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[Display omitted] • Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) represent one of the promising drug targets and highly explored recently for drug development. • X-ray crystal structures reveal structural properties that could aid in the rationale design of novel CAs inhibitors. • Medicinal perspective of CA inhibitors (CAIs) developed recently have been discussed. • Structure-activity relationships, pharmacological activities, and in silico docking studies have been discussed. • The article helps researchers for the design and development of novel CAIs as promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of human ailments. In the realm of enzymology, Carbonic anhydrase (CA) emerges as a pivotal protagonist orchestrating the rapid conversion of carbon dioxide and water into bicarbonate ions and hydrogen ions, respectively. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs) are the class of drugs that target various isoforms of the enzyme, and these inhibitors play a crucial role in the treatment and management of multiple diseases such as cancer, glaucoma, high altitude sickness, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, epilepsy, and sleep apnea. Several structural classes of CAIs developed till date possess unique architects of the pharmacophoric requirements around the central core moiety for the selective targeting of various isoforms of the CA. Recent advancements in drug design and development, along with technologies that aid in structure determination, have led to the development of several isoform-selective inhibitors of CA enzymes. However, their clinical development was hampered by the lack of desired therapeutic efficacy, isoform selectivity and safety profile. This review covers the most recent approaches used by different researchers concerned with the development of isoform-selective carbonic anhydrase inhibitors belonging to distinct structural classes like sulphonamides, carbazoles, selenols, coumarin, organotelluride, topiramate, thiophene, triazole, uracil-modified benzylic amines, and thiourea etc. In addition, their structure–activity relationships, biological evaluation, and in silico studies inlcuding the forthcoming avenues of advancements have been discussed. This review serves as a valuable resource for developing potent and efficacious CAIs with remarkable therapeutic implications; offering insights into their potency, specificity, and potential clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (GVIA iPLA2) has recently attracted interest as a medicinal target. The number of known GVIA iPLA2 inhibitors is limited to a handful of synthetic compounds (bromoenol lactone and polyfluoroketones). To expand the chemical diversity, a variety of 2-oxoamides based on dipeptides and ether dipeptides were synthesized and studied for their in vitro inhibitory activity on human GVIA iPLA2 and their selectivity over the other major intracellular GIVA cPLA2 and the secreted GV sPLA2. Structure-activity relationship studies revealed the first 2-oxoamide derivative (GK317), which presents potent inhibition of GVIA iPLA2 (XI(50) value of 0.007) and at the same time significant selectivity over GIVA cPLA2 and GV sPLA2.

[Display omitted] • The development of acrylamide warheads is reviewed. • The applications of acrylamide warheads in representative drugs are briefly summarized. • The prospect of acrylamide warheads is discussed. In the development of covalent inhibitors, acrylamides warhead is one of the most popular classes of covalent warheads. In recent years, researchers have made different structural modifications to acrylamides warheads, resulting in the creation of fluorinated acrylamide warheads and cyano acrylamide warheads. These new warheads exhibit superior selectivity, intracellular accumulation, and pharmacokinetic properties. Additionally, although ketoamide warheads have been applied in the design of covalent inhibitors for viral proteins, it has not received sufficient attention. Combined with the studies in kinase inhibitors and antiviral drugs, this review presents the structural features and the progression of acrylamides warheads, offering a perspective on future research and development in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytosolic GIVA phospholipase A2 (GIVA cPLA2) initiates the eicosanoid pathway of inflammation and thus inhibitors of this enzyme constitute novel potential agents for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Traditionally, GIVA cPLA2 inhibitors have suffered systemically from high lipophilicity. We have developed a variety of long chain 2-oxoamides as inhibitors of GIVA PLA2. Among them, AX048 was found to produce a potent analgesic effect. We have now reduced the lipophilicity of AX048 by replacing the long aliphatic chain with a chain containing an ether linked aromatic ring with in vitro inhibitory activities similar to AX048.

