Thiopyranol[2,3,4-c,d]indoles as inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase, 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein, and leukotriene C4 synthase.

The attachment of an arylacetic or benzoic acid moiety to the thiopyrano[2,3,4-c,d]indole nucleus results in compounds which are highly potent and selective 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) inhibitors. These compounds are structurally simpler than previous compounds of similar potency in that they contain a single chiral center. From the data presented, 2-[[1-(3-chlorobenzyl)-4-methyl-6-[(5-phenylpyridin-2-yl)methoxy]- 4, 5-dihydro-1H-thiopyrano[2,3,4-c,d]indol-2-yl]methoxy]-phenylacetic acid, 14b, was shown to inhibit 5-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HPETE) production by human 5-LO (IC50 of 18 nM). The acid 14b is highly selective as an inhibitor of 5-LO activity when compared to the inhibition of ram seminal vesicle cyclooxygenase (IC50 > 5 microM) or human leukocyte leukotriene A4 (LTA4) hydrolase (IC50 > 20 microM). In addition, 14b was inactive in a 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein (FLAP) binding assay at 10 microM. In vivo studies showed that 14b is bioavailable in rat and functionally active in the hyperreactive rat model of antigen-induced dyspnea (74% inhibition at 0.5 mk/kg po; 2 h pretreatment). In the conscious squirrel monkey model of asthma, 14b showed excellent functional activity at 0.1 mg/kg against antigen-induced bronchoconstriction (94% inhibition of the increase in RL and 100% inhibition in the decrease in Cdyn; n = 4). Resolution of this compound gave (-)-14b, the most potent enantiomer (IC50 = 10 nM in the human 5-LO assay), which was shown to possess the S configuration at the chiral center by X-ray crystallographic analysis of an intermediate. Subsequent studies on the aryl thiopyrano[2,3,4-c,d]indole series of inhibitors led to the discovery of potent dual inhibitors of both FLAP and 5-LO, the most potent of which is 2-[[1-(4-chlorobenzyl)-4-methyl-6-(quinolin-2-ylmethoxy)-4, 5-dihydro-1H-thiopyrano[2,3,4-c,d]indol-2-yl]methoxy]phenylacetic acid, 19. Acid 19 has an IC50 of 100 nM for the inhibition of 5-HPETE production by human 5-LO and is active in a FLAP binding assay with an IC50 of 32 nM. Furthermore, thiopyrano[2,3,4-c,d]indoles such as 1 and 14b are capable of inhibiting the LTC4 synthase reaction in a dose dependent manner (IC50s of 11 and 16 microM, respectively, compared to that of LTC2 at 1.2 microM) in contrast to other, structurally distinct 5-LO inhibitors. It has also been observed that the thiopyrano[2,3,4-c,d]indole class of compounds strongly promotes the translocation of 5-LO from the cytosol to a membrane fraction in the presence or absence of the ionophore A23187.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Tryptophan-derived NK1 antagonists: conformationally constrained heterocyclic bioisosteres of the ester linkage.

The 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzyl ester of N-acetyl-L-tryptophan 1 (L-732,138) has been identified previously as a potent and selective substance P receptor antagonist. A series of analogs which introduced a 6-membered heterocyclic ring into the backbone of this structure were prepared for evaluation as bioisosteric replacements of the ester linkage of 1. The 2,5-dioxopiperazine 2 had very weak receptor affinity, but 2-oxopiperazine 5 exhibited modest activity. Examination of the conformations accessible to the substituents on these templates led to exploration of the corresponding 5-membered heterocyclic rings. This study culminated in the identification of oxazolidinedione 14 as a suitable ester mimic in terms of the retention of good NK1 binding affinity.

Synthesis and in vitro biological profile of all four isomers of the potent muscarinic agonist 3-(3-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)-1-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane.

