Discovery of novel pyrrole derivatives as potent agonists for the niacin receptor GPR109A

Novel pyrrole derivatives were discovered as potent agonists of the niacin receptor, GPR109A. During the derivatization, compound 16 was found to be effective both in vitro and in vivo. The compound 16 exhibited a significant reduction of the non-esterified fatty acid in human GPR109A transgenic rats, and the duration of its in vivo efficacy was much longer than niacin.     

Discovery of a novel potent GPR40 full agonist

Compound 12 is a GPR40 agonist that realizes the full magnitude of efficacy possible via GPR40 receptor agonism. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated superior glucose lowering by 12 compared to fasiglifam (TAK-875), in a glucose dependent manner. The enhanced efficacy observed with the full agonist 12 was associated with both direct and indirect stimulation of insulin secretion.     

Elucidation of signaling and functional activities of an orphan GPCR, GPR81

GPR81 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that has a high degree of homology to the nicotinic acid receptor GPR109A. GPR81 expression is highly enriched and specific in adipocytes. However, the function and signaling properties of GPR81 are unknown because of the lack of natural or synthetic ligands. Using chimeric G proteins that convert Gi-coupled receptors to Gq-mediated inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation, we show that GPR81 can constitutively increase IP accumulation in HEK293 cells and suggest that GPR81 couples to the Gi signaling pathway. We also constructed a chimeric receptor that expresses the extracellular domains of cysteinyl leukotriene 2 receptor (CysLT2R) and the intracellular domains of GPR81. We show that the CysLT2R ligand, leukotriene D(4) (LTD4), is able to activate this chimeric receptor through activation of the Gi pathway. In addition, LTD4 is able to inhibit lipolysis in adipocytes expressing this chimeric receptor. These results suggest that GPR81 couples to the Gi signaling pathway and that activation of the receptor may regulate adipocyte function and metabolism. Hence, targeting GPR81 may lead to the development of a novel and effective therapy for dyslipidemia and a better side effect profile than nicotinic acid.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of indane derived GPR40 agoPAMs

GPR40 (FFAR1 or FFA1) is a G protein-coupled receptor, primarily expressed in pancreatic islet β-cells and intestinal enteroendocrine cells. When activated by fatty acids, GPR40 elicits increased insulin secretion from islet β-cells only in the presence of elevated glucose levels. Towards this end, studies were undertaken towards discovering a novel GPR40 Agonist whose mode of action is via Positive Allosteric Modulation of the GPR40 receptor (AgoPAM). Efforts were made to identify a suitable GPR40 AgoPAM tool molecule to investigate mechanism of action and de-risk liver toxicity of GPR40 AgoPAMs due to reactive acyl-glucuronide (AG) metabolites.     

Discovery of a novel series of indoline carbamate and indolinylpyrimidine derivatives as potent GPR119 agonists

GPR119 has emerged as an attractive target for anti-diabetic agents. We identified a structurally novel GPR119 agonist 22c that carries a 5-(methylsulfonyl)indoline motif as an early lead compound. To generate more potent compounds of this series, structural modifications were performed mainly to the central alkylene spacer. Installation of a carbonyl group and a methyl group on this spacer significantly enhanced agonistic activity, resulting in the identification of 2-[1-(5-ethylpyrimidin-2-yl)piperidin-4-yl]propyl 7-fluoro-5-(methylsulfonyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-indole-1-carboxylate (20). To further expand the chemical series of indoline-based GPR119 agonists, several heterocyclic core systems were introduced as surrogates of the carbamate spacer that mimic the presumed active conformation. This approach successfully produced an indolinylpyrimidine derivative 37, 5-(methylsulfonyl)-1-[6-({1-[3-(propan-2-yl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl]piperidin-4-yl}oxy)pyrimidin-4-yl]-2,3-dihydro-1H-indole, which has potent GPR119 agonist activity. In rat oral glucose tolerance tests, these two indoline-based compounds effectively lowered plasma glucose excursion and glucose-dependent insulin secretion after oral administration.     

Development of a potent and selective GPR7 (NPBW1) agonist: a systematic structure-activity study of neuropeptide B.

Neuropeptide B (NPB) has been recently identified as an endogenous ligand for GPR7 (NPBW1) and GPR8 (NPBW2) and has been shown to possess a relatively high selectivity for GPR7. In order to identify useful experimental tools to address physiological roles of GPR7, we synthesized a series of NPB analogs based on modification of an unbrominated form of 23 amino acids with amidated C-terminal, Br(-)NPB-23-NH(2). We confirmed that truncation of the N-terminal Trp residue resulted in almost complete loss of the binding affinity of NPB for GPR7 and GPR8, supporting the special importance of this residue for binding. Br(-)NPB-23-NH2 analogs in which each amino acid in positions 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 21 was replaced with alanine or glycine exhibited potent binding affinity comparable to the parent peptide. In contrast, replacement of Tyr(11) with alanine reduced the binding affinity for both GPR7 and GPR8 four fold. Of particular interest, several NPB analogs in which the consecutive amino acids from Pro4 to Val(13) were replaced with several units of 5-aminovaleric acid (Ava) linkers retained their potent affinity for GPR7. Furthermore, these Ava-substituted NPB analogs exhibited potent agonistic activities for GPR7 expressed in HEK293 cells. Among the Ava-substituted NPB analogs, analog 15 (Ava-5) and 17 (Ava-3) exhibited potency comparable to the parent peptide for GPR7 with significantly reduced activity for GPR8, resulting in high selectivity for GPR7. These highly potent and selective NPB analogs may be useful pharmacological tools to investigate the physiological and pharmacological roles of GPR7.     