[Display omitted] • Compound 21r manifested promising BRD4 inhibitory activity. • Compound 21r exhibited superior anti-proliferative activity to MV-4–11 cells (IC 50 = 0.78 ± 0.03 µM). • 21r could down-regulate the expression of c-Myc, arrest the cell cycle in G 0 /G 1 phase and induce apoptosis in MV-4–11 cells. Bromodomain protein 4 (BRD4) is a member of the BET family, and its overexpression is closely associated with the development of many tumors. Inhibition of BRD4 shows great therapeutic potential in anti-tumor, and pan-BRD4 inhibitors show adverse effects of dose limiting toxicity and thrombocytopenia in clinical trials. To improve clinical effects and reduce side effects, more efforts have focused on seeking selective inhibitors of BD1 or BD2. Herein, a series of indole-2-one derivatives were designed and synthesized through docking-guided optimization to find BRD4-BD1 selective inhibitors, and their BRD4 inhibitory and antiproliferation activities were evaluated. Among them, compound 21r had potent BRD4 inhibitory activity (the IC 50 values of 41 nM and 313 nM in BD1 and BD2 domain), excellent anti-proliferation (the IC 50 values of 4.64 ± 0.30 µM, 0.78 ± 0.03 µM, 5.57 ± 1.03 µM against HL-60, MV-4–11 and HT-29 cells), and displayed low toxicity against normal cell GES-1 cells. Further studies revealed that 21r inhibited proliferation by decreasing the expression of proto-oncogene c-Myc, blocking cell cycle in G 0 /G 1 phase, and inducing apoptosis in MV-4–11 cells in a dose-dependent manner. All the results showed that compound 21r was a potent BRD4 inhibitor with BD1 selectivity, which had potential in treatment of leukemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The human phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase type I α (hPIP5K1α) plays a key role in the development of prostate cancer. In this work, seventeen derivatives of the natural diterpene totarol were prepared by copper(I)-catalysed Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of the corresponding O -propargylated totarol with aryl or alkyl azides and screened for their inhibitory activities toward hPIP5K1α. Five compounds, 3a , 3e , 3f , 3i , and 3r , strongly inhibited the enzyme activity with IC 50 values of 1.44, 0.46, 1.02, 0.79, and 3.65 µM, respectively, with the most potent inhibitor 3e 13-[(1-(3-nitrophenyl)triazol-4yl)methoxy]-totara-8,11,13-triene). These compounds were evaluated on their antiproliferative effects in a panel of prostate cancer cell lines. Compound 3r inhibited the proliferation of LNCaP, PC3 and DU145 cells at 20 µM, strongly, but also has strong cytotoxic effects on all tested cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explored both structure-activity relationships among substituted oxyoxalamides used as the primary pharmacophore of inhibitors of the human sEH and as a secondary pharmacophore to improve water solubility of inhibitors. When the oxyoxalamide function was modified with a variety of alkyls or substituted alkyls, compound 6 with a 2-adamantyl group and a benzyl group was found to be a potent sEH inhibitor, suggesting that the substituted oxyoxalamide function is a promising primary pharmacophore for the human sEH, and compound 6 can be a novel lead structure for the development of further improved oxyoxalamide or other related derivatives. In addition, introduction of substituted oxyoxalamide to inhibitors with an amide or urea primary pharmacophore produced significant improvements in inhibition potency and water solubility. In particular, the N,N,O-trimethyloxyoxalamide group in amide or urea inhibitors (26 and 31) was most effective among those tested for both inhibition and solubility. The results indicate that substituted oxyoxalamide function incorporated into amide or urea inhibitors is a useful secondary pharmacophore, and the resulting structures will be an important basis for the development of bioavailable sEH inhibitors.

A series of 2-oxoamides based on dipeptides and pseudodipeptides were synthesized and their activities towards two human intracellular phospholipases A(2) (GIVA cPLA(2) and GVIA iPLA(2)) and one human secretory phospholipase A(2) (GV sPLA(2)) were evaluated. Derivatives containing a free carboxyl group are selective GIVA cPLA(2) inhibitors. A derivative based on the ethyl ester of an ether pseudodipeptide is the first 2-oxoamide, which preferentially inhibits GVIA iPLA(2). The effect of 2-oxoamides on the generation of arachidonic acid from RAW 264.7 macrophages was also studied and it was found that selective GIVA cPLA(2) inhibitors preferentially inhibited cellular arachidonic acid release; one pseudodipeptide gave an IC(50) value of 2muM.

A variety of 2-oxoamides and related amides based on natural and non-natural amino acids were synthesized. Their activity on two human intracellular phospholipases (GIVA cPLA(2) and GVIA iPLA(2)) and one human secretory phospholipase (GV sPLA(2)) was evaluated. We show that an amide based on (R)-gamma-norleucine is a highly selective inhibitor of GV sPLA(2).

[Display omitted] • Fused heterocycles containing necrosulfonamide derivatives were synthesized. • Systematic SAR studies on the anti-necroptosis covalent compounds were performed. • More active covalent MLKL inhibitors were obtained. • Compounds 9 and 14 showed the best anti-necroptosis activity. Necroptosis is an important form of programmed cell death (PCD), which is mediated by a death receptor and independent of the caspase proteolytic enzyme. Mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) is the final effector of necroptosis, playing an irreplaceable role in the execution of necroptosis. However, the studies on MLKL inhibitors are in their infancy. Necrosulfonamide (NSA) is an early-discovered covalent MLKL inhibitor, possessing medium anti-necroptosis activity and a structure-activity relationship (SAR) not widely disclosed. In this study, with the covalent motif maintained, we aim to improve the activity by introducing the terminal fused heterocycles and meanwhile revealing the SAR on the part. As a result, compounds 9 and 14 showed the best activity (EC 50 = 148.4 and 595.9 nM) against necroptosis among the analogues by covalently binding to MLKL. The SAR was also concluded to guide further structural optimization in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), one of the most perilous diseases known to humankind. A 2023 estimate put the number of people living with HIV around 40 million worldwide, with the majority benefiting from various antiretroviral therapies. Consequently, the urgent need for the development of effective drugs to combat this virus cannot be overstated. In the realm of medicinal and organic chemistry, the synthesis and identification of novel