Novel Selective Inhibitors of Neutral Endopeptidase for the Treatment of Female Sexual Arousal Disorder. Synthesis and Activity of Functionalized Glutaramides

A Disconnection for Rapid Access to Heterocyclic Benzylic Amines with Fully Substituted α-Carbons

2- or 4-Pyridyl benzylic amines represent a privileged motif in drug discovery. However, the formation of heterocyclic benzylic amines with fully substituted α-carbons can require the execution of lengthy synthetic routes, which limit their application. Addition of various nucleophilic agents to Ellman's imines has been well established; however, there is no precedented literature reported for pyridyl-type nucleophiles, which are very important for medicinal chemistry. In this letter, we disclose the development of a one-step synthesis of heterocyclic benzylic amines with fully substituted α-carbons from heteroaryl halides and sulfinyl imines. Starting from 2,4-dibromopyridine, regioselective synthesis of 2- or 4-pyridyl benzylic amines could be achieved by choosing toluene or MTBE as a solvent.

Regioselective Synthesis of NO-Donor (4-Nitro-1,2,3-triazolyl)furoxans via Eliminative Azide-Olefin Cycloaddition

A facile and efficient method for the regioselective [3 + 2] cycloaddition of 4-azidofuroxans to 1-dimethylamino-2-nitroethylene under p-TSA catalysis affording (4-nitro-1,2,3-triazolyl)furoxans was developed. This transformation is believed to proceed via eliminative azide-olefin cycloaddition resulting in its complete regioselectivity. The developed protocol has a broad substrate scope and enables a straightforward assembly of the 4-nitro-1,2,3-triazole motif. Moreover, synthesized (4-nitro-1,2,3-triazolyl)furoxans were found to be capable of NO release in a broad range of concentrations, thus providing a novel platform for future drug design and related biomedical applications of heterocyclic NO donors.

Energetic Materials Based on N-substituted 4(5)-nitro-1,2,3-triazoles

The regularities and synthetic potentialities of the alkylation of 4(5)-nitro-1,2,3-triazole in basic media were explored, and new energetic ionic and nitrotriazole-based coordination compounds were synthesized in this study. The reaction had a general nature and ended with the formation of N1-, N2-, and N3-alkylation products, regardless of the conditions and reagent nature (alkyl- or aryl halides, alkyl nitrates, dialkyl sulfates). This reaction offers broad opportunities for expanding the variability of substituents on the nitrotriazole ring in the series of primary and secondary aliphatic, alicyclic, and aromatic substituents, which is undoubtedly crucial for solving the problems related to both high-energy materials development and medicinal chemistry when searching for new efficient bioactive compounds. An efficient methodology for the separation of regioisomeric N-alkyl(aryl)nitrotriazoles has been devised and relies on the difference in their basicity and reactivity during quaternization and complexation reactions. Based on the inaccessible N3-substitution products that exhibit a combination of properties of practical importance, a series of energy-rich ionic systems and coordination compounds were synthesized that are gaining ever-increasing interest for the chemistry of energy-efficient materials, coordination chemistry, and chemistry of ionic liquids.

Design, synthesis and antihypertensive evaluation of novel codrugs with combined angiotensin type 1 receptor antagonism and neprilysin inhibition

The multifactorial etiology of hypertension has promoted the research of blood pressure-lowering agents with multitarget actions to achieve better clinical outcomes. We describe here the discovery of novel dual-acting antihypertensive codrugs combining pharmacophores with angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonism and neprilysin (NEP) inhibition. Specifically, the codrugs combine the AT1 antagonists losartan or its carboxylic acid active metabolite (E-3174) with selected monocarboxylic acid NEP inhibitors through a cleavable linker. The resulting codrugs exhibited high rates of in vitro conversion into the active molecules upon incubation with human/rat liver S9 fractions and in vivo conversion after oral administration in rodents. Moreover, the acute effects of one of the designed codrugs (3b) was confirmed at the doses of 10, 30 and 60 mg/kg p.o. in the spontaneous hypertensive rat (SHR) model, showing better antihypertensive response over 24 hours than the administration of an equivalent fixed-dose combination of 15 mg/kg of losartan and 14 mg/kg of the same NEP inhibitor used in 3b. The results demonstrate that the codrug approach is a plausible strategy to develop a single molecular entity with combined AT1 and NEP activities, aiming at achieving improved pharmacokinetics, efficacy and dosage convenience, as well as reduced drug-drug interaction for hypertension patients. In addition, the developability of the codrug should be comparable to the one of marketed AT1 antagonists, most of them prodrugs, but bearing only the AT1 pharmacophore.

