Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of chicoric acid analogs as inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase

A series of analogs of the potent HIV-1 integrase (HIV IN) inhibitor chicoric acid (CA) was designed with the intention of ameliorating some of the parent natural product's undesirable properties, in particular its toxicity, instability, and poor membrane permeability. More than 70 analogs were synthesized and assayed for three types of activity: (1) the ability to inhibit 3'-end processing and strand transfer reactions using recombinant HIV IN in vitro, (2) toxicity against the CD4+ lymphoblastoid cell line, MT2, and (3) anti-HIV activity against HIV(LAI). CA analogs lacking one of the carboxyl groups of CA and with 3,4,5-trihydroxycinnamoyl sidechains in place of the caffeoyl group of CA exhibited the most potent inhibition of HIV replication and end-processing activity. Galloyl-substituted derivatives also displayed very potent in vitro and in vivo activities, in most cases exceeding the inhibitory effects of CA itself. Conversely, analogous monocarboxy caffeoyl analogs exhibited only modest inhibition, while the corresponding 3,4-dihydroxybenzoyl-substituted compounds were devoid of activity.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 6-substituted 5-alkyl-2-(arylcarbonylmethylthio)pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones as potent non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors

A novel series of 2-arylcarbonylmethylthio-6-arylmethylpyrimidin-4(3H)-ones have been synthesized and evaluated for in vitro anti-HIV activities in MT-4 cells. Most of these new compounds showed moderate to potent activities against wild-type HIV-1 with an EC(50) range from 8.97 microM to 0.010 microM. Among them, the 6-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl) analogue 5p was identified as the most promising compound (EC(50)=0.010 microM, SI>31,800) associated with moderate activity against the HIV-1 double mutant RT strain K103N+Y181C. The structure-activity relationships of these new congeners were further discussed.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 5-fluoroquinolone-3-carboxylic acids as potential HIV-1 integrase inhibitors

A series of new quinolone-3-carboxylic acids as HIV-1 integrase inhibitors featuring a fluorine atom at C-5 position were synthesized and evaluated for their antiviral activity in C8166 cell culture. These newly synthesized compounds showed anti-HIV activity against wild-type virus with an EC₅₀ value ranging from 29.85 to 0.032 μΜ. The most active compound 4e exhibited activity against wild-type virus and the mutant virus A17 with an EC₅₀ value of 0.032 and 0.082 μΜ, respectively. Preliminary structure–activity relationship of these 5-fluoroquinolone-3-carboxylic acids was also investigated.     

Synthesis, biological evaluation and 3D-QSAR studies of 3-keto salicylic acid chalcones and related amides as novel HIV-1 integrase inhibitors

HIV-1 integrase is one of the three most important enzymes required for viral replication and is therefore an attractive target for anti retroviral therapy. We herein report the design and synthesis of 3-keto salicylic acid chalcone derivatives as novel HIV-1 integrase inhibitors. The most active compound, 5-bromo-2-hydroxy-3-[3-(2,3,6-trichlorophenyl)acryloyl]benzoic acid (25) was selectively active against integrase strand transfer, with an IC(50) of 3.7 μM. While most of the compounds exhibited strand transfer selectivity, a few were nonselective, such as 5-bromo-3-[3-(4-bromophenyl)acryloyl]-2-hydroxybenzoic acid (15), which was active against both 3'-processing and strand transfer with IC(50) values of 11±4 and 5±2 μM, respectively. The compounds also inhibited HIV replication with potencies comparable with their integrase inhibitory potencies. Thus, 5-bromo-2-hydroxy-3-[3-(2,3,6-trichlorophenyl)acryloyl]benzoic acid (25) and 5-bromo-3-[3-(4-bromophenyl)acryloyl]-2-hydroxybenzoic acid (15) inhibited HIV-1 replication with EC(50) values of 7.3 and 8.7 μM, respectively. A PHASE pharmacophore hypothesis was developed and validated by 3D-QSAR, which gave a predictive r(2) of 0.57 for an external test set of ten compounds. Phamacophore derived molecular alignments were used for CoMFA and CoMSIA 3D-QSAR modeling. CoMSIA afforded the best model with q(2) and r(2) values of 0.54 and 0.94, respectively. This model predicted all the ten compounds of the test set within 0.56 log units of the actual pIC(50) values; and can be used to guide the rational design of more potent novel 3-keto salicylic acid integrase inhibitors.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 5-alkyl-2-arylthio-6-((3,4-dihydroquinolin-1(2H)-yl)methyl)pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones as potent non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors

A series of novel S-DABO analogues of 5-alkyl-2-arylthio-6-((3,4-dihydroquinolin-1(2H)-yl)methyl)pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1). Among them, the most potent HIV-1 inhibitors were compounds 6c1,6c6, and 6b1 (EC(50)=0.24 ± 0.05, 0.38 ± 0.13, 0.39 ± 0.05 μM, respectively), which possess improved or similar HIV-1 inhibitory activity compared with nevirapine (NVP) (EC(50)=0.21 μM) and delavirdine (DLV) (EC(50)=0.32 μM). None of these compounds were active against HIV-2 replication. Furthermore, enzyme inhibitory assays were performed with selected derivatives against HIV-1 wtRT, confirming that the main target of these compounds is the HIV-1 RT and these new S-DABOs are acting as NNRTIs. The preliminary structure-activity relationship (SAR) of these new congeners is discussed briefly and rationalized by docking studies.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of substituted 3-anilino-quinolin-2(1H)-ones as PDK1 inhibitors

