2. Academic Validation
  3. Discovery of a brain-permeable bromodomain and extra terminal domain (BET) inhibitor with selectivity for BD1 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis

Discovery of a brain-permeable bromodomain and extra terminal domain (BET) inhibitor with selectivity for BD1 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis

  • Eur J Med Chem. 2023 Dec 19:265:116080. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.116080.
Xuetao Chen 1,  Tingting Wu 1,  Zhiyan Du 2,  Wenjing Kang 1,  Rujun Xu 1,  Fanying Meng 1,  Chihong Liu 1,  Yali Chen 1,  Qichao Bao 3,  Jingkang Shen 2,  Qidong You 1,  Danyan Cao 4,  Zhengyu Jiang 5,  Xiaoke Guo 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
  • 2 Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai, 201203, China.
  • 3 Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
  • 4 Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai, 201203, China. Electronic address: caody@simm.ac.cn.
  • 5 Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China. Electronic address: jiangzhengyucpu@163.com.
  • 6 Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China. Electronic address: kexin95@126.com.
PMID: 38142510 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.116080
Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory autoimmune disease and lacks effective therapeutic agents. Dysregulation of transcription mediated by bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) proteins containing two different bromodomains (BD1 and BD2) is an important factor in multiple diseases, including MS. Herein, we identified a series of BD1-biased inhibitors, in which compound 16 showed nanomolar potency for BD1 (Kd = 230 nM) and a 60-fold selectivity for BRD4 BD1 over BD2. The co-crystal structure of BRD4 BD1 with 16 indicated that the hydrogen bond interaction of 16 with BD1-specific Asp145 is important for BD1 selectivity. 16 showed favorable brain distribution in mice and PK properties in rats. 16 was able to inhibit microglia activation and had significant therapeutic effects on EAE mice including improvement of spinal cord inflammatory conditions and demyelination protection. Overall, these results suggest that brain-permeable BD1 inhibitors have the potential to be further investigated as therapeutic agents for MS.

Keywords

BD1; BET; Brain-permeable; Bromodomain; Multiple sclerosis.

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