Exploring Heteroaromatic Rings as a Replacement for the Labile Amide of Antiplasmodial Pantothenamides

Malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites are developing resistance to antimalarial drugs, providing the impetus for new antiplasmodials. Although pantothenamides show potent antiplasmodial activity, hydrolysis by pantetheinases/vanins present in blood rapidly inactivates them. We herein report the facile synthesis and biological activity of a small library of pantothenamide analogues in which the labile amide group is replaced with a heteroaromatic ring. Several of these analogues display nanomolar antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum and/or Plasmodium knowlesi, and are stable in the presence of pantetheinase. Both a known triazole and a novel isoxazole derivative were further characterized and found to possess high selectivity indices, medium or high Caco-2 permeability, and medium or low microsomal clearance in vitro. Although they fail to suppress Plasmodium berghei proliferation in vivo, the pharmacokinetic and contact time data presented provide a benchmark for the compound profile likely required to achieve antiplasmodial activity in mice and should facilitate lead optimization.

Specific N-Alkylation of Hydroxypyridines Achieved by a Catalyst- and Base-Free Reaction with Organohalides

A specific N-alkylation of 2-hydroxypyridines is achieved by reacting with organohalides under catalyst- and base-free conditions. The observed HX-facilitated conversion of pyridyl ether intermediates to 2-pyridone products may account for the success and specific N-alkylation of the reaction under the unexpectedly simple conditions. This new reaction may provide a useful alternative for the synthesis of 2-pyridones and analogous structures because of its >99% N-selectivity, relatively broad scopes of both substrates, and no mandatory use of catalysts and bases.

One-pot synthesis of 5H-1,3,4-thiadiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-one derivatives

A novel and efficient one-pot method has been developed for the synthesis of 2-substituted-5H-1,3,4-thiadiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-one derivatives by the tandem reaction of [3 + 3] cycloaddition, reduction, deamination.

N-2-Hydroxybenzaldehyde acylhydrazone–Fe(iii) complex: synthesis, crystal structure and its efficient and selective N-methylation

The n-acylhydrazone–Fe(iii) complexes permit ligand's amide N to be easily methylated and suppress the O-methylation side reactions of phenol.

Proposed Bioactive Conformations of Opiorphin, an Endogenous Dual APN/NEP Inhibitor

The conformational profiles for the endogenous peptide Opiorphin and a set of seven analogues exhibiting different inhibitory activities toward human aminopeptidase N (hAPN) and human neprilysin (hNEP) were independently computed to deduce a bioactive conformation that Opiorphin may adopt when binding these two enzymes. The conformational space was thoroughly sampled using an iterative simulated annealing protocol, and a library of low-energy conformers was generated for each peptide. Bioactive Opiorphin conformations fitting our experimental structure-activity relationship data were identified for hAPN and hNEP using computational pairwise comparisons between each of the unique low-energy conformations of Opiorphin and its analogues. The obtained results provide a structural explanation for the dual hAPN and hNEP inhibitory activity of Opiorphin and show that the inborn flexibility of Opiorphin is essential for its analgesic activity.

UK-414,495, a selective inhibitor of neutral endopeptidase, potentiates pelvic nerve-stimulated increases in female genital blood flow in the anaesthetized rabbit

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Female sexual arousal consists of a number of physiological responses resulting from increased genital blood. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), neuropeptide Y and to a lesser extent nitric oxide are neurotransmitters found in the vasculature of the genitalia. Neutral endopeptidase (NEP) modulates the activity of neuropeptides including VIP. The aim of this study was to investigate the control of genital blood flow by VIP and endogenous neuropeptides using a selective NEP inhibitor [UK-414,495, ((R)-2-({1-[(5-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl) carbamoyl]cyclopentyl}methyl) valeric acid)].

