Bisindolyl Maleimides and Indolylmaleimide Derivatives-A Review of Their Synthesis and Bioactivity

The evolution of bisindolyl maleimides and indolyl maleimide derivatives and their unique biological activities have stimulated great interest in medicinal chemistry programs. Bisindolylmaleimide (BIM)-type compounds arise from natural sources such as arcyriarubin and are biosynthetically related to indolocarbazoles. BIMs are commonly the immediate synthetic precursors of indolocarbazoles, lacking a central bond between the two aromatic units and making them more flexible and drug-like. Synthetic endeavours within this class of compounds are broad and have led to the development of both remarkably potent and selective protein kinase inhibitors. Clinical BIM examples include ruboxistaurin and enzastaurin, which are highly active inhibitors of protein kinase C-β. While BIMs are widely recognised as protein kinase inhibitors, other modes of activity have been reported, including the inhibition of calcium signalling and antimicrobial activity. Critically, structural differences can be used to exploit new bioactivity and therefore it is imperative to discover new chemical entities to address new targets. BIMs can be highly functionalised or chemically manipulated, which provides the opportunity to generate new derivatives with unique biological profiles. This review will collate new synthetic approaches to BIM-type compounds and their associated bioactivities with a focus on clinical applications.

Aminopyridone-linked benzimidazoles: a fragment-based drug design for the development of CDK9 inhibitors

Aim: A fragment-based design and synthesis of three novel series of aminopyridone-linked benzimidazoles as potential anticancer candidates with significant CDK9 inhibition was implemented. Materials & methods: All synthesized compounds were submitted to National Cancer Institute, 60 cell lines and seven-dose cytotoxicity toward three cancer cells. Results: Compounds 2, 4a, 4c, 4d, 6a and 8a exhibited significant cytotoxicity and selectivity with IC50 range of 7.61-57.75 μM. Regarding the mechanism either in vitro or in silico, 4a, 6a and 8a displayed potent CDK9 inhibition with IC50 value of 0.424-8.461 μM. Compound 6a arrested the cell cycle at S phase and induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. Conclusion: Compound 6a is a promising CDK9 inhibitor that warrants additional research for cancer treatment.

Rational Design of Esterase-Insensitive Fluorogenic Probes for In Vivo Imaging

Small-molecule fluorogenic probes are indispensable tools for performing research in biomedical fields and chemical biology. Although numerous cleavable fluorogenic probes have been developed to investigate various bioanalytes, few of them meet the baseline requirements for in vivo biosensing for disease diagnosis due to their insufficient specificity resulted from the remarkable esterase interferences. To address this critical issue, we developed a general approach called fragment-based fluorogenic probe discovery (FBFPD) to design esterase-insensitive probes for in vitro and in vivo applications. With the designed esterase-insensitive fluorogenic probe, we successfully achieved light-up in vivo imaging and quantitative analysis of cysteine. This strategy was further extended to design highly specific fluorogenic probes for other representative targets, sulfites, and chymotrypsin. The present study expands the bioanalytical toolboxes available and offers a promising platform to develop esterase-insensitive cleavable fluorogenic probes for in vivo biosensing and bioimaging for the early diagnosis of diseases.

Design of 2-amino-6-methyl-pyrimidine benzoic acids as ATP competitive casein kinase-2 (CK2) inhibitors using structure- and fragment-based design, docking and molecular dynamic simulation studies

Overexpression of casein kinase-2 (CK2) has been implicated in several carcinomas, mainly lung, prostate and acute myeloid leukaemia. The smaller nucleotide pocket compared to related kinases provides a great opportunity to discover newer ATP-competitive CK2 inhibitors. In this study, we have employed an integrated structure- and fragment-based design strategy to design 2-amino-6-methyl-pyrimidine benzoic acids as ATP-competitive CK2 inhibitors. A statistically significant four features-based E-pharmacophore (ARRR) model was used to screen 780,092 molecules. Further, the retrieved hits were considered for molecular docking study to identify essential binding interactions. At the same time, fragment-based virtual screening was performed using a dataset of 1,542,397 fragments. The identified hits and fragments were used as structure templates to rationalize the design of 2-amino-6-methyl-pyrimidine benzoic acids as newer CK2 inhibitors. Finally, the binding interactions of the designed hits were identified using an induced fit docking (IFD) study, and their stability was estimated by a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study of 100 ns.

