Angelo Carotti

Isoquinoline derivatives as endogenous neurotoxins in the aetiology of Parkinson’s disease

The cause of neurodegeneration in Parkinsons disease (PD) remains unknown. However, isoquinoline derivatives structurally related to the selective dopaminergic toxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and its active metabolite, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinim (MPP+), have emerged as candidate endogenous neurotoxins causing nigral cell death in Parkinsons disease. Isoquinoline derivatives are widely distributed in the environment, being present in many plants and foodstuffs, and readily cross the blood-brain barrier. These compounds occur naturally in human brain where they are synthesized by non-enzymatic condensation of biogenic amines (e.g. catecholamines and phenylethylamine) with aldehydes, and are metabolized by cytochrome P450s and N-methyltransferases. In addition, isoquinoline derivatives are oxidized by monoamine oxidases to produce isoquinolinium cations with the concomitant generation of reactive oxygen species. Neutral and quaternary isoquinoline derivatives accumulate in dopaminergic nerve terminals via the dopamine re-uptake system, for which they have moderate to poor affinity as substrates. Several isoquinoline derivatives are selective and more potent inhibitors of NADH ubiquinone reductase (complex I) and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity in mitochondrial fragments than MPP+, and lipophilicity appears to be important for complex I inhibition by isoquinoline derivatives. However, compared with MPP+, isoquinoline derivatives are selective but less potent inhibitors of NADH-linked respiration in intact mitochondria, and this appears to be a consequence of their rate-limiting ability to cross mitochondrial membranes. Although both active and passive processes are involved in the accumulation of isoquinoline derivatives in mitochondria, inhibition of respiration is determined by steric rather than electrostatic properties. Compared with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine or MPP+, isoquinoline derivatives show selective but relatively weak toxicity to dopamine-containing cells in culture and following systemic or intracerebral administration to experimental animals, which appears to be a consequence of poor sequestration of isoquinoline derivatives by mitochondria and by dopamine-containing neurones. In conclusion, the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-like cytotoxic characteristics of isoquinoline derivatives and the endogenous/environmental presence of these compounds make it conceivable that high concentrations of and/or prolonged exposure to isoquinoline derivatives might cause neurodegeneration and Parkinsons disease in humans.

Discovery of a novel class of potent coumarin monoamine oxidase B inhibitors: development and biopharmacological profiling of 7-[(3-chlorobenzyl)oxy]-4-[(methylamino)methyl]-2H-chromen-2-one methanesulfonate (NW-1772) as a highly potent, selective, reversible, and orally active monoamine oxidase B inhibitor.

In an effort to discover novel selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) B inhibitors with favorable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic profiles, 7-[(m-halogeno)benzyloxy]coumarins bearing properly selected polar substituents at position 4 were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as MAO inhibitors. Several compounds with MAO-B inhibitory activity in the nanomolar range and excellent MAO-B selectivity (selectivity index SI > 400) were identified. Structure-affinity relationships and docking simulations provided valuable insights into the enzyme-inhibitor binding interactions at position 4, which has been poorly explored. Furthermore, computational and experimental studies led to the identification and biopharmacological characterization of 7-[(3-chlorobenzyl)oxy]-4-[(methylamino)methyl]-2H-chromen-2-one methanesulfonate 22b (NW-1772) as an in vitro and in vivo potent and selective MAO-B inhibitor, with rapid blood-brain barrier penetration, short-acting and reversible inhibitory activity, slight inhibition of selected cytochrome P450s, and low in vitro toxicity. On the basis of this preliminary preclinical profile, inhibitor 22b might be viewed as a promising clinical candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

9,10-Anthraquinone hinders β-aggregation: How does a small molecule interfere with Aβ-peptide amyloid fibrillation?

