A new class of potent nonpeptide luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) antagonists: design and synthesis of 2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidin-5-ones

Recent Development of Non-Peptide GnRH Antagonists

The decapeptide gonadotropin-releasing hormone, also referred to as luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone with the sequence (pGlu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-NH₂) plays an important role in regulating the reproductive system. It stimulates differential release of the gonadotropins FSH and LH from pituitary tissue. To date, treatment of hormone-dependent diseases targeting the GnRH receptor, including peptide GnRH agonist and antagonists are now available on the market. The inherited issues associate with peptide agonists and antagonists have however, led to significant interest in developing orally active, small molecule, non-peptide antagonists. In this review, we will summarize all developed small molecule GnRH antagonists along with the most recent clinical data and therapeutic applications.

Synthesis, central nervous system activity, and structure-activity relationship of 1-aryl-6-benzyl-7-hydroxy-2,3-dihydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine-5(1H)-ones

A series of 24 1-aryl-6-benzyl-7-hydroxy-2,3-dihydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine-5(1H)-ones was designed as antinociceptive compounds acting through opioid receptors with additional serotoninergic activity. The compounds, similarly as previously published series, lack the protonable nitrogen atom which is a part of classical opioid receptor pharmacophore and is necessary to interact with the conserved Asp(3.32) in the opioid receptor binding pocket. The compounds were obtained in one-step cyclocondensation of 1-aryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-amines diethyl 2-benzylmalonate or diethyl 2-(2-chlorobenzyl)malonate under basic conditions. Almost all the tested compounds exerted strong antinociceptive activity, but surprisingly, it was not reversed by naloxone; thus, it is not mediated through opioid receptors. It makes it possible to conclude that addition of one more aromatic moiety to the non-classical opioid receptor pharmacophore results in the compounds which are not opioid receptor ligands. The lack of activity of one of the tested compounds may be attributed to low blood–brain barrier permeation or unfavorable distribution of electrostatic potential and HOMO and LUMO orbitals.

The pseudo-Michael reaction of 1-aryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-amines with ethyl ethoxymethylenecyanoacetate

Abstract

The pseudo-Michael reaction of 1-aryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-amines with ethyl 2-cyano-3-methoxyprop-2-enoate (ethyl ethoxymethylenecyanoacetate) is investigated. At −10 °C reaction takes place on the exocyclic nitrogen atom, giving exclusively ethyl esters of 2-cyano-3-[(1-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)amino]prop-2-enoic acid. The formation of isomeric enamines which may be a theoretical product of the reaction on N3 ring nitrogen atom is not observed. The N6 enamines, heated in boiling acetic acid, yield cyclic 1-aryl-5-oxo-2,3-dihydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine-6-carbonitriles. Heating of the enamines to the temperature of 120–140 °C without a solvent makes it possible to obtain a mixture of 1-aryl-5-oxo-2,3-dihydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine-6-carbonitriles and ethyl 1-aryl-5-imino-2,3-dihydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine-6-carboxylates. The reaction of the respective hydrobromides of 1-aryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-amines with ethyl ethoxymethylenecyanoacetate in the presence of triethylamine gives selectively 1-aryl-5-oxo-1,2,3,5-dihydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine-6-carbonitriles.

Graphical Abstract

Discovery of 1-{4-[1-(2,6-difluorobenzyl)-5-[(dimethylamino)methyl]-3-(6-methoxypyridazin-3-yl)-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrothieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-6-yl]phenyl}-3-methoxyurea (TAK-385) as a potent, orally active, non-peptide antagonist of the human gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor

We previously discovered an orally active human gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor antagonist, thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4-dione derivative 1 (sufugolix). To reduce the cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibitory activity and improve in vivo GnRH antagonistic activity, further optimization of this scaffold was carried out. We focused our synthetic efforts on chemical modification at the 5 and 3 positions of the thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4-dione ring based on computational modeling, which resulted in the discovery of 1-{4-[1-(2,6-difluorobenzyl)-5-[(dimethylamino)methyl]-3-(6-methoxypyridazin-3-yl)-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrothieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-6-yl]phenyl}-3-methoxyurea (16b) as a highly potent and orally active GnRH antagonist. Compound 16b showed potent in vitro GnRH antagonistic activity in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS) without CYP inhibition. Oral administration of 16b maintained the suppressive effect of the plasma luteinizing hormone levels in castrated cynomolgus monkeys at a 3 mg/kg dose for more than 24 h. Compound 16b is currently under clinical development with the code name of TAK-385.

