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Griffett K, Burris TP. Development of LXR inverse agonists to treat MAFLD, NASH, and other metabolic diseases. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1102469. [PMID: 36817797 PMCID: PMC9932051 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1102469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Activation of LXR activity by synthetic agonists has been the focus of many drug discovery efforts with a focus on treatment of dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis. Many agonists have been developed, but all have been hindered due to their ability to efficaciously stimulate de novo lipogenesis. Here, we review the development of LXR inverse agonists that were originally optimized for their ability to enable recruitment of corepressors leading to silencing of genes that drive de novo lipogenesis. Such compounds have efficacy in animal models of MAFLD, dyslipidemia, and cancer. Several classes of LXR inverse agonists have been identified and one is now in clinical trials for treatment of severe dyslipidemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Griffett
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States
| | - Thomas P. Burris
- The University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, FL, United States,*Correspondence: Thomas P. Burris,
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2
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Dansey MV, Palavecino Ruiz MD, Ogara MF, Pecci A, Burton G, Alvarez LD. Insights into estrogen receptor alpha modulation by cholestenoic acids. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2022; 217:106046. [PMID: 34920079 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2021.106046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Oxysterols are a family of over 25 cholesterol metabolites naturally produced by enzymatic or radical oxidation. They are involved in many physiological and pathological pathways. Although their activity has been mainly attributed to the modulation of the Liver X Receptors (LXR), it is currently accepted that oxysterols are quite promiscuous compounds, acting at several targets at the same time. The promiscuity of the oxysterols with the Estrogen Receptor α (ERα) is crucial in several pathologies such as ER+ breast cancer, inflammation and atherosclerosis. Regarding this matter, we have previously reported the synthesis, LXR activity and binding mode of a family of cholestenoic acid analogs with a modified side chain. Here we report the transcriptional activity on the ERα triggered by these compounds and details on the molecular determinants involved in their activities in order to establish structure-activity relationships to shed light over the molecular basis of the promiscuity of these compounds on ER/LXR responses. Our results show that 3β-hydroxy-5-cholestenoic acid can interact with the ERα receptor in a way similar to 26-hydroxycholesterol and is an agonist of the receptor. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we were able to predict the ERα activity of a set of cholestenoic acid analogs with changes in the flexibility and/or steric requirements of the side chain, some of which exhibited selective activation of ERα or LXR.
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Affiliation(s)
- María V Dansey
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Biológica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, UMYMFOR, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - María F Ogara
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBYNE, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Adalí Pecci
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Biológica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBYNE, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gerardo Burton
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, UMYMFOR, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Lautaro D Alvarez
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Biológica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, UMYMFOR, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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3
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Discovery of novel liver X receptor inverse agonists as lipogenesis inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 206:112793. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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4
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Alvarez LD, Dansey MV, Ogara MF, Peña CI, Houtman R, Veleiro AS, Pecci A, Burton G. Cholestenoic acid analogues as inverse agonists of the liver X receptors. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2020; 199:105585. [PMID: 31931135 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2020.105585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 12/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Liver X Receptors (LXRs) are ligand dependent transcription factors activated by oxidized cholesterol metabolites (oxysterols) that play fundamental roles in the transcriptional control of lipid metabolism, cholesterol transport and modulation of inflammatory responses. In the last decade, LXRs have become attractive pharmacological targets for intervention in human metabolic diseases and thus, several efforts have concentrated on the development of synthetic analogues able to modulate LXR transcriptional response. In this sense, we have previously found that cholestenoic acid analogues with a modified side chain behave as LXR inverse agonists. To further investigate the structure-activity relationships and to explore how cholestenoic acid derivatives interact with the LXRs, we evaluated the LXR biological activity of new analogues containing a C24-C25 double bond. Furthermore, a microarray assay was performed to evaluate the recruitment of coregulators to recombinant LXR LBD upon ligand binding. Also, conventional and accelerated molecular dynamics simulations were applied to gain insight on the molecular determinants involved in the inverse agonism. As LXR inverse agonists emerge as very promising candidates to control LXR activity, the cholestenoic acid analogues here depicted constitute a new relevant steroidal scaffold to inhibit LXR action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lautaro D Alvarez
