Design and synthesis of novel arylpiperazine derivatives containing the imidazole core targeting 5-HT(2A) receptor and 5-HT transporter.

Serotonin antagonist reuptake inhibitor (SARI) drugs that block both 5-HT(2) receptors and the serotonin transporters have been developed. The human 5-HT(2A/2C) receptor has been implicated in several neurological conditions, and potent selective 5-HT(2A/2C) ligands may have therapeutic potential for treatment of CNS diseases such as depression. An imidazole moiety usually provides good pharmacokinetic properties as a drug substance, and thus considerable efforts have been devoted to develop imidazole derivatives into drug candidates.

Synthesis and SAR of Thiazolylmethylphenyl Glucoside as Novel C-Aryl Glucoside SGLT2 Inhibitors.

Novel C-aryl glucoside SGLT2 inhibitors containing the thiazole motif were designed and synthesized for biological evaluation. Among the compounds assayed, thiazole containing furanyl moiety 14v and thiophenyl moiety 14y demonstrated the best in vitro inhibitory activity against SGLT2 in this series to date (IC50 = 0.720 nM for 14v and IC50 = 0.

Characterization of Deinococcus radiophilus thioredoxin reductase active with both NADH and NADPH.

Thioredoxin reductase (TrxR, EC 1.6.4.

Chronic Administration of Monosodium Glutamate under Chronic Variable Stress Impaired Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Function in Rats.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the primary endocrine system to respond to stress. The HPA axis may be affected by increased level of corticotrophin-releasing factors under chronic stress and by chronic administration of monosodium glutamate (MSG). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether chronic MSG administration aggravates chronic variable stress (CVS)-induced behavioral and hormonal changes.

Discovery of 2-(4-((1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl)-5-(4-bromophenyl)-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-5-tert-butyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole (GCC2680) as a potent, selective and orally efficacious cannabinoid-1 receptor antagonist.

Structure-activity relationship studies in a series of diarylpyrazolyl thiadiazoles identified cannabinoid-1 receptor antagonists with excellent potency and selectivity. Based on its exceptional in vivo efficacy in animal models and its favorable pharmacokinetic and toxicological profiles, 2-(4-((1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl)-5-(4-bromophenyl)-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-5-tert-butyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole (GCC2680) was selected as a preclinical candidate for the treatment of obesity.

Further optimization of novel pyrrole 3-carboxamides for targeting serotonin 5-HT(2A), 5-HT(2C), and the serotonin transporter as a potential antidepressant.

In the continuing search for novel compounds targeting serotonin 5-HT(2A), 5-HT(2C), and serotonin transporter, new arylpiperazine-containing pyrrole 3-carboxamide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated. Based on the lead reported previously, structural modifications regarding N-(3-(4-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)propyl)-1,2-dimethyl-5-phenyl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxamide 5, were accomplished for improvements in not only binding affinity against serotonin receptors and transporter, but also in hERG channel inhibition. Along the line, both the forced swimming tests and spontaneous locomotor activity tests were performed to distinguish between antidepressant activity and false positive results.

Novel C-aryl glucoside SGLT2 inhibitors as potential antidiabetic agents: 1,3,4-Thiadiazolylmethylphenyl glucoside congeners.

Novel C-aryl glucoside SGLT2 inhibitors containing 1,3,4-thiadiazole moieties were designed and synthesized. Among the compounds tested, biaryl-type compounds containing pyrazine 59, 2-furan 61, and 3-thiophene 71 showed the best in vitro inhibitory activities to date (IC(50) = 3.51-7.

Arylpiperazine-containing pyrrole 3-carboxamide derivatives targeting serotonin 5-HT(2A), 5-HT(2C), and the serotonin transporter as a potential antidepressant.

Arylpiperzine-containing pyrrole 3-carboxamide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as novel antidepressant compounds. The various analogues were efficiently prepared and bio-assayed for binding to 5-HT(2A), 5-HT(2C) receptor, and 5-HT transporter. Based on their in vitro and in vivo activities as well as selectivity over other neurotransmitter receptors and PK profiles, 33 and 34 were identified as lead compounds.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship of 1,2,4-triazole-containing diarylpyrazolyl carboxamide as CB1 cannabinoid receptor-ligand.

Numerous research groups have been engaged in searching for novel CB1 receptor antagonists, since SR141716A (rimonabant), a CB1 receptor antagonist, proved to be efficacious in human for the treatment of obesity. In the present study, a series of 1,2,4-triazole-containing diarylpyrazolyl carboxamides based on the 1,5-diarylpyrazole template of rimonabant, was synthesized and tested for CB1 receptor binding affinity. The structure-activity relationship studies demonstrated that incorporation of 1,2,4-triazole ring onto the pyrazole scaffold via a methylene linker led to a significant improvement for CB1 receptor binding affinity.

Pentacycle derivatives as cannabinoid CB1 receptor ligands.

Cannabinoid CB-1 receptors have been the focus of extensive studies since the first clinical results of rimonabant (SR141716) for the treatment of obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders were reported in 2001. To further evaluate the properties of CB receptors, we have designed and efficiently prepared a series of pentacycle derivatives. Five of the new compounds which displayed high in vitro rCB1 binding affinities were assayed for binding to hCB2 receptor.

