0000000000015131
AUTHOR
Ines Bruno
Identification of 2-(thiophen-2-yl)acetic Acid-Based Lead Compound for mPGES-1 Inhibition.
We report the implementation of our in silico/synthesis pipeline by targeting the glutathione-dependent enzyme mPGES-1, a valuable macromolecular target in both cancer therapy and inflammation therapy. Specifically, by using a virtual fragment screening approach of aromatic bromides, straightforwardly modifiable by the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction, we identified 3-phenylpropanoic acid and 2-(thiophen-2-yl)acetic acid to be suitable chemical platforms to develop tighter mPGES-1 inhibitors. Among these, compounds 1c and 2c showed selective inhibitory activity against mPGES-1 in the low micromolar range in accordance with molecular modeling calculations. Moreover, 1c and 2c exhibited interesting IC…
Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of a novel inhibitor of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 expression
Abstract In a previous study, we reported a new γ-hydroxybutenolide derivative, 4-benzo[ b ]thiophen-2-yl-3-bromo-5-hydroxy-5 H -furan-2-one (BTH), as inhibitor of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) expression in lypopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW 264.7 and TPH-1 cells, without affecting cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). In this study, we evaluated the in vivo effect of BTH on some acute and chronic inflammatory animal models in relation to its inhibitory profile on mPGES-1 expression. In the zymosan-induced mouse air pouch model, BTH produced a dose-dependent inhibition of prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) production and mPGES-1 protein expression in pouch exudates without any effect on…
Synthesis, structural aspects and bioactivity of the marine cyclopeptide hymenamide C
Abstract Head-to-tail proline containing cyclopeptide hymenamide C [cyclo(Leu-Trp-Pro 3 -Phe-Gly-Pro 6 -Glu); 1 ], isolated from a marine sponge and for which a preliminary immunomodulating activity was reported, was efficiently synthesized by a three-dimensional orthogonal solid-phase strategy (Fmoc/tBu/Allyl) via anchoring the ω -carboxyl function of the glutamic acid to the solid support (PAC–PEG–PS). The linear precursor was entirely assembled and subsequently cyclized on resin, yielding a major product identical to the natural hymenamide C and a minor one, a geometric isomer of hymenamide C ( 2 ), differing for the geometry of peptide linkages at Pro residues. Both the ‘proline-rich’ c…
Synthesis and biological properties of the seven alanine-modified analogues of the marine cyclopeptide hymenamide C
The synthesis and biological activity of the marine cyclopeptide hymenamide C(1), showing an inhibitory effect on human neutrophil elastase degranulation release, were recently described. Based on this result, it was decided to undertake a systematic structure-activity relationship study of this cyclopeptide, based on the Ala-scan technique, in order to obtain useful information for the rational design of additional analogues. The synthesis and characterization of the seven Ala modified analogues are reported and their biological and pharmacological properties are described.
Toward the Discovery of New Agents Able to Inhibit the Expression of Microsomal Prostaglandin E Synthase-1 Enzyme as Promising Tools in Drug Development
In our recent studies, we focused our attention on the synthesis of several γ-hydroxybutenolides designed on the basis of petrosaspongiolide M 1 (PM) structure that has been recognized to potently inhibit the inflammatory process through the selective PLA2 enzyme inhibition. By means of a combination of computational methods and efficient synthetic strategies, we generated small collections of PM modified analogs to identify new potent PLA2 inhibitors, suitable for clinical development. In the course of the biological screening of our compounds, we discovered a potent and selective inhibitor of mPGES-1 expression, the benzothiophene γ-hydroxybutenolide 2, which so far represents the only pr…
Development of a second generation of inhibitors of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase 1 expression bearing the γ-hydroxybutenolide scaffold
Petrosaspongiolide M (PM), a marine sesterterpene metabolite bearing the gamma-hydroxybutenolide scaffold and displaying a potent inhibitory activity toward PLA(2) enzyme, was selected by us as an attractive target in order to explore its mechanism of action at molecular level. In the course of our investigations we decided to synthetically modify the parent compound to clarify the structural determinants responsible for the activity; in fact, very recently, our research group reported the synthesis and the pharmacological properties of a first collection of PM analogues generated by Ludi approach. The synthesized compounds showed a poor or moderate activity toward PLA(2) enzymes, neverthel…