Loredana Salerno

Synthesis of New Arylpiperazinylalkylthiobenzimidazole, Benzothiazole, or Benzoxazole Derivatives as Potent and Selective 5-HT1A Serotonin Receptor Ligands†

A series of new compounds containing a benzimidazole, benzothiazole, or benzoxazole nucleus linked to an arylpiperazine by different thioalkyl chains was prepared. They were tested in radioligand binding experiments to evaluate their affinity for 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 2A serotonergic, alpha 1 adrenergic, D1, and D2 dopaminergic receptors. Many of tested compounds showed an interesting binding profile; in particular, 36 displayed very high 5-HT 1A receptor affinity and selectivity over all the other investigated receptors. Selected compounds, evaluated in functional assays, showed antagonistic or partial agonistic activity at 5-HT 1A receptor. An extensive conformational research using both NMR and modeling techniques indicated that extended conformations predominated in vacuum, in solution and during interactions with 5-HT 1A receptor. Finally, the elaborated binding mode of selected compounds at 5-HT 1A receptor was used to explain the influence of spacer length on ligands affinity.

5-HT7 Receptor Ligands: Recent Developments and Potential Therapeutic Applications

The 5-HT(7) receptors (5-HT(7)Rs) are the most recent classified members of the serotonin family. Characterized in 1993, they belong to the G protein-coupled receptor family. Since their discovery, they have been the subject of intense research due to their widespread distribution in the brain, suggestive of multiple central roles. The focus of this review is to discuss the literature concerning recent advances on 5-HT(7)Rs and their ligands.

Evaluation of novel aryloxyalkyl derivatives of imidazole and 1,2,4-triazole as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) inhibitors and their antitumor properties.

A novel series of aryloxyalkyl derivatives of imidazole and 1,2,4-triazole, 17-31, was designed and synthesized as inhibitors of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2). Some of these compounds were found to be good inhibitors of HO-1, in particular those carrying an imidazole moiety as azolyl group and a 3-bromo or 4-iodophenyl as aryl moiety. The most potent compounds 6 and 30 were selected and studied for their antitumor properties in a model of LAMA-84 R cell line overexpressing HO-1 and resistant to imatinib mesylate (IM), a tyrosine-kinase inhibitor used in the treatment of multiple types of cancer, most notably Philadelphia Chromosome positive (Ph(+)) Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). Results show that both 6 and 30 sensitized LAMA-84 R cell line to antitumor properties of IM.

Novel inhibitors of neuronal nitric oxide synthase.

Selective inhibitors of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), which are devoid of any effect on the endothelial isoform (eNOS), may be required for the treatment of some neurological disorders. In our search for novel nNOS inhibitors, we recently described some 1-[(Aryloxy)ethyl]-1H-imidazoles as interesting molecules for their selectivity for nNOS against eNOS. This work reports a new series of 1-[(Aryloxy)alkyl]-1H-imidazoles in which a longer methylene chain is present between the imidazole and the phenol part of molecule. Some of these molecules were found to be more potent nNOS inhibitors than the parent ethylenic compounds, although this increase in potency resulted in a partial loss of selectivity. The most interesting compound was investigated to establish its mechanism of action and was found to interact with the tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) binding site of nNOS, without interference with any other cofactors or substrate binding sites.

Novel imidazole derivatives as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2) inhibitors and their cytotoxic activity in human-derived cancer cell lines

Heme oxygenase (HO) is a cytoprotective enzyme that can be overexpressed in some pathological conditions, including certain cancers. In this work, novel imidazole derivatives were designed and synthesized as inhibitors of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2). In these compounds the imidazole ring, crucial for the activity, is connected to a hydrophobic group, represented by aryloxy, benzothiazole, or benzoxazole moieties, by means of alkyl or thioalkyl chains of different length. Many of the tested compounds were potent and/or selective against one of the two isoforms of HO. Furthermore, most of the pentyl derivatives showed to be better inhibitors of HO-2 with respect to HO-1, revealing a critical role of the alkyl chain in discriminating between the two isoenzymes. Compounds which showed the better profile of HO inhibition were selected and tested to evaluate their cytotoxic properties in prostate and breast cancer cell lines (DU-145, PC3, LnCap, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-7). In these assays, aryloxyalkyl derivatives resulted more cytotoxic than benzothiazolethioalkyl ones; in particular compound 31 was active against all the cell lines tested, confirming the anti-proliferative properties of HO inhibitors and their potential use in the treatment of specific cancers.

