Synthese von antiinflammatorischen Makrolactonen des Oxacyclododecindion-Typs und deren biologische Evaluierung

Die Sekundärmetabolite 4-Dechlor-14-deoxyoxacyclododecindion, 14-Deoxyoxacyclo-dodecindion und Oxacyclododecindion zeigten in ersten in vitro-Studien eine Hemmung des TGF-β- sowie des JAK-STAT-Signaltransduktionsweges im nanomolaren Konzentrationsbereich. Sie stellen potentielle Leitstrukturen für die Entwicklung neuer Therapeutika zur Behandlung chronisch entzündlicher und/oder fibrotischer Erkrankungen dar. Ziel dieser Arbeit war die Entwicklung eines totalsynthetischen Zugangs zu diesen Makrolactonen.rnDer erste retrosynthetische Ansatz bestand aus einer Ringschluss-Metathese/Reduktions/Eliminierungs-Sequenz. Während das gesättigte Makrolacton-grundgerüst dargestellt werden konnte, schlug die Einführung der Doppelbindung fehl. Es wurde nur ein exo-Methylen-Derivat erhalten. Eine Syntheseroute über eine carbonylierende Kreuzkupplung oder über eine intramolekulare Hydroacylierung verliefen erfolglos. Versuche zum Aufbau des α,β-ungesättigten Enons über das β,γ-ungesättigte Enon in einer Ringschluss-Metathese/Isomerisierungs-Sequenz führten stattdessen zur Bildung eines γ,δ-ungesättigten Ketons und eines 12-Oxo-10,11-dehydrocurvularin-Derivates.rnEine intramolekulare Friedel-Crafts-Acylierung ermöglichte den Ringschluss, sodass die beiden Naturstoffe 4-Dechlor-14-deoxyoxacyclododecindion sowie 14-Deoxyoxa-cyclododecindion synthetisiert werden konnten. Durch die Totalsynthese konnte zudem die bisher unbekannte relative Konfiguration der zwei Stereozentren aufgeklärt werden. Die während dieser Arbeit erhaltenen Derivate ermöglichten es, Struktur-Wirkungs-Beziehungen für diese Makrolactone aufzustellen.rnIn weiteren biologischen Studien von Kooperationspartnern wurde die hohe Wirksamkeit im nanomolaren Konzentrationsbereich bestätigt. Eine erste in vivo-Studie zur Behandlung von systemischem Lupus erythematodes mit 14-Deoxyoxacyclododecindion deutet auf eine verminderte Entzündungsreaktion und positive Effekte auf chronische Nierenschäden hin.rn

Novel octreotide dicarba-analogues with high affinity and different selectivity for somatostatin receptors

A limited set of novel octreotide dicarba-analogues with non-native aromatic side chains in positions 7 and/or 10 were synthesized. Their affinity toward the ssts1-5 was determined. Derivative 4 exhibited a pan-somatostatin activity, except sst4, and derivative 8 exhibited high affinity and selectivity toward sst5. Actually, compound 8 has similar sst5 affinity (IC50 4.9 nM) to SRIF-28 and octreotide. Structure-activity relationships suggest that the Z geometry of the double-bond bridge is that preferred by the receptors. The NMR study on the conformations of these compounds in SDS(-d25) micelles solution shows that all these analogues have the pharmacophore beta-turn spanning Xaa7-D-Trp8-Lys9-Yaa10 residues. Notably, the correlation between conformation families and affinity data strongly indicates that the sst5 selectivity is favored by a helical conformation involving the C-terminus triad, while a pan-SRIF mimic activity is based mainly on a conformational equilibrium between extended and folded conformational states.

Dendritic glycopeptides as Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm inhibitors, Oral presentation, 32nd European Peptide symposium, Athens, Greece, 2-7 September 2012

Glycopeptide dendrimers as Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm inhibitors. Glycopeptide dendrimers are being developed for inhibition of pathogen adhesion to host cells, a process mediated by carbohydrate-lectins interactions. Such compounds could be used in the treatment of infections by pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa that can be resistant to known antibiotics. Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces two lectins, the fucose binding LecB and the galactose binding LecA. Both lectins have been shown to be virulence factors, involved in cell adhesion and biofilms formation. Screening combinatorial libraries of fucosylated peptide dendrimers led to the glycopeptide dendrimer (C-Fuc-LysProLeu)4(LysPheLysIle)2 LysHisIleNH2. This dendrimer binds the lectin LecB with submicromolar IC50 and shows potent inhibition of P. aeruginosa biofilms for both the laboratory strain PAO1 and for clinical isolates [1]. Appending the peptide dendrimer portion of FD2 with galactosy endgroups gave galactosylpeptide dendrimers as potent ligands for LecA which also act as biofilm inhibitors. Structure-activity relationship studies demonstrated that multivalency was essential for strong binding and biofilm inhibition. [2]The results open the way to develop therapeutic agents based on glycopeptide dendrimers. Peptide dendrimers with antimicrobial properties and good cell penetration are other applications of dendritic peptides we are now investigating.