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Biológica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, UMYMFOR, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María V Dansey
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Biológica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, UMYMFOR, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María F Ogara
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBYNE, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carina I Peña
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, UMYMFOR, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - René Houtman
- Pamgene International BV, 5211 HH Den Bosch, The Netherlands
| | - Adriana S Veleiro
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, UMYMFOR, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Adali Pecci
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Biológica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBYNE, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gerardo Burton
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, UMYMFOR, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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5
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Grinman DY, Careaga VP, Wellberg EA, Dansey MV, Kordon EC, Anderson SM, Maier MS, Burton G, MacLean PS, Rudolph MC, Pecci A. Liver X receptor-α activation enhances cholesterol secretion in lactating mammary epithelium. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2019; 316:E1136-E1145. [PMID: 30964702 PMCID: PMC6620573 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00548.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Liver X receptors (LXRs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors activated by cholesterol metabolites. These receptors induce a suite of target genes required for de novo synthesis of triglycerides and cholesterol transport in many tissues. Two different isoforms, LXRα and LXRβ, have been well characterized in liver, adipocytes, macrophages, and intestinal epithelium among others, but their contribution to cholesterol and fatty acid efflux in the lactating mammary epithelium is poorly understood. We hypothesize that LXR regulates lipogenesis during milk fat production in lactation. Global mRNA analysis of mouse mammary epithelial cells (MECs) revealed multiple LXR/RXR targets upregulated sharply early in lactation compared with midpregnancy. LXRα is the primary isoform, and its protein levels increase throughout lactation in MECs. The LXR agonist GW3965 markedly induced several genes involved in cholesterol transport and lipogenesis and enhanced cytoplasmic lipid droplet accumulation in the HC11 MEC cell line. Importantly, in vivo pharmacological activation of LXR increased the milk cholesterol percentage and induced sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (Srebp1c) and ATP-binding cassette transporter a7 (Abca7) expression in MECs. Cumulatively, our findings identify LXRα as an important regulator of cholesterol incorporation into the milk through key nodes of de novo lipogenesis, suggesting a potential therapeutic target in women with difficulty initiating lactation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Y Grinman
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Valeria P Careaga
- Unidad De Microanálisis Y Métodos Físicos Aplicados a la Química Orgánica, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Elizabeth A Wellberg
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, Colorado
| | - María V Dansey
- Unidad De Microanálisis Y Métodos Físicos Aplicados a la Química Orgánica, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Edith C Kordon
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Steven M Anderson
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, Colorado
| | - Marta S Maier
- Unidad De Microanálisis Y Métodos Físicos Aplicados a la Química Orgánica, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Gerardo Burton
- Unidad De Microanálisis Y Métodos Físicos Aplicados a la Química Orgánica, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Paul S MacLean
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, Colorado
| | - Michael C Rudolph
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, Colorado
| | - Adali Pecci
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
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El-Gendy BEDM, Goher SS, Hegazy LS, Arief MMH, Burris TP. Recent Advances in the Medicinal Chemistry of Liver X Receptors. J Med Chem 2018; 61:10935-10956. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b00045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bahaa El-Dien M. El-Gendy
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63104, United States
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
| | - Shaimaa S. Goher
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
| | - Lamees S. Hegazy
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63104, United States
| | - Mohamed M. H. Arief
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
| | - Thomas P. Burris
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
