Potent inhibition of serine proteases by heterocyclic sulfide derivatives of 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide

The existence of subtle differences in the Sn' subsites of closely-related (chymo)trypsin-like serine proteases, and the fact that the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold docks to the active site of (chymo)trypsin-like enzymes in a substrate-like fashion, suggested that the introduction of recognition elements that can potentially interact with the Sn' subsites of these proteases might provide an effective means for optimizing enzyme potency and selectivity. Accordingly, a series of heterocyclic sulfide derivatives based on the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold (I) was synthesized and the inhibitory activity and selectivity of these compounds toward human leukocyte elastase (HLE), proteinase 3 (PR 3) and cathepsin G (Cat G) were then determined. Compounds with P1 = isobutyl were found to be potent, time-dependent inhibitors of HLE and, to a lesser extent PR 3, while those with P1 = benzyl inactivated Cat G rapidly and irreversibly. This study has demonstrated that 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide-based heterocyclic sulfides are effective inhibitors of (chymo)trypsin-like serine proteases.     

1,2,5-Thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide: a powerful scaffold for probing the S' subsites of (chymo)trypsin-like serine proteases

The 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold (I) embodies a motif that allows it to dock to the active site of (chymo)trypsin-like proteases in a predictable and substrate-like fashion. Consequently, inhibitors derived from this heterocyclic scaffold interact with both the S and S' subsites of an enzyme. Exploitation of binding interactions with both the S and S' subsites of a target enzyme may lead to compounds with greatly enhanced enzyme selectivity and inhibitory potency. This preliminary report describes the use of a series of compounds having the heterocyclic scaffold linked to various amino acids to probe the S' subsites of human leukocyte elastase (HLE), proteinase 3 (PR 3), and cathepsin G (Cat G). For comparative purposes, a series of compounds derived from a related scaffold, isothiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide (II), was also generated. Several of the compounds were found to be highly potent and selective time-dependent inhibitors of HLE, PR 3, and Cat G.     

Inhibition of serine proteases by functionalized sulfonamides coupled to the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold.

A challenge associated with drug design is the development of selective inhibitors of proteases (serine or cysteine) that exhibit the same primary substrate specificity, that is, show a preference for the same P(1) residue. While these proteases have similar active sites, nevertheless there are subtle differences in their S and S' subsites which can be exploited. We describe herein for the first time the use of functionalized sulfonamides as a design and diversity element which, when coupled to the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold yields potent, time-dependent inhibitors of the serine proteases human leukocyte elastase (HLE), proteinase 3 (PR 3) and cathepsin G(Cat G). Our preliminary findings suggest that (a) appending to the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold recognition and diversity elements that interact with both the S and S' subsites of a target protease may result in optimal enzyme selectivity and potency and, (b) functionalized sulfonamides constitute a powerful design and diversity element with low intrinsic chemical reactivity and potentially wide applicability.     

Inactivation of human neutrophil elastase by 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide-based sulfonamides

The interaction of a series of 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide-based sulfonamides with neutrophil-derived serine proteases was investigated. The nature of the amino acid component, believed to be oriented toward the S' subsites, had a profound effect on enzyme selectivity. This series of compounds were found to be potent, time-dependent inhibitors of human neutrophil elastase (HNE) and were devoid of any inhibitory activity toward neutrophil proteinase 3 (PR 3) and cathepsin G (Cat G). The results of these studies demonstrate that exploitation of differences in the S' subsites of HNE and PR 3 can lead to highly selective inhibitors of HNE.     

Potent inhibition of human leukocyte elastase by 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide-based sulfonamide derivatives

The design, synthesis, and in vitro biochemical evaluation of a class of mechanism-based inhibitors of human leukocyte elastase (HLE) that incorporate in their structure a 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold with appropriate recognition and reactivity elements appended to it is described. The synthesized compounds were found to be efficient, time-dependent inhibitors of HLE. The interaction of the inhibitors with HLE is postulated to lead to the formation of a highly reactive N-sulfonyl imine (a Michael acceptor) that arises from an enzyme-induced sulfonamide fragmentation cascade. Subsequent reaction ultimately leads to the formation of a relatively stable acyl enzyme. The results cited herein demonstrate convincingly the superiority of the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold over other scaffolds (e.g., saccharin) in the design of inhibitors of (chymo)trypsin-like serine proteases.     

