Small molecules that allosterically inhibit p21-activated kinase activity by binding to the regulatory p21-binding domain.

p21-activated kinases (PAKs) are key regulators of actin dynamics, cell proliferation and cell survival. Deregulation of PAK activity contributes to the pathogenesis of various human diseases, including cancer and neurological disorders. Using an ELISA-based screening protocol, we identified naphtho(hydro)quinone-based small molecules that allosterically inhibit PAK activity. These molecules interfere with the interactions between the p21-binding domain (PBD) of PAK1 and Rho GTPases by binding to the PBD. Importantly, they inhibit the activity of full-length PAKs and are selective for PAK1 and PAK3 in vitro and in living cells. These compounds may potentially be useful for determining the details of the PAK signaling pathway and may also be used as lead molecules in the development of more selective and potent PAK inhibitors.

Identification of novel protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma inhibitors promoting neurite extension.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma (PTPσ) is a potential target for the therapeutic treatment of neurological deficits associated with impaired neuronal recovery, as this protein is the receptor for chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG), which is known to inhibit neuronal regeneration. Through a high-throughput screening approach started from 6400 representative compounds in the Korea Chemical Bank chemical library, we identified 11 novel PTPσ inhibitors that can be classified as flavonoid derivatives or analogs, with IC50 values ranging from 0.5 to 17.5µM. Biochemical assays and structure-based active site-docking simulation indicate that our inhibitors are accommodated at the catalytic active site of PTPσ as surrogates for the phosphotyrosine group. Treatments of these compounds on PC-12 neuronal cells led to the recovery of neurite extension attenuated by CSPG treatment, demonstrating their potential as antineurodegenerative agents.

Xanthene derivatives increase glucose utilization through activation of LKB1-dependent AMP-activated protein kinase.

5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a highly conserved serine-threonine kinase that regulates energy expenditure by activating catabolic metabolism and suppressing anabolic pathways to increase cellular energy levels. Therefore AMPK activators are considered to be drug targets for treatment of metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. To identify novel AMPK activators, we screened xanthene derivatives. We determined that the AMPK activators 9H-xanthene-9-carboxylic acid {2,2,2-trichloro-1-[3-(3-nitro-phenyl)-thioureido]-ethyl}-amide (Xn) and 9H-xanthene-9-carboxylic acid {2,2,2-trichloro-1-[3-(3-cyano-phenyl)-thioureido]-ethyl}-amide (Xc) elevated glucose uptake in L6 myotubes by stimulating translocation of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4). Treatment with the chemical AMPK inhibitor compound C and infection with dominant-negative AMPKa2-virus inhibited AMPK phosphorylation and glucose uptake in myotubes induced by either Xn or Xc. Of the two major upstream kinases of AMPK, we found that Xn and Xc showed LKB1 dependency by knockdown of STK11, an ortholog of human LKB1. Single intravenous administration of Xn and Xc to high-fat diet-induced diabetic mice stimulated AMPK phosphorylation of skeletal muscle and improved glucose tolerance. Taken together, these results suggest that Xn and Xc regulate glucose homeostasis through LKB1-dependent AMPK activation and that the compounds are potential candidate drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

6-trifluoromethyl-2-thiouracil possesses anti-Toxoplasma gondii effect in vitro and in vivo with low hepatotoxicity.

Since pyrimethamine, the general therapeutic drug for toxoplasmosis, presents several adverse side effects, the need to develop and evaluate new drugs for the condition is critical. In this study, anti-Toxoplasma gondii activities of 3-[{2-((E)-furan-2-ylmethylene)hydrazinyl}methylene]-1,3-dihydroindol-2-one (ATT-5126) and 6-trifluoromethyl-2-thiouracil (KH-0562) were evaluated in vitro using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay and in vivo by measuring amount of the tachyzoites in mice ascites. Biochemical parameters such as lipid peroxidation (LPO), glutathione (GSH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were also evaluated in livers of mice at 4 days post-infection. As a result, the ATT-5126 and KH-0562 showed anti-T. gondii activity in vitro. Treatment of ATT-5126 or KH-0562 decreased the amount of tachyzoites in T. gondii infected ICR mice. The relative weight of liver and spleen increased by T. gondii infection were decreased by treatment of ATT-5126 or KH-0562. The levels of LPO, ALT and AST, which are biochemical parameters involved in liver injury, were also significantly recovered by treatment of ATT-5126 or KH-0562 (p<0.05). In particular, the recovered levels by KH-0562 were similar to those of pyrimethamine-treated group (p<0.05). However, the level of GSH, which is an antioxidant indicator, showed insignificant statistics. The results suggest that KH-0562 show anti-T. gondii activities in vitro and in vivo with low hepatotoxicity. Therefore, KH-0562 may be a useful candidate for treating T. gondii infection.

