ABSTRACT
In the past few years, there have been many advances in the efforts to cure patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The ultimate goal of these efforts is to develop a combination therapy consisting of only direct-antiviral agents (DAAs). In this paper, we discuss our efforts that led to the identification of a bicyclic template with potent activity against the NS5B polymerase, a critical enzyme on the life cycle of HCV. In continuation of our exploration to improve the stilbene series, the 3,5,6,8-tetrasubstituted quinoline core was identified as replacement of the stilbene moiety. 6-Methoxy-2(1H)-pyridone was identified among several heterocyclic headgroups to have the best potency. Solubility of the template was improved by replacing a planar aryl linker with a saturated pyrrolidine. Profiling of the most promising compounds led to the identification of quinoline 41 (RG7109), which was selected for advancement to clinical development.
Subject(s)
Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology , Hepacivirus/drug effects , Quinolines/pharmacology , Sulfonamides/pharmacology , Viral Nonstructural Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Animals , Antiviral Agents/chemistry , Antiviral Agents/pharmacokinetics , Dogs , Drug Discovery , Enzyme Inhibitors/chemistry , Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacokinetics , Hepacivirus/enzymology , Humans , Models, Molecular , Quinolines/chemistry , Quinolines/pharmacokinetics , Rats , Sulfonamides/chemistry , Sulfonamides/pharmacokineticsABSTRACT
Optimization of the amino acid side chain and the N-alkyl group of the sulfonamide of amino acid derived sulfonamide hydroxamates is discussed. The solid-phase synthesis of these potent inhibitors of procollagen C-proteinase (PCP) is presented. In addition, novel carboxylic acid sulfonamides were discovered to be PCP inhibitors.
