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Iram F, Shahid M, Ansari J, Ashraf GM, Hassan MI, Islam A. Navigating the Maze of Alzheimer's disease by exploring BACE1: Discovery, current scenario, and future prospects. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 98:102342. [PMID: 38762102 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurological condition that has become a leading cause of cognitive decline in elder individuals. Hardly any effective medication has been developed to halt the progression of AD due to the disease's complexity. Several theories have been put forward to clarify the mechanisms underlying AD etiology. The identification of amyloid plaques as a hallmark of AD has sparked the development of numerous drugs targeting the players involved in the amyloidogenic pathway, such as the β-site of amyloid precursor protein cleavage enzyme 1 (BACE1) blockers. Over the last ten years, preclinical and early experimental research has led several pharmaceutical companies to prioritize producing BACE1 inhibitors. Despite all these efforts, earlier discovered inhibitors were discontinued in consideration of another second-generation small molecules and recent BACE1 antagonists failed in the final stages of clinical trials because of the complications associated either with toxicity or effectiveness. In addition to discussing the difficulties associated with development of BACE1 inhibitors, this review aims to provide an overview of BACE1 and offer perspectives on the causes behind the failure of five recent BACE1 inhibitors, that would be beneficial for choosing effective treatment approaches in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faiza Iram
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Mohammad Shahid
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jaoud Ansari
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Ghulam Md Ashraf
- University of Sharjah, College of Health Sciences, and Research Institute for Medical and Health Sciences, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Md Imtaiyaz Hassan
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Asimul Islam
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India.
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James EI, Baggett DW, Chang E, Schachter J, Nixey T, Choi K, Guttman M, Nath A. Tryptanthrin Analogs Substoichiometrically Inhibit Seeded and Unseeded Tau4RD Aggregation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.02.578649. [PMID: 38352474 PMCID: PMC10862865 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.02.578649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Microtubule-associated protein tau is an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) that forms characteristic fibrillar aggregates in several diseases, the most well-known of which is Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite keen interest in disrupting or inhibiting tau aggregation to treat AD and related dementias, there are currently no FDA-approved tau-targeting drugs. This is due, in part, to the fact that tau and other IDPs do not exhibit a single well-defined conformation but instead populate a fluctuating conformational ensemble that precludes finding a stable "druggable" pocket. Despite this challenge, we previously reported the discovery of two novel families of tau ligands, including a class of aggregation inhibitors, identified through a protocol that combines molecular dynamics, structural analysis, and machine learning. Here we extend our exploration of tau druggability with the identification of tryptanthrin and its analogs as potent, substoichiometric aggregation inhibitors, with the best compounds showing potencies in the low nanomolar range even at a ~100-fold molar excess of tau4RD. Moreover, conservative changes in small molecule structure can have large impacts on inhibitory potency, demonstrating that similar structure-activity relationship (SAR) principles as used for traditional drug development also apply to tau and potentially to other IDPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellie I. James
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - David W. Baggett
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Current address: Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Edcon Chang
- Takeda Development Center Americas, San Diego, CA
| | | | - Thomas Nixey
- Takeda Development Center Americas, San Diego, CA
| | | | - Miklos Guttman
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Abhinav Nath
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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