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Vaginal and clitoral blood flow (VBF and CBF) were monitored using laser Doppler in terminally anaesthetized New Zealand rabbits. Increases in VBF and CBF were induced by either electrical stimulation of the pelvic nerve or by i.v. infusion of VIP.

KEY RESULTS

Stimulation of the pelvic nerve increased VBF and CBF, compared with basal flow. Increases were mimicked by infusion of exogenous VIP. UK-414,495 dose-dependently potentiated pelvic nerve-stimulated increases in VBF (EC(50)= 37 +/- 9 nM; 3.6 x IC(50) rabbit NEP). Nerve-stimulated increases in VBF and CBF were both enhanced after UK-414,495. UK-414,495 increased the amplitude and duration of VIP-induced increases in VBF. UK-414,495 had no effect on basal VBF or cardiovascular parameters.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Inhibition of NEP potentiates pelvic nerve-stimulated increases in genital blood flow. This suggests that the endogenous neurotransmitter mediating genital blood flow is a substrate for NEP (most likely VIP). NEP inhibitors may restore sexual arousal in women adversely affected by female sexual arousal disorder.

The use of Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) peptidesfor measurement of clinically important proteolytic enzymes

Proteolytic enzymes have a fundamental role in many biological processes and are associated with multiple pathological conditions. Therefore, targeting these enzymes may be important for a better understanding of their function and development of therapeutic inhibitors. Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) peptides are convenient tools for the study of peptidases specificity as they allow monitoring of the reaction on a continuous basis, providing a rapid method for the determination of enzymatic activity. Hydrolysis of a peptide bond between the donor/acceptor pair generates fluorescence that permits the measurement of the activity of nanomolar concentrations of the enzyme. The assays can be performed directly in a cuvette of the fluorimeter or adapted for determinations in a 96-well fluorescence plate reader. The synthesis of FRET peptides containing ortho-aminobenzoic acid (Abz) as fluorescent group and 2, 4-dinitrophenyl (Dnp) or N-(2, 4-dinitrophenyl)ethylenediamine (EDDnp) as quencher was optimized by our group and became an important line of research at the Department of Biophysics of the Federal University of São Paulo. Recently, Abz/Dnp FRET peptide libraries were developed allowing high-throughput screening of peptidases substrate specificity. This review presents the consolidation of our research activities undertaken between 1993 and 2008 on the synthesis of peptides and study of peptidases specificities.

Formylnitroenamines: useful building blocks for nitrated pyridones and aminopyridines with functional groups

beta-formyl-beta-nitroenamines possess both an electrophilic formyl group and a nucleophilic amino group and, therefore, serve as C3N1 building blocks having a nitro group to afford nitropyridones and aminonitropyridines with a functional group at the 3-position. Upon treatment with malonic acid derivatives or beta-keto esters, nitropyridones were obtained, whereas reactions with functionalized acetonitriles afford aminonitropyridines, via a formal transfer of an alkyl group from the ring nitrogen to the imino group. These procedures provide practical and useful methods for preparation of heterocycles with a nitro group.

Cyclization of the acyl glucuronide metabolite of a neutral endopeptidase inhibitor to an electrophilic glutarimide: synthesis, reactivity, and mechanistic analysis

The neutral endopeptidase inhibitor (2R)-2-[(1-{[(5-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)amino]carbonyl}cyclopentyl)methyl]pentanoic acid 2 is metabolized to acyl glucuronide 3. Unprecedentedly, at pH 7.4, 3 does not undergo the O-acyl migration characteristic of acyl glucuronides but rapid, eliminative cyclization (t1/2 at 37 degrees C, 10.2 min) to glutarimide 4. Glucuronide 3 was synthesized efficiently via acylation of benzylglucuronate with N-benzyloxymethyl-protected 2. Glucuronide and imide reacted rapidly in aqueous solution, pH 7.4, with amino acids and glutathione to form stable amides and unstable thioesters. Imide 4 acylated eight lysine Nepsilon-amino groups of human serum albumin. Rapid cyclization of 3 was attributed to attack on the ester linkage by an unusually nucleophilic glutaramide NH (pKa in 2 = 9.76). N-propyl 3 was refractory to acyl migration and cyclization. This suggested a synthetic strategy for preparing analogues of 2 that form chemically stable acyl glucuronides.

