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Hedström U, Norberg M, Evertsson E, Lever SR, Munck Af Rosenschöld M, Lönn H, Bold P, Käck H, Berntsson P, Vinblad J, Liu J, Welinder A, Karlsson J, Snijder A, Pardali K, Andersson U, Davis AM, Mogemark M. An Angle on MK2 Inhibition-Optimization and Evaluation of Prevention of Activation Inhibitors. ChemMedChem 2019; 14:1701-1709. [PMID: 31325352 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201900303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The mitogen-activated protein kinase p38α pathway has been an attractive target for the treatment of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. While a number of p38α inhibitors have been taken to the clinic, they have been limited by their efficacy and toxicological profile. A lead identification program was initiated to selectively target prevention of activation (PoA) of mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) rather than mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase 1 (MSK1), both immediate downstream substrates of p38α, to improve the efficacy/safety profile over direct p38α inhibition. Starting with a series of pyrazole amide PoA MK2 inhibitor leads, and guided by structural chemistry and rational design, a highly selective imidazole 9 (2-(3'-(2-amino-2-oxoethyl)-[1,1'-biphenyl]-3-yl)-N-(5-(N,N-dimethylsulfamoyl)-2-methylphenyl)-1-propyl-1H-imidazole-5-carboxamide) and the orally bioavailable imidazole 18 (3-methyl-N-(2-methyl-5-sulfamoylphenyl)-2-(o-tolyl)imidazole-4-carboxamide) were discovered. The PoA concept was further evaluated by protein immunoblotting, which showed that the optimized PoA MK2 compounds, despite their biochemical selectivity against MSK1 phosphorylation, behaved similarly to p38 inhibitors in cellular signaling. This study highlights the importance of selective tool compounds in untangling complex signaling pathways, and although 9 and 18 were not differentiated from p38α inhibitors in a cellular context, they are still useful tools for further research directed to understand the role of MK2 in the p38α signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulf Hedström
- Early Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Monica Norberg
- Early Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Emma Evertsson
- Early Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Sarah R Lever
- Early Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Magnus Munck Af Rosenschöld
- Early Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Hans Lönn
- Early Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Peter Bold
- Early Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Helena Käck
- Discovery Sciences, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Pia Berntsson
- Early Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Johanna Vinblad
- Early Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Jianming Liu
- Discovery Sciences, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Anette Welinder
- Pharmaceutical Technology and Development, Operations, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Johan Karlsson
- Discovery Sciences, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Arjan Snijder
- Discovery Sciences, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Katerina Pardali
- Early Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Ulf Andersson
- Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Andrew M Davis
- Early Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Mickael Mogemark
- Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, R&D Biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Pepparedsleden 1, 431 83, Mölndal, Sweden
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