1
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Hillebrand L, Liang XJ, Serafim RAM, Gehringer M. Emerging and Re-emerging Warheads for Targeted Covalent Inhibitors: An Update. J Med Chem 2024; 67:7668-7758. [PMID: 38711345 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Covalent inhibitors and other types of covalent modalities have seen a revival in the past two decades, with a variety of new targeted covalent drugs having been approved in recent years. A key feature of such molecules is an intrinsically reactive group, typically a weak electrophile, which enables the irreversible or reversible formation of a covalent bond with a specific amino acid of the target protein. This reactive group, often called the "warhead", is a critical determinant of the ligand's activity, selectivity, and general biological properties. In 2019, we summarized emerging and re-emerging warhead chemistries to target cysteine and other amino acids (Gehringer, M.; Laufer, S. A. J. Med. Chem. 2019, 62, 5673-5724; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01153). Since then, the field has rapidly evolved. Here we discuss the progress on covalent warheads made since our last Perspective and their application in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hillebrand
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Xiaojun Julia Liang
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ricardo A M Serafim
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Matthias Gehringer
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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2
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Kim HR, Byun DP, Thakur K, Ritchie J, Xie Y, Holewinski R, Suazo KF, Stevens M, Liechty H, Tagirasa R, Jing Y, Andresson T, Johnson SM, Yoo E. Discovery of a Tunable Heterocyclic Electrophile 4-Chloro-pyrazolopyridine That Defines a Unique Subset of Ligandable Cysteines. ACS Chem Biol 2024; 19:1082-1092. [PMID: 38629450 PMCID: PMC11107811 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.4c00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Electrophilic small molecules with novel reactivity are powerful tools that enable activity-based protein profiling and covalent inhibitor discovery. Here, we report a reactive heterocyclic scaffold, 4-chloro-pyrazolopyridine (CPzP) for selective modification of proteins via a nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) mechanism. Chemoproteomic profiling reveals that CPzPs engage cysteines within functionally diverse protein sites including ribosomal protein S5 (RPS5), inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase 2 (IMPDH2), and heat shock protein 60 (HSP60). Through the optimization of appended recognition elements, we demonstrate the utility of CPzP for covalent inhibition of prolyl endopeptidase (PREP) by targeting a noncatalytic active-site cysteine. This study suggests that the proteome reactivity of CPzPs can be modulated by both electronic and steric features of the ring system, providing a new tunable electrophile for applications in chemoproteomics and covalent inhibitor design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Rae Kim
- Chemical
Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - David P. Byun
- Chemical
Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Kalyani Thakur
- Chemical
Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Jennifer Ritchie
- Chemical
Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Yixin Xie
- Chemical
Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Ronald Holewinski
- Protein
Characterization Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer
Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Kiall F. Suazo
- Protein
Characterization Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer
Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Mckayla Stevens
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - Hope Liechty
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - Ravichandra Tagirasa
- Chemical
Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Yihang Jing
- Chemical
Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Thorkell Andresson
- Protein
Characterization Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer
Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Steven M. Johnson
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - Euna Yoo
- Chemical
Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
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3
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Keeley A, Kopranovic A, Di Lorenzo V, Ábrányi-Balogh P, Jänsch N, Lai LN, Petri L, Orgován Z, Pölöske D, Orlova A, Németh A, Desczyk C, Imre T, Bajusz D, Moriggl R, Meyer-Almes FJ, Keserü GM. Electrophilic MiniFrags Revealed Unprecedented Binding Sites for Covalent HDAC8 Inhibitors. J Med Chem 2024; 67:572-585. [PMID: 38113354 PMCID: PMC10788917 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Screening of ultra-low-molecular weight ligands (MiniFrags) successfully identified viable chemical starting points for a variety of drug targets. Here we report the electrophilic analogues of MiniFrags that allow the mapping of potential binding sites for covalent inhibitors by biochemical screening and mass spectrometry. Small electrophilic heterocycles and their N-quaternized analogues were first characterized in the glutathione assay to analyze their electrophilic reactivity. Next, the library was used for systematic mapping of potential covalent binding sites available in human histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8). The covalent labeling of HDAC8 cysteines has been proven by tandem mass spectrometry measurements, and the observations were explained by mutating HDAC8 cysteines. As a result, screening of electrophilic MiniFrags identified three potential binding sites suitable for the development of allosteric covalent HDAC8 inhibitors. One of the hit fragments was merged with a known HDAC8 inhibitor fragment using different linkers, and the linker length was optimized to result in a lead-like covalent inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron
B. Keeley
- Medicinal
Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre
for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Department
of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology
and Biotechnology, Budapest University of
Technology and Economics, Müegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
- National
Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Aleksandra Kopranovic
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Haardtring 100, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Vincenzo Di Lorenzo
- Medicinal
Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre
for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Department
of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology
and Biotechnology, Budapest University of
Technology and Economics, Müegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
- National
Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Ábrányi-Balogh
- Medicinal
Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre
for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Department
of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology
and Biotechnology, Budapest University of
Technology and Economics, Müegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
- National
Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Niklas Jänsch
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Haardtring 100, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Linh N. Lai
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Haardtring 100, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - László Petri
- Medicinal
Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre
for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Department
of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology
and Biotechnology, Budapest University of
Technology and Economics, Müegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
- National
Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Orgován
- Medicinal
Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre
for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Department
of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology
and Biotechnology, Budapest University of
Technology and Economics, Müegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
- National
Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Daniel Pölöske
- Institute
of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University
of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Anna Orlova