PDK1 is an important regulator of the PI3K/Akt pathway, which has been found frequently activated in a large number of human cancers. Herein we described the preparation of novel substituted 3-anilino-quinolin-2(1H)-ones as PDK1 inhibitors. The synthesis is based around a Buchwald–Hartwig cross-coupling of various 3-bromo-6-substituted-quinolin-2(1H)-ones with three different functionalised anilines. The modular nature of the designed synthesis allowed access to a series of novel inhibitors through derivatisation of a late-stage intermediate. All compounds were screened against isolated PDK1 enzyme, with modest inhibition observed.     

Synthesis of new pyridazino[4,5-b]indol-4-ones and pyridazin-3(2H)-one analogs as DYRK1A inhibitors

New pyridazino[4,5-b]indol-4-ones and pyridazin-3(2H)-one analogs were synthesized and their inhibitory activities against DYRK1A, CDK5/p25, GSK3α/β and p110-α isoform of PI3K evaluated using harmine as reference. Both furan-2-yl 10 and pyridin-4-yl 19 from the two different series, exhibited submicromolar IC₅₀ against DYRK1A with no activities against the three other kinases. In addition, compound 10 exhibited antiproliferative activities in the Huh-7, Caco2 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of triazolothienopyrimidine derivatives as novel HIV-1 replication inhibitors

We identified a novel class of triazolothienopyrimidine (TTPM) compounds as potent HIV-1 replication inhibitors during a high-throughput screening campaign that evaluated more than 200,000 compounds using a cell-based full replication assay. Herein, we report the optimization of the antiviral activity in a cell-based assay system leading to the discovery of aryl-substituted TTPM derivatives (38, 44, and 45), which exhibited significant inhibition of HIV-1 replication with acceptable safety margins. These novel and potent TTPMs could serve as leads for further development.     

Synthesis of novel thiazolothiazepine based HIV-1 integrase inhibitors

Thiazolothiazepines are among the smallest and most constrained inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 integrase (HIV-1 IN) inhibitors (J. Med. Chem. 1999, 42, 3334). Previously, we identified two thiazolothiazepines lead IN inhibitors with antiviral activity in cell-based assays. Structural optimization of these molecules necessitated the design of easily synthesizable analogs. In order to design similar molecules with least number of substituent, herein we report the synthesis of 10 novel analogs. One of the new compounds (1) exhibited similar potency as the reference compounds, confirming that a thiazepinedione fused to a naphthalene ring system is the best combination for the molecule to accommodate into the IN active site. Thus, the replacement of sulfur in the thiazole ring with an oxygen does not seem considerably affect potency. On the other hand, the introduction of an extra methyl group at position 1 of the polycyclic system or the shift from a thiazepine to an oxazepine skeleton decreased potency. In order to understand their mode of interactions with IN active site, we docked all the compounds onto the previously reported X-ray crystal structure of IN. We observed that compounds 7-9 occupied an area close to D64 and Mg(2+) and surrounded by amino acid residues K159, K156, N155, E152, D116, H67, and T66. The oxygen atom of the oxazolo ring of 7 and 8 could chelate Mg(2+). These results indicate that the new analogs potentially interact with the highly conserved residues important for IN catalytic activities.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of 3-hydroxyquinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-diones as dual inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase-associated RNase H and integrase

A novel series of 3-hydroxyquinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-diones derivatives has been designed and synthesized. Their biochemical characterization revealed that most of the compounds were effective inhibitors of HIV-1 RNase H activity at sub to low micromolar concentrations. Among them, II-4 was the most potent in enzymatic assays, showing an IC₅₀ value of 0.41 ± 0.13 μM, almost five times lower than the IC₅₀ obtained with β-thujaplicinol. In addition, II-4 was also effective in inhibiting HIV-1 IN strand transfer activity (IC₅₀ = 0.85 ± 0.18 μM) but less potent than raltegravir (IC₅₀ = 71 ± 14 nM). Despite its relatively low cytotoxicity, the efficiency of II-4 in cell culture was limited by its poor membrane permeability. Nevertheless, structure-activity relationships and molecular modeling studies confirmed the importance of tested 3-hydroxyquinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-diones as useful leads for further optimization.     

