Ether and Carbamate Derivatives of 3-quinuclidinol and 3- hydroxymethylquinuclidine: Synthesis and Evaluation as Nicotinic Ligands.

BACKGROUND: A lead quinuclidine-based nicotinic ligand (EQA) served as the basis for the design of novel compounds. A new series of 3-substituted quinuclidines was designed, synthesized and evaluated as nicotinic ligands. METHODS: The goal was to improve affinity for nicotinic receptors in the CNS. Interatomic distance calculations were performed on the proposed compounds as well as, known nicotinic ligands. The proposed compounds were then synthesized, characterized and evaluated in in vitro assays as nicotinic receptor ligands. RESULTS: Compounds 9a and 9b were found to inhibit the specific binding of 3H-(S)-Nicotine with Ki values of 48 nM and 42 nM respectively, indicating high affinity interactions with the α4ß2 subtype. Data suggest that several compounds act as partial agonists at CNS receptors with an efficacy between 28 and 40% and are potent partial activators of human muscle type receptors (α1ß1γδ Emax= 80% that of 100 µM nicotine). CONCLUSIONS: Together these results indicate a partial agonism at muscle type receptors (ca. 40%) with no significant activation of rat ganglion-type receptors (α3ß4*: asterisk indicates potential additional subunit that could partner to form the ganglionic receptor). The partial agonism inducing dopamine release from striatal synaptosomes (α4ß2α6α4ß2ß3, and/or α6ß2ß3) suggest that these compounds may in addition be acting at the α4ß2 and/or the α6ß3* receptors. The partial agonists reported herein are interesting nicotinic ligands worthy of further investigation.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of 1-(4-sulfamylphenyl)-3-trifluoromethyl-5-indolyl pyrazolines as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitors.

A series of 20 novel 1-(4-sulfamylphenyl)-3-trifluoromethyl-5-indolyl pyrazolines were designed, synthesized, and screened in vitro for anti-inflammatory activity. These compounds were designed for evaluation as dual inhibitors of cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) and lipoxygenases (LOX-5, LOX-12, and LOX-15) that are responsible for inflammation and pain. All pyrazoline molecules prepared are optically active and compounds that are more potent in COX-2 inhibitory activity (5a and 5f) were resolved by chiral column and each enantiomer was tested for cyclooxygenase inhibitory activity. Molecular modeling and comparison of molecular models of 5a enantiomers with that of celecoxib model shows that 5a (enantiomer-1) and 5a (enantiomer-2) have more hydrogen bonding interactions in the catalytic domain of COX-2 enzyme than celecoxib. Compounds 5a, 5e, and 5f showed moderate to good LOX-5 and LOX-15 inhibitory activity and this is comparable to that of celecoxib and more potent than rofecoxib.

Design and synthesis of a short-chain bitistatin analogue for imaging thrombi and emboli.

Previously, we showed that labeled bitistatin analogues possessed excellent characteristics for imaging both deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. We hypothesized that the N-terminal amino acid sequence of bitistatin, which is different from other disintegrins, likely interacts with the binding site of platelets to confer desirable properties to bitistatin for imaging. In this study, we present the design, synthesis, and initial biological testing of a short-chain analogue of the native 83-amino-acid bitistatin sequence. Our initial molecular modeling of the binding loop of bitistatin showed that the minimal sequence that represented the binding region was a cyclic 10 amino acid sequence cyclo[Cys-Arg-Ile-Ala-Arg-Gly-Asp-Trp-Asn-Cys(S)]. Systematic modeling of a truncated N-terminal sequence of bitistatin fused with the optimized binding region having a thioether sequence through a Gaba spacer ultimately yielded the 24-amino acid peptide, cyclo-[CH(2)CO-Arg-Ile-Ala-Arg-Gly-Asp-Trp-Asn-Cys(S-)]-Gaba-Gly-Asn-Glu-Ile-Leu-Glu-Gln-Gly-Glu-Asp-Ser-Asp-Ser-Lys-OH, 1. The peptide was then coupled to the hydrazino-nicotinic acid bifunctional chelating agent and the purified adduct labeled with (99m)Tc using tricine as a coligand. Binding of the unlabeled and labeled peptide to stimulated human platelets was assayed in vitro. The (99m)Tc labeling yield was > 90%. The in vitro binding assays showed that the IC(50) for inhibition of platelet aggregation was 3694 nM, while the Kd of the (99m)Tc labeled peptide was 185 nM, indicating moderate affinity for the receptor. The (99m)Tc-labeled peptide was able to identify sites of experimental thrombi and emboli in a canine model. The results suggest initial success in attempting to mimic the behavior of bitistatin for imaging thrombi and emboli.