compounds capable of inhibiting HIV enzymes at different stages of their life cycle are of paramount importance. Notably, the spotlight is on the progress made in enhancing the potency of HIV inhibitors through the use of piperazine-based compounds. Multiple studies have revealed that the incorporation of a piperazine moiety results in a noteworthy enhancement of anti-HIV activity. The piperazine ring assumes a pivotal role in shaping the pharmacophore responsible for inhibiting HIV-1 at critical stage, including attachment, reverse transcription, integration, and protease activity. This review also sheds light on the various opportunities that can be exploited to develop effective antiretroviral targets and eliminate latent HIV reservoirs. The advancement of highly potent analogues in HIV inhibitor research has been greatly facilitated by contemporary medicinal strategies, including molecular/fragment hybridization, structure-based drug design, and bioisosterism. These techniques have opened up new avenues for the development of compounds with enhanced efficacy in combating the virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) is a key rate-limiting enzyme in the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) salvage pathway, primarily catalyzing the synthesis of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) from nicotinamide (NAM), phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Metabolic diseases, aging-related diseases, inflammation, and cancers can lead to abnormal expression levels of NAMPT due to the pivotal role of NAD+ in redox metabolism, aging, the immune system, and DNA repair. In addition, NAMPT can be secreted by cells as a cytokine that binds to cell membrane receptors to regulate intracellular signaling pathways. Furthermore, NAMPT is able to reduce therapeutic efficacy by enhancing acquired resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. Recently, a few novel activators and inhibitors of NAMPT for neuroprotection and anti-tumor have been reported, respectively. However, NAMPT activators are still in preclinical studies, and only five NAMPT inhibitors have entered the clinical stage, unfortunately, three of which were terminated or withdrawn due to safety concerns. Novel drug design strategies such as proteolytic targeting chimera (PROTAC), antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), and dual-targeted inhibitors also provide new directions for the development of NAMPT inhibitors. In this perspective, we mainly discuss the structure, biological function, and role of NAMPT in diseases and the currently discovered activators and inhibitors. It is our hope that this work will provide some guidance for the future design and optimization of NAMPT activators and inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most common inflammatory disease of the airways is asthma among children affecting around 235 million people worldwide. 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX) is a crucial enzyme which helps in the conversion of arachidonic acid (AA) to leukotrienes (LTs), the lipid mediators. It is associated with several inflammation related disorders such as asthma, allergy, and atherosclerosis. Therefore, it is considered as a promising target against inflammation and asthma. Currently, the only drug against 5-LOX which is available is Zileuton, while a few inhibitors are in clinical trial stages such as Atreleuton and Setileuton. So, there is a dire requirement in the area of progress of novel 5-LOX inhibitors which necessitates an understanding of their structure activity relationship and mode of action. In this review, novel 5-LOX inhibitors reported so far, their structural design, SAR and developmental strategies along with clinical updates are discussed over the last two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by fast progression and low survival rates, in which Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) receptor mutations have been identified as a driver mutation in cancer progression in a subgroup of AML patients. Clinical trials have shown emergence of drug resistant mutants, emphasizing the ongoing need for new chemical matter to enable the treatment of this disease. Here, we present the discovery and topological structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of analogs of isoquinolinesulfonamide H-89, a well-known PKA inhibitor, as FLT3 inhibitors. Surprisingly, we found that the SAR was not consistent with the observed binding mode of H-89 in PKA. Matched molecular pair analysis resulted in the identification of highly active sub-nanomolar azaindoles as novel FLT3-inhibitors. Structure based modelling using the FLT3 crystal structure suggested an alternative, flipped binding orientation of the new inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • QC inhibitors with novel chemical scaffolds may contribute to the development of anti-AD agents. • Three scaffolds, 120974 , 147706 , and 141449 , were selected from a structure-based virtual screening. • Three compounds, 1 , 2 , and 3 , were designed, synthesized, and evaluated based on these scaffolds, respectively. • The new scaffolds exhibit potential as novel QC inhibitors. Glutaminyl cyclase (QC) plays a crucial role in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD), thus inhibition of QC may be a promising strategy for the treatment of early AD. Therefore, QC inhibitors with novel chemical scaffolds may contribute to the development of additional anti-AD agents. We conducted a virtual screening of 3 million compounds from the Chemdiv and Enamine databases, to discover potential scaffolds for QC inhibitors. Three scaffolds, 120974 , 147706, and 141449 , were selected from this structure-based virtual screening through a combination of pharmacophore modeling, a receptor-ligand pharmacophore model, and the GALAHAD model, and furtherly filtered by chelation with zinc ion and docking properties. Consequently, three compounds, 1 , 2 , and 3 , were designed and synthesized based on these three scaffolds, respectively. The IC 50 of compounds 1 and 3 against QC were 14.19 ± 4.21 and 4.34 ± 0.35 μM, respectively. Our results indicate that the new scaffolds selected using a virtual screening process exhibit potential as novel QC inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase. The dysregulation of SYK is closely related to the occurrence and development of allergic diseases, autoimmune diseases and cancer. SYK has become an attractive target for drug discovery due to its important biological functions. This article reviews the biological function of SYK, the relationship between SYK and disease, and therapies targeting SYK. In addition, inspired by new technologies such as proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) and phosphatase recruiting chimeras (PHORCs), we propose the development of new therapeutic approaches for targeting SYK, such as SYK PROTACs and SYK PHORCs, which may overcome deficiencies of existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract A series of 4-arylamido-2-arylaminoprimidines bearing acrylamide pharmacophore were synthesized as potent EGFRT790M/L858R inhibitors among which 9c (IC 50 = 0.5872 nM), 9d (IC 50 = 2.213 nM), or 9h (IC 50 = 12.57 nM) showed more potent anti-EGFRT790M/L858R activity compared with AZD–9291 (IC 50 = 20.80 nM) and possessed high SI displaying 307.6, 56.5, or 12.5 for EGFRT790M/L858R over the wild-type respectively. 