Matthew L. Crawley

Improvement of Physiochemical Properties of the Tetrahydroazepinoindole Series of Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR) Agonists: Beneficial Modulation of Lipids in Primates.

In an effort to develop orally active farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists, a series of tetrahydroazepinoindoles with appended solubilizing amine functionalities were synthesized. The crystal structure of the previously disclosed FXR agonist, 1 (FXR-450), aided in the design of compounds with tethered solubilizing functionalities designed to reach the solvent cavity around the hFXR receptor. These compounds were soluble in 0.5% methylcellulose/2% Tween-80 in water (MC/T) for oral administration. In vitro and in vivo optimization led to the identification of 14dd and 14cc, which in a dose-dependent fashion regulated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) in low density lipoprotein receptor knockout (LDLR(-/-)) mice. Compound 14cc was dosed in female rhesus monkeys for 4 weeks at 60 mg/kg daily in MC/T vehicle. After 7 days, triglyceride (TG) levels and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDLc) levels were significantly decreased and LDLc was decreased 63%. These data are the first to demonstrate the dramatic lowering of serum LDLc levels by a FXR agonist in primates and supports the potential utility of 14cc in treating dyslipidemia in humans beyond just TG lowering.

Structural Insights into the Design of Nonpeptidic Isothiazolidinone-containing Inhibitors of Protein-tyrosine Phosphatase 1B

Structural analyses of the protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) active site and inhibitor complexes have aided in optimization of a peptide inhibitor containing the novel (S)-isothiazolidinone (IZD) phosphonate mimetic. Potency and permeability were simultaneously improved by replacing the polar peptidic backbone of the inhibitor with nonpeptidic moieties. The C-terminal primary amide was replaced with a benzimidazole ring, which hydrogen bonds to the carboxylate of Asp48, and the N terminus of the peptide was replaced with an aryl sulfonamide, which hydrogen bonds to Asp48 and the backbone NH of Arg47 via a water molecule. Although both substituents retain the favorable hydrogen bonding network of the peptide scaffold, their aryl rings interact weakly with the protein. The aryl ring of benzimidazole is partially solvent exposed and only participates in van der Waals interactions with Phe182 of the flap. The aryl ring of aryl sulfonamide adopts an unexpected conformation and only participates in intramolecular π-stacking interactions with the benzimidazole ring. These results explain the flat SAR for substitutions on both rings and the reason why unsubstituted moieties were selected as candidates. Finally, substituents ortho to the IZD heterocycle on the aryl ring of the IZD-phenyl moiety bind in a small narrow site adjacent to the primary phosphate binding pocket. The crystal structure of an o-chloro derivative reveals that chlorine interacts extensively with residues in the small site. The structural insights that have led to the discovery of potent benzimidazole aryl sulfonamide o-substituted derivatives are discussed in detail.

Pyrrole[2,3-d]azepino compounds as agonists of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR)

Pyrrole[2,3-d]azepines have been identified as potent agonists of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR). Based on the planar X-ray crystal structure of WAY-362450 1 in the ligand binding domain and molecular modeling studies, non-planar reduced compounds were designed which led to agonists that exhibit high aqueous solubility and retain moderate in vitro potency.

Efficient, Regioselective Palladium-Catalyzed Tandem Heck-Isomerization Reaction of Aryl Bromides and Non-Allylic Benzyl Alcohols

An efficient and mild method to couple aryl bromides and activated non-allylic alcohols in a Heck reaction with tandem isomerization to selectively afford high yields of 1,5-diarylalkan-1-ones has been developed. Mechanistic insight was gained through NMR studies of products derived from deuterium-labeled intermediates.