Structural insight into the inhibition of carbonic anhydrase by the COX-2-selective inhibitor polmacoxib (CG100649)

Dual-target inhibitors based on COX-2: a review from medicinal chemistry perspectives

Inhibitors of COX-2 constitute a class of anti-inflammatory analgesics, showing potential against certain types of cancer. However, such inhibitors are associated with cardiovascular toxicity. Moreover, although single-target molecules possess specificity for particular targets, they often lead to poor safety, low efficacy and drug resistance due to compensatory mechanisms. A new generation of dual-target drugs that simultaneously inhibit COX-2 and another target is showing strong potential to treat cancer or reduce adverse cardiac effects. The present perspective focuses on the structure and functions of COX-2, and its role as a therapeutic target. It also explores the current state and future possibilities for dual-target strategies from a medicinal chemistry perspective.

Enzyme inhibitory potential of some indole Schiff bases on acetylcholinesterase and human carbonic anhydrase isoforms I and II enzymes: an in vitro and molecular docking study

In this study, the in vitro effects of some indole Schiff bases on acetylcholinesterase and human carbonic anhydrase isoforms I and II were investigated. A series of N-methylindole hydrazide/hydrazone derivatives (1a-1t) were tested on these enzymes. The interactions of the synthesized indole derivatives with target enzymes were studied by molecular docking methodology. The results revealed that indole derivative Schiff base compounds inhibited the enzymes significantly. Ki values for hCAI isoenzyme were determined to be in the range of 36.18 ± 3.07-224.29 ± 5.78 nM; for the hCAII isoenzyme in the range of 31.30 ± 2.63-201.64 ± 7.25 nM; for acetylcholinesterase in the range of 6.82 ± 0.72-110.30 ± 9.26 nM. Compared to the control compound Acetazolamide (AZA), 1k and 1p were found to have the best inhibitory effect for hCAI; 1p was found to be the best inhibitory effect for hCAII. Compared to the control compound Tacrine (TAC), 1s showed the best inhibitory effect for AChE. In vitro results were verified with the results obtained by docking studies and interactions with enzymes were demonstrated.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Drug Repurposing Analysis for Colorectal Cancer through Network Medicine Framework: Novel Candidate Drugs and Small Molecules

This study aimed to reveal the drug-repurposing candidates for colorectal cancer (CRC) via drug-repurposing methods and network biology approaches. A novel, differentially co-expressed, highly interconnected, and co-regulated prognostic gene module was identified for CRC. Based on the gene module, polyethylene glycol (PEG), gallic acid, pyrazole, cordycepin, phenothiazine, pantoprazole, cysteamine, indisulam, valinomycin, trametinib, BRD-K81473043, AZD8055, dovitinib, BRD-A17065207, and tyrphostin AG1478 presented as drugs and small molecule candidates previously studied in the CRC. Lornoxicam, suxamethonium, oprelvekin, sirukumab, levetiracetam, sulpiride, NVP-TAE684, AS605240, 480743.cdx, HDAC6 inhibitor ISOX, BRD-K03829970, and L-6307 are proposed as novel drugs and small molecule candidates for CRC.

4-(5-Amino-pyrazol-1-yl)benzenesulfonamide derivatives as novel multi-target anti-inflammatory agents endowed with inhibitory activity against COX-2, 5-LOX and carbonic anhydrase: Design, synthesis, and biological assessments

In the current medical era, the single target inhibition paradigm of drug discovery has given way to the multi-target design concept. As the most intricate pathological process, inflammation gives rise to a variety of diseases. There are several drawbacks to the single target anti-inflammatory drugs currently available. Herein, we present the design and synthesis of a novel series of 4-(5-amino-pyrazol-1-yl)benzenesulfonamide derivatives (7a-j) with COX-2, 5-LOX and carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitory activities as potential multi-target anti-inflammatory agents. The pharmacophoric 4-(pyrazol-1-yl)benzenesulfonamide moiety in Celecoxib was used as the core scaffold and different substituted phenyl and 2-thienyl tails were grafted via a hydrazone linker to enhance inhibitory activity against hCA IX and XII isoforms, yielding target pyrazoles 7a-j. All reported pyrazoles were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against COX-1, COX-2, and 5-LOX. Pyrazoles 7a, 7b, and 7j showed the best inhibitory activities against the COX-2 isozyme (IC₅₀ = 49, 60 and 60 nM, respectively) and against 5-LOX (IC₅₀ = 2.4, 1.9, and 2.5 μM, respectively) with excellent SI indices (COX-1/COX-2) of 212.24, 208.33, and 158.33, respectively. In addition, the inhibitory activities of pyrazoles 7a-j were evaluated against four different hCA isoforms I, II, IX, and XII. Both transmembrane hCA IX and XII isoforms were potently inhibited by pyrazoles 7a-j with K_I values in the nanomolar range; 13.0-82.1 nM and 5.8-62.0 nM, respectively. Furthermore, pyrazoles 7a and 7b with the highest COX-2 activity and selectivity indices were evaluated in vivo for their analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and ulcerogenic activities. The serum level of the inflammatory mediators was then measured in order to confirm the anti-inflammatory activities of pyrazoles 7a and 7b.

