Discovery of an orally efficacious inhibitor of coagulation factor Xa which incorporates a neutral P1 ligand

Two-pot synthesis and photophysical studies of 1,6-disubstituted 5-aza-indoles from succinaldehyde and N-aryl propargylic-imines

A two-pot synthesis of 5-aza-indoles has been developed from aqueous succinaldehyde and N-aryl propargylic-imines. This overall protocol involves: (i) the metal-free [3 + 2] annulation of aqueous succinaldehyde and N-aryl propargylic-imines to access 2-alkynyl-pyrrole-3-aldehydes and (ii) Ag-catalyzed 6-endo-dig-cyclization to obtain substituted 5-aza-indoles in the second pot. The 5-aza-indoles showed engaging photophysical activities, and the practicality of this pot-economic gram-scale synthesis has been demonstrated.

Tetrazoles via Multicomponent Reactions

Tetrazole derivatives are a prime class of heterocycles, very important to medicinal chemistry and drug design due to not only their bioisosterism to carboxylic acid and amide moieties but also to their metabolic stability and other beneficial physicochemical properties. Although more than 20 FDA-approved drugs contain 1 H- or 2 H-tetrazole substituents, their exact binding mode, structural biology, 3D conformations, and in general their chemical behavior is not fully understood. Importantly, multicomponent reaction (MCR) chemistry offers convergent access to multiple tetrazole scaffolds providing the three important elements of novelty, diversity, and complexity, yet MCR pathways to tetrazoles are far from completely explored. Here, we review the use of multicomponent reactions for the preparation of substituted tetrazole derivatives. We highlight specific applications and general trends holding therein and discuss synthetic approaches and their value by analyzing scope and limitations, and also enlighten their receptor binding mode. Finally, we estimated the prospects of further research in this field.

Molecular Docking, Computational, and Antithrombotic Studies of Novel 1,3,4-Oxadiazole Derivatives

A new series of 1,3,4-oxadiazoles derivatives was synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for their in vitro and in vivo anti-thrombotic activity. Compounds (3a–3i) exhibited significant clot lysis with respect to reference drug streptokinase (30,000 IU), and enhanced clotting time (CT) values (130–342 s) than heparin (110 s). High affinity towards 1NFY with greater docking score was observed for the compounds (3a, 3i, 3e, 3d, and 3h) than the control ligand RPR200095. In addition, impressive inhibitory potential against factor Xa (F-Xa) was observed with higher docking scores (5612–6270) with Atomic Contact Energy (ACE) values (−189.68 to −352.28 kcal/mol) than the control ligand RPR200095 (Docking score 5192; ACE −197.81 kcal/mol). In vitro, in vivo, and in silico results proposed that these newly synthesized compounds might be used as anticoagulant agents.

Synthesis and trypanocidal activity of a library of 4-substituted 2-(1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridin-2-yl)propan-2-ols

A library of 16 4-substituted 2-(1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridin-2-yl)propan-2-ols 17-32 has been synthesized for use in biological testing against Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease. The 4-substituted 2-(1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridin-2-yl)propan-2-ols 17-32 were subjected to biological testing to evaluate their efficacy against intracellular Trypanosoma cruzi (Y strain) amastigotes infecting U2OS human cells, with benznidazole as a reference compound. The assay was performed in duplicate (two independent experiments) and submitted to High Content Analysis (HCA) for determination of trypanocidal activity. Three of the tested compounds presented relatively high trypanocidal activity (19, 22 and 29), however severe host cell toxicity was observed concomitantly. Chemical optimization of the highly active compounds and the synthesis of more compounds for biological testing against Trypanosoma cruzi will be required to improve selectivity and so that a structure-activity relationship can be generated to provide a more insightful analysis of both chemical and biological aspects.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 2,3-dihydroquinazolin- 4(1H)-one derivatives as potential fXa inhibitors

Coagulation factor Xa (fXa) is a particularly attractive target for the development of effective and safe anticoagulants. In this study, novel 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives were designed as potential fXa inhibitors based on anthranilamide structure which has been reported in our previous research. The experimental data showed that most of the designed compounds exhibited significant in vitro potency against fXa. Among them, compound 8e displayed the strongest potency against fXa with the IC₅₀ value of 21 nM and highly selectivity versus thrombin (IC₅₀ = 67 μM) and excellent in vitro antithrombotic activity with its 2 × PT value of 1.2 μM and 2 × aPTT value of 0.6 μM. In addition, 8e also displayed excellent in vivo antithrombotic activity in the rat arteriovenous shunt (AV-SHUNT) model. The bleeding risk evaluation showed that 8e had a similar safety profile as that of betrixaban. All results demonstrated that compound 8e could be considered as a potential fXa inhibitor for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic diseases.