The four stereoisomers of the muscarinic agonist 7 have been synthesized from enantiomerically pure exo-azanorbornane esters (13a,b). The esters were obtained in optically active form by separation of the carboxamide diastereomers 12a,b, formed from the borane complex of exo-azanorbornane-3-carboxylate 10 and a chiral amine auxiliary. Using the known chirality of (R)-alpha-methylbenzylamine, an X-ray analysis was accomplished on 12a in order to determine the absolute configuration of the azanorbornane C4 chiral center. Each of the chiral esters 13a,b was separately transformed into the oxadiazoles with concomitant epimerization at C3 of the azanorbornane ring to afford the thermodynamic equilibrium mixture of isomers. Chromatographic separation followed by analysis of each isomer by NMR and GC allowed the absolute stereochemistry of all four isomers of 7 to be confirmed. Full biological evaluation in biochemical and pharmacological assays revealed that the 3R,4R isomer was the most active on receptor binding studies and the most potent on the pharmacological preparations, showing a 50-fold increase in potency at the M2 and M3 sites compared to M1.

1-(substituted)benzyl-5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamides are potent orally active inhibitors of Trypanosoma cruzi in mice.

1-(Substituted)benzyl-5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamides are potent orally active inhibitors of Trypanosoma cruzi infections in mice. The most active compounds are the 1-(4-chlorobenzyl)- and 1-(3,4-dichlorobenzyl)-analogs (L-153,094 [2] and L-153,153 [4], resp.) which are approximately 7-fold more potent upon oral administration than nifurtimox (Lampit) in suppressing parasite levels in the blood of mice with acute Trypanosoma cruzi infections.

Stereospecific synthesis, assignment of absolute configuration, and biological activity of the enantiomers of 3-[[[3-[2-(7-chloroquinolin-2-yl)-(E)-ethenyl]phenyl] [[3-(dimethylamino)-3-oxopropyl]thio]methyl]thio]propionic acid, a potent and specific leukotriene D4 receptor antagonist.

The enantiomers of the leukotriene D4 antagonist 3-[[[3-[2-(7-chloroquinolin-2-yl)-(E)-ethenyl]phenyl] [[3-(dimethylamino)-3-oxopropyl]thio]methyl]thio]propionic acid (L-660,711)(MK-571) have been prepared, their absolute stereochemistry has been assigned as S for (+)-1 and R for (-)-1 by X-ray analysis of a synthetic intermediate (5), and the biological activity of the enantiomers has been explored. Unexpectedly, the enantiomers are both comparably biologically active with (+)-1 slightly more intrinsically active at the LTD4 receptor in vitro.

Structure of human neutrophil elastase in complex with a peptide chloromethyl ketone inhibitor at 1.84-A resolution.

Human neutrophil elastase (HNE) has been implicated as a major contributor to tissue destruction in various disease states, including emphysema. The structure of HNE, at neutral pH, in complex with methoxysuccinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Ala chloromethyl ketone (MSACK), has been solved and refined to an R factor of 16.4% at 1.84-A resolution. Results are consistent with the currently accepted mechanism of peptide chloromethyl ketone inhibition of serine proteases, in that MSACK cross-links the catalytic residues His-57 and Ser-195. The structure of the HNE-MSACK complex is compared with that of porcine pancreatic elastase in complex with L-647,957, a beta-lactam inhibitor of both elastases. The distribution of positively charged residues on HNE is highly asymmetric and may play a role in its specific association with the underlying negatively charged proteoglycan matrix of the neutrophil granules in which the enzyme is stored.

Crystallization of human neutrophil elastase.

Human neutrophil elastase was inactivated by methoxysuccinyl-L-Ala-L-Ala-L-Pro-L-Ala-chloromethane. The modified enzyme was crystallized from 40 mM ammonium phosphate, pH 7.0 in the hexagonal space group P6(3) with unit cell parameters a = 74.53 A, b = 74.53 A, c = 70.88 A, alpha = beta = 90 degrees, gamma = 120 degrees. These crystals were resistant to radiation damage and diffracted beyond 1.84-A resolution. The asymmetric unit contained one 25,000-dalton monomer of human neutrophil elastase. Crystals were also grown from the enzyme modified with the analogous iodinated inactivator, p-iodoanilinosuccinyl-L-Ala-L-Ala-L-Pro-L-Ala-chloromethane. These crystals proved to be isomorphous with those of methoxysuccinyl-L-Ala-L-Ala-L-Pro-L-Ala-chloromethane-modified human neutrophil elastase, and served as a single-site, heavy atom derivative for solving the tertiary structure of the enzyme.

