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The chemical synthesis of indole terpenoids of structural and biological interests has attracted remarkable attention. Here we report an Eu(fod)3-catalyzed indole conjugate addition reaction, which tolerates various acid-sensitive functional groups. A collection of indole terpenoid mimics have been prepared from natural product-derived α,β-unsaturated enones on the basis of this reaction. The further conversion of the indole adducts into more complex natural product-like molecules has also been demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dysregulated intracellular cAMP in the kidneys drives cystogenesis and progression in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Mounting evidence supports that vasopressin V 2 receptor (V 2 R) antagonism effectively reduces cAMP levels, validating this receptor as a therapeutic target. Tolvaptan, an FDA-approved V 2 R antagonist, shows limitations in its clinical efficacy for ADPKD treatment. Therefore, the pursuit of better-in-class V 2 R antagonists with an improved efficacy remains pressing. Herein, we synthesized a set of peptide V 2 R antagonists. Peptide 33 exhibited a high binding affinity for the V 2 R ( K i = 6.1 ± 1.5 nM) and an extended residence time of 20 ± 1 min, 2-fold that of tolvaptan. This prolonged interaction translated into sustained suppression of cAMP production in washout experiments. Furthermore, peptide 33 exhibited improved efficacies over tolvaptan in both ex vivo and in vivo models of ADPKD, underscoring its potential as a promising lead compound for the treatment of ADPKD.

Cyst formation and enlargement in autosomal dominant kidney disease (ADPKD) is mainly driven by aberrantly increased cytosolic cAMP in renal tubule epithelial cells. Because the vasopressin V 2 receptor (V 2 R) regulates intracellular cAMP levels in kidneys, a series of benzodiazepine derivatives were developed targeting the V 2 R. Among these derivatives, compound 25 exhibited potent binding affinity to the V 2 R ( K i = 9.0 ± 1.5 nM) and efficacious cAMP inhibition (IC 50 = 9.2 ± 3.0 nM). This led to the suppression of cyst formation and growth in both an MDCK cell model and an embryonic kidney cyst model. Further advancing compound 25 in a murine model of ADPKD demonstrated a significantly improved in vivo efficacy compared with the reference compound tolvaptan. Overall, compound 25 holds therapeutic potential for the treatment of ADPKD.

Although insulin was first purified and used therapeutically almost a century ago, there is still a need to improve therapeutic efficacy and patient convenience. A key challenge is the requirement for refrigeration to avoid inactivation of insulin by aggregation/fibrillation. Here, in an effort to mitigate this problem, we introduced a 4 th disulfide bond between a C-terminal extended insulin A chain and residues near the C-terminus of the B chain. Insulin activity was retained by an analog with an additional disulfide bond between residues A22 and B22, while other linkages tested resulted in much reduced potency. Furthermore, the A22-B22 analog maintains the native insulin tertiary structure as demonstrated by X-ray crystal structure determination. We further demonstrate that this four-disulfide analog has similar in vivo potency in mice compared to native insulin and demonstrates higher aggregation stability. In conclusion, we have discovered a novel four-disulfide insulin analog with high aggregation stability and potency., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2020.)

The chemical synthesis of indole terpenoids of structural and biological interests has attracted remarkable attention. Here we report an Eu(fod)3 -catalyzed indole conjugate addition reaction, which tolerates various acid-sensitive functional groups. A collection of indole terpenoid mimics have been prepared from natural product-derived α,β-unsaturated enones on the basis of this reaction. The further conversion of the indole adducts into more complex natural product-like molecules has also been demonstrated., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)