The design, synthesis and structure-activity relationships of novel isoindoline-based histone deacetylase inhibitors

Overview of class I HDAC modulators: Inhibitors and degraders

Class I histone deacetylases (HDACs) are closely associated with the development of a diverse array of diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, HIV, and inflammatory diseases. Considering the essential roles in tumorigenesis, class I HDACs have emerged as highly desirable targets for therapeutic strategies, particularly in the field of anticancer drug development. However, the conventional class I HDAC inhibitors faced several challenges such as acquired resistance, inherent toxicities, and limited efficacy in inhibiting non-enzymatic functions of HDAC. To address these problems, novel strategies have emerged, including the development of class I HDAC dual-acting inhibitors, targeted protein degradation (TPD) technologies such as PROTACs, molecular glues, and HyT degraders, as well as covalent inhibitors. This review provides a comprehensive overview of class I HDAC enzymes and inhibitors, by initially introducing their structure and biological roles. Subsequently, we focus on the recent advancements of class I HDAC modulators, including isoform-selective class I inhibitors, dual-target inhibitors, TPDs, and covalent inhibitors, from the perspectives of rational design principles, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and clinical progress. Finally, we also provide the challenges and outlines future prospects in the realm of class I HDAC-targeted drug discovery for cancer therapeutics.

Breaking the Silence: Regulation of HIV Transcription and Latency on the Road to a Cure

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has brought the HIV/AIDS epidemic under control, but a curative strategy for viral eradication is still needed. The cessation of ART results in rapid viral rebound from latently infected CD4+ T cells, showing that control of viral replication alone does not fully restore immune function, nor does it eradicate viral reservoirs. With a better understanding of factors and mechanisms that promote viral latency, current approaches are primarily focused on the permanent silencing of latently infected cells ("block and lock") or reactivating HIV-1 gene expression in latently infected cells, in combination with immune restoration strategies to eliminate HIV infected cells from the host ("shock and kill"). In this review, we provide a summary of the current, most promising approaches for HIV-1 cure strategies, including an analysis of both latency-promoting agents (LPA) and latency-reversing agents (LRA) that have shown promise in vitro, ex vivo, and in human clinical trials to reduce the HIV-1 reservoir.

Selective HDAC3 Inhibitors with Potent In Vivo Antitumor Efficacy against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

HDAC3 modulation shows promise for breast cancer, including triple-negative cases. Novel pyrazino-hydrazide-based HDAC3 inhibitors were designed and synthesized. Lead compound 4i exhibited potent HDAC3 inhibition (IC50 = 14 nM) with at least 121-fold selectivity. It demonstrated strong cytotoxicity against triple-negative breast cancer cells (IC50: 0.55 μM for 4T1, 0.74 μM for MDA-MB-231) with least normal cell toxicity. Metabolically stable 4i displayed a superior pharmacokinetic profile. A dose-dependent therapeutic efficacy of 4i was observed in a tumor-bearing mouse model. The biomarker analysis with tumor tissues displayed enhanced acetylation on Ac-H3K9, Ac-H3K27, and Ac-H4K12 compared to Ac-tubulin and Ac-SMC3 indicating HDAC3 selectivity of 4i in vivo. The immunoblotting study with tumor tissue showed upregulation of apoptotic proteins caspase-3, caspase-7, and cytochrome c and the downregulation of proliferation markers Bcl-2, CD44, EGFR, and Ki-67. Compound 4i represents a promising candidate for targeted breast cancer therapy, particularly for cases with triple-negative breast cancer.

Discovery of Anticancer Hybrid Molecules by Supervised Machine Learning Models and in Vitro Validation in Drug Resistant Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells

