Discovery of a novel small molecule agonist scaffold for the APJ receptor.

The apelinergic system includes a series of endogenous peptides apelin, ELABELA/TODDLER and their 7-transmembrane G-protein coupled apelin receptor (APJ, AGTRL-1, APLNR). The APJ receptor is an attractive therapeutic target because of its involvement in cardiovascular diseases and potentially other disorders including liver fibrosis, obesity, diabetes, and neuroprotection. To date, pharmacological characterization of the APJ receptor has been limited due to the lack of small molecule functional agonists or antagonists. Through focused screening we identified a drug-like small molecule agonist hit 1 with a functional EC50 value of 21.5±5µM and binding affinity (Ki) of 5.2±0.5µM. Initial structure-activity studies afforded compound 22 having a 27-fold enhancement in potency and the first sub-micromolar full agonist with an EC50 value of 800±0.1nM and Ki of 1.3±0.3µM. Preliminary SAR, synthetic methodology, and in vitro pharmacological characterization indicate this scaffold will serve as a favorable starting point for further refinement of APJ potency and selectivity.

Pyrazole antagonists of the CB1 receptor with reduced brain penetration.

Type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1) antagonists might be useful for treating obesity, liver disease, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemias. Unfortunately, inhibition of CB1 in the central nervous system (CNS) produces adverse effects, including depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation in some patients, which led to withdrawal of the pyrazole inverse agonist rimonabant (SR141716A) from European markets. Efforts are underway to produce peripherally selective CB1 antagonists to circumvent CNS-associated adverse effects. In this study, novel analogs of rimonabant (1) were explored in which the 1-aminopiperidine group was switched to a 4-aminopiperidine, attached at the 4-amino position (5). The piperidine nitrogen was functionalized with carbamates, amides, and sulfonamides, providing compounds that are potent inverse agonists of hCB1 with good selectivity for hCB1 over hCB2. Select compounds were further studied using in vitro models of brain penetration, oral absorption and metabolic stability. Several compounds were identified with predicted minimal brain penetration and good metabolic stability. In vivo pharmacokinetic testing revealed that inverse agonist 8c is orally bioavailable and has vastly reduced brain penetration compared to rimonabant.

Peripherally selective diphenyl purine antagonist of the CB1 receptor.

Antagonists of the CB1 receptor can be useful in the treatment of several important disorders. However, to date, the only clinically approved CB1 receptor antagonist, rimonabant, was withdrawn because of adverse central nervous system (CNS)-related side effects. Since rimonabant's withdrawal, several groups are pursuing peripherally selective CB1 antagonists. These compounds are expected to be devoid of undesirable CNS-related effects but maintain efficacy through antagonism of peripherally expressed CB1 receptors. Reported here are our latest results toward the development of a peripherally selective analog of the diphenyl purine CB1 antagonist otenabant 1. Compound 9 (N-{1-[8-(2-chlorophenyl)-9-(4-chlorophenyl)-9H-purin-6-yl]piperidin-4-yl}pentanamide) is a potent, orally absorbed antagonist of the CB1 receptor that is >50-fold selective for CB1 over CB2, highly selective for the periphery in a rodent model, and without efficacy in a series of in vivo assays designed to evaluate its ability to mitigate the central effects of Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol through the CB1 receptor.

Diphenyl purine derivatives as peripherally selective cannabinoid receptor 1 antagonists.

Cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) antagonists are potentially useful for the treatment of several diseases. However, clinical development of several CB1 antagonists was halted due to central nervous system (CNS)-related side effects including depression and suicidal ideation in some users. Recently, studies have indicated that selective regulation of CB1 receptors in the periphery is a viable strategy for treating several important disorders. Past efforts to develop peripherally selective antagonists of CB1 have largely targeted rimonabant, an inverse agonist of CB1. Reported here are our efforts toward developing a peripherally selective CB1 antagonist based on the otenabant scaffold. Even though otenabant penetrates the CNS, it is unique among CB1 antagonists that have been clinically tested because it has properties that are normally associated with peripherally selective compounds. Our efforts have resulted in an orally absorbed compound that is a potent and selective CB1 antagonist with limited penetration into the CNS.

Decreased maternal plasma apelin concentrations in preeclampsia.