9h also showed pretty good activity against H 1975 cells with an IC 50 of 1.664 μM and exhibited low toxicity against the normal HBE cells (IC 50 > 20 μΜ). 9h had moderate selectivity for H 1975 over A 431 (SI = 7.0) and the other selected cell lines. Morphological staining results further indicated that 9h could promote apoptosis. Hence, 9h was a promising compound for further investigation as a potential EGFRT790M/L858R inhibitor for the treatment of NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Mycobacterium tuberculosis secretes two protein tyrosine phosphatases as virulence factors, PtpA and PtpB. Inhibition studies of these enzymes have shown significant attenuation of the M. tuberculosis growth in vivo. As PtpA mediates many effects on the regulation of host signaling ensuring the intracellular survival of the bacterium we report, for the first time, thiosemicarbazones as potential novel class of PtpA inhibitors. Several compounds were synthesized and biologically evaluated, revealing interesting results. Enzyme kinetic assays showed that compounds 5 , 9 and 18 are non-competitive inhibitors of PtpA, with K i values ranging from 1.2 to 5.6 µM. Modeling studies clarified the structure-activity relationships observed in vitro and indicated a possible allosteric binding site in PtpA structure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first disclosure of potent non-competitive inhibitors of PtpA with great potential for future studies and development of analogues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Histidine kinases of bacterial two-component systems are promising antibacterial targets. Despite their varied, numerous roles, enzymes in the histidine kinase superfamily share a catalytic core that may be exploited to inhibit multiple histidine kinases simultaneously. Characterized by the Bergerat fold, the features of the histidine kinase ATP-binding domain are not found in serine/threonine and tyrosine kinases. However, because each kinase family binds the same ATP substrate, we sought to determine if published serine/threonine and tyrosine kinase inhibitors contained scaffolds that would also inhibit histidine kinases. Using select assays, 222 inhibitors from the Roche Published Kinase Set were screened for binding, deactivation, and aggregation of histidine kinases. Not only do the results of our screen support the distinctions between ATP-binding domains of different kinase families, but the lead molecule identified also presents inspiration for further histidine kinase inhibitor development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract In the studied a series novel of lazabemide derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of monoamine oxidase (MAO-A or MAO-B). These compounds used lazabemide as the lead compound, and the chemistry structures were modified by used the bioisostere and modification of compound with alkyl principle. The two types of inhibitors (inhibition of MAO-A and inhibition of MAO-B) were screened by inhibition activity of MAO. In vitro experiments showed that compounds 3a , 3d and 3f had intensity inhibition the biological activity of MAO-A, while compounds 3i and 3m had intensity inhibition the biological activity of MAO-B. It could be seen from the data of inhibition activity experiments in vitro , that the compound 3d was IC 50 = 3.12 ± 0.05 μmol/mL of MAO-A and compound 3m was IC 50 = 5.04 ± 0.06 μmol/mL. In vivo inhibition activity experiments were conducted to evaluate the inhibitory activity of compounds 3a , 3d , 3f, 3i and 3m by detecting the contents of 5-HT, NE, DA and activity of MAO-A and MAO-B in plasma and brain tissue. In vivo inhibition activity evaluation results showed that the compounds 3a , 3d , 3f , 3i and 3m had increased the contents of 5-HT, NE and DA in plasma and brain tissues. Meanwhile, the determination results activity of MAO in plasma and brain tissue showed that the compounds 3a , 3d , and 3f had a significant inhibitory effect on the activity of MAO-A, while the compounds 3i and 3m showed inhibitory effect on the activity of MAO-B. This study provided a new inhibitors for inhibiting of MAO activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A family of dipeptidyl enoates has been prepared and tested against the parasitic cysteine proteases rhodesain, cruzain and falcipain-2 related to sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and malaria, respectively. They have also been tested against human cathepsins B and L1 for selectivity. Dipeptidyl enoates resulted to be irreversible inhibitors of these enzymes. Some of the members of the family are very potent inhibitors of parasitic cysteine proteases displaying k 2nd (M −1 s −1 ) values of seven orders of magnitude. In vivo antiprotozoal testing was also performed. Inhibitors exhibited IC 50 values in the micromolar range against Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and even more promising lower values against Leishmania donovanii . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) enable bacterial resistance to almost all classes of β-lactam antibiotics. We report studies on enethiol containing MBL inhibitors, which were prepared by rhodanine hydrolysis. The enethiols inhibit MBLs from different subclasses. Crystallographic analyses reveal that the enethiol sulphur displaces the di-Zn(II) ion bridging ‘hydrolytic’ water. In some, but not all, cases biophysical analyses provide evidence that rhodanine/enethiol inhibition involves formation of a ternary MBL enethiol rhodanine complex. The results demonstrate how low molecular weight active site Zn(II) chelating compounds can inhibit a range of clinically relevant MBLs and provide additional evidence for the potential of rhodanines to be hydrolysed to potent inhibitors of MBL protein fold and, maybe, other metallo-enzymes, perhaps contributing to the complex biological effects of rhodanines. The results imply that any medicinal chemistry studies employing rhodanines (and related scaffolds) as inhibitors should as a