Identification of novel scaffolds for IκB kinase beta inhibitor via a high-throughput screening TR-FRET assay.

Control of NF-κB release through the inhibition of IκB kinase ß (IKKß) has been identified as a potential target for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. To screen the small molecule compound library against IKKß, a high-throughput screening (HTS) campaign was carried out using immobilized metal affinity for phosphochemicals (IMAP)-based time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) assay. Through serial optimization of assay conditions, the Z' value was achieved at 0.88 from the pilot library screening of the most diverse 7,243 compounds with reconfirmation rate of 63%. The results from this HTS campaign identified three novel scaffolds for the prospective IKKß inhibitor, such as 7-benzoyl-4-phenylcyclopenta[1,2] oxazine, 1-(thiophen or furan)-2,3-dihydroimidazo[1,5] pyridine and 2-phenyloxazolo[5,4] pyridine. Particularly, 7-benzoyl-4-phenylcyclopenta[1,2] oxazine derivatives presented potent inhibitory activity and selectivity for IKKß. These findings suggest that the current TR-FRET assay system for IKKß was successful to identify hits for novel IKKß inhibitors as a robust, reproducible and sensitive HTS system.

Identification of osteogenic purmorphamine derivatives.

During embryonic and cancer development, the Hedgehog family of proteins, including Sonic Hedgehog, play an important role by relieving the inhibition of Smo by Ptc, thus activating the Smo signaling cascade. Recently, a purine compound, purmorphamine, has been reported to target the Hedgehog signaling pathway by interacting with Smo. Interestingly, both Sonic Hedgehog and purmorphamine were found to promote the osteogenic differentiation of mouse chondroprogenitor cells. However, there is insufficient information as to how the activation of this seemingly unrelated signaling pathway, either by Sonic Hedgehog or purmorphamine, contributes to osteogenesis. Using alkaline phosphatase assays, we screened 125 purmorphamine derivatives from the Korea Chemical Bank for effects on the differentiation of preosteoblast C2C12 cells. Here, we report that two purine derivatives modulate ALP activity as well as the expression of genes whose expression is known or suggested to be involved in osteogenesis.

PTP1B inhibitor Ertiprotafib is also a potent inhibitor of IkappaB kinase beta (IKK-beta).

Ertiprotafib was developed as an inhibitor of PTP1B for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It normalized the plasma glucose and insulin levels in diabetic animal models, and progressed to a phase II clinical trial. Multiple in vivo targets of Ertiprotafib, in addition to PTP1B inhibition, have been suggested. In this study, Ertiprotafib was also shown to be a potent inhibitor of IkappaB kinase beta (IKK-beta), with an IC(50) of 400nM.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of rhodanine derivatives as PRL-3 inhibitors.

A series of rhodanine derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for their ability to inhibit PRL-3. Benzylidene rhodanine derivative showed good biological activity, while compound 5e was the most active in this series exhibiting an IC50 value of 0.9 microM in vitro and showed a reduced invasion in cell-based assay.

PTP-1B inhibitors: cyclopenta[d][1,2]-oxazine derivatives.

A series of novel cyclopenta[d][1,2]-oxazine derivatives was prepared and evaluated for their inhibitory activity toward protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP-1B). Compound 6s was found to be an inhibitor of PTP-1B with nanomolar IC(50) value and high level of selectivity over other recombinant phosphatases.

(E)-Phenyl- and -heteroaryl-substituted O-benzoyl-(or acyl)oximes as lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 inhibitors.

A series of (E)-phenyl- and -heteroaryl-substituted O-benzoyl- (or acyl)oximes 3a-n were synthesized for evaluating their human lipoprotein-associated phospholiphase A2 (Lp-PLA2) inhibitory activities. The less lipophilic derivatives 3a-c showed the most potent in vitro inhibitory activity on human Lp-PLA2.

Characterization of human liver cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in the metabolism of a new H+/K+-ATPase inhibitor KR-60436.

