Amino(methyl) pyrrolidines as novel scaffolds for factor Xa inhibitors

Substituent effects of sulfonamide derivatives of metformin that can dually improve cellular glucose utilization and anti-coagulation

Metformin, the most frequently prescribed medicine for the management of type 2 diabetes, has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events in diabetic patients in pre-clinical and clinical studies. The present work reports the design, synthesis, and biological assessment of the impact of six benzenesulfonamide biguanides on various aspects of hemostasis, cell function, red blood cell integrity (RBC), and their ability to uptake glucose in human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs). It was found that all synthesized o- and m-benzenesulfonamides, particularly derivatives with nitro (3) and amino groups (4), are characterized by a good safety profile in HUVECs, which was further confirmed in the cellular integrity studies. The biguanide analogues with methoxy group (1, 2) and an amino substituent (5, 6) significantly increased glucose utilization in HUVECs, similarly to the parent drug. Intriguingly, compounds 1, 3, and 6 favourably influenced some of the coagulation parameters. Furthermore, derivative 3 also slowed the process of fibrin polymerization, indicating more beneficial anti-coagulant properties than metformin. None of the novel metformin analogues interact strongly with the erythrocyte lipid-protein bilayer. Our findings indicate that derivative 3 has highly desirable anti-coagulant properties, and compounds 1 and 6 have potential dual-action activity, including anti-hyperglycaemic properties and anti-coagulant activity. As such, these derivatives can be used as lead molecules for further development of anti-diabetic agents with a beneficial effect on hypercoagulability.

Applications of Isosteres of Piperazine in the Design of Biologically Active Compounds: Part 2

Applications of piperazine and homopiperazine in drug design are well-established, and these heterocycles have found use as both scaffolding and terminal elements and also as a means of introducing a water-solubilizing element into a molecule. In the accompanying review (10.1021/acs.jafc.2c00726), we summarized applications of piperazine and homopiperazine and their fused ring homologues in bioactive compound design along with illustrations of the use of 4-substituted piperidines and a sulfoximine-based mimetic. In this review, we discuss applications of pyrrolidine- and fused-pyrrolidine-based mimetics of piperazine and homopiperazine and illustrate derivatives of azetidine that include stretched and spirocyclic motifs, along with applications of a series of diaminocycloalkanes.

inSARa: intuitive and interactive SAR interpretation by reduced graphs and hierarchical MCS-based network navigation

The analysis of Structure-Activity-Relationships (SAR) of small molecules is a fundamental task in drug discovery. Although a large number of methods are already published, there is still a strong need for novel intuitive approaches. The inSARa (intuitive networks for Structure-Activity Relationships analysis) method introduced herein takes advantage of the synergistic combination of reduced graphs (RG) and the intuitive maximum common substructure (MCS) concept. The main feature of the inSARa concept is a hierarchical network structure of clearly defined substructure relationships based on common pharmacophoric features. Thus, straightforward SAR interpretation is possible by interactive network navigation. When focusing on a set of active molecules at one single target, the resulting inSARa networks are shown to be valuable for various essential tasks in SAR analysis, such as the identification of activity cliffs or "activity switches", bioisosteric exchanges, common pharmacophoric features, or "SAR hotspots".

Design, structure-activity relationships, X-ray crystal structure, and energetic contributions of a critical P1 pharmacophore: 3-chloroindole-7-yl-based factor Xa inhibitors

An indole-based P1 moiety was incorporated into a previously established factor Xa inhibitor series. The indole group was designed to hydrogen-bond with the carbonyl of Gly218, while its 3-methyl or 3-chloro substituent was intended to interact with Tyr228. These interactions were subsequently observed in the X-ray crystal structure of compound 18. SAR studies led to the identification of compound 20 as the most potent FXa inhibitor in this series (IC(50) = 2.4 nM, EC(2xPT) = 1.2 microM). An in-depth energetic analysis suggests that the increased binding energy of 3-chloroindole-versus 3-methylindole-containing compounds in this series is due primarily to (a) the more hydrophobic nature of chloro- versus methyl-containing compounds and (b) an increased interaction of 3-chloroindole versus 3-methylindole with Gly218 backbone. The stronger hydrophobicity of chloro- versus methyl-substituted aromatics may partly explain the general preference for chloro- versus methyl-substituted P1 groups in FXa, which extends beyond the current series.