Design, synthesis, and in vitro evaluation of inhibitors of human leukocyte elastase based on a functionalized cyclic sulfamide scaffold

The design of novel functionalized templates capable of binding to the active site of serine proteases could potentially lead to the development of potent and highly selective non-covalent inhibitors of these enzymes. Using the elastase-turkey ovomucoid inhibitor complex and insights gained from earlier work based on the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold (I), a surrogate cyclosulfamide scaffold (II) was used for the first time in the design of reversible inhibitors of human leukocyte elastase. Compounds 7 and 8 were found to be micromolar reversible inhibitors of the enzyme.     

Neutrophil serine proteinases activate human nonepithelial cells to produce inflammatory cytokines through protease-activated receptor 2

Protease-activated receptors (PARs) compose a family of G protein-coupled receptors activated by proteolysis with exposure of their tethered ligand. Recently, we reported that a neutrophil-derived serine proteinase, proteinase 3 (PR3), activated human oral epithelial cells through PAR-2. The present study examined whether other neutrophil serine proteinases, human leukocyte elastase (HLE), and cathepsin G (Cat G) activate nonepithelial cells, human gingival fibroblasts (HGF). HLE and Cat G as well as PR3 activated HGF to produce IL-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1. Human oral epithelial cells but not HGF express mRNA and protein of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor, an inhibitor of HLE and Cat G, and recombinant secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor clearly inhibited the activation of HGF induced by HLE and Cat G but not by PR3. HGF express PAR-1 and PAR-2 mRNA in the cells and the proteins on the cell surface. HLE and Cat G cleaved the peptide corresponding to the N terminus of PAR-2 with exposure of its tethered ligand. Treatment with trypsin, an agonist for PAR-2, and a synthetic PAR-2 agonist peptide induced intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization and rendered cells refractory to subsequent stimulation with HLE and Cat G. The production of cytokine induced by HLE and Cat G and the PAR-2 agonist peptide was completely abolished by inhibition of phospholipase C. These findings suggest that neutrophil serine proteinases have equal ability to activate human nonepithelial cells through PAR-2 to produce inflammatory cytokines and may control a number of inflammatory processes such as periodontitis.     

Human chymase inhibitors based on the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold.

A series of compounds that utilize the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold was synthesized and shown to be highly effective inhibitors of recombinant human skin chymase.     

1,2,5-Thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1-dioxide-based heterocyclic sulfides are potent inhibitors of human tryptase

We describe herein the design, synthesis, and in vitro biochemical evaluation of a series of potent, time-dependent inhibitors of the mast cell-derived serine protease tryptase. The inhibitors were readily obtained by attaching various heterocyclic thiols, as well as a basic primary specificity residue P₁, to the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one 1,1-dioxide scaffold. The inhibitors were found to be devoid of any inhibitory activity toward a neutral (elastase) or cysteine (papain) protease, however they were also fairly efficient inhibitors of bovine trypsin. The differential inhibition observed with trypsin suggests that enzyme selectivity can be optimized by exploiting differences in the S′ subsites of the two enzymes. The results described herein demonstrate the versatility of the heterocyclic scaffold in fashioning mechanism-based inhibitors of neutral, basic, and acidic (chymo)trypsin-like serine proteases.     

Effects of structure on inhibitory activity in a series of mechanism-based inhibitors of human neutrophil elastase

A structurally-diverse series of carboxylate derivatives based on the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-one 1,1 dioxide scaffold were synthesized and used to probe the S′ subsites of human neutrophil elastase (HNE) and neutrophil proteinase 3 (Pr 3). Several compounds are potent inhibitors of HNE but devoid of inhibitory activity toward Pr 3, suggesting that the S′ subsites of HNE exhibit significant plasticity and can, unlike Pr 3, tolerate various large hydrophobic groups. The results provide a promising framework for the design of highly selective inhibitors of the two enzymes.     