KR-60436 ([1-(4-methoxy-2-methylphenyl)-4-[(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]-6-trifluoromethoxy-2,3-dihydropyrrolo [3,2-c]quinoline]) is a new reversible H+/K+-ATPase inhibitor. The isoforms of human liver cytochrome P450 (CYP) responsible for the hepatic transformation of KR-60436 is identified. Dihydropyrrole oxidation and O-demethylation are major pathways for the metabolism of KR-60436 in human liver microsomes, whereas N-dehydroxyethylation and hydroxylation are minor pathways. The specific CYP isozymes responsible for KR-60436 oxidation to four major metabolites, pyrrole-KR-60436, O-demethylpyrrole-KR-60436, N-dehydroxyethyl-KR-60436 and an active metabolite, O-demethyl-KR-60436 were identified using the combination of correlation analysis, immuno-inhibition, chemical inhibition in human liver microsomes and metabolism by expressed recombinant CYP enzymes. The inhibitory potency of KR-60436 on clinically major CYPs was investigated in human liver microsomes. The results show that CYP3A4 contributes to the oxidation of KR-60436 to pyrrole-KR-60436, O-demethylpyrrole-KR-60436 and N-dehydroxyethyl-KR-60436, and CYP2C9 and CYP2D6 play roles in demethylation of KR-60436 to form the active metabolite, O-demethyl-KR-60436. KR-60436 was found to inhibit potently the metabolism of CYP1A2 substrates.

Discovery of a novel protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B inhibitor, KR61639: potential development as an antihyperglycemic agent.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP-1B), a negative regulator of insulin signaling, may be an attractive therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes mellitus. High throughput screening (HTS) for PTP-1B inhibitors using compounds from the Korea Chemical Bank identified several hits (active compounds). Among them, a hit with 1,2-naphthoquinone scaffold was chosen for lead development. KR61639, [4-[1-(1H-indol-3-yl)-3,4-dioxo-3,4-dihydro-naphthalen-2-ylmethyl]-phenoxy]-acetic acid tert-butyl ester, inhibited human recombinant PTP-1B with an IC(50) value of 0.65 microM in a noncompetitive manner. KR61639 showed modest selectivity over several phosphatases and increased insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis in HepG2 cells and stimulated 2-deoxyglucose uptake in 3T3/L1 adipocytes. In addition, in vivo study using ob/ob mouse demonstrated that KR61639 exerted a hypoglycemic action when given orally. Thus, KR61639 may be a good starting point for lead optimization in developing a novel antidiabetic agent.

NN-414. Novo Nordisk.

Novo Nordisk is developing NN-414, an orally active beta-cell-selective regulator of insulin release, for the potential treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Phase 1 efficacy trials were underway by November 2000; these trials were ongoing in February 2002 and had been concluded by February 2003.

Synthesis and PTP1B inhibition of 1,2-naphthoquinone derivatives as potent anti-diabetic agents.

A new series of 1,2-naphthoquinone derivatives was synthesized by various synthetic methods and evaluated for their ability to inhibit protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). 1,2-Naphthoquinone derivatives with substituent at R(4) position showed submicromolar inhibitory activity, and compound 24 demonstrated 10- to 60-fold selectivity against the tested phosphatases. Also, several 4-aryl-1,2-naphthoquinone derivatives with substituents at R(3), R(6), R(7), or/and R(8) showed submicromolar inhibitory activity and good plasma stability.

LC-MS/MS identification of in vitro metabolites of a new H+/K+ ATPase inhibitor, KR-60436 produced by rat and human liver microsomes.

The metabolism of a new H+/K+ ATPase inhibitor, KR-60436 [1-(4-methoxy-2-methyl-phenyl)-4-[(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]-6-trifluoromethoxy-2,3-dihydropyrrolo[3,2-c]quinoline] has been studied by LC-electrospray mass spectrometry. In vitro incubation of KR-60436 with rat and human liver microsomes in the presence of NADPH produced seven metabolites (M1-M7). M3-M6 were identified as O-demethyl-KR-60436, O-demethyl-pyrrole-KR-60436, N-dehydroxyethyl-KR-60436 and pyrrole-KR-60436, respectively, based on LC/MS/MS analysis with authentic standards. M1, M2 and M7 were tentatively identified as monohydroxylated-KR-60436, monohydroxylated-pyrrole-KR-60436 and N-dehydroxyethyl-pyrrole-KR-60436, respectively. The four principal metabolic pathways are characterized in KR-60436 metabolism: oxidation of dihydropyrrole ring to pyrrole, O-demethylation of methoxy group, hydroxylation of quinoline moiety and N-dealkylation of hydroxyethylamino group.