Murat Bozdag

Combining the tail and the ring approaches for obtaining potent and isoform-selective carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: Solution and X-ray crystallographic studies

5-(3-Tosylureido)pyridine-2-sulfonamide and 4-tosylureido-benzenesulfonamide (ts-SA) only differ by the substitution of a CH by a nitrogen atom, but they have very different inhibitory properties against the metalloenzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1). By means of X-ray crystallography on the human CA II adducts of the two compounds these differences have been rationalized. As all sulfonamides, the two compounds bind in deprotonated form to the Zn(II) ion from the enzyme active site and their organic scaffolds extend throughout the cavity, participating in many interactions with amino acid residues and water molecules. However the pyridine derivative undergoes a tilt of the heterocyclic ring compared to the benzene analog, which leads to a very different orientation of the two scaffolds when bound to the enzyme. This tilt also leads to a clash between a carbon atom from the pyridine ring of the first inhibitor and the OH moiety of Thr200, leading to less effective inhibitory properties of the pyridine versus the benzene sulfonamide derivative. Indeed, ts-SA is a promiscuous, low nanomolar inhibitor of 7 out of 10 human (h) CA isoforms, whereas the pyridine sulfonamide is a low nanomolar inhibitor only of the tumor-associated hCA IX and XII, being less effective against other 9 isoforms. Thus, a difference of one atom (N vs CH) in two isostructural sulfonamides leads to drastic differences of activity, phenomenon understood at the atomic level through the high resolution crystallographic structure and kinetic measurements reported in the paper. Combining the tail and the ring approaches in the same chemotype leads to isoform-selective, highly effective sulfonamide CA inhibitors.

7-Substituted-sulfocoumarins are isoform-selective, potent carbonic anhydrase II inhibitors

A series of 7-substituted sulfocoumarins and 3,4-dihydrosulfocoumarins was obtained by cyclization of the methanesulfonate of 2,4-dihydroxy- or 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde, followed by derivatization reactions. The new compounds incorporate a range of substituents in position 7 of the heterocyclic ring (hydroxyl, methoxy, carboxylic and alkylsulfonate ester). The compounds were tested for the inhibition of the zinc enzyme human (h) carbonic anhydrase (hCA, EC 4.2.1.1). Unlike the 6-substituted sulfocoumarins which were potent hCA IX and XII inhibitors and ineffective hCA I and II inhibitors, compounds from this series showed low nanomolar hCA II inhibitory properties, and inhibited the mitochondrial isoform hCA VA with KIs in the range of 91-9960 nM, but were ineffective as hCA I, IX and XII inhibitors. The structure activity relationship for this class of inhibitors was rather clear, with the nature of the 7-substituent strongly influencing hCA VA inhibition, whereas the nature of these groups were less relevant for hCA II inhibition (all reported compounds were highly effective hCA II inhibitors, with KIs in the range of 1.5-8.4 nM). Since both hCA II and hCA VA are important drug targets (hCA II for antiglaucoma agents; hCA VA for antiobesity drugs), these isoform-selective inhibitors reported here may be considered of interest for various biomedical applications.

A Class of 4-Sulfamoylphenyl-ω-aminoalkyl Ethers with Effective Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitory Action and Antiglaucoma Effects

We report a series of 4-sulfamoylphenyl-ω-aminoalkyl ethers as carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitors. The structure–activity relationship was drawn for the inhibition of four physiologically relevant isoforms: hCA I, II, IX, and XII. Many of these compounds were highly effective, low nanomolar inhibitors of all CA isoforms, whereas several isoform-selective were also identified. X-ray crystal structures of two new sulfonamides bound to the physiologically dominant CA II isoform showed the tails of these derivatives bound within the hydrophobic half of the enzyme active site through van der Waals contacts with Val135, Leu198, Leu204, Trp209, Pro201, and Pro202 amino acids. One of the highly water-soluble compound (as trifluoroacetate salt) showed effective IOP lowering properties in an animal model of glaucoma. Several fluorescent sulfonamides incorporating either the fluorescein-thiourea (7a–c) or tetramethylrhodamine-thiourea (9a,b) moieties were also obtained and showed interesting CA inhibitory properties for the tumor-associated isoforms CA IX and XII.

Novel small molecule protein arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) inhibitors

Protein arginin deaminase 4 (PAD4) is a calcium dependent enzyme which catalyses the conversion of peptidyl-arginine into peptidyl-citrulline and is implicated in several diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cancer. Herein we report the discovery of novel small-molecule, non peptidic PAD4 inhibitors incorporating primary/secondary guanidine moieties.

Structural insights on carbonic anhydrase inhibitory action, isoform selectivity, and potency of sulfonamides and coumarins incorporating arylsulfonylureido groups.

Sulfonamides and coumarins incorporating arylsulfonylureido tails were prepared and assayed as inhibitors of the metalloenzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1). Some derivatives incorporating 3-pyridinesulfonamide and arylsulfonylureoido fragments were low nanomolar inhibitors of isoforms CA II and XII (upregulated or overexpressed in glaucoma) and showed effective in vivo intraocular pressure lowering effects in an animal model of the disease, which were several times better compared to those of the antiglaucoma drug dorzolamide. By means of X-ray crystallography of adducts of several sulfonamides with CA II, the effective inhibitory properties were rationalized at the molecular level. The coumarins were ineffective as hCA I and II inhibitors but showed low nanomolar activity for the inhibition of the tumor-associated isoforms hCA IX and XII. The presence of arylsulfonylureido tails in these CA inhibitors possessing quite different mechanisms of action led to highly effective and isoform-selective compounds targeting enzymes involved in severe pathologies such as glaucoma or cancer.