Snake C-type lectin-like proteins and platelet receptors

Snake venoms are complex mixtures of biologically active proteins and peptides. Many affect haemostasis by activating or inhibiting coagulant factors or platelets, or by disrupting endothelium. Snake venom components are classified into various families, such as serine proteases, metalloproteinases, C-type lectin-like proteins, disintegrins and phospholipases. Snake venom C-type lectin-like proteins have a typical fold resembling that in classic C-type lectins such as the selectins and mannose-binding proteins. Many snake venom C-type lectin-like proteins have now been characterized, as heterodimeric structures with alpha and beta subunits that often form large molecules by multimerization. They activate platelets by binding to VWF or specific receptors such as GPIb, alpha2beta1 and GPVI. Simple heterodimeric GPIb-binding molecules mainly inhibit platelet functions, whereas multimeric ones activate platelets. A series of tetrameric snake venom C-type lectin-like proteins activates platelets by binding to GPVI while another series affects platelet function via integrin alpha2beta1. Some act by inducing VWF to bind to GPIb. Many structures of these proteins, often complexed with their ligands, have been determined. Structure-activity studies show that these proteins are quite complex despite similar backbone folding. Snake C-type lectin-like proteins often interact with more than one platelet receptor and have complex mechanisms of action.

Activation of T cells by carbamazepine and carbamazepine metabolites

BACKGROUND: T-cell-mediated hypersensitivity is a rare but serious manifestation of drug therapy. OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanisms of drug presentation to T cells and the possibility that generation of metabolite-specific T cells may provoke cross-sensitization between drugs. METHODS: A lymphocyte transformation test was performed on 13 hypersensitive patients with carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, and carbamazepine metabolites. Serial dilution experiments were performed to generate drug (metabolite)-specific T-cell clones to explore the structural basis of the T-cell response and mechanisms of antigen presentation. 3-Dimensional energy-minimized structures were generated by using computer modeling. The role of drug metabolism was analyzed with 1-aminobenzotriazole. RESULTS: Lymphocytes and T-cell clones proliferated with carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, and some (carbamazepine 10,11 epoxide, 10-hydroxy carbamazepine) but not all stable carbamazepine metabolites. Structure activity studies using 29 carbamazepine (metabolite)-specific T-cell clones revealed 4 patterns of drug recognition, which could be explained by generation of preferred 3-dimensional structural conformations. T cells were stimulated by carbamazepine (metabolites) bound directly to MHC in the absence of processing. The activation threshold for T-cell proliferation varied between 5 minutes and 4 hours. 1-Aminobenzotriazole, which inhibits cytochrome P450 activity, did not prevent carbamazepine-related T-cell proliferation. Substitution of the terminal amine residue of carbamazepine with a methyl group diminished T-cell proliferation. CONCLUSION: These data show that carbamazepine and certain stable carbamazepine metabolites stimulate T cells rapidly via a direct interaction with MHC and specific T-cell receptors. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Some patients with a history of carbamazepine hypersensitivity possess T cells that cross-react with oxcarbazepine, providing a rationale for cross-sensitivity between the 2 drugs.

Design, synthesis and pharmacological characterization of analogs of 2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate (2-APB), a known store-operated calcium channel blocker, for inhibition of TRPV6-mediated calcium transport

2-Aminoethyl diphenylborinate (2-APB) is a known modulator of the IP3 receptor, the calcium ATPase SERCA, the calcium release-activated calcium channel Orai and TRP channels. More recently, it was shown that 2-APB is an efficient inhibitor of the epithelial calcium channel TRPV6 which is overexpressed in prostate cancer. We have conducted a structure-activity relationship study of 2-APB congeners to understand their inhibitory mode of action on TRPV6. Whereas modifying the aminoethyl moiety did not significantly change TRPV6 inhibition, substitution of the phenyl rings of 2-APB did. Our data show that the diaryl borinate moiety is required for biological activity and that the substitution pattern of the aryl rings can influence TRPV6 versus SOCE inhibition. We have also discovered that 2-APB is hydrolyzed and transesterified within minutes in solution.

Characterization of Hsp70 binding and nucleotide exchange by the yeast Hsp110 chaperone Sse1.

