Search

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) belongs to the steroid receptor subfamily of nuclear receptors. MR is a transcription factor key in regulating blood pressure and mineral homeostasis. In addition, it plays an important role in a broad range of biological and pathological conditions, greatly expanding its interest as a pharmacological target. Non-steroidal MR antagonists (MRAs) are of particular interest to avoid side effects and achieve tissue-specific modulation of the receptor. The 1,4-dihydropyridine (1,4-DHP) ring has been identified as an appropriate scaffold to develop non-steroidal MRAs. We report the identification of a novel series of 1,4-DHP that has been guided by structure-based drug design, focusing on the less explored DHP position 2. Interestingly, substituents at this position might interfere with MR helix H12 disposition, which is essential for the recruitment of co-regulators. Several of the newly synthesized 1,4-DHPs show interesting properties as MRAs and have a good selectivity profile. These 1,4-DHPs promote MR nuclear translocation with less efficiency than the natural agonist aldosterone, which explains, at least in part, its antagonist character. Molecular dynamic studies are suggestive of several derivatives interfering with the disposition of H12 in the agonist-associated conformation, and thus, they might stabilize an MR conformation unable to recruit co-activators., This research was funded by grants BFU2016-78374-R and PID2019-105339RB-I00 to D.A.d.l.R., funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe”. RTI-2018-097189-B-C22, PID2021-126423OB-C22 and CSIC (202180E073) to MMM. N.S.-M. was supported by fellowship BES-2014-068280, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ESF Investing in your future”.

The &alpha, 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (&alpha, 7 nAChR) is a ligand-gated ion channel that is involved in cognition disorders, schizophrenia, pain, and inflammation. Allosteric modulation of this receptor might be advantageous to reduce the toxicity in comparison with full agonists. Our previous results obtained with some hydroxy-chalcones, which were identified as positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of &alpha, 7 nAChR, prompted us to evaluate the potential of some structurally related naturally occurring flavonoids and curcuminoids and some synthetic curcumin analogues, with the aim of identifying new allosteric modulators of the &alpha, 7 nAChR. Biological evaluation showed that phloretin, demethoxycurcumin, and bis-demethoxicurcuming behave as PAMs of &alpha, 7 nAChR. In addition, some new curcumin derivatives were able to enhance the signal evoked by ACh, the activity values found for the tetrahydrocurcuminoid analog 23 were especially promising.

α7 Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ion channels implicated in a number of CNS pathological processes, including pain and psychiatric, cognitive and inflammatory diseases. Comparing with orthosteric agonism, positive allosteric modulation of these channels constitutes an interesting approach to achieve selectivity versus other nicotinic receptors. We have recently described new chalcones and 1,3-diphenylpropanones as positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of α7 nAChRs, which proved to have good analgesic activities but poor pharmacokinetic properties. Here we report the preparation of amino acid and peptide derivatives as prodrugs of these modulators with the aim of improving their in vivo biological activity. While the valine derivative showed very short half life in aqueous solutions to be considered a prodrug, Val-Val and Val-Pro-Val are suitable precursors of the parent 1,3-diphenylpropanones, via chemical and enzymatic transformation, respectively. Compounds 19 (Val-Val) and 21 (Val-Pro-Val), prodrugs of the 2′,5′,4-trihydroxy-1,3-diphenylpropan-1-one 3, showed significant antinociceptive activity in in vivo assays. The best compound, 21, displayed a better profile in the analgesia test than its parent compound 3, exhibiting about the same potency but long-lasting effects., Funding: This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) SAF2011-22802, BFU2015- 70067-REDC and SAF2015-66275-C2-R, and the Generalitat Valenciana, PROMETEO/2014/011. BBP thanks the CSIC for a predoctoral fellowship (JAE-Predoc from Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios, co-financed by FSE).

Acetylcholine α7 nicotinic receptors are widely expressed in the brain, where they are involved in the central processing of pain as well as in neuropsychiatric, neurodegenerative, and inflammatory processes. Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) show the advantage of allowing the selective regulation of different subtypes of acetylcholine receptors without directly interacting with the agonist binding site. Here, we report the preparation and biological activity of a fluoro-containing compound, 1-(2′,5′-dihydroxyphenyl)-3-(2-fluoro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-propanone (8, RGM079), that behaves as a potent PAM of the α7 receptors and has a balanced pharmacokinetic profile and antioxidant properties comparable or even higher than well-known natural polyphenols. In addition, compound RGM079 shows neuroprotective properties in Alzheimer's disease (AD)-toxicity related models. Thus, it causes a concentration-dependent neuroprotective effect against the toxicity induced by okadaic acid (OA) in the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Similarly, in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons, RGM079 is able to restore the cellular viability after exposure to OA and amyloid peptide Aβ, with cell death almost completely prevented at 10 and 30 μM, respectively. Finally, compound RGM079 shows in vivo analgesic activity in the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced paw inflammation model after intraperitoneal administration., This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO-FEDER) grant number SAF2015-66275-C2-R and RTI2018-097189-C2 to RGM and AFM, and RTI2018-095793-B-I00 to MGL, the Comunidad de Madrid/European Union Ref S2017/BMD-3827 to MGL and the CSIC, grant number 201980E030 to RGM.

