KATP channel openers: Tissue selectivity of original 3-alkylaminopyrido- and 3-alkylaminobenzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides

Research Advancements on Fluorinated and Non-Fluorinated 4-Phenyl(thio)ureido-Substituted 2,2-Dimethylchromans Acting as Inhibitors of Insulin Release and Smooth Muscle Relaxants

AIMS

The present study aimed at characterizing the impact of the presence or absence of fluorine atoms on the phenyl and benzopyran rings of 4-phenyl(thio)ureido-substituted 2,2-dimethylchromans on their ability to inhibit insulin release from pancreatic -cells or to relax vascular smooth muscle cells.

METHODS

Most compounds were found to inhibit insulin secretion and to provoke a marked myorelaxant activity.

RESULTS

The lack of a fluorine or a chlorine atom at the 6-position of the 2,2-dimethylchroman core structure reduced the inhibitory activity on the pancreatic endocrine tissue. One of the most active compounds on both tissues, compound 11h (BPDZ 678), was selected for further pharmacological investigations.

CONCLUSION

The biological data suggested that 11h mainly expressed the profile of a KATP channel opener on pancreatic -cells, although a calcium entry blockade effect was also observed. On vascular smooth muscle cells, 11h behaved as a calcium entry blocker.

2,2-Dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,4-benzoxazines as isosteres of 2,2-dimethylchromans acting as inhibitors of insulin release and vascular smooth muscle relaxants

The present study describes the synthesis and biological evaluation of 4-phenylureido/thioureido-substituted 2,2-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,4-benzoxazines as isosteres of corresponding 2,2-dimethylchromans reported to be pancreatic β-cell K_ATP channel openers. The benzoxazines were found to be less active as inhibitors of the glucose-induced insulin release than their corresponding chromans, while the myorelaxant activity of some 4-arylureido-substituted benzoxazines was more pronounced than that exhibited by their chroman counterparts. The myorelaxant activity of the most potent benzoxazine 8e was further characterized on rat aortic rings precontracted by 30 mM KCl in the presence of glibenclamide (10 μM) or precontracted by 80 mM extracellular KCl. Our findings indicate that, on vascular smooth muscle cells, the benzoxazine 8e mainly behaved as a calcium entry blocker.

Synthesis, characterization and biological evaluation of benzothiazoles and tetrahydrobenzothiazoles bearing urea or thiourea moieties as vasorelaxants and inhibitors of the insulin releasing process

A series of 1,3-benzothiazoles (series I) and 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1,3-benzothiazoles (series II) bearing an urea or a thiourea moiety at the 2-position were synthesized and tested as myorelaxants and inhibitors of insulin secretion. Several compounds (i.e. 13u and 13v) from series I showed a marked myorelaxant activity. Benzothiazoles bearing a strong electron withdrawing group (NO2, CN) at the 6-position and an alkyl group linked to the urea or the thiourea function at the 2-position were found to be the most potent compounds. The weak vasorelaxant activity of series II compounds evidenced the necessity of the presence of a complete aromatic heterocyclic system. The myorelaxant activity of some active compounds was reduced when measured on aorta rings precontracted by 80 mM KCl or by 30 mM KCl in the presence of 10 μM glibenclamide, suggesting the involvement of KATP channels in the vasorelaxant effect. Some compounds of series I tested on rat pancreatic islets provoked a marked inhibition of insulin secretion, among which 13a exhibited a clear tissue selectivity for pancreatic β-cells.

Influence of the alkylsulfonylamino substituent located at the 6-position of 2,2-dimethylchromans structurally related to cromakalim: from potassium channel openers to calcium entry blockers?

The present study described the synthesis of original R/S-6-alkylsulfonylamino-3,4-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-benzopyrans bearing a 3- or 4-substituted phenylthiourea or phenylurea moiety at the 4-position. Their biological effects were evaluated both on insulin-secreting and smooth muscle cells and were compared to those of reference KATP channel activators such as (±)-cromakalim, diazoxide and previously synthesized cromakalim analogues. The study aimed at exploring the influence of the introduction of an alkylsulfonylamino substituent at the 6-position of 2,2-dimethylchromans in order to improve biological activity, tissue selectivity but also hydrophilicity of dihydrobenzopyran derivatives. Several compounds were found to be equipotent or even more potent than (±)-cromakalim and diazoxide at inhibiting the insulin releasing process. Most of the newly synthesized and more hydrophilic dihydrobenzopyrans also exhibited a marked vasorelaxant activity although they were less potent than (±)-cromakalim. Additional pharmacological and radioisotopic investigations suggested that R/S-N-3-chlorophenyl-N'-(3,4-dihydro-6-methylsulfonylamino-2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-benzopyran-4-yl)thiourea (21) did not act as a potassium channel opener but rather as a Ca(2+) entry blocker.

