Differential effects of a series of hydroxamic acid derivatives on 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase from neutrophils and 12-lipoxygenase from platelets and their in vivo effects on inflammation and anaphylaxis

N-alkylamides from Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. with potential anti-inflammatory activity

Six amides, including a new N-alkylamide (1), four known N-alkylamides (2-5) and one nicotinamide (6) were isolated from Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers., which is a pioneer herb traditionally utilized in medicine. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR experiments and by comparison of their spectroscopic and physical data with the literature values. Cubebamide (1) is a new cinnamoyltyraminealkylamide and possessed obvious anti-inflammatory activity against NO production with IC50 values of 18.45 μM. Further in-depth pharmacophore-based virtual screening and molecular docking were carried out to reveal the binding mode of the active compound inside the 5-LOX enzyme. The results indicate that L. cubeba, and the isolated amides might be useful in the development of lead compounds for the prevention of inflammatory diseases.

Effect of Inhibiting Histone Deacetylase with Short-Chain Carboxylic Acids and Their Hydroxamic Acid Analogs on Vertebrate Development and Neuronal Chromatin

Carboxylic acids with known central nervous system and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitory activities were converted to hydroxamic acids and tested using a suite of in vitro biochemical assays with recombinant HDAC isoforms, cell based assays in human cervical carcinoma Hela cells and primary cultures from mouse forebrain, and a whole animal (Xenopus laevis) developmental assay. Relative to the parent carboxylic acids, two of these analogs exhibited enhanced potency, and one analog showed altered HDAC isoform selectivity and in vivo activity in the Xenopus assay. We discuss potential uses of these novel hydroxamic acids in studies aimed at determining the utility of HDAC inhibitors as memory enhancers and mood stabilizers.

Hydroxamates: relationships between structure and plasma stability

Hydroxamates are valuable tools for chemical biology as well as interesting leads for medicinal chemistry. Although many hydroxamates display nanomolar activities against metalloproteases, only three hydroxamates have reached the market, among which is the HDAC inhibitor vorinostat. Failures in development are generally attributed to lack of selectivity, toxicity, or poor stability. To help medicinal chemists with respect to plasma stability, we have performed the first and preliminary study on structure-plasma stability for hydroxamates. We define some structural rules to predict or improve the plasma stability in the preclinical stage.

12/15-lipoxygenase inhibitors in diabetic nephropathy in the rat

The 12/15-lipoxygenase (12/15-LO) pathway is activated in diabetes mellitus (DM), increasing 12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE). We showed that a 12-LO inhibitor, cinnamyl-3,4-dihydroxy-alpha-cyanocinnamate (CDC) inhibited 12/15-LO activity in vivo and assessed the efficacy of another 12/15-LO inhibitor, N-benzyl-N-hydroxy-5-phenylpentamidine (BHPP), to diminish urinary 12-HETE and ameliorate diabetic nephropathy (DN) over 4 months. Rats studied were control (C, n=8), DM (n=6), and rats injected with BHPP (C+BHPP, n=4) and (DM+BHPP, n=5). BHPP 3 mg/kg/day decreased urinary (U) 12-HETE/creatinine (cr) by 30-50% after one injection and after 1 week of daily injections in DM rats. U 12-HETE/cr excretion increased paradoxically in controls given BHPP. There was a highly significant relationship between U 12-HETE/cr excretion and U alb/cr (r=0.79, P<10(-5)), demonstrating that renal 12/15-LO pathway activation is associated with albuminuria. BHPP did not inhibit glomerular collagen synthesis or improve histology. More sustained 12-LO inhibition may improve albuminuria in DN.

Anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic activities of hydroxylamine and related compounds

The anti-inflammatory activities of several novel oximes and O-acyl oximes that we synthesized have been reported based on carrageenan-induced rat foot-pad swelling assay and histamine-induced rat vascular permeability assay. A cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 inhibitory effect has also been reported for 4'-piperidinoacetophenone and 4'-morpholinoacetophenone oximes and their O-acyl derivatives. To further search for more effective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory or anti-allergic drugs, 1-hydroxylamino-1-(4'-piperidinophenyl) ethane (P-HA) and 1-hydroxylamino-1-(4'-morpholinophenyl) ethane (M-HA) were synthesized from the corresponding oximes with sodium cyanoborohydride, and N,O-diacetyl hydroxylamines (P-HA-Ac and M-HA-Ac) were prepared from these hydroxylamines using acetyl chloride. These hydroxylamines and N,O-diacetyl hydroxylamines clearly exhibited inhibitory effects on mouse carrageenan-induced foot-pad swelling induced by oral administration (150, 37.5 mg/kg). An oral dose of P-HA-Ac (150 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the mouse anaphylactic reaction to ovalbumin measured by the abdominal wall (AW) method. Percutaneous administration of P-HA and M-HA significantly inhibited 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB)-induced contact hypersensitivity reaction (type IV) in mice at a dose of 0.5 and 0.1 mg/ear, respectively. All tested hydroxylamines and N,O-diacetyl hydroxylamines clearly inhibited both COX-1 and COX-2 enzyme activities with IC(50) values of 1.9-28.7 and 1.6-2.9 micro M against COX-1 and COX-2, respectively. Hydroxylamines (P-HA and M-HA) also showed a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitory effect.

2-Arylalkyl-substituted anthracenones as inhibitors of 12-lipoxygenase enzymes. 2. Structure-activity relationships of the linker chain

A series of 2-arylalkyl-substituted anthracenones were tested as inhibitors of three types of 12-lipoxygenase isoforms in epidermal homogenate of mice, bovine platelets and porcine leukocytes. Their inhibitory activities were compared with those to inhibit the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme in bovine leukocytes. The compounds were synthesised by Marschalk, Wittig or Horner-Emmons reaction at the anthracenedione stage and then reduced to the anthracenones. Structure-activity relationship for the chain linking the anthracenone nucleus and the phenyl ring terminus was investigated. The 2-phenylethyl analogues were among the most potent inhibitors, and 3,4-dimethoxy-substituted 10f was identified as a selective inhibitor of the 12-LO enzymes over 5-LO. Selectivity for 12-LO isoforms was observed with an increase in the overall lipophilicity of the inhibitors. However, none of the linker chains of the 2-substituted anthracenones provided inhibitors that were able to discriminate between the 12-LO isoforms.

Potential use of lipoxygenase inhibitors for cancer chemoprevention

Increasing evidence suggests that lipoxygenase (LO)-catalysed metabolites have a profound influence on the development and progression of human cancers. Compared with normal tissues, significantly elevated levels of LO products have been found in breast tumours, colon cancers, lung, skin and prostate cancers, as well as in cells from patients with both acute and chronic leukaemias. LO-mediated products elicit diverse biological activities needed for neoplastic cell growth, influencing growth factor and transcription factor activation, oncogene induction, stimulation of tumour cell adhesion and regulation of apoptotic cell death. Agents that block LO catalytic activity may be effective in preventing cancer by interfering with signalling events needed for tumour growth. In the past ten years, pharmaceuticals agents that specifically inhibit the 5-LO metabolic pathway have been developed to treat inflammatory diseases such as asthma, arthritis and psoriasis. Some of these compounds possess anti-oxidant properties and may be effective in preventing cancer by blocking free radical-induced genetic damage or by preventing the metabolic activation of carcinogens. Other compounds may work by negatively modulating DNA synthesis. Pharmacological profiles of potential chemopreventive agents are compiled from enzyme assays, in vitro testing (e.g., cell proliferation inhibition in human cancer cells) and in vivo animal carcinogenesis models (e.g., N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced rat mammary cancer, benzo(a)pyrene-induced lung tumours in strain A/J mice and hormone-induced prostate tumours in rats). In this way, compounds are identified for chemoprevention trials in human subjects. Based on currently available data, it is expected that the prevention of lung and prostate cancer will be initially studied in human trials of LO inhibitors.