Arginine of retinoic acid receptor beta which coordinates with the carboxyl group of retinoic acid functions independent of the amino acid residues responsible for retinoic acid receptor subtype ligand specificity.

The biological actions of retinoic acid (RA) are mediated by retinoic acid receptors (RARalpha, RARbeta, and RARgamma) and retinoid X receptors (RXRalpha, RXRbeta, and RXRgamma). Consistent with the X-ray crystal structures of RARalpha and RARgamma, site-directed mutagenesis studies have demonstrated the importance of a conserved Arg residue (alphaArg(276), betaArg(269), and gammaArg(278)) for coordination with the carboxyl group of RA. However, mutation of Arg(269) to Ala in RARbeta causes only a 3- to 6-fold increase in the K(d) for RA and EC(50) in RA-dependent transcriptional transactivation assays while the homologous mutation in either RARalpha or RARgamma causes a 110-fold and a 45-fold increase in EC(50) value, respectively. To further investigate the nature of this difference, we prepared mutant RARs to determine the effect of conversion of betaR269A to a mutant which mimics either RARalpha ligand selectivity (betaA225S/R269A) or RARgamma ligand selectivity (betaI263M/R269A/V338A). Our results demonstrate that in RARbeta mutants that acquire either RARalpha or RARgamma ligand specificity the Arg(269) position responsible for coordination with the carboxyl group of retinoids continued to function like that of RARbeta. Furthermore, three mutant receptors (betaA225S/R269A, betaA225S/F279, and alphaF286A) were found to have a greater than wild-type affinity for the RARalpha-selective ligand Am580. Finally, a homology-based computer model of the ligand binding domain (LBD) of RARbeta and the X-ray crystal structures of the LBD of both RARalpha and RARgamma are used to describe potential mechanisms responsible for the increased affinity of some mutants for Am580 and for the difference in the effect of mutation of Arg(269) in RARbeta compared to its homologous Arg in RARalpha and RARgamma.

Unique property of some synthetic retinoids: activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor pathway.

Potential pharmacological applications in the areas of oncology, dermatology, diabetes, and atherosclerosis of synthetic analogs of retinoic acid that target a specific nuclear receptor and/or biological response have generated great interest in the development of new retinoid and rexinoid drugs. The pan-retinoic acid receptor antagonist AGN 193109 has been previously reported to elevate CYP1A1 levels, implicating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) as an additional target for this retinoid. AhR is a cytosolic ligand-dependent transcription factor that, in conjunction with the AhR nuclear translocator (Arnt), binds to dioxin response elements (DREs) located in the promoter region of target genes, such as CYP1A1, and induces their transcription. The purpose of these studies was to determine whether additional synthetic retinoids were capable of elevating CYP1A1 levels and to examine the mechanism of this increase in CYP1A. Two additional retinoids, AGN 190730 and AGN 192837, were found to be potent inducers of DRE-driven transcriptional activity; AGN 190730 was the most potent. Moreover, electrophoretic mobility-shift assays demonstrate that AGN 190730 can transform AhR into its active DNA recognition form. In addition, trypsin digestion of AGN 190730-treated AhR reveals a conformational change in the protein similar to the conformational change of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-bound AhR. Finally, competitive binding studies demonstrate that AGN 190730 can inhibit the binding of TCDD to AhR. The sum of the data demonstrates that some synthetic retinoids in addition to activating the retinoic acid receptor/retinoid X receptor pathway are capable of binding to AhR and activating the AhR/Arnt pathway.