2. Academic Validation
  3. Structural Modification and Pharmacological Evaluation of (Thiadiazol-2-yl)pyrazines as Novel Piezo1 Agonists for the Intervention of Disuse Osteoporosis

Structural Modification and Pharmacological Evaluation of (Thiadiazol-2-yl)pyrazines as Novel Piezo1 Agonists for the Intervention of Disuse Osteoporosis

  • J Med Chem. 2024 Nov 14;67(21):19837-19851. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c02224.
Hairong Tang 1 2,  Ruihan Hao 3,  Ding Ma 3,  Yujia Yao 4,  Chunyong Ding 1 2,  Xiaoling Zhang 3,  Ao Zhang 1 3 5 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Targeted Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
  • 2 Shanghai Key Laboratory for Molecular Engineering of Chiral Drugs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
  • 3 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTUSM), Shanghai 200092, China.
  • 4 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310053, China.
  • 5 National Key Laboratory of Innovative Immunotherapy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240, China.
PMID: 39462841 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c02224
Abstract

Piezo1 plays a pivotal role in regulating bone remodeling and homeostasis and has emerged as a promising target for chemical intervention in disuse osteoporosis. Nevertheless, the development of small-molecule Piezo1 agonists is still in its infancy, and highly efficacious Piezo1 agonists are urgently required. In this study, by shedding LIGHT on the structural novelty of the canonical Piezo1 agonist Yoda1, we initiated a structural optimization campaign based on the (thiadiazol-2-yl)pyrazine scaffold. A deuterated compound 12a was identified to be the most potent candidate against Piezo1 with an EC50 value of 2.21 μM, which was over 20-fold more potent than the reference Yoda1. This compound effectively activated Piezo1 and initiated CA2+ influx in MSCs and promoted MSC osteogenesis via activating the CA2+-related ERK signaling pathway. Furthermore, compound 12a was found to alleviate disuse osteoporosis with a desirable safety profile in a HU (hindlimb-unloading) rat model, thus warranting it as a potential probe for further investigation.

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