The discovery of a potent Nav1.3 inhibitor with good oral pharmacokinetics

In this article, we describe the discovery of an aryl ether series of potent and selective Na_v1.3 inhibitors. Based on structural analogy to a similar series of compounds we have previously shown bind to the domain IV voltage sensor region of Na_v channels, we propose this series binds in the same location. We describe the development of this series from a published starting point, highlighting key selectivity and potency data, and several studies designed to validate Na_v1.3 as a target for pain.

Characterization of the Antiviral Activity of Highly Substituted Pyrroles: A Novel Class of Non-Nucleoside HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor

As a result of mass screening of the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical compound library for inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) activity, a novel class of inhibitor, the pyrroles, was identified. Subsequently, a series of analogues was screened for inhibitory activity against HIV-1 and some structure-activity relationships were identified. Further characterization of the most potent pyrrole involved comparing its effects in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) with its effects in transformed cell lines; the pyrrole had the same efficacy (EC50 = approximately 2 μM) but was less toxic in PBLs (IC50 = 175 μM) than in the cell lines CEM-SS and MT-2 (IC50 = 60-70 μM). The pyrrole was active against a strain of HIV-1 resistant to AZT (strain G9106) but lost activity against both HIV-2 (strain ROD) and a strain of HIV-1 resistant to a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (the pyridinone-resistant strain A17). Moreover, in direct enzymatic testing against HIV-1 RT purified from virus particles and against RT expressed recombinantly, the pyrrole showed potent inhibitory activity. We conclude that the pyrroles present a novel class of HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor.

Rapid optimization of an ICE inhibitor synthesis using multiple reaction conditions in a parallel array

Optimization of a 2-step reaction sequence was accomplished in 3-4 days, with over 200 different reaction conditions evaluated. Combinatorial arrays were performed using the optimized conditions to synthesize 590 new compounds which were tested for inhibition against N-His (D381E) ICE. Thirty-five compounds showed at least a tenfold improvement in activity compared to an initial standard.

A novel nonpeptide HIV-1 protease inhibitor: elucidation of the binding mode and its application in the design of related analogs

HIV-1 protease has been identified as a significant target enzyme in AIDS research. While numerous peptide-derived inhibitors have been described, the identification of a nonpeptide inhibitor remains an important goal. Using an HIV-1 protease mass screening technique, 4-hydroxy-3-(3-phenoxypropyl)-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one (1) was identified as a nonpeptide competitive inhibitor of the enzyme. Employing a Monte Carlo-based docking procedure, the coumarin was docked in the active site of the enzyme, revealing a binding mode that was later confirmed by the X-ray crystal analysis. Several analogs were prepared to test the binding interactions and improve the overall binding affinity. The most active compound in the study was 4,7-dihydroxy-3-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)butyl]-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one (31).