Structure-activity relationships for the selectivity of hepatitis C virus NS3 protease inhibitors

The selectivity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) non-structural protein 3 (NS3) protease inhibitors was determined by evaluating their inhibitory effect on other serine proteases (human leukocyte elastase (HLE), porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE), bovine pancreatic chymotrypsin (BPC)) and a cysteine protease (cathepsin B). For these peptide inhibitors, the P1-side chain and the C-terminal group were the major determinants of selectivity. Inhibitors with electrophilic C-terminal residues were generally non-selective while compounds with non-electrophilic C-terminal residues were more selective. Furthermore, compounds with P1 aminobutyric acid residues were non-selective, while 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACPC) and norvaline-based inhibitors were generally selective. The most potent and selective inhibitors of NS3 protease tested contained a non-electrophilic phenyl acyl sulfonamide C-terminal residue. HLE was most likely to be inhibited by the HCV protease inhibitors, in agreement with similar substrate specificities for these enzymes. The identified structure-activity relationships for selectivity are of significance for design of selective HCV NS3 protease inhibitors.     

Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of pseudosaccharinamine derivatives as potential elastase inhibitors

Pseudosaccharinamine derivatives were evaluated for elastase inhibitory activity. Ester derivatives of pseudosaccharinamine displayed reversible and high inhibition of human leukocyte elastase (HLE) as compared to porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE). Cyanomethyl (2S,3S)-2-(1,1-dioxobenzo[d]isothiazol-3-ylamino)-3-methylpentanoate was found to inhibit HLE at Ki=0.8 microM.     

Potential of pyrazolooxadiazinone derivatives as serine protease inhibitors

As a part of an investigation on molecular hybrids as new serine protease inhibitors, the pyrazolo [4,3-c][1,2,5]oxadiazin-3(5H)-one ring system was selected as a model of potential mechanism-based inhibitors. Due to the inherent reactivity of this system an optimal balance between susceptibility to nucleophilic attack and stability in solvents was sought prior to development as therapeutic agents. Substitutions on N5 and C7 of the supporting pyrazole ring with either aliphatic or aromatic groups (compounds 2 a-m) and the replacement of the carbonyl oxygen on the reactive oxadiazinone ring with sulfur (compounds 3a,i) were explored. Two members (2i and 2k) of this class of inhibitors displayed time-dependent inhibition of HLE suggesting mechanism-based inhibition. The observation that HLE generated a product(s) from compound 2i which displayed an identical UV-Visible spectrum to that observed during non-enzymatic hydrolysis further supports this proposal. FlexX-based docking of these compounds into a model of the human leukocyte elastase (HLE) active site produced a molecular model of the inhibitor-enzyme interaction.     

2,4,5-Triphenylisothiazol-3 (2H)-one 1,1-dioxides as inhibitors of human leukocyte elastase

A series of substituted 2,4,5-triphenylisothiazol-3(2H)-one 1,1-dioxides 9 was synthesized and investigated as inhibitors of human leukocyte elastase (HLE). All compounds were found to inhibit HLE in a time-dependent manner and most of them exhibited kobs/[I] values > 300M(-1)s(-1). The most potent 3-oxosultam of this series was 91 (kobs/[I] = 2440 M(-1)s(-1)). Kinetic investigations performed with 9g and different substrate concentrations did not allow to clearly distinguish between a competitive or noncompetitive mode of inhibition. A more complex interaction is supported by the failure of a linear dependency of kobs values on the inhibitor concentration.     

Synthesis and elastase-inhibiting activity of 2-pyridinyl-isothiazol-3(2H)-one 1,1-dioxides

The synthesis of a series of new isothiazol-3(2H)-one 1,1-dioxides with halogenated (mostly fluorinated) pyridinyl and pentafluorophenyl substituents at 2-position is reported. These compounds (18-24) became easily accessible from 2-thiocyanato-1-carboxaldehydes and aminopyridines, pentafluoroaniline, respectively, by an isothiazolium cyclization-oxidation route. Compound 21 exhibited an IC(50) value of 3.1 microM toward human leukocyte elastase. The proteases cathepsin G, trypsin, cathepsin L, and angiotensin-converting enzyme, and the serine esterases acetylcholinesterase and cholesterol esterase were not inhibited by 21.     

Structure-based design of protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B inhibitors

Using structure-based design, a new class of inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP1B) has been identified, which incorporate the 1,2,5-thiadiazolidin-3-one-1,1-dioxide template.     

