Erik A.A. Wallén

Oxadiazole-carbonylaminothioureas as SIRT1 and SIRT2 Inhibitors

A new inhibitor for human sirtuin type proteins 1 and 2 (SIRT1 and SIRT2) was discovered through virtual database screening in search of new scaffolds. A series of compounds was synthesized based on the hit compound (3-[[3-(4-tert-butylphenyl)1,2,4-oxadiazole-5-carbonyl]amino]-1-[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]thiourea). The most potent compound in the series was nearly as potent as the reference compound (6-chloro-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-carbazole-1-carboxamide).

N(epsilon)-thioacetyl-lysine-containing tri-, tetra-, and pentapeptides as SIRT1 and SIRT2 inhibitors.

N()-Thioacetyl-lysine-containing tri-, tetra-, and pentapeptides, based on the alpha-tubulin and p53 protein sequences, were studied as SIRT1 and SIRT2 inhibitors. The potency of the pentapeptides depended on the selection of the side chains. The removal of N- and C-terminal residues of the pentapeptides yielded tripeptides with retained SIRT1 inhibitory activity but decreased SIRT2 inhibitory activity. The most potent SIRT1 inhibitors were equipotent with the reference compound (6-chloro-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-carbazole-1-carboxamide) with the IC(50) values of 180-330 nM.

Inhibitors and promoters of tubulin polymerization: Synthesis and biological evaluation of chalcones and related dienones as potential anticancer agents

A series of dihalogenated chalcones and structurally related dienones were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity in 10 different cancer cell lines and for their effect on microtubule assembly. All compounds showed cytotoxic activity, with IC(50) values in the 5-280 μM range depending on the chalcone structure and the cell line. Five of the compounds were found to be tubulin polymerization inhibitors. In contrast, one of the compounds was found to stabilize tubulin to the same extent as the anticancer drug docetaxel. Molecular modeling suggested that the tubulin inhibitors bind to the colchicine binding site of β-tubulin while the novel tubulin stabilization agent seems to interact with the paclitaxel binding site.

Chroman-4-one- and chromone-based sirtuin 2 inhibitors with antiproliferative properties in cancer cells.

Sirtuins (SIRTs) catalyze the NAD(+)-dependent deacetylation of N(ε)-acetyl lysines on various protein substrates. SIRTs are interesting drug targets as they are considered to be related to important pathologies such as inflammation and aging-associated diseases. We have previously shown that chroman-4-ones act as potent and selective inhibitors of SIRT2. Herein we report novel chroman-4-one and chromone-based SIRT2 inhibitors containing various heterofunctionalities to improve pharmacokinetic properties. The compounds retained both high SIRT2 selectivity and potent inhibitory activity. Two compounds were tested for their antiproliferative effects in breast cancer (MCF-7) and lung carcinoma (A549) cell lines. Both compounds showed antiproliferative effects correlating with their SIRT2 inhibition potency. They also increased the acetylation level of α-tubulin, indicating that SIRT2 is likely to be the target in cancer cells. A binding mode of the inhibitors that is consistent with the SAR data was proposed based on a homology model of SIRT2.

4-Phenylbutanoyl-2(S)-acylpyrrolidines and 4-phenylbutanoyl-l-prolyl-2(S)-acylpyrrolidines as prolyl oligopeptidase inhibitors

New 4-phenylbutanoyl-2(S)-acylpyrrolidines and 4-phenylbutanoyl-L-prolyl-2(S)-acylpyrrolidines were synthesized. Their inhibitory activity against prolyl oligopeptidase from pig brain was tested in vitro. In the series of 4-phenylbutanoyl-2(S)-acylpyrrolidines, the cyclopentanecarbonyl and benzoyl derivatives were the best inhibitors having IC(50) values of 30 and 23 nM, respectively. This series of compounds shows that the P1 pyrrolidine ring, which is common in most POP inhibitors, can be replaced by either a cyclopentyl ring or a phenyl ring, causing only a slight decrease in the inhibitory activity. In the series of 4-phenylbutanoyl-L-prolyl-2(S)-acylpyrrolidines the cyclopentanecarbonyl and benzoyl derivatives were not as active as in the series of 4-phenylbutanoyl-2(S)-acylpyrrolidines. The hydroxyacetyl derivative did however show high inhibitory activity. This compound is structurally similar to JTP-4819, which is one of the most potent prolyl oligopeptidase inhibitors. The acyl group in the two series of new compounds seems to bind to different sites of the enzyme, since the second series of new compounds did not show the same cyclopentanecarbonyl or benzoyl specificity as the first series.