人孤儿受体GPR81分子克隆、组织分布及表达工程细胞株的建立

采用PCR技术分别从人全血基因组DNA及引产胚胎肾组织cDNA中扩增得到gpr81的全长cDNA序列(1041bp),运用生物信息学手段绘制该基因的分子进化树,显示该基因的氨基酸序列与烟酸受体同源性最高;然后,采用RT-PCR法分析该基因表达的组织分布,组织表达谱显示该基因在多种组织均有表达,以心脏及肝脏组织为最高;利用分子克隆手段构建含6×组氨酸(His)标签蛋白的真核表达载体pcDNA3·1(-)/his-myc-A-gpr81,通过脂质体介导,将该重组质粒转染CHO-K1细胞,RT-PCR证实该基因已整合入CHO-K1细胞的基因组中,Western-blot表明GPR81在CHO-GPR81工程细胞株中有表达。组织表达谱的检测和工程细胞株的建立为进一步研究该受体的生物学功能奠定了基础。     

Discovery of structurally novel,potent and orally efficacious GPR119 agonists

Screening hit 5 was identified in a biochemical screen for GPR119 agonists. Compound 5 was structurally novel, displayed modest biochemical activity and no oral exposure, but was structurally distinct from typical GPR119 agonist scaffolds. Systematic optimization led to compound 36 with significantly improved in vitro activity and oral exposure, to elevate GLP1 acutely in an in vivo mouse model at a dose of 10 mg/kg.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of novel GPR40 agonists containing nitrogen heterocyclic rings

A novel series of GPR40 agonists is designed by introducing nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring at the terminal phenyl ring of TAK-875 with the aim of decreasing its lipophilicity. Three different β-substituted phenylpropionic acids were investigated as the acidic components. A total of 34 compounds have been synthesized, among which, compound 30 exhibited comparable GPR40 agonistic activity in vitro with TAK-875 and relatively lower lipophilicity through calculation (30, EC₅₀?=?1.2?μM, cLogP?=?1.3; TAK-875: EC₅₀?=?5.1?μM, cLogP?=?3.4). Moreover, compound 30 was able to enhance the insulin secretion of primary islets isolated from normal ICR mice and showed no obvious inhibition against cytochromes P450 in vitro. In vivo, compound 30 exhibited efficacy in oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT) in normal ICR mice.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of pyrimidine derivatives with diverse azabicyclic ether/amine as novel GPR119 agonist

A class of novel pyrimidine derivatives bearing diverse conformationally restricted azabicyclic ether/amine were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their GPR119 agonist activities against type 2 diabetes. Most compounds exhibited superior hEC₅₀ values to endogenous lipid oleoylethanolamide (OEA). Analogs with 2-fluoro substitution in the aryl ring showed more potent GPR119 activation than those without fluorine. Especially compound 27m synthesized from endo-azabicyclic alcohol was observed to have the best EC₅₀ value (1.2 nM) and quite good agonistic activity (112.2% max) as a full agonist.     

Identification of a novel GPR119 agonist, AS1269574, with in vitro and in vivo glucose-stimulated insulin secretion

The G protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119) is highly expressed in pancreatic β-cells. On activation, this receptor enhances the effect of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) via the elevation of intracellular cAMP concentrations. Although GPR119 agonists represent promising oral antidiabetic agents for the treatment of type 2 diabetes therapy, they suffer from the inability to adequately directly preserve β-cell function. To identify a new structural class of small-molecule GPR119 agonists with both GSIS and the potential to preserve β-cell function, we screened a library of synthetic compounds and identified a candidate molecule, AS1269574, with a 2,4,6-tri-substituted pyrimidine core. Here, we examined the preliminary in vitro and in vivo effects of AS1269574 on insulin secretion and glucose tolerance. AS1269574 had an EC₅₀ value of 2.5 μM in HEK293 cells transiently expressing human GPR119 and enhanced insulin secretion in the mouse pancreatic β-cell line MIN-6 only under high-glucose (16.8 mM) conditions. This contrasted with the action of the sulfonylurea glibenclamide, which also induced insulin secretion under low-glucose conditions (2.8 mM). In in vivo studies, a single administration of AS1269574 to normal mice reduced blood glucose levels after oral glucose loading based on the observed insulin secretion profiles. Significantly, AS1269574 did not affect fed and fasting plasma glucose levels in normal mice. Taken together, these results suggest that AS1269574 represents a novel structural class of small molecule, orally administrable GPR119 agonists with GSIS and promising potential for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.     

