Silver-Promoted Rapid Synthesis of 3-Arylindan-1-ones: Microwave-Assisted Reductive Coupling of N-Tosylhydrazone and Boronic Acids.

An efficient and straightforward one-pot tandem synthesis of 3-arylindan-1-ones was consummated through silver nitrate-promoted C-C coupling of simple indane-1,3-dione with arylboronic acid via 1,3-indanedione monotosylhydrazone under microwave conditions. The resulting series of 3-arylindan-1-ones exhibited impressive yields, surpassing those achievable with traditional methods and requiring a shorter time frame. This innovative approach significantly accelerated the synthesis of biologically active compounds such as (+)-indatraline (Lu 19-005) and several other industrially relevant substances.

Alleviation of arthritis through prevention of neutrophil extracellular traps by an orally available inhibitor of protein arginine deiminase 4.

Protein arginine deiminases (PAD) 4 is an enzyme that catalyzes citrullination of protein and its role in autoimmune diseases has been established through clinical genetics and gene knock out studies in mice. Further, studies with PAD4 - deficient mice have shown that PAD4 deficiency does not lead to increased infection or immune suppression, which makes PAD4 an attractive therapeutic target for auto-immune and inflammatory diseases. PAD4 has critical enzymatic role of promoting chromatin decondensation and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation that is associated with a number of immune-mediated pathological conditions. Here, we present a non-covalent PAD4 inhibitor JBI-589 with high PAD4 isoform selectivity and delineated its binding mode at 2.88 Å resolution by X-ray crystallography. We confirmed its effectiveness in inhibiting NET formation in vitro. Additionally, by using two mouse arthritis models for human rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the well-known disease associated with PAD4 clinically, we established its efficacy in vivo. These results suggest that JBI-589 would be beneficial for both PAD4 and NET-associated pathological conditions.

Palladium-Catalyzed Direct α-Arylation of Indane-1,3-dione to 2-Substituted Indene-1,3-diones.

A straightforward and feasible palladium-catalyzed direct α-arylation of indane-1,3-dione to 2-substituted aryl/heteroaryl indene-1,3-diones has been disclosed for the first time. Optimization of reaction conditions identified tBu-XPhos as a preferred ligand for the bis(acetonitrile)dichloropalladium(II) catalyst. A broad spectrum of aryl iodides and aryl triflates containing electron-donating, electron-withdrawing, and sterically hindered substituents gave an excellent yield for the quick access α-arylated 1,3-diones library.

Discovery and optimization of novel phenyldiazepine and pyridodiazepine based Aurora kinase inhibitors.

Aurora B plays critical role in the process of chromosome condensation and chromosome orientation during the regulation of mitosis. The overexpression of Aurora B has been observed in several tumor types. As a part of our ongoing effort to develop Aurora B inhibitors, herein, we described the design, synthesis and evaluation of phenyl/pyridine diazepine analogs. The diazepane aniline pyrimidine (4a) was identified as an initial hit (Aurora B IC50 6.9 µM). Molecular modeling guided SAR optimization lead to the identification of 8-fluorobenzodiazepine (6c) with single digit nM potency (Aurora B IC50 8 nM). In the antiproliferation assay 6c showed activity across the cell lines with IC50 of 0.57, 0.42, and 0.69 µM for MCF-7, MDA-MB 231, and SkoV3 respectively. In the in vivo PK profile. 6c has shown higher bioavailability (73%) along with good exposure (AUC of 1360 ng.h/mL).

Validated LC-MS/MS Method for Simultaneous Quantitation of Enasidenib and its Active Metabolite, AGI-16903 in Small Volume Mice Plasma: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study.

Enasidenib is a selective mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 inhibitor approved for the treatment of relapsed and refractory acute myeloid leukemia patients. A sensitive and rapid method has been developed and validated as per regulatory guideline for the simultaneous quantitation of enasidenib and its active metabolite, AGI-16903 in mice plasma using an LC-MS/MS. Enasidenib and AGI-16903 along with internal standard were extracted from mice plasma using simple protein precipitation method. Chromatographic resolution of enasidenib, AGI-16903 and the internal standard (close analogue of AGI-16903) was achieved on a Chromolith RP-18e column using 0.2% formic acid:acetonitrile (15:85, v/v) as an eluent, which was delivered at a flow-rate of 1.2 mL/min. The MS/MS ion transitions monitored were m/z 474.1→267.2, 402.1→188.1 and 421.0→146.1 for enasidenib, AGI-16903 and the internal standard, respectively. The linearity range was 1.01-3023 ng/mL for both enasidenib and AGI-16903. The within-run and between-run accuracy and within-run and between-run precision were in the range of - 2.29 to 2.72 (as one value is in negative side). and 4.65-9.82%, respectively for enasidenib; 0.19-10.3 and 3.22-9.22%, respectively for AGI-16903. Both enasidenib and AGI-16903 were found to be stable in stability (up to three freeze-thaw cycles and for long-term at -80°C for 30 days) and processed (bench-top for 6 h and in in-injector for 24 h) samples. Application of the validated method was shown in a pharmacokinetic study in mice.