Population Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Analysis of Polmacoxib in Healthy Volunteers and Patients With Osteoarthritis

PURPOSE

Polmacoxib, a new coxib dually inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2 and carbonic anhydrase I/II, was recently approved for osteoarthritis treatment in South Korea. This study explored the population pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of polmacoxib.

METHODS

Nonlinear mixed-effects modeling was performed using pooled pharmacokinetic data from a Phase I study in healthy individuals and pharmacokinetic properties and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) data from a Phase IIb study in patients with osteoarthritis. Pharmacodynamic models for WOMAC were sequentially fit using individual pharmacokinetic parameter estimates.

FINDINGS

Polmacoxib concentrations in whole blood were adequately described by the 2-compartment model, with mixed zero- and first-order absorption kinetics. Iron concentration was the significant covariate associated with clearance of polmacoxib. The relationship between the whole blood concentration of polmacoxib and WOMAC was best described by a 2-effect compartment model that consisted of central and peripheral compartments with the rate constant of 0.408 min^-1 for distribution to the central effect compartment. A decrease in WOMAC was linked to the central effect site compartment concentration through an ordinary maximum effect model with an effect site concentration needed to achieve 50% of the maximum effect of 508 ng/mL.

IMPLICATIONS

The current model accurately characterized the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of polmacoxib and could provide a basis for individualized drug therapy. (Clin Ther. 2021;XX:XXX-XXX) © 2021 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc.

Benzylic Aroylation of Toluenes Mediated by a LiN(SiMe3)2/Cs+ System

Chemoselective deprotonative functionalization of benzylic C-H bonds is challenging, because the arene ring contains multiple aromatic C(sp²)-H bonds, which can be competitively deprotonated and lead to selectivity issues. Recently it was found that bimetallic [MN(SiMe₃)₂ M = Li, Na]/Cs⁺ combinations exhibit excellent benzylic selectivity. Herein, is reported the first deprotonative addition of toluenes to Weinreb amides mediated by LiN(SiMe₃)₂/CsF for the synthesis of a diverse array of 2-arylacetophenones. Surprisingly, simple methyl benzoates also react with toluenes under similar conditions to form 2-arylacetophenones without double addition to give tertiary alcohol products. This finding greatly increases the practicality and impact of this chemistry. Some challenging substrates with respect to benzylic deprotonations, such as fluoro and methoxy substituted toluenes, are selectively transformed to 2-aryl acetophenones. The value of benzylic deprotonation of 3-fluorotoluene is demonstrated by the synthesis of a key intermediate in the preparation of Polmacoxib.

Molecular Interaction Analysis of COX-2 Against Aryl Amino Alcohol Derivatives from Isoeugenol as Anti Breast Cancer using Molecular Docking

Breast cancer occurs due to uncontrolled cells proliferation. The Proliferation causes severe inflammatory which can be the initial stages of cancer symptoms. Aryl amino alcohol compounds from isoeugenol derivatives are proposed for the potential drugs of breast cancer. This study was conducted on iso-eugenol derivatives by adding carbonyl groups, hydroxyl groups, halide compounds and amines to determine the effect on anticancer activity through molecular docking studies. The molecular docking approach is carried out to see the interaction of ligands with protein compounds by using the minimized ligand energy bind with protein active site using protein data bank ID 5GMN. The docking result show that IE-Benzanilide-Cl (11) and IE-Benzanilide-OH (10) have the lowest binding energy (−8.3 kcal/mol and −8.6 kcal/mol) compare to another compounds. AdmetSAR computer simulations show that all compounds have very few toxic effects. The use of aryl amino alcohol derivatives (10 and 11) may be suggested as anti-breast cancer drugs. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). 