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder that complicates 3-7% of pregnancies. The development of preeclampsia has not been completely elucidated and current therapies are not broadly efficacious. The apelinergic system appears to be involved in hypertensive disorders and experimental studies indicate a role of this system in preeclampsia. Thus, an epidemiological evaluation of apelin protein concentration in plasma was conducted in case-control study of pregnant women. METHODS: Data and maternal plasma samples were collected from pregnant women with confirmed preeclampsia (n = 76) or normotensive controls (n = 79). Concentrations of apelin peptides were blindly measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data were subjected to statistical analyses. RESULTS: Plasma apelin concentrations, measured at delivery, were lower in preeclampsia cases compared with controls (mean ± standard deviation: 0.66 ± 0.29 vs. 0.78 ± 0.31 ng/mL, p = 0.02). After controlling for confounding by maternal age, smoking status, and pre-pregnancy body mass index, odds of preeclampsia were 48% lower for women with high versus low plasma apelin (≥0.73 vs. <0.73 ng/mL) concentrations. CONCLUSION: Reduced circulating apelin peptides may be associated with preeclampsia. The apelinergic system should be further investigated to elucidate its role in preclampsia and other hypertensive maternal disorders.

Design and synthesis of cannabinoid receptor 1 antagonists for peripheral selectivity.

Antagonists of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) have potential for the treatment of several diseases such as obesity, liver disease, and diabetes. Recently, development of several CB1 antagonists was halted because of adverse central nervous system (CNS) related side effects observed with rimonabant, the first clinically approved CB1 inverse agonist. However, recent studies indicate that regulation of peripherally expressed CB1 with CNS-sparing compounds is a viable strategy to treat several important disorders. Our efforts aimed at rationally designing peripherally restricted CB1 antagonists have resulted in compounds that have limited blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and CNS exposure in preclinical in vitro and in vivo models. Typically, compounds with high topological polar surface areas (TPSAs) do not cross the BBB passively. Compounds with TPSAs higher than that for rimonabant (rimonabant TPSA = 50) and excellent functional activity with limited CNS penetration were identified. These compounds will serve as templates for further optimization.

Towards rational design of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) antagonists for peripheral selectivity.

CB1 receptor antagonists that are peripherally restricted were targeted. Compounds with permanent charge as well as compounds that have increased polar surface area were made and tested against CB1 for binding and activity. Sulfonamide and sulfamide with high polar surface area and good activity at CB1 were rationally designed and pharmacologically tested. Further optimization of these compounds and testing could lead to the development of a new class of therapeutics to treat disorders where the CB1 receptor system has been implicated.

Anti-Inflammatory Action of Insulin via Induction of Gadd45-ß Transcription by the mTOR Signaling Pathway.

Insulin regulates a large number of genes in a tissue-specific manner. We have identified genes modulated by insulin in the liver and in liver-derived cells that had not yet been characterized as insulin regulated, and these previous studies indicate that numerous genes are induced by insulin via the MEK-ERK pathway. We now describe new studies indicating that Gadd45-ß can be induced by acute insulin treatment. Although other regulators of Gadd45-ß expression may utilize the MEK-ERK pathway, the data indicate that insulin utilizes signaling pathways separate from either MEK-ERK, PI3-K or p38 signaling pathways in the regulation of Gadd45-ß transcription. Our findings show that activation of a downstream effector of multiple signaling pathways, mTOR, was required for insulin-induction of Gadd45-ß gene transcription. Increased expression of Gadd45-ß can inhibit c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity. Since TNFα is increased during inflammation, and acts, at least in part, via the JNK signaling pathway, insulin induction of Gadd45-ß suggests a mechanism for the anti-inflammatory actions of insulin.

Insulin Dependant Gene Expression of Heat Shock Protein 60 in H4IIE Hepatoma Cells.

Insulin regulates metabolism and growth in cells of hepatic origin by specifically binding to and activating the tyrosine kinase insulin receptor. Insulin-induced intracellular signaling is conducted via multiple pathways, including the MAP kinase (MEK/ERK) and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathways, which in turn activate multiple downstream signaling molecules. Heat shock protein 60 (HSP60; chaperonin 60kD) was selected by screening to be regulated by insulin in rat hepatoma cells. Heat shock proteins are a family of molecular chaperones whose main cellular function is to mediate the proper folding of newly synthesized proteins. The cellular response to stress is characterized by an overall decrease in protein synthesis, and upregulation of the heat shock protein family, including HSP60. A role for HSP60 has been implied in many diseases and in the responses to hypoxia. The present study was designed to ask whether insulin stimulated HSP60 gene expression. The rate of HSP60 transcription and mRNA accumulation were measured in rat H4IIE hepatoma cells and insulin-induced expression of HSP60 was predominantly via the MEK/ERK pathway. Inhibition of the p38 and PI3K pathways suggest complex feedback interactions of other insulin-, cell stressor- and cytokine- regulated pathways on the primary role of the MEK/ERK signaling in the regulation of HSP60 gene expression by insulin.

