Publications by authors named "Srinivas Rao Kasibhatla"

Oral delivery of previously disclosed purine and benzimidazole fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) inhibitors via prodrugs failed, which was likely due to their high molecular weight (>600). Therefore, a smaller scaffold was desired, and a series of phosphonic acid-containing thiazoles, which exhibited high potency against human liver FBPase (IC(50) of 10-30 nM) and high selectivity relative to other 5'-adenosinemonophosphate (AMP)-binding enzymes, were discovered using a structure-guided drug design approach. The initial lead compound (30j) produced profound glucose lowering in rodent models of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after parenteral administration.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Efforts to enhance the inhibitory potency of the initial purine series of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) inhibitors led to the discovery of a series of benzimidazole analogues with human FBPase IC(50)s < 100 nM. Inhibitor 4.4 emerged as a lead compound based on its potent inhibition of human liver FBPase (IC(50) = 55 nM) and significant glucose lowering in normal fasted rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Like most phosphonic acids, the recently discovered potent and selective thiazole phosphonic acid inhibitors of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) exhibited low oral bioavailability (OBAV) and therefore required a prodrug to achieve oral efficacy. Syntheses of known phosphonate prodrugs did not afford the desired OBAV; hence, a new class of prodrugs was sought. Phosphonic diamides derived from amino acid esters were discovered as viable prodrugs, which met our preset goals: excellent aqueous stability over a wide pH range, benign byproducts (amino acids and low molecular weight alcohols), and most importantly good OBAV leading to robust oral glucose lowering effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Excessive glucose production by the liver coupled with decreased glucose uptake and metabolism by muscle, fat, and liver results in chronically elevated blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Efforts to treat diabetes by reducing glucose production have largely focused on the gluconeogenesis pathway and rate-limiting enzymes within this pathway such as fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase). The first potent FBPase inhibitors were identified using a structure-guided drug design strategy (Erion, M.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

AMP binding sites are commonly used by nature for allosteric regulation of enzymes controlling the production and metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Since many of these enzymes represent potential drug targets for metabolic diseases, efforts were initiated to discover AMP mimics that bind to AMP-binding sites with high affinity and high enzyme specificity. Herein we report the structure-guided design of potent fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) inhibitors that interact with the AMP binding site on FBPase despite their structural dissimilarity to AMP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In type 2 diabetes, the liver produces excessive amounts of glucose through the gluconeogenesis (GNG) pathway and consequently is partly responsible for the elevated glucose levels characteristic of the disease. In an effort to find safe and efficacious GNG inhibitors, we targeted the AMP binding site of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase). The hydrophilic nature of AMP binding sites and their widespread use for allosteric regulation of enzymes in metabolic pathways has historically made discovery of AMP mimetics suitable for drug development difficult.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF