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Zhou L, Dau V, Jensen AA. Discovery of a Novel Class of Benzimidazole-Based Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Modulators: Positive and Negative Modulation Arising from Overlapping Allosteric Sites. J Med Chem 2023; 66:12586-12601. [PMID: 37650525 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Here, we present the discovery of a novel class of benzimidazole-based allosteric modulators of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). The modulators were developed based on a compound (1) exhibiting positive modulatory activity at α4β2 nAChR in a compound library screening by functional characterization of 100 analogues of 1 at nAChRs. Two distinct series of positive and negative allosteric modulators (PAMs and NAMs, respectively) comprising benzimidazole as a shared structural moiety emerged from this SAR study. The PAMs mediated weak modulation of α4β2 and α6β2β3, whereas the NAMs exhibited essentially equipotent inhibition of α4β2, α6β2β3, α6β4β3, and α3β4 nAChRs, with analogue 9j [2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-1,3-dimethyl-1-H-benzo[d]imidazole-3-ium] displaying high-nanomolar and low-micromolar IC50 values at the β2- and β4-containing receptor subtypes, respectively. We propose that the PAMs and NAMs act through overlapping sites in the nAChR, and these findings thus underline the heterogenous modes of modulation that can arise from a shared allosteric site in the receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libin Zhou
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Vidan Dau
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Anders A Jensen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
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Kellogg GE, Cen Y, Dukat M, Ellis KC, Guo Y, Li J, May AE, Safo MK, Zhang S, Zhang Y, Desai UR. Merging cultures and disciplines to create a drug discovery ecosystem at Virginia commonwealth university: Medicinal chemistry, structural biology, molecular and behavioral pharmacology and computational chemistry. SLAS DISCOVERY : ADVANCING LIFE SCIENCES R & D 2023; 28:255-269. [PMID: 36863508 PMCID: PMC10619687 DOI: 10.1016/j.slasd.2023.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
The Department of Medicinal Chemistry, together with the Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has evolved, organically with quite a bit of bootstrapping, into a unique drug discovery ecosystem in response to the environment and culture of the university and the wider research enterprise. Each faculty member that joined the department and/or institute added a layer of expertise, technology and most importantly, innovation, that fertilized numerous collaborations within the University and with outside partners. Despite moderate institutional support with respect to a typical drug discovery enterprise, the VCU drug discovery ecosystem has built and maintained an impressive array of facilities and instrumentation for drug synthesis, drug characterization, biomolecular structural analysis and biophysical analysis, and pharmacological studies. Altogether, this ecosystem has had major impacts on numerous therapeutic areas, such as neurology, psychiatry, drugs of abuse, cancer, sickle cell disease, coagulopathy, inflammation, aging disorders and others. Novel tools and strategies for drug discovery, design and development have been developed at VCU in the last five decades; e.g., fundamental rational structure-activity relationship (SAR)-based drug design, structure-based drug design, orthosteric and allosteric drug design, design of multi-functional agents towards polypharmacy outcomes, principles on designing glycosaminoglycans as drugs, and computational tools and algorithms for quantitative SAR (QSAR) and understanding the roles of water and the hydrophobic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glen E Kellogg
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA.
| | - Yana Cen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Malgorzata Dukat
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Keith C Ellis
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Youzhong Guo
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Jiong Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Aaron E May
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Martin K Safo
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Shijun Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Umesh R Desai
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA.
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Wang B, Li M, Gao G, Sanz-Vidal A, Zheng B, Walsh PJ. Synthesis of Tryptamines from Radical Cyclization of 2-Iodoaryl Allenyl Amines and Coupling with 2-Azallyls. J Org Chem 2022; 87:8099-8103. [PMID: 35675635 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.2c00767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
An efficient synthesis of tryptamines is developed. Indole structures were constructed using 2-iodoaryl allenyl amines as electron acceptors and radical cyclization precursors. Radical-radical coupling of indolyl methyl radicals and azaallyl radicals led to the tryptamine derivatives. The utility and versatility of this method are showcased by the synthesis of 22 examples of tryptamines in ≤88% yield. In each case, indole formation is accompanied by in situ removal of the Boc protecting group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Minyan Li
- Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Gui Gao
- Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.,Department of Chemistry, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P. R. China
| | - Alvaro Sanz-Vidal
- Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.,Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidad de Valencia, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Bing Zheng
- Department of Chemistry, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P. R. China
| | - Patrick J Walsh
- Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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Wilkerson JL, Deba F, Crowley ML, Hamouda AK, McMahon LR. Advances in the In vitro and In vivo pharmacology of Alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptor positive allosteric modulators. Neuropharmacology 2020; 168:108008. [PMID: 32113032 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Receptors containing α4 and β2 subunits are a major neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtype in the brain. This receptor plays a critical role in nicotine addiction, with potential smoking cessation therapeutics producing modulation of α4β2 nAChR. In addition, compounds that act as agonists at α4β2 nAChR may be useful for the treatment of pathological pain. Further, as the α4β2 nAChR has been implicated in cognition, therapeutics that act as α4β2 nAChR agonists are also being examined as treatments for cognitive disorders and neurological diseases that impact cognitive function, such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. This review will cover the molecular in vitro evidence that allosteric modulators of the α4β2 neuronal nAChR provide several advantages over traditional α4β2 nAChR orthosteric ligands. Specifically, we explore the concept that nAChR allosteric modulators allow for greater pharmacological selectivity, while minimizing potential deleterious off-target effects. Further, here we discuss the development and preclinical in vivo behavioral assessment of allosteric modulators at the α4β2 neuronal nAChR as therapeutics for smoking cessation, pathological pain, as well as cognitive disorders and neurological diseases that impact cognitive function. This article is part of the special issue on 'Contemporary Advances in Nicotine Neuropharmacology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny L Wilkerson
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States.
| | - Farah Deba
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX, 75799, United States
| | - Morgan L Crowley
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Ayman K Hamouda
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX, 75799, United States.
| | - Lance R McMahon
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States.
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