Structure of human desArg-C5a.

The anaphylatoxin C5a is derived from the complement component C5 during activation of the complement cascade. It is an important component in the pathogenesis of a number of inflammatory diseases. NMR structures of human and porcine C5a have been reported; these revealed a four-helix bundle stabilized by three disulfide bonds.

Optimization of halopemide for phospholipase D2 inhibition.

Halopemide, which was identified by HTS to inhibit phospholipase D2 (PLD2), provided the basis for an exploratory effort to identify potent inhibitors of PLD2 for use as inflammatory mediators. Parallel synthesis and purification were utilized to rapidly identify orally available amide analogs derived from indole 2-carboxylic acids with superior potency versus PLD2.