Methylsulfonylpyrazolyl oxadiazoles and thiadiazoles as potent, orally bioavailable cannabinoid-1 receptor antagonists for the treatment of obesity.

Background: Since the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) antagonist SR141716 (rimonabant) was previously reported to modulate food intake, CB1 antagonism has been considered as a new therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity.

Discussion: In the present study, biarylpyrazole analogues based on a sulfur-containing pyrazole core coupled with 1,3,4-oxadiazole and 1,3,4-thiadiazole were synthesized and assayed for rat CB1 receptor binding affinity.

Results: The structure-activity relationship studies to optimize pyrazole substituents as well as 1,3,4-oxadiazole or 1,3,4-thiadiazole rings led to four novel CB1 antagonists with IC(50) values of approximately 1 nM for the rat CB1 receptor binding.

Substituted pyrimidines as cannabinoid CB1 receptor ligands.

Cannabinoid CB1 receptors have been the avenue of extensive studies since the first clinical results of rimonabant (SR141716) for the treatment of obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders were reported in 2001. To further evaluate the properties of CB receptors, we have designed and efficiently prepared a series of substituted pyrimidines based on chemical structure of Merck's taranabant, a cannabinoid CB1 receptor inverse agonist. Noticeably, N4-((2S,3S)-3-(3-bromophenyl)-4-(4-chlorophenyl)butan-2-yl)-N6-butylpyrimidine-4,6-diamine (13b) demonstrated good binding affinity and decent selectivity for CB1 receptor (IC(50)=16.

Quinazolindione derivatives as potent 5-HT3A receptor antagonists.

5-HT(3A) receptor antagonists have been used mainly for the treatment of nausea and vomiting. These days, the antagonists are of special interest due to their therapeutic potential to treat other diseases such as depression, psychotic disorder, drug abuse, and irritable bowel syndrome. To discover novel 5-HT(3A) receptor antagonists, we screened our in-house small molecule library, resulting in identifying the quinazolindione derivatives as potent 5-HT(3A) receptor antagonists.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship of novel diarylpyrazole imide analogues as CB1 cannabinoid receptor ligands.

A myriad of research groups have been engaged in searching for novel CB1 receptor antagonists, since SR141716A (rimonabant), a CB1 receptor antagonist, was discovered for an obesity treatment. In this research, extended series, based on the 1,5-diarylpyrazole template of rimonabant, was synthesized and tested for CB1 receptor binding affinity. In the present study, N-piperidinylcarboxamide group of rimonabant was replaced with the corresponding sulfonamide, imide, N-methyl imide and methylenediamide, respectively.

Oxadiazole-diarylpyrazole 4-carboxamides as cannabinoid CB1 receptor ligands.

Cannabinoid CB-1 receptors have been the focus of extensive studies since the first clinical results of rimonabant (SR141716) for the treatment of obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders were reported in 2001. To further evaluate the properties of CB receptors, we have designed and efficiently prepared a series of oxadiazole-diarylpyrazole 4-carboxamides. Six of the new compounds which displayed high in vitro CB1 binding affinities were assayed for binding to CB2 receptor.

Diarylimidazolyl oxadiazole and thiadiazole derivatives as cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists.

Since the CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716 (rimonabant) was reported to modulate food intake, CB1 antagonism has been considered as a new therapeutic target in the treatment of obesity. Several series of derivatives based on diarylimidazolyl oxadiazole and thiadiazole scaffolds were synthesized and tested for CB1 receptor binding affinity. SAR studies directed toward the optimization of imidazole scaffolds resulted in the discovery of 10s which showed highest potency for CB1 receptor binding affinity (IC(50)=1.

Biarylpyrazolyl oxadiazole as potent, selective, orally bioavailable cannabinoid-1 receptor antagonists for the treatment of obesity.

Since the CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist 1 (SR141716, rimonabant) was previously reported to modulate food intake, CB1 antagonism has been considered as a new therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity. In the present study, biarylpyrazole analogues based on a pyrazole core coupled with 1,3,4-oxadiazole were synthesized and tested for CB1 receptor binding affinity. Thorough SAR studies to optimize pyrazole substituents as well as 1,3,4-oxadiazole ring led to several novel CB1 antagonists with IC(50) approximately 1 nM for the CB1 receptor binding.

Tetrazole-biarylpyrazole derivatives as cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists.

Cannabinoid CB1 receptors have been the focus of extensive studies since the first clinical results of rimonabant (SR141716) for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders were reported in 2001. To further evaluate the properties of CB receptors, we have designed a new series of tetrazole-biarylpyrazoles. The various analogues were efficiently prepared and bio-assayed for binding to cannabinoid CB1 receptor.

Novel T-type calcium channel blockers: dioxoquinazoline carboxamide derivatives.

T-type calcium channel is one of therapeutic targets for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and neuropathic pains. Since the withdrawal of mibefradil, a T-type calcium channel blocker, there have been a lot of efforts to develop T-type calcium channel blockers. A small molecule library of dioxoquinazoline carboxamide derivatives containing 155 compounds was designed, synthesized, and biologically evaluated for T-type calcium channel blocking activity.

Occurrence of thioredoxin reductase in Deinococcus species, the UV resistant bacteria.

The occurrence of thioredoxin reductase (NAD(P)H: oxidized-thioredoxin reductase, EC 1.6.4.