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Xu Q, Hu M, Li J, Ma X, Chu Z, Zhu Q, Zhang Y, Zhu P, Huang Y, He G. Discovery of novel brain-penetrant GluN2B NMDAR antagonists via pharmacophore-merging strategy as anti-stroke therapeutic agents. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 227:113876. [PMID: 34710748 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In this work, a novel structural series of brain-penetrant GluN2B NMDAR antagonists were designed, synthesized and biologically evaluated as anti-stroke therapeutic agents via merging the structures of NBP and known GluN2B ligands. Approximately half of them exhibited superior neuroprotective activity to NBP against NMDA-induced neurotoxicity in hippocampal neurons at 10 μM, and compound 45e and 45f exerted equipotent activity to ifenprodil, an approved GluN2B- selective NMDAR antagonist. In particular, 45e, with the most potent neuroprotective activity throughout this series, displayed dramatically enhanced activity (Ki = 3.26 nM) compared to ifenprodil (Ki = 14.80 nM) in Radioligand Competitive Binding Assay, and remarkable inhibition (IC50 = 79.32 nM) against GluN1/GluN2B receptor-mediated current in Patch Clamp Assay. Meanwhile, 45e and its enantiomers exhibited low inhibition rate against the current mediated by other investigated receptors at the concentration of 10 μM, indicating their favorable selectivity for GluN1/GluN2B. In the rat model of middle cerebral artery ischemia (MCAO), 45e exerted comparable therapeutic efficacy to ifenprodil at the same dosage. In addition to the attractive in vitro and in vivo potency, 45e displayed a favorable bioavailability (F = 63.37%) and an excellent brain exposure. In further repeated dose toxicity experiments, compound 45e demonstrated an acceptable safety profile. With the above merits, 45e is worthy of further functional investigation as a novel anti-stroke therapeutic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinlong Xu
- College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China; Hefei Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry Co., Ltd., Hefei, 230088, China
| | - Mengqi Hu
- College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China; Hefei Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry Co., Ltd., Hefei, 230088, China
| | - Jiaming Li
- College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China.
| | - Xiaodong Ma
- College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China
| | - Zhaoxing Chu
- Hefei Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry Co., Ltd., Hefei, 230088, China; China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Qihua Zhu
- China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Yanchun Zhang
- College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China
| | - Panhu Zhu
- College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China
| | - Yuanzheng Huang
- College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China
| | - Guangwei He
- Hefei Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry Co., Ltd., Hefei, 230088, China
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Ferro S, Deri B, Germanò MP, Gitto R, Ielo L, Buemi MR, Certo G, Vittorio S, Rapisarda A, Pazy Y, Fishman A, De Luca L. Targeting Tyrosinase: Development and Structural Insights of Novel Inhibitors Bearing Arylpiperidine and Arylpiperazine Fragments. J Med Chem 2018; 61:3908-3917. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b01745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Ferro
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche e Ambientali (CHIBIOFARAM), Polo Universitario SS. Annunziata, Università di Messina, Viale Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Batel Deri
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel
| | - Maria Paola Germanò
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche e Ambientali (CHIBIOFARAM), Polo Universitario SS. Annunziata, Università di Messina, Viale Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Rosaria Gitto
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche e Ambientali (CHIBIOFARAM), Polo Universitario SS. Annunziata, Università di Messina, Viale Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Laura Ielo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche e Ambientali (CHIBIOFARAM), Polo Universitario SS. Annunziata, Università di Messina, Viale Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Maria Rosa Buemi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche e Ambientali (CHIBIOFARAM), Polo Universitario SS. Annunziata, Università di Messina, Viale Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Giovanna Certo
- Fondazione Prof. Antonio Imbesi, Piazza Pugliatti 1, 98100 Messina, Italy
| | - Serena Vittorio
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche e Ambientali (CHIBIOFARAM), Polo Universitario SS. Annunziata, Università di Messina, Viale Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy
- Fondazione Prof. Antonio Imbesi, Piazza Pugliatti 1, 98100 Messina, Italy
| | - Antonio Rapisarda
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche e Ambientali (CHIBIOFARAM), Polo Universitario SS. Annunziata, Università di Messina, Viale Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Yael Pazy
- Technion Center for Structural Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003 Haifa, Israel
| | - Ayelet Fishman
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel
| | - Laura De Luca
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche e Ambientali (CHIBIOFARAM), Polo Universitario SS. Annunziata, Università di Messina, Viale Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy
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Stroebel D, Buhl DL, Knafels JD, Chanda PK, Green M, Sciabola S, Mony L, Paoletti P, Pandit J. A Novel Binding Mode Reveals Two Distinct Classes of NMDA Receptor GluN2B-selective Antagonists. Mol Pharmacol 2016; 89:541-51. [PMID: 26912815 PMCID: PMC4859819 DOI: 10.1124/mol.115.103036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are glutamate-gated ion channels that play key roles in brain physiology and pathology. Because numerous pathologic conditions involve NMDAR overactivation, subunit-selective antagonists hold strong therapeutic potential, although clinical successes remain limited. Among the most promising NMDAR-targeting drugs are allosteric inhibitors of GluN2B-containing receptors. Since the discovery of ifenprodil, a range of GluN2B-selective compounds with strikingly different structural motifs have been identified. This molecular diversity raises the possibility of distinct binding sites, although supporting data are lacking. Using X-ray crystallography, we show that EVT-101, a GluN2B antagonist structurally unrelated to the classic phenylethanolamine pharmacophore, binds at the same GluN1/GluN2B dimer interface as ifenprodil but adopts a remarkably different binding mode involving a distinct subcavity and receptor interactions. Mutagenesis experiments demonstrate that this novel binding site is physiologically relevant. Moreover, in silico docking unveils that GluN2B-selective antagonists broadly divide into two distinct classes according to binding pose. These data widen the allosteric and pharmacological landscape of NMDARs and offer a renewed structural framework for designing next-generation GluN2B antagonists with therapeutic value for brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Stroebel
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Paris, France (D.S., L.M., P.P.); Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts (D.L.B., M.G., S.S.); and Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut (J.D.K., P.K.C., J.P.)
| | - Derek L Buhl
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Paris, France (D.S., L.M., P.P.); Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts (D.L.B., M.G., S.S.); and Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut (J.D.K., P.K.C., J.P.)
| | - John D Knafels
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Paris, France (D.S., L.M., P.P.); Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts (D.L.B., M.G., S.S.); and Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut (J.D.K., P.K.C., J.P.)
| | - Pranab K Chanda
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Paris, France (D.S., L.M., P.P.); Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts (D.L.B., M.G., S.S.); and Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut (J.D.K., P.K.C., J.P.)
| | - Michael Green
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Paris, France (D.S., L.M., P.P.); Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts (D.L.B., M.G., S.S.); and Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut (J.D.K., P.K.C., J.P.)
| | - Simone Sciabola
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Paris, France (D.S., L.M., P.P.); Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts (D.L.B., M.G., S.S.); and Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut (J.D.K., P.K.C., J.P.)
| | - Laetitia Mony
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Paris, France (D.S., L.M., P.P.); Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts (D.L.B., M.G., S.S.); and Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut (J.D.K., P.K.C., J.P.)
| | - Pierre Paoletti
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Paris, France (D.S., L.M., P.P.); Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts (D.L.B., M.G., S.S.); and Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut (J.D.K., P.K.C., J.P.)
| | - Jayvardhan Pandit
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Paris, France (D.S., L.M., P.P.); Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts (D.L.B., M.G., S.S.); and Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut (J.D.K., P.K.C., J.P.)
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