Crystallographic study of a beta-lactam inhibitor complex with elastase at 1.84 A resolution.

The continuing discovery and development of beta-lactams as antibiotics has had an unparalleled impact on the overall health and well-being of society. Recently, appropriately substituted cephalosporins were shown to be potent inhibitors of elastase, suggesting a novel therapeutic role for the beta-lactams in the control of emphysema and other degenerative diseases. We have now solved and partially refined at atomic resolution the structure of a complex of porcine pancreatic elastase with the time-dependent irreversible inhibitor 3-acetoxymethyl-7-alpha-chloro-3-cephem-4-carboxylate-1,1-dioxide tert-butyl ester (I), the most potent of the beta-lactam elastase inhibitors yet reported. (Porcine pancreatic elastase is a close relative of the desired drug target, human polymorphonuclear leukocyte elastase.) A mechanism of action is presented, based on the structure and on biochemical evidence (T.-Y.L. et al., in preparation), which clarifies the operational similarities and differences between beta-lactam elastase inhibitors and antibiotics. Features of the reaction include the expulsion of a leaving group at the cephalosporin 3' position and the formation of two covalent bonds with the active site of porcine pancreatic elastase at residues Ser 195 and His 57.

Pig pancreatic anhydro-elastase. Role of the serine-195 hydroxy group in the binding of inhibitors and substrate.

The binding constants of a number of ligands were measured for pancreatic elastase (PE) and anhydro-elastase (AE) in order to assess the contribution of Ser-195 to substrate and inhibitor binding by PE. AE was purified by affinity chromatography on a column containing immobilized turkey ovomucoid inhibitor. The AE had 0.1 +/- 0.1% of the activity of the native enzyme and contained 0.8 +/- 0.06 residue of dehydroalanine per molecule. A difference electron-density map, derived from an X-ray crystallographic analysis of AE, showed that the modified residue was Ser-195. The complexing of 3-carboxypropionyl-Ala-Ala-Ala-p-nitroanilide (SAN) to the active site of AE was also demonstrated by X-ray-diffraction analysis of an AE crystal soaked overnight with substrate. The nitroanilide moiety was not observed in the difference map. AE was shown to bind turkey ovomucoid inhibitor with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 0.3 +/- 0.06 microM compared with 0.10 microM for PE. The Kd of the AE-SAN complex (0.2 mM) was comparable with the Michaelis constant for SAN with PE (1.0 mM). A number of inhibitors, such as elastatinal, which forms a hemiketal adduct with PE, while others such as the beta-lactams, which function as acylators of the active-site serine residue, bound AE with a lower affinity than to PE. The binding of a peptidylchloromethane (acetyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Ala-CH2Cl) to AE occurs without evidence for alkylation of histidine. The binding constants for benzoisothiazolinone and 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin to PE differed from their binding constants to AE by less than a factor of 4.0-fold. The contribution of the hydroxy group of Ser-195 to the binding of these inhibitors to PE in their non-covalent complexes is relatively small, even though they inactivate PE by an acylation mechanism. These results suggest that the hydroxy group on Ser-195 in PE is of secondary importance in the energetics of ligand binding, in contrast with its essential role in the catalytic properties of the enzyme.

Preliminary X-ray crystallographic data on mouse submaxillary gland renin and renin-inhibitor complexes.