Blockade of rapid versus prolonged extracellularly regulated kinase 1/2 activation has differential effects on insulin-induced gene expression.

In the present work, insulin's regulation of expression of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF-3), the putative transcription factor proline-rich induced protein (Pip)92, and insulin-inducible gene-1 (Insig-1) (an ER resident protein involved in regulation of sterol-responsive element-binding protein 1 activation) have been examined in a liver-derived cell line (rat H4IIE hepatoma cells). We report that: 1) insulin-induced transcription of ATF-3, Pip92, and Insig-1 required MEK-ERK activation; 2) insulin-induced transcription of ATF-3 and Pip92 reached maximum levels within 15 min and was blocked by wortmannin but not LY294002; 3) in contrast, the maximum level of insulin-induced transcription of Insig-1 was delayed and was not blocked by either wortmannin or LY294002; 4) insulin activated ERK1/2 in two distinct phases, a rapid peak and a later plateau; 5) the delayed plateau phase of insulin-induced ERK1/2 activation was partially phosphatidylinositol 3-OH-kinase dependent; and 6) however, the rapid, insulin-induced peak of ERK1/2 activation was blocked by wortmannin but not LY294002.

Reduced syndecan-4 expression in arterial smooth muscle cells with enhanced proliferation.

Syndecans, a family of cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) containing proteoglycans (PGs), are known regulators of many biological processes including inhibition of smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation. Cultured arterial SMCs from atherosclerosis-susceptible White Carneau (WC) pigeons have increased proliferation rates and significant reductions in total cell-surface HS relative to atherosclerosis-resistant Show Racer (SR) SMC. Using a specific syndecan-4 cDNA, 1.5- to 2.0-fold reductions in gene expression were observed in WC SMC compared to SR SMC. Immunolocalization studies demonstrated reduced cell surface syndecan-4 protein in WC cells. Gene induction demonstrated that the reduction in syndecan-4 expression in WC cells was not due to reduced mRNA stability. Studies using cycloheximide to superinduce gene expression indicated transcriptional suppression of syndecan-4 in WC cells. The results suggest that reduced cell surface HS PG in WC arterial SMC can be explained, in part, by reductions in syndecan-4 gene expression. Differential transcriptional regulation of syndecan-4 in WC and SR cells provides a system to explore regulation of the syndecan-4 gene as well as the potential mechanisms by which syndecan-4 can exert a specific antiproliferative effect.

Insulin-regulated expression of Egr-1 and Krox20: dependence on ERK1/2 and interaction with p38 and PI3-kinase pathways.

In addition to its ability to rapidly alter metabolism, insulin is also able to regulate the expression of numerous genes via activation of the PI3-kinase (PI3-K), MAPK kinase (MEK)-ERK, or p38 pathways. Using differential screening of H4IIE cells, we have identified two members of the Egr zinc-finger transcription factor family of early response genes, Egr-1 and Krox20, whose transcription is induced by insulin treatment. Egr-1 may be involved in insulin's regulation of hepatic gene expression. Krox20 regulation and expression have been primarily studied in neural cells and tissues, but little has been previously reported on the presence of Krox20 in cells of hepatic origin or its regulation by insulin. In the present studies, insulin treatment rapidly increased transcription of both Egr-1 and Krox20. In cells pretreated with a PI3-K inhibitor, there was no reduction in the effect of insulin on Egr-1 and Krox20, but an increase in Egr-1 transcription. The rapid induction of ERK1/2 phosphorylation was completely blocked by pretreatment with a MEK1 inhibitor and was associated with a nearly complete inhibition of insulin-stimulated induction of both Egr-1and Krox20, indicating this pathway is necessary for insulin's effect on these genes. Finally, inhibition of the p38 pathway, followed by insulin addition, caused an additive induction of both Egr-1and Krox20. In conclusion, these genes are induced by insulin via coordinated regulation of the MEK-ERK and p38 pathways and, in the case of Egr-1, the PI3-K pathway.