1,7-Disubstituted oxyindoles are potent and selective EP3 receptor antagonists

A series of novel 1,7-disubstituted oxyindoles were shown to be potent and selective EP₃ receptor antagonists. Variation of substitution pattern at the C-3 position of indole enhanced in vitro metabolic stability of the resulting derivatives. Series 27a–c showed >1000-fold selectivity over a panel of prostanoid receptors including IP, FP, EP₁, EP₂ and EP₄. These agents also featured low CYP inhibition and good activity in the functional rat platelet aggregation assay.     

3,4-Disubstituted indole acylsulfonamides: A novel series of potent and selective human EP3 receptor antagonists

A series of potent and selective EP₃ receptor antagonists are described. Utilizing a pharmacophore model developed for the EP₃ receptor, a series of 3,4-disubstituted indoles were shown to be high affinity ligands for this target. These compounds showed high selectivity over IP, FP and other EP receptors and are potent antagonists in functional assays.     

Peri-substituted hexahydro-indolones as novel,potent and selective human EP3 receptor antagonists

A series of peri-substituted [4.3.0] bicyclic non-aromatic heterocycles have been identified as potent and selective hEP₃ receptor antagonists. These molecules adopt a hair-pin conformation that overlaps with the endogenous ligand PGE₂ and fits into an internally generated EP₃ pharmacophore model. Optimized compounds show good metabolic stability and improved solubility over their corresponding bicyclic aromatic analogs.     

Discovery of heteroaryl sulfonamides as new EP1 receptor selective antagonists

4-({2-[Isobutyl(phenylsulfonyl)amino]-5-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy}methyl)benzoic acid (1) is a functional PGE2 antagonist selective for EP1 receptor subtype. Analogs of 1, in which the phenyl-sulfonyl moiety has been replaced with more hydrophilic heteroarylsulfonyl moieties, exhibited more optimized antagonist activity, while some of them showed in vivo antagonist activity. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies are also presented.     

Discovery of novel N-acylsulfonamide analogs as potent and selective EP3 receptor antagonists

A series of novel N-acylsulfonamide analogs were synthesized and evaluated for their binding affinity and antagonist activity for the EP3 receptor subtype. Representative compounds were also evaluated for their inhibitory effect on PGE₂-induced uterine contraction in pregnant rats. Among those tested, a series of N-acylbenzenesulfonamide analogs were found to be more potent than the corresponding carboxylic acid analogs in both the in vitro and in vivo evaluations. The structure activity relationships (SAR) are also discussed.     

Bicyclic piperazinylbenzenesulphonamides are potent and selective 5-HT6 receptor antagonists

The synthesis of novel 3-(octahydropyrido[1,2-a]pyrazin-2-yl)- and 3-(hexahydropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazin-2-yl)phenyl-2-benzo[b]thiophene sulphonamide derivatives 3, (S)-4 and (R)-4 is described. The compounds show high affinity for the 5-HT6 receptor, excellent selectivity against a range of other receptors and good brain penetration.     

3-Urea-1-(phenylmethyl)-pyridones as novel, potent, and selective EP3 receptor antagonists

A series of 3-urea-1-(phenylmethyl)-pyridones was discovered as novel EP(3) antagonists via high-throughput screening and subsequent optimization. The synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and optimization of the initial hit that resulted in potent and selective EP(3) receptor antagonists such as 11g are described.     

Aryl sulfonamides containing tetralin allylic amines as potent and selective bradykinin B1 receptor antagonists

The bradykinin B1 receptor has been shown to mediate pain response and is rapidly induced upon injury. Blocking this receptor may provide a promising treatment for inflammation and pain. We previously reported tetralin benzyl amines as potent B1 antagonists. Here we describe the synthesis and SAR of B1 receptor antagonists with homobenzylic amines. The SAR of different linkers led to the discovery of tetralin allylic amines as potent and selective B1 receptor antagonists (hB1 IC₅₀ = 1.3 nM for compound 16). Some of these compounds showed modest oral bioavailability in rats.     

3-Acrylamide-4-aryloxyindoles: Synthesis,biological evaluation and metabolic stability of potent and selective EP3 receptor antagonists

A series of potent and selective EP₃ receptor antagonists are described. Utilizing a pharmacophore model developed for the EP₃ receptor, a series of 3,4-disubstituted indoles were found to be efficient ligands for this target. These compounds showed high selectivity over IP, FP and other EP receptors. An optimized molecule 7c featured a sound profile and potency in the functional rat and human platelet aggregation assays.     