Efficient synthesis and utilization of phenyl-substituted heteroaromatic carboxylic acids as aryl diketo acid isosteres in the design of novel HIV-1 integrase inhibitors

Three new types of aryl diketo acid (ADK) isosteres were designed by conversion of the biologically labile 1,3-diketo unit into heteroaromatic motif such as isoxazole, isothiazole, or 1H-pyrazole to improve the physicochemical property of ADK-based HIV-1 integrase (IN) inhibitors. The synthesis of the heteroaromatic carboxylic acids was established by employing phenyl beta-diketoester or benzaldehyde as the starting material and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition as the key reaction. Of the compounds tested, the 3-benzyloxyphenyl-substituted isoxazole carboxylic acid displayed the best IN inhibitory and antiviral activities, with N-hydroxylamidation enhancing the in vitro and in vivo potency. These findings are important for further optimization of ADK-based IN inhibitors.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 2-(substituted phenylaminocarbonylmethylthio)-6-(2,6-dichlorobenzyl)-pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones as potent HIV-1 NNRTIs

A series of novel 2-(phenylaminocarbonylmethylthio)-6-(2,6-dichlorobenzyl)-pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones have been designed and synthesized. All of the new compounds were evaluated for their anti-HIV activities in MT-4 cells. Most of these new compounds showed moderate to potent activities against wild-type HIV-1 with an EC₅₀ ranging from 4.48 μM to 0.18 μM. Among them, 2-[(4-bromophenylamino)carbonylmethylthio]-6-(2,6-dichlorobenzyl)-5-methylpyrimidin-4(3H)-one 4b3 was identified as the most promising compound (EC₅₀ = 0.18 ± 0.06 μM, CC₅₀ >243.56 μM, SI >1326). The structure–activity relationship (SAR) of these new congeners is discussed.     

4-(1H-indazol-5-yl)-6-phenylpyrimidin-2(1H)-one analogs as potent CDC7 inhibitors

A series of 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6-phenylpyrimidin-2(1H)-ones were identified by HTS as inhibitors of CDC7. Molecular modeling and medicinal chemistry techniques were employed to explore the SAR for this series with a focus on removing potential metabolic liabilities and improving cellular potency.     

Synthesis,biological evaluation and docking studies of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives as inhibitors of cholinesterases

In search of potent inhibitors of cholinesterases, we have synthesized and evaluate a number of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives. The synthetic approach provided an efficient synthesis of the target molecules with excellent yield. All the tested compounds showed activity against both the enzymes in micromolar range. In many case, the inhibition of both enzymes are higher than or comparable to the standard drug galatamine. With the selectivity index of 2.3 for AChE, compound 5f can be considered as a potential lead compound with a feature of dual AChE/BChE inhibition with IC₅₀ = 1.6 ± 0.10 μM (AChE) and 3.7 ± 0.18 μM (BChE). Binding modes of the synthesized compounds were explored by using GOLD (Genetic Optimization for Ligand Docking) suit v5.4.1. The computed binding modes of these compounds in the active site of AChE and BChE provide an insight into the mechanism of inhibition of these two enzyme.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel C5 halogen-functionalized S-DABO as potent HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors

A series of novel S-DABO analogues (4a1–5a12) have been synthesized by an efficient method and evaluated as inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1). The biological testing results clearly indicated that the substitution of halogen at the C5 position of pyrimidine ring could increase the anti-HIV-1 RT activity. The most active compounds showed activity in the low micromole range with IC₅₀ values (IC₅₀ 0.18–3.03 μM) comparable to nevirapine (IC₅₀ 4.12 μM). The docking showed that a new halogen bond was formed between halogen and carbonyl of TYR188 in the HIV-I RT.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of naphthyl phenyl ethers (NPEs) as novel nonnucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors

A novel series of naphthyl phenyl ether analogues (NPEs) have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro activities against HIV in C8166 cells. Most of the compounds exhibited moderate to excellent anti-HIV activities. Among them the most active compound 12o showed excellent activities against wild-type HIV-1 with an EC(50) value of 4.60 nM, along with moderate activities against the double mutant strain HIV-1(IIIB) A17 (K103N+Y181C) and HIV-2 strain ROD with an EC(50) value of 0.82 and 4.40 μM, respectively. Preliminary structure-activity relationship (SAR) among the newly synthesized NPEs was also investigated.     

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of tyrosine-based hydroxamic acid analogs as novel histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibitors

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a promising target for treating cancer and some other disorders. Herein, based on the structure of our previously reported tetrahydroisoquinoline-based hydroxamic acids, a novel series of tyrosine-based hydroxamic acid derivatives was designed and synthesized as HDACs inhibitors. Compared with tetrahydroisoquinoline-based hydroxamic acids, tyrosine-based hydroxamic acid derivatives exhibited more potent HDAC8 inhibitory activity. However, the antiproliferative activities and HeLa cell nuclear extract inhibition of several selected tyrosine-based hydroxamic acids were moderate.     

Design and synthesis of photoactivatable aryl diketo acid-containing HIV-1 integrase inhibitors as potential affinity probes

Aryl diketo acids (ADKs) represent an important new class of HIV-1 integrase (IN) inhibitors. In order to facilitate examination of the structural basis underlying IN?ADK interaction, biphenyl ketone and phenyl azide photophores were incorporated into ADK structures. Of particular note is the novel dual utilization of azide and phenyketone moieties for both enzyme recognition and for crosslinking. The resulting analogues maintained low micromolar inhibitory potency against IN in recombinant in vitro assays. These potential HIV-1 integrase photoaffinity labels may provide useful tools for studying enzyme interactions of the ADK inhibitor class.