We have crystallized renin from the submaxillary gland of male mice, both in its native state, and in binary complex with transition-state analog inhibitors. The best of the many crystal forms examined consisted of tetragonal bipyramids with space group symmetry P41 21 2 (or its enantiomorph) and unit cell dimensions a = b = 91.4 A, c = 211.6 A; alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees. This tetragonal form was compatible with both inhibited and uninhibited renin. Two of the inhibitors used were synthesized as iodinated analogs; their binary complexes with renin may serve as single-site rational heavy atom derivatives. X-ray data beyond 2.8-A resolution have been collected by oscillation photography using the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source in Ithaca, NY.

Renin cleavage of a human kidney renin substrate analogous to human angiotensinogen, H-Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe-His-Leu-Val-Ile-His-Ser-OH, that is human renin specific and is resistant to cathepsin D.

A synthetic tetradecapeptide, H-Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe-His-Leu-Val-Ile-His-Ser-OH, which corresponds to the 13 amino terminal residues of human angiotensinogen plus a carboxy terminal serine to replace a suggested site of carbohydrate attachment, has been shown to be a good substrate for human kidney renin. At pH 7.2 and 37 degrees C the KM or Michaelis constant was 8.4 +/- 2.9 microM, and the VM or velocity at infinite tetradecapeptide concentration was 11.3 +/- 2.4 mumol angiotensin I made per hour per milligram renin. The tetradecapeptide was highly resistant to cleavage by mouse submaxillary renin. The tetradecapeptide was also slowly cleaved by human liver cathepsin D, by rabbit lung angiotensin-converting enzyme, and by reconstituted human serum, but did not yield angiotensin I. Thus, this synthetic renin substrate should permit more specific measurement of human kidney renin activity.

Mouse submaxillary gland renin. Purification and properties of minor forms, which include several differently processed forms of the major gene product and a second gene product.

Three minor forms of renin from the submaxillary glands of male mice called D1, D2, and E have been purified to homogeneity. Their amino acid compositions are identical to the principal form of mouse submaxillary gland renin (renin A), except for 1, 1, and 2 extra arginine residues, respectively. The electrophoretic mobility of renin D2 does not change upon reduction, indicating that its heavy and light chains are linked by more than a disulfide bond. The light chain of renin D1 has an electrophoretic mobility different from the light chain of renin A. Renin D2 is proposed to be renin A with an arginine-arginine dipeptide connecting the carboxyl terminus of the heavy chain to the NH2 terminus of the light chain, with the light chain missing the carboxyl-terminal arginine of renin A. Renin D1 is suggested to be renin D2 with the peptide bond between an arginine and the NH2 terminus of the light chain cleaved. Renin E is proposed to be renin D1 plus the carboxyl-terminal arginine of the light chain. A fourth minor form of male mouse submaxillary renin, called renin B/A, has been purified to homogeneity in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and in isoelectric focusing. Renin B/A seems to be a second renin gene product which is difficult to separate from renin A. Renin B/A has an amino acid composition significantly different from renin A, and all three preparations of B/A had compositions significantly different from one another. For renin B/A, the light chain sequence and the first 53 NH2-terminal residues of its heavy chain sequence were identical to renin A.

Mevinolin: a highly potent competitive inhibitor of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase and a cholesterol-lowering agent.

Mevinolin, a fungal metabolite, was isolated from cultures of Aspergillus terreus. The structure and absolute configuration of mevinolini and its open acid form, mevinolinic acid, were determined by a combination of physical techniques. Mevinolin was shown to be 1,2,6,7,8,8a-hexahydro-beta, delta-dihydroxy-2,6-dimethyl-8-(2-methyl-1-oxobutoxy)-1-naphthalene-hepatanoic acid delta-lactone. Mevinolin in the hydroxy-acid form, mevinolinic acid, is a potent competitive inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase [mevalonate: NADP+ oxidoreductase (CoA-acylating), EC 1.1.1.34]; its Ki of 0.6 nM can be compared to 1.4 nM for the hydroxy acid form of the previously described related inhibitor, ML-236B (compactin, 6-demethylmevinolin). In the rat, orally administered sodium mevinolinate was an active inhibitor of cholesterol synthesis in an acute assay (50% inhibitory dose = 46 microgram/kg). Furthermore, it was shown that mevinolin was an orally active cholesterol-lowering agent in the dog. Treatment of dogs for 3 weeks with mevinolin at 8 mg/kg per day resulted in a 29.3 +/- 2.5% lowering of plasma cholesterol.