The interaction between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFR) has important implications in angiogenesis and cancer, which moved us to search for peptide derivatives able to block this protein-protein interaction. In a previous work we had described a collection of linear 13-mer peptides specially designed to adopt helical conformations (Ac-SSEEXARNXAAXN-NH), as well as the evaluation of seven library components for the inhibition of the interaction of VEGF with its Receptor 1 (VEGFR1). This study led to the discovery of some new, quite potent inhibitors of this protein-protein system. The results we found prompted us to extend the study to other peptides of the library. We describe here the evaluation of a new selection of peptides from the initial library that allow us to identify new VEGF-VEGFR1 inhibitors. Among them, the peptide sequence containing F,W, and I residues at the 5, 9, and 12 positions, show a very significant nanomolar IC50 value, competing with VEGF for its receptor 1, VEGFR1 (Flt-1), which could represent a new tool within the therapeutic arsenal for cancer detection and therapy., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) SAF2015-66275-C2-R, subprograma NEF and by the University Paris Descartes and the ANR (Grants ANR-2010-BLANC-1533-03). BBP thanks the CSIC for a predoctoral fellowship (JAE-Predoc from Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios, co-financed by FSE).

Nicotine acethylcholine receptors (nAChRs) play critical roles in cognitive processes, neuroprotection and inflammation. Results: According to their substituents, 1,3-diphenylpropan-1-one derivatives act as α7 nAChRs negative allosteric modulators (NAM, OMe) or Type I positive allosteric modulators (PAMs, OH). Compounds 7 and 31 were the most effective (989 and 666% enhancement of ACh-induced currents) and potent (EC: 12.9 and 6.85 μM) PAMs. They exhibited strong radical scavenging values. Compound 31, selective over other neuronal nAChR subtypes and with acceptable pharmacokinetic profile, showed antinociceptive effects in a model of inflammatory pain. Conclusion: Compound 31 is a novel, potent and selective α7 nAChR PAM, displaying antioxidant and analgesic activities. The 1,3-diphenylpropan-1-one scaffold could be the base toward more advanced type I PAMs for the treatment of nAChR-mediated diseases., This work was supported by the Spanish MINECO: CSD2008-00005, The Spanish Ion Channel Initiative-CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010, SAF2011-22802 and BFU2012-39092-C02. The Instituto de Neurociencias is a “Centre of Excellence Severo Ochoa”. We thank Susana Cámara Garrido for her assistance in the synthesis of some starting compounds and Susana Gerber for technical assistance. BBP thanks the CSIC for a predoctoral fellowship (JAE-Predoc from Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios, co-financed by FSE). Alpha7 nAChR

The design, synthesis, conformational studies and binding affinity for VEGFR-1 receptors of a collection of linear and cyclic peptide analogues of the β-hairpin fragment VEGF 81–91 are described. Cyclic 11-mer peptide derivatives were prepared from linear precursors with conveniently located Cys, Asp or Dap residues, by the formation of disulfide and amide bridges, using solid-phase synthesis. Molecular modelling studies indicated a tendency to be structured around the central β-turn of the VEGF 81–91 β-hairpin in most synthesized cyclic compounds. This structural behavior was confirmed by NMR conformational analysis. The NHCO cyclic derivative 7 showed significant affinity for VEGFR-1, slightly higher than the native linear fragment, thus supporting the design of mimics of this fragment as a valid approach to disrupt the VEGF/VEGFR-1 interaction.