Contemporary developments in the discovery of selective factor Xa inhibitors: A review

Thrombosis is a leading cause of death in cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction (MI), unstable angina and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the industrialized world. Venous thromboembolism is observed in about 1 million people every year in United States causing significant morbidity and mortality. Conventional antithrombotic therapy has been reported to have several disadvantages and limitations like inconvenience in oral administration, bleeding risks (heparin analogs), narrow therapeutic window and undesirable interactions with food and drugs (vitamin K antagonist-warfarin). The unmet medical demand for orally active safe anticoagulants has generated widespread interest among the medicinal chemists engaged in this field. To modulate blood coagulation, various enzymes involved in the coagulation process have received great attention as potential targets by various research groups for the development of oral anticoagulants. Among these enzymes, factor Xa (FXa) has remained the centre of attention in the last decade. Intensive research efforts have been made by various research groups for the development of small, safe and orally bioavailable FXa inhibitors. This review is an attempt to compile the research work of various researchers in the direction of development of FXa inhibitors reported since 2010 onward.

Bifunctional building blocks in the Ugi-azide condensation reaction: a general strategy toward exploration of new molecular diversity

1,5-Disubstituted tetrazoles are an important drug-like scaffold known for their ability to mimic the cis-amide bond conformation. The scaffold is readily accessible via substitution of the carboxylic acid component of the Ugi multi-component reaction (MCR) with TMSN3 in what is herein denoted the Ugi-azide reaction. This full paper presents a concise, novel, general strategy to access a plethora of new heterocylic scaffolds utilizing tethered aldo/keto-acids/esters in the Ugi-azide reaction followed by a ring closing event that generates novel highly complex bis-heterocyclic lactam-tetrazoles.

5-Chlorothiophene-2-carboxylic acid [(S)-2-[2-methyl-3-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonylamino]-3-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-3-oxopropyl]amide (SAR107375), a selective and potent orally active dual thrombin and factor Xa inhibitor

Compound 15 (SAR107375), a novel potent dual thrombin and factor Xa inhibitor resulted from a rational optimization process. Starting from compound 14, with low factor Xa and modest anti-thrombin inhibitory activities (IC50's of 3.5 and 0.39 μM, respectively), both activities were considerably improved, notably through the incorporation of a neutral chlorothiophene P1 fragment and tuning of P2 and P3-P4 fragments. Final optimization of metabolic stability with microsomes led to the identification of 15, which displays strong activity in vitro vs factor Xa and thrombin (with Ki's of 1 and 8 nM, respectively). In addition 15 presents good selectivity versus related serine proteases (roughly 300-fold), including trypsin (1000-fold), and is very active (0.39 μM) in the thrombin generation time (TGT) coagulation assay in human platelet rich plasma (PRP). Potent in vivo activity in a rat model of venous thrombosis following iv and, more importantly, po administration was also observed (ED50 of 0.07 and 2.8 mg/kg, respectively). Bleeding liability was reduced in the rat wire coil model, more relevant to arterial thrombosis, with 15 (blood loss increase of 2-fold relative to the ED80 value) compared to rivaroxaban 2 and dabigatran etexilate 1a.