Inhibition of human serine proteases by substituted 2-azetidinones.

trans-4-Ethoxycarbonyl-3-ethyl-1-(4-nitrophenyl-sulfonyl)-azetidin -3-one described by Firestone et al. (1990, Tetrahedron 46, 2255) as an inhibitor of human leucocyte elastase (HLE) displayed potent, time-dependent inhibition of both HLE and human cathepsin G (Cat-G). The cis-isomer was 7- and 180-fold less active, respectively. The mechanism likely involves opening of the beta-lactam ring by the active site serine to form an acyl-enzyme intermediate(s). This intermediate partitions with ratios of 4:1 between turnover of the inhibitor and formation of relatively stable enzyme-inhibitor complexes from both enzymes. The final HLE-inhibitor complex reactivated with a half-life of 48 h at 25 degrees C and was 16-fold more stable than the Cat-G-inhibitor complex. The stability of the acyl-enzymes supports a "double hit" chemical mechanism involving both serine acylation and alkylation of the histidine. These observations suggest that beta-lactams may be developed as a class of serine protease inhibitors.     

Irreversible inhibition of serine proteases by peptide derivatives of (alpha-aminoalkyl)phosphonate diphenyl esters

Peptidyl derivatives of diphenyl (alpha-aminoalkyl)phosphonates have been synthesized and are effective and specific inhibitors of serine proteases at low concentrations. Z-PheP(OPh)2 irreversibly reacts with chymotrypsin (kobsd/[I] = 1200 M-1 s-1) and does not react with two elastases. The best inhibitor for most chymotrypsin-like enzymes including bovine chymotrypsin, cathepsin G, and rat mast cell protease II is the tripeptide Suc-Val-Pro-PheP(OPh)2 which corresponds to the sequence of an excellent p-nitroanilide substrate for several chymases. The valine derivative Z-ValP(OPh)2 is specific for elastases and reacts with human leukocyte elastase (HLE, 280 M-1 s-1) but not with chymotrypsin. The tripeptide Boc-Val-Pro-ValP(OPh)2, which has a sequence found in a good trifluoromethyl ketone inhibitor of HLE, is the best inhibitor for HLE (kobsd/[I] = 27,000 M-1 s-1) and porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE, kobsd/[I] = 11,000 M-1 s-1). The rates of inactivation of chymotrypsin by MeO-Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-PheP(OPh)2 and PPE and HLE by MeO-Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-ValP(OPh)2 were decreased 2-5-fold in the presence of the corresponding substrate, which demonstrates active site involvement. Only one of two diastereomers of Suc-Val-Pro-PheP(OPh)2 reacts with chymotrypsin (146,000 M-1 s-1), and the enzyme-inhibitor complex had one broad signal at 25.98 ppm in the 31P NMR spectrum corresponding to the Ser-195 phosphonate ester. Phosphonylated serine proteases are extremely stable since the half-time for reactivation was greater than 48 h for the inhibited elastases and 7.5-26 h for chymotrypsin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Inhibition of human leukocyte elastase by phosphate esters of N-hydroxysuccinimide and its derivatives: direct observation of a phosphorylated enzyme by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

A series of phosphate esters derived from N-hydroxysuccinimide and 3-alkyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide have been synthesized and found to be potent time-dependent irreversible inhibitors of human leukocyte elastase (HLE). The observed inhibitory activity in this series of compounds correlated well with the known preference of HLE for substrates with small hydrophobic side chains. Maximum potency was reached when a favorable aromatic interaction involving a phenyl group present in the inhibitor and an aromatic residue located in the vicinity of the S2' subsite was operative. 31P NMR spectroscopy was used to probe the mechanism of action of these compounds. Direct evidence is presented in support of a mechanism involving phosphorylation of the active site serine. These compounds constitute a new class of hydrolytically stable phosphorylating agents.     

Mechanism-based inhibitors of serine proteases with high selectivity through optimization of S′ subsite binding

A series of mechanism-based inhibitors designed to interact with the S′ subsites of serine proteases was synthesized and their inhibitory activity toward the closely-related serine proteases human neutrophil elastase (HNE) and proteinase 3 (PR 3) was investigated. The compounds were found to be time-dependent inhibitors of HNE and were devoid of any inhibitory activity toward PR 3. The results suggest that highly selective inhibitors of serine proteases whose primary substrate specificity and active sites are similar can be identified by exploiting differences in their S′ subsites. The best inhibitor (compound 16) had a k_inact/K_I value of 4580 M^?1 s^?1.