Conformationally rigid N-acyl-5-alkyl-l-prolyl-pyrrolidines as prolyl oligopeptidase inhibitors

In the N-acyl-L-prolyl-pyrrolidine type of prolyl oligopeptidase inhibitors the L-prolyl group was replaced by different 5-alkyl-L-prolyl groups, resulting in a series of N-acyl-5-alkyl-L-prolyl-pyrrolidines. Since N-amides of 5-alkyl-L-prolines are conformationally more rigid than those of L-proline, the main objective was to make more rigid prolyl oligopeptidase inhibitors. In the series of compounds where the N-acyl group was a Boc group, the 5(R)-tert-butyl group increased the potency strongly. A similar effect was not observed for the 5(S)-tert-butyl group. In the series of compounds where the N-acyl group was a 4-phenylbutanoyl group, the 5(R)-tert-butyl, 5(R)-methyl and 5(S)-methyl groups did not have an effect on the potency [the 5(S)-tert-butyl group was not tested in this series]. As an additional effect, the 5-tert-butyl groups increased the log P of the compounds 1.5 log units, which might be beneficial when targeting the compounds to the brain.

Slow-binding inhibitors of prolyl oligopeptidase with different functional groups at the P1 site

POP (prolyl oligopeptidase) specifically hydrolyses a number of small proline-containing peptides at the carboxy end of the proline residue and POP inhibitors have been shown to have cognition-enhancing properties. It has been noted that certain functional groups at the P1 site of the inhibitor, which correspond to the substrate residue on the N-terminal side of the bond to be cleaved, increase the inhibitory potency. However, detailed mechanistic and kinetic analysis of the inhibition has not been studied. In the present study, we examined the effect of different functional groups at the P1 site of the parent inhibitor isophthalic acid bis-(L-prolylpyrrolidine) amide on the binding kinetics to POP. Addition of CHO, CN or COCH(2)OH groups to the P1 site increased the inhibitory potency by two orders of magnitude (K(i)=11.8-0.1 nM) and caused a clear slow-binding inhibition. The inhibitor containing a CHO group had the lowest association rate constant, k(on)=(2.43+/-0.12) x 10(5) M(-1) x s(-1), whereas the inhibitor with a CN group exhibited the fastest binding, k(on)=(12.0+/-0.08)x10(5) M(-1) x s(-1). In addition, the dissociation rate was found to be crucially dependent on the type of the functional group. Compounds with COCH(2)OH and CHO groups had much longer half-lives of dissociation (over 5 h) compared with the compound with the CN group (25 min), although the K(i) values of the compounds were relatively similar. A possibility to optimize the duration of inhibition by changing the functional group at the P1 site is important when planning therapeutically useful POP inhibitors.

Characterization of the binding properties of SIRT2 inhibitors with a N-(3-phenylpropenoyl)-glycine tryptamide backbone.

SIRT2 inhibitors with a N-(3-phenylpropenoyl)-glycine tryptamide backbone were studied. This backbone has been developed in our group, and it is derived from a compound originally found by virtual screening. In addition, compounds with a smaller 3-phenylpropenoic acid tryptamide backbone were also included in the study. Binding modes for the new compounds and the previously reported compounds were analyzed with molecular modelling methods. The approach, which included a combination of molecular dynamics, molecular docking and cluster analysis, showed that certain docking poses were favourable despite the conformational variation in the target protein. The N-(3-phenylpropenoyl)-glycine tryptamide backbone is also a good backbone for SIRT2 inhibitors, and the series of compounds includes several potent SIRT2 inhibitors.

Mimetics of the disulfide bridge between the N- and C-terminal cysteines of the KLK3-stimulating peptide B-2

Human prostate produces kallikrein-related peptidase 3 (KLK3, also known as prostate specific antigen), which is widely used as a prostate cancer marker. Proteolytically active KLK3 has been shown to inhibit angiogenesis and its expression decreases in poorly differentiated tumors. Thus, it may be possible to control prostate cancer growth with agents that stimulate the proteolytic activity of KLK3. We have earlier developed synthetic peptides, which bind specifically to KLK3 and promote its proteolytic activity. These peptides are cyclic, all containing a disulfide bridge between the N- and C-terminal cysteines. To increase the in vivo stability of the KLK3-stimulating peptide B-2, we made differently cyclized analogues by replacing both terminal cysteines and the disulfide bridge between them. A replacement consisting of γ-amino butyric acid and aspartic acid, where the amino group from the former was linked to the main chain carboxyl group of the latter, was found to be, at high concentrations, more active than the B-2 peptide. Furthermore, as compared to the parent peptide, this analog had an improved stability in plasma and against the enzymatic degradation by KLK3. In addition, the series of analogues also provided valuable information of the structure–activity relationships of the B-2 peptide.

Synthesis of orthogonally protected disulfide bridge mimetics.

Concise routes to four orthogonally protected, enantiopure disulfide bridge mimetics are reported. These four dicarba analogues possess an alkyne, an (E)-alkene, a (Z)-alkene, and an alkane as substitutes for the disulfide bridge. Selective deprotection of one of these mimetics is also illustrated.