Validation of an LC-ESI-MS/MS method for the determination of apalutamide, a novel non-steroidal anti-androgen in mice plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study in mice.

A sensitive, specific, selective and rapid LC-ESI-MS/MS method has been developed and validated for the quantification of apalutamide in mice plasma using apalutamide-d3 as an internal standard (I.S.). Sample preparation was accomplished through a simple protein precipitation process. Chromatography of apalutamide and the I.S. was achieved on an Atlantis dC18 column using an isocratic mobile phase comprising 0.2% formic acid in water and acetonitrile (20:80, v/v) delivered at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. LC-MS/MS was operated under the multiple reaction-monitoring mode (MRM) using the electrospray ionization technique in positive ion mode and the transitions of m/z 478 → 450 and m/z 481 → 453 were used to measure the derivative of apalutamide and the I.S, respectively. The total chromatographic run time was 2.5 min and the elution of apalutamide and I.S. occurred at 1.10 and 1.09 min, respectively. Method validation was performed as per regulatory guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. Linearity was established in the concentration range of 1.02-2030 ng/mL (r > 0.995) for apalutamide. The intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision for apalutamide in mice plasma were in the range of 2.11-8.44 and 2.51-6.09%, respectively. Apalutamide was found to be stable under various stability conditions. This novel method has been applied to a pharmacokinetic study in mice.

LC-ESI-MS/MS determination of defactinib, a novel FAK inhibitor in mice plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study in mice.

A sensitive, specific, selective and rapid LC-ESI-MS/MS method has been developed and validated for the quantification of defactinib in mice plasma using 13C3,15N-tofacitinib as an internal standard (I.S.). Sample preparation was accomplished through a liquid-liquid extraction process. Baseline chromatographic resolution of defactinib and the I.S. was achieved on an Atlantis dC18 column using an isocratic mobile phase comprising 0.2% formic acid in water and acetonitrile (25:75, v/v) delivered at a flow rate of 0.5mL/min. Defactinib and the I.S. eluted at ∼1.59 and 0.99min, respectively. The total chromatographic run time was 2.50min. A linear response function was established in the concentration range of 0.13-106 ng/mL. Method validation was performed as per regulatory guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. The intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision were in the range of 5.57-13.3 and 8.63-12.1%, respectively. Defactinib was found to be stable under various stability conditions. This novel method has been applied to a pharmacokinetic study in mice.

Validated LC-MS-MS Method for Determination of SF0034 in Mice Plasma: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study in Mice.

A rapid and sensitive assay method has been developed and validated using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization in the positive-ion mode for the estimation of SF0034 in mice plasma. The assay procedure involves a simple protein precipitation of SF0034 and tolbutamide (internal standard, IS) from mice plasma. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Atlantis dC18 column using an isocratic mobile phase comprising 0.2% formic acid:acetonitrile (10:90, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.60 mL/min. The total run time was 2.5 min. For mass spectrometric detection, the multiple reaction monitoring was used and ion transitions monitored were m/z 322 → 248 for SF0034 and 271 → 155 for IS. Method validation was performed as per regulatory guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. A calibration curve was constructed in the range of 2.08-2,078 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precision was in the range of 1.06-14.4% and 7.16-11.7%, respectively. This novel method has been applied to a pharmacokinetic study in mice.

Novel microtubule-interacting phenoxy pyridine and phenyl sulfanyl pyridine analogues for cancer therapy.

Current microtubule inhibitory agents used in the clinic to treat cancer have severe side effects, and development of resistance is frequent. We have evaluated the antitumor effect of a novel 30-compound library of phenoxy pyridine and phenyl sulfanyl pyridine derivatives. MTT assays revealed that, of all 30 compounds tested, compounds 2 and 3 showed the largest decrease in proliferation (low muM range) against Panc1 and HS766T human pancreatic cancer cells. Flow cytometry experiments with MCF7 breast cancer cells showed a G2/M arrest comparable to that of colcemid. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated complete disappearance of intracellular microtubules. Tubulin assembly assays, however, showed a dose-dependent decrease in tubulin assembly with compound 3 that seemed limited to about 50% of the control reaction. With compound 2 treatment, there was only a delay in the onset of assembly, with no effect on the extent of the reaction. Taken together, our results show that these novel microtubule inhibitors have promising anticancer activity and can be potentially used to overcome paclitaxel resistance in the clinical setting.

Rational design of novel antiandrogens for neutralizing androgen receptor function in hormone refractory prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: The standard hormonal therapy with currently available antiandrogens and the leutinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analogs is not effective in the hormone-refractory stage of prostate cancer due to changes in androgen receptor (AR) signaling axis. In this refractory stage, AR continues to play a significant role in the growth of cancer cells even though the cancer cells are no longer dependent on the level of circulating androgens. METHODS: A series of 11beta-Delta(9)-19 nortestosterone compounds were designed through structure-based rationale and tested for their binding affinity against AR and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) using fluorescence polarization assays, their agonistic ability to induce AR dependent transcription using PSA-driven report gene assays, and their growth inhibitory affects against a series of AR positive (LAPC4, LNCap, and CWR22R) and negative human prostate cancer cell lines (PC3) using MTT cell proliferation assays. RESULTS: This study proposes the design of novel bifunctional antiandrogens based on the conjugation of 11beta and/or 7alpha-Delta(9)-19 nortestosterone class of steroidal compounds to the synthetic ligand for FK506-binding proteins. As a critical step towards the development of bifunctional antiandrogens, highly potent and AR-specific lead compounds were identified using in vitro data. The lead compounds identified in this study possessed low binding affinity for GR, indicating the absence of undesirable antiglucocorticoid activity. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study validate our drug discovery rationale based on the structural biology of AR and pave the pay for future development of bifunctional compounds in order to block AR function in hormone refractory stage of prostate cancer.

