Adel Nefzi

Small-molecule antagonists of apoptosis suppressor XIAP exhibit broad antitumor activity

Apoptosis resistance commonly occurs in cancers, preventing activation of Caspase family cell death proteases. XIAP is an endogenous inhibitor of Caspases overexpressed in many cancers. We developed an enzyme derepression assay, based on overcoming XIAP-mediated suppression of Caspase-3, and screened mixture-based combinatorial chemical libraries for compounds that reversed XIAP-mediated inhibition of Caspase-3, identifying a class of polyphenylureas with XIAP-inhibitory activity. These compounds, but not inactive structural analogs, stimulated increases in Caspase activity, directly induced apoptosis of many types of tumor cell lines in culture, and sensitized cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. Active compounds also suppressed growth of established tumors in xenograft models in mice, while displaying little toxicity to normal tissues. These findings validate IAPs as targets for cancer drug discovery.

Synthesis of functionalized tetrasubstituted pyrazolyl heterocycles--a review.

Heterocyclic chemistry constitutes an essential branch of organic chemistry and heterocycles are widely known to display an array of biological properties. Pyrazoles represent key structural motifs in heterocyclic chemistry and are present in a large number of biologically active molecules relevant to the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Compounds incorporating the pyrazolyl structural unit are being developed in a wide variety of therapeutic areas including CNS, metabolic diseases, and oncology. The current review summarizes recent advances in the synthesis of tetrasubstituted pyrazoles. The contents are discussed in five sections: (a) 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, (b) related 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, (c) condensations, (d) allenylphosphonates, and (e) synthesis of fused pyrazole containing heterocycles.

Combinatorial chemistry: From peptides and peptidomimetics to small organic and heterocyclic compounds

Modified dipeptides have been used successfully for the generation of a variety of small organic and heterocyclic combinatorial libraries, including linear urea, polyamine, hydantoin, thiohydantoin, cyclic urea, cyclic thiourea and bicyclic guanidine. The synthesis and screening results for a number of these libraries are described. The solid phase synthesis of heterocyclic compounds such as diazepine and thiomorpholinone are also described.

Solid phase synthesis of heterocyclic compounds from linear peptides: Cyclic ureas and thioureas

Abstract The solid phase synthesis of cyclic ureas and thioureas is described. The reduction of acylated dipeptides followed by treatment with carbonyldiimidazole or thiocarbonyldiimidazole affords the corresponding cyclic urea or thiourea in good yield and high purity. This is an example of a broader approach to the solid phase synthesis of individual heterocyclic compounds and combinatorial libraries using peptides as starting materials.

Solid phase synthesis of 1,3,4,7-Tetrasubstituted Perhydro-1,4-diazepine-2,5-diones

Abstract The solid phase synthesis of 1,3,4,7-Tetrasubstituted Perhydro-1,4-diazepine-2,5-diones is described. Starting from the resin-bound tBu ester of aspartic acid and employing reductive alkylation and amide formation, 40 diazepines have been synthesized in good yield and high purity. The general nature of this approach permits not only large numbers of individual diazepines to be prepared, but also combinatorial libraries.

Integrating Virtual Screening and Combinatorial Chemistry for Accelerated Drug Discovery

Virtual screening is increasingly being used in drug discovery programs with a growing number of successful applications. Experimental methodologies developed to speed up the drug discovery processes include high-throughput screening and combinatorial chemistry. The complementarities between computational and experimental screenings have been recognized and reviewed in the literature. Computational methods have also been used in the combinatorial chemistry field, in particular in library design. However, the integration of computational and combinatorial chemistry screenings has been attempted only recently. Combinatorial libraries (experimental or virtual) represent a notable source of chemically related compounds. Advances in combinatorial chemistry and deconvolution strategies, have enabled the rapid exploration of novel and dense regions in the chemical space. The present review is focused on the integration of virtual and experimental screening of combinatorial libraries. Applications of virtual screening to discover novel anticancer agents and our ongoing efforts towards the integration of virtual screening and combinatorial chemistry are also discussed.