Design of potent and selective GPR119 agonists for type II diabetes

Screening of the Merck sample collection identified compound 1 as a weakly potent GPR119 agonist (hEC₅₀ = 3600 nM). Dual termini optimization of 1 led to compound 36 having improved potency, selectivity, and formulation profile, however, modest physical properties (PP) hindered its utility. Design of a new core containing a cyclopropyl restriction yielded further PP improvements and when combined with the termini SAR optimizations yielded a potent and highly selective agonist suitable for further preclinical development (58).     

Synthesis and evaluation of novel fused pyrimidine derivatives as GPR119 agonists

A novel series of fused pyrimidine derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as GPR119 agonists. Among them, cyclohexene fused compounds (tetrahydroquinazolines) showed greater GPR119 agonistic activities than did dihydrocyclopentapyrimidine and tetrahydropyridopyrimidine scaffolds. Analogues (16, 19, 26, 28, 42) bearing endo-N-Boc-nortropane amine and fluoro-substituted aniline exhibited better EC₅₀ values (0.27–1.2 μM) though they appeared to be partial agonists.     

Discovery of novel benzo[b]thiophene tetrazoles as non-carboxylate GPR40 agonists

GPR40 partial agonism is a promising new mechanism for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus with clinical proof of concept. Most of the GPR40 agonists in the literature have a carboxylic acid functional group, which may pose a risk for idiosyncratic drug toxicity. A novel series of GPR40 agonists containing a tetrazole as a carboxylic acid bioisostere was identified. This series of compounds features a benzo[b]thiophene as the center ring, which is prone to oxidation during phase 1 metabolism. Following SAR optimization targeting GPR40 agonist activity and intrinsic clearance in microsomes (human and rat), potent and metabolically stable compounds were selected for in vivo evaluation. The compounds are efficacious at lowering blood glucose in a SD rat oGTT model.     

Structure-activity relationships of trans-substituted-propenoic acid derivatives on the nicotinic acid receptor HCA2 (GPR109A)

Nicotinic acid (niacin) has been used for decades as an antidyslipidemic drug in man. Its main target is the hydroxy-carboxylic acid receptor HCA2 (GPR109A), a G protein-coupled receptor. Other acids and esters such as methyl fumarate also interact with the receptor, which constituted the basis for the current study. We synthesized a novel series of substituted propenoic acids, such as fumaric acid esters, fumaric acid amides and cinnamic acid derivatives, and determined their affinities for the HCA2 receptor. We observed a rather restricted binding pocket on the receptor with trans-cinnamic acid being the largest planar ligand in our series with appreciable affinity for the receptor. Molecular modeling and analysis of the structure-activity relationships in the series suggest a planar trans-propenoic acid pharmacophore with a maximum length of 8 Å and out-of-plane orientation of the larger substituents.     

Zaprinast, a well-known cyclic guanosine monophosphate-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor, is an agonist for GPR35

We found that zaprinast, a well-known cyclic guanosine monophosphate-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor, acted as an agonist for a G protein-coupled receptor, GPR35. In our intracellular calcium mobilization assay, zaprinast activated rat GPR35 strongly (geometric mean EC(50) value of 16nM), whereas it activated human GPR35 moderately (geometric mean EC(50) value of 840nM). We also demonstrated that GPR35 acted as a Galpha(i/o)- and Galpha(16)-coupled receptor for zaprinast when heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells. These findings will facilitate the research on GPR35 and the drug discovery of the GPR35 modulators.     

Optimization of a novel series of potent and orally bioavailable GPR119 agonists

We describe the discovery and optimization of a novel series of furo[3,2-d]pyrimidines as G protein-coupled receptor 119 agonists. Agonistic activity of 4 (EC₅₀ = 129 nM) was improved by replacing the intramolecular hydrogen bond between the fluorine atom and the aniline hydrogen in the head moiety with a covalent C-C bond to enhance conformational restriction, which consequently gave a lead compound 12 (EC₅₀ = 53 nM). Optimized compound 26, which was identified by the further optimization of 12, exhibited potent activity (EC₅₀ = 42 nM) with improved clearance in liver microsomes and induced a 33% reduction in blood glucose area under the curve at a dose of 10 mg/kg in an oral glucose tolerance test in C57BL/6N mice.     

Design,synthesis and SAR of a novel series of heterocyclic phenylpropanoic acids as GPR120 agonists

A novel series of 5-membered heterocycle-containing phenylpropanoic acid derivatives was discovered as potent GPR120 agonists with low clearance, high oral bioavailability and in vivo antidiabetic activity in rodents.     

Design and biological evaluation of tetrahydropyridine derivatives as novel human GPR119 agonists

A series of novel tetrahydropyridine derivatives were prepared and evaluated using cell-based measurements. Systematic optimization of general structure G-1 led to the identification of compound 35 (EC₅₀ = 4.9 nM) and 37 (EC₅₀ = 8.8 nM) with high GPR119 agonism activity and moderate clog P. Through single and long-term pharmacodynamic experiments, we found that compound 35 showed a hypoglycemic effect and may have an effect on improving basal metabolic rate in DIO mice. Both in vitro and in vivo tests indicated that compound 35 was a potential potent GPR119 agonist in allusion to T2DM treatment.