Identification of indole scaffold-based dual inhibitors of NOD1 and NOD2

NOD1 and NOD2 are important members of the pattern recognition receptor family and play a crucial role within the context of innate immunity. However, overactivation of NODs, especially of NOD1, has also been implicated in a number of diseases. Surprisingly, NOD1 remains a virtually unexploited target in this respect. To gain additional insight into the structure-activity relationships of NOD1 inhibitors, a series of novel analogs has been designed and synthesized and then screened for their NOD1-inhibitory activity. Selected compounds were also investigated for their NOD2-inhibitory activity. Two compounds 4 and 15, were identified as potent mixed inhibitors of NOD1 and NOD2, displaying a balanced inhibitory activity on both targets in the low micromolar range. The results obtained have enabled a deeper understanding of the structural requirements for NOD1 and NOD2 inhibition.