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Oxytocin (OT) is a peptide hormone agonist of the oxytocin receptor (OTR) that has been proposed as a therapeutic to treat a number of social and emotional disorders in addition to its current clinical use to induce labor and treat postpartum bleeding. OT is administered intravenously and intranasally rather than orally, in part because its low passive permeability causes low oral bioavailability. Non-peptidic OTR agonists have also been reported, but none with the exquisite potency of the peptide based agonists. In this report, we describe the OTR agonist activity and exposed polarity of a set of truncated OT analogs as well as hybrid peptide-small molecule analogs of OT. Examples of both truncated analogs and peptide-small molecule hybrid analogs are potent and selective OTR agonists. Hybrid agonist 13 , which is 232 Da smaller than OT, still retains subnanomolar potency, full agonist activity, and selectivity over V1a. While these compounds were designed to address the low permeability of OT and other full length analogs, we found that reduction in molecular weight and the removal or replacement of the three amino acid tail of OT did not have a significant effect on passive permeability.

[Image: see text] It has been hypothesized that selective muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) M4 subtype activation could provide therapeutic benefits to a number of neurological disorders while minimizing unwanted cholinergic side effects observed due to nonselective mAChR activation. Given the high sequence and structural homology of the orthosteric binding sites among mAChRs, achieving M4 subtype-selective activation has been challenging. Herein, we describe the discovery of a series of M4 subtype-selective agonists bearing novel carbamate isosteres. Comparison of the isosteres’ electrostatic potential isosurface sheds light on key structural features for M4 subtype-selective activation. The identified key features were further illustrated in a proposed receptor–agonist interaction mode.

Oxytocin (OT) is a peptide hormone agonist of the OT receptor (OTR) that plays an important role in social behaviors such as pair bonding, maternal bonding and trust. The pharmaceutical development of OT as an oral peptide therapeutic has been hindered historically by its unfavorable physicochemical properties, including molecular weight, polarity and number of hydrogen bond donors, which determines poor cell permeability. Here we describe the first systematic study of single and multiple N-methylations of OT and their effect on physicochemical properties as well as potency at the OT receptor. The agonist EC50 and percent effect for OTR are reported and show that most N-methylations are tolerated but with some loss in potency compared to OT. The effect of N-methylation on exposed polarity is assessed through the EPSA chromatographic method and the results validated against NMR temperature coefficient experiments and the determination of NMR solution structures. We found that backbone methylation of residues not involved in IMHB and removal of the N-terminal amine can significantly reduce the exposed polarity of peptides, and yet retain a significant OTR agonist activity. The results of this study also expose the potential challenge of using the N-methylation strategy for the OT system; while exposed polarity is reduced, in some cases backbone methylation produces a significant conformational change that compromises agonist activity. The data presented provides useful insights on the SAR of OT and suggests future design strategies that can be used to develop more permeable OTR agonists based on the OT framework.

A novel series of potent benzoxazole mPGES-1 inhibitors has been derived from a hit from a high throughput screen. Compound 37 displays mPGES-1 inhibition in an enzyme assay (0.018 μM) and PGE-2 inhibition in a cell-based assay (0.034 μM). It demonstrates 500- and 2500-fold selectivity for mPGES-1 over COX-2 and 6-keto PGF-1α, respectively. In vivo PK studies in dogs demonstrate 55% oral bioavailability and an 7 h half-life.

Microsomal prostaglandin E(2) synthase-1 (mPGES-1) is a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammation and pain. In the preceding letter, we detailed the discovery of clinical candidate PF-04693627, a potent mPGES-1 inhibitor possessing a novel benzoxazole structure. While PF-04693627 was undergoing further preclinical profiling, we sought to identify a back-up mPGES-1 inhibitor that differentiated itself from PF-04693627. The design, synthesis, mPGES-1 activity and in vivo PK of a novel set of substituted benzoxazoles are described herein. Also described is a conformation-based hypothesis for mPGES-1 activity based on the preferred conformation of the cyclohexane ring within this class of inhibitors.