Novel 10-substituted antipsoriatic anthrones as inhibitors of epidermal 12-lipoxygenase and lipid peroxidation in membranes

The ability of novel 10-substituted anthrones to inhibit 12-lipoxygenase (12-LO) in mouse epidermal homogenate and lipid peroxidation in both bovine brain phospholipid liposomes and erythrocyte ghosts was investigated, and compared with their ability to inhibit 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) in bovine leukocytes. The compounds were fairly potent inhibitors of epidermal 12-LO, in addition to their strong inhibitory effects against leukocyte 5-LO. Although the antipsoriatic drug, anthralin, predominantly inhibited epidermal 12-LO, the novel derivatives were more selective 5-LO inhibitors. Compounds with free phenolic groups in the attached aromatic ring were also potent inhibitors of nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation in both sources of lipid substrate. This property was not correlated with their ability to inhibit the 5- and 12-LO pathways, suggesting that their mechanism of 5-/12-LO inhibition is not simply due to scavenging of peroxyl radicals generated at the active site of the enzymes. The compounds are dual-purpose inhibitors and may play a protective role against oxidative damage to psoriatic skin, in addition to their antiinflammatory 5-LO and 12-LO inhibitory properties.

Characterization and inhibition of 15-lipoxygenase in human monocytes: comparison with soybean 15-lipoxygenase

These studies characterized a method to measure 15-lipoxygenase (15-LO) activity in human monocytes (HMC) exposed to interleukin-4 (IL-4) and compare the activity with that of soybean 15-LO. 15-LO activity was quantitated by measuring 15-[14C]hydroxyeicosa-5Z,8Z,11Z,13E-tetraenoic acid (15-HETE) production from the substrate [14C]arachidonic acid (AA) after high-performance liquid chromatographic or thin-layer chromatographic separation. 15-HETE production by HMC was significantly elevated after continuous exposure to a single dose (10 ng/ml) of IL-4 for 4 days, was maximal at 5 days, and remained elevated at 6 days. At 6 days 15-LO activity in IL-4-treated HMC was increased significantly (2.81 +/- 0.70 fmol 15-HETE/cell) compared with background levels of 15-HETE in untreated HMC (0.098 +/- 0.31 fmol 15-HETE/cell). 15-HETE production was linear in the range of 5 x 10(4) to 7 x 10(5) HMC/assay, from 2 to 160 microM AA, and during 5-10 min of incubation with AA. Ethyl 2-cyano-3-(3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl)propenoate (a caffeic acid analogue), N-methyl-4-benzyloxy-phenyl acetohydroxamate (RG-6866), esculetin, and four novel lipoxygenase inhibitors, a phenylcyanomethylene analogue (RP-27493) and three benzoxadiazine analogues (RP-64835, RP-65047, and RP-65208), inhibited HMC 15-LO, with concentrations eliciting 50% of maximal inhibition (microM) of 0.21, 0.8, 6.3, 10, 22, 20, 6.3, 3, and 20 and 5.8, 5, 12, 1, 30, 0.8, 0.15, 0.05, and 2.8 for inhibition of soybean 15-LO, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

