Applied metabolomics in drug discovery.

INTRODUCTION: The metabolic profile is a direct signature of phenotype and biochemical activity following any perturbation. Metabolites are small molecules present in a biological system including natural products as well as drugs and their metabolism by-products depending on the biological system studied. Metabolomics can provide activity information about possible novel drugs and drug scaffolds, indicate interesting targets for drug development and suggest binding partners of compounds. Furthermore, metabolomics can be used for the discovery of novel natural products and in drug development. Metabolomics can enhance the discovery and testing of new drugs and provide insight into the on- and off-target effects of drugs. AREAS COVERED: This review focuses primarily on the application of metabolomics in the discovery of active drugs from natural products and the analysis of chemical libraries and the computational analysis of metabolic networks. EXPERT OPINION: Metabolomics methodology, both experimental and analytical is fast developing. At the same time, databases of compounds are ever growing with the inclusion of more molecular and spectral information. An increasing number of systems are being represented by very detailed metabolic network models. Combining these experimental and computational tools with high throughput drug testing and drug discovery techniques can provide new promising compounds and leads.

Targeting the latest hallmark of cancer: another attempt at 'magic bullet' drugs targeting cancers' metabolic phenotype.

The metabolism of tumors is remarkably different from the metabolism of corresponding normal cells and tissues. Metabolic alterations are initiated by oncogenes and are required for malignant transformation, allowing cancer cells to resist some cell death signals while producing energy and fulfilling their biosynthetic needs with limiting resources. The distinct metabolic phenotype of cancers provides an interesting avenue for treatment, potentially with minimal side effects. As many cancers show similar metabolic characteristics, drugs targeting the cancer metabolic phenotype are, perhaps optimistically, expected to be 'magic bullet' treatments. Over the last few years there have been a number of potential drugs developed to specifically target cancer metabolism. Several of these drugs are currently in clinical and preclinical trials. This review outlines examples of drugs developed for different targets of significance to cancer metabolism, with a focus on small molecule leads, chemical biology and clinical results for these drugs.

Chemical exchange in novel spirobicyclic zwitterionic Janovsky complexes using dynamic 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Highly coloured Janovsky complexes have been known for over 120 years, being used in many colourimetric analytical procedures. In this present study, two novel and stable nitrocyclohexadienyl spirobicyclic, zwitterionic Janovsky anionic hydantoin sigma-complexes, rac-1,3-diisopropyl-6-nitro-2,4-dioxo-1,3-diazaspiro[4.5]deca-6,9-dien-8-ylideneazinate, ammonium internal salt (1) and 1,3-diisopropyl-2,4-dioxo-1,3-diazaspiro[4.5]deca-6,9-dien-8-ylideneazinate, ammonium internal salt (2) have been prepared and characterised by NMR, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and UV/visible methods. For the p-mononitro-substituted complex (2), we discovered chemical exchange behaviour using 1D saturation transfer and 2D exchange spectroscopy (EXSY) (1)H NMR techniques. The coalescence temperature was determined to be 62 degrees C in d(3)-acetonitrile. Analysis of these data provided a Gibbs free energy of activation, DeltaG double dagger, of + 67 kJ mole(-1), a rate constant, k, coalescence of 220 Hz and an equilibrium constant, K(eqm), of 0.98 as estimates of the exchange process in this solvent. Of the two mechanisms proposed for this fluxional behaviour, ring opening to a substituted benzene or proton exchange, a further theoretical modelling study of 1D (1)H NMR spectra was able to confirm that simple proton exchange between the two nitrogen sites of the hydantoin ring provided an accurate simulation of the observed experimental evidence. Interestingly, the o,p-dinitro-substituted complex (1) did not show any chemical exchange behaviour up to 150 degrees C in d(3)-acetonitrile (to 75 degrees C) and d(6)-dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Molecular modelling at the MM2 level suggests that steric collisions of an N-acyl isopropyl substituent of the hydantoin ring with the ortho-nitro group of the spirofused cyclohexadienyl ring prevents the proposed proton exchange mechanism occurring in this case.