matter of course include testing of their hydrolysis products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2-Aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-ones were previously discovered as perspective leads for antimalarial drug development targeting the plasmepsins. Here we report the lead optimization studies with the aim to reduce inhibitor lipophilicity and increase selectivity versus the human aspartic protease Cathepsin D. Exploiting the solvent exposed area of the enzyme provides an option to install polar groups (R 1 ) the 5-position of 2-aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-one to inhibitors such as carboxylic acid without scarifying enzymatic potency. Moreover, introduction of R 1 substituents increased selectivity factors of compounds in this series up to 100-fold for Plm II, IV vs CatD inhibition. The introduction of flap pocket substituent (R 2 ) at 7-postion of 2-aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-one allows to remove Ph group from THF ring without notably impairing Plm inhibitory potency. Based on these findings, inhibitors were developed, which show Plm II and IV inhibitory potency in low nanomolar range and remarkable selectivity against Cathepsin D along with decreased lipophilicity and increased solubility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) is a glycolytic enzyme that dynamically converts 3-phosphoglycerate (3PG) to 2-phosphoglycerate (2PG), which was upregulated to coordinate glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and serine biosynthesis to promote cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth in a variety of cancers. However, only a few inhibitors of PGAM1 have been reported with poor molecular or cellular efficacy. In this paper, a series of xanthone derivatives were discovered as novel PGAM1 inhibitors through scaffold hopping and sulfonamide reversal strategy based on the lead compound PGMI-004A. Most xanthone derivatives showed higher potency against PGAM1 than PGMI-004A and exhibited moderate anti-proliferation activity on different cancer cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcystins are highly toxic cyanotoxins responsible for plant, animal and human poisoning. Exposure to microcystins, mainly through drinkable water and contaminated food, is a current world health concern. Although it is quite challenging, the synthesis of these potent cyanotoxins, analogs and derivatives helps to evaluate their toxicological properties and to elucidate their binding mechanisms to their main targets Protein Phosphatase-1 (PP1) and -2A (PP2A). This review focuses on synthetic approaches to prepare microcystins and analogs and compiles structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies that describe the unique features of microcystins that make them so potent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual screening of Chemdiv database based on TRPC5 protein structure and the fluorescent calcium flow inhibitory activity detection discovered 2 compounds had low IC 50 values against hTRPC5-HEK 293T cells. [Display omitted] The transient receptor potential canonical channel 5 (TRPC5), a member of the TRPC family, plays a crucial role in the regulation of various physiological activities and diseases, including those related to the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, kidney, and cancer. As a nonselective cation channel, TRPC5 mainly controls the influx of extracellular Ca2+ into cells, thereby modulating cellular depolarization and intracellular ion concentration. Inhibition of TRPC5 by small molecules presents a promising approach for the treatment of TRPC5-associated diseases. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive virtual screening of more than 1.5 million molecules from the Chemdiv database (https://www.chemdiv.com) to identify potential inhibitors of hTRPC5, utilizing the published structures and binding sites of hTRPC5 as a basis. Lipinski's rule, Veber's rule, PAINS filters, pharmacophore analysis, molecular docking, ADMET evaluation and cluster analysis methods were applied for the screening. From this rigorous screening process, 18 candidates exhibiting higher affinities to hTRPC5 were subsequently evaluated for their inhibitory effects on Ca2+ influx using a fluorescence-based assay. Notably, two molecules, namely SML-1 and SML-13, demonstrated significant inhibition of intracellular Ca2+ levels in hTRPC5-overexpressing HEK 293T cells, with IC 50 values of 10.2 μM and 10.3 μM, respectively. These findings highlight SML-1 and SML-13 as potential lead molecules for the development of therapeutics targeting hTRPC5 and its associated physiological activities and diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] A pyrazole-based compound, MS208 , was previously identified as an inhibitor of UDP-Galactopyranose Mutase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt UGM). Targeting this enzyme is a novel therapeutic strategy for the development of new antituberculosis agents because Mt UGM is an essential enzyme for the bacterial cell wall synthesis and it is not present in human. It was proposed that MS208 targets an allosteric site in Mt UGM as MS208 followed a mixed inhibition model. DA10 , an MS208 analogue, showed competitive inhibition rather than mixed inhibition. In this paper, we have used an integrated biophysical approach, including thermal shift assays, dynamic light scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments, to show that MS208 and many analogues displayed unexpected aggregation behavior against Mt UGM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is regarded as a highly validated target in pre-clinical immune oncology. HPK1 has been described as regulating multiple critical signaling pathway in both adaptive and innate cells. In support of this role, HPK1 KO T cells show enhanced sensitivity to TCR activation and HPK1 KO mice display enhanced anti-tumor activity. Taken together, inhibition of HPK1 has the potential to induce enhanced anti-tumor immune response. Herein, we described the discovery of highly potent HPK1 inhibitors starting form a weak HTS hit. Using a structure-based drug design, HPK1 inhibitors exhibiting excellent cellular single-digit nanomolar potency in both proximal (pSLP76) and distal (IL-2) biomarkers along with sustained elevation of IL-2 cytokine secretion were discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel PRMT1 inhibitor ZJG51 exhibits a significant anti cervical cancer activity, inhibiting the proliferation and migration of HeLa cells in a low micromolar range and effectively inducing apoptosis of the cells. [Display omitted] Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers that affects middle-aged