Amyloid aggregation is linked to a number of neurodegenerative syndromes, the most prevalent one being Alzheimers disease. In this pathology, the β‐amyloid peptides (Aβ) aggregate into oligomers, protofibrils, and fibrils and eventually into plaques, which constitute the characteristic hallmark of Alzheimers disease. Several low‐molecular‐weight compounds able to impair the Aβ aggregation process have been recently discovered; yet, a detailed description of their interactions with oligomers and fibrils is hitherto missing. Here, molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the influence of two relatively similar tricyclic, planar compounds, that is, 9, 10‐anthraquinone (AQ) and anthracene (AC), on the early phase of the aggregation of the Aβ heptapeptide segment H14QKLVFF20, the hydrophobic stretch that promotes the Aβ self‐assembly. The simulations show that AQ interferes with β‐sheet formation more than AC. In particular, AQ intercalates into the β‐sheet because polar interactions between the compound and the peptide backbone destabilize the interstrand hydrogen bonds, thereby favoring disorder. The thioflavin T‐binding assay indicates that AQ, but not AC, sensibly reduces the amount of aggregated Aβ1–40 peptide. Taken together, the in silico and in vitro results provide evidence that structural perturbations by AQ can remarkably affect ordered oligomerization. Moreover, the simulations shed light at the atomic level on the interactions between AQ and Aβ oligomers, providing useful insights for the design of small‐molecule inhibitors of aggregation with therapeutic potential in Alzheimers disease.

Three-dimensional model of the human aromatase enzyme and density functional parameterization of the iron-containing protoporphyrin IX for a molecular dynamics study of heme-cysteinato cytochromes.

Mammalian cytochromes P450 (CYP) are enzymes of great biological and pharmaco‐toxicological relevance. Due to their membrane‐bound nature, the structural characterization of these proteins is extremely difficult, and therefore computational techniques, such as comparative modeling, may help obtaining reliable structures of members of this family. An important feature of CYP is the presence of an iron‐containing porphyrin group at the enzyme active site. This calls for quantum chemical calculations to derive charges and parameters suitable for classical force field‐based investigations of this proteins family. In this report, we first carried out density functional theory (DFT) computations to derive suitable charges for the Fe2+‐containing heme group of P450 enzymes. Then, by means of the homology modeling technique, and taking advantage of the recently published crystal structure of the human CYP2C9, we built a new model of the human aromatase (CYP19) enzyme. Furthermore, to study the thermal stability of the new model as well as to test the suitability of the new DFT‐based heme parameters, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out on both CYP2C9 and CYP19. Finally, the last few ns of aromatase MD trajectories were investigated following the essential dynamics protocol that allowed the detection of some correlated motions among some protein domains. Proteins 2006.

Applicability Domain for QSAR models: where theory meets reality

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships are widely acknowledged predictive methods employed, for years, in organic and medicinal chemistry. More recently, they have assumed a central role also in the context of the explorative toxicology for the protection of environment and human health. However, their real-life application has not been always enthusiastically welcomed, being often retrospectively used and, thus, of limited importance for prospective goals. The need of making more trustable predictions has thus addressed studies on the so-called Applicability Domain, which represents the chemical space from which a model is derived and where a prediction is considered to be reliable. In the present study, the authors survey a number of approaches used to build the Applicability Domain. In particular, they will focus on strategies based on: a) physico-chemical, b) structural and c) response domains. Moreover, some examples integrating different strategies will be also discussed to meet the needs of both model developers and downstream users. KeyWoRDS Applicability Domain, Interpolation Space, QSAR, Similarity, Structural Fragments

Application of a new chiral stationary phase containing the glycopeptide antibiotic A-40,926 in the direct chromatographic resolution of β-amino acids

Abstract A new enantioselective HPLC procedure for the direct resolution of β-amino acids is described, based on the use of a new chiral stationary phase (CSP) containing the macrocyclic glycopeptide antibiotic A-40,926, structurally related to teicoplanin, covalently bonded to silica gel microparticles. The new CSP shows higher enantioselectivity and broader applicability in this field compared to the parent teicoplanin phase. The potential for semi-preparative separations on the A-40,926-CSP is demonstrated for a selected cyclic β-amino acid.