- Institute
of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University
of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - András
György Németh
- Medicinal
Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre
for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Department
of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology
and Biotechnology, Budapest University of
Technology and Economics, Müegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
- National
Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Charlotte Desczyk
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Haardtring 100, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Tímea Imre
- Medicinal
Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre
for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
- MS
Metabolomics
Research Group, Research Centre for Natural
Sciences, Magyar tudósok
krt 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dávid Bajusz
- Medicinal
Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre
for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Department
of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology
and Biotechnology, Budapest University of
Technology and Economics, Müegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
- National
Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Richard Moriggl
- Institute
of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University
of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Franz-Josef Meyer-Almes
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Haardtring 100, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - György M. Keserü
- Medicinal
Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre
for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Department
of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology
and Biotechnology, Budapest University of
Technology and Economics, Müegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
- National
Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
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4
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Mehta NV, Degani MS. The expanding repertoire of covalent warheads for drug discovery. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103799. [PMID: 37839776 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
The reactive functionalities of drugs that engage in covalent interactions with the enzyme/receptor residue in either a reversible or an irreversible manner are called 'warheads'. Covalent warheads that were previously neglected because of safety concerns have recently gained center stage as a result of their various advantages over noncovalent drugs, including increased selectivity, increased residence time, and higher potency. With the approval of several covalent inhibitors over the past decade, research in this area has accelerated. Various strategies are being continuously developed to tune the characteristics of warheads to improve their potency and mitigate toxicity. Here, we review research progress in warhead discovery over the past 5 years to provide valuable insights for future drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namrashee V Mehta
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Nathalal Parekh Marg, Matunga, Mumbai 400019, Maharashtra, India.
| | - Mariam S Degani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Nathalal Parekh Marg, Matunga, Mumbai 400019, Maharashtra, India.
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5
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Covalent Warheads Targeting Cysteine Residue: The Promising Approach in Drug Development. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27227728. [PMID: 36431829 PMCID: PMC9694382 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27227728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cysteine is one of the least abundant amino acids in proteins of many organisms, which plays a crucial role in catalysis, signal transduction, and redox regulation of gene expression. The thiol group of cysteine possesses the ability to perform nucleophilic and redox-active functions that are not feasible for other natural amino acids. Cysteine is the most common covalent amino acid residue and has been shown to react with a variety of warheads, especially Michael receptors. These unique properties have led to widespread interest in this nucleophile, leading to the development of a variety of cysteine-targeting warheads with different chemical compositions. Herein, we summarized the various covalent warheads targeting cysteine residue and their application in drug development.
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6
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McAulay K, Bilsland A, Bon M. Reactivity of Covalent Fragments and Their Role in Fragment Based Drug Discovery. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:1366. [PMID: 36355538 PMCID: PMC9694498 DOI: 10.3390/ph15111366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Fragment based drug discovery has long been used for the identification of new ligands and interest in targeted covalent inhibitors has continued to grow in recent years, with high profile drugs such as osimertinib and sotorasib gaining FDA approval. It is therefore unsurprising that covalent fragment-based approaches have become popular and have recently led to the identification of novel targets and binding sites, as well as ligands for targets previously thought to be 'undruggable'. Understanding the properties of such covalent fragments is important, and characterizing and/or predicting reactivity can be highly useful. This review aims to discuss the requirements for an electrophilic fragment library and the importance of differing warhead reactivity. Successful case studies from the world of drug discovery are then be examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten McAulay
- Cancer Research Horizons—Therapeutic Innovation, Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, University of Dundee, Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK
| | - Alan Bilsland
- Cancer Research Horizons—Therapeutic Innovation, Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
| | - Marta Bon
- Cancer Research Horizons—Therapeutic Innovation, Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Exscientia, The Schrödinger Building, Oxford Science Park, Oxford OX4 4GE, UK
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7
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Doman AJ, Tommasi S, Perkins MV, McKinnon RA, Mangoni AA, Nair PC. Chemical similarities and differences among inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase, arginase and dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase-1: implications for the design of novel enzyme inhibitors modulating the nitric oxide pathway. Bioorg Med Chem 2022; 72:116970. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2022.116970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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8
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Shindo N, Ojida A. Recent progress in covalent warheads for in vivo targeting of endogenous proteins. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 47:116386. [PMID: 34509863 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Covalent drugs exert potent and durable activity by chemical modification of the endogenous target protein in vivo. To maximize the pharmacological efficacy while alleviating the risk of toxicity due to nonspecific off-target reactions, current covalent drug discovery focuses on the development of targeted covalent inhibitors (TCIs), wherein a reactive group (warhead) is strategically incorporated onto a reversible ligand of the target protein to facilitate specific covalent engagement. Various aspects of warheads, such as intrinsic reactivity, chemoselectivity, mode of reaction, and reversibility of the covalent engagement, would affect the target selectivity of TCIs. Although TCIs clinically approved to date largely rely on Michael acceptor-type electrophiles for cysteine targeting, a wide array of novel warheads have been devised and tested in TCI development in recent years. In this short review, we provide an overview of recent progress in chemistry for selective covalent targeting of proteins and their applications in TCI designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Shindo
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Maidashi, Higashi-ku Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Akio Ojida
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Maidashi, Higashi-ku Fukuoka, Japan.