SSE1 and SSE2 encode the essential yeast members of the Hsp70-related Hsp110 molecular chaperone family. Both mammalian Hsp110 and the Sse proteins functionally interact with cognate cytosolic Hsp70s as nucleotide exchange factors. We demonstrate here that Sse1 forms high-affinity (Kd approximately 10-8 M) heterodimeric complexes with both yeast Ssa and mammalian Hsp70 chaperones and that binding of ATP to Sse1 is required for binding to Hsp70s. Sse1.Hsp70 heterodimerization confers resistance to exogenously added protease, indicative of conformational changes in Sse1 resulting in a more compact structure. The nucleotide binding domains of both Sse1/2 and the Hsp70s dictate interaction specificity and are sufficient for mediating heterodimerization with no discernible contribution from the peptide binding domains. In support of a strongly conserved functional interaction between Hsp110 and Hsp70, Sse1 is shown to associate with and promote nucleotide exchange on human Hsp70. Nucleotide exchange activity by Sse1 is physiologically significant, as deletion of both SSE1 and the Ssa ATPase stimulatory protein YDJ1 is synthetically lethal. The Hsp110 family must therefore be considered an essential component of Hsp70 chaperone biology in the eukaryotic cell.

Pharmacological characterization of nipecotic acid ethyl ester: A novel cholinergic muscarinic agonist

The aim of this dissertation was to examine the hypothesis that (R)-nipecotic acid ethyl ester ((R)-NAEE) is a cholinergic agonist that is selective for a particular subclass (M$\sb1$ or M$\sb2$) of muscarinic receptors.^ Ligand binding studies indicated that like cholinergic agonists (R)-NAEE selectively interacts with rat heart (M$\sb2$) and brain (M$\sb1$) muscarinic binding sites. Physiological studies revealed that unlike cholinergic agonists (R)-NAEE stimulated only those responses coupled to M$\sb2$ muscarinic receptors (acid secretion, negative inotropic response, smooth muscle contraction). Moreover, in rat brain (R)-NAEE differentiated between M$\sb2$ receptors negatively coupled to adenylate cyclase activity and M$\sb1$ receptors mediating PI turnover, being a weak competitive antagonist at these latter sites. In isolated rat gastric mucosal cells (R)-NAEE also differentiated between two M$\sb2$ coupled responses where it potentiated acid secretion but could not stimulate PI turnover. Atropine, a selective antimuscarinic agent, competitively antagonized all agonist effects of (R)-NAEE.^ Unlike (R)-NAEE, the muscarinic agonist arecoline, which is structurally similar to (R)-NAEE, stimulates both M$\sb1$ and M$\sb2$ receptors. Structure activity studies revealed that saturation of the piperidine ring and the length of the ester side chain of (R)-NAEE are the most important determinants for both M$\sb2$ efficacy and selectivity.^ The results of this dissertation establish that (R)-NAEE is a cholinergic muscarinic receptor agonist that displays greater efficacy at M$\sb2$ than at M$\sb1$ receptors, being a weak antagonist at the M$\sb1$ site. With such selectivity, (R)-NAEE may be regarded as a prototype for a unique class of cholinergic muscarinic M$\sb2$ receptor agonists. Because of these unique properties, (R)-NAEE should be useful in the further characterization of muscarinic receptors, and could lead to the development of a new class of therapeutic agents. ^

Functionally Optimized Neuritogenic Farinosone C Analogs: SAR-Study and Investigations on Their Mode of Action

Several natural products derived from entomopathogenic fungi have been shown to initiate neuronal differentiation in the rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cell line. After the successful completion of the total synthesis program, the reduction of structural complexity while retaining biological activity was targeted. In this study, farinosone C served as a lead structure and inspired the preparation of small molecules with reduced complexity, of which several were able to induce neurite outgrowth. This allowed for the elaboration of a detailed structure-activity relationship. Investigations on the mode of action utilizing a computational similarity ensemble approach suggested the involvement of the endocannabinoid system as potential target for our analogs and also led to the discovery of four potent new endocannabinoid transport inhibitors.

