Gregg Wesolowski

The discovery of odanacatib (MK-0822), a selective inhibitor of cathepsin K.

Odanacatib is a potent, selective, and neutral cathepsin K inhibitor which was developed to address the metabolic liabilities of the Cat K inhibitor L-873724. Substituting P1 and modifying the P2 side chain led to a metabolically robust inhibitor with a long half-life in preclinical species. Odanacatib was more selective in whole cell assays than the published Cat K inhibitors balicatib and relacatib. Evaluation in dermal fibroblast culture showed minimal intracellular collagen accumulation relative to less selective Cat K inhibitors.

Effects of Acidic and Basic Fibroblast Growth Factors on Osteoblastic Cells

Acidic (a) and basic (b) fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are two related mitogenic and angiogenic factors. They are multifunctional in that they can affect proliferation and induce or delay differentiation. Both aFGF and bFGF were shown to stimulate proliferation of calvaria cells in situ as well as osteoblast-enriched calvaria-derived cells. bFGF was also found to suppress the expression of alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone stimulatable adenylate cyclase, osteocalcin, and type I collagen in the osteoblastic ROS 17/2.8 cells. To explore a possible role for guanine nucleotide binding proteins we assessed the effects of pertussis toxin (PT) on FGF action. PT had opposite effects to those of bFGF on all parameters examined.

Inhibition of cathepsin K reduces cartilage degeneration in the anterior cruciate ligament transection rabbit and murine models of osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE To investigate the disease modifying effects of cathepsin K (CatK) inhibitor L-006235 compared to alendronate (ALN) in two preclinical models of osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS Skeletally mature rabbits underwent sham or anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT)-surgery and were treated with L-006235 (L-235, 10 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg, p.o., daily) or ALN (0.6 mg/kg, s.c., weekly) for 8-weeks. ACLT joint instability was also induced in CatK(-/-) versus wild type (wt) mice and treated for 16-weeks. Changes in cartilage degeneration, subchondral bone volume and osteophyte area were determined by histology and μ-CT. Collagen type I helical peptide (HP-I), a bone resorption marker and collagen type II C-telopeptide (CTX-II), a cartilage degradation marker were measured. RESULTS L-235 (50 mg/kg) and ALN treatment resulted in significant chondroprotective effects, reducing CTX-II by 60% and the histological Mankin score for cartilage damage by 46% in the ACLT-rabbits. Both doses of L-235 were more potent than ALN in protecting against focal subchondral bone loss, and reducing HP-I by 70% compared to vehicle. L-235 (50 mg/kg) and ALN significantly reduced osteophyte formation in histomorphometric analysis by 55%. The Mankin score in ACLT-CatK(-/-) mice was ~2.5-fold lower than the ACLT-wt mice and was not different from sham-CatK(-/-). Osteophyte development was not different among the groups. CONCLUSION Inhibition of CatK provides significant benefits in ACLT-model of OA, including: 1) protection of subchondral bone integrity, 2) protection against cartilage degradation and 3) reduced osteophytosis. Preclinical evidence supports the role of CatK as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of OA.

Nonpeptide αvβ3 antagonists. Part 2: constrained glycyl amides derived from the RGD tripeptide

Abstract Mimetics of the RGD tripeptide are described that are potent, selective antagonists of the integrin receptor, αvβ3. The use of the 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro[1,8]naphthyridine group as a potency-enhancing N-terminus is demonstrated. Two 3-substituted-3-amino-propionic acids previously contained in αIIbβ3 antagonists were utilized to enhance binding affinity and functional activity for the targeted receptor. Further affinity increases were then achieved through the use of cyclic glycyl amide bond constraints.

The discovery of MK-0674, an orally bioavailable cathepsin K inhibitor

MK-0674 is a potent and selective cathepsin K inhibitor from the same structural class as odanacatib with a comparable inhibitory potency profile against Cat K. It is orally bioavailable and exhibits long half-life in pre-clinical species. In vivo studies using deuterated MK-0674 show stereoselective epimerization of the alcohol stereocenter via an oxidation/reduction cycle. From in vitro incubations, two metabolites could be identified: the hydroxyleucine and the glucuronide conjugate which were confirmed using authentic synthetic standards.

