Stefania Contini

Synthesis and pharmacological characterization of novel druglike corticotropin-releasing factor 1 antagonists.

To identify new CRF(1) receptor antagonists, an attempt to modify the bis-heterocycle moiety present in the top region of the dihydropyrrole[2,3]pyridine template was made following new pharmacophoric hypothesis on the CRF(1) receptor antagonists binding pocket. In particular, the 2-thiazole ring, present in the previous series of compounds, was replaced by more hydrophilic non aromatic heterocycles able to make appropriate H-bond interactions with amino acid residues Thr192 and Tyr195. This exploration, followed by an accurate analysis of the substitution of the pendant aryl ring, enabled to identify in vitro potent compounds showing excellent pharmacokinetics and outstanding in vivo activity in animal models of anxiety, both in rodents and primates.

Highly Diastereoselective Synthesis of 4-N-Methylformamidino Trinem (GV129606), a Potent Antibacterial Agent

Abstract In this paper a highly diastereoselective synthesis of 4-N-methylformamidino trinem 3 is reported. The route offers advantages compared to that previously used, i.e. the higher overall yield, the robustness, the avoidance of toxic reagents. Most of the compounds were isolated by precipitation, therefore reducing the number of chromatographic separations. The efficient conversion of 4-N-methylamino trinem 11 into GV129606 3, was obtained by a new methodology in which a scavenger resin was used. The route presented in this paper allowed the preparation of the material required for early development studies and demonstrates the versatility of cyclohexenyl azetidinone 12 in the synthesis of 4-substituted trinems.

Discovery Process and Characterization of Novel Carbohydrazide Derivatives as Potent and Selective GHSR1a Antagonists

Fabio Maria Sabbatini,* Romano Di Fabio,* Mauro Corsi, Paolo Cavanni, Steve M. Bromidge, Yves St-Denis, Lucilla D’Adamo, Stefania Contini, Marilisa Rinaldi, Sebastien Guery, Chiara Savoia, Claudia Mundi, Benedetta Perini, Andrew J. Carpenter, Giovanna Dal Forno, Federico Faggioni, Michela Tessari, Francesca Pavone, Carla Di Francesco, Alberto Buson, Mario Mattioli, Elisabetta Perdona’, and Sergio Melotto

Dihydropyrrole[2,3-d]pyridine derivatives as novel corticotropin-releasing factor-1 antagonists: mapping of the receptor binding pocket by in silico docking studies.

In an effort to discover novel CRF-1 receptor antagonists exhibiting improved physicochemical properties, a dihydropirrole[2,3]pyridine scaffold was designed and explored in terms of the SAR of the substitution at the pendent phenyl ring and the nature of the heterocyclic moieties present in the upper region of the molecule. Selective and potent compounds have been discovered endowed with reduced ClogP with respect to compounds known in the literature. Of particular relevance was the finding that the in vitro affinity of the series was maintained by reducing the overall lipophilicity. The results achieved by this exploration enabled the formulation of a novel hypothesis on the nature of the receptor binding pocket of this class of CRF-1 receptor antagonists, making use of in silico docking studies of the putative nonpeptidic antagonist binding site set up in house by homology modeling techniques.

Cyclopenta[d]pyrimidines and Dihydropyrrolo[2,3‐d]pyrimidines as Potent and Selective Corticotropin‐Releasing Factor 1 Receptor Antagonists

Two new classes of potent and selective CRF1 receptor antagonists are presented. Exploration of general templates 3 and 4 through modifications of the top amine and bottom phenyl substituents led to optimization of the in vitro affinity and pharmacokinetic profiles. The typical alkyl chains present in the top region of CRF1 antagonists were replaced by substituted heteroaryl moieties, leading to a dramatic improvement of the metabolic stability. This improvement was apparent when the compounds were dosed in vivo: several compounds exhibited low plasma clearance, good oral bioavailability, and high brain penetration. As a consequence of their outstanding pharmacokinetic profiles, these CRF1 antagonists, as exemplified by compound 4 fi (4‐(4‐bromo‐3‐methyl‐1H‐pyrazol‐1‐yl)‐7‐(2,4‐dichlorophenyl)‐2‐methyl‐6,7‐dihydro‐5H‐pyrrolo[2,3‐d]pyrimidine), produced a dose‐dependent “anxiolytic‐like” effect when administered orally, decreasing the vocalization of rat pups.

Design, synthesis and SAR of a novel series of benzimidazoles as potent NPY Y5 antagonists.

A novel class of benzimidazole NPY Y5 receptor antagonists was prepared exploiting a privileged spirocarbamate moiety. The structure-activity relationship of this series and efforts to achieve a profile suitable for further development and an appropriate pharmacokinetic profile in rat are described. Optimisation led to the identification of the brain penetrant, orally bioavailable Y5 antagonist 9b which significantly inhibited the food intake induced by a Y5 selective agonist with a minimal effective dose of 30mg/kg po.

Long‐range two‐dimensional 1H–29Si heteronuclear shift correlation using gradients. Application to tetra‐TMS‐α‐O‐methyl‐D‐glucopyranose and tetra‐TES‐α‐O‐methyl‐D‐glucopyranose

The gradient‐enhanced 1H,29Si HMQC experiment was applied to tetra‐TMS‐α‐O‐methyl‐D‐glucopyranose and tetra‐TES‐α‐O‐methyl‐D‐glucopyranose as test samples. All the expected 2J(1H, 29Si) and 3J (1H,29Si) cross peaks were observed, allowing the full 29Si NMR assignment. An analysis of the trend of 29Si chemical shifts depending on the position of the silylating group in the sugar ring and on the different hindrances of TMS and TES groups is also reported. Copyright

Discovery and structure–activity relationship of a novel spirocarbamate series of NPY Y5 antagonists

A novel series of trans-8-aminomethyl-1-oxa-3-azaspiro[4.5]decan-2-one derivatives was identified with potent NPY Y5 antagonist activity. Optimization of the original lead furnished compounds 23p and 23u, which combine sub-nanomolar Y5 activity with metabolic stability, oral bioavailability, brain penetration and strong preclinical profile for development. Both compounds significantly inhibited the food intake induced by a Y5 selective agonist with minimal effective doses of 3mg/kg po.

Heteroaryl-substituted 4-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-5,6-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives as potent and selective corticotropin-releasing factor receptor-1 antagonists.

Heteroaryl-Substituted 4-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-5,6-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine Derivatives as Potent and Selective CorticotropinReleasing Factor Receptor-1 Antagonists Fabio Maria Sabbatini,* Romano Di Fabio,* Yves St-Denis, Anna-Maria Capelli, Emiliano Castiglioni, Stefania Contini, Daniele Donati, Elettra Fazzolari, Gabriella Gentile, Fabrizio Micheli, Francesca Pavone, Marilisa Rinaldi, Alessandra Pasquarello, Maria Grazia Zampori, Pina Di Felice, Paola Zarantonello, Roberto Arban, Benedetta Perini, Giovanni Vitulli, Roberto Benedetti, Beatrice Oliosi, and Angela Worby