Functionalization of β-caryophyllene generates novel polypharmacology in the endocannabinoid system

The widespread dietary plant sesquiterpene hydrocarbon β-caryophyllene (1) is a CB2 cannabinoid receptor-specific agonist showing anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in vivo. Structural insights into the pharmacophore of this hydrocarbon, which lacks functional groups other than double bonds, are missing. A structure-activity study provided evidence for the existence of a well-defined sesquiterpene hydrocarbon binding site in CB2 receptors, highlighting its exquisite sensitivity to modifications of the strained endocyclic double bond of 1. While most changes on this element were detrimental for activity, ring-opening cross metathesis of 1 with ethyl acrylate followed by amide functionalization generated a series of new monocyclic amides (11a, 11b, 11c) that not only retained the CB2 receptor functional agonism of 1 but also reversibly inhibited fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the major endocannabinoid degrading enzyme, without affecting monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) and α,β hydrolases 6 and 12. Intriguingly, further modification of this monocyclic scaffold generated the FAAH- and endocannabinoid substrate-specific cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) dual inhibitors 11e and 11f, which are probes with a novel pharmacological profile. Our study shows that by removing the conformational constraints induced by the medium-sized ring and by introducing functional groups in the sesquiterpene hydrocarbon 1, a new scaffold with pronounced polypharmacological features within the endocannabinoid system could be generated. The structural and functional repertoire of cannabimimetics and their yet poorly understood intrinsic promiscuity may be exploited to generate novel probes and ultimately more effective drugs.

Development of HIF-1α/HIF-1β heterodimerization inhibitors using a novel bioluminescence reporter assay system for in vitro high throughput screening and in vivo imaging

Tumor growth often outpaces its vascularization, leading to development of a hypoxic tumor microenvironment. In response, an intracellular hypoxia survival pathway is initiated by heterodimerization of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and HIF-1β, which subsequently upregulates the expression of several hypoxia-inducible genes, promotes cell survival and stimulates angiogenesis in the oxygen-deprived environment. Hypoxic tumor regions are often associated with resistance to various classes of radio- or chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, development of HIF-1α/β heterodimerization inhibitors may provide a novel approach to anti-cancer therapy. To this end, a novel approach for imaging HIF-1α/β heterodimerization in vitro and in vivo was developed in this study. Using this screening platform, we identified a promising lead candidate and further chemically derivatized the lead candidate to assess the structure-activity relationship (SAR). The most effective first generation drug inhibitors were selected and their pharmacodynamics and anti-tumor efficacy in vivo were verified by bioluminescence imaging (BLI) of HIF-1α/β heterodimerization in the xenograft tumor model. Furthermore, the first generation drug inhibitors, M-TMCP and D-TMCP, demonstrated efficacy as monotherapies, resulting in tumor growth inhibition via disruption of HIF-1 signaling-mediated tumor stromal neoangiogenesis.

Advanced Protein Modeling Method: Benchmarking and Applications in Computer-Aided Drug Discovery

Development of homology modeling methods will remain an area of active research. These methods aim to develop and model increasingly accurate three-dimensional structures of yet uncrystallized therapeutically relevant proteins e.g. Class A G-Protein Coupled Receptors. Incorporating protein flexibility is one way to achieve this goal. Here, I will discuss the enhancement and validation of the ligand-steered modeling, originally developed by Dr. Claudio Cavasotto, via cross modeling of the newly crystallized GPCR structures. This method uses known ligands and known experimental information to optimize relevant protein binding sites by incorporating protein flexibility. The ligand-steered models were able to model, reasonably reproduce binding sites and the co-crystallized native ligand poses of the β2 adrenergic and Adenosine 2A receptors using a single template structure. They also performed better than the choice of template, and crude models in a small scale high-throughput docking experiments and compound selectivity studies. Next, the application of this method to develop high-quality homology models of Cannabinoid Receptor 2, an emerging non-psychotic pain management target, is discussed. These models were validated by their ability to rationalize structure activity relationship data of two, inverse agonist and agonist, series of compounds. The method was also applied to improve the virtual screening performance of the β2 adrenergic crystal structure by optimizing the binding site using β2 specific compounds. These results show the feasibility of optimizing only the pharmacologically relevant protein binding sites and applicability to structure-based drug design projects.

Economía, desocupación y pobreza en Catamarca y Tucumán (1980-2002)