G protein-coupled receptors of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis: a case for Gnrh, LH, FSH, and GPR54 receptor ligands

The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, important in reproduction and sex hormone-dependent diseases, is regulated by a number of G protein-coupled receptors. The recently "deorphanized" GPR54 receptor activated by the peptide metastin is thought to be the key regulator of the axis, mainly by releasing gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus. The latter decapeptide, through the activation of the GnRH receptor in the anterior pituitary, causes the secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which subsequently activate their respective receptors on the gonadotrope cells. In this review we will discuss the small molecule agonists and antagonists that are currently being developed to intervene with the action of these four receptors. For GnRH receptors, 14 different chemical classes of non-peptidic antagonists have been reported, while for the LH receptor three classes of agonists have been described. Both agonists and antagonists have been introduced for the FSH receptor. Recently, the first non-peptidic agonist for GPR54 was reported.

Synthesis and evaluation of homo-bivalent GnRHR ligands

G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are important drug targets in pharmaceutical research. Traditionally, most research efforts have been devoted towards the design of small molecule agonists and antagonists. An interesting, yet poorly investigated class of GPCR modulators comprise the bivalent ligands, in which two receptor pharmacophores are incorporated. Here, we set out to develop a general strategy for the synthesis of bivalent compounds that are projected to bind to the human gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR). Our results on the dimerisation of a known GnRHR antagonist, with as key step the Huisgen 1,3-cycloaddition, and their ability to bind to and antagonize GnRH-induced GnRHR stimulation, are presented here.

Trapping of a Nonpeptide Ligand by the Extracellular Domains of the Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor Results in Insurmountable Antagonism

Drugs that exhibit insurmountable antagonism are proposed to provide improved clinical efficacy through extended receptor blockade. Long-term suppression of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) is an important therapeutic approach for a number of sex hormone-dependent diseases. In this study, we describe the mechanism and structural components required for insurmountable activity of a GnRHR antagonist. TAK-013 behaves as an insurmountable antagonist at the human receptor (hGnRHR) but as a surmountable antagonist at the macaque receptor (mGnRHR). Mutation of the eight residues that differ between hGnRHR and mGnRHR identified Ser-203 and Leu-300 in extracellular loops (ECL) 2 and 3 of hGnRHR as essential for the insurmountability of TAK-013. Substitution of the corresponding residues in mGnRHR with Ser and Leu (mGnRHR-P203S/V300L) converts TAK-013 to an insurmountable antagonist. In addition, mutation of Met-24 to Leu in the amino terminus of hGnRHR also ablates the insurmountable antagonism of TAK-013. The mechanism of insurmountability of TAK-013 was determined to be governed by its rate of dissociation from the receptor. Although the association rates of TAK-013 to hGnRHR, mGnRHR, and mGnRHR-P203S/V300L do not differ, the dissociation rate half-life correlates closely with the degree of insurmountability observed (169, 9, and 55 min, respectively). Taken together, these data suggest a model of the GnRHR in which ECL2, ECL3, and the amino terminus engage with TAK-013 upon its binding to the transmembrane region of the receptor. These additional interactions form a "trap door" above TAK-013, restricting its dissociation and thus resulting in its insurmountability.

Determination of the binding mode of thienopyrimidinedione antagonists to the human gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor using structure-activity relationships, site-directed mutagenesis, and homology modeling

We have investigated the specific interactions of a series thienopyrimidinediones with the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRH-R). Competitive radioligand binding assays were used to determine the effect of several mutants on nonpeptide binding. Distinct interactions were observed in two separate regions: the N-terminal end of TM7 and the C-terminal end of TM6. The effects of mutants at D302((7.32)) and H306((7.36)) suggest that these residues are part of a hydrogen-bond network important for anchoring the nonpeptides. Structure-activity relationships indicated urea substituents on the 6-(4-aminophenyl) group with a trans conformational preference bind with high affinity and are sensitive to D302((7.32)) mutations. Another interaction area was found between the N-benzyl-N-methylamino substituent and L300((6.68)) and Y290((6.58)). These interaction sites facilitated the derivation of a model in which a representative member of the series was docked into GnRH-R. The model is consistent with known SAR and illuminates inconsistencies with previous hypotheses regarding how this series interacts with the receptor.

