Search

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and fatal disease characterized by lung fibrosis leading to an irreversible decline of lung function. Current antifibrotic drugs on the market slow down but do not prevent the progression of the disease and are associated with tolerability issues. The involvement of lysophosphatidic acid receptor 2 (LPA2) in IPF is supported by LPA2knockdown studies. To further validate the role of LPA2receptors in modulating IPF and potentially other fibrotic processes, a potent and selective LPA2receptor antagonist with a good pharmacokinetic (PK) profile is needed. Herein, we report the medicinal chemistry exploration that led to the discovery of a new class of highly potent and selective LPA2antagonists. Among them, compound 58exhibits excellent potency, selectivity, and oral PK profile, making it a suitable tool for probing the involvement of LPA2receptors in IPF and other fibrotic processes.

The identification of novel inhaled p38α/β mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) (MAPK14/11) inhibitors suitable for the treatment of pulmonary inflammatory conditions has been described. A rational drug design approach started from the identification of a novel tetrahydronaphthalene series, characterized by nanomolar inhibition of p38α with selectivity over p38γ and p38δ isoforms. SAR optimization of 1cis outlined, where improvements in potency against p38α and ligand–enzyme dissociation kinetics led to several compounds showing pronounced anti-inflammatory effects in vitro(inhibition of TNFα release). Targeting of the defined physicochemical properties allowed the identification of compounds 3h, 4e, and 4f, which showed, upon intratracheal instillation, low plasma levels, prolonged lung retention, and anti-inflammatory effects in a rat acute model of a bacterial endotoxin-induced pulmonary inflammation. Compound 4e, in particular, displayed remarkable efficacy and duration of action and was selected for progression in disease models of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

In this paper, we report the discovery of dual M3antagonist-PDE4 inhibitor (MAPI) compounds for the inhaled treatment of pulmonary diseases. The identification of dual compounds was enabled by the intuition that the fusion of a PDE4 scaffold derived from our CHF-6001series with a muscarinic scaffold through a common linking ring could generate compounds active versus both the transmembrane M3receptor and the intracellular PDE4 enzyme. Two chemical series characterized by two different muscarinic scaffolds were investigated. SAR optimization was aimed at obtaining M3nanomolar affinity coupled with nanomolar PDE4 inhibition, which translated into anti-bronchospastic efficacy ex vivo(inhibition of rat trachea contraction) and into anti-inflammatory efficacy in vitro(inhibition of TNFα release). Among the best compounds, compound 92aachieved the goal of demonstrating in vivoefficacy and duration of action in both the bronchoconstriction and inflammation assays in rat after intratracheal administration.

Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) is a key cAMP-metabolizing enzyme involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disease, and its pharmacological inhibition has been shown to exert therapeutic efficacy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Herein, we describe a drug discovery program aiming at the identification of novel classes of potent PDE4 inhibitors suitable for pulmonary administration. Starting from a previous series of benzoic acid esters, we explored the chemical space in the solvent-exposed region of the enzyme catalytic binding pocket. Extensive structural modifications led to the discovery of a number of heterocycloalkyl esters as potent in vitroPDE4 inhibitors. (S*,S**)-18eand (S*,S**)-22e, in particular, exhibited optimal in vitroADME and pharmacokinetics properties and dose-dependently counteracted acute lung eosinophilia in an experimental animal model. The optimal biological profile as well as the excellent solid-state properties suggest that both compounds have the potential to be effective topical agents for treating respiratory inflammatory diseases.

Clinical guidelines for COPD and asthma recommend inhaled β-adrenergic agonists, muscarinic antagonists, and, for frequent exacerbators, inhaled corticosteroids, with the challenge of combining them into a single device. The MABA (muscarinic antagonist and β2agonist) concept has the potential to simplify this complexity while increasing the efficacy of both pharmacologies. In this article, we report the outcome of our solid-state driven back-up program that led to the discovery of the MABA compound CHF-6550. A soft drug approach was applied, aiming at high plasma protein binding and high hepatic clearance, concurrently with an early stage assessment of crystallinity through a dedicated experimental workflow. A new chemotype was identified, the diphenyl hydroxyacetic esters, able to generate crystalline material. Among this class, CHF-6550demonstrated in vivoefficacy, suitability for dry powder inhaler development, favorable pharmacokinetics, and safety in preclinical settings and was selected as a back-up candidate, fulfilling the desired pharmacological and solid-state profile.

