ABSTRACT
Compounds that block estrogen action through the estrogen receptor (ER) or downregulate ER levels are useful for the treatment of breast cancer and endocrine disorders. In our search for structurally novel estrogens having three-dimensional core scaffolds, we found some compounds with a 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene core that bound well to the ERs. The best of these compounds, a phenyl sulfonate ester (termed OBHS for oxabicycloheptene sulfonate), was a partial antagonist on both ERα and ERß. Although OBHS bears no structural resemblance to other estrogen antagonists, it appears to achieve its partial antagonist character by stabilizing a novel conformation of the ER that involves a significant distortion of helix-11. To enhance the antagonist properties of these oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane core ligands, we expanded the functional diversity of OBHS by replacing the sulfonate with secondary or tertiary sulfonamides (-SO(2)NR-), isoelectronic and potentially isostructural molecular replacements. An array of 16 OBHS sulfonamide analogues were prepared through a Diels-Alder reaction of a 3,4-diarylfuran using various N-aryl vinyl sulfonamide dienophiles. While the more polar secondary sulphonamides were weak ligands, certain of the tertiary sulfonamides had very good ER binding affinity. In HepG2 cell reporter gene assays, the sulphonamides had moderate potency, but they showed lower intrinsic transcriptional activity on ERα than the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) hydroxytamoxifen or OBHS, and they were inverse agonists on ERß. Thus, the behaviour of these OBH-sulfonamides more closely mirrors the activity of full antagonists like the drug fulvestrant (ICI 182 780), and their greater antagonist biocharacter appears to arise from an accentuated distortion of helix-11.
Subject(s)
Bridged Bicyclo Compounds/chemical synthesis , Bridged Bicyclo Compounds/pharmacology , Estrogens/pharmacology , Receptors, Estrogen/antagonists & inhibitors , Sulfonamides/chemistry , Sulfonamides/pharmacology , Bridged Bicyclo Compounds/chemistry , Estrogens/chemical synthesis , Estrogens/chemistry , Humans , Ligands , Models, Molecular , Molecular Structure , Structure-Activity Relationship , Sulfonamides/chemical synthesisABSTRACT
Previously, we discovered estrogen receptor (ER) ligands with a novel three-dimensional oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene core scaffold and good ER binding affinity act as partial agonists via small alkyl ester substitutions on the bicyclic core that indirectly modulate the critical switch helix in the ER ligand binding domain, helix 12, by interactions with helix 11. This contrasts with the mechanism of action of tamoxifen, which directly pushes helix 12 out of the conformation required for gene activation. We now report that a much larger substitution can be tolerated at this position of the bicyclic core scaffold, namely a phenyl sulfonate group, which defines a novel binding epitope for the estrogen receptor. We prepared an array of 14 oxabicycloheptene sulfonates, varying the phenyl sulfonate group. As with the parent compound, 5,6-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2-sulfonic acid phenyl ester (OBHS), these compounds showed preferential affinity for ERα, and the disposition and size of the phenyl substituents were important determinants of the binding affinity and selectivity of these compounds, with those having ortho substituents giving the highest, and para substituents the lowest affinities for ERα. A few analogues exhibit ERα binding affinities that are comparable to or, in the case of the ortho-chloro analogue, higher than that of OBHS itself. In cell-based studies, we found several compounds with activity profiles comparable to tamoxifen, but acting entirely as indirect antagonists, allosterically interfering with recruitment of coactivator proteins to the receptor. Thus, the OBHS binding epitope represents a novel approach to the development of estrogen receptor antagonists via an indirect mechanism of antagonism.
Subject(s)
Cycloheptanes/chemistry , Receptors, Estrogen/antagonists & inhibitors , Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators/chemistry , Binding Sites , Computer Simulation , Crystallography, X-Ray , Hep G2 Cells , Humans , Ligands , Protein Structure, Tertiary , Receptors, Estrogen/genetics , Receptors, Estrogen/metabolism , Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators/chemical synthesis , Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators/pharmacology , Structure-Activity Relationship , Transcription, Genetic/drug effects , TransfectionABSTRACT
To develop estrogen receptor (ER) ligands having novel structures and activities, we have explored compounds in which the central hydrophobic core has a more three-dimensional topology than typically found in estrogen ligands and thus exploits the unfilled space in the ligand-binding pocket. Here, we build upon our previous investigations of 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene core ligands, by replacing the oxygen bridge with a sulfoxide. These new 7-thiabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene-7-oxides were conveniently prepared by a Diels-Alder reaction of 3,4-diarylthiophenes with dienophiles in the presence of an oxidant and give cycloadducts with endo stereochemistry. Several new compounds demonstrated high binding affinities with excellent ERα selectivity, but unlike oxabicyclic compounds, which are transcriptional antagonists, most thiabicyclic compounds are potent, ERα-selective agonists. Modeling suggests that the gain in activity of the thiabicyclic compounds arises from their endo stereochemistry that stabilizes an active ER conformation. Further, the disposition of methyl substituents in the phenyl groups attached to the bicyclic core unit contributes to their binding affinity and subtype selectivity.