Structural and docking studies of potent ethionamide boosters

Tuberculosis remains the second only to HIV as the leading cause of death by infectious disease worldwide, and was responsible for 1.4 million deaths globally in 2011. One of the essential drugs of the second-line antitubercular regimen is the prodrug ethionamide, introduced in the 1960s. Ethionamide is primarily used in cases of multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB due to severe adverse side effects. As a prodrug, ethionamide is bioactivated by EthA, a mono-oxygenase whose activity is repressed by EthR, a member of the TetR family of regulators. Previous studies have established that inhibition of EthR improves ethionamide potency. We report here the crystal structures of three EthR inhibitors at 0.8 Å resolution (3-oxo-3-{4-[3-(thiophen-2-yl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl]piperidin-1-yl}propanenitrile (BDM31343), 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-{4-[3-(6-methoxy-1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl]piperidin-1-yl}butanone (BDM41325) and 5,5,5-trifluoro-1-{4-[3-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl]piperidin-1-yl}pentanone (BDM41907)), and the docking studies undertaken to investigate possible binding modes. The results revealed two distinct orientations of the three compounds in the binding channel, a direct consequence of the promiscuous nature of the largely lipophilic binding site.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of 2-substituted ethenesulfonic acid ester derivatives as protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitors

Thirty-two 2-substituted ethenesulfonic acid ester derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their inhibitory activities against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and selectivity over T-Cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP). Preliminary structure-activity relationship studies demonstrated that the substitution at the aromatic center and the length of linker between the hydrophobic tail and aromatic center markedly affected the inhibitory activity against PTP1B and the selectivity over TCPTP. Specifically, compounds 43 and 36 revealed excellent inhibitory activity to PTP1B with IC(50) = 1.3 μM and 1.5 μM, respectively, and marked 10- and 20-fold selectivity over TCPTP. Cytotoxicity data showed low cytotoxicity for COS-7 cell with IC(50) values >100 μM for most synthesized chemicals.

The application of bioisosteres in drug design for novel drug discovery: focusing on acid protease inhibitors

INTRODUCTION

A bioisostere is a powerful concept for medicinal chemistry. It allows the improvement of the stability; oral absorption; membrane permeability; and absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) of drug candidate, while retaining their biological properties. The term 'bioisostere' is derived from 'isostere', whose physical and chemical properties, such as steric size, hydrophobicity, and electronegativity, are similar to those of a functional or atomic group, and is considered to possess biological properties. Here, the authors highlight the recent applications of bioisosteres in drug design, mainly based on our drug discovery studies.

AREAS COVERED

This review discusses the application of bioisosteres for novel drug discovery with focus on the authors' drug discovery studies such as renin, HIV-protease, and β-secretase inhibitors. The authors highlight that some bioisosteres can form the scaffolding for drug candidates, namely substrate transition state, amide/ester, and carboxylic acid bioisosteres. Moreover, the authors propose the new terms 'electron-donor bioisostere' and 'conformational bioisostere' for drug discovery.

EXPERT OPINION

The authors discuss the importance of bioisostere's design concept based on specific interaction with the corresponding biomolecule. In addition, some strategies for drug discovery based on the bioisostere concept are introduced. Many bioisosteres, which are recognized by corresponding target biomolecules as exhibiting similar biological properties, have been reported to date; most of the recently developed bioisosteres were designed by cheminformatics approaches. Some molecular design softwares and databases are introduced.

Palladium-catalyzed synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted 5-azaindoles via heteroannulation reaction and of 2-substituted 5-azaindoles through domino sila-Sonogashira/5-endo cyclization

A general and efficient procedure for the synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted 5-azaindoles through the palladium-catalyzed heteroannulation of 4-acetamido-3-iodopyridines and diaryl-, dialkyl-, or arylalkylalkynes is described along with a study of the reaction regioselectivity. The preparation of 2-monosubstituted 5-azaindoles via sila-Sonogashira/5-endo cyclization is also reported. These methods allowed us to prepare 36 diversely substituted 5-azaindoles in good yields.

Dimerization of β-tryptase inhibitors, does it work for both basic and neutral P1 groups?

The tetrameric folding of β-tryptase and the pair-wise distribution of its substrate binding sites offer a unique opportunity for development of inhibitors that span two adjacent binding sites. A series of dimeric inhibitors with two basic P1 moieties was discovered using this design strategy and exhibited tight-binder characteristics. Using the same strategy, an attempt was made to design and synthesize dimeric inhibitors with two neutral-P1 groups in hope to exploit the dimeric binding mode to achieve a starting point for further optimization. The unsuccessful attempt, however, demonstrated the important role played by Ala190 in neutral-P1 binding and casted further doubt on the possibility of developing neutral-P1 inhibitors for β-tryptase.