Peptidic 1-cyanopyrrolidines: Synthesis and SAR of a series of potent, selective cathepsin inhibitors

1-Cyanopyrrolidines have previously been reported to inhibit cysteinyl cathepsins (Falgueyret, J.-P. et al., J. Med. Chem. 2001, 44, 94). In order to optimize binding interactions for a given cathepsin and simultaneously reduce interactions with the other closely related enzymes, small peptidic substituents were introduced to the 1-cyanopyrrolidine scaffold, either at the 2-position starting with proline or at the 3-position of aminopyrrolidines. The resulting novel compounds proved to be micromolar inhibitors of cathepsin B (Cat B) but nanomolar to picomolar inhibitors of cathepsins K, L, and S (Cat K, Cat L, Cat S). Several of the compounds were >20-fold selective versus the other three cathepsins. SAR trends were observed, most notably the remarkable potency of Cat L inhibitors based on the 1-cyano-D-proline scaffold. The selectivity of one such compound, the 94 picomolar Cat L inhibitor 12, was demonstrated at higher concentrations in DLD-1 cells. Although none of the compounds in the proline series that was tested proved to be submicromolar in the in vitro bone resorption assay, two Cat K inhibitors in the 3-substituted pyrrolidine series, 24 and 25 were relatively potent in that assay.

Identification of a nonbasic, nitrile-containing cathepsin K inhibitor (MK-1256) that is efficacious in a monkey model of osteoporosis.

Herein, we report on the identification of nonbasic, potent, and highly selective, nitrile-containing cathepsin K (Cat K) inhibitors that are built on our previously identified cyclohexanecarboxamide core structure. Subsequent to our initial investigations, we have found that incorporation of five-membered heterocycles as P2-P3 linkers allowed for the introduction of a methyl sulfone P3-substitutent that was not tolerated in inhibitors containing a six-membered aromatic P2-P3 linker. The combination of a five-membered N-methylpyrazole linker and a methyl sulfone in P3 yielded subnanomolar Cat K inhibitors that were minimally shifted (<10-fold) in our functional bone resorption assay. Issues that arose because of metabolic demethylation of the N-methylpyrazole were addressed through introduction of a 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl substituent. This culminated in the identification of 31 (MK-1256), a potent (Cat K IC 50 = 0.62 nM) and selective (>1100-fold selectivity vs Cat B, L, S, C, H, Z, and V, 110-fold vs Cat F) inhibitor of cathepsin K that is efficacious in a monkey model of osteoporosis.

Retinoic acid effects on an SV-40 large T antigen immortalized adult rat bone cell line

Clonal cell lines were established from adult rat tibia cells immortalized with SV‐40 large T antigen. One clone (TRAB‐11), in which retinoic acid (RA) induced alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity, was selected for further study. The TRAB‐11 cells express high levels of type I collagen mRNA, type IV collagen, fibronectin, practically no type III collagen, little osteopontin, and no osteocalcin. RA stimulates proliferation of TRAB‐11 cells (starting at 10 pM) and survival (starting at 100 pM). TRAB‐11 cells synthesize fibroblast growth factor‐2 (FGF‐2), which has potent autocrine mitogenic effects on these cells and acts synergistically with RA. TRAB‐11 cells attach better to type IV collagen than to fibronectin or laminin. Cell attachment to type IV collagen is increased by RA and decreased (65%) by an antibody directed against α1β1 integrin. RA up‐regulates steady‐state levels of α1 mRNA without affecting β1 mRNA expression. In conclusion, we report the establishment of a clonal cell line from the outgrowth of adult rat tibiae which is highly sensitive to RA in its growth and survival in culture, apparently as a result of integrin‐mediated cell interaction with extracellular matrix proteins. J. Cell. Physiol. 179:267–275, 1999.

528 DISEASE MODIFYING EFFECTS OF A CATHEPSIN K INHIBITOR IN THE RABBIT ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT TRANSECTION MODEL OF OSTEOARTHRITIS

indirect effect of decreased cartilage damage on aberrant bone remodeling. Conclusions: The dual goals of translation research are to discover novel disease mechanisms and to transform this information into new therapeutics for human disorders. Here we present data that implicate cysteinyl leukotrienes in early OA progression. Therefore, targeting of this pathway could represent an important area to OA research and treatment. In addition, the apparent similarities of the DMM model to humans at risk for OA from meniscal damage, suggests that treatment proximal to the time of meniscal repair with CysLT antagonists could delay the structural progression of incipient OA. Subchondral bony sclerosis is a contributing co-factor in OA progression. Although, the reduction in cartilage damage observed in this study could be seen as the most clinically relevant outcome for montelukast treatment of OA, prevention of abnormal bone remodeling could have equally important outcomes in OA joint prophylaxis. 528