S6K1 (p70 S6 kinase-1) is thought to play a critical role in the development of obesity and insulin resistance, thus making it an attractive target in developing medicines for the treatment of these disorders. We describe a novel thiophene urea class of S6K inhibitors. The lead matter for the development of these inhibitors came from mining the literature for reports of weak off-target S6K activity. These optimized inhibitors exhibit good potency and excellent selectivity for S6K over a panel of 43 kinases.

The discovery of the CNS-penetrant and selective α 2C adrenergic receptor antagonist N -{2-[4-(2,3-dihydro-benzo[1,4]dioxin-2-ylmethyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-yl]-ethyl}-2-phenoxy-nicotinamide, 13 is described. Structure–activity studies demonstrate the structural requirements for binding affinity, functional activity, and selectivity over other α 2 -AR subtypes.

Oxytocin (OT) modulates the expression of social and emotional behaviors and consequently has been proposed as a pharmacologic treatment of psychiatric diseases, including autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia; however, endogenous OT has a short half-life in plasma and poor permeability across the blood-brain barrier. Recent efforts have focused on the development of novel drug delivery methods to enhance brain penetration, but few efforts have aimed at improving its half-life. To explore the behavioral efficacy of an OT analog with enhanced plasma stability, we developed PF-06655075 (PF1), a novel non-brain-penetrant OT receptor agonist with increased selectivity for the OT receptor and significantly increased pharmacokinetic stability. PF-06478939 was generated with only increased stability to disambiguate changes to selectivity versus stability. The efficacy of these compounds in evoking behavioral effects was tested in a conditioned fear paradigm. Both central and peripheral administration of PF1 inhibited freezing in response to a conditioned fear stimulus. Peripheral administration of PF1 resulted in a sustained level of plasma concentrations for greater than 20 hours but no detectable accumulation in brain tissue, suggesting that plasma or cerebrospinal fluid exposure was sufficient to evoke behavioral effects. Behavioral efficacy of peripherally administered OT receptor agonists on conditioned fear response opens the door to potential peripheral mechanisms in other behavioral paradigms, whether they are mediated by direct peripheral activation or feed-forward responses. Compound PF1 is freely available as a tool compound to further explore the role of peripheral OT in behavioral response.

A Pauson−Khand type conversion of enynes to bicyclic cyclopentenones employing the commercially available precatalyst titanocene dicarbonyl is described. This methodology shows excellent functional group tolerance for a group 4 metallocene-catalyzed process. The scope and limitations of this cyclization with respect to 1,6-, 1,7- and 1,8-enynes with a variety of terminal alkyne substituents, chiral enynes, and enynes containing substituted olefins are described in detail. A mechanism involving carbonylation of an intermediate titanacyclopentene has been proposed.

A method for the transformation of o-allyl aryl ketones to γ-butyrolactones using a catalytic amount of Cp2Ti(PMe3)2 or Cp2Ti(CO)2 is described. This catalytic “hetero Pauson−Khand”-type process proceeds via the carbonylation of an oxatitanacycle followed by thermally-induced reductive elimination to form a γ-butyrolactone and to regenerate the catalyst. We have investigated the scope and limitations of this catalytic methodology. Our results are consistent with the view that the key step in this catalytic cycle is formation of a charge transfer complex or involves reversible electron transfer between the catalyst and the substrate.

An effective protocol in which bis(trimethylphosphine)titanocene is used to catalyze the reductive cyclization of enones to cyclopentanols via a metallacyclic intermediate has been developed. The key step in the process is the cleavage of the titanium−oxygen bond in the metallacycle by a silane to regenerate the catalyst. Mechanistic aspects of the reaction are discussed and the diastereoselectivity of the transformation is studied using both achiral and chiral substrates. The scope and limitations of the procedure are described. An in situ protocol for the generation of the air- and moisture-sensitive catalyst has also been developed. This work demonstrates, for the first time, the viability of using an early transition metal complex to catalyze the reductive cyclization of an alkene with a heteroatom-containing functional group.