women and the discovery of new drugs to aid clinical management is needed. As an important member of the protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) family, PRMT1 catalyzes the methylation of protein arginine, which can influence multiple biological processes of cancer cells, such as activating epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) and acquiring resistance to apoptosis. Therefore, PRMT1 can be considered as a potential drug target for cervical cancer. In the current study, a new sub-binding pocket was discovered by molecular modeling, and by introducing a third substitute on the thiazole group to occupy this pocket, a series of compounds were designed and synthesized as potential PRMT1 inhibitors. Of these, two compounds (ZJG51 and ZJG58) exhibited significant inhibitory activities against PRMT1 without significantly inhibiting PRMT5. Both ZJG51 and ZJG58 displayed potent inhibitory effects on the proliferation of four cancer-derived cell lines and ZJG51 exerted relative selectivity against the cervical cancer cell line, HeLa. Further studies showed that ZJG51 inhibited migration and induce the apoptosis of HeLa cells. Mechanistically, ZJG51 significantly regulated PRMT1 related proteins, and indicated that the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of migration by ZJG51 may involve the activation of Caspase 9 and the inhibition of EMT, respectively. Molecular dynamic simulation and free energy calculation showed that ZJG51 can bind to PRMT1 stably and the binding mode was predicted. These data indicated that introducing the third substitute on the five-membered ring could be a future direction for structure-based optimization of PRMT1 inhibitors, and ZJG51 could be an important lead compound to inform the design of more potent inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Elevated circulating glucose level due to β-cell dysfunction has been a key marker of Type-II diabetes. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) has been recognized as an enzyme involved in the control of glycogen metabolism. Consequently, inhibitors of GSK-3 have been explored for anti-diabetic effects in vitro and in animal models. Further, the mechanisms governing the regulation of this enzyme have been elucidated by means of a combination of structural and cellular biological investigations. This review article examines the structural analysis of GSK-3 as well as molecular modeling reports from numerous researchers in the context of the design and development of GSK-3 inhibitors. This article centers on the signaling pathway of GSK-3 relevant to its potential as a target for diabetes and discusses advancements till date on different molecular modification approaches used by researchers in the development of novel GSK-3 inhibitors as potential therapeutics for the treatment of Type II diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mixed lineage leukemia protein-1 (MLL1), as a lysine methyltransferase, predominantly regulates the methylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) and functions in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal. MLL1 gene fuses with partner genes that results in the generation of MLL1 fusion proteins (MLL1-FPs), which are frequently detected in acute leukemia. In the progress of leukemogenesis, a great deal of proteins cooperate with MLL1 to form multiprotein complexes serving for the dysregulation of H3K4 methylation, the overexpression of homeobox (HOX) cluster genes, and the consequent generation of leukemia. Hence, disrupting the interactions between MLL1 and the reciprocal proteins has been considered to be a new treatment strategy for leukemia. Here, we reviewed potential protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between MLL1 and its reciprocal proteins, and summarized the inhibitors to target MLL1 PPIs. The druggability of MLL1 PPIs for leukemia were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1,5-Regioisomeric triazole linked disaccharides have been synthesized and screened for their inhibitory properties against ribonuclease A (RNase A). The angular constraint-driven ‘crescent shaped’ inhibitors accommodated themselves into the enzyme active site. An improved enzyme inhibition was observed with increased H-bonding ability of polar functional groups in the modified disaccharides. In this series, introduction of two carboxyl groups in the furanose rings elicited the best result with an inhibition constant of 50 ± 3 µM. This is the first ever report on the use of disaccharides as RNase A inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphodiesterase 2 (PDE2) has received much attention for the potential treatment of the central nervous system (CNS) disorders and pulmonary hypertension. Herein, we identified that clofarabine ( 4 ), an FDA-approved drug, displayed potential PDE2 inhibitory activity (IC 50  = 3.12 ± 0.67 μM) by structure-based virtual screening and bioassay. Considering the potential therapeutic benefit of PDE2, a series of purine nucleoside derivatives based on the structure and binding mode of 4 were designed, synthesized and evaluated, which led to the discovery of the best compound 14e with a significant improvement of inhibitory potency (IC 50  = 0.32 ± 0.04 μM). Further molecular docking and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations studies revealed that 5′-benzyl group of 14e could interact with the unique hydrophobic pocket of PDE2 by forming extra van der Waals interactions with hydrophobic residues such as Leu770, Thr768, Thr805 and Leu809, which might contribute to its enhancement of PDE2 inhibition. These potential compounds reported in this article and the valuable structure-activity relationships (SARs) might bring significant instruction for further development of potent PDE2 inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isocitrate dehydrogenases (IDHs) catalyze the oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate to alpha-ketoglutarate (α-KG) generating carbon dioxide and NADPH/NADH. Evidence suggests that the specific mutations in IDH1 are critical to the growth and reproduction of some tumor cells such as gliomas and acute myeloid leukemia, emerging as an attractive antitumor target. In order to discovery potent new mutant IDH1 inhibitors, we designed, synthesized and evaluated a series of allosteric mIDH1 inhibitors harboring the scaffold of 3-pyrazine-2-yl-oxazolidin-2-ones. All tested compounds effectively suppress the D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2-HG) production in cells transfected with IDH1-R132H and IDH1-R132C mutations at 10 μM and 50 μM. Importantly, compound 3g owns the similar inhibitory activity to the positive agent NI-1 and shows no