Concise synthesis and CDK/GSK inhibitory activity of the missing 9-azapaullones

A remarkably concise, chromatography-free route to the parent compound of the paullone family of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors is reported. A similar strategy allowed the synthesis of the hitherto missing 9-azapaullone and its protonated, N-oxidised and N-alkylated derivatives. Screening studies identified an active and strongly selective inhibitor of CDK9/cyclin T.

Amide-pi interactions between formamide and benzene

High-level ab initio calculations have been carried out using a formamide-benzene model system to evaluate amide-pi interactions. The interaction energies were estimated as a sum of the CCSD(T) correlation contribution and the HF energy at the complete basis set limit, for the geometries of the model structures at the energy minimum obtained by potential energy surface (PES) scans. NH/pi geometry in a face-on configuration was found to be the most attractive among the various geometries considered, with interaction energy of -3.75 kcal/mol. An interaction energy of -2.08 kcal/mol was calculated for the stacked N/Center type geometry, where the nitrogen atom of formamide points directly toward the center of the aromatic ring. The weakest C=O/pi geometry, where a carbonyl oxygen atom points toward the plane of the aromatic ring, was found to have energy minimum at an intermolecular distance of 3.67 A from the PES, with a repulsive interaction energy less than 1 kcal/mol. However, if there are simultaneous attractive interactions with other parts of the molecule besides the amide group, the weak repulsion could be easily overcome, to give a C=O/pi geometry interaction.

More than a simple lipophilic contact: a detailed thermodynamic analysis of nonbasic residues in the s1 pocket of thrombin

The field of medicinal chemistry aims to design and optimize small molecule leads into drug candidates that may positively interfere with pathological disease situations in humans or combat the growth of infective pathogens. From the plethora of crystal structures of protein-inhibitor complexes we have learned how molecules recognize each other geometrically, but we still have rather superficial understanding of why they bind to each other. This contribution surveys a series of 26 thrombin inhibitors with small systematic structural differences to elucidate the rationale for their widely deviating binding affinity from 185 microM to 4 nM as recorded by enzyme kinetic measurements. Five well-resolved (resolution 2.30 - 1.47 A) crystal structures of thrombin-inhibitor complexes and an apo-structure of the uncomplexed enzyme (1.50 A) are correlated with thermodynamic data recorded by isothermal titration calorimetry with 12 selected inhibitors from the series. Taking solubility data into account, the variation in physicochemical properties allows conclusions to be reached about the relative importance of the enthalpic binding features as well as to estimate the importance of the parameters more difficult to capture, such as residual ligand entropy and desolvation properties. The collected data reveal a comprehensive picture of the thermodynamic signature that explains the so far poorly understood attractive force experienced by m-chloro-benzylamides to thrombin.

Allosteric inhibitors of Akt1 and Akt2: a naphthyridinone with efficacy in an A2780 tumor xenograft model

A series of naphthyridine and naphthyridinone allosteric dual inhibitors of Akt1 and 2 have been developed. These compounds have been optimized to have potent dual activity against the activated kinase as well as the activation of Akt in cells. One molecule in particular, compound 17, has potent inhibitory activity against Akt1 and 2 in vivo in a mouse lung and efficacy in a tumor xenograft model.

Cl-pi interactions in protein-ligand complexes

During systematic analysis of nonbonded contacts in protein-ligand complexes derived from crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank, Cl-pi interactions have been found, not only in the well-documented serine proteases but also, to a lesser extent, in other proteins. From geometric analysis of such Cl-pi interactions in the crystal structures, two distinct geometries were found: the "edge-on" approach of a Cl atom to a ring atom or C-C bond and the "face-on" approach toward the ring centroid with an average interatomic distance of 3.6 A. High-level ab initio calculations using benzene-chlorohydrocarbon model systems elucidated that the calculated Cl-pi interaction energy is -2.01 kcal/mol, and the dispersion force is the major source of attraction. We also discussed the geometric flexibility in Cl-pi interactions and a relationship between the intensity of the pi density in an aromatic ring and the interaction position of the Cl atom.

