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The voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 has been recently identified as a molecular target that allows for selective pharmacological suppression of effector memory T (T(EM)) cells without affecting the function of naïve and central memory T cells. We here investigated whether PAP-1, a small molecule Kv1.3 blocker (EC50=2 nM), could suppress allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). In a rat model of ACD, we first confirmed that the infiltrating cells in the elicitation phase are indeed CD8+ CD45RC- memory T cells with high Kv1.3 expression. In accordance with its selective effect on T(EM) cells, PAP-1 did not impair sensitization, but potently suppressed oxazolone-induced inflammation by inhibiting the infiltration of CD8+ T cells and reducing the production of the inflammatory cytokines IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-17 when administered intraperitoneally or orally during the elicitation phase. PAP-1 was equally effective when applied topically, demonstrating that it effectively penetrates skin. We further show that PAP-1 is not a sensitizer or an irritant and exhibits no toxicity in a 28-day toxicity study. Based on these results we propose that PAP-1 could potentially be developed into a drug for the topical treatment of inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis.

Autoreactive memory T lymphocytes are implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Here we demonstrate that disease-associated autoreactive T cells from patients with type-1 diabetes mellitus or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are mainly CD4+CCR7−CD45RA−effector memory T cells (TEMcells) with elevated Kv1.3 potassium channel expression. In contrast, T cells with other antigen specificities from these patients, or autoreactive T cells from healthy individuals and disease controls, express low levels of Kv1.3 and are predominantly naïve or central-memory (TCM) cells. In TEMcells, Kv1.3 traffics to the immunological synapse during antigen presentation where it colocalizes with Kvβ2, SAP97, ZIP, p56lck, and CD4. Although Kv1.3 inhibitors [ShK(L5)-amide (SL5) and PAP1] do not prevent immunological synapse formation, they suppress Ca2+-signaling, cytokine production, and proliferation of autoantigen-specific TEMcells at pharmacologically relevant concentrations while sparing other classes of T cells. Kv1.3 inhibitors ameliorate pristane-induced arthritis in rats and reduce the incidence of experimental autoimmune diabetes in diabetes-prone (DP-BB/W) rats. Repeated dosing with Kv1.3 inhibitors in rats has not revealed systemic toxicity. Further development of Kv1.3 blockers for autoimmune disease therapy is warranted.

The voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 constitutes an attractive target for the selective suppression of effector memory T cells in autoimmune diseases. We have previously reported the natural product khellinone, 1a, as a versatile lead molecule and identified two new classes of Kv1.3 blockers: (i) chalcone derivatives of khellinone, and (ii) khellinone dimers linked through the 6-position. Here we describe the multiple parallel synthesis of a new class of khellinone derivatives selectively alkylated at either the 4- or 7-position via the phenolic OH and show that several chloro, bromo, methoxy, and nitro substituted benzyl derivatives inhibit Kv1.3 with submicromolar potencies. Representative examples of the most potent compounds from each subclass, 11m (5-acetyl-4-(4'-chloro)benzyloxy-6-hydroxy-7-methoxybenzofuran) and 14m (5-acetyl-7-(4'-bromo)benzyloxy-6-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzofuran), block Kv1.3 with EC50 values of 480 and 400 nM, respectively. Both compounds exhibit moderate selectivity over other Kv1-family channels and HERG, are not cytotoxic, and suppress human T cell proliferation at low micromolar concentrations.

International audience; OSK1, a toxin from the venom of the Asian scorpion Orthochirus scrobiculosus, is a 38-residue peptide cross-linked by three disulfide bridges. A structural analog of OSK1, [Lys(16),Asp(20)]-OSK1, was found previously to be one of the most potent blockers of the voltage-gated K(+) channel Kv1.3 hitherto characterized. Here, we demonstrate that progressive trimming of the N-terminal domain of [Lys(16),Asp(20)]-OSK1 results in marked changes in its pharmacological profile, in terms of both K(+) channel affinity and selectivity. Whereas the affinity to Kv1.1 and Kv1.3 did not change significantly, the affinity to Kv1.2 and K(Ca)3.1 was drastically reduced with the truncations. It is surprising that a striking gain in potency was observed for Kv3.2. In contrast, a truncation of the C-terminal domain, expected to partially disrupt the toxin beta-sheet structure, resulted in a significant decrease or a complete loss of activity on all channel types tested. These data highlight the value of structure-function studies on the extended N-terminal domain of [Lys(16),Asp(20)]-OSK1 to identify new analogs with unique pharmacological properties.

The lymphocyte K+ channel Kv1.3 constitutes an attractive pharmacological target for the selective suppression of terminally differentiated effector memory T (TEM) cells in T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. Unfortunately, none of the existing small-molecule Kv1.3 blockers is selective, and many of them, such as correolide, 4-phenyl-4-[3-(methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-2-azapropyl]cyclohexanone, and our own compound Psora-4 inhibit the cardiac K+ channel Kv1.5. By further exploring the structure-activity relationship around Psora-4 through a combination of traditional medicinal chemistry and whole-cell patch-clamp, we identified a series of new phenoxyalkoxypsoralens that exhibit 2- to 50-fold selectivity for Kv1.3 over Kv1.5, depending on their exact substitution pattern. The most potent and "drug-like" compound of this series, 5-(4-phenoxybutoxy)psoralen (PAP-1), blocks Kv1.3 in a use-dependent manner, with a Hill coefficient of 2 and an EC50 of 2 nM, by preferentially binding to the C-type inactivated state of the channel. PAP-1 is 23-fold selective over Kv1.5, 33- to 125-fold selective over other Kv1-family channels, and 500- to 7500-fold selective over Kv2.1, Kv3.1, Kv3.2, Kv4.2, HERG, calcium-activated K+ channels, Na+,Ca2+, and Cl- channels. PAP-1 does not exhibit cytotoxic or phototoxic effects, is negative in the Ames test, and affects cytochrome P450-dependent enzymes only at micromolar concentrations. PAP-1 potently inhibits the proliferation of human TEM cells and suppresses delayed type hypersensitivity, a TEM cell-mediated reaction, in rats. PAP-1 and several of its derivatives therefore constitute excellent new tools to further explore Kv1.3 as a target for immunosuppression and could potentially be developed into orally available immunomodulators.