[1,2,4]Triazole derivatives as 5-HT1A serotonin receptor ligands

A series of new 4-amino-3-[3-[4-(2-methoxy or nitro phenyl)-1-piperazinyl] propyl]thio]-5-(substitutedphenyl)[1,2,4]triazoles 11a-t was synthesized in order to obtain compounds with high affinity and selectivity for 5-HT(1A) receptor over the alpha(1)-adrenoceptor. A series of isomeric 4-amino-2-[3-[4-(2-methoxy or nitro phenyl)-1-piperazinyl]propyl]-5-(substitutedphenyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H[1,2,4]triazole-3-thiones 12a-r was also isolated and characterized. New compounds were tested to evaluate their affinity for 5-HT(1A) receptor and alpha(1)-adrenoceptor in radioligand binding experiments. As a general trend, triazoles 11a-t showed a preferential affinity for the 5-HT(1A) receptor whereas isomeric 2,4-dihydro-3H[1,2,4]triazole-3-thiones 12a-r preferentially bind to the alpha(1)-adrenoceptor site. Several molecules showed affinities in the nanomolar range and 4-amino-3-[3-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]propyl]thio]-5-(4-propyloxy-phenyl)[1,2,4]triazole (11o) was the most selective derivative for the 5-HT(1A) receptor (K(i) alpha(1)/K(i) 5-HT(1A)=55). The decrease in 5-HT(1A) receptor selectivity in 3-[3-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]propyl]thio]-5-(substitutedphenyl)[1,2,4] triazole 14a-b, lacking in the amino group in 4-position of the triazole ring, in comparison with their analogues in the series 11a-t, suggest that the amino function represents a critical structural feature in determining 5-HT(1A) receptor selectivity in this class of compounds.

Evaluation of Imidazole‐Based Compounds as Heme Oxygenase‐1 Inhibitors

Imidazole‐based compounds previously synthesized in our laboratory were selected and reconsidered as inhibitors of heme oxygenase‐1 obtained from the microsomal fractions of rat spleens. Most of tested compounds were good inhibitors with IC50 values in the low micromolar range. Compounds were also assayed on membrane‐free full‐length recombinant human heme oxygenase‐1; all tested compounds were unable to interact with human heme oxygenase‐1 at 100 μm concentrations with the exception of compounds 11 and 13 that inhibited the enzyme of 54% and 20%, respectively. The binding of the most active compound 11 with heme or heme‐conjugated human heme oxygenase‐1 was also examined by spectral analyses. When heme was not conjugated to human heme oxygenase‐1, compound 11 caused changes in the heme spectrum only at concentration 50‐fold (100 μm) higher than that required to inhibit rat heme oxygenase‐1; when heme was conjugated to human heme oxygenase‐1, compound 11 was able to form a heme‐compound 11 complex also at low micromolar concentrations. To obtain information on the binding mode of the tested compounds with enzyme, docking studies and pharmacophore analysis were performed. Template docking results were in agreement with experimental inhibition data and with a structure‐based pharmacophoric model. These data may be exploitable to design new OH‐1 inhibitors.

Novel inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase with antioxidant properties

We previously described a series of imidazole-based inhibitors substituted at N-1 with an arylethanone chain as interesting inhibitors of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), endowed with good selectivity vs endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). As a follow up of these studies, several analogs characterized by the presence of substituted imidazoles or other mono or bicyclic nitrogen-containing heterocycles instead of simple imidazole were synthesized, and their biological evaluation as in vitro inhibitors of both nNOS and eNOS is described herein. Most of these compounds showed improved nNOS and eNOS inhibitory activity with respect to reference inhibitors. Selected compounds were also tested to analyze their antioxidant properties. Some of them displayed good capacity to scavenge free radicals and ability to reduce lipid peroxidation.

Structure-activity relationships and molecular modeling studies of novel arylpiperazinylalkyl 2-benzoxazolones and 2-benzothiazolones as 5-HT7 and 5-HT1A receptor ligands

A novel series of arylpiperazinylalkyl 2-benzoxazolones and 2-benzothiazolones 18-38 was designed, synthesized and tested to evaluate their affinity for the 5-HT7 and 5-HT1A receptors. Compounds with a 2-benzothiazolone nucleus generally had affinity values higher than the corresponding 2-benzoxazolone compounds. In particular, derivatives possessing a six or seven carbon chain linker between 2-benzothiazolone and arylpiperazine had Ki values in the subnanomolar range for the 5-HT1A receptor and in the low nanomolar range for the 5-HT7 receptor, indicating that they may be interesting dual ligands. Molecular modeling studies revealed different docking poses for the investigated compounds in homology models of 5-HT1A and 5-HT7 receptors, which explained their experimentally determined affinities and general low selectivity. Additionally, structural interaction fingerprints analysis identified the important amino acid residues for the specific interactions of long-chain arylpiperazines within the binding pockets of both serotonin receptors.

Synthesis and molecular modeling of 1H-pyrrolopyrimidine-2,4-dione derivatives as ligands for the α1-adrenoceptors

Three different series of 1H-pyrrolopyrimidine-2,4-dione derivatives were designed and synthesized as ligands for the α(1)-adrenergic receptors (α(1)-ARs). A microwave-assisted protocol was developed in order to improve purity and yields of some final products. The majority of the synthesized compounds, tested in binding assays, displayed α(1)-AR affinities in the nanomolar range. Highest affinity values were found in derivatives 10b and 10c (K(i)=1.4 nM for both) whereas compound 10e was endowed with the best profile in term of α(1)-AR affinity (K(i)=2.71 nM) coupled with high selectivity towards 5-HT(1A) receptors (K(i) >10,000). Molecular docking studies were performed on human α(1)-ARs and human 5-HT(1A) receptors in order to rationalize the observed experimental affinity and selectivity; these computational studies helped to clarify molecular requirements for the design of high-selective α(1)-adrenergic ligands.