Synthetically versatile and easy to carry out, Ring-Closing Metathesis (RCM) constitutes an attractive chemical tool, easily amenable for multiple substrates in mild conditions. In medicinal chemistry, the use of RCM has been especially prolific during the last few years. An important application that has benefited from this reaction is the stabilization of spatial conformations in bioactive peptides, since their 3D arrangements play relevant roles in biomolecular recognition processes. RCM reaction is being widely used to introduce conformational constraints into small peptides, through the generation of cyclic structures from appropriate linear precursors. As an alternative to strategies like disulfide or lactam-bridged cyclizations, RCM shows the additional advantage of generating hydrocarbon bridges, less prone to metabolic degradation, and metabolically more stable, which could benefit their pharmacokinetic properties. Particularly remarkable is the application of RCM to the preparation of small peptide modulators able to mimic epitopes identified as hotspots within the surface contact areas in protein-protein interactions (PPIs). This review deals with the replacement of S-S and thioether linkages of cyclic peptides by C-C-bridges and with the stabilization of peptide secondary architectures (α-helix, β-hairpins, β-turns) through RCM, as a useful strategy for the modulation of therapeutically relevant signaling pathways. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev 31: 677-715, 2011

The α7 acetylcholine nicotine receptor is a ligand-gated ion channel that is involved in cognition disorders, schizophrenia, pain and inflammation among other diseases. Therefore, the development of new agents that target this receptor has great significance. Positive allosteric modulators might be advantageous, since they facilitate receptor responses without directly interacting with the agonist binding site. Here we report the search for and further design of new positive allosteric modulators having the relatively simple chalcone structure. From the natural product isoliquiritigenin as starting point, chalcones substituted with hydroxyl groups at defined locations were identified as optimal and specific promoters of α77 nicotinic function. The most potent compound (2,4,2-2,5-2-tetrahydroxychalcone, 111) was further characterized showing its potential as neuroprotective, analgesic and cognitive enhancer, opening the way for future developments around the chalcone structure.

The 6-substituted benzimidazo[1,2-c]quinazoline 1 is a lead structure from our DNA intercalator program and is cytotoxic to the human colon cancer tumor line HT-29 with an inhibitory concentration 50, IC50 of 4.00 μM. In order to try and improve the limited cytotoxicity of this class of compound we prepared a series consisting of two benzimidazo[1,2-c]quinazoline moieties linked by a polyalkylamino bridge, of different length and substitution. The compound with the -NH-(CH2)3-N(CH3)-(CH2)3-NH-bridge had an inhibitory concentration 50, IC50 of 0.5 μM. When tested in vivo, however, no clear anti-tumor activity was produced in the human breast cancer tumor line MX-1 or the human melanoma tumor line LOX, human tumor xenografts models.

Enediyne anticancer antibiotics are a rapidly emerging class of compounds derived from natural sources. Many synthetic approaches for the construction of simpler compounds containing this pharmacophore have recently been published. Most of these approaches use the quinoline ring as the heterocyclic moiety . In this paper, we describe a synthetic route for the preparation of enediyne systems 14 and 15, which include in their structure a tetrahydropyridine ring and are related to dynemicin A. Their stereochemistries were determined using NOESY and COSY-NMR. Finally, compounds derived from linkage to intercalating carriers, such as a fluorene ring to enediyne 15 or a naphthalimide ring to acyclic enediyne 6, were prepared.

The synthesis of model compounds 1 and 2 related to dynemicin A is described.

Synthetically versatile and easy to carry out, Ring-Closing Metathesis (RCM) constitutes an attractive chemical tool, easily amenable for multiple substrates in mild conditions. In medicinal chemistry, the use of RCM has been especially prolific during the last few years. An important application that has benefited from this reaction is the stabilization of spatial conformations in bioactive peptides, since their 3D arrangements play relevant roles in biomolecular recognition processes. RCM reaction is being widely used to introduce conformational constraints into small peptides, through the generation of cyclic structures from appropriate linear precursors. As an alternative to strategies like disulfide or lactam-bridged cyclizations, RCM shows the additional advantage of generating hydrocarbon bridges, less prone to metabolic degradation, and metabolically more stable, which could benefit their pharmacokinetic properties. Particularly remarkable is the application of RCM to the preparation of small peptide modulators able to mimic epitopes identified as hotspots within the surface contact areas in protein-protein interactions (PPIs). This review deals with the replacement of S-S and thioether linkages of cyclic peptides by C-C-bridges and with the stabilization of peptide secondary architectures (α-helix, β-hairpins, β-turns) through RCM, as a useful strategy for the modulation of therapeutically relevant signaling pathways. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev 31: 677-715, 2011

The design, synthesis, conformational studies and binding affinity for VEGFR-1 receptors of a collection of linear and cyclic peptide analogues of the β-hairpin fragment VEGF(81-91) are described. Cyclic 11-mer peptide derivatives were prepared from linear precursors with conveniently located Cys, Asp or Dap residues, by the formation of disulfide and amide bridges, using solid-phase synthesis. Molecular modelling studies indicated a tendency to be structured around the central β-turn of the VEGF(81-91) β-hairpin in most synthesized cyclic compounds. This structural behavior was confirmed by NMR conformational analysis. The NHCO cyclic derivative 7 showed significant affinity for VEGFR-1, slightly higher than the native linear fragment, thus supporting the design of mimics of this fragment as a valid approach to disrupt the VEGF/VEGFR-1 interaction.