The discovery of (2R,4R)-N-(4-chlorophenyl)-N- (2-fluoro-4-(2-oxopyridin-1(2H)-yl)phenyl)-4-methoxypyrrolidine-1,2-dicarboxamide (PD 0348292), an orally efficacious factor Xa inhibitor

Herein, we report the discovery of novel, proline-based factor Xa inhibitors containing a neutral P1 chlorophenyl pharmacophore. Through the additional incorporation of 1-(4-amino-3-fluoro-phenyl)-1H-pyridin-2-one 22, as a P4 pharmacophore, we discovered compound 7 (PD 0348292). This compound is a selective, orally bioavailable, efficacious FXa inhibitor that is currently in phase II clinical trials for the treatment and prevention of thrombotic disorders.

Inhibitors of Factor VIIa/tissue factor

The formation of the proteolytic complex composed of the serine protease Factor VIIa and the cell-associated glycoprotein tissue factor (FVIIa/TF) initiates a cascade of amplified zymogen activation reactions leading to thrombus formation. The critical role of the coagulation cascade in pathological thrombosis has been the basis for significant efforts to design selective inhibitors of the protease components as new anticoagulant alternatives for the treatment of thrombotic diseases. However, for the new generation of anticoagulant drugs in development that primarily target protease complexes distal from FVIIa/TF, the differential between efficacy and safety as defined by bleeding is unresolved. Targeting the FVIIa/TF complex has several theoretical advantages that exploit the amplified nature of the coagulation cascade. However, progress on the development of clinical-stage FVIIa/TF-based anticoagulants has not been as successful to date. This review summarizes recent efforts in the discovery of synthetic inhibitors of FVIIa/TF.

From selective substrate analogue factor Xa inhibitors to dual inhibitors of thrombin and factor Xa. Part 3

Highly potent and selective substrate analogue factor Xa inhibitors were obtained by incorporation of non-basic or modestly basic P1 residues known from the development of thrombin inhibitors. The modification of the P2 and P3 amino acids strongly influenced the selectivity and provided potent dual factor Xa and thrombin inhibitors without affecting the fibrinolytic enzymes. Several inhibitors demonstrated excellent anticoagulant efficacy in standard clotting assays in human plasma.

Structure-based Drug Design of Pyrrolidine-1, 2-dicarboxamides as a Novel Series of Orally Bioavailable Factor Xa Inhibitors

A novel series of pyrrolidine-1,2-dicarboxamides was discovered as factor Xa inhibitors using structure-based drug design. This series consisted of a neutral 4-chlorophenylurea P1, a biphenylsulfonamide P4 and a D-proline scaffold (1, IC(50) = 18 nM). Optimization of the initial hit resulted in an orally bioavailable, subnanomolar inhibitor of factor Xa (13, IC(50) = 0.38 nM), which was shown to be efficacious in a canine electrolytic model of thrombosis with minimal bleeding.

Selective and dual action orally active inhibitors of thrombin and factor Xa

The synthetic entry to new classes of dual fXa/thrombin and selective thrombin inhibitors with significant oral bioavailability is described. This was achieved through minor modifications to the sulfonamide group in our potent and selective fXa inhibitor (E)-2-(5-chlorothien-2-yl)-N-{(3S)-1-[(1S)-1-methyl-2-(morpholin-4-yl)-2-oxoethyl]-2-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl}ethenesulfonamide and these observed activity changes have been rationalised using structural studies.

Substituted thiophene-anthranilamides as potent inhibitors of human factor Xa

A series of thiophene-containing non-amidine factor Xa inhibitors is described. Simple methyl-substituted thiophene analogs were relatively weak inhibitors. However, introduction of hydrophilic substituents at C-4 or C-5 of the thiophene afforded inhibitors with low nanomolar potency. Optimization of the thiophene substituent at C-4 afforded subnanomolar inhibitors with improved in vitro anticoagulant activity. Incorporating basic amine substituents on the thiophene increased hydrophilicity and improved anticoagulant activity. The pharmacokinetic profile of one inhibitor was evaluated in dogs, and the X-ray crystal structure of this compound bound to factor Xa provides insight into the observed SAR for binding to factor Xa.