Sandra Gemma

β-Secretase as a Therapeutic Target for Alzheimer's Disease

Summaryβ-Secretase (memapsin 2, BACE1) is an attractive target for the development of inhibitor drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Not only does this protease function at the first step in the pathway leading to the production of amyloid-β (Aβ), its gene deletion produces only mild phenotypes. In addition, β-secretase is an aspartic protease whose mechanism and inhibition are well known. The development of β-secretase inhibitors, actively pursued over the last seven years, has been slow, due to the difficulty in combining the required properties in a single inhibitor molecule. Steady progress in this field, however, has brought about inhibitors that contain many targeted characteristics. In this review, we describe the strategy of structure-based inhibitor evolution in the development of β-secretase inhibitor drug. The current status of the field offers grounds for some optimism, in that β-secretase inhibitors have been shown to reduce brain Aβ and to rescue the cognitive decline in transgenic AD mice, and an orally available β-secretase inhibitor drug candidate is in clinical trial. With this knowledge base, it seems reasonable to expect that more drug candidates will be tested in human, and then successful disease-modifying drugs may ultimately emerge from this target.

The Structural Evolution of β-Secretase Inhibitors: A Focus on the Development of Small-Molecule Inhibitors

Effective treatment of Alzheimers disease (AD) remains a critical unmet need in medicine. The lack of useful treatment for AD led to an intense search for novel therapies based on the amyloid hypothesis, which states that amyloid β-42 (Aβ42) plays an early and crucial role in all cases of AD. β-Secretase (also known as BACE-1 β-site APP-cleaving enzyme, Asp-2 or memapsin-2) is an aspartyl protease representing the rate limiting step in the generation of Aβ peptide fragments, therefore it could represent an important target in the steady hunt for a disease-modifying treatment. Generally, β-secretase inhibitors are grouped into two families: peptidomimetic and nonpeptidomimetic inhibitors. However, irrespective of the class, serious challenges with respect to blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration and selectivity still remain. Discovering a small molecule inhibitor of β-secretase represents an unnerving challenge but, due to its significant potential as a therapeutic target, growing efforts in this task are evident from both academic and industrial laboratories. In this frame, the rising availability of crystal structures of β-secretase-inhibitor complexes represents an invaluable opportunity for optimization. Nevertheless, beyond the inhibitory activity, the major issue of the current research approaches is about problems associated with BBB penetration and pharmacokinetic properties. This review follows the structural evolution of the early β-secretase inhibitors and gives a snap-shot of the hottest chemical templates in the literature of the last five years, showing research progress in this field.

Structure-based discovery of the first non-covalent inhibitors of Leishmania major tryparedoxin peroxidase by high throughput docking

Leishmaniasis is a neglected vector-born disease caused by a protozoan of the genus Leishmania and affecting more than 1.300.000 people worldwide. The couple tryparedoxin/tryparedoxin peroxidase is essential for parasite survival in the host since it neutralizes the hydrogen peroxide produced by macrophages during the infection. Herein we report a study aimed at discovering the first class of compounds able to non-covalently inhibit tryparedoxin peroxidase. We have solved the high-resolution structure of Tryparedoxin peroxidase I from Leishmania major (LmTXNPx) in the reduced state and in fully folded conformation. A first series of compounds able to inhibit LmTXNPx was identified by means of the high throughput docking technique. The inhibitory activity of these compounds was validated by a Horseradish peroxidase-based enzymatic assay and their affinity for LmTXNPx calculated by surface plasmon resonance experiments. On the basis of these results, the analysis of the enzyme-inhibitor docked models allowed us to rationally design and synthesize a series of N,N-disubstituted 3-aminomethyl quinolones. These compounds showed an inhibitory potency against LmTXNPx in the micromolar range. Among them, compound 12 represents the first non-covalent LmTXNPx inhibitor reported to date and could pave the way to the discovery of a new class of drugs against leishmaniasis.

Potent HIV-1 protease inhibitors incorporating meso-bicyclic urethanes as P2-ligands: structure-based design, synthesis, biological evaluation and protein–ligand X-ray studies

Recently, we designed a series of novel HIV-1 protease inhibitors incorporating a stereochemically defined bicyclic fused cyclopentyl (Cp-THF) urethane as the high affinity P2-ligand. Inhibitor with this P2-ligand has shown very impressive potency against multi-drug-resistant clinical isolates. Based upon the -bound HIV-1 protease X-ray structure, we have now designed and synthesized a number of meso-bicyclic ligands which can conceivably interact similarly to the Cp-THF ligand. The design of meso-ligands is quite attractive as they do not contain any stereocenters. Inhibitors incorporating urethanes of bicyclic-1,3-dioxolane and bicyclic-1,4-dioxane have shown potent enzyme inhibitory and antiviral activities. Inhibitor (K(i) = 0.11 nM; IC(50) = 3.8 nM) displayed very potent antiviral activity in this series. While inhibitor showed comparable enzyme inhibitory activity (K(i) = 0.18 nM) its antiviral activity (IC(50) = 170 nM) was significantly weaker than inhibitor . Inhibitor maintained an antiviral potency against a series of multi-drug resistant clinical isolates comparable to amprenavir. A protein-ligand X-ray structure of -bound HIV-1 protease revealed a number of key hydrogen bonding interactions at the S2-subsite. We have created an active model of inhibitor based upon this X-ray structure.