Combinatorial Libraries As a Tool for the Discovery of Novel, Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial Agents Targeting the ESKAPE Pathogens.

Mixture based synthetic combinatorial libraries offer a tremendous enhancement for the rate of drug discovery, allowing the activity of millions of compounds to be assessed through the testing of exponentially fewer samples. In this study, we used a scaffold-ranking library to screen 37 different libraries for antibacterial activity against the ESKAPE pathogens. Each library contained between 10000 and 750000 structural analogues for a total of >6 million compounds. From this, we identified a bis-cyclic guanidine library that displayed strong antibacterial activity. A positional scanning library for these compounds was developed and used to identify the most effective functional groups at each variant position. Individual compounds were synthesized that were broadly active against all ESKAPE organisms at concentrations <2 μM. In addition, these compounds were bactericidal, had antibiofilm effects, showed limited potential for the development of resistance, and displayed almost no toxicity when tested against human lung cells and erythrocytes. Using a murine model of peritonitis, we also demonstrate that these agents are highly efficacious in vivo.

Recent methodologies toward the synthesis of valdecoxib: A potential 3,4-diarylisoxazolyl COX-II inhibitor

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are widely used therapeutic agents in the treatment of inflammation, pain and fever. Cyclooxygenase catalyzes the initial step of biotransformation of arachidonic acid to prostanoids, and exist as three distinct isozymes; COX-I, COX-II and COX-III. Selective COX-II inhibitors are a class of potential anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic drugs with reduced gastrointestinal (GI) side effects compared to nonselective inhibitors. 3,4-Diarylisoxazole scaffold is recurrently found in a wide variety of NSAIDs, protein kinase inhibitors, hypertensive agents, and estrogen receptor (ER) modulators. In the present review, we document on the recent synthetic strategies of 3,4-diarylisoxazolyl scaffolds of valdecoxib and its relevant structural analogues.

Identification of Two Novel, Potent, Low-Liability Antinociceptive Compounds from the Direct In Vivo Screening of a Large Mixture-Based Combinatorial Library

Synthetic combinatorial methods now make it practical to readily produce hundreds of thousands of individual compounds, but it is clearly impractical to screen each separately in vivo. We theorized that the direct in vivo testing of mixture-based combinatorial libraries during the discovery phase would enable the identification of novel individual compounds with desirable antinociceptive profiles while simultaneously eliminating many compounds with poor absorption, distribution, metabolism, or pharmacokinetic properties. The TPI 1346 small-molecule combinatorial library is grouped in 120 mixtures derived from 26 functionalities at the first three positions and 42 functionalities at the fourth position of a pyrrolidine bis-cyclic guanidine core scaffold, totaling 738,192 compounds. These 120 mixtures were screened in vivo using the mouse 55°C warm water tail-withdrawal assay to identify mixtures producing antinociception. From these data, two fully defined individual compounds (TPI 1818-101 and TPI 1818-109) were synthesized. These were examined for antinociceptive, respiratory, locomotor, and conditioned place preference effects. The tail-withdrawal assay consistently demonstrated distinctly active mixtures with analgesic activity that was blocked by pretreatment with the non-selective opioid antagonist, naloxone. Based on these results, synthesis and testing of TPI 1818-101 and 1818-109 demonstrated a dose-dependent antinociceptive effect three to five times greater than morphine that was antagonized by mu- or mu- and kappa-opioid receptor selective antagonists, respectively. Neither 1818-101 nor 1818-109 produced significant respiratory depression, hyperlocomotion, or conditioned place preference. Large, highly diverse mixture-based libraries can be screened directly in vivo to identify individual compounds, potentially accelerating the development of promising therapeutics.

Parallel solid phase synthesis of tetrasubstituted diethylenetriamines via selective amide alkylation and exhaustive reduction of N-acylated dipeptides

Abstract Polyamines are a rapidly developing area of vital importance to biomedical science. Selective N-alkylation followed by N-terminal acylation and the complete reduction of carbonyl amide bonds enables the preparation by parallel solid phase synthesis of a wide range of N 1 ,N 5 ,1,4-tetrasubstituted-1,5-diamino-3-azapentane derivatives.