Proton magnetic resonance studies on Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase. Assignment of histidine C-2 protons in binary complexes with folates on the basis of the crystal structure with methotrexate and on chemical modifications.

The effects of pH upon the C-2 resonances of the 5 histidine residues of Escherichia coli MB 1428 dihydrofolate reductase in binary complexes with methotrexate, aminopterin, folate, methopterin, and trimethoprim were studied by 300-MHz 1H nmr spectroscopy. Three of the five histidine residues, labeled 1, 2, and 3, exhibited similar pK' values and chemical shifts for their C-2 protons in the five binary complexes. One histidine, 4, was quite different in the folate complex and the last histidine, 5 was quite different in the trimethoprim complex. For all five binary complexes, each histidine had a pK' which was significantly different from the other 4 histidines of that complex. Titration of the binary methotrexate complex of a 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate)-modified enzyme showed that 2 histidines were not perturbed by this modification of Cys 152, and that the alkaline form of histidine 2, the acid form of histidine 4, and, to a lesser extent, the acid form of histidine 3 were slightly perturbed. Titration of the binary methotrexate complex of a N-bromosuccinimide-modified enzyme demonstrated that this modification slightly affected all of the histidines and drastically affected histidine 5. Histidines 3 and 5 of the binary methotrexate complex reacted rapidly with the histidine-specific reagent, ethoxyformic anhydride, while histidines 2 and 4 reacted at a moderate rate and histidine 1 reacted slowly if at all. The local electrostatic environments of the 5 histidine residues as deduced from the crystal structure of the binary complex of the enzyme with methotrexate (Matthews, D.A., Alden, R.A., Bolin, J.T., Freer, S.T., Hamlin, R., Xuong, N., Kraut, J., Poe, M., Williams, M.N., and Hoogsteen, K. (1977) Science 197, 594-597) were used as the basis for proposed assignments of the five histidine C-2 nmr resonances. The assignments were: 1, pK' 7.9 to 8.2, His 124; 2, pK' 7.2 to 7.4, His 141; 3, pK' 6.5 to 6.7, His 149; 4, pK' 5.7 to 6.3, His 114; and 5, pK' 5.2 to 5.9, His 45. The effect of the chemical modifications upon the enzyme's histidine residues were consistent with the assignments, but no direct chemical evidence in support of the assignments was obtained. It was proposed that, since the crystallographic data provided consistent assignments of the histidine nmr data for both native and chemically modified enzyme, the local environment of each of the 5 histidine residues was similar in the crystal and in solution.

5,6,7,8-Tetrahydrofolic acid. Conformation of the tetrahydropyrazine ring.

It is suggested from analysis of proton spin-spin coupling constants that the tetrahydropyrazine ring of tetrahydrofolate is a roughly equal mixture of two half-chair conformations, one with the C-6 proton axial and the other with the C-6 proton equatorial. The chemical shifts and spin-spin coupling constants for the carbon-bound protons of (+/-)-L-, (-)-L-, and (-)-L-[6-2H] 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate were measured at 25 degrees and at 300 MHZ. The resonances corresponding to the two C-7 protons in the deuterated compound constituted an AB quartet with JAB of 12 Hz and chemical shift difference of 92 Hz or 0.307 ppm; the C-7 protons are proposed to be a geminally coupled axial-equatorial pair whose rapid equilibration does not result in equivalence due to the adjacent chiral center at C-6. The spin-spin splitting in the C-7 resonances were 3.0 and 6.6 Hz for the low field and high field resonances, respectively, reflecting coupling to the C-6 proton. These coupling constants reflect the conformational equilibrium. The resonances assignable to C-9 protons are nearly equivalent in the 6-2H compound, but exhibit the resonances corresponding to a complex spin system in the 6-H compound.