The design, synthesis and binding affinity for VEGFR-1 receptors of a small library of linear and cyclic analogues of the VEGF(81-91) fragment are described. Cyclic 11- and 10-mer peptide derivatives were prepared using parallel solid-phase protocols. The formation of hydrocarbon alkene-bridged cyclic peptides was achieved through optimized ring-closing metathesis reactions from linear derivatives with conveniently located allylGly residues. Alkane-bridged analogues were successfully obtained by ulterior on-resin hydrogenation. Binding assays showed that some of these compounds were able to compete with labeled VEGF for interaction with the VEGFR-1 receptor. Several peptide derivatives, 2, 7 and 8, showed modest but significant binding affinity, indicating that the designed peptide could mimic the VEGF(81-91) fragment and therefore disrupt the VEGF/VEGFR-1 interaction. This fact opens the way for using these peptides as the starting point for biological/pharmacological tools to deeply investigate this protein-protein system.

The design, synthesis, conformational studies and binding affinity for VEGF receptors of a collection of linear and cyclic peptide analogues of the N-terminal α-helix fragments 13-25 of VEGF and 1-13 of Vammin are described. Linear 13(14)-mer peptides were designed with the help of an AGADIR algorithm and prepared following peptide solid-phase synthetic protocols. Cyclic peptide derivatives were prepared on-resin from linear precursors with conveniently located Glu and Lys residues, by the formation of amide linkages. Conformational analysis, CD and NMR, showed that most synthesized peptides have a clear tendency to be structured as α-helices in solution. Some of the peptides were able to bind a VEGFR-1 receptor with moderate affinity. In addition to the described key residues (Phe17, Tyr21 and Tyr25), Val14 and Val20 seem to be relevant for affinity.

Trp-Trp pairs have emerged as a successful strategy for β-hairpin stabilization. Using loop 3 of Vammin as a template, we experimentally demonstrate that the contribution of Trp-Trp pairs to β-hairpin stability depends on β-sheet periodicity, that is, they are stabilising at non-hydrogen-bonded sites, but not at hydrogen-bonded positions.

Reaction of iminophosphorane 2 with methyl isocyanate yields the mesoionic 1,3,4-oxadiazolo[3,2-a]pyridinylium-2-methylamindie 3, which undergoes N-methylation with CF3SO3CH3 to give the 1,3,4-oxadiazolo[3,2-a]pyridinium cation 4. The structure of compound 4 has been established by means of X-ray crystallography. Mesoionic aminide 3 undergoes rearrangement by the action of base to give the isomeric mesoionic compound 1,3,4-triazolo[3,2-a]pyridinylium-2-olate 11. Compound 3 by the action of (arylimino)triphenylphosphoranes is converted into the corresponding 1,3,4-oxadiazolo[3,2-a]pyridinylium-2-arylaminides 12, which can be also prepared from iminophosphorane 2 and hydroximoyl chlorides. Iminophosphoran-vermittelte Syntheses von mesoionischen 1,3,4- Oxadiazolo[3,2a]pyridinylium-2-aminiden Das Iminophosphoran 2 reagiert mit Methylisocyanat zu dem mesoionischen 1,3,4-Oxadiazolo[3,2-a]pyridinylium-2-methylaminid 3, das durch CF3SO3CH3 zum 1,3,4-Oxadiazolo[3,2-a]-pyridinium-Kation 4 methyliert wird. Struktur 4 wurde durch Rontgenstrukturanalyse gesichert. Durch Einwirkung von Base lagert das mesoionische Aminid 3 zum isomeren mesoionischen 1,3,4-Triazolo[3,2-a]pyridinylium-2-olat 11 um. Verbindung 3 wird durch (Arylimino)triphenylphosphorane in die entsprechenden 1,3,4-Oxadiazolo[3,2-a]pyridinium-2-arylaminide 12 umgewandelt, die auch aus Iminophosphoran 2 und Hydroximoylchloriden zuganglich sind.