Development and Pharmacological Characterization of Selective Blockers of 2-Arachidonoyl Glycerol Degradation with Efficacy in Rodent Models of Multiple Sclerosis and Pain

We report the discovery of compound 4a, a potent β-lactam-based monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL) inhibitor characterized by an irreversible and stereoselective mechanism of action, high membrane permeability, high brain penetration evaluated using a human in vitro blood-brain barrier model, high selectivity in binding and affinity-based proteomic profiling assays, and low in vitro toxicity. Mode-of-action studies demonstrate that 4a, by blocking MGL, increases 2-arachidonoylglycerol and behaves as a cannabinoid (CB1/CB2) receptor indirect agonist. Administration of 4a in mice suffering from experimental autoimmune encephalitis ameliorates the severity of the clinical symptoms in a CB1/CB2-dependent manner. Moreover, 4a produced analgesic effects in a rodent model of acute inflammatory pain, which was antagonized by CB1 and CB2 receptor antagonists/inverse agonists. 4a also relieves the neuropathic hypersensitivity induced by oxaliplatin. Given these evidence, 4a, as MGL selective inhibitor, could represent a valuable lead for the future development of therapeutic options for multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel allophenylnorstatine-based HIV-1 protease inhibitors incorporating high affinity P2-ligands

A series of stereochemically defined cyclic ethers as P2-ligands were incorporated in an allophenylnorstatine-based isostere to provide a new series of HIV-1 protease inhibitors. Inhibitors 3b and 3c, containing conformationally constrained cyclic ethers, displayed impressive enzymatic and antiviral properties and represent promising lead compounds for further optimization.

An efficient approach to chiral C8/C9-piperazino-substituted 1,4-benzodiazepin-2-ones as peptidomimetic scaffolds.

A promising way to interfere with biological processes is through the modulation of protein-protein interactions by means of small molecules acting as peptidomimetics. The 1,4-benzodiazepine scaffold has been widely reported as a peptide-mimicking, pharmacogenic system. While several synthetic pathways to C6-8 substituted benzodiazepines have been disclosed, few 1,4-benzodiazepines substituted at C9 have been reported. Herein, we describe a versatile approach to introduce cyclic, protonatable functionality at C8/C9. Introduction of the piperazine system at C8 and C9 gave access to a unique functionalization of the versatile benzodiazepine skeleton, broadening tailoring options on the benzofused side of the molecule, and the possibility of discovering novel peptidomimetics potentially able to modulate protein-protein interactions. Coupling of activated amino acids with poorly reactive anilines under mild conditions, while avoiding racemization, gave easy access to these compounds. Efficient amino acid activation was obtained by exploiting the rapid formation of acid chlorides under low temperature and acid/base free conditions, using triphenylphosphine and hexachloroacetone. This procedure successfully resulted in high reaction yields, did not produce racemization (ee > 98%, as demonstrated by using chiral solvating agents), and was compatible with the acid sensitive protecting groups present in the substrates.

Malaria chemotherapy: recent advances in drug development.

Malaria is a disease caused by parasitic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. Despite significant advances in understanding the disease and the parasite biology, malaria still remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, particularly in malaria-endemic regions of the world. The main factor hampering malaria control is the high degree of resistance developed by Plasmodium species against several classes of drugs. Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) is the most rapidly acting antimalarial treatment effective against multi-drug resistant strains, and is, at present, the only group of antimalarial drugs to which resistance by Plasmodium falciparum has not developed yet in the field, even though the isolation of artemisinin-resistant strains is raising concern. As a result, discovering and developing novel antimalarial agents is one of the greatest challenges facing malaria control today. This review covers patent literature from 2007 to date regarding small molecules or natural compounds targeting the asexual forms of the parasite. Recent patents filed and issued for ameliorating conventional antimalarial treatment methods by non-conventional dosage forms are also reviewed.

Verbascoside Inhibits Promastigote Growth and Arginase Activity of Leishmania amazonensis

Verbascoside (1) is a phenylethanoid glycoside that has antileishmanial activity against Leishmania infantum and Leishmania donovani. In this study, we verified the activity of 1 on Leishmania amazonensis and arginase inhibition. Compound 1 showed an EC50 of 19 μM against L. amazonensis promastigotes and is a competitive arginase inhibitor (Ki = 0.7 μM). Docking studies were performed to assess the interaction of 1 with arginase at the molecular level. Arginase is an enzyme of the polyamine biosynthesis pathway that is important to parasite infectivity, and the results of our study suggest that 1 could be useful to develop new approaches for treating leishmaniasis.

HCV-targeted Antivirals: Current Status and Future Challenges

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the major etiological agent of human non-A and non-B hepatitis, affecting more than 170 million people worldwide. While the current standard of care for the treatment of HCV infection is ribavirin in combination with interferon-α (IFN-α), this therapeutic regimen presents several drawbacks, mainly related to important and serious side effects, to resistance issues, and to the lack of efficacy for the treatment of specific viral genotypes. In 2011, the FDA approved two HCV-targeted antivirals, namely boceprevir and telaprevir. These two drugs inhibit the protease activity of the viral enzyme NS3/4A, and in Phase III clinical trials proved to be effective in achieving sustained virological response rate up to 75%. However, problems associated with these therapeutic regimens still exist and need to be addressed. Intense research efforts in the field are aimed at discovering small-molecule inhibitors of HCV enzymes and proteins such as NS5B and NS5A and at developing NS3 protease inhibitors active against resistant viruses expressing mutated NS3 protease. The most recent advances for the rational drug design of such inhibitors are here reviewed.