Synthesis of a new series of dithiocarbamates with effective human carbonic anhydrase inhibitory activity and antiglaucoma action

A new series of dithiocarbamates (DTCs) was prepared from primary/secondary amines incorporating amino/hydroxyl-alkyl, mono- and bicyclic aliphatic ring systems based on the quinuclidine, piperidine, hydroxy-/carboxy-/amino-substituted piperidine, morpholine and piperazine scaffolds, and carbon disulfide. The compounds were investigated for the inhibition of four mammalian α-carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) of pharmacologic relevance, that is, the human (h) hCA I, II, IX and XII, drug targets for antiglaucoma (hCA II and XII) or antitumor (hCA IX/XII) agents. The compounds were moderate or inefficient hCA I inhibitors (off-target isoform for both applications), efficiently inhibited hCA II, whereas some of them were low nanomolar/subnanomolar hCA IX/XII inhibitors. One DTC showed excellent intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering properties in an animal model of glaucoma, with a two times better efficiency compared to the clinically used sulfonamide dorzolamide.

Synthesis of a novel affinity gel for the purification of carbonic anhydrases.

Abstract A new affinity gel was synthesized for the purification of carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) isozymes from erythrocytes. The gel was prepared on a Sepharose 4B matrix on which a spacer arm based on ethylenediamine was covalently attached via CNBr activation, followed by reaction with the CA inhibitor 4-isothiocyanato-benzenesulfonamide. The derivatized gel incorporated thioureido-benzenesulfonamide moieties as CA ligand. The binding capacity of the new affinity gel was determined at different temperatures, pH values, ionic strengths and elution buffers. The maximum binding of various CAs was achieved at 25 °C with pH 8.5 and ionic strength around 0.4. The overall purifications for human (h) hCA I and hCA II were 672- and 580-fold, and with 62 and 43% yields, respectively. SDS–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed single bands for each purified isozymes, corresponding to a molecular weight of approx. 29 kDa. This is an easily obtainable, efficient and robust affinity gel, useful for the purification of many other α-CAs.

Dithiocarbamates with potent inhibitory activity against the Saccharomyces cerevisiae β-carbonic anhydrase.

Abstract Dithiocarbamates (DTCs) prepared from primary or secondary amines, which incorporated amino/hydroxyl-alkyl, mono-/bicyclic aliphatic/heterocyclic rings based on the quinuclidine, piperidine, hydroxy-/carboxy-/amino-substituted piperidine, morpholine and piperazine scaffolds, were investigated for the inhibition of α- and β-carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) of pharmacologic relevance, such as the human (h) isoform hCA I and II, as well as the Saccharomyces cerevisiae β-CA, scCA. The yeast and its β-CA were shown earlier to be useful models of pathogenic fungal infections. The DTCs investigated here were medium potency hCA I inhibitors (KIs of 66.5–910 nM), were more effective as hCA II inhibitors (KIs of 8.9–107 nM) and some of them showed excellent, low nanomolar activity against the yeast enzyme, with inhibition constants ranging between 6.4 and 259 nM. The detailed structure activity relationship for inhibition of the yeast and human enzymes is discussed. Several of the investigated DTCs showed excellent selectivity ratios for inhibiting the yeast over the human cytosolic CA isoforms.

7-Amino-3,4-dihydro-1H-quinolin-2-one, a compound similar to the substituted coumarins, inhibits α-carbonic anhydrases without hydrolysis of the lactam ring.

Abstract 7-Amino-3,4-dihydro-1H-quinolin-2-one, a compound structurally similar to coumarins, recently discovered class of inhibitors of the α-carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) was investigated for its interaction with all human (h) CA isoforms, hCA I-XIV. The compound was not an inhibitor of the cytosolic, widespread isoform hCA II (KI > 10 µM), was a weak inhibitor of hCA I, III, IV, VA, VI and XIII (KIs in the range of 0.90–9.5 µM) but effectively inhibited the cytosolic isoform hCA VII (KI of 480 nM) as well as the transmembrane isoforms hCA IX, XII and XIV (KIs in the range of 16.1–510 nM). Against many CA isoforms this lactam was a better inhibitor compared to the structurally similar 4-methyl-7-aminocoumarin, but unlike this compound, the lactam ring was not hydrolyzed and the inhibition was due to the intact bicyclic amino-quinolinone scaffold. Bicyclic lactams strucurally related to coumarins are thus a new class of CA inhibitors possessing however a distinct inhibition mechanism compared to the coumarins which undergo a hydrolysis of their lactone ring for generating the enzyme inhibitory species.

Synthesis and carbonic anhydrase I, II, VII, and IX inhibition studies with a series of benzo[d]thiazole-5- and 6-sulfonamides

Abstract A series of benzo[d]thiazole-5- and 6-sulfonamides has been synthesized and investigated for the inhibition of several human (h) carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) isoforms, using ethoxzolamide (EZA) as lead molecule. 2-Amino-substituted, 2-acylamino- and halogenated (bromo-and iodo-derivatives at the heterocyclic ring) compounds led to several interesting inhibitors against the cytosolic hCA I, II and VII, as well as the transmembrane, tumor-associated hCA IX isoforms. Several subnanomolar/low nanomolar, isoform-selective sulfonamide inhibitors targeting hCA II, VII and IX were detected. The sharp structure–activity relationship for CA inhibition with this small series of derivatives, with important changes of activity observed even after minor changes in the scaffold or at the 2-amino moiety, make this class of scarcely investigated sulfonamides of particular interest for further investigations.