Selective binding of small molecules to Vibrio cholerae DsbA offers a starting point for the design of novel antibacterials

DsbA enzymes catalyze oxidative folding of proteins that are secreted into the periplasm of Gram‐negative bacteria, and they are indispensable for the virulence of human pathogens such as Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli. Therefore, targeting DsbA represents an attractive approach to control bacterial virulence. X‐ray crystal structures reveal that DsbA enzymes share a similar fold, however, the hydrophobic groove adjacent to the active site, which is implicated in substrate binding, is shorter and flatter in the structure of V. cholerae DsbA (VcDsbA) compared to E. coli DsbA (EcDsbA). The flat and largely featureless nature of this hydrophobic groove is challenging for the development of small molecule inhibitors. Using fragment‐based screening approaches, we have identified a novel small molecule, based on the benzimidazole scaffold, that binds to the hydrophobic groove of oxidized VcDsbA with a K_D of 446±10 μM. The same benzimidazole compound has ∼8‐fold selectivity for VcDsbA over EcDsbA and binds to oxidized EcDsbA, with K_D>3.5 mM. We generated a model of the benzimidazole complex with VcDsbA using NMR data but were unable to determine the structure of the benzimidazole bound EcDsbA using either NMR or X‐ray crystallography. Therefore, a structural basis for the observed selectivity is unclear. To better understand ligand binding to these two enzymes we crystallized each of them in complex with a known ligand, the bile salt sodium taurocholate. The crystal structures show that taurocholate adopts different binding poses in complex with VcDsbA and EcDsbA, and reveal the protein‐ligand interactions that stabilize the different modes of binding. This work highlights the capacity of fragment‐based drug discovery to identify inhibitors of challenging protein targets. In addition, it provides a starting point for development of more potent and specific VcDsbA inhibitors that act through a novel anti‐virulence mechanism.

Pseudo Natural Products-Chemical Evolution of Natural Product Structure

Pseudo-natural products (PNPs) combine natural product (NP) fragments in novel arrangements not accessible by current biosynthesis pathways. As such they can be regarded as non-biogenic fusions of NP-derived fragments. They inherit key biological characteristics of the guiding natural product, such as chemical and physiological properties, yet define small molecule chemotypes with unprecedented or unexpected bioactivity. We iterate the design principles underpinning PNP scaffolds and highlight their syntheses and biological investigations. We provide a cheminformatic analysis of PNP collections assessing their molecular properties and shape diversity. We propose and discuss how the iterative analysis of NP structure, design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of PNPs can be regarded as a human-driven branch of the evolution of natural products, that is, a chemical evolution of natural product structure.

Chemical Starting Matter for HNF4α Ligand Discovery and Chemogenomics

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) is a ligand-sensing transcription factor and presents as a potential drug target in metabolic diseases and cancer. In humans, mutations in the HNF4α gene cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY), and the elevated activity of this protein has been associated with gastrointestinal cancers. Despite the high therapeutic potential, available ligands and structure-activity relationship knowledge for this nuclear receptor are scarce. Here, we disclose a chemically diverse collection of orthogonally validated fragment-like activators as well as inverse agonists, which modulate HNF4α activity in a low micromolar range. These compounds demonstrate the druggability of HNF4α and thus provide a starting point for medicinal chemistry as well as an early tool for chemogenomics.

Design of a potent anticancer lead inspired by natural products from traditional Indian medicine