Analogues substituted with various amines at the 6-position of the pyrazine ring on (4-amino-7-isopropyl-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-5-yl)pyrazin-2-ylmethanone were discovered as potent and selective inhibitors of PDK1 with potential as anticancer agents. An early lead with 2-pyridine-3-ylethylamine as the pyrazine substituent showed moderate potency and selectivity. Structure-based drug design led to improved potency and selectivity against PI3Kα through a combination of cyclizing the ethylene spacer into a saturated, five-membered ring and substituting on the 4-position of the aryl ring with a fluorine. ADME properties were improved by lowering the lipophilicity with heteroatom replacements in the saturated, five-membered ring. The optimized analogues have a PDK1 Ki of 1 nM and >100-fold selectivity against PI3K/AKT-pathway kinases. The cellular potency of these analogues was assessed by the inhibition of AKT phosphorylation (T308) and by their antiproliferation activity against a number of tumor cell lines.

An effective protocol in which bis(trimethylphosphine)titanocene is used to catalyze the reductive cyclization of enones to cyclopentanols via a metallacyclic intermediate has been developed. The key step in the process is the cleavage of the titanium−oxygen bond in the metallacycle by a silane to regenerate the catalyst. Mechanistic aspects of the reaction are discussed and the diastereoselectivity of the transformation is studied using both achiral and chiral substrates. The scope and limitations of the procedure are described. An in situ protocol for the generation of the air- and moisture-sensitive catalyst has also been developed. This work demonstrates, for the first time, the viability of using an early transition metal complex to catalyze the reductive cyclization of an alkene with a heteroatom-containing functional group.

JNK1 (c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1) plays a crucial role in the regulation of obesity-induced insulin resistance and is implicated in the pathology of Type 2 diabetes. Its partner, JIP1 (JNK-interacting protein 1), serves a scaffolding function that facilitates JNK1 activation by MKK4 [MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) kinase 4] and MKK7 (MAPK kinase 7). For example, reduced insulin resistance and JNK activation are observed in JIP1-deficient mice. On the basis of the in vivo efficacy of a cell-permeable JIP peptide, the JIP–JNK interaction appears to be a potential target for JNK inhibition. The goal of the present study was to identify small-molecule inhibitors that disrupt the JIP–JNK interaction to provide an alternative approach for JNK inhibition to ATP-competitive inhibitors. High-throughput screening was performed by utilizing a fluorescence polarization assay that measured the binding of JNK1 to the JIP peptide. Multiple chemical series were identified, revealing two categories of JIP/JNK inhibitors: ‘dual inhibitors’ that are ATP competitive and probably inhibit JIP–JNK binding allosterically, and ‘JIP-site binders’ that block binding through interaction with the JIP site. A series of polychloropyrimidines from the second category was characterized by biochemical methods and explored through medicinal-chemistry efforts. As predicted, these inhibitors also inhibited full-length JIP–JNK binding and were selective against a panel of 34 representative kinases, including ones in the MAPK family. Overall, this work demonstrates that small molecules can inhibit protein–protein interactions in vitro in the MAPK family effectively and provides strategies for similar approaches within other target families.

PC-1 (NPP-1) inhibitors may be useful as therapeutics for the treatment of CDDP (calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate) deposition disease and osteoarthritis. We have identified a series of potent quinazolin-4-piperidin-4-ethyl sulfamide PC-1 inhibitors. The series, however, suffers from high affinity binding to hERG potassium channels, which can cause drug-induced QT prolongation. We used a hERG homology model to identify potential key interactions between our compounds and hERG, and the information gained was used to design and prepare a series of quinazolin-4-piperidin-4-methyl sulfamides that retain PC-1 activity but lack binding affinity for hERG.