Bayesian-regularized genetic neural networks applied to the modeling of non-peptide antagonists for the human luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone receptor

Bayesian-regularized genetic neural networks (BRGNNs) were used to model the binding affinity (IC(50)) for 128 non-peptide antagonists for the human luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) receptor using 2D spatial autocorrelation vectors. As a preliminary step, a linear dependence was established by multiple linear regression (MLR) approach, selecting the relevant descriptors by genetic algorithm (GA) feature selection. The linear model showed to fit the training set (N=102) with R(2)=0.746, meanwhile BRGNN exhibited a higher value of R(2)=0.871. Beyond the improvement of training set fitting, the BRGNN model overcame the linear one by being able to describe 85% of test set (N=26) variance in comparison with 73% the MLR model. Our non-linear QSAR model illustrates the importance of an adequate distribution of atomic properties represented in topological frames and reveals the electronegativities, masses and polarizabilities as the most influencing atomic properties in the structures of the heterocycles under analysis for having an appropriate LHRH antagonistic activity. Furthermore, the ability of the non-linear selected variables for differentiating the data was evidenced when total data set was well distributed in a Kohonen self-organizing map (SOM).

Design, Synthesis, and Structure−Activity Relationships of Thieno[2,3-b]pyridin-4-one Derivatives as a Novel Class of Potent, Orally Active, Non-Peptide Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Receptor Antagonists

Design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationships of thieno[2,3-b]pyridin-4-one-based non-peptide luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) receptor antagonists are described. Starting with the thienopyridin-4-one derivative 26d (T-98475) an optimization study was performed, which resulted in the identification of a highly potent and orally bioavailable LHRH receptor antagonist, 3-(N-benzyl-N-methylaminomethyl)-7-(2,6-difluorobenzyl)-4,7-dihydro-2-[4-(1-hydroxy-1-cyclopropanecarboxamido)phenyl]-5-isobutyryl-4-oxothieno[2,3-b]pyridine (33c). Compound 33c displayed subnanomolar in vitro activities for the human receptor and its oral administration caused effective suppression of the plasma LH levels in castrated male cynomolgus monkeys. Furthermore, SAR studies revealed that a hydroxyalkylamido moiety on the 2-phenyl ring is virtually equivalent to an alkylureido moiety, at least in this series of compounds.

Novel estimation of lipophilicity using 13C NMR chemical shifts as molecular descriptor

This paper describes the use of (13)C NMR chemical shift as molecular descriptor (molecular parameter) for modeling lipophilicity (logP). A set of 32 alcohols were chosen for this purpose. The regression analysis of the data showed that (13)C NMR chemical shifts of these alcohols can be used as a molecular descriptor (molecular property) for modeling the lipophilicity (logP). Better results are obtained by introducing an indicator parameter.

Synthesis and structure–activity relationships of uracil derived human GnRH receptor antagonists: (R)-3-[2-(2-amino)phenethyl]-1-(2,6-difluorobenzyl)-6-methyluracils containing a substituted thiophene or thiazole at C-5

The synthesis of a series of (R)-3-[2-(2-amino)phenethyl]-1-(2,6-difluorobenzyl)-6-methyluracils containing a substituted thiophene or thiazole at C-5 is described. SAR around C-5 of the uracil led to the discovery that a 2-thienyl or (2-phenyl)thiazol-4-yl group is required for optimal receptor binding. The best compound from the series had a binding affinity of 2 nM (K(i)) for the human GnRH receptor. A novel and convenient preparation of N-1-(2,6-difluorobenzyl)-6-methyluracil is also described.

Synthesis and structure–activity relationships of ( R )-1-alkyl-3-[2-(2-amino)phenethyl]-5-(2-fluorophenyl)-6-methyluracils as human GnRH receptor antagonists

The synthesis of a series of (R)-1-alkyl-3-[2-(2-amino)phenethyl]-5-(2-fluorophenyl)-6-methyluracils is discussed. SAR around N-1 of the uracil was explored, which led to the discovery that an electron-deficient 2,6-disubstituted benzyl group is required for optimal receptor binding. The best compound from the series had binding affinity of 0.7 nM (K(i) for the human GnRH receptor, which was 8-fold better than the 2,6-difluorobenzyl analog.