Among the plant constituents of Clerodendrum colebrookianum Walp., acteoside, martinoside, and osmanthuside β6 interact with ROCK, a drug target for cancer. In this study, aglycone fragments of these plant constituents (caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and p-coumaric acid) along with the homopiperazine ring of fasudil (standard ROCK inhibitor) were used to design hybrid molecules. The designed molecules interact with the key hinge region residue Met156/Met157 of ROCK I/II in a stable manner according to our docking and molecular dynamics simulations. These compounds were synthesized and tested in vitro in SW480, MDA-MB-231, and A-549 cancer cell lines. The most promising compound was chemically optimized to obtain a thiourea analog, 6a (IC₅₀ = 25 µM), which has >3-fold higher antiproliferative activity than fasudil (IC₅₀ = 87 µM) in SW480 cells. Treatment with this molecule also inhibits the migration of colon cancer cells and induces cell apoptosis. Further, SPR experiments suggests that the binding affinity of 6a with ROCK I protein is better than that of fasudil. Hence, the drug-like natural product analog 6a constitutes a highly promising new anticancer lead.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Evolution of In Silico Strategies for Protein-Protein Interaction Drug Discovery

The advent of advanced molecular modeling software, big data analytics, and high-speed processing units has led to the exponential evolution of modern drug discovery and better insights into complex biological processes and disease networks. This has progressively steered current research interests to understanding protein-protein interaction (PPI) systems that are related to a number of relevant diseases, such as cancer, neurological illnesses, metabolic disorders, etc. However, targeting PPIs are challenging due to their "undruggable" binding interfaces. In this review, we focus on the current obstacles that impede PPI drug discovery, and how recent discoveries and advances in in silico approaches can alleviate these barriers to expedite the search for potential leads, as shown in several exemplary studies. We will also discuss about currently available information on PPI compounds and systems, along with their usefulness in molecular modeling. Finally, we conclude by presenting the limits of in silico application in drug discovery and offer a perspective in the field of computer-aided PPI drug discovery.

Insights into the Impact of Linker Flexibility and Fragment Ionization on the Design of CK2 Allosteric Inhibitors: Comparative Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies

Protein kinase is a novel therapeutic target for human diseases. The off-target and side effects of ATP-competitive inhibitors preclude them from the clinically relevant drugs. The compounds targeting the druggable allosteric sites outside the highly conversed ATP binding pocket have been identified as promising alternatives to overcome current barriers of ATP-competitive inhibitors. By simultaneously interacting with the αD region (new allosteric site) and sub-ATP binding pocket, the attractive compound CAM4066 was named as allosteric inhibitor of CK2α. It has been demonstrated that the rigid linker and non-ionizable substituted fragment resulted in significant decreased inhibitory activities of compounds. The molecular dynamics simulations and energy analysis revealed that the appropriate coupling between the linker and pharmacophore fragments were essential for binding of CAM4066 with CK2α. The lower flexible linker of compound 21 lost the capability of coupling fragments A and B to αD region and positive area, respectively, whereas the methyl benzoate of fragment B induced the re-orientated Pre-CAM4066 with the inappropriate polar interactions. Most importantly, the match between the optimized linker and pharmacophore fragments is the challenging work of fragment-linking based drug design. These results provide rational clues to further structural modification and development of highly potent allosteric inhibitors of CK2.

Exploring the Pivotal Role of the CK2 Hinge Region Sub-Pocket in Binding with Tricyclic Quinolone Analogues by Computational Analysis

Protein kinase CK2 has been considered as an attractive therapeutic target of cancer therapy. The tricyclic quinoline compound CX-4945 is the first representative of CK2 inhibitors used in human clinical trials. The binding of non-2,6-naphtyridine substituted compounds 27e (IC₅₀ > 500 nM) and 27h (IC₅₀ > 1000 nM) to CK2 is abolished. However, the unbinding mechanisms due to the key pharmacophore group replacement of compounds 27e and 27h are unveiled. In the present work, combined computational analysis was performed to investigate the underlying structural basis of the low-affinity of two systems. As indicated in the results, the loss of hydrogen bonds between the non-2,6-naphtyridine and the hinge region destroyed the proper recognition of the two complexes. Besides, the allosteric mechanisms between the deviated ligands and the changed regions (G-loop, C-loop and β4/β5 loop) are proposed. Furthermore, energetic analysis was evaluated by detailed energy calculation and residue-based energy decomposition. More importantly, the summary of known polar pharmacophore groups elucidates the pivotal roles of hinge region sub-pocket in the binding of CK2 inhibitors. These results provide rational clues to the fragment-based design of more potent CK2 inhibitors.