Human arylacetamide deacetylase (AADAC) is a single microsomal serine esterase involved in the hydrolysis of many acetyl-containing drugs. To date, the presence and activity of the AADAC enzyme in human lungs has been scarcely examined. We investigated its gene and protein expression as well as interindividual variations in AADAC activities in a large number of human lungs (n= 25) using phenacetin as a selective substrate. The kinetic parameters Kmand Vmaxwere determined. Our findings highlighted a high interindividual variability in both AADAC mRNA levels and hydrolysis activities. Furthermore, for the first time we demonstrated the presence of the AADAC protein in various lung samples by means of immunoblot analysis. As a comparison, phenacetin hydrolysis was detected in pooled human liver microsomes. Lung activities were much lower than those found in the liver. However, similar Kmvalues were found, which suggests that this hydrolysis could be due to the same enzyme. Pulmonary phenacetin hydrolysis proved to be positively correlated with AADAC mRNA (*P< 0.05) and protein (*P< 0.05) levels. Moreover, the average values of AADAC activity in smokers was significantly higher than in nonsmoker subjects (*P< 0.05), and this might have an important role in the administration of some drugs. These findings add more information to our knowledge of pulmonary enzymes and could be particularly useful in the design and preclinical development of inhaled drugs.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThis study investigated the presence and activity of the AADAC enzyme in several human lungs. Our results highlight high interindividual variability in both AADAC gene and protein expression as well as in phenacetin hydrolysis activity. These findings add more information to our knowledge of pulmonary enzymes and could be particularly useful in the design and preclinical development of inhaled drugs.

Monocyte-to-macrophages differentiation associates with upregulation of carnitine transport due to mTOR-dependent activation of STAT3. l-Carnitine, in addition to playing a fundamental role in the ß-oxidation of fatty acids, has been recently identified as a modulator of immune function, although the mechanisms that underlie this role remain to be clarified. In this study, we addressed the modulation of l-carnitine transport and expression of related transporters during differentiation of human monocytes to macrophages. Whereas monocytes display a modest uptake of l-carnitine, GM-CSF–induced differentiation massively increased the saturable Na+-dependent uptake of l-carnitine. Kinetic and inhibition analyses demonstrate that in macrophage l-carnitine transport is mediated by a high-affinity component (Km~4 µM) that is identifiable with the operation of OCTN2 transporter and a low-affinity component (Km> 10 mM) that is identifiable with system A for neutral amino acids. Consistently, both SLC22A5/OCTN2 and SLC38A2/SNAT2 are induced during the differentiation of monocytes to macrophages at gene and protein levels. Elucidation of GM-CSF signaling demonstrates that the cytokine causes the activation of mTOR kinase, leading to the phosphorylation and activation of STAT3, which, in turn, is responsible for OCTN2 transcription. SLC22A5/OCTN2 therefore emerges as a novel member of the set of genes markers of macrophage differentiation.

Aiming at the inhaled treatment of pulmonary diseases, the optimization process of the previously reported MAPI compound 92ais herein described. The project was focused on overcoming the chemical stability issue and achieving a balanced bronchodilator/anti-inflammatory profile in rats in order to be confident in a clinical effect without having to overdose at one of the biological targets. The chemical strategy was based on fine-tuning of the substitution pattern in the muscarinic and PDE4 structural portions of the dual pharmacology compounds, also making use of the analysis of a proprietary crystal structure in the PDE4 catalytic site. Compound 10fwas identified as a chemically stable, potent, and in vivobalanced MAPI lead compound, as assessed in bronchoconstriction and inflammation assays in rats after intratracheal administration. After the in-depth investigation of the pharmacological and solid-state profile, 10fproved to be safe and suitable for development.

The development of molecules embedding two distinct pharmacophores acting as muscarinic antagonists and β2agonists (MABAs) promises to be an excellent opportunity to reduce formulation issues and boost efficacy through cross-talk and allosteric interactions. Herein, we report the results of our drug discovery campaign aimed at improving the therapeutic index of a previous MABA series by exploiting the super soft-drug concept. The incorporation of a metabolic liability, stable at the site of administration but undergoing rapid systemic metabolism, to generate poorly active and quickly eliminated fragments was pursued. Our SAR studies yielded MABA 29, which demonstrated a balanced in vivo profile up to 24 h, high instability in plasma and the liver, as well as sustained exposure in the lung. In vitro safety and non-GLP toxicity studies supported the nomination of 29(CHF-6366) as a clinical candidate, attesting to the successful development of a novel super-soft MABA compound.

A cell-based assay using homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence has been developed for high throughput screening of putative β-amyloid (Aβ)production inhibitors. In this assay, total Aβ is detected by simply adding two commercially available antibody complexes. The first was a biotinylated monoclonal antibody (4G8), specifically recognizing an epitope comprising the residues 17-24 of the Aβ peptide, complexed with europium cryptate-streptavidin conjugate. The second was a polyclonal antibody (BioS-N), raised against the N-terminus of the Aβ peptide, complexed with an allophycocyanin-anti rabbit antibody conjugate. Binding of the two complexes to the Aβ peptide brought europium cryptate (fluorescence donor) and allophycocyanin (fluorescence acceptor) into close proximity, consequently a fluorescent resonance energy transfer signal was produced upon excitation at 337 nm. The resulting fluorescence signal (665 nm) was then detected using a Discovery™ or a ViewLux™ reader. Detection of Aβ by the proposed method is possible at concentrations of approximately 1 nM. The method was employed for the detection of Aβ secreted from a stable transfected human neuroglioma cell line (H4) overexpressing a mutated form of the human amyloid precursor protein (APP695NL) and developed for robotic automation. At optimized conditions, signal-to-background ratios exceeding 5 and Z' factors around 0.7 were achieved in a 384-well format. High throughput screening of 56,913 potential Aβ production inhibitors led to identification of new non-cytotoxic and cell permeable compounds with potencies in the submicromolar range.