5-lipoxygenase inhibitors and their anti-inflammatory activities

A wide variety of agents have been reported as 5-LO inhibitors. The majority of the series appear to be lipophilic reducing agents, including phenols, partially saturated aromatics, and compounds containing heteroatom-heteroatom bonds. Many of these are not selective 5-LO inhibitors, but often affect CO and other LOs as well. In vivo systemic activity for many of these has been, in general, disappointing, probably because of poor bioavailability caused by lipophilicity and metabolic instability (oxidation, and conjugation of phenolic compounds). However, topically a number of agents have shown promise for skin inflammation, with Syntex's lonapalene the most advanced of these. Most results published to date appear more disappointing in the allergy/asthma field. More excitingly, a few structural types are selective 5-LO inhibitors which have shown systemic activity in vivo and in the clinic. Abbott's zileuton (136) appears to be one of the leading compounds in this category, along with other hydroxamates such as BW-A4C (129) from Burroughs-Wellcome. Recent selective non-reducing agents such as Wyeth-Ayerst's Wy-50,295 (143) and the similar ICI compounds such as ICI 216800 (145) also hold promise. The enantiospecific effects of (106) and (145) are especially interesting for the design of new inhibitors. If compounds like these validate the hypothesis that inhibition of 5-LO will have a significant anti-inflammatory effect, a redoubling of effort throughout the industry to find second- and third-generation selective agents may be expected. Part of the difficulty in interpreting and comparing the 5-LO literature is the plethora of test methods and activity criteria. As pointed out in the introduction, inhibition of product release from cells, often stimulated with A23187, has commonly been used to demonstrate 5-LO inhibition. However, this type of assay cannot be assumed to be diagnostic for 5-LO inhibition. Only if specificity for 5-LO product generation and (ideally) activity in cell-free enzymes is also shown should mechanistic interpretations be made. Recently, a new class of compounds was found at Merck which inhibited LT biosynthesis without inhibiting 5-LO, but apparently by a novel, specific mechanism. L-655,240 (169) and L-663,536 (MK-886) (170) were both active in human ISN, with IC50 values in the low micromolar range. Both also orally inhibited GPB (< 1 mg/kg). MK-886 was effective in Ascaris-induced asthma in squirrel monkeys, in rat carrageenan pleurisy, in rat Arthus pleurisy, and (topically) in guinea-pig ear oedema induced by A23187.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Activation of 15-lipoxygenase by low density lipoprotein in vascular endothelial cells. Relationship to the oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein

Oxidatively-modified low density lipoprotein (LDL) is thought to play a significant role in the formation of lipid-laden macrophages, the primary cellular component of atherosclerotic fatty lesions. Recently, lipoxygenases have been implicated as a major enzymatic pathway involved in rabbit endothelial cell-mediated LDL modification. We investigated the effect of LDL on porcine aortic endothelial cell (PAEC) and human umbilical vein (HUVEC) and aortic endothelial cell (HAEC) lipoxygenase activity. By thin layer chromatography, we observed that human LDL stimulated the metabolism of radiolabeled arachidonic acid to 12 + 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) in indomethacin-treated PAEC. Furthermore, radiolabeled linoleic acid, a specific substrate for the 15-lipoxygenase, was metabolized to its respective product 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE) in the presence of LDL. Increased product formation in both studies was inhibited by the lipoxygenase blockers nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) and RG 6866. 15-HETE was confirmed as the predominant HETE product in LDL-treated cells by high performance liquid chromatography. Both porcine- and human-derived LDL stimulated the CL release of 15-HETE from cells as determined by radioimmunoassay. Release of immunoreactive 15-HETE was inhibited by NDGA, RG 6866, and 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA) but not by the selective 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor RG 5901. These lipoxygenase inhibitors had similar effects on the modification of LDL. Our results suggest that the oxidative modification of LDL by endothelial cells may be mediated in part through activation of 15-lipoxygenase.

Relative potencies of 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors on antigen-induced contractions of guinea pig tracheal strips

A quantitative method to assess relative potencies (IC50) of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) enzyme inhibitors was established in antigen-induced contractions of tracheas isolated from actively sensitized guinea pigs (Schultz-Dale model). The relative potencies of four purported 5-LO inhibitors determined in this tissue assay were compared with those from a crude enzyme preparation isolated from guinea pig neutrophils. All compounds suppressed ovalbumin (OA)-induced tracheal contractions in a concentration-related manner in the presence of indomethacin and pyrilamine. IC50 Values, determined from the percent inhibition values obtained from responses at 30 ng/mL OA of these compounds ranged from 0.56-15 microM. A similar rank order of potency for inhibition of 5-HETE formation from a crude enzyme preparation was observed. This suggested that these agents had a common mechanism of action in the two assay systems and further validated the IC50 values determined in trachea assay. LY171883, an LTD4/LTE4 receptor antagonist, also suppressed OA-induced contractions concentration dependently with an IC50 of 4.9 microM determined by this method. LTD4 concentration-response curves were not altered by any of the four 5-LO inhibitors, ruling out the possibility that these agents were acting as LT receptor antagonists. Results of this study demonstrated that relative potencies of 5-LO inhibitors can be quantitatively assessed using this airway tissue model, which helps in identifying potential therapeutic agents for asthma.