The concept of hybrid drugs for targeting multiple aberrant pathways of cancer, by combining the key pharmacophores of clinically approved single-targeted drugs, has emerged as a promising approach for overcoming drug-resistance. Here, we report the design of unique hybrid molecules by combining the two pharmacophores of clinically approved BCR-ABL inhibitor (ponatinib) and HDAC inhibitor (vorinostat) and results of in vitro studies in drug-resistant CML cells. Robust 2D-QSAR and 3D-pharmacophore machine learning supervised models were developed for virtual screening of the hybrid molecules based on their predicted BCR-ABL and HDAC inhibitory activity. The developed 2D-QSAR model showed five information rich molecular descriptors while the 3D-pharmacophore model of BCR-ABL showed five different chemical features (hydrogen bond acceptor, donor, hydrophobic group, positive ion group, and aromatic rings) and the HDAC model showed four different chemical features (hydrogen bond acceptor, donor, positive ion group, and aromatic rings) for potent BCR-ABL and HDAC inhibition. Virtual screening of the 16 designed hybrid molecules identified FP7 and FP10 with better potential of inhibitory activity. FP7 was the most effective molecule with predicted IC₅₀ using the BCR-ABL based 2D-QSAR model of 0.005 μM and that of the HDAC model of 0.153 μM, and that using the BCR-ABL based 3D-pharmacophore model was 0.02 μM and that with HDAC model was 0.014 μM. In vitro study (dose-response relationship) of FP7 in wild type and imatinib-resistant CML cell lines harboring Thr315Ile or Tyr253His mutations showed growth inhibitory IC₅₀ values of 0.000 16, 0.0039, and 0.01 μM, respectively. This molecule also showed better biocompatibility when tested in whole blood and in PBMCs as compared to ponatinib or vorinostat.

Stereoselective synthesis of (Z)-1,3-bis(α,β-unsaturated carbonyl)-isoindolines from aldehydes and phenacyl azides under metal free conditions

Here in the present manuscript, we report our observation of an unprecedented stereoselective synthesis of 2H-isoindolin-1,3-ylidenes from 2-(formylphenyl)acrylates and phenacylazide in the presence of piperidine. Unlike in our previous findings, in which we accessed 3-keto-isoquinolines from the same starting materials under slightly modified reaction conditions, this unexpected one-pot tandem reaction allows an efficient and simple method to access a variety of highly functionalized ethyl (Z)-2-((Z)-3-(2-oxo-2-arylethylidene)-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[e]isoindol-1-ylidene)-acetates in very good to excellent yields (up to 91%). The present methodology is compatible with a wide variety of functional groups.

Novel Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors and HIV-1 Latency-Reversing Agents Identified by Large-Scale Virtual Screening

Current antiretroviral therapies used for HIV management do not target latent viral reservoirs in humans. The experimental “shock-and-kill” therapeutic approach involves use of latency-reversal agents (LRAs) that reactivate HIV expression in reservoir-containing cells, followed by infected cell elimination through viral or host immune cytopathic effects. Several LRAs that function as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are reported to reverse HIV latency in cells and in clinical trials; however, none to date have consistently reduced viral reservoirs in humans, prompting a need to identify new LRAs. Toward this goal, we describe here a virtual screening (VS) approach which uses 14 reported HDAC inhibitors to probe PubChem and identifies 60 LRA candidates. We then show that four screening “hits” including (S)-N-Hydroxy-4-(3-methyl-2-phenylbutanamido)benzamide (compound 15), N-(4-Aminophenyl)heptanamide (16), N-[4-(Heptanoylamino)phenyl]heptanamide (17), and 4-(1,3-Dioxo-1H-benzo[de]isoquinolin-2(3H)-yl)-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)butanamide (18) inhibit HDAC activity and/or reverse HIV latency in vitro. This study demonstrates and supports that VS-based approaches can readily identify novel HDAC inhibitors and LRAs, which in turn may help toward inhibitor design and chemical optimization efforts for improved HIV shock-and-kill-based efforts.

Benzene construction via Pd-catalyzed cyclization of 2,7-alkadiynylic carbonates in the presence of alkynes

A palladium-catalyzed highly regio- and chemo-selective cyclization of 2,7-alkadiynylic carbonates with functionalized alkynes to construct 1,3-dihydroisobenzofuran and isoindoline derivatives under mild conditions has been developed. Functional groups such as alcohol, sulfonamide, and indoles could be well tolerated. After careful mechanistic studies, a mechanism involving oxidative addition and regioselectivity-defined double alkyne insertions has been proposed.