DRUDIT: web-based DRUgs DIscovery Tools to design small molecules as modulators of biological targets

MOTIVATION

New in silico tools to predict biological affinities for input structures are presented. The tools are implemented in the DRUDIT (DRUgs DIscovery Tools) web service. The DRUDIT biological finder module is based on molecular descriptors that are calculated by the MOLDESTO (MOLecular DEScriptors TOol) software module developed by the same authors, which is able to calculate more than one thousand molecular descriptors. At this stage, DRUDIT includes 250 biological targets, but new external targets can be added. This feature extends the application scope of DRUDIT to several fields. Moreover, two more functions are implemented: the multi- and on/off-target tasks. These tools applied to input structures allow for predicting the polypharmacology and evaluating the collateral effects.

RESULTS

The applications described in the article show that DRUDIT is able to predict a single biological target, to identify similarities among biological targets, and to discriminate different target isoforms. The main advantages of DRUDIT for the scientific community lie in its ease of use by worldwide scientists and the possibility to be used also without specific, and often expensive, hardware and software. In fact, it is fully accessible through the WWW from any device to perform calculations. Just a click or a tap can start tasks to predict biological properties for new compounds or repurpose drugs, lead compounds, or unsuccessful compounds. To date, DRUDIT is supported by four servers each able to execute 8 jobs simultaneously.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION

The web service is accessible at the www.drudit.com URL and its use is free of charge.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Photoredox-Catalyzed Generation of Sulfamyl Radicals: Sulfonamidation of Enol Silyl Ether with Chlorosulfonamide

A novel and practical photoredox-catalyzed generation of sulfamyl radicals followed by radical sulfonamidation of enol silyl ether has been described. Diverse functionalized β-ketosulfonamides were prepared in modest to excellent yields under mild and economic reaction conditions through the present catalytic protocol. Furthermore, the methodology developed provides an efficient and convenient approach to the synthesis of the antiseizure drug Zonisamide.

A Randomized, Multicenter, Phase III Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Polmacoxib Compared with Celecoxib and Placebo for Patients with Osteoarthritis

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and analgesic efficacy of polmacoxib 2 mg versus placebo in a superiority comparison or versus celecoxib 200 mg in a noninferiority comparison in patients with osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

This study was a 6-week, phase III, randomized, double-blind, and parallel-group trial followed by an 18-week, single arm, open-label extension. Of the 441 patients with knee or hip OA screened, 362 were randomized; 324 completed 6 weeks of treatment and 220 completed the extension. Patients were randomized to receive oral polmacoxib 2 mg (n = 146), celecoxib 200 mg (n = 145), or placebo (n = 71) once daily for 6 weeks. During the extension, all participants received open-label polmacoxib 2 mg. The primary endpoint was the change in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC)-pain subscale score from baseline to week 6. Secondary endpoints included WOMAC-OA Index, OA subscales (pain, stiffness, and physical function) and Physician's and Subject's Global Assessments at weeks 3 and 6. Other outcome measures included adverse events (AEs), laboratory tests, vital signs, electrocardiograms, and physical examinations.

Results

After 6 weeks, the polmacoxib-placebo treatment difference was −2.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], −4.4 to −0.6; p = 0.011) and the polmacoxib-celecoxib treatment difference was 0.6 (CI, −0.9 to 2.2; p = 0.425). According to Physician's Global Assessments, more subjects were “much improved” at week 3 with polmacoxib than with celecoxib or placebo. Gastrointestinal and general disorder AEs occurred with a greater frequency with polmacoxib or celecoxib than with placebo.

Conclusions

Polmacoxib 2 mg was relatively well tolerated and demonstrated efficacy superior to placebo and noninferior to celecoxib after 6 weeks of treatment in patients with OA. The results obtained during the 18-week trial extension with polmacoxib 2 mg were consistent with those observed during the 6-week treatment period, indicating that polmacoxib can be considered safe for long-term use based on this relatively small scale of study in a Korean population. More importantly, the results of this study showed that polmacoxib has the potential to be used as a pain relief drug with reduced gastrointestinal side effects compared to traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for OA.