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Adams GL, Pall PS, Grauer SM, Zhou X, Ballard JE, Vavrek M, Kraus RL, Morissette P, Li N, Colarusso S, Bianchi E, Palani A, Klein R, John CT, Wang D, Tudor M, Nolting AF, Biba M, Nowak T, Makarov AA, Reibarkh M, Buevich AV, Zhong W, Regalado EL, Wang X, Gao Q, Shahripour A, Zhu Y, de Simone D, Frattarelli T, Pasquini NM, Magotti P, Iaccarino R, Li Y, Solly K, Lee KJ, Wang W, Chen F, Zeng H, Wang J, Regan H, Amin RP, Regan CP, Burgey CS, Henze DA, Sun C, Tellers DM. Development of ProTx-II Analogues as Highly Selective Peptide Blockers of Na v1.7 for the Treatment of Pain. J Med Chem 2021; 65:485-496. [PMID: 34931831 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Inhibitor cystine knot peptides, derived from venom, have evolved to block ion channel function but are often toxic when dosed at pharmacologically relevant levels in vivo. The article describes the design of analogues of ProTx-II that safely display systemic in vivo blocking of Nav1.7, resulting in a latency of response to thermal stimuli in rodents. The new designs achieve a better in vivo profile by improving ion channel selectivity and limiting the ability of the peptides to cause mast cell degranulation. The design rationale, structural modeling, in vitro profiles, and rat tail flick outcomes are disclosed and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory L Adams
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Parul S Pall
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Steven M Grauer
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Xiaoping Zhou
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | | | - Marissa Vavrek
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Richard L Kraus
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | | | - Nianyu Li
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Stefania Colarusso
- Peptides and Small Molecules R&D Department, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia (RM), Italy
| | - Elisabetta Bianchi
- Peptides and Small Molecules R&D Department, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia (RM), Italy
| | - Anandan Palani
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Rebecca Klein
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | | | - Deping Wang
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Matthew Tudor
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Andrew F Nolting
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Mirlinda Biba
- Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Timothy Nowak
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | | | | | | | - Wendy Zhong
- Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | | | - Xiao Wang
- Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Qi Gao
- Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | | | - Yuping Zhu
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Daniele de Simone
- Peptides and Small Molecules R&D Department, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia (RM), Italy
| | - Tommaso Frattarelli
- Peptides and Small Molecules R&D Department, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia (RM), Italy
| | - Nicolo' Maria Pasquini
- Peptides and Small Molecules R&D Department, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia (RM), Italy
| | - Paola Magotti
- Peptides and Small Molecules R&D Department, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia (RM), Italy
| | - Roberto Iaccarino
- Peptides and Small Molecules R&D Department, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia (RM), Italy
| | - Yuxing Li
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Kelli Solly
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Keun-Joong Lee
- Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Weixun Wang
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Feifei Chen
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Haoyu Zeng
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Jixin Wang
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Hilary Regan
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Rupesh P Amin
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | | | | | - Darrell A Henze
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Chengzao Sun
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - David M Tellers
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
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Morissette P, Li N, Ballard JE, Vavrek M, Adams GL, Regan C, Regan H, Lee KJ, Wang W, Burton A, Chen F, Gerenser P, Li Y, Kraus RL, Tellers D, Palani A, Zhu Y, Sun C, Bianchi E, Colarusso S, De Simone D, Frattarelli T, Pasquini NM, Amin RP. Guiding Chemically Synthesized Peptide Drug Lead Optimization by Derisking Mast Cell Degranulation-Related Toxicities of a NaV1.7 Peptide Inhibitor. Toxicol Sci 2021; 185:170-183. [PMID: 34897513 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfab138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies have shown that some peptides and small molecules can induce non IgE-mediated anaphylactoid reactions through mast cell activation. Upon activation, mast cells degranulate and release vasoactive and proinflammatory mediators, from cytoplasmic granules into the extracellular environment which can induce a cascade of severe adverse reactions. This study describes a lead optimization strategy to select NaV1.7 inhibitor peptides that minimize acute mast cell degranulation (MCD) toxicities. Various in vitro, in vivo, and PKPD models were used to screen candidates and guide peptide chemical modifications to mitigate this risk. Anesthetized rats dosed with peptides demonstrated treatment-related decreases in blood pressure and increases in plasma histamine concentrations which were reversible with a mast cell stabilizer, supporting the MCD mechanism. In vitro testing in rat mast cells with NaV1.7 peptides demonstrated a concentration-dependent increase in histamine. Pharmacodynamic modeling facilitated establishing an in vitro to in vivo correlation for histamine as a biomarker for blood pressure decline via the MCD mechanism. These models enabled assessment of structure-activity relationship (SAR) to identify substructures that contribute to peptide-mediated MCD. Peptides with hydrophobic and cationic characteristics were determined to have an elevated risk for MCD, which could be reduced or avoided by incorporating anionic residues into the protoxin II scaffold. Our analyses support that in vitro MCD assessment in combination with PKPD modeling can guide SAR to improve peptide lead optimization and ensure an acceptable early in vivo tolerability profile with reduced resources, cycle time, and animal use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Morissette