Este trabajo tiene por objeto realizar una comparación entre la economía, la población con problemas de empleo y la pobreza de las provincias de Catamarca y Tucumán en el período 1980-2002, buscando indagar acerca del tipo de vinculación que hubo entre los tres fenómenos señalados en cada una de dichas provincias. Históricamente la economía tucumana tuvo un peso preponderante en la región, lo cual se refleja en su mayor participación en la estructura productiva nacional respecto de la de las restantes provincias del Norte Grande Argentino (NGA). Por su parte, la economía de Catamarca, que tradicionalmente se encontró en una posición de rezago en comparación con la situación de Tucumán, mostró mayor dinamismo Y tuvo un incremento en su participación en la estructura económica del país en los últimos años del período analizado. En el plano laboral, la población con problemas de empleo en el aglomerado urbano más importante de ambas provincias aumentó considerablemente, siendo mayor la desocupación en el Gran Tucumán-Tafí Viejo en casi todo el período considerado. En cuanto a la pobreza, Catamarca muestra un descenso superior que Tucumán en la cantidad de hogares o de población con necesidades básicas insatisfechas (NBI). Si bien la población bajo la línea de pobreza se incrementa en los aglomerados antes mencionados, hay un descenso de la misma en el Gran Catamarca en los últimos años del período bajo estudio. En ese sentido, Catamarca se destaca como la provincia menos pobre del NGA mientras que Tucumán no escapa a la situación general de niveles de pobreza muy elevados. Partiendo de las diferentes realidades socioeconómicas que se señalaron, en el escrito, se indican algunos elementos que pueden contribuir en la búsqueda de las causas por las cuales, a comienzos del siglo XXI, Catamarca presenta niveles de pobreza más bajos que Tucumán

Economía, desocupación y pobreza en Catamarca y Tucumán (1980-2002)

Este trabajo tiene por objeto realizar una comparación entre la economía, la población con problemas de empleo y la pobreza de las provincias de Catamarca y Tucumán en el período 1980-2002, buscando indagar acerca del tipo de vinculación que hubo entre los tres fenómenos señalados en cada una de dichas provincias. Históricamente la economía tucumana tuvo un peso preponderante en la región, lo cual se refleja en su mayor participación en la estructura productiva nacional respecto de la de las restantes provincias del Norte Grande Argentino (NGA). Por su parte, la economía de Catamarca, que tradicionalmente se encontró en una posición de rezago en comparación con la situación de Tucumán, mostró mayor dinamismo Y tuvo un incremento en su participación en la estructura económica del país en los últimos años del período analizado. En el plano laboral, la población con problemas de empleo en el aglomerado urbano más importante de ambas provincias aumentó considerablemente, siendo mayor la desocupación en el Gran Tucumán-Tafí Viejo en casi todo el período considerado. En cuanto a la pobreza, Catamarca muestra un descenso superior que Tucumán en la cantidad de hogares o de población con necesidades básicas insatisfechas (NBI). Si bien la población bajo la línea de pobreza se incrementa en los aglomerados antes mencionados, hay un descenso de la misma en el Gran Catamarca en los últimos años del período bajo estudio. En ese sentido, Catamarca se destaca como la provincia menos pobre del NGA mientras que Tucumán no escapa a la situación general de niveles de pobreza muy elevados. Partiendo de las diferentes realidades socioeconómicas que se señalaron, en el escrito, se indican algunos elementos que pueden contribuir en la búsqueda de las causas por las cuales, a comienzos del siglo XXI, Catamarca presenta niveles de pobreza más bajos que Tucumán

Economía, desocupación y pobreza en Catamarca y Tucumán (1980-2002)

Este trabajo tiene por objeto realizar una comparación entre la economía, la población con problemas de empleo y la pobreza de las provincias de Catamarca y Tucumán en el período 1980-2002, buscando indagar acerca del tipo de vinculación que hubo entre los tres fenómenos señalados en cada una de dichas provincias. Históricamente la economía tucumana tuvo un peso preponderante en la región, lo cual se refleja en su mayor participación en la estructura productiva nacional respecto de la de las restantes provincias del Norte Grande Argentino (NGA). Por su parte, la economía de Catamarca, que tradicionalmente se encontró en una posición de rezago en comparación con la situación de Tucumán, mostró mayor dinamismo Y tuvo un incremento en su participación en la estructura económica del país en los últimos años del período analizado. En el plano laboral, la población con problemas de empleo en el aglomerado urbano más importante de ambas provincias aumentó considerablemente, siendo mayor la desocupación en el Gran Tucumán-Tafí Viejo en casi todo el período considerado. En cuanto a la pobreza, Catamarca muestra un descenso superior que Tucumán en la cantidad de hogares o de población con necesidades básicas insatisfechas (NBI). Si bien la población bajo la línea de pobreza se incrementa en los aglomerados antes mencionados, hay un descenso de la misma en el Gran Catamarca en los últimos años del período bajo estudio. En ese sentido, Catamarca se destaca como la provincia menos pobre del NGA mientras que Tucumán no escapa a la situación general de niveles de pobreza muy elevados. Partiendo de las diferentes realidades socioeconómicas que se señalaron, en el escrito, se indican algunos elementos que pueden contribuir en la búsqueda de las causas por las cuales, a comienzos del siglo XXI, Catamarca presenta niveles de pobreza más bajos que Tucumán