Pharmacophore-based virtual screening for identification of potential selective inhibitors of human histone deacetylase 6

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) 6 plays a role in oncogenic transformation and cancer metastasis via tubulin deacetylation, making it a critical target for anticancer drug design. However, lack of selectivity shown by many of the current HDAC6 inhibitors in clinical use and trials prompts the continuous search for selective inhibitors. Here, 10 pharmacophore hypotheses were developed based on the 3D common features of training set of 20 HDAC inhibitors in clinical use and trials. The hypotheses were validated using a test set of another 20 HDAC inhibitors along with 400 inactive (decoys) molecules based on Güner-Henry pharmacophore scoring method. Hypothesis 1 consisting of 1 H-bond donor, 1 H-bond acceptor and 2 hydrophobic features, was used to screen "DruglikeDiverse" database using Biovia Discovery Studio 4.5. The top 10 hit compounds were selected based on the pharmacophore fit values (>3.00). Their binding affinity against HDAC6 compared to class I HDACs (1, 2, 3 & 8) and a class IIa member (HDAC7), was calculated by molecular docking using AutoDock4. The stability of binding modes of 2 potential HDAC6-selective inhibitors (ENA501965 and IBS399024) was examined by 30 ns-molecular dynamics (MD) simulation using nanoscale MD (NAMD) software. Both ligands showed potential stability in HDAC6 active site over time. Therefore, these may provide additional scaffolds for further optimization towards the design of safe, potent and selective HDAC6 inhibitors.

Carboxylic acid derivatives display potential selectivity for human histone deacetylase 6: Structure-based virtual screening, molecular docking and dynamics simulation studies

Human histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) has been shown to play a major role in oncogenic cell transformation via deacetylation of α-tubulin, making it a viable target of anticancer drug design and development. The crystal structure of HDAC6 catalytic domain 2 has been recently made available, providing avenues for structure-based drug design campaign. Here, in our continuous effort to identify potentially selective HDAC6 inhibitors, structure-based virtual screening of ∼72 461 compounds was carried out using Autodock Vina. The top 100 compounds with calculated ΔG < -10 kcal/mol were manually inspected for binding mode orientation. Furthermore, the top 20 compounds with reasonable binding modes were evaluated for selectivity by further docking against HDAC6 and HDAC7 using Autodock4. Four compounds with a carboxylic fragment, displayed potential selectivity for HDAC6 over HDAC7, and were found to have good druglike and ADMET properties. Their docking complexes were then submitted to 10 ns-molecular dynamics (MD) simulation using nanoscale MD (NAMD) software, to examine the stability of ligand binding modes. These predicted inhibitors remained bound to HDAC6 in the presence of water and ions, and the root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), radius of gyration (Rg) and nonbond distance (protein-ligand) profiles suggested that they might be stable over time of the simulation. This study may provide scaffolds for further lead optimization towards the design of HDAC6 inhibitors with improved selectivity.

The Search for Potent, Small-Molecule HDACIs in Cancer Treatment: A Decade After Vorinostat

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a crucial role in the remodeling of chromatin, and are involved in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. In the last decade, inhibition of HDACs came out as a target for specific epigenetic changes associated with cancer and other diseases. Until now, more than 20 HDAC inhibitors (HDACIs) have entered clinical studies, and some of them (e.g., vorinostat, romidepsin) have been approved for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. This review provides an overview of current knowledge, progress, and molecular mechanisms of HDACIs, covering a period from 2011 until 2015.

Targeted cancer therapy: giving histone deacetylase inhibitors all they need to succeed

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) have now emerged as a powerful new class of small-molecule therapeutics acting through the regulation of the acetylation states of histone proteins (a form of epigenetic modulation) and other non-histone protein targets. Over 490 clinical trials have been initiated in the last 10 years, culminating in the approval of two structurally distinct HDACis - SAHA (vorinostat, Zolinza™) and FK228 (romidepsin, Istodax™). However, the current HDACis have serious limitations, including ineffectively low concentrations in solid tumors and cardiac toxicity, which is hindering their progress in the clinic. Herein, we review the primary paradigms being pursued to overcome these hindrances, including HDAC isoform selectivity, localized administration, and targeting cap groups to achieve selective tissue and cell type distribution.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of N-aryl salicylamides with a hydroxamic acid moiety at 5-position as novel HDAC-EGFR dual inhibitors

A novel series of N-aryl salicylamides with a hydroxamic acid moiety at 5-position were synthesized efficiently. Their activities against EGFR kinase and HDACs were evaluated. All compounds displayed inhibitory activity against EGFR and HDACs. The antiproliferative activities of synthesized compounds were evaluated by MTT method against human cancer cell lines A431, A549 and HL-60. Compound 1o showed the most potent inhibitory activity against A431 and A549. Compounds 1k and 1n exhibited higher potency against HL-60 than gefitinib and SAHA. N-Aryl salicylamides with a hydroxamic acid moiety at 5-position is another new HDAC-EGFR dual inhibitors.