significant toxicity at the two concentrations. The parallel artificial membrane permeation assay of the blood–brain barrier (PAMPA-BBB) identified 3g with a good ability to penetrate the blood–brain barrier (BBB). These findings indicate that 3g deserves further optimization as a lead compound for the treatment of patients with IDH1 mutated brain cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transcription factor STAT5b is an antitumor target. Recently, we presented the small molecules Stafib-1 and Stafib-2 as potent, selective inhibitors of the STAT5b SH2 domain. Here we report that halogen substitutions on the terminal phenyl ring of Stafib-1 and a close derivative are tolerated and specificity over the STAT5a SH2 domain is maintained, albeit with a slight reduction in activity. Our data demonstrate that the synthetic methodology used for generating Stafib-1 and Stafib-2 can be utilized to synthesize a small library of halogen-substituted derivatives, and extend the panel of catechol bisphosphate-based submicromolar and selective STAT5b inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) plays a vital role in the catabolism of tryptophan along with the kynurenine pathway which is involved in many human diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. In this study, compound 1 bearing a 1-Indanone scaffold was identified as a novel IDO1 inhibitor by structure-based virtual screening, with moderate to good enzymatic and cellular inhibitory activities. Also, surface plasmon resonance analysis validated the direct interaction between compound 1 and IDO1 protein. The preliminary SAR was further explored and the binding mode with IDO1 protein was predicted by experiment along with molecular docking. Subsequent ADME properties of these active compounds were analyzed in silico , and the results showed good pharmacokinetic efficiencies. We believe this study contributes a lot to the structural diversity for the future development of highly potent IDO1 inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel series of acyl selenoureido benzensulfonamides was evaluated as carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitors against the human (h) isoforms hCA I, II, VII and IX, which are involved in a variety of diseases such as glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, epilepsy and tumors etc. These compounds showed excellent inhibitory activity for these isoforms, with several low nanomolar derivatives identified against all of them. Furthermore, the selenoureido group may provide an antioxidant activity to these enzyme inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new β-class carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) has been cloned, purified and characterized in the genome of the pathogenic bacterium Francisella tularensis responsible of the febrile illness tularemia. This enzyme, FtuβCA, showed a k cat of 9.8 × 10 5 s −1 and a k cat /K M of 8.9 × 10 7 M −1 s −1 for the CO 2 hydration, physiological reaction, being one of the most effective β-CAs known to date, with a catalytic activity only 1.68-times lower than that of the human(h) isoform hCA II. A panel of 39 simple aromatic and heterocyclic sulfonamides, as well as clinically used drugs incorporating sulfonamide/sulfamate zinc-binding groups, was used to investigate the inhibition profile of FtuβCA with these classes of derivatives. The enzyme generally showed a weaker affinity for these inhibitors compared to other α- and β-CAs investigated earlier, with only acetazolamide and its deacetylated precursor having inhibition constant <1 µM. Indeed, the two compounds acetazolamide AAZ and its deacetylated precursor 13 (K I s of 655–770 nM), as well as metanilamide and methazolamide (K I s of 2.53–2.92 µM), were the best FtuβCA inhibitors detected so far. As the physiological role of bacterial β-CAs is poorly understood for the virulence/life cycle of these pathogens, the present study may constitute a starting point for the design of effective pathogenic bacteria CA inhibitors with potential use as antiinfectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) are promising in the treatment of various diseases, among which cancer treatment has achieved the most success. We have previously developed series of HDACIs combining N -hydroxycinnamamide bioactive fragment and indole bioactive fragment, which showed moderate to potent antitumor activities. Herein, further structural derivatization based on our previous structure-activity relationship (SAR) got 25 novel compounds. Most compounds showed much more potent histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibitory activity than their parent compound 1 and even the positive control SAHA. What’s more, compared with the approved HDACs inhibitor SAHA, compounds 6i , 6k , 6q and 6t displayed better in vitro antiproliferation against multiple tumor cell lines. It is worth noting that though the 4-hydroxycinnamic acid-based compound 2 showed HDAC1/3 dual selectivity, its 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid-based analog 6t turned out to be a pan-HDACs inhibitor as SAHA, indicating that the 3-methoxy group on the N -hydroxycinnamamide fragment could dramatically influence the HDACs isoform selectivity of this series of compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/redox effector factor 1 (APE1/Ref-1) is a multifunctional protein which is essential in the base excision repair (BER) pathway of DNA lesions caused by oxidation and alkylation. This protein hydrolyzes DNA adjacent to the 5′-end of an apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) site to produce a nick with a 3′-hydroxyl group and a 5′-deoxyribose phosphate moiety or activates the DNA-binding activity of certain transcription factors through its redox function. Studies have indicated a role for APE1/Ref-1 in the pathogenesis of cancer and in resistance to DNA-interactive drugs. Thus, this protein has potential as a target in cancer treatment. As a result, major efforts have been directed to identify small molecule inhibitors against APE1/Ref-1 activities. These agents have the potential to become anticancer drugs. The aim of this review is to present recent progress in studies of all published small molecule APE1/Ref-1 inhibitors. The structures and activities of APE1/Ref-1 inhibitors, that target both DNA repair and redox activities, are presented and discussed. To date, there is an urgent need for further development of the design and synthesis of APE1/Ref-1 inhibitors due to high importance of this protein target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of selenides, diselenides and organoselenoheterocycles were evaluated as carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitors against the human (h) isoforms hCA I, II, IV, VII and IX, involved in a variety of diseases among which glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, epilepsy, arthritis and tumors etc. These investigated compounds showed inhibitory action against these isoforms and some of them were selective for inhibiting the cytosolic over the membrane-bound isoforms, thus making them interesting leads for the development of isoform-selective inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family proteins are attractive targets for cancer therapy. In our previous work, the structure-activity relationship of WL-276 was studied. According to the results, rhodanine derivatives show potent binding affinity for Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 protein and show weaker activity against Bcl-X L protein. Based on the previous results, a new class of indole-3-carboxylic acid-based derivatives were designed and synthesized as Bcl-2/Mcl-1 dual inhibitors. Among them, compound 17 has a K i value of 0.26 μM for Bcl-2 protein and is better than WL-276. Furthermore, it inhibits the myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1 (Mcl-1) protein with a K i value of 72 nM. Especially, compound 31 can selectively acting on Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 protein but not Bcl-X L protein, which has great significance for developing dual inhibitors targeting Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 protein, as well as specific antitumor abilities in cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycobacterium tuberculosis chorismate mutase ( Mtb CM) catalyzes the rearrangement of chorismate to prephenate in the shikimate biosynthetic pathway to form the essential amino acids, phenylalanine and tyrosine. Two genes encoding chorismate mutase have been identified in Mtb . The secretory form,∗ Mtb CM (encoded by Rv1885c) is assumed to play a key role in pathogenesis of tuberculosis. Also, the inhibition of Mtb CM may hinder the supply of nutrients to the organism. Indeed, the existence of chorismate mutase (CM) in bacteria, fungi and higher plants but not in human and low sequence homology among known CM makes it an interesting target for the discovery of anti-tubercular agents. The present article mainly focuses on the recent developments in the structure, function and inhibition of Mtb CM. The understanding of various aspects of Mtb CM as presented in the current article may facilitate the design and subsequent chemical synthesis of new inhibitors against ∗ Mtb CM, that could lead to the discovery and development of novel and potent anti-tubercular agents in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The autoglobulin gene is the main enzyme for circulating LPA production and has lysophosphatidylcholine D activity, which catalyzes the production of lysophosphatidic acid and choline with lysophosphatidylcholine as substrate. A growing body of experimental evidence suggests that autoglobulin is involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases. This review summarizes the different structural ATX inhibitors classified according to their binding mode to the ATX triple orientation site, and summarizes the conformational relationships and molecular docking of each type with ATX structure, hoping to contribute to the development of novel ATX inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendrimers are efficient drug delivery systems particularly useful in ocular diseases. In particular, low generation PAMAM dendrimers are non-toxic and non-immunogenic and they provide an enhancement of the residence time of drugs in the eyes. In this context, the synthesis of the PAMAM-based matrix metalloproteinases inhibitor 5 , is reported. In particular, we demonstrated that 5 strongly binds (18.0 nM ± 2.5 nM) MMP-9, the most relevant MMP responsible of ocular surface damages in induced dry eyes syndrome (DES). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhibition of STAT3 signaling pathway is proposed to be a promising strategy for cancer treatment. In this study, a series of 4-carbonyl-2,6-dibenzylidenecyclohexanone derivatives were prepared and evaluated as anticancer agents. The most potent compound 13r was discovered to exhibit antiproliferative activity against a broad rang of cancer cell lines and relatively low cytotoxicity against normal human cells. Besides, 13r effectively suppressed STAT3 expression as well as phosphorylation, and surface plasmon resonance analysis confirmed the direct interaction of 13r with STAT3. Docking simulation showed that 13r could inhibit STAT3 by targeting SH2 domain. This study provided evidence for these compounds to be further developed as antitumor agents through inhibition of the STAT3 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the design and synthesis of a series of non-nucleoside Mtb TMPK inhibitors ( 1 – 14 ) based on the gram-positive bacterial TMPK inhibitor hit compound 1 . A practical synthesis was developed to access these analogues. Several compounds show promising Mtb TMPK inhibitory potency and allow the establishment of a structure–activity relationship, which is helpful for further optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel azole-diphenylpyrimidine derivatives (AzDPPYs) were synthesized and biologically evaluated as potent EGFR T790M inhibitors. Among these analogues, the most active inhibitor 6e not only displayed high activity against EGFR T790M/L858R kinase (IC 50 = 3.3 nM), but also was able to repress the replication of H1975 cells harboring EGFR T790M mutation at a concentration of 0.118 μmol/L. In contrast to the lead compound rociletinib, 6e slightly reduces the key EGFRT790M-minduced drug resistance. Significantly, inhibitor 6e demonstrates high selectivity (SI = 299.3) for T790M-containing EGFR mutants over wild type EGFR, hinting that it will cause less side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction pathway has been proved to play an important role in tumorigenesis and cancer development. MEK inhibitor has been demonstrated significant clinical benefit for blocking MAPK pathway activation and possibly could block reactivation of the MAPK pathway at the time of BRAF inhibitor resistance. Twenty N -(benzyloxy)-1,3-diphenyl-1 H -pyrazole-4-carboxamide derivatives have been designed and synthesized as MEK inhibitors, and their biological activities were evaluated. Among these compounds, compound 7b showed the most potent inhibitory activity with IC 50 of 91 nM for MEK1 and GI 50 value of 0.26 μM for A549 cells. The SAR analysis and docking simulation were performed to provide crucial pharmacophore clues that could be used in further structure optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]