Discovery of novel aminothiadiazole amides as selective EP3 receptor antagonists

This Letter discloses a series of 2-aminothiadiazole amides as selective EP₃ receptor antagonists. SAR optimization resulted in compounds with excellent functional activity in vitro. In addition, efforts to optimize DMPK properties in the rat are discussed. These efforts have resulted in the identification of potent, selective EP₃ receptor antagonists with excellent DMPK properties suitable for in vivo studies.     

Naphthalene/quinoline amides and sulfonylureas as potent and selective antagonists of the EP4 receptor

Two new series of EP₄ antagonists based on naphthalene/quinoline scaffolds have been identified as part of our on-going efforts to develop treatments for inflammatory pain. One series contains an acidic sulfonylurea pharmacophore, whereas the other is a neutral amide. Both series show subnanomolar intrinsic binding potency towards the EP₄ receptor, and excellent selectivity towards other prostanoid receptors. While the amide series generally displays poor pharmacokinetic parameters, the sulfonylureas exhibit greatly improved profile. MF-592, the optimal compound from the sulfonylurea series, has a desirable overall preclinical profile that suggests it is suitable for further development.     

2,3-Diarylthiophenes as selective EP1 receptor antagonists

The synthesis and the EP(1) receptor binding affinity of 2,3-diarylthiophene derivatives are described. The evaluation of the structure-activity relationship (SAR) in this series led to the identification of compounds 4, 7, and 12a, which exhibit high affinity for the human EP(1) receptor and a selectivity greater than 100-fold against the EP(2), EP(3), EP(4), DP, FP, and IP receptors and greater than 25-fold versus the TP receptor. These three antagonists present good pharmacokinetics in rats and significant differences in the way they are distributed in the brain.     

Piperazinebenzylamines as potent and selective antagonists of the human melanocortin-4 receptor

SAR studies of a series of piperazinebenzylamines resulted in the discovery of potent antagonists of the human melanocortin-4 receptor. Compounds 11c, 11d, and 11l, which had K(i) values of 21, 14, and 15 nM, respectively, possessed low efficacy in cAMP stimulation ( approximately 15% of alpha-MSH maximal level) mediated by MC4R, and functioned as antagonists in inhibition of alpha-MSH-stimulated cAMP release in a dose-dependent manner (11l, IC(50)=36 nM).     

New indole amide derivatives as potent CRTH2 receptor antagonists

A new series of indole amide acting as hCRTH2 receptor ligands had been explored and are described herein. Several amide derivatives displaying low nanomolar activity in hCRTH2 binding and whole blood assays were identified. They were found to behave as a full antagonists, exhibiting good selectivity over related prostaglandin receptors. Also, prototypical compounds in this novel series which displayed acceptable CYP profiles and were orally bioavailable in rats were identified.     

Structure-activity relationships of thiazole and thiadiazole derivatives as potent and selective human adenosine A3 receptor antagonists

4-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-2-aminothiazole and 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5-aminothiadiazole derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated as selective antagonists for human adenosine A3 receptors. A methoxy group in the 4-position of the phenyl ring and N-acetyl or propionyl substitutions of the aminothiazole and aminothiadiazole templates displayed great increases of binding affinity and selectivity for human adenosine A3 receptors. The most potent A3 antagonist of the present series, N-[3-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-[1,2,4]thiadiazol-5-yl]-acetamide (39) exhibiting a Ki value of 0.79 nM at human adenosine A3 receptors, showed antagonistic property in a functional assay of cAMP biosynthesis involved in one of the signal transduction pathways of adenosine A3 receptors. Molecular modeling study of conformation search and receptor docking experiments to investigate the dramatic differences of binding affinities between two regioisomers of thiadiazole analogues, (39) and (42), suggested possible binding mechanisms in the binding pockets of adenosine receptors.     

Methaqualone derivatives are potent noncompetitive AMPA receptor antagonists

Quinazolin-4-one derivatives of methaqualone substituted at C-2 define a new class of noncompetitive antagonists at AMPA receptors.     

Piperidinyl-nicotinamides as potent and selective somatostatin receptor subtype 5 antagonists

Nicotinamides of benzyl-substituted 4-aminopiperidines and their seven-membered analogs of generic structure 2 and 2′ have been discovered as potent and selective SST5 antagonists. The activity (K_i) ranges from 2.4 to 436 nM. Most compounds exhibit decent physicochemical properties and follow a clear SAR pattern. Interestingly enough, the receptor is strongly enantiodiscriminating and binds in the amino-azepane-series only the (R)-enantiomer.     

Discovery of spiropiperidine-based potent and selective Orexin-2 receptor antagonists

To generate novel human Orexin-2 Receptor (OX2R) antagonists, a spiropiperidine based scaffold was designed and a SAR study was carried out. Compound 4f possessed the highest OX2R antagonistic activity with an IC(50) value of 3nM with 450-fold selectivity against Orexin-1 Receptor (OX1R).