1,4,2-Benzo/pyridodithiazine 1,1-dioxides structurally related to the ATP-sensitive potassium channel openers 1,2,4-Benzo/pyridothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides exert a myorelaxant activity linked to a distinct mechanism of action

The synthesis of diversely substituted 3-alkyl/aralkyl/arylamino-1,4,2-benzodithiazine 1,1-dioxides and 3-alkylaminopyrido[4,3-e]-1,4,2-dithiazine 1,1-dioxides is described. Their biological activities on pancreatic β-cells and on smooth muscle cells were compared to those of the reference ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP channel) openers diazoxide and 7-chloro-3-isopropylamino-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxide. The aim was to assess the impact on biological activities of the replacement of the 1,2,4-thiadiazine ring by an isosteric 1,4,2-dithiazine ring. Most of the dithiazine analogues were found to be inactive on the pancreatic tissue, although some compounds bearing a 1-phenylethylamino side chain at the 3-position exerted a marked myorelaxant activity. Such an effect did not appear to be related to the opening of KATP channels but rather reflected a mechanism of action similar to that of calcium channel blockers. Tightly related 3-(1-phenylethyl)sulfanyl-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides were also found to exert a pronounced myorelaxant activity, resulting from both a KATP channel activation and a calcium channel blocker mechanism. The present work highlights the critical importance of an intracyclic NH group at the 4-position, as well as an exocyclic NH group linked to the 3-position of the benzo- and pyridothiadiazine dioxides, for activity on KATP channels.

Recent advances in drug discovery of benzothiadiazine and related analogs as HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitors

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major health burden, with an estimated 170 million chronically infected individuals worldwide, and a leading cause of liver transplantation. Patients are at increased risk of developing liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and even liver failure. In the past two decades, several approaches have been adopted to inhibit non-structural viral proteins. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (NS5B) of HCV is one of the attractive validated targets for development of new drugs to block HCV infection. In this review, we report the recent progress made towards identifying and developing benzothiadiazines as HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitors. The substituted benzothiadiazine class was identified by HTS in 2002 as an NS5B inhibitor. Further optimization and modification of the core has improved the potency and pharmacokinetic properties of substituted benzothiadiazines. Research on palm site-binding benzothiadiazine analogs and related derivatives and analogs is discussed in this article.

Thiourea isosteres as anion receptors and transmembrane transporters

Compounds containing cyanoguanidine and 3-amino-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxide have been studied as anion receptors and transporters. Significant affinity for oxo-anions was observed in organic solution and the receptors were found to function as transmembrane chloride/nitrate antiporters with transport rates enhanced in the presence of valinomycin-K(+) complex.

Impact of the nature of the substituent at the 3-position of 4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides on their opening activity toward ATP-sensitive potassium channels

The synthesis of diversely substituted 3-isopropoxy-, 3-isopropylsulfanyl-, 3-isopropylsulfinyl-, and 3-isobutyl-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides is described. Their activity on pancreatic β-cells (inhibitory effect on the insulin releasing process) and on vascular and uterine smooth muscle tissues (myorelaxant effects) was compared to that of previously reported K(ATP) channel openers belonging to 3-isopropylamino-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides. The present study aimed at evaluating the impact on biological activity of the isosteric replacement of the NH group of 3-alkylamino-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides by a O, S, S(═O), or CH(2) group. By comparing compounds bearing identical substituents, the following rank order of potency on pancreatic β-cells was observed: 3-isopropylamino > 3-isobutyl > 3-isopropoxy > 3-isopropylsulfanyl > 3-isopropylsulfinyl-substituted 4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides (NH > CH(2) > O > S > S(═O)). A molecular modeling study revealed that 3-isopropoxy-, 3-isopropylsulfanyl-, and 3-isopropylamino-substituted compounds adopted a similar low-energy conformation (preferred orientation of the isopropyl chain). Moreover, no direct relationship was detected between the conformational freedom of the different classes of benzothiadiazines (from the most to the lowest conformationally constrained compounds: NH > O > S > CH(2)) and their biological activity on insulin-secreting cells. Therefore, the present study confirmed the critical role of the NH group at the 3-position for the establishment of a strong hydrogen bond responsible for optimal activity expressed by 3-alkylamino-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides on insulin-secreting cells. Radioisotopic and fluorimetric experiments conducted with 7-chloro-3-isopropoxy-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxide 10c demonstrated that such a compound, bearing a short branched O-alkyl group instead of the NH-alkyl group at the 3-position, also behaved as a specific K(ATP) channel opener. Lastly, the present work further identified 3-(alkyl/aralkyl)sulfanyl-substituted 7-chloro-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides as a class of promising myorelaxant drugs acting on uterine smooth muscles, at least in part, through the activation of K(ATP) channels.