Optimization of a pipemidic acid autotaxin inhibitor.

Autotaxin (ATX, NPP2) has recently been shown to be the lysophospholipase D responsible for synthesis of the bioactive lipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). LPA has a well-established role in cancer, and the production of LPA is consistent with the cancer-promoting actions of ATX. Increased ATX and LPA receptor expression have been found in numerous cancer cell types. The current study has combined ligand-based computational approaches (binary quantitative structure-activity relationship), medicinal chemistry, and experimental enzymatic assays to optimize a previously identified small molecule ATX inhibitor, H2L 7905958 (1). Seventy prospective analogs were analyzed via computational screening, from which 30 promising compounds were synthesized and screened to assess efficacy, potency, and mechanism of inhibition. This approach has identified four analogs as potent as or more potent than the lead. The most potent analog displayed an IC(50) of 900 nM with respect to ATX-mediated FS-3 hydrolysis with a K(i) of 700 nM, making this compound approximately 3-fold more potent than the previously described lead.

Characterization of non-lipid autotaxin inhibitors.

Autotaxin (ATX) is a member of the ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase (NPP) family and is a lysophospholipase D that cleaves the choline headgroup from lysophosphatidylcholine to generate the bioactive lipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Enhanced expression of ATX and specific receptors for LPA in numerous cancer cell types has created an interest in studying ATX as a potential chemotherapeutic target. Likewise, ATX has been linked to several additional human diseases including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, obesity, neuropathic pain, and Alzheimer's disease. ATX inhibitors reported to date consist of metal ion chelators, lipid-like product analogs, and non-lipid small molecules. In the current research, we examined the pharmacology of the best of our previously reported non-lipid small molecule inhibitors. Here, these six inhibitors were studied utilizing the synthetic fluorescent lysophospholipid substrate FS-3, the nucleotide substrate pNP-TMP and the endogenous substrate LPC (16:0). All six compounds inhibited FS-3 hydrolysis >or=50%, whereas only three inhibited the hydrolysis of pNP-TMP to this degree. None of the six compounds blocked LPC 16:0 hydrolysis within the desired 50% inhibition range. The most potent analog (5, H2L 7905958) displayed an IC(50) of 1.6microM (K(i)=1.9microM, competitive inhibition) with respect to ATX-mediated FS-3 hydrolysis and an IC(50) of 1.2microM (K(i)=K(i)(')=6.5microM, non-competitive inhibition) against ATX-mediated pNP-TMP hydrolysis. All six inhibitors were specific for ATX as they were without affect on two additional lipid preferring NPP isoforms.