Imidazoline receptors: Qualitative structure-activity relationships and discovery of tracizoline and benazoline. Two ligands with high affinity and unprecedented selectivity☆

The observation that all the attempts to characterize imidazoline (I) receptors have been carried out with non-selective or poorly selective ligands prompted us to undertaken research aimed at developing selective ligand(s). In previous work using, as a starting point, cirazoline I, a potent alpha 1-adrenergic receptor agonist that also binds to I receptors, we showed that removal of the cyclopropyl ring (2) retains high affinity for I2 receptors while reducing alpha 1-adrenergic agonist activity. However, it was felt that this residual, albeit modest, alpha 1-adrenergic agonist activity might diminish the usefulness of compound 2, and we now report on our continuing efforts in this field. Starting from compound 2, we first eliminated the alpha 1-agonist component by isosteric replacement and then, by means of conformational restrictions on compound 7, succeeded in discovering tracizoline (9) and benazoline (12). These two new ligands with high affinity (pKi value 8.74 and 9.07, respectively) and unprecedented selectivity with respect to both alpha 2- (I2/alpha 2 7,762 and 18,621) and alpha 1- (I2/alpha 1 2,344 and 2,691) adrenergic receptors, are valuable tools in the study of I receptor structure and function. In addition, the large number of derivatives studied has allowed us to establish congruent qualitative structure-activity relationships and identify some structural elements governing affinity and selectivity.

Natural and synthetic geiparvarins are strong and selective MAO-B inhibitors. Synthesis and SAR studies.

Natural geiparvarin 1 and a number of its analogues were prepared and tested as inhibitors of both monoamine oxidase isoforms, MAO-B and MAO-A. The desmethyl congener 6 of geiparvarin, proved potent and selective MAO-B inhibitor (pIC(50)=7.55 vs 4.62). X-ray crystallography and molecular modelling studies helped the understanding of the observed structure-activity relationships.

Coumarin, chromone, and 4(3H)-pyrimidinone novel bicyclic and tricyclic derivatives as antiplatelet agents: synthesis, biological evaluation, and comparative molecular field analysis.

As a further part of our chemical and biological studies in this field, we describe the multistep preparations of the properly substituted 2-(1-piperazinyl)chromone 1b, 4-(1-piperazinyl)coumarins 5c-h, their linear benzo-fused analogues 4a,b and 8a,b, bicyclic (15e-g) and tricyclic (15h,i) fused derivatives of 6-(1-piperazinyl)pyrimidin-4(3H)-one, and of the 4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine derivatives 9b,c. The in vitro evaluation of their inhibitory properties towards human platelet aggregation induced in platelet-rich plasma by ADP, collagen, or the Ca (2+)ionophore A23187 showed the high activity of compounds 5d-g and 15f,g,i, among which the coumarins 5g and 5d proved to be, in that order, the most effective in vitro antiplatelet agents until now synthesized by us. Thus, in order to consider also the 4-aminocoumarin structural class, we developed a new statistically significant 3-D QSAR model, more general than the one previously obtained, through a further CoMFA study based on the antiplatelet activity data and molecular steric and electrostatic potentials of both the previously studied and herein described compounds.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Coumarin Derivatives Tethered to an Edrophonium‐like Fragment as Highly Potent and Selective Dual Binding Site Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors

A large series of substituted coumarins linked through an appropriate spacer to 3‐hydroxy‐N,N‐dimethylanilino or 3‐hydroxy‐N,N,N‐trialkylbenzaminium moieties were synthesized and evaluated as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitors. The highest AChE inhibitory potency in the 3‐hydroxy‐N,N‐dimethylanilino series was observed with a 6,7‐dimethoxy‐3‐substituted coumarin derivative, which, along with an outstanding affinity (IC50=0.236 nM) exhibits excellent AChE/BChE selectivity (SI>300 000). Most of the synthesized 3‐hydroxy‐N,N,N‐trialkylbenzaminium salts display an AChE affinity in the sub‐nanomolar to picomolar range along with excellent AChE/BChE selectivities (SI values up to 138 333). The combined use of docking and molecular dynamics simulations permitted us to shed light on the observed structure–affinity and structure–selectivity relationships, to detect two possible alternative binding modes, and to assess the critical role of π–π stacking interactions in the AChE peripheral binding site.