+) channel blocking immunosuppressive drugs. The agents may exert a dual beneficial effect on demyelinating diseases like MS, because they could attenuate the inflammatory process and improve axonal conductivity.

Pharmacology of voltage-gated and calcium-activated potassium channels

Several important new findings have furthered the development of voltage-gated and calcium-activated potassium channel pharmacology. The molecular constituents of several members of these large ion channel families were identified. Small-molecule modulators of some of these channels were reported, including correolide, the first potent, small-molecule, natural product inhibitor of the Shaker family of voltage-gated potassium channels to be disclosed. The initial crystal structure of a bacterial potassium channel was determined; this work gives a physical basis for understanding the mechanisms of ion selectivity and ion conduction. With the recent molecular characterization of a potassium channel structure and the discovery of new templates for channel modulatory agents, the ability to rationally identify and develop potassium channel agonists and antagonists may become a reality in the near future.

A nongenomic mechanism for progesterone-mediated immunosuppression: inhibition of K+ channels, Ca2+ signaling, and gene expression in T lymphocytes

The mechanism by which progesterone causes localized suppression of the immune response during pregnancy has remained elusive. Using human T lymphocytes and T cell lines, we show that progesterone, at concentrations found in the placenta, rapidly and reversibly blocks voltage-gated and calcium-activated K+ channels (KV and KCa, respectively), resulting in depolarization of the membrane potential. As a result, Ca2+ signaling and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT)-driven gene expression are inhibited. Progesterone acts distally to the initial steps of T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated signal transduction, since it blocks sustained Ca2+ signals after thapsigargin stimulation, as well as oscillatory Ca2+ signals, but not the Ca2+ transient after TCR stimulation. K+ channel blockade by progesterone is specific; other steroid hormones had little or no effect, although the progesterone antagonist RU 486 also blocked KV and KCa channels. Progesterone effectively blocked a broad spectrum of K+ channels, reducing both Kv1.3 and charybdotoxin-resistant components of KV current and KCa current in T cells, as well as blocking several cloned KV channels expressed in cell lines. Progesterone had little or no effect on a cloned voltage-gated Na+ channel, an inward rectifier K+ channel, or on lymphocyte Ca2+ and Cl- channels. We propose that direct inhibition of K+ channels in T cells by progesterone contributes to progesterone-induced immunosuppression.

Ion channels in the immune system as targets for immunosuppression

The discovery of a diverse and unique subset of ion channels in T lymphocytes has led to a rapidly growing body of knowledge about their functional roles in the immune system. Potent and specific blockers have provided molecular tools to probe channel structure-function relations and to elucidate the involvement of K+, Ca2+, and Cl- channels in T-cell activation and cell volume regulation. Recent advances in analyzing Kv1.3 channel structure-function relationships have defined binding sites for channel blockers, which have now been shown to be effective in suppressing T-cell function in vivo. Ion channels may provide excellent pharmaceutical targets for modulating immune system function.