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9
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Lim B, Cheng Y, Kato T, Pham A, Le Du E, Mishra AK, Grinhagena E, Moreau D, Sakai N, Waser J, Matile S. Inhibition of Thiol‐Mediated Uptake with Irreversible Covalent Inhibitors. Helv Chim Acta 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/hlca.202100085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bumhee Lim
- Department of Organic Chemistry University of Geneva Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Chemical Biology Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
| | - Yangyang Cheng
- Department of Organic Chemistry University of Geneva Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Chemical Biology Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
| | - Takehiro Kato
- Department of Organic Chemistry University of Geneva Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Chemical Biology Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
| | - Anh‐Tuan Pham
- Department of Organic Chemistry University of Geneva Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Chemical Biology Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
| | - Eliott Le Du
- Laboratory of Catalysis and Organic Synthesis Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL SB ISIC LCSO BCH 4306 1015 Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Abhaya Kumar Mishra
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Chemical Biology Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
- Laboratory of Catalysis and Organic Synthesis Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL SB ISIC LCSO BCH 4306 1015 Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Elija Grinhagena
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Chemical Biology Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
- Laboratory of Catalysis and Organic Synthesis Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL SB ISIC LCSO BCH 4306 1015 Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Dimitri Moreau
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Chemical Biology Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
| | - Naomi Sakai
- Department of Organic Chemistry University of Geneva Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Chemical Biology Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
| | - Jerome Waser
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Chemical Biology Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
- Laboratory of Catalysis and Organic Synthesis Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL SB ISIC LCSO BCH 4306 1015 Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Stefan Matile
- Department of Organic Chemistry University of Geneva Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Chemical Biology Quai Ernest Ansermet 30 CH-1211 Geneva 4 Switzerland
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10
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Al-Hilal TA, Hossain MA, Alobaida A, Alam F, Keshavarz A, Nozik-Grayck E, Stenmark KR, German NA, Ahsan F. Design, synthesis and biological evaluations of a long-acting, hypoxia-activated prodrug of fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor, to reduce its systemic side-effects. J Control Release 2021; 334:237-247. [PMID: 33915222 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
ROCK, one of the downstream regulators of Rho, controls actomyosin cytoskeleton organization, stress fiber formation, smooth muscle contraction, and cell migration. ROCK plays an important role in the pathologies of cerebral and coronary vasospasm, hypertension, cancer, and arteriosclerosis. Pharmacological-induced systemic inhibition of ROCK affects both the pathological and physiological functions of Rho-kinase, resulting in hypotension, increased heart rate, decreased lymphocyte count, and eventually cardiovascular collapse. To overcome the adverse effects of systemic ROCK inhibition, we developed a bioreductive prodrug of a ROCK inhibitor, fasudil, that functions selectively under hypoxic conditions. By masking fasudil's active site with a bioreductive 4-nitrobenzyl group, we synthesized a prodrug of fasudil that is inactive in normoxia. Reduction of the protecting group initiated by hypoxia reveals an electron-donating substituent that leads to fragmentation of the parent molecule. Under normoxia the fasudil prodrug displayed significantly reduced activity against ROCK compared to its parent compound, but under severe hypoxia the prodrug was highly effective in suppressing ROCK activity. Under hypoxia the prodrug elicited an antiproliferative effect on disease-afflicted pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells and pulmonary arterial endothelial cells. The prodrug displayed a long plasma half-life, remained inactive in the blood, and produced no drop in systemic blood pressure when compared with fasudil-treated controls. Due to its selective nature, our hypoxia-activated fasudil prodrug could be used to treat diseases where tissue-hypoxia or hypoxic cells are the pathological basis of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taslim A Al-Hilal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Mohammad Anwar Hossain
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA
| | - Ahmed Alobaida
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA; Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia
| | - Farzana Alam
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA
| | - Ali Keshavarz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA
| | - Eva Nozik-Grayck
- Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research Laboratories, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Kurt R Stenmark
- Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research Laboratories, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Nadezhda A German
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA; Center of Excellence for Translational Neuroscience and Therapeutics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA
| | - Fakhrul Ahsan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo, TX, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, California Northstate University, 9700 West Taron Drive, Elk Grove, CA 95757, USA.
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