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).

Structure-Activity Relationship of Novel and Selective Biaryl-Chroman GPR40 AgoPAMs.

A series of biaryl chromans exhibiting potent and selective agonism for the GPR40 receptor with positive allosteric modulation of endogenous ligands (AgoPAM) were discovered as potential therapeutics for the treatment of type II diabetes. Optimization of physicochemical properties through modification of the pendant aryl rings resulted in the identification of compound , which possesses an improved metabolic profile while demonstrating sustained glucose lowering.

GPR40 partial agonists and AgoPAMs: Differentiating effects on glucose and hormonal secretions in the rodent.

GPR40 agonists are effective antidiabetic agents believed to lower glucose through direct effects on the beta cell to increase glucose stimulated insulin secretion. However, not all GPR40 agonists are the same. Partial agonists lower glucose through direct effects on the pancreas, whereas GPR40 AgoPAMs may incorporate additional therapeutic effects through increases in insulinotrophic incretins secreted by the gut.

GPR40 partial agonist MK-2305 lower fasting glucose in the Goto Kakizaki rat via suppression of endogenous glucose production.

GPR40 (FFA1) is a fatty acid receptor whose activation results in potent glucose lowering and insulinotropic effects in vivo. Several reports illustrate that GPR40 agonists exert glucose lowering in diabetic humans. To assess the mechanisms by which GPR40 partial agonists improve glucose homeostasis, we evaluated the effects of MK-2305, a potent and selective partial GPR40 agonist, in diabetic Goto Kakizaki rats.

GPR40 reduces food intake and body weight through GLP-1.

G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) partial agonists lower glucose through the potentiation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, which is believed to provide significant glucose lowering without the weight gain or hypoglycemic risk associated with exogenous insulin or glucose-independent insulin secretagogues. The class of small-molecule GPR40 modulators, known as AgoPAMs (agonist also capable of acting as positive allosteric modulators), differentiate from partial agonists, binding to a distinct site and functioning as full agonists to stimulate the secretion of both insulin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Here we show that GPR40 AgoPAMs significantly increase active GLP-1 levels and reduce acute and chronic food intake and body weight in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice.

Discovery of orally active hepatoselective glucokinase activators for treatment of Type II Diabetes Mellitus.

Systemically acting glucokinase activators (GKA) have been demonstrated in clinical trials to effectively lower blood glucose in patients with type II diabetes. However, mechanism-based hypoglycemia is a major adverse effect that limits the therapeutic potential of these agents. We hypothesized that the predominant mechanism leading to hypoglycemia is GKA-induced excessive insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells at (sub-)euglycemic levels.

Novel, highly potent systemic glucokinase activators for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Glucokinase (GK, hexokinase IV) is a unique hexokinase that plays a central role in mammalian glucose homeostasis. Glucose phosphorylation by GK in the pancreatic β-cell is the rate-limiting step that controls glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Similarly, GK-mediated glucose phosphorylation in hepatocytes plays a major role in increasing hepatic glucose uptake and metabolism and possibly lowering hepatic glucose output.

Design and Synthesis of Novel, Selective GPR40 AgoPAMs.

GPR40 is a G-protein-coupled receptor expressed primarily in pancreatic islets and intestinal L-cells that has been a target of significant recent therapeutic interest for type II diabetes. Activation of GPR40 by partial agonists elicits insulin secretion only in the presence of elevated blood glucose levels, minimizing the risk of hypoglycemia. GPR40 agoPAMs have shown superior efficacy to partial agonists as assessed in a glucose tolerability test (GTT).

Discovery of Chromane Propionic Acid Analogues as Selective Agonists of GPR120 with Activity in Rodents.

GPR120 (FFAR4) is a fatty acid sensing G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that has been identified as a target for possible treatment of type 2 diabetes. A selective activator of GPR120 containing a chromane scaffold has been designed, synthesized, and evaluated . Results of these efforts suggest that chromane propionic acid is a suitable tool molecule for further animal studies.

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Novel and Selective G-protein Coupled Receptor 120 (GPR120) Spirocyclic Agonists.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an ever increasing worldwide epidemic, and the identification of safe and effective insulin sensitizers, absent of weight gain, has been a long-standing goal of diabetes research. G-protein coupled receptor 120 (GPR120) has recently emerged as a potential therapeutic target for treating T2DM. Natural occurring, and more recently, synthetic agonists have been associated with insulin sensitizing, anti-inflammatory, and fat metabolism effects.

Discovery and Optimization of a Novel Triazole Series of GPR142 Agonists for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.

GPR142 has been identified as a potential glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A class of triazole GPR142 agonists was discovered through a high throughput screen. The lead compound suffered from poor metabolic stability and poor solubility.

Discovery of benzofuran propanoic acid GPR120 agonists: From uHTS hit to mechanism-based pharmacodynamic effects.

The transformation of an aryloxybutanoic acid ultra high-throughput screening (uHTS) hit into a potent and selective series of G-protein coupled receptor 120 (GPR120) agonists is reported. uHTS hit 1 demonstrated an excellent rodent pharmacokinetic profile and selectivity over the related fatty acid receptor GPR40, but only modest GPR120 potency. Optimization of the "left-hand" aryl group led to compound 6, which demonstrated a GPR120 mechanism-based pharmacodynamic effect in a mouse oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT).

Discovery of MK-1421, a Potent, Selective sstr3 Antagonist, as a Development Candidate for Type 2 Diabetes.

The imidazolyl-tetrahydro-β-carboline class of sstr3 antagonists have demonstrated efficacy in a murine model of glucose excursion and may have potential as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. The first candidate in this class caused unacceptable QTc interval prolongation in oral, telemetrized cardiovascular (CV) dogs. Herein, we describe our efforts to identify an acceptable candidate without CV effects.

Diamine Derivatives as Novel Small-Molecule, Potent, and Subtype-Selective Somatostatin SST3 Receptor Agonists.

A novel class of small-molecule, highly potent, and subtype-selective somatostatin SST3 agonists was discovered through modification of a SST3 antagonist. As an example, (1R,2S)-9 demonstrated not only potent in vitro SST3 agonist activity but also in vivo SST3 agonist activity in a mouse oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). These agonists may be useful reagents for studying the physiological roles of the SST3 receptor and may potentially be useful as therapeutic agents.