Development of two novel benzoylphenylurea sulfur analogues and evidence that the microtubule-associated protein tau is predictive of their activity in pancreatic cancer.

In this work, we evaluated two lead compounds, referred to as SG410 and SG430, obtained from a screen of sulfur benzoylphenylurea analogues, against in vitro and in vivo models of pancreas cancer. Both drugs showed a similar mechanism of action profile, with SG410 being more potent as an inhibitor of tubulin assembly. We determined the best in vivo administration schedule and tested SG410 and SG430 in nine cases of a novel platform of direct pancreas cancer xenografts. Both compounds had antiproliferative activity in vitro in the low nanomolar range, but only SG410 showed significant activity in vivo. Administration of SG410 resulted in significant tumor growth delay in five of nine groups tested. In a direct comparison in three of the cases, SG410 was at least as efficacious as docetaxel. We also sought markers that would be predictive of the efficacy of these agents, and we found such a marker in microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT). This protein enhances the assembly and stability of microtubules. In both the cell lines and the direct human xenografts, MAPT mRNA and protein levels correlated well. There was also a statistically significant inverse correlation between MAPT expression and sensitivity to the tested agents. In summary, the novel sulfur benzoylphenylurea SG410 showed activity inversely related to MAPT expression in a preclinical model of pancreatic cancer comparable with that observed with docetaxel, another microtubule-targeting agent.

Benzoylphenylurea sulfur analogues with potent antitumor activity.

A novel series of BPU analogues were synthesized and evaluated for antitumor activity. In particular, BPU sulfur analogues 6n and 7d were shown to possess up to 10-fold increased potency, when compared to 1 (NSC-639829), against cancer cell lines. 6n was more effective than 1 in causing apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. When compared to other drugs with a similar mechanism of action, 6n retained significant ability to inhibit tubulin assembly, with an IC(50) of 2.1 microM.

In vitro and in vivo clinical pharmacology of dimethyl benzoylphenylurea, a novel oral tubulin-interactive agent.

Dimethyl benzoylphenylurea (BPU) is a novel tubulin-interactive agent with poor and highly variable oral bioavailability. In a phase I clinical trial of BPU, higher plasma exposure to BPU and metabolites was observed in patients who experienced dose-limiting toxicity. The elucidation of the clinical pharmacology of BPU was sought. BPU, monomethylBPU, and aminoBPU were metabolized by human liver microsomes. Studies with cDNA-expressed human cytochrome P450 enzymes revealed that BPU was metabolized predominantly by CYP3A4 and CYP1A1 but was also a substrate for CYP2C8, CYP2D6, CYP3A5, and CYP3A7. BPU was not a substrate for the efflux transporter ABCG2. Using simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatography/diode array and tandem mass spectrometry detection, we identified six metabolites in human liver microsomes, plasma, or urine: monomethylBPU, aminoBPU, G280, G308, G322, and G373. In patient urine, aminoBPU, G280, G308, and G322 collectively represented <2% of the given BPU dose. G280, G308, G322, and G373 showed minimal cytotoxicity. When BPU was given p.o. to mice in the presence and absence of the CYP3A and ABCG2 inhibitor, ritonavir, there was an increase in BPU plasma exposure and decrease in metabolite exposure but no overall change in cumulative exposure to BPU and the cytotoxic metabolites. Thus, we conclude that (a) CYP3A4 and CYP1A1 are the predominant cytochrome P450 enzymes that catalyze BPU metabolism, (b) BPU is metabolized to two cytotoxic and four noncytotoxic metabolites, and (c) ritonavir inhibits BPU metabolism to improve the systemic exposure to BPU without altering cumulative exposure to BPU and the cytotoxic metabolites.

Three new tetranortriterpenoids from neem seed oil.

Three new tetranortriterpenoids, 1alpha,2alpha-epoxy-17beta-hydroxyazadiradione (1), 1alpha,2alpha-epoxynimolicinol (2), and 7-deacetylnimolicinol (3), have been isolated from a methanol extract of neem oil (Azadirachta indica, seed oil) along with the known compounds epoxyazadiradione, 17beta-hydroxyazadiradione, gedunin, nimbin, and nimolicinol (4). Spectral studies and chemical transformations were used to establish the structure of compounds 1-3. The characterization of the epoxides 1 and 2 in neem oil is of biogenetic significance, as they may be considered as intermediates between A-ring enones and 1,3-diols among the A. indica tetranortriterpenoids.