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Martínez MD, Ghini AA, Dansey MV, Veleiro AS, Pecci A, Alvarez LD, Burton G. Synthesis and activity evaluation of a series of cholanamides as modulators of the liver X receptors. Bioorg Med Chem 2018; 26:1092-1101. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2018.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Dansey MV, Del Fueyo MC, Veleiro AS, Di Chenna PH. Synthesis of new C-25 and C-26 steroidal acids as potential ligands of the nuclear receptors DAF-12, LXR and GR. Steroids 2017; 121:40-46. [PMID: 28300583 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2017.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Revised: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A new methodology to obtain C-25 and C-26 steroidal acids starting from pregnenolone is described. Construction of the side chain was achieved by applying the Mukaiyama aldol reaction with a non-hydrolytic work-up to isolate the trapped silyl enol ether with higher yields. Using this methodology we synthesized three new steroidal acids as potential ligands of DAF-12, Liver X and Glucocorticoid nuclear receptors and studied their activity in reporter gene assays. Our results show that replacement of the 21-CH3 by a 20-keto group in the side chains of the cholestane scaffold of DAF-12 or Liver X receptors ligands causes the loss of the activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- María V Dansey
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Biológica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos Aplicados a la Química Orgánica (UMYMFOR), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María C Del Fueyo
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EG Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos Aplicados a la Química Orgánica (UMYMFOR), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Adriana S Veleiro
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EG Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos Aplicados a la Química Orgánica (UMYMFOR), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Pablo H Di Chenna
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EG Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos Aplicados a la Química Orgánica (UMYMFOR), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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9
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Rodriguez CR, Alvarez LD, Dansey MV, Paolo LS, Veleiro AS, Pecci A, Burton G. Fluorinated oxysterol analogues: Synthesis, molecular modelling and LXRβ activity. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2017; 165:268-276. [PMID: 27452335 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2016.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Revised: 06/19/2016] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Liver X receptors (LXRs) are nuclear receptors that play central roles in the transcriptional control of lipid metabolism. The ability of LXRs to integrate metabolic and inflammation signalling makes them attractive targets for intervention in human metabolic diseases. Several oxidized metabolites of cholesterol (oxysterols) are endogenous LXR ligands, that modulate their transcriptional responses. While 25R-cholestenoic acid is an agonist of the LXRs, the synthetic analogue 27-norcholestenoic acid that lacks the 25-methyl is an inverse agonist. This change in the activity profile is triggered by a disruption of a key interaction between residues His435 and Trp457 that destabilizes the H11-H12 region of the receptor and favors the binding of corepressors. The introduction of fluorine atoms on the oxysterol side chain can favor both hydrophobic interactions as well as hydrogen bonds with the fluorine atoms and may thus induce changes in the receptor that may lead to changes in the activity profile. To evaluate these effects we have synthesized two fluorinated 27-nor-steroids, analogues of 27-norcholestenoic acid, the 25,25-difluoroacid and the corresponding 26-alcohol. The key step was a Reformatsky reaction on the C-24 cholenaldehyde, with ethyl bromodifluoroacetate under high intensity ultrasound (HIU) irradiation, followed by a Barton-McCombie type deoxygenation. Activity was evaluated in a luciferase reporter assay in the human HEK293T cells co-transfected with full length human LXRβ expression vector. The 25,25-difluoro-27-norcholestenoic acid was an inverse agonist and antagonist similar to its non-fluorinated analogue while its reduced derivative 25,25-difluoro-27-norcholest-5-ene-3β,26-diol was an agonist. Molecular dynamics simulation of the ligand-receptor complexes showed that the difluoroacid disrupted the His435-Trp457 interaction although the resulting conformational changes were different from those induced by the non-fluorinated analogue. In the case of the difluoroalcohol, the fluorine atoms actively participated in the interaction with several residues in the ligand binding pocket leading to a stabilization of the active receptor conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian R Rodriguez
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET. UMYMFOR and Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Lautaro D Alvarez
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET. UMYMFOR and Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M Virginia Dansey
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET. UMYMFOR and Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Luciano S Paolo
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET. IFIBYNE and Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Adriana S Veleiro
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET. UMYMFOR and Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Adali Pecci
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET. IFIBYNE and Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gerardo Burton
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET. UMYMFOR and Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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