- Nonclinical Drug Safety (NDS), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Nianyu Li
- Nonclinical Drug Safety (NDS), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Jeanine E Ballard
- Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Drug Metabolism (PPDM), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Marissa Vavrek
- Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Drug Metabolism (PPDM), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Gregory L Adams
- Discovery Chemistry Peptide, Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Chris Regan
- Nonclinical Drug Safety (NDS), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Hillary Regan
- Nonclinical Drug Safety (NDS), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - K J Lee
- Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Drug Metabolism (PPDM), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Weixun Wang
- Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Drug Metabolism (PPDM), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Aimee Burton
- Nonclinical Drug Safety (NDS), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Feifei Chen
- Nonclinical Drug Safety (NDS), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Pamela Gerenser
- Nonclinical Drug Safety (NDS), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Yuxing Li
- Nonclinical Drug Safety (NDS), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Richard L Kraus
- Nonclinical Drug Safety (NDS), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - David Tellers
- Discovery Chemistry Peptide, Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Anand Palani
- Discovery Chemistry Peptide, Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Yuping Zhu
- Discovery Chemistry Peptide, Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Chengzao Sun
- Discovery Chemistry Peptide, Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
| | - Elisabetta Bianchi
- Peptides and Small Molecules R&D Department, IRBM Spa , Pomezia, Rome 00071, Italy
| | - Stefania Colarusso
- Peptides and Small Molecules R&D Department, IRBM Spa , Pomezia, Rome 00071, Italy
| | - Daniele De Simone
- Peptides and Small Molecules R&D Department, IRBM Spa , Pomezia, Rome 00071, Italy
| | - Tommaso Frattarelli
- Peptides and Small Molecules R&D Department, IRBM Spa , Pomezia, Rome 00071, Italy
| | | | - Rupesh P Amin
- Nonclinical Drug Safety (NDS), Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, USA
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Colarusso S, De Simone D, Frattarelli T, Andreini M, Cerretani M, Missineo A, Moretti D, Tambone S, Kempf G, Augustin M, Steinbacher S, Munoz-Sanjuan I, Park L, Summa V, Tomei L, Bresciani A, Dominguez C, Toledo-Sherman L, Bianchi E. Optimization of linear and cyclic peptide inhibitors of KEAP1-NRF2 protein-protein interaction. Bioorg Med Chem 2020; 28:115738. [PMID: 33065433 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Inhibition of KEAP1-NRF2 protein-protein interaction is considered a promising strategy to selectively and effectively activate NRF2, a transcription factor which is involved in several pathologies such as Huntington's disease (HD). A library of linear peptides based on the NRF2-binding motifs was generated on the nonapeptide lead Ac-LDEETGEFL-NH2 spanning residues 76-84 of the Neh2 domain of NRF2 with the aim to replace E78, E79 and E82 with non-acidic amino acids. A deeper understanding of the features and accessibility of the T80 subpocket was also targeted by structure-based design. Approaches to improve cell permeability were investigated using both different classes of cyclic peptides and conjugation to cell-penetrating peptides. This insight will guide future design of macrocycles, peptido-mimetics and, most importantly, small neutral brain-penetrating molecules to evaluate whether NRF2 activators have utility in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Colarusso
- Department of Drug Discovery, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy.
| | - Daniele De Simone
- Department of Drug Discovery, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Tommaso Frattarelli
- Department of Drug Discovery, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Andreini
- Department of Drug Discovery, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Mauro Cerretani
- Translational & Discovery Research, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonino Missineo
- Translational & Discovery Research, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniele Moretti
- Translational & Discovery Research, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Tambone
- Translational & Discovery Research, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Georg Kempf
- Proteros Biostructures GmbH, Bunsenstraße 7 a, 82152 Planegg, Germany
| | - Martin Augustin
- Proteros Biostructures GmbH, Bunsenstraße 7 a, 82152 Planegg, Germany
| | | | | | - Larry Park
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Vincenzo Summa
- Department of Drug Discovery, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Licia Tomei
- Translational & Discovery Research, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Bresciani
- Translational & Discovery Research, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Celia Dominguez
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
| | - Leticia Toledo-Sherman
- Translational & Discovery Research, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Bianchi
- Department of Drug Discovery, IRBM Spa, Via Pontina km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
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