New leads for fragment-based design of rhenium/technetium radiopharmaceutical agents

Multiple possibilities for the coordination of fac-[Re(CO)3(H2O)3]+ to a protein have been determined and include binding to Asp, Glu, Arg and His amino-acid residues as well as to the C-terminal carboxylate in the vicinity of Leu and Pro. The large number of rhenium metal complex binding sites that have been identified on specific residues thereby allow increased target identification for the design of future radiopharmaceuticals. The core experimental concept involved the use of state-of-art tuneable synchrotron radiation at the Diamond Light Source to optimize the rhenium anomalous dispersion signal to a large value (f'' of 12.1 electrons) at its LI absorption edge with a selected X-ray wavelength of 0.9763 Å. At the Cu Kα X-ray wavelength (1.5418 Å) the f'' for rhenium is 5.9 electrons. The expected peak-height increase owing to the optimization of the Re f'' was therefore 2.1. This X-ray wavelength tuning methodology thereby showed the lower occupancy rhenium binding sites as well as the occupancies of the higher occupancy rhenium binding sites.

Systematic Targeting of Protein-Protein Interactions

Over the past decade, protein-protein interactions (PPIs) have gone from being neglected as 'undruggable' to being considered attractive targets for the development of therapeutics. Recent advances in computational analysis, fragment-based screening, and molecular design have revealed promising strategies to address the basic molecular recognition challenge: how to target large protein surfaces with specificity. Several systematic and complementary workflows have been developed to yield successful inhibitors of PPIs. Here we review the major contemporary approaches utilized for the discovery of inhibitors and focus on a structure-based workflow, from the selection of a biological target to design.

Steering target selectivity and potency by fragment-based de novo drug design

Kinase inhibitors: Ligand-based de novo design is validated as a viable technology for rapidly generating innovative compounds possessing the desired biochemical profile. The study discloses the discovery of the most selective vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) kinase inhibitor (right in scheme) known to date as prime lead for antiangiogenic drug development.

Structured water molecules in the binding site of bromodomains can be displaced by cosolvent

Bromodomains are α-helical bundles of approximately 110 residues that recognize acetylated lysine side chains mainly on histone tails. Bromodomains are known to play an important role in cancer and inflammation, and as such, significant efforts are being made to identify small-molecule inhibitors of these epigenetic reader proteins. Here, explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of two bromodomains (BAZ2B and CREBBP) are used to analyze the water molecules that seem to be conserved at the bottom of the acetyl-lysine binding site in most crystal structures of bromodomains. The MD runs suggest that the occupancy of the structured water molecules is influenced by conformational transitions of the loop that connects helices Z and A. Additional simulations in the presence of 50 molecules of cosolvent (i.e., 440 mM of dimethylsulfoxide, methanol, or ethanol) indicate that some of the structured water molecules can be displaced transiently. The residence time in the acetyl-lysine binding site is calculated to be about 1 ns, 2-5 ns, and 10-30 ns for methanol, ethanol, and dimethylsulfoxide, respectively, while the affinity of the three cosolvents for BAZ2B and CREBBP is in the range of 50-500 mM. The results described have implications for ligand design, suggesting that only structured water molecules that do not exchange with cosolvent should be maintained in crystal structures used for docking campaigns, and that hydroxy substituents should be incorporated in the ligand so as to map the structured water molecules replaced by (m)ethanol.

Efficient synthetic inhibitors of anthrax lethal factor

Inhalation anthrax is a deadly disease for which there is currently no effective treatment. Bacillus anthracis lethal factor (LF) metalloproteinase is an integral component of the tripartite anthrax lethal toxin that is essential for the onset and progression of anthrax. We report here on a fragment-based approach that allowed us to develop inhibitors of LF. The small-molecule inhibitors we have designed, synthesized, and tested are highly potent and selective against LF in both in vitro tests and cell-based assays. These inhibitors do not affect the prototype human metalloproteinases that are structurally similar to LF. Initial in vivo evaluation of postexposure efficacy of our inhibitors combined with antibiotic ciprofloxacin against B. anthracis resulted in significant protection. Our data strongly indicate that the scaffold of inhibitors we have identified is the foundation for the development of novel, safe, and effective emergency therapy of postexposure inhalation anthrax.