Designing drugs for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction

Dysfunction of female sexual desire, arousal, or orgasm affects approximately 30% of women. Early attempts to treat female sexual dysfunction arose out of programs developed for male erectile dysfunction and have proven largely unsuccessful. A new wave of targets is now being pursued; many of these targets are postulated to modulate central pathways. Classical neurotransmitter systems, such as dopamine and serotonin, as well as the neuropeptide melanocortin, are receiving the most attention. Early clinical data look promising; however, clinical trial methodology in female sexual dysfunction is not well developed and only further testing will determine whether these treatments meet regulatory hurdles and satisfy patient need.

Antagonism of phosphoramidon-induced antinociception in mice by μ- but not κ-opioid receptor blockers

Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of the neutral endopeptidase 24.11-inhibitor phosphoramidon evoked a dose-dependent antinociceptive effect in the mouse acetic acid abdominal constriction test. The present study was conducted to identify the opioid receptor subtype(s) that mediate phosphoramidon antinociception in this paradigm. Mice were pretreated with different opioid antagonists prior to being challenged with phosphoramidon, i.c.v., the mu-opioid agonist sufentanil, s.c., or the kappa-opioid agonist U-50,488H, s.c. Naltrexone significantly attenuated phosphoramidon-induced antinociception at an i.c.v. dose that also blocked both sufentanil and U-50,488H. The mu-opioid antagonist beta-funaltrexamine (beta-FNA) blocked phosphoramidon and sufentanil at an i.c.v. dose that did not block U-50,488H. The kappa-opioid antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI) produced dose-related effects. A low dose (10 microg) of nor-BNI had no effect on either phosphoramidon or sufentanil but did reduce U-50,488H antinociception. A higher dose (30 microg) of nor-BNI blocked phosphoramidon, sufentanil, and U-50,488H, suggesting a loss of kappa-opioid receptor selectivity at this dose. These findings suggest that mu- but not kappa-opioid receptors mediate phosphoramidon-induced antinociception in the abdominal constriction test.

Neprilysin carboxydipeptidase specificity studies and improvement in its detection with fluorescence energy transfer peptides

We examined the substrate specificity of the carboxydipeptidase activity of neprilysin (NEP) using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) peptides containing ortho-aminobenzoyl (Abz) and 2,4-dinitrophenyl (Dnp) as a donor/acceptor pair. Two peptide series with general sequences Abz-RXFK(Dnp)-OH and Abz-XRFK(Dnp)-OH (X denotes the position of the altered amino acid) were synthesized to study P1 (cleavage at the X-F bond) and P2 (cleavage at R-F bond) specificity, respectively. In these peptides a Phe residue was fixed in P1' to fulfill the well-known NEP S1' site requirement for a hydrophobic amino acid. In addition, we explored NEP capability to hydrolyze bradykinin (RPPGFSPFR) and its fluorescent derivative Abz-RPPGFSPFRQ-EDDnp (EDDnp=2,4-dinitrophenyl ethylenediamine). The enzyme acts upon bradykinin mainly as a carboxydipeptidase, preferentially cleaving Pro-Phe over the Gly-Phe bond in a 9:1 ratio, whereas Abz-RPPGFSPFRQ-EDDnp was hydrolyzed at the same bonds but at an inverted proportion of 1:9. The results show very efficient interaction of the substrates' C-terminal free carboxyl group with site S2' of NEP, confirming the enzyme's preference to act as carboxydipeptidase at substrates with a free carboxyl-terminus. Using data gathered from our study, we developed sensitive and selective NEP substrates that permit continuous measurement of the enzyme activity, even in crude tissue extracts.